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Bannon and the MAGA movement against Trump: ‘He is dragging us into war in Ukraine’

Internal dissent within Trumpism grows after the announcement of new arms shipments to Kiev. The former White House strategist and the far-right Republicans accuse the president of betraying America First

‘This is not the war on terrorism. It’s an old-fashioned war in bloody Europe, and they’re dragging us into it.’ With these words, Steve Bannon, former White House strategist, openly criticised Donald Trump during his War Room podcast. A direct attack that reflects the growing discontent of the MAGA base, the beating heart of Trumpism, with the US president’s recent decision to supply new offensive and defensive weapons to Ukraine.

Bannon accused the administration of ‘arming people we have no control over,’ calling the move a dangerous escalation desired by Volodymyr Zelensky, with the aim, according to him, of dragging the United States into conflict with Russia. ‘Zelensky’s priority is to get Trump and the US more and more involved in the war,’ the former adviser added.

Fracture in Trumpism: ‘This is not our war’
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican congresswoman and long-time Trump ally, also shared the criticism, stating in an interview with the New York Times: ‘It’s not just Ukraine. It’s the issue of foreign wars in general. Foreign aid is a betrayal of promises.’ Greene also recalled the discontent created by Trump’s participation in the raids against Iran in the conflict with Israel, an episode that marked a first rift between the president and his most radical electorate.

Trump: ‘Europe will pay for the weapons’
During a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Trump defended the decision, stressing that the United States will not give away weapons, but will sell them to its ‘very rich’ European allies. A strategy that, according to him, fits perfectly with the principles of America First, namely ‘fair alliances based on mutual benefits.’

Elbridge Colby, director of the Pentagon’s policy office, reinforced this line, writing on X: ‘It’s enormously reasonable, but for years it was treated as heresy. Now, with this historic NATO commitment, we see that it can work.’

But MAGA supporters don’t trust it: “They’re using taxpayers” money’
Despite assurances that Europeans will finance military supplies, many in the MAGA world remain unconvinced. A former Trump campaign official said: “We still hate it. This is not our war, and escalation is not in America’s interest”.

Greene also expressed doubts about the absence of costs for the US: ‘Without a doubt, they are using American taxpayers’ money, even if only for weapons training,’ she said.

The congresswoman finally recalled her commitment during the election campaign: ‘I said it at every rally: no more money for Ukraine, we want peace. And you know what? People haven’t changed.’

The sending of new weapons to Kiev now risks becoming a new test for the balance between Trump’s foreign policy and domestic consensus, which is increasingly caught between the realist line and the radical expectations of his base.

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