Kamala Harris

Molly Butler / Media Matters

Research/Study Research/Study

Manosphere influencers and Rumble streamers respond to Kamala Harris’ presidential candidacy by claiming it's a coup and the 2024 election will be rigged

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Reed McMaster & Sage Hodil

Published

Manosphere influencers and Rumble streamers are laying the groundwork to challenge the legitimacy of the 2024 election by pushing election misinformation around Vice President Kamala Harris. 

On their podcasts and social media feeds, these streamers and influencers from the so-called “manosphere” have joined right-wing media in attacking the likely Democratic presidential nominee with sexist smears and racist remarks. These influencers have also promoted conspiratorial beliefs, calling her candidacy a “coup” and claiming that the upcoming election will be “rigged” in her favor.

  • Manosphere influencers and Rumble streamers have turned rage-based gender politics into attacks on Harris and support for Trump

    • The manosphere is an online community of right-wing websites, bloggers, and influencers that is cultivating a worldview based on conservative and outdated gender politics repackaged for the internet age. Far-right rhetoric espoused by members of the manosphere does not just live in an online vacuum, and can lead to real-world violence, threats, and harassment. [Media Matters, 3/16/23] 
    • Manosphere personalities in the past have voiced support for former President Donald Trump. Some are now attacking his main political rival with racist and misogynistic smears. Manosphere influencers have suggested that Harris is not fit for the presidency due to her race, gender, or ethnicity. [Media Matters, 4/24/24; Twitter/X, 7/22/24, 7/22/24, 7/21/24, 7/21/24]

  • Manosphere influencers and Rumble streamers have pushed conspiracy theories about the 2024 election, claiming it will be “rigged” and that Harris' candidacy was a “coup”

    • Self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate claimed that if Harris is the Democratic nominee, the Democrats will “cheat.” He ranted that there are three options: “It's not Kamala and they want to have a fair election,” or “two, they'll run Kamala and cheat. Or three, they won't run Kamala and cheat — and they’ll simply do both.” [Rumble, Tate Speech by Andrew Tate, 7/21/24; BBC, 7/23/24]
    • Tate then read a tweet calling for “all eyes on the ballot boxes,” insisting that Harris could not win because “nobody likes Kamala.” His brother and co-host Tristan Tate invoked Stalin saying, “It’s not the vote that counts, it’s who counts the votes.” [Rumble, Tate Speech by Andrew Tate, 7/21/24]
    • On Fresh and Fit, Gateway Pundit writer Elijah Schaffer claimed that the Democrats wouldn’t run Harris if the election wasn’t rigged, adding, “So if she’s running then the election is rigged completely and she will win.” Schaffer claimed “the only way” Democrats will run Harris against Trump is “if they have a clear shot of rigging the election,” adding, “Unless they can guarantee that the election is fake, they won’t run her.” [Rumble, Fresh and Fit, 7/23/24]
    • Manosphere influencer John Doyle posted that Democrats “couped” Biden. Doyle wrote: “Imagine being Hunter Biden and you’re having a normal Sunday morning smoking crack and pointing loaded guns at hookers and then an aid rushes in to tell you that they couped your Dad and then you freak out and accidentally pull the trigger like when Sandman shot Uncle Ben.” [Twitter/X, 7/21/24; Political Research Associates, 7/20/21] 
    • Comedian turned Rumble streamer Russell Brand claimed that Democrats “orchestrated” a “coup” against Biden. Brand stated: “There is now significant evidence to suggest that the higher-ups in the Democratic Party have orchestrated a somewhat undemocratic — ironically — coup to ensure that their person was put in position.” [Rumble Studios, Stay Free, 7/29/24]
    • Men’s rights influencer Jordan Peterson wrote that Harris’ “candidacy for president” is “illegitimate.” [Twitter/X, 7/29/24; The New York Times, 5/18/18] 
    • Sneako, a former YouTuber with ties to white nationalists, claimed that Democrats are engaging in a “master plan” to “destroy democracy.” Sneako argued that Biden dropping out and endorsing Harris was evidence there are people “behind everything, pulling the strings, writing a script for how the world was going to run.” He added, “It's more and more proof that there's a master plan.” [Rumble, 7/21/24; Media Matters, 3/16/23]