Saturday, August 16, 2025

The culture pendulum swings back left

August 16, 2025

On Wednesday, Joe Rogan shed his MAGA cape and dug into Rep. Anna Paulina Luna over ICE raids. The conservative podcaster who once yuked it up with Trump for three hours was now concerned about the administration’s immigration policies.

He told Luna, “When people thought about ICE, they thought, ‘Great, we’re going to get rid of the gang members,’ they didn’t think, ‘Great, you’re going to get rid of the landscaper.’”

Something in the culture has changed. And if you believe, as the right-wing provocateur Andrew Breitbart did, that “politics is downstream from culture,” this is a very big deal for the future of politics.

To understand what’s going on, it is useful to travel back in time to 1992. Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Wearing sunglasses and playing a saxophone, he looked more like he was auditioning to be in the house band than President of the United States.

Following eight years of President Ronald Reagan and four years of President George H.W. Bush, it was a refreshing change of pace. President Bill Clinton went on to beat the incumbent president. It was cool to be a Democrat.

Politics and culture go hand-in-hand. 1980s conservatism was a reaction to the counterculture of the 1960s and ‘70s. 1990s liberalism was then a reaction to the ‘80s. The pattern goes on and on — every movement in politics and culture tends to swing the pendulum back, at least for a little bit.

But in 2000, we entered the W. Bush-era of politics. While conservative nationalism and a backlash to social progress were stirring in the undercurrent, culture was still fighting back.

Stephen Colbert roasted President Bush at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “The West Wing” had viewers yearning for a brighter future. Former Vice President Al Gore made guest appearances on shows like “30 Rock.” Even in defeat, it was still cool to be a Democrat.

When Barack Obama won in 2008, Democrats were undeniably in control of culture and politics. Musical artists flocked to him and Hollywood celebrities could not get enough. His victory swept overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate into power.

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Meanwhile, the Republican Party grew more deeply conservative. In 2012, Mitt Romney called himself “severely conservative.” Moderate Republicans disappeared. “Fiscally liberal, socially liberal” became a laughable sentiment.

We felt like we had the momentum and we thought it might never change.

Then, Donald Trump won.

Trump has held the office of president for less than five years, but he has been on the political scene for much longer. He led the birther conspiracy theories during the Obama-era, and he never left the scene after his loss in 2020. He has persistently rotted our culture and our country, but truthfully, he is a symptom of a much darker problem — something we all missed in 2016, and too many missed again in 2024.

Our culture had turned conservative — to the point where even entertainers lost the ability and will to fight back.

At the beginning of Trump 1.0, it felt good to be in the echo chamber. People still had hope and the willingness to fight. While things were certainly bad, people were looking four years down the line, and there was hope that the country would snap back. The jokes about Trump were still fresh enough to be funny, and the White House resembled a circus more than anything else.

But after 2020, Trump hung around. Even under President Biden, there was something conservative lurking in the culture. In the Manosphere, Elon Musk’s bro-base was growing. Joe Rogan, whose political views are about as fickle as they come, endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis as early as 2022. Then, Dave Portnoy of “Barstool” fame announced that he was voting for Trump.

Meanwhile, on the left, people grew so exhausted with Trump that the jokes were no longer funny. Late-night writers and performers brought their best, but things felt too helpless. With Trump’s Supreme Court stacked, Roe v. Wade was overturned. It felt like we were slipping back in time. It was no longer cool to be a Democrat.

But that was then. This is now. While it might seem counterintuitive, Trump’s return to the White House might have snapped something back in place. People are angry, and with democracy so clearly and openly under threat, the country is starting to wake up.

And while it might have taken 16 years, it seems we’ve finally figured out how to land a real punch against Trump. When it comes to a bully, you can’t hold back.

I’ve written about “South Park” before, but their satirization of the Trump administration deserves attention. The show, which began in 1997, has a broad audience across ages and demographics — not only is it meeting the moment, it’s spreading the message far and wide. Meanwhile, CBS’ capitulation to Trump and its cancellation of “The Late Show” sparked outrage, earning a jab in “South Park” and support from late-night hosts and celebrities.

Even the manosphere is shifting during Trump 2.0. Elon’s DOGE dumpster fire has tarnished his reputation, with Tesla profits dropping. Rogan called Trump’s tariff policy “stupid” and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said, “The idea that this is inherently good and makes the American economy strong is wrongheaded.” And during the Signal group chat debacle, Dave Portnoy eviscerated the Trump administration in a six minute video.

It’s clear: as Trump’s policies become increasingly unpopular and his quest for an authoritarian regime becomes even more obvious, the culture is shifting left.

The GOP can feel the temperature in the room changing. That’s why they’re redistricting and trying to suppress votes. It’s cool to be a Democrat again, and the proof will be in the midterms.