🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 55 (from laksa099)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa055.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.newsweek.com/the-shadow-war-against-president-trump-11707592\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.newsweek.com/the-shadow-war-against-president-trump-11707592\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/the-shadow-war-against-president-trump-11707592","crawl_time":1776011869,"first_indexed_time":1774001380,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,newsweek!www,\/the-shadow-war-against-president-trump-11707592 s443","src_root_hash":"10153935897910600055","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"The Shadow War Against President Trump - Newsweek","meta_descriptions":["The shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters—they have allies inside the administration."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"The joint American-Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is now three weeks old, but there is another war—a more silent one—raging here on the home front. President Trump’s second administration is facing a highly coordinated shadow war—one waged both by some influential outside voices on the Right and, more dangerously, by their subversive allies within Trump’s very own government.\nIf this campaign is not confronted and decisively defeated, the result will be calamitous: a second Trump term that drifts into lame-duck status not due to a voter backlash, but because of an insurrection from within. What this column has previously referred to as “\nOperation Divide MAGA\n” has reached fever pitch. And Trump, to his great credit, has begun to \nsettle all the MAGA family business\n. But an even more concerted effort is needed to clean out the Augean Stables once and for all.\nFirst, let’s take a step back. \nIn any healthy political coalition or movement, debate is inevitable and often desirable. But what we have seen from certain high-profile podcasters, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is nothing less than a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda. These provocateurs first outed themselves last summer, when they all but accused Trump of covering up a global (Mossad-tied?) pedophile ring over his Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein Files. But above all, the podcasters’ subversion has focused on foreign policy—most recently, on Iran and \nOperation Epic Fury\n.\nTrump is a conservative nationalist. \nHis foreign policy\n is rooted in confidence and “peace through strength”-style deterrence. Yet Carlson, Kelly, and their fellow travelers have blasted the Iran conflict as everything from “\nevil\n” (Carlson) to “\nclearly Israel’s war\n” (Kelly). The not-so-dynamic duo is thus accusing the man they quite literally campaigned for in 2024 of engaging in heinous acts and of being the unwitting dupe of a foreign government.\nTrue, Carlson, and Kelly do not actually speak for the MAGA base: A \nbrand-new poll from J.L. Partners\nshows that 83% of Republican voters support Epic Fury. Moreover, Republicans agree with Trump over Carlson and Kelly on foreign policy by a whopping 84%-6% margin. But still: Their platforms are enormous. When Carlson, Kelly, and their allies consistently excoriate the leading priorities of the administration they purport to support, the effect is Republican voter confusion, resentment, and depression as we head toward November in a midterm election year.\nEven worse, the shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters. They have allies inside the administration, with whom they are all but assuredly coordinating, engaging in outright sabotage against the one man—the president of the United States—who was actually elected to wield the “executive Power” of the federal government and serve as commander-in-chief.\nThe most alarming developments are emerging from within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard. A former Democratic congresswoman with a pro-Moscow slant once seen as a heterodox ally, Gabbard now oversees an environment that increasingly bears the markings of an anti-MAGA coup.\nImage placeholder\nU.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, left, Tucker Carlson, center, and former President Donald Trump, right, react during the final round of the Bedminst...\nTake Gabbard’s \nrecent rehiring\n of Dan Caldwell. Dismissed last year by his (former long-time friend) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth \namid allegations of leaking\n, Caldwell is now back in a highly sensitive role. Leaks of this nature are not bureaucratic slip-ups; they are direct assaults on national security and the integrity of the constitutional chain of command. It is difficult to interpret the isolationist-leaning Gabbard’s move as anything other than a direct shot across the bow at Hegseth—and, by extension the boss Hegseth has so \npassionately defended\n since Epic Fury began, President Trump.\nConsider also Joe Kent, who until recently served under Gabbard as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned this week in flamboyant fashion, rationalizing his stunt with hyper-conspiratorial, anti-Semitic rhetoric better suited for a Code Pink rally than government letterhead. Within hours after tendering his resignation, Kent announced he would be joining—who else?—Carlson to tell his story. An alleged serial leaker, Kent is now \nunder FBI investigation\n for spilling national security secrets. Unsurprisingly, Iranian regime propaganda television \ngobbled up the interview\n and regurgitated it for an impressionable English-speaking audience.\nThat Kent came to Carlson’s platform to try to get ahead of the FBI investigation revelation is not coincidence. It is all orchestrated. After being fired by Hegseth last year, Caldwell similarly ran to Carlson to tell his side of the story. Moreover, one of Caldwell’s higher-ranking colleagues at ODNI, Will Ruger, shares Caldwell’s professional background in the isolationist Koch network. Surprise!\nThe White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), formerly directed by ex-Rand Paul staffer Sergio Gor (since shipped halfway around the world to \nIndia\n), has allowed in individuals across the defense, intelligence, and national security spaces who are functionally anti-MAGA. Perhaps this was done for self-serving reasons. Perhaps Gor and PPO were under the understanding that MAGA is something other than what the boss says it is. Frankly, it does not really matter.\nBecause the boss has now spoken. He’s cast \nCarlson\n and \nKelly\n out of MAGA in emphatic fashion. And after Kent’s obnoxious resignation stunt, Trump said of those (like Kent) who do not believe Iran is a threat to the United States: “\nWe don’t want those people\n.” Translation: Get out. The message could not possibly be clearer.\nBut is Trump’s PPO listening? Is Gabbard’s ODNI fully in line? Gabbard, in Senate testimony this week, couldn’t bring herself to agree with her boss’s assessment that Iran posed an “\nimminent threat\n” prior to the launch of Epic Fury.\nIt’s time for the president to team up with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other arch-loyalists, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and clean house. The internal anti-MAGA sabotage must be ended, and the external anti-MAGA sabotage must be combated. The success of the remainder of Trump’s second term hangs in the balance.\nJosh Hammer\n is \nNewsweek \nsenior editor-at-large, host of \"\nThe Josh Hammer Show\n,\" senior counsel for the \nArticle III Project\n, a Shillman Fellow at the \nDavid Horowitz Freedom Center,\n and author of \nIsrael and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West\n (Radius Book Group)\n. X: \n@josh_hammer\n.\nThe views expressed in this article are the writer's own.","attrs_markdown":"[Latest Trump Announces Naval Blockade, Threatens to 'Finish' Iran After Talks Fail](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-warns-us-military-ready-to-finish-iran-after-talks-fail-11810764)\n\n- [U.S.](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/us)\n  \n  - [News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n  - [Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n  - [Tech](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/technology)\n  - [Fact Check](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/fact-check)\n  - [Sports](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/sports)\n- [Global](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/world)\n  \n  - [Russia-Ukraine](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/russia)\n  - [Middle East](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/middle-east)\n  - [China And Asia](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/china)\n  - [Better Planet](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/better-planet)\n  - [All World News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/world)\n- 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[Newsletters](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/preference-center)[Newsmakers](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/newsmakers)[Unconventional](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/unconventional)[Events](https:\/\/events.newsweek.com\/)[Podcasts](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/podcasts)[Vantage](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/vantage)[Magazine](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/archive)[CEO Circle](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/ceo-circle)[Announcements](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/announcements)[Leadership](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/leadership)[Dev Pragad](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/dev-pragad)\n\n[Opinion](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/opinion)\n\n[Donald Trump](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/donald-trump)[Tucker Carlson](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/tucker-carlson)[Megyn Kelly](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/megyn-kelly)[Tulsi Gabbard](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/tulsi-gabbard)[Israel](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/israel)[Iran](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/iran)\n\nopinion\n\n# The Shadow War Against President Trump\n***\nPublished\n\nMar 20, 2026 at 06:00 AM EDT\n\n## Video\n![The Shadow War Against President Trump \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP-100_V2.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=320&height=180&quality=60)\n\n3\n\nThe Shadow War Against President Trump \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW\n***\n### Related Videos\n- ![‘No Man Left Behind’ Means No Man Left Behind \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP114_V3.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=120&height=68&quality=60)\n  \n  ‘No Man Left Behind’ Means No Man Left Behind \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW\n- ![Donald Trump Is Emphatically Correct About Birthright Citizenship \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP111_V1-1.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=120&height=68&quality=60)\n  \n  Donald Trump Is Emphatically Correct About Birthright Citizenship \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW\n- ![The Shadow War Against President Trump \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP-100_V2.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=120&height=68&quality=60)\n  \n  The Shadow War Against President Trump \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW\n\nBy Josh Hammer\n\nNewsweek senior editor-at-large and host, \"The Josh Hammer Show\"\n\n59\n\nShare\n\n[Newsweek is a Trust Project member](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/editorial-guidelines)\n\nPrefer Newsweek on Google\n\nto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.\n***\n\nThe joint American-Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is now three weeks old, but there is another war—a more silent one—raging here on the home front. President Trump’s second administration is facing a highly coordinated shadow war—one waged both by some influential outside voices on the Right and, more dangerously, by their subversive allies within Trump’s very own government.\n\nIf this campaign is not confronted and decisively defeated, the result will be calamitous: a second Trump term that drifts into lame-duck status not due to a voter backlash, but because of an insurrection from within. What this column has previously referred to as “[Operation Divide MAGA](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/operation-divide-maga-opinion-2135117)” has reached fever pitch. And Trump, to his great credit, has begun to [settle all the MAGA family business](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UUcESs-gy-g&t=2s). But an even more concerted effort is needed to clean out the Augean Stables once and for all.\n\nFirst, let’s take a step back.\n\nIn any healthy political coalition or movement, debate is inevitable and often desirable. But what we have seen from certain high-profile podcasters, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is nothing less than a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda. These provocateurs first outed themselves last summer, when they all but accused Trump of covering up a global (Mossad-tied?) pedophile ring over his Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein Files. But above all, the podcasters’ subversion has focused on foreign policy—most recently, on Iran and [Operation Epic Fury](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/what-is-victory-in-operation-epic-fury-11670832).\n\nTrump is a conservative nationalist. [His foreign policy](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/shock-awe-midnight-hammer-iran-strike-encapsulates-trump-doctrine-opinion-2091404) is rooted in confidence and “peace through strength”-style deterrence. Yet Carlson, Kelly, and their fellow travelers have blasted the Iran conflict as everything from “[evil](https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga\/story?id=130622270)” (Carlson) to “[clearly Israel’s war](https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/megyn-kelly-ridicules-trump-excuse-225053030.html)” (Kelly). The not-so-dynamic duo is thus accusing the man they quite literally campaigned for in 2024 of engaging in heinous acts and of being the unwitting dupe of a foreign government.\n\nTrue, Carlson, and Kelly do not actually speak for the MAGA base: A [brand-new poll from J.L. Partners](https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/19\/us-news\/republicans-overwhelmingly-back-trump-over-tucker-carlson-megyn-kelly-on-iran-war-poll-finds\/)shows that 83% of Republican voters support Epic Fury. Moreover, Republicans agree with Trump over Carlson and Kelly on foreign policy by a whopping 84%-6% margin. But still: Their platforms are enormous. When Carlson, Kelly, and their allies consistently excoriate the leading priorities of the administration they purport to support, the effect is Republican voter confusion, resentment, and depression as we head toward November in a midterm election year.\n\nEven worse, the shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters. They have allies inside the administration, with whom they are all but assuredly coordinating, engaging in outright sabotage against the one man—the president of the United States—who was actually elected to wield the “executive Power” of the federal government and serve as commander-in-chief.\n\nRead More\n\n#### Opinion\n\n[America’s Iran War Is Costing It India \\| Opinion](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/americas-iran-war-is-costing-it-india-opinion-11804778)\n\n[Artemis II Mission Offers Inspiring Unity for a Deeply Divided Nation](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/artemis-ii-mission-offers-inspiring-unity-for-a-deeply-divided-nation-11808973)\n\n[Does Blocking China’s Gotion Hurt U.S. Tech Ambitions? \\| Opinion](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/does-blocking-chinas-gotion-hurt-u-s-tech-ambitions-opinion-11792597)\n\n[More Related Stories](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/opinion)\n\nThe most alarming developments are emerging from within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard. A former Democratic congresswoman with a pro-Moscow slant once seen as a heterodox ally, Gabbard now oversees an environment that increasingly bears the markings of an anti-MAGA coup.\n\nU.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, left, Tucker Carlson, center, and former President Donald Trump, right, react during the final round of the Bedminst...\n\nRead More\n\nTake Gabbard’s [recent rehiring](https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/18\/us-news\/tulsi-gabbard-hires-ex-pentagon-official-skeptical-of-us-war-with-iran\/) of Dan Caldwell. Dismissed last year by his (former long-time friend) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [amid allegations of leaking](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/pete-hegseth-red-herring-gops-foreign-policy-civil-war-opinion-2063928), Caldwell is now back in a highly sensitive role. Leaks of this nature are not bureaucratic slip-ups; they are direct assaults on national security and the integrity of the constitutional chain of command. It is difficult to interpret the isolationist-leaning Gabbard’s move as anything other than a direct shot across the bow at Hegseth—and, by extension the boss Hegseth has so [passionately defended](https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/pete-hegseth-has-been-loyal-defense-secretary-for-trump\/a-76402519) since Epic Fury began, President Trump.\n\nConsider also Joe Kent, who until recently served under Gabbard as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned this week in flamboyant fashion, rationalizing his stunt with hyper-conspiratorial, anti-Semitic rhetoric better suited for a Code Pink rally than government letterhead. Within hours after tendering his resignation, Kent announced he would be joining—who else?—Carlson to tell his story. An alleged serial leaker, Kent is now [under FBI investigation](https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/03\/19\/joe-kent-fbi-leak-investigation) for spilling national security secrets. Unsurprisingly, Iranian regime propaganda television [gobbled up the interview](https:\/\/x.com\/josh_hammer\/status\/2034444857096216846?s=20) and regurgitated it for an impressionable English-speaking audience.\n\nThat Kent came to Carlson’s platform to try to get ahead of the FBI investigation revelation is not coincidence. It is all orchestrated. After being fired by Hegseth last year, Caldwell similarly ran to Carlson to tell his side of the story. Moreover, one of Caldwell’s higher-ranking colleagues at ODNI, Will Ruger, shares Caldwell’s professional background in the isolationist Koch network. Surprise\\!\n\nThe White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), formerly directed by ex-Rand Paul staffer Sergio Gor (since shipped halfway around the world to [India](https:\/\/in.usembassy.gov\/u-s-ambassador-to-india-sergio-gor-presents-credentials\/)), has allowed in individuals across the defense, intelligence, and national security spaces who are functionally anti-MAGA. Perhaps this was done for self-serving reasons. Perhaps Gor and PPO were under the understanding that MAGA is something other than what the boss says it is. Frankly, it does not really matter.\n\nBecause the boss has now spoken. He’s cast [Carlson](https:\/\/x.com\/jonkarl\/status\/2029650210125652143) and [Kelly](https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116236498017197393) out of MAGA in emphatic fashion. And after Kent’s obnoxious resignation stunt, Trump said of those (like Kent) who do not believe Iran is a threat to the United States: “[We don’t want those people](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=2041150060171520).” Translation: Get out. The message could not possibly be clearer.\n\nBut is Trump’s PPO listening? Is Gabbard’s ODNI fully in line? Gabbard, in Senate testimony this week, couldn’t bring herself to agree with her boss’s assessment that Iran posed an “[imminent threat](https:\/\/x.com\/nypost\/status\/2034393549014286688)” prior to the launch of Epic Fury.\n\nIt’s time for the president to team up with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other arch-loyalists, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and clean house. The internal anti-MAGA sabotage must be ended, and the external anti-MAGA sabotage must be combated. The success of the remainder of Trump’s second term hangs in the balance.\n\n*[Josh Hammer](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/josh-hammer) is* Newsweek *senior editor-at-large, host of \"[The Josh Hammer Show](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLbJbsiKs77FxKl9EuhpMDR-LgFrPKtlfX),\" senior counsel for the [Article III Project](https:\/\/www.article3project.org\/), a Shillman Fellow at the [David Horowitz Freedom Center,](https:\/\/www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org\/) and author of* [Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West](https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Israel-and-Civilization\/Josh-Hammer\/9781635769739) (Radius Book Group)*. X: [@josh\\_hammer](https:\/\/x.com\/josh_hammer).*\n\n*The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.*\n\nNewsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to help produce this story. [Learn more about Martyn.](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/newsweek-martyn-newsroom-assistant)\n\n[Request Reprint & Licensing](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/contact)\n\nSubmit Correction\n\n[View Editorial & AI Guidelines](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/editorial-guidelines)\n\n***\nPrefer Newsweek on Google\n\nto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.\n\n## Recommended For You\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Trump Threatens Major Strikes if Iran Rejects Hormuz Deal: Updates](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/iran-war-trump-israel-live-updates-11787012)\n\n2 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[Donald Trump Impeachment Backed by Most Americans: Poll](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-impeachment-backed-by-most-americans-poll-11800093)\n\n4 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[List of Conservatives Urging 25th Amendment Be Invoked Against Trump](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/list-of-conservatives-urging-25th-amendment-be-invoked-against-trump-11794470)\n\n6 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Trump’s Chances of Being Removed by 25th Amendment Climb](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trumps-chances-of-being-removed-by-25th-amendment-climb-11785658)\n\n3 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[Trump’s Odds of Being Removed by 25th Amendment Hit New Record High](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trumps-odds-removed-25th-amendment-hit-record-high-11788140)\n\n4 min read\n\n[For Members](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/for-members)\n\n[World](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/world)\n\n[Exclusive: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s Full Interview With Newsweek](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/cuba-president-miguel-diaz-canel-full-interview-newsweek-11786571)\n\n21 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[Donald Trump Responds to Vulgar Easter Post Backlash](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-responds-to-vulgar-easter-post-backlash-11788331)\n\n4 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Mary Trump Says MAGA Defectors ‘Can Spare Me Their Outrage’](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/mary-trump-says-maga-defectors-can-spare-me-their-outrage-11816125)\n\n6 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[France Pulls All Gold Out of US Federal Reserve](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/france-pulls-all-gold-out-of-us-federal-reserve-11792591)\n\n3 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Ex-CIA Director: ‘25th Amendment Was Written With Donald Trump in Mind’](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/john-brennan-25th-amendment-trump-iran-11815906)\n\n5 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[Viktor Orban Gets Worrying Sign From Most Accurate Pollster](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/viktor-orban-hungary-parliamentary-election-poll-11815096)\n\n5 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[What Trump Has Said About the Missing Airman in Iran](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-missing-airman-iran-war-11783112)\n\n4 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Democrats Poised to Flip Four States, Break 16-Year GOP Stranglehold](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/democrats-poised-to-flip-four-states-break-16-year-gop-stranglehold-11811806)\n\n9 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[Trump’s Vulgar Iran Post Raises Alarm: ‘A Deeply Unwell Man’](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-vulgar-iran-post-raises-alarm-11785622)\n\n4 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[Supreme Court Hands Republicans Election Win](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/supreme-court-republicans-election-win-ohio-ballot-dispute-11806812)\n\n4 min read\n\n## Conversation\nLog in\n\n\\|\n\nSign up\n\nStart a discussion, not a fire. Post with kindness. Read our guidelines  [here](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/community-guidelines)\n\n![Jump to log in or sign Up](https:\/\/cdn.viafoura.net\/assets\/defaultavatar.913f94a2fa72a280b0374131f1c9b175.png)\n\nAll Comments59\n\nMOST LIKED\n\n**0**\n\n### All Comments\n1. #### Comment by brian bladykas.\n   bb\n   \n   brian bladykas\n   \n   23 days ago\n   \n   Dump has literally blown up every promise he has made.\n   \n   \"I will eliminate the national debt\" WRONG (It has DOUBLED)\n   \n   \"No more useless\/endless wars\" WRONG\n   \n   \"I will replace Obamacare will something better and cheaper\" WRONG\n   \n   \"I will lower the cost of living\" WRONG\n   \n   \"This will be the most transparent administration in history\" WRONG\n   \n   \"I will bring back jobs\" WRONG\n   \n   Need I go on????\n   \n   Read more\n   \n   reply\n   \n   6 replies\n   \n   22\n   \n   3\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   4\n   \n   4 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n   \n   - #### Reply by Red Barchetta.\n     RB\n     \n     Red Barchetta\n     \n     19 days ago\n     \n     Reply to Music Intermission\n     \n     Biden's Boarders? Like the bipartisan boarder bill citizen trump somehow forced his government maga minions to nice after passage was set to happen. Just to what? Keep the boarders open? There is nothing 45 or now 47 has done that is actually good for the American people. Stirred the pot, caused chaos, then claims victory on some self created problem, then expects some gold statue to be given to him (think FIFAs joke award).\n     \n     reply\n     \n     0\n     \n     1\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n   - #### Reply by Normal Bates.\n     NB\n     \n     Normal Bates\n     \n     17 days ago\n     \n     Reply to LifeGoesOn\n     \n     Considering the coordinated efforts of MSM, corrupt judges, subversive NGO's, big money interests, and the democrats, it's small wonder ICE and CBP haven't had more success in deportations.\n     \n     At least the border is closed for the most part. And he is making headway in the courts.\n     \n     reply\n     \n     0\n     \n     0\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n2. #### Comment by Tucker Q. Hannity.\n   TQ\n   \n   Tucker Q. Hannity\n   \n   Member\n   \n   23 days ago\n   \n   “ a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda.”\n   \n   The author left out the words “well deserved” right before “full scale assault”.\n   \n   reply\n   \n   7 replies\n   \n   21\n   \n   4\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   5\n   \n   5 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n   \n   - #### Reply by Music Intermission.\n     MI\n     \n     Music Intermission\n     \n     21 days ago\n     \n     Reply to enzo\\_trent\n     \n     So it's the red hats?\n     \n     Did you forget open borders, dei, law fare, voter fraud, state fraud (Minn.) antisemitism, eligals, men in women sports, gender change to children, soft on crime and trading in democracy for socialism?\n     \n     reply\n     \n     3\n     \n     3\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n   - #### Reply by Red Barchetta.\n     RB\n     \n     Red Barchetta\n     \n     19 days ago\n     \n     Reply to Music Intermission\n     \n     What actions has trump done for the US? More debt? Hated worldwide by former allies? Ruined an excellent economy, ruined international trade for groups like US farmers. I'm no Dem or \"lib\" but even I can see the destruction being done to the nation on a daily basis by 47.\n     \n     reply\n     \n     0\n     \n     0\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n3. #### Comment by Still Reply.\n   SR\n   \n   Still Reply\n   \n   23 days ago\n   \n   That's a pro-DJT propaganda word salad if ever there was.\n   \n   reply\n   \n   5 replies\n   \n   12\n   \n   0\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   3\n   \n   3 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n   \n   - #### Reply by LifeGoesOn.\n     Li\n     \n     LifeGoesOn\n     \n     21 days ago\n     \n     Reply to Still Reply\n     \n     Reading that dreck I half expected to hear about the \"Deep State\" or the \"New World Order\" or other such buzzwords. But those are only used by the right-wing, so he couldn't.\n     \n     reply\n     \n     2\n     \n     0\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n   - #### Reply by lazlo grelb.\n     lg\n     \n     lazlo grelb\n     \n     Member\n     \n     20 days ago\n     \n     Reply to Music Intermission\n     \n     Yes. Their war-loving president Yahoo.edited\n     \n     reply\n     \n     0\n     \n     0\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n4. #### Comment by enzo\\_trent.\n   en\n   \n   enzo\\_trent\n   \n   23 days ago\n   \n   \"Trump is a conservative nationalist.\" - No. No he is not a conservative. He is also not a Nationalist.\n   \n   DJT spends too much money and does crazy things like that down part of the White House, renames buildings, generally flouting tradition whenever he feels it suits him, which is my next point -\\> he is not a Nationalist - bc he is an elitist. In everything he does it is normal people who pay and the rich who benefit. He specifically benefits very often.\n   \n   He is a Populist at best (another term for a li4r) and history will likely refer to him as a f4sc ist - which is only meaningless right now bc we are dealing with it right now. History will always be seen thru the correct lens with time.\n   \n   Read more\n   \n   reply\n   \n   5 replies\n   \n   11\n   \n   0\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   3\n   \n   3 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n   \n   - #### Reply by enzo\\_trent.\n     en\n     \n     enzo\\_trent\n     \n     21 days ago\n     \n     Reply to JimBean\n     \n     Is this is a joke? Who believes this? Does this work ever?\n     \n     3 out of 10 peope will maybe still publicly wear red hats - universal sh4ming is coming. N9body will acknowledge past associations the GOP will write Trumpism out of its books, DJT will go with the rest of the Boomers and history will have a very clear Hitler rival written down by millenials.\n     \n     Got any Grandkids? Their future was stolen from them - I will make certain they know that, there are millions of me.\n     \n     Do you think they will talk to you?\n     \n     Read more\n     \n     reply\n     \n     1\n     \n     2\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n   - #### Reply by a rose by any other name.\n     ar\n     \n     a rose by any other name\n     \n     21 days ago\n     \n     Reply to JimBean\n     \n     Wow. What does Earth II look like? I've never been.\n     \n     reply\n     \n     0\n     \n     1\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n5. #### Comment by T4MePuhlease.\n   T4\n   \n   T4MePuhlease\n   \n   22 days ago\n   \n   Knew it was Hammy thus knew it wasn't worth reading. Just the usual sycophancy and hagiographic hyperbole. The only thing he seems capable of.\n   \n   reply\n   \n   3 replies\n   \n   10\n   \n   1\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   1\n   \n   1 older reply\n   \n   show older replies\n   \n   - #### Reply by T4MePuhlease.\n     T4\n     \n     T4MePuhlease\n     \n     22 days ago\n     \n     Reply to Two Cents💰\n     \n     Yup, hero worship of the worst sort. Sadly though, I didn't coin it.\n     \n     reply\n     \n     5\n     \n     1\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n   - #### Reply by a rose by any other name.\n     ar\n     \n     a rose by any other name\n     \n     21 days ago\n     \n     Reply to T4MePuhlease\n     \n     It kind of makes you sick to your stomach if you listen to Hammer drool all over Trump doesn't it?\n     \n     reply\n     \n     2\n     \n     1\n     \n     share\n     \n     report\n6. #### Comment by Red Barchetta.\n   RB\n   \n   Red Barchetta\n   \n   22 days ago\n   \n   Josh, you do realize that 47 is the most top secret selling and leaker ever, right? All those Ultra Top Secret National Secrets citizen trump took with him after getting beat in 2020 were read, sold, shared or lost while in his MAL bathroom... The cleaning house needs to start with everyone currently in his administration.... Then we can move on to you....\n   \n   reply\n   \n   6\n   \n   1\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   0\n   \n   0 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n7. #### Comment by Yawn123.\n   Ya\n   \n   Yawn123\n   \n   23 days ago\n   \n   Should be applauding party members standing up to their own, even if that is the President. That is the very checks and balances that should be in place.\n   \n   And no, it will not necessarily lead to lame duck. That kind of chatter just shows the complete lack of knowledge on how the system is supposed to work. It's sad that the government workings have been so dysfunctional in recent years that people think that is the norm.\n   \n   reply\n   \n   6\n   \n   0\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   0\n   \n   0 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n8. #### Comment by con362.\n   co\n   \n   con362\n   \n   22 days ago\n   \n   It’s MAGA shooting itself in the foot.\n   \n   reply\n   \n   3\n   \n   0\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   0\n   \n   0 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n9. #### Comment by Stravaiger .\n   St\n   \n   Stravaiger\n   \n   22 days ago\n   \n   It's a White Right Might Fight\n   \n   reply\n   \n   3\n   \n   1\n   \n   share\n   \n   report\n   \n   0\n   \n   0 older replies\n   \n   show older replies\n10. #### Comment by JimBean.\n    Ji\n    \n    JimBean\n    \n    22 days ago\n    \n    I'm MAGA. I didn't like it when Obama and Biden won, but I didn't wish for them to fail at our country's expense. I certainly would never have participated in anything intended to injure or sabotage them.\n    \n    reply\n    \n    4 replies\n    \n    2\n    \n    0\n    \n    share\n    \n    report\n    \n    2\n    \n    2 older replies\n    \n    show older replies\n    \n    - #### Reply by Red Barchetta.\n      RB\n      \n      Red Barchetta\n      \n      18 days ago\n      \n      Reply to JimBean\n      \n      1st semi smart thing you have posted...\n      \n      reply\n      \n      0\n      \n      0\n      \n      share\n      \n      report\n    - #### Reply by JimBean.\n      Ji\n      \n      JimBean\n      \n      18 days ago\n      \n      Reply to Red Barchetta\n      \n      No mention of Biden taking Top Secret documents? Are you attitudes about justice influenced by political bias?\n      \n      reply\n      \n      0\n      \n      0\n      \n      share\n      \n      report\n\nLoad more comments\n\nPowered by\n## Related Podcasts\n## Top Stories\n[World](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/world)\n\n[Trump’s Path to Greenland Ownership Goes Via Iran—and May Finish NATO](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-path-greenland-ownership-via-iran-may-finish-nato-11803872)\n\n7 min read\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/politics)\n\n[How Democrat Amanda Janoo Plans to Defeat America’s Most Popular Governor](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/how-democrat-amanda-janoo-plans-to-defeat-americas-most-popular-governor-11815932)\n\n5 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Trump Announces Naval Blockade Against Iran After Peace Talks Break Down](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-hints-naval-blockade-against-iran-peace-talks-fail-11816911)\n\n6 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Trump Warns US Military Ready to ‘Finish’ Iran After Talks Fail](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-warns-us-military-ready-to-finish-iran-after-talks-fail-11810764)\n\n4 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[What Makes a Naval Blockade of Iran—as Trump Just Announced—So Hard](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/trump-iran-hormuz-blockade-difficult-11817060)\n\n7 min read\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/news)\n\n[Mark Carney Takes Swipe at Trump With Whiskey Joke in Defiant Speech](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/mark-carney-takes-swipe-trump-whiskey-joke-defiant-speech-11816956)\n\n4 min read\n\n[Trending](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/)\n\nVA\n\n[VA Gives Financial Boost To Veterans](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/va-gives-financial-boost-to-veterans-11815178)\n\n3 min read\n\nNSA\n\n[Americans Urged To Reboot Internet Routers by NSA](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/americans-reboot-internet-routers-nsa-11810909)\n\n6 min read\n\nJeffrey Epstein\n\n[Who Is Amanda Ungaro? 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LLC\n\n![](https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p?c1=2&c2=6972086&cv=4.4.0&cj=1)\n\n**0**\n\n![](https:\/\/di.rlcdn.com\/api\/segment?pid=468096&pdata=prop%3Dnw_site) ![](https:\/\/cnv.event.prod.bidr.io\/log\/cnv?tag_id=177&buzz_key=adprime&value=&segment_key=adprime-3145&account_id=2)","attrs_readable_markdown":"The joint American-Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is now three weeks old, but there is another war—a more silent one—raging here on the home front. President Trump’s second administration is facing a highly coordinated shadow war—one waged both by some influential outside voices on the Right and, more dangerously, by their subversive allies within Trump’s very own government.\n\nIf this campaign is not confronted and decisively defeated, the result will be calamitous: a second Trump term that drifts into lame-duck status not due to a voter backlash, but because of an insurrection from within. What this column has previously referred to as “[Operation Divide MAGA](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/operation-divide-maga-opinion-2135117)” has reached fever pitch. And Trump, to his great credit, has begun to [settle all the MAGA family business](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UUcESs-gy-g&t=2s). But an even more concerted effort is needed to clean out the Augean Stables once and for all.\n\nFirst, let’s take a step back.\n\nIn any healthy political coalition or movement, debate is inevitable and often desirable. But what we have seen from certain high-profile podcasters, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is nothing less than a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda. These provocateurs first outed themselves last summer, when they all but accused Trump of covering up a global (Mossad-tied?) pedophile ring over his Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein Files. But above all, the podcasters’ subversion has focused on foreign policy—most recently, on Iran and [Operation Epic Fury](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/what-is-victory-in-operation-epic-fury-11670832).\n\nTrump is a conservative nationalist. [His foreign policy](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/shock-awe-midnight-hammer-iran-strike-encapsulates-trump-doctrine-opinion-2091404) is rooted in confidence and “peace through strength”-style deterrence. Yet Carlson, Kelly, and their fellow travelers have blasted the Iran conflict as everything from “[evil](https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga\/story?id=130622270)” (Carlson) to “[clearly Israel’s war](https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/megyn-kelly-ridicules-trump-excuse-225053030.html)” (Kelly). The not-so-dynamic duo is thus accusing the man they quite literally campaigned for in 2024 of engaging in heinous acts and of being the unwitting dupe of a foreign government.\n\nTrue, Carlson, and Kelly do not actually speak for the MAGA base: A [brand-new poll from J.L. Partners](https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/19\/us-news\/republicans-overwhelmingly-back-trump-over-tucker-carlson-megyn-kelly-on-iran-war-poll-finds\/)shows that 83% of Republican voters support Epic Fury. Moreover, Republicans agree with Trump over Carlson and Kelly on foreign policy by a whopping 84%-6% margin. But still: Their platforms are enormous. When Carlson, Kelly, and their allies consistently excoriate the leading priorities of the administration they purport to support, the effect is Republican voter confusion, resentment, and depression as we head toward November in a midterm election year.\n\nEven worse, the shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters. They have allies inside the administration, with whom they are all but assuredly coordinating, engaging in outright sabotage against the one man—the president of the United States—who was actually elected to wield the “executive Power” of the federal government and serve as commander-in-chief.\n\nThe most alarming developments are emerging from within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard. A former Democratic congresswoman with a pro-Moscow slant once seen as a heterodox ally, Gabbard now oversees an environment that increasingly bears the markings of an anti-MAGA coup.\n\nU.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, left, Tucker Carlson, center, and former President Donald Trump, right, react during the final round of the Bedminst...\n\nTake Gabbard’s [recent rehiring](https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/18\/us-news\/tulsi-gabbard-hires-ex-pentagon-official-skeptical-of-us-war-with-iran\/) of Dan Caldwell. Dismissed last year by his (former long-time friend) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [amid allegations of leaking](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/pete-hegseth-red-herring-gops-foreign-policy-civil-war-opinion-2063928), Caldwell is now back in a highly sensitive role. Leaks of this nature are not bureaucratic slip-ups; they are direct assaults on national security and the integrity of the constitutional chain of command. It is difficult to interpret the isolationist-leaning Gabbard’s move as anything other than a direct shot across the bow at Hegseth—and, by extension the boss Hegseth has so [passionately defended](https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/pete-hegseth-has-been-loyal-defense-secretary-for-trump\/a-76402519) since Epic Fury began, President Trump.\n\nConsider also Joe Kent, who until recently served under Gabbard as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned this week in flamboyant fashion, rationalizing his stunt with hyper-conspiratorial, anti-Semitic rhetoric better suited for a Code Pink rally than government letterhead. Within hours after tendering his resignation, Kent announced he would be joining—who else?—Carlson to tell his story. An alleged serial leaker, Kent is now [under FBI investigation](https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/03\/19\/joe-kent-fbi-leak-investigation) for spilling national security secrets. Unsurprisingly, Iranian regime propaganda television [gobbled up the interview](https:\/\/x.com\/josh_hammer\/status\/2034444857096216846?s=20) and regurgitated it for an impressionable English-speaking audience.\n\nThat Kent came to Carlson’s platform to try to get ahead of the FBI investigation revelation is not coincidence. It is all orchestrated. After being fired by Hegseth last year, Caldwell similarly ran to Carlson to tell his side of the story. Moreover, one of Caldwell’s higher-ranking colleagues at ODNI, Will Ruger, shares Caldwell’s professional background in the isolationist Koch network. Surprise\\!\n\nThe White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), formerly directed by ex-Rand Paul staffer Sergio Gor (since shipped halfway around the world to [India](https:\/\/in.usembassy.gov\/u-s-ambassador-to-india-sergio-gor-presents-credentials\/)), has allowed in individuals across the defense, intelligence, and national security spaces who are functionally anti-MAGA. Perhaps this was done for self-serving reasons. Perhaps Gor and PPO were under the understanding that MAGA is something other than what the boss says it is. Frankly, it does not really matter.\n\nBecause the boss has now spoken. He’s cast [Carlson](https:\/\/x.com\/jonkarl\/status\/2029650210125652143) and [Kelly](https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116236498017197393) out of MAGA in emphatic fashion. And after Kent’s obnoxious resignation stunt, Trump said of those (like Kent) who do not believe Iran is a threat to the United States: “[We don’t want those people](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=2041150060171520).” Translation: Get out. The message could not possibly be clearer.\n\nBut is Trump’s PPO listening? Is Gabbard’s ODNI fully in line? Gabbard, in Senate testimony this week, couldn’t bring herself to agree with her boss’s assessment that Iran posed an “[imminent threat](https:\/\/x.com\/nypost\/status\/2034393549014286688)” prior to the launch of Epic Fury.\n\nIt’s time for the president to team up with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other arch-loyalists, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and clean house. The internal anti-MAGA sabotage must be ended, and the external anti-MAGA sabotage must be combated. The success of the remainder of Trump’s second term hangs in the balance.\n\n*[Josh Hammer](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/josh-hammer) is* Newsweek *senior editor-at-large, host of \"[The Josh Hammer Show](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLbJbsiKs77FxKl9EuhpMDR-LgFrPKtlfX),\" senior counsel for the [Article III Project](https:\/\/www.article3project.org\/), a Shillman Fellow at the [David Horowitz Freedom Center,](https:\/\/www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org\/) and author of* [Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West](https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Israel-and-Civilization\/Josh-Hammer\/9781635769739) (Radius Book Group)*. X: [@josh\\_hammer](https:\/\/x.com\/josh_hammer).*\n\n*The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.*","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	The joint American-Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is now three weeks old, but there is another war—a more silent one—raging here on the home front. President Trump’s second administration is facing a highly coordinated shadow war—one waged both by some influential outside voices on the Right and, more dangerously, by their subversive allies within Trump’s very own government. If this campaign is not confronted and decisively defeated, the result will be calamitous: a second Trump term that drifts into lame-duck status not due to a voter backlash, but because of an insurrection from within. What this column has previously referred to as “ Operation Divide MAGA ” has reached fever pitch. And Trump, to his great credit, has begun to settle all the MAGA family business . But an even more concerted effort is needed to clean out the Augean Stables once and for all. First, let’s take a step back. In any healthy political coalition or movement, debate is inevitable and often desirable. But what we have seen from certain high-profile podcasters, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is nothing less than a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda. These provocateurs first outed themselves last summer, when they all but accused Trump of covering up a global (Mossad-tied?) pedophile ring over his Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein Files. But above all, the podcasters’ subversion has focused on foreign policy—most recently, on Iran and Operation Epic Fury . Trump is a conservative nationalist. His foreign policy is rooted in confidence and “peace through strength”-style deterrence. Yet Carlson, Kelly, and their fellow travelers have blasted the Iran conflict as everything from “ evil ” (Carlson) to “ clearly Israel’s war ” (Kelly). The not-so-dynamic duo is thus accusing the man they quite literally campaigned for in 2024 of engaging in heinous acts and of being the unwitting dupe of a foreign government. True, Carlson, and Kelly do not actually speak for the MAGA base: A brand-new poll from J.L. Partners shows that 83% of Republican voters support Epic Fury. Moreover, Republicans agree with Trump over Carlson and Kelly on foreign policy by a whopping 84%-6% margin. But still: Their platforms are enormous. When Carlson, Kelly, and their allies consistently excoriate the leading priorities of the administration they purport to support, the effect is Republican voter confusion, resentment, and depression as we head toward November in a midterm election year. Even worse, the shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters. They have allies inside the administration, with whom they are all but assuredly coordinating, engaging in outright sabotage against the one man—the president of the United States—who was actually elected to wield the “executive Power” of the federal government and serve as commander-in-chief. The most alarming developments are emerging from within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard. A former Democratic congresswoman with a pro-Moscow slant once seen as a heterodox ally, Gabbard now oversees an environment that increasingly bears the markings of an anti-MAGA coup. Image placeholder U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, left, Tucker Carlson, center, and former President Donald Trump, right, react during the final round of the Bedminst... Take Gabbard’s recent rehiring of Dan Caldwell. Dismissed last year by his (former long-time friend) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth amid allegations of leaking , Caldwell is now back in a highly sensitive role. Leaks of this nature are not bureaucratic slip-ups; they are direct assaults on national security and the integrity of the constitutional chain of command. It is difficult to interpret the isolationist-leaning Gabbard’s move as anything other than a direct shot across the bow at Hegseth—and, by extension the boss Hegseth has so passionately defended since Epic Fury began, President Trump. Consider also Joe Kent, who until recently served under Gabbard as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned this week in flamboyant fashion, rationalizing his stunt with hyper-conspiratorial, anti-Semitic rhetoric better suited for a Code Pink rally than government letterhead. Within hours after tendering his resignation, Kent announced he would be joining—who else?—Carlson to tell his story. An alleged serial leaker, Kent is now under FBI investigation for spilling national security secrets. Unsurprisingly, Iranian regime propaganda television gobbled up the interview and regurgitated it for an impressionable English-speaking audience. That Kent came to Carlson’s platform to try to get ahead of the FBI investigation revelation is not coincidence. It is all orchestrated. After being fired by Hegseth last year, Caldwell similarly ran to Carlson to tell his side of the story. Moreover, one of Caldwell’s higher-ranking colleagues at ODNI, Will Ruger, shares Caldwell’s professional background in the isolationist Koch network. Surprise! The White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), formerly directed by ex-Rand Paul staffer Sergio Gor (since shipped halfway around the world to India ), has allowed in individuals across the defense, intelligence, and national security spaces who are functionally anti-MAGA. Perhaps this was done for self-serving reasons. Perhaps Gor and PPO were under the understanding that MAGA is something other than what the boss says it is. Frankly, it does not really matter. Because the boss has now spoken. He’s cast Carlson and Kelly out of MAGA in emphatic fashion. And after Kent’s obnoxious resignation stunt, Trump said of those (like Kent) who do not believe Iran is a threat to the United States: “ We don’t want those people .” Translation: Get out. The message could not possibly be clearer. But is Trump’s PPO listening? Is Gabbard’s ODNI fully in line? Gabbard, in Senate testimony this week, couldn’t bring herself to agree with her boss’s assessment that Iran posed an “ imminent threat ” prior to the launch of Epic Fury. It’s time for the president to team up with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other arch-loyalists, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and clean house. The internal anti-MAGA sabotage must be ended, and the external anti-MAGA sabotage must be combated. The success of the remainder of Trump’s second term hangs in the balance. Josh Hammer is Newsweek senior editor-at-large, host of " The Josh Hammer Show ," senior counsel for the Article III Project , a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and author of Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West (Radius Book Group) . X: @josh_hammer . The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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![‘No Man Left Behind’ Means No Man Left Behind \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP114_V3.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=120&height=68&quality=60) ‘No Man Left Behind’ Means No Man Left Behind \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW - ![Donald Trump Is Emphatically Correct About Birthright Citizenship \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP111_V1-1.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=120&height=68&quality=60) Donald Trump Is Emphatically Correct About Birthright Citizenship \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW - ![The Shadow War Against President Trump \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW](https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NW_TJHS_THUMBNAIL_EP-100_V2.jpg?width=320&height=180&quality=60?width=120&height=68&quality=60) The Shadow War Against President Trump \\| THE JOSH HAMMER SHOW By Josh Hammer Newsweek senior editor-at-large and host, "The Josh Hammer Show" 59 Share [Newsweek is a Trust Project member](https://www.newsweek.com/editorial-guidelines) Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. *** The joint American-Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is now three weeks old, but there is another war—a more silent one—raging here on the home front. President Trump’s second administration is facing a highly coordinated shadow war—one waged both by some influential outside voices on the Right and, more dangerously, by their subversive allies within Trump’s very own government. If this campaign is not confronted and decisively defeated, the result will be calamitous: a second Trump term that drifts into lame-duck status not due to a voter backlash, but because of an insurrection from within. What this column has previously referred to as “[Operation Divide MAGA](https://www.newsweek.com/operation-divide-maga-opinion-2135117)” has reached fever pitch. And Trump, to his great credit, has begun to [settle all the MAGA family business](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUcESs-gy-g&t=2s). But an even more concerted effort is needed to clean out the Augean Stables once and for all. First, let’s take a step back. In any healthy political coalition or movement, debate is inevitable and often desirable. But what we have seen from certain high-profile podcasters, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is nothing less than a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda. These provocateurs first outed themselves last summer, when they all but accused Trump of covering up a global (Mossad-tied?) pedophile ring over his Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein Files. But above all, the podcasters’ subversion has focused on foreign policy—most recently, on Iran and [Operation Epic Fury](https://www.newsweek.com/what-is-victory-in-operation-epic-fury-11670832). Trump is a conservative nationalist. [His foreign policy](https://www.newsweek.com/shock-awe-midnight-hammer-iran-strike-encapsulates-trump-doctrine-opinion-2091404) is rooted in confidence and “peace through strength”-style deterrence. Yet Carlson, Kelly, and their fellow travelers have blasted the Iran conflict as everything from “[evil](https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga/story?id=130622270)” (Carlson) to “[clearly Israel’s war](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/megyn-kelly-ridicules-trump-excuse-225053030.html)” (Kelly). The not-so-dynamic duo is thus accusing the man they quite literally campaigned for in 2024 of engaging in heinous acts and of being the unwitting dupe of a foreign government. True, Carlson, and Kelly do not actually speak for the MAGA base: A [brand-new poll from J.L. Partners](https://nypost.com/2026/03/19/us-news/republicans-overwhelmingly-back-trump-over-tucker-carlson-megyn-kelly-on-iran-war-poll-finds/)shows that 83% of Republican voters support Epic Fury. Moreover, Republicans agree with Trump over Carlson and Kelly on foreign policy by a whopping 84%-6% margin. But still: Their platforms are enormous. When Carlson, Kelly, and their allies consistently excoriate the leading priorities of the administration they purport to support, the effect is Republican voter confusion, resentment, and depression as we head toward November in a midterm election year. Even worse, the shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters. They have allies inside the administration, with whom they are all but assuredly coordinating, engaging in outright sabotage against the one man—the president of the United States—who was actually elected to wield the “executive Power” of the federal government and serve as commander-in-chief. Read More #### Opinion [America’s Iran War Is Costing It India \\| Opinion](https://www.newsweek.com/americas-iran-war-is-costing-it-india-opinion-11804778) [Artemis II Mission Offers Inspiring Unity for a Deeply Divided Nation](https://www.newsweek.com/artemis-ii-mission-offers-inspiring-unity-for-a-deeply-divided-nation-11808973) [Does Blocking China’s Gotion Hurt U.S. Tech Ambitions? \\| Opinion](https://www.newsweek.com/does-blocking-chinas-gotion-hurt-u-s-tech-ambitions-opinion-11792597) [More Related Stories](https://www.newsweek.com/opinion) The most alarming developments are emerging from within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard. A former Democratic congresswoman with a pro-Moscow slant once seen as a heterodox ally, Gabbard now oversees an environment that increasingly bears the markings of an anti-MAGA coup. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, left, Tucker Carlson, center, and former President Donald Trump, right, react during the final round of the Bedminst... Read More Take Gabbard’s [recent rehiring](https://nypost.com/2026/03/18/us-news/tulsi-gabbard-hires-ex-pentagon-official-skeptical-of-us-war-with-iran/) of Dan Caldwell. Dismissed last year by his (former long-time friend) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [amid allegations of leaking](https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-red-herring-gops-foreign-policy-civil-war-opinion-2063928), Caldwell is now back in a highly sensitive role. Leaks of this nature are not bureaucratic slip-ups; they are direct assaults on national security and the integrity of the constitutional chain of command. It is difficult to interpret the isolationist-leaning Gabbard’s move as anything other than a direct shot across the bow at Hegseth—and, by extension the boss Hegseth has so [passionately defended](https://www.dw.com/en/pete-hegseth-has-been-loyal-defense-secretary-for-trump/a-76402519) since Epic Fury began, President Trump. Consider also Joe Kent, who until recently served under Gabbard as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned this week in flamboyant fashion, rationalizing his stunt with hyper-conspiratorial, anti-Semitic rhetoric better suited for a Code Pink rally than government letterhead. Within hours after tendering his resignation, Kent announced he would be joining—who else?—Carlson to tell his story. An alleged serial leaker, Kent is now [under FBI investigation](https://www.axios.com/2026/03/19/joe-kent-fbi-leak-investigation) for spilling national security secrets. Unsurprisingly, Iranian regime propaganda television [gobbled up the interview](https://x.com/josh_hammer/status/2034444857096216846?s=20) and regurgitated it for an impressionable English-speaking audience. That Kent came to Carlson’s platform to try to get ahead of the FBI investigation revelation is not coincidence. It is all orchestrated. After being fired by Hegseth last year, Caldwell similarly ran to Carlson to tell his side of the story. Moreover, one of Caldwell’s higher-ranking colleagues at ODNI, Will Ruger, shares Caldwell’s professional background in the isolationist Koch network. Surprise\! The White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), formerly directed by ex-Rand Paul staffer Sergio Gor (since shipped halfway around the world to [India](https://in.usembassy.gov/u-s-ambassador-to-india-sergio-gor-presents-credentials/)), has allowed in individuals across the defense, intelligence, and national security spaces who are functionally anti-MAGA. Perhaps this was done for self-serving reasons. Perhaps Gor and PPO were under the understanding that MAGA is something other than what the boss says it is. Frankly, it does not really matter. Because the boss has now spoken. He’s cast [Carlson](https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2029650210125652143) and [Kelly](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116236498017197393) out of MAGA in emphatic fashion. And after Kent’s obnoxious resignation stunt, Trump said of those (like Kent) who do not believe Iran is a threat to the United States: “[We don’t want those people](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2041150060171520).” Translation: Get out. The message could not possibly be clearer. But is Trump’s PPO listening? Is Gabbard’s ODNI fully in line? Gabbard, in Senate testimony this week, couldn’t bring herself to agree with her boss’s assessment that Iran posed an “[imminent threat](https://x.com/nypost/status/2034393549014286688)” prior to the launch of Epic Fury. It’s time for the president to team up with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other arch-loyalists, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and clean house. The internal anti-MAGA sabotage must be ended, and the external anti-MAGA sabotage must be combated. The success of the remainder of Trump’s second term hangs in the balance. [Josh Hammer](https://www.newsweek.com/josh-hammer) is Newsweek senior editor-at-large, host of "[The Josh Hammer Show](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJbsiKs77FxKl9EuhpMDR-LgFrPKtlfX)," senior counsel for the [Article III Project](https://www.article3project.org/), a Shillman Fellow at the [David Horowitz Freedom Center,](https://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/) and author of [Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Israel-and-Civilization/Josh-Hammer/9781635769739) (Radius Book Group). X: [@josh\_hammer](https://x.com/josh_hammer). The views expressed in this article are the writer's own. Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to help produce this story. [Learn more about Martyn.](https://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-martyn-newsroom-assistant) [Request Reprint & Licensing](https://www.newsweek.com/contact) Submit Correction [View Editorial & AI Guidelines](https://www.newsweek.com/editorial-guidelines) * Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. ## Recommended For You [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [Trump Threatens Major Strikes if Iran Rejects Hormuz Deal: Updates](https://www.newsweek.com/iran-war-trump-israel-live-updates-11787012) 2 min read [Politics](https://www.newsweek.com/politics) [Donald Trump Impeachment Backed by Most Americans: Poll](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-impeachment-backed-by-most-americans-poll-11800093) 4 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [List of Conservatives Urging 25th Amendment Be Invoked Against Trump](https://www.newsweek.com/list-of-conservatives-urging-25th-amendment-be-invoked-against-trump-11794470) 6 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [Trump’s Chances of Being Removed by 25th Amendment Climb](https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-chances-of-being-removed-by-25th-amendment-climb-11785658) 3 min read [Politics](https://www.newsweek.com/politics) [Trump’s Odds of Being Removed by 25th Amendment Hit New Record High](https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-odds-removed-25th-amendment-hit-record-high-11788140) 4 min read [For Members](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/for-members) [World](https://www.newsweek.com/world) [Exclusive: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s Full Interview With Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/cuba-president-miguel-diaz-canel-full-interview-newsweek-11786571) 21 min read [Politics](https://www.newsweek.com/politics) [Donald Trump Responds to Vulgar Easter Post Backlash](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-responds-to-vulgar-easter-post-backlash-11788331) 4 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [Mary Trump Says MAGA Defectors ‘Can Spare Me Their Outrage’](https://www.newsweek.com/mary-trump-says-maga-defectors-can-spare-me-their-outrage-11816125) 6 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [France Pulls All Gold Out of US Federal Reserve](https://www.newsweek.com/france-pulls-all-gold-out-of-us-federal-reserve-11792591) 3 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [Ex-CIA Director: ‘25th Amendment Was Written With Donald Trump in Mind’](https://www.newsweek.com/john-brennan-25th-amendment-trump-iran-11815906) 5 min read [Politics](https://www.newsweek.com/politics) [Viktor Orban Gets Worrying Sign From Most Accurate Pollster](https://www.newsweek.com/viktor-orban-hungary-parliamentary-election-poll-11815096) 5 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [What Trump Has Said About the Missing Airman in Iran](https://www.newsweek.com/trump-missing-airman-iran-war-11783112) 4 min read [News](https://www.newsweek.com/news) [Democrats Poised to Flip Four States, Break 16-Year GOP Stranglehold](https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-poised-to-flip-four-states-break-16-year-gop-stranglehold-11811806) 9 min read [Politics](https://www.newsweek.com/politics) [Trump’s Vulgar Iran Post Raises Alarm: ‘A Deeply Unwell Man’](https://www.newsweek.com/trump-vulgar-iran-post-raises-alarm-11785622) 4 min read [Politics](https://www.newsweek.com/politics) [Supreme Court Hands Republicans Election Win](https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-republicans-election-win-ohio-ballot-dispute-11806812) 4 min read ## Conversation Log in \\| Sign up Start a discussion, not a fire. Post with kindness. Read our guidelines [here](https://www.newsweek.com/community-guidelines) ![Jump to log in or sign Up](https://cdn.viafoura.net/assets/defaultavatar.913f94a2fa72a280b0374131f1c9b175.png) All Comments59 MOST LIKED 0 ### All Comments 1. #### Comment by brian bladykas. bb brian bladykas 23 days ago Dump has literally blown up every promise he has made. "I will eliminate the national debt" WRONG (It has DOUBLED) "No more useless/endless wars" WRONG "I will replace Obamacare will something better and cheaper" WRONG "I will lower the cost of living" WRONG "This will be the most transparent administration in history" WRONG "I will bring back jobs" WRONG Need I go on???? Read more reply 6 replies 22 3 share report 4 4 older replies show older replies - #### Reply by Red Barchetta. RB Red Barchetta 19 days ago Reply to Music Intermission Biden's Boarders? Like the bipartisan boarder bill citizen trump somehow forced his government maga minions to nice after passage was set to happen. Just to what? Keep the boarders open? There is nothing 45 or now 47 has done that is actually good for the American people. Stirred the pot, caused chaos, then claims victory on some self created problem, then expects some gold statue to be given to him (think FIFAs joke award). reply 0 1 share report - #### Reply by Normal Bates. NB Normal Bates 17 days ago Reply to LifeGoesOn Considering the coordinated efforts of MSM, corrupt judges, subversive NGO's, big money interests, and the democrats, it's small wonder ICE and CBP haven't had more success in deportations. At least the border is closed for the most part. And he is making headway in the courts. reply 0 0 share report 2. #### Comment by Tucker Q. Hannity. TQ Tucker Q. Hannity Member 23 days ago “ a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda.” The author left out the words “well deserved” right before “full scale assault”. reply 7 replies 21 4 share report 5 5 older replies show older replies - #### Reply by Music Intermission. MI Music Intermission 21 days ago Reply to enzo\_trent So it's the red hats? Did you forget open borders, dei, law fare, voter fraud, state fraud (Minn.) antisemitism, eligals, men in women sports, gender change to children, soft on crime and trading in democracy for socialism? reply 3 3 share report - #### Reply by Red Barchetta. RB Red Barchetta 19 days ago Reply to Music Intermission What actions has trump done for the US? More debt? Hated worldwide by former allies? Ruined an excellent economy, ruined international trade for groups like US farmers. I'm no Dem or "lib" but even I can see the destruction being done to the nation on a daily basis by 47. reply 0 0 share report 3. #### Comment by Still Reply. SR Still Reply 23 days ago That's a pro-DJT propaganda word salad if ever there was. reply 5 replies 12 0 share report 3 3 older replies show older replies - #### Reply by LifeGoesOn. Li LifeGoesOn 21 days ago Reply to Still Reply Reading that dreck I half expected to hear about the "Deep State" or the "New World Order" or other such buzzwords. But those are only used by the right-wing, so he couldn't. reply 2 0 share report - #### Reply by lazlo grelb. lg lazlo grelb Member 20 days ago Reply to Music Intermission Yes. Their war-loving president Yahoo.edited reply 0 0 share report 4. #### Comment by enzo\_trent. en enzo\_trent 23 days ago "Trump is a conservative nationalist." - No. No he is not a conservative. He is also not a Nationalist. DJT spends too much money and does crazy things like that down part of the White House, renames buildings, generally flouting tradition whenever he feels it suits him, which is my next point -\> he is not a Nationalist - bc he is an elitist. In everything he does it is normal people who pay and the rich who benefit. He specifically benefits very often. He is a Populist at best (another term for a li4r) and history will likely refer to him as a f4sc ist - which is only meaningless right now bc we are dealing with it right now. History will always be seen thru the correct lens with time. Read more reply 5 replies 11 0 share report 3 3 older replies show older replies - #### Reply by enzo\_trent. en enzo\_trent 21 days ago Reply to JimBean Is this is a joke? Who believes this? Does this work ever? 3 out of 10 peope will maybe still publicly wear red hats - universal sh4ming is coming. N9body will acknowledge past associations the GOP will write Trumpism out of its books, DJT will go with the rest of the Boomers and history will have a very clear Hitler rival written down by millenials. Got any Grandkids? Their future was stolen from them - I will make certain they know that, there are millions of me. Do you think they will talk to you? Read more reply 1 2 share report - #### Reply by a rose by any other name. ar a rose by any other name 21 days ago Reply to JimBean Wow. What does Earth II look like? I've never been. reply 0 1 share report 5. #### Comment by T4MePuhlease. T4 T4MePuhlease 22 days ago Knew it was Hammy thus knew it wasn't worth reading. Just the usual sycophancy and hagiographic hyperbole. The only thing he seems capable of. reply 3 replies 10 1 share report 1 1 older reply show older replies - #### Reply by T4MePuhlease. T4 T4MePuhlease 22 days ago Reply to Two Cents💰 Yup, hero worship of the worst sort. Sadly though, I didn't coin it. reply 5 1 share report - #### Reply by a rose by any other name. ar a rose by any other name 21 days ago Reply to T4MePuhlease It kind of makes you sick to your stomach if you listen to Hammer drool all over Trump doesn't it? reply 2 1 share report 6. #### Comment by Red Barchetta. RB Red Barchetta 22 days ago Josh, you do realize that 47 is the most top secret selling and leaker ever, right? All those Ultra Top Secret National Secrets citizen trump took with him after getting beat in 2020 were read, sold, shared or lost while in his MAL bathroom... The cleaning house needs to start with everyone currently in his administration.... Then we can move on to you.... reply 6 1 share report 0 0 older replies show older replies 7. #### Comment by Yawn123. Ya Yawn123 23 days ago Should be applauding party members standing up to their own, even if that is the President. That is the very checks and balances that should be in place. And no, it will not necessarily lead to lame duck. That kind of chatter just shows the complete lack of knowledge on how the system is supposed to work. It's sad that the government workings have been so dysfunctional in recent years that people think that is the norm. reply 6 0 share report 0 0 older replies show older replies 8. #### Comment by con362. co con362 22 days ago It’s MAGA shooting itself in the foot. reply 3 0 share report 0 0 older replies show older replies 9. #### Comment by Stravaiger . St Stravaiger 22 days ago It's a White Right Might Fight reply 3 1 share report 0 0 older replies show older replies 10. #### Comment by JimBean. Ji JimBean 22 days ago I'm MAGA. I didn't like it when Obama and Biden won, but I didn't wish for them to fail at our country's expense. I certainly would never have participated in anything intended to injure or sabotage them. reply 4 replies 2 0 share report 2 2 older replies show older replies - #### Reply by Red Barchetta. RB Red Barchetta 18 days ago Reply to JimBean 1st semi smart thing you have posted... reply 0 0 share report - #### Reply by JimBean. Ji JimBean 18 days ago Reply to Red Barchetta No mention of Biden taking Top Secret documents? 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Readable Markdown	The joint American-Israeli military operation against the Iranian regime is now three weeks old, but there is another war—a more silent one—raging here on the home front. President Trump’s second administration is facing a highly coordinated shadow war—one waged both by some influential outside voices on the Right and, more dangerously, by their subversive allies within Trump’s very own government. If this campaign is not confronted and decisively defeated, the result will be calamitous: a second Trump term that drifts into lame-duck status not due to a voter backlash, but because of an insurrection from within. What this column has previously referred to as “[Operation Divide MAGA](https://www.newsweek.com/operation-divide-maga-opinion-2135117)” has reached fever pitch. And Trump, to his great credit, has begun to [settle all the MAGA family business](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUcESs-gy-g&t=2s). But an even more concerted effort is needed to clean out the Augean Stables once and for all. First, let’s take a step back. In any healthy political coalition or movement, debate is inevitable and often desirable. But what we have seen from certain high-profile podcasters, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is nothing less than a full-scale assault on President Trump and his agenda. These provocateurs first outed themselves last summer, when they all but accused Trump of covering up a global (Mossad-tied?) pedophile ring over his Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein Files. But above all, the podcasters’ subversion has focused on foreign policy—most recently, on Iran and [Operation Epic Fury](https://www.newsweek.com/what-is-victory-in-operation-epic-fury-11670832). Trump is a conservative nationalist. [His foreign policy](https://www.newsweek.com/shock-awe-midnight-hammer-iran-strike-encapsulates-trump-doctrine-opinion-2091404) is rooted in confidence and “peace through strength”-style deterrence. Yet Carlson, Kelly, and their fellow travelers have blasted the Iran conflict as everything from “[evil](https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga/story?id=130622270)” (Carlson) to “[clearly Israel’s war](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/megyn-kelly-ridicules-trump-excuse-225053030.html)” (Kelly). The not-so-dynamic duo is thus accusing the man they quite literally campaigned for in 2024 of engaging in heinous acts and of being the unwitting dupe of a foreign government. True, Carlson, and Kelly do not actually speak for the MAGA base: A [brand-new poll from J.L. Partners](https://nypost.com/2026/03/19/us-news/republicans-overwhelmingly-back-trump-over-tucker-carlson-megyn-kelly-on-iran-war-poll-finds/)shows that 83% of Republican voters support Epic Fury. Moreover, Republicans agree with Trump over Carlson and Kelly on foreign policy by a whopping 84%-6% margin. But still: Their platforms are enormous. When Carlson, Kelly, and their allies consistently excoriate the leading priorities of the administration they purport to support, the effect is Republican voter confusion, resentment, and depression as we head toward November in a midterm election year. Even worse, the shadow war subversives are not merely shouting into their microphones from the rafters. They have allies inside the administration, with whom they are all but assuredly coordinating, engaging in outright sabotage against the one man—the president of the United States—who was actually elected to wield the “executive Power” of the federal government and serve as commander-in-chief. The most alarming developments are emerging from within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard. A former Democratic congresswoman with a pro-Moscow slant once seen as a heterodox ally, Gabbard now oversees an environment that increasingly bears the markings of an anti-MAGA coup. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, left, Tucker Carlson, center, and former President Donald Trump, right, react during the final round of the Bedminst... Take Gabbard’s [recent rehiring](https://nypost.com/2026/03/18/us-news/tulsi-gabbard-hires-ex-pentagon-official-skeptical-of-us-war-with-iran/) of Dan Caldwell. Dismissed last year by his (former long-time friend) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [amid allegations of leaking](https://www.newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-red-herring-gops-foreign-policy-civil-war-opinion-2063928), Caldwell is now back in a highly sensitive role. Leaks of this nature are not bureaucratic slip-ups; they are direct assaults on national security and the integrity of the constitutional chain of command. It is difficult to interpret the isolationist-leaning Gabbard’s move as anything other than a direct shot across the bow at Hegseth—and, by extension the boss Hegseth has so [passionately defended](https://www.dw.com/en/pete-hegseth-has-been-loyal-defense-secretary-for-trump/a-76402519) since Epic Fury began, President Trump. Consider also Joe Kent, who until recently served under Gabbard as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned this week in flamboyant fashion, rationalizing his stunt with hyper-conspiratorial, anti-Semitic rhetoric better suited for a Code Pink rally than government letterhead. Within hours after tendering his resignation, Kent announced he would be joining—who else?—Carlson to tell his story. An alleged serial leaker, Kent is now [under FBI investigation](https://www.axios.com/2026/03/19/joe-kent-fbi-leak-investigation) for spilling national security secrets. Unsurprisingly, Iranian regime propaganda television [gobbled up the interview](https://x.com/josh_hammer/status/2034444857096216846?s=20) and regurgitated it for an impressionable English-speaking audience. That Kent came to Carlson’s platform to try to get ahead of the FBI investigation revelation is not coincidence. It is all orchestrated. After being fired by Hegseth last year, Caldwell similarly ran to Carlson to tell his side of the story. Moreover, one of Caldwell’s higher-ranking colleagues at ODNI, Will Ruger, shares Caldwell’s professional background in the isolationist Koch network. Surprise\! The White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), formerly directed by ex-Rand Paul staffer Sergio Gor (since shipped halfway around the world to [India](https://in.usembassy.gov/u-s-ambassador-to-india-sergio-gor-presents-credentials/)), has allowed in individuals across the defense, intelligence, and national security spaces who are functionally anti-MAGA. Perhaps this was done for self-serving reasons. Perhaps Gor and PPO were under the understanding that MAGA is something other than what the boss says it is. Frankly, it does not really matter. Because the boss has now spoken. He’s cast [Carlson](https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2029650210125652143) and [Kelly](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116236498017197393) out of MAGA in emphatic fashion. And after Kent’s obnoxious resignation stunt, Trump said of those (like Kent) who do not believe Iran is a threat to the United States: “[We don’t want those people](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2041150060171520).” Translation: Get out. The message could not possibly be clearer. But is Trump’s PPO listening? Is Gabbard’s ODNI fully in line? Gabbard, in Senate testimony this week, couldn’t bring herself to agree with her boss’s assessment that Iran posed an “[imminent threat](https://x.com/nypost/status/2034393549014286688)” prior to the launch of Epic Fury. It’s time for the president to team up with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other arch-loyalists, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and clean house. The internal anti-MAGA sabotage must be ended, and the external anti-MAGA sabotage must be combated. The success of the remainder of Trump’s second term hangs in the balance. [Josh Hammer](https://www.newsweek.com/josh-hammer) is Newsweek senior editor-at-large, host of "[The Josh Hammer Show](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJbsiKs77FxKl9EuhpMDR-LgFrPKtlfX)," senior counsel for the [Article III Project](https://www.article3project.org/), a Shillman Fellow at the [David Horowitz Freedom Center,](https://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/) and author of [Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Israel-and-Civilization/Josh-Hammer/9781635769739) (Radius Book Group). X: [@josh\_hammer](https://x.com/josh_hammer). The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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