The world had grown used to the spectacle: Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed peacemaker, promising a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine – a firm handshake here, a tough deal there. Even during the campaign, he had declared that within 24 hours of returning to the White House, he would secure a ceasefire. But months later, almost nothing remains of those negotiations – and Trump’s tone toward Moscow has dramatically sharpened.
After one of Russia’s deadliest assault waves since the beginning of the war, in which at least twelve people were killed in Kyiv, the president suddenly appeared unusually harsh: “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump said. “I’m not happy with what he’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people.”
It was a sentence packed with political dynamite. Because it reverberated not only through international diplomacy – but above all within his own ranks. The “Make America Great Again” movement, long a monolithic bloc behind its leader, is now showing fine but clearly growing cracks. What once passed as unconditional loyalty is now morphing into a field of controversial positions: while part of the MAGA base is now calling for tougher action against Russia – including sanctions and military support – others remain loyal to Trump, believing he is poorly advised or being misled by “globalist elites.”
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley expressed himself in the clearest terms. “I’ve had enough of Putin killing innocent people,” he wrote Monday on X. “President Trump, take action – at least sanctions.”
Don Bacon, Representative from Nebraska, also left no doubt about his position: “It is time for honesty. Peace talks are having zero effect on Putin. His goal is to dominate Ukraine, and he won’t stop until he realizes he cannot win.” His demand: maximum sanctions, military support “to the teeth,” and the confiscation of $300 billion in frozen Russian overseas assets.
Trump, by contrast, seems to be wavering between fronts. On the one hand, he hints that Putin may simply be playing for time – “tapping me along,” as he said. On the other, his criticism once again targets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The latter, Trump said, is “doing his country no favors” with his language, and “everything he says causes problems.”
It is this double strategy – admonishing Putin, blaming Zelenskyy – that many commentators see as a sign of internal indecision. But the price is high: the ideological core of his movement threatens to crumble. What remains is a fractured right, torn between isolationism and interventionism, between old loyalty and growing frustration.
And above all hangs the question: Is this the moment when Trump’s claim to leadership begins to erode – not because of external opponents, but because of the disintegration of his own camp? The coming weeks will likely determine whether MAGA is still a monolith – or merely a fractured shadow of its former self.
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