(The reports of MAGA’s death have been greatly exaggerated. And the data is the smoking gun.)
“MAGA is Dead” is a Slogan in Search of a Fact
Scott Jennings has a point. The left, and a swath of the media, are drunk on a new mantra: “MAGA is dead.” It’s an incantation, a curse they hope will speak itself into reality.
There’s just one problem: The data.
Jennings isn’t dealing in sentiment. He’s dealing in numbers. And those numbers paint a starkly different picture of Donald Trump’s political strength within the GOP—a picture not of survival, but of unprecedented dominance.
Let’s break down that data.
1. The Ultimate Power Metric: Intraparty Approval
This is Jennings’ knockout punch, and it demolishes the “MAGA is dead” thesis.
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Donald Trump has an 87% approval rating among Republicans.
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This is higher than Barack Obama’s approval with Democrats at this point in his second term.
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It is also higher than where George W. Bush stood with Republicans at a comparable time.
Let that sink in. A former president under four criminal indictments, fresh off an impeachment trial, relentlessly attacked by political and media elites… has stronger intraparty approval than two two-term presidents did while in office.
This does not describe a dying movement. It describes a movement that has ossified into the party’s platform. MAGA is no longer a “wing” of the GOP; it is the beating heart. Support for Trump has transcended policy or personality—it has become a loyalty oath, a marker of identity.
2. The Marjorie Taylor Greene Purge: A Rebel’s Tragedy
Then, Jennings points to the perfect case study of this power dynamic: the clash with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Greene, once the embodiment of the most radical Trumpism, challenged Trump on several fronts (like not bombing Iran). The result? Jennings lays it out mercilessly:
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Trump publicly stated she “couldn’t win statewide in Georgia.”
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Greene “went ballistic,” but ultimately ended up siding with a group of losers.
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Jennings’ acid conclusion: “He’s the president. She’s not.”
The lesson is clear: Even the purest of Trumpian acolytes, those who built their brand on loyalty to him, are not permitted to outflank him. The hierarchy is absolute. Trump doesn’t just lead the party; he owns it. His ability to “withdraw Green’s certification” and watch her political stature deflate within a week is proof of that ultimate authority.
3. The Twitter vs. Ballot Box Dichotomy
This is the critical disconnect. The noise on social media, the op-eds, and the caterwauling from left-wing pundits create an illusion of decay. They look at division on Twitter and declare MAGA fractured.
But Jennings is pointing to the deafening silence in the polls. While the chattering class talks of rift, 87% of the Republican base remains unified. While MTG creates media firestorms, Trump maintains total control of the party’s voting bloc and fundraising apparatus.
They are fighting on one battlefield (media narrative) while the real war (core voter allegiance) was won long ago.
The Verdict: A Premature Autopsy
Mark Twain famously said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
The “MAGA is dead” narrative is the same. It is a wish disguised as analysis. It is a hope presented as fact.
Scott Jennings isn’t arguing emotion. He’s presenting a data-driven autopsy. And the coroner’s report shows the patient not only alive, but at peak strength, in total command of his party’s circulatory system.
MAGA may not win a national general election. That’s a separate question. But to declare it dead inside the Republican Party? That’s not political analysis.
It’s a prayer. And so far, the data shows that prayer is going unanswered.
📊 The truth doesn’t care about your feelings. It just is.
