The wedge that doesn't exist
The Brand Brief 4.8.26: Jennifer Newsom, CIA tools, Abdul El-Sayed, 25th Amendment, Artemis II, Zohran Mamdani, and Lawrence O'Donnell
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…
1,384 words | 6 minute read | Written to be skimmable (11+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Where conservatives are on Iran
New Media Voices: Iran and Jennifer Newsom
Leading FOX: Negotiations with Iran, and Abdul El-Sayed
Trending: Leave no man behind
What the Right is Writing: The art of the deal
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
Legacy outlets lack a balanced conservative media diet.
Axios claims “Trump’s MAGA media wall” is collapsing, while NBC and Status highlight outliers opposed to the Iran strategy. However, disgruntled figures like Tucker and MTG reflect neither the actual views of Republican voters nor the conservative media landscape.
The conservative media ecosystem remains unified. With few exceptions, leading voices at The Daily Wire (Shapiro and Knowles) and The Blaze (Beck and Wheeler) support the effort. Influential hosts, including Dan Bongino, Steven Crowder, Andrew Kolvet, and Trish Regan, back the President alongside the FOX News opinion roster. Even hosts like Megyn Kelly and Matt Walsh, while vocally skeptical of the Iran policy, remain generally supportive of the President.
Legacy media is desperate to find a wedge between Republican voters and President Trump. They thought Iran was the breaking point; it isn’t. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 4/7
Kelly and guest Glenn Greenwald analyze President Trump’s “civilization will die tonight” warning toward Iran, critiquing his rhetoric for its risk of miscommunication and saying it’s influenced by neoconservative factions of MAGA
Kelly argues Trump has shifted from freeing the people of Iran to destroying their country, and that he is focusing on foreign policy this year while 2025’s focus was more domestic
She reflects on Tucker Carlson’s strongest message against the president yet
The Ben Shapiro Show - 4/7
Shapiro defends the concept of American exceptionalism through the lens of Artemis II and recent military operations
He criticizes commentators against intervention like Tucker Carlson, Tim Dillon, and Megyn Kelly, saying their views would surrender power to China and Russia
Shapiro explains the president’s strategy behind his strongly worded Truth Social threat, how the military is conducting preliminary strikes on roadways
He touches on the NYC Racial Equity Plan and recent congressional polling
The Matt Walsh Show - 4/7
Walsh asserts American politics is experiencing profound disillusionment, criticizing billionaires like Ken Griffin for their outsized influence on American politics particularly his pro-mass immigration stance
He criticizes TX Gov. Greg Abbott for promoting H-1B visas for Indian workers, which Walsh argues enables companies like Oracle and Amazon to displace American workers and alters the demographics of communities
He praises the public faith of Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover
Walsh condemns single women’s “wedding-like” milestone birthday parties as a narcissistic attempt to deconstruct sacred institutions
The Isabel Brown Show - 4/7
Brown critiques Jennifer Newsom’s parenting methods, which involve giving sons dolls and altering book pronouns
Newsom expressed concerns in the past about her sons’ exposure to “radical dangerous masculinity,” seeks to limit their internet access to influence their worldview
Brown criticizes Newsom’s advocacy for proposed legislation to suppress online content deemed “alt-right extremism” as a push for censorship and government control over information
Jennifer Newsom has also described “red state culture” as inherently racist, sexist, and bigoted
Louder with Crowder - 4/7
Crowder emphasizes the distinction between the oppressive Iranian regime and the Iranian people
He asserts President Trump’s controversial Truth Social post is a strategic negotiation tactic designed to deter aggression
Crowder decries the inconsistent standards applied to political rhetoric and calls for Trump’s removal via the 25th Amendment
He debunks conspiracy theories regarding Charlie Kirk, and condemns an SNL star’s joke about assassinations. He also reviews the history of American voting
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
The panel prepares for the 8 p.m. deadline to make a deal with Iran
Gavin Newsom’s wife is using her first lady position to promote woke beliefs on gender
The Obama presidential library requires ID to receive free admission
Four people are charged in a New York City homeless shelter scam
Some employers are holding week-long working “trials” rather than traditional job interviews
FOX & Friends
Last night’s last-minute ceasefire agreement will allow the U.S. and allies to move through the Strait of Hormuz for the two week ceasefire
American journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed from capture in Iraq
The daughter of the missing woman in the Bahamas is interviewed, says her stepdad had a history of domestic abuse
Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for the Michigan Senate, defends his choice to ally with Hasan Piker, a streamer who says America deserved 9/11
President Trump will host NATO Sec. General Mark Rutte today
Artemis II makes it first call to the International Space Station
War Sec. Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine give live updates on the ceasefire at the Pentagon, say Trump chose “mercy”
FOX Newsroom
President Trump confirms a two-week ceasefire amid talks on a 10-point deal with Iran, Israel hits Lebanon
Sec. of State Marco Rubio meets live with NATO Sec. General Mark Rutte
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed refuses to disavow ally Hasan Piker’s comments justifying 9/11
Lynette Hooker, American woman, is missing in the Bahamas after allegedly falling off the side of a boat
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani ties racial equity to poverty
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
Cory “Spartacus” Booker’s wife Alexis posted this cringe video talking about his 25 hour filibuster saying she was afraid he was gonna “die.” [X, Guest]
US Gen. Dan Caine on Iran war: We consumed more than 950,000 gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks, and a lot of nicotine — but I am not saying that we have a problem! [X, Daugherty]
While everyone is talking about Gavin Newsom’s ‘California high-speed rail project’ thanks to 60 Minutes reporting, remember over $800 million American taxpayer dollars were spent to not work on the California High Speed Rail [X, Wall Street Apes]
The City of Boise, Idaho, has decided to wrap poles with the Pride colors after they were forced to remove Pride flags under state law. [X, LibsofTikTok]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump makes bold prediction after Iran ceasefire agreement [FOX News]
NASA shifts playbook as Artemis II nears return [FOX News]
Friend weighs in as American woman goes missing in the Bahamas [FOX News]
Breitbart
Ceasefire: Trump Hails ‘Golden Age of the Middle East’ [Breitbart]
Trump, Iran Agree to Two-Week Ceasefire [Breitbart]
Iran Threatens Gulf Strikes to Deprive U.S. and Allies of Oil ‘For Years’ [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
JD Vance Stars in Our Man in Budapest [WSJ Ed]
The U.N. Offers No Help on Hormuz [WSJ Ed]
The Democratic Race to the Left [WSJ Ed]
The Allies Are Doing Better on Defense [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
The secret, never-before-used CIA tool that helped find airman downed in Iran: ‘If your heart is beating, we will find you’ [NYP]
Rudy Giuliani tells ‘Pod Force One’ about RICO case he had prepared for ‘point man’ Joe Biden [NYP]
Stellar Artemis II photos taken with old-model Nikon worth about $1,000: ‘Proven technology’ [NYP]
How young Americans like Calla Walsh and Ilhan Omar’s daughter are being radicalized by communist nonprofit [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
‘Corrupting Our Entire Politics’: Michigan’s El-Sayed, Campaigning Alongside Anti-American Streamer Hasan Piker, Suggests US Lawmakers Only Support ‘Genocidal’ Iran War Because of AIPAC [WFB]
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