Liz Truss, Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson? Exploring the Ex- PM's Foray for the Maga Movement

The former UK leader, began the first edition of her video series with a vow to unmask "those with ill intent" striving to bring down Britain, the US and Europe. She explained she would uncover how an "international network of liberal activists work to undermine democracy and the electorate's mandate."

"We will examine the political movement of Donald Trump and see how this can be replicated in Britain," the former PM stated. "We'll be talking to the leading lights of the Make America Great Again campaign."

In advance of the show's launch, there was one particularly enthusiastic supporter. "This represents the dawn of a type of transformation," said John Solomon. The right-leaning Just the News will host the ex-PM's new podcasts.

Forging Alliances in the Conservative Media Landscape

British fellow travellers, such as a pro-Reform adviser, have also helped her set up the her new show. Its staging is competent, if somewhat rudimentary. The show has attracted ten thousand followers in her debut week and her first episode had 67,000 views in that timeframe.

This represents a small opening, but in making common cause with the journalist, the former PM is being pushed into a established right-wing media network creating and spreading pro-Trump narratives. Central preoccupations include claims of media suppression by the traditional news outlets and a goal to eradicate a conspiratorial 'deep state' – which Truss blames for the swift end of her calamitous premiership.

"The platform is not widely recognized outside of the pro-Trump media sphere, but it does have influence there, largely because of John Solomon, who offers opinions on conservative outlets like the program hosted by Steve Bannon and has even interviewed the former president," said Alex Hinton, who has extensively researched the Make America Great Again phenomenon.

A Controversial Partner

Truss's attempt to transplant the pro-Trump media model to the UK has pushed her closer to divisive personalities such as John Solomon.

He set up the platform following backlash following accusations of circulating inaccurate reports about Biden's anti-corruption work in the Ukraine, as well as disputed reports about the former US ambassador to Ukraine.

Solomon's reporting were echoed throughout the pro-Trump media, with Solomon appearing as a frequent visitor on the prominent Fox News program. The former president personally endorsed the journalist's work.

Solomon made the Ukraine claims in a set of articles for the outlet the Hill, where he was moved to a columnist role following internal criticism regarding his reporting. These reports were central in Trump's pressure for the Ukrainian government to look into the Biden family in 2019. This pressure led to impeachment proceedings against the president. The US Senate later acquitted the president.

Weeks after Solomon left the Hill in October 2019, the outlet announced it was carrying out a review of his reporting relating to Ukraine. It determined Solomon had used questionable informants and said he "did not disclose important details about main Ukrainian informants, such as the detail that they had been formally accused or were the subject of inquiries."

Joining the Network

Solomon's own media appearances are a sign of the political media environment Liz Truss is joining. Solomon mentioned his support for the program on a broadcast he helps run on the conservative cable network, a conservative television outlet that is home to the conservative firebrand former adviser Steve Bannon and on which commentator Tucker Carlson also is seen. She has already hosted the political operative on an early episode.

Through her association with the journalist and his outlet, Truss has become a minor player in a much wider network of conservative media outlets that often cross-promote stories.

Solomon's own podcast and Real America's Voice show have often featured figures such as influencer Mike Benz, a conservative commentator whose arguments against the US Agency for International Development was referenced by the tech billionaire as reasoning behind dismantling the international development organization.

A Cross-Border Foray

Even though Truss's stilted style and career difficulties have been mocked in Britain, a number of stateside commentators are taking seriously her efforts to rebrand as a local version of the Maga media.

"One must regard people like Truss with seriousness, despite the fact that you may not want to take them literally," said a former Biden White House aide, who worked in the Obama White House.

"It was evident how in the recent campaign the former president leveraged that media network to disseminate his views. Certainly that ecosystem spreads and shapes debate abroad. It seems fairly obvious to me that the conditions in the Britain are akin to what enabled this parallel press sphere to thrive in America."

Professor Alan Finlayson, said the online conservative ecosystem was already exerting influence in the United Kingdom.

"Digital media transcends national boundaries," Finlayson remarked. "There is a certain milieu within which content circulates – on occasion taking an extreme form and other times more moderately – but which is networked."

The academic said the growth of the online right in the United Kingdom in recent times meant the "possibility to have a larger effect is significant."

Cross-Atlantic Aspirations

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Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering AI, cybersecurity, and digital innovation across European markets.