The recent acknowledgment by former President Donald Trump regarding his loss in the 2020 election has caused unease among several notable far-right leaders, with some pledging to resist his campaign for the 2024 presidency.
In the past few weeks, Trump, the Republican nominee for 2024, acknowledged at least three times that he was defeated in 2020. “He beat us by a whisker. It was a terrible thing,” Trump said, referring to President Joe Biden during an Aug. 4 interview with podcaster Lex Fridman. He repeated similar remarks at the Aug. 30 Moms for Liberty summit and a press event at the Southern border on Aug. 23.
Though Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed victory in 2020 and made election fraud a central theme of his 2024 campaign, he has occasionally conceded his loss over the past few years. Trump lost the popular vote to Biden by 7 million votes and the Electoral College by 74 votes. His efforts to overturn the results culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters attempting to stop the certification of his defeat.
Reactions to Trump’s recent admissions from far-right activists have been particularly harsh.
White nationalist Nick Fuentes criticized Trump on Sept. 4 for admitting defeat, pledging to rally voters against him. “So, why did we do Stop the Steal? Why did anyone go to Jan. 6? Why did anyone go to jail? ... It would have been good to know that before 1,600 people got charged,” Fuentes said on his podcast, referencing the criminal charges against those who stormed the Capitol. “It would’ve been good to know that before (I) had all my money frozen, put on a no-fly list, banned from everything, and lost all my bank and payment processing.”
Fuentes, a podcaster and Holocaust denier who had dined with Trump and rapper Ye at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, went on to call it a “tremendous betrayal” and “callous indifference to the sacrifices that his supporters made on his behalf.”
Divided right as Trump pursues moderate voters
Losing far-right influencers like Fuentes could have a significant effect on the Trump campaign. Trump's political messaging has often relied on figures in the far-right media space to reach his most loyal supporters. Colin Henry, a researcher at George Washington University focusing on political violence and the internet, noted a recent decline in support for Trump within far-right communities.
“At first, they were just frustrated with the campaign's tactics, but now it feels like there's blood in the water,” Henry explained. “The fringe senses an opportunity to regain control of the movement.” He also mentioned that white supremacist groups never fully embraced Trump as "their guy," viewing him more as a vehicle for their beliefs. Their enthusiasm for him has since diminished.
“They seem ready to move on,” Henry added. “Their support depends on him delivering more extremist ideological goals.”
This isn't the first time Trump has faced criticism from the far right regarding his strategy for the general election. After the Republican National Convention, Fuentes declined to endorse Trump for reelection. On his podcast, he vowed continued opposition, planning events like a press conference in Michigan in mid-September and countering Trump and Vance rallies to pressure the campaign.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer also expressed frustration on X (formerly Twitter), stating that Trump’s approach “needs to change FAST” and criticizing his campaign for being too focused on the 2020 election. She called his surrogates "weak" and said his momentum was being suppressed.
On a podcast, Candace Owens referred to this internal strife as a “MAGA Civil War,” fueled by the belief that Trump has softened his policies to appeal to mainstream voters. While Owens still supports Trump, she voiced concerns about his campaign staff.
“I’m just not sure who’s driving the MAGA bus anymore,” she said. “You’re losing support from those who believed in you. You need those people. That is your base. You can’t change who they are and expect it to work.”
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