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MAGA faces its greatest crisis since Donald Trump came down the golden escalator in 2015. The credibility of the president is sorely tested by his "big beautiful bill," but it is endangered by the Jeffrey Epstein affair.
On the surface, it seems a minor incident, but so was the "third-rate burglary" known as Watergate in its earlier stages.
As with Watergate, it came out of a campaign charge that suggested Epstein was tied to the "deep state". Remember that the break-in at the Watergate was due to a mistaken belief that Democrats were dealing with the North Vietnamese. It led to a break-in that yielded nothing, and worse, the apprehension of several members of Richard Nixon's re-election team.
During the campaign, Trump promised to expose the "evils" of the CIA, FBI, and Justice Department. Epstein's suicide and President John F. Kennedy's assassination were events he pledged to get to the bottom of. He immediately ordered his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to begin an investigation. She did, and came up with a sheet.
Not only that, Bondi took her whole lot of nothing and placed it in binders. She was then asked if she had a list of Epstein's clients, and she replied that it was on her desk. Later on, Bondi admitted that once again, she had nothing.
This is where the troubles started. FBI leader Kash Patel and his assistant Dan Bongino confronted the Attorney General. Then MAGA stalwarts led by Stephen Bannon, Jack Posobiec, Charlie Kirk, Laura Loomer, and Tucker Carlson took up the call for releasing all information. Some even wanted Bondi removed. Suddenly, they speculated that their hero, Trump, may have joined the "deep state".
After Trump's reversal on Medicare and Social Security and his militancy toward Russia, some in MAGA were disappointed. If the controversy continues, it could morph into betrayal. This tension between the "base" and Trump has been building since Elon Musk's appointment and the appointment of Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff. It would appear that the Mar-A-Lago crowd has taken Trump and restored him to his natural habitat. For Bannon and others, this is an affront to Populist Nationalism.
There's no good enemy to make, especially when it comes to all that. Kash Patel, before assuming his position as FBI chief, authored "Government Gangsters" and will have no problem adding Trump to the list. Bongino was close to resigning. To these officials, the President is reluctant to offend his rich Palm Beach friends.
Trump cannot airily dismiss these challenges unless he wants to endanger the movement. Without the likes of a Bannon backing him, Trump appears as just another Republican, except with dubious manners and a loud mouth. Just as he was the soul of MAGA, he was also shaped by his movement. He needs to choose between his elite friends and his populist core.