Anthropologist says three pillars bind MAGA voters to Trump

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are cratering, and even his most dedicated Make America Great Again diehards are showing signs of hesitation as the nation barrels toward the midterms. That stark reality was visible on October 24 and 25, 2026, when rallies across three states revealed an energy shift that contrasts sharply with the roaring momentum of the 2024 campaign.

At a Turning Point USA get-out-the-vote event held outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the atmosphere felt noticeably subdued. A few dozen America First stalwarts sat on a wooden table under a small picnic pavilion, listening to speakers like MAGA activist Scott Presler and Trump-endorsed U.S. Representative Dan Meuser. Meuser reeled off familiar talking points—warned about transgender athletes, alleged immigrant voter fraud, and billionaire anarchist George Soros—yet remarkably, the speakers barely mentioned Trump himself. Outside the venue, the Pennsylvania landscape, once heavily dotted with Trump and MAGA signs in 2024, remained entirely bare.

Polling Reality Meets the MAGA Base

The sluggish crowds match a steep downward slope in public opinion data. A mid-October 2026 poll found that only a third of U.S. adults approve of the job Trump is doing, while an overwhelming 71% feel the country is on the wrong track. Pervasive pessimism about government corruption and the economy drives these numbers. A costly war with Iran has resulted in American casualties, drained billions from the Treasury, and spiked gas prices. More than anything, inflation and a biting affordability crisis have eroded Trump’s economic backing.

Pay attention before it's too late. This is the future Democrats want for America – this is what we're fighting to prevent. pic.twitter.com/KY9qsrUM8C

— https://x.com/whitehouse/status/2112296300955959328

Yet, thousands of loyalists continue to turn out in red caps and merchandise, chanting “U.S.A.” at rallies from Pennsylvania to Michigan. To understand this persistent loyalty, one must look at long-term tracking of the movement. An anthropologist and author of It Can Happen Here noted that three core pillars continue to bind these voters to the president, even amidst severe economic headwinds.

The Three Pillars Holding the Base Together

First is the enduring power of socialist doomsday warnings. Trump has leaned heavily into rhetoric framing the opposition as a threat to national survival. On June 26, 2026, he warned that “godless communists” taking over the Democratic Party pose the most serious danger to the U.S. since its founding. With progressive figures like Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the democratic socialist mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani gaining visibility, those warnings find a receptive audience among voters terrified of a cultural and economic cliff.

White House Adventures 📚 Book #2: DEPORTATIONS. After years of open borders and putting criminal illegal aliens ahead of American citizens, the days of lawlessness are OVER. ✈️America is for Americans. pic.twitter.com/Nvv7z18ZFI

— https://x.com/whitehouse/status/2112365316785197496

Second remains the absolute focus on immigration. While critics point to the aggressive tactics of federal agents, Trump supporters credit him with shutting down what they view as an uncontrolled border invasion under the Biden administration. At the Harrisburg event, field workers were explicitly instructed to lead their door-to-door pitches with Trump’s closed-border policy as promise kept number one, followed by tax cuts and dropping crime rates.

Third is the unshakable faith in Trump’s long-term business acumen. Supporters point to the One Big Beautiful Bill passed in 2025, which delivered tax cuts and eliminated taxes on tips and overtime. The White House highlighted these accomplishments in a sweeping press release marking the administration’s first year back in power. To his diehards, as radio host Dan O’Donnell put it, America is simply winning bigly, and negative polling is just a fake news psyop obscuring the dawn of a new golden age of America.

Can a Golden Wall Hold Back the Midterm Tide?

Whether this hardcore base can form a reliable firewall against expected Democratic gains remains deeply uncertain. The war has sparked furious infighting, with figures like MAGA pundits Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld encouraging fear porn to drive the vote while other supporters warn of a looming global Islamic takeover.

With the current affordability crisis and foreign entanglements weighing heavily on the electorate, it is unclear if the MAGA faithful alone can prevent significant losses in the House of Representatives when Trump himself is not on the ballot.