Top O' the Briefing
Happy Tuesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Bermunczy felt that his time as a guest tambourinist for Kylie Minogue taught him more than his 12 years of undergrad.
When the 2016 presidential campaign was heating up, I was doing a weekly (maybe bi-weekly?) political panel show on PJTV (#RIP) with my old pals John Phillips and Scott Ott. We frequently discussed Donald Trump's personal use of Twitter to get his message out to the public. It was brilliant. Both the Dem-friendly hacks in the mainstream media and the Republican establishment were trying to stonewall him at every turn.
He had figured out a way to cut through the noise and speak directly to the voters, and the usual suspects were not amused.
Back then, I repeatedly said that Trump's use of social media in the 2016 campaign would one day in the future be talked about in university political science programs.
One day.
After Elon Musk purchased Twitter and rebranded it with the gentlemen's club name X, I was hoping that Trump would make a quick return. Alas, he decided to stick with his desert wasteland social media platform, Truth Social. The only time anyone has been aware of Truth Social is when one of Trump's posts was shared on X.
On Monday, Trump finally returned to the social media platform where it all began. He took a different approach on his first day back. There was no stream-of-consciousness mean tweeting. Trump opted for posting campaign videos which, as my HotAir colleague David Strom wrote, is a "gold mine."
Trump capped off his return with a rollicking, two-hour interview conducted by Elon Musk on X Spaces (which just adds to the gentlemen's club vibe, IMO). I listened to most of it because I knew it would be one of the few interviews with him between now and the election that didn't start with "Mr. Trump, why are you Satan, Hitler, and a puppy killer?"
The aforementioned usual suspects were summarily triggered by the mere announcement of the interview, and it was glorious.
The European Union sent Musk a sternly worded letter, telling him he should adopt its Eurotrash censorship ways. Because Musk is Musk, he ignored the letter. My colleague Bryan Jung has more on that here.
The caterwauling from the propaganda pimps immediately picked up when the interview wrapped up, and Musk wasn't sweating that either:
Almost all of legacy media will trash the Trump conversation, thus driving total listeners probably past 200+ million 😂 https://t.co/44Mhr2hkAu
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 13, 2024
Catherine wrote up a detailed recap of the conversation between Musk and Trump. It was just the kind of forum that Trump needed after all of the noise that the flying monkeys in the mainstream media have been giving Kamala Harris and her doughboy babysitter running mate lately.
My RedState colleague Jennifer Oliver O'Connell wrote this about who Trump could be reaching with this strategy:
The "edgelord influencers," make up a young and MALE segment of voters who have huge online followings, eschew TikTok, and promote alpha males. Trump and his VP running mate JD Vance have been speaking to these influencers and appearing on their podcasts and shows, so who knows how many have tuned in Monday night? So far, over 30 million people (and counting) have already plugged into Trump's X conversation with Musk.
While many are writers, the political class, and the MAGA base, among that number are probably undecided voters or people who pay little attention to the legacy media. The Kamala coronation is either passing over their heads or viewed like a person with three heads. But the iconic former president who survived an assassination attempt?
It's a draw that should not be discounted.
I suspect that the audience was broader than that.
Trump and his supporters were due a breath of fresh air after a couple of weeks of choking on the noxious fumes created by the horse manure produced by the media rebranding of Kamala Harris.
That would be the same Kamala Harris the media lapdogs had to stop hyperventilating about for a while last night because Trump had them all in a tizzy.
Well played, 45, well played.
Click the button below to get the Morning Briefing emailed to you every weekday. Have your coffee with me, people. It's free and it supports conservative media!
The Mailbag of Magnificence contributions can be sent to [email protected].
Everything Isn't Awful
Baby goat energy is always good energy.
Happy little goat.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/20LqQYb0jg
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) August 12, 2024
PJ Media
VodkaPundit. SpaceX Ties Another World Record Set by... Yeah, SpaceX
Walz’s Battalion Commander’s Brutal Takedown of VP Nominee
Shut it, Eurofreaks. EU Warns Elon Musk Not To Broadcast Interview With Trump on X
VodkaPundit, Part Deux. Has the Media Finally Had Enough of Kamala Harris's Silent Treatment?
LOL! Not Even KJP Can Name Any of Kamala's Policy Achievements
If You Want to Know How the Devil Would Market Politics and Religion, I'm Your Guy.
Even Sports Media Is Getting in on the Whitewashing of Tim Walz
VodkaPundit, Part Trois. Putin's Embarrassment: What the Hell Is Going on in Kursk?
Devouring Democracy: The Left Embodies the Archetype of Female Predation
The Surprising Perks That Some Olympic Medalists Receive
Trump: After Shooting, 'I’m More of a Believer'
Of course. Demanding Businesses Be Apolitical Is Now Racist
A 'Conservative' Columnist Endorses Harris
Townhall Mothership
LOL. Libs Go Crazy As Nassau County Bans Masks
Did KJP Just Accidentally Blow Up a Kamala Harris Talking Point?
JD Vance Clarifies Trump's Stance on Abortion
What This MSNBC Commentator Just Said About Kamala Harris Is Insane
YES. Massachusetts Gun Owners Launch Campaign to Repeal New Restrictions
Cam&Co. NYC's 'Emergency Rule' for Non-Resident Carry Comes With Its Own Issues
Maryland's Assault Weapon Ban Might End Up At SCOTUS Before Illinois Ban
Trump's Twitter Account Is a Gold Mine of Video Now
#TrueStory. Trump on X Taps Into a Voting Bloc That Legacy Media Doesn't Even Know Exists
CNN Gets Supremely Triggered Over Donald Trump's Interview With Elon Musk
Washington Post Reporter Wants Biden to Stop Trump-Musk Interview Because He Fears 'Misinformation'
Spot the Difference: CBS Coverage of No Taxes on Tips Is SO DIFFERENT Depending on the Candidate
Joe Biden, Kamala HQ Won’t Give Up the Charlottesville Hoax
Drew Holden Compiles Examples of Media Spin Over the 'Swift-Boating' of Tim Walz
VIP
Become part of the PJ Media VIP party by subscribing here. Use promo code KRUISERMB to receive a WHOPPING 50% discount. Trust me, we’re having fun over here.
VodkaPundit, Part Quatre. This Tim Walz 'Stolen Valor' Story Will Have You in Tears
Now Radical Tim Walz Is Trying to Steal the Valor of JD Vance's Bootstraps Success
UK Government Launches ‘Misinformation’ Curricula in Public Schools
Air Force Veterans Allege National Children's Hospital Transitioned Son Behind Their Backs
Why Did Anti-Trump Conservatives Abandon Conservatism?
From Human Resources to Fat Activist: A Tale of Triumph and Diversity™
Another Key Democrat Constituency Could Be Shifting to Trump
Around the Interwebz
‘The Simpsons’ Tease Season 36 With First Look Of ‘The Yellow Lotus,’ Parody Of HBO Drama Series
Studying the skin of the great white shark could help reduce drag in aircraft
Two Lions Swam Nearly a Mile Through Dangerous Waters, Again and Again
Bee Me
Tim Walz Clarifies That He Is Not Stealing Valor, Just Redistributing It https://t.co/wyCWwQpeSi pic.twitter.com/5yLMZyZxqT
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 12, 2024
The Kruiser Kabana
Kabana Gallery
Cathedral (Study of Rocks) https://t.co/XhOfamloc7 pic.twitter.com/3FMna7vQtD
— Graham Sutherland (@GVSutherland) August 12, 2024
Kabana Comedy/Tunes
Make sure you watch until the last bit about the talking walls.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member