It took less than one year for many loyal allies to completely turn their backs on their leader, President Donald Trump. And as time continues, his disapproval only seems to be getting louder from within. Between Trump’s handling of the infamous Epstein files, immigration and even his thunderstorm of executive orders and war in Iran, Trump is catching it from everywhere.
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According to recent polls, the president’s overall approval rating has been steadily dropping. And it doesn’t help that much of the criticism is coming from his own party. Notable folks like podcaster Joe Rogan and former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are sounding the alarm… and if you’ve missed any of the drama, don’t worry. We got you covered with a full list of MAGA-nites who are now singing a much different tune.
Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent
The latest MAGA defection came this week in the form of Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent’s resignation letter. The Jan. 6 apologist, Trump appointee and– until this point– MAGA loyalist cited the ongoing war in Iran and the administration’s handling of the conflict as reasons for leaving his post.
He wrote, “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.” Kent then declared, “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” In response to the controversy, Trump said it was a “good thing” that Kent resigned, USA Today reported.
Colo. Rep. Lauren Boebert
As the days go by, more Republicans are speaking up and out against Trump as he continues to deflect about the release of the Epstein files. Colo. Rep. Lauren Boebert was once an avid support of the president, but it seems she’s drawing a clear line between herself and the administration over the controversial files.
She has called Matt Gaetz, who was previously Trump’s nominee for attorney general, to lead a special counsel investigation into the Epstein files, The Independent reported. “There has to be a special investigation into this if we aren’t going to be provided information,” Boebert said on “The Benny Show.” She added, “I want answers and maybe that takes that special counsel to do so.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson
Although House Speaker Mike Johnson remains close with President Trump, he boldly declared that there needs to be “maximum transparency” in regards to the Epstein files. He also called for the files to be made public.
“Everybody wants the Epstein files, which is the real documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and anybody associated with that. We want the American people to see it,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” This is one of the only times Johnson has expressed a separate view from Trump since his November election.
Commentator Candace Owens
Conservative commentator Candace Owens appeared on the “Piers Morgan Uncensored” show to finally admit she was wrong about the president. Trump came under fire— perhaps more than usual– after joining Israel’s longstanding beef with it’s Middle Eastern neighbor Iran and launching missiles at its nuclear facilities.
“He’s been a chronic disappointment,” Owens told British show host Piers Morgan. “I feel embarrassed that I told people to go vote for him because this wasn’t going to happen, and it is happening,” she continued, referring to U.S. attack on Iran.
Podcaster Dave Smith
Right-wing podcaster Dave Smith is another MAGA supporter who came out to apologize for voting for Trump. Smith took major issue with Trump’s handling of Iran as well. And in response, he said “I supported him this last year. I apologize for doing so. It was a bad calculation.” Smith continued, “Trump should be impeached and removed for this. All of his supporters should turn on him.”
He even went as far to add, “It’s an absolute betrayal of everything he ran and campaigned on… He is going to lose his coalition over this.”
Former DOGE Director Elon Musk
Ever since Tesla CEO Elon Musk left Trump’s White House as the head of DOGE, the beef between him and the head of state has been anything but civil. From Musk’s rant on X about how dangerous the GOP-led spending bill– named the Big, Beautiful Bill Act– is to his shocking claims that Trump is in the Epstein files, Musk hasn’t been holding his tongue.
The CEO even took responsibility for Trump’s November win. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” Musk wrote on June 6. Musk is seemingly over his alliance with Trump, and he announced plans to launch his own political party, the America Party.
Ohio Rep. Troy Balderson
Ohio Rep. Troy Balderson told his own district that the president’s blitz of executive orders was “getting out of control,” according to the Columbus Dispatch. Trump has signed over 170 orders in his second term so far. Balderson added, “Congress has to decide whether or not the Department of Education goes away. Not the president, not Elon Musk. Congress decides.”
Ga. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Republicans like Ga. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had major critiques for the Big, Beautiful Bill. In the case of the Georgia congresswoman, a small provision in the bill took away state’s rights to regulate artificial intelligence, and Greene said that is a pure violation.
This was of course after she voted to pass the bill to the Senate, admitting she didn’t read that part of the more than 900-paged document. “I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there,” she wrote on X.
Podcaster Andrew Schulz
Conservative podcaster Andrew Schulz is one of the last people you’d expect to give props to Democratic socialists… but oh how the tables turn. Like the others on this list, Schulz is having regrets about helping elect Trump back in office. He said, “The only party right now that to me seems ‘America First’ is the Democrat Socialist Party.”
The president ran on a “America First” campaign, promising to make Americans a priority, but Schulz doesn’t think he’s doing a good job at it. He continued on the “Flagrant Show” declaring folks like Vt. Sen. Bernie Sanders, N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and then-N.Y. mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani are actually doing what Trump claimed he would. “Lying to Americans is not ‘America First,’” he continued.
Ala. Rep. Gary Palmer
Back in February, Ala. Rep. Gary Palmer said lawmakers “need to remind” Trump that “Congress has a role” in governing the country. He said this in response to Musk joining Trump’s administration and in response to Trump reportedly trying to dismantle key government agencies without Congressional approval.
“In some of these [cases], he has to work with Congress,” Palmer continued. Although it might not seem like complete disapproval, it’s more than many of his colleagues have addressed in the past.
Commentator Tucker Carlson
Although MAGA commentator Tucker Carlson says he still supports the president, his recent criticisms of Trump have landed him on the president’s bad side. For starters, Carlson did not approve of Trump’s handling of the Iranian war with Israel. In June, he said Trump was “complicit in the act of war.”
He’s previously called Trump “corrupt” and even went as far as to criticize the administration’s refusal to answer his own questions. “The fact that the U.S. government, the one that I voted for, refused to take my question seriously and instead said, ‘Case closed, shut up conspiracy theorist,’ was too much for me,” he said according to NBC News. In response, Trump called Carlson “kooky.”
Comedian Tim Dillon
Tim Dillon was once adored by MAGA, but now, he’s become a strong critic of the administration. On June 12, Dillon took to his podcast to criticize Trump sending military to silence Los Angeles protesters. “Rubber bullets to the face, National Guard in the streets, so many things go so badly so fast,” the comedian said.
Later on, he added to his critiques. “The immigration raids that are random are barbaric,” Dillon said referring to Trump’s self-proclaimed deportation mandate. “It’s inhumane, and I think a lot of people feel that way.”
Maine Sen. Susan Collins
Maine Sen. Susan Collins said the White House has “gone too far” by allowing tech giant Musk to lead in the White House, according to MSNBC. Collins, who also chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that if Trump continues to ignore court orders and flood legislation, she expects to “see lawsuits.” The senator added, “A lot of these issues are going to end up in court.”
So far, the administration has been sued more than 100 times.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley
Even the oldest, most traditional Republicans have been clapping back at Trump. Just days into the president’s second term, Trump fired 18 inspectors general, and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley was not pleased by the move. He and Sen. Dick Durban sent a formal letter demanding answers as to why proper protocol was not followed in the case of the firings.
“While IG’s aren’t immune from removal, the law must be followed,” it read according to KCCI. “The communication to Congress must contain more than vague statements. It must include sufficient facts to assure Congress and the public the termination is due to real concerns… This is matter of public and congressional accountability and ensuring the public’s confidence in the Inspector General community,” the senators continued.
Podcaster Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan was key to Trump securing votes from younger generations. But now, he’s sounding off after he claims Trump is taking the immigration crisis in America too far.
“You got to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting like lassoed up and deported and sent to El Salvador prisons,” Rogan said during a podcast episode. He even doubled down on the sentiment, adding “It’s insane” that Trump is not just targeting “criminals and gang members,” but also the “targeting of migrant workers.”
Ky. Sen. Rand Paul
The Kentucky senator was one of the few Republicans who were openly critical of the Big, Beautiful Bill Act while it was still in Congress. “If they want my vote, they’ll have to negotiate,” Paul said, according to NBC News. His major criticism of the bill came down to the fact that an expected $4 trillion will be added to the national debt.
“I talked to the president last evening after the parade, and we’re trying to get to a better place in our conversations,” said Paul. “And I’ve let him know that I’m not an absolute no.” In the end, he stood his ground and did not vote yes to the bill. But Congress was able to pass it without him. On July 4, Trump signed it into action.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino
Among the most vocal against Trump’s handling of the Epstein files is Deputy Director Dan Bongino who stormed out of a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Guardian reported. MAGA leaders once promised to unleash the sealed files if Trump was elected to office. But now that he’s been there for six months, many say the administration is trying to hide something.
Bongino, who works in the FBI isn’t here for it, however. That’s why he walked out. Now, his fate in Trump’s administration is up in the air as he continues to be outspoken about his disapproval of Bondi and the Epstein files findings. When asked if Bongino was still at his position in the FBI, Trump responded, “I think so,” CNN reported.
Podcaster Brandon Tatum
Brandon Tatum once got on Fox News and declared his MAGA hat “has given me hope about America.” Six years later, his thoughts on Trump and MAGA have changed. Tatum told a crowd at the Tampa Convention Center, “I think that these people — and I don’t know, for whatever reason, there could be reasons — but I don’t think they’re telling us the truth about Epstein.” He continued criticizing the president.
“That guy [Trump] was involved in something nefarious that implicates a whole lot of people,” he said, NBC News reported. “And my guess is that a whole lot of people may happen to be some of our allies and some people that we don’t want to have a bad relationship with.”
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