What the Woke Right Really, Truly Wants — and Where It Actually Has a Point

Confession from a conservative columnist: I don’t think the Democrats are evil.

I think they’re wrong. I think their political theories are misguided — as are their core assumptions. Above all else, I think their policies would reduce Americans’ peace, prosperity, and freedom.

But most Democrats, I assume, honestly believe they’re doing the right thing.

Because most people aren’t evil. In all my years on planet earth, I’ve encountered true evil just a handful of times. (It makes a helluva impression.) Good is the norm; evil is the exception.

It’s why evil sticks out like a sore thumb.

And it’s also why you can’t market evil as what it is: Nobody would buy it. Evil is repulsive; we instinctively flee from its presence because we yearn to think of ourselves in heroic terms.

So instead, you must sell the evil as something good — blending the positive with the profane, the holy with the abominable.

Thought #1: If I extend this courtesy to Democrats, then it would be inconsistent not to extend it to “Woke Right” Republicans (a catch-all phrase for isolationist-minded MAGA/conservatives who obsess over conspiracy theories, Jews and Israel, white Christian nationalism, Jeffrey Epstein, and contrarian “hot takes” on history, health, paranormal phenomena, war, and technology).

Thought No. 2: If the Woke Right is like most things — a mixture of good and bad, instead of purely evil — then it’s worthwhile to identify what it gets right. After all, if we want to win their hearts and minds, it’s smarter to meet audiences where they already are, consolidate shared ground, and build from there.

Because what’s the alternative? To forfeit the audience? 

Forever?

That’s a stupid way to win a majority.

I understand that millions of Republicans have lost patience with the Woke Right ringleaders — Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, Steve Bannon, Nick Fuentes, Alex Jones, and more. Hey, you’ve concluded that they’re not acting in good faith. (And I agree with you.) These “influencers” aren’t dutifully following the facts; they’re leveraging data points to propagandize an agenda.

It doesn’t matter the data point; it doesn’t matter which fact. Somehow, it always reaches the same conclusion:

The sudden death of Lindsey Graham can be the black mark sent to Trump. I doubt it were Iranians. Most realistic it was Mossad job in order to push Trump to renew full scale war with Iran. It clearly means “you are the next”. Lindsey Graham was the shadow of Trump, his black self

— Alexander Dugin (@AGDugin) July 12, 2026

If an anti-Israel politician suddenly dies, why, it’s proof of Israel’s culpability. (Cui bono, amiright?) And if a pro-Israel politician suddenly dies, why, it’s STILL proof of Israel’s culpability, because… [gestures arms wildly].

The same applies to a 31-year-old pro-Israel podcaster who suddenly died on Sept. 10, 2025: Somehow or another, it was always going to be Israel’s fault.

Charlie Kirk was not murdered for his opinions on transgenderism. Obviously.

Those of us who knew him best and called him a friend believe he was most likely murdered for his evolving views on Israel. 👀

— Tucker Carlson 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/D1mf5UXwHi

— Travis (@NihiloX) June 19, 2026

Wild but expected with the level of propaganda we’ve seen this week.
The propaganda campaign has no teeth.
Nobody in the world outside of Zionists believe Tyler Robinson murdered Charlie Kirk and that Israel’s hands are clean.
Keep fighting, everyone. Everyday, Charlie’s army… https://t.co/tYtPfx7nHV

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) July 10, 2026

But this isn’t about the Woke Right ringleaders. Screw ‘em.

This is about their audience.

Because someone is watching all that Woke Right content, and it’s silly to dismiss ‘em all as bots, bigots, and foreigners. Yes, the numbers are inflated, but it’s still in the millions.

So how do we win them back?

The first step is to recognize where they’ve got a legitimate grievance: For a very long time, there has been a disconnect between American foreign policy and an America First agenda. Part of it was deliberate — a concession to Cold War politics and international alliances — and part of it was a byproduct of corporate globalism (which was the zeitgeist behind so many of our pro-China trade policies, even after it became clear that China wasn’t democratizing and America’s manufacturing base was being cannibalized).

Like all policy decisions, there were winners and losers. If you were a loser (or consider yourself a loser), you’re outraged that your country “sold you out.”

Plus, their kneejerk contrarianism didn’t materialize out of thin air. It’s a byproduct of the lies, exaggerated claims, and government bull[feces] from COVID — and a whole lot more, including Saddam Hussein’s phantom WMDs. 

(In other words, they distrust U.S. institutions for good reason.)

Their error is extrapolating the wrong historical lessons. Just because the government lied about COVID doesn’t mean that everything is a lie (i.e., Charlie Kirk). Just because Saddam Hussein didn’t have huge stockpiles of secret WMDs doesn’t mean that the Iranian mullahs weren’t pursuing nuclear weapons. Just because the Iraq War was a geopolitical mistake doesn’t mean the Iran War is destined to be a disaster, too.

Sometimes, appeasing evil gets you an Adolf Hitler. But other times, it avoids unnecessary wars, i.e., Iraq. There are no absolutes. 

Tactics don’t guarantee outcomes. (Be awesome if they did, ‘cause then we’d always get the outcome we wanted. But alas, that’s not how it works.)

Yet that’s actually a good thing for PR purposes, because the “America First” philosophy is less about tactics and more about direction: The only litmus test of an America First policy is an America First outcome.

And suddenly, our strategy for winning back the Woke Right audience is clear: Meet them where they are, recognize their biases, and focus like a laser beam on the America First outcomes and benefits.

It’s a four-step PR process:

ONE: Use their paranoia and distrust to separate them from the Woke Right ringleaders. 

Does it make sense to believe that everyone in politics is a dirty, stinkin’, dishonest liar — yet Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens are sticklers for the truth? Of course not!

Document and publicize their lies and bull[feces]. Demonstrate their inconsistencies. Do it with gusto.

Give ‘em the Fauci treatment.

TWO: After puncturing holes in their credibility, torpedo ‘em with ridicule.

It’s something we noted in Sunday’s VIP column:

Until now, [Ben] Shapiro has tried to shame Owens and Company. He shamed them for hijacking Charlie’s agenda. He shamed them for spreading lies. He shamed them for bullying a grieving widow. He shamed the people who listened to their podcasts, and he shamed the organizers who platformed them at conservative events.

It didn’t work. You can’t shame someone who’s shameless.

On Friday, he changed tactics:

And in the process, he revealed the roadmap for counterprograming Owens’ nonsense. Of all the things he’s tried, his Friday podcast was, by a country mile, the most effective.

It’s a simple formula: Ridiculous people aren’t worthy of shame. They’re worthy of ridicule.

THREE: Acknowledge our areas of shared agreement — because they’re considerable.

We’re patriots who believe in putting America First. We both believe in American exceptionalism. We agree that the American government must prioritize American citizens.

On countless hot-button social issues — including immigration, DEI, abortion, gender issues, gun rights, election integrity, Big Tech censorship, and Judeo-Christian morality — we’re on the same page. Remind audiences of our shared values — while also reminding them of the values of the Democratic Socialists who’ve taken over the Democratic Party.

And then offer them a path back to the MAGA mainstream.

FOUR: Explain how MAGA policies, including our relationship with Israel, are 100% consistent with an America First agenda.

Tucker Carlson has dedicated hundreds of hours to arguing that our relationship with Israel only benefits Israel. He’s argued it loudly, aggressively, and consistently.

If we don’t offer a counterargument, we won’t win the debate.

So explain the U.S.-Israel relationship not along moral lines, but Machiavellian lines: Detail all the reasons why continuing our alliance is in America’s best interest.

Ideas include:

And then tie it together with Christian Zionism (when appropriate).

Since the rise of the Podcastistan phenomenon, there’s been heavy focus on the problem of the Woke Right because it’s a real, legitimate problem — and left unaddressed, it could very well split the Republican Party. I don’t want to make light of it.

But it’s also an opportunity for us to make an argument of our own.

I hope we take advantage of it. This is a winnable fight.

One Last Thing: 2026 will reach a crescendo with the midterm elections. Nothing less than the fate of the America First movement teeters in the balance.

Never before have the political battle lines been so clearly defined. Win or lose, 2026 will transform our country.

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