'Rickety hodgepodge': These 9 'MAGA coalition' alliances are 'headed for major blow ups'

When President Donald Trump's nonconsecutive second term began on Monday, January 20, his party was in control of the U.S. government's executive branch and both branches of Congress. Moreover, Republicans have a 6-3 supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court that's way to the right of conservative GOP justices of the past such as Anthony Kennedy and the late Sandra Day O'Connor.

But Trump enjoyed only a narrow victory over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, defeating her by roughly 1.5 percent. And the GOP majorities in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are small, requiring GOP lawmakers to stick together on key votes. Trump's agenda depends largely on coalitions and alliances.

In listicle published on Valentine's Day 2025, Politico describes nine fragile alliances in the "MAGA coalition," explaining why they are fragile and may run into problems — if they haven't done so already.

READ MORE: MAGA's 'chaotic attempt to shut down' USAID put $500 million of food supplies at risk — and more

"Very public Inauguration merry-making aside," Politico explains, "the MAGA coalition has long been a rickety hodgepodge of groups with views that often don't fit neatly into any partisan or ideological box. Its members, as a result, frequently clash with each other. Remember Steve Bannon vs. Javanka from Trump’s first administration, or Reince Priebus vs. Anthony Scaramucci?.... Call them rivalries to watch, forced marriages — or, as we have, odd couples — these are pairs of people who are going to be forced to find common ground with bitter ideological or just plain old personal enemies in Trump’s Washington — and who could be headed for some major blow ups."

The alliances that Politico lists are: (1) "Steve Bannon and Elon Musk," (2) House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune," (3) Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent, (4) Sebastian Gorka and Michael Anton, (5) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Brooke Rollins, (6) Stephen Miller and Sriram Krishnan, (7) National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratclife, (8) Gail Slater and Andrew Ferguson, and (9) Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Trump gave Musk considerable power, appointing the Tesla/SpaceX CEO to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But tensions are already flaring between Bannon and Musk, who the "War Room" host described as "truly evil" during an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera. And Politico notes that the Trump/Musk alliance could fall apart if Trump decides that Musk is getting too much attention.

Politico says of Musk and Trump, "For now, this has been a perfect match." But the article quotes Politico's Jonathan Martin as saying, "The Trump Show is a one-man play, and there’s not room for anybody else, least of all somebody wealthier and with a nearly comparable thirst for attention."

READ MORE: 'Bloodbath' for GOP in Congress if inflation continues: conservative

Read Politico's full article at this link.