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IrelandRory Stewart explains his MAGA hat at a Trump rally
On The Rest Is Politics, his account separates Trump's command of a crowd from support for his politics.
The Rest Is Politics
Story of Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 624,074 views.
Rory Stewart Goes To A Trump Rally.
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:20Stewart uses Hillbilly Elegy to explain the connection between Appalachian communities, industrial Ohio and Trump's support.
- 3:18Road footage accompanies Stewart's account of isolation and poverty in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.
- 8:14Stewart describes religious reasons voters give for backing Trump, alongside pressure from inflation and living costs.
- 12:13The hosts examine Senate contests and warn that past polling misses complicate predictions.
- 25:04Stewart explains wearing a MAGA cap to blend in at the Chillicothe rally, then assesses Trump's crowd-holding delivery.
- 32:25Izzy turns to Louisiana, discussing poverty and voter dynamics outside the most-covered battlegrounds.
Wearing the red cap was a way to blend in, Rory Stewart explains. But he recognises why others read it differently: for people disturbed by Donald Trump, the MAGA hat signals endorsement, whatever the wearer's intention.
That distinction sits at the centre of "Rory Stewart Goes To A Trump Rally.", which drew about 624,000 views since yesterday. Talking to Alastair Campbell, Stewart describes attending Trump's rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, and finding a performer whose ease, pacing and pauses set him apart from the other Republican speakers.
It is an account of political stagecraft, not a declaration of support. Stewart describes how Trump can hold a room with the apparent informality of someone talking at a bar. Campbell, meanwhile, cites a New York Times linguistic analysis finding that Trump's rhetoric has become simpler and more absolute.
The rally discussion arrives about 25 minutes into an episode that begins somewhere less theatrical: the steep valleys of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Stewart's road footage accompanies his account of isolated communities and severe poverty, with JD Vance's memoir Hillbilly Elegy providing a starting point for understanding the region's relationship with industrial Ohio.
Stewart describes voters explaining their support for Trump through conservative religious convictions, while arguing that living costs remain central to the election. The hosts also examine Senate candidates and early voting, repeatedly cautioning against treating narrow polling margins as dependable predictions. This is a campaign discussion, not a results bulletin.
The episode includes an energy advertisement and a sponsored UK Budget question. Away from the rally, contributor Izzy brings Louisiana into the conversation, widening the road trip beyond the states receiving most of the campaign attention.
A Republican politician and author who has served as US vice president since 2025. He previously represented Ohio in the US Senate from 2023 to 2025.
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- Channel
- The Rest Is Politics
- Subscribers
- 697,000 ▲ 3,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,564,236
- Channel views, pace per day
- 342,632 (on a normal day: 207,006)
- Video published
- November 3, 2026
- Video views so far
- 679,192 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 623,874
The numbers
The episode drew more than half a million views since yesterday. Its first-day comment section was also more than three times as busy as usual for the channel's regular videos.
💡 Test your knowledge
In which state did Rory Stewart attend the Trump rally discussed here?
Stewart describes attending Trump's rally in Chillicothe, Ohio.