MAGA freaks out over new list of the worst states

A new list ranking the 10 worst states to live in has just been released, and MAGA is not happy that the whole ranking is deep red.

The list was compiled by CNBC, and according to the Daily Beast, it “factored in several ‘Quality of Life’ issues, such as healthcare and reproductive rights, crime rates, air quality, civil rights laws, and inclusivity.” Using this methodology, CNBC determined that Tennessee delivers the worst quality of life, followed by Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma and Arkansas. There is a clear red trend to the list, as each state is led by a Republican governor and voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.

CNBC published the list on Saturday, and by Tuesday, MAGA had fomented into a full-blown freakout as Trump loyalists attempted to deflect from failing living conditions in conservative states.

“CNBC says the ability to kill unborn babies and engage in woke racism makes states better to live in,” top Trump ally Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, posted on X. Pete Mundo, a conservative Kansas City radio host, echoed these sentiments, fuming, “These are some of the highest in-bound migration states in the country, but because you can’t abort babies til month 9, and trans your kids at will, it ranks low on the CNBC rankings.”

MAGA Representative Brandon Gill (R-TX) argued that the list is inaccurate based on population growth, posting, “If Texas was so bad, people wouldn’t be fleeing blue states in droves to move here.”

Ryan Fournier, co-founder of the group Students for Trump, spewed that the list was “absolute bulls——,” raging, “These states have some of the HIGHEST business rankings and the BEST economies in the entire country. If they are so ‘terrible,’ then why are Americans constantly fleeing blue states to move to them? I guess people just hate Tennessee and Texas so much that they can’t stop packing up their U-Hauls and relocating there!”

Trump frenemy and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis chimed in to defend Tennessee, citing migration as well: “If Tennessee was really the worst state to live in, people wouldn’t be moving there in large numbers, which they are. Typical nonsense.”

MAGA’s appeals to these factors, however, ignore CNBC’s stated emphases, which prioritized quality of life over business attractiveness. “Quality of place, especially investing in quality of place, is the top thing you can do for talent attraction and retention,” said Larry Gigerich, managing executive director of Ginovus in Indianapolis and chairman of the Site Selectors Guild.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office noticed the list too, and took a moment to jab at red states, posting, “Notice something in common? All led by Republicans — many suffering from California Derangement Syndrome.”