Anyone remotely knowledgeable of the MAGA movement understands “America First” as another name for the movement. Making America first is part of making America great again. This does also relate to the former foreign policy of the Republican Party, what people call, “neoconservative.” One side, however, of the MAGA movement says that isn’t true anymore, that MAGA is America First, or that MAGA never was America First. Why? They say half or more of MAGA treats Israel like it’s first to the extent they say that they call it, Israel First. This relates to division in MAGA over Israel.
Israel and the Republican or Democrat Parties
The MAGA movement still mainly falls along the historical lines of the Republican Party. Antisemitism and anti-Israel are still a minority. Compared to the Democrat Party, however, a wide and stark contrast still exist. A historic crossover occurred in 2023. For the first time in Gallup’s polling history, more Democrats sympathized with Palestinians than with Israelis.
- 2001: 51% (Israelis) vs. 16% (Palestinians)
- 2023: 38% (Israelis) vs. 49% (Palestinians)
- 2025: 21% (Israelis) vs. 59% (Palestinians)
Recent military conflicts have intensified the divide. According to 2025 data,
- 71% of Republicans approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. This number has remained relatively stable throughout the conflict.
- Only 8% of Democrats approve of the military actions as of early 2025, a massive drop from 36% at the start of the conflict in late 2023.
Furthermore, the following table shows the present support or sympathy for either Israel or the Palestinians according to age and party.
| Group | Support/Sympathy for Israel |
Support/Sympathy for Palestinians |
| Older Republicans (50+) | 77% | 7% |
| Younger Republicans (<50) | 48% | 10% |
| Older Democrats (50+) | 34% | 66% |
| Younger Democrats (<50) | 18% | 71% |
4. THE ZIONISTS
The last of the spectrum and on the right, moving from left to right, are the Zionists. I’m distinguishing between Pro-Israel and Zionists, because they are different. I said Trump was Pro-Israel, but that doesn’t mean he’s a Zionist. Maybe if you asked him, he’d say, yes, but one should characterize Zionist support for Israel as a theological imperative rather than a policy choice. Of the Zionists, then there are two strongly allied factions: Jewish Zionists and Christian Zionists. The latter outnumber the former at about twenty to one.
Most reliable national estimates place Trump’s share of the Jewish vote in the 26–32% range in 2024. While a high percentage of these voters are Zionists, they represent a very small slice of the total MAGA base. Recent polls (e.g., the Jewish People Policy Institute in 2024) found around 80% of American Jews self-identifying as Zionist or somewhat Zionist. Around 94% of Orthodox Jews are Zionist and about 70% of them voted for Trump. This can’t be very many people, but it is a very influential group in the MAGA movement.
The Jewish Zionist support of Trump includes very well-known Jews, who are also influential among sympathetic Christian Zionists.
The “Power Players” (Donors & Strategists)
- Miriam Adelson: The widow of Sheldon Adelson, she is perhaps the most influential pro-Israel donor in the world. She has been a primary financier of Trump’s campaigns and was a driving force behind the move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
- Stephen Miller: A senior advisor and one of the chief architects of Trump’s “America First” agenda. Miller is a vocal defender of the administration’s policies and often frames the movement’s nationalism through a lens of civilizational security.
- Jared Kushner & Ivanka Trump: Though they stepped back from formal roles in the 2024 campaign, Kushner was the primary architect of the Abraham Accords. They remain the most famous Jewish members of Trump’s immediate circle.
- Howard Lutnick: The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and a major Trump fundraiser who co-chaired the 2024-2025 transition team. He is a prominent supporter of Jewish and Israeli causes like Birthright.
- Steve Witkoff: A real estate mogul and close personal friend of Trump, Witkoff has taken a very public role as the Special Envoy to the Middle East. He has been a primary “backchannel” to the Jewish business community, framing Trump’s leadership as essential for Israeli regional stability.
- Bill Ackman: While historically a Democrat, the billionaire hedge fund manager became a vocal and highly influential supporter of Trump leading into 2025. His activism against antisemitism at Ivy League universities led him to align with the MAGA movement’s broader critique of “DEI” and progressive academia.
- David Sacks: The tech entrepreneur and “All-In” podcast host has increasingly combined his “America First” foreign policy views with a vocal defense of Zionism, becoming a key bridge between Silicon Valley donors and the Trump administration.
The Media Personalities & Influencers
- Ben Shapiro: While he was a “Never-Trumper” in 2016, Shapiro has since become one of the most significant media voices supporting the MAGA platform. As the co-founder of The Daily Wire, he frequently defends Trump’s pro-Israel record to millions of Gen Z and Millennial conservatives.
- Dennis Prager: The founder of PragerU. While he has been critical of some aspects of Trump’s persona, he is a dedicated promoter of the MAGA platform, arguing that Trump’s policies are the most effective for the survival of both America and Israel.
- Mark Levin: Known as “The Great One,” this conservative radio titan and Fox News host is a staunch Zionist who often uses his platform to argue that Trump is the most pro-Israel president in history.
- Laura Loomer: A self-described “proud Jewish nationalist” and investigative activist. She is a highly visible (and often controversial) figure at Trump rallies, frequently using her Jewish identity to counter critics of the MAGA movement.
- Elizabeth Pipko: The national spokesperson for the GOP and a former model, Pipko is a frequent surrogate on television, focusing on combating antisemitism and promoting Trump’s Israel policies.
- Liel Leibovitz: An editor at Tablet magazine and host of the Unorthodox podcast, Leibovitz has become a leading intellectual voice for a “New Jewish Right.” He argues that traditional American Jewish liberalism is dead and that Trump represents a necessary “civilizational” defense for both America and the Jewish people.
- Michael Savage: A long-time radio host and early Trump supporter. Savage (born Michael Weiner) has often integrated his Jewish identity and a “borders, language, culture” brand of nationalism with a fierce defense of Israel.
- Josh Hammer: The Senior Editor-at-Large at Newsweek and host of The Josh Hammer Show has been a key architect in moving Newsweek’s opinion section toward “National Conservatism.” He is a vocal Zionist who frequently argues that the MAGA movement is the natural home for religious and nationalist Jews. In late 2025, his influence expanded as his show joined the Salem Podcast Network, further solidifying his role as a bridge between MAGA media and Jewish advocacy.
- Batya Ungar-Sargon: The Opinion Editor at Newsweek, she has become a major figure in the MAGA-adjacent media sphere. She frequently appears on conservative outlets to defend the working-class base of the Trump movement and is a staunch defender of Israel. Her work often critiques the “elitism” of mainstream Jewish organizations, arguing they have abandoned the interests of both the American working class and the state of Israel.
- Joel Pollak: The Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart, an Orthodox Jew and Harvard Law graduate, he has been one of the most consistent Jewish voices in the MAGA movement since 2016. He provides a theological and legal defense of Trump’s policies and is a primary source for “Pro-Israel MAGA” news, often reporting from the ground in Israel to highlight the overlap between Trump’s foreign policy and Israeli security.
- Caroline Glick: The Senior Contributing Editor at Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) and frequent Newsmax commentator. Though she lives in Israel, Glick is an American-born journalist who wields immense influence over the American Jewish Right. She is an unapologetic promoter of the “Trumpian” approach to the Middle East, specifically the rejection of the two-state solution and the expansion of Israeli sovereignty, which she frames as the only viable path for Zionism in the 21st century.
- Andrew Klavan: Host of the Andrew Klavan Show on Daily Wire, he was raised in a secular Jewish family, but he became a convert to the Anglican Catholic Church, a journey he detailed in his memoir, The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ. He is a staunch supporter of the MAGA movement and a vocal Zionist. However, his support for Israel is often framed through a Judeo-Christian lens rather than a Jewish one. He would be more accurately described as a “Christian” Zionist of Jewish heritage.
The Diplomats & Lawyers
- David Friedman: Trump’s former Ambassador to Israel. Friedman is a leading advocate for Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and remains a key advisor on Middle East policy.
- Boris Epshteyn: A longtime legal advisor and strategist for Trump. Epshteyn, a Russian-born Jewish immigrant, has been a central figure in Trump’s legal defense teams and political operations.
- Alan Dershowitz: While traditionally a liberal Democrat, the famed Harvard law professor has become one of Trump’s most prominent legal defenders and a vocal advocate for conservative Zionist causes, particularly concerning Middle East security.
Key Political Figures
- Lee Zeldin: The former Congressman from New York and 2022 gubernatorial candidate. Zeldin is one of the highest-profile Jewish Republicans in the country and a frequent “warm-up” speaker at Trump rallies.
- Bruce Blakeman: The County Executive of Nassau County, NY. He has emerged as a significant figure in the “New York MAGA” scene, focusing on pro-Israel advocacy and law-and-order policies.
- Will Scharf: A former federal prosecutor and member of Trump’s legal defense team who was appointed as White House Staff Secretary in 2025. Scharf is a vocal Orthodox Jew and Zionist who has become a key bridge between the legal world and the MAGA base.
- Adam Boehler: Though he served in the first term, he has emerged in 2025 as a more public-facing “architect” of the administration’s Middle East policy. As a close associate of Jared Kushner, he is a primary voice for the continued expansion of the Abraham Accords.
These, yes, are a small group of people, but they exert so much influence that you hear about them perhaps even more than any other advocates for the Zionist portion of the MAGA movement. They get most of the negative attention from the Antisemite and Anti-Israel factions, speaking of them as if they’re a gigantic part of a very large conspiracy against the good of the United States. Their enemies in the MAGA movement characterize them as Israel First and influencing the United States and Trump into Israel First rather than America First.
More to Come