It's gonna be a party, and (almost) everyone is invited
The Brand Brief 12.17.25: AmericaFest, Brown University, Venezuela, Sydney Sweeney, Trump Jr., Rob Reiner, and “Appeal to Heaven”
Actionable media intel to keep you ahead: The Brand Brief delivers a daily snapshot of the conservative media ecosystem - FOX News, podcasts, and more. | Brought to you by On Brand Strategies | Written by Carly Moran and Nathan Brand
📣 Driving the Conversation…
1,384 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (13+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: AmericaFest and Charlie Kirk’s legacy
New Media Voices: Candace Owens, Brown University, LA terror plot
Leading FOX: Latest from Brown and Bondi
Trending and Pouncing: Melania takes the stage
What the Right is Writing: Donald Trump Jr. and Venezuela
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
Charlie Kirk will be remembered for uniting factions of conservative media.
That legacy - and the full force of conservative media - will be on display this weekend during TPUSA’s AmericaFest. The biggest names in the ecosystem - legacy and new media - will be gathered in Phoenix for a four-day event beginning Thursday. For those old-timers in the movement, AmericaFest feels like CPAC back in the day.
AmericaFest is a fitting capstone to the year that tested the movement and the people who power it. - NRB
I would love to hear your feedback - survey here. Thank you!
🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 12/16
Kelly condemns anyone who assumed she was complicit in the Erika Kirk-Candace Owens drama, explaining her hours of work to facilitate their private meeting in Nashville
While Kelly argues the Vanity Fair interview was a dumb idea, criticizing Susie Wiles’ responses, the Ruthless guests say the context is twisted, and that VP Vance has handled it positively
Nick Reiner, Rob and Michele Reiner’s son, has been charged for their murder following a loud argument at Conan O’Brien’s party
More than 72 hours after the Brown University shooting, the gunman remains at large with conflicting reports by city and college officials
The Benny Show - 12/17
Johnson promotes his upcoming appearance at TPUSA’s AmericaFest, which is expected to have 30,000 people in attendance
An elderly Target employee was harassed by a healthcare worker for wearing a Charlie Kirk Freedom shirt
Guest General Michael Flynn shares his experience hosting an event at Mar-a-Lago, where a WW2 veteran called Trump “president of the world”
Johnson says Brown University may be potentially hiding evidence in the shooting investigation
Guest Rep. Chip Roy discusses an Afghan national threatening to car bomb Texans, the rising national Muslim population
Guest Sen. Ron Johnson expresses his frustration over the Biden admin hiding Mar-a-Lago raid documents
The Ben Shapiro Show - 12/16
The DOJ foiled the radical Turtle Island Liberation Front’s terror plot to detonate IEDs in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve
Shapiro criticizes Australian PM Anthony Albanese for prioritizing more extreme gun laws rather than addressing the root cause: targeting Jews in the name of radical Islam
Nick Reiner, Rob and Michele Reiner’s son, has been charged for their murder after a heated argument at Conan O’Brien’s party and a history of addiction
Shapiro highlights progress in Ukraine peace talks, and Chile’s election of conservative leader José Antonio Kast
The Michael Knowles Show - 12/16
The FBI prevented multiple Los Angeles New Year’s Eve bombings orchestrated by the radical pro-Palestine group, the Turtle Island Liberation Front
Knowles argues radical leftists and Islamists are united by shared enemies: the West, Christianity, and America
Early reports in the Brown University shooting investigation suggest College Republicans VP Ella Cook was targeted, “Allahu Akbar” was shouted, and that local police have severely mishandled the search for the gunman
Knowles references the viral Compact Magazine essay by Jacob Savage, which covers how DEI policies discriminate against white men’s chances at success
Knowles criticizes establishment Republicans for ignoring how Zoomers can’t even afford to buy Christmas presents
Knowles mocks the USA Today article labeling the historic “Appeal to Heaven” flag as a Christian nationalist symbol
Timcast IRL - 12/16
Candace Owens’ response video to her meeting with Erika Kirk faced harsh backlash by her own fans, claiming she’s a sellout to TPUSA. While still criticizing “shady characters” at TPUSA, Owens did insinuate Tyler Robinson is Charlie Kirk’s killer
Trump sanctions Venezuelan oil, says he has a big announcement to the American public Wednesday evening
Guests Army vet Graham Allen, poker legend Mike Matusow, producer Ian Crossland, and singer Phil Labonte share stories of threats to conservative media
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
A look inside the FOX editorial decision-making…
The Five
Rhode Island, Brown University officials mishandle shooting investigation as unknown suspect remains at large
Brown University President Christina Paxson says there is no footage of the shooter inside the building, lies about any pages being scrubbed from the college website
As Axios reports Kamala Harris is weighing a 2028 run, the former VP says “both parties have failed”
Congressman Tim Burchett hosts his annual 15-minute Christmas party
FOX & Friends
President Trump to address the nation tonight at 9 p.m. ET
Providence PD and the FBI still have not identified a gunman in the Brown University shooting investigation, a nuclear fission MIT professor was murdered in his own home just days later
Trial of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan, who helped an illegal migrant evade ICE in court, enters Day 3
In response to the Vanity Fair article, VP Vance says Chief of Staff Susie Wiles always has Trump’s back during his Pennsylvania speech
Youth sports participation has rapidly declined in recent years
Melania Trump releases the first trailer for her documentary, releasing in theatres on January 30th
Guest Rep. Jim Jordan speaks ahead of Biden DOJ leader Jack Smith’s hearing
FOX Newsroom
New FBI video timeline shows shooting suspect weaving around neighborhood before Brown University attack
An MIT professor was shot to death in his Boston home, just one hour from Brown University
In the wake of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration attack, Patriots CEO Robert Kraft is interviewed on the rise in antisemetic attacks since Oct 7th
DC attorney Jeanine Pirro talks about the U.S. unsealing the warrant to attack the Venezuelan oil tanker
VP Vance touts the Trump admin’s fiscal wins in Pennsylvania
Guest actor Rob Schneider speaks in support of Rob Reiner, after son Nick Reiner has been charged with his parents’ murder
An aggressive flu strain, the H3N2 variant, is spreading across the country
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
MELANIA, the film, exclusively in theaters worldwide on January 30th, 2026 [X, Trump]
Police are investigating a woman who harassed a target employee for wearing a Charlie Kirk freedom shirt. FAFO. [X, Libs of TikTok]
Harvard officials are secretly investigating two students over their roles in drawing scrutiny to the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and the school’s former president, Larry Summers [X, Schmidt]
Nearly every Democrat voted AGAINST a bill to prevent migrant children from being placed with sponsors who have criminal histories [X, Libs of TikTok]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump to tout accomplishments in primetime address [FOX News]
Venezuela ‘completely surrounded’ as Trump orders blockade [FOX News]
Jack Smith to face House lawmakers in deposition [FOX News]
Breitbart
Brown U. Manhunt Mystery: ‘Fewer, If Any’ Cameras in Area Where Shooting Occurred [Breitbart]
Rob Reiner Son Nick Reiner Has Been Charged with Murder [Breitbart]
Marlow: Rob Reiner Tried to Destroy Trump’s Life [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Can Congress Finally Reform NEPA? [WSJ Ed]
Where Are Those Manufacturing Jobs? [WSJ Ed]
Europe Wakes Itself Up on Defense [WSJ Ed]
ISIS Rears Its Head Once More [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
IRS whistleblowers tell ‘Pod Force One’ of ‘unprecedented’ corruption swept ‘under rug’ by Hunter Biden pardon [NYP]
Eerie video shows Nick Reiner calmly strolling near parents’ home hours before gruesome murders [NYP]
Sydney Sweeney, Scooter Braun cozy up at ‘The Housemaid’ premiere [NYP]
Donald Trump Jr. proposed to Bettina Anderson at Camp David [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Kansas Senate Candidate Names His Political Inspiration: A Black Panther ‘Soldier’ Working To Destroy the American ‘Empire’ [WFB]
NEED HELP NAVIGATING CONSERVATIVE MEDIA?
On Brand Strategies would love to help you navigate the conservative media ecosystem. Learn more at OnBrandStrategies.com, or connect with Nathan (Nathan@OnBrandStrategies.com) and Carly (Carly@OnBrandStrategies.com).
