coglianese, vince
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Laura Ingraham claims there is a leftist “plan” to “overthrow” the government. What in the world is she talking about?
Written by Matt Gertz
Published 10/22/26
Republicans are panicking and right-wing media are desperately churning out “fear porn” as polls continue to point to a devastating midterm environment for their party with less than two weeks remaining before election day. From presidential rallies to Fox News primetime, MAGA stalwarts are trying to bolster their party’s turnout by warning Republican voters that if they do not go to the polls, their freedom and very lives may be at stake.
That increasingly deranged environment is generating a level of demagoguery that at times becomes simply absurd.
Fox host Laura Ingraham, for example, announced on her show Wednesday that if Democrats win control of the U.S. House and Senate, a leftist cabal of activists, journalists, “top former staffers” in the Obama and Biden administrations, and even Democratic governors will carry out a plot to force President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act as a mechanism to “dissolve” the U.S. Constitution and “crush their enemies.”
The argument that the left is planning to destroy the federal government if and only if Democrats triumph in the midterms makes a lot of sense as an attempt to scare Republicans to the polls but none at all as a plot in its own right.
Questions abound: Why in the world is this plan only enacted after Democrats achieve actual congressional power for the first time in Trump's second term? If there is clear evidence of a sweeping plot including “top” Obama and Biden officials, why is the best example Ingraham can point to former Obama White House ethics lawyer Norm Eisen talking about protecting the Constitution with legal action? Why does the plan revolve around getting Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act — an outcome MAGA pundits like Ingraham herself have been lobbying for and Democrats have publicly opposed?
Lastly, why does Ingraham think this grand conspiracy is underway? We don’t really know — she cited no direct evidence for what on-screen Fox graphics described as “The Left’s Plan To Overthrow The U.S. Gov’t.”
But Ingraham’s claims align with a conspiracy theory that Jennica Pounds, a right-wing influencer who goes by the pseudonym DataRepublican and briefly worked for the Defense Department this year, floated over the weekend based on videos of activist meetings she obtained. Pounds’ claim of a leftist “operational plan” seems to be much less than advertised — but has nonetheless been trumpeted this week by prominent MAGA figures like Glenn Beck, Vince Coglianese, Jesse Kelly, and podcaster-turned-deputy-FBI-director-turned-podcaster Dan Bongino.
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mma
Right-wing media react to Trump's slush fund for allies with unquestioning loyalty — and some vague skepticism
Written by Sophie Lawton
:{Published 05/21/26
Some right-wing media figures are jumping on board with the Trump administration's newest effort to support MAGA allies despite numerous questions about its legality; a few are voicing light skepticism of the plan.
This week, the Department of Justice announced that the Trump family had agreed to drop a legally questionable $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” According to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the fund's intended recipients are “victims of lawfare and weaponization” by the federal government. Critics of the move are calling the idea a “slush fund,” and The New York Times called the deal “highly unusual” and wrote that the fund is “a pipeline to funnel taxpayer money to President Trump’s allies.”
Some right-wing media figures have been praising the fund, calling it a great idea and complementing Trump for his “patriotic” use of the number 1776 while ignoring the more problematic details of the fund.
Newsmax host Carl Higbie staunchly defended the fund, claiming that Trump has “dropped — he dropped — his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a $1.776 — 1776 — billion-dollar fund set up for truth and justice compensation for people who were victims of Biden's weaponization of government” and that “Trump and his family will get $0 in exchange for just simply an apology from the IRS and a fund set up for every other person who Biden targeted.”
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From the May 18, 2026, edition of Newsmax's Carl Higbie: Frontline
Fox's Sean Hannity said the Department of Justice “rightly agreed to set aside the patriotic amount of $1.76 billion to settle other claims like this.”
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From the May 19, 2026, edition of Fox News' Hannity
Trump's former co-deputy director of the FBI Dan Bogino praised the fund and the Trump administration on his podcast, saying that “things are happening all over the place, good, positive things.”
Another right-wing podcaster, Vince Coglianese, said on his show that the fund “sounds like justice” and said, “I think it's perfectly wonderful.”
Coglianese also suggested a few people and groups who could benefit from the fund, including anti-abortion activist Mark Houck, other “conservatives who stood outside of abortion mills” and who faced charges, “parents at school board meetings” complaining about curricula and gender-neutral bathrooms who he said were attacked by the FBI and left-wing groups, and “traditional Catholics” who he claimed were targeted by Biden's FBI.
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From the May 19, 2026, edition of VINCEstreamed on Rumble
Greg Kelly took to his Newsmax show to make specific claims about the legal precedent for the fund, stating, “The US government gets sued all the time, and they make settlements. This is not an outlandish arrangement. It actually makes a lot of sense.”
Kelly also claimed that the announcement of the fund came after he sat down with Trump and proposed a “compensation fund for the January 6ers.”
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From the May 19, 2026, edition of Newsmax's Greg Kelly Reports
The DOJ also claims there is precedent for this type of fund, saying it’s similar to the Obama-era "Keepseagle" case. In reality, the fund seems to have little legal basis.
As Mike Masnick wrote for Techdirt, the fund was created as a settlement offer because “Trump needed to drop that lawsuit in order to end it before a judge called bullshit on the fact that he was negotiating with himself to take $10 billion from American taxpayers.”
Masknick also refuted the DOJ claims of legal precedent, writing, “The Keepseagle settlement was approved by a court in response to a class action lawsuit. Here, this fund, is being created in a manner deliberately to avoid having the court review it.”
A New York Times piece reported that “legal experts struggled to make sense of this week’s developments, saying tentatively that it was unlikely anyone could sue to stop the moves.” The article noted nevertheless that the fund’s creation is a “jarring shock to the conventional understanding of the constitutional system.”
Reuters quoted Tax Law Center policy director Brandon DeBot calling the fund a “breathtaking abuse of the tax and legal system" and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) calling it a “slush fund” that represented “a stunning act of corruption.”
Some Republican lawmakers have spoken out against the fund, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who said he doesn't “see a purpose” for it, and others seem bothered by the lack of details surrounding where the money might go. “I’ve got more questions than I’ve heard answers for,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
January 6 Capitol Police Officers have sued to block the fund on the grounds that it violates the 14th Amendment's prohibition on using federal funds for “any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States.”
Even a few right-wing media voices have been lightly skeptical of the move.
On Fox's Special Report, guest anchor Trace Gallagher admitted that “who gets the money and where it comes from is a bit unclear.”
Special Report's reporting on the topic also included clips of Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) asking for clarity on where the money is coming from and “the legality of creating a fund that Congress hasn't had anything to say about.”
The Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro touched on the matter, saying on his show, “I'm generally against slush funds, to be clear. I do not like them. I think there are other ways of pursuing redress for grievances in this fashion. However, many of the myths that you're hearing about it are overstated.”
Megyn Kelly said on her podcast about the fund, “I don't like it,” explaining that she'd rather see individual suits. But she also made false correlations between this move and Obama's Keepseagle fund, saying, “This was created by Barack Obama,” and, “The same media that's now ripping Trump to shreds for doing it said nothing, nothing when Barack Obama started it. … So I really have no tolerance for their cries and protestations about what Trump is doing.”
Already, January 6 rioters, election deniers, and Trump allies are lining up for a chance at the taxpayer money.
//
- ### True the Vote founder hopes “we will see some level of compensation” from Trump's weaponization fund
05/21/26 11:50 AM EDT
05/20/26 5:26 PM EDT
- ### Newsmax's Greg Kelly defends Trump “weaponization” fund: “This is not an outlandish arrangement”
05/20/26
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mma
Right-wing media's immigration wish list: Kill the bipartisan Dignity Act, more mass deportations, and fewer paths for legal immigration
Right-wing media are trying to pressure Republicans to move even further right on immigration
Written by Torri Lonergan & Isabella Sherk
Published 04/24/26
Right-wing media figures are rejecting recent messaging from the Trump White House to back away from calls for mass deportations and attacking bipartisan immigration legislation. These personalities have gone so far as to accuse the GOP of “pushing for mass amnesty” and “surrendering our country to foreigners.”
They are advocating for harsher anti-immigration policies — demanding that President Donald Trump enact his most extreme campaign promises for mass deportations, calling for “a 10-year ban on all immigration,” and encouraging Trump to start “denaturalizing citizens” and “removing lawful permanent residents.”
While the Trump administration slashes legal immigration, some congressional Republicans have backed away from mass deportations and cosponsored the Dignity Act}:
- The Trump administration has been slashing legal immigration and targeting non-criminal “immigration violators” while telling the public its efforts were prioritizing deporting “the worst of the worst.” The administration has drastically cut visas for legal permanent residents, international students, H-1B workers, and the foreign partners of U.S. citizens. Meanwhile, CBS reported that “30,986 — or 48% — of the ICE detainees in custody as of Nov. 16 lacked any criminal charges or convictions in the U.S. and were being held solely because of civil violations of U.S. immigration law.” Cato Institute, [4/13/26; CBS News, 11/26/25]
- A recent poll from Politico found that “half of Americans — including one quarter of Trump’s 2024 voters — said his mass deportations campaign is too aggressive.” However, the poll also found that two-thirds of his 2024 voters said, “Trump’s mass deportations campaign is either about right or not aggressive enough.” Politico, [4/18/26]
- In March, the White House reportedly advised congressional Republicans to avoid discussing mass deportations ahead of the midterm elections.According to Axios, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair urged House Republicans “to stop emphasizing ‘mass deportations’ and instead focus their messaging on removing violent criminals.” Axios, [3/10/26]
- A group of Trump allies have formed the Mass Deportation Coalition to encourage the administration not to back away from its deportation push. The coalition — which includes the Oversight Project’s Mike Howell, former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, former Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan, and conservative groups including The Heritage Foundation — released a playbook urging the White House to continue raiding work sites and deporting migrant workers despite pushback from voters. Politico, [4/1/26]
- The Dignity Act is a bipartisan bill that would allow migrant workers who have been here more than five years to legally work in the U.S. The “Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2025” or the “DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act” was introduced by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX) in July 2025. 19 other Republicans and a similar number of Democrats have cosponsored the bill. Salazar described the legislation as “a serious, balanced solution: no amnesty, no path to citizenship, but a legal status for those who have worked, paid taxes, and contributed to our economy.” According to the American Immigration Council, “The Dignity Act would provide a path to permanent legal status — but not citizenship — for nearly all undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States since December 31, 2020.” Congress.gov, [7/15/25; Office of Rep. María Elvira Salazar, 3/25/26, 7/15/25; American Immigration Council, 7/15/25]
- In April, 11 House Republicans voted with Democrats to extend temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants through 2029. CBS News reported that TPS “allows immigrants to temporarily live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation if DHS decides their home country is unsafe due to armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary circumstances.” Haitian immigrants have been granted TPS since 2010. The bill’s Republican supporters broke with Trump, who has attempted to end deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants and reportedly plans to veto the bill if it passes the Senate. CBS News, [4/16/26; NPR, 4/16/26]
- ## Right-wing media figures railed against the Dignity Act, calling the bill that bars undocumented people from citizenship “amnesty”
- The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called Dignity Act cosponsor Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) an “anchor baby,” described the bill as “treasonous,” and claimed the legislation would “backdoor a mass amnesty.” The Daily Wire, *The Matt Walsh Show*, [4/9/26, 4/9/26]
- Fox’s Sean Hannity complained, “We have Democrats and some Republicans even that are pushing for this idiotic, imbecilic, insane idea of the Dignity Act.” He framed the proposed legislation as saying, “Oh, never mind that you didn't respect our laws, our borders and sovereignty. Never mind that we didn't vet you. We're just going to let you into the country anyway.” Premiere Radio Networks, *The Sean Hannity Show*, [4/9/26]
- On April 8, Fox host Laura Ingraham asked Dignity Act cosponsor Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), “How can you possibly look in the face of the American people and say that's dignity?” The next day, Ingraham argued that “American workers, taxpayers, and the rule of law” will lose if this bill gets passed. She also said that Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) “nailed it” when he referred to the bill as a “double middle finger to the middle class.” Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [4/8/26, 4/9/26]
- Discussing the Dignity Act, Fox host Will Cain asked Lawler, “How is this not amnesty?” Cain insisted, “Whatever words you want to use, amnesty, pathway to citizenship — I know you’re not proposing that — legal status, you are creating the continued incentive for illegal immigration.” Fox News, *The Will Cain Show*, [2/4/26]
- Right-wing podcaster Laura Loomer said that Republicans will “lose the midterms” because they are “talking about this Dignity Act to give amnesty to 65 fucking illegal aliens.”In February, she insisted the Dignity Act is “just another word for mass amnesty, it makes me so angry,” and said, “I think that Lawler should be primaried. I think that he should be removed from Congress.” Rumble, *Loomer Unleashed*, [4/7/26, 2/5/26]
- Megyn Kelly questioned why Republicans were cosponsoring the “betrayal bill” and said, “This is no time to be talking about amnesty.” She added, “I don't care about them being in fear of deportation,” and asked, “What is this, just to create a talking point for the Democrats right before the midterms?” Sirius XM, *The Megyn Kelly Show*, [4/9/26, 4/9/26]
- The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles said Salazar is “pushing for mass amnesty” and declared that the Dignity Act is “as rancid as a bill as ever I have seen.” On The Megyn Kelly Show, Knowles said, “I have my own alternative legislation that I am proposing. The legislation is the All New Denizens Actually Leave En Masse Bill, or the ANDALE Bill.” He argued, “Mass deportations are a mainstream popular political issue. So what are these jokers, these Republicans in Congress say? They come around and they say I know what we'll do after winning the first popular election in 20 years. Let's give illegals mass amnesty. … Leave it to these people to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.” The Daily Wire, *The Michael Knowles Show*, [7/21/25; The Daily Wire, Friendly Fire, 4/8/26; Sirius XM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 4/9/26]
- Infowars host Harrison Smith said that Congress “named the amnesty bill in the Spanish language just to really emphasize how thoroughly they are surrendering our country to foreigners.” Infowars, *War Room*, [4/7/26]
- On former Trump strategist Steve Bannon’sWar Roompodcast, Immigration Accountability Project co-founder Rosemary Jenks criticized the Dignity Act, claiming, “It's got amnesty for at least 10 million illegal aliens to compete with low-wage American workers.” She said, “I call this bill, instead of the Dignity Act, the SAAW Act for Screw All American Workers, because this bill hits every American worker, whether they're low-wage, medium-wage, or high-wage.” Real America’s Voice, *War Room*, [4/10/26]
- The Charlie Kirk Showexecutive producer Andrew Kolvet said the Dignity Act is “a new grift to try to get more illegals coming in.” He claimed, “There are people around the president right now saying, don't ever use the word mass deportation again — the thing that we all got so excited to vote for in 2024.” Real America’s Voice, *The Charlie Kirk Show*, [4/7/26]
- Podcaster Vince Coglianese ranted, “What the hell did people vote for, by a majority? A majority? They said mass deportations. They said get everybody out of the country who's here illegally. Stop breaking our laws. Stop making it chaotic. Get out. Get out. And you're picking now for amnesty? No. None. No more amnesty.” Coglianese called the Dignity Act a “dumpster fire” and said, “The goal of the bill is to give amnesty to huge categories of illegal aliens.” He criticized Republicans who support the bill, complaining, “They're going to deliver the American dream. To whom? Not to Americans. To illegal aliens. What are you idiots doing?” Rumble, *VINCE*, [2/5/26]
- ## Right-wing media personalities demanded that Trump double down on mass deportations
- Podcaster Tim Pool complained about “the Trump administration telling people to back off of mass deportations,” claiming, “That says to me, yeah, MAGA's dead.” He continued, “If the Republican Party is now saying Joe Biden allowed in 10 million undocumented — undocumented — migrants, illegal immigrants, as we call them, if he really did that, and the Trump admin is saying we're done with this; we're not going to do it — OK. Well, then America's over.” Rumble, *Timcast IRL*, [3/17/26]
- War Roomhost Steve Bannon called for “mass deportation of every illegal alien that’s here. All of them, not just the bad hombres.” Previously, in late March, Bannon had complained that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the White House said, “We can't even use the phrase mass deportations again.” Days later, Bannon insisted, “We cannot take our eye off the ball of mass deportations, even if the lobbyists that continue to hammer at the White House want us to stop doing it.” Real America’s Voice, *War Room*, [4/14/26, 3/23/26, 3/31/26]
- In an episode ofThe Charlie Kirk Showtitled “The RINO Plot to Dump 'Mass Deportations,’” Andrew Kolvet said, “We’re going to keep saying mass deportations, because guess what? That’s what the people want.” Kolvet later complained, “If you're going to cuck out on deportations and immigration, you will depress turnout at the midterms. … You will depress our base and we will not get out and vote for you in the midterms." Real America’s Voice, *The Charlie Kirk Show*, [4/9/26, 4/9/26, 4/21/26]
- Fox host Laura Ingraham told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, “We want mass deportations, Mr. Secretary. That's what the American people voted for.” Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [4/15/26]
- White nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes lamented, “Trump always chickens out,” specifically complaining that the administration backed down on mass deportations.Fuentes said, “Mass deportations — where are they? Not happening.” Rumble, *America First*, [3/31/26, 4/8/26]
- Laura Loomer complained that “we're not getting all of the 65 million mass deportations like we were told,” saying, “At the rate of these deportations, they're not exactly mass deportations.”Rumble, *Loomer Unleashed*, [4/7/26]
- Conservative influencer Nick Sortor said he will continue to use the words “mass deportations” because “if we only go after the worst of the worst, that means amnesty for the rest.” Rumble, *The Charlie Kirk Show*, [4/7/26]
- Megyn Kelly said, “We’ve gone from worst-first to pretty much worst-only, if that.” She said, “We’re going in the wrong direction in terms of the detention of illegals,” complaining that the drop in ICE detentions is “primarily driven by the decline in arrests of illegal immigrants without criminal records. It very much appears like we have moved considerably on from that group.” SiriusXM, *The Megyn Kelly Show*, [4/15/26]
- PBD Podcastpanelist Vincent Oshana said, “This mass deportation has slowed down. OK? And I’m sorry, I voted for the people that do not belong here to leave.” He continued, “The rules are the rules, you have to leave if you're freaking here illegally and that's it.” YouTube, *PBD Podcast*, [3/20/26]
- Mike Howell of the Mass Deportation Coalition said on Julio Rosas’Mostly Peaceful Podcastthat “only focusing on the worst of worst” is “comfort food for RINOS.” He continued, “It's a problem in that there's not that many criminal illegal aliens out of the total illegal alien population. And so, when you're focused on a small subset, you're going to get small numbers.” YouTube, *Mostly Peaceful Podcast*, [4/2/26]
- The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh complained that if Trump “won’t do” mass deportations, then “I don’t think anyone else ever will.” The Daily Wire, *Friendly Fire*, [4/8/26]
- The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles said he’s sure the “abuelas are really nice, but abuela has to go too.” He said, “I want mass deportations. I don’t just want the face-tattooed criminals gone.” The Daily Wire, *Friendly Fire*, [4/8/26]
- ## Right-wing media figures attacked legal immigration and advocated for denaturalizing US citizens
- Steve Bannon said, “We should have a 10-year ban on all immigration. People say, oh well legal — it's not legal. It's all a scam.” Real America’s Voice, *War Room*, [4/10/26]
- YouTuber Tyler Oliveira posted a video attacking the H-1B visa program that claimed to expose “Texas' Indian Invasion.” Oliveira said “infinite legal immigration” will “alter the fabric of any place” and asked, “If the law has allowed Frisco's Indian population to go from less than 2% to almost 20% Indian in the last 20 years, turning Frisco into a majority-minority city, is the intent of these work visas bringing Indians to America to support our labor force or to replace it altogether?” YouTube, Tyler Oliveira, [4/5/26, 4/5/26]
- Right-wing streamer Zack Hoyt, known online as Asmongold, said that “what needs to happen” is “denaturalizing citizens,” “removing lawful permanent residents,” and “scaling down the H-1B program by like 95%.” He said he would denaturalize and deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “instantly” and added, “I am not satisfied in the level of aggression and force that they are using to get rid of a lot of these people.” Omar immigrated to the United States as a child and has been a U.S. citizen for over 20 years. YouTube, Asmongold TV, [4/13/26; Politico, 2/3/26]
- Hoyt complained about legal immigration from India specifically, saying, “It's way too fast, way too many.” Hoyt insisted, “The problem is the system that allows these companies to undercut American workers and then get cheap foreign labor and then import them here and then bring their entire family.” He went on to accuse Trump of “selling out the American people” by supporting H-1B visas. YouTube, Asmongold TV, [4/14/26, 4/14/26]
- Podcaster Benny Johnson said “Ilhan Omar’s family” is “a walking advertisement for why we should never take anyone from the Third World into our country ever again.”He complained that a “horrific” and “sick” “experiment” has been “run on us for the last 40 years that you need to flood our nation, that anyone can become an American, that paperwork Americans are just as American as you are. No, doesn't work.” YouTube, *The Benny Show*, [3/22/26]
- Podcaster Vince Coglianese said, “We need a full-blown moratorium on all migration into the United States.” He celebrated data from the Cato Institute finding that Trump has cut legal immigration more than illegal immigration, saying, “Yes, I voted for all of this. And, yes, these are all massive wins.” Coglianese also criticized Congress for extending temporary protected status for Haitians, saying that we need to “purge the ranks of people who would sell us out like this” and falsely labeling Haitian immigrants with TPS as illegal aliens. Rumble, *VINCE*, [4/16/26, 4/16/26]
- Fox host Laura Ingraham said it “drives me crazy” that Republicans voted with Democrats to protect Haitian immigrants in the United States with temporary protected status. Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [4/15/26]
- Blaze TV host Auron MacIntyre said onThe Charlie Kirk Showthat Haitians have a “high propensity toward violence” and “don’t belong in the United States.” MacIntyre railed against extending temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants, saying, “The problem with Haiti, the reason it's dangerous, is because Haitians live there.” Rumble, *The Charlie Kirk Show*, [4/16/26]
- Megyn Kelly said Haitians are continuing to “be rewarded for their illegal law breaking” and that Republicans who voted to extend temporary protected status for Haitians “deserve to be named and shamed.” Kelly said, “They pretend at every turn that there are not Americans who want these jobs. I'm here to tell you there are. There are. I've known and loved some of them. So fuck you and your bullshit excuses, Rep. Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis.” SiriusXM, *The Megyn Kelly Show*, [4/17/26]
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03/04/26 12:18 PM EST
01/30/26 6:13 PM EST
02/06/26
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Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday by doing nearly a dozen interviews with right-wing TV and radio hosts and podcasters. His deep dive into the fever swamp demonstrates the influence the party’s radical commentators have on the modern Republican Party.
Banks, a hard-right culture warrior and 2020 election denier who was barred from a position on the House’s January 6 select committee, used the right-wing media to boost his profile as a member of Congress. He regularly appears on Fox News and promotes the conspiracy theories and obsessions of its stars; his communications director is Fox host Tucker Carlson’s son.
Banks officially announced his campaign during an early morning Fox & Friends hit and ended his day on the network’s prime-time show The Ingraham Angle (his 50th appearance on that program since 2018). In between, he courted Fox heavyweights Sean Hannity and Mark Levin on their radio shows; Newsmax host Sean Spicer; influential podcasters Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, and Vince Coglianese; Salem Radio Network host Hugh Hewitt; and local radio hosts Tony Katz and Rocky Boiman. Articles based on his pre-announcement interviews with National Review and FoxNews.com also published that day.
All day long, Banks’ campaign Twitter feed spewed out promotional clips from his various appearances.
Banks used the series of largely supportive interviews to tout his adherence to fringe-right narratives and conspiracy theories. He highlighted how he is “fighting to keep girls’ sports for girls” with Brian Kilmeade; condemned the “globalist agenda” to Laura Ingraham; bemoaned “wokeism infecting corporate America” with Hannity; recounted how he founded the House’s “first-ever anti-woke caucus” because “wokeism is a cancer” in his interview with Coglianese; and complained about the purported teaching of “critical race theory” in schools with Boiman.
Appearances like these give Banks the opportunity to win over powerful GOP figures and the audiences that trust them. And it shows whose support he prioritizes – hardcore insurrectionists like Bannon and Levin who played key roles in Donald Trump’s scheme to subvert the 2020 election, and anti-vax COVID-19 conspiracy theorists like Kirk and Ingraham.
Banks’ campaign is reveling in the success of this strategy of cozying up to the party’s most volatile figures.
Levin endorsed Banks for Senate during their interview, saying that he “demonstrated that you’re very solid and one of the great leaders in the House” and “would be a great senator.” Banks, in turn, praised Levin – the mastermind of the plot to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to illegally reject electors from key states won by Joe Biden – as “such an important conservative voice in America today."
Banks’ campaign also promoted praise from far-right commentator Jesse Kelly.
GOP Senate candidates steeped in right-wing culture war narratives had a rough time in the 2022 midterms. It remains to be seen whether Indiana’s voters want to be represented by someone laser-focused on loudly talking about girls’ sports while quietly plotting to shred the social safety net.