Mark McKinnon, political strategist to George W. Bush and John McCain and creator of “The Circus” on Showtime, was caught off guard in the last election.
McKinnon, who admits he was a “radical lefty in college,” was shocked to see just how strong the conservative presence within Gen Z was — and how these conservatives used platforms like TikTok to spread their message.
“Suddenly on TikTok this guy named Charlie Kirk started popping up everywhere,” McKinnon tells James Poulos of “Zero Hour,” noting that he “had a very conventional notion and wisdom about Gen Z and how they were, how they acted, and how they’re likely to act in that election.”
And that conventional wisdom was wrong.
“And then I saw these TikToks of Charlie Kirk showing up on these college campuses with mostly young men — but not all young men — but lots of them in red hats, and it got my attention,” he continues.
That’s when McKinnon decided to go to a Charlie Kirk rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
“It was fascinating. It was really interesting, and it really opened my mind about what was happening with that cohort, for one thing. But also Kirk himself,” he says, “was very diplomatic and very cordial to me and invited me in.”
“I got to pull back the curtain and saw the whole operation and how it worked, and you know, his model is really interesting because he invited these crowds just all through social media,” he continues, noting that you couldn’t walk through the plaza the rally was held in because it “was so packed.”
Not only was it packed, but Kirk made sure to answer “every single question that was asked.”
Kirk even chose questions from clear leftists over those who were wearing red hats, despite being non-confrontational.
“Charlie’s a fascinating case,” Poulos comments. “Coming out of that kind of Ben Shapiro moment where it was like, ‘Click to watch the libtards get destroyed with facts and logic,’ you know, Charlie went in a slightly different direction.”
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