MS NOW Analyst Claims the MAGA Base Will Tolerate ‘White Nationalist Agenda’ if Economy Holds

A Princeton University professor and MSNBC contributor asserted Monday that President Donald Trump’s political base would tolerate what he described as a “white nationalist agenda” so long as economic conditions remain strong, as reported by Breitbart.

The comments were made by Eddie Glaude Jr. during an appearance on The Weeknight, which airs on MSNBC.

Glaude, a frequent network analyst, discussed internal dynamics within the MAGA movement and argued that economic performance is the primary factor shaping voter tolerance for policies and rhetoric they might otherwise oppose.

“We’ve been talking about for a long time since he’s elected, and even in the first term, this is the MAGA coalition, and it consists, of course, the corporatist wing and its populist wing,” Glaude said.

“And remember, we were talking about the tension between Elon Musk and Steve Bannon and representative figures of these two components.”

Glaude framed the debate within the movement as a choice between cultural issues and economic results. “What is it? Is it the kind of anti-woke stuff, the cultural war stuff, or is the economy good?” he said.

“He can be brash and insensitive and crude and racist as long as the economy is cooking.”

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According to Glaude, that tolerance would change if voters felt economic pressure. “But once this stuff shifts, what happens, right?” he continued.

“And so what we see is that people are willing to, in so many ways, participate in the ugliness of what we might call a white nationalist agenda, as long as their pockets are okay.”

Glaude went on to argue that economic strain would expose divisions within Trump’s coalition. He cited tariffs and what he characterized as benefits accruing to wealthy interests as potential flashpoints.

“But the moment they begin to feel the pinch of the economy, the impact on tariffs, and we see that he’s actually doubling down on the corporatist wing, that they are making money, that he is making money, that his family is making money over hand and fist while they themselves are struggling,” Glaude said. “And so then you begin to see the cracks and the cracks in the base, then free up those who disagree with the policy.”

The MSNBC contributor concluded by returning to what he described as a long-running tension within Trump’s political coalition.

“So I think it’s part of this tension that we’ve been exploring, since he was reelected,” Glaude said, “and that is between the populist wing and the corporatist wing, it seems to me.”

Glaude’s remarks come amid continued debate on cable news over the direction of the Trump administration and the makeup of its voter base.

Conservative lawmakers and Trump allies have repeatedly rejected claims that the MAGA movement is rooted in racial ideology, pointing instead to economic policy, border security, and opposition to progressive cultural policies as central to its appeal.

The White House did not respond to Glaude’s comments. MSNBC also did not issue clarification or context beyond the on-air discussion.

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