Donald Trump has called Elise Stefanik “a new Republican star,” a “smart communicator” and “tough.”
But the MAGA faithful aren’t so sure.
Within minutes of Trump’s endorsement of the New York congresswoman for GOP conference chair on Wednesday, top MAGA voices erupted in anger — a rare break with the former president.
They view her as a newcomer that is insufficiently conservative.
The Columbia Bugle — an anonymously-run Twitter account with nearly 179,000 followers, including high-profile Trump movement influencers — described Stefanik as “a slightly less annoying America Last Republican.”
Fox News former heavyweight Lou Dobbs referred to Stefanik as a RINO.
And the critiques continue:
Pundits Ann Coulter and Raheem Kassam, editor in chief of the populist online outlet National Pulse, went on a retweeting spree, highlighting writer after writer, tweet after tweet, questioning Stefanik’s commitment to the Trump movement’s core tenets, particularly on immigration.
Popular MAGA news and opinion sites were less sparing, with Revolver calling her a “neocon establishment twit”, and Big League Politics, founded by Breitbart alumni, slamming her for only getting on the Trump defense train in 2019 and characterizing her as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Several MAGA news sites cited Stefanik’s voting record, where she backed the then-president’s position only 78 percent of the time, making Cheney’s record of 93 percent look slavishly loyal in comparison.
Though she received praise and support from other MAGA-friendly politicians — Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and, of course, Trump himself — it was a hostile grassroots reception for the congresswoman pitched as a MAGA-worthy option.