The MAGA Whisperer

Since Donald Trump burst onto the political scene in 2016, Hollywood and the mainstream media mostly have treated MAGA voices “like garbage,” says publicist Vanessa Santos. So in 2021, at the height of industry conservatives being sidelined or canceled over their views on hot-button issues, she saw a massive opportunity, quit her job in the publishing industry and launched Renegade PR, an agency based in Washington, D.C., that represents Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, Drea de Matteo, Roseanne Barr, Riley Gaines and Tim Pool — a who’s who of names most publicists wouldn’t touch.