The Charlie Kirk Show - September 18, 2026


The Battle for the Senate + AMA 279

The Crimes of ActBlue + The "Kirkiversary" Cake From the Archive: “If You Give Up, They Win” — Charlie’s 2023 ActCon Speech

Episode Stats


Length

1 hour and 11 minutes

Words per minute

185.51

Word count

13,255

Sentence count

1,145

People

Hosts:
Also mentioned:

Harmful content

Misogyny

44

sentences flagged

Toxicity

8

sentences flagged

Hate speech

27

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcripts from "The Charlie Kirk Show" are sourced from the Knowledge Fight Interactive Search Tool. Explore them interactively here.
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:03.000 My name is Charlie Kirk.
00:00:05.000 I run the largest pro American student organization in the country fighting for the future of our republic.
00:00:11.000 My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth.
00:00:14.000 If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're going to end up miserable.
00:00:19.000 But if the most important thing is doing good, you will end up purposeful.
00:00:24.000 College is a scam, everybody.
00:00:26.000 You've got to stop sending your kids to college.
00:00:27.000 You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible.
00:00:31.000 Go start a Turning Point USA college chapter.
00:00:33.000 Go start a Turning Point USA High School chapter.
00:00:35.000 Go find out how your church can get involved.
00:00:37.000 Sign up and become an activist.
00:00:39.000 I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade.
00:00:41.000 Most important decision I ever made in my life.
00:00:43.000 And I encourage you to do the same.
00:00:45.000 Here I am.
00:00:46.000 Lord, use me.
00:00:48.000 Buckle up, everybody.
00:00:49.000 Here we go.
00:00:56.000 Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of The Charlie Kirk Show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals.
00:01:06.000 Learn how you could protect your wealth with Noble Gold Investments at NobleGoldInvestments.com.
00:01:13.000 That is NobleGoldInvestments.com.
00:01:17.000 All right.
00:01:17.000 Welcome, everybody.
00:01:19.000 It is Friday, September 18th, 2026.
00:01:22.000 We're here at the Y Refi Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
00:01:26.000 Honored to be with you.
00:01:27.000 And we are getting this show started off with a bang because we have Andy Biggs, Congressman Andy Biggs, future governor of the great state of Arizona, State 48.
00:01:37.000 He's on the road and he said, Well, I can't do video because I'm going to be in a car headed to an event.
00:01:41.000 And I said, That's exactly where we want you to be.
00:01:45.000 So he's calling in Congressman, future governor, Andy Biggs.
00:01:48.000 Welcome back to the show, sir.
00:01:50.000 Thanks, Andrew.
00:01:50.000 Good to be with you.
00:01:51.000 Good to be with you.
00:01:52.000 Well, it's great to be with you as well.
00:01:54.000 Why don't you give us a big overarching view of the race, where we're at, the current state of play?
00:02:01.000 I want everybody to feel like they're in this moment with you because we are, Congressman.
00:02:06.000 Yeah, you guys have been great.
00:02:07.000 I appreciate it.
00:02:09.000 Look, We're neck and neck with someone who has spent $20 million defaming me.
00:02:15.000 Okay, so that's been her modus operandi.
00:02:19.000 She refuses to debate.
00:02:21.000 I just did a 45 minute segment on Spanish language podcast, and she won't step out to talk about any policies.
00:02:35.000 She can't defend any of her policies. 0.98
00:02:37.000 My guess is she can't even understand what her administration is doing.
00:02:42.000 So we.
00:02:44.000 We are everywhere in the state.
00:02:48.000 When we're not fundraising, we're actually at events talking to people.
00:02:53.000 We did a mock debate, Andrew, that's going to be coming out pretty soon for people to see.
00:02:59.000 So busy as can be, you know.
00:03:02.000 Oh, absolutely.
00:03:03.000 We know you guys are barnstorming the state.
00:03:05.000 I hear about it all the time.
00:03:07.000 Oh, I saw Biggs over here.
00:03:09.000 I went to this event with Biggs over there.
00:03:11.000 See the signs everywhere.
00:03:12.000 I want to address a video, though, that I saw an ad.
00:03:15.000 That her campaign put out.
00:03:17.000 I was going on YouTube, minding my own business, Congressman.
00:03:20.000 And all of a sudden, I see this Katie Hobbs ad, and she says that you are actually the one that's going to raise taxes and that she's going to cut taxes.
00:03:31.000 I don't know if you've seen this ad, but I was like, Reality has inverted.
00:03:36.000 Does anybody believe this?
00:03:39.000 And what the heck is she even talking about?
00:03:41.000 And I hope you've called her out on this because it was the most absurd thing I've seen.
00:03:45.000 Yeah, I've called her out repeatedly.
00:03:46.000 Here's the deal.
00:03:47.000 For 24 years or so, I've been always number one, two, or three as the friend of the taxpayer by these organizations that rate you.
00:03:57.000 I have never voted to raise a tax, I've never, and I never will.
00:04:02.000 She has actually introduced legislation to raise the double the gas tax in Arizona.
00:04:08.000 She's supported legislation that would have raised the sales tax 66% in Arizona.
00:04:16.000 And then she has the audacity. 0.90
00:04:18.000 And by the way, she also vetoed the no tax on tips bill. 0.87
00:04:23.000 She vetoed that three times.
00:04:25.000 And she has the audacity to say, oh, Biggs is the one that's going to raise taxes.
00:04:30.000 I view it as projecting and.
00:04:33.000 You know, you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, I suppose some people will believe it, but anybody who's aware and sentient should know that it's totally fabricated.
00:04:47.000 But that's where she is.
00:04:48.000 Well, so here's an interview that you did, I think, before this ad dropped. 1.00
00:04:53.000 So it's proof that she's a giant liar. 0.99
00:04:56.000 Surprise, surprise. 0.98
00:04:56.000 But to your point, Congressman, I sort of wonder if she even knows what's going on with her campaign. 0.98
00:05:04.000 She doesn't strike me as somebody that's very in the weeds, I think she's a puppet.
00:05:07.000 But that's my take.
00:05:09.000 Stop 14.
00:05:10.000 If we don't eliminate income tax, we're going to lose out on competition.
00:05:13.000 As you reduce those taxes, you stimulate the economy.
00:05:16.000 Everywhere we see it Tennessee, Texas, Florida.
00:05:20.000 The other thing is, you've got a lot of states that actually eliminate or reduce their property taxes.
00:05:24.000 Our property tax load is one of the lowest in the country, but we could probably do better.
00:05:30.000 I love that.
00:05:31.000 You're like, hey, our property tax is probably one of the lowest in the country, but we could probably do better.
00:05:35.000 So it's just, it was striking to me, sir, that.
00:05:38.000 She was so willing to lie, or at least her campaign was, whether she knows it or not, is so willing to lie about one of the most obvious lies.
00:05:46.000 It's so brazen.
00:05:48.000 So, what else is she lying about?
00:05:49.000 Oh, my goodness.
00:05:50.000 I mean, she said that she reduced utility costs in Arizona.
00:05:54.000 Untrue.
00:05:55.000 Utility costs are ups.
00:05:56.000 She said she fixed the housing affordability crisis in Arizona.
00:06:02.000 Untrue.
00:06:03.000 She said she fixed the water problem.
00:06:05.000 And she released that three days after.
00:06:11.000 Arizona had its allotment on the Colorado River reduced by 750,000 acre feet.
00:06:17.000 Good point.
00:06:18.000 I mean, it's just absolutely, you know, she just keeps going.
00:06:22.000 And then she says outrageous things, you know, that she's just not, the truth is not in this person.
00:06:29.000 And that's bottom line.
00:06:31.000 And, you know, Andrew, part of this is she's out of money in her own campaign.
00:06:36.000 Most of the ads that you're seeing, these are coming from California, New York, Donors, these out of state major donors that have dumped millions and millions in here.
00:06:47.000 So she's oblivious anyway, under the best of circumstances, but she's certainly, her donors basically want to Californiaize Arizona.
00:07:00.000 You know, this is such a good point.
00:07:03.000 We're talking with Andy Biggs, who's going to be the next governor of State 48 here in Arizona.
00:07:07.000 He's going to, the Floridification of Arizona is underway if we get this great man elected to office, which we, we, We will.
00:07:16.000 What strikes me is that it just, you know, I didn't live in Arizona, Congressman.
00:07:20.000 Obviously, I've known you for years and been coming to Arizona for years, but I moved here officially in November.
00:07:27.000 I've been here basically since we lost Charlie.
00:07:30.000 But it just feels like there is this void of leadership.
00:07:35.000 It feels like there isn't a governor of this state.
00:07:37.000 It's hard to explain.
00:07:38.000 It's like she's a non entity, there's no vision, there's no direction.
00:07:44.000 It's just sort of like we every so often hear about her because she.
00:07:48.000 You know, she is involved in some scandal. 0.93
00:07:49.000 Yeah, she screwed up the water, or she's involved in some scandal with some sunshine group that, you know, she gives some kickbacks to. 0.83
00:07:58.000 That's basically all I hear. 1.00
00:07:59.000 And then she vetoes good bills. 1.00
00:08:01.000 That's literally all I know about Katie Hobbs.
00:08:04.000 That's it.
00:08:05.000 That's all I know.
00:08:06.000 Well, Andrew, I mean, that's what most of the state gets.
00:08:10.000 And then we have a vacuum of leadership.
00:08:13.000 Totally.
00:08:14.000 If you were to say, well, who's leading the state?
00:08:16.000 Well, you got, oh, her chief of staff does some of the stuff.
00:08:20.000 Then she's got a special assistant here.
00:08:23.000 Oh, on her environmental and water policy, she's got somebody who was in the Environmental Defense League. 1.00
00:08:27.000 So you got some radical nut up there. 0.99
00:08:31.000 And they're just dealing within their own little sphere. 0.97
00:08:35.000 And they tell her, oh, you need to veto this bill.
00:08:37.000 Oh, you need to veto that bill. 1.00
00:08:39.000 She's incapable of actually doing anything. 1.00
00:08:46.000 Now, I want to say something, though, because it's real easy to excuse her and say, well, she's just incompetent. 1.00
00:08:52.000 But at bare minimum, she's dangerously incompetent. 1.00
00:08:56.000 But if you look at the bills that she vetoes, that's her signature on there. 1.00
00:09:01.000 And those bills that she's vetoing would prevent Arizona from turning into California on everything from trans grooming in schools. 0.80
00:09:09.000 To sex offender registries, all of these things, she's vetoing them.
00:09:18.000 And so those are bad bills, not bad bills, bad vetoes.
00:09:23.000 Yeah.
00:09:24.000 Because the policy would be there to stop us from becoming Californians. 1.00
00:09:28.000 That tells you what she would be like.
00:09:30.000 And the third thing I'd say is this anybody that won't debate you, but is willing to slander you and lie about you when she knows they're lies, she knows that virtually everything she's saying is a lie.
00:09:42.000 That reflects on her character.
00:09:44.000 She is a person of bad moral character.
00:09:48.000 And so I want to say, yeah, she's incompetent and she's probably dangerously so, but it's more than that. 0.97
00:09:53.000 Her character has been revealed by how she's conducting this campaign. 0.98
00:10:00.000 If you want to make up stuff, why don't you come on stage, make it up, tell it to my face, and then we'll have a debate.
00:10:09.000 And this is why she doesn't know who I am.
00:10:12.000 When I was Senate President Andrew, I had her into my office.
00:10:15.000 Every week for two years, so she could tell me what was going on.
00:10:20.000 Oh my gosh, it's crazy.
00:10:24.000 I am jumping in formally into the race for governor for 2026.
00:10:33.000 Here we are, and it makes for governor now.
00:10:37.000 Do we support Andy?
00:10:38.000 What I love most about Andy, this guy is disciplined, he is focused, and what do you want as a politician more than anything else?
00:10:43.000 You want an astronaut and to give you a break?
00:10:46.000 No.
00:10:46.000 He has been a I tried and true conservative when the heat was the most intense because it's time for us to not just make America great again, but make Arizona great again and make Andy Biggs the next governor of this great state.
00:10:59.000 Vote Andy Biggs, baby.
00:11:05.000 Love that.
00:11:06.000 I don't know who put that together, but Andy Biggs joins us.
00:11:09.000 That was Charlie Kirk singing your praises.
00:11:12.000 And I can just tell you, as somebody who saw it up close and Blake saw it up close, actually, I guess our team made that.
00:11:17.000 That's a great job, team.
00:11:18.000 Very good.
00:11:20.000 But I can just tell you, somebody saw it up close, sir.
00:11:22.000 Charlie wanted you to be governor of Arizona more than anything else in 2026.
00:11:28.000 And he did.
00:11:30.000 And it wasn't just that, okay, he liked you on the issues.
00:11:33.000 He thought you'd be great.
00:11:34.000 But he talked so much that he'd moved to Arizona.
00:11:37.000 He'd made this his home.
00:11:40.000 He wanted a state that his children could grow up in. 0.87
00:11:43.000 And he knew that they would be safe from all the trans mania out there, they'd be safe from the left loving crime. 0.81
00:11:49.000 He wanted to make this the sort of place where. 0.70
00:11:52.000 People could raise families, and he saw you as integral to that project.
00:11:56.000 And I think that's the best testament to you.
00:11:58.000 Do you want to reflect on what Charlie endorsing you like that meant?
00:12:03.000 Oh, it was awesome.
00:12:06.000 Charlie was a friend, but he was somebody that I had incredible respect for because Charlie, quite frankly, created a movement that I think will go on as his legacy.
00:12:20.000 But he was actually a generational change agent.
00:12:25.000 And to have him endorse me and believe in me, And we were simpatico on these issues.
00:12:32.000 I believe in these things as well as he does.
00:12:35.000 And that was awesome.
00:12:38.000 And, you know, these things are under threat in Arizona today.
00:12:42.000 I learned yesterday, just yesterday, you guys.
00:12:45.000 Blake, I'm sorry I didn't say hi to you, but I didn't know you were on.
00:12:50.000 So here's the deal I learned just yesterday Mesa, Arizona is going to have a drag queen Christmas show.
00:12:59.000 Can you believe that?
00:13:00.000 I can't believe that.
00:13:01.000 Mesa is like family central.
00:13:04.000 That's right.
00:13:04.000 They want to go after the families.
00:13:05.000 That's exactly.
00:13:06.000 I mean, that's how you know it's diabolical, they always seem to target kids. 0.98
00:13:11.000 He's got that James Talrico guy that just off the tip of his tongue knew his favorite drag queen in Texas. 0.98
00:13:16.000 Come to find out, that drag queen is a 48 year old man who likes to target children with his drag.
00:13:22.000 That's what he does. 1.00
00:13:23.000 And so it just doesn't surprise me.
00:13:25.000 Mesa.
00:13:26.000 So our audience is listening nationwide.
00:13:28.000 Mesa is like ground zero for the family here in the Valley.
00:13:32.000 In Phoenix.
00:13:32.000 That is where, I mean, everybody loves it because it's great for families.
00:13:36.000 And that's, of course, where they're targeting it.
00:13:39.000 That's unfortunate, really unfortunate.
00:13:41.000 Yeah, but I mean, I think it's reflective of a lack of something we were talking about a vacuum of leadership in our state.
00:13:52.000 And I think that we need that.
00:13:56.000 And Charlie understood that too.
00:13:59.000 You guys understand it that we have to stand up for our moral values and principles.
00:14:05.000 Just as much as we stand up for no taxation and markets, everything is under attack from the left today.
00:14:15.000 And we get back to it vacuum of leadership in Arizona at the top, allowing these attacks to go forward.
00:14:23.000 Yeah, I think you're totally right.
00:14:24.000 I think it's a really apt point.
00:14:26.000 It's not just that we, you never hear from Katie Hobbs that she basically is missing an action. 0.72
00:14:32.000 It's not that just you only see her when she vetoes a good bill out of the House and the legislature here. 0.93
00:14:39.000 But it's that there is a values vacuum.
00:14:43.000 And you just, there's no sense of we know where this state is headed.
00:14:47.000 It just is sort of lost in this no man's land.
00:14:50.000 Here's, I want to play for you a couple ads that Turning Point Action put together.
00:14:56.000 Obviously, we do this, not you, but they're great.
00:14:58.000 So I'm going to play them.
00:15:00.000 And I know you can't see them, but you can listen along.
00:15:03.000 151.
00:15:03.000 Oh, this one's apparently B roll, but throw it up anyways.
00:15:08.000 It's, you know, higher grocery prices, higher gas prices, higher home prices, higher utility prices, vetoed.
00:15:13.000 Tax cuts three times.
00:15:15.000 Worst public schools in America, which is just that it shouldn't be the case.
00:15:19.000 Lost 250 billion gallons of your water.
00:15:22.000 How about this?
00:15:23.000 Sot eight.
00:15:24.000 Here's another one for you.
00:15:25.000 Sot eight.
00:15:26.000 Because that doesn't do any service to the voters of Arizona to hear from us. 0.87
00:15:30.000 Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs will not debate her Republican opponent.
00:15:34.000 Not one debate in nearly a decade.
00:15:37.000 So what is Katie Hobbs hiding? 1.00
00:15:39.000 Her record. 1.00
00:15:41.000 She vetoed tax cuts for waiters and bartenders. 1.00
00:15:44.000 Three times. 0.57
00:15:46.000 She's refusing to debate her opponent, but she's really just hiding from us. 1.00
00:15:50.000 If she can't face the voters, she can't run Arizona.
00:15:56.000 That end of that is really, it sums it up for me.
00:15:59.000 If she's unwilling to defend her ideas, or as you said, to defend her lies about you, I mean, she's blatantly, brazenly lying about you, then she's not fit to run this state.
00:16:11.000 I mean, there's a thousand reasons you could say it, but that is very true.
00:16:15.000 So, what's your message to Katie Hobbs right here, right here, right now?
00:16:20.000 Katie Hobbs, I was, Katie, you need to come.
00:16:24.000 Let's have a debate.
00:16:25.000 You know me.
00:16:28.000 I'm not.
00:16:28.000 I'm not mean to you.
00:16:30.000 I'm not creepy to you.
00:16:32.000 I've always been fair and honest with you.
00:16:34.000 Come and have a debate.
00:16:36.000 If you really believe that I'm bad for the state, tell the state why and then let me respond.
00:16:42.000 And then let's talk about your policies.
00:16:44.000 Let's defend yourself.
00:16:47.000 Defend yourself.
00:16:48.000 But come out.
00:16:51.000 And, you know, I will say this to Andrew, she has adopted what we see around the country today.
00:16:58.000 As I look around, This is the Democrats' new move.
00:17:01.000 You know what the Democrats' new move for campaign is?
00:17:03.000 They have no ideas.
00:17:05.000 They have nothing that is popular with the public.
00:17:08.000 So you take any issue that you and I talked about this morning and you run a poll on it, about 75% of Americans are going to agree with my position on it.
00:17:20.000 Yeah.
00:17:20.000 The Democrats, yeah, they're just in trouble.
00:17:23.000 They're in trouble.
00:17:24.000 And so now that's why they attack people personally, try to destroy them reputationally.
00:17:29.000 Well, that's why.
00:17:30.000 The fact that she's lying about being a tax cutter when she's a tax raiser is proof that it's kind of like a backhanded compliment that she understands that your ideas are the more popular ideas in the state and she's trying to lie about her own policy and background and resume here.
00:17:45.000 I just want to say, Congressman, future governor of the state of Arizona, we have your back 100%.
00:17:50.000 I know you know this.
00:17:51.000 And I want everybody within the sound of my voice to go to tpaction.comslash 100.
00:17:58.000 Come volunteer.
00:18:00.000 We'll put you up in a hotel room.
00:18:01.000 If you're listening to this in California, Come get Andy Biggs elected governor.
00:18:05.000 We'll put you up in a hotel.
00:18:07.000 We'll get you here and you can go chase 100 ballots.
00:18:10.000 And if you do so good that you get through that 100, we'll give you 100 more.
00:18:13.000 TPAction.com slash 100.
00:18:16.000 Hotel.
00:18:17.000 It'll be the time of your life and you're going to be contributing to something that is bigger than yourself, which is what Charlie always wanted.
00:18:24.000 TPAction.com slash 100.
00:18:27.000 Come volunteer.
00:18:28.000 Congressman, future governor of the state of 48, Andy Biggs, thank you, sir.
00:18:31.000 We have your back.
00:18:33.000 Thanks, guys.
00:18:33.000 Appreciate it.
00:18:37.000 I want to talk to you about an issue so many Americans face, and that's health insurance.
00:18:42.000 There's an organization I really, really appreciate called Christian Healthcare Ministries.
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00:18:52.000 And this is real stuff, folks.
00:18:53.000 Like, you got to listen in.
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00:19:13.000 Because they're not insurance, you get access to your preferred doctor or hospital without network restrictions.
00:19:18.000 You heard that right.
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00:19:52.000 All right.
00:19:53.000 So, we're going to have Halpern on in just a second, but I want to play this clip as a little setup.
00:19:58.000 All right.
00:19:58.000 It looks like we're getting him logged in right now.
00:20:01.000 Sop five.
00:20:02.000 Trump won the median House seat by five points.
00:20:06.000 My goodness gracious.
00:20:07.000 That means that Democrats have to win at least one seat, at least one seat that Trump won by five points.
00:20:14.000 What about in the United States Senate?
00:20:16.000 It's even more, even more difficult for Democrats.
00:20:20.000 They have to win at least one seat that Donald Trump won.
00:20:22.000 Get this.
00:20:23.000 By 13 points.
00:20:25.000 Woof.
00:20:26.000 That is very, very difficult indeed.
00:20:29.000 So, if the map looks anything like it did in 2024, well, Democrats definitely have their work cut out for them in the Senate.
00:20:36.000 All right.
00:20:37.000 Mark Halperin joins us.
00:20:38.000 Two way TV, next up on the Megyn Kelly Network.
00:20:42.000 A great friend of the show.
00:20:43.000 And this day, I will tell you, I dropped the ball, and yet he still found a way to be here.
00:20:48.000 What a champ.
00:20:48.000 What a champ, Mark Halperin.
00:20:50.000 I mean, I don't know how you're in charge of anything, dude.
00:20:53.000 You're as organized as my nine year old.
00:20:55.000 Two quick things.
00:20:56.000 First of all, I have an incredible imitation of my friend from CNN, Harry.
00:21:02.000 And it all starts with the key, the word woof.
00:21:04.000 Can you imagine being a political analyst and one of your go to phrases is woof?
00:21:08.000 And the other thing is, Blake, man, that profile of you.
00:21:12.000 I mean, I mean, are we going to go there?
00:21:15.000 There's only one metaphor I can use to describe how that reporter feels about you.
00:21:20.000 And all I'll say about it involves the use of knee pads.
00:21:24.000 My God.
00:21:27.000 So this is a family friendly show, Mark.
00:21:29.000 I know.
00:21:30.000 That's why I was.
00:21:30.000 That's why I was oblique.
00:21:31.000 No, no, I'm talking about being a catcher, catcher, critical position player.
00:21:35.000 My goodness, dude.
00:21:36.000 Blake threw the pitch.
00:21:39.000 The legacy media treats you like you're Sean Cassidy and you don't even know what that means because you're a child.
00:21:46.000 My God.
00:21:46.000 I don't.
00:21:47.000 My goodness.
00:21:48.000 I know.
00:21:49.000 Google Sean Cassidy.
00:21:50.000 I mean, I've read glowing profiles of principled conservatives in traditional media on occasion.
00:21:57.000 But that thing, my God.
00:22:00.000 How are you even still hosting the show?
00:22:03.000 I just want to make it very clear.
00:22:05.000 So, I didn't know really about this.
00:22:07.000 And I come into the office one day, and there is this reporter.
00:22:11.000 And I was like, oh, hi.
00:22:13.000 Hi, Mr. Reporter.
00:22:15.000 Thanks for the heads up, Blake.
00:22:16.000 You want to know if I'm.
00:22:17.000 Blake gave you a heads up.
00:22:18.000 No, you didn't.
00:22:19.000 Yeah, I did.
00:22:20.000 No, you didn't.
00:22:21.000 Blake gave a level of cooperation that goes beyond the word full.
00:22:26.000 I mean, does he have access to your bank accounts?
00:22:29.000 Does he know your PIN number?
00:22:30.000 My favorite part was when Blake was sipping a s'mores.
00:22:34.000 I don't even think I picked that.
00:22:35.000 I think the staff just, I think one of the crew went and they just got one.
00:22:39.000 Yeah.
00:22:40.000 Well, I just want to.
00:22:41.000 The last thing I'll say about it, because I know you don't want to do the whole discussion about this, but I hope you got that thing printed out and framed, man, because you'll never get an article that good again.
00:22:49.000 My mom will probably go do that.
00:22:50.000 I was going to say, it feels like one of those pieces you do for the parents.
00:22:53.000 Yeah.
00:22:54.000 You know, I just, you know, Blake is a free speech absolutist, and so I just want to give him the opportunity to, you know, ask you the first question.
00:23:02.000 You bought my mocking.
00:23:03.000 Yeah.
00:23:03.000 All right.
00:23:04.000 Okay.
00:23:04.000 So, well, to get back to the woofster, he's saying they need to win a plus 13 state.
00:23:12.000 That.
00:23:12.000 Why does that not feel that hard?
00:23:14.000 Yeah, it doesn't feel.
00:23:15.000 Yeah.
00:23:16.000 I feel like that should make us feel very secure, but we know this is a combative midterm and a lot of people are freaking out.
00:23:22.000 You know, a lot of people on all sides.
00:23:25.000 What's the mood in Washington and do you think that mood is accurate?
00:23:28.000 I haven't lived in Washington in 35 years, so I can't tell you what the mood in Washington is, but I'll tell you what the mood in America is.
00:23:34.000 The mood in America is gas prices are too high, everything costs too much, the Iran war was a big mistake, and a message should be sent to the president.
00:23:44.000 I have a very bifurcated view of where we are and where we're going.
00:23:49.000 Unless James Blair makes the best negative ads of all time and builds the best turnout operation of all time, there will be a blue tsunami that will wipe out not only nearly everyone, not everyone, but nearly everyone being discussed as in danger of losing as a Republican, but people who aren't even being talked about now.
00:24:07.000 I'm not predicting that, and I'm not rooting for it, obviously.
00:24:10.000 My reporting extensively with Republicans and looking at the current data is Republicans could lose nine Senate seats, Republicans could lose 35 House seats.
00:24:21.000 This tsunami is massive right now.
00:24:23.000 But James Blair has some unprecedented advantages.
00:24:26.000 The president's top political lieutenant has command and control over more than a billion dollars than the other side.
00:24:32.000 It might go up to more than a billion and a half.
00:24:35.000 He has a turnout operation and he has in the Democrats weak candidates.
00:24:39.000 Most of these candidates are weak.
00:24:42.000 So let's see where we are in two weeks.
00:24:43.000 But today it would be a wipeout.
00:24:46.000 So you said nearly everyone.
00:24:48.000 Now, some of the bright spots on the map Sununu in New Hampshire.
00:24:53.000 Michelle Tafoya surprising some people.
00:24:56.000 El Syed is still answering questions about Hassan Piker.
00:25:00.000 Where would you look at some exceptions to that rule?
00:25:04.000 I believe it's a mistake for people in the party to say Sununu, Tafoya, Rogers, Lawler must mean the tsunami's not that big.
00:25:17.000 I believe that's a mistake because you two, as well as I can, can go through all four of those races and explain quite clearly.
00:25:24.000 Michelle Tefoya is a fantastic candidate. 0.75
00:25:28.000 Flanagan, the Democrat, horrible candidate. 1.00
00:25:30.000 Flanagan in that state is not running primarily about a referendum on Trump, even though she's running for a federal office. 1.00
00:25:37.000 It's a referendum on the corruption of the Democratic Party.
00:25:41.000 So we can go through the exceptions, and those four may do better than others in the tsunami.
00:25:48.000 And Lawler may survive a tsunami. 0.69
00:25:50.000 Susan Collins may survive it. 1.00
00:25:52.000 But if it's big enough, Republicans will lose all those races.
00:25:56.000 And it's a mistake to disregard.
00:25:59.000 It's a mistake, I believe, for the party, if they want to be realistic, to cherry pick four or five races and say, hey, if these five are going okay, it must mean it's not so bad everywhere else.
00:26:11.000 Wrong.
00:26:12.000 It's really bad right now everywhere else.
00:26:14.000 So if we're talking, as you said, minus nine seats, what are seats you maybe don't hear people talk about that suddenly could be a flashing light as we approach election night or on election night out of nowhere for a lot of people?
00:26:28.000 Just go to the Cook Political Report and look at the seats that are called lean Republican and solid Republican.
00:26:34.000 Every one of those could be wiped away.
00:26:36.000 I mean, the analog on the Senate side is Roger Marshall.
00:26:42.000 He's a perfectly good Republican incumbent senator in a red, red state, redder than the YouTube check mark, supported by both MAGA and the establishment, raised plenty of money, working hard, running against a guy who's a first time candidate.
00:27:00.000 He'd lose today.
00:27:02.000 He'd lose today.
00:27:03.000 So the House equivalents of Roger Marshall, it doesn't matter if it's plus Trump.
00:27:08.000 15.
00:27:09.000 There's a Republican consultant who tweeted the other day, if you're working for a Republican and you haven't polled lately, I recommend you do.
00:27:17.000 And another Republican consultant sub tweeted him.
00:27:19.000 They were doing all this in public, ladies and gentlemen, like the private conversations.
00:27:23.000 Another Republican consultant tweeted him and said, You better, that applies to Trump plus 15 districts.
00:27:30.000 If you're in a district that's plus 15, you better poll because right now there's a good chance you're losing.
00:27:36.000 You highlighted Iran.
00:27:39.000 Is that what it is? 0.95
00:27:40.000 Is it the big? 0.74
00:27:41.000 You know, it's Iran, basically. 1.00
00:27:43.000 If you take Iran out of the equation, things are significantly worse.
00:27:46.000 For different voters, it's different things.
00:27:49.000 The most striking piece of data of the week, public data, was the Fox poll that asked, Has Trump made the economy better or worse?
00:27:57.000 Do you know what percentage of Republicans in that poll said worse?
00:28:02.000 25%.
00:28:03.000 You know what percent of independents said Trump made the economy worse?
00:28:06.000 75%.
00:28:07.000 Do you know what Donald Trump's best issue besides immigration was as he got elected for a second term?
00:28:13.000 The economy.
00:28:14.000 A quarter of Republicans say Trump has made the economy worse.
00:28:18.000 You think there's going to be no blue tsunami when a quarter of Republicans think that?
00:28:23.000 It's Iran as a manifestation of higher costs.
00:28:27.000 It's tariffs as a manifestation of higher costs.
00:28:29.000 But I believe both those things funnel into higher costs.
00:28:33.000 Guys, you see it in your own lives.
00:28:35.000 Things cost a ton.
00:28:37.000 And the price is going to be a lot of people that contributed to it.
00:28:41.000 I'm the $20 burrito guy.
00:28:42.000 I know.
00:28:44.000 By the way, have you heard about the $30 hamburger?
00:28:48.000 That's the new frontier.
00:28:50.000 I live in Manhattan, dude.
00:28:51.000 That's what hamburgers cost to do sometimes.
00:28:53.000 Yeah, exactly.
00:28:54.000 You know about high prices.
00:28:55.000 You've been living it.
00:28:56.000 Yeah.
00:28:57.000 All right.
00:28:57.000 So, you know, all across the country, our audience now is feeling depressed.
00:29:04.000 And that is exactly why we work our tails off all the time.
00:29:08.000 And we have Commit 100.
00:29:09.000 Everybody can volunteer.
00:29:11.000 We're getting the vote out.
00:29:13.000 I mean, it was interesting.
00:29:13.000 Rich Barris was reflecting on the numbers from the primaries that he saw across the country.
00:29:18.000 And he basically said Arizona was one of the few.
00:29:21.000 Bright spots where turnout was where it should have been.
00:29:24.000 And that's a result because we're investing in the machinery of getting votes out.
00:29:29.000 And so that's what we have to do.
00:29:30.000 I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just want to be clear.
00:29:33.000 As I said before, I'm not rooting for this outcome and I'm not predicting it because I believe James Blair and you all and efforts like yours, this is unprecedented.
00:29:40.000 There's never been a cash advantage under the command and control of an experienced, aggressive operator who's running against a party who's aligned with the socialists, running against a party who've nominated in almost every significant race weak candidates.
00:29:55.000 So let's wait and see where we are in three weeks because Turning Point has proven that well organized efforts to contact voters, register them, and get them to the polls can make a real difference in the outcome of elections.
00:30:07.000 Mark, you brought up this point.
00:30:09.000 So in the past, it was like kind of a you know, you think back to the 90s, early 2000s, you get frustrated with one party, you make them pay, you send a message, you go for the other party.
00:30:19.000 But you basically had the assumption that even though you could disagree with some of the policies, you were still going to have a functional republic.
00:30:27.000 Yeah.
00:30:28.000 And what has changed is yes, there is a big cash advantage for Republicans, which is unprecedented.
00:30:33.000 It's usually the other way around.
00:30:35.000 But you also don't have a party that's like the way it was in the past.
00:30:40.000 This is a much more radical, much more left wing party now that is run by the activist base.
00:30:46.000 And I believe that if you are a normie, kind of low information, I don't mean that as pejorative, you're busy living your lives, you're assuming the people are adults and they're serious, that you just vote the other way to send a message and get your message across.
00:31:00.000 However, I don't think people are internalizing the way that Democrats have shifted.
00:31:05.000 I don't think that that's true.
00:31:06.000 Well, it's up to the Republican apparatus here to make the case.
00:31:13.000 I was so surprised this didn't get more attention.
00:31:15.000 Gavin Newsom was asked about how the party was going to deal with the socialists in their midst.
00:31:21.000 And he said, Oh, I'm used to this.
00:31:24.000 And we agree with the socialists about a lot.
00:31:27.000 We agree with them about health care and child care, et cetera, et cetera.
00:31:32.000 The theory of how the blue tsunami is tamed involves getting word out about the nature, not just of the handful of socialist candidates, but how far left the Democratic Party's gone.
00:31:47.000 It's not a slander or a slur or a piece of spin.
00:31:51.000 None of us have been alive when the Democratic Party has been this left.
00:31:55.000 None of us.
00:31:56.000 That's a powerful way to frame it, Mark.
00:32:01.000 What are the best.
00:32:02.000 Things to emphasize in terms of getting that point across.
00:32:06.000 Is it police abolition?
00:32:08.000 Is it taxes? 0.84
00:32:10.000 Is it just bring out the gender stuff again, point out that that stuff is still going on? 0.99
00:32:15.000 Is there a track record?
00:32:16.000 Yeah, but what stuff actually, what would the experts say?
00:32:21.000 I'm not a political strategist.
00:32:23.000 Yeah, I'm not a political strategist, but what I see in the ads is two things.
00:32:28.000 One is everything you just said, some of the culture stuff, that the governor, a gubernatorial candidate in Texas, Hinojosa, She was on Morning Joe and they asked her if all the cultural stuff was still a factor.
00:32:42.000 She said, no, voters have moved past that.
00:32:45.000 I don't think voters have moved past trans athletes and women's sports and locker rooms and girls.
00:32:50.000 So I think you'll see a lot of that, a lot of economics.
00:32:54.000 But it's also, I think, the idiosyncratic weaknesses of individual candidates, right?
00:33:00.000 Some of these Democrats are so inexperienced.
00:33:02.000 Like, for instance, the woman running against Mike Lawler in New York, she took a couple hundred grand from the AI industry.
00:33:09.000 Right before she started running.
00:33:11.000 That seems like, in the current climate, kind of a vulnerability.
00:33:14.000 But that's idiosyncratic to her.
00:33:17.000 Yeah, no, I think that's smart. 0.53
00:33:18.000 So it's got to be an air war that's national, trans issues, the fact that these people are openly talking about abolishing the Senate, abolishing prisons, abolishing ICE, abolishing, packing the court, abolishing the Senate. 0.59
00:33:33.000 It's just, it's crazy.
00:33:35.000 Taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes.
00:33:37.000 And they want to seize the means of production.
00:33:38.000 This is stuff that they actually talk about.
00:33:40.000 They actually talk about it.
00:33:42.000 Which should be shocking to an average American.
00:33:46.000 But yet, there is the micro targeting, right?
00:33:48.000 There is the idiosyncratic issues that are addressing individual candidates, right?
00:33:54.000 So let's go to El Sayed.
00:33:57.000 Hassan Piker was just asked, Why don't you tamp down some of your rhetoric?
00:34:02.000 It seems like you're going crazier even after all this attention.
00:34:04.000 And his answer is like, They're going to lie about it anyways, or they're going to cover it anyways, so I'm just going to be me.
00:34:10.000 But that is a huge, huge problem for El Sayed, who does not want to put daylight. Between them, at least not in any official way.
00:34:17.000 He's calling it some streamer in California, but that's about as far as he'll get.
00:34:21.000 A man that he's campaigned with a half dozen times.
00:34:24.000 Do you think that that issue plays in Michigan or is it played out?
00:34:28.000 The streamer in California will play.
00:34:31.000 It's amazing.
00:34:32.000 There's an exception from the liberal press bias of letting Democrats off the hook.
00:34:37.000 That guy's been asked the question a thousand times.
00:34:39.000 He gets asked it everywhere he goes by the press.
00:34:41.000 The press still thinks it's an issue.
00:34:43.000 Some voters definitely in Michigan think it's an issue.
00:34:45.000 Do you know Ronald Reagan had the very best answer to this question?
00:34:49.000 When he was asked about the support he had from the John Birch Society, he said, They support me. 0.64
00:34:56.000 I don't support them.
00:34:58.000 They support me.
00:34:59.000 I don't know why Piker, why El Sad doesn't just say that, but he just, for whatever reason, he's not created the distance that the press and a lot of voters think he needs to.
00:35:09.000 And it seems like it's going to be an issue all the way through the end.
00:35:12.000 Mark, that was what you said, I think, is going to stick with me for a while.
00:35:17.000 None of us have lived through a Democrat party that is this radically left.
00:35:21.000 That is a fact.
00:35:23.000 And we need to, as somebody that's very committed to my conservative principles and supporting conservative candidates, I can tell you that I think you're right.
00:35:31.000 And I think we need to do a better job messaging that.
00:35:34.000 Mark Halperin, thank you for making time today.
00:35:38.000 Gentlemen.
00:35:39.000 Gentlemen.
00:35:39.000 Great to see you.
00:35:41.000 Great to see you.
00:35:41.000 And, Blake, please handle all my media relations.
00:35:47.000 This is the home of free speech absolutism.
00:35:53.000 If you're looking at your investment portfolio and feeling pretty smart right now, remember a bull market can make anyone look like a genius.
00:36:00.000 If you've had a good run, the question is whether you keep it.
00:36:03.000 The people who act early do it from a position of strength.
00:36:06.000 The ones who wait act out of fear.
00:36:08.000 There's nothing worse than turning a great trade into a break even because you didn't act in time.
00:36:14.000 Taking chips off the table isn't quitting, it's protecting what you've earned.
00:36:18.000 Visit noblegoldinvestments.comslash Kirk and find out whether helping to protect your profits with gold makes sense for you.
00:36:25.000 And to celebrate America's 250th, open a new qualified account and Noble Gold will send you a free 10 ounce silver bar.
00:36:33.000 Noble Gold Investments.com slash Kirk.
00:36:35.000 The information is free, but the knowledge is priceless.
00:36:41.000 All right, welcome back, everybody.
00:36:42.000 It's hour two of Friday, which means it's our Ask Us Anything hour.
00:36:47.000 Apparently, you guys love these things, so we love doing them.
00:36:50.000 Members.charliekirk.com.
00:36:52.000 Members.charliekirk.com.
00:36:53.000 If you want to subscribe and be a member, you guys are.
00:36:57.000 Near and dear to us.
00:36:58.000 You are our closest family.
00:36:59.000 Plus, at Amfest coming up in December, we're going to have a big podcast room.
00:37:03.000 You guys get exclusive access to that and a lot more other goodies if you join us at members.charliekirk.com.
00:37:08.000 Members.charliekirk.com.
00:37:11.000 And you get to call in every Friday, ask us questions directly.
00:37:14.000 We bring in special guests like Daisy over here.
00:37:17.000 How are we doing, Daisy?
00:37:18.000 Good.
00:37:18.000 I haven't been on in a second.
00:37:20.000 By the way, you got name dropped on Thought Crime yesterday.
00:37:23.000 Wait.
00:37:23.000 Okay.
00:37:23.000 This is not happening.
00:37:24.000 Oh, I think that was because they showed, we talked about Narnia.
00:37:27.000 They're making this new Narnia movie.
00:37:29.000 It's apparently a book.
00:37:29.000 Yeah.
00:37:30.000 Well, we don't know.
00:37:31.000 It's not out yet, but it will almost certainly be Rogue.
00:37:33.000 It's set in the 50s.
00:37:34.000 It's now inspired by David Bowie and Rock Oscar.
00:37:37.000 And Meryl Streep is the voice of Aslan.
00:37:39.000 And Meryl Streep is voicing Aslan because Greta Gurg, I said this, I saw this today.
00:37:43.000 I didn't see it yesterday.
00:37:44.000 Apparently, she said, I wanted someone over 70 who's a great actor, and that there's just no one, so I just had to pick a woman, even though Liam Neeson, who did Aslan, I believe is now over 70.
00:37:54.000 But if she's still available, you couldn't use the same voice out of that.
00:37:58.000 It's a little, I feel like you could have.
00:37:59.000 I don't think anyone would have minded.
00:38:01.000 A well loved character.
00:38:03.000 I think that's really neat.
00:38:04.000 It's a little upsetting.
00:38:05.000 But anyway, they show, if you look at it, they show Aslan's face and it has heterochromia.
00:38:11.000 That is so random.
00:38:12.000 Why? 0.81
00:38:12.000 Daisy has a blue eye and her right eye is blue and her left eye is brown. 0.81
00:38:17.000 And weirdly, it took me about six months to notice this or something.
00:38:20.000 It's either like people will notice it, like I'm in the gas station and they'll notice it and say something, or I'll know someone for years before they ever even realize.
00:38:29.000 But I, truthfully, I sometimes don't listen to Thought Crime Live when we're in the office because I know I'm going to have to edit it in the next.
00:38:35.000 Two days, but I'm like, I'd rather be surprised.
00:38:37.000 There you go.
00:38:38.000 Be surprised.
00:38:38.000 Be surprised.
00:38:39.000 Or if I'm listening to it live, I'll be texting you guys.
00:38:42.000 Be quiet.
00:38:43.000 This is not it. 0.99
00:38:43.000 If you go and hit yourself in the head with a hammer repeatedly, you could be surprised again. 0.99
00:38:47.000 Well, there are so many times, Blake, as you know, inside baseball for y'all, that Blake and I do have to listen to the same episode four or five times.
00:38:54.000 Or we'll do it live and then we'll have to listen to it and then there will be something that we have to add in or we're writing copy and I'm like, oh, I forgot what they talked about.
00:39:02.000 I have to listen to it again.
00:39:03.000 Sometimes we listen to it.
00:39:04.000 I would say, I think nobody has listened to more. Charlie Kirk show than Daisy and I because we have to listen to most episodes.
00:39:10.000 Well, I remember the early days where I was booking it, editing it, writing the copy, uploading it.
00:39:17.000 But then we got to three hours, and then it's like you have to, you're prepping for it, then you're listening to it live, helping him live while he's on air, and then you split it up into all three hours and you're editing each one individually.
00:39:29.000 And Kylie does such a phenomenal job editing all the episodes, too.
00:39:31.000 I mean, she listens constantly.
00:39:34.000 But it got to the point where, like, Charlie would say the most profound, amazing things, but I've heard it in the same episode four times, and it just kind of.
00:39:42.000 Now, when I'll go back and listen to someone, I'm like, wait, this is actually really good.
00:39:46.000 Yeah, I know.
00:39:46.000 I have the same thing when I go back and listen to Charlie.
00:39:49.000 I'm like, man, I. didn't even have eyes to see it because it was so good.
00:39:53.000 I've sometimes stopped on the random Sunday episodes and I've just said, like, actually, everyone should go listen to this.
00:39:58.000 Like, there was one, I think it was Chapter Leaders Summit or Student Action Summit 2022, and he talks about why you need to be courageous and, like, regardless of what the consequences were.
00:40:09.000 And I was like, oh my gosh.
00:40:11.000 Those Sunday episodes, you all should go listen to those.
00:40:13.000 Go look at the Sunday episodes.
00:40:14.000 They are.
00:40:15.000 They're all titled like the archive.
00:40:16.000 By the way, like it, rate it, give us five stars.
00:40:19.000 Helps us a lot.
00:40:20.000 So check it out.
00:40:21.000 Charlie used to always say that.
00:40:22.000 You know, leave a comment.
00:40:24.000 And a review.
00:40:25.000 Before we get to the callers, I think I want to open with this read one that we got from Kyrie.
00:40:30.000 And she asks Would you please read my question?
00:40:33.000 On September 10th, a year ago, the last full question and answer exchange Charlie had with anyone was about the truth of the gospel.
00:40:42.000 That's true.
00:40:42.000 He was debating someone about Mormonism, I believe.
00:40:45.000 I have seen some tiny clips, but not the full one.
00:40:48.000 Is it possible ever going to be posted as other things from that campus event were?
00:40:55.000 I have been hesitating to ask this, but I know it must certainly be painful for those of you who knew Charlie personally and loved him most.
00:41:01.000 Though I do feel it was surely providential that a defense of the gospel was Charlie's last answer before meeting the Lord.
00:41:09.000 I agree, it is providential.
00:41:10.000 And I just feel so split on it because I will tell you the hardest footage for me to watch is that footage of Charlie approaching UVU and he's seeing the crowd and he starts.
00:41:25.000 You just know that in minutes, mere minutes, everything changes.
00:41:28.000 And it's really hard for me.
00:41:32.000 And I think she's right, though.
00:41:33.000 I think that a lot of people, or he, I'm sorry, is Kyrie a girl?
00:41:37.000 Kyrie's a girl.
00:41:38.000 Yeah.
00:41:38.000 So she's right.
00:41:39.000 I think a lot of people would love to see that footage.
00:41:42.000 It's just so hard to watch.
00:41:43.000 It's tough.
00:41:45.000 But I do agree.
00:41:45.000 I mean, I literally, Andrew, you can see on my computer.
00:41:48.000 I just pulled up from our tour chat.
00:41:50.000 It's that morning, and Charlie's sexy.
00:41:53.000 He's sending videos 30 minutes out.
00:41:54.000 This is so amazing.
00:41:56.000 Like, it's going to be so big.
00:41:58.000 Like, this is a picture of the crowd, so good.
00:42:00.000 Like, anything from that day is like, it just gives me chills.
00:42:04.000 It would be, it would be, it'd be tough for me to watch it again.
00:42:08.000 Just like, we've released a lot of stuff that is from shortly before.
00:42:12.000 We've released the restaurantology interview.
00:42:14.000 We played the clip where he's answering, What are your favorite quotes, your favorite Bible verses?
00:42:18.000 And it's incredibly meaningful what he chose.
00:42:22.000 And we've released his speech that he gave in Japan where he does, he mentions the gospel.
00:42:28.000 Mikey posted about this that if.
00:42:32.000 It wasn't going to be in there because Japan is a 1% Christian country, if that.
00:42:37.000 But Charlie said, I want to make this a part of what I do wherever I go.
00:42:41.000 And so I want to mention the gospel even in passing in Japan.
00:42:44.000 And we talked about where to put it in, and he ad libbed it into the speech and got some applause from the crowd.
00:42:50.000 It was very tremendous.
00:42:51.000 So we do have some of those late things.
00:42:54.000 We'll have to think about it.
00:42:55.000 It would be tough.
00:42:56.000 And it's not necessarily our call.
00:42:57.000 It's like, you know, Erica would have to get involved.
00:43:00.000 Yes.
00:43:00.000 Yeah, I also think though, especially like reliving a lot of it last week, like looking at some of that footage, even though you know that what happens isn't in any of like, it's not in any of the pictures I have on my phone, any of the videos, but like you know that it's coming, that it's like you want, like I'll be watching a video of him walking out and I have to stop it because I'm like, I know that what happened is not in this video, but it feels like it's coming.
00:43:20.000 And it would just, it would be tough for me.
00:43:22.000 Yeah, like you, Leon, that transition sound we have on our episodes, like I can't imagine us just having that after a question like that.
00:43:30.000 Right.
00:43:30.000 Yeah.
00:43:31.000 It'd be honestly, email us what you think about it.
00:43:33.000 Yeah.
00:43:34.000 What does the crowd think?
00:43:37.000 By the way, JD Vance is giving a speech right now.
00:43:42.000 So we're monitoring that.
00:43:43.000 If he makes some news, we're going to be on that very quickly.
00:43:46.000 Let's get to Abby, right?
00:43:48.000 Abby, welcome to the show. 0.99
00:43:49.000 Please unmute yourself.
00:43:50.000 You guys hear me?
00:43:51.000 Yes.
00:43:52.000 Hey, Abby.
00:43:53.000 Okay.
00:43:54.000 How much do you guys know about what's going on in the Florida political scene?
00:43:59.000 I know some.
00:44:00.000 Yeah.
00:44:02.000 What in particular?
00:44:04.000 I've seen on social media, and I know some people personally who their dislike for Byron Donalds is outweighing their wanting to vote Republican.
00:44:17.000 So I see a lot of people who are saying that they're going to vote Democrat.
00:44:20.000 I just think a lot of people are not informed about what the opposing party views are.
00:44:28.000 So, any advice on how to maybe inform people or what we can do?
00:44:34.000 Yeah, no, I mean, listen, Byron Donalds is in a dead heat right now.
00:44:39.000 Against David Jolly, right?
00:44:41.000 So it's, you know, it's in the statistical error kind of category.
00:44:46.000 He's either just tied or just slightly down, or I guess it's actually, he's got ones that are all over the place.
00:44:55.000 So yeah, I mean, listen, he's in a dogfight, you know, and I think there's a lot of undecided voters in Florida.
00:45:01.000 Can you tell us what specifically is off putting about what they're concerned about where they'd say, I'm going to go vote for a Democrat?
00:45:08.000 The biggest thing is they don't like what he said about AI data centers.
00:45:11.000 So his first.
00:45:12.000 Stance was he wanted AI data centers here, and then he kind of retracted his statement.
00:45:18.000 So people just don't really trust him not flooding Florida with AI data centers.
00:45:23.000 But we can't 100% stop them from coming here since AI is, you know, everyone uses it.
00:45:30.000 But that's just the main thing that people don't want.
00:45:33.000 Well, this goes back to the conversation we're having with Mark Halperin in hour one, Abby, and that is, you know, even in a Trump 15 district or Trump 15 state that You know, we have to pull it again because there's a lot of headwinds, namely affordability, Iran. 0.90
00:45:50.000 Voters want to send a message.
00:45:51.000 And what's crazy is that even in Florida, Florida, which has been one of the best governed states in the country, balanced budget, no property tax, all the things, no income tax, rather, all the things that so many conservatives want.
00:46:05.000 I mean, they've dealt with illegal immigration.
00:46:08.000 They, what the schools are good.
00:46:11.000 Everybody has choice, freedom.
00:46:12.000 They did great during COVID.
00:46:14.000 And even in a well run state like Florida, voters, Are not connecting the dots there because there does seem to be a visceral emotional response to just sending a message, right?
00:46:26.000 And so, what's happening to Byron is it's probably less to do with Byron and more to do with a larger sentiment across the country.
00:46:33.000 If you're encountering this in person, I'm thinking on the best way to push back on this.
00:46:38.000 And one of those things is you have to puncture these emotional, these kind of emotionally inconsistent reactions where they think, I'm going to vote for a Democrat to send a message.
00:46:48.000 Okay.
00:46:49.000 If you live in Florida, it's a state a lot of people have moved to.
00:46:52.000 So, pretty strong odds that a person you know may not have been born in Florida.
00:46:56.000 They moved there for some reason.
00:46:58.000 Well, why did they move there?
00:46:59.000 They moved there probably because they came from a state like New York, like Illinois, like Pennsylvania, like states that had left wing government that messed those states up.
00:47:08.000 I'll be frank, Florida has, it's not pleasant a large part of the year.
00:47:12.000 It's, you know, it's really hot.
00:47:14.000 It's pretty swampy.
00:47:15.000 It's very humid.
00:47:16.000 Why do people move there?
00:47:17.000 They move there because it's amazingly governed.
00:47:19.000 It's amazingly governed.
00:47:20.000 Your services work great.
00:47:22.000 And your taxes aren't that high.
00:47:23.000 And you can go to the beach.
00:47:24.000 Yeah, yeah.
00:47:24.000 But your taxes aren't that high.
00:47:26.000 It is a functional, well run state.
00:47:29.000 It's the state that didn't ruin your life during COVID.
00:47:32.000 It's a state where Schools basically work.
00:47:35.000 They're not going to shove propaganda down your throat.
00:47:38.000 We got that because we have had sustained, successful, conservative government.
00:47:43.000 Florida's Republican Party, I will be frank, is one of the best Republican parties in the country.
00:47:48.000 It's the envy of everyone else.
00:47:51.000 And to throw that out and say, actually, let's bring in a Democrat who's going to be, whatever he says ideologically, is going to be absolutely aligned with the people who have ruined California, ruined New York, forced people to move to Florida.
00:48:06.000 Because those states were so unlivable during COVID, during Floyd-a-Palooza, is irrational.
00:48:13.000 It is irrational to do that, even because you're concerned about that.
00:48:18.000 If he said one thing about data centers and then realized there was massive public backlash, and so he says, okay, actually, I see what the public is saying, so I'm going to moderate my view.
00:48:27.000 That's a normal reaction to realizing that public sentiment is shifting on an issue that's not, in comparison to some of the other things we feel, of profound, deep moral importance.
00:48:37.000 Yeah, I concur with all of that.
00:48:39.000 That there is a part of this that there is a cognitive dissonance happening in the electorate.
00:48:45.000 And the question is, how are we going to counter it?
00:48:47.000 And the countering it is something that Halperin said as well.
00:48:51.000 And I'm about to post it on social we have never lived through a Democrat party this far left.
00:48:56.000 And so you do not want to break something that's working so well.
00:49:00.000 So it's a great question.
00:49:02.000 You know, I think here's what I would say on the AI data center specifically Republicans are learning how to message around this.
00:49:08.000 I thought.
00:49:10.000 Vivek gave a strong first volley where he said, you know, they have to be adding something to the local community, right?
00:49:16.000 Maybe that's bringing down energy costs.
00:49:18.000 Maybe that's bringing down property taxes.
00:49:20.000 Maybe that is a way, if you're going to have one of these in your community, that these are things that would be a benefit to locals if you're going to have them.
00:49:27.000 Maybe locals need to have more power to have a say in whether or not they're allowed to move in.
00:49:33.000 All of those things are fair, but I think Byron is probably very willing to adjust some of those.
00:49:39.000 Policies based on what his voters are telling him.
00:49:42.000 And that doesn't mean he's a fraud.
00:49:43.000 That just means he's listening and responsive.
00:49:45.000 So that would be my critique of that position.
00:49:51.000 Thank you, Abby.
00:49:52.000 Who's next?
00:49:53.000 Yes, thank you.
00:49:53.000 We did get a write in from Kelly that I think makes sense to end out this segment with.
00:49:59.000 She wants to know how she can sell family members and friends from other states to travel to Arizona for Commit 100.
00:50:05.000 And we have a couple graphics if we want to throw up.
00:50:08.000 But I think that we have, we are all three people who are not from Arizona.
00:50:13.000 So I think.
00:50:15.000 As someone who is from Texas, I love Texas.
00:50:18.000 I came to Arizona.
00:50:18.000 I was like, it is disgusting here.
00:50:20.000 We are just now getting to the part, it is the best weather.
00:50:23.000 I mean, I went on like a 45 minute walk.
00:50:25.000 Is that Arizona's?
00:50:26.000 You mean, you just said it's just like the weather.
00:50:28.000 The weather is just so hot.
00:50:29.000 Yes, everyone has that preconceived notion of Arizona that it's just so hot.
00:50:35.000 And we've gotten to the point now where if you want to come now for Commit 100, I mean, you could not find a way.
00:50:40.000 The weather in November is footnote.
00:50:42.000 And what I will say, I believe they've made that pitch that you can do your Commit 100 stuff.
00:50:46.000 Primarily during the weekdays.
00:50:48.000 And so if you block out the time on the weekend, rent a car, go to Sedona, go to the Grand Stone.
00:50:56.000 Go to the Grand Canyon.
00:50:57.000 I went to Tombstone.
00:50:58.000 Blake is always doing road trips.
00:51:00.000 I do road trips all over Arizona.
00:51:01.000 It's an incredibly beautiful state.
00:51:02.000 Go to Prescott, go to Flagstaff.
00:51:05.000 There are so many beautiful places.
00:51:06.000 You can take, if you go up to Flagstaff and you take, don't take the interstate, take the state highway that's a bit to the east.
00:51:12.000 You go through incredibly scenic country.
00:51:15.000 You go through mountains.
00:51:16.000 You suddenly feel like you're in a totally different state because the elevation changes so radically.
00:51:20.000 There's a step in this state.
00:51:21.000 They call it the continental shelf, basically, the muggy owned rim right there.
00:51:25.000 And that's kind of Sedona's built into where the drop off happens.
00:51:29.000 That's why it's so beautiful.
00:51:30.000 But it's a complete tale of two states.
00:51:32.000 You've got the heat in the valley down here, and then the higher elevations.
00:51:36.000 But even now in the valley, it's getting so beautiful outside.
00:51:39.000 You can work so hard all day, and then you go home after your work at Turning Point Action, and you can go for a hike.
00:51:47.000 You can go to amazing restaurants.
00:51:49.000 It's beautiful sunsets.
00:51:50.000 You should totally come.
00:51:51.000 Yep.
00:51:52.000 TPAction.com/slash 100.
00:51:54.000 That's the pitch.
00:51:57.000 All right.
00:51:57.000 We are talking with Dawn, and we're talking about AI.
00:52:01.000 So, Don, are you still there?
00:52:03.000 I don't think he has.
00:52:03.000 Oh, yeah.
00:52:04.000 We haven't got to the bottom of it.
00:52:05.000 We just saw the battery of it.
00:52:07.000 All right, Don, what's your question?
00:52:10.000 Yes, thanks for taking my call.
00:52:13.000 My local radio station this morning was talking about how the government is using AI to discover a bunch of fraud.
00:52:23.000 The last four or five years, they've discovered that there's about $200 billion a year in fraud that they're going after.
00:52:31.000 I wondered if you'd heard about that and what you know about it.
00:52:34.000 I don't know the full specifics of it, but I 100% know you're correct.
00:52:38.000 They are doing that.
00:52:39.000 This administration, our last question asked about, you know, she mentioned that Byron Donald has faced heat over data centers.
00:52:46.000 We know there's a big debate over AI within the conservative movement, but President Trump himself, he's emphatically pro AI.
00:52:53.000 He says we're going to win the AI race with China.
00:52:57.000 Whoever wins that race wins everything. 0.57
00:52:59.000 He loves to use that wording.
00:53:01.000 And his administration, they see a lot of opportunity in AI.
00:53:04.000 So the Defense Department thinks we can use AI to.
00:53:07.000 Win wars, make our military more effective.
00:53:10.000 And finding fraud is one of the great potential uses for AI.
00:53:13.000 Because how do so many of those Somali fraud daycares, fraudulent Medicare companies, fraudulent home adult daycare, a million different scams out there, they're able to get away with it in large part just because there's so much money going to so many places. 0.87
00:53:31.000 And there's just a limit to how many people we have auditing that stuff, checking that stuff, looking for patterns in that stuff. 0.63
00:53:39.000 And now there's a potential with AI to automate a huge amount of that to find discrepancies.
00:53:44.000 And so one person can be vastly more efficient in finding that sort of thing.
00:53:50.000 And that's great in so many ways.
00:53:51.000 We can reduce fraud, it means we can reduce federal headcount.
00:53:54.000 And that means that's not, oh, we lost jobs.
00:53:57.000 That means we don't need to tax everyone to pay for these employees who will live in D.C., leeching off of you, being permanently recession proof.
00:54:05.000 That's money you put back to the American people.
00:54:08.000 I think it's a tremendous opportunity.
00:54:09.000 And by the way, the more federal bureaucrats there are, the more they're going to.
00:54:12.000 Want to spend.
00:54:13.000 So it's not even just their salaries, it's the programs that they support and all that sort of thing.
00:54:18.000 So the most widely cited official annual losses of fraud estimate across the U.S. federal government ranges between $233 billion to $521 billion.
00:54:30.000 So it's even bigger than that, right?
00:54:32.000 And then there are improper payments that are estimated to be around $180 billion a year.
00:54:38.000 So once you add those up, if you think the top line estimates are potentially true, then you're getting close to a trillion dollars.
00:54:47.000 A year.
00:54:47.000 Not quite, but that is a legitimate and realistic estimate of how much fraud there could be in the system.
00:54:54.000 So, I know that the Department of Treasury is using this.
00:54:58.000 I know that the DOJ is using these tools.
00:55:01.000 And there is a push to use AI to kind of improve the databases across the federal government to get them all talking.
00:55:09.000 Now, some people have a problem with this.
00:55:11.000 I don't happen to be necessarily one of those, though I keep an open mind.
00:55:15.000 I'm willing to hear the arguments to and for or for and against.
00:55:19.000 But I think, listen, if you're using it in the hands of the right person, this is kind of like the flock camera argument.
00:55:25.000 In the hands of the right people, flock cameras can be.
00:55:27.000 A wonderful tool.
00:55:29.000 In the hands of the wrong people, they could be used as a surveillance mechanism.
00:55:32.000 They could be used to invade your privacy.
00:55:35.000 You know, as conservatives, we always have to be aware of the fact that the federal government could use this to try and crack down on conservatives.
00:55:41.000 So, listen, in a limited scope, if you're using it to suss out fraud, I'm a big, big proponent of it.
00:55:49.000 And I think it's a great advancement in this space.
00:55:51.000 Thank you, Don.
00:55:53.000 Who's our next guest?
00:55:55.000 We have another write in.
00:55:57.000 From Mick.
00:55:59.000 He said, Please read for me.
00:56:00.000 As I mentioned last week, I'm on my road trip across the country to South Carolina.
00:56:04.000 I'm currently in Dallas.
00:56:05.000 If you guys remember, he called in with Alex and Joe Bob that he's moving.
00:56:09.000 What was your favorite part of the country that you traveled to with Charlie?
00:56:12.000 And do you have a particular memory from then?
00:56:13.000 I feel like you always say Korea, so you need to say something.
00:56:17.000 From America?
00:56:18.000 Yes.
00:56:18.000 I was just thinking about this because I've been in contact with someone we met on that.
00:56:24.000 I'm really fond of the time that this was in about September of 24, and Charlie went to Nebraska.
00:56:32.000 To try to make that push to get them to call the emergency session, get the winner take all passed, which we still want them to do.
00:56:39.000 That is unfinished business with the state of Nebraska.
00:56:42.000 But it was so fun.
00:56:44.000 One, I did actually, he went and he met with the governor, and I wasn't in that meeting, so I went with one of our team.
00:56:50.000 I think it was Brian, and we went to the Nebraska state capitol.
00:56:53.000 I'm a big sucker for state capitals.
00:56:55.000 They're usually a great way to see how a state sees itself, there's usually something distinctive about them.
00:57:01.000 So that was very fun.
00:57:02.000 I think they had all these fossils and dinosaurs, like they were digging them up in.
00:57:06.000 Nebraska.
00:57:06.000 So they're like, we're not just flat, featureless plains like South Dakota.
00:57:10.000 We have fossils.
00:57:12.000 But then on top of that, we then went to the tailgate for the Nebraska game.
00:57:16.000 And he did the man on the street stuff.
00:57:18.000 And it was great.
00:57:18.000 It's so perfect because they're the big red.
00:57:21.000 So everyone's wearing red.
00:57:22.000 And this is the presidential election season.
00:57:24.000 People realize Charlie's on campus.
00:57:26.000 Thousands of them, like they just mob around him, just organically.
00:57:30.000 Huge crowd of people.
00:57:32.000 He's given out hats to everybody.
00:57:34.000 They're all fired up.
00:57:35.000 Then we go into the game.
00:57:36.000 We.
00:57:37.000 Almost providentially, we had a run in with one of the state senators that Charlie was trying to lobby.
00:57:44.000 And on top of that, we were in the box of Larry the Cable Guy, who's a big Nebraska fan, and he knew that we were trying to get this done.
00:57:51.000 He's like, I'm happy to help you.
00:57:52.000 You can come be my guest.
00:57:53.000 That's your excuse to be at the game.
00:57:55.000 So we're there, and he had so much interest.
00:57:57.000 It was just such a great experience.
00:57:59.000 And you saw Charlie in his element as a political operator trying to get things done, Charlie as this man of the people who had so much appeal to college students.
00:58:10.000 It just captured so many elements of what made Charlie a dynamic figure, and it was a lot of fun on its own merits.
00:58:16.000 Yeah, I would say so.
00:58:17.000 I don't really have a favorite, and I've thought about this question before, but there's ones that I haven't thought about for a long time.
00:58:22.000 And I was just reminded of a trip that Charlie and I did.
00:58:26.000 It was a multi week trip, actually, and it was right before COVID started.
00:58:31.000 So this whole trip was launching his book, MAGA Doctrine, which ended up on the New York Times bestseller.
00:58:36.000 So we just had it was like one interview after the next.
00:58:38.000 We were all over.
00:58:41.000 New York City.
00:58:42.000 We were all over DC.
00:58:43.000 We flew down to Florida.
00:58:45.000 And part of that trip, I'll never forget, was when we went to Mar a Lago.
00:58:49.000 And it was just before.
00:58:50.000 It was like dawn.
00:58:53.000 It was KG's birthday at Mar a Lago.
00:58:56.000 Don was there.
00:58:57.000 Some other of the Trump family was there.
00:58:58.000 And then, lo and behold, there was Tucker Carlson there.
00:59:02.000 And so I remember talking with Tucker right before, and he was trying to warn about COVID.
00:59:06.000 So that was a big, that was kind of this one weird moment right before the world shut down and traveling all across the country with him, going to restaurants, eating, hustling.
00:59:16.000 And it was something I just haven't thought about for a while.
00:59:19.000 And it was still early days.
00:59:21.000 And the fact that that book made the New York Times was a really big deal to Charlie and to me at the time.
00:59:25.000 Because I was kind of lining up his whole tour.
00:59:27.000 So that was one I hadn't thought about for a while, and lots of memories from that trip.
00:59:31.000 I was just recently, I don't remember who I was talking about this with.
00:59:35.000 It was probably Mikey.
00:59:36.000 We found a video of Charlie signing hats, and I don't know if everyone remembers in 2024, Charlie greatly over promised signed hats to thousands and thousands of people.
00:59:48.000 And so it was coming down to the wire.
00:59:50.000 We needed to get these hats done.
00:59:51.000 And we were all in D.C. in January for the inauguration.
00:59:56.000 And I mean, Mikey and I had like over 6,000 hats shipped from HQ to DC.
01:00:02.000 And it is like the dead of winter.
01:00:06.000 And we're just bringing all these hats to him and Erica.
01:00:08.000 It's so cold.
01:00:09.000 I mean, it was like, I, we always, Charlie would get frustrated with me sometimes because I would repeatedly have to like tell him what to do in a sense.
01:00:18.000 Like when he would be recording something, I'm like, no, you did that wrong.
01:00:21.000 Nope, you have to redo that one.
01:00:22.000 The hats.
01:00:22.000 And like, Charlie, you have to sign all of these hats.
01:00:25.000 And his hand was cramping.
01:00:26.000 I mean, it was.
01:00:28.000 Hours, hours.
01:00:29.000 He was like, Can I do this tomorrow?
01:00:30.000 I'm like, We have to get all these hats out today.
01:00:32.000 And it was, it just turned into a much bigger thing.
01:00:35.000 And that DC trip, that DC trip in general was so fun.
01:00:38.000 I mean, it felt like we ruled the school.
01:00:41.000 Like anywhere that Charlie went, it was, it was so, like, it was freezing.
01:00:46.000 He was the belle of the ball.
01:00:47.000 But it was, yeah, I just have the best memories from that time.
01:00:51.000 That was good.
01:00:52.000 Who's next? 0.98
01:00:54.000 We have Elizabeth next. 1.00
01:00:55.000 Elizabeth, unmute yourself. 1.00
01:00:57.000 Welcome to the show.
01:00:58.000 Hi, how are you today?
01:01:00.000 Doing well, Elizabeth.
01:01:01.000 How are you?
01:01:02.000 I'm well, thank you.
01:01:03.000 I guess I was a little bit irritated this week with what happened with the Ed Sheeran concert.
01:01:09.000 Oh, yes.
01:01:10.000 The entire pre show people leaving.
01:01:14.000 And I'm not saying anybody has to be pro Israel, but do they know that Hamas has child soldiers and they train them in training camps for terrorists starting from age 10 to 17?
01:01:26.000 And that's why people under 18 die in these conflicts at such high rates?
01:01:32.000 Yeah, so there's so much to this story.
01:01:35.000 We were just talking about it.
01:01:36.000 Yeah, so I guess I have met both Macklemore and Ed Sheeran.
01:01:42.000 It's a weird factoid.
01:01:44.000 One of my friends is really close with both of them.
01:01:46.000 But did they ever do your dishes?
01:01:48.000 No, no, that was not either of them.
01:01:51.000 Taylor Swift did his dishes well.
01:01:53.000 No, because I knew Ed, actually.
01:01:56.000 But, anyways, the point is Ed's a really nice guy.
01:01:59.000 And I went to school at the University of Washington when Macklemore was.
01:02:03.000 Coming up, and he was sort of still unknown.
01:02:06.000 So I met him in those days.
01:02:07.000 Anyways, the point is my whole take on this is if you're Robert Kraft and your goal is to get rid of anti Semitism, essentially, I would just say there was a tactical error, okay?
01:02:21.000 Because he doesn't, there's a disconnect between what the older generation thinks about Israel and what younger people think about Israel, first of all.
01:02:28.000 There's also a disconnect because he doesn't understand the way social media works.
01:02:32.000 So as soon as I saw this happening, I knew for a fact.
01:02:35.000 That Macklemore was going to come out on top on this, and that Robert Kraft and everybody, because immediately when we heard that Macklemore was kicked off the tour, there was all the usual suspects on social media going, Yay, we did it.
01:02:48.000 We got him kicked off.
01:02:49.000 And I was like, uh oh, uh oh.
01:02:51.000 Because you got to realize you're dealing with people that think Jews run the world, that there is this billionaire cabal and that they control everything.
01:02:58.000 And guess what, Robert Kraft did?
01:03:01.000 He did the meme.
01:03:03.000 He did the thing that they are claiming that they do, that they deny that they do, that they control everything and can change world events or whatever.
01:03:11.000 And he got him kicked off. 0.94
01:03:13.000 You are pro Israel. 1.00
01:03:14.000 If you're pro Jewish people, all of those things, that's perfectly fine. 1.00
01:03:19.000 There's a right way to go about it in a wrong way. 0.82
01:03:22.000 Playing into a stereotype that rich billionaire Jews like Kraft can control events and get people removed from tours is probably not the right strategy. 0.86
01:03:32.000 And I think I speak for everybody. 0.87
01:03:33.000 I don't know, maybe Daisy, you might have been different.
01:03:35.000 You might have heard about it.
01:03:36.000 I did not hear that he did this free Palestine rant. 0.99
01:03:40.000 Macklemore did it. 0.84
01:03:42.000 I didn't hear about it until after he was kicked off.
01:03:44.000 Until after he was kicked off.
01:03:45.000 So this is the key.
01:03:48.000 He was speaking into the ether, he was an opening act on a big North and South American tour.
01:03:54.000 Nobody that I didn't even hear about it.
01:03:57.000 The only reason I heard about it was because Robert Kraft stepped in and got in with all of his other stadium buddies and got it taken, it got him removed from the tour.
01:04:08.000 What Ed Sheeran has now been, and I actually feel the worst for Ed Sheeran.
01:04:12.000 It is a complete lose lose situation for Ed Sheeran.
01:04:15.000 His statement, I don't know if we've pulled it yet, but his statement basically said the same thing.
01:04:22.000 He was like, it was a notes app swipe through of just nothing.
01:04:27.000 Because he's trying to make all sides happy.
01:04:30.000 He's trying to make Israel happy, Palestine happy, and also the promoters and crew people on his tour.
01:04:36.000 Because it's like, those are people's jobs.
01:04:38.000 So we need to get it solved.
01:04:40.000 Exactly.
01:04:40.000 So, what probably happened here, Ed did not contract with Macklemore.
01:04:44.000 It was a promoter, right?
01:04:46.000 But what Ed Sheeran should have done, and again, I'm kind of getting away from your question here, but I do really feel bad for Ed Sheeran.
01:04:53.000 And I have reason to believe that Macklemore feels bad for Ed Sheeran too.
01:04:56.000 Because Ed's whole thing is like, listen, I love you.
01:04:59.000 I love my fans.
01:05:00.000 I'm not trying to get political.
01:05:01.000 People come here for escapism.
01:05:03.000 I have a tour to keep employed, all the people that work it, all the ticket sales, everything.
01:05:07.000 I mean, it's basically a billion dollar industry on the back of one guy, and he's trying to honor everybody the right way, okay?
01:05:14.000 What he should have done is instead of saying, I'm essentially sorry he's been kicked off, he should have said, listen, without taking a position on all this politics, what I will take a position on is that I can't let my artists be kicked off a tour.
01:05:29.000 Like, that's a bad precedent.
01:05:31.000 I'm going to stand with them.
01:05:32.000 We're going to reissue, do refunds for all the tickets, and we're going to start a new tour.
01:05:37.000 If you don't want to come, you don't have to come.
01:05:38.000 Yeah, but we're still going to.
01:05:39.000 But we're going to make sure everybody, we're going to try our best to make sure everybody can get a ticket.
01:05:42.000 Because what's happened here is you have one of the best artists or most well known artists, most popular artists in the world.
01:05:49.000 He's now getting canceled.
01:05:51.000 For example, if he was to go to an award show, let's call it the Grammys or something like this, he would be booed by the Hollywood elite.
01:06:00.000 So here's a guy that's doing it the right way, not making it political, and he's now.
01:06:04.000 The collateral damage here because all of the other acts decided to drop off as well.
01:06:10.000 He should have probably just said, Hey, listen, I'm not taking a position on this.
01:06:15.000 I'm not getting political, but I'm going to stand by my artists.
01:06:17.000 We're going to find new venues and we're sorry about the inconvenience.
01:06:20.000 That's what would have been the smart move for Ed, but I'm not really addressing her. 0.78
01:06:24.000 Yeah, I mean, the bigger thing on just Hamas, the thing that's sad is it's almost besides the point. 0.76
01:06:31.000 The whole Israel Palestine issue, I think one thing that stands out for it, it's so enduring.
01:06:36.000 And it just kind of becomes a symbol.
01:06:38.000 I always get a kick out of that chart that says, like, LGBT, trans, immigration, capitalism, Palestine is what unites them all.
01:06:49.000 It's entirely transcended any facts about that conflict, the history of it, what the claims are.
01:06:56.000 You just have to take the side to prove that you're a good person, and it, like, devours people's brains and drives them a little insane.
01:07:02.000 Which I think usually in Hollywood, it is pretty easy.
01:07:06.000 Like, you can pretty easily.
01:07:09.000 Like, give up your morals and just say whatever to make the right people happy, and you will be successful.
01:07:14.000 Like, the right side for them is usually pretty easy to distinguish.
01:07:18.000 In this situation with Ed Sheeran, it's like, I don't know what he could have done to have made people happy.
01:07:23.000 Like, it is such a polarizing topic, and like, that's why his statement was like, I stand with both sides.
01:07:30.000 I stand with Macklemore, and I stand with the people who can't say the tour.
01:07:33.000 I stand with the promoters, and I stand with the crew.
01:07:36.000 He can't say anything.
01:07:37.000 So, Macklemore here is the interesting angle because he started all of this.
01:07:43.000 He was invited on that tour by Ed Sheeran, who's a much bigger artist than he.
01:07:48.000 And his star was fading, let's be honest.
01:07:51.000 He had a really nice run there for a while, no disrespect, but he's a self promoter.
01:07:55.000 And when you give him this opportunity, you are playing right into his strategic hands.
01:08:00.000 He is very good at seizing a moment like this and making the most of it.
01:08:04.000 And that's what he did.
01:08:05.000 So Robert Kraft probably doesn't know this.
01:08:07.000 Like, I looked at it and I was just like, oh my gosh.
01:08:10.000 So, what is his Instagram follower?
01:08:12.000 His Instagram follower is probably.
01:08:14.000 Macklemore's has grown by what, 300,000, 400,000 now?
01:08:17.000 I am not sure, but I will say Ed Sheeran did.
01:08:19.000 I think he made it sound casual, but I think there was a point in there in his statement when he said, when Macklemore asked to join me on tour.
01:08:26.000 Yes.
01:08:27.000 Like, I think he was trying to say, I was not trying to make this a political thing.
01:08:32.000 He's really, I mean, it's crazy that someone like Ed Sheeran, who is, Ed Sheeran doesn't even have a cell phone.
01:08:38.000 Like, he is the most, no, he is the most off the grid person, like not political whatsoever.
01:08:44.000 And is somehow at the helm of this ginormous political divide.
01:08:49.000 We have a couple write ins I want to get.
01:08:52.000 First, I believe Don, who we spoke with a moment ago, you said he wrote in asking.
01:08:57.000 What did he say?
01:08:57.000 He said, What is the green and orange poster behind Charlie's chair?
01:09:01.000 Which I'm assuming he means the flag.
01:09:02.000 The green and yellow.
01:09:03.000 Yeah, green and yellow.
01:09:04.000 He's probably colorblind.
01:09:05.000 That is, yeah, like Andrew.
01:09:07.000 That is an Oregon Ducks flag.
01:09:08.000 Charlie is a huge Oregon Ducks fan.
01:09:10.000 I believe some members of his family went there.
01:09:12.000 Yes, and we are now all in support of the Oregon Ducks.
01:09:15.000 Yes, which is rough because they were in the title game last year.
01:09:19.000 But this year, were they the title game or were they the semifinals?
01:09:23.000 They lost to Indiana either way.
01:09:26.000 Yeah, last year.
01:09:26.000 I can't remember.
01:09:27.000 Yeah, whatever it was, they lost to Indiana.
01:09:29.000 Now they're back.
01:09:30.000 They had a rough game the other week, didn't they?
01:09:32.000 Yeah, they lost and they shouldn't have lost.
01:09:35.000 And I think they were ranked sixth or fourth in the country, and now they're not.
01:09:40.000 Very rough.
01:09:40.000 I was going to say, we all are.
01:09:42.000 Here's the deal.
01:09:43.000 So Charlie's parents went there, so he grew up a big Oregon Ducks fan.
01:09:46.000 And anytime the Ducks are playing, we had to hear about extravagance.
01:09:50.000 In this office, we stand the Ducks, we stand the Cubs.
01:09:53.000 That's what I was going to say.
01:09:54.000 We do stand by the Bears.
01:09:55.000 I will not back the Bears.
01:09:56.000 Danny is an Ohio fan, and I know that they play.
01:10:00.000 I sort of weirdly root for the Cubs, but I'm a Dodger fan.
01:10:04.000 All right, next question.
01:10:05.000 We got a very brief write in.
01:10:06.000 We'll have to hit this very quick.
01:10:07.000 But she asked, What should Canadians do?
01:10:09.000 What do we think about the trade war?
01:10:10.000 Oh, this question.
01:10:11.000 Because now we've gotten it a few times.
01:10:13.000 I think it's from a different person this time.
01:10:14.000 I think it's like a much bigger story in Canada than it is.
01:10:17.000 Well, that's the thing.
01:10:18.000 But it's totally taken over.
01:10:20.000 If you're in Canada, your politics are dictated far more by how you feel about Donald Trump, really, than how you feel about.
01:10:26.000 Anyone in Canada, it seems.
01:10:27.000 And now, like, we're beefing with the European Union.
01:10:30.000 So Canada is now talking about being an associate member of the European Union.
01:10:35.000 And it's, I feel for Canadian conservatives because it's very tough.
01:10:39.000 Because if your country's defining identities are we're more liberal than America and we're anti Donald Trump, it's difficult to break away from that.
01:10:50.000 And you might have to ride that out, I suppose.
01:10:53.000 Yeah, exactly.
01:10:55.000 You are defined by President Trump as much as the conservative movement in America is in some ways, maybe more.
01:11:01.000 But you're going to have to ride it out and just keep the faith.
01:11:04.000 America and Canada will get back in a groove.
01:11:06.000 It's just, this is a momentary bump in the road.
01:11:09.000 All right.
01:11:10.000 All right, guys, have a great weekend.
01:11:12.000 Take care of yourself.
01:11:12.000 Go touch grass.
01:11:14.000 Go be with your family.
01:11:15.000 And take some time.
01:11:16.000 Pray.
01:11:17.000 Read your Bible.
01:11:18.000 We'll see you guys on Monday.
01:11:23.000 For more on many of these stories and news you can trust, go to charliekirk.com.