Supporters of President Donald Trump in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) camp are increasingly dissatisfied with him. This is because President Trump has repeatedly reversed his proclaimed policy of 'America First.'
On the 9th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported, 'Trump's moves regarding immigration, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ukraine are shaking the MAGA base,' adding, 'White House officials acknowledge there are frustrations within MAGA but insist it does not pose a serious threat to Trump's support base.'
Recently, what has stirred MAGA is President Trump's softened immigration policy. He said at the kickoff event celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence held in Des Moines, Iowa, on the 3rd, 'We do not want to remove all workers from the farms.' Considering that agriculture is a major industry in Iowa, this meant that if the owners take responsibility and provide guarantees, there would be no crackdown on illegal immigrants in farms and hotels.
As President Trump has received support from MAGA through a hardline immigration policy, key figures in MAGA have shown discomfort with his remarks. As criticism from MAGA influencers regarding President Trump's immigration policy statements flooded social media, President Trump stated, 'There are no pardons for some immigrants,' while also noting, 'We are creating job programs.'
The reason President Trump took a step back on immigration policy is that some of his supporters operate businesses that depend on immigrants. WP reported, 'Some donors have told President Trump that he needs to ease his immigrant deportation policies so that businesses dependent on immigrant labor can continue to operate.' As controversy continued, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated, 'Only violent and criminal illegal immigrants welcomed by Joe Biden will be deported.'
The rapid change in the Trump administration's stance on the Ukraine war also irritated MAGA. On the 3rd, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it would suspend arms support for Ukraine due to concerns about the depletion of weapon stocks. At that time, President Trump responded to questions about why the Ministry of National Defense suspended arms shipments to Ukraine, saying, 'We are giving weapons, but we have given too many weapons so far.'
However, just four days after suspending arms support for Ukraine, the Ministry of National Defense announced on the 7th that it would send more defensive weapons to Ukraine. In the statement, the Ministry explained that the change in position regarding weapons support for Ukraine was due to 'President Donald Trump's directive.'
President Trump told reporters that Ukraine must be able to defend itself, stating, 'We will send more weapons.' Initially, President Trump had a negative stance on arms support for Ukraine, but he changed his position after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a ceasefire proposal.
The way the Trump administration has handled billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's sex scandal is also fueling MAGA's dissatisfaction. Some MAGA figures suspect that the federal government has been covering up Epstein's crimes to protect his associates.
Last weekend, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that no new findings had emerged from the investigation into the Epstein case, and when a reporter attempted to ask Attorney General Pam Bondi about Epstein, President Trump criticized, 'I can't believe we're asking about Epstein at a time when we are suffering a tragedy in Texas amid our successes.'
WP reported, 'The controversies over immigration and Epstein arose after several key MAGA figures warned last month against attacking Iran on behalf of Israel.' Conservative former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon urged on his podcast, 'War Room,' to 'press Trump to continue doing what we chose him for.'