A former Republican and New York Times columnist signaled Friday that MAGA's "identity crisis" has imploded in a splintered fight between right-wing influencers.
David French, a lifelong conservative who left the GOP because of its embrace of Donald Trump, told CNN anchor Dana Bash that the group that right-wing podcasters are calling each other out during Turning Point USA's event in Arizona — the largest gathering among that coalition since MAGA podcaster Charlie Kirk was killed.
At the event, podcaster Ben Shapiro argued that the conservative movement was "in danger" and called out Dinesh D'Souza, Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson.
"I thought it was brave," French said. "I mean, he walked into a place where there were a ton of fans of Tucker Carlson, of Candace Owens, of Megyn Kelly, of Steve Bannon, and told the truth. I mean that there is a rising... this kind of worldview is going to eat the right from the inside out, and I thought it was brave of him to do it."
Trump has been keeping the conservative movement together, French argued, but now more divisions are appearing within MAGA, including the response to antisemitism.
"Whenever you start to see a paranoid worldview arise whenever you start to see conspiracy arise, just wait," French said. "Antisemitism is not far behind. This has been something that's been going on for thousands of years."
