India, Nov. 27 -- Nearly 10 months after returning him to the White House, Donald Trump's MAGA coalition is beginning to show signs of strain. For the first time, the President, who kept his movement unified through four years out of power, is struggling to constrain divisions within his own ranks. A growing and diverse group of right-wing pundits, activists, and lawmakers is now challenging key elements of his agenda, emphasising America First. Trump's MAGA movement was born in June 2015, when he rode down the golden escalator of Trump Tower to announce his presidential run. The core themes of his movement are economic nationalism, anti-immigration sentiment, cultural conservatism, and hostility toward political elites. Until recently, MAGA and America First were largely interchangeable. But in recent months, the two have begun to diverge, evolving into distinct factions within the movement. The America First faction comprises different groups breaking from Trump on three key issues: His administration's initial refusal to release the Epstein files, his support for Israel, and - more quietly but no less significantly - his shifting stance on H-1B visas and deportation of undocumented immigrants. In the past few months, this vocal but not unified faction of the conservative movement and the so-called alt-Right has openly defied the President, advancing counter-narratives that directly challenge his authority. Leading this separation from MAGA are figures as varied as 27-year-old white nationalist Nick Fuentes, former Fox News and CNN anchor Tucker Carlson, and two Republican members of Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Trump first encountered this break in his base over the failure to release the Epstein files, a trove of previously sealed court documents, flight logs, depositions, and investigative records tied to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced New York financier who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Epstein's extensive ties to powerful figures in politics, business, academia, and entertainment - including Donald Trump who once had a close relationship with Epstein - have long fuelled speculation on the right that the documents contain explosive revelations. On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump stated he was open to releasing the files. Once in office, however, his attorney general Pam Bondi, declined to release them. For months, Trump dismissed the controversy over their release as a "Democratic hoax". This deepened distrust within his base, and pressure for their release mounted. The charge to force the release of the files was led by Kentucky Republican representative Thomas Massie and Democratic representative Ro Khanna of California who were joined by representative Marjorie Taylor Greene in public protests with Epstein-related sexual abuse survivors. The bill to release the files passed with near-unanimous support, driven by a groundswell so strong that even Trump ultimately asked Republicans to back it. If the Epstein files controversy shook Trump's credibility among some loyalists, his unwavering support for Israel exposed other fissures within his base. Israel's war in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths, has ignited a national debate over how far the US should go in backing its closest West Asian ally. The conflict has prompted many influential commentators on the right to question, often loudly, whether US aid to Israel should continue. Carlson, once a darling of the Trump world, has given his platform to several anti-Israel voices on his podcast, including some considered openly anti-semitic. Among them is Fuentes, who has positioned himself as a leading figure in the America First movement through livestreaming and social media. The third issue is Trump's backtracking on two immigration issues, especially on H-1B visas. As this column detailed earlier, the programme has become a lightning rod for the right. Trump's position has shifted notably from September, when he announced a $100,000 fee for all new H-1B petitions, much to the disappointment of both the tech industry and Indian IT professionals, the programme's primary beneficiaries. Since then, he has softened his stance, most visibly in a surprisingly contentious interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, a critic of the visa programme, in which he offered a full-throated defence of H-1B workers. The reversal has infuriated many MAGA activists, who have now gone into open war mode against the programme. Similarly, his administration has softened its stance on deporting undocumented immigrants employed in certain sectors such as agriculture and hospitality. The America First faction believes Trump's reversal on both fronts was driven by industry pressure (tech companies and agriculture and hospitality businesses, respectively). What enabled Trump to hold a vice-like grip on the Republican Party from the beginning was his mastery of social media, which amplified his influence far beyond traditional party structures and kept his supporters constantly mobilised. He routinely targeted, or "primaried", any candidate who failed to show absolute loyalty. For years, Trump-endorsed candidates almost never lost a primary. That grip, however, is loosening. True to form, Trump has endorsed a challenger to Massie in next year's midterms and has taken aim at Greene, once one of his most loyal allies, dubbing her Marjorie "Traitor" Greene. He also withdrew his endorsement of Greene for re-election. Massie is staying in the race. Greene announced she will be resigning from Congress effective January 5, 2026. Among her reasons for leaving office are Trump attacking her for disagreeing with him and threats on her life she has received from some MAGA supporters. For now, Trump still maintains control over the Republican Party. But the cracks are definitely showing. A poll this week put his approval rating at just 35%, and the economy he promised to revive remains mired in inflation. In recent elections, including the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races and the New York mayoral contest, voters overwhelmingly rejected the Republican Party and candidates he had endorsed. The challenge ahead for Trump is not just defeating the Democrats, but reconciling a base increasingly divided between loyalty and ideology, grievance and governance. Whether the MAGA coalition can survive - or whether the America First resistance coalesces and becomes its successor - may determine not only Trump's political fate, but the future direction of the Republican Party itself....