Midterms proved once again that X and online politics aren’t real life
A question turns into a joke
At a Texas town hall with Fox News host Jesse Watters, college student Kate White asked how young people could afford to settle down and have children. White identified herself as vice president of Texas Christian University’s Turning Point USA chapter.
Vance responded with a joke about Jon Husted’s ass, then said Republicans had not paid enough attention to affordability. He blamed rising housing costs on institutional investors and what he called “20 million illegal aliens” living in the United States.
Online politics meets voters
For years, Republicans have followed Steve Bannon’s idea that politics flows from culture. The article says this outlook shaped the right’s fights over Big Tech, social media and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Elon Musk’s purchase of X gave conservative voices a platform with influence and a direct line to people in power. Some have argued that X better represents the public than platforms such as Bluesky, whose users lean further left.
Election results challenge assumptions
The article argues that Republican figures, insulated by online echo chambers, mistook their online environment for public opinion and focused on memes instead of affordability. It says voters remained concerned about the cost of everyday life.
Republicans lost Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, described in the article as historically red states, and narrowly won Florida. Mississippi’s Senate race was still too close to call.
A wider online influence
The article describes Vance as closely tied to X and notes that his following list includes Raw Egg Nationalist, Bronze Age Pervert, Howling Mutant and Captive Dreamer. It says White House aides, department employees and Hill staffers also operate in the same online ecosystem.
Writer John Ganz calls the trend “groyperfication,” referring to followers of influencer Nick Fuentes. The article says American Moment reportedly screens out groypers, and cites Department of War press secretary Kingsley Wilson’s posts about Leo Frank as a reason for concern.
Affordability remains a concern
After winning the White House and Congress in 2024, Republicans treated the result as a mandate for MAGA’s cultural project, the article says. It argues that many voters were instead focused on the price of eggs.
The article says Republicans doubled down on culture despite continuing concerns about gas prices and groceries. The town hall exchange, in this telling, showed the gap between online political instincts and voters’ everyday priorities.
Key points
- Vance joked before addressing Kate White’s question about affordability and starting a family.
- The article links Republican focus on online culture with a failure to address voters’ cost concerns.
- Republicans lost Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, while Mississippi’s Senate race remained too close to call.
- The article says voters remained concerned about prices, including groceries and gas.