According to Market Watch, Truth Social had around 513,000 active daily users as of late April 2022. These are Trump’s well-known ‘MAGA’ (Make America Great Again) supporters.

Some of them are part of MAGA’s edgy, gothic cousin: Dark MAGA. 

What is Dark MAGA?

Dark MAGA is an online design movement that uses dystopian, gothic, and ’80s vaporwave visuals to promote a more aggressive version of Trump's presidency on social media. In short, Dark MAGA is what happens when political fandom mixes with emo and 4chan aesthetics. Let’s call it a way to make MAGA memes with dystopian, yet tongue-in-cheek, styling cues.

Used as a meme and as a political slogan by others, Dark MAGA combines gothic, dystopian, and retro-futuristic vibes with a heavy dose of hyperbole. Like, for example, a neon Trump, glowering from a cyberpunk tower, surrounded by lightning bolts, saying things like “Mass Deport Illegals” with Terminator eyes.

Whether it’s “just a phase (mom)” or not, these internet-savvy Republicans aim to:

1. Celebrate Trump with more drama and humor than ever before.

2. Encourage more mainstream conservatives to join them, one vaporwave edit at a time.

3. Be one happy, united family—because shared aesthetics and memes are the best super-glue of all.

What is vaporwave?

Vaporwave is a music genre that spread through the internet (it never really hit mainstream channels) in the 2010s. And the art style associated with this genre also became part of what vaporwave implies. The music and artwork are glitchy, neon-toned, and reflect nostalgia for an era that its creators never actually lived through. It also eclectically melds elements of American and Japanese advertising imagery from the 80s. Dark MAGA has started using vaporwave to make their memes more ominous, yet more ironic.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s Simpsons vaporwave.

How Did Dark MAGA Start?

Like most internet trends, Dark MAGA emerged from Twitter, when @3rdincarnate posted an image of a towering black-and-gold skyscraper labeled “#DARKMAGA tower” on March 12, 2022. 

Within days, the Dark MAGA memes evolved from the primordial soup that is Twitter, and set foot on 4chan and Telegram. In a matter of seconds, netizens were utilizing Photoshop to post Donald Trump alongside a multitude of Nationalist figures and symbols. The community was having a blast.

Dark MAGA and Elon Musk

Elon Musk also adopted the Dark MAGA style during the 2024 election campaign, making it even more popular. Because the edgelord vibes suit him well, Musk thought, ‘Why not?’ and jumped in on the Dark MAGA bandwagon. He appeared at the comeback rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — the one held after Trump survived an assassination attempt — and uttered the now-famous line:

As you can see, I’m not just MAGA. I’m Dark MAGA.

And just like that, Dark MAGA grew up from its edgy teenage phase and into a real-world movement.

It makes sense that Musk took the throne and became Dark MAGA’s overlord. The space billionaire and government deputy embodies everything Dark MAGA claims to be: futuristic, rebellious, and anti-establishment. Trump affirmed, “People said, ‘well, what official position does he have?’ I say patriot.” He’s the techno-warrior against wokeness that Dark MAGAs have been waiting to worship.

What Is the Dark MAGA Hat?

The Dark MAGA hat is the black, gothic counterpart to the red MAGA cap — which Elon Musk debuted at the Butler campaign rally. It features a sleek black design, gothic lettering, and more than enough edge. It has become a cult item in the community—an undisputed symbol. And if you fancy it, you can even find it on Amazon.

Dark MAGA is a meme, an aesthetic, a subculture, and a political manifesto all at once. It’s where trolling meets ideology, where Halloween meets politics. Is it satire? Is it serious? The answer is yes.