Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and... Liz Truss? Exploring the Ex- PM's Audition for Make America Great Again

Britain's shortest-serving prime minister, kicked off the inaugural episode of her YouTube show with a pledge to unmask "the evil-doers" striving to bring down the UK, United States and European nations. She explained she would uncover how an "international network of progressives operate to weaken popular rule and the electorate's mandate."

"Our focus will be on the Maga phenomenon and see how it can be accomplished in Britain," Truss declared. "Our guests will include the leading lights of the Make America Great Again campaign."

Prior to the program's debut, there was a notably ardent backer. "This marks the start of a type of transformation," stated John Solomon. His media outlet Just the News will carry the former prime minister's new podcasts.

Establishing Ties in the Maga Media Ecosystem

Compatriot supporters, such as a counselor supportive of Reform, assisted in her set up the Truss's program. The production is adequate, though simple. The show has attracted 10,000 subscribers in her initial seven days and her debut garnered tens of thousands of views across the same period.

It is a modest start, but in partnering with Solomon, Truss is being pushed into a mature right-wing media network producing and amplifying Maga talking points. Central preoccupations encompass accusations of information control by the established press and a goal to remove a conspiratorial 'deep state' – a force that the ex-PM holds responsible for the swift end of her calamitous premiership.

"Solomon's outlet is not widely recognized past the Maga-verse, but it does have credibility there, largely because of John Solomon, who offers opinions on conservative outlets like Steve Bannon's War Room and has even spoken with Trump," noted Professor Alex Hinton, who has closely studied the Maga movement.

A Controversial Partner

The former PM's foray to import the pro-Trump media model to Britain has drawn her nearer to contentious individuals such as the journalist.

He established his media outlet after criticism following accusations of circulating inaccurate reports about the President's actions in the Ukraine, as well as disputed reports about ex-ambassador to Ukraine.

These allegations were amplified throughout the pro-Trump media, with the journalist appearing as a frequent visitor on the widely-watched Fox News program. Donald Trump endorsed the journalist's work.

He wrote the reports about Ukraine in a set of articles for the outlet the political newspaper, after having been re-designated as an opinion writer when staffers raised concerns about his work. His claims were pivotal in the then-president's request for the officials in Kyiv to investigate the Bidens in that year. These actions led to impeachment proceedings against Trump. The US Senate later voted to acquit the then-president.

Shortly after the journalist departed the newspaper in late 2019, the outlet revealed it was conducting a review of his reporting about the Ukraine issue. It found he had used untrustworthy contacts and said he "failed to identify important details about key Ukrainian sources, such as the detail that they had been indicted or were the subject of inquiries."

Entering the Ecosystem

Solomon's own media appearances are a sign of the conservative ecosystem Liz Truss is entering. Solomon mentioned his support for her new show on a broadcast he helps run on the conservative cable network, a political media platform that is home to the Maga influencer Steve Bannon and on which Tucker Carlson also is seen. Truss has already spoken with the political operative on one of her first podcasts.

By partnering with Solomon and Just the News, she has become a minor player in a much wider network of conservative media outlets that frequently share and promote one another's material.

Solomon's own podcast and Real America's Voice show have repeatedly hosted individuals such as influencer Mike Benz, a conservative commentator whose disparagement of USAID was used by the tech billionaire as grounds for closing the government body.

An International Strategy

While the former PM's unnatural presentation and career difficulties have been mocked in Britain, certain American analysts are taking seriously her bid to rebrand as a British branch of the Make America Great Again press.

"One must regard individuals such as her seriously, although you may not want to accept their words at face value," said Rob Flaherty, who served in the Biden administration.

"Observers witnessed how in 2024 Donald Trump used that alternative press to spread his narrative. Certainly that sphere spreads and shapes debate overseas. It seems quite apparent to me that the environment in the United Kingdom are akin to what permitted this non-mainstream media network to prosper here."

Professor Alan Finlayson, said the online conservative ecosystem was already having an impact in Britain.

"Digital media transcends national boundaries," he stated. "There exists a sort of milieu within which stuff flows – at times manifesting in radical ways and sometimes less so – but which is connected."

The academic said the rise of the internet-based right wing in the UK recently meant the "chance to have a growing impact is significant."

Global Goals

"The former PM and the Reform UK leader not long ago spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where I saw they hit Maga talking points before the {king of Maga|