The Ben Shapiro Show - HAPPY TAX DAY: Sex Changes For Illegal Immigrants?!

00:00:00.000 So, yesterday was the greatest American holiday.

00:00:04.000 Well, according to the Democratic Party, Tax Day!

00:00:07.000 Yes, you might think of Tax Day as something annoying and awful. 0.99

00:00:10.000 That day when you slip a check in the mail that represents a gigantic chunk of your yearly earnings so that the federal government can then spend all of that money on a bunch of useless horse crap. 0.98

00:00:19.000 But that's where you're wrong, you see. 0.94

00:00:21.000 According to Democrats, Tax Day is a magnificent delight, a day of festivities for all.

00:00:26.000 We got to look forward to it every year because taxes are incredible.

00:00:30.000 As Joe Biden used to say, they're a sign of patriotism, of social solidarity.

00:00:35.000 And mostly, really, of sticking it to the people who actually earn money in the United States.

00:00:40.000 And then there's something even better for Democrats.

00:00:42.000 Spending all of that magical money on awful nonsense.

00:00:45.000 In fact, that's the best part.

00:00:47.000 Because here's the thing, folks.

00:00:48.000 It's not your money.

00:00:49.000 It was never your money.

00:00:51.000 It was always their money.

00:00:53.000 And they let you control some of it.

00:00:55.000 But the rest of it, they take from you, and then they basically just burn it.

00:00:59.000 You know, to show you that your economic freedom belongs to them.

00:01:02.000 We'll get into all of it in a moment.

00:01:04.000 This is The Ben Shapiro Show.

00:01:05.000 Well, the purpose of taxes, according to Democrats, is not, in fact, a more prosperous society or the obliteration of poverty.

00:01:17.000 The purpose of taxes is super simple to punish success.

00:01:21.000 This is why they're always denying that's what they're doing, because it's what they're doing.

00:01:24.000 The more successful you are, the more you ought to be punished.

00:01:27.000 One of the seminal political debates that I've ever covered was a 2008 Democratic debate involving then Senator Barack Obama, who had become president.

00:01:38.000 And he was asked a question that in any normal world would be disqualifying for the presidency.

00:01:42.000 The question was Would you increase the capital gains tax rate even if it resulted in less tax revenue?

00:01:49.000 Because the idea is that if you increase taxes in a particular area, like capital gains, people just invest less.

00:01:56.000 And so the amount of money that comes out to the government can go down.

00:01:58.000 And he was asked Would you increase the capital gains tax rate anyway, even if it generated less revenue for the government to spend?

00:02:06.000 And here is what Barack Obama said.

00:02:10.000 Each instance, when the rate dropped, revenues from the tax increased.

00:02:15.000 The government took in more money.

00:02:18.000 And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28%, the revenues went down.

00:02:24.000 So why raise it at all?

00:02:26.000 Especially given the fact that 100 million people in this country own stock and would be affected.

00:02:31.000 Well, Charlie, what I've said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness.

00:02:38.000 You understand?

00:02:39.000 The purpose is fairness.

00:02:40.000 Fairness.

00:02:41.000 That's the purpose of taxes.

00:02:42.000 The purpose is fairness.

00:02:43.000 It is not prosperity.

00:02:45.000 It is not more government revenue to use for useful things.

00:02:49.000 It is to punish people.

00:02:50.000 It is fairness.

00:02:52.000 Now, the thing no Democrat has ever been able to answer is what exactly represents a fair tax rate?

00:02:57.000 When is fair enough?

00:02:59.000 If the normal person were to pay a 40% tax rate and the richy rich were to pay a 90% tax rate, would that be fair?

00:03:08.000 If, in fact, everyone were to pay a 100% tax rate, would that be fair?

00:03:12.000 No Democrat can ever explain what the ideal fair tax rate is because fair is a fungible term.

00:03:17.000 It doesn't mean anything.

00:03:19.000 Fair is in the eye of the beholder.

00:03:21.000 The real key is that you are punishing and reveling in punishing the rich people.

00:03:25.000 That's what it's about, which is why the Democratic Party on tax day put out a tweet saying, Tax the rich.

00:03:31.000 Remember, not help the poor, tax the rich.

00:03:34.000 That's all they care about is taxing the rich.

00:03:36.000 And the way you know that it's working is because you are making the rich poorer.

00:03:40.000 This is why Zorhan Mamdani, the communist mayor of New York, Was sitting on a stage yesterday with a gigantic backdrop reading Tax the Rich, talking about how well all of this is working.

00:03:53.000 And so, for all of the discussion of the imagined exodus that would take place, were we to tax the wealthiest New Yorkers by the appropriate amount, I say imagined because before I was a mayor, I was a state legislator, and I was part of an effort to increase taxes on millionaires at that time.

00:04:10.000 We were told the same thing then.

00:04:11.000 And what we find now is that we have more millionaires today than we did at that time, even after having passed that tax.

00:04:17.000 Well, I mean, the reason you have more millionaires in the city is because of economic growth, not due to New York City, but millionaires and billionaires are fleeing the state, which is why.

00:04:26.000 Kathy Hochul has largely opposed many of Zar Mamdani's proposals.

00:04:31.000 Well, Zar Mamdani on tax day decided it was time to announce the new Pierre Terre tax.

00:04:37.000 The Pierre Terre tax is a tax on any home that is a second home for somebody, a home that they don't live in most of the year, that is worth more than $5 million.

00:04:47.000 And again, the sick glee with which he announces taxes has nothing to do with helping people, it has everything to do with punishing people.

00:04:57.000 That is the glee.

00:04:58.000 This is your smiling Jacobin.

00:05:00.000 If he had a guillotine nearby and he had the capacity to use it, he most certainly would.

00:05:05.000 So he cuts this ad, which should creep the living hell out of you if you have half a brain, talking about how excited he is to tax people on tax day. 0.98

00:05:14.000 Remember, most people think of tax day as a miserable day because, hey, you're giving a bunch of money that you earned to a bunch of people who did not earn that money so they can spend it on random crap. 0.81

00:05:22.000 But according to Tsar Mamdani, it's the best day because he, as a useless person for his entire adult life, got elected mayor of New York and now he finally gets to do the thing he wants to do, which is Bring the richies low. 0.60

00:05:34.000 Not the ones he's friends with, not like Alex Soros. 0.62

00:05:36.000 All the other rich people.

00:05:37.000 Here is Zarm Amdani.

00:05:41.000 He creeps me out, man.

00:05:42.000 The smarm is just off the charts.

00:05:44.000 This smarmy smile as he talks about punishing people for earning is disturbing.

00:05:54.000 Today, we're taxing you.

00:05:55.000 I'm thrilled to announce we've secured a pied-a-terre tax, the first in New York's history.

00:06:00.000 This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million, whose owners do not live full-time in the city.

00:06:06.000 Like for this penthouse, which hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought for $238 million.

00:06:12.000 This pied-a-terre tax is specifically designed for the richest of the rich, those who store their wealth in New York City real estate, but who don't actually live here.

00:06:19.000 But even so, they're able to reap the huge financial rewards of owning property in, dare I say, the greatest city in the world.

00:06:25.000 And most of the time, these units are sitting empty, since again, They don't actually live here.

00:06:29.000 This is a fundamentally unfair system that hurts working New Yorkers.

00:06:33.000 Now it's coming to an end.

00:06:35.000 This tax will raise at least $500 million directly for the city.

00:06:39.000 I have a question.

00:06:40.000 What is unfair about Ken Griffin spending a bajillion dollars for an apartment and then not spending time in the apartment?

00:06:45.000 Do we really think that Zoran Momdani would be fine with Ken Griffin if he lived in that apartment?

00:06:49.000 Beyond which, doxing Ken Griffin's apartment is kind of an effed up thing to do for the mayor of New York City.

00:06:56.000 You notice the succession music underneath, right?

00:06:59.000 All the people who are rich are just like the people in succession, except they're not.

00:07:02.000 I know an awful lot of rich people.

00:07:03.000 Some are like the people in succession, and many are not.

00:07:05.000 And I know an awful lot of people who are not rich.

00:07:08.000 And some of them are terrible, and some of them are wonderful.

00:07:10.000 The idea that virtue inherently correlates with level of wealth is nuts, but it is what undergirds the level of hatred that Democrats have for people who earn.

00:07:20.000 Of course, all that's really silly, because it turns out that people who are rich today were not rich yesterday.

00:07:24.000 You know, thank God I have a lot of money in my bank account.

00:07:28.000 I once did not have nearly any money in my bank account.

00:07:31.000 And that's the beautiful thing about America.

00:07:32.000 You can do both of those things in one lifetime.

00:07:35.000 It's pretty incredible.

00:07:36.000 But according to Democrats, that's the bad thing.

00:07:38.000 It would be better if nobody had that money in their bank account.

00:07:42.000 Again, notice the emotivism here, right?

00:07:45.000 The idea that it's all just about emotion, it's not about policy in any way.

00:07:50.000 What is unfair about Ken Griffin shelling out a lot of money to people who built an apartment who will then use that money to develop more properties in New York City?

00:08:02.000 Where is the terrible thing that Ken Griffin did there?

00:08:04.000 He's terrible just because he doesn't spend time in the city?

00:08:08.000 If that apartment were not bought, would that somehow amount to more housing in the city of New York?

00:08:14.000 Or would it undercut the housing market in the city of New York and lead to less development of more units?

00:08:20.000 By the way, that $500 million amounts to 9% of the total budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.

00:08:27.000 And again, that's a high estimate because the reality is that a lot of these people are going to sell those apartments, get out.

00:08:33.000 A lot of deals are going to be killed.

00:08:35.000 I know people in the real estate industry, and a lot of people in the real estate industry are backing out of contracts in New York City specifically because of this sort of stuff.

00:08:43.000 And remember, earlier this year, Mamdani tried to threaten the New York governor by presenting a binary choice to fix the city's emergency by saying, one, he could tax the rich, which would either require her approval.

00:08:55.000 Or B, implement a steep 10% property tax hike on everybody and then dip into the city reserves.

00:09:01.000 So that was the blackmail here.

00:09:04.000 Already coming up, New York Governor Kathy Hochel is going along with this nonsense.

00:09:07.000 We'll explain why in a moment.

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00:10:14.000 Well, Kathy Hochel tried to explain in a written statement what she was doing.

00:10:17.000 She said New York City is the greatest city in the world, and people who call it home should not be left carrying the burden alone.

00:10:22.000 Again, this idea that if you own a second home that sits empty, that somehow that is sinful is kind of nuts.

00:10:30.000 I challenged Kathy Hochel.

00:10:32.000 Let's say that this is where their main residence and their second residence were down here in Palm Beach, which is true for a lot of New Yorkers, the snowbirds who come down here every winter.

00:10:40.000 Are you still okay with them buying that gigantic $238 million apartment or what?

00:10:48.000 I mean, honestly, if they're not actually living in the apartment, they're taking advantage of city services less often.

00:10:53.000 So actually you are gaining more in tax revenue from them.

00:10:58.000 Nonetheless, she says numerous media reports have revealed that many of Manhattan's largest new high rise developments are owned by foreign investors who spend little time in the apartments they have purchased.

00:11:08.000 The New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey conducted every three years found that in 2023, there are about 59,000 units that were held for seasonal recreation or occasional use, down from about 75,000 in 2017.

00:11:19.000 Okay.

00:11:20.000 So you may notice something.

00:11:21.000 Fewer units are being held that way.

00:11:23.000 What happened to the real estate prices?

00:11:25.000 Did they go up or did they go down?

00:11:28.000 Ah, well, look at that.

00:11:30.000 They continued to go up.

00:11:31.000 It did not cure your affordability crisis, did it?

00:11:35.000 Raihan Salam, who's the head of the fantastic Manhattan Institute, has a good thread over at X explaining the problem.

00:11:41.000 He says Consider that while the owners of Pied-A-Terres pay property and transfer taxes, they don't consume any taxpayer services.

00:11:47.000 It's hard to dispute that the net fiscal impact of Pied-A-Terres is positive.

00:11:52.000 Tax something, get less of it.

00:11:53.000 In this case, we'll presumably have fewer absentee property owners bidding up property values for $5 million homes.

00:11:59.000 That, of course, will dampen valuations, which in turn will dampen property and transfer tax revenues because you pay property taxes and transfer taxes based on the value of the purchase.

00:12:09.000 Notably, says Ryhan, while building more housing will tend to lower valuations of individual units, it would tend to increase overall property tax revenues.

00:12:18.000 The next step, of course, and you know this is coming, will be to lower the threshold from $5 million to $1 million and so on, and then.

00:12:24.000 The final step will be to broaden this out so that a new tax just applies to anyone who owns in New York.

00:12:30.000 It's not going to stop with second homes.

00:12:32.000 Because, again, the case will be made that actually second homes take less advantage of city services than first homes.

00:12:40.000 Now, one of the funny things about the way that New York does its work is that they are constantly attempting to incentivize cheap building.

00:12:46.000 And what they instead end up doing is creating incentive structures for people to just do strange things to avoid taxes.

00:12:54.000 So, for example, A 2024 city government program, according to the Wall Street Journal, offered a tax exemption to developers of most apartment buildings that have fewer than 100 units and include some affordable housing.

00:13:06.000 The idea theoretically was to get people to build larger buildings up to 100 units and then include some affordable housing.

00:13:13.000 So, what actually happened?

00:13:14.000 Well, wait for it.

00:13:15.000 Developers seized on the loophole and they secured the tax benefit for projects with more than 100 units.

00:13:20.000 They would assemble complexes with hundreds of apartments sliced up into 99 unit pieces while seeking city approval.

00:13:29.000 As the Wall Street Journal points out, real estate owners sew these buildings together with a joint facade, interlocking floor plates, hallways, and shared amenities, so tenants in one building can access the co working space, gym, or child play area in another.

00:13:39.000 So you would have people who would build a 500 unit apartment complex, and then they would basically artificially divide that in order to take advantage of the tax benefits.

00:13:48.000 It turns out that tax policy is an incentive.

00:13:51.000 When you raise taxes on things, you get less of that thing.

00:13:54.000 And again, none of this, none of this is about paying for these magical services that Mamdani wants.

00:13:59.000 It's not about the services.

00:14:01.000 Zoran Momdani believes that people who earn more in a capitalist society are worse human beings.

00:14:06.000 This is what he thinks.

00:14:07.000 This is what he thinks.

00:14:09.000 And again, this is a universal idea among top tier Democrats these days, or near universal. 0.99

00:14:15.000 I have to say, one of the most despicable people in American politics, Tom Steyer, who manned up the governor of California thanks to Eric Swalwell's inability to keep his penis out of other people. 0.99

00:14:25.000 Tom Steyer, he is a billionaire. 0.99

00:14:29.000 He has run for president.

00:14:30.000 You don't remember him running because he won zero votes.

00:14:33.000 But he has spent.

00:14:34.000 Legitimately, billions of his own dollars on a random variety of left wing radical causes.

00:14:39.000 Well, now he's trying to spend his way into the governor's house in California to succeed Gavin Newsom, who himself is running for president.

00:14:45.000 And he says billionaires like him need to pay more.

00:14:48.000 Well, no one's stopping you, Madude.

00:14:50.000 No one.

00:14:53.000 It's time for billionaires like me and big corporations to buy into the future of California and be willing to pay more.

00:15:01.000 A lot of people in California are acting as if we have a zero sum game and they're defending their wealth and they're trying to make sure that they minimize their taxes.

00:15:11.000 I can't believe they would try to minimize their taxes, those rich people.

00:15:14.000 Unlike you, you love paying taxes.

00:15:16.000 Everyone tries to minimize their taxes because you know what they want?

00:15:19.000 To keep the things they have made, to keep the things they have earned.

00:15:23.000 California is driving billionaires out by the bushel.

00:15:26.000 They're driving tax revenue out.

00:15:28.000 By the bushel.

00:15:29.000 And again, he's lying because the fact is that the vast majority of federal income tax revenue comes from the people who earn the most.

00:15:36.000 This notion that somehow our tax rates are unfairly beneficial toward the rich is nonsense.

00:15:42.000 America has one of the most progressive tax systems on earth.

00:15:45.000 On earth, here, for example, is a chart from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

00:15:52.000 And it shows the adjusTedros income, that's the AGI.

00:15:58.000 The bracket versus the percentage of federal personal income tax paid.

00:16:02.000 If you're in the top 50%, meaning you made more than $50,000, you paid 97% of all taxes.

00:16:08.000 If you are in the bottom 50% of earners in American society or below $50,000, you paid 2.96% of the taxes.

00:16:16.000 According to USA Facts, most of the government's federal income tax revenue comes from the nation's top income earners.

00:16:22.000 In 2023, the top 5% of earners, people with incomes $272,000 and above, collectively paid over $1.27 trillion in income taxes, or about 60% of the national total.

00:16:33.000 If you include the top 10%, everyone who made at least $187,000 and above, that figure rises to $1.5 trillion, 70% of the national total.

00:16:44.000 So again, the people at the top are in fact paying the most, and that's not just how Democrats want it, that's how they need it.

00:16:51.000 And then they claim that the rich don't pay their fair share.

00:16:53.000 How do we know?

00:16:53.000 Well, because they're still rich.

00:16:55.000 The best way to know if they're paying their fair share is when they're not rich anymore.

00:16:58.000 According to data from the Tax Foundation, nearly one third, one third of all income tax filers.

00:17:04.000 All of whom are in the bottom 50% paid no income tax at all.

00:17:09.000 And then, if you actually compare what people get out from the government to what they put into the government, it turns out that the people who are in the top 1% get nothing out and pay everything in.

00:17:22.000 So, again, according to the United States Congressional Budget Office, if you are in the top 1% of earners and you pay a dollar in taxes, you get back four cents of services.

00:17:33.000 If you are in the lowest quintile, meaning you're not paying pretty much anything in, You're getting $68 in services for every $1 you pay in in federal transfers.

00:17:43.000 That doesn't even include state.

00:17:45.000 If you're in the second lowest quintile, for every buck you pay in, you get $6.29 out.

00:17:52.000 But the bottom line is that if you are in the top 20% of earners, anywhere in that top 20%, you are paying in significantly more than you are getting out from the federal government. 0.99

00:18:03.000 The notion that the rich don't pay their fair share is just crap. 0.95

00:18:06.000 It is not true at all. 0.97

00:18:08.000 And the wages of this will, of course, be felt in these blue states.

00:18:11.000 So good luck to them.

00:18:12.000 Good luck to them.

00:18:13.000 I've said for a while about New York and California you voted for it, and now you got it.

00:18:17.000 There's a reason I left California.

00:18:18.000 Every time I go back to California, I say to everyone I can find, I don't know why you're still here.

00:18:22.000 They're going to wreck you.

00:18:23.000 They're going to wreck you.

00:18:24.000 For a thousand reasons, they're going to wreck you.

00:18:27.000 Because it is the only way that they can justify their failure is that there is a cadre of terrible people who are just too greedy.

00:18:33.000 They're really, really, you who are stealing their money as a government member, you're not greedy.

00:18:38.000 But the people whose money you're stealing, they're the people who are greedy because they want to keep their money.

00:18:38.000 You're just for the people.

00:18:44.000 And greed is a human universal.

00:18:46.000 But only one group is sticking their hand forcibly in the pocket of another group.

00:18:50.000 And those are the members of the government sticking their hand in your pocket because only they have the power of compulsion.

00:18:57.000 The president put out a statement last Saturday on Truth Social, heading to Virginia for meetings at Trump National.

00:19:02.000 I can't believe what this new Governor Spanberger has done to the Commonwealth.

00:19:05.000 So sad. 0.98

00:19:05.000 She's adding so many taxes a food and beverage tax, digital services tax, utilities tax, and more. 0.98

00:19:10.000 It has lost its energy, vitality, and strength.

00:19:12.000 People are leaving that would never have even thought of doing so.

00:19:15.000 New companies that signed to come into the Commonwealth under Governor Youngkin are now looking for ways to get out, break their deal.

00:19:20.000 It all happened so fast.

00:19:21.000 This went from a thriving and powerful place once envied by all to a Commonwealth run by a person who has no concept of low taxes and economic strength.

00:19:29.000 People that voted for Spanberger are saying to themselves, Why did I do that?

00:19:32.000 What have I done?

00:19:34.000 He said, We have a similar situation in New York and most of all in California, where rich, job producing people and companies are being forced to flee at levels never seen before.

00:19:41.000 The tax base in California is literally disappearing.

00:19:44.000 And they do want to put a wealth tax on there.

00:19:46.000 That wealth tax is scaring the bejesus out of everyone, everyone in California who has any level of wealth.

00:19:52.000 Truly, the wealth tax is terrifying anyone with any real level of wealth in a company, for example.

00:19:58.000 They're all going to leave.

00:19:59.000 And it looks like it's going to pass, which is crazy towns.

00:20:02.000 By the way, even Gavin Newsom realizes it's crazy towns.

00:20:05.000 He doesn't even like that proposal.

00:20:08.000 So, this is one area where Republicans ought to be significantly more popular.

00:20:11.000 It turns out that according to Gallup, Americans don't like tax day.

00:20:15.000 They do not like taxes.

00:20:16.000 In fact, 59% of Americans say they pay too much in taxes.

00:20:22.000 37% say their taxes are about right.

00:20:24.000 3% think they are too low.

00:20:26.000 That 3% would be billionaires like Tom Steyer.

00:20:29.000 The 37% who say their taxes are about right are not paying taxes.

00:20:32.000 And the 59% are people who are paying taxes, basically.

00:20:35.000 All righty, coming up, President Trump is actually doing the right thing on taxes.

00:20:39.000 Democrats have a problem here.

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00:22:51.000 That's preborn.comslash Ben.

00:22:55.000 Now, the president's tax cuts have been beneficial for Americans.

00:23:00.000 According to the Washington Post, the Internal Revenue Service is sending more money back.

00:23:03.000 The average refund for the almost 100 million households who had already filed their returns as of April 3rd was $3,462.

00:23:11.000 That's more than 10% above last year's average for similarly early filers.

00:23:16.000 They're applying more deductions.

00:23:18.000 They are increasing things like the child tax deduction.

00:23:22.000 So again, people are paying less in taxes thanks to the president of the United States.

00:23:27.000 Scott Besant, the Treasury Secretary, pointed this out on tax day yesterday.

00:23:32.000 More than 45% of the filers of the returns that we have seen have had at least one of the four president's signature policies no tax and tips, no tax and overtime, the deductions for our great seniors, and the deductibility of interest on auto loans for American made cars.

00:23:53.000 And I will tell you that the biggest one of those that Americans have taken is no tax and overtime.

00:24:00.000 And it's the American way.

00:24:02.000 If you want to work longer hours, you get to keep more of your money.

00:24:05.000 Okay, so again, he is right about that.

00:24:08.000 And this is one area where Republicans have a significant advantage.

00:24:11.000 And then there's another area where we actually spend those tax dollars.

00:24:14.000 Where we actually spend those tax dollars.

00:24:17.000 So when it comes to spending our tax dollars, is California doing an amazing job?

00:24:22.000 Well, as it turns out, the answer is no.

00:24:24.000 Chris Ruffo and Jonathan Cho over at City Journal, which is a project of Manhattan Institute, they have a piece out today titled California Paying Illegal Immigrant Sex Changes.

00:24:34.000 Isn't that exciting?

00:24:35.000 Aren't you glad that your taxpayer dollars are being spent this way if you're a Californian?

00:24:39.000 Tom Steyer says you don't pay enough. 1.00

00:24:41.000 You need to pay for more illegal immigrant sex changes. 1.00

00:24:43.000 It is the only way. 0.97

00:24:45.000 Quote Last month, they write, we received a report from a whistleblower who claimed that illegal aliens were staying in San Francisco's homeless shelters.

00:24:53.000 Following up on the tip, we visited numerous publicly funded shelters in San Francisco and spoke to employees and residents about their policies, sometimes through a translator.

00:25:01.000 We discovered not only that the shelters were housing illegal immigrants, but also they were apparently housing a population of male to female transgender illegal aliens.

00:25:08.000 Who had hoped to obtain gender affirming care.

00:25:10.000 And to our shock, state and local governments apparently are providing it. 0.66

00:25:13.000 So congrats, California taxpayers.

00:25:15.000 Look at you.

00:25:16.000 Things are going great.

00:25:16.000 Aren't you proud that you pay those taxes?

00:25:18.000 Aren't you happy?

00:25:19.000 Again, the waste and the fraud are the point.

00:25:21.000 It's one of the great puzzlements.

00:25:23.000 If you're a Democrat and you supposedly believe that tax revenue is necessary to better people's lives, shouldn't you be the most angry at waste, fraud, and abuse?

00:25:32.000 But you're not.

00:25:33.000 If you're a Democrat, you want that ignored because you're afraid that waste, fraud, and abuse will discredit the system.

00:25:38.000 What you really should be doing is trying to wipe that out so that every dollar taken in.

00:25:42.000 Goes to a useful and good place.

00:25:44.000 But I think that's kind of the point for a lot of them.

00:25:46.000 They don't care.

00:25:47.000 They don't care.

00:25:48.000 It's not about where the money goes, it's about who is deprived of that money.

00:25:53.000 The Manhattan Institute did an interview with a transgender migrant living in a California homeless shelter.

00:25:58.000 Here's what it sounded like.

00:26:00.000 What is your name again?

00:26:01.000 Jacqueline.

00:26:02.000 This is the first time I live in a shelter.

00:26:05.000 Yeah. 1.00

00:26:07.000 A lot of Latino here.

00:26:08.000 So definitely some are migrants or undocumented.

00:26:11.000 And me as a trans woman, I feel safe.

00:26:16.000 Were you able to get the hormones or, you know?

00:26:20.000 Yeah, I did that with my doctor.

00:26:22.000 So, Medi Cal, you got the breast implants?

00:26:25.000 Yes.

00:26:26.000 Wow.

00:26:26.000 Taxpayer funded.

00:26:28.000 So here in California, they gave you the breast implant here.

00:26:32.000 Yes.

00:26:33.000 Free?

00:26:34.000 Yeah.

00:26:35.000 Wow.

00:26:36.000 Congratulations.

00:26:38.000 Do you feel like that's a good benefit for other migrants here in California?

00:26:42.000 Yeah, even though you're undocumented, you can get it. 0.98

00:26:48.000 Did you do bottom surgery? 0.88

00:26:49.000 I'm waiting for that one.

00:26:51.000 Wow, you're waiting for bottom surgery.

00:26:53.000 Are you happy with the results?

00:26:55.000 Yes. 0.99

00:26:56.000 I'm sure the taxpayers are happy paying for this person's fake boobs and eventually paying for this person's snip snip. 0.99

00:27:04.000 Downstairs. 0.99

00:27:06.000 Well done, California.

00:27:07.000 You're doing great.

00:27:08.000 You're just doing great.

00:27:10.000 Now, speaking of immigration policy, the immigration policies in California are indeed insane.

00:27:17.000 They're going to get worse.

00:27:18.000 Tom Steyer, again, wants to run for governor of California.

00:27:21.000 He is running, and right now, he is the front running Democrat.

00:27:24.000 Now, Steve Hilton, who is the Republican candidate in the polls, is the front runner because it's an open primary system.

00:27:29.000 He's got 25%.

00:27:30.000 Democrats are split eight different ways.

00:27:31.000 Steyer is clocking in at 16 to 20%.

00:27:34.000 So Steyer put out a thread.

00:27:37.000 On how to jail members of ICE.

00:27:40.000 This is what California can look forward to.

00:27:42.000 Folks, if you can afford to leave California, what are you doing?

00:27:46.000 What are you doing?

00:27:48.000 It's time to go.

00:27:51.000 I've made it clear ICE must be abolished.

00:27:54.000 ICE is acting like a criminal organization carrying out indiscriminate racial profiling and using violence, intimidation, terrorism, and the murder of Americans to extend Trump's rule by fear.

00:28:02.000 It's not enough for Democrats to simply engage in rhetoric and stand against ICE or Trump.

00:28:07.000 California must build a system that fights fire with fire.

00:28:11.000 You see, ICE is evil.

00:28:12.000 And they're using violence and intimidation and terrorism and murder.

00:28:15.000 That's what ICE wants to be the governor of California.

00:28:19.000 Get ready, gang. 1.00

00:28:20.000 Oh, man, there are going to be so many brand new illegal immigrants for you to perform transgender surgery on. 1.00

00:28:28.000 That's some California innovation for you. 1.00

00:28:30.000 Number one in transgender surgeries for illegal immigrants. 1.00

00:28:34.000 And this is the kind of thing where if you said this in polite company, they literally would not believe you. 0.98

00:28:37.000 They would think that you're crazy.

00:28:39.000 But this is California.

00:28:41.000 So what exactly is he proposing?

00:28:43.000 Five things to take on ICE quote the same way we took on the mob.

00:28:48.000 One, criminally prosecute ICE agents for violence.

00:28:51.000 Two, ban any law enforcement agency from using race, ethnicity, language, or location to detain or arrest migrants. 0.64

00:29:00.000 So, like any of those, like all of those in combination. 0.51

00:29:04.000 So, if you are at like a Home Depot where illegal immigrants are known to be, and you know that those people are typically from, say, El Salvador, and they're speaking only Spanish. 0.64

00:29:17.000 And they're waiting to be picked up by a random truck, then you should be criminally prosecuted if you are an ICE agent and you use that for a detention.

00:29:29.000 They want to send special investigative units to collect evidence at detention centers to prosecute ICE agents.

00:29:34.000 You can have state investigative units going into federal facilities to seek prosecution, which I can't see how that goes wrong.

00:29:34.000 That's great.

00:29:43.000 They want to bring home ICE detainees by using taxpayer funds to pay for attorneys and legal aid.

00:29:48.000 So you will get to pay to bring people back to the United States who shouldn't be here in the first place. 0.60

00:29:54.000 Isn't that exciting?

00:29:56.000 You can pay for that in California if Tom Steyer wins.

00:29:58.000 And finally, launch a Know Your Rights campaign across California.

00:30:01.000 So.

00:30:02.000 Welcome.

00:30:03.000 Democrats, I can't imagine why Donald Trump won in the first place.

00:30:06.000 Again, when it gets to the baseline of governing, Democrats are out of their minds. 1.00

00:30:10.000 They are crazy. 1.00

00:30:11.000 They're just crazy. 1.00

00:30:13.000 And the wages of craziness in some cases are death. 0.96

00:30:18.000 Which brings us to this horrible story about a DHS employee who was murdered by a convicted felon immigrant naturalized by the Biden administration.

00:30:26.000 According to the New York Post, Lauren Bullis, who worked as an auditor for DHS's Office of Inspector General, was shot and stabbed in Atlanta when a 26 year old.

00:30:36.000 Immigrant who was given temporary protected status and then final status went on a deadly rampage on Monday morning.

00:30:42.000 Bose was a 40 year old auditor for DHS.

00:30:44.000 She had taken her dog out for a stroll about 7 a.m. when she was targeted as part of three random attacks carried out by the madman across the Atlanta area.

00:30:53.000 The alleged rampage also killed another woman outside a Checker's restaurant and critically injured a homeless man who was sleeping outside a Kroger store.

00:31:00.000 Apparently, this alleged perp was born in the UK and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2022 under Joe Biden and had a lengthy rap sheet.

00:31:08.000 And then there is the case of a Haitian illegal immigrant who bludgeoned a Florida mother to death.

00:31:14.000 Horrifying, horrifying video.

00:31:17.000 According to the New York Post, Rolbert Joachim, 40, is accused of striking a Florida mother multiple times, leaving her to die in the parking lot of a Chevron gas station in Fort Myers, according to court records reviewed by the Post.

00:31:29.000 That Haitian native arrived in the United States in August 22 and was released into the country by, wait for it, the Biden administration.

00:31:36.000 He was given temporary protected status and then was issued a final order of removal by a judge, but.

00:31:41.000 He was safe because TPS ran out in 2024.

00:31:45.000 And the results of that a dead person.

00:31:48.000 Again, this is your warning, this is some graphic footage.

00:31:54.000 Yeah, this is the woman walks out, and here comes an in.

00:32:00.000 He literally hits her in the head with a hammer and then just beats her with the hammer.

00:32:00.000 We blurted out.

00:32:04.000 Horrifying, horrifying story.

00:32:09.000 This is just one reason why many in the GOP are objecting to extending legal protections for Haitian migrants.

00:32:20.000 According to the Washington Post, several House Democrats and Republicans have now joined to oppose President Trump's immigration policy Wednesday.

00:32:27.000 They are forcing to advance a measure to reinstate temporary protections for 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S. for three years.

00:32:33.000 Trump is saying no.

00:32:34.000 He's saying no.

00:32:35.000 There will be no more TPS for Haitians living in the United States. 1.00

00:32:39.000 People who are here illegally need to go home. 1.00

00:32:42.000 Now, again, I understand that there are a lot of people who are sympathetic to Haitian immigrants who are really being sent back to a place that is hellish. 1.00

00:32:51.000 The United States does not have an obligation to take in every person who is leaving a bad place. 0.98

00:32:56.000 And if we are going to do temporary protected status, then we ought to try to cut a deal.

00:33:01.000 With some other country, a third party country, a Mexico or El Salvador or somewhere else, because those people do not have to come to the United States.

00:33:09.000 There are many other places they can go, and we can help facilitate that.

00:33:13.000 But the notion that you're coming from a bad place, therefore, we must inherently grant you asylum no, that is incorrect, especially when we have no great way of actually enforcing our immigration laws.

00:33:26.000 Meanwhile, on foreign policy, well, it seems as though something is coming to the end when it comes to the war and run.

00:33:26.000 All righty.

00:33:33.000 And the thing that's coming to the end is. 0.98

00:33:35.000 Iranian dominance in the region. 0.95

00:33:36.000 That is the thing that is coming to an end. 0.98

00:33:38.000 The Kalshi markets, by the way, are right now suggesting that traffic at the Strait of Hormuz is going to return to normal. 0.57

00:33:45.000 And by the way, in relatively short order, which is to say that the war is going to end.

00:33:49.000 According to those Kalshi markets, some 30% of people believe that the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal before May 15th, which is like one month from now.

00:34:00.000 A majority, 53%, believe that it will be open completely, like back to normal before June 1st.

00:34:07.000 And 70% believe before July 1st.

00:34:09.000 So that is why, whenever people are pretending panic, oh no, it's never going to end.

00:34:12.000 This is going to be the issue that decides the election.

00:34:15.000 Wrong.

00:34:15.000 It is not.

00:34:16.000 That is not the way this is going to work. 0.98

00:34:17.000 Now, listen, the Iranians are continuing to try to posture for their own population, mainly because if they do not posture for their own population, they're in serious trouble. 0.93

00:34:25.000 They are also, of course, posturing on behalf of the woke right, of the grievance party right. 0.63

00:34:32.000 They're trying to take advantage of any split they can find in American public opinion to try and rip into Trump. 0.95

00:34:37.000 So they took that dumb meme that Trump posted where he appeared to be. 0.98

00:34:40.000 According to Trump, a Red Cross doctor, or alternatively, Jesus. 0.95

00:34:43.000 And then he deleted it.

00:34:45.000 They took that meme and then they turned it into an AI video mocking Trump.

00:34:49.000 Only on X are memes and AI videos a substitute for military victory.

00:34:54.000 This was originally posted by the Iranian embassy of Tajikistan on X. Here's what it looked like.

00:35:01.000 Reckoning has come.

00:35:03.000 What is this? 0.97

00:35:06.000 And then apparently, it's ridiculous. 0.94

00:35:13.000 The people in the Trump meme started, Your reckoning has come. 0.99

00:35:16.000 And then Jesus, muscular Jesus, comes from the sky and smashes Trump in the face and sends him into the fiery bowels of hell. 0.79

00:35:22.000 Well, unfortunately for the Iranians, the only people who have been sent to the fiery bowels of hell are, you know, their entire leadership cadre, who are now legitimately burning in hell. 0.91

00:35:31.000 I think they had a big surprise. 0.98

00:35:32.000 I think when Ayatollah Khomeini woke up, And there are not 72 virgins.

00:35:36.000 There is a very different thing in store for him.

00:35:38.000 It was probably a little surprising.

00:35:40.000 The naval blockade has now been fully implemented.

00:35:43.000 According to CENTCOM, no ships are being allowed in or out of Iranian ports.

00:35:47.000 The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations.

00:35:50.000 Freedom of navigation remains for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, except for the ones that are going into or out of Iran.

00:35:58.000 In the first 24 hours, no ships from Iranian ports made it past the blockade, and six merchant vessels complied with directions from the United States to turn around.

00:36:07.000 And this is unbelievably damaging to the Iranian economy.

00:36:10.000 Really, really bad for the Iranian economy.

00:36:14.000 According to the Wall Street Journal, the Rich Stari, a sanctioned Chinese oil and chemical tanker, masked its exact location in the Persian Gulf for more than 10 days before leaving through the Strait of Hormuz this week.

00:36:24.000 When it emerged into the Gulf of Oman, near where the U.S. Navy is operating to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, the tanker made an abrupt U turn.

00:36:31.000 On Wednesday, it anchored off the coast of Iran.

00:36:34.000 The ship's maneuvers, tracked by shipping data firms and analysts, are evidence of an emerging cat and mouse game.

00:36:39.000 Between the so called shadow fleet of tankers and U.S. troops blockading Iran's coast on the orders of President Trump.

00:36:45.000 Ships that have been changing their names, trying to evade shipping databases and all the rest of it, they are no longer able to evade the United States.

00:36:55.000 Those ships employ various methods to avoid detection.

00:36:58.000 They turn dark, they switch off their transponders, but the United States is monitoring all of this.

00:37:03.000 And this is doing massive damage, massive damage to the Iranian economy.

00:37:09.000 The Iranian economy is in serious, serious trouble. 0.89

00:37:13.000 And by the way, again, it is not just that we are turning around all of their tankers. 0.95

00:37:18.000 It is also that we have now announced Operation Epic, Fury's counterpart in the economic sphere, Economic Fury. 0.82

00:37:27.000 The Treasury Department put out a tweet saying Treasury is moving aggressively with Economic Fury, maintaining maximum pressure on Iran. 0.58

00:37:34.000 Financial institutions should be on notice that the department is leveraging the full range of available tools and authorities and is prepared to deploy secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions that continue to support Iran's activities.

00:37:45.000 The short term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea is set to expire in a few days and will not be renewed.

00:37:52.000 So, no more sale of Iranian oil.

00:37:54.000 Money being held by Iranians in foreign banks not being allowed to go forth.

00:37:59.000 Those banks will now be sanctioned by the United States.

00:38:01.000 Here was the Treasury Secretary announcing this yesterday.

00:38:05.000 We have told companies, we have told countries that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions, which is a very stern measure. 0.63

00:38:20.000 And the Iranians should know that this is going to be the financial equivalent of what we saw in the kinetic activities. 0.63

00:38:27.000 And again, this is hitting people directly in the Iranian regime.

00:38:31.000 According to the Treasury Department, this intensifies pressure on Iran's illicit oil transportation infrastructure by sanctioning more than two dozen individuals, companies, and vessels operating within the network of Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammed Hossein Shamakhani.

00:38:44.000 That would be the son of Ali Shamakhani, who, of course, was killed in the middle of this operation.

00:38:51.000 Scott Besant continues to say that oil will come down again. 0.89

00:38:54.000 He is right about this, of course.

00:38:56.000 The calcium markets are not wrong.

00:38:57.000 Here was Scott Besant yesterday.

00:39:00.000 So, when are we really going to get $3 a gallon gas?

00:39:03.000 Well, I think that's going to be up to how the negotiations go.

00:39:10.000 President Trump said this morning that he thinks we're nearing the end.

00:39:14.000 The U.S. kept their side on the ceasefire.

00:39:18.000 We've stopped firing.

00:39:19.000 The Straits of Vermouth have not.

00:39:22.000 Been completely reopened.

00:39:24.000 So we will see.

00:39:26.000 And I'm optimistic that during the summer, we will see gas with a three in front of it sooner rather than later.

00:39:33.000 And again, he happens to be correct about this. 0.98

00:39:36.000 Now, the reality is that the strategy in use here is putting significant pressure on China.

00:39:40.000 China is heavily reliant not only on the oil that is coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, they are also heavily reliant on trying to move away from the so called petrodollar.

00:39:47.000 The petrodollar system was based on the United States getting off of the Bretton Woods system.

00:39:52.000 It was born in 1974.

00:39:55.000 Under a security for oil pricing bargain between the United States and Saudi Arabia, in which people everywhere were buying oil in dollars and transactions were settled in dollars and oil revenue was recycled into dollar denominated assets.

00:40:08.000 Well, there were certain players like the Chinese who were trying to start paying for oil in, for example, Chinese Yuan.

00:40:15.000 Well, no longer, because it turns out the United States is in charge of basically a lot of the global oil supply at this point.

00:40:23.000 We are currently choking off Venezuelan oil, which is a big supply point for China.

00:40:28.000 The Straits of Hormuz are now under basically our control, which means that China isn't getting what it wants.

00:40:33.000 And if it wants what it wants, it's going to have to actually pay in American dollars.

00:40:36.000 We are redirecting enormous amounts of traffic to the American oil industry.

00:40:40.000 The amount of oil that is being bought in the United States right now is extraordinary, like the highest in human history because of what's going on right now.

00:40:48.000 China, thus, is looking for an off ramp.

00:40:51.000 The president put out a statement on Truth Social saying that China is happy that he's opening the Straits of Hormuz.

00:40:57.000 He says, I'm doing it for them and also the world.

00:40:58.000 The situation will never happen again.

00:41:00.000 They've agreed not to send weapons to Iran.

00:41:02.000 President Xi will give me a big fat hug when I get there in a few weeks.

00:41:05.000 We're working together smartly and very well.

00:41:07.000 Doesn't that beat fighting?

00:41:08.000 But remember, we're very good at fighting if we have to, far better than anyone else.

00:41:12.000 And meanwhile, negotiations continue. 0.99

00:41:14.000 That, of course, is not a surprise because the Iranians need an off ramp here. 1.00

00:41:18.000 Really, really need it. 0.99

00:41:18.000 Now, the Iranians are split. 0.99

00:41:20.000 The IRGC wants to go down fighting.

00:41:22.000 The rest of the Iranian regime, that would be Mohammed Khalibaaf, the parliament speaker, probably Mahmoud Pazeshkian, the president, they may not have any authority, but they also understand if this keeps going, the regime just will not exist.

00:41:34.000 If they have no money to pay their IRGC guys, Then their security, Praetorian Guard, is basically gone.

00:41:41.000 Caroline Lovett at the White House says those discussions continue via intermediaries.

00:41:47.000 We remain very much engaged in these negotiations, in these talks.

00:41:51.000 You heard from the vice president directly and the president this week that these conversations are productive and ongoing, and that's where we are right now.

00:41:59.000 The president has said he is not particularly interested in extending the ceasefire beyond the next week and a half.

00:42:03.000 He believes he can get to a deal before that.

00:42:05.000 Pakistan's Field Marshal General Asima Munir, who is One of the people leading the negotiations showed up to Iran and hugged the foreign minister, Abbasaraki.

00:42:12.000 Of course, Pakistan and Iran are very much aligned, and both of them are aligned with China.

00:42:20.000 Here's the footage, him coming off the plane and him giving a big old hug to Abbas Araki, the foreign minister of Iran.

00:42:30.000 The president, however, believes that he has the leverage.

00:42:32.000 He says the field marshal is doing a great job.

00:42:33.000 I think he's a great guy.

00:42:35.000 He ended that war with India and saved 30 million people.

00:42:37.000 We'll have to see how this plays out.

00:42:39.000 Suffice it to say, the president has already shown the willpower to walk away from the table if he doesn't get what he wants. 0.97

00:42:44.000 Now, the Iranians are trying to grab a victory from the jaws of defeat here. 0.91

00:42:48.000 They're trying to claim that they have to force Israel to stop fighting a Hezbollah. 0.94

00:42:52.000 In Lebanon is part of the deal.

00:42:53.000 The United States has already said that's not part of the deal.

00:42:56.000 So, Iran, which has basically abandoned Hezbollah at this point, Hezbollah is on its own, which is why they're in serious trouble.

00:43:02.000 Iran is trying to say to Hezbollah that we are going to wrap your conflict into our conflict.

00:43:07.000 And Israel is saying, no, that's ridiculous.

00:43:08.000 We are not going to stop fighting Iran's proxies just because Iran wants America to stop pummeling it.

00:43:14.000 That's not the way this works. 0.78

00:43:15.000 Otherwise, that basically allows Iran, again, deep and abiding control of the Middle East via its terrorist proxies. 0.86

00:43:22.000 So, Khalibaf is projecting here.

00:43:24.000 He says the resistance at Iran are one and the same entity, whether in war or in a ceasefire.

00:43:28.000 America must back down from the mistake of Israel first. 0.68

00:43:30.000 I have a question. 1.00

00:43:31.000 Why should America back down from the mistake of Iran and its axis of, of evil first? 1.00

00:43:36.000 That seems very, very stupid. 1.00

00:43:37.000 And I don't think that's going to happen. 0.99

00:43:40.000 Meanwhile, you can always count on, again, the grievance party to come together in the end, which is why Representative Yasmin Ansari of Arizona, Democrat is now praising Nick Fuentes.

00:43:53.000 Again, she's a Democrat praising Nick Fuentes, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, And Marjorie Taylor Greene, yes, the coalition is coming together.

00:44:02.000 I have been very impressed actually to see non elected, but Republicans, people like Tucker Carlson, former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, people like Nick Fuentes, Alex Jones, people I never thought I would ever agree with on anything, recognize that Donald Trump is so mentally unstable and he clearly is in a state of cognitive decline.

00:44:25.000 And I'm grateful that Representative Braskin is leading the charge on this 25th Amendment bill and has started an investigation into.

00:44:33.000 His cognitive decline because he is unfit and he is a national security threat to the United States of America.

00:44:40.000 One of the most delicious things will be when all of these people, many of whom have already come out and said vote Democrat, when they try to undermine the Republicans in the midterms and then they turn around and blame everybody else if the Republicans do poorly in the midterms.

00:44:52.000 They are actively working with Democrats at this point, clearly and actively doing so.

00:44:55.000 Hassan Piker, Tucker Carlson, MTG, this Congresswoman, they're all on the same page with Mick Fuentes.

00:45:05.000 That's a coalition.

00:45:06.000 It's a hell of a coalition.

00:45:07.000 Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel is making the rounds.

00:45:10.000 In the world of entertainment, Jimmy Kimmel continues to walk around complaining about his life and how difficult he has it.

00:45:17.000 He is a very irritating person, obviously.

00:45:20.000 And when you say to him, weren't you supposed to be funny?

00:45:22.000 He gets mad.

00:45:23.000 So here he was on a podcast with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.

00:45:27.000 That one's got to be just a riveting listen, saying that his job is whatever he decides, his job is.

00:45:34.000 He's the decider.

00:45:35.000 Well, yeah, and then the audience can decide that they're not interested.

00:45:39.000 To say that, well, your job is this.

00:45:42.000 It makes me, I bristle at that.

00:45:44.000 Because, first of all, don't tell me what my job is.

00:45:48.000 You know, I don't tell you what your job is.

00:45:49.000 My job is whatever I decide my job is, whatever my employer allows me to do.

00:45:55.000 Well, actually, he literally tells people what their job is.

00:45:57.000 And then he tells them when they're not fit for their job because they once ran a plumbing outfit, which he did with the DHS secretary, Mark Wayne Mullen, like a week and a half ago.

00:46:07.000 But of course, Jimmy Kimmel is also very, very critical of comics who are picking up the MAGA tour.

00:46:11.000 She says it's just terrible.

00:46:12.000 It's just terrible.

00:46:13.000 You know, for a man of moral clarity and stature like Jimmy Kimmel.

00:46:17.000 But I do think that there are people who are pretending to be something other than what they are in search of an audience.

00:46:30.000 And it's especially sad to me.

00:46:33.000 It's especially sad to me because you look at some of these comics and maybe they're not doing so great and they, you know, I'm going to pick up this MAGA torch.

00:46:45.000 Yeah.

00:46:46.000 And maybe people will support me just because of that.

00:46:50.000 Now, again, the sort of projection there.

00:46:52.000 I mean, you are literally sitting with Michelle Obama doing the political thing in an attempt to raise your ratings.

00:46:58.000 Oh, our comedians are wonderful, wonderful comedians.

00:47:02.000 Dave Chappelle is now again trying to recapitulate success with the left.

00:47:06.000 He was perceived as too anti woke for a time, and now he's staring right back into it.

00:47:09.000 There's so many of these guys doing this.

00:47:10.000 Bill Burr is doing it as well.

00:47:12.000 Here's Dave Chappelle saying that he's upset that the GOP ran on trans jokes.

00:47:18.000 And I did resent that the Republican Party ran on transgender jokes.

00:47:23.000 You know, I felt like they were doing a weaponized version of what I was doing.

00:47:29.000 I didn't, it's not what I was doing.

00:47:32.000 Oh, yeah. 1.00

00:47:33.000 He can only make money off of trans jokes.

00:47:35.000 But if you actually run on the issue in all seriousness, then he's very offended by it.

00:47:40.000 This is why typically you should not go to comedians for your political advice.

00:47:40.000 Oh, man.

00:47:45.000 They don't know all that many things.

00:47:47.000 Joining me online is one of the great thinkers in America, Carl Truman.

00:47:50.000 Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Grove City College.

00:47:54.000 He has a brand new book out this week called The Desecration of Man How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity.

00:48:00.000 I've talked about Carl's books before on the show.

00:48:03.000 I think The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is maybe the most important book written in the last 10 years or so.

00:48:07.000 Carl, thanks so much for taking the time.

00:48:09.000 Really appreciate it.

00:48:10.000 Great pleasure to be here, Ben.

00:48:11.000 Thanks for having me on.

00:48:12.000 So, in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, you talked mostly about how there has been a shift in the nature of how human beings in the West define themselves, how they define their own identities.

00:48:22.000 The suggestion was if I I'm not simplifying the thesis too much.

00:48:26.000 That it used to be that the way that you created your identity was the interaction between you and the rest of society, between you and institutions.

00:48:33.000 You were shaped by those institutions.

00:48:35.000 You, in turn, shaped those institutions.

00:48:37.000 And it was that interaction with the world that defined you, as opposed to the way that we now think of ourselves, which is in opposition to everything external, in opposition to institutions.

00:48:46.000 Anything that is not quote unquote authentically me is somehow an imposition on me.

00:48:50.000 And I think that way of thinking about it is really useful. 0.98

00:48:53.000 And you helped explain things like the transgenderism movement through that lens and the desecration of man. 1.00

00:48:58.000 You go further. 1.00

00:48:59.000 You talk about sort of the belief systems that undergird a lot of that sort of move.

00:49:03.000 So, what's the thesis of the desecration of man?

00:49:06.000 Yeah, well, what I was intrigued by at the end of the earlier book was the fact that we seem to be taking such exultant delight in what seems to me to be a basic destruction of what it means to be human.

00:49:19.000 In the new book, I used the example of how the language on abortion has changed from safe, legal, and rare to something one shouts about or boasts about.

00:49:26.000 Why is it we take such glee in these anti human philosophies?

00:49:33.000 And the thesis of the latest book is, well, actually, it's a way of asserting our God-like powers.

00:49:39.000 If human beings are made in the image of God, how do we demonstrate our freedom from God?

00:49:44.000 By destroying his image.

00:49:47.000 Paradoxically, that is both an exhilarating thing, but also reduces us to nothing, even in our own eyes.

00:49:56.000 So that's the basic thesis of the new book.

00:49:59.000 And, you know, there's been a lot of talk recently, obviously, about the decline of religion in America.

00:50:03.000 The number of people who are going to church continues to decline.

00:50:06.000 The people who are going to church are going to more religious and traditionalist churches, but the numbers continue to decline.

00:50:12.000 Do you see a sort of reversion back to a mean at some point here, or is this trend just going to continue down into the dust?

00:50:19.000 I think there are some encouraging signs.

00:50:21.000 You know, one of the striking things is the number of what I would describe as the sort of the intellectual class who are beginning to take Christianity seriously again.

00:50:30.000 So I'm having conversations with people now that I would not have had 10 or 15 years ago.

00:50:37.000 On the other hand, I'm concerned that the recovery of a sort of cultural Christianity doesn't go to the real heart of the issue of, you know, does God exist?

00:50:49.000 God has to be more than a good idea, if you like.

00:50:51.000 You know, if you go to mass, Because you think mass is beautiful.

00:50:55.000 Well, that's great, but do you actually think the mass is true as well?

00:51:00.000 That's the important question.

00:51:02.000 I think that latter point is really important when it comes to passing that on to children.

00:51:06.000 It is certainly possible as an adult to sort of hold the cognitive dissonance of seriously questioning faith and thinking it through and then thinking, well, you know, in the absence of clear answers, the utility of faith is what's going to carry me through.

00:51:19.000 But you can't transfer utilitarianism over to a child.

00:51:22.000 It's just not possible to do that.

00:51:23.000 And so the idea of utilitarianism, you know, requiring A sort of faith practice, how deeply do people actually have to believe in order to preserve and restore the civilization?

00:51:34.000 I think you have to be able to answer the why question.

00:51:36.000 You know, I think your analogy with children is a great one.

00:51:40.000 You think when you were being brought up and your parents would tell you to do something and you ask them why and they would say, because I say so.

00:51:47.000 And that sort of carried power and punch up until the age of about 10.

00:51:52.000 And then suddenly you start asking, well, why shouldn't I steal?

00:51:55.000 Why should I speak respectfully to other people?

00:51:58.000 You need to be able to answer the why question and simply answering, well, Well, everybody's always done it this way or, you know, it just makes the world a better place raises big questions about, well, how do you find, define the world as a better place?

00:52:12.000 Why is it that the way people have always done things is the way we should do them?

00:52:16.000 So I think you're pointing to the importance there of, of, of a proper catechesis that goes beyond mere cultural concerns and towards the, the importance of religious metaphysics.

00:52:27.000 Well, one of the things I think that you make so clear in the book, and I think that that's quite beautiful, is the reason why, as you say, there is this radical shift in language and thinking that is legitimately anti-human.

00:52:39.000 The ways that even the left used to talk about these issues had as its baseline the idea that, for example, there was something that was not quite morally right about abortion.

00:52:47.000 Maybe it was something that you feel like you had to do, or the balance of competing interests weighed in favor of abortion, but nobody was proud of it.

00:52:53.000 Nobody celebrated abortion.

00:52:54.000 The same thing was true with regard to things like euthanasia.

00:52:57.000 The idea was that, yes, it was a tragedy.

00:52:59.000 Somebody who had terminal cancer, we wanted to Make sure that they suffered less pain. 0.98

00:53:03.000 And instead of simply relying on sort of old Catholic or religious ideas of essentially dual purpose, that essentially when you are giving somebody opium in order to relieve pain, that it then may end with that person's death, instead of relying on that sort of idea, instead it was no, no, you just go ahead and kill them. 0.96

00:53:21.000 But it's a tragic thing that they're being killed.

00:53:23.000 Now it's sort of celebrate euthanasia to the extent that you're trying to legitimize euthanasia of people who are otherwise healthy, not people who are terminal.

00:53:32.000 Why do you think?

00:53:33.000 That's cropped up particularly recently.

00:53:35.000 It seems like that has really spiked over the course of the last 15 to 20 years.

00:53:39.000 That even in the 90s, there was a sort of normality to the idea that there was something tragic about euthanasia or abortion.

00:53:45.000 And now, 2026, there's a whole wing, maybe the majority of Western civilization, that says there's nothing tragic about it at all.

00:53:52.000 It's something that ought to be cheered.

00:53:53.000 Yeah, I think it's a very good question.

00:53:56.000 And there's no easy answer to that.

00:53:58.000 I think some of it comes down to the psychologizing of the human person when we tend to think that how I feel in the here and now is definitive of whether I'm living a I think some of it comes down to the radical individualism that's come to grip society.

00:54:14.000 And we tend to, you know, in an expressive individualist world, we tend to look on other people as always potentially first and foremost threats to us. 0.93

00:54:22.000 So the elderly become a threat to my ability to do what I want at weekends. 0.73

00:54:27.000 If I have an elderly parent, for example. 1.00

00:54:29.000 Um, and I think the, the whole idea of, of human beings as, as being exceptional creatures has vanished.

00:54:37.000 Peter Singer, the, the great advocates of euthanasia and infanticide, I think he makes a very good point.

00:54:42.000 point when he says that, uh, a high view of life and of living creatures is really built around the fact that, you know, as, as Judaism and Christianity teaches, we're made in the image of God.

00:54:53.000 Once that belief has gone, the question comes up, why should I treat grandma any differently than I treat my, my elderly dog?

00:55:02.000 Uh, if grandma is ill, if grandma is a burden on me, then I can have her euthanized.

00:55:07.000 And you look at a place like Canada, where roughly one in 20 deaths in Canada now is as a result of medically assisted, uh, uh, suicide.

00:55:16.000 You, you see, I think, the wave of the future.

00:55:19.000 So, when you talk to people who are coming from a secular place and you're saying, listen, you need to get right with sort of your basic philosophy here, how would you recommend that people get involved?

00:55:29.000 Would you recommend that they go to church and just start practicing?

00:55:31.000 Would you recommend that they sit and they read?

00:55:33.000 What would be the best way for people to get involved?

00:55:35.000 I think there are three factors really that shape our imagination of what it means to be a human being.

00:55:40.000 And in the last chapter of the book, I talk about the church's creed, cult, and code.

00:55:45.000 Certainly, I think having the right beliefs is very important, reading the right books.

00:55:50.000 Hearing the right lectures.

00:55:52.000 That's very important.

00:55:53.000 I think that being part of a worshiping community is very important as well.

00:55:58.000 And that binds us together.

00:56:00.000 There's even been research done that shows that people who sing corporately tend to think of themselves less as individuals and more of part of a group.

00:56:10.000 So I think worship is something that helps shape our imagination of what it means to be human.

00:56:16.000 And then finally, I think something like hospitality.

00:56:20.000 We're told there's an epidemic of loneliness today.

00:56:23.000 Yeah, opening our homes to other people is a way of acknowledging their humanity.

00:56:28.000 When you look into the eyes of another person, it's very, very hard to treat them as an object.

00:56:34.000 I think actually of Peter Singer here.

00:56:36.000 Peter Singer's mother was, I think she had some form of dementia and Singer helped care for her.

00:56:42.000 And he's, there's an interview online where he's asked, you know, is this not inconsistent with your philosophy?

00:56:48.000 And his comment is, uh, well, yes, I guess it is, but it's, I guess it's different when it's your mother.

00:56:54.000 Well, of course, it's different when it's your mother.

00:56:57.000 You've looked into her eyes.

00:56:58.000 You know her as a person.

00:56:59.000 She's not an abstraction.

00:57:01.000 So I think there's a strong local dimension to our recovery of what it means to be human.

00:57:07.000 Well, the book is The Desecration of Man, How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity.

00:57:11.000 And the author, of course, is the great Carl Truman.

00:57:13.000 Carl, thanks so much for the time.

00:57:14.000 Really appreciate it.

00:57:15.000 Congrats on the book.

00:57:16.000 Thanks very much, Ben.

00:57:17.000 Good to see you.

00:57:19.000 All righty, folks, the show continues for our members right now.

00:57:22.000 Remember, in order to watch, you have to be a member.

00:57:23.000 And if you're not one, become a member.

00:57:25.000 Use code Shapiro at checkout for two months free on all annual plans.

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The Ben Shapiro Show - April 16, 2026

HAPPY TAX DAY: Sex Changes For Illegal Immigrants?!

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