I could understand the distancing from Patrick Casey. IMO it's clear that Nick's entire purpose with his show, at this point anyway, is to ultimately use it in an attempt to springboard himself into mainstream politics. Whether he'll be successful or not, I think that once he's of age he will definitely end up running for office whether it's state rep or city council or something bigger. In this context the issues regarding loyalty make more sense, he wants to surround himself with people who will aid his rise, rather than others who may have legitimate criticism, especially if they make those criticisms public rather than addressing them privately with Nick. I'm not familiar with Redpillgaming, but I think that's why Nick ditched Casey and why he castigated CWC. Patrick Casey wasn't exactly wrong, but he undermined Nick, and if you're trying to be some kind of political leader, you can't really tolerate people in your circle who will actively undermine you, even if they are doing so with good intentions. I do hope that one day he and CWC are on good terms again, it's clear that culture war is invested in the movement and he's also engaged in real world organizing in socal. IMO this is also why he probably still is friends with Beardson, despite him being perhaps the "worst optics" person ever associated with AF. Beardson simps hard for Nick and Nick/AF/Cozy is basically his meal ticket. If Beardson goes against Nick and is exiled from the movement, then he can't make a living streaming and he'll be forced to get a real job, which at this point would probably not be much more than retail wagie or doordash delivery person, at least in the poverty town in which he resides.
But even if it's just a grift there will of course be infighting. There's only so many people online who are willing to donate money to a streamer on a regular basis, especially in fringe political communities. It would make sense to snuff out potential rivals early on so that your paypigs don't start donating to them instead. Then again...that is kind of what is happening with cozy.tv and Nick has jokingly complained about it. I can't help but wonder if at some point the immature infighting will end...or if it will just continue forever. If Nick does want to have a successful career in politics, making friends will be more important than trash-talking enemies imo. I think it's a mistake to assume that since trash-talking worked for Trump, it can work for anyone else on the right. Trump was a unique anomaly in politics and unless you're already a mega celebrity I don't think it's a viable strategy. Time will tell