Beyond MAGA

A Profile of the Trump Coalition

by: Stephen Hawkins, Daniel Yudkin, PhD, Tim Dixon, and Jason Mangone

Publisher: More in Common US

Recommended by: Bob B.

A Coalition, Not a Cult

There is an image at the heart of American politics: a sea of
red-hat-wearing MAGA supporters at a Trump campaign rally,
representing the millions of Americans who voted for him over the past
three elections — 63 million in 2016, 74 million in 2020, and 77
million in 2024. Yet this image is misleading. President Trump has
built a coalition, not a cult. This coalition shares many common
concerns, from unregulated immigration to progressive overreach to
American decline. But it also contains groups with distinct
identities, competing priorities, and clashing worldviews. And while
there is a strong core of ardent Trump supporters whose identity is
wrapped up in the MAGA movement, they represent a minority: only 38
percent of Trump voters say that being MAGA is important to them.

The Four Types of Trump Voters

• The Reluctant Right
• MAGA Hardliners
• Anti-Woke Conservatives
• Mainline Republicans