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Pro-Trump influencers are gradually distancing themselves from president Donald Trump as the administration continues to spark controversy.
In today’s day and age, manosphere influencers and podcasters can have huge sway with their (often impressionable and young) audiences when it comes to things such as politics.
But it seems many are regretting their decision to throw their support behind Trump in the run-up to the 2024 election, which he ended up winning over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
One such influencer was Adin Ross, who, in August 2024, a matter of months before the November presidential election, interviewed Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Ross encouraged his viewers to vote for Trump and gifted him a custom Tesla Cybertruck as well as a Rolex watch.
“I really really wish I never got into politics,” Kick streamer, Ross, told his viewers recently. “I just don’t think I’ll ever care enough again for another politician.”
Another influencer who interviewed Trump last August and seemed to get on well was the comedian and podcast host Theo Von. He also attended Trump’s inauguration.
But, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently used a clip of one of Von’s jokes about deportation in one of their social media videos, weirdly, Von wasn’t very happy.
“My father immigrated here from Nicaragua. One of my prized possessions is his immigration papers from when he came here – I have them in a frame,” Von said in response to the incident. “This was just f**ked up. It was f**ked up.”
In another post (which Von later deleted), he responded to the DHS writing that he did not “approve to be used in this. I know you know my address so send a check. And please take this down and please keep me out of your ‘banger’ deportation videos”.
It seems the Trump administration’s authoritarian approach to immigration control has sparked widespread concern, even among those who supported him in the election run-up.
Speaking about the Trump administration deporting hundreds of Venezuelan men without due process, podcaster Joe Rogan slammed their actions back in March.
“This is kind of crazy that that could be possible,” Rogan said at the time. “The cause is let’s get the gang members out, everybody agrees, but let’s not let innocent gay hairdressers get lumped up with the gangs.”
Later, in July, Rogan doubled down on his criticism of ICE tactics.
“There’s two things that are insane,” Rogan said. “One is the targeting of migrant workers – not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers – just construction workers. Showing up at construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?”
Others, such as podcaster/comedian Andrew Schulz who once explained that his vote in 2024 for Trump was based on “who gets the most p**sy”, have said this is not what they voted for.
“I voted for none of this,” Schulz said in July. “He’s doing the exact opposite of everything I voted for. I want him to stop the wars – he’s funding them. I want him to shrink spending, reduce the budget – he’s increasing it. It’s like everything that he said he’s going to do – except sending immigrants back, and now he’s even flip-flopped on that, which I kind of like.”
Elsewhere, the news that these influencers are now backtracking has left some people angry.
“It cannot be said enough that Donald Trump is doing exactly what he said he was going to do when he went on all these men’s podcasts,” someone argued.
Another wrote: “We are permanently trapped at these people’s mercy while forced to watch them slowly learn s*** people generally figure out in 11th grade.”
Why not read…
- Joe Rogan breaks silence on Jimmy Kimmel controversy
- Trump just tried to claim he's in better shape than Obama but nobody's buying it
- Theo Von hits back at Trump’s White House: 'I didn't approve this'
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