From each side of the political aisle, passionate conversations are everywhere you turn.
When is the last time you can remember so many of America’s citizens actively participating in discourse that will shape the future of our democracy — even if they don’t all agree on how that should be done? It’s the kind of conversations that formed our nation into the America we know and love today.
Among those stirring the most polarizing conversations is a political pundit who isn’t afraid to throw the most controversial punches of them all.
Tomi Lahren has seduced more than three million Facebook fans with her political tongue lashings, and on some days, has more viewers than every major cable news network combined. But this perceived unpopularity of opinion is all relative considering how quickly she’s become one of the Internet’s biggest rising stars.
“That is something that I have in common with Donald Trump, is that I don’t care what they label me,” admits Lahren. Whether someone agrees or disagrees, that doesn’t make me wrong. I’m stating my opinion. How I feel. You can’t be wrong in your opinion.”
WHO IS THIS WOMAN?
A little background paints a big picture of how this opinionated woman could morph into becoming the most talked about Internet TV talent.
A daughter of a military family, Lahren’s love for political rhetoric began young and followed her to University of Nevada, where she was heavily involved in the school’s political roundtable show, The Scramble. After graduating in 2014 and a brief internship for Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem, Lahren then moved to San Diego to host her own show, On Point with OAN. But it wasn’t until a video commentary about the Chattanooga shootings that Lahren began to get some traction. Her explosive opinions made headlines again in 2015 after being outspoken about denouncing stereotypes made about Republicans. They also helped land her a brand-new show, where she packed up her bags, moved to Texas and began hosting the hour-long show, Tomi.
WHAT PUT HER ON THE MAP
Noteworthy more than anything else is her mouth — or rather, the highly-controversial opinions that fall from it. Despite receiving death threats and petitions to get her fired, her short and dicing commentary snags a legion of loyalists with each of her Final Thoughts posts — and up to fifty times more if the topic if controversial enough.
“I get really frustrated when I hear that I’m not allowed to talk about these issues because I’m white,” says Lahren. “There’s nothing more frustrating to me when people like Colin Kaepernick say that we need to have a conversation in this country…but somehow people deem that to be a one-way conversation that only black people can talk about. And I don’t play that game.”
Instead, she draws the lines in the sand as she sees fit, where no topic is too taboo for this twenty-four year old commentator. It’s an attitude that’s landed her labels like “white-power Barbie” and made her one of 2016’s most outspoken, where-the-hell-did-that-come-from personalities online. According to Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Lahren is a “Smart Blonde TV Pundit” while The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah found her to be the “least woke most awake person I’ve ever seen.” Millions of people roar daily against Tomi’s final thoughts, while just as many – if not more – roar even louder in support.
How did this woman, so young in her career, become so damn bold? It’s a bit of a complicated story, as she’s in person as charming as she is controversial. But should you find yourself in competitive match of political chess with Tomi, I boiled down some tips that could make the most of understanding (and maybe changing) her point of view – or yours.
Read the rest of my exclusive interview with Lahren + check out HER Magazine’s 4 part video interview with our Founder, Nineveh Madsen.
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