The Charlie Kirk Show - How Do You Send 14 Million People Home?

00:00:00.000 Hey everybody, we've got Ken Paxton, Mark Krikorian, and Eric Metaxas.

00:00:03.000 Three powerful interviews.

00:00:04.000 Primary John Cornyn, securing the southern border, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

00:00:07.000 Great topics, great conversation.

00:00:09.000 Email us, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:00:11.000 Buckle up, everybody.

00:00:12.000 Here we go.

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00:00:23.000 I want to thank Charlie.

00:00:25.000 He's an incredible guy.

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00:01:09.000 In Texas, there is some breaking news.

00:01:14.000 John Cornyn, who's been around for quite a while.

00:01:17.000 John Cornyn has had some very, let's say, questionable votes in the last couple of years.

00:01:25.000 And primarying him is Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas.

00:01:31.000 And he joins us right now.

00:01:32.000 Ken, welcome to the program.

00:01:33.000 It's a major announcement.

00:01:35.000 People can support you at KenPaxton.com.

00:01:38.000 Tell us why you are primarying the incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn from the state of Texas.

00:01:44.000 First of all, thanks for having me on.

00:01:46.000 It's nice that you get to sit in your seat.

00:01:47.000 Usually I'm sitting in your seat when you interview me.

00:01:50.000 That's right.

00:01:52.000 So, yeah, so I've been watching John Conner, obviously very close to the situation in Texas.

00:01:58.000 And it's been disappointing, not just to me, but to our primary groups.

00:02:02.000 Two years ago, three years ago, he went on stage at the Republican Convention.

00:02:07.000 And for 30 straight minutes, he got booed.

00:02:10.000 He had just worked to pass this restrictive gun legislation.

00:02:14.000 Worked with Joe Biden.

00:02:15.000 Joe Biden was congratulating President Trump, was criticizing it, saying he was a rhino.

00:02:19.000 And the people of Texas were furious that he limited our gun rights and that he inflicted damage to the Second Amendment, which then the ATF used to try to pass more regulations that I had to go sue on.

00:02:31.000 So these are the types of things that have not endeared John Cornyn to the Republican voters of Texas.

00:02:37.000 And it's really obvious that after 20, you said he's been there a while.

00:02:40.000 He's working on 24 years in the Senate.

00:02:43.000 When he finishes, he wants to be there 30. The people of Texas have had enough of 24 years.

00:02:49.000 So talk more about what the case you are going to bring to the people of Texas.

00:02:55.000 I know that a survey conducted by Tony Fabrizio found you winning by nearly 25 points.

00:03:02.000 And Tony is the best.

00:03:03.000 I mean, he is the gold standard.

00:03:05.000 So it shows that Ken Paxton's chances of beating John Cornyn are quite good.

00:03:10.000 But what do you have to say to...

00:03:12.000 Some of the folks in Texas that have known Senator Cornyn for a while, they consider him a friend, they donate to his campaign, and they would say, Ken, you're just being a rabble rouser.

00:03:24.000 You're causing a problem where it's not necessary.

00:03:28.000 We shouldn't divide ourselves.

00:03:29.000 We just should focus on Democrats.

00:03:31.000 What is your response?

00:03:33.000 Because I'm sure you're going to hear that quite a lot.

00:03:35.000 I actually already have.

00:03:36.000 I've talked to several of these people, and they've said, you know, we're supporting John because he's our friend.

00:03:41.000 And I've asked them the question, why is John Corner running again for his fifth term?

00:03:47.000 And the answer from them usually is, well, and they pause, and they're like, well, you know, we don't know.

00:03:53.000 We don't actually even think he should run.

00:03:55.000 We've told him five terms is too many, but he's our friend, so we're sticking with him, and we're going to spend a lot of money to beat you.

00:04:00.000 There is no good reason for him to run.

00:04:02.000 And I don't know what it is.

00:04:03.000 I haven't heard, what is he going to do different than what he's done in the past?

00:04:08.000 And then how do we know he's going to be different?

00:04:10.000 He doesn't have accomplishments that we're proud of.

00:04:13.000 We do know of things that he's done, including lots of spending in the Ukraine versus spending on our own border that we're not happy with.

00:04:20.000 And Texas voters really care about immigration.

00:04:22.000 They really care about the Second Amendment.

00:04:24.000 And those are two things that he's fought us on and gone the other way.

00:04:27.000 Those are problems for

00:04:28.000 So, Attorney General Paxton, what would you all...

00:04:32.000 I also have to say to the objection, but you can't win a general election.

00:04:36.000 Again, I'm sure you're going to hear this all the time, that you're just going to lose this seat and throw it to the Democrats.

00:04:41.000 How would you respond?

00:04:42.000 So I've heard that in every general election I've run in.

00:04:45.000 And yet, when you look at my general election results, even statewide, that's never been true.

00:04:51.000 I've always performed relative to Abbott and Patrick.

00:04:55.000 So for instance, in the last election, I spent $6 million.

00:04:59.000 I said the same thing.

00:05:00.000 After I went through a brutal primary with three people running against me who were all well-funded, including George P. Bush, and I went through a runoff, and I overwhelmingly won that by 38 points.

00:05:09.000 Then they said, well, he can't win.

00:05:10.000 We've got to replace him because he can't win the general election, which is what they always say.

00:05:14.000 And then I've always won it.

00:05:16.000 So this time, I spent $6 million in the general election.

00:05:18.000 I won by 10. Dan Patrick, who's awesome, spent about 25 or so, and he won by just about the same amount.

00:05:25.000 And Abbott spent, you know, 150 or more, and he won by 11. So it's just not true.

00:05:30.000 My numbers come out very similar, and that's always the argument that people like Cornyn make, because they can't come up with another reason why they should be elected.

00:05:38.000 So let's dive deeper into one of these elements here.

00:05:41.000 What do you also have to say to Texans that are worried that you're leaving your attorney general position?

00:05:46.000 So I would say this.

00:05:47.000 I've done this for 12 years, and I love it.

00:05:49.000 And I think it's time.

00:05:50.000 I think holding on to office is too long.

00:05:54.000 I think you lose some of your freshness.

00:05:55.000 And I think it's time for a change.

00:05:57.000 I think it's time for me to change.

00:05:58.000 I think it's time for John Cornyn to change.

00:06:00.000 I think that we have people coming up the ranks that could potentially win this.

00:06:05.000 And look, I can't control who wins it, but I think there will be some very good people running.

00:06:09.000 And I have lots of hope that they've seen the model that we've set up and that they have a pretty good idea of how to follow that.

00:06:15.000 And certainly, I would be happy to give ideas of how to do that because I think we've done some amazing things that I want.

00:06:26.000 Unfortunately, we've seen a pattern of people that go to the U.S. Senate and they just kind of lose their gusto and their spirit.

00:06:36.000 I don't think we're going to see that from you.

00:06:38.000 But what specifically would you want to see a U.S. Senator from Texas do, especially in this next year?

00:06:47.000 What do you want to see the focus be?

00:06:50.000 What do you want to see the agenda?

00:06:56.000 So I think it's pretty important right now to support President Trump.

00:06:59.000 His agenda is something amazing.

00:07:01.000 I mean, whether it's his tax cuts or whether it's what he's doing, even with tariffs, even with China reform, what's going on with these crazy judges that are out of control.

00:07:13.000 The agenda is one of the best I've ever seen, if not the best I've ever seen in my life.

00:07:17.000 So there's lots of stuff to support.

00:07:21.000 And I think it's very true that John Cornyn has not been that guy.

00:07:25.000 I know he is suddenly.

00:07:26.000 He's gotten religion and he won't have that religion until the election's over.

00:07:30.000 But I will be there from the beginning and to the end because I actually believe this stuff.

00:07:35.000 It's in my heart.

00:07:36.000 It's in my soul.

00:07:37.000 And I will be supportive of President Trump and everything he's doing.

00:07:40.000 So, Ken, I know a lot of our audience wants to support you.

00:07:44.000 What does the campaign look like?

00:07:46.000 When is the primary?

00:07:48.000 What is the process?

00:07:49.000 And how has Senator Cornyn responded?

00:07:51.000 Well, so I don't think he has much to respond to.

00:07:54.000 He doesn't have a pass that he can go out and talk about in a Republican primary.

00:07:59.000 He can talk about it in a general election because, you know, he's reached out to Democrats and moderates.

00:08:03.000 But he doesn't have initiatives or things he's worked on that are good Republican issues.

00:08:10.000 On the other hand, he can't really talk about the bad things he's done on guns and border and criticizing President Trump.

00:08:17.000 So his campaign guarantee will be negative attacks on me.

00:08:21.000 It won't work.

00:08:22.000 I've been through this many times, but that is where he is going with his money.

00:08:25.000 On the other hand, I will be out for the next 11 months.

00:08:28.000 Our primary is March of next year, first Tuesday of March.

00:08:31.000 I have a lot of practice in talking to Republican voters.

00:08:34.000 I will be out talking to Republican voters.

00:08:35.000 I will be out raising money, and I can tell you, I will raise a lot of money, and I will get my message across about what it is that I want to do that is different than what he's done and how I will oppose.

00:08:45.000 So this is going to escalate in a very significant and serious way.

00:08:53.000 Final question here.

00:08:55.000 What would you have to say for those that say that this is going to thwart President Trump's Senate agenda, meaning it puts at risk his agenda in the United States Senate?

00:09:04.000 Could John Cornyn go rogue like a John McCain?

00:09:07.000 John's not going to go rogue.

00:09:08.000 He's going to be a good boy for the next year and a half, and then he'll go back to being what he is, which is a moderate.

00:09:15.000 You know, somebody who is going to answer to D.C. as opposed to the citizens of Texas.

00:09:20.000 In the end, it's the people of Texas that elect the senator from Texas.

00:09:25.000 And we've elected a very good one, Senator Ted Cruz.

00:09:28.000 They have a right to their choice.

00:09:30.000 And they do not want John Cornyn.

00:09:32.000 And I think the next 11 months are going to prove that.

00:09:35.000 And I think the polling already shows strongly, as a Republican senator, there is no way that he should be down as an incumbent that served four terms by 25 points.

00:09:44.000 And that is not my only poll.

00:09:45.000 I have separate polls from different pollsters that are very similar to that, that are not worse, that are even a little better.

00:09:52.000 So the people of Texas deserve, we're not in Vermont, we're not in Maine, we are in Texas.

00:09:58.000 We deserve two very strong conservative senators who are going to go support President Trump.

00:10:03.000 Very good.

00:10:04.000 Repeat the website and how people can support you, Attorney General Paxton.

00:10:07.000 Well, thank you for bringing that up.

00:10:09.000 KenPaxton.com.

00:10:10.000 You can learn about my campaign as well as contribute.

00:10:12.000 Obviously, they are going to have a lot of money from Washington, and we're going to have a lot of money from just the grassroots, and that's where my money comes from.

00:10:19.000 So really appreciate you mentioning that.

00:10:22.000 Ken Paxton.com.

00:10:23.000 Attorney General Paxton, thanks so much.

00:10:25.000 Thank you.

00:10:25.000 Have a great day.

00:10:26.000 I want to hear from you, the audience.

00:10:28.000 Email me, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:10:30.000 Do you support this?

00:10:31.000 Do you support Attorney General Paxton primarying John Cornyn?

00:10:34.000 So far, the emails are overwhelmingly positive.

00:10:37.000 So we want to hear from you guys.

00:10:39.000 Email is freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:10:41.000 I can tell you there are multiple, multiple U.S. Senators that are in need of primarying.

00:10:48.000 And a little bit of chin music, a little bit of a warning shot is necessary to make sure the Uniparty is put on defense.

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00:11:55.000 Joining us now is Mark Krikorian, Executive Director for the Center for Immigration Studies and columnist for Compact Magazine.

00:12:03.000 Mark, I want to just first start, can you explain to our audience how profound the changes that we've seen at the southern border in just the last couple months under President Trump's leadership?

00:12:14.000 What have we seen?

00:12:15.000 What do the numbers show?

00:12:16.000 And compare that to Joe Biden.

00:12:18.000 What we've seen is a 90 plus percent drop in the number of people.

00:12:24.000 Coming across.

00:12:25.000 And the Biden administration kept saying, this is seasonal, this is because of climate change, this is because of poverty, blah, blah, blah.

00:12:33.000 There's nothing we can do about it until Congress gives us new tools, what have you.

00:12:37.000 Well, we didn't need new legislation.

00:12:41.000 We didn't need new tools.

00:12:42.000 We just needed a new president.

00:12:43.000 And the numbers have not just gone down right at the beginning, but we're in April now, and the numbers are the lowest ever recorded.

00:12:53.000 I mean, I talked to some Border Patrol people, and there are days, there are stretches on the border where there are whole days where literally not a single person tries, even in the middle of the night with smugglers, to cross.

00:13:06.000 So this is a complete 180 degree turn from what we saw under Biden.

00:13:14.000 It shows that the border can be controlled.

00:13:17.000 Doesn't mean everything's fixed, because you've still got all kinds of illegal aliens that Biden let in. 0.59

00:13:22.000 You've got visa overstayers. 1.00

00:13:24.000 That's going to be the main source of new illegal immigration in the future.

00:13:28.000 But at the border, they've shut it down.

00:13:31.000 And the important point is that they need to keep it up so it doesn't creep back up again, because the smugglers are always looking for another way to come in.

00:13:40.000 So, you know, eternal vigilance is the price of border security, but so far, it's a sea change.

00:13:49.000 So, you mentioned something I think that's important.

00:13:52.000 These are all approximations.

00:13:54.000 I ask expert after expert, how many people did come across the southern border when Joe Biden was president?

00:13:59.000 Our estimate, and this is, you know, some people say it's too low, but I think you're getting something like 10 million people, most of whom...

00:14:10.000 The administration consciously let into the country, plus another couple million who were so-called gotaways. 0.95

00:14:18.000 In other words, they got past the border patrol because there were whole stretches of the border that nobody was able to patrol because the agents were there on diaper duty with all the illegal immigrants Biden invited in, who came and turned themselves in.

00:14:34.000 So I think, you know, 10 million is not a lowball number, but it's also not exaggerated.

00:14:43.000 On the other hand, you know, isn't that enough?

00:14:45.000 I mean, how many millions does a Democratic administration have to illegally let into the country before we decide we have to do?

00:14:54.000 So, one of the problems that I think is going to arise is the left suddenly caring about constitutional rights.

00:15:07.000 Do they get attorney representation?

00:15:26.000 Do they get nine-month waiting periods?

00:15:28.000 If so...

00:15:30.000 We would deport a couple thousand people at that rate.

00:15:34.000 What does the law say?

00:15:35.000 The law says you can make an asylum claim.

00:15:40.000 And everybody gets to say that when they're captured or when they're in deportation proceedings to say, no, don't deport me because I'm claiming asylum.

00:15:51.000 And ultimately, that is the core of the problem we're in.

00:15:57.000 Because Congress created something called expedited removal, which means, obviously, to expedite deportation of people.

00:16:04.000 So you don't end up going into the court system.

00:16:07.000 The thing is, if you say asylum, or I fear return, or I've been persecuted, what have you, then you get taken out of that and put into the pipeline that is now three plus million, almost four million backlog in the immigration courts.

00:16:23.000 That has to be fixed.

00:16:25.000 There are things the administration can do to limit that, but ultimately this is something Congress has to fix.

00:16:33.000 Asylum law is a relic of the Cold War, and it needs to be fundamentally changed. 0.80

00:16:39.000 I've written about this.

00:16:40.000 The Heritage Foundation just had a report last week laying out some of the ways to restrict asylum and therefore make it easier to remove people, to eliminate asylum as a gimmick.

00:16:54.000 To do just what you're saying, you know, tie up the courts and stay here for years at a time.

00:17:01.000 But, and like I said, the administration can do some things.

00:17:04.000 Ultimately, Congress needs to revisit asylum.

00:17:08.000 And the first step is the president can take.

00:17:11.000 And what he needs to do is withdraw from the UN Refugee Treaty, which is where all of this asylum rigmarole comes from originally. 1.00

00:17:21.000 So I've several...

00:17:24.000 Questions on that.

00:17:24.000 Just to be clear though, do we have to give every single illegal alien a court date then?

00:17:30.000 We are not allowed to just pick them up and expel them from our country?

00:17:33.000 If they say that they fear persecution or want asylum, then yes.

00:17:39.000 Yeah, absolutely.

00:17:40.000 Now, even if they say that, they don't automatically go to court.

00:17:45.000 There is a screening interview.

00:17:47.000 What's called a credible fear interview.

00:17:50.000 The problem is the standard is so low, even in the statute, that basically it's just screening out people who say that Mickey Mouse is talking to them through their dental work rather than actually a hard standard where you just flush out the people who are not likely to get asylum.

00:18:09.000 So the answer is not necessarily, not everybody has to get a court date, but...

00:18:15.000 You can game the system and the system is gameable enough that if you're smart and if you have a smuggler who gives you the right instructions, you can, in fact, gum up the system successfully if you want to.

00:18:34.000 Yeah, if you say the magic words, say Open Sesame or Hocus Pocus, you're allowed to stay in the country.

00:18:41.000 Mark, I don't want to zero in on this too much, but what you are pointing...

00:18:45.000 is a rather urgent and, dare I say, somewhat depressing picture that we're not going to be able to get mass deportations unless Congress fixes the asylum statute.

00:18:55.000 All it's going to take is for millions of these people just to say the magic words and they're going to gum up the works of the judiciary and throw sand in the gears and we won't get mass deportations.

00:19:06.000 Is that the case?

00:19:07.000 There's a real danger of that, I'm afraid.

00:19:10.000 And that's the goal of the anti-borders people, both on the left and the libertarians, is to have a kind of one-way border where you can come in, but we can't get you out.

00:19:22.000 The one aspect that gives me a little more hope is that, and the way you can increase numbers, is if the administration steps up worksite enforcement more.

00:19:34.000 Because those people...

00:19:36.000 are likely you know they're not likely to be criminal some of them will be but most of them are just working stiffs and they're also not going to have credible asylum claims probably it depends some of them you know some aclu lawyer may come up with something but you can actually get higher numbers of deportations when you start doing worksite enforcement and they have started but they need to step it up what they've been focusing on at first and correctly so

00:20:03.000 is It's like the talking points all went out.

00:20:24.000 I've done five campus events.

00:20:25.000 At every single one, a kid comes up saying, well, Charlie, every single one of these illegals needs due process and they need a multi-year waiting period. 0.96

00:20:32.000 And I thought to myself, I want to know what the law actually says.

00:20:36.000 We're not going to deport anybody under this.

00:20:38.000 At all.

00:20:39.000 I mean, the left has figured out how to gamify and entrench the entire judiciary.

00:20:44.000 And, of course, there is no scrutiny on their way in, but there's scrutiny on the way out.

00:20:48.000 I hope everyone understands how insane this is.

00:20:50.000 No scrutiny on the way in, but there's scrutiny on the way out.

00:20:54.000 That is the current configuration.

00:20:57.000 Joe Biden's parting gift to us is, oh, yeah, I know you got 10 million new people.

00:21:02.000 Good luck getting them out.

00:21:03.000 We gotta fix this, everybody.

00:21:05.000 Congress has to act.

00:21:06.000 They gotta act quickly.

00:21:07.000 I don't know if it can go in a reconciliation bill or if it takes 60 votes.

00:21:11.000 But the key really is self-deportation, which Mitt Romney was made fun of back in 2012.

00:21:18.000 But we have to emphasize that.

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00:22:39.000 Email us, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:22:41.000 Mark Kekorian does great work from the Center for Immigration Studies.

00:22:44.000 Mark, how can we intensify self-deportations?

00:22:47.000 Can we up the pressure on employers so illegals don't get jobs? 1.00

00:22:51.000 You mentioned that a little bit.

00:22:52.000 We're clamped down on illegals getting benefits. 1.00

00:22:54.000 It seems as if, and the New York Times has an article on this, the self-deporters, our immigration correspondent has found a surprising trend.

00:23:01.000 It seems as if this can only happen with an acceleration of people self-deporting.

00:23:08.000 What is your comments or thoughts on this, Mark?

00:23:10.000 Yeah, absolutely.

00:23:11.000 The administration is doing some stuff in that regard.

00:23:14.000 I mean, the IRS is now providing information to ICE, and they're making clear everybody knows that.

00:23:20.000 In fact, the acting head of the IRS quit because of that, which is, you know, good riddance.

00:23:25.000 The DHS has now reinstituted something that was in the law, but the Biden people undid, which is, if you've been ordered deported, And just are still here, haven't left.

00:23:38.000 And there's 1.4 million people like that.

00:23:41.000 You now have almost $1,000 a day fine, and they can seize your home and your property in lieu of the fine.

00:23:49.000 So the administration's doing some of this.

00:23:52.000 The big step, the next big step, as you suggested, is making it as hard as possible to get a job if you're illegally here. 0.51

00:24:01.000 And that requires worksite enforcement.

00:24:04.000 They've got to step it up.

00:24:05.000 They've got to go after employers where they have evidence that can stand up in court to make it clear to employers they need to avoid hiring illegal immigrants. 1.00

00:24:19.000 You've got to make it as hard as possible to be here illegally.

00:24:23.000 That's what spurs self-deportation.

00:24:26.000 The administration is doing some smart steps in that direction.

00:24:30.000 They need to step up, especially worksite enforcement to make that work better.

00:24:35.000 Here's the other really important and good thing.

00:24:37.000 The border is sealed.

00:24:39.000 And so we're not adding to the problem.

00:24:41.000 We just have to deal with the incumbent.

00:24:43.000 I don't want to say occupying force, but the incumbent entrenched problem.

00:24:48.000 here domestically.

00:24:49.000 Where else can we choke point this?

00:24:52.000 What other NGOs can we doge or be defunding?

00:24:55.000 And how do we crush sanctuary cities once and for all?

00:25:00.000 Well, the first point is,

00:25:02.000 Yes, the border is the regular, the land border is mostly sealed.

00:25:06.000 That's done.

00:25:09.000 But there's lots of people coming in on visas legally and then just not leaving.

00:25:14.000 So the illegal population isn't just, in other words, it's not just a matter of trying to reduce people, get people here to leave.

00:25:22.000 It is still going to be growing.

00:25:24.000 And so that's a problem that DHS has to deal with.

00:25:27.000 As far as other choke points.

00:25:29.000 You know, the driver's licenses.

00:25:32.000 We've got to get this real ID deadline passed so that illegal immigrants can't get regular driver's licenses. 1.00

00:25:43.000 Only in certain states can they get basically illegal alien driver's licenses, is what amounts to.

00:25:48.000 Sanctuary cities is hard enough to crack because the 10th Amendment, according to the Supreme Court, says the feds can't cut off money.

00:26:00.000 For purposes that aren't related to that grant money.

00:26:03.000 In other words, you can't say you're a sanctuary city, so no more highway funds or education funds for you.

00:26:11.000 All they can do is cut off Justice Department grants.

00:26:15.000 And they're trying to do that.

00:26:17.000 Most of these big cities couldn't care less.

00:26:19.000 They're like, keep the money.

00:26:20.000 We're going to keep protecting illegal immigrant criminals. 1.00

00:26:25.000 Sanctuary cities are a tough nut to crack.

00:26:28.000 I'm not really sure, without Congress acting, the administration can really reign them in and end this outrageous nullification, really, of federal law that sanctuary cities represent.

00:26:43.000 It's really well said.

00:26:45.000 Mark, tell the audience about the work you guys do at the Center for Immigration Studies and the top projects you're working on.

00:26:50.000 We're a think tank in DC, CIS.org.

00:26:54.000 We're the only think tank on this.

00:26:56.000 There's a couple of other good organizations on low immigration and controlling the borders, but they're more citizen action advocacy groups.

00:27:05.000 We're the only research group on this.

00:27:07.000 And we've got all kinds of stuff coming.

00:27:09.000 We have a report coming out probably next week on how immigration is not a solution to the birth rate issue.

00:27:17.000 Is that if you're going to have, you know, if you're going to get birth rates to come back up, immigration is not a solution.

00:27:22.000 In fact, it probably hurts it.

00:27:23.000 And to see, you know, everything we do, you can sign up for our email.

00:27:27.000 We don't bother you too much.

00:27:29.000 And if you have a taste for snark and sarcasm, I'm on Twitter myself with my account, Mark S, as in Steven, Mark S. Krikorian.

00:27:38.000 Thank you, Mark.

00:27:39.000 Thanks. Hey, Charlie Kirk here.

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00:28:44.000 Joining us now is Eric Metaxas' great friend, Salem radio host, author, Bonhoeffer pastor, martyr, prophet, spy.

00:28:51.000 Before we get into Bonhoeffer, Eric, your reaction to President Donald Trump's tariffs against the Chinese Communist Party and uniting the free world against our greatest enemy, the Chinese. 0.72

00:29:02.000 You know what?

00:29:02.000 I'm not Charlie Kirk.

00:29:04.000 I'll just keep it real simple and emotional.

00:29:06.000 How much do I love this president?

00:29:09.000 I love this president.

00:29:11.000 He has just been...

00:29:12.000 So extraordinary.

00:29:13.000 He gets it.

00:29:14.000 And you know, Charlie, what's at the heart of this, and it's not like I was thinking to link to Bonhoeffer, but of course it is.

00:29:20.000 This is a man of courage.

00:29:22.000 This president stands up to bullies.

00:29:25.000 The Chinese have gotten away with literally murder and with cheating and lying. 1.00

00:29:32.000 And on some level, Trump respects it.

00:29:34.000 It's like, okay, if you can get away with it, why not take advantage?

00:29:37.000 But guess what?

00:29:38.000 We're not going to let you.

00:29:39.000 Sorry, we can't let you get away with it.

00:29:41.000 He is brilliant.

00:29:44.000 President Xi must understand this.

00:29:47.000 Kevin O'Leary, Mr. Wonderful yesterday was saying that we should slap 400% tariffs on China and then Xi would be on a plane to D.C. to make a deal yesterday.

00:29:58.000 It is about time we confronted the bully in the schoolyard and it is only President Trump who has the courage to do it.

00:30:07.000 We need men and women of courage.

00:30:10.000 And this president is a gift from God, not just to this nation, but to the world.

00:30:15.000 I think many around the world are just applauding him.

00:30:18.000 And it's exciting.

00:30:19.000 Amen. Speaking of men of courage, Eric, I know you have a passion project that you want to talk about with our audience, which is very important, which is Bonhoeffer.

00:30:29.000 Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most important men to live in the 20th century.

00:30:33.000 Most Americans do not know enough about him.

00:30:35.000 Tell us about your incredible movie we could play.

00:30:41.000 I'll tell you, Charlie, the real headline here, first of all, today, literally today, April 9th, is the 80th anniversary today of the death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century.

00:30:56.000 He stood against the bullies and the monsters and the evil figures of his time.

00:31:02.000 Fearlessly, in the way that President Trump and others are standing up today.

00:31:06.000 Of course, Bonhoeffer way ahead of everybody.

00:31:08.000 Why? Because he did it to the point of death.

00:31:13.000 He was killed by the Nazis.

00:31:15.000 So he's the ultimate model of courage.

00:31:17.000 And we're living in a time right now where you have a lot of Christians out there, sort of Christians, who don't understand that if you do not live with heroic...

00:31:25.000 Courage in the face of evil.

00:31:27.000 If you don't stand up to bullies, if you don't say the thing that everybody's afraid to say, you're a coward and you're not serving God.

00:31:33.000 You can't fake it and say, well, I have faith, if you're not behaving like you have faith.

00:31:37.000 So Bonhoeffer's the ultimate hero.

00:31:38.000 But the reason I wanted to come on your show today, Charlie, is because a lot of folks in the MAGA movement don't know this.

00:31:45.000 The Bonhoeffer film that came out in November, an amazing film, not officially tied to my book, but it is an amazing film about this amazing hero killed today, 80 years ago.

00:31:58.000 That film was targeted by the left, mostly by the pro-Hamas lunatic left, and they did.

00:32:09.000 It's insane.

00:32:10.000 I don't want to give you the details, but I was stunned because this is a film made by people that are not pro-Trump people.

00:32:17.000 They just said, we want to make a great film about Bonhoeffer.

00:32:19.000 They made a great film partnering with Hollywood royalty to make a great film about this hero, and the radical left did everything they could, pulled out all the stops to destroy the film.

00:32:31.000 So what I'm saying, folks, if you believe in standing up, And it kind of takes my breath away,

00:32:59.000 Charlie, that...

00:33:00.000 The left is so crazy that they would try to harm a film like this about a man who gave his life for the Jews of Europe because of his Christian faith.

00:33:08.000 That's where we are, but that's what they did.

00:33:10.000 Why do you think, Eric, out of all of the 20th century quote-unquote heroes that we teach our kids, Bonhoeffer is de-emphasized in academia.

00:33:20.000 It is de-emphasized in our media.

00:33:23.000 Why is Bonhoeffer not as much of a household name as...

00:33:29.000 Some of the other great titans and heroes of Western civilization.

00:33:32.000 What do you attribute that to?

00:33:34.000 Well, there are a couple of reasons.

00:33:36.000 The first one, and this is of course what attracted me to his story, because my mother grew up in Nazi Germany.

00:33:41.000 So when I heard about the story of a pastor who, because of his faith in Jesus, spoke up for the Jews, a pastor and a theologian who, because of his Christian faith, spoke out against Adolf Hitler, I thought, whoa, courage, amazing courage.

00:33:56.000 But that is kind of why most people don't know about Bonhoeffer, because he was explicitly Christian.

00:34:01.000 And in fact, people on the left who do praise him, they kind of make it sound like, well, he was sort of an agnostic at the end of his life.

00:34:07.000 Complete baloney.

00:34:08.000 And the reason the left hates me is because in my biography on him, I make it clear that his Christian faith was deepened, if anything, at the end of his life.

00:34:17.000 Just the opposite.

00:34:18.000 They kind of act like he slid into this, like, ethical humanism of you.

00:34:23.000 I don't know.

00:34:24.000 I was watching Charlie Rose, like, I don't know, 15 years ago, and Christopher Hitchens was debating, you know, and somebody said, well, what about Bonhoeffer's faith?

00:34:31.000 And he goes, oh, Bonhoeffer's not a Christian, he was a humanist.

00:34:34.000 Complete lie.

00:34:35.000 So the left has tried to make him out to be sort of a Christian, not a Christian.

00:34:40.000 And his Christianity makes them uncomfortable. 1.00

00:34:42.000 So in my book, of course, his Christianity is front and center, not because it's my book, but because that's who Bonhoeffer was.

00:34:49.000 So that's one of the reasons that his heroism makes some people uncomfortable.

00:34:52.000 But right now, the reason the left try to crush the film is because they no longer feel comfortable even standing up for Jews.

00:35:02.000 They think, well, that's kind of too close to worshiping Netanyahu or standing up for Israel.

00:35:07.000 We stand with the Palestinians.

00:35:09.000 We're in an insane world.

00:35:10.000 And I can't overstate it, Charlie.

00:35:13.000 They worked overtime to crush this film in November.

00:35:17.000 I mean, it was really shocking to me that a film that your average liberal would love the film.

00:35:22.000 This is not some MAGA version of Bonhoeffer's Life.

00:35:25.000 It's a film for everybody.

00:35:26.000 They just pulled out all the stops to destroy it.

00:35:30.000 And that's how sick they are.

00:35:31.000 I mean, they are sawing.

00:35:33.000 Off the limb that they're sitting on.

00:35:34.000 And we see them doing that on other issues, just happy to destroy the country, to destroy the economy because they hate Trump.

00:35:41.000 And they have attacked me.

00:35:42.000 And they even attacked the film as somehow being a dog whistle for Christian nationalism and political violence, which is so insane, I can't even believe I'm saying it.

00:35:52.000 So the left worked hard to crush the film, which is why I want to get the word out to patriots in America.

00:35:59.000 This is a great film.

00:36:02.000 Everybody should see it.

00:36:03.000 And literally today is the 80th anniversary of this great man's death.

00:36:07.000 So obviously it's available.

00:36:08.000 I think I mentioned Amazon Prime, Apple TV.

00:36:10.000 It's out there.

00:36:11.000 But he is such a hero.

00:36:12.000 And you know, Charlie, you and I were talking several years ago, and you said, you know, through TPUSA Faith, you want to raise up an army of Bonhoeffers, real Christians who are not just talking about faith, but who are living out their faith.

00:36:25.000 He, to me, is the ultimate model of that.

00:36:28.000 He's a man of action.

00:36:29.000 He puts his faith in action.

00:36:31.000 And whenever I talk about Bonhoeffer, it's about putting your faith in action, not just talking, but doing the kind of stuff that you do and I try to do, talking truth to people, waking them up.

00:36:42.000 Absolutely. So really quick, Eric, how do people find this film?

00:36:52.000 Because there's a lot of Bonhoeffer content out there.

00:36:56.000 Yeah, and there's a lot of bad stuff out there.

00:37:01.000 The film that just came out in November, it's a brand new film.

00:37:05.000 It's called Bonhoeffer.

00:37:06.000 I think it's called Pastor, Spy, Assassin, whatever.

00:37:09.000 I never remember the subtitle, but it just came out a couple of months ago.

00:37:13.000 It's brand new.

00:37:14.000 It is absolutely awesome.

00:37:16.000 Anybody who sees it, they rave about it.

00:37:18.000 They weep at the end.

00:37:19.000 It's powerful.

00:37:20.000 It's beautiful.

00:37:21.000 And obviously, my book, I would recommend as the definitive book on Bonhoeffer because there's a lot of bad stuff on Bonhoeffer, a lot of kind of liberal, weird stuff that has come out.

00:37:31.000 That's one of the reasons they hate me is because I told the truth about him in his own words, but I'm proud to have done so.

00:37:37.000 As we look at the threat of totalitarianism across the West, we have a little bit of a reprieve right now.

00:37:46.000 What is your message to the pastor or the church leader that refuses to stand for the civilizational struggle that we are in?

00:37:54.000 One minute remaining, Eric.

00:37:55.000 That's exactly what it is, Charlie.

00:37:57.000 We're in the proverbial Bonhoeffer moment.

00:38:00.000 I mean, when I saw the tyranny under Biden, all of this kind of stuff, I thought, this is why God led me to write this book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

00:38:09.000 This is a man who understood he had a profound duty before God to get political, to stand up against political, satanic bullies who hate freedom, who hate human beings, who hate the Jews.

00:38:23.000 Jews who hate Christians if you don't live heroically like Bonhoeffer you are not being the kind of Christian God called you to be and that's why the movie is important that's why the story of Bonhoeffer is important and on this 80th anniversary literally today everybody needs

00:38:39.000 to know about him and needs to know that the left tried to destroy this film so if you can see it check it out it is genuinely a great film believe me you'll thank me it's an amazing film

00:38:48.000 Very good.

00:38:49.000 Eric, God bless you, my friend.

00:38:50.000 Talk to you soon.

00:38:51.000 Thank you.

00:38:52.000 Thank you.

00:38:53.000 Thanks so much for listening.

00:38:54.000 Everybody email us as always, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:38:56.000 Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.

The Charlie Kirk Show - April 10, 2025

How Do You Send 14 Million People Home?

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