Making Sense of MAGA’s Freak Show: Carrie Prejean, Candace Owens, Clavicular
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Candace Owens, a popular right-wing YouTuber, actively promotes extreme conspiracy theories, including the false claim that Charlie Kirk was murdered by his own organization, Turning Point USA.
- ❖These conspiracy theories are penetrating beyond fringe groups, with some Turning Point USA staffers believing the organization murdered its founder.
- ❖The internet, combined with Donald Trump's promotion of conspiracy theories, has made such beliefs seem more respectable and widespread.
- ❖The Republican party currently lacks an 'immune system' to effectively push back against or exclude extreme figures and their ideas.
- ❖Anti-Semitism is thriving within parts of the Republican party, with figures like Candace Owens promoting Nazi-era tropes about Jewish groups undermining Christian civilization.
- ❖Trump's appointment of figures like Carrie Prejean (who made anti-Catholic/anti-Israel statements) and Jeremy Carl (who wrote about 'white erasure') demonstrates the mainstreaming of extreme views within official capacities.
- ❖The 'manosphere' and 'looks maxing' subcultures, exemplified by 'Clavicular,' represent a growing, aesthetically driven, and often fascist-adjacent element on the right.
- ❖A pervasive culture of graft and lack of accountability, stemming from Trump's own behavior, incentivizes extreme and often corrupt actions among right-wing influencers and operatives.
Insights
1Candace Owens's Conspiracy Theories Mainstreamed
Candace Owens, a highly popular right-wing YouTuber, actively propagates extreme and baseless conspiracy theories, such as the claim that Brigitte Macron is trans and part of a 'centuries-old criminal cabal,' and that Charlie Kirk was murdered by his own organization, Turning Point USA. These theories are not confined to niche online forums but are gaining traction among a significant portion of the conservative base, including some Turning Point USA staffers.
Owens's claims about Brigitte Macron and Charlie Kirk's 'murder' (). Ben Shapiro's attempts to push back against these theories at a Turning Point conference (). Turning Point staffers believing the murder conspiracy ().
2The Right's Failed 'Immune System' Against Extremism
The modern conservative movement and Republican party lack an effective internal 'immune system' to identify, reject, and marginalize extreme figures and their ideas. This absence of gatekeeping allows figures promoting anti-Semitism, conspiracy theories, and racial animus to gain platforms, influence, and financial success without significant pushback from within the party. Attempts to 'cancel' or condemn such figures are often framed as 'cancel culture' by other right-wing media personalities, further entrenching their positions.
Will Summer's statement: 'the right has no... immune system to keep these people out' (). Ben Shapiro's condemnation of Candace Owens's anti-Semitism being countered by figures like Russell Brand and Tucker Carlson who 'don't do cancel culture' (). The Heritage Foundation's struggle with supporting Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes ().
3Mainstreaming of Anti-Semitism and Racial Animous in GOP Appointments
Anti-Semitism has become a more prominent and accepted element within parts of the Republican party, with figures like Candace Owens openly promoting Nazi-era anti-Jewish tropes. This trend is further evidenced by Donald Trump's appointments, such as Carrie Prejean to a religious liberty commission, who used the platform to make anti-Catholic and anti-Israel statements, and Jeremy Carl, nominated for Assistant Secretary of State, despite his writings on 'white erasure' and racial grievances. These appointments signal a willingness to integrate such views into official government roles.
Candace Owens's anti-Semitism (), her claims about Jews drinking children's blood (), and her use of books cited by Nazis (). Carrie Prejean's appointment to Trump's religious liberty commission and her controversial statements (, ). Jeremy Carl's nomination for Assistant Secretary of State despite his writings on 'white erasure' ().
4The 'Looks Maxing' Phenomenon and Fascist Aesthetics
The 'looks maxing' subculture, exemplified by the influencer 'Clavicular,' represents a bizarre and extreme manifestation of the 'manosphere' on the right. Adherents pursue extreme physical modifications (e.g., smoking meth for hollow cheekbones, 'bone smashing' to reshape facial structure) in an obsessive quest for idealized beauty. This movement connects with broader fascist aesthetics, which often emphasize an 'idealized man' and macho culture, and overlaps with white supremacist figures like Nick Fuentes, indicating a convergence of online subcultures with political extremism.
Description of Clavicular as the face of 'looks maxing' (). Practices like smoking meth for cheekbones and 'bone smashing' (). Umberto Eco's essay on 'Urfascism' and its macho side (). Clavicular's association with the Dimes Square crowd and Nick Fuentes, singing 'Hail Hitler' ().
5Trump's Normalization of Graft and Lack of Accountability
Donald Trump's leadership has fostered a culture within the right where graft, corruption, and a complete lack of accountability are normalized. His own financial dealings and pardons for figures like Steve Bannon, who faced indictments for alleged scams, set a precedent. This environment encourages right-wing influencers and operatives to engage in financially motivated schemes and extreme behavior, knowing that consequences are rare, and loyalty to Trump often outweighs ethical concerns. This 'free-for-all' of graft further blurs the lines between political influence and personal enrichment.
Steve Bannon's cryptocurrency scam lawsuit and previous 'build the wall' indictment/pardon (). Mike Cernovich's observation about the graft in the Trump administration (). Trump's own 'billions of dollars off his coins and these Middle Eastern deals' (). The lack of consequences for figures like RFK Jr. or even those caught in sexual misconduct if they are powerful enough ().
Key Concepts
The Immune System of a Political Party
A political party typically possesses an 'immune system' – internal mechanisms, norms, and influential figures – that identify and reject extreme or damaging elements to maintain its ideological coherence and public credibility. The discussion posits that the modern Republican party has lost this immune system, allowing once-fringe conspiracy theorists, bigots, and grifters to become central and influential members without consequence.
Normalization by Association
This model describes how extreme ideas or figures gain legitimacy and acceptance when 'respectable' or mainstream individuals and institutions associate with them, share platforms, or fail to condemn their views. The podcast illustrates this through mainstream conservatives appearing on panels with extremists, or Trump appointees holding radical beliefs, effectively signaling to a broader audience that such views are acceptable within the political discourse.
Lessons
- Recognize that extreme conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism are no longer confined to the fringes but are actively mainstreamed and legitimized within significant parts of the conservative movement and the Republican party.
- Understand that the absence of internal 'guardrails' or an 'immune system' within a political party can lead to the rapid normalization and empowerment of radical elements.
- Be aware of how financial incentives and a culture of impunity can drive the propagation of extreme content and corrupt behavior among political influencers.
Notable Moments
Discussion of Candace Owens's claims that Brigitte Macron is trans and Charlie Kirk was murdered by TPUSA.
Illustrates the depth of conspiracy theories being promoted by a mainstream conservative figure.
Will Summer's observation that the right lacks an 'immune system' to keep out extremists.
Provides a core analytical framework for understanding the current state of the conservative movement.
The controversy surrounding Carrie Prejean's anti-Semitic remarks on a Trump-appointed religious liberty commission.
Highlights the direct integration of extreme views into official political bodies.
The explanation of 'Clavicular' and 'looks maxing,' including bone smashing and meth use for aesthetics.
Reveals the bizarre and dangerous convergence of online subcultures, hyper-masculinity, and fascist aesthetics on the extreme right.
The discussion on Steve Bannon's alleged scams and the broader culture of graft and lack of accountability within the Trump-era right.
Connects financial opportunism with the normalization of unethical and illegal behavior at the highest levels of political influence.
Quotes
"If you think the 2020 election was stolen, does it seem that crazy that Turning Point killed its founder? Maybe not."
"The theme I keep coming back to in my work is that really the right has no... immune system to keep these people out."
"I mean, these people are being well compensated. And when people like Ben Shapiro get up, then you have someone come right after that like the comedian Russell Brand or Tucker Carlson or these people and they say, 'Hey, we don't do cancel culture around here.'"
"At the point where he's your voice of reason, I think there's some serious trouble."
"I mean, this is crazy stuff and I think some of it is linking up with, you know, perhaps legitimate criticism of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza. Um, but there's kind of this, especially among younger Republicans, there's this kind of antipathy towards Israel as a result of that."
"I mean, you don't get credit for having some 10 p.m. conversation with one close friend in private about how I'm a little uncomfortable with this if you're going on with it the other 23 round along with it and voting with it and supporting it financially and supporting it in other ways..."
"He bone smashes. Now, bone smashing is when you take a hammer or your fist and you whack yourself to try to build, you know, shatter your cheekbones in the hopes that they grow back better."
"I mean, this shamelessness, this sense of never apologizing. As long as you don't apologize, you can stay. I think people have really absorbed that."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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