Staff Reports
Batya Ungar-Sargon may not wear a red hat, but she sure knows how to strut like one. The deputy opinion editor at Newsweek labeled herself a left-wing populist, but her recent performance on Bill Maher’s show was like watching someone try to fit a square peg into a very round liberal hole. She attempted to defend Trump’s policies, asserting that they are far from extremes, even while liberals continue to clutch their pearls and faint over any mention of him.
During her discussion with Maher, she was put on the spot, and as is often the case with Maher, he stumbled on his own interrogative whims. Instead of caving to the pressure that many in her position would feel, Ungar-Sargon stood her ground. In the midst of discussions about Trump’s victories and the gasps from the audience, her main message seemed to resonate: remember who Trump really stood for, and it isn’t the elite coastal class that Maher is so fond of.
Batya Ungar Sargon's defiant retort to Bill Maher's question asking if she regrets supporting Trump:
Maher: "I'm just wondering what you think now: You must have a feeling in your gut:
This is going badly, I shouldn't have thrown in my lot with this team."
BUS: "I feel the… pic.twitter.com/kKoaanvkyi— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) March 15, 2025
In what could only be described as an epiphany for her fellow Trump supporters, Ungar-Sargon sounded the alarm about a creeping misunderstanding of what Trump’s success actually represented. She boldly asserted that the current Democratic Party is basically lost, unable to comprehend the seismic shifts that have transpired in American politics. While they’re squabbling over who can be the wokest of the woke, the real threat lies in Republicans failing to appreciate why Trump was victorious in 2016 and could find success again in 2024.
Her argument highlights that it wasn’t merely issues like trans rights that propelled Trump—no, it was a much grittier narrative about working-class dignity. In a world so enamored with elite ideals, she pointed out the fundamental misunderstanding about the working-class folks who want economic autonomy along with social respect. If the GOP regresses to pre-Trump strategies, they risk losing that valuable Brownie troop of working-class support that they had so stubbornly garnered.
However, the Democratic Party appears intent on perfecting its routine of catering to the elite, a maneuver that Ungar-Sargon claims is not only misguided but also destructive. Her views suggest that as Democrats remain enamored with their inner circles, they essentially wave goodbye to the working-class crowd that once used to support them. If they continue down this path of doubling down on elitism while pretending to champion the little guy, they will be handing Trump an open-door invitation to charm America again.
Recognizing the threats posed by the Democrats is only half the battle, though. The real danger is allowing ignorance of Trump’s initial electoral victories to erode the GOP’s momentum. If Republicans don’t carry the torch lit by Trump’s message—one of dignity, economic empowerment, and tireless defiance against elitist manipulation—they just might find themselves in the political wilderness alongside the Democrats. Ungar-Sargon’s warnings might seem ominous, but they also serve as clarion calls to remember the foundation of Trump’s support before it’s too late.
