The Anchormen Show with Matt Gaetz - April 24, 2023


Episode 99 LIVE： Team Tucker – Firebrand with Matt Gaetz


Episode Stats


Length

34 minutes

Words per minute

165.09474

Word count

5,759

Sentence count

380

Harmful content

Toxicity

15

sentences flagged

Hate speech

6

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode of Firebrand, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-GA) talks about his separation from Fox News and why he thinks it s a good thing. He also talks about a potential government shutdown and what he s doing to try to prevent it.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Matt Gaetz was one of the very few members in the entire Congress who bothered to stand up against Permanent Washington on behalf of his constituents.
00:00:11.000 Matt Gaetz right now, he's a problem in the Democratic Party, and he could cause a lot of hiccups in passing applause.
00:00:16.000 So we're going to keep running those stories to keep hurting him.
00:00:20.000 If you stand for the flag and kneel in prayer, if you want to build America up and not burn her to the ground, then welcome, my fellow patriots.
00:00:29.000 You are in the right place. This is the movement for you.
00:00:33.000 You ever watch this guy on television? It's like a machine. Matt Gaetz.
00:00:38.000 I'm a canceled man in some corners of the Internet. Many days I'm a marked man in Congress, a wanted man by the deep state.
00:00:46.000 They aren't really coming for me. They're coming for you. I'm just in the way.
00:00:55.000 Welcome to the live ninety ninth episode of Firebrand.
00:01:00.000 We are broadcasting from room twenty twenty one of the Rayburn House Office Building here on the Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C.
00:01:07.000 And if you are not a Tucker Carlson fan, this show is probably not going to be for you toward the back end of the show.
00:01:14.000 We're going to go through some of our favorite moments on Tucker Carlson tonight.
00:01:18.000 Going to talk about his separation from Fox News, what that means.
00:01:22.000 And the tectonic plates of media are certainly shifting beyond just this move with Tucker and Fox.
00:01:29.000 We've seen Don Lemon fired by CNN.
00:01:33.000 And I've got the latest tea on some of the spat between Don Lemon and the official CNN communications department.
00:01:40.000 Not too happy over there. Things are not going well at CNN.
00:01:44.000 But I think things are going to go very well for Tucker Carlson because he has a loyal following of which I am very honored to count myself among.
00:01:55.000 And that following is going to be there for whatever Tucker's next project is.
00:01:59.000 And I have a sense he's already thinking about that as we're having this discussion.
00:02:04.000 But before we go into full Tucker file mode, I do want to give you some important updates regarding legislation and what's going on in Congress this week.
00:02:13.000 First, today I introduced the ASAP Act, the Armed Services Always Paid Act.
00:02:20.000 This legislation would ensure that in the event of a shutdown, our military families, our military programs, our military personnel would continue to be advanced because we would pay our service members who are engaged in that important work.
00:02:34.000 Now, I've seen directly what shutdowns do to interfere with research projects and the test and evaluation mission of our military.
00:02:43.000 I've seen how it actually ends up costing us more money when we don't pay the military on time.
00:02:49.000 So we always want to ensure that the military is paid, that our work is done to ensure that America is safe.
00:02:55.000 And I don't want to give Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden the ability to say that a shutdown is putting national security at risk.
00:03:03.000 I've introduced the ASAP Act to take that critique of shutdown politics off the table.
00:03:09.000 We could all agree in a bipartisan fashion to pass this legislation so that shutdowns would be about isolating some of the wasteful spending that allows a woke government to be weaponized against we the people.
00:03:23.000 And we've got lots of examples of that. And that's why the budget process is so important.
00:03:28.000 And it's why the reforms we fought for at the beginning of this year in January were critical to inform now the plan going forward.
00:03:38.000 Now, that brings us to what's going to happen this week on the debt limit.
00:03:42.000 Speaker McCarthy is working hard with his leadership team to try to get the votes to pass a one point five trillion dollar increase in the debt limit in exchange for a little north of a trillion dollars in cuts.
00:03:55.000 Now, I'm working to make sure that those cuts aren't aspirational over some 10 year period, but that they are as immediate as possible.
00:04:03.000 And to everyone's great credit on the Republican team, there are some real pro growth strategies that we're demanding as a part of that increase in the debt limit.
00:04:12.000 Those include bills that I talked about on the last episode, the RAINS Act, HR1, unleashing American energy, getting rid of burdensome regulations.
00:04:21.000 That certainly helps us address deficits and debts because we're able to have more cash flow or revenue into the government, not as a consequence of higher taxes, but as a consequence of more taxpayers and more successful Americans.
00:04:36.000 So that's ongoing. And one of the sticking points is that a pro growth strategy that I'm demanding work requirements to achieve various social services.
00:04:49.000 Well, the implementation on those is in some question.
00:04:53.000 So here is the essence of the negotiation going on right now.
00:04:58.000 The work requirements that I would prefer would be far more rigorous than 20 hours a week.
00:05:03.000 The work requirements that I would demand would have to start in fiscal year 2024, not in 2025 or beyond.
00:05:13.000 Because what I've seen after seven years in Congress is that the things that we're serious about, we get going on those immediately.
00:05:21.000 And the things that are unserious are delayed to some future budgetary year.
00:05:26.000 So I'm not going to engage in a negotiation with Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden that is predicated on them getting their increase in the debt limit to fund their woke weaponized government now.
00:05:39.000 And then we get work requirements starting in 2025 or beyond an essential element to get my vote for any increase in the debt limit.
00:05:50.000 And by the way, I never have voted for an increase in the debt limit would be work requirements starting in 2024, not 2025, as this legislation is currently written.
00:06:01.000 And I also believe that the work requirements have to be more rigorous than just 20 hours a week.
00:06:08.000 Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich made a deal at 20 hours a week.
00:06:12.000 I think in the opening offer that the House of Representatives makes to Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer, we should aim higher than that.
00:06:21.000 30 hours a week, I think, would be a minimum.
00:06:25.000 And that's certainly something that a number of folks have reflected on favorably in the chat.
00:06:29.000 So that's what's going on on the debt limit.
00:06:32.000 But the biggest news of the day is obviously coming out of Fox.
00:06:36.000 Here's Harris Faulkner breaking into the country.
00:06:41.000 We have some news from within our Fox family.
00:06:44.000 Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have mutually agreed to part ways.
00:06:49.000 Tucker's last show was this past Friday.
00:06:53.000 And starting tonight, Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 p.m. Eastern.
00:06:57.000 It will be an interim show with rotating Fox News personalities until a new host is named.
00:07:03.000 We want to thank Tucker Carlson for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a long term contributor.
00:07:14.000 There is a very nervous energy that is just spewing off of Harris Faulkner as she delivers that news.
00:07:23.000 And it has to be uncomfortable for anyone to announce that the highest rated program on the network will not be airing on a night when myself and a lot of Americans.
00:07:34.000 I mean, we scheduled the day around 8 o'clock, Tucker Carlson getting his terrific perspective on events.
00:07:44.000 And that perspective has been one unique in media.
00:07:47.000 And I took note of commentator Glenn Greenwald really reflecting on all that Tucker Carlson has thought about.
00:07:54.000 This is the tweet from Glenn Greenwald.
00:07:56.000 Tucker Carlson was the cable host who opposed the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine, denounced CIA, FBI, and DHS for its systemic lies and corruption,
00:08:09.000 devoted himself to a pardon for Julian Assange, objected to regime change efforts in Cuba, criticized the Trump administration's militarism.
00:08:19.000 That is a voice, a perspective that may not align with what you think on every subject, but it was unique.
00:08:28.000 And when we lose something as unique as that in the national discussion and the ability to amplify perspectives, it informs on the work we do here in Congress.
00:08:39.000 Make no mistake, the cable news hosts who are most trusted by varying audiences have a lot to do, actually, with what voices get lifted, what bills might ultimately get heard,
00:08:54.000 what investigations might get put to the side or accelerated.
00:08:58.000 And Tucker Carlson tonight has been a consistent platform at time for views that cut contrary to the prevailing thinking on something.
00:09:07.000 And one of those areas that Glenn Greenwald noted, and that I certainly appreciate, Tucker Carlson's perspective on foreign policy.
00:09:16.000 He has a perspective in most cases that lines up with President Trump, but when President Trump favored the executive having war powers vis-a-vis Iran,
00:09:26.000 Tucker Carlson and I took a position that was different than President Trump.
00:09:32.000 And what year was this back in, Sasha?
00:09:36.000 2020.
00:09:39.000 Here's an interview that I did with Tucker Carlson on war powers in Iran.
00:09:44.000 Take a listen.
00:09:47.000 So I think it's fair to say you're certainly one of the people in the House closest to the president.
00:09:51.000 He's completely opposed to this.
00:09:53.000 You, as his close ally, voted for it.
00:09:56.000 Tell us why you did that.
00:09:58.000 I spoke to the president today after one of America's brave patriots was laid down at Arlington,
00:10:03.000 one of my constituents who passed away just days before Christmas in Afghanistan.
00:10:08.000 And the president told me he's more anti-war than I am.
00:10:11.000 And I love the president for that, Tucker.
00:10:13.000 The thing is, I think you've got a few of the advisers of the president who are trying to slow walk the administration into war. 0.88
00:10:20.000 When the president relies on his instincts and we have the Trump doctrine, we kill the terrorists and we come home.
00:10:25.000 And I think this war powers resolution was worthy of support because it did not criticize the president.
00:10:31.000 It did not say he was wrong in killing Soleimani.
00:10:33.000 But it did say that if any president wants to drag our nation into another forever Middle East war,
00:10:39.000 that they require the approval of the United States Congress.
00:10:43.000 That's something I deeply believe.
00:10:45.000 And I think it's something the president deeply believes.
00:10:47.000 So just to be totally clear, you're one of three Republicans who voted in effect against the president's stated position.
00:10:56.000 But you just talked to the president and he said that he's on your side.
00:11:00.000 Well, the president probably would have preferred that I vote with the other Republicans.
00:11:05.000 He certainly said that.
00:11:06.000 I think on these broader questions of war and peace, Donald Trump understands that the pro-war candidate loses presidential elections.
00:11:13.000 Hillary Clinton was more pro-war and lost.
00:11:16.000 And if you look previously, it's typically the anti-war candidates that won.
00:11:20.000 I think since 9-11, John Kerry was the only anti-war candidate that lost an election.
00:11:26.000 And so I think that the president understands that.
00:11:29.000 And he's too smart to let Nancy Pelosi try to cast him as the pro-war candidate.
00:11:33.000 And that's why I don't think we're going to war with Iran.
00:11:38.000 Tucker, foreign policy is true America first foreign policy.
00:11:42.000 And I reflect with such warmth and positive thinking about those opportunities we had to inform on these critical issues that I think save Americans' lives
00:11:55.000 and that make us all more focused on the real threat.
00:11:59.000 Because we've had far too many leaders in both parties who were focused on nonsense.
00:12:04.000 It got Americans killed and it did not advance our interests. 0.56
00:12:07.000 In many cases, it actually hurt our interests.
00:12:09.000 And there is a ton of love on the live chat for Tucker Carlson.
00:12:13.000 And a lot of questions about whether or not Tucker Carlson's departure from Fox and Dan Bongino's departure from Fox are somehow related
00:12:21.000 and indicative of a shifting strategy in terms of their content.
00:12:26.000 Time will tell.
00:12:27.000 Also, a lot of speculation as to what Tucker Carlson will do next.
00:12:31.000 Here's what I think Tucker will do next.
00:12:33.000 I think he'll go independent.
00:12:35.000 Tucker Carlson is someone who's worked at PBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News.
00:12:42.000 And I don't know that at this stage of his life, in this unique way where he's shaped the national discussion, that he's looking to have another boss.
00:12:51.000 And so I think he could be among those who pursue independent journalism and will have an exquisite following.
00:12:58.000 A thoughtful following, a motivated and engaged group of people, intellectuals, activists, members of Congress, members of congressional staff.
00:13:07.000 Everyone is going to be glued to what Tucker Carlson does next.
00:13:10.000 And just given the nature of the media landscape right now and how corporatized it's become, perhaps someone who has those unique expressions,
00:13:18.000 those unique viewpoints, like Glenn Greenwald noted, would be better served to be limitless in the opportunities that independent media presents.
00:13:27.000 So that's just my guess, no inside information, just a belief in how Tucker Carlson views his talents.
00:13:36.000 I think he's the kind of guy who would bet on himself, and I would certainly bet on him as well.
00:13:41.000 Well, it's always important when you can get truth out through critical platforms that are highly consumed to be able to shape the decisions that are being made in Washington.
00:13:54.000 Sometimes an interview on Tucker Carlson tonight was more important than an appropriations rider or even a bill in Congress to determine the outcome of certain things.
00:14:05.000 So here's what happened. I found out about the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the EcoHealth Alliance and Peter Daszak receiving U.S. taxpayer funds as a part of the financial amalgamation that made up the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
00:14:22.000 So I went on Tucker Carlson tonight, conducted an interview, and within minutes, President Trump had canceled this funding stream and had drawn it back and ensured that it didn't go forward.
00:14:35.000 So literally this interview was one that President Trump was watching and he took action on.
00:14:40.000 And knowing what we know now, it's quite a thing that at the very beginning of the pandemic, we were having this discussion. Play the clip.
00:14:47.000 The NIH gives this $3.7 million grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
00:14:55.000 They then advertise that they need coronavirus researchers.
00:14:59.000 Following that, coronavirus erupts in Wuhan.
00:15:02.000 And then what's really troubling to me is that either conspicuously or miraculously, the Wuhan Institute of Virology is able to sequence the virus on January 2nd, but China doesn't admit to the virus existing to January 9th.
00:15:17.000 And then the Wuhan Institute of Virology doesn't release this important scientific information to the world until January 12th.
00:15:24.000 So at best, Americans are funding people who are lying to us.
00:15:28.000 And at worst, we're funding people who we knew had problems handling pathogens who then birthed a monster virus onto the world.
00:15:36.000 By the way, China is about to eclipse us in terms of the size of its economy.
00:15:43.000 If it hasn't already, and it seems like it already may have.
00:15:46.000 Either way, why would we be sending any money to China for any purpose?
00:15:51.000 There is a far too cozy relationship between U.S. research and Chinese research because there are some research institutions in our country who realize the short-term benefit of Chinese cash.
00:16:03.000 But that doesn't excuse our government.
00:16:05.000 And what should really trouble viewers is that this is an active grant.
00:16:08.000 This isn't something of yesteryear.
00:16:10.000 And so I've called on Secretary Azar to immediately halt this grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
00:16:17.000 They have not been honest.
00:16:18.000 And at worst, they've been negligent to the point of many, many deaths throughout the world.
00:16:27.000 Interview in action resulting a change in a grant system that was putting the American people at risk.
00:16:33.000 Tucker Carlson and I were criticized greatly by 60 Minutes for that interview.
00:16:38.000 They held up Peter Daszek as some pioneer of science itself. 0.96
00:16:43.000 And they certainly look foolish very much now as a result of that.
00:16:48.000 I also wanted to get to the vaccine issue because there was a vaccine religion that seemed to take over every major source of news. 0.97
00:16:59.000 And many of the hosts, even on conservative networks, they were pushing the vaccine.
00:17:04.000 They weren't talking about the harm that some of these mandates were causing our fellow Americans.
00:17:10.000 And Nick Cupper, one of our brave service members, stood up and was a voice for many active duty military who were against this vaccine mandate.
00:17:20.000 Tucker Carlson gave him a platform.
00:17:22.000 It's one of my all-time favorite Tucker Carlson interviews.
00:17:25.000 Take a listen.
00:17:27.000 So my theory is we ignore the big things in favor of obsessing over the little ones.
00:17:31.000 So destroying the U.S. military would qualify as a big thing.
00:17:34.000 Do you not have a member of Congress?
00:17:35.000 I mean, there are hundreds of Republicans holding federal office.
00:17:38.000 None has come forward to stop this?
00:17:40.000 So there definitely have been some.
00:17:42.000 I was on Matt Gaetz's podcast and he's definitely been fighting for us.
00:17:46.000 Thomas Mass has been fighting for us, Chip Roy.
00:17:48.000 But there are only a few.
00:17:50.000 You know, we need everybody.
00:17:51.000 This is not a problem for tomorrow to be solved or the next day.
00:17:54.000 This is a problem right now.
00:17:56.000 You're talking about over 10 percent of your military is looking to be canned right now.
00:17:59.000 I mean, if I were China or I were Russia, I'd be chomping at the bit right now.
00:18:05.000 And this is and it's beyond it's beyond the wild that they've only been granting religious waivers to members who are already separating already out.
00:18:16.000 I mean, that's that does no good for the member.
00:18:18.000 The members are already gone.
00:18:19.000 And I think it's very ironic that, you know, Secretary Austin was given a waiver by Congress to serve, yet he refuses to give any of us waivers to keep serving.
00:18:31.000 We are back live and in the chat, people are asking whether or not Elon Musk should start a cable news channel and hire Tucker Carlson to be the masthead.
00:18:42.000 I know how much Elon Musk enjoys Tucker's program.
00:18:46.000 It's obvious from his public statements that he's a viewer and that he's an admirer.
00:18:51.000 And I would be shocked if Elon Musk hadn't already contacted Tucker Carlson to indicate support for his next venture.
00:19:00.000 That's how Elon is.
00:19:02.000 He likes to be an angel investor.
00:19:04.000 And could you imagine the partnership between Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson?
00:19:09.000 People are going crazy for it online.
00:19:12.000 Make it happen, Elon.
00:19:14.000 Partner up with Tucker.
00:19:15.000 It would be terrific.
00:19:17.000 There was a time when a lot of folks thought Tucker Carlson sounded more and more like a political candidate and less and less like a talk show host.
00:19:26.000 And during the BLM riots of 2020, Tucker Carlson was so strong and so unique in the monologues that he would deliver each and every night about how our leadership was failing to provide protection for our people when faced with a violent politically motivated mob.
00:19:46.000 Corporate America was funding these riots.
00:19:51.000 You had political leaders advocating for bail funds for people so they would know there would be no consequence if they destroyed property, maybe even hurt people.
00:20:00.000 And each and every night, Tucker was our voice.
00:20:03.000 And so we could not do the Tucker Carlson homage episode without one of the classic monologues from 2020.
00:20:11.000 Here's Tucker.
00:20:13.000 For many of us, this has been one of the saddest, most painful weeks in memory.
00:20:20.000 Depressing doesn't even begin to describe it.
00:20:23.000 We have watched as mobs of violent cretins have burned our cities, defaced our monuments, beaten old women in the street, shot police officers, and stolen everything in sight. 1.00
00:20:36.000 How many innocent Americans have these people hurt? 0.97
00:20:41.000 How many have they murdered?
00:20:43.000 We don't know that number.
00:20:45.000 But it's the country itself that so many of us worry about at this point.
00:20:49.000 After we've watched what's happened over the last week, how do we put the society back together?
00:20:54.000 Can we?
00:20:55.000 We don't know that either.
00:20:56.000 If you're grieving for America tonight, you are not alone.
00:21:00.000 Millions feel the same way you do.
00:21:02.000 So many of our leaders, by contrast, are not grieving.
00:21:05.000 They seem exhilarated.
00:21:06.000 They feel nothing as our nation descends into anarchy.
00:21:09.000 They see chaos instead as an opportunity, a chance to solidify their control, to increase their market share, to win elections.
00:21:17.000 They have no interest in talking about the details of what is actually happening out there on our streets.
00:21:22.000 In fact, they're hiding those details.
00:21:24.000 They're demanding that you forget what you saw.
00:21:27.000 Don't forget it.
00:21:28.000 Remember all of it, every bit, because it's proof of who they are.
00:21:33.000 It has nothing to do with civil rights.
00:21:35.000 It's violence.
00:21:36.000 And the criminals you just saw on the screen are not protesters.
00:21:40.000 The people cheering them on from their TV studios have no patience for real protests or real protesters.
00:21:46.000 Just in April, Democrats in New Jersey arrested a woman for trying to plan a rally, a protest, at the state capo.
00:21:53.000 The New York Times said nothing when they did that because they approve.
00:21:56.000 That's how they really feel about any political expression they can't control.
00:22:00.000 They crush it.
00:22:01.000 What they support is more power for themselves, and they're willing to use gangs of thugs to get it.
00:22:07.000 We are back live, and we are Team Tucker.
00:22:11.000 Now folks on the live chat are saying Donald Trump needs to pick Tucker Carlson to be his running mate after seeing that monologue, and it was one for the ages.
00:22:21.000 I also want to extend my personal gratitude to Tucker Carlson because in moments when I became deeply frustrated at how my colleagues talked about me and my family,
00:22:33.000 Tucker Carlson allowed me to go on his show with my son Nestor.
00:22:37.000 We talked about our unique relationship and how sometimes it's not blood that defines family.
00:22:44.000 There are step parents, there are adoptive parents, there are people in parenting roles all over this country,
00:22:50.000 and there is a unique love that you develop with those that you care for and help to guide and nurture.
00:22:56.000 And when I was criticized for standing up for my son in the House Judiciary Committee by Cedric Richmond,
00:23:03.000 who said that I didn't even have the right to talk about what a non-white young person would go through in an encounter with the police,
00:23:12.000 or how a parent would talk to a non-white child about encounters with police.
00:23:16.000 When Cedric Richmond criticized my life experience, I got the chance to go on Tucker's program.
00:23:22.000 Nestor got the chance to go on the program. It was certainly a special moment for our family. Take a watch and listen.
00:23:30.000 I've just got to say, though, he's a remarkable young man. I am proud of him.
00:23:35.000 And I've raised Nestor to believe that in our family, we treat everyone equally.
00:23:40.000 It doesn't matter what their background is, what their race is, we treat every American with respect.
00:23:47.000 Does he learn that at school as well, do you think?
00:23:49.000 I mean, do you think the culture in which he's growing up reinforces that obvious and most American of all messages?
00:23:56.000 Well, why don't you ask him, Tucker? He's, I think, piped in from the studio in Florida.
00:24:01.000 Nestor, thanks for joining us. What do you make of Cedric Richmond's attack city?
00:24:06.000 Did you see all this?
00:24:10.000 I did not see it because I was sleeping from a workout from the night before.
00:24:16.000 But, yes, once I woke up, I woke up to seeing all these tweets and I was like, what's going on?
00:24:23.000 It might give me a call telling me about it.
00:24:26.000 And then I saw it.
00:24:28.000 And I think it's kind of unfair to, you know, not, to not, to tell someone that they don't understand
00:24:36.000 because they don't have, like, because of their racial color.
00:24:41.000 Well, like, he's fighting for equality.
00:24:44.000 But if you tell someone to not get involved that he doesn't understand because of his color, 0.99
00:24:49.000 you're kind of being a hypocrite there. 0.98
00:24:51.000 Yes. 0.99
00:24:52.000 I think that's very nicely put.
00:24:55.000 Matt, I mean, Congressman Gaetz?
00:24:59.000 Saying something like this out loud seems like the kind of thing that, you know, in normal times, you'd be censured for.
00:25:05.000 I cannot believe that it's acceptable in the United States Congress for someone to tell someone else that they're fighting for their children more than they are.
00:25:13.000 Tucker, you have a son.
00:25:14.000 How would you feel if someone said to you that they, you know, were fighting for your own family more than you were?
00:25:20.000 So that's why I got very upset.
00:25:22.000 But, you know, for the sake of Nestor and my story, we're a proud, happy family.
00:25:27.000 We love each other very much.
00:25:29.000 And Nestor is on his way off to college in the fall and I just couldn't be happier and prouder of the young man he's become.
00:25:35.000 And the fact that he is embracing these American values that everyone should be treated fairly and equally.
00:25:43.000 That was an awesome moment for us.
00:25:46.000 And it's really something when you're told that by virtue of your skin color, you don't get to participate in a discussion or a debate.
00:25:56.000 And Tucker Carlson has always stood for and will stand for the ability to ask tough questions and to demand a warrant for claims.
00:26:06.000 And we shouldn't judge each other or limit each other from participation in that discussion based on race.
00:26:13.000 But someone was fired today who seems to take the opposite view.
00:26:19.000 And that's Don Lemon at CNN.
00:26:21.000 Now, I don't know why Don Lemon was fired.
00:26:24.000 I do know that recently he has embarrassed himself, the network, with absurd discourse.
00:26:33.000 Suggesting in a recent interview with presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that Ramaswamy couldn't offer a perspective on African American history or the development of civil rights.
00:26:49.000 Because Vivek wasn't an African American like Don Lemon was. 0.83
00:26:55.000 It really was one of the more bizarre things I saw on television.
00:26:59.000 So I don't know if this clip contributed to Don Lemon's firing, but I sure hope it did.
00:27:05.000 Take a listen.
00:27:07.000 Do you have anything on this before I move on to China?
00:27:10.000 I don't see what one has to do with the other, but go on.
00:27:13.000 I took up a lot of time with Fox News.
00:27:14.000 Oh, it's fine.
00:27:15.000 We have time.
00:27:16.000 I don't really see what one has to do with the other, especially consider and using the Civil War to talk about black Americans.
00:27:23.000 That war was not fought for black people to have guns.
00:27:25.000 That's that's that's not that war was fought for black people to have freedoms in this country.
00:27:29.000 Actually, that's why the Civil War was fought.
00:27:31.000 OK, the sad part about it for black people to have guns, I think. 1.00
00:27:35.000 Actually, you know, funny fact is black people did not get to enjoy the other freedoms until their Second Amendment rights were secured. 0.75
00:27:42.000 And I think that that's one of the lessons that we learned aren't allowed to enjoy the freedoms.
00:27:46.000 I disagree with you on that, Don.
00:27:48.000 I disagree with you on it. 0.56
00:27:49.000 I think you're doing a disservice to our country by failing to recognize the fact that we have your own black skin.
00:27:54.000 And you live in this country. 0.51
00:27:56.000 Then you can disagree with me.
00:27:57.000 But we're not. You mentioned that this is three different.
00:27:59.000 I think we have to be able to talk about these issues in the open, regardless of the color of our skin.
00:28:03.000 Black Americans today to say that, compare that to 1865 and 1964, absolutely have equal rights in this country.
00:28:10.000 Pretty compelling argument by Ramaswamy, actually.
00:28:17.000 Here is the statement from Don Lemon after being fired.
00:28:21.000 Quote, I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN.
00:28:26.000 I am stunned.
00:28:27.000 After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.
00:28:32.000 In no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.
00:28:39.000 It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.
00:28:42.000 With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with on an incredible run.
00:28:47.000 They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best.
00:28:51.000 That is kind of a spicy reply.
00:28:54.000 It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.
00:28:58.000 I wonder what card Don Lemon is going to place there.
00:29:00.000 What are the larger issues?
00:29:02.000 Let's see.
00:29:03.000 In prime time, you were terrible, got demoted, you went and ruined the morning show, and then you had these embarrassing moments where you literally tried to use your own race as a trump card in an interview so that you wouldn't have to engage in what was a polite presentation of argument from the guest that you had invited on the show.
00:29:23.000 CNN replies to this statement showing that the TIFT is still ongoing.
00:29:30.000 CNN communications tweeting, Don Lemon's statement about this morning's events is inaccurate.
00:29:36.000 He was offered an opportunity to meet with management, but instead released a statement on Twitter.
00:29:43.000 So it doesn't appear as though the separation was as rosy as was perhaps initially portrayed by CNN in their glowing statement about how they would be cheering on Don Lemon in all of his future endeavors.
00:29:58.000 But good riddance, I would say, to someone who did everything he could to mislead his audience, regardless of what his platform was, and that was Don Lemon.
00:30:08.000 And on the far other side, someone we trusted, someone who elevated arguments that were vindicated as facts unfolded.
00:30:18.000 Tucker Carlson, we stand with him completely, and we are excited about his next ventures.
00:30:23.000 Got to get out of here, but before we go, everyone's been circulating this.
00:30:28.000 This video's been all over the internet.
00:30:30.000 Tucker Carlson, on Friday, speaking at Heritage, going viral.
00:30:36.000 Here's some of the best moments.
00:30:40.000 You look around, and you see so many people break under the strain, under the downward pressure of whatever this is that we're going through.
00:30:48.000 And you look with disdain and sadness as you see people you know become quizlings. 0.90
00:30:56.000 You see them revealed as cowards. 0.98
00:30:57.000 You see them going along with the new, new thing, which is clearly a poisonous thing, a silly thing. 0.98
00:31:02.000 You know, saying things you know they don't believe because they want to keep their jobs.
00:31:06.000 If there's a single person in this room who hasn't seen that through George Floyd and COVID and the Ukraine war, raise your hand.
00:31:12.000 Oh, nobody? Right. You all know what I'm talking about.
00:31:15.000 And you're so disappointed in people.
00:31:17.000 You know you are, and you realize that the herd instinct is maybe the strongest instinct.
00:31:21.000 I mean, it may be stronger than the hunger and sex instincts, actually.
00:31:25.000 The instinct, which again is inherent to be like everybody else and not to be cast out of the group, not to be shunned,
00:31:31.000 that's a very strong impulse in all of us from birth.
00:31:34.000 And it takes over, unfortunately, in moments like this.
00:31:36.000 And it's harnessed, in fact, by bad people in moments like this to produce uniformity.
00:31:41.000 And you see people going along with this and you lose respect for them.
00:31:44.000 And that's certainly happened to me at scale over the past three years.
00:31:47.000 I'm not mad at people. I'm just sad. I'm disappointed.
00:31:50.000 How could you go along with this? You know it's not true, but you're saying it anyway?
00:31:53.000 Really? You're putting your pronouns in your email? You're ridiculous. 0.95
00:31:56.000 We are back. Ridiculous indeed. 1.00
00:32:02.000 Tucker Carlson, we stand with you. 0.76
00:32:04.000 It's great to see everybody reflect so positively on all he's done to vindicate the truth,
00:32:10.000 to get it out before the American people, and we know that work continues.
00:32:13.000 Thanks for joining us on Firebrand.
00:32:15.000 Make sure you're subscribed. Make sure you've got that little bell clicked.
00:32:19.000 If you're watching on Rumble or YouTube, the YouTube audience has been growing,
00:32:23.000 like almost suspiciously a great deal lately, but have the notifications turned on.
00:32:28.000 That way you are able to blow through the shadow ban and get notification when we go live.
00:32:33.000 I think it's going to be a very interesting week upcoming in the Congress
00:32:37.000 because we're going to be negotiating the debt limit.
00:32:39.000 I can tell you I don't think the cement is hard around 218 votes for this bill just yet.
00:32:44.000 I think the rigor and the enactment and implementation of the work requirements,
00:32:50.000 one of the final things we have to do before sending this offer to the Senate.
00:32:54.000 And I've increasingly talked to colleagues who've said,
00:32:56.000 this is not just the opening offer.
00:32:58.000 This is the best offer that they can vote for.
00:33:01.000 Otherwise, they're not going to vote for raising the debt limit.
00:33:04.000 And then the discussion would be about what cuts are essential to ensure
00:33:08.000 that we're able to keep the doors open.
00:33:10.000 And don't ever let any politicians tell you that there's not enough cash in the system.
00:33:15.000 Cash is running over the gunnels into the government.
00:33:18.000 We are breaking records.
00:33:20.000 The problem is a spending problem.
00:33:22.000 And we have identified specific programs in areas where we need clawbacks,
00:33:26.000 where we need cuts, where we need caps on the growth of the spending rate.
00:33:31.000 And if we do that, I think we'll be in a far better posture than we are now
00:33:35.000 with exploding budgets, currency that is being devalued, and an economy that has flatlined.
00:33:42.000 So we can do better than this.
00:33:44.000 It's very important that Republicans increase the rigor of the work requirements
00:33:48.000 and begin them not in 2025 and beyond, but immediately in 2024.
00:33:53.000 Thank you again for joining us.
00:33:55.000 Thank you to my terrific team for assembling all those Tucker Carlson clips.
00:33:59.000 We enjoy his work so much as activists, as fans.
00:34:04.000 And so to Joel Valdez, Sasha Timolchev, thank you for pulling that together.
00:34:08.000 We know everyone enjoyed it.
00:34:09.000 It was a great show.
00:34:10.000 And we will be back soon with our 100th episode of Firebrand.
00:34:15.000 Roll the credits.
00:34:16.000 We'll see you next time.
00:34:17.000 We'll see you next time.
00:34:23.000 Transcription by CastingWords