Slop, Ass, Cringe: MAGA Flops Abroad and Flails at Home
With the midterms less than a week away, the closing stretch of the campaign is full of bad omens for MAGA abroad and peak weirdness at home. In Serbia and Brazil, Trump allies suffered stinging and surprising defeats driven in part by energized voter turnout. An anti-corruption youth movement spearheaded the surge in Serbia, while […]
As the midterms approach, the campaign trail is filled with troubling signs for the MAGA movement both at home and abroad. In Serbia and Brazil, Trump allies faced surprising losses, driven by increased voter turnout. In Serbia, an anti-corruption youth movement played a key role, while Brazil saw President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reverse a strong showing by his Trump ally Flávio Bolsonaro.
"Both of the losing candidates, Bolsonaro in Brazil and Vučić in Serbia, wrapped themselves around Donald Trump," noted co-host David Corn on the Stress Test podcast. This trend suggests that voters around the world are fed up with government corruption. The Israeli election, still uncertain, also served as a referendum on Trump, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking re-election by highlighting his close ties to the former president.
Back in the United States, former President Obama and Trump campaigned side by side. Obama criticized Trump's taste and alleged corruption, while Trump fixated on the physical attributes of actresses, notably mentioning "asses" during a rally. The bizarre campaign strategy extended to rapper Nicki Minaj, who appeared at a rally and was asked to showcase her derriere by Trump, sparking rumors about her potential appointment as press secretary.
Co-host Garrison Hayes dismissed Trump's antics as "definitionally off message." The Midterms have also been marred by a deluge of AI-generated "slop" and outrageous attack ads. David and Hayes reviewed the best and worst of the campaign ads, discussing the White House's use of viral memes to launch crude attacks. One particularly egregious ad featured a distorted video of a Charlie Wilson NPR Tiny Desk performance, replacing Democrats with top Republicans, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero.
Other ads, like a California gubernatorial candidate's campaign, were so cringe-worthy that they left viewers speechless. "Creepy, creepy, weird," commented David. With only a few days remaining until Election Day, the final news will be delivered to viewers on the following Tuesday.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
