Conservative think tanks, evangelical Christians, and of course billionaires – in the increasingly right-leaning United States, many people other than President Trump hold power and influence.

The MAGA movement is not a unified whole, but rather divided into different factions.

Less than a year after Trump became president again, he has already turned the country upside down. The new U.S. national security strategy released in November redefines the goals of American foreign policy.

Long-term U.S. allies, such as Europe, have had to realize that U.S. support is no longer taken for granted, but only provided when businessman Trump believes it can result in a good deal for America. As his slogan says: "America First," or as his 2016 campaign slogan was: "Make America Great Again" (MAGA).

In domestic affairs, many things have also changed since Trump took office on January 20, 2025. Masked agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) dragged people out of cars or arrested them directly on the streets. For cities with high levels of protest, the president sent in the National Guard. If the media reported content that did not suit Trump, they were sued or publicly shamed online. Government agencies have completely abolished measures promoting inclusivity for disabled employees or promoting diversity and inclusion in companies (so-called DEI projects).

Trump attracted many followers with one slogan.

Diversity is seen as liberal or "woke" – and these values are seen as thorns in the eyes of the president and his supporters. MAGA is more than just a slogan; it is a worldview. Moreover, the MAGA movement is not a unified whole. Different factions have different core demands. Trump is the front figure as president, but behind the MAGA ideology, there are numerous powerful groups and individuals fighting for their own interests.

Conservative Think Tanks: The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is a right-wing nationalist think tank based in Washington D.C., which claims to promote "conservative policies based on free-market economics, minimal government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and strong defense." It also proposed the "Project 2025," a plan published in 2023 that outlines how a conservative president could reshape the government.

"Project 2025" envisions a significantly reduced government, where employees can be more easily fired, and the president has more personal power. Although Trump emphasized during his campaign that he was unrelated to this plan, he implemented many of its ideas after taking office. As part of the DOGE initiative to increase government efficiency, thousands of government employees were fired. Trump also wants to further expand his power. He ignored court rulings on deportation issues and wanted to fire officials he disliked.

Although he has fallen out of favor, Musk was once one of the practitioners of the MAGA movement's "small government" ideology.

Some members of the Trump administration, such as press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought, previously worked at the Heritage Foundation. Vought was even one of the main planners of the "Project 2025." The Heritage Foundation also donated $1 million (about 850,000 euros) to the Republican National Convention held in the summer of 2024, which formally confirmed and celebrated Trump as the presidential candidate.

Religious Groups: Evangelical Christians

The "Project 2025" also proposes further restrictions on abortion rights. The group that pays more attention to this issue is the evangelical Christians, who have been among Trump's most loyal supporters for years. Trump openly admitted that he likes to get involved in women's private areas and has been married three times and has five children, but this does not affect their support because they value Trump's promotion of the issues related to their faith.

In the fall of 2020, a few weeks before the presidential election, Trump nominated a Supreme Court justice known for opposing abortion. In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned nationwide abortion rights by a majority of six conservative justices (three of whom were appointed by Trump). Since then, each state decides independently whether to allow abortion and under what conditions. Evangelical Christians are a powerful lobbying group in the United States, and most of them vote for Republicans. Therefore, Trump will never stand against them on issues like abortion.

Another measure that may be influenced by evangelicals is the appointment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This evangelical Christian called himself a "Christian warrior," excluded transgender people from the military, and reportedly praised a pastor's remarks opposing women's suffrage. Critics argue that with the growing influence of evangelicals in the U.S. government, the separation of church and state is facing a threat.

Business: Billionaires and Bloggers

Many of Trump's ideas seem to have been inspired by the blogger and software developer Curtis Yarvin. He believes that democratic systems are outdated and that the country should be managed by a CEO like a company. Voters would no longer exist, replaced by customers with the "right to terminate" contracts. Anyone dissatisfied with the "boss" (the government) could choose to move away. Trump even joked before the 2024 election that if people supported him this time, they wouldn't need to vote again in the future.

The idea of transforming the Gaza Strip into a vacation paradise also comes from Yarvin. In April 2024, he proposed expelling Palestinians from Gaza and turning the area into a luxury resort. In February 2025, Trump proposed turning Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," in line with this idea.

Peter Thiel, a billionaire born in Germany and founder of PayPal, also believes that democracy is inefficient. He donated $1.25 million (about 1 million euros) to Trump's campaign through various means during the 2016 election. In 2024, he did not donate to any political campaign, but previously invested heavily – for example, donating $15 million (about 13 million euros) to JD Vance's Senate campaign. Vance's success in the Senate eventually led to his vice-presidential position, which was a wise long-term investment for Thiel.

The ideas and ideals of Thiel, such as politics should allow businesses and tech companies to act freely, are also reflected in the policies of the U.S. government. For example, Vance recently criticized the EU's Digital Services Act, which could lead to millions of fines for social media platforms like X.

Source: DW

Original: toutiao.com/article/7583500779298751030/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author.