Montana’s Trump? Flint’s ‘Montana Talks’ a look into Congressional candidate’s views

In the swirl of announcements that came in the final days before Montana’s candidate filing deadline, conservative radio host Aaron Flint appears to be a leading successor to Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who this week announced his retirement from Congress.

On Monday, Flint filed to replace Zinke and immediately received his support, along with endorsements from most Montana elected officials and President Donald Trump.

In some ways, Flint is a natural for the role, a combat veteran with charisma. But in tapping him, his heavyweight supporters are also backing a candidate who also has cultivated broad influence and reach. Montana Talks, a radio talk-show, was created in 2018 by Flint, and the host has been heard across the state for more than a decade.

The show is free and flows on radio airwaves across the state. It’s well known in the state’s political circles as a go-to for conservative figures to speak to their followers, and the political connections run deep — for example, co-host Greg Brittain is state GOP Vice Chairperson Stacy Zinn’s ex-husband, a fact not disclosed openly by Montana Talks, but apparently well-known by politicians across the state.

Flint also was a presence during the 2025 Montana Legislature, bringing his show to the Capitol, and his candidacy for the U.S. House was floated as early as December. Following the session and in recent months, the Daily Montanan reviewed more than 100 hours of his show, specifically focusing on episodes featuring Flint and his cohost, Brittain, who goes by “John Jackson.” Flint will occasionally pull in other people to host the show, with Brittain slowly gaining traction as a radio host during the last year.

Flint has appeared on, but not hosted, the show since announcing a Congressional run. Some references to him being part of the program appear to have been deleted on the site.

In an era where it can be difficult to understand a candidate’s viewpoints, Flint’s show gives a deep and clear look into his worldview.

Most of Montana Talks’ airtime, especially in recent months, has been dedicated to attacking immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ people and even fellow Republicans. More than 50 episodes included references to illegal aliens, a main focus of the show during the last six months.

Flint and Brittain have also embraced COVID-19 conspiracy theories on the air and make demeaning comments regularly — at one point Brittain openly mused as to whether Marjorie Taylor Greene was going through menopause and said she “pressed the self-destruct button” after she “went against” President Trump.

“It is amazing to watch, and it is a unique character trait to a lot of those of the female sex,” Brittain said on Dec. 8.

The show includes tepid support for Vladimir Putin, the Russian dictator, as well as overt references to so-called “white replacement theory,” a conspiracy theory that, in part, says Democrats have embraced illegal immigration in an effort to get more votes and political power.

It’s a jumbling and often rambling collection of theories that often boil down to one line said a number of different ways — Democrats, progressives and leftists are destroying the country, and conservatives are trying to save it.

“What the Democrats are doing is systematically trying to oppose every single element of President Trump’s plan to keep America safe,” Flint said on Dec. 19. “I mean, think about that. Think about what they are doing to make America more dangerous.”

Flint has attacked several Montana media outlets on his radio show, including the Daily Montanan.

Progressives take umbrage at Flint’s remarks, of course, and some immigration advocates who have dealt with his attacks and those on his show are raising concerns about how Montana Talks covers communities historically discriminated against.

In recent months Flint also has drawn concern from even more conservative Republicans, who told the Daily Montanan they had hoped to see a person of his stature hold powerful members of his own party to account.

Flint previously was a journalist, working for a Billings TV station and then Northern Radio Broadcasting, and longtime observers say Flint has shifted to the right over the years. Some listeners also wonder if he quietly embraces the views of his frequently more disparaging cohost, Brittain. 

Flint, Brittain, and Townsquare Media, the third-largest radio company in the country, did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

Montana Talks runs for three hours most weekday mornings, split into three segments that are then uploaded to both a mobile app and Apple Podcasts.

The show bills itself as “the best live and local talk show in Montana,” and airs in every major city in the state. Flint also writes content for the Montana Talks website.

Flint has also worked for Gov. Greg Gianforte’s campaign and Zinke who, along with Sen. Steve Daines, have been frequent guests on the show. Conservatives often use Flint to get their message out, and he draws high-profile guests constantly, also including some progressives on his show.

Much of its airtime is dedicated to national talking points, and a feature that’s been noted by political figures across the state.

Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer has been on Flint’s show, had a Republican lieutenant governor, John Bohlinger, and is still active politically in the state.

“They spend a lot of time talking about things that don’t even exist in Montana,” Schweitzer said in an interview with the Daily Montanan, adding, “in Montana, we have Democrats and we have Republicans, but we usually find a way of meeting around the 50-yard line. He always played on the 10-yard line.”

A fair bit of recent Montana Talks airtime has been focusing on immigrant communities, especially those from poor, third-world countries. Much of it has been related to an influx of immigrants from Somalia to Minnesota. 

“I don’t want to hear, not one more word, from a foreigner about anything, about nothing. I don’t even care if you’re a legal immigrant to this country until you’re second generation, until you’re born here. Shut up. You’re here at our good graces, even if you’re legal. And if you’re illegal, I’m going to call ICE on you,” cohost Brittain said on Dec. 8. “We don’t want you here. You are a criminal, and you have come here to commit more crimes, by and large, particularly all these people that came in under Joe Biden in the last five years.”

Illegal immigration did spike post COVID-19 under the Biden Administration, according to the Pew Research Center. However, data shows immigrants — both documented and not — commit crimes at a lower rate than those who are born in the United States.

Flint and Brittain, on the other hand, paint immigrants as taking taxpayer dollars, committing crimes and being sexually deviant. 

“Illegal aliens are sexually assaulting young women in Bozeman, Montana,” Flint said on July 29, offering no evidence to support the statement, though it was likely in reference to a crime last winter.

Flint and Brittain have also spent significant airtime dedicated to Minnesota and alleged fraud by social agencies in the state. 

They often refer to Somalians as “skinnies,” a term popularized by the book, and later movie, “Black Hawk Down,” which follows a group of soldiers in 1993 Mogadishu during Operation Gothic Serpent. About 240,000 Somalis died of starvation in 1992.

The movie is mentioned by name on the show, and Minneapolis has been referred to as “Little Somali Minneapolis” on air. 

Flint, who has said he’s a fifth-generation Montanan, said on Dec. 3 his family originally moved to Montana from Minnesota, adding “all the smart Scandinavians had already left Minnesota a long time ago.”

Brittain went a step further than Flint, saying Minnesota was on a “serious downfall that nobody will talk about,” saying they’re “being overtaken by the Somali community,” in a quiet reference to replacement theory.

Referring to Democrats, Flint said on Dec. 3 that “They want this servant class, the illegal aliens, to be their voters and to be their cheap labor, so they can undermine American workers. And the Neo confederates of the Democrat Party remain the same in that regard.”

The radio show has caused concern for immigration agencies in Montana, which worry the level of vitriol against immigrants, both documented or not, will lead to issues with the people they work with. There’s also a concern that blaming immigrants for problems American society is facing is not only baseless, but a dangerous path to go down. 

“The rhetoric is incredibly harmful to our immigrant neighbors in the community over the last year, when the level of fears have increased and for my clients. They’re all lawfully admitted. They’re all lawfully present,” said LaChelle Amos, a program director with Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains in Billings, a refugee resettlement service. “And a lot of the rhetoric lacks the understanding of the complexity that is immigration law in the U.S.”

Amos added the Billings community at large has been very welcoming. Flint has attacked several refugee agencies in Billings and the Flathead.

“It has become a big part of our role, when we hear that there’s a certain story or narrative being told that just does not reflect fact, then that’s an opportunity for us to see how we can start to work with that and transform that narrative and the community,” Amos said.

Flint has said on air he’s not racist, though he has no issue making fun of people’s names.

“Julie, or is it ‘huli, huli Banderas?’ You know, you got to emphasize Hispanic names,” Flint said on July 30, referring to an interview from Fox News anchor Julie Banderas. “You never use a Hispanic accent unless you’re a news reporter using a Hispanic name.”

Political and judicial leaders have also been attacked on the show, with Ketanji Brown Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and Pamela Smith, the first Black female police chief in Washington, D.C., referred to as “DEI hires.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also been referred to as a “house broken dog” on the show. And in Texas, embattled Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Black woman, has been a target. Crockett lost her primary for a U.S. Senate seat this week.

“I want Jazzy (Crockett) to be a referendum on this ghetto trash that pretends to be some of our leaders out here,” Brittain said on Dec. 8.

On Sept. 22, Flint went after former Montana Congressional candidate Kevin Hamm on his show while discussing Charlie Kirk’s death.

Flint had just played a clip of Erica Kirk speaking at her husband’s memorial service. In the clip, she refers to some of Jesus Christ’s teachings, saying “the answer we know from the Gospel is love, and always love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

Flint said that message triggers “leftists” when they hear it.

Then Flint began to talk about Hamm, who is gay, as the “loudest, angriest LGBTQRSTLE activist in Helena,” going on to say “this guy spews hate all day long.”

Flint’s issue was over a post about Kirk that Hamm made, where he quoted some of what the Turning Point USA founder and hard-right conservative activist had said publicly. Hamm said he reposted a video of Charlie Kirk talking about how in order for people to have guns, people have to die, adding “OK.”

Hamm hadn’t heard the clip until reached by the Daily Montanan, but said he first met Flint over a decade ago in Billings. Hamm noted repeated attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, called it “projection” and said Flint’s biggest issue with the queer community is that they challenge his worldview. 

Hamm said he isn’t a hateful person, and in fact he loves people and wants a better world for everyone, including people like Flint.

“He focuses on hating me because it gives him a target,” Hamm said.

Flint and Brittain often refer to LGBTQ+ people and organizations as “left wing” and “communist,” even trying to tie them to violence and fanning conspiracy theories.

One of their common targets is Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a female Missoula Democrat, who they repeatedly misgender as a man. In one incident on April 17, as Legislative budget negotiations were going on, a caller asked Flint what her experience with a budget was. 

“Well, let’s see, probably used other people’s money to get his body parts chopped off,” Flint said. “So he’s used to taking other people’s money to do some crazy things.”

Tying transgender people to violence was particularly notable during one episode called “John Jackson Calls for War,” which aired on Sept. 12 and followed Kirk’s death.

In that episode, Brittain says the government needs to declare “war” on the “leftist, communist violence in our streets,” saying it’s been nonstop since 2016, which was when the Black Lives Matter movement gained steam following police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

“We have been tolerating and been the victims of almost non-stop violence from these people. BLM, Antifa, the climate nutters, the Palestinian wackos, domestic terrorists, the tranny shooters,” Brittain said. “It is almost non-stop from these people. I got the list right here, of the last, what do we got here? That’s nine of these shooters, these wacko shooters, all of them from the left, every single one of them, and almost all of them, these tranny freaks.” 

Brittain said later in the show he was not calling for violence.

“Nobody called for violence here,” Brittain said, moments after quipping, “Charlie Kirk was the guy that wanted to have a conversation with you guys, and you killed him. Guess what, you’re talking to the other guy now, and that guy’s me.”

Kirk’s shooter was not transgender, but saying a mass shooter was trans is becoming more common, and advocacy organizations have called it a harmful myth to circulate before the shooter’s identity is released. According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, less than 0.1% of mass shooters between 2013 and 2025 identified as transgender or nonbinary.

According to the CATO Institute, there have been 3,597 people killed in politically motivated terrorist attacks in the United States from January 1, 1975, through September 10, 2025, with the vast majority of those deaths coming in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. During that period, Right-wingers accounted for 391 murders, while left-wing terrorists murdered 65 people, according to data from the CATO Institute.

Criticism of LGBTQ+ communities is a religious thing too, Flint has noted. An avowed Christian, he frequently sprinkles his religious viewpoints into the broadcasts.

“All the time I see all of these left-wing churches, you know, twisting the rainbow into this radical, far left LGBTQ, trans agenda or whatever,” Flint said on Dec. 22. “I just think of how many times the Bible warns and talks about how there will be false prophets. So many false prophets are being propped up across America.”

Flint and Brittain aren’t always on the radio together, but when they are, the difference between the two is stark. Brittain has no issue spouting blunt force rhetoric, and while Flint comes across slightly more measured, he rarely contradicts Brittain and at times asks Brittain to expand on his thinking.

“Our Cabin in the Woods is not going to get built until we kill the wolf pack that is surrounding us and nipping at our heels at every minute,” Brittain said on Dec. 3. “None of this is going to happen until the wolves get trapped.”

Flint then asked Brittain who he was referring to.

“First of all, these, these, these corrupt, radical judges. They are the mainstream media. And then they are the Democrat Party themselves,” Brittain said.

In effort to not explicitly call for violence, Flint then added, “And of course, figuratively speaking.”

Some people who have known Flint or been aware of his show for years say he’s changed.

“What I think has been most fascinating about this is the evolution of Aaron from what seemed like maybe more of a moderate, maybe even slightly bipartisan approach,” State Sen. Ellie Boldman Hill said in an interview. “He really focused on the ag community, rural Montana, and certainly veterans issues, to now, to what are undeniably Trump MAGA talking points.”

Boldman Hill, a Missoula Democrat, added the show has become the “vetting machine, the purity tests of all purity tests,” for conservative politicians in Montana.

Flint has been full-throated in his support for Trump and drew his endorsement for Congress. And, much like Trump, any action by Democrats or progressives is through a lens of conspiracy. Listeners can be left with the impression everything is a hoax, and only what comes from Trump and his close allies can be taken as the truth.

The conspiratorial commentary blends into essentially every episode reviewed, but is more prominent around periods of intense debate over high-profile legislation and conversations at the national level. One notable example is during conversations leading up to the passage of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” reconciliation bill, an extremely close vote. 

“The hoax coming from the Democrats right now, the White House calls this one of the Democrats’ most disgusting lies about the one big beautiful bill …is that people would literally die because of this,” Flint said on June 3. “We’ve had people literally die because of their illegal alien invasion and because of their promotion of crime in America and going soft on criminals and putting criminals back out on the streets.”

Brittain, with his connections, has drawn the ire of some in conservative Montana political circles over comments he made regarding Republican Ben Sasse, a former Nebraska legislator who was critical of Trump while in the U.S. Senate.

In a now-deleted “X” post, Brittain wrote that Sasse was a major figure in the “sabotage and subversion” of Trump’s first term.

“He will not be missed,” Brittain wrote.

Erick Erickson — a conservative commentator referred to by Brittain colorfully as a “Never Trump douche” on Dec. 12 — noted the post, and it started making waves through state GOP circles. 

Joe Dooling, a long-time conservative activist in the state and Republican primary candidate for the Public Service Commission, said Brittain’s commentary is essentially exactly the same as what the right was accusing the left of over comments made about Charlie Kirk.

“For the last three months, (Brittain) has been calling for the removal of the professor in Havre because she made a comment about Charlie Kirk,” Dooling told the Daily Montanan. “He said she needs to be fired from the university system, and the state is corrupt if they don’t do that. He goes and does virtually the same thing, but even more, he doesn’t actually have to pay the personal price that the professor paid.”

Matthew Monforton, a conservative lawyer, meanwhile, asked Sen. Steve Daines to say something about Sasse’s cancer diagnosis, and pointed out the post to the senator on Facebook. Monforton questioned why the senator hadn’t said something in support of Sasse, who Daines had worked with for years. 

“Daines hadn’t said a word because he was terrified of the reaction he’d get from people like this John Jackson guy,” Monforton told the Daily Montanan.

Daines and Flint are close, multiple sources have told the Daily Montanan though, notably, as of March 4, Daines had not yet endorsed Flint, even as nearly every statewide elected official had.

But political lines run deep in the show, and there was frustration in some circles about how the eastern District Congressional Republican primary was covered by Montana Talks in 2024, saying it was in favor of Zinn, Brittain’s ex-wife. Zinn has been a frequent guest on the show.

“It is basically electioneering on the radio,” Dooling said, adding it’s never been disclosed by Montana Talks that Brittain had a connection with Zinn. Divorce records show they used the same Billings lawyer for their divorce.

Zinn did not respond to a request for comment, and Brittain has not responded to a request sent to Townsquare officials — he has no email address or contact information listed on the Montana Talks website, though an employee with Montana Talks stated to the Daily Montanan that questions sent would reach the correct people at the organization.

If elected through his populist appeal, Flint’s path will echo much of President Donald Trump’s rise to political power, and if his presence on Montana Talks is any guide, his stances will be similar. Both men are boisterous and charismatic, have little time for perceived enemies and appear to deeply despise progressives, with little room for bipartisan movement.

A victory for Flint would also help complete Montana’s hard-right turn in a state where Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2024.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that while Flint has attacked Billings-area refugee services, Lutheran Family Services wasn’t specifically named by the radio host.