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The Brand Brief 6.16.26: Elon Musk, Ben Stiller, Ellen Page, UFC, Jalen Brunson, B-52, and Obama
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…
1,214 words | 5 minute read | Written to be skimmable (11+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: How the right tunes in
New Media Voices: UFC and Elon Musk
Leading FOX: G7, celebrity reaction to UFC, and Iran
Trending: World Cup and UFC
What the Right is Writing: SPLC, G7, and Obama
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
Show me someone’s news source, and I can show you their politics.
The Pew Research Center’s political typology sorts the country into nine groups, and we examined the four cohorts that make up the majority of Republican voters and looked at their media preferences.
The takeaway from the media crosstabs: FOX News remains king, but emerging alternative voices are expanding their footprint (Pew included 7 right-leaning outlets in their project). Even so, conservative voters still consume a heavy dose of legacy media, including the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) and The Wall Street Journal. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 6/15
Kelly discusses the patriotic significance of the UFC White House fight
She looks into the implications of defamation rulings between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively alongside attorney Bryan Freedman
Kelly critiques the disconnect between actors like Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria and ordinary Americans, following the New York Knicks’ championship win
She makes fun of trans actor Ellen Page’s comments on “healthy masculinity”
Kelly compares the recent peace agreement between the United States and Iran to the previous JCPOA with blogger Glenn Greenwald
The Ben Shapiro Show - 6/16
Shapiro expresses skepticism over the Iranian government’s trustworthiness ahead of President Trump’s peace deal signing
He argues the plans for Iran’s nuclear program and military remain vague, but praises the role of Israel in negotiations as fostered by the Abraham Accords
Shapiro raises concerns about the release of frozen funds to the regime, arguing it could fund terror instead of economic redevelopment
He makes fun of left-wing celebrities counterprogramming the UFC event, and laughs at fighter Josh Hokit calling Michelle Obama a man
The Matt Walsh Show - 6/15
Walsh critiques the recent America250 events, arguing they lack the masculinity and national pride seen in past celebrations
He contrasts between “builders” like Elon Musk and societal leeches, in light of people criticizing him for becoming a trillionaire
Walsh condemns Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s wealthy tax policies as inefficient and detrimental to economic growth, arguing private industry like SpaceX and Tesla create job security better than the government can
He emphasizes the importance of present fathers in the path toward success, contrasting it to the perceived side effects of the Civil Rights movement and LBJ’s social programs
Making the Argument with Nick Freitas - 6/15
Freitas says negative reactions toward Elon Musk’s success, such as from Sens. Adam Schiff and Bernie Sanders, highlights a broader strategy of class warfare that ignores the positive impact of innovation
He argues Musk’s success with SpaceX and Tesla has not only generated immense wealth for himself but also created numerous millionaires
Freitas argues the left’s inconsistency on wealth accumulation undermines their credibility, especially when comparing successful entrepreneurs to political figures like Rep. Nancy Pelosi
He compares the inefficiencies of government spending on programs like broadband to private sector initiatives like Starlink
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
Barack Obama tries to trash the Iran Peace Deal without reading the text, President Trump speaks at G7 ahead of signing on Friday
D-list celebrities run counterprogramming to the UFC White House fight, with Julia Roberts conducting breathing exercises and Robert De Niro claiming you can’t love a country led by Trump
Joe Biden makes a guest appearance on Jay Leno’s YouTube show
Kamala Harris leads Gavin Newsom by double digits in polling
NBA Knicks player Jalen Brunson says he misses tax-free Texas
Young women are living with nuns for cheaper rent
FOX & Friends
President Trump takes questions on Iran and takes lunch live at G7, will meet with the Qatari Emir
The DC, Georgia, and Oklahoma primaries are today, with a socialist as the frontrunner for the next mayor of the U.S. Capital
A B-52 bomber crashed after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, eight likely dead
The FBI disrupted an attempted explosive drone plot at the UFC event
Luigi Mangione, the alleged United Healthcare CEO killer, returns to court
All four Monday World Cup games ended in an even draw
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
President Trump: What a nice looking person! Is he from your country?
UAE President: Absolutely!… Trump: He’s got such a nice way. My people are so mean! A handsome guy, I could put him in a movie right now! [X, Daugherty]
The FBI has busted an explosive drone terror plot that targeted President Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. They planned to blow up explosive-packed drones, and forcing crowds into a “pre-staged sniper team.” [X, Daugherty]
Denver Public Schools Board just voted unanimously to dismiss lgbtq teacher Jennifer Honka after she reportedly made female students kiss each other and graded them on it. [X, LibsofTikTok]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
FBI reveals alleged plot to attack White House UFC event [FOX News]
Trump endorsements on the line again in high-stakes elections [FOX News]
Trump holds meetings at G7 summit after securing Iran deal [FOX News]
Breitbart
Trump at G7: Iran Deal Will Bring ‘A Lot of Success to the World’ [Breitbart]
Trump Confirms Iran Peace Deal Is ‘Complete’, to Be Signed in [Breitbart]
Mauricio Ruffy Quotes John 3:16 Big Win at UFC Freedom 250 [Breitbart]
Obama on Iran: We Can’t ‘Bully Our Way or Bomb Our Way to Solutions’ [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
Trump Stages an Iran Retreat [WSJ Ed]
The Kremlin Strikes a Sacred Site in Kyiv [WSJ Ed]
A GOP Gift to the Cultural Left [WSJ Ed]
Rhode Island Joins the Tax Race to the Top [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
SPLC boss funneled $1.2 million to lover in neo-Nazi group — pair even had joint bank account [NYP]
DC mayoral candidate and Mamdani wannabe employs fan-girl of accused killer Luigi Mangione [NYP]
‘Biased’ Apple, Google, MSN, Yahoo news apps rely on lefty media outlets to slant GOP midterms: survey [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Mamdani’s New York City Had a Riot and Barely Anyone Noticed [WFB]
Washington Reporter
President Donald Trump gets bipartisan backup for Abraham Accords expansion [Reporter]
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