“Nate is posting b***s***”
The Brand Brief 4.7.26: Elon Musk, Iran deadlines, Megan Rapinoe, Michele Tafoya, Abdul El-Sayed, Abigail Spanberger, and JD Vance
Actionable media intel: 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…
1,484 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (12+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Who really matters on X?
New Media Voices: Rescue missions and Easter reflections
Leading FOX: Iran, Hasan Piker, and Jamie Dimon
Trending: California fraud
What the Right is Writing: Complete Demolition
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
X erupted this weekend over Nate Silver’s graphic alleging a disproportionate conservative influence on the platform.
The Head of Product at X debunked Silver’s fuzzy math, and Elon Musk bluntly replied: “Nate is posting b***s***.” The statistician’s methodology seems flawed on its face (clearly missing huge left-wing accounts), but Silver was right about two points:
First, those “clippers,” like Eric Daugherty and Libs of TikTok, wield massive influence over the conservative media conversation.
Second, X’s external friction is real - The Brand Brief draws more traffic from LinkedIn than X.
Bottom line: To understand the flow of conservative media, watch the “clippers.” We track them in our Trending section for a reason. - NRB
What do you think of The Brand Brief? Let us know.
🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 4/6
Kelly praised the military’s “made for a movie” rescue mission of a pilot in Iran, and her hope for the troops to come home soon
Guest Emily Jashinsky analyzes President Trump’s in-character warning to Iran via Truth Social
Kelly criticizes soccer player Megan Rapinoe’s perspective on trans athletes in women’s sports
She further criticizes the feminizing of boys and deconstruction of traditional gender roles by Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Jashinsky undergoes a “special makeover” by Kelly’s team, sparking a broader discussion on appearance in media
The Ben Shapiro Show - 4/6
Shapiro calls the rescue of a downed F-15E weapons system officer the “most remarkable rescue operation in military history”
He criticizes “brain dead friends on X” and Tucker Carlson, for “openly rooting against America,” spreading “ignorant nonsense” about alleged war crimes
The mission involved elite special operations forces, airpower, and a CIA deception plan, Shapiro contrasts this to Iran’s propaganda
He condemns Candace Owens’ “satanic Zionists” conspiracy theories and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s perceived hypocrisy
Dallas Sonnier, Daily Wire film director, explains their new movie starring controversial actor Jonathan Majors
The Michael Knowles Show - 4/6
Knowles explains the religious symbolism of the fighter pilot getting shot down on Good Friday and being rescued Easter Sunday
He criticizes how Iranian General Qassem Soleimani’s relatives, just deported, gained entry under Joe Biden and Barack Obama
President Trump’s controversial Easter tweet is described as humorous but effective at negotiating
Knowles notes a cultural resurgence of Christianity, exemplified by Zohran Mamdani’s revised Easter tweet, Google’s first Easter-themed doodle in 26 years, and an unexpected increase in conversions to Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity among young people
He praises Gen Z women’s growing preference for traditional roles while critiquing extreme comments by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife
The Benny Show - 4/6
Johnson celebrates the F-15E pilot rescue mission, explaining how the operator evaded capture for days by hiking 7,000 feet in mountainous terrain with a broken ankle, and drones attacked Iranian search parties
Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos built a makeshift airstrip in the desert, assembled helicopters, and extracted him under heavy enemy fire
Guests YouTuber Brandon Herrera and Rep. Eli Crane lauded the mission as a testament to America’s “leave no man behind” ethos
Johnson and Herrera also discuss priorities like lowering gas prices and housing costs
After Party with Emily Jashinsky - 4/6
Jashinsky is joined by Michele Tafoya, four-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and former NFL sideline reporter to discuss her campaign for senator of Minnesota
They discuss a new protest on Easter Sunday outside the church Don Lemon stormed, Tim Walz’s radical “No Kings” speech, and Megan Rapinoe ripping the Olympics’ new policy to protect women’s sports
Guest Tom Bevan of RealClearPolitics talks about President Trump’s Iran news conference, what the midterms are looking like
Jashinsky reflects on Savannah Guthrie’s Easter message in the wake of her mother’s disappearance, how the media misinterpreted her point
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
President Trump gives a deadline of Tuesday evening for Iran, explains the “no American left behind” mentality in rescuing the downed pilot
Democrats are pivoting away from their progressive 2020 positions as they look toward affordability for midterm messaging
The official Democrat X account cropped Biden out of a photo of the Obama White House Easter
SNL makes an off-color joke about Trump getting assassinated
“Friends” star Lisa Kudrow says modern sitcoms aren’t funny anymore
FOX & Friends
Trump calls today’s ultimatum “bridge and power plant day,” threatening to wipe out Iran’s infrastructure if a deal isn’t cut by 8 p.m., plans to meet with NATO Sec. General Mark Rutte
The rescue mission to save a downed pilot used 155 aircraft, the soldier evaded capture for 48 hours by hiking with a broken ankle
The Artemis II crew spoke to Trump live, lunar flyby took six hours
Guest Michigan senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed explains his choice to hold a rally with Hasan Piker, who defended 9/11
ICE arrests a dead Iranian commander’s family living large in Los Angeles
An American woman is missing abroad after her husband says she fell into the water on their Bahamas trip
VP JD Vance speaks live from Hungary
FOX Newsroom
NASA shares the first photo of the far side of the moon, names a moon crater after one astronaut’s deceased wife
Tonight at 8 p.m. is the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, over a dozen Iranian protesters have been executed
The CIA spread false information to aid in the rescue of the downed F-15E pilot, A-10C warthogs used, a former Vietnam pilot explains what it’s like to be shot down behind enemy lines
American woman Karli Aylesworth is missing after reportedly going overboard in the Bahamas
Michigan senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is holding a rally with socialist streamer Hasan Piker
Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s tax hikes will create a business exodus out-of-state
VP JD Vance spoke in Hungary on the overnight strikes on Kharg Island
VA Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s popularity drops after campaigning as a moderate, immediately implementing radical policy
The feds arrest the niece and grand-niece of Iranian General Soleimani in Los Angeles
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
EARTHSET. April 6, 2026. [X, White House]
Newsom’s wife wants to use government to stop boys from becoming right-wing [X, dreamer]
Trump calls into rally where Vance is speaking at in Hungary [X, Daugherty]
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows boasts about kicking Trump off the ballot [X, LibsOfTikTok]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump’s ‘final’ deadline for Iran to make a deal is just hours away [FOX News]
Artemis II crew reports ‘interesting observation’ after Moon flyby [FOX News]
Mamdani unveils new ‘racial equity plan’ and gets brutal wakeup call from Trump’s DOJ [FOX News]
Breitbart
Deadline Day: Trump Warns Iran of ‘Complete Demolition’ [Breitbart]
Ceasefire Could Be Today After Vance in Overnight Talks With Iran [Breitbart]
Trump: Media Leak Alerted Iran to Missing Airman, Threatens Jail [Breitbart]
Behind Enemy Lines: U.S. Executes ‘One of the Most Challenging, Complex Missions in Special Ops History’ to Save Airman [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Trump’s Ultimatum Target List in Iran [WSJ Ed]
The Farm Labor Shortfall Bites [WSJ Ed]
Jamie Dimon Warns on Private Credit [WSJ Ed]
New York’s Sneak Tax Attack [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Lefty ‘anti-war’ candidate once defended ‘urinating’ on dead Taliban, called war ‘the most enjoyable experience’ [NYP]
Explicit instructions Savannah Guthrie’s ‘Today’ co-hosts were given ahead of her return revealed [NYP]
‘Sicko’ illegal migrant accused of kidnapping 4-year-old girl from Long Island laundromat arrested [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
On Defense Spending, a New York Times Double Standard [WFB]
Washington Reporter
President Trump on how Operation Epic Fury and strong jobs reports give him leverage ahead of his China visit [Reporter]
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