The dancing frogs
The Brand Brief 2.25.26: President Trump, Ilhan Omar, Team USA, Joy Reid, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Iryna Zarutska, and Mike Johnson
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…
1,392 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (12+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: The loony left
New Media Voices: Praise for Trump, clips of the unhinged libs
Leading FOX: State of the Union, Guthrie, and Team USA
Trending: Powerful moments from SOTU
What the Right is Writing: The Golden Age
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
In a State of the Union speech marked by powerful moments and “USA!” chants, President Trump outlined a clear midterm vision. His address earned widespread and well-deserved praise on the right.
But the real takeaway for conservative media was the left’s complete meltdown. Dancing frogs. Ilhan Omar screaming. Democrats refusing to stand for Americans. The giraffe costume guy. Joy Reid singing.
Conservative media is gleefully “pouncing” on the loony left’s most unhinged moments from Tuesday night. - NRB
I would love to hear your feedback - survey here. Thank you!
🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Dan Bongino Show - 2/25
Bongino and guest Rep. Eli Crane dissect the top moments from President Trump’s State of the Union speech, discusses how many Americans only get their news through soundbites
Bongino tells anyone criticizing Erika Kirk to stop, thanks the president for inviting her to the address
CA Gov. Gavin Newsom and AOC are hardly frontrunners in the Democrat 2028 race
Rep. Crane discusses how Bongino had an open-door policy with members of Congress if they had a national security concern, prays for careful decisions made over Iran
The Ben Shapiro Show - 2/25
Shapiro praised President Trump’s strategy of encouraging the audience to applaud or stand over common-sense issues
He argues Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar’s shrieking and explicit pins will make for great campaign ad material for Republicans
Trump, using his media instincts, focused on descriptors of each gallery guest, causing the Democrats to rudely sit during emotional, heroic moments
Shapiro mocked the performative signs in the audience, and alternative events like VA Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s rebuttal or the “People’s State of the Union,” which featured frog costumes and Joy Reid singing
The Michael Knowles Show - 2/25
Knowles described President Trump’s State of the Union as one of his best speeches, and was the longest in U.S. history
Despite Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraging people to “be normal,” hecklers and awkward alternative events made for great social media fodder
Knowles’ favorite moments included Trump saying “these people are crazy,” Omar and Tlaib refusing to stand for released hostages, and many Democrats refusing to stand for the US hockey team or against political violence
Trump’s gallery guests framed Republicans as the champions of the innocent and normalcy, Knowles argues
Knowles argues Trump’s speech served as a good reminder of how bad things were under Democrats before midterms season
Timcast IRL - 2/24
The panel mocks the concurrent Democrat-run “People’s State of the Union,” where speakers like Sen. Chris Murphy and Joy Reid talked about white Christian nationalism and ICE with awkward delivery
Pool and the team hold a State of the Union watch party, emphasizing the length of President Trump’s speech and how the country can never go back to how it was before
Major points of praise include the men’s hockey team, multiple medal and Purple Heart recipients, major drops in cost of living and crime, Angel Family stories, TrumpRx and Trump Accounts
Trump blames Democrats for open borders, inflation, high crime, and fentanyl trafficking
The panel expresses admiration for Trump’s stamina at 80, the patriotic tone and military honors, while mocking absent Democrats and sour faces
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
Team USA men’s hockey joined President Trump at the Oval Office before the State of the Union, teases it could be his longest speech
Savannah Guthrie increases the reward for her mother to $1 million
Democrats say they’re skipping the State of the Union, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells his party members to sit in “defiant silence”
A CNN guest called the families of those killed by illegal immigrants “so-called angel moms”
FOX & Friends
As President Trump placed emphasis on a return to a golden age, VA Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger questioned affordability messaging
The shelter in place in Puerto Vallarta has been lifted following riots by the cartel after their drug lord was killed by the government
AG Pam Bondi is interviewed on Iryna Zarutska’s mother attending the State of the Union address, shames Democrats for not standing in support
The Guthrie family is now offering a $1 million reward in the search for their mother
Guest Sen. Tim Scott reacts to the State of the Union, gives updates as the NRSC chairman on Senate midterm races
A mob attacked a police cruiser with an officer still inside during an illegal Maryland street takeover
A south Florida wildfire in the Everglades has exploded to 25,000 acres
Meredith Gaudreau shares how the Team USA men’s hockey team honored her late husband on the ice
FOX Newsroom
As President Trump focused on economic wins and domestic security, Reps. Tim Burchett, Brandon Gill, and Kat Cammack react to Democrats who heckled from the audience, former Bernie Sanders advisor Faiz Shakir defends their actions
Trump honored the gold-winning Team USA men’s hockey players at the White House and State of the Union
As the War in Ukraine enters its fifth year, President Zelenskyy is interviewed saying they are not obstructing a peace deal
Kamala Harris says she “might” run in 2028
Trump looks to pass Delilah’s Law, which would ensure illegal immigrants can’t receive a commercial driver’s license
VP JD Vance is interviewed live on how Democrats stayed sitting even for American heroes, the outlook for midterms, how he’ll lead on fraud, the admin’s vision on Iran, and progress with Ukraine
Everest Nevraumont, an 11-year-old student, is interviewed on getting to meet First Lady Melania Trump and using AI in school
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
Democrats refused to stand when Trump called for justice for Iryna Zarutska after she was needlessly murdered by a career criminal in North Carolina [X, Libs of TikTok]
Donald Trump asks all Congress reps at the State of the Union to agree with this statement, ‘The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegals.’ Not a single Democrat agrees. [X, Wall Street Apes]
Even CBS admitted Democrats made themselves look like FOOLS last night at the State of the Union. “They can’t even applaud basic, common sense things!” [X, Sortor]
Mike Johnson explains why he didn’t eject Dems over “shameful” behavior during Trump’s address: “I thought it would be better for the American people to see the shame that they were bringing upon themselves.” [X, Cohen]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump celebrates ‘turnaround for the ages’ in State of the Union [FOX News]
Trump shatters record with historic SOTU speech [FOX News]
5 unforgettable moments from Trump’s address [FOX News]
Breitbart
Trump Hails Golden Age: USA ’Bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before’ [Breitbart]
President Trump Addresses Nation at Pivotal Time [Breitbart]
‘CODE RED:’ Inside the Left’s 2026 Strategy to Weaponize AI Job Loss Fears [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Who’s in Charge at the FDA? [WSJ Ed]
It’s a Miracle: A Cheap Pentagon Missile [WSJ Ed]
Beijing’s Trade War Against Japan [WSJ Ed]
Russia’s Shadow War With Europe [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Tim Cook ‘lied through his teeth’ about bringing iPhone production to US, trade adviser tells ‘Pod Force One’ [NYP]
The tactic Savannah Guthrie is using with $1M reward for mom Nancy’s safe return: experts [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Pride and Petulance: Trump Touts American Triumph as Democrats Seethe [WFB]
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