Conservative warns MAGA: Trump will discard you the moment you question him

U.S. President Donald Trump with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami, Florida, U.S., April 11, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

President Donald Trump is known for expecting total, unquestioning loyalty from fellow Republicans, but critics often point out that it isn't a two-way street. Trump, in 2026, has fired two of his most prominent loyalists: former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that no matter how much Bondi and Noem "debased" themselves to please Trump, it wasn't enough in the end.

Trump is not only attacking Democrats and Never Trump conservatives — he is also lashing out at MAGA Republicans who are critical of his war against Iran, including Infowars' Alex Jones, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and ex-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia).

In an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on April 16, journalist Peter Rothpletz warns that no matter how much they do for him, Trump will throw his loyalists under the bus in a heartbeat.

Rothpletz points to far-right Fox News pundit Riley Gaines as a recent example. When Gaines criticized Trump for posting, on his Truth Social account, an AI-generated image that depicted him as Jesus Christ, he didn't debate the matter with her — he condemned her.

In an April 13 post on X, formerly Twitter, Gaines said of the image, "Why? Seriously, I cannot understand why he'd post this. Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked."

Rothpletz explains, "Gaines was clearly in Trump's good books, but she's also a student of the Good Book. And she took to X to express her dismay at the president's God-displacing post….That was it. That was the extent of Gaines' — forgive me —

apostasy. She did not call Trump a raging narcissist. She did not endorse a Democrat. She did not even defend the Pope. She said, in effect: Hey, maybe don't portray yourself as the Son of God?"

Rothpletz continues, "Trump's response? 'I'm not a big fan of Riley, actually.' Reading this one sentence, Gaines watched years of loyal support and advocacy go poof. All because she suggested that the president of the United States exercise a modicum of humility about his status relative to the Holy Trinity."

Trump's attack on Gaines, according to Rothpletz, demonstrates he can't even handle mild criticism — and that he has no loyalty to his loyalists.

"This is the upshot of the Faustian bargain you made," the journalist warns MAGA Republicans. "Offer one mild, reasonable, biblically grounded objection to your guy presenting himself as Christ, and you get shamed in front of the whole country…. If you are a MAGA influencer, you must know how all this ends. The window to get out with your reputation minimally intact is not going to stay open forever."

Rothpletz continues, "The mad king is drowning. You're got to jump before it's too late.

You've got to get out…. Even you, Ms. Gaines, have time. But you still might want to act quickly."

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