The Dreadful State of Maga Art: From Melania to Kid Rock
On Super Bowl Sunday, viewers faced a stark cultural choice. They could enjoy the elaborate and joyful halftime performance by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, one of the world's most popular music artists, or they could opt for something else entirely. However, for those seeking to prove their Maga bona fides, the alternative was a parade of similar-sounding country singers culminating in a performance by Kid Rock, who jumped around in shorts, seemingly lip-syncing to his 1999 novelty hit.
A Sad Spectacle of Rightwing Entertainment
This spectacle was orchestrated by Turning Point USA, a rightwing advocacy group co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, rather than a charity for faded rap-rockers. Kid Rock, also known as Robert Ritchie, performed "Bawitdaba," with lyrics that some white listeners prefer—a rip-off from Black culture, originally by rapper Busy Bee. After pivoting to cover the country tune Til You Can't with a pious new verse, the show included a tribute to Kirk, blending the artistry of Kid Rock with the cheerlessness of a funeral.
In movie theaters this winter, the rightwing cause célèbre is the documentary Melania, a critically reviled piece about First Lady Melania Trump. Directed by the filmmaker behind the worst X-Men and Hannibal Lecter movies, it struggles to create art from a vacuous subject, resorting to nonsensical borrowing. It uses music cues from Goodfellas and actual score from Phantom Thread, prompting composer Jonny Greenwood and director Paul Thomas Anderson to demand removal due to contract violations.
The Struggle for Quality in Conservative Art
Melania joins a shelf of ham-fisted faith-based movies, Dinesh D'Souza hack jobs, and projects threatening Ben Shapiro cameos, raising the question: are there any rightwingers capable of producing seriously great or even good art? Angel Studios has made efforts to release movies for a Maga-skewing audience, distributing films like the inventive Sketch and Kevin James rom-com Solo Mio. However, their biggest successes are the QAnon-adjacent thriller Sound of Freedom and low-rent animated Bible stories, indicating an audience for overtly Christian-themed entertainment, such as Dallas Jenkins' The Chosen series.
These works may overlap with Melania's audience, which treats its subject with near-religious faith. Yet, many evangelical movies are more small-c conservative than fully rightwing, and secular mainstream entertainment often shares a conservative sensibility. Historically, not all great pop-culture artists have been left-leaning; figures like Frank Capra and James Stewart were conservative Republicans, and director Sam Raimi has donated to George W. Bush, with conservatism threading through his work.
The Sticking Point: Trumpism vs. Art
The lack of quality Maga art stems from its alignment with Trumpism, which may be inherently at odds with artistic expression. Forged in reality television, Trumpism prefers narrative as a game show with non-union writers, demanding submission and fealty. Prominent filmmakers like Clint Eastwood and S Craig Zahler have right-leaning sensibilities but avoid parroting talking points, favoring complex narratives. Eastwood explores prejudice and moral ambiguities, while Zahler's crime pictures feature sympathetic rightwing characters, such as in Dragged Across Concrete with Mel Gibson.
This complexity vexes "woke" leftwingers, who often engage in sanctimonious purity tests, as seen in debates over Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another. Yet, rightwingers have seized an unyielding perspective, where diverse casting triggers alarm bells, branding anything with sympathetic Black women as "woke." It's hard to imagine Trump faithful embracing David Mamet's work, which requires intellectual engagement over loyalty pledges.
Trump himself shows little patience for art, never having read a book or listened to a record for pleasure. His push for Rush Hour 4 stems from Brett Ratner directing Melania and providing paydays to the Trump family, with Ratner's sympathies likely influenced by being a #MeToo "victim." In this deal, Maga art is constrained: approved entertainment must come from figures like Ratner, with Kid Rock possibly scoring. This highlights why Maga art remains shoddily made and uninspired, failing to match the creativity of its counterparts.
