'Explosive' MAGA civil war forming 'generational split on the American right': analysis

A report in the International Business Times exposes "deep fractures" inside the American right leading to an "explosive MAGA civil war," redefining what it means to be pro-Trump in 2025.

On the frontlines of the battle are neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, conservative activist and so-called "MAGA whisperer" Laura Loomer, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who are clashing "over ideology, influence and control of the MAGA base."

The trio's public rift has, writes Times' Marie Joy Toledo, exposed "deep rifts between extremist activists and conservative media figures who once shared similar political goals."

Tensions between Fuentes, whose "rhetoric has repeatedly drawn condemnation for being antisemitic and extremist," and Loomer, who is Jewish, escalated following the death of activist Charlie Kirk.

Loomer labeled Fuentes a "mentally ill lunatic," accusing him of "sabotaging conservative unity," Toledo says. Fuentes, who is banned from most platforms, retaliated with a video in which he accused Loomer of "attention-seeking and of betraying the movement's grassroots."

"Their falling-out now symbolises a growing divide between the online far-right and those seeking mainstream acceptance within the MAGA movement," Toledo writes.

Former Fox host Carlson has also been clashing with Fuentes, the report says, describing him as as 'angry' and 'child-like' while distancing himself from his extremist views.

Carlson, Toledo says, "represents the mainstream conservative establishment that Fuentes routinely attacks, highlighting the widening rift between populist media figures and online radicals."

These splits and feuds are a reflection of a "broader civil war within the MAGA coalition," Toledo says, with Fuentes's influence among young Republicans driving a "generational split on the American right."

"His rhetoric, coupled with his attacks on figures such as Carlson, highlights an attempt to redefine what it means to be pro-Trump in 2025," Toledo says.

Loomer, on the otherhand, "continues to position herself as a defender of Trump's image against what she calls 'toxic fringe elements'. Her feud with Fuentes has reignited debates about loyalty, legitimacy and who gets to speak for the MAGA movement," Toledo explains.

This, she writes, has split conservative media and the MAGA base.

"Supporters of Fuentes praise him as a truth-teller unafraid to criticise powerful figures, while detractors argue that his inflammatory rhetoric risks alienating mainstream voters," Toledo says.

Yet, Carlson's followers, she writes, "see his restraint as evidence of leadership amid growing extremism. Political analysts note that these public clashes reveal a deeper struggle over the future of Trump-aligned conservatism, one that may reshape the right long after the shouting stops."