What Is MAGA Without Trump?

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Politics, Daily News, News

4.5 • 24.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The "Make America Great Again," or MAGA, movement stands for loyalty to President Trump above all else. We discuss what happens to the movement once Trump's term ends and whether there is someone else who can take up the mantle.

This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, political reporter Stephen Fowler, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs and edited by Rachel Baye. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all.
0:11.5	On the web at theshmit.org.
0:14.5	Hey, it's Deepa Shiveron. Are you that friend, the one who's constantly recommending podcast episodes to anyone who will listen,
0:21.9	subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter and nerd out with us. You'll get fresh podcast
0:26.3	recommendations every week handpicked by the people that live for this stuff.
0:30.5	Subscribe at npr.org slash podclub. You can also find the link in the description for this episode.
0:37.1	Okay, here's the show.
0:41.3	Hi, this is Jen. I'm out on my front porch enjoying the sound of the thunderstorms rolling
0:48.5	through and the rain falling. This podcast was recorded at. 1 p.m. on Friday, August 1st, 2025.
1:00.3	Things may have changed by the time you listen to this.
1:04.4	Okay. Enjoy the show.
1:14.9	Wow. She could be one of those meditation app voices.
1:20.0	I was going to say, or like even just the like, when you're like, Alexa, play sound of the rain or something.
1:20.9	That's what that sounds like.
1:23.4	Yeah. Take all of your pain and put it here.
1:30.0	Hey there. It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Deepa Shiverom. I cover the White House.
1:35.0	I'm Stephen Fowler. I cover politics. And I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.
1:42.7	Okay, so we're about six months into President Trump's second term and a little over a year away from the midterm elections.
1:45.6	Crazy. So today we're asking the question,
1:50.3	is there a MAGA without Donald Trump? So, Domenico, let's take it off with you.
1:55.4	Broadly speaking, what do you think the future of the Republican Party looks like without Trump?
2:02.2	It is going to be really interesting, especially in 2008, when we think about the tension that happens. Because I really think that politics has become so much about personality on both sides of the aisle,
	...

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