The old-school, flat-brimmed, red hat. Displayed with that distinct presidential bold white stitching. “Make America Great Again” has become the symbol of one of the most polarizing and impactful political and social movements in modern American history. What started as Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign call for national revitalization, a critique of perceived governmental overreach, and a response to economic disenfranchisement, didn’t just echo through massive political rallies but awakened and galvanized a distinct common political identity among Americans. The movement, symbolized by red, white, and blue merch and large flags flown from pickup trucks has become impossible to ignore in the current American social and political landscape. Yet, the narrative frequently portrayed by the media—that the majority of the MAGA movement is composed solely of white, Christian males who are staunch supporters of the NRA and police—oversimplifies and overshadows the complex characteristics of the collective identity within the movement. It is my opinion that these portrayals miss the evolving nature of the MAGA movement’s collective identity, which has not only grown in strength but has also diversified in its demographic and ideological reach. Evolution into challenging governmental action regarding war, immigration policy and border security, economic prosperity and the America First mindset. The movement’s political agendas largely display strong conservative ideals, however it is impossible to ignore these characteristics when thinking about collective identity within social movements and how these MAGA beliefs have shaped the current stance of any social movement or social opinion today. It is no secret that many of the shared characteristics within the MAGA identity are polarizing, yet the movement continues to grow. Despite harsh backlash from outside actors, the collective identity continues to expand and reach a large audience, alive and growing the same as other social movements. Showing tendencies and “scorecard” qualifications for a vital social movement, but what differentiates this from political identity and a “campaign” for presidency?
My paper seeks to question and study the MAGA movement as a social movement, applying Charles Tilly’s WUNC (Worthiness, Unity, Numbers, Commitment) scorecard to assess the movement’s growth and goals, how the resilience of MAGA supporters has held strong despite harsh backlash and framing. Considering the principles of collective identity embedded into any strong movement, I will explore the ways modern social movements and MAGA are shaped by collective action framing processes drawn by outside institutions like Political Actors, the Media; how disinformation has evolved, challenged, and expanded the base of MAGA followers. In order to show that each of these factors has led the MAGA social movement to mobilize and strengthen, displaying distinct similarities to strong social movements.
