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Tina Nguyen

Puck’s resident MAGA expert and insider, chronicling the transformation of the G.O.P. and the egos and intrigues within Trumpworld. Tina was previously a political correspondent at Politico and Vanity Fair.

THE LATEST ARTICLES
NEWSLETTERS
WASHINGTON • November 1, 2023
Does Mike Johnson Have a Clue?
Democrats aren’t the only ones accusing the newbie of waging “political games” with his too-clever-by-half proposal to offset Israel aid by gutting the I.R.S. “He may be playing with fire,” a Republican lobbyist told me. But others see a speaker willing to use the gavel more aggressively, and more creatively, than his predecessors.
It’s an open question whether Mike Johnson will be on the curb soon enough, yet another victim of this ungovernable conference.
WASHINGTON • October 26, 2023
Mike Johnson in the MAGA Meat Grinder
The MAGA contingent of the House G.O.P. conference—the two dozen-ish lawmakers who made McCarthy’s life hell—aren’t putting the same screws to Mike Johnson. But they have their demands of the newbie boss, too.
The two groups wants to forge a ready-on-day-one army of trained political appointees and a clearly-defined ideological action plan.
WASHINGTON • October 18, 2023
The Trump H.R. Shadow Battle
In preparation for a Republican nominee who is long on outrage and short on process, two shadow organizations—one staffed by ideologues, the other by the usual suspects—are competing to staff a putative second Trump administration with their own agendas in mind. What could possibly go wrong?
Steve Scalise and his allies had been making the case across the Hill that he would be a less volatile, more cooperative leader than his main rival for the gavel.
WASHINGTON • October 11, 2023
War & Scalise
A small crew of Republican holdouts—McCarthy loyalists, Jordan fans, media gadflies—are threatening to tank Scalise’s speakership bid, just like they did to his predecessor. How long can the House G.O.P. chaos last?
Kevin McCarthy’s exit was more or less preordained from the moment he gave Matt Gaetz the power to initiate a no-confidence vote.
WASHINGTON • October 4, 2023
Gaetz Crimes & the McCarthy Morality Tale
Congress’s most ardent McCarthy haters didn’t plan for Matt Gaetz to go rogue. But with the transactional Kevin McCarthy gone as Speaker, the most MAGA Republicans need to find a new whipping boy—and fast.
Party operatives and consultants believe that Wednesday’s debate will be crucial for Ron DeSantis to demonstrate his viability as the best Trump challenger before someone like Nikki Haley takes up the mantle.
WASHINGTON • September 26, 2023
The DeSantis Bunker Mentality
Ahead of the second Republican debate, the DeSantis camp is plagued by growing doubts among donors and allies that their biggest unspoken problem may be the candidate, not the campaign.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 25: U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks to reporters outside the Speakers Balcony at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. McCarthy held the media availability with reporters to discuss a potential impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Joe Biden that would focus on the Biden family's alleged financial misconduct. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON • September 20, 2023
McCarthy’s Chaos Caucus
Beneath the façade of a unified opposition to the compromise G.O.P. spending plan, the hardline bloc is really a confederation of “caucuses of one,” as a House Republican insider put it, each with their own individual incentives, which McCarthy could use to break them apart—if they don’t get rid of him first.
Matt Gaetz promised to start “every single day in Congress with the prayer, the pledge and the motion to vacate,” unless Kevin McCarthy meets his alleged commitments.
WASHINGTON • September 13, 2023
Tucker’s World Tour & Gaetzgate
News and notes on Vivek’s primary conundrum, Carlson’s journey to the Middle East, and McCarthy’s barbarians at the gates.
Kevin McCarthy faces migraine-inducing dilemmas from the likes of M.T.G. and Matt Gaetz, who’ve threatened to kick rocks in the gears if an impeachment inquiry doesn’t materialize.
WASHINGTON • September 7, 2023
McCarthy’s Impeachment Theater
The speaker is pinned between pro-impeachment hardliners who want to shut down the government, vulnerable moderates whose fate will determine control of Congress, and maybe the outcome of the 2024 election, too.
The qualities that have insulated Ramaswamy from the usual MAGA backlash were all on display during last week’s debate.
WASHINGTON • August 30, 2023
Vivek & Bake
The Ramaswamy Show is reconfiguring the essential dynamics of the Republican primary, threatening to push DeSantis out of the right-of-Trump culture warrior lane into the moderate-ish territory occupied by MAGA milquetoasts like Nikki Haley and Tim Scott.
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