Politico: “Donald Trump has called Elise Stefanik ‘a new Republican star,’ a ‘smart communicator’ and – perhaps his highest praise – ‘tough.’ But the MAGA faithful aren’t so sure. Within minutes of Trump’s endorsement of the New York congresswoman for GOP conference chair on Wednesday, top MAGA voices erupted in anger – a rare break with the former president. The invective aimed at Stefanik, who was perceived to be insufficiently conservative and a relative newcomer to the Trump cause, continued to zoom through the MAGA-sphere on Thursday. The Columbia Bugle – an anonymously-run Twitter account with nearly 179,000 followers, including high-profile Trump movement influencers – described Stefanik as ‘a slightly less annoying America Last Republican.’ Lou Dobbs, the former Fox Business show host who was one of Trump’s fiercest cable television supporters, dismissed her as a ‘RINO.'”
“Popular MAGA news and opinion sites were less sparing, with Revolver calling her a ‘neocon establishment twit’, and Big League Politics, founded by Breitbart alumni, slamming her for only getting on the Trump defense train in 2019 and characterizing her as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.’ ‘[Stefanik] is the identity of a swamp creature, and she has probably the most liberal voting record of anybody who represents a strong Republican district,’ said Ryan James Girdusky, a conservative political consultant and the author of the National Populist newsletter. While Stefanik is seen within the party as a rising star and prolific fundraiser – particularly after aggressively defending Trump during his impeachment trials – Trump’s populist base views her quite differently. If they don’t eventually come on board, that could mean a limited tenure for Stefanik as a member of the leadership team. Several MAGA news sites cited Stefanik’s voting record, where she backed the then-president’s position only 78 percent of the time, making Cheney’s record of 93 percent look slavishly loyal in comparison. Stefanik compiled that record despite representing a comfortably Republican district that Trump won easily in 2020.”