RINO vs MAGA: What Is Going On with the Republican Party?

Edy Zoo
8 min readJul 16, 2024

The war continues within the Republican party.

There is a red hat with the words “Make America Great Again.”
Photo by Natilyn Photography on Unsplash

On July 13th, 2024, America’s political landscape was jolted to its core when former President Donald Trump narrowly dodged a bullet at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, a moment that left the nation in shock and disbelief.

The would-be assassin: a Republican registered voter from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

This appalling act of violence, the attempted assassination of a former President by a fellow Republican, thrust into sharp relief the deep divisions and simmering tensions that have been roiling the Republican Party for years.

As the nation grappled with the implications of this brazen attack, it served as a grim reminder of the increasingly volatile atmosphere surrounding American politics, particularly within the GOP.

The turmoil? A fierce ideological battle between two factions: the so-called RINOs (Republicans In Name Only), who are often seen as more moderate or establishment Republicans, and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement, a more conservative and populist faction that emerged with Trump’s rise to power in 2016.

This conflict, brewing since Trump’s rise to power in 2016, represents more than just a disagreement over policy or leadership. It is a…

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Edy Zoo

Edy Zoo is a social critic, theologian, and philosopher who writes about social subjects.