Trigger Warning: Don Jr.’s New “Amateur” Podcast Is Train Wreck
By Kevin Howley, January 26, 2023
The first full-length episode of Triggered with Don Jr. dropped on Monday night. Running more than 90 minutes and immodestly titled, “Don Jr.’s Inauguration,” this epic screed from the twice-impeached former president’s namesake doesn’t stray from Jr’s. short-form videos: unhinged rants by, for and about aggrieved Trump supporters. Begging the question: Is there any other kind?
Earlier this year, Axios reported that Rumble, a user-generated video platform popular with the MAGA crowd, signed a seven-figure, multiyear deal with Don Jr. for exclusive streaming rights. Billed as a “conservative alternative to YouTube,” Rumble celebrated the deal in a news release: “The highly successful businessman, bestselling author and political commentator brings his unique brand to Triggered with Don Jr. which will be released twice a week. The show will stream live exclusively on Rumble and will be available on Locals, Rumble’s subscription platform, where following each episode, Don Jr. will take live questions from viewers.”
Don Jr. isn’t the only big name signing big deals with Rumble. The Verge reports that Glenn Greenwald and Russell Brand are also on board – clear indication that the rambunctious digital platform is courting controversial content at a moment when more established players are hedging their bets as the culture wars heat up.
In case you missed it – lucky you! – here’s the lowdown on Don Jr.’s podcast premiere.
A Mind-Numbing Worldview
Once upon a time, Don Jr.’s million-plus Rumble followers had to be content with short clips featuring long-winded titles such as “Happy MLK Day – The Woke Left is Following the Total Opposite of His Message” and “UNREAL: 60 Minutes Smears the GOP With Nonsense … Check This Out” recorded from Trump’s man cave. Not anymore. Originating from a proper television facility, Triggered With Don Jr. looks like a mash up of Charlie Rose and Between Two Ferns – intellect and irony not included.
Don Jr. claims his show is totally unscripted. Who am I to argue? In the opening minutes, Trump veers from insult to grievance and back again. He then explains why Rumble is different. “We’ve seen what happens on other platforms. Every one of you knows someone that’s been in Facebook jail. Oftentimes for telling the truth.” Not one to build a following on YouTube only to be canceled one morning by the woke mob, Don declares, “I’m excited to support a platform that actually stands for and believes the things I believe.”
Spoiler alert! Don Jr.’s belief system is teeming with conspiracy theory, white nationalism and toxic masculinity. It all makes for a mind-numbing worldview that impulsively spouts vitriol masquerading as “insight.”
Consider this pearl of political wisdom: “Moderate Democrats still exist. But the problem is you can’t win if you don’t have the help of the lunatics out in California. You know, if you’re not all for the nineteen year old dude that says, ‘You know, I’m not the greatest track star in the world, so I’ll convert and I’ll be a chick, and I’ll dominate and I’ll take a scholarship.’”
Not content to leave it there, Don Jr. borrows a page from the old man’s playbook. “Hey soccer moms. Feminists. Where are you? Perhaps the great irony of the last few years is that guys like me are like leaders in the feminist movement.” More proof that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Say this much for Jr. – he knows how to stay on brand.
A Word From Our Sponsor
Speaking of brands, someone’s got to pay the bills, and Don Jr. has high praise for his sponsor: GoldCo.com. Another in a seemingly endless supply of sketchy businesses funding the right wing media sphere. “It takes guts to support a conservative,” Trump says. “So, I’d like to personally thank GoldCo for being the first sponsor of this show.”
“So if you want to check it out, check out a company that’s unafraid,” Don Jr. continues, with all the subtly of a PBS pledge drive pitch. “God knows in this world of inflation, insanity … Probably makes sense to check it out. We need to be out there supporting those who support our values.”
It’s all part of a broader strategy to build what Don Jr. refers to as a “red state economy.” Insulating conservatives from mainstream media and cancel culture, an alternative economic, cultural and political ecosystem supports “thought leaders” like Trump and company. After all, Jr. concedes, “The world’s in a crazy place, we have to have these conversations.”
Agreed. But would it be too much to ask to use your inside voice?
The Wheels Come Off
By minute 20, Don Jr. reveals what is arguably the evening’s worst kept secret. “This is new to me. I am totally winging it.” Maybe conservative media audiences are more forgiving – of their pundits, that is – than I, but this train wreck has barely left the station and the wheels are coming off.
The podcast careens from hot takes on Biden’s classified document fiasco and mainstream media coverups to rumors of Democrat defections. It’s all a blur. But I’m committed to seeing this through to the bitter end. (Although next time, I’ll put in for hazard pay.) When Don Jr.’s “babe,” Kimberly Guilfoyle, shows up for the final half hour, it’s a relief. Then the auditory hallucinations begin. Her voice echoes minutes on end, meanwhile Don Jr.’s mic is off. If nothing else, Mr. Trump doesn’t have to worry about his audio engineer being woke.
Before long, the program descends into domestic chit-chat about how the happy couple first met and Don Jr.’s day out with the kids. It’s LOL funny until you realize that this “clown show,” to borrow one of Trump’s favorite putdowns, has a crackpot friendly platform and a built-in audience of conservatives eager to tune in twice a week for Don Jr.’s amateur production of The Rush Limbaugh Show.
Kevin Howley is a writer and educator whose work has appeared in Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism, Social Movement Studies, and Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture. His most recent book is Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination.
Interested in more news about right-wing media curated especially for mainstream audiences? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
By minute 20, Don Jr. reveals what is arguably the evening’s worst kept secret. “This is new to me. I am totally winging it.” Maybe conservative media audiences are more forgiving – of their pundits, that is – than I, but this train wreck has barely left the station and the wheels are coming off. (Image: Wikimedia)
