Some supporters of Joe Biden have been accused of being "Blue MAGA" for their staunch defense of the president in the wake of the CNN debate.
While there is no official definition for the term, Blue MAGA has been used to describe those who are fierce advocates of the so-called "vote blue no matter who" initiative and are not willing to criticize Democrats in any way.
The term has reemerged on social media in the wake of 81-year-old Biden's languishing and stumbling debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27. This has led to many, including Democrat figures, calling on Biden to end his 2024 campaign in order to allow a new candidate to face-off against 78-year-old Trump in November.
The "Blue MAGA" accusations have been aimed at those who have suggested they will still vote for Biden despite accusations he is too old or lacking cognitive ability to remain in office for a second term.
The term has also been used for Biden supporters who have pushed misleading comments, or attacked the media, while defending the president. The suggestion being this unbridled support is more commonly associated with Trump's loyalist MAGA following.
Saib Bilavel, historian and associate editor for Three Essays Collective, suggested that "Blue MAGA is real" while sharing a headline from The Hill noting MSNBC host Joy Reid said she would still vote for Biden if he was "in a coma."
Keith Orejel, an assistant professor of history at Wilmington College in Ohio, posted on X, formerly Twitter: "We are like two days away from Blue MAGA arguing cognitive decline is a made up ailment invented by the New York Times."
The Blue MAGA accusation has also been attached to those who have pushed false claims about Biden and his popularity, while urging the president to remain in the White House race.
On July 6, the Biden Wins X account, which has more than 416,000 followers, wrote: "BREAKING: Following the debate, President Biden's poll numbers skyrocketed in swing states and CNN's ratings plummeted. Let's go."
The post was fact-checked by X's "readers added context" feature, which noted that Biden's numbers did largely go down in the wake of the debate, and CNN's viewership has remained unchanged.
In reply, Democrat Aaron Regunberg, a former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, wrote: "This stuff is really starting to freak me out.
"The gleeful inversion of reality, the kindergarten attacks on media. This belongs on Truth Social. I'm begging you all to stop."
The @stengelsghist account added: "Gotta be honest, when I used to call freaks like this 'Blue MAGA' I thought I was being hyperbolic."
Others also hit out at Biden supporters who have pushed unsubstantiated claims that ABC News purposely altered its audio during the president's recent interview with the network in order to make Biden sound worse than he actually did.
"Biden Stan's becoming the liberal QAnon is wild. No ABC news didn't turn down Biden's microphone so he sounded weird. He's f****** 81," the @notcharchar X account posted.
Another Chicago-based Democrat added: "Gonna say it again, the media has handled many, many parts of this whole debacle very poorly. But I am very concerned how many on here who are saying things similar to what we've abhorred about the GOP over the last decade.
"We are not a cult. Stop behaving like one."
Biden's team has been contacted for comment via email.
Elsewhere, the DemsMight PAC says it is proud of the "Blue MAGA" label, suggesting that supporting Biden no matter what is vital in order to stop Trump winning November's race.
"I'm BlueMAGA and proud of it, if that means standing up for democracy, stopping Trump, Project 2025, Agenda 47, MAGA and staying in the fight with the most legislatively successful president in modern American history: Mr. Joe Biden," the PAC posted.
Biden and his team have frequently dismissed suggestions he will end his reelection bid despite the ongoing pressure.
"If the Lord almighty came down and said: 'Joe, get out of the race,' I'd get out of the race," Biden told ABC News. "The Lord almighty's not coming down."
When asked by George Stephanopoulos if he still believes he is the best candidate to beat Trump in November, Biden replied: "Yes. Yes, yes, yes."
fairness meter
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
