The Charlie Kirk Show - The Iran Regime Change Bait-And-Switch

00:00:00.000 Hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here, live from the Bitcoin.com studio.

00:00:04.000 Is the U.S. going to strike Iran?

00:00:05.000 President Trump says he doesn't know yet.

00:00:08.000 We talk about how we on this program have pushed back successfully against the regime change chattering class. 0.99

00:00:15.000 That and more.

00:00:16.000 Email us, as always, freedom at charliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast.

00:00:20.000 That is the podcast application.

00:00:23.000 Become a member today, members.charliekirk.com.

00:00:25.000 That is members.charliekirk.com.

00:00:28.000 And get involved at Turning Point USA at tpusa.com.

00:00:31.000 That is tpusa.com.

00:00:33.000 Buckle up, everybody.

00:00:34.000 Here we go.

00:00:35.000 Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

00:00:37.000 Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

00:00:39.000 I want you to know we are lucky.

00:00:45.000 I want to thank Charlie.

00:00:47.000 He's an incredible guy.

00:00:48.000 His spirit, his love of this country, he's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point USA.

00:00:56.000 We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country.

00:01:05.000 That's why we are here.

00:01:08.000 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.

00:01:18.000 Learn how you can protect your wealth with Noble Gold Investments at noblegoldinvestments.com.

00:01:25.000 That is noblegoldinvestments.com.

00:01:27.000 It's where I buy all of my gold.

00:01:29.000 Go to noblegoldinvestments.com.

00:01:33.000 My goodness, there is a lot happening.

00:01:37.000 And it is continuing.

00:01:38.000 Email us as always, freedom at charliekirk.com.

00:01:41.000 I first want to say thank you for rewarding us as a program for being the go-to news destination in times like this.

00:01:48.000 Let's put the screenshot up on screen.

00:01:50.000 We right now are the number one conservative podcast on the Apple charts, and we are number three overall in the Apple news charts.

00:01:59.000 And out of all categories, we are the 12th biggest podcast behind Call Her Daddy.

00:02:06.000 Joe Rogan and Pod Save America.

00:02:09.000 We are right there up with the big boys.

00:02:12.000 And it seems as if when there is breaking news, this is how I know our program is really hitting the mark.

00:02:17.000 That is how I know what we are saying on this program matters, is that when the news gets more and more intense, when the news starts to get more and more confusing, our show does better.

00:02:29.000 That's a great sign.

00:02:31.000 If your program, your podcast, your stream does better, When things get crazier, that means that people come to you to try to make sense of the insane and to understand what is happening from a fair, measured, and patriotic America first approach.

00:02:49.000 So thank you for that.

00:02:50.000 You guys can subscribe to the Charlie Kirk Show podcast and you can listen to all of our conversations on demand 24-7.

00:02:56.000 If you are doing yard work, if you are going for a walk, if you are going for a drive, you can listen to our podcast and thank you for that.

00:03:03.000 Okay.

00:03:04.000 So we were told all along by U.S. lawmakers that we need to take out the Iranian nuclear program, and you can make a good argument for that. 1.00

00:03:12.000 You can make an argument that Israel has wanted to do that for quite some time.

00:03:15.000 It's becoming more and more clear to the surface that Israel will not be able to finish the fight unless American B-52 bunker-busting bombs will get involved.

00:03:25.000 Okay, you can hold that position, and you can hope for the best.

00:03:29.000 You can hope that there is a strike, and we get in and we get out, For 30,000, 40,000 pound bomb, 30,000 pound bomb, and it works perfectly, and hopefully no U.S. troops die in response.

00:03:43.000 I can understand that argument.

00:03:45.000 I really can.

00:03:46.000 President Trump has been consistent for over a decade, saying that Iran will not get a nuclear bomb.

00:03:52.000 Iran will not get a nuclear bomb.

00:03:54.000 President Trump has said that for 10 years.

00:03:56.000 However, if you watch carefully and closely They've shifted gears from Iran should not have a nuclear weapon to Iran should not have an Ayatollah.

00:04:14.000 And they've tried to ever so suddenly shift the Overton window as if we weren't paying attention.

00:04:20.000 So wait a second, hold on.

00:04:21.000 First it was that Israel is going to take out the nuclear weapon.

00:04:25.000 And then it was, well, America is going to help Israel take out the nuclear weapon. 0.74

00:04:30.000 Still the same theme, but a shift, but still the same theme.

00:04:34.000 One that is defensible, if done correctly and prudently.

00:04:38.000 I have some caution towards that intervention, but I can get it.

00:04:43.000 I can get behind that if President Trump executes in a way that only he can.

00:04:49.000 But hold on a second.

00:04:50.000 They're trying to pull a switcheroo.

00:04:52.000 Yesterday afternoon, The neocons that have been wrong about every major foreign policy decision of the last 20 years.

00:05:01.000 They were wrong about Afghanistan.

00:05:03.000 They were wrong about Iraq.

00:05:04.000 They were wrong about Libya.

00:05:06.000 They were wrong about Syria.

00:05:08.000 They were wrong about the Arab Spring.

00:05:10.000 The entire Middle East is filled. 1.00

00:05:12.000 It is at capacity with their failures.

00:05:17.000 You cannot point to a random Middle East country.

00:05:21.000 Without seeing somewhere that John Bolton, Lindsey Graham, and the entire gang of ferocious neoconservatives have messed up.

00:05:30.000 So, we've been told it's all about nuclear weapons, but it seems as if there's a more aggressive push to get rid of the Ayatollah. 0.77

00:05:42.000 Now, to be clear, of course we on this program want to see the people of Persia.

00:05:49.000 Resume self-determination.

00:05:51.000 The Persian people are wonderful.

00:05:53.000 They're the highest IQ people on the planet, are right near it.

00:05:56.000 They're incredibly industrious.

00:05:58.000 The Persians that I know across Chicago, where I grew up, or in Phoenix, are amazing.

00:06:04.000 In Scottsdale, they literally have a restaurant called The Persian Room.

00:06:09.000 I get it.

00:06:10.000 But this is a completely different thing.

00:06:12.000 If the people of Persia want to take back their government organically, authentically, From the ground up, we will be cheering them on.

00:06:20.000 Of course we will.

00:06:21.000 But Western forced central planning regime change is if we are just going to take out the Ayatollah. 0.91

00:06:28.000 Oh, really?

00:06:29.000 What comes next?

00:06:31.000 What comes after regime change?

00:06:34.000 Might be, oh, well, we need a small number of U.S. troops to support the new regime.

00:06:38.000 And then, well, the new regime needs our financial support, then okay, then we need a We have seen this play before.

00:06:46.000 Or, regime change, you have no idea how this is going to work out.

00:06:49.000 You have no idea.

00:06:50.000 The best case scenario is like probably 5,000 U.S. troops and $100 billion.

00:06:59.000 The probably most probable scenario is a bloody civil war that results in a couple hundred thousand people dead, all these different ethnic groups fighting.

00:07:08.000 Iran is a country of 92 million people.

00:07:11.000 Let me repeat.

00:07:12.000 Iran is a country of 92 million people.

00:07:17.000 It's two and a half times the size of Texas.

00:07:21.000 We've been reporting this on our program the last couple of days.

00:07:24.000 It is a beast of a country.

00:07:26.000 Not to mention it could trigger another refugee crisis coming to the West. 0.97

00:07:30.000 And so Lindsey Graham, listen very carefully.

00:07:33.000 We went from take out the nuclear program.

00:07:37.000 To regime change in just a couple of days.

00:07:42.000 This is why our program is succeeding right now.

00:07:44.000 Because we are taking a non-ideological, patriotic America-first approach right now, where other people are over the place.

00:07:51.000 No intervention under any circumstances.

00:07:53.000 Okay, I can hear that.

00:07:54.000 I can sympathize with that.

00:07:56.000 But 86% of Americans don't want Iran to have a nuclear bomb.

00:07:58.000 Or you have the people that redesigned the entire Middle East in their image. 0.84

00:08:01.000 Meanwhile, our country is collapsing.

00:08:03.000 Let's play first 342.

00:08:04.000 This is Lindsey Graham.

00:08:06.000 He lives for this, by the way.

00:08:07.000 Lindsey Graham's identity, his reason for being, his excitement, his thrill, is to try and execute regime change in Iran.

00:08:18.000 Play cut 342.

00:08:19.000 I hope it's eliminated.

00:08:21.000 I would like to see this regime fall, but I'm going to leave it up to the president as to what to do and when to do it.

00:08:27.000 But I do know this.

00:08:28.000 If we don't take out their nuclear program now, we'll all regret it.

00:08:32.000 We're very close.

00:08:33.000 Be all in, Mr. President, in helping Israel finish the job, and let's see where we're at after we neutralize their nuclear program. 0.98

00:08:41.000 Now he continues on Cut 343, which is the real incriminating one.

00:08:47.000 I would like to see this regime fall.

00:08:49.000 He says that, but he continues.

00:08:51.000 Play cut 343.

00:08:53.000 Here's what I can say.

00:08:54.000 Taking the Ayatollah's regime down is a good thing, not a bad thing. 0.99

00:08:59.000 And I'm willing to risk what happens next because I know what's going to happen if they stay in power.

00:09:05.000 They're going to keep trying to destroy Israel. 0.99

00:09:07.000 They're going to keep formating terrorism.

00:09:10.000 they're going to try to build a bomb and they will use it until they're gone.

00:09:13.000 Their goal is a religious goal to destroy the Jews, to destroy Sunni Islam, to destroy us. 1.00

00:09:22.000 These are fanatical religious Nazis. 0.53

00:09:25.000 I'm willing to risk them leaving.

00:09:27.000 I think it will only get better That is such an immature, shallow, sloppy, irresponsible, insane, frenetic approach from a U.S. lawmaker.

00:09:41.000 Oh, I know what happens when they remain.

00:09:44.000 Actually, you don't know that, Lindsey Graham.

00:09:45.000 The first rule of foreign policy is you must enter things with humility.

00:09:49.000 That is the first rule.

00:09:51.000 You don't know how things are going to work out, actually.

00:09:52.000 You could predict them.

00:09:53.000 You could have probability.

00:09:55.000 You could look to history.

00:09:56.000 But you don't know with certainty.

00:09:58.000 and that kind of arrogance and that kind of pride is exactly why we got into the quagmire of Iraq and Afghanistan and why Libya is still in a civil war and why 600 No, you don't know, actually.

00:10:23.000 In fact, it could be a catastrophe.

00:10:25.000 And I'm going to build out more why we must together resist regime change.

00:10:30.000 It's not about taking out the nuclear program.

00:10:31.000 That's a separate topic.

00:10:33.000 You could support that.

00:10:34.000 That is defensible.

00:10:35.000 It is indefensible after everything we've seen the last 25 years to start beating the drums for regime change at yet another Middle Eastern country.

00:10:44.000 This one being the biggest of all we have dared to get involved in.

00:10:50.000 Making America great again starts with making America healthy again.

00:10:53.000 Charlie Kirk here.

00:10:54.000 I lost 40 pounds with the PhD weight loss and nutrition program.

00:10:58.000 And two years later, I haven't gained a pound back.

00:11:01.000 I started the PhD weight loss program because I need to be healthy to keep up with my crazy schedule.

00:11:06.000 Most people start a weight loss program to get healthier.

00:11:09.000 So why is Big Pharma spending millions to convince you to use their weight loss injections that do just the opposite?

00:11:16.000 They have harmful side effects and lifelong dependency.

00:11:19.000 Take a natural approach that isn't connected to a big pharma bottom line.

00:11:24.000 PHD changes the way you think about food.

00:11:26.000 They custom design a plan that is simple and works with your schedule.

00:11:30.000 You'll learn to quiet cravings and finally release the unhealthy belly fat.

00:11:35.000 You won't be hungry and you'll never take medication.

00:11:37.000 Call 864-644-1900 to schedule your one-on-one consultation or visit myphdweightloss.com.

00:11:45.000 That is myphdweightloss.com.

00:11:48.000 864-644-1900.

00:11:52.000 Oh, now to my favorite U.S. Senator.

00:11:55.000 James Lankford almost threw the 2024 election.

00:11:58.000 By the way, in other news, if we were not on the verge of a potential regime change war with Iran, we'd be covering the phenomenal news.

00:12:06.000 Do you know that back in May of last year, over 64,000 people crossed the southern border into the interior of the United States?

00:12:13.000 Do you know how many people crossed the southern border in May coming into America?

00:12:18.000 Zero.

00:12:20.000 None.

00:12:21.000 Zero.

00:12:22.000 That should be the number one news story in the country.

00:12:25.000 And thank you, President Trump.

00:12:27.000 Thank you, President Trump, for getting that done.

00:12:30.000 And congratulations.

00:12:31.000 But James Lankford, remember, he was doing a deal with Joe Biden.

00:12:35.000 James Lankford was the Republican Senate appointed liaison to work with Joe Biden.

00:12:45.000 Now, I don't want to spend too much time for James Lankford.

00:12:47.000 He's not up for an election for a while, but it is instructive just because of how wrong he was on the border.

00:12:53.000 But here's James Lankford who wanted to do a deal with Joe Biden on the border, and praise God we killed that bill.

00:12:58.000 Because now look at the border.

00:13:00.000 Zero people and we have mass deportations.

00:13:02.000 That was one of the greatest legislative derailments in modern history.

00:13:06.000 It was one of the greatest mobilizations of you in this audience that got on their phones, got emailing, got in the grassroots, and boom, killed it.

00:13:14.000 But now James Lankford is back.

00:13:16.000 Look at that, 62,000 to zero.

00:13:18.000 James Lankford said, oh, no, no, no, we need to bring it to 5,000 a day.

00:13:22.000 Remember that?

00:13:23.000 James Lankford wanted to be 5,000 people a day.

00:13:26.000 So if James Lankford would have had his way, it would have been 150,000 people a month.

00:13:30.000 And now it's zero.

00:13:31.000 So James Lankford, after he tried to throw the 2024 election and derail President Trump's border agenda, he is back.

00:13:41.000 Not calling for the welfare of the people of Oklahoma, saying that Oklahoma has a fentanyl problem or that we need to improve schools or that we need to try to have lower taxes or less regulation.

00:13:52.000 No, no, no.

00:13:53.000 James Lankford from Oklahoma, he's talking indistinguishably from a member of the Israeli Knesset.

00:14:03.000 And I'm not, look, I'm just saying right now, by the way, If you're from Israel, you might want regime change. 0.99

00:14:08.000 That's a completely different calculus.

00:14:09.000 I get it, actually.

00:14:11.000 But we have American priorities and American money and American funding, and when you are an American U.S. senator, your calculus should be completely different.

00:14:18.000 What is good for America?

00:14:20.000 What has America done the last 25 years?

00:14:23.000 You have to look at it from the prism of your country and your country first.

00:14:27.000 James Lankford, he says it even more explicitly.

00:14:31.000 Playcut 331.

00:14:33.000 Do you think the United States should assassinate the supreme leader if they can?

00:14:38.000 The assassination of any individual, any foreign dignitary or leader on this.

00:14:41.000 But we most certainly need to have regime change in Iran.

00:14:45.000 This is the same regime that's threatened America and Americans.

00:14:48.000 This is the same regime that oppresses their own people, that they use the money that they get from oil, money to be able to put towards terrorism, to be able to kill us and our allies.

00:14:57.000 They chant death to America in the streets.

00:14:59.000 We definitely need a new regime there. 0.66

00:15:01.000 I mean, it's really hard for me to put into words how insane this person is, how reckless and irresponsible it is.

00:15:09.000 It's hard to even grasp how a U.S. senator says, oh yeah, we need to assassinate the leader.

00:15:15.000 Oh really, James Lankford, I would like you to go on a CODEL and tell me how Libya is going.

00:15:20.000 How's Libya?

00:15:21.000 How are the seas of Tripoli?

00:15:24.000 Tell me.

00:15:25.000 Is Libya just chummy and wonderful?

00:15:29.000 How's Benghazi Libya doing today?

00:15:32.000 Would you like to go on a vacation there?

00:15:35.000 Or how about Afghanistan?

00:15:37.000 We did regime change in Afghanistan only to have the Taliban take over again.

00:15:41.000 How did regime change in Iraq go?

00:15:43.000 We got ISIS. 0.75

00:15:45.000 And he's like, oh yeah, we just have to get rid of them because they repress their own people. 1.00

00:15:48.000 Yeah, okay, smart aleck.

00:15:50.000 I could pick 50 other countries that repress their own people. 1.00

00:15:52.000 That is not criteria for American Western involvement to get rid of.

00:15:57.000 Who's in charge of the country?

00:16:00.000 Oh yeah, I mean, they're really oppressive.

00:16:02.000 Yeah, okay.

00:16:03.000 No one here on this program likes Vladimir Putin.

00:16:05.000 We also think that you must be delusional and insane and unspeakably reckless to say we should get rid of Vladimir Putin.

00:16:13.000 The guy that controls the most time zones and the biggest nuclear arsenal on the planet probably has that country under control and we shouldn't just take him out for no good reason.

00:16:24.000 Oh yeah, just take him out because he's bad.

00:16:26.000 While we're at it, let's just assassinate Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin and the Ayatollah. 0.86

00:16:33.000 Oh, you know, well, they've chanted death to America.

00:16:37.000 Right, we got that part.

00:16:40.000 Again, regime change is an outgrowth of a prideful, cloistered, sheltered view, acting as if you know certainly what is going to come next.

00:16:53.000 Again, it's a country of 92 million people.

00:16:56.000 A fact that I hope is repeated a lot.

00:16:58.000 92 million people.

00:17:00.000 What's going to happen when the country's in turmoil?

00:17:03.000 What's going to happen to the 2,000 ballistic missiles?

00:17:06.000 That'll be fun.

00:17:07.000 Will all of them be launched at U.S. troops?

00:17:10.000 How many U.S. troops are you comfortable dying, James Lankford?

00:17:13.000 We have 40,000 troops within missile range of Iran.

00:17:17.000 All of a sudden, the Ayatollah goes out and some religious fanatic just starts launching ballistic missiles at U.S. troops.

00:17:26.000 Ask 10 people to define the word capitalism.

00:17:28.000 How many different responses do you think you'll get?

00:17:30.000 This is a word that comes up all the time, but does anyone know what it really means?

00:17:35.000 Do you?

00:17:36.000 Hillsdale College offers more than 40 free online courses.

00:17:39.000 That's right, free online courses.

00:17:41.000 On subjects like the Book of Genesis, the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the history of the ancient Christian church, it's hard for me to even say which is my personal favorite.

00:17:49.000 You guys have got to take these online courses.

00:17:52.000 They've recently launched a new course, Understanding Capitalism, that I've been watching.

00:17:56.000 In seven lectures, you'll learn about the role of profit and loss, how human nature plays a part in our economic system, Why capitalism depends on private property rights, the rule of law, and above all, freedom.

00:18:08.000 And why capitalism is ultimately a system that encourages morality rather than undermines it.

00:18:12.000 Right now, go to charlieforhillsdale.com to enroll.

00:18:15.000 There's no cost and it's easy to get started.

00:18:18.000 That's charlieforhillsdale.com, the register.

00:18:20.000 C-H-A-R-L-I-E forhillsdale.com.

00:18:25.000 Joining us now is SuperSmartGuy, one of my favorite guests to help analyze all of this.

00:18:30.000 Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow and host of the Alex Marlow Show.

00:18:36.000 Alex, great to see you, my friend.

00:18:37.000 Alex, it's one thing to say that you want limited, precise, and direct strikes against the Iranian nuclear program.

00:18:44.000 It is an entirely different category leap to all of a sudden say that you want America to get involved in the assassination of the Ayatollah and the forcible takedown of regime.

00:18:58.000 Alex Marlow.

00:18:59.000 Charlie, it's so exasperating for anyone who doesn't want President Trump to be entirely isolationist, just for the sake of variety, which is where I find myself.

00:19:09.000 I don't think we should be telling the entire world we're not going to do anything, that we're going to be entirely predictable, that we're just going to stay out of everything internationally.

00:19:18.000 I don't think that puts America in the strongest position.

00:19:20.000 And then to watch some of these guys, Senator Lankford, Senator Graham, start talking about regime change.

00:19:26.000 We're not talking about regime change.

00:19:28.000 We are talking about a decade and a half of Donald Trump keeping his promises.

00:19:31.000 He tweeted in 2011, Charlie, Iran's quest for nuclear weapons is a major threat to our nation's national security.

00:19:44.000 I know you've been having that debate.

00:19:45.000 You've been doing an amazing job navigating that.

00:19:47.000 That's what we're talking about.

00:19:49.000 We're talking about nuclear Iran. 0.65

00:19:49.000 We're not talking about deposing anyone. 0.65

00:19:51.000 We're talking about regime change.

00:19:52.000 Who are these guys?

00:19:53.000 These guys want a regime change everywhere on Earth just for the sake of doing it.

00:19:57.000 It is mind-boggling.

00:20:00.000 Yeah, and just so, I want to make sure everyone understands just a quick Middle East history over the last 20 years.

00:20:08.000 I mean, just so that we're keeping score, the pushback that we put on social media, and Alex, I was very aggressive against regime change yesterday.

00:20:16.000 By the way, if you want to take off the Iranian nuclear program with American missiles and American fighter jets, I can hear that argument, actually. 0.65

00:20:22.000 Of course.

00:20:23.000 I'm not going to be overly ideological.

00:20:24.000 I have some caution.

00:20:26.000 Towards that, I think that we need to be prudent and prayerful and humble.

00:20:30.000 But using the B-2 bomber or bunker busters towards that, under President Trump's discretion and leadership, yeah, fine. 0.91

00:20:38.000 But now all of a sudden we are at a completely different level.

00:20:42.000 We were told that it's all about nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons, and Nikki Haley this morning tweeted this.

00:20:49.000 This is very important.

00:20:50.000 Nikki Haley came out. 0.99

00:20:52.000 This is how you know that we are starting to push back successfully.

00:20:56.000 Nikki Haley says, where is the Nikki Haley one?

00:21:00.000 We have it somewhere.

00:21:01.000 She says that we should not get involved in regime change in Iran, but instead take out the Iranian nuclear program.

00:21:08.000 I agree with Nikki Haley.

00:21:10.000 Now, I think Nikki Haley is saying that because the online momentum changed.

00:21:16.000 Did you see that, Alex?

00:21:16.000 It changed yesterday.

00:21:18.000 It changed largely because regime change got introduced into the conversation.

00:21:22.000 Alex Marlow.

00:21:23.000 Yeah, this is the whole point, Troy, that you've been trying to navigate this from a really intelligent and important perspective.

00:21:29.000 There are a couple of things that are no-fly zones, figuratively speaking, on either side.

00:21:33.000 One thing that is not good is that Donald Trump has given his word that the Iranians cannot continue to try to enrich beyond the civilian level, and they continue to do so by every reportable measure. 0.97

00:21:44.000 That is not good.

00:21:45.000 That puts the president in a tough spot.

00:21:47.000 He has also said that they cannot continue to fund these terror proxies.

00:21:50.000 They continue to do that.

00:21:51.000 So President Trump's word makes a difference around the world, and President Trump knows this.

00:21:55.000 That's why he wants to do something.

00:21:58.000 Maybe it's defensive.

00:21:58.000 Maybe it's just intimidation.

00:22:00.000 Maybe it's brokering in peace.

00:22:01.000 But he doesn't want to sit on his hands and do nothing.

00:22:03.000 We know that because he left the G7.

00:22:04.000 Not to mention, good for him for getting out of Canada earlier.

00:22:07.000 That was a good call.

00:22:08.000 But on the extreme perspective, on the other side, they're seeing, in the Republican establishment, the exact people that the MAGA movement displaced, the types of people that I worked hard against over 10 years ago with Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller and all these people, Andrew Breitbart,

00:22:23.000 at the ground floor of this overthrow of the Republican establishment, talking about the exact type of stuff that we oppose, which was regime change in the Middle East, having no idea what was going to happen next, other than that Americans were going to spend a lot of blood and treasure, and America's defense sector was going to be rich.

00:22:39.000 We're not talking about that anymore.

00:22:40.000 That's a total on-starter.

00:22:42.000 And I think it cheapens the good work that President Trump is trying to do in the region.

00:22:46.000 Yes, and so the base is now declaratively saying no regime change, no regime change.

00:22:53.000 Now, this is what Nikki Haley said, quote, the U.S. should not engage in regime change in Iran.

00:22:58.000 Our focus should only be on our national security.

00:23:01.000 The Iranian regime has threatened the U.S. with nuclear production for years.

00:23:05.000 We should support Israel in eliminating not not taunts and fordose sites to prevent the threat of atomic bomb against the U.S. The Iranian people should decide who they want.

00:23:14.000 I agree with actually 90% of that.

00:23:18.000 I think, again, it's not her call of whether or not we should eliminate the nuclear program in those two cities.

00:23:24.000 That's for President Trump to make.

00:23:26.000 I think that we need to also differentiate for everyone keeping score online where they say, oh my goodness, Donald Trump started a new war.

00:23:34.000 It is very conceivable that if he bombs those two cities, that is not a new war.

00:23:38.000 Now, Iran could retaliate and then what happens after that, but I trust President Trump 100% in this moment.

00:23:43.000 He's a man made for this moment.

00:23:45.000 Understand, he's been through all of this.

00:23:47.000 He took out Soleimani.

00:23:48.000 He took out ISIS.

00:23:49.000 He is able to navigate this.

00:23:51.000 Alex Marlowe.

00:23:52.000 Yeah, yeah, you're right on this.

00:23:54.000 And Trump is the man for the moment.

00:23:55.000 Thank God, literally thank God that he's the one in charge because he's the only one who's going to be able to, I think, balance all the various factions here.

00:24:02.000 And it's an incredibly nuanced debate.

00:24:03.000 And I don't think anyone on either side should be talking to us in childish ways because this is not an easy one.

00:24:10.000 This is one where there are many different gradations of what the appropriate response could be.

00:24:14.000 And I'm up for hearing that debate out, which some people are trying to have.

00:24:19.000 Iran has believed in death to America. 0.94

00:24:26.000 I think the people of Iran deserve better than the current regime.

00:24:32.000 That said, when America has tried to do regime change in recent years in the Middle East, all it has done is enriched America's defense sector and destabilized the region and not done anything to help.

00:24:41.000 That is a huge – So now we're talking about regime chains off the table.

00:24:50.000 So what are the nuances of what we can do in between?

00:24:54.000 Of course, standing up to Iran if they're taking proactive attacks on America or allies in the region is something where we're going to provide defense capabilities.

00:25:02.000 No-brainer.

00:25:02.000 Do we want to leave on the table?

00:25:04.000 Perhaps we could do something to take out, for example, that Fordow nuclear facility, which should not be operational.

00:25:10.000 Everyone agrees it should not be operational.

00:25:12.000 And it is only operational because we have not chosen to destroy it.

00:25:15.000 I want to hear that debate And I don't know.

00:25:18.000 I'm not saying we need to do anything right now, Charlie, but what I am saying is let's not take that off the table.

00:25:22.000 Let's not broadcast to the bad guys that we're willing to let them get away with anything.

00:25:26.000 But overall, I feel like people are starting to find an equilibrium.

00:25:29.000 The J.D. Vance tweet yesterday was perfect.

00:25:31.000 That was almost my exact position on the issue.

00:25:33.000 I'm sure you've covered it on the show to this point.

00:25:35.000 But it feels like sanity is winning out at this time.

00:25:38.000 But we have to be very vigilant on this because there's a lot of deeply interested parties on all sides here who are trying to prove some sort of a longstanding beef and trying to settle it their way.

00:25:52.000 This is a very nuanced moment.

00:25:53.000 What do you make of the politics of this?

00:25:56.000 There certainly is a lot of chatter online.

00:25:58.000 It's superficially dividing some people into their corners.

00:26:01.000 But I think if President Trump navigates this with prudence, I don't think this is a permanent fracture.

00:26:07.000 I think all of this can be remedied and healed, especially if we don't have U.S. troops on the ground and we don't get into a prolonged conflict.

00:26:15.000 I think it's very conceivable that by July 4th, people are saying, what, Iran?

00:26:19.000 Like, what were we involved in?

00:26:20.000 At least that's what the goal should be, in my estimation.

00:26:23.000 At the risk of making your show boring, because Agreement Radio isn't always the best, I completely agree.

00:26:28.000 I don't want any boots on the ground.

00:26:30.000 That's a no-go.

00:26:31.000 I don't want regime change.

00:26:32.000 That's a no-go.

00:26:32.000 But other than that, it does feel like we're starting as a movement.

00:26:36.000 For the most part, to understand that so long as American boots aren't on the ground, then this is one where even if you don't get exactly what you want, you, the person in the MAGA base, that we can have faith in President Trump, that he can not only act judiciously and act with prudence here, but then also reassemble his coalition by the time we ever go to vote again.

00:26:58.000 So I'll tell you one other thing that's interesting here, Charlie, is that we're debating the big, beautiful bill here.

00:27:03.000 And as some of these guys, you know, Rand Paul, um, I'm hoping the bill gets through.

00:27:13.000 Tweaks, sure, but I like the bill.

00:27:15.000 He was saying that Lindsey Graham is using it as a vehicle to secretly explode the military budget.

00:27:19.000 That's why these statements by Graham are so destructive.

00:27:22.000 It could divide the coalition, potentially, if those guys get too big of a voice within this debate.

00:27:27.000 But Trump is going to settle this, and I think we're going to end up in a good spot, and I do not believe that the movement is going to get too fractured.

00:27:33.000 I think people are highly emotional online in some cases, trying to get their point across.

00:27:38.000 But I'm optimistic even those people will eventually come back to the rest.

00:27:42.000 Yeah, and I hope that's right.

00:27:45.000 And so, I mean, look, it's very conceivable thanks to President Trump.

00:27:48.000 President Trump is a unique, unique political force where he's capable of just dropping a bomb and saying, OK, we're done.

00:27:54.000 He did it with Soleimani.

00:27:56.000 And remember the restraint.

00:27:58.000 Remember, back in 2019, this is very important.

00:28:02.000 Iran shot down a drone.

00:28:06.000 And Lindsey Graham and warmongers around President Trump wanted him to kill 140 Iranians in response to shooting down a drone.

00:28:15.000 And President Trump famously was like, no, that's not fair.

00:28:19.000 That's not equal.

00:28:20.000 And he was done.

00:28:21.000 And he was like, no, not doing that.

00:28:24.000 We're moving on.

00:28:24.000 It was not proportional.

00:28:26.000 Remember the Syria strikes?

00:28:27.000 People wanted him to do way more.

00:28:29.000 They wanted him to do full regime change of Bashar al-Assad.

00:28:32.000 But he did limited ministerial strikes and no more.

00:28:35.000 And he did that twice.

00:28:36.000 Same with the Houthis. 0.86

00:28:38.000 He does have a pattern of using violent proportional force and then getting out, disconnecting, de-escalating.

00:28:47.000 Soleimani, Moab.

00:28:49.000 So I do think that people need to look at this in historical Trump terms.

00:28:55.000 And not everything is a land invasion of Iraq.

00:28:58.000 We should be very worried about that.

00:29:00.000 But ISIS was quick as well when you allowed the military to do their job. 0.55

00:29:06.000 Get out of student loan debt today at YReFi.com.

00:29:10.000 Private student loan debt in America totals about $300 billion.

00:29:13.000 About $45 billion of that is labeled as distressed.

00:29:16.000 YReFi offers a three-minute rate check without any credit impact.

00:29:19.000 Do you have a co-borrower?

00:29:21.000 Well, YReFi can get them released from the loan, and you can give mom or dad a break.

00:29:24.000 You can even skip a payment for six every six months at the 12 times without penalty.

00:29:28.000 Call 888-YREFI-34 or log on to YReFi.com.

00:29:32.000 That is Y-R-E-F-Y.com.

00:29:34.000 May not be available in all 50 states.

00:29:36.000 Many clients aren't even able to make the minimum monthly payment on their private student loans when they first contact Y-Refi.

00:29:42.000 May not be available in all 50 states.

00:29:43.000 Go to Y-Refi.com.

00:29:45.000 That is Y-R-E-F-Y.com.

00:29:47.000 That is Y-Refi.com.

00:29:49.000 So check it out right now.

00:29:50.000 Again, Y-Refi is a wonderful Arizona-based company.

00:29:55.000 They're patriotic.

00:29:56.000 They're tough.

00:29:57.000 And they will fight for you in your private student loan debt situation.

00:30:00.000 So think about who in your life has private student loans and refer them right now to YREFI.com, Y-R-E-F-Y.com.

00:30:10.000 And so, Alex, I agree on the Israel-Iran news that President Trump can navigate this correctly.

00:30:17.000 The neocons like Lindsey Graham and James Lankford must be dismissed.

00:30:22.000 Let's just talk about American politics right now.

00:30:24.000 Domestic, because I actually prefer to talk about the domestic over the foreign and the immediate over the distant.

00:30:31.000 Charlie, I don't want to cut you, but this is what Steve and Tucker were talking about, about how some of the Israel stuff, it does make you think that someone's trying to distract us from domestic stuff, like that Trump's doing all the ice raids and all the stuff we're talking about.

00:30:45.000 You've got to wonder.

00:30:46.000 I mean, we have big, beautiful bill.

00:30:48.000 Alex, the one thing I do want to comment on and just brag on this administration, because Breitbart has done the best coverage, period.

00:30:55.000 And Malusian with Fox News has also done great coverage.

00:30:58.000 I've got to give Breitbart really phenomenal cred here on the border.

00:31:03.000 For years, you guys have been covering the border.

00:31:06.000 Show that graphic up again, guys.

00:31:08.000 We went from 62,000 people crossing the southern border to zero in the month of May.

00:31:13.000 Alex, that is a...

00:31:17.000 Your thoughts?

00:31:18.000 Yeah, I said this at 100 days.

00:31:20.000 If Trump did nothing else other than play golf after the border numbers, he's still an A-plus president based off of this stat.

00:31:26.000 And you were kind enough to have me on last week, and we talked about Los Angeles and how important the ICE raids are and how it's just such a culture shock in L.A. that is so overdue that we're doing these things because we had just normalized.

00:31:39.000 He's brought something.

00:31:40.000 He's questioning things that we've just accepted in this country that are utterly insane.

00:31:44.000 Why we should have the dumbest border policy on planet Earth, which we had until about five months ago.

00:31:50.000 And he just said, well, we're just not going to do that anymore.

00:31:52.000 And no one was bold enough to do it.

00:31:54.000 I mean, people are shocked.

00:31:55.000 They have no idea what's going on.

00:31:57.000 But what he's done, and a lot of it, is with these high-profile raids, going after all sorts of different types of people in different ways.

00:32:05.000 The shock and awe approach.

00:32:07.000 It is sent a signal to the rest of the world, to the cartels, to the people in the Northern Triangle countries, to anyone who might facilitate illegal aliens to cross into this country that America is closed.

00:32:16.000 We are no longer doing it.

00:32:17.000 That's why I love all of Kristi Noem with her great hairstyle. 0.98

00:32:21.000 I like Tom Homan with his out-of-central casting attitude towards the border.

00:32:25.000 Stephen Miller, every Stephen Miller meme is productive.

00:32:28.000 All of that sends a signal to people that America is not tolerating this.

00:32:32.000 We've got to get my favorite Stephen.

00:32:33.000 Where's the Stephen Miller Home Depot meme?

00:32:35.000 Do we have that one?

00:32:36.000 It's one of my favorites, where Stephen Miller says, Hola, amigos!

00:32:40.000 And he's wearing the orange Home Depot overdressing.

00:32:49.000 Charlie, there's so much truth to it.

00:32:52.000 Yeah, Stephen and I grew up in the same area at the same time.

00:32:58.000 You're just not.

00:32:59.000 He's been called everything already, and we have seen the absolute rot that illegal immigration does to a society firsthand in L.A. and California.

00:33:07.000 And we're not afraid to talk about it.

00:33:08.000 We know all the issues backwards and front, him in particular.

00:33:11.000 And so he doesn't care.

00:33:12.000 We're doing the deportations.

00:33:14.000 It's what we're doing.

00:33:14.000 We're going to get as many as we possibly can in, and we're going to broadcast that to the entire world and all the outrage from the left.

00:33:19.000 That helps us because it reminds people of how intense the Trump border policy is.

00:33:24.000 It's an AA++ issue, and you're right.

00:33:27.000 He needs all the shout-outs in the world for it.

00:33:30.000 Yes, and so we were told, though, by James Lankford that we needed a bipartisan bill, a bipartisan bill to get this done.

00:33:39.000 It turns out all we needed was a new president, and to have zero, Alex, I mean, that is an extraordinary thing.

00:33:45.000 Crazy, crazy cool.

00:33:48.000 It's just amazing.

00:33:50.000 It's because they're not trying anymore, and that's the issue.

00:33:53.000 And that's the main thing that we realize is that if we just discourage people, if we end the industry, if we're saying that you will not make money as a human smuggler, as a cartel member, for trying to get people in here because they're just going to get turned away, that's why Remain in Mexico is so popular.

00:34:06.000 That's why cracking down on visa overstays is so important.

00:34:09.000 And sure, the wall, I want the wall.

00:34:11.000 I want the big, beautiful wall, big, beautiful door.

00:34:13.000 I want more on that.

00:34:14.000 But it's really sending the signal that you are not going to get in, and if you do get in, you're not going to be able to work.

00:34:19.000 And once that signal is sent, the entire industry collapses.

00:34:22.000 They learn to do something else.

00:34:24.000 The cartels will lean into other things.

00:34:25.000 Not good things, of course, but they're not going to help the smugglers the way they have.

00:34:29.000 They're not going to run the smugglers the way they have for my career until the last five months.

00:34:36.000 Alex, great work.

00:34:37.000 Check out Breitbart News, Breitbart.com, Alex Marlowe Show.

00:34:40.000 Alex, thank you so much.

00:34:41.000 Thanks as always, Charlie.

00:34:42.000 And also a million self-deportations.

00:34:44.000 If that ratio holds with Eisenhower head, we're going to have a lot of deportations.

00:34:48.000 Thanks so much for listening, everybody.

00:34:49.000 Email us, as always, freedom at charliekirk.com.

The Charlie Kirk Show - June 18, 2025

The Iran Regime Change Bait-And-Switch

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript