This Month
Trump and MAGA have split thanks to Epstein
Months of differences, not just over the disgraced former financier, show what post-Trump conservatism will look like.
How the Jeffrey Epstein row plunged Trump into turmoil
Swirling conspiracy theories around the convicted paedophile are seeing the US president’s supporters turn on his officials.
June
‘We’re working for Israel’: Trump faces MAGA heat over Iran strikes
Critics are concerned that US military personnel could face retaliation by Iran and its proxies.
Trump faces uproar from MAGA base over possible Iran strike
Prominent Republican allies, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, are in the unusual position of disagreeing with the bombastic president.
Why Trump has no choice but to stick with SpaceX
Elon Musk’s company is the dominant player for space launches and satellite internet, and its lead is likely to grow. There is just no viable substitute.
Trump-Musk feud goes nuclear; KWM’s cautionary China tale; Joe Aston on Planet Ark
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
May
Tech bros are facing the end of the ‘technipolar moment’
The sidelining of Elon Musk is a sign of big tech’s wider failure to shape a Trump economic agenda that is going terribly wrong for the sector.
April
Yelling matches, fudged figures. How Musk’s reign unravelled
The billionaire head of Donald Trump’s DOGE service clashed badly with cabinet officials well before he announced he would soon head back to Tesla.
March
Private markets need better regulation
Readers’ letters on ASIC’s transparency push, David Littleproud’s climate stance, Chinese navy vessels circling Australia and democracy under Donald Trump.
‘Parasitic illegal immigrant’: The Musk v Bannon feud fires up
Donald Trump has made clear he wants to keep both men and their allies within his MAGA movement, but the tensions are growing.
MAGA godfather Steven Bannon extols ‘reframing’ US-Russia alliance
Bannon says splitting Russia and China “will change the course of the 21st century”.
February
The Australian lawyer behind DC’s new MAGA hangout
From Steve Bannon to Sean Spicer, clubhouse Butterworth’s has become the place to be seen for Republican operatives. And a former Liberal staffer is its biggest backer.
January
5 of world’s richest people line up for Trump ‘power’
The ceremony in the US Capitol underscored the president’s deepening ties to titans of industry and the shifting stances of those who previously scorned him.
Musk v Bannon: The MAGA cage match begins
Donald Trump loves a good fight, and is likely to relish the battle between Steve Bannon and Elon Musk.
‘Go back to South Africa’: Steve Bannon slams Elon Musk
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the right-wing firebrand said the billionaire should be denied access to the West Wing.
December 2024
Kash Patel, from ‘not a credible witness’ to pick to lead the FBI
Patel has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump for years and has said he would upend the FBI and radically reshape its mission.
November 2024
How a George Soros protege became Trump’s top economic pick
Once a big Democratic donor, hedge fund investor Scott Bessent predicted last year that the Republican’s political fortunes were on the rise.
Trump’s demolition of the US state
You measure a leader by his actions not by his heart. To judge from what Trump has done within a fortnight of winning the presidency, his path is destruction.
October 2024
He’s out of prison and set to fire up Trump’s roadshow
Allies say Stephen Bannon, one of the right’s most influential voices, has been tracking the race from jail and is ready to push Trump supporters to the polls.
July 2024
Economic populism clashes with Trump’s pitch to donors
Even as the former president leans into populist themes that make some Republicans wary, he has told major donors he is the only bulwark against higher taxes.