Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump's Campaign Is Trying To Make The Switch From MAGA To KAG—But The Name Already Belongs To A Klingon Fan Group

Trump's Campaign Is Trying To Make The Switch From MAGA To KAG—But The Name Already Belongs To A Klingon Fan Group
Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images; @strkuyjouo/Twitter

Since his 2016 presidential campaign, the acronym MAGA has been associated with President Donald Trump.

The letters stand for "Make America Great Again" based on the concept that the United States needed Trump to restore it to some former glory.


Amongst his supporters the phrase—and the merchandise—was a hit.

Red hats filled massive arenas, if you believe the hype.

Giphy

But as his presidency went on, someone pointed out that if "America" still needed to be made great, didn't that mean Trump's presidency was a failure?

A new just as catchy slogan and acronym were needed. The first suggestion was "Promises Made, Promise Kept."

But that just invited ridicule over every campaign promise made and not kept, like building a wall paid for by Mexico and locking up former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Plus PMPK?

A LITTLE too similar to pumpkin...

Giphy

So someone came up with the riff off MAGA of "Keep America Great" thereby declaring the Trump presidency successful and KAG was so easy to say and spell and chant...

There's only one small problem that hardcore Trekkies (me, people like me) recognized right away and it involved these guys.

Giphy

Look up KAG.org online and you'll find an organization that far predates keeping Trump's America great.

KAG.org

Klingons!

Klingons as far as the eye can see in the Klingon Assault Group boasting 30 YEARS of existence.


They're sort of the Trekkie version of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers, only KAG was here first. 501st Legion was founded in 1997; KAG in 1989.

In your FACE Star Wars!

Giphy

Trekkies for the win!

Actually, I love them both so calm down Klingons.

Giphy

Anyhoo...

As Trump formally announced his 2020 presidential run, his campaign began to push KAG hard to stop the MAGA digs—like, wasn't he going to MAGA when elected in 2016—in their tracks. Plus there's the matter of a few domestic terrorists who embraced the concept and merchandise and rhetoric....

Suddenly MAGA profiles on Twitter were swapping their acronym to KAG and that inside Trekkie joke started going mainstream.






And while the folks at the original KAG have yet to file a formal protest, it doesn't look like the MAGA-KAG crowd is going to quite jive with the Klingon Assault Group's worldview.

Anyway, as the Klingons and the Trekkies say:

"qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep!"

Giphy

The book How to Speak Klingon: Essential Phrases for the Intergalactic Traveler is available here.

--------

Listen to the first episode of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!', where we explore the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.

Be sure to subscribe here and never miss an episode.

More from People/donald-trump

Ted Cruz; Kelvin Sampson
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images; Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Houston Fans Livid After Ted Cruz 'Curse' Strikes Again At NCAA Basketball Championship

In 2013, 2016 and 2021, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was labeled the most hated man in Congress—by members of his own party. In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz replaced him as the "most hated."

In a 2016 CNN interview, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less