Progressive Spotlight: Emma Vigeland.
The Majority Report’s Vigeland Is as Fearless as They Come.
Image Description: A photo of Emma Vigeland next to the Majority Report logo.
From her days capturing Trump supporters saying excruciatingly cringe things for The Young Turks (TYT) to her unapologetic and consistent take on various political issues on The Majority Report, Emma Vigeland has evolved from a rising star in left circles to someone who has earned the respect and admiration of the wider community.
Vigeland carved out a unique niche for herself at TYT by attending Trump rallies and other MAGA events, mixing it up with supporters of the ex-president, and fact-checking them on the spot. Perhaps that’s why she’s seemingly so comfortable giving it back to people on social media when confronted with an array of falsehoods and bad-faith attacks.
When few journalists or political types refused to engage with Trump supporters, Vigeland took up the mantle and delivered some of the best coverage for TYT during her stint at the progressive network—dispatches that were unintentionally (we think?) funny but also gave so many of us a small peek into the Trump universe.
A few notable examples include that time she asked MAGA supporters in Miami about their views on socialism:
“I define socialism—when you bring down your own country, your own race, because he’s not Black…” said a woman outfitted in Trump/MAGA regalia, referring to Joe Biden.
“What does that mean?” Vigeland shot back.
“He’s saying the white people—he doesn’t look at himself in the mirror?” said the woman.
Oh, so that’s socialism! I guess we can rip up this series.
A year prior, Vigeland took her talents to Indiana. Somehow holding her composure, she interviewed a shirtless man attempting to conceal his nude chest with a discarded shirt (couldn’t he just have worn it?) and asked him about athletes kneeling in protest of police brutality.
“Don’t subject us to your protest,” said the guy, perhaps unaware that the NFL didn’t begin playing the national anthem at football games until the Department of Defense paid the league to do it. “We love America. We love Black people. Knock it off.”
It got worse.
Asked about the disproportionate use of excessive force on Black Americans, the man effectively condoned police brutality against marginalized groups, citing his own crime stats.
Confronted with data recited by Vigeland about police use of force, another man responded: “Statistics Shmanistics.”
Vigeland’s contribution to progressive media and the broader community is not limited to her field reporting, which also included coverage of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, as useful as they were.
Whether it’s getting into the weeds about specific policies, such as Medicare For All, the climate crisis, or economic issues, speaking out against the mistreatment of marginalized groups, or interviewing expert after expert, Vigeland is as informed as they come.
And anyone paying attention to her segments on TYT, interviews on other platforms, or her thoughtful posts on social media, would’ve noticed Vigeland’s star was on the rise. She was able to parlay her incredible popularity and insightful political analysis across TYT to a much larger role at The Majority Report, where she’s now Sam Seder’s co-host. For the uninitiated, The Majority Report is one of the most successful progressive news shows in existence, boasting more than 1.5 million YouTube followers alone.
Behind the mic for a daily political news show, which she’s done since Election Day 2020, Vigeland is provided the freedom to pontificate on the happenings in Washington and beyond, and critically, does so with disarming clarity. She’s empathetic, deeply informed, and unafraid to challenge authority or anyone she disagrees with, which sometimes includes other leftists. Or she may just eviscerate right-wing talking heads like Ben Shapiro and Tim Pool, or debate an adult person named Destiny.
In a sense, Vigeland can do it all: break down policy with the best of them, engage in contentious debates, own the right, and stand up for those without a voice. And she’s only getting started.
Image Sources
- Emma Vigeland headshot via Twitter. Changes were made.
- Majority Report logo via Apple Podcasts. Changes were made.
Rashed Mian
Rashed Mian is the managing editor of News Beat. Mian previously covered civil liberties and the Muslim American community for Long Island Press. Mian graduated with a degree in journalism from Hofstra University. Mian is interested in under-reported stories that impact disenfranchised communities as well as issues related to civil liberties.
