Trump Rages at Bad Bunny--and Accidentally Exposes a Big MAGA Weakness (Greg Sargent in The New Republic)
His Bluesky posts about the article, and then an excerpt from it:
Trump is badly losing the war over ICE, not just on the streets, but also in the culture. As Bad Bunny shows, this has become a culture war unto itself. Trump-MAGA's initial hubris has been utterly deflated.
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T13:00:38.376Z
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Striking from Marquette poll:
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T13:15:56.888Z
Majorities of non-college grads and even 50% of rural Americans disapprove of ICE handling of enforcement. Majorities of both oppose deporting longtime residents with jobs/no criminal records.
That's data given to me. 2/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trump/MAGA have long regarded pro football as "their" part of the culture. They used to post video of stadium crowds cheering Trump. He tried to shame black players kneeling for BLM out of the sport.
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T13:26:07.454Z
This is why Bad Bunny doing Super Bowl cuts so deep for Trump. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Don't forget: Last fall, Kristi Noem boasted that ICE would be "all over" the Super Bowl, and said only people who "love this country" should attend.
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T13:32:36.476Z
Now ICE enforcement operations there won't happen. It's very plausible ICE would face a hostile reception. 4/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trumpworld assumed MAGA-adjacent parts of the culture would thrill to ICE brutality. ICE recruits among fans of UFC, Nascar, military tactical equipment.
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T13:46:36.342Z
But even MAGA-friendly constituencies and parts of the culture are now rejecting ICE and mass deportations. 5/
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trumpworld is attacking Bad Bunny as an "elitist" who disdains "law enforcement." But it turns out that ICE's paramilitary war on Americans has broken all the old culture war signifiers. The old tropes are failing. Trump is losing the culture on this. 6/
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T14:05:45.645Z
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
The full argument is in the link below.
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T14:16:51.163Z
END
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
https://newrepublic.com/article/206292/trump-bad-bunny-super-bowl-maga-weakness
I was going to post an excerpt from the article, but Greg Sargent included some screenshots with some of what I'd planned to post. So I'll just recommend that you read the entire article, which is not paywalled.
= new reply since forum marked as read
