What is a Political Pundit? "Political pundit" is a term that can be used both negatively and positively. First introduced to English in the 1600s, the phrase describes a "person that publicly expresses their opinions or comments on a topic on which they consider themselves an expert" (Investopedia). With the advent of technology, the term has expanded to include radio and TV hosts, commentators, and social media influencers.
The Daily Wire
The Daily Wire is an American conservative media company and news website. Founded in 2015 by political commentator Ben Shapiro and film director Jeremy Boreing, the company offers a right-wing spin on trending topics in politics, culture, and global affairs.
"The Daily Wire does not claim to be without bias. We're opinionated, we’re noisy, and we’re having a good time."
Current Daily Wire personalities are Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, Brett Cooper, Matt Walsh, Andrew Klavan, and Jordan Peterson. The most recent addition to the team is 22-year-old Brett Cooper, who signed on to produce her hit podcast, The Comments Section with Brett Cooper in 2022.Commentator Candace Owens worked for DW from 2021-2024 but parted ways with the organization in early 2024 due to disagreements about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro is a 40-year-old Jewish-American media personality from Los Angeles, California. He earned a political science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2004 and received a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2007. Shapiro acquired a background in journalism and media before co-founding The Daily Wire. He has published several books, including How to Debate Leftists and Destroy Them: 11 Rules for Winning the Argument, How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps, and The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great.
He is best known as the host of The Ben Shapiro Show, which provides coverage of and commentary about current events. The show's 1,000+ episodes are available in full on YouTube, and audiences can listen to them on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the Daily Wire website, and other podcast platforms. His YouTube channel has 7.08 million subscribers.
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Shapiro is popular for his direct and often confrontational approach to delivering news. He breaks down and analyzes complex issues to help his viewers better understand them. His compelling storytelling ability and use of interactivity make Shapiro a prominent political influencer.
"Shapiro's style of analyzing and debating topics has attracted a loyal following, as well as criticism from those who disagree with his viewpoints" (LawFuel).
'Predictive Journalism' Political pundits, including Shapiro, often use their platforms to share predictions of events or elections. Predictive journalism is not always harmful, as it fosters important conversations and gives audiences a general overview of what could happen in an event. However, a 2020 study by the University of Chicago examined how election predictions could decrease voter confidence and overall voter turnout. Pundits must be able to distinguish between reasonable predictions and misinformation.
In 2022, during the Q&A portion of his speech at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Shapiro stated that current president Joe Biden would have a "poor chance of re-election" in 2024 because of his age--notably, as a result, his habit of mumbling in "non-English." Shapiro also declared that Kamala Harris is the "worst politician [he] has ever personally seen," so he does not see her succeeding on the Democratic bench. His prediction about Biden proved accurate, as the president withdrew from the November ballot on July 21, 2024. However, since Kamala Harris announced her candidacy for president, she has received a massive wave of support from young voters that could potentially help her attain the popular vote in November.
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Michael Knowles
Michael Knowles is another influential political commentator. 38 years old and born in Bedford Hills, New York, Knowles earned degrees in history and Italian from Yale University. He gained a background in acting before being invited to join The Daily Wire in 2016.
He is most well-known as the host of The Michael Knowles Show, on which he provides commentary about politics, pop culture, and religion. Like Shapiro, his show's 1,500+ episodes are available on YouTube, the Daily Wire website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.
Knowles is a practicing Catholic, and his podcast often provides a Christian perspective on current events. He lectures at universities and research institutions and has become notable in the political world for his logic-backed debates with feminists, activists, and students (see below).
Like Shapiro, Knowles occasionally uses his platform to share election predictions. On July 13th, he posted a YouTube video titled "Trump's Vice President Odds! The Michael Knowles PICKS." In this video, Knowles reviewed OddsChecker's list of the top contenders for Donald Trump's 2024 running mate, offering his own opinion and analysis of each potential pick.
At the beginning of the video, Knowles acknowledged that he had no real insight into who Trump would choose as his vice presidential candidate because Trump is one of "the least predictable people in politics." Nonetheless, he expected U.S. senators JD Vance or Tim Scott to be the top picks on the list rather than North Dakota governor Doug Burgum. Knowles pointed out that Trump and Vance share many similar values, and Trump is more likely to choose "legacy" over a "wallflower" or "dark horse" candidate. Trump wants someone, in Knowles's words, who could potentially "take it over in 2028." The first half of his prediction has proven true, as Trump was nominated alongside Vance at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The latter half of his statement is to be determined.
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