This week, the Republican National Convention confirmed Ohio senator and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance as their vice presidential nominee for this year’s election. This came as a surprise to some—especially considering Vance’s comments about the former president comparing Trump to Hitler. But like many of Donald Trump’s decisions, this one was also inspired by Fox News.

Specifically, Tucker Carlson.

When you line up Vance’s full range of media appearances since he burst into the American consciousness, it’s difficult to overstate Carlson’s influence: from poor “hillbilly” to New York Times bestselling author to Republican Senator to possibly the second-most powerful person in the country. In my new video, I show how Carlson put Vance on a pedestal, giving him time to mold his image from a center-right-ish commentator to an ultra-conservative crusader in the culture wars. According to Media Matters, Vance appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight 46 times between 2018 and 2023, when Carlson was fired from the network. This coverage paired with Carlson’s frequent and passionate endorsements of Vance portrayed him as a viable option for Vice President, despite a controversial record on abortion, climate change, and foreign policy.

Tucker Carlson saw something in JD Vance: a vessel for power, for billionaires’ dollars, and for a vision of the future Carlson never got to finalize at Fox.

This week, the Republican National Convention confirmed Ohio senator and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance as their vice presidential nominee for this year’s election. This came as a surprise to some—especially considering Vance’s comments about the former president comparing Trump to Hitler. But like many of Donald Trump’s decisions, this one was also inspired by Fox News.

Specifically, Tucker Carlson.

When you line up Vance’s full range of media appearances since he burst into the American consciousness, it’s difficult to overstate Carlson’s influence: from poor “hillbilly” to New York Times bestselling author to Republican Senator to possibly the second-most powerful person in the country. In my new video, I show how Carlson put Vance on a pedestal, giving him time to mold his image from a center-right-ish commentator to an ultra-conservative crusader in the culture wars. According to Media Matters, Vance appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight 46 times between 2018 and 2023, when Carlson was fired from the network. This coverage paired with Carlson’s frequent and passionate endorsements of Vance portrayed him as a viable option for Vice President, despite a controversial record on abortion, climate change, and foreign policy.

Tucker Carlson saw something in JD Vance: a vessel for power, for billionaires’ dollars, and for a vision of the future Carlson never got to finalize at Fox.

“Cackling,” “ho,” “ditzy,” “bimbo,” “DEI Vice President.”

These are the classy terms right-wing media has used to caricature Kamala Harris over the last four years. Following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, the possibility of a Kamala takeover has jumped from a fever-dream conspiracy theory on right-wing airwaves to a real possibility, leaving right-wing media scrambling. As journalist Kat Abughazaleh dissects in her debut video essay for Mother Jones, the usual misogynistic tricks aren’t cutting it—at least when compared to their multi-decade propagandistic masterpiece: Hillary Clinton, Empress Dowager of Evil. Have the usual Fox-type commentators shot themselves in the foot and inadvertently made Kamala even more resilient? 

“The national electorate isn’t already primed to turn against her with Pavlovian ease,” Kat explains. “They don’t have a trigger phrase like Benghazi or a sticky nickname like Crooked Hillary.”

Yes, Harris endures an enormous amount of racist, sexist bullshit from Fox News and the far-right noise machine. And if there’s one thing to be said about right-wing media, it’s that it can adapt, and adapt fast. But after Harris’ four years as vice president, the right’s attacks on her as a so-called “DEI Vice President” are still falling short of the toxic misogyny that helped Donald Trump win the 2016 election. In this video, Kat outlines right-wing media’s favorite jabs against Harris, how they differ from their endless campaign against Hillary, and why they are now firing on all cylinders to reinvent the Kamala narrative for their viewers before it’s too late.

Top illustration: Mother Jones; Lawrence Jackson/White House/Planet Pix/Zuma; Fox News; Media Matters for America

“Cackling,” “ho,” “ditzy,” “bimbo,” “DEI Vice President.”

These are the classy terms right-wing media has used to caricature Kamala Harris over the last four years. Following President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, the possibility of a Kamala takeover has jumped from a fever-dream conspiracy theory on right-wing airwaves to a real possibility, leaving right-wing media scrambling. As journalist Kat Abughazaleh dissects in her debut video essay for Mother Jones, the usual misogynistic tricks aren’t cutting it—at least when compared to their multi-decade propagandistic masterpiece: Hillary Clinton, Empress Dowager of Evil. Have the usual Fox-type commentators shot themselves in the foot and inadvertently made Kamala even more resilient? 

“The national electorate isn’t already primed to turn against her with Pavlovian ease,” Kat explains. “They don’t have a trigger phrase like Benghazi or a sticky nickname like Crooked Hillary.”

Yes, Harris endures an enormous amount of racist, sexist bullshit from Fox News and the far-right noise machine. And if there’s one thing to be said about right-wing media, it’s that it can adapt, and adapt fast. But after Harris’ four years as vice president, the right’s attacks on her as a so-called “DEI Vice President” are still falling short of the toxic misogyny that helped Donald Trump win the 2016 election. In this video, Kat outlines right-wing media’s favorite jabs against Harris, how they differ from their endless campaign against Hillary, and why they are now firing on all cylinders to reinvent the Kamala narrative for their viewers before it’s too late.

Top illustration: Mother Jones; Lawrence Jackson/White House/Planet Pix/Zuma; Fox News; Media Matters for America