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The who’s who of MAGA influencers you should already know

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The who's who of MAGA influencers you should already know

Over the weekend, I went to DC to meet with all the right-wing influencers and content creators who made President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory possible. They were everywhere.

The 2024 election was the most influential election, and the inauguration was no different: This weekend there were dozens of pre- and post-inauguration parties and dances, in addition to the big event itself. Theo Von sat across from Jake and Logan Paul under the Capitol rotunda (well, until the podcaster’s chair collapsed). Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh and Brett Cooper walked the Turning Point USA red carpet and posed for selfies with fans. Jessic Reed Kraus, a writer for the HouseInhabit newsletter, was with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Make America Healthy Again Ball on Monday night.

In August, I published a guide to the Republican and Democratic influencers shaping the 2024 election. Influencers and content creators remain important and will communicate and guide political decisions for years to come.

Welcome to Trump 2.0, where these creators have the ears of not only their audiences but also the president. These are some to watch over the next four years.


This is an edition of the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter. Read previous newsletters here.

Podcasters and streamers

The 2024 elections were the decisive cycle for podcasters in politics. Most of the shows Trump made were aimed at the manosphere, a loose network of creators who push misogynistic, racist and pro-male ideologies online. This includes people like Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, brothers Paul and Adin Rosswho shared their interviews about Trump with millions and millions of their fans. There is also a second branch, made up of creators who have called themselves the intellectual wing of the modern Republican party, such as Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin and Lex Fridman. Fridman’s podcast on YouTube reaches millions of viewers each week. Shapiro’s program is one of the most popular. those of Spotify.

These podcasters have amplified Trump and his agenda with little to no backlash. They will likely be key to building support for the Trump administration’s decisions.

I spoke briefly with Shapiro on Sunday night and asked him what’s next for the Republican Party and podcasting. “The power continues to grow,” he said. “Traditional media has been completely destroyed. “We are focused on expanding, not only our brand, but there are many other brands that need expansion, I think it will be a very rich moment for the podcast industry.”

The meme pages

DC Draino, the typical liberal, angry Americans and snowflakes are some of the largest pro-MAGA meme pages on Instagram. Combined, these accounts have over 6 million followers. They act as a conduit between the priorities of Republican leadership and platforms like X and Instagram.

Think of your accounts as news aggregators for people who wouldn’t otherwise consume it.

The organizers

While Democrats also worked with influencers during the last election cycle, no PAC or campaign organized them as effectively and efficiently as the right. Thanks to Turning Point USA and its leader, charlie kirkMany of the Republican Party’s most popular creators are seen at least a few times a year at the organization’s summits and trainings. According to interviews with some of the main right-wing organizers, this infrastructure will only grow over the next four years. The organizers themselves have also become influencers to follow.

I wrote about an influencer party (and victory lap) thrown during the opening weekend that was hosted by C.J. Pearson and Raquel Debono. Pearson, a conservative creator with more than 500,000 X followers, co-chairs the Republican National Committee’s youth advisory council. He has played a key role in the party’s adoption of influencers and is planning additional training with organizations such as the Heritage Foundation.

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