Here’s a fun look at some delicious MAGA on MAGA combat:
Sean Hannity, once the most important mouthpiece for Donald Trump, seems to be increasingly on the MAGAworld outs. And a new revelation that Hannity doesn’t buy the Big Lie isn’t helping.
In a just-released deposition surrounding Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit, the Fox News star said he’d never believed—not “for one second”—baseless election fraud claims stemming from the 2020 election. That stance, directly at odds with many of his primetime segments and the beliefs of many of his closest allies, has put Hannity in an awkward position.
Among the MAGA all-stars currently upset with Hannity are MyPillow maven Mike Lindell, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, far-right radio host Stew Peters, and even reportedly Trump himself.
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“Sean Hannity is disgusting,” Lindell told The Daily Beast. “He’s a terrible journalist that does not do his job or his diligence” when it comes to “election crime.”
“He doesn’t seem to have any concern over any election problems in the country, and it’s disgusting,” he added.
Asked if he’s expressed such frustration to Hannity, Lindell said he’d “of course” told him, but the right-wing pillow superstar claimed the Fox News host “never got back to me.”
Neither Hannity nor Fox News representatives returned multiple Daily Beast requests for comment.
Other fervent Trump backers, including former Trump administration official Steve Bannon and far-right commentator Jack Posobiec, have also taken jabs at Hannity over the last week.
Bannon wrote that Hannity should face “accountability” for “TERRIBLE advice” to Trump, while Posobiec has taken a series of jabs at the Fox News host, including posting a picture of Hannity alongside CNN host Don Lemon and Michael Avenatti.
Trump superfan Bill Mitchell responded to Hannity’s deposition remarks by writing, “And just like that, Hannity ends his career.”
Hannity’s also been called a “fraud” by conservative commentators. Far-right radio host Stew Peters has labeled the Fox News host a “clown” following his voter fraud boomerang. “He regularly washes and dries Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer’s jock straps,” Peters told The Daily Beast.
Conservative media has also now gone after Hannity over his election fraud comments, suggesting Hannity is part of a “fake patriot grift.”
Others on Telegram, such as far-right “Stop the Steal” activist Ali Alexander, have found an alternative, and oddly specific line of attack—that Hannity allegedly wears a “CIA” lapel pin on his primetime show.
(While it’s true that Hannity wears an assortment of pins, it’s usually unclear what the pins are exactly advocating, though that hasn’t stopped right-wingers, such as failed congressional candidate Kathy Barnette, from claiming they are “FBI” pins.)
And then there’s the Big Kahuna:
Still, Hannity could probably dismiss the dissatisfaction of most of the Island of MAGA Misfit Toys if it weren’t for one problem: According to two sources close to Trump, the former president himself is apparently “mad” at Hannity.
“In terms of direct contact with Sean, I think it’s been a while,” a Trump source said.
While the tension between Trump and Hannity pre-dates this latest revelation, Hannity disclosing that he has never believed that Trump actually won the 2020 election is sure to further complicate their relationship.
“Hannity was his lapdog for years, but just like everyone else who’s been Trump’s bitch at one point or another, the second Trump finds a reason to throw them in the garbage, he takes it,” a Trump adviser told The Daily Beast.
According to three Trumpworld sources, Trump is still upset with Hannity because the Fox News host advocated for Trump to endorse Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz. After Oz fell on his face, Hannity found himself on the outs of Trump’s inner circle.
“A lot of the heartburn stems from the Pennsylvania senate race,” a source close to Trump said.
Instead of placing responsibility on his wife, Melania Trump, who also reportedly advocated for endorsing Oz—or looking inward at his own political acumen—the former president has apparently just decided it’s all Hannity’s fault.
“Hannity gets the blame for Oz because it’s more convenient than blaming Melania, and now he’s been shown to be ‘disloyal’ under oath, so it’s Hannity’s turn to get tossed overboard,” the same Trump adviser said.
While Hannity has found the ire of Trump—along with his most loyal supporters—a fellow Fox News host has played his cards more carefully.
According to a Trump source, Tucker Carlson “isn’t openly hostile to Trump, but anyone who’s paying attention knows he’s not a fan either.”
“Trump is never on the show and rarely gets discussed,” the source added. “Tucker thinks Trump has a lot of the right enemies, but that’s about it.”
Yeah, I don’t know about that:
Praising both Trump and DeSantis, Carlson began with the Florida governor, saying, “I spend a lot of time in Florida. And I think Ron DeSantis has done, like, an unbelievable job.”
Then he turned to Trump – and he laid it on pretty thick. About seven minutes of “thick,” in fact.
“I’m so grateful Donald Trump ran in 2016. Donald Trump completely changed my view of everything. Donald Trump is why I left Washington. And he did it in a really simple way: By asking questions that no one around could answer,” the Fox News host said.
“I should also add — since, why not ?— I actually love Donald Trump as a guy. I know Trump. I’ve known Trump for 20 years ’cause I work in the media, you know? And I just have always gotten along with him. And I think he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever talked to in my life. I think he’s got this unbelievable life force to him.”
And he went on: “Talking to Trump… especially when it’s not an interview — you don’t actually want to interview Trump. That’s a nightmare ’cause you can’t get him to answer any questions. Because it’s the Trump train. You can get on or off, but you can’t steer it. Yeah, don’t ever interview Trump.”
And on: “But talking to Trump is one of the great joys, one of the great animal joys of life. Because he exudes this kind of animal joy. And I love that.”
And what would a Tucker Carlson moment with a mic be without criticizing the media about how the former president was covered by those not “on the right”?
“I think there are plenty of things to criticize about Trump. He’s a human being,” he said. “But the idea that he’s … personally some monster is absurd. It’s just another lie. They always tell you the opposite of the truth. Trump is totally charming and engaging and fun and interesting.”
Those aren’t the words of someone who’s not a fan.
There’s a lot of competition between the two big Fox stars, so if Hannity is on Trump’s shit-list, you can bet that Carlson is keeping that line of communication open. He wants to be influential.
As far as Hannity is concerned, it once again proves that no good deed goes unpunished in MAGA world. There was no right wing media figure more loyal to Trump throughout his administration and both campaigns. And as pathetic as it seems, he’ll be crawling back begging for access any minute now. If Trump lets him back in, all the others will forgive him as well. Cult dynamics all the way down.
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