A decade in the past, Donald Trump descended the golden escalator at Trump Tower in New York Town and ignited a political motion that has reshaped American politics. In a memorable flip of word, Trump promised supporters of his 2016 presidential marketing campaign that “we are going to make our country great again.”
Since then, the Make The usa Nice Once more motion has ruled the U.S. political dialog, reshaped the Republican Birthday celebration and develop into a profitable emblem decorating hats, T-shirts and bumper stickers.
When requested what MAGA manner to him, Trump, in a 2017 interview with The Washington Put up mentioned, “To me, it meant jobs. It meant industry, and meant military strength. It meant taking care of our veterans. It meant so much.”
However Democratic leaders have a distinct interpretation of the slogan.
Former President Invoice Clinton in 2016 mentioned of MAGA: “That message where ‘I’ll give you America great again’ is if you’re a white Southerner, you know exactly what it means, don’t you? What it means is ‘I’ll give you an economy you had 50 years ago, and I’ll move you back up on the social totem pole and other people down.”
Whilst MAGA is ubiquitous, little is understood about what it manner to the American public. Ten years on, what do American citizens suppose after they listen or learn this word?
According to the research of American citizens’ explanations of what “Make America Great Again” manner to them, we discovered proof suggesting that the general public’s perspectives of MAGA reflect the views introduced by means of each Trump and Clinton.
Republicans interpret this word as a choice for the renewal of the U.S. economic system and armed forces may, in addition to a go back to “traditional” values, particularly the ones on the subject of gender roles and gender identities. Democrats, we discovered, view MAGA as a choice for a go back to white supremacy and rising authoritarianism.
Donald Trump rides an escalator to a press match to announce his candidacy for the U.S. presidency at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015, in New York Town.
Christopher Gregory/Getty Photographs
What MAGA manner
We’re political scientists who use public opinion polls to check the function of partisanship in American politics. To higher perceive American perspectives about MAGA, in April 2025 we requested 1,000 respondents in a nationally consultant on-line survey to in brief write what “Make America Great Again” supposed to them.
The survey query used to be open-ended, permitting respondents to outline this word by any means they noticed have compatibility. We used AI-based thematic research and qualitative studying of the responses to raised know the way Democrats and Republicans outline the slogan.
For our AI-based thematic research, we urged ChatGPT to offer 3 overarching issues maximum touched upon by means of Democratic and Republican respondents. This way follows contemporary analysis demonstrating that, when correctly urged, ChatGPT reliably identifies large issues in collections of texts.
Republican interpretation of MAGA
Our research displays that Republicans view the slogan as representing the “American dream.” Partly, MAGA is set restoring the country’s delight and financial energy. Reflecting those issues, one Republican respondent wrote that MAGA manner “encouraging manufacturers to hire Americans and strengthen the economy. Making the USA self-sufficient as it once was.”
MAGA could also be intently similar amongst Republicans with an “America First” coverage. That is in part about having a robust army – a commonplace theme amongst Republican respondents – and “making America the superpower” once more, one respondent wrote.
Republicans additionally wrote that hanging The usa first manner emphasizing strict enforcement of immigration regulations towards “illegals” and reducing off overseas help. As an example, one Republican respondent mentioned that MAGA supposed “stopping illegals at the border, ending freebies for illegals, adding more police and building a strong military.”
In spite of everything, Republicans see the slogan as calling for a go back to “traditional” values. They expressed a robust want to opposite cultural shifts that Republican respondents understand as a risk.
As one Republican put it, MAGA “means going back to where men would join the military, women were home raising healthy minded children and it was easy to be successful, the crime rate was extremely low and it used to be safe for kids to hang out on the streets with other kids and even walk themselves places.”
Some other Republican made the relationship between MAGA and conventional gender roles much more particular, highlighting the hyperlink between MAGA and opposition to transgender rights: “MAGA people know there are only 2 sexes and a man can never be a woman. If you believe otherwise you are destroying AMERICA.”
A banner appearing an image of President Donald Trump is displayed outdoor of the U.S. Division of Agriculture construction on June 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Carter/Getty Photographs
Democratic MAGA perspectives
Democrats have an excessively other figuring out of the MAGA slogan. Many Democrats view MAGA as a white supremacist motion designed to give protection to the standing of white other folks and undermine the civil rights of marginalized teams.
One Democrat argued that “‘Make America Great Again’ is a standard borne by people who’ve seen a decrease in the potency of their privilege (see: cisgendered white men) and wish to see their privilege restored or strengthened. In essence, it’s a chant for all racist, fascist and otherwise bigoted actors to unite under.”
Some other Democrat wrote that MAGA used to be a choice to “take us backwards as a society in regards to women’s, minority’s, and LGBTQ people’s rights … It would take us to a time when only White men ruled.”
Democrats additionally view MAGA as a type of nostalgia for a closely mythologized previous. Many Democratic respondents described the previous longed for by means of Republicans as a “myth” or “fairytale.” Others argued that this mythologized previous, although interesting at the floor, used to be repressive for plenty of American citizens.
One Democrat mentioned that MAGA supposed “returning America to a fantasy version of the past with the goal of advancing the success of white, straight, wealthy men by any means necessary and almost always to the detriment of other segments of the population.”
An individual holds a ‘Trump won’t erase us’ signal whilst strolling within the WorldPride Parade on June 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Carter/Getty Photographs
In spite of everything, many Democrats interpret the slogan as reflecting an authoritarian cult of persona. On this vein, a Democratic respondent mentioned of MAGA, “It’s a call to arms for MAGA cult members, who believe that Trump and the Republicans party will somehow improve their lives by targeting people and policies they don’t like, even when it is against their best interests and any rational thought process.”
Whilst some Republicans expressed racist, xenophobic or anti-trans sentiments of their figuring out of MAGA, some Democrats published outright condescension towards MAGA believers.
“The MAGA’s are brainwashed, idiotic members of society who know nothing more than to follow the lead of an idiotic president who has the vocabulary of a 3rd grader,” one Democrat wrote. “It is nonsense idiots parrot,” any other respondent mentioned.
In all, within the 10 years since Donald Trump burst onto the political scene, a lot has been written in regards to the conflicting visions of previous, provide and long term on the center of The usa’s partisan divisions.
With the Trump management’s proclaimed dedication to go back the U.S. to its “golden age” and a powerful resistance to his efforts, handiest time will inform which imaginative and prescient of The usa will be successful.
