The left is coming to their senses.
Cenk Uygur, the outspoken co-host of the progressive show The Young Turks, has made a surprising admission following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election: he’s feeling “optimistic” about the future. Despite years of vocally opposing Trump, Uygur revealed on his social media that Trump’s win represents something deeper than just a political shift—it marks a decisive blow to the “establishment” that both progressives and conservatives alike have long criticized.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Uygur reflected on his conflicting emotions, acknowledging that while he opposed Trump personally, the defeat of the “establishment” candidate brought him a sense of hope. He explained that his real enemy was not Trump or even the extreme left, but the entrenched power structures that dominate Washington, D.C. “MAGA is not my mortal enemy… My mortal enemy is the establishment. And they have been defeated!” Uygur wrote, a statement that would have been unthinkable for him just a few years ago.
This shift in Uygur’s perspective is even more striking considering his past comments. Only weeks before the election, Uygur called Trump an “unstable madman” and accused him of wanting to “terminate our Constitution.” He even claimed that Trump posed a dire threat to American democracy during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored. However, after Trump’s victory, Uygur’s tone changed dramatically. He now sees the defeat of the political elites, and especially the mainstream media, as a victory for the American people.
In a follow-up post, Uygur pointed out that the establishment’s media arm had been “mortally wounded” by Trump’s success. He praised the rise of independent media as a powerful counterforce to the old media monopoly. “Now, media onlie is powerful enough that their oppressive monopoly on the American brain has been destroyed,” Uygur wrote. He expressed his excitement about the “uncontrolled marketplace of ideas,” where populism and alternative voices can thrive outside the mainstream media’s grasp.
Uygur’s comments echo a broader sentiment that has gained traction among conservatives and populists in recent years—the idea that the mainstream media and political elites are out of touch with everyday Americans. Trump’s ability to bypass traditional media outlets and connect directly with voters through social media and alternative platforms like podcasts played a significant role in his electoral success. For many, this victory represents more than just a political shift; it signifies a victory for free speech and independent thought in an era where the mainstream media often seems to speak with a single, unified voice.
Uygur’s new outlook has drawn criticism from some of his former allies, including The Young Turks alum Jimmy Dore, who labeled Uygur a “phony” and accused him of spreading propaganda. Despite the backlash, Uygur appears unfazed, standing by his belief that the real change is happening outside the corridors of power.
While it’s clear that Uygur’s transformation is motivated by his disdain for the entrenched political class, his shift also speaks to the growing influence of independent media and populist movements. For many Americans, Trump’s victory represents a victory for the people over the elite class that has long held sway over the nation’s political and media institutions. And for Uygur, that may be reason enough to be optimistic about the future, even if it comes from a source he never expected.