What is MAGA?

MAGA — Make America Great Again — stands as perhaps the most iconic slogan in modern American politics, a cultural phenomenon that has won the hearts of over 70 million Americans.

It all started 13 years ago in Trump Tower in Manhattan. 

On November 7, 2012, just one day after presidential hopeful Mitt Romey lost his race for the White House to President Barack Obama, Donald Trump was envisioning his political future and - in true Trump fashion – how he would brand it. 

Trump ran through several ideas, the Washington Post reported, including “We Will Make America Great” and “Make America Great.” None of them sounded quite right until: “Make America Great Again.”

“I said, ‘That is so good.’ I wrote it down. I went to my lawyers. I have a lot of lawyers in-house. We have many lawyers. I have got guys that handle this stuff. I said, ‘See if you can have this registered and trademarked,’” Trump recalled.

Less than one week later, Trump filed a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office application requesting exclusive rights to use “Make America Great Again” for “political action committee services, namely, promoting public awareness of political issues and fundraising in the field of politics." 

Trump said the slogan stemmed from his compassion for Americans who were “hurting.”

“I felt that jobs were hurting,” Trump said. “I looked at the many types of illness our country had, and whether it’s at the border, whether it’s security, whether it’s law and order or lack of law and order. Then, of course, you get to trade, and I said to myself, ‘What would be good?’ I was sitting at my desk, where I am right now, and I said, ‘Make America Great Again.’”

In the years following Trump’s historic 2015 campaign launch, “Make America Great Again” became more than a slogan: it evolved into a movement, a rallying cry for patriots who love their country and believe in putting America first. 

At its core, MAGA is about uniting the forgotten men and women of the United States, including hardworking families, small business owners and veterans who feel betrayed by Washington, D.C. elites and the “fake news.”

MAGA supporters believe in prioritizing Americans over foreigners, securing the border, protecting jobs, and defending the Second Amendment. They demand a revival in domestic manufacturing, energy independence, and respect for our flag and history. MAGA supporters believe it’s time to “drain the swamp” of politicians, bureaucrats, lobbyists and Big Tech executives who have sold out the American Dream.  

That dream isn’t dead, but it’s been battered. MAGA believes all hope is not lost. With Trump back in the White House, the MAGA movement is stronger than ever, ready to Make America Great Again.