Tal Axelrod

New York

Covering the conservative/MAGA ecosystem @axios. Past: @abc, @thehill, @NBCNews; Not related to David Axelrod; Typical qualifiers

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Articles

Into the MAGA-verse: What the algorithm feeds Gen Z

6 days ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod |Erica Pandey

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/AxiosIf you'd paid attention to MAGA media in the months leading up to the 2024 election, the surprise wasn't that young voters swung hard toward President Trump. The surprise was that so many people missed it. Why it matters: Gen Z's digital world became a powerful political incubator for the Republican Party in 2024 — a force for persuasion and community-building that reshaped the youth vote in astonishing ways.
Into the MAGA-verse: What the algorithm feeds Gen Z

6 days ago | flipboard.com | Tal Axelrod |Erica Pandey

1 day ago"We don't see other people as dateable, unless we stumble upon them through an emotionless algorithm..." Let's be honest: Dating has never been easy. However, there are modern-day challenges, whether due to social media, pop culture expectations, or even generational differences, that are making it …
MAGA courts the next generation of conservatives

6 days ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod |Erica Pandey

Illustration: Allie Carl/AxiosAmid rising loneliness, economic anxiety and frustrations with the left, a growing share of Gen Z-ers are turning right. The big picture: The next generation of conservatives are in small towns and big cities, on college campuses and TikTok — and they're minting a new youth culture.
Trump confronts rare MAGA purity tests on Iran and immigration

1 week ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod |Zachary Basu

Illustration: Allie Carl/AxiosTen years after Donald Trump hijacked the GOP with a promise to burn down the establishment, his own movement is warning him not to go soft. Why it matters: On two core articles of faith — no foreign wars and no protections for unauthorized immigrants — the Trump administration is facing a rare MAGA purity test.
The intra-GOP fight over Israel's strikes on Iran

1 week ago | axios.com | Stef W. Kight |Tal Axelrod

Elected Republicans' public support of Israel's action indicates the more traditional national security hawks still have some ground to stand on, for now.
MAGA warns Trump of "massive schism" over Israeli strikes on Iran

2 weeks ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod

Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty ImagesMAGA erupted Thursday with warnings that the movement could fracture if President Trump green-lights — or fails to stop — Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Why it matters: Non-interventionism is one of the core pillars of the "America First" movement — arguably as important to the MAGA base as immigration and trade.
MAGA warns Trump of "massive schism" over Israeli strikes on Iran

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Tal Axelrod

2 hours agoTrump Is Calling Handcuffed Senator Vile Racial Slur: AuthorThe president found a way to justify the assault on Sen. Padilla in calls to confidants.
The MAGA assimilation test: Why Rubio passed and Graham failed

2 weeks ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod

Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesWant to figure out how to win over MAGA? Take two former Senate colleagues as an instructive case study. Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) recent trip to Ukraine infuriated MAGA, which has placed a target on his back despite his close friendship with President Trump. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hails from similarly hawkish roots. But he's moved squarely into the camp of MAGA favorites.
MAGA feasts on red meat as Trump escalates L.A. showdown

2 weeks ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod

Protesters confront California National Guard soldiers and police outside of a federal building in L.A. on Monday. Photo: David McNew/Getty ImagesPresident Trump's MAGA allies are framing the Los Angeles protests as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rewrite the rules of engagement with "the Resistance" — starting with the use of military force.
MAGA's blue-collar base waits patiently for populist payoff

2 weeks ago | axios.com | Tal Axelrod |Zachary Basu

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/AxiosPresident Trump's second term has been a payday for the powerful, exposing a disconnect in his promise to deliver for "the forgotten man" of America's working class. Why it matters: The populist paradox at the heart of MAGA — a movement fueled by economic grievance and championed by a New York billionaire — has never been more pronounced.