Brad Polumbo

Brad Polumbo
Polumbo in 2022
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
OccupationsJournalist; political commentator; podcaster
EmployerFoundation for Economic Education (former)
Organization(s)BasedPolitics (co-founder)
Young Voices (described as editor/commentator)
Known forCo-founding BasedPolitics (with Hannah Cox)
BASED Politics, Inc. v. Garland litigation
Hosting Brad vs Everyone
Notable workBrad vs Everyone
The Based Politics Podcast
Websitebradleypolumbo.com

Brad Polumbo is an American journalist, political commentator, and podcaster. In 2023, he was the subject of an opinion column in The New York Times discussing his views as a gay Republican-leaning commentator amid debates over LGBTQ-related politics on the American right.[1] He is a co-founder of the media platform BasedPolitics (with commentator Hannah Cox), which was identified by Reuters as a petitioner in litigation challenging the 2024 federal law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations or face restrictions in the United States.[2] In 2025, Premiere Networks announced a distribution partnership for his podcast Brad vs Everyone through iHeartPodcasts.[3]

Early life and education

Polumbo graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2019 with a degree in economics and political science, according to a biographical profile published by the Steamboat Institute.[4]

Career

Polumbo worked in editorial roles at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE).[5] A biographical entry published by Libertarianism.org (a Cato Institute project) describes him as an editor at Young Voices.[6]

Podcasting

Polumbo hosts Brad vs Everyone, a weekday podcast and companion video program. In 2025, Premiere Networks announced a distribution partnership for the show through iHeartPodcasts.[3]

BasedPolitics

Polumbo and Cox co-founded BasedPolitics in 2022 and launched The Based Politics Podcast. A profile published by Stand Together described BasedPolitics as a media platform oriented toward short-form video and social-media distribution, and discussed the founders’ stated aims for the project.[7]

Media coverage and reception

In March 2020, PinkNews reported on a column Polumbo wrote for the Washington Examiner responding to an open letter from health organizations that argued LGBT people could face heightened risks from COVID-19 due to factors such as higher smoking rates, HIV prevalence, cancer rates, and barriers to healthcare. According to PinkNews, Polumbo criticized the letter and argued that some LGBT advocacy organizations were attempting to frame the pandemic as an “LGBTQ+ victimhood” issue in order to sustain fundraising and political engagement.[8] Metro Weekly separately reported on the same controversy and summarized arguments attributed to Polumbo and his column.[9]

A post published by PBS's Independent Lens discussed creators who said their TikTok accounts had been “shadowbanned” (a term used to describe reduced distribution or visibility of posts), and it included Polumbo among the examples referenced in the post.[10]

In April 2023, Polumbo debated commentator Michael Knowles at the University of Pittsburgh on whether “transgenderism” should be regulated by law.[11][12] Pittsburgh City Paper described Polumbo as a late addition to the event after another participant withdrew.[13]

The Pitt News reported that Polumbo argued for a “live and let live” approach while also expressing disagreement with aspects of medical transition, as protesters gathered outside the venue.[14] WESA reported that protests and disruptions occurred in the area around the event and that the university issued a public safety emergency alert after smoke devices were set off outside the venue.[15] TribLIVE also reported on the incident and the public safety alert.[16]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette later reported on a dispute over a security-cost invoice issued to the group that hosted the debate, including reporting that the university rescinded the bill after criticism and legal threats.[17][18] In July 2023, the Pittsburgh Union Progress reported that a Regent Square couple was federally indicted on conspiracy and obstruction charges arising from protest activity connected to the debate, which it described as featuring Knowles and Polumbo as speakers.[19]

TikTok divest-or-ban litigation

In June 2024, Based Politics, Inc. filed a legal challenge to the federal law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. operations or face restrictions in the United States, according to the Liberty Justice Center (counsel for the plaintiffs).[20] Reuters reported that the group's challenge was among the petitions consolidated in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit concerning the law.[2] Reason reported on the lawsuit and summarized the plaintiffs’ First Amendment arguments.[21]

Materials filed in the Supreme Court docket for TikTok, Inc. v. Garland included a declaration by Polumbo in the joint appendix compiled for the Court's review.[22]

Other media appearances

In December 2023, Fox Business published a segment featuring Polumbo as a guest discussing student-loan debt relief and related political issues on Varney & Co.[23]

Polumbo has written for publications including the New York Post, USA Today, the Daily Mail, and Newsweek.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30]

References

  1. ^ Coaston, Jane (September 4, 2023). "Opinion | How a Gay Republican Sees the Rise in Anti-L.G.B.T.Q. Rhetoric on the Right (Published 2023)". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Shepardson, David (June 17, 2024). "Appeals court to hear challenges to potential US TikTok ban on Sept. 16". Reuters. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Premiere Networks and Brad Polumbo Team Up to Bring "Brad vs. Everyone" to iHeartPodcasts". Premiere Networks. May 19, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "Brad Polumbo". The Steamboat Institute. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  5. ^ Polumbo, Brad (September 27, 2022). "Brad Polumbo: Reflecting on My FEE Journey". Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  6. ^ "Brad Polumbo". Libertarianism.org. Cato Institute. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  7. ^ "New next-generation media platform wants to 'make liberty go viral'". Stand Together. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  8. ^ Wakefield, Lily (March 19, 2020). "Gay right-winger bizarrely rants that queer people are using coronavirus to 'fuel fake victimhood'". PinkNews. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  9. ^ Riley, John (March 18, 2020). "Gay conservative accuses LGBTQ groups of exploiting COVID-19 to "fuel fake victimhood narrative"". Metro Weekly. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  10. ^ "The People Behind Shadowbanned TikTok Accounts". Independent Lens. PBS. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  11. ^ Bhasin, Punya (April 14, 2023). "New participant found to debate Michael Knowles at Pitt, debate topic changed". The Pitt News. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  12. ^ Schneider, Sarah (April 17, 2023). "Controversial Pitt debate will continue after transgender advocate drops out". WESA. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  13. ^ Rosenfeld, Jordana (April 14, 2023). "UPDATE: Gay libertarian columnist will now engage Michael Knowles at Pitt "trans debate"". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  14. ^ Bhasin, Punya (April 19, 2023). "Michael Knowles, Brad Polumbo debate transgender issues, government regulation at Pitt". The Pitt News. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  15. ^ Schneider, Sarah (April 18, 2023). "Protesters block Pittsburgh streets during gender identity debate at Pitt". WESA. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  16. ^ Vellucci, Justin. "Protest arises during transgender event at Pitt, police report 'incendiary device' outside building". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  17. ^ Aiken, Maddie (June 7, 2023). "A conservative advocacy group says University of Pittsburgh violated the First Amendment during transgender debate". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  18. ^ Aiken, Maddie (August 24, 2023). "Pitt rescinds $18,700 bill sent to conservative group that hosted transgender debate". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  19. ^ Ove, Torsten (July 1, 2023). "Regent Square couple indicted on conspiracy charges involving violent protest at Pitt transgender debate". Pittsburgh Union Progress. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  20. ^ "BASED Politics, Inc. v. Garland". Liberty Justice Center. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  21. ^ Nolan Brown, Elizabeth (June 10, 2024). "If They Can Control the Flow of Information, They Can Control You: BASEDPolitics Sues To Stop TikTok Ban". Reason. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  22. ^ "Joint Appendix, Volume I (includes declaration of Brad Polumbo)" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  23. ^ "Biden is using student loan bailout to bribe young voters: Brad Polumbo". Fox Business. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  24. ^ "Brad Polumbo". New York Post. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  25. ^ Polumbo, Brad. "As a teen, I would have welcomed gay conversion therapy. Thankfully, I dodged that trauma". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  26. ^ Polumbo, Brad. "Gay conservative: Equality Act would crush religious freedom. Trump is right to oppose it". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  27. ^ Polumbo, Brad. "Why support for criminal justice reform isn't the same as being anti-police". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  28. ^ Polumbo, Brad. "Shouldn't we fix current fraud problems before throwing more money at COVID relief?". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  29. ^ Polumbo, Brad (October 31, 2024). "Why I owe Shawn Mendes an apology". Mail Online. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  30. ^ "Brad Polumbo". Newsweek. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
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