MAGA blame game shows Trump in retreat

[marmar]

MAGA blame game shows Trump in retreat
Trump and Vance back down and blame unnamed staffers for controversial posts

By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published February 11, 2026 6:30AM (EST)


(Salon) Roy Cohn’s gospel to his young protégé Donald Trump was simple: never apologize, never admit error, never retreat. Attack, deny, counterpunch. That ethos defined Trump’s political rise. It’s why he is able to lie with such abandon, insult entire communities and still command loyalty from a base that mistakes his belligerence for authenticity. But one year into his second term, the allure has clearly worn off as the trolling dominance that once defined MAGA continues to backfire.

Trump didn’t apologize for sharing a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes last week, but he did delete it. He didn’t accept responsibility, but he did blame an unnamed White House staffer, suggesting that the president is starting to accept that sheer shamelessness just won’t cut it anymore. In turn, some MAGA faithful finally gave up trying to maintain the suspension of disbelief required to pretend it’s all just an innocent mistake.

....(snip)....

The White House initially tried to brazen it out, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt waving it off as merely “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.” But within 12 hours, the post was gone. The explanation finally settled on was almost comically thin: an unnamed staffer posted it and Trump approved it, but he didn’t see the imagery because he was too focused on the content about voter fraud. (Notably, the Obama clip appeared at the very end of the video.)

....(snip)....

This is a movement that thrives on provocation but panics when that very provocation carries consequences. The MAGA coalition wants the thrill of trolling without the cost of being held responsible. They want to wink at racism and historical denialism while insisting, with a straight face, that any backlash is manufactured. .................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/11/maga-blame-game-shows-trump-in-retreat/

[mwmisses4289]

1. Of course they do.

They are absolutely perfect, doncha know, and would never do something like that.

Do I really need to add this