RealClearPolitics Co-Founder and President Tom Bevan joined SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show on Thursday, weighing in on Democrats’ response to a wave of memes targeting party leaders.

Bevan said Democrats appear unable to match the online tactics that President Donald Trump and his supporters have mastered in recent years.

The discussion centered on a video Trump posted Monday on his Truth Social platform.

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The AI-generated clip depicted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero and mustache, with audio altered to mock Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Democrats immediately criticized the video, with Jeffries calling it “disgusting” and “racist.”

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Trump followed up by posting additional versions featuring Jeffries with mariachi music in the background.

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Bevan noted that Republicans, particularly Trump and his supporters, have dominated the meme culture in politics.

“One of the most interesting things about politics over the last few years is that Democrats don’t know how to meme. They can’t meme. And Republicans, and Trump in particular, and the MAGA folks have mastered the art, and they continue to do it,” Bevan said.

He pointed to Jeffries’ reaction as evidence that Democrats were playing into the trend. “So they do this Sombrero thing. And then Hakeem Jeffries comes out with this indignant, ‘Say it to my face’ or whatever. Then they put a Sombrero on that.”

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“It’s become a running gag now that everybody is in on, it seems like, except for the Democrats who are busy yelling that this is racist,” Bevan added.

He mentioned that the memes have expanded to other figures, including Vice President J.D. Vance.

“There was just one where they put a Sombrero on JD Vance, and he was talking in sort of Spanglish about how he can’t compromise. He can’t negotiate with the Democrats because they’re, ‘retardo.’”

The meme battle unfolded as Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, rejected a GOP-backed spending bill on Tuesday, leading to a government shutdown.

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Republicans accused Democrats of blocking the measure, while Democrats attempted to counter criticism with their own digital outreach.

Politico reported that Democrats hosted a livestream running for more than 10 hours in an attempt to frame Republicans as responsible for the shutdown.

However, the broadcast suffered from repeated technical problems and attracted only a limited audience at times.

Bevan described the livestream as ineffective. “They really seem to be just sort of flailing about,” he told Kelly. He raised questions about the potential political impact of Democrats’ approach.

“The question is, ‘OK, well how much is this going to hurt them politically?’ Or are we just living in two completely different information bubbles where the left thinks the Democrats, they’re with them, and the right is obviously with Republicans?”

Bevan suggested that while the ultimate political cost is uncertain, Democrats were not improving their position.

“On the other hand, they’re definitely not helping themselves, I don’t think. And I think it’s clear to everyone that they are the obstacle to opening the government. So they will pay a political price, but it’s just a question of how much will they pay,” he said.

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In addition to the livestream, Democrats released a video on Instagram on Wednesday captioned, “Gov shutdown but it’s cats.”

The clip portrayed kittens as stand-ins for Republicans and Democrats, with Republicans blamed for the shutdown.

 

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California Governor Gavin Newsom also attempted to respond with a meme of his own.

He posted a video on X turning House Speaker Mike Johnson into a cartoon minion with the caption, “Trump’s Minion Mike lies to the American people.”

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The contrasting strategies highlight the divide in political communication, with Republicans relying heavily on meme-driven messaging and Democrats experimenting with their own digital tactics.

With the shutdown underway, both parties are using online platforms to frame the narrative for supporters.