Republicans’ sweeping midterm losses triggered an unusually open debate over President Donald Trump’s leadership and the future of his Make America Great Again movement. Democrats could control as many as 56 of the Senate’s 100 seats, win governorships in seven battleground states Trump carried in 2024 and retain every statewide office won in Texas, while Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Republicans might not recapture the Senate until 2032. Trump responded by promoting Stephen Miller to chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, but supporters and critics also cited living costs, the Iran war, corruption and withheld or redacted files concerning late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. More than 20% of 12,850 MAGA-related posts analyzed by PeakMetrics for Reuters questioned the movement’s leadership or direction. Other disputes included Anthony Scaramucci’s call for JD Vance and Marco Rubio to pursue Trump’s removal, Trump’s order for a Justice Department investigation into alleged threats by Democratic leaders, Bernie Sanders’ proposal to lower Medicare eligibility from 65 to 55, Elon Musk’s defense of Tesla’s repaid Department of Energy loan, and David Sacks’ claim that the Iran war cost Trump prominent podcast allies.