On her own terms
The Brand Brief 1.27.26: Melania Trump, Sydney Sweeney, Kristi Noem, Abigail Spanberger, Bangor plane crash, Kanye West, Signal groups, and Barack Obama
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…
1,570 words | 7 minute read | Written to be skimmable (13+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Melania’s new film
New Media Voices: Hosts weigh in on MN shooting
Leading FOX: The latest from Minneapolis
Trending and Pouncing: Anti-ICE agitators exposed
What the Right is Writing: Next steps in Minnesota
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
First Lady Melania Trump’s new film hits theaters this week, and her snub of legacy media is notable.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on legacy fashion press, but it’s clear that conservatives are finding success in fashion, culture, and politics through their own channels, in new media, and on their own terms. Melania Trump proves that. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 1/26
Guest reporter James O’Keefe says Signal chats have been used by anti-ICE groups to coordinate types of protests, track license plates, patrol hotels, and establish an “autonomous zone”
Guests Dave Aronberg, MK True Crime host, and Andrew Branca, self-defense legal expert, weigh whether the shooting of Alex Pretti was justified, since Pretti never brandished his firearm, but instead the Sig Sauer may have accidentally discharged
Internal GOP polling shows 60% of independents believe Trump is “too focused” on deportations, while a New York Times poll found 61% of Americans think ICE tactics have “gone too far.”
Border Czar Tom Homan will take over Minnesota operations following allegations that DHS Sec. Kristi Noem is in trouble with the admin
The Ben Shapiro Show - 1/26
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was pepper sprayed and then shot after a potential misfire from his holstered Sig Sauer pistol
Shapiro says Democrats’ rhetoric has intentionally intensified the scene in Minneapolis, saying more deportations occur in red states without issue, and condemning Gov. Tim Walz for comparing the ICE raids to Nazis tracking down Anne Frank
Reports allege that MN State Rep. Alex Falconer is coordinating 700+ person Signal chats to track ICE vehicles and create patrol zones
While remaining in support of ICE’s presence in Minneapolis, Shapiro argues DHS Sec. Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino made unsupported claims about Pretti being a domestic terrorist
The Michael Knowles Show - 1/26
Knowles says Alex Pretti’s death was highly avoidable, saying he’d never used his new concealed carry permit, and resisted arrest while armed, citing Graham v. Connor
Minneapolis is chaotic compared to other cities with ICE raids, Knowles says, because of the political rhetoric of Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Knowles believes the protesters have been so radicalized that they don’t understand the consequences of obstructing law enforcement, referencing Renee Good’s partner asking why the guns had bullets
Cam Higby infiltrated Signal group chats showing coordinated left-wing terrorism with government officials participating
Data shows last year’s national homicide rate dropped to its lowest since 1900, a 125-year record
Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Relatable” - 1/26
Stuckey says the Minneapolis riots match the ones from 2020, as both stemmed from emotional narratives removed from context, and that women are especially susceptible to these stories out of innate needs for social cohesion and tribe acceptance
Referencing how only one in six professors are conservative, Stuckey says college prevents liberals from getting their views challenged
For the first time in history, more men (45%) attend church weekly than women (36%), and white liberal women under 30 have a nearly 60% chance of having been diagnosed with mental illness
Referencing the Garden of Eden, Stuckey says Satan has always used women’s compassion for evil
After Party with Emily Jashinsky - 1/26
Guest and author Michael Malice discusses his emotional eulogy to cartoonist Scott Adams
Border Czar Tom Homan is being sent to replace Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino’s control of Minneapolis, Jashinsky criticizes Bovino for exaggerating Alex Pretti’s motive
Jashinsky warns that while ICE operations are a net positive, they can create excuses to build up a security state, referencing automatic license plate readers and the Patriot Act
Kanye West issues a full-page apology for his bipolar-fueled breakdown
As the Washington Post looks to cut hundreds of employees, Jashinsky argues “veteran journalists” are the ones destroying trust in mass media
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
More than 600,000 Americans are still without power, as another winter storm could hit this weekend
Multiple ICE agents, including Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, are expected to leave Minneapolis as Border Czar Tom Homan arrives, Democrats threaten another shutdown over DHS funding
Democrat strategist James Carville tells Senate hopeful Rep. Jasmine Crockett it’s not smart to bash GOP voters, comedian Bill Maher calls NYC Mayor Mamdani a communist
The RNC confirms a “Trump-a-Palooza” midterm convention
The California Post launched Monday
FOX & Friends
Guest Melania Trump encourages peaceful protests, Trump says progress and cooperation are coming after calls with Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey, Democrats threaten a shutdown over DHS funding, threats against ICE up 8,000%
At least 34 dead from winter storm, Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy expects flights to return to normal tomorrow, guest Gov. Tate Reeves discusses Mississippi power outages
Trump holds a rally in Iowa today to talk affordability and midterms
As the U.S. armada approaches Iran, Trump hasn’t made a decision on air strikes
A 15-year-old Long Island boy is missing after potentially meeting with an online predator
Guest Casey DeSantis says Florida found arsenic in 28 of 46 candies tested
FOX Newsroom
Guests Assistant DHS Sec. Tricia McLaughlin and former DHS Sec. Chad Wolf report on Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino and Border Czar Tom Homan trading places in Minneapolis, threats against ICE agents jumping by 8,000%
Trump heads to Iowa for an affordability rally
Hundred of thousands remain without power across the South due to thick ice across power lines
Six people have been confirmed dead following a plane crash in Bangor, Maine
Rep. Ilhan Omar denies any financial fraud after the DOJ begins investigations into her sudden net worth growth
Guest former Sec. of State Mike Pompeo argues U.S. military pressure against Iran increases the chances of regime change
The shooting suspect who allegedly murdered three tourists in Kissimmee, Florida had a history of mental illness
Thomas Medlin, a 15-year-old Long Island student, has been abducted by an online predator he met on Roblox
The LA Chamber of Commerce is trying to press charges against Sydney Sweeney for hanging bras on the Hollywood Sign
Meta, YouTube and TikTok will be a part of a teen social media addiction trial
Trump weighs a military blockade of Cuba’s oil supply
A study reveals quick naps can help the brain recover, so long as not done shortly before bed
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger considers increasing the state tax rate from 5.75% to 13.8%, despite a $2.7 billion budget surplus
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
Ilhan Omar’s “winery” suspiciously surged in value from practically zero to $5 million in a year — despite NO physical winery, phone line, social media, barely functioning website and *no wine.* [X, Daugherty]
Meet Melinda, a healthcare worker at @VCUHealth. She posted a series of videos encouraging people to inject ICE agents with succinylocholine…go on dates with agents and drug their food. [X, LibsofTikTok]
Leftist rioters just got full on mooned outside the hotel they suspect Greg Bovino’s staying at. [X, Sortor]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Federal appeals court sides with the Trump administration [FOX News]
Anti-ICE agitators arrested outside Minnesota hotel [FOX News]
Trump has ‘very good’ call with Minneapolis Mayor Frey [FOX News]
Breitbart
How CIA Director John Ratcliffe Has Revitalized Spy Agency in President’s First Year Back [Breitbart]
Barack Obama Urges More Protests, Blames Trump after Minneapolis Shooting [Breitbart]
Trump Sending Border Czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to Review ICE Operations [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Mass Deportation by the Numbers [WSJ Ed]
The Golden Age Arrives, if Not as Planned [WSJ Ed]
Democrats Try to Steal Staten Island [WSJ Ed]
Time for ICE to Pause in Minneapolis [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Remote learning is not for the weak — here’s how a day of it went thanks to Mamdani’s no-snow day verdict [NYP]
Trump signs executive order to take over LA’s ‘nightmare’ wildfire rebuild [NYP]
Trump ‘amazed’ Gavin Newsom’s running for president — and issues withering two-word putdown [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Government-Funded Activist Group Teaches Kids US Is ‘Occupied’ Territory and Offers Tips on Dealing With ‘Climate Change Emotions’ [WFB]
The Washington Reporter
Trump Kennedy Center to commemorate past and present anti-Semitism with programming during week of International Holocaust Remembrance Day [Reporter]
The Hill: The Movement
The Movement: Gun rights advocates fume at Trump administration over Minneapolis shooting [The Hill, Emily Brooks]
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