US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One for travel to South Carolina, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, October 29, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
On Friday, a MAGA-oriented candidate released an ad that breaks with President Donald Trump over a key policy touted since the early days of his political career. While the MAGA movement may have largely coalesced around the chant “build the wall” in 2016, Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera – who is running a neck-and-neck midterm race under Trump’s endorsement – now slams the wall as “unnecessary.”
"Big Bend was a treasure that was handed down to us by generations past, and it’s on us to preserve it for generations to come,” says Herrera in the ad, referring to a national park on the Texas border. “When Big Bend faced unnecessary construction that didn't make the border any more secure, I brought the fight directly to the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and pressured them to stop the project." As the ad plays, overlaying text declares that Herrera is against the “unnecessary Big Bend construction.”
As Axios congressional reporter Andrew Solender notes, “Herrera, a right-wing gun YouTuber endorsed by Trump, is running to represent the largest stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in a single House district.” Trump won the district by 15 points in 2024, largely on promises of being tough on immigration, so as commentators have noted, it is suggestive that a MAGA-aligned gun influencer is breaking with that messaging to embrace a decidedly liberal-sounding take on environmental protection. “MAGA Republican in Texas border district running an ad that says Trump put up TOO MUCH WALL,” noted Never-Trump Bulwark editor Tim Miller. “Talk about a vibe shift.”
This shift has big implications for the midterms, in which the GOP is expected to lose its majority in the House and maybe even the Senate. As one commenter suggested of Herrera’s ad, “I don’t know how many signs we need for what’s happening on Tuesday.” And he isn’t the only Republican candidate offering such signs, as recent months have seen a string of conservative candidates take steps to distance themselves from historically unpopular Trump. In September, for example, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) – also running in a district the president won by 15 points – released an ad declaring Trump’s “immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far.” Other GOP candidates have broken with him over issues like the war with Iran, tariffs, and rising fuel prices. As these issues have caused voters to sour on Trump, pushing his approval to record lows, Republican candidates – including some with diehard MAGA credentials – have scrubbed references to the president from their websites and voiced opposition to his policies and their consequences. According to an analysis in early October, the majority of GOP candidates have distanced themselves from Trump.
Herrera's Democratic opponent, Katy Padilla Stout -- who is running an extremely tight race -- took notice of the ad, posting, "Trump doesn't care about TX-23, and Brandon is learning that the hard way. All his talk about a trip to DC, and Trump is still trying to move forward with the Big Bend border wall. Brandon, right here, right now: Stand up to Trump. On the wall. On gas & diesel prices."
