In The Post-Charlie Kirk World, Don't Sleep On Nick Fuentes
Hagen | CLMI
The sudden and earth-shifting assassination of conservative activist and youth MAGA leader Charlie Kirk - founder of Turning Point USA - may have, in some ways, left a crater to fill. While the conservative political movement continues catching fire with young males, especially young white males, Kirk’s adept leadership style and strategically shrewd ability to organize this population group into a powerful voting machine was unmatched by Republicans and Democrats alike. Each party now finds the other eager to either maintain or replicate Kirk’s political magic.
That’s critical to examine, considering how much the young white male demographic continues to shift increasingly to the right. As PRRI research notes, it’s not just young white males moving to the Republican side that’s on a substantial upswing, but also - eerily enough - many young Black males (albeit still accounting for a very low voting demographic within the GOP). Keep in mind that as the white male shift to the GOP increased by 4 percentage points between 2023-2024, Black male support for the GOP spiked 5 percentage points during that same time period …
With recent young voter trends more dominant, enter Nick Fuentes.
Fuentes is the well-known 27-year-old, controversial far-right online political commentator born and raised in Chicago. In 2016, he attended Boston University, but soon dropped out after completing his freshmen year due to backlash and criticism from his peers after attending a white supremacist rally. In 2017 at just 18-years old he started his own live stream show titled, “America First” published by Right Side Broadcasting network (RSBN).
Within a very short period of time, fueled by Gen Z and mostly white male frustration with the status quo, Fuentes created a highly successful business model. He gained notoriety for his far-right views, covered up in neatly fashioned Gen Z internet culture and a rash sense of humor. However, after only a few months, he was kicked off the platform for Muslim hate speech.
In 2020 he founded the “America First Foundation”, with a group mission statement promoting “traditional values.” What did that mean to Fuentes and his followers called “Groypers”? It meant strong opposition to interracial marriage and having an extremely misogynistic view on women. During a number of livestreams, he’s made that agenda abundantly clear by saying things such as “[Your wife,] she’s your dominion okay, you own her and she is subject to you.” Or: “she is your dependent just like your children, and women should be treated like children basically.” In another infamous stream he states “I got to find my 16 year old wife probably when I turn 30. Let’s say I get married to an 18-year-old now, when I turn 40, she’s going to be 34 ew.” (Keep in mind Fuentes has never been in a relationship with a woman.) When Trump won the 2024 election he even tweeted “Your body, my choice. Forever.” He even attacked a woman with pepper spray outside his Chicago home, and was charged with battery. These are not his only extremist views. The self-proclaimed “racist” also made many anti-semitic and homophobic statements and opposed all forms of immigration, legal or otherwise. Many things he has said could be defined as hate speech, which is why he is banned on numerous platforms including TikTok and Twitch, but now streams daily on Rumble.
Opponents and Supporters
Despite that, as Wired reports, Fuentes has a plan for an audience that continues to swell …
Rather than damaging Fuentes’ popularity, Kirk’s death has accelerated it. His X following has grown by almost 175,000 since Kirk’s death, and he has seen his following on Rumble increase by more than 100,000.
His livestream commemorating the death of Kirk was among his most watched by far, with over 2.5 million views. His livestream the following Monday discussing who was responsible for Kirk’s death also saw a higher-than-normal viewership. In the space of less than an hour, Fuentes earned over $5,500 from the top 50 Super Chat donations made by supporters, according to a review by WIRED.
It is quite obvious he’s no friend to the Democratic Party agenda, but he has also faced problems with Republican politicians and political commentators such as the likes of President Trump, JD Vance, Candace Owens, and recently deceased Charlie Kirk. It might seem surprising to some, but he disagrees with rank-and-file Republicans and their followers because he thinks they are too weak. Fuentes was an avid MAGA supporter and was ecstatic after Trump won the 2024 election - yet, soon afterward, Fuentes began turning on the president after what he perceived as many false promises, stating he was “all talk no action.” After Trump’s refusal to release the Epstein files, Fuentes fully renounced his support of the president.
Since 2019 his supporters, most of which are young white men, have also been seen at Kirk’s former college pressing students and faculty with hostile questions on gay marriage and America’s support of Israel. He has made it very clear that he is not a mainstream conservative, and that he believes in pure extremist views. The outreach to Gen Z through quick wit, charm along with heavy meme use and jokes is effective: not only is he gaining attention from already conservative white men but also non-political youth, the left leaning, and even women. Many women are creating edits of him and swarming his live streams with flirty chat messages.
This sudden new fan base offers insight into the ease with which charismatic and relatable people can persuade many. The internet age has changed the political climate in just a short amount of time, while online influence becomes more prevalent as a popular opinion and brand ambassador tool. It’s already gripped our politics in a moment of grave uncertainty. In the meantime, for better or for worse, it’s undeniable that Nick Fuentes is making waves, and we won’t be seeing the last of him.
SAYDIE HAGEN is a Fellow at the Civic Literacy and Media Influence Institute at Learn4Life
