March 17, 2026 | Civil War: Original MAGA vs the Neocons

For many voters, the best thing about Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, was his entourage. He was surrounded by smart, courageous people who had spent years opposing the Aristocracy on existential issues like regime change wars, vaccine mandates, censorship, and illegal immigration. With them running major departments and dominating cabinet meetings, at least some good things, it seemed, might get done.

And some good things have indeed gotten done. But lately, relations between the major players have taken a darker turn. The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has descended into a civil war over its central issues, with old allies becoming, in some cases, mortal enemies.

Recent examples:

Congressman Thomas Massie was an OG MAGA politician who envisioned a libertarian country anchored by free speech, 2nd Ammendment rights, and the end of pointless wars.

The Epstein files, he assumed, would be released immediately, since that’s what Candidate Trump had promised. Instead…

Megyn Kelly was an anti-war conservative with a large YouTube audience who enthusiastically backed Trump in 2024. Then the wars started, and the Epstein files stayed classified, and Kelly began publicly speculating about which foreign country was behind the sea change in US policy. Now she’s under attack from neoconservatives, or “neoCons”, battling for control of MAGA.

Tucker Carlson went full MAGA (anti-war, anti-vaccine mandate, anti-mass-immigration) while he was still the biggest name at Fox News. It got him fired, and he went on to create a new media channel without changing his views, despite the recent shift in US foreign policy. Now he’s facing potential legal consequences:

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, just resigned, effective immediately. From his resignation letter:

President Trump, after much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our country.

It is clear we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on until June of 2025. You understood that wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.

Watch the following video for speculation about the horrible things likely to happen to Kent in the coming year:

What’s Left of Original MAGA?

This isn’t a frivolous debate. The differences between original MAGA and ascendant neoCons are stark, and what happens next — starting with the upcoming mid-term elections — will shape global politics and finance for years to come. Now more than ever, keep stacking.

John Rubino March 17th, 2026

Posted In: John Rubino Substack

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