Bryson Gray, a twenty-eight-year-old rapper who has opened for 50 Cent and 2Chainz, was sitting in front of his computer at his house, in Greensboro, North Carolina, one recent Saturday, wearing a MAGA bucket hat, tiger-stripe jeans, and a T-shirt that read “Where’s Hunter?” Gray was fiddling with the second verse of a song he’d recorded, called “Pro Life Pro God Pro Trump,” for his forthcoming album, “MAGA Ain’t Got No Color.” He turned up the volume. “Touch my hat and you might get beat / these are Yeezy’s on my feet.” It went on:

Trump 2020 that’s big facts

No I can’t vote for no Democrat

Used to be a liberal but I switched that

Pull up to yo hood in my big hat

“People are always threatening to take my hat, like it’s a chain,” Gray said. Luckily, he has more than one: a half-dozen giant foam MAGA hats, in both cowboy and baseball styles, cover the walls of his bedroom. “Someone grabbed it off my head at a Charlie Kirk event, and I jacked him up, took it back,” he said. “I think people have me confused for a regular conservative.”

Beside his computer was a microphone, a bottle of pineapple vodka, and a 9-millimetre pistol. “I used to drink twenty shots a night,” he explained. “Before I got real into the Bible.” Gray uses his real name for his political rap, the moniker B.Surius for his other rap, and KingVodka for his E.D.M. “I have two Fortnite albums,” he said.

Gray looked out the window; it was drizzling. “One of the things these foam hats are real good for is rain,” he said. He’d slowly switched allegiance from Obama to Bernie to Trump. “Me and Trump are both Geminis,” he said. “When Trump started calling Ted Cruz Lyin’ Ted,” he went on, “I loved that. Then when he made that comment about Rosie O’Donnell at a debate—phew! Trump ain’t no punk! I bought the biggest MAGA hat I saw and started walking around the mall on Facebook Live.”

In September, Gray attended a Trump rally in Fayetteville, wearing his giant hat. A day later, Trump wrote, on Instagram, “Thank you, Bryson!” and posted a clip of Gray being interviewed. It was viewed two and a half million times. Gray signed up to become a Turning Point USA ambassador (“haven’t heard back yet”) and changed his Twitter profile picture to one of him in the foam hat. Thanksgiving with his family was awkward this year, he said. His grandmother had been a Black Panther.

There’d be another family dinner that night; Gray’s parents were on their way over with pizza. “Mommy is soft and Daddy is a liberal lunatic,” he said.

His father, Gary, who teaches high-school English, walked in. Seeing a visitor, he said, of his son, “He’s a right-wing nut—”

“Hater,” Bryson said.

“—but I’m always gonna support my son.”

“You did tell me one time you were gonna take me out your will.”

“Yeah, I did tell you that.”

“He found out my sister supported Trump. And I’m to blame,” Bryson said. “My momma, I’ve convinced her already. She just don’t know it.”

“No!” Gary said. “We’d get divorced.” He added, “Hillary 2020!”

“She’s not in the race,” Bryson said.

Gary retorted, “There’s nothing you can say to me, because I made you, and I’m much smarter than you.”

It was time to eat. In the living room, over pizza and wings, the debating continued. Bryson’s mother, Toi, listened as her husband lectured their son about his finances. “What did Drake say?” Gary asked. “ ‘As long as the outcome is income.’ ”

“He was talking about taxes,” Bryson replied.

Toi spoke up. “I’m not a Republican,” she said. “But I’m proud that my son, at a young age, is really into politics. He’s into critical thinking for who he wants to vote for.” She added, “That mouth of his is being put to good use.”

“You need to bring me to your class,” Bryson told his father.

The two men have debated each other twice on an InfoWars Web show. Conversation turned to which of them had won the latest round, which the host had called “a father-son epic for all time.” Toi looked up. “I think he won,” she said, pointing to her husband.

“Mommy says Daddy won on InfoWars! ” Bryson said, in a taunting singsong.

Toi said, “When he called you an idiot, Bryson, that was hilarious.”

Asked if he liked his son’s music, Gary said, “The songs are real nice. I listen to them over and over. That’s why I say, ‘The Devil done blessed his tongue.’ ” ♦