Donald Trump was swept back to power in November by an unusual and fraught coalition of voters.
The biggest group were regular, struggling Americans who for some reason believed him when he said he’d make their shopping cheaper.
But it’s unlikely those Americans would have got him over the line without another contingent – who you might call the new MAGA hardcore. They’re younger, more likely to be male, and much more likely to get their “news” from podcasts and social media.
They’re also much more likely to believe conspiracy theories about something fishy going on with the suicide of notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and subsequent investigations into his life, crimes and death.
Some of them will have got these ideas from podcasters like Kash Patel, who is now, somehow, director of the FBI.
Or maybe from Dan Bongino, another podcaster who is now Patel’s deputy at the FBI.
And Trump himself constructed a fable about a secret network of establishment bad guys operating in America – but he’s not one of them, you understand.
So the MAGA hardcore were delighted when Patel and Bongino got their jobs, because they would surely be able to reveal all about the shadowy paedophile rings operating at the highest levels of the deep state, or whatever.
Then Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that, despite her telling Fox News a few months ago that Epstein’s client list was “on her desk waiting for review”, there was actually no more to see here and the investigation was to be closed.
And then the other day Trump made a big show – on television – of saying he’d like very much to move on from questions about Epstein.
Well, it looks very much like he’s going to be very, very disappointed.
Here’s more on that, and how MAGA might be about to blow up in Trump’s face – plus some more of the wildest goings on in Trump world overnight.
Everything is fine. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Dan Bongino didn’t turn up for work yesterday
According to the New York Times, Bongino and Bondi – along with Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles – had a massive blow up over the Epstein investigation.
It’s said Bondi accused Bongino of leaking to conservative news outlets, blaming the AG for the backlash over the probe.
Bongino denied it… but then didn’t turn up for work on Friday.
According to Laura Loomer, one of MAGA’s best connected whisperers, he’s now considering resigning over the row.
It’s important not to underestimate how much damage Bongino leaving in anger might cause for Trump.
Before Trump installed him in the FBI, he was the host of a lucrative podcast with a huge audience of MAGA hardcore listeners – and his credibility with those listeners has been put at risk by the Epstein row. He blames Bondi for that – although it’s hard to see how this particular buck doesn’t stop with the President himself.
2. Pam Bondi could be at risk
Overnight Washington has been buzzing with rumours that Trump might think it’s worth losing Bondi to stop Bongino heading to the nearest microphone and speaking his mind.
There’s even talk of runners and riders to replace her – including Trump’s original pick for AG, Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration after Congress published a report which found evidence that he paid for sex – including with a 17-year-old – and abused illegal drugs during his tenure in the US House of Representatives. It would certainly be a punchy choice.
3. A White House power struggle?
Errant Brit turned MAGA bon vivant Raheem Kassam, whose Capitol Hill bistro Butterworths has become a prime hangout for Trump-adjacent movers and shakers, points out there might be another thing going on here.
“There’s an interesting NY vs FL thing going on here, too,” he wrote in a Twitter thread last night – suggesting a fault-line between the ‘Florida people’ in Trump’s orbit – which includes Wiles and Bondi – and the rest.
Kassam went on: “Susie Wiles a long standing close and personal friend of Pam’s. In the event Trump would consider keeping Dan (and maybe Kash if he wants out, too) it is likely his Chief of Staff will recommend against it. Which adds layers of problems…”
4. Is MAGA really that upset about the Epstein thing?
Yes.
5. Trump ‘could lose 40 seats in the midterms in 2026 and the White House in 2028 over Epstein’
Steve Bannon is wrong about a great many things, but he’s able to count.
He suggested at an event yesterday that the Epstein row, if not resolved to the satisfaction of the MAGA hardcore, could cost Trump both the mid-terms and the next Presidential election.
He said: “For this to go away, you’re gonna lose 10% of the MAGA movement. If we lose 10% of the MAGA movement right now, we’re going to lose 40 seats in 2026, we’re going to lose the presidency.”
“They’ve disheartened the hardest-core populists,” he added.
6. Meanwhile, Trump is sending more weapons to Ukraine
Trump has found a wizard wheeze that lets him send weapons to Ukraine while not annoying MAGA any more than he has to.
He suggested in an interview with NBC that the plan would be to sell the weapons to other NATO countries, who would pass them on to the besieged nation.
7. Trump doesn’t care if My Little Pony gets more expensive
In the same interview, Trump was asked about concerns from the CEO of Hasbro – which manufactures Monopoly and My Little Ponies – that their prices would have to go up as a result of his tariffs.
Trump brushed off the warning.
“If you look at the numbers, inflation’s gone down,” he said.
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything about Hasbro. I don’t care about their prices.”
One has to imagine that as Christmas approaches, many Americans will start to care very deeply about the price of My Little Ponies.
Trump later added: “But if they make their toys here, if they made their toys here, they wouldn’t have a price increase.”
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8. Trump accused a journalist asking a fairly normal question of being ‘evil’
During a trip to survey the devastation following floods in Texas, Trump was asked about how well local officials were prepared and how quickly they acted – including if warning systems might have given more people time to evacuate.
Trump replied: “Only a bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you, I don’t know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that. This has been heroism.”