Can a Celebrity Be Conservative in Trump’s America?

If you look at the circles of podcasters and comedians that dominate YouTube, conservatism, at least in its MAGA expression, is in full flower — either fully embraced or, at minimum, tolerated. But a more established ecosystem remains largely immune to the pulls of MAGA: conventional celebrity stardom in Hollywood and pop music.

The actress Sydney Sweeney recently drew attention for appearing in a jeans ad that some read as nodding to eugenicist tropes, and then declining to directly disavow those readings. The actress and podcast host Dasha Nekrasova was dropped from her talent agency after interviewing the white nationalist Nick Fuentes on her show. And thanks to his wielding of the pardon pen, President Trump has gained currency with rappers like YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Kodak Black, on top of his seemingly natural fan base among country music stars like Jason Aldean.

On this week’s Popcast, a conversation with The New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat, the host of “Interesting Times,” on Sweeney’s conservative dog whistles; how Taylor Swift’s fan base responded to her new album of domestic bliss; Trump’s relationship with the hip-hop community; and what a right-wing-coded alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show might look like.

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