President Trump and the GOP are in a growing panic over ICE. Trump’s advisers are sinking into recriminations. Republican officials are publicly admitting that his immigration agenda “seems to be not working” and that the GOP is “losing” the political battle over it. Others are suggesting that Alex Pretti’s killing was “murder” and that it’s time to “recalibrate.” Yet MAGA figures are pulling in the other direction. Media Matters has a good roundup: Many are urging Trump to escalate, with white supremacist Nick Fuentes labeling Pretti a “race traitor.” MAGA doesn’t want to let the GOP even appear to moderate. We talked to Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian, who has a new piece urging Democrats not to let up. We discuss how MAGA’s white nationalist brutality has landed “moderate” Republicans in a trap, why this provides an opening to divide the Trump coalition, and what Democrats can do to demonstrate that they side with the American people against Trump-MAGA’s violent lawlessness. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
PODCAST
Trump-GOP Panic over ICE Grows as MAGA Goes Off Rails: “Race Traitor!”
With Republicans admitting ICE is political poison even as MAGA figures demand more brutality, The Contrarian’s Jennifer Rubin explains how Democrats can exploit this moment to split the Trump coalition.

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Right-wing personality Megyn Kelly in Washington, DC on Feb. 27, 2025.







