The MAGA Defections Have Begun: Here’s Who Trump Fears Most
Trump’s cult of loyalty is cracking. From Greene to megadonors, defections are beginning. Here’s who’s bailing...and why Trump should fear it.
The MAGA Defections Have Begun: Here’s Who Trump Fears Most
Trump’s cult of loyalty is cracking. From Greene to megadonors, defections are beginning. Here’s who’s bailing…and why Trump should fear it.
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #554: Tuesday, September 16th, 2025.
The Crack in the Castle Walls
What Trump fears most isn’t Gavin Newsom.
It isn’t the Democrats.
It isn’t the indictments…the investigations…or the endless legal jeopardy.
No…what keeps Donald J. Trump up at night is one thing: betrayal from inside his own “loyalty cult.”
Every dictator fears it. Every mob boss fears it. Every strongman who built his empire on intimidation knows…when loyalty is currency…the moment it devalues…the whole empire wobbles.
And make no mistake: Trump’s loyalty cult is devaluing.
Why Loyalty Was Always Trump’s Only Glue
From the very beginning…Trump built a political empire on fear and flattery.
He demanded absolute loyalty…not to a cause…not to a country…but to him.
Republicans learned quickly: step out of line…and you’ll get the tweet…the nickname…the primary challenger. Step in line…and you get a pat on the head… maybe a photo op at Mar-a-Lago.
But here’s the problem: loyalty built on fear isn’t loyalty. It’s hostage-taking.
And hostages always look for the first chance to escape.
The First Defectors Step Out
We’re watching the early tremors right now.
Marjorie Taylor Greene:
Trump’s ride-or-die flamethrower…suddenly breaks ranks and demands the Epstein files be released. Why? Because she smells blood. She knows Trump can’t survive the exposure…and she’s betting her brand survives stronger by breaking with him first.
Influencers and podcasters:
Who built careers screaming Trump’s name are hedging. They’re throwing out “I’m just asking questions” about Epstein…about pardons…about the chaos. Translation: they’re testing escape routes.
Donors and money men:
The lifeblood of the GOP machine…are quietly pulling checks. They won’t say it out loud yet…but the silence in their giving speaks louder than any endorsement.
Party operators:
Like Jim Banks…James Comer…even McEntee…the “fixers”…are watching Greene closely. They know one crack can become an avalanche. And they’re terrified of being caught on the wrong side of it.
Trump is learning what Nixon learned. What Stalin feared. What every autocrat eventually faces: the cult holds strong…until the moment it doesn’t.
The Psychology of a Crumbling Cult
Let’s cut through the noise. Trump’s loyalty cult is fragile for three reasons:
Narcissistic Fragility → Trump can’t tolerate the tiniest dissent. He overreacts… lashes out…and in doing so…creates more dissent.
Authoritarian Dependence → MAGA loyalty isn’t love; it’s dependency. The second a new “alpha” emerges (DeSantis fizzled…Greene’s trying…others will follow), that dependency snaps.
Fear-Based Loyalty → Loyalty rooted in fear is brittle. The moment people stop fearing the boss more than they fear the alternative…they flip.
You’ve seen it before in history. Stalin purged endlessly because he couldn’t trust anyone. Nixon lost Republicans in Congress…and the presidency collapsed within weeks.
Trump’s “loyalty cult” isn’t steel. It’s glass. And the cracks are spreading.
What This Means in Real Terms
This isn’t speculation…it’s strategy. And here’s what’s coming:
More Republicans will break ranks on Epstein:
Not because they suddenly grew consciences…but because the risk of staying silent now outweighs the risk of Trump’s wrath.
Donor class defections will speed up:
Once two or three megadonors step back… it’s permission for the rest to follow. Money flees chaos.
Influencers will pivot to “patriot, not personality.”
You’ll hear the new talking point: “I’m for America, not just one man.” That’s how they prep the audience to leave Trump behind.
Trump’s paranoia will spiral.
He’ll start lashing out at allies more than enemies… accelerating the cycle.
This is how authoritarian collapses begin…not with a bang…but with defections that snowball into avalanches.
Why YOU Seeing It Early Matters
Most Americans won’t notice this for months.
Cable news will keep running circus distractions…the birthday card nonsense…the performative outrage…the clown show hearings.
But you…you see the cracks tonight.
That makes you dangerous to Trump’s plan to stomp the life essence out of democracy. It makes you valuable to the fight. It makes you someone who can take this knowledge and spread it like wildfire…so when the avalanche comes…you’ll already be standing on the right side of it.
And here’s the kicker: cracks don’t heal. They spread. Fast.
BONUS: The Defection Heat Map…Names…Signals…Receipts
A) The Firebrands Who Opened the Floodgate
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Trump’s fiercest cheerleader broke ranks. She demanded: “Release every damn name in the Epstein files.” She did it standing with Democrats and Republicans alike…daring Trump to contradict her. That’s not loyalty. That’s a well-timed betrayal.
James Comer (R-KY)
As Oversight Chair…Comer’s been dripping out Epstein estate material: ledgers… calendars…logs…even the infamous “birthday book” that minority staff confirmed carried a Trump note. He’s feeding oxygen to the very fire Trump wants smothered.
Senate Split
On September 11, Senate Republicans blocked Schumer’s push for file release…except two: Rand Paul and Josh Hawley.
That’s a rebellion…no matter how small. And small rebellions are how avalanches start.
B) Influencers Testing the Escape Hatches
Candace Owens
Owens has already started building daylight between herself and Trump on Epstein. She hasn’t gone for the jugular…but she’s asking questions…leaving the door open for her audience to doubt. That’s her gift: permission to defect.
Steve Bannon
On War Room, he’s framing MAGA as a “movement bigger than one man.” That’s code. It’s the lifeboat being slid into the water…ready for when the Titanic takes on too much Epstein water.
C) Donor Class Hedging Bets
Peter Thiel
Dropped nearly $1M…but not directly on Trump. He funneled it into Mike Johnson’s joint fundraising committee. Translation: fund the machine…not the man.
Ron Lauder
Once close to Trump…Lauder cooled off during 2023 and courted DeSantis. That public frost is a permission slip for other money men to look elsewhere.
Mercers & Uihleins
Still funding the right, but more diffuse…less Trump-centric. Donor gravity is shifting. And once the money shifts…loyalty follows like a dog on a leash.
D) Operatives Building Parallel Brands
John McEntee
Once Trump’s loyalty enforcer…he’s now building his own power plays…dating apps… media experiments…parallel economies. He doesn’t need Trump to cash checks anymore.
Jim Banks & Comer
Banks is polishing his own future as a MAGA policy “brain.” Comer’s the transparency pit bull. Both are staking claims beyond Trump.
E) The Timeline That Forces Choices
Aug 25 — Oversight subpoenas Epstein estate docs.
Sep 8 — First tranche released publicly.
Sep 11 — Senate blocks Schumer’s push; Paul & Hawley defect.
Sep 15 — Minority staff confirm Trump note in the “birthday book.”
Sep 16 — More documents released; Barr’s testimony surfaces.
Each drip pushes more Republicans into a corner: side with Trump…or side with transparency. And the smart ones are already hedging.
F) The Kirk Assassination Pressure Cooker
Trump-world is already reeling from the Kirk assassination. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty…and every headline cements the chaos. That chaos only intensifies the cracks: when a movement feels hunted…discipline matters more than devotion. And Epstein is the undisciplined wound.
G) How to Weaponize the Cracks
Name the split:
“Even Greene and Massie are calling for full release.”
Point to donor hedging:
“Thiel funded Johnson…not Trump…because smart money diversifies.”
Use receipts…not rumors:
“Comer literally posted the estate docs. Staff confirmed the Trump note.”
Translate influencer hedges:
“When Owens and Bannon pivot to ‘movement…not man,’ that’s not loyalty. That’s a lifeboat.”
Listen to me: Nothing is finished. Nothing is over.
Yes…we’re staring down the barrel of the ugliest threat to freedom and democracy in our lifetime. That part is real. But don’t you dare swallow the poison pill that says “it’s too late,” or “the fight’s already lost.”
If your heart is still thumping in your chest… if air is still moving through your lungs… then you’re not out of the fight. You’re in it. Right now. And as long as you’re in it, the other side hasn’t won a damn thing.
WE. ARE. STILL. HERE.
Stay strong and relaxed.
-Jack
P.S. Some people are going to wake up six months from now…shocked that the defections were real…that the loyalty cult crumbled…that Trump’s empire was already rotting from the inside.
Not you. You saw it tonight.
And when you use what you’ve learned…when you help spread the cracks…you won’t just be watching history. You’ll be bending it.
May they fall like a house of cards-sooner rather than later.
If Dems win bigger than expected in special elections coming up and governor races like Virginia- that might invite more defections…
This is inspiring and giving light to the darkness I’ve been feeling. I pray the drips speed up and the floods cut loose. Ever hopeful that some sanity returns. Thank you, Jack.