By Oliver Willis, Daily Kos
Republicans are in disarray after their massive midterms losses, and they’re quickly devolving into factional warfare.
President Donald Trump, of course, is blaming everyone but himself—even though he’s the leader of the GOP and sent the country in a direction that voters resoundingly rejected.
But the young racists and fascists who call themselves “groypers” are also enjoying the chaos. Led by figures like right-wing podcaster Nick Fuentes, this faction of hardcore antisemites are even more racist and sexist than the MAGA wing of the party.
Many of them view Trump’s presidency as a failed experiment. Originally promoted to them as a way to push their extremist ideas into the mainstream Republican Party, they view actions like Trump’s war in Iran as a betrayal—and now they’re reveling in the party’s failures.
“It’s a great night for the groypers, bad night for Republicans,” Fuentes said on his podcast Tuesday night. “Couldn’t be happier. This is actually the best case scenario for the groypers.”
Conspiracy theorist and podcaster Tim Pool, who was granted access to the Pentagon media pool by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made similar remarks on his stream.
“This is the end of the Trump era right now,” Pool said. “It’s a question of will Republicans want to stand behind someone who got blown out this hard.”
Groyper-affiliated candidates like James Fishback, who lost Florida’s GOP gubernatorial primary, were largely unsuccessful in taking control of the party in this cycle.
But in a movement that echoes the conservative takeover of the Republican Party in the 1960s, those who subscribe to such extremist beliefs have a legitimate foothold within the party.
The loss by the more mainstream MAGA wing is seen by some extremists as a validation of the argument that the party needs to go further to the right—even as voters are rejecting Trump’s conservatism. In addition to MAGA losses, traditional conservatives like activist Ben Shapiro are losing influence.
The push to go further toward hate stands in stark contrast to rising Democrats—like Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Michigan’s Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who have pushed for diversity and have built coalitions that overwhelmed the Republican establishment.
So while the left embraces inclusion, the GOP is very likely entering a new era of hate and bigotry.