Elon Musk's takeover and rebrand of Twitter — now X — is now ripping apart the MAGA movement, according to a report Monday.
Musk rebranded the platform in 2023, changing its moderation rules and prompting a rise in hate speech that has created a series of complaints among conservatives, Politico reported.
"Three years later, Musk’s control of the platform, now re-branded as 'X,' has delivered its fair share of benefits for conservatives — not least of which was Musk’s successful full-court press to elect Donald Trump in 2024," according to Politico. "But as the elite echelons of the MAGA movement slowly descend into obscure online disagreements and testy turf wars between rival influencers, conservatives are starting to confront an unpleasant possibility: that the right’s domination of X is doing more to divide the MAGA movement than unite it."
Several notable MAGA voices have made "digital exits" and left the app, citing their concerns about its divisive nature, including Ohio governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam.
Changes under Musk, including his push to stop bots, has also unveiled something MAGA did not expect to happen.
"Musk’s efforts to combat bot activity have in turn backfired on conservatives: A new feature rolled out earlier this year displaying the country where an account is based inadvertently revealed that many of the most active pro-Trump and MAGA accounts are based abroad," Politico reported.
And that's not the only worry among MAGA followers.
"Increasingly, some big names on the right are coming to worry that X’s algorithm — which elevates short-form video and audio clips over links to articles or essays — is undermining the right’s political cohesion by promoting the most outlandish and conspiracy-minded members of Trump’s coalition," according to Politico.
Charlie Kirk's death and the rising conspiracy theories surrounding his killing have also revealed rising battles among MAGA influencers and just how much infighting has emerged in the movement.
"The turmoil and division generated on X is becoming a problem for elected Republicans, too," Politico reported. "Even as MAGA voters remain largely united behind Trump and his agenda, Republicans are being forced to spend time and political capital addressing squabbling among MAGA’s elite activists and influencers."