As infighting erupts among key MAGA figures, economic turbulence and collapsing alliances hint at deeper fractures within the Republican right.
The fragile unity of Donald Trump’s inner circle is fracturing dramatically, with high-profile public spats and economic instability exposing rifts that could shake the foundation of his political movement.
A recently surfaced image of Trump appearing visibly agitated in a conversation with Elon Musk inside the White House underscores growing unease. Meanwhile, Musk and Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro have exchanged increasingly personal and juvenile insults, taking their feud into the public domain.
Musk mocked Navarro’s Harvard PhD in economics, prompting Navarro to dismiss Musk as merely “assembling cars” from globally sourced parts. Musk retaliated, calling Navarro “truly a moron” and suggesting bricks were intellectually superior. The insults continued, crossing the line into ableism when Musk used an offensive term on social media.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to downplay the tension, describing it as a clash between “two individuals with very different views” and brushing it off with a dismissive “boys will be boys.”
At the heart of the dispute is Trump’s aggressive tariff policy, which has wreaked havoc on Musk’s international operations—particularly Tesla and potentially SpaceX. With Tesla’s stock plummeting and Musk’s wealth dipping below $300 billion, the consequences are becoming hard to ignore. Musk, who has long championed global free trade, posted a vintage clip of economist Milton Friedman to make his point: open markets benefit everyone.
This philosophical and economic divide could fracture the loose alliance between mainstream Republicans, staunch conservatives, and MAGA loyalists. The clash between free trade and protectionism has split parties before, both in the US and abroad—as seen with Britain’s Conservatives during the Edwardian era and more recently in the Brexit saga.
Republican lawmakers, donors, and business leaders are increasingly choosing sides, and the divisions are no longer polite. The tariffs are not only stifling trade but also rattling financial markets. Investors have begun to abandon US treasury bonds out of fear for the country’s fiscal future—an act that makes it harder and more expensive for the government to function.
China, holding about $750 billion in US bonds, remains a key player in this financial standoff. Should Trump’s steep 104 per cent tariffs push Beijing to dump those holdings, the dollar could face catastrophic devaluation. Though doing so would also harm China’s own assets, such a move grows more likely if trade restrictions tighten further.
Only days ago, Vice-President JD Vance stoked further tensions by referring to Chinese workers as “peasants” while commenting on US borrowing—remarks Beijing condemned as offensive and ignorant.
As the economic pressure builds and internal feuds escalate, Trump’s MAGA coalition seems increasingly unstable. If his allies don’t rein in their rhetoric—and their policy missteps—they may soon find themselves undermining not only their political project but the very economy they claim to protect.
