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no content 3/18

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How right-wing media helped the Trump administration push a “psyop” against Iran's new supreme leader

At least 40 shows within the right-wing media ecosystem ran with unsubstantiated rumors that the new Iranian ayatollah may be gay

Written by Harrison Ray, Noah Dowe & Reed McMaster

Research contributions from Tyler Monroe

Published 03/27/26

At least 40 shows within the right-wing media ecosystem helped the Trump administration push an unsubstantiated narrative that the new Iranian ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, is gay — a move that Zeteo reports was meant to be a “psyop against their Iranian enemies and the new supreme leader.”

Yet according to a March 27 report from Zeteo, there exists “no credible intel” on Khamenei’s sexuality; rather, “the idea was fabricated and pushed behind the scenes in the past several weeks by a cohort of Trump advisers, US government personnel, and MAGAworld associates.” One source told Zeteo that the administration “wanted to mindfuck [the Iranians] with gay shit,” while another suggested, “It’s some 20-year-old frat boy in the federal government’s idea of a good joke.”

While some within the right-wing media simply highlighted the New York Post story, others added their own takes.

Fox host Greg Gutfeld joked about the rumor on March 16, saying, “Speaking of world leaders, rumors are circulating that the new Iranian supreme leader is gay. They know this because he keeps throwing himself off a building — that’s what they do in Iran.”

Newsmax host Chris Plante made the same joke on his March 17 podcast, saying, “If he became the ayatollah, the first thing he’d have to do as ayatollah is kill himself.” Following a lengthy and graphic fantasy about Khamenei committing suicide, Plante explained, “That’s what they always do when they hang the gay people in Iran, and the Democrats are on the side of the Iranian regime because of their many mental illnesses.”

Referencing the death of the new supreme leader’s father, former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Plante added, “And here’s the headline: Ayatollah disappointed to learn 72 virgins awaiting him in paradise are all women. Oh no, not the women. That is because, you know, it might run in the family, like monkeypox.”

That same day, Daily Wire host Michael Knowles ranted, “The ayatollah might be a homosexual, might be a little light in the loafers. You know what I'm saying? A couple fries away from a Happy Meal. The kind of fella has a long handshake.” While Knowles acknowledged that the story seemed at first “like an op” and “a demoralization tactic from our intelligence services,” he claimed, “There's a little bit of evidence that the ladies are not exactly his type.”

Newsmax host Rob Carson repeated the claim on March 22 and suggested the ayatollah has not been going out in public because “he's been in the closet.” After showing a clip of host Carl Higbie mocking “the Strait of Hormuz and the gay son,” Carson broke out in song, seemingly parodying “It's Raining Men.”

VID]

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the MAGA media response to six Democratic members of Congress reminding their former compatriots in the military and intelligence community of their duty to “refuse illegal orders” reached a fever pitch on Thursday. After President Donald Trump suggested earlier that day that the lawmakers should face the death penalty for sedition, his propagandists chimed in, describing the Democrats as “devious and subversive” and their actions as “border[ing] on treason.”

On Wednesday, Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), as well as Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) released a video in which they urged current members of the military and intelligence community to disobey “illegal orders.” While they did not provide examples, the release came amid debates over the legality of U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and domestic troop deployments. The video drew a deranged response from many on the right, who accused the lawmakers of committing “treason” and trying to “trigger a military coup.”

The president himself weighed in Thursday morning with a series of Truth Social posts in which he accused the lawmakers of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR,” described them as “traitors to our Country,” and called for them to be “ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL” for crimes he described as “punishable by DEATH!” The lawmakers in the video and Democratic House leadership both condemned Trump’s posts, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that Trump did not in fact seek the deaths of the members of Congress.

Trump is currently operating from a position of weakness, with his support in polls in a tailspinand his congressional allies having successfully revolted over the Jeffrey Epstein files. He’s previously responded to such circumstances by seeking to reunify his coalition by pointing them at a common enemy, and that seems to be what has happened this week. To the extent that he’s given his most loyal propagandists someone to attack, it’s working.

Fox News prime-time host Jesse Watters claimed on Thursday night that the “Democrats sent a clear message to everybody in the military and CIA: You're free to commit treason.” He described their actions as “devious and subversive,” said they were “planting coup seeds inside the Pentagon and at Langley,” and accused them of “psychological warfare launched by sitting politicians against the American military in peacetime” and “trying to blow up the chain of command.”

Video

Citation

From the November 20, 2025, edition of Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime

Watters’ colleague Sean Hannity argued the next hour, “The only question tonight [is] will these six Democratic lawmakers be held accountable in a court of law?” He then commented that he’s “not sure” they committed crimes punishable by death because he’s “not a lawyer,” and asked Fox contributor and former Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz to weigh in. Chaffetz assured him that “what they did borders on treason. It really does.” He added that “President Trump was actually exactly right” because “If you do commit treason, guess what? It is punishable by death. That's just the law. He's just reciting the law.”

Their competitors at Newsmax were similarly enraged. Carl Higbie declared that Trump’s posts show he “is done playing around with garbage,” pointed out that “George Washington did hang traitors many times, including Benedict Arnold's British counterpart,” and claimed that the Democrats “should be court-martialed themselves” because “that type of rhetoric from senators and congressmen is sedition.” Greg Kelly commented that “a lot of people” think the lawmakers committed “treason, or mutiny, or something along those lines,” and accused them of “plotting the seeds, I think, of another coup.” And The Right Squad’s Chris Plante said the Democrats were “inciting civil war.”

And Laura Loomer, whose influence in the Oval Office has triggered the firings of numerous administration officials for insufficient loyalty, wrote: “President Trump just re posted a post on Truth Social calling for seditious Democrat Senators to be hung for calling on members of the military to defy President Trump’s orders as Commander in Chief.”

“Trump is right,” she added. “That’s the type of justice Americans want to see.”

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  1. ### Right-wing media figures are calling a recent video from Democratic lawmakers “treason” and “sedition”

11/20/25 4:42 PM EST

  1. ### Fox News hid its brutal Trump job approval number from viewers — while showering him with praise

11/20/25 12:56 PM EST

  1. ### Trump’s latest attempt to defuse the Epstein revolt: Point supporters at common enemies

07/21/25

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mma

August 14, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Chris Plante: The Right Squad

JASON NICHOLS (CO-HOST): But I will say I'm not so sure that Social Security will be around at that time. I'm glad that Trump is praising Social Security because some of the actions he's taken don't necessarily do that.

One of the rules that they're proposing, and it's actually affected my own family, is that they're reducing SSI, Social Security income for 400,000 Americans. That includes adults and children with severe disabilities if they live with a family member. So that's something that I think, hopefully, they will rethink and try not to put into into practice. But, you know, Social Security, will it be around in the future? Our population is getting older and living longer and we're having fewer children, so it's hard to say. And by the way, Social Security is a socialist program. There's no actual way around that. That's what it is. And it's still one of the most popular programs in American history.

MATTHEW FOLDI (CO-HOST): So, Chris, do you think that the Democrats — were every Democrat was right to oppose no tax on Social Security for seniors that just passed in this reconciliation package?

CHRIS PLANTE (HOST): They just can't get along with anyone. They don't want to get along with anyone. And Social Security will be around when you retire, Jason. And it is socialistic, but it is — it's social as well. And it's also a program to bankrupt the United States of America because we're trillions and trillions of dollars underfunding it.

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merri ok

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June 9, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Chris Plante: The Right Squad

CHRIS PLANTE (HOST): And honestly it was Joe Biden and the Democrats that locked down Washington, D.C under military control around the time of his inauguration because they're such victims. But, you know, President Trump and federal officials are fighting to keep our streets safe while the left — and they are definitely the international left — they want criminal gang bangers to be loose on the street and threaten American lives and kill and rape and loot and plunder, which they've been doing for as long as the Democrats have been encouraging it.

Here are just a few examples of illegal alien criminals that Immigration Customs Enforcement removed from the Los Angeles streets.

...

That's just a few of the criminal illegal aliens that ICE removed very recently from the streets of Los Angeles. And the Democrats are out there rioting and burning things because criminals are being pulled off. I think they like criminals. All of this while the left still fights to keep them loose on the streets.

TIANNA LOWE DOESCHER (GUEST): Remember MeToo, Chris? As a feminist, I voted for this. I voted to get rid of the criminals, rapists, and murderers. The — to Jason's point, the last time the president overrode a governor to bring in the National Guard was JFK [LBJ?]to desegregate the University of Alabama. Because guess what? The law of the land was you can't be a federal university and discriminate against Black students —

PLANTE: And a Democrat governor named George Wallace.

DOESCHER: Yes. And guess what? The current law of the land is you can't harbor convicted rapists and murderers, even though that is California state statute, right? This is a law that Gavin Newsom has on the books that they are not allowed to assist federal law enforcement. And look, if you want to burn — as a liberal, I hope actual liberals don't want to burn through all their credibility defending the worst of the worst, because that's how you wind up never getting a DACA for a wall deal —

MATTHEW FOLDI (GUEST): I think they want to burn through not only their credibility, they want to burn through the gates of the ICE facilities to let those people out.

PLANTE: Well, yeah. And also it was Republican President Dwight Eisenhower sent 101st Airborne down to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to move Democrat Governor Orval Faubus away from the front door of Central High School.

DOESCHER: And that was a good thing.

PLANTE: Yeah. And it was Democrat versus Republican and Republican versus Democrat, as is so often the case. The Democrats are just — I mean, at what point are they declared to be a terrorist organization — with all of the affiliations and all the violence and the shootings and the firebombings and the targeting Jews and on and on? You know, as the left squeals, whines and attacks the police over deportations of illegal alien criminals, this is exactly what we, the American people, voted for on Election Day. And overwhelming majority of Americans back President Trump on his immigration policies. Even left wing media can't deny it. CBS fake news poll showing that President Trump's deportation program nets very positive approval ratings from the American people.

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mma

May 21, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Chris Plante: The Right Squad

:{:{CHRIS PLANTE (HOST): Vice President of the United States JD Vance says it's time for the American people to get what we voted for, an administration that protects American sovereignty. I believe we voted for that. In an interview with, of all people, The New York Times—why would you do that? They've got a columnist there, Ross Douthat is his alleged name. And JD Vance, vice president, says you cannot have a country where the American people keep on electing immigration enforcement and the courts tell the American people they're not allowed to have what they voted for. }:

That's where we are right now, JD Vance said. He continues talking to Ross Douthat, The New York Times. Success to me is that we have established a set of rules and principles that the courts are comfortable with, and that we have the infrastructure that that allows us to deport large numbers of illegal aliens, because illegal aliens are illegal. When large numbers of illegal aliens come into the country. But I think whether we're able to get there is a function, of course, of our efforts, but also the courts themselves, JD Vance said. And the vice president continued, I think that you are saying, and I know this is inflammatory, but I think you are seeing and an effort by the courts to quite literally overturn the will of the American people.}:

And honestly, I think we're seeing that at every turn, aren't we? With some Biden appointee or Obama appointee and even Clinton appointees overturning the executive branch, which was just voted into office by 77 million Americans. And it's — you know, this is — it smells like 1861 around here.

TONY SHAFFER (GUEST): Are you against the administrative state, Chris? How dare you? How dare you, sir? It's insane that we have people who are not elected who somehow believe that they can use whatever loophole. And I'm not a lawyer, but I pretended to be one in front of the Iowa Supreme Court one time. And that's a story for another day. And I got away with it. It was legal. But I think that's the issue that the legality of these rulings — and I heard Judge Napolitano earlier on the network today talk about, you know, well, they're taught in law school that that that basically any ruling has to equally apply across the board. But the problem is, this: no judge actually was elected by all the people of the United States, and therefore his actions have been outweighed — basically inappropriate level of influence over this fact. So I think he's right. And I think Congress — it's time for Congress to do something to limit the power of the judges.

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mma

May 7, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Chris Plante: The Right Squad

MATTHEW FOLDI (GUEST): Pete Buttigieg, who was completely MIA. He vanished from the job of transportation secretary. No one noticed whatsoever. By the way, I would beg to Sean Duffy to also declare war on bike lanes. These are some of the most un-American, European —

HILARY FORDWICH (GUEST): No one's in them.

FOLDI: Communist garbage.

DANIEL LIPPMAN (GUEST): You never bike around DC?

FOLDI: Absolutely not. I have a car like a normal American.

FORDWICH: Can I actually say I lived in Amsterdam? You know what it's like? It's the whole year round. It's between 55 and 61. Here it's freezing cold in the winter, the sleet in the winter. It's boiling hot and humid in the summer. The weather doesn't even conducive to it here.

FOLDI: You know, what's also not conducive to bike lanes is bicyclists using them. We know that they don't use them. But Pete Buttigieg was a completely MIA transportation secretary. Now he thinks, because he grew a beard and goes on podcasts, that he can be president. But he was such a disastrous failure. And now it's nice to have someone who actually shows up.

SCHLAPP: Yeah, well, and get rid of the bus lanes, too.

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mma 1 24

Following news that a session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting would be focused on the World Health Organization’s preparations for a potential epidemic of a currently unknown pathogen dubbed “Disease X,” right-wing media figures pushed conspiracy theories about a supposed plan to kill off “excess population” and fearmongered over the possibility of another pandemic and lockdowns. Some sought to capitalize on the fear by selling “medical emergency kits” that contain an unproven COVID-19 treatment.

because they “want less people.” Schlapp stated: “I think they must know something, and I’m not going to discount the fact that probably Disease X is a thing and could happen, and some people — as evil and dastardly as it sounds — thinks killing millions of people actually could be good for the rest of us who survive.” Additionally, host Chris Plante said that at the meeting, “globalists at Davos ... might not be preparing for imaginary situations, but rather assembling their next global power grab.” Newsmax, *Chris Plante The Right Squad*, [1/17/23; CNN, 12/16/23]

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sep 2023 beast

:{:{mAGA channel Newsmax appears to be quickly losing confidence in conservative radio host Chris Plante as the lead moderator of its primetime ripoff of Fox News’ The Five, six network insiders told Confider. Over the Labor Day weekend, the right-wing network decided to bump The Right Squad from 9 to 10 p.m., swapping it with Trump acolyte Greg Kelly’s program. The move comes as the Plante-led panel show’s viewership has trailed far behind Newsmax’s other primetime offerings from Kelly and Eric Bolling, despite the channel’s overall surging ratings since Fox News fired Tucker Carlson. The show’s viewership has dropped precipitously since its launch, losing 30 percent from May to July. }:

Much of the blame has been placed at Plante’s feet, with network employees wondering why Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy—who has long wanted to launch a panel show—chose the D.C. radio host and former CNN correspondent in the first place. According to the Newsmax insiders who spoke with Confider, Plante, 63, is believed to lack chemistry with his panelists, thanks to an “uncomfortable” and “awkward” on-air presence. “He doesn’t fit in… He’s not good on TV,” one staffer said, while another added: “His show is painful to watch. The people sitting with him look like hostages.” Another network insider, meanwhile, straight-up asked: “Who is he? Where did Newsmax even find him? He’s terrible.” }:

Since the schedule change, Kelly’s show has nearly doubled what Plante drew in the 9 p.m. hour. In fact, The Right Squad has barely averaged 200,000 viewers in its new time slot, losing roughly half of Kelly’s audience. A Newsmax spokesperson said when asked for comment: “The Daily Beast cites quotes that do not reflect the network’s view as we have full confidence in Chris Plante and the Right Squad to succeed.”

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1 24 wiki

hristopher Plante (born 1959) is an American talk radio host and journalist currently hosting a syndicated radio program heard on Westwood One[3] and a nightly TV talk show on Newsmax TV.

Early life

Plante was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Jules and Barbara (née Barnes) Orteig.[4] His maternal grandfather Pat Barnes was a Chicago-based radio host and World War I veteran.[5] After his father Jules died in 1960, his mother Barbara re-married in 1965 to journalist Bill Plante.[4] The family later moved to the Chicago area; Chris Plante later lived in Glenview and Winnetka, Illinois and graduated from New Trier West High School. He later attended Santa Barbara City College and the University of California, Santa Barbara but withdrew before graduating in order to work full-time in news.[5]

Career

CNN

Plante worked at CNN from 1988 to 2005, mostly covering The Pentagon and U.S. Military.[6][7] At various times at CNN, he was a Pentagon correspondent, senior producer for national security affairs, military affairs producer, and an assignment editor. Plante traveled to foreign locations, including Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Africa, and the former Soviet Union covering stories for CNN.[8]

Radio

After leaving CNN, Plante joined Washington talk station WMAL as a weekend host in 2005.[8] He sometimes hosted a joint show with liberal host Jerry Klein.

In 2005, Plante moved to weeknights, and in 2008 he moved to the midday time slot. In 2009, Plante's show was briefly replaced by The Joe Scarborough Show, but demand from fans saw his return to the 9 AM – Noon time slot in October 2009.[9] Guest hosts include Mary Walter and Mike Opelka.[10]

Plante has filled in for national hosts including Mark Levin, Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh.

In 2016, Cumulus Media announced Plante would be nationally syndicated by Westwood One, replacing Herman Cain's program, which reverted to a local program.[11] The Herman Cain Show would still air in the Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tulsa, and Dayton markets.[12] Westwood One and Plante's home station, WMAL, are both owned by Cumulus Media.

Newsmax

In May 2023, Newsmax announced it would broadcast a new 9 PM panel show titled Chris Plante The Right Squad. The show will film in Washington DC and will feature Plante, Jenn Pellegrino, and other regular panelists.[13]

Awards

Plante received the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTNDA) for his reporting from the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

In 2015, Plante won a Reed Irvine Award for Excellence in Journalism.[14]

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ggl 1 24

[### Is Newsmax Already Pulling the Plug on This Primetime ...

The Daily Beast

https://www.thedailybeast.com › is-newsmax-already-...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-newsmax-already-pulling-the-plug-on-this-primetime-host)

MAGA channel Newsmax appears to be quickly losing confidence in conservative radio host Chris Plante as the lead moderator of its primetime ripoff of Fox ...

[### Live News | Videos - Chris Plante The Right Squad

Newsmax TV

https://www.newsmaxtv.com › plante](https://www.newsmaxtv.com/plante)

For over a decade Chris served as a CNN correspondent reporting from all across the globe while covering the Pentagon, with a focus on the military, national ...

[### Chris Plante: The Right Squad (TV Series 2023

IMDb

https://www.imdb.com › title](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27722982/)

Top cast ; Chris Plante · Self - Host · 171 eps • 2023–2024 ; Jenn Pellegrino · Self - Newsmax Host · 140 eps • 2023–2024 ; Jason Nichols · Self - Democrat Political ...

Rating: 5.7/10 · ‎ 20 votes

[### Chris Plante

Facebook · Chris Plante

31.2K+ followers](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisPlanteShow/)

Chris Plante, Washington D. C. 29276 likes · 750 talking about this. TV : Newsmax 9pm-10pm ET | RADIO : 9am-12pm ET | WMAL.com | WMAL App | PODCAST :...

[### Newsmax To Launch Chris Plante Primetime Panel Show

Deadline

https://deadline.com › 2023/05 › newsmax-chris-plant...](https://deadline.com/2023/05/newsmax-chris-plante-panel-show-1235355974/)

May 4, 2023 — Newsmax is launching a primetime panel show, Chris Plante The Right Squad, tonight in the 9 p.m. ET hour. The show is the latest panel ...

[### Chris Plante joins prime-time lineup at Newsmax

Washington Times

https://www.washingtontimes.com › news › may › insi...](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/may/8/inside-beltway-chris-plante-joins-prime-time-lineu/)

May 8, 2023 — Chris Plante joins prime-time lineup at Newsmax · NEWS AND OPINION: · IOWA GETS CROWDED · WISDOM FOR THE BORDER · CAROLE AT THE CAPITOL · Carole ...

TV shows

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