Why is the MAGA turning against Conservative Commentators such as Dinesh D’Souza?

The MAGA movement’s internal war deepens as Dinesh D'Souza becomes a target of the radical right he once helped empower

November 10, 2025

MAGA backlash: why the far-right is attacking Dinesh D'Souza and other conservatives

Why the MAGA Fringe is Turning Against Dinesh D’Souza and Other Established Conservatives

The recent shift where figures like Dinesh D’Souza—who has long been a staunch ally and proponent of the MAGA agenda—face criticism from within the movement he helped build is rooted in the rise of a more radical, white nationalist fringe.

1. The Rise of White Christian Nationalism and Xenophobia

The most significant factor is the growing influence of explicitly racist and nativist elements, such as the “Groyper” movement led by figures like Nick Fuentes. This segment views the MAGA movement through a lens of white Christian nationalism, which fundamentally clashes with the presence of minority allies, regardless of their political loyalty.

The “Useful Idiot” Thesis: In this far-right worldview, non-white conservatives are seen as “useful idiots” whose value is purely instrumental in attacking the political left. Once they criticize the movement’s radical elements or cease to be politically useful, their minority status makes them targets of the same xenophobia they once dismissed or helped mainstream.
Attacks on Heritage: This internal hostility became public and pointed when prominent Indian-American Trump supporters, including D’Souza and Vivek Ramaswamy, faced virulent, racist attacks and anti-immigrant demands online (e.g., “Go back to your country”), often targeting their Indian heritage and Hindu faith.

2. D’Souza’s Criticism of the Far-Right Fringe

D’Souza’s direct criticism of the rising tide of bigotry within the conservative media ecosystem helped trigger the direct backlash against him.

Condemning the Abuse: After Ramaswamy received intense racist abuse, D’Souza publicly condemned it as a “sh*tshow,” and specifically pointed fingers at mainstream conservative media figures, such as Tucker Carlson, for giving platforms to white nationalist extremists like Nick Fuentes.
The Reaction: By calling out these extremists and the media figures who platformed them, D’Souza essentially broke ranks with a growing, aggressive portion of the MAGA base that is increasingly hostile to even center-right conservatives.

3. The Ideological Schism on the Right

This conflict illustrates a larger schism between the traditional conservative guard (which D’Souza, despite his controversial past, often aligned with) and the new, radicalized populist wing.

The Forces Unleashed: Critics argue that established conservatives like D’Souza spent years promoting conspiracy theories, election lies, and incendiary rhetoric to mobilize the MAGA base. This rhetorical environment gave power and legitimacy to the most extreme elements, who are now using that momentum to attack anyone they deem insufficiently nativist or insufficiently loyal to their version of “America First.”
A Reckoning: D’Souza and other minority conservative figures are now facing the toxic fallout from the very movement they helped empower, leading D’Souza himself to caution that this trend could lead to a “mass desertion of blacks, Latinos and other minorities from the GOP.”

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