Theo von Criticizes MAGA and Sides With Left-Wing Rival Bernie Sanders

Theo Von has spent years constructing an empire because the relatably “clueless” king of podcasting. However this week, the Louisiana native dropped the act to ship a political bombshell that has each the far proper and the far left reeling.

Throughout a landmark episode of his podcast, This Previous Weekend, launched on January 21, 2026, Von hosted Senator Bernie Sanders for his or her second main sit-down. Whereas their first assembly in August 2024 was seen as a unusual cross-cultural experiment, this newest look marked a complete ideological pivot. Von didn’t simply interview Sanders. He aligned with him whereas launching a blistering critique of the MAGA motion and the “billionaire class” that he says has deserted the American employee.

“I’m uninterested in being informed that some billionaire is gonna save me,” Von informed a shocked viewers. “Bernie is speaking in regards to the individuals I grew up with within the mud. The lobbyists are those successful, and it looks like the present administration is simply enjoying either side of the online.”

The “Bernie Bro” Rebrand: Why Theo Is Pivoting

 

The shift follows months of refined distancing from the Trump administration. Whereas Von was credited with serving to Donald Trump safe the younger male vote in 2024, his tone has soured as actuality has set in.

Throughout the practically 90-minute dialog with Sanders, Von expressed deep frustration with the “corruption” of Washington. He particularly focused the affect of Huge Pharma and the Residents United Supreme Courtroom choice. These are speaking factors which are often the bread and butter of the progressive left and never the MAGA-friendly podcast circuit.

“You have a look at Wall Avenue, the drug firms, the insurance coverage firms… they’ve huge energy,” Sanders informed Von throughout the episode. “They inform the federal government what to do.”

Von didn’t push again. As a substitute, he rubbed his chin and agreed whereas lamenting that the federal government appears “helpless” to guard atypical residents from being “killed” by rising prices and lack of healthcare.

[Link: Watch the full episode #635 featuring Senator Bernie Sanders – YouTube]

 

The response from Von’s conservative fan base was swift and divided. On platforms like X and Reddit, some “Rat King” loyalists accused him of being “radicalized” by the left, whereas others praised him for his mental honesty.

The timing is especially awkward for the Trump camp. Simply final Might, Von was performing stand-up units for American troops in Qatar alongside the President, who famously informed the group, “We don’t care for those who’re politically right.” Critics on the time, together with MSNBC, labeled Von a “device of the Trump administration.”

Now that very same “device” is hammering the administration’s dealing with of ICE raids and its ties to company donors.

“Theo has all the time been a populist,” says tradition author Aja Romano. “He’s a 45-year-old from Louisiana who has lived via habit and working-class struggles. If the MAGA motion stops feeling prefer it’s for the working class, Theo would be the first one to leap ship.”

 

The episode additionally noticed Sanders and Von discover frequent floor on a controversial native difficulty: the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota. Sanders condemned the $250 million theft from a toddler vitamin program as “disgusting conduct,” whereas Von identified that such scandals make individuals “mistrust the federal government managing their tax {dollars}.”

“Fraud is disgusting, particularly to steal cash from hungry youngsters,” Sanders mentioned. “That’s as dangerous because it will get.”

Whereas Sanders pushed again on Von’s skepticism of presidency effectivity, the alternate highlighted Von’s rising function as a proxy for the “disaffected” voter. That is somebody who believes the system is rigged however isn’t positive who to belief to repair it.

The Way forward for the “Manosphere”

Von’s pivot raises an enormous query for the 2026 midterm cycle: Is the “podcast bro” coalition fracturing? If influencers like Von, who attain hundreds of thousands of younger males, begin buying and selling MAGA hats for Sanders-style populism, the GOP might lose its grip on an important demographic. For Von, nonetheless, the transfer appears much less like a calculated political play and extra like a return to his roots.

“I’m simply an fool,” Von joked on the finish of the episode. “However not less than I’m beginning to have a look at the proper issues.”