To Defeat MAGA, Play Jenga
Weaken the Foundation and the Movement Falls
As my friend and long-time colleague Trygve Olson brilliantly explains, power structures like MAGA are built vertically, not horizontally; deep, but not broad. Imagine Trump’s powerbase like the party game Jenga(!)
His movement is a series of self-supporting, interlocking pieces: Individuals, groups, media outlets, and finally the sleepy man himself, sitting at the top. As I noted in a recent piece, though, blunting a movement like MAGA is more successful when those blocks are pushed from the bottom, rather than the top.
Trump’s presence at the pinnacle of the structure provides visibility and protection for the component parts. He is the roof, not the foundation. While leaky, his shortcomings have not (yet) threatened the entire structure.
To effectively combat the Trump administration, its allies and its controlled opposition, we should split the Jenga Tower into three parts. For today, we’ll leave the top level, Trump and his family, JD Vance, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, to their own devices. Yes, they’re corrupt, and anti-American, but the rest of MAGA tends to pull itself together in their defense. We want the lower floors unsteady.
MAGA in the Middle
There are several rules of Trumpland. My personal contribution is this: The only people MAGA hates more than you and me, are each other. This defines the core of the movement. They’re no longer at the bottom, they have positions of prestige, authority or power, but they’re not family, they’re not oligarchs, and they’re not untouchable.
They’re operational and perhaps influential, but they’re not (despite their own belief) essential to the continuation of the movement. Recent examples of this would be Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson’s outright rage against Trump’s position in the Israel-Iran War. Both are uber-isolationists. They believe the United States should not undertake international adventurism. This belief applies to Ukraine as much as the Middle East.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R-Cutty Sark) resides here. Yes, Hegseth is nominally in control of the American military, but he’s also a clownish goon who enjoys no appreciable support or respect among the military elite or anyone with expertise in the national security space.
As with dozens of other members of the Trump Administration, Hegesth was hired because Trump liked him on Fox News. However, in Trump’s Reality Show, bad reviews are verboten. It’s only a matter of time before the president’s cell phone rings with a buddy saying, “Don, are you really gonna keep that guy around?” The clock is ticking.
Stephen Miller’s den is carved out of this space. Given his single-minded obsession with anyone whose skin tone is darker than his own vampiric pallor, Miller’s position rests on the razor’s edge between keeping the promise of mass deportation and Trump’s transactional nature (i.e., backing off the agriculture and hospitality industries.)
Remember: Miller doesn’t have friends (even his wife left with Elon.) He has allies of convenience, and they’ll expose him to sunlight as soon as it suits their interests.
How we attack the likes of Bannon, Carlson, Hegseth, and Miller is crucial. Snark, sarcasm, and belittling the infighting may feel good (I am guilty) but is unnecessary, and diminishes the effectiveness. Like with attacks on Trump, ridicule causes a defensive reaction within the organism, like an octopus slithering back into its nest.
Just post the video, the news, or the content and let it run. The mainstream media will (eventually) pick it up. The New York Times will write about it. The DC rags will report on the fights. Substack will go bananas. Even Fox will get in on it as Rupert can’t help himself sometimes. The politico-media ecosystem, always hungry for drama, will do the work. No editorializing necessary.
Foundational Weakness
Trump’s base of support, perhaps 35-40% of the Republican Party, has fueled his rise and success in the last decade. Tens of millions of Americans are captivated by the man, and like cult members, will believe anything he says. However, they’re not immune to political communication, if it’s undertaken for the correct purpose: Not to persuade, convince, or recruit, but to shake their faith.
Inside the system, you have Republican politicians in tough House districts and GOP Senators who know what a disaster Trump is for the economy, the country, and the world. They’re all holding on for dear life: hoping to survive (as we all are) the next three and a half years. Many of them loathe MAGA, their voters, and the ridiculous performances required of them.
As I noted in a previous piece*, invoking Trump at this level gives the trolls an ogre to hide behind. The Republican brand is not popular. Combine the toxicity of the GOP with MAGA’s insanity.
Target high net-worth voters in Republican districts (and areas) and tell them how their representatives are going to crush their 401ks. Private school for the kids? Not anymore. State school here they come! Encourage small business owners to call their reps and demand their protection on tariffs and higher taxes.
The Make America Healthy Again movement is another cellar dweller. They’re very online, and their popularity doesn’t change who and what they are: Charlatans, dead-bear freaks, and snake-oil salesmen looking to make a buck at the expense of dead kids and old people.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Means (and Ends) Twins have decided to enter the fray. They are fair game, now. We are under no requirement to give them the benefit of the doubt about anything, nor should we give them one second of clean air.
MAHA presents a three-fold opportunity. They claim to want to take on the likes of Big Ag, Big Food, and Big Sugar: Ostensibly, good targets. For our purposes, though, we should endeavor to drive conflict between MAHA, entrenched industry executives, Members of Congress, and Trump himself.
They’re all for sale. Members want their PAC checks. Trump’s protection is cheap, all things considered. For massive industries, paying him off will look like a good investment. As the politicians and lobbyists begin the Potomac Two-Step, Bobby and Co. will be inclined to step up their attacks.
Perfect.
Nudge, Nudge, Nudge
As in Jenga, we must not sloppily pull this piece or that. We must nudge the blocks individually, but simultaneously. MAGA’s most effective tactic is to overwhelm the system. We must turn that tactic back on them. MAKE THEM REACT, rather than just waiting for the structure to collapse on its own. Once they’re agitated, we need to get into our OODA Loop. (I’ll write another piece on this. In the meantime, look up Col. John Boyd.)
These are purely offensive operations. While the Dark Tower looms above, dismantling it, brick by brick, is of utmost importance. Now is not the time for morality plays nor disagreements on policy. The path to the Promised Lands runs through Donald Trump and his movement.
As we remove pieces, and the structure’s higher levels begin shaking, Trump’s paranoia will morph into desperation. As he attempts to keep the whole thing from collapsing, we’ll arrive with the sledgehammers. By then, his supporters will be fleeing the building. Total systemic collapse.
None of this is fast, nor easy. MAGA, the Tea Party and Fox News have spent the last 50 years building up this structure. The more successful we are, the more ferocious their defense and vicious their responses will become. When the heat burns the most is when we’ll know victory is at hand.
News and Notes:
It’s a busy week! I’m on my way to New Jersey for events this week. You can find out more at JoinTheUnion.us.
Make sure to follow Trygve at
.Check out my terrific conversation with
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I’m doing a Substack Live(!) tomorrow with
at 10 am Eastern. You can find the link here.
Liked article. I need to study or at least read it again so I can use it effectively. Best ideas on how to work and weaken the challenges of GOP and MAGAs. Thanks Reed.
Thanks, Reed, good thoughts. I'll suggest we add to that lower level of the MAGA Jenga all the behind-the-scenes functionaries, administrators, operatives, and appointed bureaucrats who support Trump and the MAGA movement. They are the "working level" MAGA who are just as responsible as the big names because they turn the big names' rants into actual policy and action. Call them out - because Trump (like every strong man) is just one guy who can't rule without apparatchiks doing the boring, but impactful work of government.