Some on social media argued that Biden’s use of the attack line was a form of bad messaging and that the president should instead refer to the Republican Party in his criticism of policies he opposes.
Biden has been saying “ultra MAGA” since May, in what appears to be a new messaging strategy ahead of the midterm elections. MAGA—Make America Great Again—is a popular slogan among supporters of former President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, Biden’s official Twitter account used the term in a tweet that referenced the recent Supreme Court decision: “Folks, let’s get one thing straight: The ultra-MAGA agenda has always been about taking away women’s rights, in every single state.”
That tweet elicited skeptical responses from Twitter users who directly criticized the phrase.
“Ultra MAGA isn’t a thing, sir,” tweeted journalist and former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien.
Melissa Ryan, who works to combat disinformation, wrote: “I’m so annoyed at the person who came up with ‘ultra-MAGA’ and everyone deluded into thinking it’s an effective message.”
Ben Collins, senior reporter at NBC News, replied to Ryan: “The people it’s meant to impugn certainly love it, that’s for sure.”
“Democratic consultants are woefully bad at their jobs,” tweeted writer Parker Molloy. “They’re the ones telling Biden that it’s actually super smart to call Trump ‘ultra MAGA,’ as if that’s not something the right sees as a compliment.”
Writer Jason Bailey referred to Biden as a “dipsh*t” for using the phrase in his response to the president’s tweet.
“[T]hat’s not the ‘ultra-MAGA agenda’—that’s the Republican agenda. Even ’the good ones’ that you keep trying to lionize,” Bailey wrote.
Writer Shiv Ramdas tweeted: “this ultra-maga mecha maga super maga legend maga titan maga bullshit needs to end. theyre [sic] Republicans, there is no ‘MAGA party’ there is a Republican party and these are its official elected leaders, just stop this nonsense already.”
Biden’s use of the phrase “ultra MAGA” is the result of months of polling by the president’s Democratic allies, focus groups and discussions at the White House, according to a report from USA Today in May.
The left-leaning Center for American Progress reportedly carried out polling that informed the decision to use the phrase, while Biden crafted the messaging with White House adviser Mike Donilon.
The phrase is apparently meant as an attack line against Republicans who are particularly loyal to former President Trump as Biden seeks to depict them as extreme.
Trump appeared to approve of the label during a rally in Illinois, saying “they gave us a great name.” He also described Republican Representative Mary Miller as “ultra MAGA.”
Biden has previously referred to former Trump as the “great MAGA king.”
Newsweek has asked the White House for comment.
