Why this is the book to beat
The Brand Brief 2.24.26: Gavin Newsom, Jack Hughes, State of the Union, Tucker Carlson, Charlamagne tha God, Alysa Liu, Zohran Mamdani, Ben Sasse, and Nancy Guthrie
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…
1,478 words | 7 minute read | Written to be skimmable (13+ hours of media covered in The Brand Brief)
What Matters: Monitoring Democrat book buzz
New Media Voices: The Jack Hughes fan club
Leading FOX: Zohran Mamdani, State of the Union, and Team USA
Trending: Those Newsom clips
What the Right is Writing: Mexico cartels and the State of the Union
✍️ WHAT MATTERS AND WHERE WE’RE GOING…
Nathan’s quick take on where we’re headed…
Gavin Newsom’s book launches today.
I’m not in the prediction business, but my November piece is holding up well: “Why Democrat book buzz is the Right’s favorite fuel.” Newsom led Democrats in online political conversation in 2025 and is poised to do so again in 2026. Part of the reason: his team is unfazed by - and even relishes - the ridiculous and inappropriate moments on the book tour. As they say, all press is good press.
Democrats Josh Shapiro, Andy Beshear, Kamala Harris, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, and Raphael Warnock have released, or are preparing, books and tours of their own. But can any of them kick up a media storm to compete with Newsom? When it comes to online conversation and conservative media buzz, he’s still the one to beat. - NRB
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🎙️ NEW MEDIA VOICES
The Megyn Kelly Show - 2/23
The U.S. men’s hockey team won their first gold since 1980, with a winning gold by Jack Hughes in overtime
The team gave tribute to their late teammate Johnny Gaudreau and his brother who were killed in a car accident, President Trump invited the team to the State of the Union
Kelly praises Alysa Liu for winning the first American women’s individual figure skating gold in 24 years, her love of “the struggle”
Kelly contrasts the patriotism of the hockey team and viewers across America with the HuffPost’s article saying it’s normal to feel shame for cheering for Team USA due to Trump’s policies
The Ben Shapiro Show - 2/23
Shapiro celebrates the U.S. Men’s Hockey Olympic gold medal win over Canada, praising Jack Hughes’ patriotism and noting President Trump’s congratulatory call
He details a thwarted assassination attempt on President Trump at Mar-a-Lago involving an intruder with a shotgun and gasoline
Shapiro analyzes the Mexican military’s killing of a top cartel leader, attributing the crackdown to heightened U.S. pressure
He condemns Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Mike Huckabee concerning Israel; guest The Free Press journalist Eli Lake discusses rumors of tension between Trump’s orbit and Carlson
He mocks California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s remarks on SAT scores and AOC’s complaints about her Munich appearance
The Michael Knowles Show - 2/23
Knowles celebrates the US Men’s Hockey Olympic gold medal win over Canada, highlighting Jack Hughes’ patriotic comments
He analyzes a debate between Mike Huckabee and Tucker Carlson regarding Israel, arguing political defenses of the country should rely on international law rather than solely biblical claims
Knowles discusses the Supreme Court striking down President Trump’s tariffs, noting the ideological split among conservative justices and Trump’s subsequent move to increase tariffs
There was another assassination attempt against Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Knowles critiques hypocrisy regarding strict ID requirements for NYC snow shovelers compared to lax voter laws
Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Relatable” - 2/23
Stuckey analyzes recent violent tragedies involving transgender individuals, linking the behavior to fatherlessness and affirming gender confusion in children
She covers the continued fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files, noting high-profile figures resigning due to associations with him
Stuckey criticizes the baby product brand Frida Baby for using inappropriate sexual innuendos on their marketing materials
She highlights a clip of former Sen. Ben Sasse discussing his terminal cancer diagnosis, showcasing his profound Christian hope in the face of death
📺 LEADING FOX NEWS
The Five
FBI Director Kash Patel celebrates Team USA’s victory by drinking with the men’s hockey team, President Trump invites the team to the State of the Union, HuffPost says it’s okay to not feel patriotic about the Olympics
AOC tries to deflect the blame for her subpar Munich performance
California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims he got a 960 SAT score, cannot read in an attempt to be relatable
After the US and Mexico killed a top drug lord, Jalisco is under siege by the cartel
Mayor Zohran Mamdani initially claimed you need five forms of ID to get paid to shovel snow for New York City, still requires two
A man named “John Barron” impersonated President Trump during a C-SPAN prank call about the Supreme Court tariffs decision
FOX & Friends
Trump is expected to discuss affordability with approval ratings similar to other second presidential terms, special guests include the Team USA men’s hockey team, the Artemis II flight crew, Jimmy Lai’s daughter, and Nick Shirley
The White House hosted angel families yesterday, those who lost loved ones to violence committed by illegal immigrants
Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt is interviewed on Americans stuck in Mexico after a top drug lord was killed
Despite the DHS funding lapse, TSA PreCheck is still functioning
Team USA hockey players Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin share their love for their deceased teammate Johnny Gaudreau, the power of patriotism
Today marks four years since the start of the War in Ukraine
Sen. Tom Cotton discusses the increased military presence in Iran, peace talks expected to resume in Geneva on Thursday
Another early spring blizzard hit this weekend, causing continued flight delays and 11,252 cancellations
YouTube is being accused of addictive algorithms today in the Los Angeles social media trial
FOX Newsroom
Savannah Guthrie posts a new video message offering a $1 million reward, the doorbell photos appear to be from different days
The Team USA men’s hockey team will attend the affordability-focused State of the Union, but dozens of Democrats are boycotting the speech, DNC Chair Ken Martin responds
An anonymous American tourist is interviewed as he shelters in place in Puerto Vallarta as the cartel raids the city after their drug lord was killed
New England is still recovering from multiple feet of snow
🍿 TRENDING AND POUNCING
Tomorrow’s news today…
Charlamagne says “Gavin Newsom don’t stand a f—ing chance” of becoming president. [X, Cohen]
Gavin Newsom is facing calls to resign his office because his elderly parole program is about to dump a convicted child abuser into the community. Sacramento Sheriff: “How is it okay to let him out?!” [X, Daugherty]
The father of the boy who spoke out against Muslims handing out Sharia Law pamphlets, Hijabs, and Qurans in a Texas school also speaks out. [X, Wall Street Apes]
USA men’s hockey team singing the star spangled banner. This is the most American thing you will see. [X, LibsofTikTok]
🗞️ WHAT THE RIGHT IS WRITING
FOX News Digital
Trump makes the economy the main event in SOTU with new cost steps [FOX News]
Source drops bombshell revelation about Nancy Guthrie doorbell video [FOX News]
Slain drug kingpin El Mencho’s deadly impact on Americans [FOX News]
Breitbart
U.S. Attorney Pirro’s Office Halts Case Against Democrats Who Encouraged Military Disobedience [Breitbart]
Newsom Tells Black Voters ‘I’m Like You…960 SAT…I Cannot Read a Speech’ [Breitbart]
Armed Man Shot and Killed After Entering Mar-a-Lago [Breitbart]
‘CODE RED:’ Inside the Left’s 2026 Strategy to Weaponize AI Job Loss Fears [Breitbart]
Wall Street Journal Editorials
The Unending Trump Tariff Mess [WSJ Ed]
Jack Smith’s Second Report Stays Buried [WSJ Ed]
Mexico Fights Back Against the Cartels [WSJ Ed]
The Supreme Court Hears a Tax Forfeiture Horror Story [WSJ Ed]
New York Post
Trump quietly got Mexico to hand over 100 cartel leaders — including El Mencho’s brother — before Jalisco raid [NYP]
El Mencho killing marks new war against cartels, but Mexico needs to keep ‘applying pressure’: sources [NYP]
Melania Trump to host stand-out young women as guests for the State of the Union address [NYP]
Washington Free Beacon
Not Just Nukes: Iran Producing Ballistic Missiles with ‘Chemical and Biological’ Warheads [WFB]
Washington Reporter
What Republican lawmakers want to hear from President Trump during the State of the Union [Reporter]
The Hill
The Movement: How anti-MAGA Republicans are plotting to take back the party [Hill]
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