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By Sophie Clark
Live News Reporter
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Videos of Sam Seder debating 20 MAGA supporters have been viewed millions of times online.
The videos, which are clips of his 1 1/2-hour feature on a Jubilee episode, show Seder debating issues about DEI hiring, immigration and progressive taxation.
Who is Sam Seder?
Sam Seder is a left-wing political activist and actor. He hosts the YouTube show The Majority Report and has also starred in comedies such as Who's the Caboose, Happy Accidents and The Bob's Burgers Movie.
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Searches for Sam Seder have spiked on Google since the Jubilee episode aired.
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What Is Jubilee?
Jubilee is a YouTube page that hosts debates between diametrically opposed people. The videos are usually set up as one large group against one person and are labeled as "1 Conservative vs 25 LGBTQ+ activists," or in the case of Sam Seder's video "20 Trump supporters take on 1 Progressive." They are usually centered around the main debater putting up questions or statements and the others taking turns arguing against them.
The platform, founded by Jason Y. Lee, has 9.77 million subscribers on YouTube and Seder's video has been viewed 2.2 million times on YouTube.
The videos are immensely popular, but some critics have said they lead to the "gamification" of serious issues such as abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and racism, and do little to actually bridge the gap between parties.
Why It Matters
The videos show a stark divide in opinions, understanding over how the government functions, and what people's values are. Jubilee videos are volunteer based, meaning they draw on people willing to put themselves forward for their viewpoints that are likely more intense or extreme than others.
One clip shows a woman saying that she believes America was founded as a Christian nationalist state, despite freedom of religion being a founding principle of the United States in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Another clip shows a man insisting that government agencies get tax cuts for hiring diverse candidates, even though federal agencies do not pay taxes.
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What To Know
Seder expressed frustration with his opponents throughout his episode, and especially in the clips that were chopped up and put on X, formerly Twitter. In one clip, which has been viewed 11.1 million times on X, Seder and a man named Michael are debating diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring.
Michael says that DEI only exists so that government agencies and private companies can get hiring tax cuts.
Michael was likely referring to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), a federal tax credit given to employers who hire people from specific backgrounds. Hires who would qualify a private company for a WOTC include veterans, someone whose family is on benefits, and former felons.
The tax credit does not exist for federal agencies as they do not pay taxes and therefore cannot qualify for a tax credit.
Seder says: "We're talking about government agencies who do not receive tax cuts." Michael then says: "They don't? They do. They absolutely do."
A second video with 6.8 million views on X is of a woman, Sarah, saying that she believes that America "is rooted in European identity and Christian values." She goes on to say that America has been a "melting pot" only since the 1960s, and that "melting pot" means assimilation.
She initiated her conversation with Seder—which is not included in the short clip—saying: "I actually believe this liberal world order needs to be thrown away completely."
During her debate, Sarah says: "I don't think [President Donald] Trump is anywhere close to being a Christian nationalist."
Seder asks whether Trump is conservative enough on social issues for Sarah, who responds: "Oh, definitely nowhere close."
Seder then asks: "He's not xenophobic enough for you?"
Sarah responds: "No," and criticises Trump's H1B visa policies.
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh reposted her clip, saying: "Sam Seder is offended by her definition of America's identity but he has no alternative definition. This is how the Left plays the game. They condemn your definition but offer no coherent alternative. Their definition of everything is just 'not that.'"
Seder responded, saying: "I'm impressed how aggressively these guys from The Daily Wire are owning white nationalism and theocracy."
A third clip that has gone viral on X with 691,000 views is of Seder debating Ben, who does not believe ultra-wealthy people should pay higher taxes. They were debating over the wider question of whether the GOP plans to destroy Social Security.
Ben disagrees with Seder on "progressive taxation" or raising the cap for Social Security payments, meaning he does not believe that people who earn more than $176,000 should pay more than $6,200 into Social Security each year.
A Reddit thread about the video showed myriad opinions, with most people siding with Seder, or against Jubilee videos as a concept.
What People Are Saying
Reddit account thegreyquincy: "My issue with Jubilee is that it presents these extreme sides as being equally cogent and legitimate. So they'll have a group of people on one side saying things like 'I'm gay and I should be able to get married' and then the counterpoint to that is 'No gay people shouldn't exist and it's okay to take rights away from gay people because it incentivizes them to not be gay.' Implying that those are both legitimate arguments in a political disagreement just creates this culture where 'debate' doesn't really involve facts anymore, and people can just say horrible things and hold horrible opinions and have those opinions be presented as just as valid as 'I think I should have equal rights.'"
Reddit account TakinkgLslikepills: "My dad [2024 Trump voter] watched about the last 40 mins of it he felt Seder was educating more than debating."
What Happens Next
Jubilee videos are highly popular, and left-wing and right-wing YouTubers are likely to continue appearing on them.
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