U-S Culture Is Shifting

Across many facets of society—in sports, entertainment, the classroom and the workplace—there are signs that MAGA isn’t just retaking the White House. It is gaining a firmer foothold in the broader culture.

Instead of taking a knee to call for social justice, NFL players are doing the “Trump dance” in the end zone at football games. Mainstream entertainers, among them the country singer Carrie Underwood and the rapper Snoop Dogg, agreed to perform at events celebrating Donald Trump’s inauguration, something music stars largely shunned eight years ago.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a new generation of Trump-friendly comedians and wellness influencers is populating YouTube and other social media, while a snippet of audio featuring Barron and Melania Trump has become one of the hottest online memes, with celebrities such as Paris Hilton and brands including Frontier Airlines using it in their TikTok and Instagram posts.

Americans who once hid their support for Trump now wear it on their sleeves, or their hats. Trevor Traina, a tech entrepreneur and former ambassador in the first Trump administration who lives in San Francisco, said he felt the shift when he co-hosted a June fundraiser for Trump in the ritzy, liberal neighborhood of Pacific Heights.

Instead of the expected protests, Traina said, the event drew “more than 100 people in red MAGA hats walking around Pacific Heights. And, you know, in my life, we’ve never seen anything like that. Republicans in San Francisco used to walk around with Groucho Marx glasses and scarves over their heads, you know, scurrying in the shadows.”

To be sure, a number of values associated with liberals have become more popular in recent years. Same-sex marriage is widely accepted, though not universally, and more than half of states have liberalized marijuana laws. After the Supreme Court ended a constitutional right to abortion, Wall Street Journal-NORC polling found support for abortion access was at one of the highest levels on record since NORC began tracking the issue in the 1970s.

Yet, Gallup found an uptick in Americans calling themselves socially conservative, with the share reaching a 10-year high. Some 38% identified as conservative, and 29% as liberal.

Many political analysts have said Americans are becoming more open to conservative ideas because of fatigue with a “cancel culture’’ that some found stifling and overly sensitive to gender and racial identity. The rise of social media is another important factor. By appearing on YouTube, Instagram or other platforms, content creators avoid the gatekeepers of legacy media and can build like-minded audiences.

Trump’s personal popularity has had an effect. The meandering nature of his speeches was welcomed by many supporters as a feature, not a flaw, in his campaign appearances. His joyfully awkward dance moves were widely copied.