MAGA Republicans head to Michigan for an off-brand Republican National Convention

MAGA movement loyalists have begun touching down in Michigan for what is essentially an off-brand Republican National Convention.

This weekend, Donald Trump, several of his potential running mates and other Republicans are set to speak at an event called The People’s Convention. The gathering in Detroit is being hosted by Turning Point Action, which is an affiliate of Turning Point USA, the organization founded by right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

TPUSA and TPAction have effectively assumed much of the responsibility for coordinating Trump’s 2024 campaign, and the past few weeks have helped underscore that. TPUSA affiliates, for example, organized recent Trump events in Harlem and the Bronx, as well as last week’s MAGA-fueled Young Women’s Leadership Summit in Texas.

Kirk has warred with the national Republican Party’s traditional power brokers for years, while portraying his organizations as grassroots and the MAGA movement’s rightful shepherds. (For the record, TPUSA has been propped up by multiple uber-rich backers.) Some people may have thought Kirk’s successful push to oust Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair in favor of more obsequious Trump loyalists was the culmination of his efforts on that front. But The People’s Convention is arguably the crown jewel of his quest to wrest power and clout from the national GOP.

You can see in this promotional tweet, for example, that The People’s Convention is being branded as an alternative to the Republican National Convention. (And this convention, unlike the actual RNC next month, has the benefit of occurring before Trump’s July 11 sentencing in his hush money case.)

Along with Trump, scheduled speakers include vice presidential hopefuls, such as Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, in addition to the likes of Steve Bannon, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and right-wing activist Candace Owens. And sure — that may not sound like a group of A-listers to you, but the list undoubtedly represents the power center of today’s conservative movement. And they’re all lining up to speak at this RNC knockoff.

Having witnessed how Kirk’s organization transformed Arizona’s GOP chapter for the worse, Arizona Republic columnist Phil Boas predicted that TPUSA and Kirk’s cold war with GOP leadership could destroy the national Republican Party.

I agree — and The People’s Convention is just Kirk’s latest shot across the bow.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com