Gen Z- Influential Influencers

In Chapter 11, set in November in Tallahassee, fictional Florida, Governor Buck Bryce confidently addresses the press regarding Hurricane Timothy, initially predicted to be a manageable Category 1 storm. However, the hurricane unexpectedly strengthens to a devastating Category 4 upon landfall, causing widespread destruction and significant loss of life. The governor, previously assured by Washington that all preparations were sufficient, is confronted with the reality of inadequate storm forecasting due to recent cuts to federal meteorological services as proposed by Project 2025. As emergency response efforts falter, Bryce grapples with the new federal policies under Trump that make it difficult to declare emergencies and provide immediate assistance to affected businesses and citizens. The narrative highlights the consequences of disregarding climate science and federal data, resulting in death and destruction As always, the series author, David Pepper ties the fiction to the facts in Project 2025 and Trump’s own words. We'd like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this episode: Mark Ruffalo who read the chapter and others who contributed character voices. Sound design by Jonathan Moser. Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

The gloves came off as host Maya May, viral video sensation, and parent of Gen Z’ers, Kristen Toomey, and expert on Gen Z voters and founder and executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, Santiago Mayer discussed “WTF is happening with Gen Z male voters supporting Trump?” What’s the appeal of hypermasculinity and the influencers who push it? Is comedy the answer to bringing them back before we lose an important segment of the electorate for good? Catch up now!

Last week on Fox News the 2024 election was reduced to a battle to win over one of the smallest voting demographics in the American electorate - Black men a group normally loyal to the Democratic Party. The network also ramped up fear of the emasculating left by pushing stories of trans female athletes and government programs that pay for gender affirming surgeries for prisoners. Kamala Harris was presented as an evil shrew while Tim Walz was an ineffective effeminate even though he’s been a highly successful politician since he flipped a Republican Congressional district blue and rose to the highest office in the state of Minnesota.

Rick Wilson sits down with Congressman Jared Moskowitz to unpack the performative politics dominating the Republican caucus, highlighting how spectacle often overshadows substance in today’s GOP, and how good it feels to make James Comer eat his words. They explore the impact of these theatrics on effective governance, especially during crises, and how misinformation fuels political grandstanding. Follow Jared Moskowitz on X at @JaredEMoskowitz or connect with him at moskowitz.house.gov. Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. Join the fight with Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow us on X at @ProjectLincoln.

Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X, subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com, and buy his books “Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever” and “Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump – and Democrats from Themselves” at fine bookstores everywhere.