Is MAGA actually right wing?

It hasn’t been easy to make sense of the whole MAGA movement. While Trump ran as a Republican and the movement is heavily associated with the right, that framing oversimplifies things. At its core, MAGA is a populist movement—but what does that really mean?

Populism thrives on the idea that a corrupt ruling class—politicians, corporate elites, media figures, and global institutions—has rigged the system against ordinary citizens. It’s less about left vs. right and more about "the people" vs. "the elite."

In many ways, MAGA shares more in common with the left than either side cares to admit.

Tariffs, opposition to to free trade deals like NAFTA, the desire to bring back manufacturing jobs, skepticism of globalization, distrust of institutional power (which includes government agencies, academia, and media alike), railing against elites (eg. the “1%”), isolationism, promises to rebuild infrastructure, pro-blue-collar rhetoric—these all echo progressive, even Bernie Sanders-esque, priorit…