RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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On Saturday, former US representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia shared a picture on X taken at Carlson’s cabin in Maine, where Greene and Carlson appeared around a large wooden table alongside former representative Thomas Massie and Joe Kent, the former head of the US National Counterterrorism Center.
“We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise,” Greene wrote in a caption accompanying the photo. “But he’s betrayed us all. Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center. The movement has begun.”
On Tuesday, Carlson shared Greene’s post on his X account and wrote: “MAGA was betrayed. We all were. It's time for a new path forward.” Carlson promised to share more about the group’s plans on his show on Wednesday evening.
On Tuesday evening, Kent appeared on The Young Turks show and revealed that their group has been trying to convince Carlson to run for president in 2028. “I’d say all of us at one point in time told Tucker he needs to run, and Tucker's been pretty public that he's not going to run,” said Kent. “So, we all made our pitch to Tucker as to why he should run, and hopefully he wakes up one day and Tucker says he's going to run.” (In late June, Carlson reiterated that he did not plan to run for office.)
Kent also said the group is exploring the possibility of getting a third-party candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, citing Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s struggles ahead of the 2024 election.
Carlson, Massie, Greene, and Kent are among the highest-profile MAGA figures who have split from Trump over the course of the past year, citing his failure to uphold campaign promises like releasing the Epstein files and ending foreign wars. The schism has roiled the Republican Party ahead of November’s midterms, and the decision by the group to run a third-party candidate is likely to deepen that divide.
While some MAGA figures welcomed the news—”Great group,” manosphere livestreamer Sneako wrote under Greene’s picture—there were many more who were very angry.
“He’s a lunatic! Tucker wants to hijack the GOP in 2026 and 2028,” Laura Loomer, a staunch Trump supporter, wrote on X, citing Kent’s interview on The Young Turks. “Will be shorter lived than Musk’s ‘America Party’” the influential MAGA account Captive Dreamer wrote on X in response to Carlson’s post.
Replying to the same post, Phillip Buchanan, the prominent MAGA influencer known as Catturd, wrote on X: “All of you combined have zero pull anymore. You can't even move the needle much less start a movement. Table full of laughingstocks.”
“A set of vultures circling the 2028 election,” David Clements, a prominent election denier, wrote on X quoting Greene’s post. “No, thanks. I'll stand with Trump.”
Carlson did not respond to a request for comment. “President Trump created the greatest political movement in the history of politics with the MAGA movement, and he remains the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle tells WIRED. “The president is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress and continuing to lower costs for working families. Meanwhile, this photo represents an embarrassing collection of mostly whiny turncoats who dramatically overestimate their influence and relevance.”
Kent also shared that the aim of the new movement, which he said could eventually become a new party, is to focus on finding a candidate for the 2028 presidential election and to create “a broad coalition” focused on an America First agenda.
“We're done with the foreign wars,” said Kent. “We're done with the foreign lobbying. We're gonna work together to do what's right for the American people.”
Nick Fuentes, the white-nationalist creator of the America First movement who sparked anger within MAGA when Carlson interviewed him last year, dismissed the new group’s efforts.
“They are going to try to create this America First movement without me, but it has to exclude me because it will also be without any kind of strong message on religion, race, or maybe even immigration,” Fuentes wrote on his Telegram channel. “These people will also all support JD Vance in 2028.”
Trump has yet to react to the possibility of Carlson running in the election.
Updated 11:40 am ET, 08/05/2026: This story has been updated with comment from the White House.
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