The Megyn Kelly Show - John Rich on Trump and Biden, The Leftward Drift of Red Cities, and His Relationship With God ｜ Ep. 78

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00:00:31.000 Welcome to The Megyn Kelly Show.

00:00:33.160 Your home for open, honest, and provocative conversations.

00:00:42.400 Hey everyone, I'm Megyn Kelly. Welcome to The Megyn Kelly Show.

00:00:45.760 Today, John Rich, the one and only superstar.

00:00:51.280 Son of a preacher man.

00:00:52.460 He's got a dozen number one songs.

00:00:55.360 He's written over 1,300 others, including for very famous people.

00:01:00.000 songs you would know.

00:01:01.060 He's raised millions of dollars for charities.

00:01:03.940 He's on Fox News a lot.

00:01:05.320 He's actually got a show now on Fox Nation, which we'll talk to him about.

00:01:08.500 But this is a guy who has made Redneck Riviera his entire brand.

00:01:13.240 He's got the whiskey and the cowboy boots and the apparel.

00:01:15.500 He's got it all.

00:01:16.120 In fact, he gave me a guitar years ago, and it was amazing because he heard me say it on

00:01:21.200 the air that I was taking guitar lessons.

00:01:22.460 This is back when I was anchoring with Bill Hemmer.

00:01:24.580 And what shows up?

00:01:26.240 A beautiful, beautiful Gibson guitar with my name in Mother of Pearl on the neck of the

00:01:34.300 guitar, which I was like, oh my God, this is the nicest thing I own.

00:01:37.500 And then, by the way, you should never take a guitar like that out in front of other people

00:01:40.700 because their expectations go way up, way up, too high, too high to justify.

00:01:46.700 And when the saints go, I'm a work in progress still.

00:01:55.640 And by the way, then there was a follow up to that story where we were doing a story about

00:01:59.060 what was the one thing you would grab out of your house if your house were on fire?

00:02:02.340 And this is back, you know, I wasn't even married at the time.

00:02:05.460 And I said, I think I would grab my John Rich guitar.

00:02:07.860 And John emailed me and said, darling, if your house is on fire, you just get yourself

00:02:13.140 out and go.

00:02:13.960 He said, I'll send you another guitar.

00:02:16.020 Anyway, he's a great guy.

00:02:17.460 And he's a thoughtful, he's a thinker.

00:02:20.780 You know, there's a reason he's written all these number one songs.

00:02:23.360 The way he sees the world, the way he can take feelings and put them into words and make

00:02:28.060 you feel something is valuable.

00:02:30.480 It's a commodity and it's a delight to spend time with.

00:02:33.940 So he's coming on in one second.

00:02:37.180 But first, stay tuned for this.

00:02:46.300 John Rich, how are you?

00:02:48.880 Hello, Megan.

00:02:49.700 I'm good.

00:02:50.340 Good to hear your voice.

00:02:51.780 Oh, my gosh.

00:02:52.520 Likewise.

00:02:53.380 How's life?

00:02:54.320 How's how's Mount Richmore?

00:02:56.920 It has survived the onslaught of 2020.

00:02:59.960 It is still standing mighty and high up on the hill.

00:03:03.520 Thank goodness.

00:03:04.460 So tell the people what we're talking about.

00:03:06.680 Well, we're talking about my house in Nashville.

00:03:09.120 I could, you know, I could not turn down the play of on words to call it Mount Richmore.

00:03:15.580 Because obviously my love of Mount Rushmore.

00:03:17.720 But my last name being Rich, I thought, you know what?

00:03:20.080 I am up on this hill looking at town.

00:03:21.760 I'm just going to call it Mount Richmore.

00:03:23.240 And there's kind of a theme in my life like that.

00:03:26.260 My first son's name is Cash after my favorite singer, songwriter, Johnny Cash.

00:03:31.040 So his name is, guess what?

00:03:32.460 Cash Rich.

00:03:33.700 I have a few of those in my life.

00:03:35.680 I love it.

00:03:36.600 Did I tell you that Brad Thor, you know, I love him.

00:03:39.840 He's down by you now.

00:03:40.820 He moved down there.

00:03:41.860 It's like a thing to name your house in Nashville.

00:03:43.940 And he got a nice place.

00:03:45.380 And they call theirs the Thor Seasons.

00:03:52.040 Well, he is a writer.

00:03:53.580 You know, he's got some good word ideas.

00:03:55.260 I love Brad.

00:03:56.540 There's a lot of people moving to Nashville from all over the U.S. right now.

00:04:00.220 It's pretty incredible.

00:04:00.960 OK, but are you worried that like Ben Shapiro was saying, because he just moved to Florida,

00:04:06.680 the Daily Wire is in Nashville, but I think he and his family are in Florida.

00:04:11.040 But he was saying, great.

00:04:12.080 Yeah, come on down. 1.00

00:04:12.820 Florida is great.

00:04:13.720 Leave your left wing values where you found them, because like most of us moved here because

00:04:17.700 we want more freedom and we don't want the government all in our business at every turn.

00:04:22.300 And if you're one of those people, you should just stay in the blue.

00:04:24.680 Well, it is a funny thing that people flee states like California because, you know,

00:04:32.760 I think the last time I saw it was 13 percent, maybe more than that state income tax.

00:04:37.460 And all you got to do is take a walk down a sidewalk in one of the major towns.

00:04:40.980 And it's just a disaster.

00:04:42.600 So, of course, they want to get out.

00:04:44.480 And then they moved to Nashville and Nashville is a blue town now.

00:04:49.000 It's you know, it's pretty much consistently blue.

00:04:51.260 I'm like, guys, you just left the state because you didn't like the way they were governing

00:04:55.860 and the way they were taxing you.

00:04:57.840 But now you're going to you're going to bring that with you and vote in people that do that.

00:05:01.520 And and to that point, the mayor of Nashville during the pandemic

00:05:05.340 raised property taxes on everybody in town by 34 percent right in the middle of the pandemic.

00:05:11.860 You even believe that's a Democrat, right?

00:05:14.640 Oh, yeah.

00:05:15.420 Big time.

00:05:16.360 That's amazing.

00:05:17.700 Is it was there a recall effort?

00:05:19.480 That's huge.

00:05:20.220 There was a recall effort, but it was a pandemic.

00:05:23.360 And so guess what?

00:05:24.400 You can't get big groups of people together because the mayor won't let you do that either.

00:05:28.620 So, you know, it's kind of hard to recall a guy when you can't get a bunch of people

00:05:31.780 together to sign and have rallies and and things like that.

00:05:35.580 So now he's still in power.

00:05:37.340 I just thought that was so inhumane, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, you know, the

00:05:42.580 town, just like every other town, is just totally slammed.

00:05:45.860 And you're going to say, oh, by the way, guys, I know things are terrible, but we're going

00:05:50.580 to raise your property taxes by 34 percent.

00:05:53.240 Have a nice day.

00:05:54.080 That's that's nuts.

00:05:55.480 And honestly, that is the Democrat like rulers.

00:05:58.620 When we put Democrats at these local in these local positions as mayors, as city councilmen, 0.97

00:06:04.840 that's always the knee jerk.

00:06:06.260 I mean, even at the federal level, tax more, more taxes, whether it's property, it's income,

00:06:10.540 it's sales tax, more taxes.

00:06:12.340 That'll solve it.

00:06:13.120 Even in a pandemic, when we have record unemployment. 1.00

00:06:16.360 Yeah, but but that's that's stupid. 0.99

00:06:19.260 I'm just going to say the word. 1.00

00:06:20.460 It's stupid because why is your town getting bigger? 1.00

00:06:24.920 Because you have low taxes in your state, right? 1.00

00:06:28.440 That's why people are coming there.

00:06:29.940 So now that we got all these new people, let's tax the hound out of them, as my granny 0.99

00:06:34.060 rich would say, and what are you going to do?

00:06:36.180 You're going to keep more people from coming.

00:06:38.000 So you know what everybody's doing that's now moving to, quote, Nashville.

00:06:41.940 They're not really moving to Nashville.

00:06:43.400 They're moving to the counties that border Davidson County, which is where Nashville is.

00:06:48.200 So like you talk about Franklin, Ben Shapiro and people like that.

00:06:50.800 Yeah, they're on the outskirts.

00:06:51.840 So they don't have to do what that mayor's is putting on them.

00:06:55.140 Mm hmm. 1.00

00:06:56.340 Stupid. 1.00

00:06:57.240 I like how you say that. 1.00

00:06:58.480 Can we just say stupid? 1.00

00:06:59.960 Just sometimes that's the only word that fits. 1.00

00:07:02.360 I like that.

00:07:03.240 Well, of course, Granny Rich had a lot of wisdom.

00:07:05.540 I'm so sad she's no longer with us, John.

00:07:08.880 Yeah, me too.

00:07:09.700 We lost her last year in late July.

00:07:14.460 You know, she was approaching 89 years old, was still running her own business.

00:07:20.280 She was a seamstress. 1.00

00:07:21.200 So she had her own sewing shop, seamstress business that she was still running 30 to 40 0.98

00:07:26.680 hours a week by herself, live by herself, drove herself.

00:07:30.240 You know, she would work those hours, go home, kick her shoes off, pour a little whiskey, 0.99

00:07:35.460 light up a cigarette, watch Wheel of Fortune, you know, check out the news, go to bed, get

00:07:40.580 back up, go back to work.

00:07:41.840 Like, that's what she did. 0.90

00:07:42.820 Was she just disgusted by what's happening to people today where it's like they abhor hard work?

00:07:51.500 You know, there was just a funny comedian.

00:07:53.160 Somebody sent me this, somebody on my team doing a bit on like, whatever's wrong in your life,

00:07:57.260 it's not your fault.

00:07:57.940 Let's talk about how it's somebody else's fault, whatever it was.

00:08:00.560 You know, like that's the knee jerk attitude today that whatever's happened to you, there's

00:08:04.220 somebody else to blame.

00:08:05.280 The opposite of how our grandparents felt.

00:08:09.860 Well, people that push that narrative are setting up generations to fail, period.

00:08:16.980 And not fail in a good way, because there is a good way to fail.

00:08:21.280 Everybody needs to fail.

00:08:22.440 If you're not failing at something, you haven't really gone after it.

00:08:26.520 But to tell people that hard work, you know, I go to this, let's go back to what the Declaration

00:08:32.420 of Independence says, it says you have the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of

00:08:39.020 happiness.

00:08:39.800 Nowhere does it say as an American, you have the right to be happy.

00:08:44.280 It says you have the right to pursue happiness.

00:08:46.460 And the fact that we even have a right to go for the American dream should inherently make

00:08:51.160 us happy.

00:08:51.660 I mean, this very morning when we all woke up as Americans around the world, the other

00:08:56.840 billions of people that live out there, listen, they have just as much talent, intellect,

00:09:01.440 soul, passion, drive, you name it, as any American ever had.

00:09:06.760 But because of the government that looks over them or wherever they may live, they're not

00:09:10.960 allowed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

00:09:15.040 They will never be allowed to exhaust their potential.

00:09:18.600 Their governments don't want them exhausting their potential.

00:09:21.720 But in America, we're allowed to go for it.

00:09:24.360 So the fact that you even woke up here this morning means you have a leg up on the rest

00:09:28.320 of the world and to not take advantage of that and to teach our younger generations

00:09:32.460 that, you know, that doesn't really matter anymore.

00:09:35.080 You have the right to be successful, the right to be happy, the right to be content.

00:09:39.480 And if you're not any of those things, you got the right to protest and raise hell about

00:09:43.920 it until somebody makes you happy, content, or successful.

00:09:47.600 That is not what the greatest generation was all about when they fought Germany and Japan 0.97

00:09:53.440 and Italy and everybody else they had to fight.

00:09:55.800 That was not their mentality.

00:09:57.020 That wasn't Granny's mentality. 1.00

00:09:58.580 When you ask Granny Rich at 88 years old, Granny, why are you still working 30 to 40 hours

00:10:03.960 a week?

00:10:04.560 Her answer is, because I can.

00:10:07.300 And that's what you're supposed to do when you live in this country.

00:10:12.540 Honestly, I agree with every word you just said.

00:10:14.980 And I think part of the problem is, I'll bet you most of these kids don't even know what's

00:10:20.080 in the Declaration of Independence and don't know the national anthem that they're clapping

00:10:26.160 Colin Kaepernick for kneeling at.

00:10:29.280 You know, there was a story here in New York recently.

00:10:31.140 It was actually this guy, I'm on the advisory board now of this new organization called FAIR,

00:10:35.720 Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism.

00:10:38.020 And we're trying to fight back against this neo-racism that they're putting in the schools,

00:10:41.880 this critical race theory, all this nonsense.

00:10:44.060 We're trying to indoctrinate our kids with to divide them and shame them based on their

00:10:48.780 immutable characteristics.

00:10:50.000 Anyway, so this guy who founded it, he wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed talking about how

00:10:55.520 he, like I, pulled his kids from the New York City private school system.

00:10:59.800 And he was talking about how he gets to school this year, his two kids get to school.

00:11:03.460 And the first thing he finds out is they're no longer singing the national anthem.

00:11:07.360 They used to kick off the school year.

00:11:08.940 They didn't do it every morning.

00:11:10.040 He was just kick off the school year with the national anthem and the pledge.

00:11:12.740 No more.

00:11:13.260 It's too controversial, John.

00:11:15.840 I mean, it's like kids don't even, they're not given sort of just these basic foundational

00:11:20.240 things about loving America that you and I grew up with.

00:11:23.520 You know, why is it that it's good to have a strong immune system?

00:11:28.480 And how do you get a strong immune system as a human being?

00:11:31.660 You get a strong immune system by being around people, being around sometimes sick people,

00:11:37.680 running into things you may not even know got into you, but it did.

00:11:40.700 And your body builds up a tolerance and you have a, you have an immune system, right?

00:11:45.920 So your body understands things that are out there, you know, taking away every single

00:11:51.220 solitary thing that might offend or upset anybody or any group, period.

00:11:55.840 Taking all of that out of the culture is not doing any favors to people who were growing

00:12:02.100 up in this country.

00:12:02.880 Like you just said, they, they should know, be able to make up their own minds.

00:12:06.760 You know, when you take everything off the table, you take away any dissent.

00:12:10.000 There's no mind to be made up anymore.

00:12:11.920 There's only one way and that's the end of it.

00:12:14.620 And when you talk about critical race theory, entering, you know, the private schools where

00:12:18.900 you were at, guess where else critical race theory is trying to enter into?

00:12:22.740 Christian schools.

00:12:23.480 Not Tennessee.

00:12:24.800 Christian schools.

00:12:26.780 You know what?

00:12:27.440 I've heard some of that.

00:12:28.340 I've heard some.

00:12:28.860 That's insane.

00:12:29.580 That's where you send your kid to get away from indoctrination like that. 0.80

00:12:32.980 We go for a different indoctrination in the Catholic schools and then we're fine with it.

00:12:36.340 And well, the, and the whole premise in the Bible, if you're a Christian, which I am, you

00:12:41.380 know, God specifically tells us to not identify each other based on any of our outwardly care

00:12:48.760 or human characteristics, but rather to identify each other as all children of him, as his kids.

00:12:56.080 So like I could go to Vietnam and meet a man or a woman who I cannot speak with, but that

00:13:01.460 man holds up a Bible or he reads a verse or he grabs my hand and prays and he's a Christian.

00:13:06.460 He's my brother, period.

00:13:08.080 That's how I look at this man.

00:13:09.220 Not that he's Vietnamese, not that he can't speak English, not that he's whatever his 0.99

00:13:13.300 socioeconomic policy, you know, place in life is.

00:13:16.260 None of that matters.

00:13:17.700 So critical race theory, as people are learning, is basically telling these kids, hey, if you're

00:13:23.340 this color, you don't have a chance.

00:13:25.820 If you're this color, you're the reason your buddy doesn't have a chance. 1.00

00:13:29.680 They're telling little kids this in class and they're looking at each other going, but

00:13:33.800 we play on the same baseball team together and our parents go on spring break together.

00:13:37.560 What are you talking about?

00:13:38.820 They go, none of that matters.

00:13:41.000 What you need to do is understand what I'm telling you.

00:13:42.880 This is true.

00:13:43.860 Because you're this color, you don't have a chance. 1.00

00:13:46.300 And because you're this color, you're the reason he doesn't have a chance. 1.00

00:13:49.760 That is so toxic.

00:13:50.780 I would put that another Bible verse where Jesus Christ himself said, you'd be better

00:13:56.740 to tie a millstone around your neck and throw yourself into the depths of the sea than to

00:14:01.400 ever cause one of these little ones to stumble. 0.87

00:14:04.340 That's the word he used, to stumble, meaning to mess them up, to put toxins in their mind,

00:14:10.580 to mess up their innocence and the way that they look at each other.

00:14:14.480 If an adult steps in and does that, he said, you'd be better off basically to tie a rock

00:14:19.460 around your neck and jump in the ocean.

00:14:21.580 I mean, that came from the son of God himself.

00:14:23.880 So when I see that entering schools, especially Christian schools, you know, I had to call it 1.00

00:14:29.340 out and I did call it out.

00:14:30.720 We have been battling that ourselves, unbelievably so in Nashville, but I've seen the school starting

00:14:37.140 to push back against it.

00:14:38.880 Thank goodness.

00:14:39.400 So you got two boys and there, were you, did you experience this firsthand?

00:14:44.260 Like were you, were, was it at your schools?

00:14:46.700 Yeah.

00:14:47.260 So, uh, the, the school that they go to, it was happening in, in grades just a little ahead

00:14:53.060 of where my oldest son is.

00:14:54.480 He's in fifth grade.

00:14:55.440 So this was happening in like sixth and seventh grade.

00:14:58.280 And, you know, they're showing videos of, of, uh, you know, kids running around a track

00:15:03.920 and, you know, one kid's lapping the other kid and all these terrible things are happening.

00:15:09.680 And then they're laying stuff on the, on the tables that are saying, you know, do you

00:15:13.400 know what white privilege is?

00:15:15.380 If you don't and you're white, let me explain it to you. 0.98

00:15:18.560 And they're telling this kid why it's ultimately his fault, why his buddy is not going to make

00:15:26.360 it, you know, and I'm looking at that going, first of all, you shouldn't say that to either

00:15:30.700 one of those kids, who are you to dictate who accomplishes what, in my opinion, that's

00:15:35.500 the essence of racism is to condemn someone's future based on the color of their skin.

00:15:41.320 That, that is the definition of racism, but they have contorted it and twisted it in this

00:15:47.140 backwards way and then put it into these curriculums where they slip it in and they make it hard

00:15:52.680 for you to argue against it.

00:15:53.860 And if you do, they'll call you every bad name in the book, but you know what, Megan,

00:15:57.920 bring it on, bring on the bad names because we can't stand outily by and watch people

00:16:03.260 steal the innocence from our kids.

00:16:05.920 That's exactly how I feel.

00:16:07.360 Trust me, as you know, I've been called all sorts of terrible names.

00:16:10.340 They don't bother me anymore.

00:16:11.380 Like, you know what? 0.51

00:16:12.320 You already shot those bullets.

00:16:13.480 I'm still here.

00:16:14.180 I'm fine.

00:16:15.080 All the people you could convince with your nastiness have been convinced and they're not

00:16:18.720 my people.

00:16:19.400 I don't need to try to get the far left wokesters.

00:16:21.620 I'm not interested in them.

00:16:22.900 They're not honest brokers and people who are understand what they're doing.

00:16:26.880 So I want more people to feel like that because the name, yes, they'll sting, but then you'll

00:16:33.440 get over it.

00:16:34.160 And some battles are worth fighting.

00:16:35.900 So, I mean, our forefathers took bullets.

00:16:38.600 We can take a few barbs.

00:16:40.060 You know, we're tough enough.

00:16:41.480 We're good.

00:16:43.080 Yeah.

00:16:43.340 Well, as Granny Ritz said many times, John, actually, she called me John Daniel.

00:16:47.940 She said, John Daniel, if everybody likes what you're saying, then you're not saying it

00:16:53.260 right.

00:16:53.560 That's good.

00:16:56.820 Yeah.

00:16:57.000 I like that.

00:16:58.480 So wait, so let's, let's, let's talk about that, about your background, because you mentioned

00:17:02.340 God.

00:17:02.880 You're obviously well read with the Bible, and that's because you are the son of a fire and 1.00

00:17:08.100 brimstone preacher.

00:17:11.000 And so you came by your faith.

00:17:12.300 You came by your faith, honestly.

00:17:14.460 And I can, I know that's played a big role in your life.

00:17:18.600 So I want to hear about that, but I also want to talk about the absence now of faith

00:17:22.620 in the public square, because I do think all these things go hand in hand.

00:17:26.320 Well, so my dad at about the age of 19 decided he wanted to preach.

00:17:31.280 He didn't really decide he wanted to.

00:17:32.980 He was, he was called to preach, right?

00:17:34.820 So he's this whole life.

00:17:35.260 Just down in Amarillo, Texas.

00:17:37.580 This was, this was, yeah, early on before I was around, you know, he was called to preach

00:17:42.740 and, and, but he didn't want to preach.

00:17:45.880 He didn't feel like he was supposed to be in the big fancy churches with the big congregations.

00:17:50.000 He said, I knew that with, with my style of preaching and the message I wanted to put

00:17:55.900 out there, I needed to be preaching where the people were.

00:17:58.620 So my dad preaches in prisons, my dad preached at 32 Mardi Gras in a row on the French Quarter,

00:18:06.080 standing there with a guitar around his neck.

00:18:07.740 He also sings and plays.

00:18:08.900 That's where I learned how to play.

00:18:10.360 And he would sing, I'll fly away in amazing grace and preach with all manner of craziness

00:18:17.260 going on around him day after day and did it 32, 32 years.

00:18:21.820 He did that.

00:18:22.400 Was he trying to save the Mardi Gras attendees?

00:18:24.780 Like what was, why Mardi Gras?

00:18:26.060 Uh, he was, well, cause he said, you know, that he said the people that are out in Mardi

00:18:30.720 Gras that are just cutting loose and going nuts, he said, he said, they're never going

00:18:34.660 to come to church.

00:18:35.420 Most of those people, a lot of those people are never going to go to church.

00:18:38.300 And that's why I'm going to go there.

00:18:39.760 Cause this may be the only time they ever hear the truth.

00:18:43.820 So I'm going to go there.

00:18:45.020 And then he, and then he goes to prisons cause he says, those people need to know that just

00:18:49.360 because their bodies are incarcerated, it doesn't mean their souls are incarcerated.

00:18:53.640 And that's how he preaches at them.

00:18:55.680 A couple of years back, Megan, uh, we rolled, uh, uh, like a flatbed trailer with a PA system

00:19:01.040 on it out in front of the prison here in Nashville.

00:19:03.180 And I got up and sang three or four songs.

00:19:05.740 Uh, you know, I did a couple of Johnny gas songs, did a gospel song.

00:19:09.060 And then I turned it over to my dad and he preached for an hour.

00:19:11.800 There was about 2000 inmates on the other side of this chain link fence.

00:19:15.780 And at the end of it, kind of like a Billy Graham, you know, a Billy Graham crusade at

00:19:20.000 the end, he gives the altar call.

00:19:21.540 Well, my dad did the same type of thing, but they couldn't come to where he was.

00:19:25.660 And I looked through that fence and there were hundreds of adults, men and women on

00:19:30.420 both sides of this fence down on their knees, praying, giving their lives to God right there

00:19:35.700 in a prison yard.

00:19:37.120 So that's the kind of preacher my dad is.

00:19:39.300 His, his mother was granny rich. 0.97

00:19:41.860 So, you know, that, that's the line I come from.

00:19:44.880 So when I make music or I talk about America or whatever, you know, I understand that we

00:19:50.340 come from generations of bold people all the way back to who you were talking about, the

00:19:54.940 founding fathers, without bold people, without people willing to take incoming, willing to

00:20:01.120 take whatever heat's going to come their way.

00:20:03.480 Uh, we wouldn't have a country.

00:20:05.840 They would have knocked us out a long time ago.

00:20:07.920 The American dream would have been gone, but it's not gone.

00:20:10.880 It's still here.

00:20:11.740 And it's up to people like you and me and, and people that I disagree with, by the way,

00:20:16.800 people that I totally disagree with also need to stand up and say, well, what do we have

00:20:21.520 in common?

00:20:22.240 Hard work.

00:20:23.040 We have that in common.

00:20:24.160 You know, there's a buddy of mine, Jeffrey Ross, big time comedian.

00:20:27.280 He's the roast master general.

00:20:28.920 You know, he's like a Bernie Sanders guy and he and I are great buddies.

00:20:32.800 And one thing he and I share is that he works really, really hard at what he does.

00:20:37.580 And so do I, and he believes in freedom of expression.

00:20:40.980 And so do I, there are things, Megan, that we still have in common.

00:20:44.080 We have to fight for those things.

00:20:46.080 So I got to back up and ask you whether you sang, did you sing Folsom Prison?

00:20:50.220 Is it Folsom Prison Blues?

00:20:51.900 I'm trying to remember the full name of Johnny's song.

00:20:54.580 Right.

00:20:54.880 That's one of his greatest.

00:20:55.900 I love that song.

00:20:57.080 I hear that train of coming.

00:20:58.640 It's rolling around the bend.

00:21:00.140 Absolutely.

00:21:00.500 I played that and they all knew it.

00:21:02.360 They were like, this is crazy.

00:21:03.880 You know, I'm stuck in Folsom Prison.

00:21:06.500 Oh, by the way, are you still practicing that guitar I gave you about 15 years ago?

00:21:10.680 Still working on it.

00:21:12.140 I don't seem to improve.

00:21:15.760 Maybe I need an instructor.

00:21:18.540 Totally.

00:21:19.040 I was going to say it's possible I actually need an instructor. 0.98

00:21:22.920 I still can't get the damn F chord, John. 0.99

00:21:25.080 It's such a morale killer. 0.99

00:21:27.420 I don't know.

00:21:27.800 It's like, I think I need, like, I have very long spidery fingers, which I thought would

00:21:32.340 have helped me on guitar.

00:21:33.700 I don't know.

00:21:34.240 I feel like maybe short and stubby fingers would have been a little easier for me because

00:21:37.160 like, they're like, now I'm getting old too.

00:21:39.040 They're like cramped up.

00:21:39.940 They're like arthritic.

00:21:42.020 I think I may have missed my window, but I am still trying.

00:21:45.180 Well, right now I'm giving guitar lessons to third graders.

00:21:49.120 Okay.

00:21:49.240 So my third grade son, the youngest, he's nine, he come up to me and said, Daddy, I

00:21:54.900 think I want to learn how to play the guitar.

00:21:56.440 And I looked at him.

00:21:56.980 I said, are you sure about that?

00:21:58.220 Because I'm like, God almighty, I know where that can go, right?

00:22:01.000 That's a crazy life to get into that.

00:22:02.540 I said, okay, if you want to learn, I'll teach you how to play.

00:22:05.080 He goes, I got a couple of buddies that want to learn too.

00:22:07.040 Can they come over after school and start getting guitar lessons?

00:22:10.460 I said, sure.

00:22:11.860 So actually today I give, I think it's their fifth lesson on, on, uh, halfway through the

00:22:16.760 week, I give lessons to third graders.

00:22:18.440 So we can always have you Skype in Megan and put you right with the third grade boys and

00:22:22.940 you'll be fine.

00:22:23.400 Honestly, don't say it if you don't mean it, because I really have no life.

00:22:26.500 I don't go out a lot.

00:22:27.500 I have a very small universe, so I'll do it.

00:22:30.320 I don't care.

00:22:31.000 Plus I always say, and it's true. 0.86

00:22:32.380 I'm secretly a nine-year-old boy at heart.

00:22:34.200 So I think I'll fit it.

00:22:35.120 I'll fit right in.

00:22:36.980 Coming up in one second, we're going to ask John about his recent phone call with President

00:22:41.580 Trump.

00:22:42.380 And you might be surprised about what the president's doing right now.

00:22:46.200 I know I was, uh, but before we get to that quick ad for you here.

00:22:54.140 You would love my mom.

00:22:55.280 She, she's a lot like, uh, Granny Rich, John.

00:22:57.820 She's like my, my mom, she, she like, first of all, she has what we call chronic lyricosis. 0.95

00:23:03.060 She can never remember any lyrics to anything.

00:23:05.360 And, uh, the, the, the greatest one of all time was, um, she was singing.

00:23:09.320 I'm like, what, what'd you say, mom?

00:23:10.600 What did you just sing?

00:23:11.300 And she's like, she sang it again.

00:23:12.760 I'm like, one more time.

00:23:14.620 And she was singing, there's a bathroom on the right. 1.00

00:23:20.260 Oh no.

00:23:22.020 Mom.

00:23:24.340 No, it's of course, bad moon rising.

00:23:26.560 There's a, there's a bad moon on the rise.

00:23:28.360 And she, she's so bad.

00:23:30.280 I told the audience this, but like during COVID, when we were out in Montana, I'm like, oh,

00:23:34.100 mom, I'm getting worried about the, about the bears coming out.

00:23:36.720 We've been here.

00:23:37.260 This is like spring is breaking.

00:23:38.500 The bears come out.

00:23:39.100 Now she goes, oh, I'd be much more worried about that than covert 12.

00:23:42.120 Like, you know what?

00:23:46.060 Do you, she actually makes more sense than Joe Biden does right now.

00:23:51.680 She should be doing press conferences on all the hot topics.

00:23:54.740 Oh my God, John.

00:23:56.620 I, when he couldn't remember the, the name for Pentagon, right.

00:24:00.720 Or, or our secretary of defense.

00:24:02.920 No, like, and there's no way his staff can save him.

00:24:05.600 He's out there twisting in the wind.

00:24:07.200 There's no prompter.

00:24:08.240 I'm sure it's like his staff is probably cringing in every way one can cringe.

00:24:12.460 And so are we.

00:24:14.380 Well, this has gotten to a point now where, you know, in the beginning it's like, okay,

00:24:20.400 peck at him, poke at him, whatever.

00:24:22.340 It's really not funny at this point.

00:24:24.440 You know, if that was my grandfather and the families around, we would go, Hey, granddad,

00:24:31.100 it's probably time for you to retire.

00:24:33.180 Let's get you somewhere where, you know, everything's better and good and the place you can really handle.

00:24:37.660 It makes you wonder if he can't answer a question, like they asked him, is there a crisis at the border?

00:24:43.440 And they've run him out the door.

00:24:44.860 He can't remember the Pentagon people.

00:24:47.360 What's going on in the back rooms when they're making big time decisions?

00:24:51.260 Like, should we strike Syria? 0.83

00:24:54.380 Okay.

00:24:55.040 I mean, what does that conversation sound like back there?

00:24:58.000 Is he part of the conversation?

00:24:59.840 I mean, they went off on Trump for months and months about his mental faculties. 0.86

00:25:05.620 You know, he's overweight. 0.96

00:25:06.800 He drinks too many Diet Cokes.

00:25:09.360 He's sporadic.

00:25:10.560 He says things, you know, he's shooting bleach into his arm.

00:25:13.720 We need to pull him out of the White House.

00:25:15.860 I mean, on and on and on.

00:25:17.280 But now we have a president standing there, really pitiful is the word I would use.

00:25:21.960 I don't even want to attack him.

00:25:23.700 I feel like it's elder abuse at this point.

00:25:26.500 It looks terrible what's going on with him right now.

00:25:30.080 And it really worries me for the country.

00:25:31.540 No, you got to laugh or cry because, look, I don't hate Joe Biden.

00:25:35.880 I don't you know, I would like him to do well.

00:25:39.180 You know, his policies probably aren't going to be totally aligned with my own values, but

00:25:41.940 he's our president.

00:25:43.100 I'd like him to do well.

00:25:44.640 I'm I'm very worried.

00:25:46.280 I don't.

00:25:46.620 What I see is somebody who is not all there and and I don't know what I'm more concerned

00:25:51.500 about him not being all there and sort of trying to legislate and be president from

00:25:56.440 that place or Kamala Harris being our secret president. 1.00

00:26:00.020 You know, that's that's what's coming next.

00:26:03.100 This unelected person to that role, at least, who couldn't get the nomination for president.

00:26:08.760 I mean, even the Democrats didn't want Kamala Harris. 0.88

00:26:11.220 But I feel like day by day she gets closer to it.

00:26:13.860 These show games, you know, I think Americans, we've all figured it out. 0.99

00:26:18.880 We're not, again, stupid. 1.00

00:26:20.460 We're not stupid people. 1.00

00:26:22.340 And we stupid. 1.00

00:26:24.240 We see we see what's going on. 1.00

00:26:26.960 We all you know, we can read the tea leaves and look a couple of moves up the board and

00:26:30.800 go, well, everybody knows what's coming and there's nothing you can do to stop it anyway.

00:26:35.400 And so the question is, so what are we supposed to do at this point?

00:26:38.600 Nothing.

00:26:39.400 You work.

00:26:40.120 You take care of your family.

00:26:41.380 You try to you chase the American dream and, you know, it's going to shake out like it's

00:26:45.700 going to shake out.

00:26:46.720 But I will say watching him fumble and falter and now has not done a press conference that

00:26:53.400 hasn't happened in the last 15 presidencies.

00:26:55.860 I believe it's 100 plus years that that is there's no way to ignore that any longer.

00:27:00.720 So it's going to be dealt with soon.

00:27:02.900 And honestly, is it better to have a Joe Biden who who can't think straight or a Kamala Harris

00:27:09.240 who can think straight?

00:27:10.620 That's that's our choices right now.

00:27:12.580 Green Jell-O or yellow Jell-O.

00:27:15.400 I don't know.

00:27:16.000 I don't like either one.

00:27:16.880 I like red Jell-O.

00:27:18.120 Right.

00:27:18.500 Or Ron Clean, who we didn't we didn't elect at all.

00:27:20.940 The chief of staff like that guy.

00:27:22.240 Right.

00:27:22.460 He really shouldn't be our secret president.

00:27:24.400 I don't know.

00:27:24.860 It's like the Democrats watered down everything.

00:27:28.100 Right.

00:27:28.380 They made impeachment next to meaningless.

00:27:31.000 I really would like to have some sort of presidential fitness assessment because the

00:27:35.000 objective signs are all out there that that he's struggling.

00:27:38.440 And he's got I was just saying, like, I saw my grandpa's struggle, but my grandpa wasn't

00:27:43.420 leader of the free world.

00:27:44.660 He was just sitting on his lazy boy watching old episodes of Matlock that you don't have

00:27:49.160 to be all there to do that.

00:27:50.340 Like I think this the stakes are very high.

00:27:53.400 Your grandpa didn't have the nuclear codes.

00:27:55.960 OK, no.

00:27:56.760 I mean, it's different level.

00:27:58.500 You know, the Democrats favorite saying is follow the science.

00:28:02.040 Just follow the science.

00:28:03.360 Well, OK, let's follow the science on Joe for a minute.

00:28:06.680 I'm watching him try to do an interview.

00:28:09.020 We're all watching the same stuff.

00:28:10.380 And the science would tell you something's not right here.

00:28:13.860 He needs to be evaluated and see what's actually going on.

00:28:16.560 That would be following the science.

00:28:17.920 But like I said, at this point, I can't even hardly I feel bad about even pecking at him

00:28:22.720 because it just seems so pitiful, the condition he's in.

00:28:25.580 Elder abuse.

00:28:28.320 Let's talk about Trump because so you got to know Trump when you were on Celebrity Apprentice

00:28:32.220 and and you wait a minute.

00:28:33.920 You won, didn't you?

00:28:34.860 You won Celebrity Apprentice.

00:28:36.280 Of course, I won.

00:28:37.500 How dare you suggest otherwise?

00:28:39.040 Yes, I won.

00:28:40.040 I played for I showed I showed up.

00:28:41.560 I helped you.

00:28:42.060 I know it was awesome.

00:28:44.540 I played for St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis.

00:28:48.840 And, you know, my goal was to raise a million bucks because nobody had ever hit the million

00:28:53.140 mark.

00:28:53.640 And when it was all done, I was at like one point four million.

00:28:56.560 So it did a lot of good for St. Jude.

00:28:58.580 And little did I know I was getting to know the future president of the United States and

00:29:02.980 his family.

00:29:03.700 Right.

00:29:04.160 Little did anyone.

00:29:05.220 I mean, like nobody, nobody knew that at that point.

00:29:08.080 So Trump runs.

00:29:09.700 He was controversial when he ran, I would say even more so when he won, you know, as

00:29:14.180 president.

00:29:15.000 And then the the Capitol Hill riot happened on January 6th and everybody pronounced, you

00:29:22.640 know, Trump the worst person ever.

00:29:24.420 Not everybody.

00:29:24.800 But, you know, you saw all sort of the never Trump Republicans running out there saying

00:29:27.900 like it's as we said all along.

00:29:30.400 Right.

00:29:30.640 Like everybody's trying to say, let's dance on the grave now.

00:29:33.680 I don't know.

00:29:34.620 Do you think he's going to run again?

00:29:36.780 I don't know.

00:29:37.940 I have not asked him and he has not told me.

00:29:40.760 But I would say if I'm going to bet on it, I'm going to say there's a way better chance

00:29:46.340 than not that he will run again.

00:29:48.440 I think his support has not waned at all.

00:29:51.340 I think, you know, we saw how flawed the polls were.

00:29:54.720 I mean, those polls were were so off the mark.

00:29:58.320 How many people actually support Trump?

00:30:01.180 I don't think we even know how many people actually support Trump across the United States.

00:30:05.820 You know, to watch the Latino support going up, African-American support going up.

00:30:10.160 I think he knows there's a there's a big wide open road out there for him to run again.

00:30:15.120 And watching what this administration is doing, what's happening at the border, what's happening

00:30:19.920 at the gas tanks, what's happening in our in our society, culturally, what's going

00:30:24.700 on.

00:30:25.760 You know, the taxes are coming next year, that Biden tax plan.

00:30:28.760 Boy, that's a doozy.

00:30:29.600 Go look that one up.

00:30:30.860 You know, all that rolling out.

00:30:32.180 I think Americans, even people that voted for Biden are going to go, wow, I really you

00:30:36.480 know, I didn't like Trump.

00:30:37.880 He sent out a lot of mean tweets.

00:30:39.500 I didn't like what he said.

00:30:40.580 But man, my business sure was doing better.

00:30:42.560 And wow, you know, my kids were doing better.

00:30:46.000 And, you know, I think there's going to be some some buyer's remorse here on Biden if there's

00:30:50.060 not already.

00:30:50.620 I mean, Trump is the 800 pound gorilla, right?

00:30:54.020 It's like if he if he wants to go out there and vie for that nomination, I don't see anybody

00:30:59.020 getting enough of the Republican Party to stop him.

00:31:02.060 No, it's really kind of it's up to him.

00:31:03.860 Well, so, you know, I reached out to some big time Republican people, big time senators,

00:31:13.560 congresspeople that wrote in on Donald Trump's coattails, OK, that were in tough races that

00:31:21.420 marched Donald Trump around and flashed his name and face all over their commercials and

00:31:26.500 all over their marketing and got across the finish line only to turn around.

00:31:31.820 And as you said, dance on his grace.

00:31:34.660 And I was so disgusted by that.

00:31:37.180 I picked up the phone, Megan, and I called I called them directly and I said, I'll never

00:31:42.100 raise another penny for you.

00:31:43.620 I will support whoever runs against you. 1.00

00:31:46.100 You're a hypocrite. 1.00

00:31:47.640 We're done. 1.00

00:31:48.620 Come on.

00:31:48.820 It had to be McConnell.

00:31:49.880 Tell the truth.

00:31:50.640 Was it him?

00:31:51.060 Uh, he's one of them.

00:31:54.120 He's one of them.

00:31:55.040 And I've got I've got others that I called that I'm way better friends with than him.

00:31:58.740 I wouldn't call him a friend.

00:31:59.940 He's somebody that I know.

00:32:01.440 But you can't do that.

00:32:02.880 You know, I mean, you can't expect at least you can't expect your voter base to stick with

00:32:08.040 you when they watch you on national TV.

00:32:10.380 Do one thing until you get across the finish line and then do it about face and just butcher

00:32:15.820 the guy that you wrote in on his on his coattails. 0.98

00:32:18.160 That's called hypocrisy.

00:32:19.340 I don't care which party's doing it.

00:32:21.060 And so I'm sick of that, too, Megan.

00:32:24.180 Listen, you know, I'm a I'm a positive guy, but that that did not sit well with me.

00:32:28.440 And I'll let him know about it.

00:32:30.140 So who else was it besides McConnell?

00:32:32.140 I'm not going to say.

00:32:33.660 Come on.

00:32:33.960 I'm not going to say because name.

00:32:35.680 Well, I'm not.

00:32:36.660 Oh, here comes the journalism part.

00:32:38.400 I see what's going on here.

00:32:39.780 I see what's happening.

00:32:41.160 No, you know, I'm not going to go out of my way to damage these people.

00:32:45.240 Well, did they say they were sorry?

00:32:47.300 Were they were they apologetic?

00:32:48.540 Did they try to explain?

00:32:49.640 How did they explain it?

00:32:51.060 And they said one in particular said, well.

00:32:54.080 Had I had I stuck with the president.

00:32:59.460 I would have been rendered useless in the Senate.

00:33:02.640 That was the statement. 0.99

00:33:03.760 And I said, I would argue that you've rendered yourself useless at this very second. 0.98

00:33:08.960 You're you don't even know it. 1.00

00:33:10.860 You're useless now. 0.99

00:33:12.780 OK, because we can't trust what you're going to say. 0.98

00:33:16.020 And, you know, I expressed to a couple of them.

00:33:18.480 I said, you're supposed to say what we would say if we were in the room when that situation

00:33:24.320 or vote was happening.

00:33:25.860 That's what you're supposed to do.

00:33:27.580 You're our voice in the room.

00:33:29.360 And, you know, 90 percent of your constituents would not have done what you did.

00:33:33.300 So you betrayed your constituents.

00:33:36.080 That's what I tell you.

00:33:37.460 This is this is the problem I have with Mitt Romney.

00:33:39.540 Like I had Tulsi Gabbard on recently and I like her.

00:33:42.300 I like her a lot.

00:33:42.960 I love Tulsi Gabbard.

00:33:44.520 And she's been she's been amazing.

00:33:47.200 And and one of the things I like about her is that she's willing to cross party lines

00:33:50.000 and she's very reasonable.

00:33:50.920 She'll criticize her own party when when necessary.

00:33:53.180 And I was thinking about Mitt Romney, who I used to really like.

00:33:57.640 I used to really I used to think of him the way I thought of Chief Justice John Roberts,

00:34:01.960 in my opinion, of both of the guys has changed.

00:34:04.260 But, you know, just sort of they were cut from whole like out of they were from central

00:34:09.020 casting for the roles that they wanted.

00:34:10.780 Romney for president, Roberts for chief justice.

00:34:13.880 But the thing about and Romney crosses party lines and Romney criticizes his own party.

00:34:19.060 Right.

00:34:19.220 So why why not like it in him?

00:34:21.060 Why wouldn't I like it in him?

00:34:22.280 Because I'm not I'm not a Republican.

00:34:24.160 I'm not I'm an independent.

00:34:25.860 And I'll tell you what bothers me about Mitt Romney, that the very thing that you are talking

00:34:31.180 about, he he he was he excoriated Trump when they were running.

00:34:36.800 Remember, he was trying to get the nomination and he was like, I'm going to tell you what

00:34:39.820 I think about Donald Trump.

00:34:40.960 It was right before our third Fox News debate in Detroit.

00:34:43.300 So I remember it was like that night.

00:34:44.760 It was March of 2016.

00:34:47.260 2015 and he went off on him in the in the the most powerful way Mitt Romney can.

00:34:53.720 Right.

00:34:53.860 He's not like a he doesn't have sort of a cutting tongue, but he did it in the most way, the

00:34:58.220 best way he could.

00:34:58.780 And then as soon as Trump won, you know, as well as I did, he went in there and he kissed

00:35:03.740 the ring because he wanted to be secretary of state and Trump forgave him.

00:35:08.660 Right.

00:35:09.120 Trump went out to dinner with him.

00:35:10.600 He didn't make him secretary of state, but he helped him in his Senate race and he won.

00:35:15.580 He won his Senate position.

00:35:16.580 And then he turned on Trump again.

00:35:18.200 And I like I.

00:35:19.640 Right.

00:35:20.000 It's not that I'm a Trump loyalist or not loyalist. 0.87

00:35:22.440 It's I don't like that kind of hypocrisy. 0.91

00:35:24.800 And he's he was a user.

00:35:26.740 He was a user.

00:35:27.720 And he's he's got situational ethics like he he sides with the Democrats.

00:35:32.240 I don't feel like it's out of principle.

00:35:34.040 I think it's out of like an attempt to save his own hide, given whatever the latest poll

00:35:38.340 is that he saw.

00:35:39.060 I feel like Tulsi is a woman of principle and she's going to stick to it whether you like it

00:35:42.400 or not.

00:35:43.000 He's the opposite.

00:35:44.880 Yes, that.

00:35:45.940 That that character flaw in human beings in general, I don't care if they're politicians

00:35:52.780 or somebody you work with or it doesn't matter.

00:35:55.580 There's no respect for people like that.

00:35:58.000 You know what you're looking at.

00:35:59.080 You're looking at a rattlesnake.

00:36:00.500 That's what you're looking at.

00:36:02.000 It's going to bite you eventually and it's going to not bite you when it when it doesn't

00:36:07.120 want you to step on its head.

00:36:08.420 Like, I mean, they're they're snakes and there's very few that aren't.

00:36:13.200 I agree with you about Tulsi.

00:36:14.820 You know, watching her come out and say things that she knows she's going to take heat for 1.00

00:36:19.040 it.

00:36:19.140 But that's how she actually feels.

00:36:20.740 Hello.

00:36:21.460 That's what you're supposed to do.

00:36:23.080 You know, I believe it was John Adams that said only people who hate politics should run

00:36:28.820 for politics, meaning citizen government.

00:36:31.760 He was all about only people that really despised the system should step into it for a short

00:36:37.380 period of time to try to make the situation better and then get the hell out of there.

00:36:42.280 Like, that's how you're supposed to do it.

00:36:43.800 So career politicians, I campaigned for Mitt Romney when he was running against Barack Obama.

00:36:49.020 I mean, I was around him all the time.

00:36:51.120 Oh, my gosh.

00:36:51.640 You can imagine you can imagine my dismay and my disappointment watching him do what

00:36:56.440 you just said.

00:36:57.460 You know, attack Trump.

00:36:58.900 Trump wins.

00:36:59.820 Now I'm going to kiss the ring and try to make good.

00:37:02.420 Trump's out. 0.94

00:37:03.140 Now I'm going to trash Trump again.

00:37:04.640 What is this?

00:37:05.660 I mean, that's not somebody you can trust.

00:37:07.200 I hope Utah kicks him out.

00:37:09.520 Yeah, it was it was stomach turning.

00:37:11.420 It was like, you know what?

00:37:13.340 We see what you're doing.

00:37:14.640 Like, you want us to believe you're not a typical politician?

00:37:16.820 Oh, right.

00:37:17.980 Sure. 0.99

00:37:18.720 You're the worst kind of politician. 0.76

00:37:20.140 And listen, I went and moderated Mitt Romney's. 0.59

00:37:22.500 He has this private sort of event for Republicans out in Utah every year.

00:37:26.160 I did it.

00:37:26.980 His family is lovely.

00:37:28.120 He is a lovely person as a man, as a dad, as a husband.

00:37:32.500 I think he's a good man.

00:37:33.500 As a politician, he's completely lost my respect.

00:37:37.320 And just to prove your point, because you and I first met in 2008 when I was out, we were

00:37:42.880 it was the debates.

00:37:44.760 What did I meet you in Denver?

00:37:45.800 Was that where it was?

00:37:46.560 It was in Denver, Minneapolis, Minneapolis.

00:37:48.620 All right.

00:37:49.000 Yeah.

00:37:49.260 Right.

00:37:49.700 Because you came to the Republican.

00:37:51.180 So Minneapolis is where the GOP was in Denver is where Barack Obama, remember, the Invesco

00:37:54.780 field, Greek columns, Barack Obama.

00:37:58.480 Soon I met there and you were a big Mitt Romney supporter.

00:38:02.460 So much so I'm trying to think it was.

00:38:06.600 Wasn't it?

00:38:07.800 Wait, was it 2008 with John McCain or was it 2012 with Mitt Romney that you did?

00:38:13.780 Well, I was so I was with I was with Fred Thompson.

00:38:17.180 OK, by the way, that guy would have been a great president.

00:38:20.340 I wish we had Fred Thompson today.

00:38:22.220 Matter of fact, he was actually one of the good guys and I knew him on a very personal

00:38:27.100 level.

00:38:27.540 He was a real McCoy. 0.97

00:38:28.560 So I was out with Fred Thompson.

00:38:30.500 He didn't win the nomination.

00:38:31.840 John McCain did.

00:38:33.620 And so I said, well, you know what?

00:38:35.240 I'm going to do what I can to help John McCain.

00:38:36.840 And I got to know John McCain very well.

00:38:40.240 And that was that run.

00:38:41.120 And then, yeah, 2012 was when was when Romney came around.

00:38:43.880 But when did you do Shutting Detroit Down?

00:38:47.480 Shutting Detroit Down was 2009.

00:38:50.680 So that was right when the bailouts were happening.

00:38:53.040 And, you know, the big companies were taking all the money and then firing 100000 people

00:38:57.020 at the same time.

00:38:58.600 And I thought, well, do I throw do I throw a whiskey bottle at the television or do I

00:39:03.080 write a song about this?

00:39:04.640 So I decided to save save the whiskey.

00:39:07.400 No, don't want to waste good whiskey.

00:39:08.960 That's a that's a crime.

00:39:10.440 That's a that's a country boy crime.

00:39:11.760 And I wrote in the real world, they're shutting Detroit down while the boss man takes his bonus

00:39:17.180 bay and jets on out of town and D.C.'s bailing out them bankers while the farmer's auction

00:39:22.740 ground.

00:39:24.060 Yeah, absolutely.

00:39:25.020 Well, they're living it up on Wall Street and that New York City town.

00:39:30.600 We have a real real world shutting Detroit down.

00:39:33.560 You sing pretty good.

00:39:34.340 We should do a duet.

00:39:35.780 Stop it right now.

00:39:36.820 Even though I did go up on stage with you one time, it was like the highlight of my life.

00:39:40.000 Wait, we have a clip so the audience can hear the real version.

00:39:43.000 Stand by.

00:39:43.420 Cause they're selling make-believe and we don't buy that bill.

00:39:52.340 Cause in the real world, they're shutting Detroit down.

00:39:58.360 While the boss man takes his bonus pay and jets on out of town.

00:40:04.020 And D.C.'s bailing out them bankers as a farmer's auction ground.

00:40:15.020 Yeah, while they're living it up on Wall Street and that New York City town.

00:40:21.220 Here in the real world, they're shutting Detroit down.

00:40:25.520 Here in the real world, they're shutting Detroit down.

00:40:31.840 So good.

00:40:35.900 So good.

00:40:37.020 So catchy.

00:40:37.700 I have that on my workout tape.

00:40:39.000 Still tape.

00:40:39.980 Well, I'm dating myself on my mix on my iPhone.

00:40:44.040 It's just such a catchy tune.

00:40:45.520 But that's one of the reasons America loves you, John.

00:40:48.340 It's like you sing about some of these social issues we've all been dealing with. 1.00

00:40:53.360 Like the bailout, which was, you know, such bullshit. 0.98

00:40:56.180 We were bailing out them bankers in that New York City town. 0.99

00:40:59.940 And, you know, our attitude hasn't changed, right?

00:41:03.120 We just doled out another $1.9 trillion in COVID relief.

00:41:07.800 And I realize people are suffering and that matters.

00:41:10.480 But what a lot of people are saying is it was too big.

00:41:13.260 We didn't need to make it that much.

00:41:14.720 And that your kid, little cash, is going to be paying a lot of cash and my kids to pay that back.

00:41:20.460 And they spend it like it's other people's money.

00:41:23.240 Uh, so 9% of that $1.9 trillion went to actual COVID-specific things.

00:41:33.520 And the 91% went to what I would consider redistribution of wealth.

00:41:38.480 That's really what it is.

00:41:39.960 And so I'm looking at that going, OK, so is that their equation?

00:41:43.700 9 and 91, 91, 9.

00:41:45.880 I can look at it like that.

00:41:46.740 OK, great.

00:41:47.200 If they care about COVID 9% of the time, I'm going to care about COVID 9% of the time.

00:41:54.060 And I'm going to spend the other 91% of my time working, maybe turning my business back on, raising my kids, going wherever the hell I want to.

00:42:02.420 Let's do what the government's doing.

00:42:03.820 91, 9, I'll take that.

00:42:05.680 I mean, that's how insane this is.

00:42:07.020 You remember Joe, the plumber, back when Obama slipped up and actually said what he was actually wanting to do, which is redistribution of wealth.

00:42:14.300 Well, now they just are doing it out in the open.

00:42:17.200 Coming up, I'm going to ask John about his new song coming out, I'm Offended That You're Offended.

00:42:24.880 How brilliant is that?

00:42:26.420 Just put that line in your back pocket.

00:42:28.860 That seems like one we should all be saying.

00:42:30.420 We should have that at the ready.

00:42:31.940 So we'll get into that.

00:42:32.740 But before we do, I want to bring you a feature we call Asked and Answered here on the show,

00:42:36.840 where Steve Krakauer, our executive producer, pops up with a question that one of our listeners is asking.

00:42:42.940 And I, hopefully, will provide an answer.

00:42:45.900 Hey, Steve.

00:42:46.540 Hey, Megan.

00:42:47.200 This one comes to us at questions at devilmaycaremedia.com, an email address.

00:42:51.900 Anyone can email and get their questions answered.

00:42:53.980 This one came to us from Chris Karain, who wants to know, what do you think of the current state of New York City?

00:42:59.280 Do you think it can come back?

00:43:00.240 And if so, what will it take?

00:43:02.540 Well, the current state has got a couple of issues going on right now.

00:43:05.860 COVID is still, it's got a hold of the city, unlike most cities, I think, right now in America.

00:43:12.220 I mean, if you walked around New York, you might still think you were in March of 2020.

00:43:15.600 Everyone has a mask on, everyone.

00:43:18.080 And if you want to walk down the street without your mask, you'll get mask shamed with words or looks.

00:43:25.420 I actually just started doing it because the rule here in New York is a mask or six feet away from others.

00:43:32.260 So as long as you keep your distance, you're not, you're not violating anything.

00:43:35.980 And come on, right?

00:43:37.720 Like, we got to relax us a little.

00:43:39.800 I mean, I'm, I'm according to standards.

00:43:41.480 I wear the mask inside the stores and all that.

00:43:43.560 I'm not a jerk. 0.96

00:43:44.720 But it's very uptight still.

00:43:47.320 And the restaurants are still at, I think, only 35% indoor dining, which is kind of sad.

00:43:54.240 I mean, my husband took me for our anniversary to this, it's this very romantic restaurant called One If By Land.

00:43:59.380 And it's downtown.

00:44:00.440 And it's like this place that normally the tables are on top of each other.

00:44:04.460 And you're right next to four different people who are getting engaged that night.

00:44:08.180 And I mean, it was like, hello over there, fellow couples in love.

00:44:14.260 It was just, it was sad.

00:44:17.260 But anyway, there's that.

00:44:20.160 There's, of course, you know, the housing situation is like not moving at all because most people have been moving out of New York City.

00:44:27.620 So whereas the suburbs have this great real estate market, New York City has been facing a different issue.

00:44:33.000 Although we're told that it's coming back.

00:44:34.960 Actually, it's been doing a lot better lately.

00:44:37.000 And I just think that the city got scared.

00:44:40.120 You know, when I was in Montana for much of it,

00:44:42.740 but I was in New York for part of the quarantine.

00:44:44.680 And there were, you know, there were dead bodies stacking up outside the hospitals in Central Park, I was told.

00:44:52.740 And you don't shake that easily.

00:44:55.360 So I understand the fear here.

00:44:57.380 Anyway, I think New York 100% will come back.

00:44:59.680 One hundred percent.

00:45:01.040 Not because of our dopey mayor, but because of the New Yorker spirit.

00:45:05.520 They're just, you can't keep New Yorkers down.

00:45:07.460 If we can survive 9-11, we can survive this.

00:45:10.900 And I just think New Yorkers are fighters and they don't, they don't tend to let much keep them down for long.

00:45:15.680 And so as soon as we can get herd immunity, you get more and more people vaccinated, we can get things feeling back to normal. 0.91

00:45:21.400 The schools, I don't even talk about the damn schools being closed still, the public's at the upper levels.

00:45:26.760 It'll start feeling more like normal. 0.97

00:45:28.360 The bar, restaurant and entertainment industry needs to come back.

00:45:31.620 That's the heartbeat of New York.

00:45:34.140 And once that starts coming, we can go back to Broadway and places like it.

00:45:38.320 New Yorkers will be there for it.

00:45:39.840 They will.

00:45:40.180 So overall, I feel optimistic.

00:45:42.220 I think it's going to take a while.

00:45:43.840 And as for the city's woke politics, well, that's the same as it is in many places in the country.

00:45:48.460 And, you know, my thoughts on that.

00:45:50.520 Fight.

00:45:51.700 Fight.

00:45:52.860 Anyway, thank you for the question.

00:45:54.660 And Steve, what's the address if they want to write in with one?

00:45:57.400 Questions, plural, at devilmaycaremedia.com.

00:46:00.580 As far as the culture of, you know, being offended by someone who's offended, I'm writing a new song called I'm Offended That You're Offended.

00:46:18.120 That's going to be the title.

00:46:19.600 I'm offended that you're offended.

00:46:21.880 It's going to go something like that because basically I'm offended that you take offense to things that are not very offensive.

00:46:28.580 That's going to be the whole genesis of the song.

00:46:31.460 I think it's a hit.

00:46:32.080 No, I love it.

00:46:33.380 And I'll tell you, I was on the BBC talking about the Piers Morgan thing not long ago.

00:46:39.300 And they were saying, you know, BBC, of course, leans left.

00:46:42.860 I like going on there so they can hear another point of view.

00:46:45.020 It's like, hello, not everybody's in that liberal bubble.

00:46:47.420 Here's a different way of looking at things.

00:46:48.960 And the presenter, you know, they call them presenters over there, not anchors, was saying, don't you understand, though, like, Piers Morgan offended a lot of people with his comments about Meghan Markle.

00:46:59.420 I'm like, and?

00:47:00.500 So, like, who cares?

00:47:03.940 He's in the business of talking about difficult conversations, about people who are in the news, who press certain buttons, which she and Harry absolutely do.

00:47:12.640 And that show hired Piers Morgan because they wanted a provocateur.

00:47:17.100 It's not like it was any mystery what Piers's brand was.

00:47:20.760 That's why they put him in the air.

00:47:21.920 That's why the show did so well.

00:47:23.940 And so they got exactly what they wanted.

00:47:25.760 And and you can't give the audience.

00:47:27.920 She said, oh, they had 40,000 complaints.

00:47:30.000 OK, it was organized.

00:47:31.200 Right.

00:47:31.620 It was organized.

00:47:32.220 It wasn't organic.

00:47:33.420 And B, if you said to all of the Good Morning Britain viewers, hey, you got to write in or Piers is going to get in trouble and potentially pushed out or silenced, at least to the point where he wants to quit.

00:47:44.360 You would have gotten way more than 40,000.

00:47:46.200 You can't give some minority that writes in a heckler's veto that they may love him on Monday and hate him on Tuesday, but he's got to show back up on Wednesday because we have principles of allowing disagreements.

00:47:58.520 If he doesn't believe one word, Meghan Markle said, that's his prerogative.

00:48:03.840 Isn't that kind of the definition of bullying, which is also something that is always talked about because it is an issue, but it's something that they really push hard.

00:48:12.840 No bullying, no bullying.

00:48:13.800 Isn't it bullying somebody to say, hey, if you say something we disagree with, we're going to kick you off the show.

00:48:20.180 We're going to crush your business.

00:48:21.720 We're going to turn your lights off. 0.89

00:48:23.360 We're going to tell everybody you're a bunch of bad words right in a row. 0.98

00:48:26.360 So you better keep your mouth shut.

00:48:28.220 I think that's that's like the ultimate level of bullying and they play it out well.

00:48:33.300 So how do you treat a bully?

00:48:34.600 You walk right up to a bully and you go, that doesn't work on me.

00:48:37.840 I'm going to say it anyway.

00:48:38.980 And what I've found is that, you know, if I don't go out here and attack people for their position, because I don't, I might attack the position, but I don't attack the person for having that position.

00:48:50.360 And then I present my position and go, well, here's what I think.

00:48:53.880 And this is not my opinion.

00:48:55.580 This is my experience.

00:48:56.680 This is how I was raised.

00:48:57.820 And this is how I know, you know, a guy like me that has a high school diploma grew up in a double wide trailer in Texas with the American dream in my back pocket.

00:49:06.780 This is how a guy like that can really go far in this country.

00:49:10.660 It's hard work, big thinking, a lot of people mentoring you, tons of mistakes, lots of failure.

00:49:16.560 And at the end of the day, you go, wow, we actually we actually created something that wasn't here prior to this.

00:49:21.980 Am I beat up from it?

00:49:23.420 Sure.

00:49:23.800 Did it make me tired?

00:49:24.820 Yes.

00:49:25.520 Is there integrity in the struggle?

00:49:28.000 Yes, there's integrity in the struggle.

00:49:29.960 So to shut people down is nothing more than bullying.

00:49:33.880 And the rest of us that are, I would say, real McCoys like you and others, people that I even disagree with big time, but are still real McCoys.

00:49:41.600 They don't ever buy into that nonsense. 0.64

00:49:44.260 Oh, John, that's your white privilege talking. 0.96

00:49:48.160 Look at you with the double wide.

00:49:49.760 There are a lot of people in singles.

00:49:51.800 Oh, you're right.

00:49:52.640 Oh, what did I do?

00:49:53.540 I just offended.

00:49:54.200 I'm offended that you're offended.

00:49:56.140 You know, I've got I've got a brand Redneck Riviera.

00:49:58.920 That's a phrase been around since the early 60s about the Gulf Coast, you know, because you can't afford to go to the

00:50:03.880 French Riviera.

00:50:04.820 So where do you go?

00:50:05.560 Go to the Redneck Riviera because it's beautiful and the music's great and the people are fun and you can afford it.

00:50:11.220 And I always loved that phrase.

00:50:13.000 And so I built it out into a whiskey brand that's now in 47 states throughout throughout America.

00:50:18.760 It's an 11000 stores.

00:50:20.440 I'm in I'm in all the Walmarts, Albertson, Safeways, you name it.

00:50:23.800 I'm in all the big stores and small stores.

00:50:26.180 And I give back on every bottle to the folds of honor, which puts kids through college who lost a parent in combat.

00:50:32.340 So my whiskey's now funded 110 college grants.

00:50:36.060 So I say all that to say, you can go from pretty lean and not a big fancy education or anything else.

00:50:44.140 But if you're an American and you woke up here today, if you've got big ideas, you should go after them.

00:50:50.720 You should exhaust your potential because you can't help other people if you don't have anything to give them.

00:50:56.060 See, that's one thing the left misses, too.

00:50:58.040 And the whole culture of, hey, you should just have everything given to you.

00:51:01.320 Well, you know what?

00:51:02.640 There's nothing to give other people if you want to be charitable if you didn't go out and earn more than you need because you're going to take care of yourself and your family first.

00:51:12.040 If you have excess beyond that, that allows you to give to other people that need it.

00:51:15.880 Correct.

00:51:16.520 That's charity.

00:51:17.500 That's what Americans are all about.

00:51:18.940 And this culture of it should be given to you.

00:51:22.060 Let's do some more stimulus.

00:51:23.440 Let's take 91 percent of one point nine trillion dollars and bail a bunch of people out that mismanaged their businesses and unions and states.

00:51:32.180 That's not going to that's not going to perpetuate entrepreneurism, ingenuity or hard work and success.

00:51:38.780 No, it's going to perpetuate the teachers not going back to work when your kid is home and depressed and hasn't been in actual real class for a year.

00:51:46.020 But they they're too scared to go back in because of their health.

00:51:48.800 They're worried that something's going to happen. 0.96

00:51:50.440 Meanwhile, I always give this example because it's so ridiculous.

00:51:53.400 Meanwhile, you got the Chicago Teachers Union. 0.89

00:51:55.220 They won't go back in to teach because they're so worried that their frail bodies can't take it.

00:51:58.980 And then they're doing interpretive dances where they're leaping through the air to bring their point out.

00:52:03.180 About how they need to be free, they need to be free to not teach your children.

00:52:07.120 Young, healthy, able bodied teachers trying to make their point about how how they're too scared and frail to go back into the classrooms by their they're leaping through the streets and air of Chicago, John.

00:52:16.820 OK, hey, you want me to you want me to lay a sentence on you?

00:52:20.080 I haven't heard anybody say in the news.

00:52:21.580 Try this one on because this is the truth bomb for you.

00:52:25.320 The teachers union, not teaching, not going back to class is enabling child abuse.

00:52:31.760 Try that sentence on.

00:52:34.560 And so you go, well, how do you know that's true?

00:52:36.480 Because a vast majority of child abuse reports are made by guess who?

00:52:41.360 Teachers.

00:52:42.080 Teachers.

00:52:42.540 Well, as these lockdowns have happened, guess what?

00:52:45.240 Guess what is down 27 percent?

00:52:48.400 Child abuse is down.

00:52:50.240 Child abuse reports are down 27 percent.

00:52:54.020 Now, Megan, are you telling me that 27 percent fewer child abuse cases are happening?

00:53:00.400 No.

00:53:00.720 No, they're locked in the house and nobody's reporting it because it's the teacher that sees the bruise.

00:53:05.820 That's the teacher that sees the limp or the cut or the cigarette burn or whatever else they're doing to their kids.

00:53:11.560 And those kids are now suffering in silence, locked in their homes in Chicago and New York and all these other big towns where the teachers unions are holding the situation up as these kids suffer.

00:53:22.580 It's not even something people bring up in the news.

00:53:25.020 That's a fact.

00:53:26.460 No, it's so true.

00:53:27.340 I do a lot of work with Child Help, and I love them.

00:53:30.020 And they're such a good organization.

00:53:31.280 And their mission is to take care of abused children.

00:53:34.000 They have these centers where the kids can go and be rehabilitated.

00:53:37.420 And, I mean, the stories are horrific, but Child Help is a legal one when it comes.

00:53:45.400 So they said the same thing you said, that I said, are the hotlines like ringing off the hook during the COVID?

00:53:51.960 And they were like, Megan, they're not.

00:53:54.240 And that's the most terrifying thing of all.

00:53:57.460 That's right.

00:53:58.220 And those teachers know that.

00:54:00.300 And so all those teachers that are saying, we're too weak to come in, we're too frail, and we don't have it exactly perfect, so we're going to keep it all shut down.

00:54:08.040 They know those statistics, too, by the way.

00:54:10.560 They know all that, and they're doing it anyway.

00:54:13.220 Shame on them.

00:54:14.700 It pisses me off because you've got such great teachers.

00:54:17.040 Like, we wound up finding the most amazing teachers.

00:54:19.640 We love our teachers now.

00:54:21.100 And they're such a good example.

00:54:22.360 And then you've got these others.

00:54:23.700 Like, I don't know.

00:54:24.760 Like, there's such a vast disparity in the attitude.

00:54:27.660 And, of course, the unions are leading the sort of worst factions of these groups.

00:54:34.700 Are you doing a show on Fox Nation right now?

00:54:37.380 Yeah.

00:54:37.680 So I've got a show called The Pursuit.

00:54:39.500 It's all about what I said earlier, speaking with you, that our country doesn't guarantee us happiness.

00:54:44.120 It guarantees us the right to pursue happiness.

00:54:46.840 So I interview all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds.

00:54:50.500 And we talk about their pursuit of happiness and how do they get there?

00:54:55.440 Where do they start?

00:54:56.360 You know, think of me as Bubba Walters.

00:54:59.400 You've got Barbara Walters.

00:55:00.740 I'm Bubba Walters, okay?

00:55:03.760 I'm Barbara's long-lost country nephew somewhere down the road.

00:55:06.960 So, like, I interviewed the chef, Monique Shohan.

00:55:11.620 Monique Shohan.

00:55:12.840 She's an Indian lady all over Food Network. 1.00

00:55:17.780 She's got restaurants all over the United States. 0.99

00:55:19.940 And I interviewed her because I'm a fan of hers.

00:55:22.460 And she comes from a totally different place than I come from.

00:55:25.300 But I know how hard she works.

00:55:26.600 And I know she pursues happiness.

00:55:28.000 And I found out during the interview in real time that seven days prior to us sitting down to speak, she went to Memphis, Tennessee, took her citizen's test, and pledged her allegiance to the United States of America, became a citizen.

00:55:41.540 And tears were in her eyes.

00:55:43.760 And I said, Monique, that's incredible.

00:55:45.700 I said, so are you now like a dual citizen?

00:55:48.460 She goes, John, you can't be married to two men at the same time, nor can you pledge your allegiance to two nations at the same time.

00:55:55.860 I am an American.

00:55:57.780 And, I mean, it was so powerful to hear her say that.

00:56:00.480 She said, I would not be able to do what I'm doing in America and India because they don't let women do what I'm doing here in America. 1.00

00:56:08.320 They don't allow that in India.

00:56:09.820 I had to come to America to live my dream.

00:56:12.060 And that's why I wanted to be on the show, The Pursuit.

00:56:14.400 Is that not powerful?

00:56:15.840 Can we get back to those basics?

00:56:18.020 Fundamental, foundational things about our country.

00:56:20.660 I wish we would.

00:56:22.100 Well, and it's a forum where you can go and you're not supposed to talk politics.

00:56:25.700 You're supposed to talk about, like, that's the truth about friendships with people who are on the other side from you politically.

00:56:31.140 Even if you're, you know, really committed to your political views, you don't have to talk about politics.

00:56:36.720 There's so many more things.

00:56:37.800 You don't have to talk about Trump.

00:56:39.080 You don't have to talk about Biden.

00:56:40.500 You can talk about music.

00:56:42.080 You can talk about your kids.

00:56:43.640 You can talk about your hopes.

00:56:44.620 You can talk about your marriage.

00:56:45.520 You can talk about yourself.

00:56:46.600 You can talk about something funny.

00:56:48.020 You know, like, it doesn't all have to be about politics.

00:56:50.680 And I wonder, like, now that Trump's out of office, even though, you know, you love him, you support him, do you think we can do more of that?

00:56:59.060 Because he was just such a larger-than-life figure.

00:57:01.580 He dominated everything.

00:57:03.860 Right.

00:57:05.760 And as we all see, they still want him in all the conversations.

00:57:10.980 Even though he's not there anymore, it's still got to be about Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump all the time.

00:57:15.360 I think it comes down to citizens and regular old people going enough already, you know, make moves yourself.

00:57:22.340 If you have a neighbor that had a Biden sign and you've got a Trump sign, go over to the neighbor's house and say, hey, buddy, here's a six-pack of beer.

00:57:29.980 You want to come over and eat a hamburger?

00:57:31.400 Like, reach out to people.

00:57:33.000 Well, okay.

00:57:33.840 Where they realize, okay, he's not my enemy.

00:57:36.200 We just disagree.

00:57:37.020 That sounds very nice.

00:57:39.780 But as you know, you remember the article that came out about the, I'm going to get my facts wrong, but it was a couple of neighbors and one voluntarily went over and plowed his neighbor's driveway.

00:57:55.560 And it was a liberal doing the plowing of a Trump supporter's driveway.

00:57:58.520 And then they wrote a long piece, I think it was in the New York Times, saying, you know, I'm really struggling with what I did.

00:58:05.000 And like, would I plow Hitler's driveway? 0.93

00:58:07.640 It was like this insane.

00:58:09.280 It was L.A. Times.

00:58:10.080 It was L.A. Times.

00:58:11.480 And like, that's not someone you can go talk to. 0.99

00:58:14.840 Like, I just like, I would go out and get all the snow and put it back on my driveway and say, screw you, lady. 1.00

00:58:20.320 You didn't like, don't help me again. 0.98

00:58:22.160 If you're going to, if you're going to struggle with it this much because you think I'm a Nazi because I voted for Trump, I don't see much of a friendship.

00:58:27.960 And as you know, that's where we are. 0.97

00:58:29.960 You got you got news anchors telling their audience that everyone who voted for Trump is a skinhead Nazi white supremacist Klansman. 0.99

00:58:38.800 And that's the message not just from. 0.94

00:58:40.740 I mean, can you like the thought of a news anchor saying that about half the country just just even a few years ago would have been unfathomable.

00:58:48.540 But many said it this time around.

00:58:50.440 It is a dangerous thing to do because what it does, people that believe that narrative and accept that as the way of thinking about people, what does that mean?

00:59:01.040 Are all rules off if you're coming after a Nazi?

00:59:05.200 Let's put it this way.

00:59:06.380 Back in the early 1940s, were all the rules off when it came to Americans going after Nazis?

00:59:12.340 Yes, there were no rules.

00:59:13.840 We're going to take them out.

00:59:15.220 That's what we're going to do.

00:59:16.140 So when you use that word and put it on American citizens that you disagree with politically, what does that do?

00:59:22.560 It opens the door to dehumanize someone where I can do anything I want to do to this person now because they're not really human. 0.88

00:59:29.940 They're a Nazi.

00:59:31.680 See, to call somebody that sets into motion things that I really, if you want to know what really scares me is that, is that it goes down the road and people keep following that line of thinking.

00:59:43.320 And one day we look up and there's actually citizens out in the street fighting each other.

00:59:48.400 And unfortunately, I think there's some people that want to see that happen.

00:59:53.000 And you go, well, why would anybody want to see that happen?

00:59:55.440 Well, there are some people that like chaos and they like disorder and they like things to be upside down because when things are chaotic and upside down, it allows them to do what?

01:00:05.160 Take control of the situation, set up new rules, set up new parameters and move things in the direction they want.

01:00:12.860 When there's peace and prosperity, it's really hard to get Americans to bend the knee.

01:00:17.680 But you mess their life up enough.

01:00:19.460 A lot of them will bend the knee. 0.94

01:00:20.820 And I see these things going down the road, Megan.

01:00:23.460 It worries me.

01:00:24.220 That's why you got to pray.

01:00:25.700 Earth to God.

01:00:26.440 I wrote this song called Earth to God.

01:00:28.020 If you want to watch something great, go to YouTube, look up Earth to God.

01:00:31.240 And it's really about what I'm talking about right now.

01:00:34.240 Our problems are bigger than what we can handle.

01:00:37.560 Only God can handle problems this big.

01:00:39.780 And we got to remember to reach out to him.

01:00:42.000 That's right.

01:00:42.760 You got to surrender to it.

01:00:44.160 By the way, I want to correct myself.

01:00:45.660 So my crack team has just re-forwarded me the article from the LA Times.

01:00:49.120 It's even worse than I said.

01:00:50.920 It was the Trump supporters who plowed her driveway.

01:00:56.020 They plowed her driveway without being asked.

01:00:58.860 And the Trump supporters, quote, did a great job.

01:01:02.100 And she just didn't understand whether she should accept this act of kindness when given

01:01:06.160 by such terrible people.

01:01:08.480 She talked about how it's like, would you take a favor from Hezbollah?

01:01:13.660 Would you?

01:01:14.960 Right.

01:01:15.400 Lady, lady.

01:01:16.740 Seek help.

01:01:17.700 That's terrible.

01:01:19.280 It's so terrible and unhealthy. 0.54

01:01:21.400 And people are really twisted.

01:01:23.120 It's like if I'm driving down the road and I see a car broke down with a Hillary Clinton

01:01:27.580 sticker on it and they got a flat tire, I promise you I'm going to pull over on the

01:01:31.720 side of the road and go, hey, you need me to help to change that tire?

01:01:33.940 I mean, that's what Americans are about.

01:01:35.960 But our media and politicians, man, they're unfortunately doing a really good job at making

01:01:42.080 people do exactly what you just said.

01:01:44.120 Wow.

01:01:44.340 I can't believe they plowed the snow off my driveway.

01:01:46.820 I don't know how I feel about that because a Nazi just plowed snow off my driveway.

01:01:50.700 I mean, I definitely would not help change the tire.

01:01:54.440 I would not do that because I don't know how to do that even for myself.

01:01:57.000 But I would call Abby.

01:01:58.360 I would call Abby and say, Abby, help this person.

01:02:02.200 She is my triple A.

01:02:03.060 She is my everything.

01:02:03.980 She is my mommy.

01:02:04.940 She's my nanny. 0.97

01:02:05.960 She's my friend.

01:02:06.760 She's my little sister.

01:02:07.500 She's my assistant. 0.57

01:02:08.440 She's a problem solver. 0.95

01:02:09.620 Basically, she's a fixer. 1.00

01:02:11.160 So wait, can I ask you a question?

01:02:12.280 Have you talked to Trump since he left office?

01:02:15.780 I have.

01:02:16.880 Yep.

01:02:17.300 I've talked to him.

01:02:17.880 How's he doing?

01:02:18.280 Not a lot.

01:02:18.820 A couple of times.

01:02:19.840 Sounds fun.

01:02:20.960 Did he sound like happy?

01:02:22.940 Is he enjoying?

01:02:23.780 Yeah.

01:02:24.100 I don't know.

01:02:24.600 Is this retirement?

01:02:25.340 I don't know what we're calling this.

01:02:27.040 I mean, he sounds laid back even.

01:02:32.060 He's always got a little joke or something.

01:02:34.340 He's kind of ribbing you about something.

01:02:36.120 I saw you on the news.

01:02:37.340 Whatever.

01:02:38.380 Makes these little comments and stuff.

01:02:40.060 He sounded relaxed, which is interesting.

01:02:44.200 I didn't know what I would expect to hear from him.

01:02:46.200 But he actually sounded a lot more relaxed than he was when we saw him on television.

01:02:51.460 So if you had to predict, not saying he told you, but if you had to predict whether he's

01:02:56.140 going to run in 2024, what would you say?

01:02:59.220 I think he will.

01:03:00.060 I think that he will.

01:03:04.380 I mean, I just think there's so many people that like the progress they were seeing on so many levels, whether it was business or foreign relations.

01:03:14.520 I mean, peace in the Middle East, for goodness sake.

01:03:16.220 I mean, stuff that we never thought would happen, they'd sure like to see those things continue.

01:03:21.100 And I think that what we're watching in the first 90 days with this administration of the stepping backwards and things getting worse, I think there's a wide open path for him.

01:03:32.400 But it's up to him at the end of the day.

01:03:34.660 But if I know him at all, I don't think the guy likes to lose.

01:03:39.060 And I think he would probably take another swing at it.

01:03:41.540 All right, let's talk about you for a minute, because something you said earlier was it piqued my curiosity.

01:03:47.340 You were talking about giving your guitar lessons to your third grade son and his buddies and saying, you know, I don't know whether I'd want to recommend this crazy life as a musician.

01:03:57.800 So, like, how crazy does it get?

01:03:59.940 When you say it's a crazy life, I know you tour around and all that.

01:04:04.320 But like, give us the bird's eye view into life as John Rich.

01:04:09.360 You want to know what it's like being on a tour bus rolling around the United States, Megan.

01:04:14.140 I know what you're asking me.

01:04:15.680 Well, as much as you're willing to share.

01:04:18.500 There is an inner rock star with you.

01:04:20.600 I've always known that.

01:04:22.060 I'm a wannabe for sure.

01:04:24.720 You know, I think for me growing up in a little town that, you know, if you couldn't drive a combine or herd cows or do something agriculturally, pretty much that there was no other option to do it.

01:04:38.420 And then moving to Tennessee when I was in high school because my mother's from Tennessee.

01:04:42.400 So we moved back, moved back to Tennessee and getting into music.

01:04:47.140 I still never really thought I'd make any money at it.

01:04:49.680 You know, I was going to go to college and do whatever.

01:04:51.620 But, you know, you get in there.

01:04:53.400 It's not really making music.

01:04:54.940 That's the problem.

01:04:55.780 It's becoming successful making music.

01:04:58.340 That can be the problem.

01:04:59.540 So you get all this success.

01:05:01.860 You've never experienced it before.

01:05:03.340 And everybody that ever told you you couldn't do it, talked down to you, batted you around one way or the other.

01:05:11.620 You know, for me anyway, when I finally got big success, I didn't handle that very well.

01:05:16.860 You know, I took it as like a hammer to turn around and hit everybody over the head with it as much as I could.

01:05:22.280 So in C, I told you, I told you, I told you.

01:05:25.440 And with that comes a lot of raucous living.

01:05:28.700 I would say a prodigal son would have been a good stamp for me for many years of my life.

01:05:34.560 Having a dad that's a preacher, I'm sure I was disappointing to him on many, many levels.

01:05:39.000 But, you know, I was taught well young.

01:05:41.540 I knew what the truth was.

01:05:42.700 I went swinging out there wide for many years.

01:05:46.120 But then you come back around and you realize what you were taught early on in your life remains true and remains constant.

01:05:54.280 And fame is not constant.

01:05:57.300 And popularity and success and all those things, those are whispers.

01:06:03.640 Those come and go.

01:06:05.140 They blow in, they blow out.

01:06:06.420 But the things that are constant and concrete are things like God loves you.

01:06:12.080 You are God's child.

01:06:13.440 He is there for you.

01:06:15.000 America gives you the right to pursue happiness.

01:06:17.940 Hard work wins in the end.

01:06:20.200 You know, respect people that you disagree with.

01:06:23.680 Love your family.

01:06:25.180 Teach your kids well.

01:06:26.900 Try to have some fun.

01:06:28.080 You know, things like that that are just the everyday things remain constant.

01:06:32.660 And I had forgotten that for many years.

01:06:34.380 And because of that, I became somewhat of an insufferable person to be around for quite a while.

01:06:39.840 And I'm glad I came back around.

01:06:41.980 When I hear you talking about that, I feel like it's code for you.

01:06:45.280 You abuse substances. 1.00

01:06:46.960 You got to be kind of an asshole to your friends. 1.00

01:06:49.600 And then you got a big head. 1.00

01:06:49.960 Yeah, I never really got into substances.

01:06:52.240 I never got into any drugs.

01:06:54.420 But I was drinking too much.

01:06:56.000 You know, you get out. 1.00

01:06:57.240 Instead of drinking a couple of cocktails, you drink four or five cocktails and say something stupid or get in an altercation with somebody. 0.99

01:07:03.760 And, you know, make a scene and disrespect people and that kind of thing. 0.98

01:07:08.500 So, you know, it never was something that commanded my life.

01:07:11.720 But I think when you have a heavy dose of anger from growing up, you know, pretty lean and you want to show everybody that they were wrong.

01:07:21.340 And then you have a lot of success.

01:07:22.700 You throw some alcohol on it.

01:07:24.440 By golly, you can get a little wild when that happens and not in a good way.

01:07:28.500 So, you know, it's something I had to live through, but I had a lot of good friends.

01:07:32.380 And at the end of the day, I had God looking out for me and he was still there.

01:07:35.880 And when I said, are you still there?

01:07:37.020 He goes, yep.

01:07:38.100 And I almost felt like he said, are you done?

01:07:40.460 I was like, I'm done.

01:07:41.820 You know, he's like, all right, let's move forward.

01:07:44.440 And that was a great feeling.

01:07:46.640 Oh, I like the way you said that.

01:07:49.480 You still there?

01:07:50.900 You done?

01:07:52.040 I'm here.

01:07:53.600 That's so great.

01:07:55.200 Well, he's our spiritual father, right?

01:07:57.040 That's what the Bible says.

01:07:57.980 He's your spiritual father.

01:07:59.680 He is your father.

01:08:01.060 And so being a father now, I know how I talk to my kids, you know, and if they ever came to me and said, Dad, you still there for me?

01:08:08.820 I know I messed up.

01:08:09.760 I go, I'm right here.

01:08:11.020 You through messing up?

01:08:12.140 Yes, sir.

01:08:12.900 All right.

01:08:13.220 Get over here, buddy. 0.91

01:08:14.040 And give them, you know, rub them on the head and let's go outside and talk about it because you love them.

01:08:18.360 You're their dad.

01:08:19.400 And God feels that way about us.

01:08:20.900 We just have to reach back out to him.

01:08:23.220 And it is the same thing.

01:08:24.620 Like, I never left.

01:08:26.200 I've always been here.

01:08:27.400 I got you.

01:08:28.340 You know?

01:08:29.240 That's right.

01:08:29.800 I think that when I hear how successful you've been, I'm like, I don't understand it.

01:08:35.140 Does the rock and roll, like, does the music industry just pay, like, crazy amounts of money?

01:08:42.240 Because I just feel like if you are successful in music, it's just next level.

01:08:46.300 It's not like being an actor, it's not even like being a CEO of a medium-sized, successful business.

01:08:53.620 It just seems like it's crazy dope.

01:08:57.100 Well, it can be.

01:08:58.200 I mean, you know, in country music, you know, that's a huge live concert genre.

01:09:05.200 There are lots and lots of big concerts, and, you know, a lot of people come see you every year.

01:09:09.920 So it's a, you know, they'll buy your record once if they buy it.

01:09:13.320 Most people stream them now, but a concert ticket, that's different.

01:09:17.400 You know, they'll buy that ticket, and if they had a great time, you come back to town,

01:09:20.300 they'll show back up and bring three friends.

01:09:22.420 And, you know, it can't turn into that.

01:09:24.160 But for me, songwriting was a big, big piece of the puzzle to me was, you know, I've written over 2,000 songs.

01:09:32.420 I've had hit songs on all kinds of people outside of Big and Rich, outside of myself,

01:09:37.500 that honestly were bigger hits than what I sing myself.

01:09:40.660 So, you know, a pencil and a piece of paper are the two most limitless things in the world.

01:09:48.360 And, you know, the Bible started out with blank paper and a writing utensil.

01:09:54.380 The Constitution did.

01:09:56.020 You know, I can take this blank sheet of paper, no matter if things are going good or not, write something on it.

01:10:01.180 It might be something that changes my life, or nobody may ever hear what it is.

01:10:05.740 But at least I have a shot.

01:10:06.960 As long as I got another piece of paper, I got another shot.

01:10:09.700 That's kind of been my attitude.

01:10:11.060 It keeps me positive and pushing forward.

01:10:13.660 Because that's the whole thing, Megan.

01:10:15.620 You never know where you're going to wind up.

01:10:17.120 And that's the fun of it.

01:10:18.820 Just keep pushing and doing the things you love.

01:10:22.160 What, like, do you think it's easier to maintain a happy family life as a country music star than as a pop star?

01:10:29.720 I mean, I'm thinking about that Britney Spears documentary I just saw.

01:10:33.240 And it just, that looked just like hell on earth.

01:10:35.340 And I know a couple of rockers. 1.00

01:10:36.560 It just seems, oh, the women. 1.00

01:10:38.720 I know you get that too on the road and the women throwing themselves at you. 0.95

01:10:41.240 But I feel like in country music, family values are kind of more prized.

01:10:45.500 Am I being Pollyanna-ish?

01:10:48.000 No.

01:10:48.840 Because honestly, our music, you know, lyrically even, country music doesn't go off into the subject matter that you hear in a lot of pop or urban music.

01:10:59.380 We just don't go there.

01:11:00.680 You know, and like a guy like me, I look at my fans and I go, well, I'm a country music fan too, me personally.

01:11:07.460 Like, I'm a fan of country music.

01:11:09.120 So I know who they are.

01:11:10.280 That's who I grew up with.

01:11:11.500 I'm just on the stage singing to them.

01:11:14.040 And they're just listening.

01:11:15.460 So to me, they're like extended family members, friends I haven't met yet.

01:11:19.180 And so we don't really get into the TMZ world and all the craziness that happens in the pop world that really a lot of that doesn't enter into Nashville.

01:11:28.160 And I think that is a better situation for a lot of country singers and pop singers.

01:11:33.340 All right.

01:11:33.500 So when I moved to Nashville, I think I've got the name of my house.

01:11:38.320 Oh, perfect.

01:11:39.820 Try this on for size.

01:11:41.120 My son, my little guy is obsessed with that, with this movie, because he's got like a fear of sharks, like most people.

01:11:49.180 And I think I might steal the name of one of his favorite movies.

01:11:52.740 The Meg.

01:11:54.580 I love it.

01:11:56.680 Megalodon.

01:11:57.440 Yeah.

01:11:59.180 Wow.

01:12:00.220 The Meg.

01:12:00.780 You could put the Meg right next to Mount Richmore and it'd be you and me up on the hill just raising cane.

01:12:06.020 We could put a zip line between our houses, man.

01:12:09.000 Get all country redneck with it.

01:12:10.580 It'd be such a blast.

01:12:12.120 Maybe we could put one of those little like carriers so you can send me down some whiskey so I could pick up where you left off and all your bad habits.

01:12:18.780 Hey, we'll get together.

01:12:19.960 We'll get together, have some Redneck Revere whiskey.

01:12:22.360 You can say, OK, read my new monologue and I'll go, great.

01:12:25.960 You listen to my new song and we'll just sit there and edit each other.

01:12:28.480 It'd be perfect.

01:12:29.820 It sounds like heaven on earth.

01:12:32.280 John Rich, such a pleasure.

01:12:34.080 Thank you, Megan.

01:12:34.680 Appreciate it.

01:12:35.300 Always good to talk to you.

01:12:39.000 Coming up on Monday, you're going to want to tune in for this.

01:12:42.960 It's John Stossel.

01:12:45.580 Stossel.

01:12:46.560 You know him from his 30 years at ABC News.

01:12:49.360 And he was the consumer reporter who was like busting bad schemes against people for lots of years.

01:12:55.380 Next to Barbara Walters, Elizabeth Vargas and others.

01:12:58.560 Then he moved over to Fox Business and really let his libertarian freak flag fly in a great way.

01:13:04.800 You know, his reporting was just different from everybody else's.

01:13:08.120 And the way he comes at stories is different because he is a libertarian.

01:13:12.200 And I think you're going to find in particular what he has to say about the crackdowns online against him.

01:13:19.520 Disturbing but illuminating.

01:13:21.680 Facebook tried to shut down one of his stories he posted about the environment out in California and the forest fires out there.

01:13:27.500 And what he had to go through to try to get a false warning on his report removed.

01:13:35.620 I mean, it's going to frustrate you, but it's very illuminating as to how hard this battle is going to be with big tech trying to crack down on everybody.

01:13:44.600 So anyway, it's always enjoyable talking to Stossel.

01:13:46.500 And then you will learn in that interview about what my husband and I call the Stossel.

01:13:51.520 What happens to one dining at Stossel's apartment with Stossel and his beautiful wife, Ellen, when Stossel gets a little tired.

01:14:01.140 Tune in for that next time.

01:14:03.620 Thanks for listening to The Megyn Kelly Show. 0.94

01:14:05.760 No BS, no agenda, and no fear.

01:14:10.300 The Megyn Kelly Show is a Devil May Care media production in collaboration with Red Seat Ventures.

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The Megyn Kelly Show - March 19, 2021

John Rich on Trump and Biden, The Leftward Drift of Red Cities, and His Relationship With God ｜ Ep. 78

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