WORLD NEWS
Bondi Beach shooting live: Australia to discuss gun laws after 15 killed | Gun Violence News
blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates,
Australia’s PM said gun laws would be discussed by the national cabinet today after deadly shooting in Sydney.
Published On 15 Dec 2025
Click here to share on social media
share2
A black ISIS flag draped across the car used by the alleged Bondi Beach gunmen has been seen for the first time.
The flag could be seen draped across the car in new footage shared on social media, confirming witness reports that police had refused to comment on.
The clip shows the 2001 silver Hyundai Elantra parked on Campbell Parade, next to the footbridge where Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, allegedly fired upon victims, killing 15 and injuring dozens more.
The car was towed away on Monday morning and taken to Surry Hills Police Station where it is expected to be examined.
The footage, which was filmed from inside a car driving past the scene, also showed the horrifying moment a couple tried to stop the alleged gunmen.
A man can be seen falling to the road beside Sajid, holding the gun he had just wrested from him. A woman stands nearby.
‘Many people may not know that at the very beginning of the incident, two individuals were among the first to identify the gunman and bravely attempted to disarm him,’ a social media user said.
‘Tragically, they were shot and killed in the process. They were heroes too. They stepped forward in the face of extreme danger.’
The ISIS flag can be seen draped over the windscreen as the gunmen begin their attack
A witness has described the man as a ‘hero’ after watching the struggle unfold.
More to come.
Share or comment on this article:
Disturbing detail on car confirms worst fears about alleged Bondi Beach gunmen
Fraser Ross branded Meghan Markle a “holiday hypocrite” and depicted the Duchess of Sussex as “a villain” on a display at his department store, Kitson, in Los Angeles
Meghan Markle has faced the music(Image: YouTube)
Meghan Markle fans have jumped to her defence after a business owner branded her “villain of the year” in a scathing attack.
Supporters of the Duchess of Sussex have reportedly rang Kitson department store to express their fury, after its owner, Fraser Ross, put her in a “holiday hypocrites” gallery in the window in Los Angeles, California.
In the picture, Meghan, 44, is wearing a Santa hat with “Montecito Diva” emblazoned across it. The Duchess of Sussex is featured alongside other “villains” including California governor Gavin Newsom, George Clooney and Katy Perry.
But Meghan’s supporters are irate, including one who has called Kitson multiple times in one day this week to talk to Mr Ross. The business owner said: “One called the store 20 times to say we ‘weren’t nice’. She was deranged.”
Mr Ross, though, has doubled down on his decision to include the Duchess of Sussex in the mix. He said: “Two months ago we asked our followers who should be on the windows and Meghan’s name [repeatedly] came up and they stated reasons.”
READ MORE: Meghan Markle’s two strict conditions before she heals bitter rift with dadREAD MORE: Meghan Markle blasted for her ‘hypocrisy’ as her father is rushed to hospital
Meghan Markle’s fans defended the duchess(Image: Netflix)
Meghan’s fans expressed their sympathy for the star this month after her father was rushed to hospital and needed surgery. She eventually reached out to Thomas, the former TV lighting director, amid growing support from her following.
And her following has continued to show support amid Meghan’s latest challenges, despite Mr Ross’ insistence her place on the gallery is justified. He told the Daily Mail: “We have been getting harassed by Meghan Markle fans. We told them we do this every year and she won one of the spots. Hopefully a retail store can knock some sense into Meghan because her “yes people” are making people dislike her more.”
The business owner said customers cited their disdain for Meghan and Prince Harry’s criticism of the Royal Family as reasons to include her on the gallery, which also features George Clooney and Katy Perry.
After Harry and Meghan quit their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to America, Kitson, which is in Robertson Blvd, started offering up ‘Team Harry & Meghan’ and ‘Team William & Kate’ t-shirts so buyers could back their favourite royal couple.
And the shop has taken fire at the Duchess of Sussex again as disparaging headlines plastered alongside the former actress criticise her decision “not to let go of her royal status”.
The scathing headline beside Katy Perry condemns her decision to date “the man who made a whole country hate him” — a nod to the end of her new partner Justin Trudeau’s premiership in Canada this year.
Key points
- No evidence that the two gunmen, a father and son, belonged to a terrorist cell
- But they appear to have been by radical Islamist ideology, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said
- Hero Ahmed al Ahmed who disarmed gunmen has ‘no regrets’ over his actions
- People continue to pay tribute to the victims at Bondi Beach
- Sydney Opera House lit up with menorah candles on second day of Hanukkah
The two Bondi beach shooters appeared to be driven by “Islamic State ideology” when they opened fire on Sunday evening, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Albanese had previously said there was no evidence that the father and son were part of a so-called “Islamic State” (IS) cell.
But in an interview with national broadcaster ABC on Tuesday morning, he said “it would appear that this was motivated by Islamic State ideology.”
The 24-year-old son was investigated by Australia’s intelligence agency, ASIO, in 2019. But ASIO didn’t put him on a watch list.
“He was drawn to their attention because of his association with others,” Albanese said. “Two of the people he was associated with were charged and went to jail, but he was not seen at that time to be a person of interest.”
Two IS flags were found in the shooter’s car at Bondi Beach, according to ABC.
Police have yet to provide a motive for Sunday’s mass shooting. But they say it was clearly an antisemitic, terrorist act on Sydney’s Jewish community. They have also not officially named the two shooters, although Australian media have identified them.
The 50-year-old father was shot dead by police at the scene. The son is in a critical but stable condition in hospital under police guard.
Australia mourns after Bondi Beach terror attack
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Communities grieve victims of the Bondi shooting
Dozens of people lined up on Bondi beach on Tuesday morning to mourn the 15 killed and others injured in the terrorist attack.
Among them was 25-year-old Olivia Robertson who visited the memorial before work.
“This is the country that our grandparents have come to for us to feel safe and to have opportunity,” she said. “My heart is torn apart … it is insane.”
Their tributes and messages added to the enormous mound of flowers outside the iconic Bondi Pavilion near the scene of the shootings.
Players from the Sydney Swans, a popular Australian rules football club, were among those laying flowers at Bondi Beach on TuesdayImage: David Gray/AFP
More than 1,000 people gathered outside the pavilion on Monday evening.
Rabbi Yossi Shuchat addressed the crowd and lit the candles of the Menorah for the second day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.
“Lightness will always persevere; darkness cannot continue where there is light,” he said.
The Sydney Opera House also had a menorah projected onto it to pay tribute to the victims.
What do we know about ‘hero’ Al Ahmed, others injured?
The state health authority, NSW health, has given an update on the injured.
It said that 25 people were still receiving care at eight different hospitals throughout Sydney, including three children, as of Tuesday morning local time.
Ten of those in hospital are in critical condition.
Two police officers are among the injured. One of the officers has had surgery on his eye and shoulder, local Nine News reported.
Ahmed al Ahmed, the Syrian-Australian civilian who tackled one of the gunmen and seized his rifle, is one of those still in hospital.
Al Ahmed, who has two daughters, suffered several gunshot wounds and lots a lot of blood.
“He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again,” Sam Issa, Ahmed’s migration lawyer,told the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday night.
“But the pain has started to take a toll on him,” Issa said after visiting him.
Al Ahmed came to Australia in 2006 from Idlib in Syria, where according to his parents, he worked as a security officer.
He has been hailed as a hero across the world for his actions, and a GoFundMe in his name has raised nearly $2 million by Tuesday morning.
New South Wales State Premier Chris Minns visits Ahmed al Ahmed in hospitalImage: @ChrisMinnsMP/X/REUTERS
Edited by: Kieran Burke
Sydney’s Newtown synagogue leader Rabbi Eli Feldman has paid tribute to British-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the Bondi Beach shooting on Sunday December 14.
Schlanger, 41, served as an assistant rabbi at Chabad, the Jewish cultural group that hosted the Chanukah by the Sea event at Archer Park. He grew up in Temple Fortune, north London, and is a father of five, according to Jewish News.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, Rabbi Feldman described Schlanger as “like a brother to me”.
“I knew him for 25 years. I studied together with him when we were teenagers,” he said.
“ He’s got a widow, he’s got children who don’t have a father today,” adding, “What he would say right now is add in light.”
NEED TO KNOW
- Madonna and Guy Ritchie joined forces in London to support their son Rocco, 25, at his art exhibition
- Rocco said he was “proud” to have “both of my parents together in one room supporting me”
- The photo comes 10 years after the former couple’s custody battle over Rocco
Madonna and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie have reunited for a good cause: their son Rocco Ritchie’s blossoming art career.
Rocco, 25, hosted an art exhibition in London on Dec. 12, and both of his famous parents turned out to show their support, as seen in a family photo Rocco shared to Instagram.
In the photo, Rocco smiled while standing between Madonna, 67, and Ritchie, 57, in front of two of his portrait paintings — and in a caption, he expressed his gratitude toward his parents for being there.
“It’s obvious why some people might hold judgement against me, I don’t blame them,” he captioned he post on Monday, Dec. 15. “However, I am proud to be who I am, but I’m even prouder to have both of my parents together in one room supporting me. The work should speak for itself, that’s why the show was called ‘Talk Is Cheap.”
The “Material Girl” singer and the British director were married from 2000 to 2008, and the outing marks a rare joint appearance for the former couple.
Rocco Ritchie, Madonna, Guy Ritchie and Lourdes Leon in London in January 2007.
Dave M. Benett/Getty
In September, Madonna appeared on an episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, and talked about the “painful,” months-long custody battle she and Ritchie endured over Rocco in 2015 as they sorted out where the then-15-year-old would live.
“Even though my marriage didn’t work out, I mean, a lot of people’s marriages don’t work out,” she said. “They marry the wrong people, they’re not aligned, they’re not meant for each other. Someone trying to take my child away from me was like…they might as well just kill me. That’s really how I was thinking.”
Madonna has previously shown support for Rocco’s artistry, and attended an exhibition he put on in Miami in April 2024.
“So happy to have the night off to enjoy my son Rocco’s’s latest collection of paintings called ‘Pack A Punch’ inspired by Muay Thai fighters,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “So Proud ! ♥️♥️♥️. @miamidesigndistrict.”
Rocco opened up about his passion for painting last year in an interview with Whitewall, and explained that his parents influenced his career path.
“I’ve been painting since I was a kid, as you may well know I grew up in a household with creativity on steroids,” he said. “My mum didn’t really give us the choice, which I’m so grateful for now, but she made us try all the creative paths.”
In a recent interview with Fantastic Man, he added that his pop star mom often tells him stories about legendary artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, whom she once dated, and Keith Haring.
At his London exhibition, Rocco included a portrait of his 13-year-old twin sisters Stella and Estere, whom Madonna adopted in 2017.
He shared a photo posing with the girls to his Instagram Stories, writing, “Sisters were not very impressed with [their] portrait 😂❤️.”
Madonna’s longtime BFF Debi Mazar commented on the photo Rocco shared with his parents, writing, “Boom 💥 Congratulations 💋.”
WORLD NEWS
Brave moment Bondi beachgoers walking past gunmen’s car try to disarm the evil terrorist before he started shooting – and lost their lives in the struggle
Two victims of the Bondi Beach shooting have been pictured moments before their tragic deaths trying to stop one of the gunmen.
Fifteen innocent people were killed during Australia’s second-worst mass shooting.
Police allege Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, stood on a footbridge connecting Campbell Parade to the Bondi Pavilion on Sunday night, firing shots into a crowd celebrating Hanukkah on the beach.
A photo has emerged on social media of a man sitting on the road a metre away from Sajid, holding the weapon after wrestling it from him. A woman stands nearby.
‘Many people may not know that at the very beginning of the incident, two individuals were among the first to identify the gunman and bravely attempted to disarm him,’ a social media user said.
‘Tragically, they were shot and killed in the process.
‘They were heroes too. They stepped forward in the face of extreme danger.’
A witness has described the man as a ‘hero’ after watching the struggle unfold.
A man (right) could be seen trying to disarm gunman Sajid Akram (left) before he started his shooting rampage on Sunday
The brave pair were later photographed lying motionless near the terrorist’s car
Emergency services treating victims at Bondi Beach
‘We saw this man heroically try to disarm this evil terrorist. His family needs to know he (was) trying to save lives. He is a hero,’ they wrote.
Nine of the 15 innocent people who lost their lives have been identified, including the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
Other victims included British-born Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, French national Dan Elkayam, 27, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, beloved husband and father Tibor Weitzen, Wellington Street synagogue assistant Reuven Morrison, Slovak citizen Marika Pogany, 82, and retired NSW Police detective sergeant Peter Meagher.
Twelve people injured in Sunday night’s attack remain in a critical condition, while a further 26 patients are in various conditions across seven hospitals in Sydney.
Among them is Ahmed Al-Ahmed, the hero who tackled and confronted one of the Bondi Beach terrorists during the attack.
Incredible footage captured the moment the 43-year-old father of two daughters, aged six and seven, grabbed terrorist Sajid Akram from behind and wrestled away the man’s firearm.
The gunman then fell backward to the ground as Mr Al-Ahmed lifted the rifle, aiming its barrel toward the disarmed shooter but not shooting.
Akram then backed away as Mr Al-Ahmed rested the firearm against a tree before a second bystander rushed the shooter and threw an object at him.
Ahmed Al-Ahmed was seriously injured after he tackled and confronted terrorist Sajid Akram
Heart-stopping footage captured the moment Mr Al-Ahmed (pictured in a white shirt) wrestled a gun from the shooter before turning it against him
The altercation took place in view of the second alleged gunman, Naveed, who looked on from a nearby footbridge, gun in hand.
Naveed was rushed to hospital under police guard with critical injuries, while his father was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Mr Al-Ahmed, a Syrian-born tobacconist owner, has been widely praised for his heroism, but it came at a significant personal cost.
He was shot in the shoulder and arm while hiding behind a tree after confronting the gunman and remains in care at St George Hospital.
The Prime Minister confirmed that he will meet Mr Al-Ahmed following a hospital visit from NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday night.
‘I spoke to the premier after he visited, he told me he’s a great character, and he asked about whether I’d be visiting him – he’s a hero,’ Albanese told radio station Nova on Tuesday.
The PM also hinted at a reward, adding that the bystander’s heroism ‘needs to be recognised.’
Share or comment on this article:
Brave moment Bondi beachgoers walking past gunmen’s car try to disarm the evil terrorist before he started shooting – and lost their lives in the struggle
The Met Office now has a weather warning in place for several areas, including south Wales, on Wednesday, as up to 60mm of rain is expected to lash across the UK
00:12, 16 Dec 2025
Neath in south Wales has already experienced flooding this week(Image: PA)
Brits have been warned flooding is likely this week — as around half one month’s rainfall is expected to lash across the country in a few hours.
The Met Office has a weather warning in place for rain for Wednesday as up to 60mm (2.3inches) is anticipated to lash across the nation. It will be heaviest across south Wales, parts of the Southwest of England and the Midlands.
It rained heavily on Monday, particularly south Wales, so dozens of flood warnings are in place for this week. The Met Office says: “A period of rain, heavy at times, especially over high ground, will move east across this region during Wednesday. Coming off the back of recent very wet weather, some travel disruption and flooding is possible.
“There is a chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings. There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads.”
READ MORE: UK snow forecast as ‘Beast from the East’ could bury Brits on Christmas DayREAD MORE: Met Office warns Brits in 51 areas to prepare ’emergency’ kit and three items
The red hues denote the flood warnings in England, and the yellow highlights less severe flood alerts(Image: Met Office)
Typically, Swansea sees around 115mm of rain across an average December. That figure is around 140mm in Cardiff, another city subject to the weather warning. Up to 60mm of rain is expected to fall during a few hours on Wednesday, a measure that equates to around half an average December total.
It will also rain heavily across parts of the Northwest of England, including Cumbria, on Wednesday night. The band of low pressure sweeps east, reaching parts of the East of England by Thursday morning.
“Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit. Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary. People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.” the Met Office adds.
The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales has scores of flood warnings and alerts in place, such as one for River Towy, isolated properties between Llandeilo and Abergwili, in south Wales. There is also urgent concern for Dawlish Water at Dawlish, Devon and the River Crake Valley in the Lake District among other areas.
Forecasters say Thursday will be wet across most of southern England, notably Wiltshire and Hampshire. This bleak forecast after downpours on Monday, which saw more than 60mm of rain fall across Saint Athan, Glamorgan, and more than 55mm of rain batter Plymouth, Devon.
A JetBlue passenger plane took evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision with a US Air Force plane flying with its transponder turned off near Venezuela, a pilot has said in an air traffic control recording.
JetBlue Flight 1112 was flying to New York from the Caribbean nation of Curacao and was flying about 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela when the Airbus A320 reported encountering the air force refuelling tanker.
Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once
The air force pilot was within a few miles of the plane and at the same altitude.
The JetBlue pilot said on the recording: “We almost had a mid-air collision up here.
“They passed directly in our flight path… They don’t have their transponder turned on. It’s outrageous.”
The air force jet then entered Venezuelan airspace, the JetBlue pilot said.
A JetBlue spokesperson said the airline had reported this incident to federal authorities and will participate in any investigation.
The JetBlue A320 was bound for New York. Pic: Reuters
They added that: “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team.”
US southern command – responsible for US military operations in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean – said it was aware of the incident and reviewing the matter.
They added that: “Safety remains a top priority, and we are working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation.”
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned major airlines of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela and urged them to exercise caution.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Why Trump cares about Venezuela
Major airlines from around the world have halted flights as tensions have worsened and US President Donald Trump has threatened to begin hitting land targets in Venezuela.
The incident follows a fatal accident between a US military helicopter and an American Airlines flight in January that left 67 dead.
That crash, which happened in the heart of Washington DC, highlighted the importance of clear communication between civil and military aircraft when operating in the same area.
US B52 bombers have been flying over the Caribbean and along the Venezuelan coast. Pic: Reuters
US military build-up in Southern Caribbean
The close call in the Caribbean happened as the US continues its military build-up in the area as President Trump campaigns to oust Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
The increase in US military presence includes flights by US bombers near Venezuela, the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier and new agreements for US military assets to transit neighbouring countries.
On Monday, Trinidad and Tobago became the latest country to grant approval for US military aircraft to transit its airports in the coming weeks, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
All of these moves are aimed at increasing US pressure on Venezuela’s government.
Still of a video of US forces seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker. Pic: X/@AGPamBondi
Last week, US forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Oil exports from Venezuela have fallen significantly since the ship’s seizure, according to shipping data and maritime sources.
Read more:
The US-Venezuela crisis explained
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
The seizure followed a large US naval build-up in the region, which has seen the US launch strikes against multiple boats purported to be smuggling drugs to America over the past few months.
The legality of such moves has been questioned but has not prevented their repeated use.
It is reported that Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado escaped with US help to the Caribbean Island of Curacao during a daring escape from her country – before arriving in Norway.
Pressed several times on whether she supported a possible US invasion of Venezuela to overthrow Nicolas Maduro, she would not commit outright but said the country has already been invaded by Russia, Iran and terrorist groups like Hezbollah.
Washington has blamed ISIL (ISIS) for the attack and promised retaliation.
Three US soldiers have been killed in an attack in Syria’s central city of Palmyra.
It is the first known deadly attack on US forces since former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was deposed last year. Washington has accused the ISIL (ISIS) group of carrying out the assault.
The government in Damascus has expanded its ties with Washington and joined a coalition to fight the ISIL group.
But how much of a security challenge is ISIL in Syria?
Will the US now reinforce its military presence? What risks could that pose?
Presenter: Dareen Abughaida
Guests:
Colin Clarke – executive director of The Soufan Center
Dareen Khalifa – senior adviser at the International Crisis Group
Orwa Ajjoub – PhD candidate in global politics, focusing on armed groups in Syria
Published On 15 Dec 2025
Click here to share on social media
share2
Anthony ZurcherSenior North America reporter
BBC
At a meeting of his cabinet at the White House two weeks ago, US President Donald Trump looked around the long room filled with his top advisers, administration officials and aides, and made a prediction.
The next Republican presidential candidate, he said, is “probably sitting at this table”.
“It could be a couple of people sitting at this table,” he added, hinting at possible electoral clashes to come.
Despite a constitutional amendment limiting him to two four-year terms, his supporters chanted “four more years” at a rally last Tuesday night in Pennsylvania. Trump said at the time that the final three years of his second term amount to an “eternity”.
But in the cabinet room last week, when talking about prospects for the 2028 Republican president nomination, he was clear: “It’s not going to be me.”
The next presidential election may seem a long way off, but Trump’s own speculation – and certain frictions within Trump’s coalition – suggest that the jockeying to succeed and define the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement after Trump is well under way.
EPA/Shutterstock
At 78 when he was sworn in for the second time, Trump was the oldest person ever elected president – some media outlets suggested may be slowing him down; Trump called such speculation “seditious”
In last month’s local elections, the Republican Party lost support among the minority and working-class voters who helped Trump win back the White House in 2024.
Members of his team have feuded over policy. And some, most notably Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have cut loose from his orbit, accusing the president of losing touch with the Americans who gave him power.
There has been speculation about fractures within the Maga base in certain quarters of the international press, as well as at home. On Monday, a headline in The Washington Post asked: “Maga leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen?”
The warning signs are there. While Trump has long been known for being in tune with his base, the months ahead will pose a series of challenges to the president and his movement. Nothing less than his political legacy is at stake.
From Vance to Rubio: A team of rivals?
It was all smiles and talk of historic presidential achievements inside the friendly confines of Trump’s newly redecorated, gold-bedecked cabinet room two weeks ago.
But the presidential aspirants Trump may have had in mind as he looked around the table hint at just how hard it could be to keep his Maga movement from stretching apart at the seams.
Vice-President JD Vance sat directly across from the president. As his running mate, he is widely considered to be Trump’s most likely heir apparent – the favourite of Trump’s sons and libertarian Silicon Valley tech billionaires.
Getty Images
Vance, more than perhaps anyone in Trump’s inner circle, is allied with those trying to give Trumpism an ideological foundation
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on the president’s immediate right. The former Florida senator, who competed with Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016, had spent the past 10 years undergoing a Maga transformation.
He has jettisoned his past support for liberalising immigration policy and his hard line on Russia in lieu of Trump’s America First foreign policy. But if there is anyone close to an old-guard Republican with influence in Trump’s party, Rubio tops the list.
Then there is Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose vaccine scepticism and “Make America Healthy Again” agenda have sent earthquakes through the US health bureaucracy; he sat two down from Rubio. The Democrat-turned-independent-turned-Republican is a living embodiment of the strange ideological bedfellows Trump made on his way to re-election last year.
And finally, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, was tucked off to the corner of the table. While the former South Dakota governor is not considered a major presidential contender, her advocacy for aggressive immigration enforcement – including a recent call for a full travel ban on “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches and entitlement junkies” – has made her a prominent face of administration’s policies.
Reuters
The jockeying to succeed and define the Maga movement after Trump is already under way
Each might believe they could, if they chose to run, become Trump’s political heir and take control of the political movement that has reshaped American politics over the last decade.
But to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin’s comments at the birth of American democracy, whoever wins the Republican nomination will have been given a winning coalition – if they can keep it.
The Republican empire transformed
Of course none of this is guaranteed – nor is it certain that the next generation of Maga leaders will be someone from the president’s inner circle. Trump stormed the White House as a political outsider. The next Republican leader may follow a similar path.
“It’s going to be up to the next Republican president who follows Trump to set him or herself apart,” says former Republican Congressman Rodney Davis of Illinois, who now works for the US Chamber of Commerce.
“But at the same time make sure that you don’t go too far away, because clearly it’s Donald Trump [who] got elected president twice.”
When the November 2028 presidential election rolls around, American voters may not even want someone like Trump. Some public opinion polls suggest that the president may not be as popular as he once was.
A survey by YouGov earlier this month indicated the president had a net approval rating of -14, compared with +6 when he took office again in January. Then there are concerns about the economy and his relentless efforts to push the boundaries of presidential power.
Getty Images
Leadership of Trump’s movement still represents the keys to the Republican empire
Leadership of Trump’s movement still represents the keys to the Republican empire, however, even if that empire has drastically changed in recent years.
“I think the Republican coalition has become fundamentally different over the last few decades,” said Davis, who served in Congress from 2013 to 2023. “The Republican coalition that existed when Ronald Reagan was elected is not the Republican coalition anymore.”
Back in the 1980s, the Reagan coalition was a fusion of free-market economics, cultural conservatism, anti-communism and international foreign affairs, says Laura K Field, author of Furious Minds: The Making of the Maga New Right.
Trump’s party, she continues, was perhaps best described by long-time Trump adviser and current state department official Michael Anton in a 2016 essay advocating for Trump’s election. In contrast with the Reagan era, its core principles include “secure borders, economic nationalism and America-first foreign policy”.
‘Normie Republicans’ versus ‘the edgelords’
Earlier this month, the conservative Manhattan Institute released a comprehensive survey of Republican voters, shedding more light on the composition of Trump’s coalition.
It suggested that 65% of the current Republican Party are what it calls “core Republicans” – those who have supported party presidential nominees since at least 2016. (If they were alive in the 1980s, they may well have voted for Reagan.)
On the other hand, 29% are what the Institute called “new entrant Republicans”. It is among those new Republicans that the challenge to the durability of Trump’s coalition presents itself.
Only just over half said they would “definitely” support a Republican in next year’s mid-term congressional elections.
According to the survey, the new entrants are younger, more diverse and more likely to hold views that break with traditional conservative orthodoxy. They hold comparatively more left-leaning views of economic policy, they tend to be more liberal on immigration and social issues, and they may also be more pro-China or critical of Israel, for example.
AFP via Getty Images
Trump was able to attract ‘new entrant Republican’ voters into his coalition – the question is whether he and his political heirs can keep them, or if they even want to
Jesse Arm, vice-president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute, told the BBC in an email: “A lot of the conversation about the future of the right is being driven by the loudest and strangest voices online, rather than by the voters who actually make up the bulk of the Republican coalition.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, the so-called new entrant Republican voters are significantly less supportive of some of Trump’s would-be heirs. While 70% of core Republicans have positive views of Rubio and 80% for Vance, just over half of new entrants feel that way about either.
Other findings could be more concerning for Republicans.
More than half of new entrants believe the use of political violence in American politics “is sometimes justified” – compared to just 20% among core Republicans.
It also suggests they may be more likely to be tolerant of racist or anti-Semitic speech and more prone to conspiratorial thinking – on topics like the moon landings, 9/11 and vaccines.
Trump was able to attract these voters into his coalition. The question is whether he and his political heirs can keep them there – or if they even want to.
“The real takeaway is not that these voters will ‘define’ the post-Trump GOP, but that future Republican leaders will have to draw clear lines about who sets the agenda,” argues Mr Arm.
“The heart of the party remains normie Republicans, not the edgelords that both the media and the dissident right are strangely invested in elevating.”
Clashes in the conservative ranks
The divides revealed in the Manhattan Institute poll helps explain some of the most notable frictions within the Trump coalition over the past few months.
The Trump-Greene feud that culminated in the latter’s resignation from Congress began with her backing of a full release of the government files connected to the Jeffrey Epstein underage sex-trafficking case – long a source of conservative conspiracy theories.
It broadened, however, into a critique of Trump’s Middle East policy and accusations of his failure to address cost-of-living and healthcare concerns for low-income American voters.
An earlier high-profile Maga split erupted over Trump’s economic policy, with billionaire Elon Musk, a strong supporter and member of Trump’s inner circle at the start of the year, going on to condemn certain tariffs and government spending policies.
Reuters
An earlier high-profile Maga split erupted over Trump’s economic policy
The president has, for the moment, largely tried to stay out of another bitter clash within conservative ranks over whether Nick Fuentes, a far-right political commentator and Holocaust denier, is welcome within the conservative movement.
It’s a dispute that has roiled the influential Heritage Foundation and pitted some powerful right-wing commentators against each other.
According to Ms Field, those who follow Trump may find it a difficult conflict to avoid. “Nick Fuentes has a huge following,” she says. “Part of how the conservative movement got the energy and power that they’ve got is by peddling to this part of the Republican Party.”
In the halls of the Republican-controlled Congress, some signs of friction with the president’s agenda are showing. Despite White House lobbying, it couldn’t stop the House from passing a measure mandating release of the Epstein files.
The president has also been unable to convince Senate Republicans to abandon the filibuster, a parliamentary procedure Democrats in the minority have been able to block some of Trump’s agenda.
AFP via Getty Images
Even a defeat next year – or in 2028 – is unlikely to mark the end of Trumpism
Meanwhile, Trump’s party has been stumbling at the polls, with the Democrats winning governorships in Virginia and New Jersey last month by comfortable margins.
In dozens of contested special elections for state and local seats over the past year, Democrats have on average improved their margins by around 13% over similar races held in last November’s national elections.
The future of Trumpism
All of this will be front of mind for Republicans ahead of the 2026 mid-term congressional elections – and it will do little to ease the concerns held by some that, without Trump at the top of the ticket, their coalition will struggle to deliver reliable ballot-box victories.
Yet even a defeat next year – or in 2028 – is unlikely to mark the end of Trumpism.
The ascent by Trump’s Maga movement to the pinnacle of American power has been far from a smooth one. It includes a mid-term rout in 2018 and Trump himself losing in 2020, before his re-election last November.
But the changes that Trump has wrought within the Republican Party itself appear to be foundational ones, according to Ms Field. His Maga coalition builds on strains of populist movements in the US that date back decades or more – from Barry Goldwater’s insurgent presidential campaign in 1964 to the Tea Party protests during Barack Obama’s presidency.
“These things are not coming out of nowhere. They are forces in American politics that have been underground for a while, but have been just kind of fermenting.”
The old Republican order, she argues, is a relic of the past.
“The Trump movement is here to stay and there’s no real likelihood of the old establishment returning with any sort of clout – that much is clear.”
Top picture credit: Getty Images
BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. You can now sign up for notifications that will alert you whenever an InDepth story is published – click here to find out how.