When I saw the news that Vice President JD Vance would be appearing on “The View,” my concern as someone who works every day with right-of-center political voices was not about how he would perform. It was genuine confusion over why conservatives continue handing ratings, relevance, and credibility to the very institutions that have spent years demonizing them.
Nobody seriously doubts that JD Vance can handle “The View.” There may not be a Republican politician in America today better equipped for exactly that environment. Vance is quick, disciplined, and uniquely skilled at walking into hostile interviews without allowing himself to be defined by the hostility.
That ability is a large part of why many conservatives came to understand what Donald Trump saw in Vance. Plenty of Republicans questioned whether it was the right choice. The issue was not that Vance lacked intelligence or talent. The concern was that Trump had chosen someone who immediately found himself at the center of a damaging political controversy: the “childless cat lady” comments.
These comments became exactly the kind of media storm campaigns dread. Democrats saw an opening, critics argued they would alienate women voters, and many wondered whether Trump had created an unnecessary vulnerability for himself.
It was not until Vance sat across from Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” in August 2024 that Trump’s confidence in Vance started to make sense. Vance did not dodge questions about his “cat lady” comments, nor did he retreat into meaningless consultant language. He pushed back where he disagreed and explained his broader argument, shifting the conversation toward families, affordability, and the pressures Americans face in building their lives.
Whether you support him or not, it has become impossible to ignore: JD Vance is an exceptionally gifted communicator. He can debate, think on his feet, and challenge people without appearing rattled. He has the rare political skill of walking directly into difficult conversations and coming out stronger.
That is why my concern with his appearance on “The View” has nothing to do with whether he will succeed. He almost certainly will. The issue is what happens when he does.
A strong performance from Vance means viral clips, massive attention, and renewed relevance for the very platform conservatives argue has spent years treating them with contempt.
This is not a random Republican commentator looking for exposure. This is the vice president of the United States and one of the most important figures in the future of the Republican Party. Whether or not he eventually runs for president, Vance is clearly positioned as one of the leading figures who could carry Trump’s political movement into its next chapter.
Access to someone like that has value, and “The View” is about to receive all the benefits that come with it.
The ratings will come. Clips will spread across every social media platform. Conservatives will celebrate Vance pushing back. Liberals will celebrate the hosts challenging him. Everyone will argue for days, and “The View” will have gotten exactly what it wanted: attention and relevance.
The question is why conservatives keep handing it to them.
For years, Republicans have argued that the problem with much of legacy media is not simply disagreement. Debate is necessary. Conservatives should sit down with people who see the world differently.
The problem is the contempt.
Shows like “The View” do not merely criticize Republican policies. They routinely portray Trump and his supporters as something darker than political opponents. Conservatives are labeled hateful, racist, dangerous, and morally defective. The disagreement is no longer simply about competing visions for the country. It has become a judgment about the character of the people who hold those views.
That rhetoric has consequences. America is living through an era of extraordinary political hostility. There have been multiple attempts on President Trump’s life. Political violence and dehumanization are no longer abstract concerns; they are realities.
Yet the institutions that contribute to this culture rarely have any incentive to change. They get to continue the same behavior and still receive access to the most important figures in the movement they spend their days attacking.
Joy Behar reinforced this disconnect last year when she suggested Republicans were not appearing on “The View” because they were afraid to face tough questions. The response from conservatives was immediate. Clay Travis, Buck Sexton, Riley Gaines, Matt Walsh, Jennifer Sey, and others pushed back with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/conservatives-come-receipts-after-the-view-claims-theyre-afraid-come-show">receipts</a> showing a very different reality: they were not avoiding the show. They had been trying to get on it.
As a publicist who works primarily with right-of-center personalities, I can attest to the falsehood of Behar’s excuses firsthand. Conservatives are not afraid of “The View.” In fact, many actively seek opportunities to sit across from people who disagree with them and make their case to audiences outside the conservative bubble.
Conservatives are eager to enter those hostile rooms. But they are continually blocked from entering them at all.
But now, “The View” gets JD Vance. Not because the show has changed. Not because the conversation has improved. And not because there has been some meaningful effort to understand the voters the hosts have spent years mocking.
They get him because everyone knows it will make great television.
But what happens after the cameras turn off?
The hosts of “The View” are unlikely to walk away reconsidering how they talk about conservatives. The next day, the same conversations will continue. The same voters will be reduced to the same stereotypes. The same political divide everyone claims to worry about will remain exactly where it was.
And “The View” will have gotten everything it wanted.
It will have received the ratings, attention, and cultural relevance that come with hosting one of the most important figures in the Republican Party. And it will have received all of that without changing anything about how it covers conservatives.
That is the broken incentive structure.
If institutions can spend years demonizing conservatives and still receive access to the movement’s most influential voices whenever they want a viral moment, why would they ever change?
JD Vance has already proven he can walk into hostile rooms and win. The question now is whether conservatives should keep rewarding those rooms simply because they know how to win inside them.
***
Vanessa Santos is a political communications specialist and the president and CEO of Renegade DC.

JD Vance

JD Vance Brings The News To The View’s Fake News

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The Leftist rag Daily Beast took aim at the eldest child of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and her newborn on Friday in an article that ridiculed the new mother and mocked the large Catholic family. 
The Daily Beast writer, Annabella Rosciglione, titled the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/transportation-secretary-sean-duffys-daughter-evita-announces-birth-of-child/">hit piece</a> “Trump Goon’s Nepo Baby Announces Birth of Daughter,” taking the opportunity to turn a heartfelt moment into an attack targeting Evita Duffy-Alfonso in the days after the birth of her first child. The Daily Beast called out Duffy-Alfonso for having a &#8220;meltdown&#8221; in a TSA line when she refused to go through a metal detector while pregnant, something many expectant mothers opt to do. 
In the post that prompted The Daily Beast hit piece, Duffy-Alfonso simply wrote, &#8220;Obsessed&#8221; and included pictures of her and her baby. After the article was published, Duffy-Alfonso took to X and ripped The Daily Beast for its “Terminal case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Terminal case of Trump Derangement Syndrome over at <a href="https://x.com/thedailybeast?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thedailybeast</a> today… Anyways, here’s Rosita and I this afternoon 🌸☀️ <a href="https://t.co/OkHFnYBICX">pic.twitter.com/OkHFnYBICX</a>
— Evita Duffy-Alfonso (@evitaduffy_1) <a href="https://x.com/evitaduffy_1/status/2060460436789637472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Many other conservatives took to social media to slam The Daily Beast and offer their support for the new mother, most notably Duffy-Alfonso&#8217;s mother and &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends Weekend&#8221; host Rachel Campos-Duffy.
“Haters gonna hate, Evita. They can’t rain [on] my parade. Rosita is perfect. And you are a beautiful mama!” Campos-Duffy <a href="https://x.com/RCamposDuffy/status/2060463268662030675?s=20">wrote</a>. 
Daily Wire host Isabel Brown took to X as well <a href="https://x.com/theisabelb/status/2060527941784629643?s=20">writing</a>, “So the media running hit pieces on newborn babies now &#8230; [Evita Duffy-Alfonso] congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!”
&#8220;This is honestly kind of shocking,&#8221; said writer Bethany Mandel.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha called out Daily Beast publisher and CEO Ben Sherwood, saying, &#8220;How can you allow this filth to be published? You want the Daily Beast to be anti-whatever &#8211; fine … but this kind of &#8216;story&#8217; is repulsive and completely unwarranted and needs to be retracted or pulled altogether.&#8221;
The boos of one angry reporter were quickly drowned out by the cheers of countless conservatives. Conservative commentator Dana Loesch <a href="https://x.com/DLoesch/status/2060469808873787755?s=20">stated</a>: “Congratulations, mama! She’s beautiful.&#8221; Turning Point USA’s Andrew Kolvet <a href="https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2060540596796932230?s=20">added</a>, “Congratulations! Bless you both!”
Widespread support for Duffy-Alfonso has garnered tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of thousands of impressions on X, dwarfing the comparatively small average engagement on The Daily Beast’s posts.
Duffy-Alfonso is best known for her work as a staff writer for The Federalist and co-founding the Chicago Thinker. The Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/transportation-secretary-sean-duffys-daughter-evita-announces-birth-of-child/">article</a> also called attention to her husband, Michael Alfonso, who is currently running in the Republican primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District as the only Trump-endorsed candidate.

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Leftist Rag Attacks Young Conservative Mother After She Gives Birth To First Child

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Trump Has Faced Six Assassination Attempts. After Him, They’re Coming For You.

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Some conservatives are pushing back against a possible federal government deal to avoid Spirit Airlines’ collapse, as the company struggles to emerge from bankruptcy.
The Trump administration is weighing a $500 million bailout that could result in the federal government taking a significant ownership stake in the budget airline, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/trump-administration-nearing-rescue-deal-for-spirit-airlines-2f6a5556?mod=e2tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>.
Several Republican lawmakers blasted the idea.
“If Spirit’s creditors or other potential investors don’t think they can run it profitably coming out of its second bankruptcy in under two years, I doubt the US Government can either. Not the best use of taxpayer dollars,” Sen. <a href="https://x.com/SenTomCotton/status/2047075850386804756?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Cotton</a> (R-AR) posted to X on Wednesday.
Sen. <a href="https://x.com/tedcruz/status/2047054442332029439?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ted Cruz</a> (R-TX) described the proposal on social media as “an absolutely TERRIBLE idea.”
“The TARP corporate bailouts were a huge mistake &amp; the government doesn’t know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline (that the Biden admin killed),” he continued, referencing the 2008 recession-era Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Outside groups on the Right also weighed in. Advancing American Freedom, an organization aligned with former Vice President Mike Pence, released a memo slamming a possible deal.
“Why should taxpayers bail out one company that has been uniquely unprepared?” the memo asked. “American families shouldn’t be forced to bail out Spirit and the shareholders or pay the bill to see if the federal government can run an airline.”
Labor groups, however, expressed support for the potential federal assistance. The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), argued that federal intervention could protect jobs and stabilize the airline.
“Federal relief is not a handout,” said Capt. Ryan P. Muller, chair of the Spirit Airlines ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). “It is a loan that will allow the airline to finish the work that is already well underway, and it is the right call for 14,000 workers, nearly 2,000 pilots, the families who depend on those paychecks, and the millions of passengers who rely on affordable air travel.&#8221;
On the Left, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) blamed the war with Iran for the airline&#8217;s demise.
&#8220;Donald Trump’s war with Iran caused the sky-high fuel prices that finally did Spirit Airlines in. What do the American people get out of this taxpayer bailout? Will the failed airline executives be held accountable?&#8221; Warren <a href="https://x.com/SenWarren/status/2047057083950899338?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X.
The White House has not confirmed whether a bailout is on the table, but pointed to a Biden-era lawsuit that led to the rejection of the Spirit-JetBlue merger.
“Spirit Airlines would be on a much firmer financial footing had the Biden administration not recklessly blocked the airline’s merger with JetBlue,” White House Spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.
President Donald Trump told CNBC’s “<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/21/cnbc-transcript-president-donald-trump-speaks-with-cnbcs-squawk-box-today-.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Squawk Box</a>” that he would prefer a private-sector solution, saying he would &#8220;love somebody to buy Spirit, it’s 14,000 jobs.&#8221;
Economist Peter St. Onge of The Heritage Foundation told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/did-joe-biden-kill-spirit-airlines?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Did+Joe+Biden+Kill+Spirit+Airlines%3F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> that the merger likely led to the airline&#8217;s decline.
“The main thing that drove them over the edge was blocking the JetBlue merger,&#8221; St. Onge said. &#8220;On the day that it was denied, their stock fell 47%. And the big picture here is that the low-cost carriers can’t pass anything on, right? They have razor-thin margins, like 2 or 3%. So they need scale in order to survive.”

Airplanes Depart

Not Everyone Is On Board With Using Your Money To Bail Out A Failing Airline

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The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), in its effort to attack members of the Right, has often labeled individuals that others would consider normal as hate-filled or “extremists.”
On Tuesday, a Grand Jury in Alabama returned an <a href="https://justice.gov/opa/media/1437146/dl" data-once="doj-analytics">indictment</a> charging the SPLC with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.
&#8220;The SPLC allegedly engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, enrich themselves, and hide their deceptive operations from the public,&#8221; said FBI Director Kash Patel. &#8220;They lied to their donors, vowing to dismantle violent extremist groups, and actually turned around and paid the leaders of these very extremist groups — even utilizing the funds to have these groups facilitate the commission of state and federal crimes.”
The current <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/">SPLC list</a> of “extremists “and “ideologues” includes White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, the late David Horowitz, the founder of the Freedom Center, which featured the platforms FrontPage Magazine, Discover the Networks, and Students for Academic Freedom; Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association; Chaya Raichik, aka Libs of Tik Tok; James Lindsay, the author, mathematician, and cultural critic who has become a leading figure in the intellectual opposition to wokeness; the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Forces and Arms Control Policy Frank Gaffney; and author and social scientist Charles Murray.
SPLC’s “Hatewatch” blog has included former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson; author and leading intellectual Dennis Prager, the famed Evangelical minister Franklin Graham, among others.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, which was <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/alliance-defending-freedom/">labeled</a> a “hate group” by the SPLC, has <a href="https://adflegal.org/setting-the-record-straight/#:~:text=Demonstrating%20the%20breadth%20and%20danger,The%20Future%20of%20Religious%20Liberty.%E2%80%9D">noted</a>:
<blockquote>
SPLC’s “Hatewatch” blog is a perfect example. SPLC says this blog “monitors and exposes the activities of the American radical right” and the “activities and events of anti-LGBT organizations.” The so-called “radical right” and “anti-LGBT organizations” SPLC has identified include many beloved, respected, and mainstream conservative and religious organizations and individuals, such as Ben Carson, Heritage Foundation, Dennis Prager, PragerU, The Federalist Society, Franklin Graham, Catholic Medical Association, Alliance Defending Freedom, Heritage Action, Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Liberty Counsel, Pacific Justice Institute, The Leadership Institute, First Liberty Institute, Ruth Institute, European Center for Law and Justice, Alaska Family Council, Florida Family Policy Council, Texas Values, and Homeschool Legal Defense Association, to name just a few.
Demonstrating the breadth and danger of SPLC’s conception of “hate,” SPLC labelled the Boston chapter of The Federalist Society “anti-LGBT” because it hosted then-United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions for a talk on “The Future of Religious Liberty.”
Months before Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the SPLC added Turning Point USA to its Hate Map. One day before his murder, the SPLC smeared Kirk in an online Hatewatch article tagged under &#8220;Dismantling White Supremacy.&#8221; The article was still live days after his death.
</blockquote>

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Smear Machine: How The Southern Poverty Law Center Rebranded Conservatives As Haters

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)

Blue America is best for families. For years, America’s elites have insisted that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/32782">blue states</a> — with their higher incomes, better-<a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/32782">educated residents</a>, and expansive public services — are the best places to raise a family. Progressive policies such as paid family leave, childcare subsidies, and gender-neutral bathroom mandates, we were told, would draw parents in droves. Such policies prove “that one major party cares about children and families, and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/30/jd-vance-childless-cat-ladies/?itid=lk_inline_manual_27">the other does not</a>,” according to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/30/jd-vance-childless-cat-ladies/?itid=lk_inline_manual_27">liberal journalist</a> Catherine Rampell. 
But the data tell a different tale. Across the country, families are packing up and leaving blue states for red states. They are also more likely to have children in red states to begin with. 
The <a href="https://familystructureindex.org/">2026 Family Structure Index</a>, just released by the Center for Christian Virtue and the Institute for Family Studies, tracks family health across all 50 states. It focuses on three measures: marriage rates, fertility rates, and the share of children raised by married parents. These factors shape everything from child poverty to the health of the American Dream. 
What it reveals is a growing divide in where families are choosing to live — and where they are choosing to start a family.
Call it the Great American Family Sort.
Married couples with children are increasingly moving to red and purple states. From 2019 to 2024, 840,000 married families with children moved from blue states to red ones, while 470,000 moved in the opposite direction — a net gain of 370,000 such families for red states. 
Red states also enjoy higher fertility rates, all of which helps explain why red states have <a href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-lefts-family-problem-marriage-and-kids-cratering-among-liberal-young-adults">seen</a> a 7.3% increase in their child population since 2000, while blue states have seen a 7.1% decline. That shift is another indicator that Red America is proving more hospitable to family life.
In other words, <a href="https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-blue-state-family-exodus-families-are-migrating-to-red-and-purple-states">blue states</a> long seen as the best places to raise children by liberal elites — states like California, Massachusetts, and New York — are steadily losing them.
Why? Start with what families actually need: jobs, homes, and safe neighborhoods. On each of these fronts, many red states are delivering. Over the past decade, states like Texas, Florida, and South Carolina have seen strong job growth, especially in sectors that support middle-class life. When young adults can find steady, well-paying work, they are more likely to marry and start families.
Housing is just as critical. Affordable single-family homes provide the space and stability families <a href="https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/homes-for-young-families-a-pro-family-housing-agenda">want</a>. Yet in many blue states, especially on the coasts, restrictive zoning and high costs have pushed homeownership out of reach for young families. In much of red America, that dream remains attainable.
Taxes also shape family <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/americans-moving-to-states/">migration</a>. Lower tax burdens in many red states leave families with more room in their budgets, whether for childcare, a good private school, or saving for the future.
<div id="attachment_1073407" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1073407" class="size-large wp-image-1073407" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-864x576.jpg" alt="San Francisco, CA, USA - August 17, 2020. Image of a moving truck parked in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1329602381-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />James Rice. Getty Images.</div>
Safety matters as well. Parents want to raise children in communities where they feel <a href="https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/homes-for-young-families-a-pro-family-housing-agenda">secure</a>. States and cities that keep crime and public disorder low have a clear advantage in attracting and retaining families, even as many blue states are “plagued by homelessness, crime and dysfunction,” all of which are turnoffs to families, as even the liberal columnist Nick Kristof has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/15/opinion/progressives-california-portland.html">admitted</a>.
Still, economics alone does not explain what is happening. Family culture also matters. In many red states, there remains a stronger expectation around marriage and family formation, often stemming from deeply held religious beliefs. Social norms shaped by churches, civic life, and local leadership still influence how people live. Faith remains a powerful driver of American family life.
The <a href="https://familystructureindex.org/">Family Structure Index</a> underscores this point. Frequent religious attendance accounts for 57% of the variance in fertility rates across states. States with high religious attendance, such as Utah and Mississippi, have far higher birth rates than states like Vermont or Massachusetts, where churchgoing is rare.
None of this suggests that red states have solved every problem. Marriage and fertility are down nationwide, and no region is immune. But the trend is clear: families seem more likely to thrive in some states rather than others. That should tell policymakers something important. If states want to attract and keep families, the formula is straightforward: make housing attainable, foster job growth, keep communities safe, and support a culture that encourages marriage and child-rearing. 
The deeper lesson is harder to accept. For too long, liberal elites have assumed that higher incomes and more government spending automatically lead to better outcomes for families. The evidence suggests otherwise. Public safety, good jobs, affordable homes, and culture matter just as much, if not more.
The Great American Family Sort is more than a demographic shift. It is a signal. Families are making their priorities clear through where they choose to live and have children. The question is whether the rest of the country is paying attention.
* * *
Aaron Baer is president of the Center for Christian Virtue. 
Brad Wilcox is Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies.

Asheville and Johnson City exit sign on highway in Tennessee on interstate 81 road

Turns Out Families Are Voting With Their Feet And Headed In One Direction

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On the surface, Pierre Poilievre’s recent appearance on the Joe Rogan <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtbGgSwuE_U">podcast</a> had more good than bad. The Conservative leader came across as likable, down-to-earth, and clear. He stressed the need to unleash Canada’s energy potential. He called for cutting regulations that have suppressed innovation. He pushed for lower government spending. These are all sound ideas and Canada would surely benefit from them.
But one key moment showed the real substance of Poilievre’s platform: empty individualism. This view defines human dignity as absolute self-expression. It not only cheapens human life, it weakens the institutions that support Canadian culture.
The moment happened when Rogan critiqued the current state of Canada’s euthanasia program.
Rogan expressed a reasonable concern. He noted that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j1z14p57po">1 in 20</a> Canadian deaths now come from so-called assisted suicide or Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). Poilievre replied that he believes people should “have the choice” to be euthanized. His main concern was the idea that it would be offered to kids or to people whose only condition is mental illness.
In other words, his issue is not with Canada’s current euthanasia rules. His issue is only with suggestions that have not yet become law.
Canada’s euthanasia regime is abhorrent, with or without amendments. Track 2 euthanasia lets individuals apply for MAID based on an incurable physical condition. This includes a disability. The Atlantic recently <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/0">published</a> a piece on the ethical and practical questions facing “providers.” A more accurate word would be deprivers. These providers must interpret euthanasia rules on their own. One story described a doctor who euthanized a man in his 30s. The man had a treatable form of cancer, but he had refused all other treatment. This made his condition “irremediable.”
Human dignity should be the first commitment of any conservative. Poilievre often touts individual rights. Yet he ignores the most fundamental one: the right to life. To say someone has an intrinsic right means they possess it simply because of who they are. It does not depend on what they do.
But Poilievre’s willingness to allow euthanasia for those who are suffering and dying sends a clear message. It says the value of human life depends on personal judgment.
His criticism of euthanasia for the mentally ill is confusing. If people should have a “freedom” to die on their terms — in Canada that includes the terminally ill, disabled, and chronically sick — why must those symptoms be physical? In fact, we know they often are not.
Stories abound of individuals struggling with depression who have applied for MAID. One <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/kiano-vafaeian-medical-assistance-in-dying">example</a> is 26-year-old Kiano Vafaeian. He was struggling with vision loss and depression.
At the heart of Poilievre’s blunder on euthanasia is a false understanding of human dignity. Ironically, it is the same understanding that drives the woke excesses of the Liberal elite. They see dignity as absolute self-expression. This empty individualism separates life’s meaning from the broader context of nature, community, and tradition.
When applied to culture, this leads to a cheapening of human life. It is no surprise that places that legalize assisted suicide see an increase in overall suicide rates. Chosen or not, Poilievre fails to understand one key point. Euthanasia is a symptom of a sick, depressed, and lonely culture.
A culture that is killing itself is not going to be saved by lower housing costs. Economic prosperity can certainly help but it is not the sole solution.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Rogan Experience #2470 - Pierre Poilievre" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JtbGgSwuE_U?start=706&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Poilievre’s wholesome vision for Canada is admirable. He wants a future where families enjoy the fruit of their labor without government interference. Ideally, they live in a white-picket-fenced home that they can afford. But this vision is unachievable without cultural renewal. The expressive individualism of the Liberal and Conservative elites will not deliver that renewal.
Canadian culture is not only suicidal it is also sterile. Nearly <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/11638221/canada-ultra-low-fertility/">one in four</a> Canadian women in their 40s have no kids. Last year, Poilievre was absurdly <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pierre-poilievre-biological-clock-1.7499220">reprimanded</a> by Liberal MPs. They criticized him for recognizing that unaffordable housing causes couples to run out of time to start families before their “biological clocks” expire. The idea that government should be completely impartial to marriage and fertility rates is ludicrous.
These rates can give a glimpse into the hope people place in their future. Economic strain can suppress this hope and so can a nihilistic culture that has cheapened human life. The family is not merely an economic unit. It is a legacy-making enterprise. A culture that sees no value in life beyond individual expression makes the self-sacrificial reality of marriage seem absurd.
Unlike Poilievre, a true conservative recognizes that dignity is not rooted in our personal judgment. It is intrinsic to who we are. Our identity should be understood in reference to the people, institutions, and traditions that shape us. We should seek economic prosperity. But we should not seek it at the cost of the integrity of those institutions.
Poilievre has an impressive ability to explain those institutions. One of the best moments from the podcast was his explanation of the Westminster tradition, which is deeply connected to Canada’s British heritage.
What Poilievre takes for granted is this: hopelessness grows when people feel isolated. Yet the political elite — both Conservative and Liberal — expect the average Canadian to accept this isolation without complaint. Canada has some of the highest immigration rates per capita in the world. Conservatives claim to support assimilation into Canadian culture but they lack the ability to identify and preserve what is exemplary of that culture.
At Confederation, Canadian culture wasn’t divorced from a broader religious and moral consensus. It was founded against the backdrop of a predominantly Christian society. The 1871 census showed over <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-religions-in-america/religion-in-canada-18671945/3AA29A820C78AB35B6F22D2F4F763E65">98%</a> of the population as Christian. All 36 Fathers of Confederation were raised in a Christian tradition. This included Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Presbyterianism. Yet Poilievre’s policies, especially on immigration, fail to take this into account. His view is that anyone can “become” Canadian. He defines it loosely as a belief in “freedom.” This view will not produce the assimilation needed for cultural unity. It will lead Canada further down the path of cultural decay.
Does this mean that people of non-Christian faiths should not come to Canada? Not at all. But it does mean that policymakers should protect the shared morality, customs, and traditions passed down from the time of Confederation. They should make judgments on immigration policy with prudence. They should keep the interests of Canadians in mind. Those interests should not be measured only in economic output. They should include cultural unity.
Poilievre’s discussion was typical of the decades-long drift of the Conservative establishment. It has moved toward a “balancing the budget” style of liberalism. This style redefines human dignity. It has cheapened human life. It has undermined the family. It has squandered Canada’s cultural inheritance. It has failed.
Moving forward, the Conservatives should let their party’s name guide their ideology. Canadians do not just want lower costs, they want flourishing families. They want a unified nation and a culture of hope. That is the true mission of conservatism. The Conservative establishment would do well to remember it.
* * *
Liana Graham is a research assistant in domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation. She is originally from Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

jre poil

The Most Telling Moment Of Poilievre’s Joe Rogan Interview

Assisted Suicide

Canada

Euthanasia

Heritage Foundation

Joe Rogan

Pierre Poilievre

Wayne LaPierre

Hollywood is great at keeping secrets. 
Ellen DeGeneres built a career on a relentlessly nice persona that belied her behind-the-scenes cruelty. Harvey Weinstein’s Midas touch distracted us from his predatory encounters with starlets. And Sean “Diddy” Combs turned out to be more than a music mogul — he allegedly presided over a garish, sex-obsessed ring.
The new Hollywood Blacklist, by comparison, is out in the open. Conservative artists, beware. Sharing your point of view can cost you. Dearly.
Yet very few industry types will admit or decry it. And we’re seeing even more evidence of it.
<div id="attachment_1059531" style="width: 842px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059531" class="size-large wp-image-1059531" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-832x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: Cheryl Hines and Larry David attend the &quot;Curb Your Enthusiasm&quot; season 9 premiere at SVA Theater on September 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)" width="832" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-832x576.jpg 832w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-768x532.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 832px) 100vw, 832px" />Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images</div>
Cheryl Hines has been working nonstop for decades, even if we all know her best as Larry’s exasperated wife (then ex-wife) on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
But a funny thing happened to Hines on the way to her husband Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.&#8217;s endorsement of Donald Trump.
The roles dried up.
The in-demand comic actress hasn’t had a new gig since “Curb” wrapped two years ago. Is she turning work down? Or did her phone stop ringing? What could have changed?
Hines has been polite on the subject in a barrage of interviews, suggesting her Hollywood friendships have strained under that political weight. She also isn’t a part of Larry David’s upcoming HBO comedy series, an untitled satire co-produced by the Obamas.
The Daily Mail added that the Obamas <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15000917/Cheryl-Hines-Larry-David-new-HBO-barack-michelle-obama.html">won’t allow Hines</a> to be part of the show.
She even got <a href="https://x.com/bradleywhitford/status/1827444691316732393?lang=en">called out</a> by Emmy winner Bradley Whitford on social media for her political ties.
<blockquote>…way to stay silent while your lunatic husband throws his support behind the adjudicated rapist who brags about stripping women of their fundamental rights. Gutsy. Great example for the kids. Profile in courage.</blockquote>
She also may have lost a long-term friendship with former podcast partner Tig Notaro. The two <a href="https://people.com/tig-notaro-reflects-on-strange-friendship-fallout-from-cheryl-hines-over-rfk-jr-trump-ties-11923515">hosted “Tig and Cheryl: True Story”</a> for three years before ending the show in May of 2023. Notaro helped end the show due to Hines’ husband’s political aspirations, though it’s unclear why that element had to be a show stopper.
<div id="attachment_1059545" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059545" class="size-large wp-image-1059545" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-815x576.jpg" alt="PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 31: Cheryl Hines attends the Third Annual &quot;Starry Starry Night Gala&quot; at Chaparral Country Club on January 31, 2026 in Palm Desert, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: Tig Notaro attends the 62nd Cinema Audio Society Awards on March 07, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lizeth Ramirez/Getty Images)" width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Hines: Photo by David Crotty. Notaro: Photo by Lizeth Ramirez</div>
Notaro suggests politics didn’t end their friendship, although it clearly forced her to quit the podcast.
<blockquote>I realized one day that she doesn’t ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn’t reach out to me. I had to kind of shake myself out of denial that, ‘Oh, she’s gone,’ and, ‘OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.’</blockquote>
Others in Hollywood likely did just that to Hines. The Hollywood Reporter even suggested that would <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/cheryl-hines-rfk-jr-drop-presidential-race-trump-1235981992/">happen due to her political ties</a>. The actress has been on the Left for some time, for what it’s worth, but she’s being judged based on her husband’s views.
Dennis Quaid has defied the new Hollywood Blacklist. For now.
The 71-year-old screen legend stays busy, including a supporting turn in the new Netflix action romp “War Machine.” He even starred as the title character in 2024’s “Reagan” and admitted to being a President Donald Trump supporter during the film’s publicity push.
<div id="attachment_1059553" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059553" class="size-large wp-image-1059553" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-865x576.jpg" alt="CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 27: Actor Dennis Quaid (R) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks at the Port of Corpus Christi on February 27, 2026 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trump visited Texas to deliver remarks on affordability and economic issues less than a week before the state's midterm primary elections on March 3rd. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images</div>
Still, the work keeps on coming. That’s more common with established, Right-leaning actors like Tim Allen, Kelsey Grammer, and Jon Voight. But Quaid’s political leanings, which he describes as more independent than doctrinaire conservative, still found him singled out by a peer.
A peer who recently joined him on screen.
Nick Offerman and Quaid worked together on last year’s “Sovereign,” the story of an anti-government zealot (Offerman) who pushes his conspiracy theories too far.
Offerman didn’t share a negative word about his time on the set with Quaid on the “Lovett or Leave It” podcast with former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett. Instead, he insulted the actor <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg2smuJfxN8&amp;t=1s">for thinking the “wrong” way</a>.
“Right after we finished the movie, he suddenly came out with a gospel country record and went on Tucker Carlson and f***ing [Sean] Hannity to play his Trump gospel songs,” Offerman said. 
“What? He’s a hero of my life. I’ve looked up to him. He’s a great actor.”
<div id="attachment_1059591" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059591" class="size-large wp-image-1059591" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-864x576.jpg" alt="SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 12: Nick Offerman speaks during a press conference at Pier One Sydney Harbour on June 12, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. Offerman and Mullally will take the stage for, Unscripted and Unfiltered, to close out Vivid Sydney 2025. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Brendon Thorne/Getty Images</div>
Later, the “Parks &amp; Recreation” alum doubled down on both Dennis and brother Randy Quaid. The latter worked in Hollywood for years, but a <a href="https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/randy-quaid-wife-evi-hollywood-refugees-exclusive-interview/story?id=12020421">series of bizarre incidents</a> coaxed his exit from the industry.
“[Randy Quaid] was very crazy, and he went away, but Dennis kept it under wraps until last year,” he continued. “But he’s now gone.”
The Blacklist-style bigotry isn’t relegated to the film industry. Hip hop superstar Nicki Minaj didn’t don a red MAGA hat during President Trump’s first term, but in recent months, she noticed how the Republican leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-deep-sense-of-gratitude-nicki-minaj-praises-trump-for-action-on-persecuted-christians">supported Christians being persecuted in Nigeria</a>.
<div id="attachment_1059621" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059621" class="size-large wp-image-1059621" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Musician Nicki Minaj (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump on stage as he delivers remarks during the Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. &quot;Trump Accounts&quot; are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Win McNamee/Getty Images</div>
That resonated with her, and she eventually threw her celebrity cache behind the unorthodox leader. Within weeks, she became the comic target of Grammy host Trevor Noah at the gala’s annual soiree.
<blockquote>Nicki Minaj is not here…She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues.</blockquote>
He then broke out his Trump impression as the Tony crowd chortled.
<blockquote>Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass! Everybody’s saying it. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me. WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby.</blockquote>
Her crime? Being an independent thinker, and no progressive star in Hollywood or the music industry had her back.
And actress Katherine Heigl could be next. The once-in-demand star of “Grey’s Anatomy” appeared in public earlier this month to support the Big Dog Ranch Rescue gala at Mar-A-Lago, Trump’s private retreat.
<div id="attachment_1058339" style="width: 973px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1058339" class="size-large wp-image-1058339" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-963x576.jpg" alt="Katherine Heigl" width="963" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-963x576.jpg 963w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-300x180.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-768x460.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px" />Manny Hernandez/Getty Images</div>
She even brought her mom to the red carpet gala.
Heigl had to make a public statement after appearing at the apolitical event, defending her passion for worthy causes by saying, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/03/11/celebrity-news/katherine-heigl-hits-back-at-fans-politicizing-her-attendance-at-mar-a-lago-rescue-event/">“animals don’t vote.”</a> Could that one appearance impact her chances at a Hollywood comeback?
Ask Offerman.
And this is the stuff we see in public, not the behind-the-scenes cancellations and attacks. It’s likely far worse there.
The unofficial conservative blacklist may have weakened in recent months, with high-profile stars like Zachary Levi and Sylvester Stallone supporting Trump without overt blowback.
In some ways the bigotry against Right-leaning artists is as strong as ever.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Trump Speaks Port Of Corpus Christi In Texas

Hollywood Still Blacklists Conservatives — Now They Don’t Even Hide It

Cancel Culture

Cheryl Hines

Comedy

Dennis Quaid

Entertainment

Hollywood

Nicki Minaj

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

White House

Spend five minutes on social media and you might think the conservative movement is falling apart.
Republicans are arguing about a lot these days, from foreign policy to strategy for the next election.
Healthy debate is part of politics. But while those arguments dominate the headlines, something far more significant is happening quietly in the background.
Conservatives are starting to win the culture war again.
And the recent collapse of the proposed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-ends-bidding-war-with-netflix-2026-02-27/">Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery deal</a> is a perfect example.
Netflix <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-taps-bank-explore-bid-warner-bros-discovery-2025-10-30/">sought</a> to absorb the company, which would have created an even larger streaming giant with massive influence over what Americans watch and, increasingly, what messages they are expected to absorb.
Hollywood and the streaming industry no longer just produce entertainment. They shape culture. They shape narratives. And for years, many of these institutions have leaned heavily into progressive activism and the kind of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-asked-if-company-is-too-woke-says-it-will-cater-audience-2022-10-26/">“woke” messaging</a> that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/01/24/u-s-media-polarization-and-the-2020-election-a-nation-divided/">alienates</a> millions of Americans who simply want to enjoy a movie or television show without being lectured.
Then the political pressure began.
President Trump publicly opposed the merger. Conservative voices <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/03/senate-netflix-warner-bros-discovery-merger">raised concerns</a> about media consolidation and about expanding the power of cultural institutions that already lean heavily to the Left.
Suddenly, what looked like a routine corporate deal became something else entirely — a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-says-he-will-stay-out-netflix-paramount-fight-over-warner-bros-2026-02-05">cultural flashpoint.</a>
And in late February, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-ends-bidding-war-with-netflix-2026-02-27/">the deal collapsed.</a>
Even more interesting is what happened next. Paramount, another bidder — backed by Larry Ellison, one of the most outspoken <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/business/factbox-oracle-chairman-larry-ellisons-history-of-support-for-trump-idUSKBN2652RV/">pro-Trump voices</a> in American business — stepped forward.
That’s not just a business development. It’s a signal.
For years, conservatives were told the culture war was unwinnable. Hollywood was too powerful. Silicon Valley was too dominant. Corporate America had permanently aligned itself with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/corporate-america-is-caught-dei-ratchet-2025-02-21/">progressive politics</a>.
The message from the Left was simple: accept it.
But over the past few years, conservatives discovered something important: pressure works.
Bud Light learned that lesson the hard way. A <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">tone-deaf marketing campaign</a> sparked one of the most successful consumer boycotts in modern American history. Billions in market value evaporated and one of the country’s most recognizable brands suffered lasting damage.
Cracker Barrel experienced <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cracker-barrel-logo-trump-8b496da282deef3d8d0618c3f9f4db46">similar backlash</a> when customers pushed back against progressive messaging that had little to do with serving breakfast.
Now Netflix is feeling that same pressure.
For years, corporate executives believed they could align openly with progressive activism without facing real consequences. Diversity bureaucracies <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/factbox-us-companies-drop-diversity-policies-after-trumps-order-2025-02-27">expanded</a>. Political messaging crept into advertising campaigns, entertainment content, as well as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-investors-reject-proposal-withdraw-hrcs-diversity-index-2025-03-20/">corporate statements</a>.
The assumption was that conservatives might complain, but they would keep buying the product.
That assumption is no longer safe.
Businesses respond to incentives. They always have.
When conservative consumers stay quiet, companies drift Left. When conservative consumers push back, companies suddenly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/bud-light-loses-top-us-beer-spot-after-mulvaney-ad-boycott-2023-06-14/">start reconsidering their strategy</a>.
The Biden years showed what happens when one side dominates the cultural conversation. Progressive activists shaped corporate messaging. DEI programs spread rapidly across major institutions. Hollywood and streaming companies increasingly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-says-company-will-quiet-noise-culture-wars-analyst-2023-09-20/">reflected the worldview of a narrow ideological class</a> in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
How many culture-war victories did conservatives get during those years? Not many.
But elections change incentives. President Trump’s election sent a clear signal: the cultural dominance of the Left was no longer inevitable.
Corporate leaders began to realize that tens of millions of Americans were no longer willing to be dismissed or mocked by the cultural institutions that dominate entertainment and media.
Does this mean conservatives suddenly control Hollywood? Of course not. The entertainment industry will remain overwhelmingly liberal for the foreseeable future.
But the dynamic has changed.
For the first time in a long time, the cultural institutions that shape American entertainment are being <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-says-company-will-quiet-noise-culture-wars-analyst-2023-09-20/">forced to recognize</a> that half the country will no longer sit quietly while those institutions push politics into every corner of popular culture.
That recognition alone represents a major shift.
Conservatives win when they stay engaged. When they vote. When they speak up. And when they refuse to accept the idea that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/01/24/u-s-media-polarization-and-the-2020-election-a-nation-divided/">cultural power belongs exclusively to elites in Hollywood</a>, Manhattan, and Silicon Valley.
The culture war isn’t decided in one election or one corporate deal. It’s a long struggle over the values that shape American life.
But corporate America is beginning to understand something it ignored for years: pressure works.
Bud Light <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">learned it.</a> Cracker Barrel <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cracker-barrel-logo-trump-8b496da282deef3d8d0618c3f9f4db46">learned it.</a> And now Netflix is learning it too.
* * *
Jason Chaffetz served as a member of the U.S. Congress from 2009 to 2017. He chaired the House Oversight Committee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Elon Musk Urges X Followers To Cancel Netflix Subscriptions Over Controversial Animated Show

The Lesson Corporate America Keeps Learning The Hard Way

Business

Corporations

Netflix

Paramount

Warner Bros

Woke Culture

I was told that an email from Ann Coulter is what led David Keene to hire me in 2006.
She wrote, “You only have to tell Lisa to do something once.”
Despite all the drama, I hope he never regretted it.
While David was chairman of the <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/mar/9/david-keene-maestro-conservative-movement-dead-80/">American Conservative Union</a>, a volunteer position, I worked with him as the Director of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) from June 2006 to April 2011. In planning the conference there were many ups and downs. I’m sure there were times when I disappointed David in some effort, but I can’t think of any time when he disappointed me. Even though I was only 28 when I began as CPAC Director, he gave me the same opportunity to give my opinion when I disagreed with a board member, sponsor, speaker, or member of Congress. Not to brag, but I won a couple of those battles.
During the five years I worked with David, I was privy to the way he worked within the conservative movement. I saw him compromise with people he didn’t like and who didn’t like him. I saw him defend people he disagreed with on issues because it was the right thing to do. I saw him make decisions based on what was best for the conference attendees and nothing else. I was on a high when he once told me a speaker idea I had was “inspired.”
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1056821" style="width: 576px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1056821" class="size-full wp-image-1056821" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/UW-Madison.jpg" alt="Source: YAF at UW-Madison@WisconsinYAF" width="566" height="522" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/UW-Madison.jpg 566w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/UW-Madison-300x277.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px" />Source: @WisconsinYAF</div>
One of the things I admired most about David is that he’s not one of those Old Guard members of the conservative movement who don’t value dissent or new blood. As the chairman of ACU/CPAC, he fought to give everyone a seat at the table. Those like Chris Barron, who endeavored to start a group that represented conservative gays and their allies. As well as leaders of the Tea Party movement who criticized his friends in Congress.
David was adamant about including emerging conservative leaders as speakers at the conference. In February 2010, it was his idea to invite Marco Rubio, who was then a long shot in the Republican primary against Charlie Crist, to be the opening speaker at CPAC. He knew the value of sending that message to his Republican friends and to the media.
I’ve seen him give dozens and dozens of young leaders and unknown activists a place in the spotlight over the years. I was fortunate to be one of them. I’m sure it’s because he still thought of himself as one of us — and he was! On <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/john-gizzi/david-keene-political-strategist-obit/2026/03/08/id/1248779/">Newsmax</a>, John Gizzi wrote about David’s decades in the conservative movement that began on his college campus.
When Rush Limbaugh was the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w32hFilBAUg">closing speaker</a> at the 2009 conference, it was David who suggested I introduce Rush. We knew the speech would be covered by many of the networks, and it was a very visible spot. David didn’t insist on some well-known Congressman or Senator, donor, or head of a prominent conservative organization. He suggested me because during one of our planning sessions, I said Rush was the person who got me excited about being a conservative. Rush was my Reagan. 
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1056729" style="width: 614px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1056729" class="size-full wp-image-1056729" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Rush-cpac.jpg" alt="Source: Kevin McKeever" width="604" height="453" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Rush-cpac.jpg 604w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Rush-cpac-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px" />Source: Kevin McKeever</div>
The same thing happened a few years later when Donald Trump was scheduled to make a surprise appearance at the conference (thanks to Chris Barron!), and I expressed interest in introducing him because I enjoyed Trump’s candor — also no one else asked. How times have changed.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1056731 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac.jpg 1280w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></div>
From time to time, friends or acquaintances came to me with an idea or project and requested a meeting with David. Unless the timing just didn’t work out, I don’t recall any instance when David refused to meet with someone. He was always available to give young conservatives advice and to listen to what they had to say. In fact, it is because of David that CPAC became a must-attend event for College Republicans and other conservative students. In CPAC’s early years, David made a promise to President Reagan that CPAC would never be priced out of reach for students and young activists. Even when hotel costs went up, student registration was always between $25-50 ($15 for early bird rate). He also knew the value of CPAC as a reunion for the “vast right-wing conspiracy.” It wasn’t just about what was happening on stage, but the conversations that happened in the bar, at ancillary events and in the hallways. It was where people met future coworkers, allies, and spouses.
Even though I hadn’t spoken to David in years, it is very important to me that he be remembered for the intellectual and activist giant that he was. In the five years I worked for him, I learned which battles were worth fighting. I learned the importance of being supportive of friends. While I wish I could have worked for David longer than I did (we both left in 2011), I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me a chance to lead CPAC during an important time for the conservative movement. I’ll also remember the man he was in a city and industry that treats people as disposable and transactional. 
As his daughter Kerry wrote, “I will remember not the public figure, but a father who welcomed me as his own, who gave me a home, and my first job.”
I will always think of him that way, too.
* * *
Lisa De Pasquale is an author, columnist, and the former director of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). She&#8217;s a frequent guest on Fox News and Fox Business, the founder of <a href="https://getbright.substack.com/p/david-keene-a-conservative-og-who">&#8220;Bright&#8221; on Substack</a>, and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gen-Handbook-Middle-Age-Fulfillment/dp/B0F4PMD8J6">author of</a> “The Gen X Handbook for Middle Age: The Pursuit of Health, Success, and Human Fulfillment.” De Pasquale has authored articles for a variety of publications including The Federalist, Washingtonian, The Daily Caller, and The Washington Times. Follow her on Twitter/X: @LisaDeP and on Instagram at @Lisa_DeP.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Leading Conservatives Attend 40th Annual CPAC

David Keene Bet On Young Conservatives Before Anyone Else Did

CPAC

Republicans

Rush Limbaugh

There&#8217;s a coalition of people who are uniting to take down the United States.
These people are cowards, plus liars, plus people who despise America.
It&#8217;s a coalition of scavengers.
There are the cowards who mouth platitudes about how much they really didn&#8217;t like the Ayatollah, but then they spend their days talking about how the United States couldn&#8217;t and shouldn&#8217;t ever do anything about that.
There are the liars who literally craft stories out of nothing in order to undermine America.
And finally, there are the actual American haters who are often both cowards and liars, and really, really just despise America and her pursuit of our national interests in the world.
That coalition is now coming together, but it&#8217;s not going to win because President Trump is going to win this war.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2380-the-ben-shapiro-show?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Let&#8217;s start with the cowards. These are the people who pretend they didn&#8217;t like the Ayatollah very much, but they&#8217;re really, really upset when anyone takes action. So, for example, they&#8217;re really, really mad that international law — the precious gewgaw of the pseudo-intellectuals — has somehow been violated.
Yes. If we don&#8217;t have Myanmar&#8217;s approval of a military strike on the ayatollahs or China&#8217;s approval — and if there is one country we need approval from, it is China, currently oppressing a billion people — or Russia —which is currently engaged in an aggressive war of conquest in Ukraine while throwing dissenters out of random third-story balconies at hotels — we need Russia&#8217;s approval?
That&#8217;s international law. And if we don&#8217;t have their approval, the mullahs must remain immune.
Here is the pathetic Mark Carney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBFuFwPrdpY">of Canada:</a>
<blockquote>The current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order. Despite decades of UN Security Council resolutions, the tireless work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the succession of sanctions and diplomatic frameworks. Iran&#8217;s nuclear threat remains. And now the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting allies, including Canada.</blockquote>
Who gives a sh*t? Really? You guys can’t even win a hockey match.
My favorite part of that is when Carney suggests the IAEA has been thwarted for decades, and U.N. resolutions have been ignored for decades, and now the United States and Israel won&#8217;t even go to the U.N.
He just said why those organizations are trash and do nothing. But oh, my gosh, we didn’t turn to Canada with its vast military prowess. Do we need to drop maple syrup on the Iranians?
New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has been happy to express support for terror supporters throughout his entire career, is now hiding behind international law as cover for his consistent opposition to Western strength.
Asked if Iran was “better off without the Ayatollah,” he <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2028907502436532281?s=20">answered</a>:
<blockquote>I&#8217;ve said before that the Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most basic forms of dissent earlier this year. It is a brutal government. And I&#8217;ve also said that while I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region, not that many years ago.</blockquote>
The answer should be, &#8220;Yes.&#8221; 
Even if you have questions about what comes next, the answer should be yes. Yes, Iran is better off without Ayatollah Khamenei. But according to Mamdani, the important thing is saying that the ayatollah is really bad — but the minute anybody does anything, that is so much worse. We have to make sure that Khamenei stays in place because, after all, “the Iraq war.”
This Iraq War syndrome nonsense that has been promoted by the Left and then the horseshoe Right together, that every war is Iraq, every single intervention is Iraq, is ahistorical and absurd and tripe.
In 2015-2016, candidate Donald Trump ran on the platform that the Iraq war was bad — which was a controversial opinion inside the Republican Party at the time. The idea that he is now going to engage in a new, long-lasting occupation — not the first three weeks of the Iraq War, where the United States kicked the living hell out of Saddam Hussein and ended his regime, but what came after that, is ludicrous.
By the way, the first three weeks of the Iraq War were, by every available metric, a win for the United States. It was what came after that became problematic.
The argument of the cowards and liars is that Trump is going to engage in Bush-style nation-building in Iran.
Then there are the cowards who slander Israel to somehow imply that Israel is the bad guy in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Take Gavin Newsom, who is absolutely slimy. As I said before, the man takes more positions on politics than the Kama Sutra. This is the same guy who, in an interview with me, freely admitted that Israel had not committed genocide in Gaza. Last night, however, he went on with the “Pod Save America” bros, knowing he had to please their Israel-hating asses.
Thus, he immediately started <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/gavin-newsom-israel-apartheid-state-1236521231/">talking about</a> how Israel is an apartheid state.
False.
20% of the Israeli population is Arab Muslim. They&#8217;re on the Supreme Court. They are in the medical system. A huge percentage of Israeli doctors are Arab Muslims. They&#8217;re in every area of Israeli society.
How can it be apartheid for Israel to have delegated certain parts of land to, for example, the Palestinian Authority, a terror-supporting group?
But Gavin Newsom knows he has to mouth these platitudes to his far-Left friends if he wants the nomination, because the Democratic Party — as Senator John Fetterman said yesterday on my show — is moving dramatically away from Israel.
Here&#8217;s Gavin Newsom <a href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/2029085070321938865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2029085070321938865%7Ctwgr%5E4fb64ae5ce1adc6ac7ef128a0ea3c54c4dfb046a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics-news%2Fgavin-newsom-israel-apartheid-state-1236521231%2F">telling lies</a> and being a coward, speaking of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
<blockquote>He&#8217;s got his own domestic issues. He&#8217;s trying to stay out of jail. He&#8217;s got an election coming up. He&#8217;s potentially on the ropes. He&#8217;s got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West or the West Bank. I mean, (Thomas) Friedman and others are talking about it, appropriate, sort of an apartheid state. They couldn&#8217;t even, I mean, we&#8217;re talking about regime change. For two years, they haven&#8217;t even been able to solve the Hamas question.</blockquote>
Asked about rethinking our military support for Israel. He replied, “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don&#8217;t think you have a choice. But that consideration, I mean to say this is in America&#8217;s interest at a time when affordability crisis levels, where you had an administration literally got elected, saying this is exactly the opposite of what they would ever consider doing. The fact that we are in this now regional war, all these proxies.”
He is a coward and a liar.
The fact of the matter is that blaming the attack on Iran on Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, is a lie. There&#8217;s complete solidarity in Israel from Left to Right on what Israel is doing right now. From Yair Lapid, who is on the Left, to Naftali Bennett, the chief rival to Netanyahu, to Yair Golan on the far, far, far Left, everyone agrees on this.
But when you are a coward, and you&#8217;re afraid of your own party, you have to start lying.
And then there are the actual liars, the people making actual stories up out of nothing. Stories they know aren&#8217;t true, but they push them anyway. The catastrophists aren&#8217;t actually worried about World War III or a long-standing boots on the ground occupation, but try to lie to Americans that they are.
Thus, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who has had his own shady history with the truth when it comes to his purported military service, said <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2028975539214782618">he&#8217;s worried</a> that we&#8217;re going to put boots on the ground.
Does he mean that there might be special operators on the ground? Because if we&#8217;re talking about special operators on the ground, welcome to the real world, where the United States has special operators on the ground all over the world, everywhere from Asia to Africa and the Middle East.
But that&#8217;s not what he was implying. He was implying a gigantic airlift of hundreds of thousands of troops, a gigantic boots on the ground footprint. It&#8217;s a lie. It is untrue.
It&#8217;s astonishing to watch this while he is wearing the American flag/Ukraine flag pin on his lapel.
“I am more fearful than ever after this briefing that we may be putting boots on the ground, and that the troops from the United States may be necessary to accomplish the objectives that the administration seems to have, but I also am no more clear on what the priorities are going to be given this regime going forward,” he <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2028975539214782618">hyperventilated</a>.
These are lies. It&#8217;s not true.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), directly from the Native American reservation, from her teepee, says that <a href="https://youtu.be/DxrTqQEZ69s">there is no plan</a>.
And she would know because, after all, she is a military leader and expert.
“I just left a classified briefing on Iran,” she huffed. “And here&#8217;s what I can say: It is so much worse than you thought. The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Donald Trump still hasn&#8217;t given us a single clear reason for this war, and he seems to have no plan for how to end it either. Like a lot of you, I am really angry. I am angry at what Donald Trump is doing, and I feel grief for those already killed in this unnecessary conflict. And I will keep doing everything I can to fight to end this war.” 
What a liar she is. What an absolute liar. President Trump hasn&#8217;t explained it? What&#8217;s been happening for the past 50 years?
This notion that no one knows why, that what has happened is some mystery out of the blue?
No one believes that.
The idea that there&#8217;s no plan here is horsesh*t. There is a plan here, and the military is laying it out, but the liars are going to lie.
Finally, there are the American haters. There are a lot of people who live in America who truly hate America.
There&#8217;s an easy way to tell who hates America.
If you call America a terrorist organization for killing one of the world&#8217;s most evil dictators, for example, I know you hate America.
If you say that the United States is the worst terror organization in the world, you don&#8217;t like America, period, because that is such an overt lie.
That is such a moral calumny that there can only be one explanation, and it is your deep and abiding hatred for America&#8217;s role in the world.
To make that argument, you have to deliberately obscure the difference between actual terrorists who deliberately seek to kill innocent people and nation states seeking to avoid civilian casualties, often while fighting those actual terrorists.
That is the point for people who hate America: To reduce America to the level of its enemies in order to uphold those enemies. 
You also hate America if you claim that the president of the United States is merely a tool of foreign interests without any evidence whatsoever. You are promoting lies directly mirroring those of the Iranian terrorist government, in direct contravention of truth and of the Trump administration&#8217;s own words.
President Trump was asked directly whether it was Israel that was leading him around. He <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2028877941808005217">fired back</a>, “I might have forced their hand. You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack if we didn&#8217;t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. And we had great negotiators, great people, people that do this very successfully and have done it all their lives, very successful. And, based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they were going to attack first.”
Another game that the Coalition of Scavengers is playing here with regard to President Trump is that what he&#8217;s doing right now is wildly unpopular with the American people.
According to CBS News, 85% of Republicans support the president&#8217;s strikes on Iran. 
According to Fox News, 84% of Republicans support the strikes on Iran. 
According to The Washington Post, 81% of Republicans support the strike on Iran. 
According to Reuters/Ipsos, 82% of Republicans support the strikes on Iran.
So, it doesn&#8217;t sound like much of a split inside the Republican Party.
Military households approve of the current action against Iran by a 20-point margin, 60-40. One of the great ironies of all the people on the Left and the horseshoe Right who claim to speak in the name of the military is that they very rarely actually talk to people who are in the military. The military is quite conservative and hawkish when it comes to actual effectuating of American foreign policy.
The lesson of all this?
Be a lion, not a scavenger.

Lions

Cowards, Liars, And The Anti-American Alliance

Ben Shapiro

Elizabeth Warren

Gavin Newsom

Iran

Israel

podcasts

Richard Blumenthal

Zohran Mamdani

The national chain Smoothie King has issued an official response to a viral video that appears to show a customer wearing pro-Trump apparel being refused service at one of its locations, saying the employees involved have been fired.
It all started when TikTok user @enl1986 posted a video that appeared to show two employees refusing to take an order from a man she identified as her husband, Jake. 
The stated reason for the refusal of service was that Jake was wearing a sweatshirt with Trump’s name on it.
The interaction reportedly occurred at a Smoothie King location in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” a <a href="https://x.com/SmoothieKing/status/2028689603314458713">statement</a> from the company said. “Following an investigation into an incident involving a guest who was refused service at a franchised location in Michigan yesterday, the franchise owner has taken immediate action and the two employees involved are no longer with the business.” 
The company added that both the franchise owner and corporate representatives had reached out to the guest multiple times to apologize and would continue to follow up. It also said the local owner will implement &#8220;mandatory retraining&#8221; for all employees.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
location in Michigan yesterday, the franchise owner has taken immediate action and the two employees involved are no longer with the business. Both the franchise owner and Smoothie King corporate have reached out to the guest several times to apologize and will continue to follow
— Smoothie King (@SmoothieKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/SmoothieKing/status/2028617911451930774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the video, the woman can be heard telling the employees, “We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said: ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination.&#8221;
One of the employees responded, &#8220;OK, well, have a great day.&#8221; 
&#8220;That is illegal,&#8221; the woman replied. A second employee then chimed in, saying, &#8220;I said, &#8216;Trump discriminates [against] us.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Woman claims Smoothie King in Michigan wouldn’t serve them because her husband was wearing a Trump hoodie
Any comment <a href="https://twitter.com/SmoothieKing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SmoothieKing</a>?? <a href="https://t.co/ASmMBDE7gG">pic.twitter.com/ASmMBDE7gG</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2028398745184817217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“That has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie,&#8221; the woman recording said. An employee responded, &#8220;OK, well, that’s who you support, though, that’s who you love.&#8221;
Later in the video, the woman recording added, &#8220;What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie.&#8221; 
At one point, an employee said the store had the &#8220;right to refuse service,” while the man accompanying her described the service refusal as a “crime.” 
The exchange quickly sparked debate on social media, with users divided over whether the employees had the right to refuse service.
“You can be denied service for any reason the retailer decides, it&#8217;s that simple, it doesn&#8217;t matter if the customer is wearing a Trump or Biden hat,” one user <a href="https://x.com/L0rdMoore/status/2028430837432119715">insisted</a>.
Others compared the situation to the infamous Masterpiece Cakeshop case, in which a Colorado bakery owner declined to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, a dispute that reached the Supreme Court.

Smoothie King

Smoothie King Refused To Serve Customer In Trump Hoodie, Employees Face Consequences

Discrimination

Michigan

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