Triggered - Donald Trump Jr - How Sean Parnell Helped Deliver PA, Plus Why Pete Hegseth Must Be Confirmed | TRIGGERED Ep.199

00:00:00.000 Thank you.

00:06:26.000 Tonight we're joined by great friend of the show, great American Sean Parnell.

00:06:31.000 Sean is a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and is the host of the Battleground podcast.

00:06:37.000 He was also a massive part of why my father won the Great State Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

00:06:45.000 And now Sean is building on all of that success to make sure that Pennsylvania stays red and that we deliver on the biggest promises that were made on this campaign.

00:06:56.000 There's no better example of what it means to be a warfighter than Sean.

00:07:01.000 And we're going to get into all of that as we discuss the future of the Pentagon.

00:07:06.000 Just so we're clear, I think Sean was on like the second episode ever of Triggered So we go back a long way.

00:07:13.000 He was the leader of, you know, Outlaw Platoon, you know, over in the desert.

00:07:19.000 Just an incredible American, incredible warfighter, a true patriot.

00:07:24.000 So also a funny and sick individual, kind of like me.

00:07:27.000 So I I think you'll probably appreciate wherever the heck we end up going on all of this.

00:07:31.000 So make sure you guys are liking, sharing, and subscribing so you never miss one of these major episodes.

00:07:37.000 And if your friends still aren't watching us here on Rumble, now is a great time to start.

00:07:43.000 Also, remember, if you're not watching us here on Rumble, you can check us out on Spotify.

00:07:48.000 Apple Podcasts, if you missed the show here, obviously you can get it that way.

00:07:52.000 If your friends get their podcasts that way, make sure they check it out.

00:07:55.000 And for all of the top headlines that we spotlight here on the show, go over to my news app, MXM News, where you can get the mainstream news without the mainstream bias.

00:08:06.000 And in the meantime, protect yourself from the economic insanity with the Birch Gold Group.

00:08:11.000 Because with the massive tax hike proposed by Harris, you might be thinking it's time to make more of your savings tax-sheltered and inflation-sheltered.

00:08:21.000 You guys see the markets, you see the volatility, and we know the Fed is just printing more and more money.

00:08:28.000 That means your costs go up and your quality of life goes down.

00:08:33.000 So like I always said, I just want you to be prepared.

00:08:35.000 For over 20 years, Birch Gold has helped thousands of Americans protect their savings by converting an IRA or 401k into an IRA in physical gold.

00:08:44.000 To learn more, text Don Jr., To the number 989898 and claim your free, no-obligation info kit on gold.

00:08:54.000 Again, just text Don Jr., D-O-N-J-R, to the number 989898. That means you type in 989898 at the top of a text like you're typing in a random telephone number.

00:09:03.000 Put in Don Jr. as the text in there.

00:09:07.000 Very simple.

00:09:08.000 It's free.

00:09:08.000 There's no obligation.

00:09:10.000 Educate yourself.

00:09:11.000 Learn.

00:09:12.000 Make an intelligent decision for your family.

00:09:14.000 Also, guys, make sure to check out Tax Network USA.

00:09:18.000 Do you owe back taxes?

00:09:19.000 Are your tax returns still unfiled?

00:09:21.000 Miss the deadline, perhaps, to file an extension?

00:09:24.000 Don't get blindsided by the IRS and their heavy-handed tactics.

00:09:28.000 You could face wage garnishments, frozen bank accounts, or even property seizures if you haven't taken action yet.

00:09:35.000 So like I always say, I just want you to be prepared.

00:09:39.000 Tax Network USA has helped taxpayers save over $1 billion in tax debt and has filed over 10,000 tax returns.

00:09:47.000 Visit TNUSA.com, like Tax Network, TNUSA.com slash Don Jr. for a free consultation.

00:09:55.000 Again, that's TNUSA.com slash Don Jr. Joining me now, host of the Battleground podcast here on Rumble, Army Ranger, hero, author, awesome dude, good friend of the show.

00:10:11.000 I think he was on like the second episode of the show when I didn't even know what the hell I was doing with you.

00:10:16.000 We have people being like, okay, rate it in.

00:10:18.000 You guys are going a little bit off the rails.

00:10:20.000 Awesome guy.

00:10:21.000 And new leader of Pennsylvania Rising, Sean Parnell.

00:10:26.000 Good to be with you, buddy.

00:10:27.000 How you doing?

00:10:28.000 I'm good, my friend.

00:10:29.000 I'm doing great after an historic Trump victory and Republican statewide victory up and down the ballot all across Pennsylvania, man.

00:10:38.000 I'm doing great.

00:10:39.000 Well, listen, you are obviously a big part of that.

00:10:42.000 A lot of people, you know, Pennsylvania isn't just the Keystone State in name.

00:10:45.000 It was actually, you know, always kind of clear to us that it was a Keystone State in this election.

00:10:51.000 You are one of the biggest guys, you know, out there doing just that.

00:10:56.000 So talk about that a little bit.

00:10:57.000 How do you make that happen?

00:10:59.000 What's different?

00:11:00.000 How do we make Pennsylvania, Florida?

00:11:03.000 You know, a place that kind of goes, it went either way.

00:11:06.000 And, you know, we won it back in 16. And ever since then, it's just been, you know, now it's, let's call it a solid red.

00:11:13.000 How do we make that happen in Pennsylvania?

00:11:15.000 Yeah, so this is a long answer.

00:11:17.000 So let me give you some context here, my friend.

00:11:19.000 Do you know how I got into all of this, into politics and all this crazy stuff?

00:11:22.000 Yeah.

00:11:23.000 It was your dad.

00:11:25.000 Yeah, I remember the story.

00:11:27.000 Tell everyone else, because you and I are buddies.

00:11:30.000 We gotta fill in the blanks for everyone else watching.

00:11:33.000 Yeah, so before I ran for office, I would go on Fox all the time.

00:11:38.000 I had all these books.

00:11:39.000 I had a veterans charity that gave service dogs to veterans.

00:11:42.000 And I was down in South Carolina doing an event, just awarded a veteran a service dog.

00:11:48.000 I walk off the stage.

00:11:50.000 And my phone is like blowing up.

00:11:52.000 All these reporters and political consultants and everything else is calling me, ringing off the hook.

00:11:58.000 But the call that was, like, scaring me the most, Don, was, like, my mom, who is this fierce, strong Italian woman.

00:12:05.000 And I'm like, holy smokes, I'm wondering, like, is there a death in the family or did something terrible happen?

00:12:10.000 And so I pick up the phone and I'm like, you know, sneak off the stage.

00:12:14.000 And I'm like, Ma, what's going on?

00:12:16.000 And she starts, like, yelling, like, Sean, are you running for Congress?

00:12:21.000 And I'm like, Ma, no, I am not running for Congress.

00:12:24.000 And my mom is like...

00:12:26.000 The biggest OG America first Trump fan in the history of the world.

00:12:32.000 And she said, well, President Trump says you're running for Congress.

00:12:35.000 And immediately I thought my mom was drunk or something.

00:12:38.000 It was like 11 a.m.

00:12:39.000 Mom, have you been day drinking again?

00:12:42.000 So I was like, are you kidding me?

00:12:45.000 And so she sends me this video.

00:12:47.000 And it's your dad who had come to Western Pennsylvania at the Marcella Shale Coalition that I hear Sean Parnell might run for Congress.

00:12:55.000 He should do it.

00:12:56.000 He's a great military guy.

00:12:57.000 So that is why I got involved in politics because I've loved, you know, from the moment your dad came down that escalator, you know, I was all in, you know, fought in these wars that, you know, Democrats and Republicans had sent us into for 20 years.

00:13:13.000 I was definitely ready for a change.

00:13:15.000 So I got in.

00:13:16.000 And I'm just telling you all of that to make the point that I was a complete outsider to this game in 2020. And I had a front row seat to them stealing that race.

00:13:28.000 And I have been my friend.

00:13:30.000 And I met you at Fox also and, you know, sort of was very involved and sort of I gave you sort of this similar pre-endorsement endorsement.

00:13:37.000 Like, this guy would be great.

00:13:39.000 He should really do it.

00:13:40.000 I don't know if he has any interest whatsoever, but like, go.

00:13:43.000 Congratulations. 0.95

00:13:44.000 It was totally ridiculous, man. 0.98

00:13:45.000 Like how that all happened. 0.94

00:13:47.000 Totally a fate thing.

00:13:48.000 But, you know, again, I've been a competitor.

00:13:51.000 I played sports my whole life.

00:13:53.000 Obviously was in combat with the light infantry, fought against the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Haqqani.

00:13:59.000 So I'm a competitor.

00:14:00.000 It's what I do. 0.97

00:14:02.000 I don't like losing really, really sucks. 0.61

00:14:05.000 I don't like to do it. 0.90

00:14:06.000 It doesn't happen that often. 0.94

00:14:07.000 But losing when you get cheated really sucks. 0.91

00:14:12.000 And they 100% cheated in Pennsylvania. 0.69

00:14:15.000 I saw it.

00:14:16.000 I witnessed it.

00:14:17.000 I'll never be gaslighted into believing anything.

00:14:20.000 Otherwise, I saw it with my own two eyes.

00:14:21.000 They cheated me and they cheated your dad.

00:14:24.000 To be clear, that was sort of my father's mentality also.

00:14:27.000 I think, honestly, he could have taken a loss that was real in 2020 and gone home and be like, hey man, that was an amazing run.

00:14:35.000 It's fine.

00:14:35.000 It's over.

00:14:36.000 But it was the fact that it was so flagrant that he cheated.

00:14:39.000 And now when you look at the numbers even out of 24, it's like...

00:14:41.000 You know, how'd they get 85 million votes when it's just so consistent?

00:14:44.000 And then just this one little anomaly right there that time, it's like, no one believes it.

00:14:48.000 So I was like, if they would have just won honestly and not made this whole thing, like, he could have just gone, you know, off into the sunset, but he felt the same way.

00:14:57.000 It's like, when you're cheated, it's like, I won, but I didn't because of X, Y, Z. It's like, no, no, no, no, no.

00:15:02.000 Now you're creating a monster.

00:15:04.000 You raised so many great points there because you are 100% right.

00:15:10.000 I mean, your dad did win in 2020, but he would have had, you know, Dem Majority Senate, Dem Majority House.

00:15:16.000 Like, your dad got extraordinary things accomplished in his first four years despite withering resistance.

00:15:22.000 So I'm not saying that he wouldn't have been able to accomplish things in the last four years, but it would have been difficult, right?

00:15:28.000 Absolutely.

00:15:29.000 By the way, this is so much better because the same guys that we didn't know in 16, how would you know, right?

00:15:34.000 You came in as a total outsider.

00:15:35.000 The first night he ever spent in Washington was the night he swore the oath of office.

00:15:40.000 So it was like he didn't know, so he trusted others.

00:15:42.000 That isn't always a great plan, especially in politics.

00:15:46.000 So, you know, if you just rolled over the 2020 crew into the next four years and we'd be getting out in 43 days, you know, 40 days, whatever it is now, you would have actually accomplished so much less than now.

00:16:00.000 You had a four year break.

00:16:01.000 You figured out who was great back then. 0.98

00:16:02.000 You figured out who sucked. 0.88

00:16:03.000 That was part of it. 0.93

00:16:04.000 You figured out who was there on January 7th.

00:16:07.000 You know, not, you know, day one isn't 2015.

00:16:09.000 Day one is January 7th.

00:16:10.000 What were you doing and saying then, you know, as it relates to all of this and like now you can start over with that knowledge.

00:16:17.000 And I think that's such a bigger threat to the swamp and not just the knowledge of what it means to govern.

00:16:22.000 You're right, because your dad gets...

00:16:24.000 I experienced this at a much, much, much smaller level, and I never actually was in Congress, so there's that component of it as well.

00:16:32.000 But, you know, your dad comes up as a businessman, you know, reshaped the New York City skyline, worked with everybody, Democrats and Republicans, and got extraordinary things done.

00:16:43.000 So it stands to reason that you win, you bury the hatchet with your political foes, you get in office and you say, OK, I'm going to work with everybody just to make America great again.

00:16:53.000 But the problem is, and I realized this myself in the wake of 2020, that these radical commie Democrats, there's a reason why there's a phrase, if you want a friend in politics, get a dog, because even people on your own side of the aisle will tuck tail and run at the first sign of adversity. 0.61

00:17:08.000 Well, so this, Don, this is why, you know, You know, it was that it was that ridiculous cheating in 2020 that got me brainstorming about the political battlefield in Pennsylvania and was the real catalyst for why I wanted to fight the fight like the Democrats did and actually just do it better than them.

00:17:27.000 Broken down in 67 counties across Pennsylvania.

00:17:30.000 So, you know, after my Senate run in 2022, I'd come up with this plan in 2022.

00:17:35.000 My Senate race didn't get to the finish line in that race, but I still had this plan.

00:17:41.000 And after the primary in 2022 between Dave McCormick and Dr. Oz, I went to Dave.

00:17:48.000 He hadn't decided whether or not he was going to run for a second time again, but I said, listen...

00:17:52.000 You've run before.

00:17:54.000 You're from Pennsylvania.

00:17:55.000 I don't know if you've decided what your political future is going to look like yet, but this plan right here is outcome determinative for not just you, potentially you, but for Republicans statewide.

00:18:09.000 If we don't implement some form of this plan, no one will ever win here again.

00:18:14.000 And the plan was really twofold, Don, and this is like just 30,000 feet, but it was, we've got to focus on voter registration because your dad won an historic victory in Pennsylvania in 16 by like over 40,000 votes against Hillary Clinton.

00:18:29.000 But the Dems had like an 800,000 person voter registration advantage back then. 0.86

00:18:36.000 Your dad overcame that.

00:18:38.000 But even in 20, they still had 650,000.

00:18:43.000 So my goal was we've got to cut that in half.

00:18:45.000 We've got to cut the voter registration advantage that the Dems have in half. 0.91

00:18:50.000 And so now we're somewhere in the ballpark of 300,000.

00:18:53.000 I mean, there are still 300,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.

00:18:56.000 We're going to stay on that.

00:18:58.000 But also...

00:18:59.000 Early vote and a vote-by-mail banking operation, man.

00:19:04.000 Like, we wanted to go all in on that, and we did.

00:19:07.000 We banked votes at a higher pace than Democrats this cycle, and it paid off huge for us in the end.

00:19:14.000 Yeah, listen, I've been saying this for years.

00:19:17.000 Like, we have to be playing the same game.

00:19:18.000 If everyone chooses to play t-ball, I'm fine with that.

00:19:21.000 God knows, you know, I know as well as anyone, like, what hardball, you know, means, especially for the Democrats.

00:19:26.000 But, like, we can't Play t-ball if they're playing hardball.

00:19:28.000 That doesn't work.

00:19:29.000 That's not a recipe for success.

00:19:30.000 Just so we're clear, like, you know, I was there with you on the ground in Pennsylvania doing both of the runs.

00:19:35.000 You know, just explain to people, like, some of the, just the most obscene aspects of what, you know, people are like, oh, how do you know you got cheated?

00:19:42.000 It's like, they're letting people vote from, like, the adjoining district in yours, and they're like, sorry, the ballots went out.

00:19:49.000 Like, I'm like, but they're not in the district.

00:19:50.000 Like, there's no...

00:19:52.000 How do you allow someone from outside of a congressional district to vote in the district?

00:19:57.000 Like, it's too late.

00:19:58.000 We set the ballots.

00:19:59.000 Like, there's nothing we can do.

00:20:00.000 I mean, it was that bad, right?

00:20:02.000 Because people were like, oh, cheating, cheating.

00:20:04.000 How do you know?

00:20:05.000 How do you know you just didn't underperform?

00:20:06.000 I'm like, no, dude.

00:20:07.000 This is like, it was maybe the most flagrant and obvious case where not only were they just caught red-handed, but they're like, okay, so what?

00:20:16.000 Well, yeah, exactly.

00:20:17.000 I mean, so every time I see your dad, every time he's like, you should be in Congress, they cheated those 30,000 ballots.

00:20:24.000 That's like the first thing he said to me every time he sees me.

00:20:29.000 And if you think about how extraordinary that is, like he was the president of the United States back then.

00:20:34.000 Like he was the leader of the free world in 2020. And when those ballots went out...

00:20:39.000 Because they went out about a month and a half before Election Day in Allegheny County, in PA-17, in Western Pennsylvania was where I ran.

00:20:48.000 He knew that these 30-plus thousand mail-in ballots were sent to the wrong addresses.

00:20:53.000 And he said...

00:20:55.000 In a tweet, look it up.

00:20:57.000 You can find it.

00:20:58.000 You know, the Democrat governor, Tom Wolf, is putting Sean Parnell at great risk.

00:21:01.000 These ballots, he was all over that and he called it out and he was right. 0.97

00:21:05.000 And so what they did was, Don, is that this mail-in ballot company, it was the first time we had mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, widespread mail-in ballots.

00:21:13.000 They sent out 30 plus thousand to the wrong addresses.

00:21:16.000 And we had to sue the Democrats.

00:21:19.000 My campaign had to sue the Democrats in court to get them to stop counting them.

00:21:25.000 Don, their position back then, no BS, was count every vote.

00:21:30.000 Even in court, their position was count every vote.

00:21:34.000 Even votes that couldn't be tied to a voter, even votes that had no chain of custody, even votes that were verified to be outside the congressional district, count every vote.

00:21:44.000 So in that one singular example alone, it's a proof point to, if the Democrats are willing to make that argument And cheat in open court.

00:21:58.000 What do you think they'll do behind closed doors?

00:22:01.000 And that was just one example, Don.

00:22:03.000 I mean, there were times I'd get text messages from my volunteers.

00:22:07.000 Hey, the Dems have this big organizing event centered around these mail-in drop boxes.

00:22:12.000 And we would go down there and just watch them like this as they took stacks of mail-in ballots this high and shoved them in drop boxes.

00:22:19.000 Not allowed to do that.

00:22:21.000 It's completely illegal.

00:22:22.000 To this day, the number of votes, there were more votes than actual voters who voted on Election Day.

00:22:30.000 To this day, those numbers have still not been reconciled.

00:22:34.000 I can go on and on for a whole hour about this, but the last thing I'll say is this, Don.

00:22:39.000 The Democrats finally realized this.

00:22:42.000 I'm sure you referenced that bar graph of the popular vote going back to 16, and they're about the same for Republicans and Democrats.

00:22:52.000 You know, your dad comes along and all of a sudden the vote count grows in every election cycle.

00:22:56.000 But the Dems were right around 65 million, 70 million, and then Biden, 80, 81 million.

00:23:03.000 Clearly there was something that happened in 2020 that was a little bit skeptical.

00:23:08.000 I don't know about you, but I took pretty advanced statistics at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania.

00:23:14.000 Like, that didn't happen.

00:23:17.000 That is not what we call an outlier.

00:23:19.000 That is insanity, right?

00:23:22.000 It is.

00:23:23.000 And so here's the funny thing.

00:23:24.000 All these Democrat operatives in Pennsylvania...

00:23:27.000 I mean, now they're all, like, they're really pissed off, Don, because, you know, as you know, when you run a campaign, whether it's a high-level campaign in a state like Pennsylvania or running for president, you're, like, buying the data of the campaign prior to you because that's the data that's the closest to the mission that you're trying to accomplish.

00:23:45.000 So we're talking down to the precinct level, who voted, like, what are their interests, how do you reach those people, where do they consume their media?

00:23:57.000 All of this, what was clearly corrupted data from the 2020 cycle, and it made them ridiculously complacent, and we knew that going into this cycle because we recognize...

00:24:09.000 This is why it's important to recognize and not be afraid of...

00:24:11.000 So do they actually believe their own BS, though?

00:24:14.000 No, I think for the first time ever, my point is, I think for the first time ever, these operatives in Pennsylvania are saying...

00:24:21.000 Okay, maybe 2020 was rigged.

00:24:24.000 I swear to God.

00:24:25.000 I don't know.

00:24:27.000 I swear to God.

00:24:28.000 I swear to God that's what they're saying because the numbers just don't add up and they bought all this corrupted data and even now they're waking up to the fact that, yeah, 2020 wasn't what it seemed to be.

00:24:42.000 So, you know, before we, I obviously want to get into a lot of the stuff as it relates to confirmation, the military, all of that, but, you know, you're joining in now to lead Pennsylvania Rising to keep this going, right?

00:24:52.000 That's big news.

00:24:52.000 Yes.

00:24:53.000 I love that.

00:24:54.000 You know, we gotta, you know, let's make Pennsylvania Florida, you know, you may not have the winters quite as nice, but the rest of it should be that way, you know.

00:25:03.000 What does this look like moving forward?

00:25:05.000 Because the reality is you need guys that take sort of ownership.

00:25:09.000 You obviously did a great job with that in Pennsylvania.

00:25:11.000 Others did that.

00:25:12.000 They're jumping to other states now.

00:25:14.000 It's like, good, we got control of some of these things.

00:25:16.000 Let's move on to the next one that we chipped away at pretty well but didn't quite get over the line.

00:25:21.000 What does that look like for you right now?

00:25:23.000 Can I tell you, just be candid with you here?

00:25:26.000 You know, I'm a leader.

00:25:27.000 What I do is build organizations.

00:25:29.000 I love to do it.

00:25:30.000 I was a leader since my time in the military.

00:25:34.000 And, you know, part of being a leader, you know this, as a business leader, Don, you're looking, you know, years in advance at what business projections will look like, what are the strategies you're going to use to take your business to certain places.

00:25:48.000 I'm very, very afraid, and I truly mean this, about what this party will look like after your father.

00:25:57.000 Looking at the numbers in Pennsylvania this entire cycle, And we were going to be all over the cheating this time because we knew their game.

00:26:07.000 I was very optimistic about your dad winning Pennsylvania.

00:26:13.000 And sure enough, he did in historic fashion.

00:26:15.000 But we got to win when Trump's not at the top of the ticket.

00:26:19.000 Exactly.

00:26:19.000 And that's exactly right.

00:26:21.000 You probably don't get Dave McCormick over the line as we did if Trump's not at the top of that ticket this time around.

00:26:26.000 So you get four years.

00:26:28.000 Obviously, I think J.D. Vance is a great talent.

00:26:31.000 I spent a lot of time getting him in there.

00:26:32.000 I think we now actually have a bench.

00:26:34.000 On the Republican Party, for the first time ever, it's like an American first bench.

00:26:38.000 I don't even want to call it like the Republican Party necessarily, but like, you know, an America first bench, which would be so critical.

00:26:44.000 But, you know, Trump is a unique character.

00:26:47.000 He is an anomaly.

00:26:48.000 We will probably never see anything like that again in politics.

00:26:53.000 When he got criticized for the joke, you know, back in the day about like, listen, I could probably shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue where no one would say anything.

00:27:00.000 And he's like...

00:27:03.000 I mean, that's the best part about your dad is his sense of humor.

00:27:07.000 The left has no sense of humor, so they can't wrap their mind around that stuff. 0.99

00:27:12.000 They're all just such intergalactic-level losers. 0.99

00:27:15.000 No sense of humor whatsoever. 0.99

00:27:16.000 They take themselves way too seriously.

00:27:18.000 Your dad is one of the funniest people that I've met.

00:27:21.000 And guess what?

00:27:22.000 That's part of his appeal.

00:27:23.000 Normal people get it, Don.

00:27:26.000 And you're right.

00:27:27.000 I mean, your dad...

00:27:28.000 I mean, I've said it since day one.

00:27:31.000 He brings out a crazy cross-section of voters, and our party has to figure out how to keep them.

00:27:39.000 And part of Pennsylvania Rising moving forward will be to go all in on these America First initiatives to keep that crazy coalition, this diverse coalition that turns out for him, At the table all the time.

00:27:55.000 And so part of the mission moving forward for Pennsylvania Rising is issues-based stuff.

00:28:02.000 Focusing on a very clear-cut and fiercely America-first agenda, and that means putting the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania first.

00:28:13.000 It shouldn't be that hard.

00:28:14.000 I'm watching the Democrats on TV post-election.

00:28:17.000 It's like, who cares if you can't afford groceries?

00:28:20.000 That trans three-year-old really needed a surgery without parental consent. 0.98

00:28:24.000 I'm like, hey, God bless.

00:28:29.000 If you want to go all in on this, it's like, what do I know?

00:28:32.000 I'm just the son of a billionaire from Manhattan.

00:28:35.000 Maybe...

00:28:36.000 Grocery prices probably don't affect me as much as they do ordinary Americans.

00:28:40.000 But if Donald Trump Jr. understands that that matters and the Democrats don't, there should be no future for that party.

00:28:48.000 It's so true. 0.98

00:28:49.000 It's very clear that they don't recognize how they got their asses whipped this last cycle. 0.98

00:28:54.000 They just don't get it. 0.98

00:28:56.000 And they continue to go all in on this insane stuff that is just completely out of step with the American people.

00:29:02.000 If you drive...

00:29:04.000 In a mile in any direction.

00:29:06.000 I mean this.

00:29:07.000 Just drive 30 minutes in any direction from my house.

00:29:10.000 You'll drive through two or three towns in western Pennsylvania, manufacturing towns, coal mining towns, steel towns that have been left behind by Republicans and Democrats.

00:29:21.000 And so part of our mission is going to be focusing on those people and making sure that they stay at the table.

00:29:27.000 And And really, you know, building an America First message to build a strong America First Republican Party, that's obviously part of it, you know, because, you know, your father's and Dave's legislative agendas, both for the president and in the Senate, have to be reflected in the state legislature.

00:29:45.000 That's how you effectuate real, permanent, effective change.

00:29:49.000 And so we've got to have a good state legislature in the state that reflects the priorities of your father and Dave McCormick in the Senate.

00:29:58.000 Continuing voter registration trends and we want to continue to add people to the permanent vote by mail list.

00:30:05.000 And I know what people are thinking. 0.98

00:30:07.000 Vote by mail sucks. 1.00

00:30:08.000 Of course it does. 0.98

00:30:09.000 You know, we should go to one day voting with paper ballots, but we will never get there unless we win.

00:30:14.000 So until that time, we fight the fight with the political rules of the battlefield as they are.

00:30:19.000 And then when we take power again, we secure elections in the way that we the way that we know is best.

00:30:25.000 So we're going to continue on that threefold mission, you know, for the next two years.

00:30:31.000 And Don, this year in Pennsylvania, it's critically important.

00:30:36.000 We've got three PA Supreme Court races that have come up this year that Republicans, by the way, completely screwed the pooch back in 2015 on where we got all these Soros-funded judges on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. 0.58

00:30:51.000 They're the ones that gave us all of this crazy radical election stuff that we have in Pennsylvania.

00:30:56.000 We've got to win those races.

00:30:58.000 We've got to get people to vote no on their retention, but then get good conservatives in those positions.

00:31:02.000 So my point is...

00:31:03.000 When is that race, Sean?

00:31:05.000 And what can we do to make sure we highlight that and continue to highlight that?

00:31:07.000 Because that is so critical, right?

00:31:09.000 Yeah.

00:31:10.000 I don't want to win the presidency if we don't have the House and the Senate.

00:31:13.000 I've been there.

00:31:13.000 I've done my time, you know, under subpoena, you know, before Congress.

00:31:17.000 Like, it's not fun.

00:31:18.000 It's not good use of my time.

00:31:19.000 It's nonsense, but you still have to deal with it.

00:31:21.000 So, like, but the same thing goes true.

00:31:23.000 Like, we got to win all these down-ballot races.

00:31:25.000 Just supporting Trump and, like, not also voting for the Republican who would be in Senate, you know, but instead voting for the guy that would basically go against him.

00:31:33.000 You know, obviously, you know, in Pennsylvania, it was like a 98% with Biden record of voting.

00:31:38.000 Like that, you know, That's not pro-Trump.

00:31:40.000 That's not someone who's going to work with Trump.

00:31:42.000 That's someone who's going to try to block all his policies.

00:31:44.000 And people have to understand that this matters.

00:31:46.000 To your point about same day voting, Trump can't do that.

00:31:49.000 Dave McCormick can't do that.

00:31:51.000 The state legislature has to do that.

00:31:53.000 So we have to actually think about these lesser seats.

00:31:56.000 School boards, dog catcher, it doesn't matter.

00:31:58.000 We need it across the board.

00:32:00.000 You're so right.

00:32:02.000 And the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, I mean, this is the most...

00:32:07.000 And I think any Republican Supreme Court justice or conservative Supreme Court justice would attest to this, although I'd never speak for them.

00:32:14.000 But this is by far the most radical court in the country, in Pennsylvania.

00:32:18.000 Pennsylvania Supreme Court...

00:32:19.000 It's a Democrat supermajority court.

00:32:22.000 We've got one conservative on the bench now because we have not focused on these races.

00:32:27.000 And these Soros-funded judges, I mean, Soros gave each of these judges a million bucks back in 2015. Wow.

00:32:34.000 By the way, that's a lot of money on a judge seat ever.

00:32:37.000 It's even more in 2015. Wow.

00:32:40.000 Yeah.

00:32:41.000 And the problem is, I bet no one even knows that.

00:32:44.000 No one even knows that.

00:32:45.000 That's exactly right.

00:32:47.000 And here's the thing.

00:32:49.000 This 2025 race, it's where the people of the Commonwealth will vote as to whether or not they're retained.

00:32:56.000 So the first phase in this operation is to vote no on their retention and make them run again.

00:33:02.000 And then we put up strong conservatives and then organizations like, you know, Pennsylvania Rising and some of these other organizations that I want to build are going to come in and support those Supreme Court justices.

00:33:14.000 But Don, part of the reason why our election challenges in 2020 fell on deaf ears is because you had guys like Congressman Mike Kelly and myself challenging all of these things on a very rigorous constitutional basis.

00:33:27.000 They'd make it up to the PA Supreme Court.

00:33:29.000 And then what the PA Supreme Court would do would be like, okay, we're dismissing this with prejudice.

00:33:33.000 And when something's dismissed with prejudice, The justices basically say, okay, anybody else can bring this case in front of us except for Mike Kelly and Sean Parnell.

00:33:42.000 That's how these judges play.

00:33:44.000 And so what they're going to be is like they're a backstop to the radical Democrat policies of now Josh Shapiro or if the Democrats control the state legislature of them.

00:33:55.000 We got to stop.

00:33:56.000 Another great example of this, Don, is what they did with redistricting in Pennsylvania.

00:34:01.000 Like you had Mark Elias, who was a Russia collusion hoaxer, worked closely with Hillary Clinton to do that as his Democrat attorney.

00:34:08.000 He put forth what's called the Carter map in Pennsylvania, which is a map that's favorable to congressional Democrats.

00:34:14.000 And even though our constitutional courts, the Commonwealth Court, adopted a map that was fair, the PA Supreme Court said, no, we're not going to use that map.

00:34:23.000 We're going to use the Elias map.

00:34:24.000 It's like, we got to win these races.

00:34:27.000 We got to take the court back because this is the kind of crazy stuff that they can do to protect the Democrats.

00:34:33.000 So you mentioned Shapiro, you know, before we even started talking on the show, you know, we talked about John Fetterman a little bit.

00:34:40.000 You know, many think that, you know, Shapiro is sort of probably, you know, some of the best talent the Democrats have on a, you know, I don't just, I don't agree with any of his policies.

00:34:48.000 I can still say, you know, he's probably got some political talent.

00:34:51.000 How do you combat that?

00:34:53.000 I mean, Fetterman, I mean, I spent like most of the last year basically being the guy's, you know, borderline brain dead after the stroke and like, and Based on the debate with Dr. Oz a couple years ago, I don't think that was actually a stretch, but he has gone out and tried, and again, I can't tell if it's real or if it's fake, but he gets out there and actually takes some common sense sort of stances every once in a while.

00:35:16.000 Now, it doesn't align with his record or his voting record that I've seen in the past.

00:35:21.000 Certainly, Certainly not prior to, you know, becoming in the Senate.

00:35:25.000 You know, does he see the writing on the wall?

00:35:27.000 Is it an act?

00:35:28.000 You know, talk about those two guys because, you know, they're sort of interesting anomalies coming from sort of the same state.

00:35:36.000 Yeah, so let's talk about John Fetterman first.

00:35:38.000 John Fetterman...

00:35:40.000 For what it's worth, he understands this state.

00:35:44.000 He understands the Pennsylvania voter in a way that I haven't seen out of a Pennsylvania senator in a very long time.

00:35:52.000 And that right there in and of itself is a formidable weapon in his toolkit as a senator.

00:35:58.000 He's also got good political instincts.

00:36:00.000 And to your point, though, I personally don't believe It's legitimate because his voting record doesn't match up with his rhetoric.

00:36:09.000 He talks about supporting Israel, but he's voted against aid for Israel in the Senate every time it's come up.

00:36:14.000 So that's just one example.

00:36:17.000 But he definitely sees the writing on the wall.

00:36:21.000 Because he understands the state, he sees that it's trending red at not a snail's pace, at a pretty fast clip.

00:36:29.000 And he knows that if he's going to survive, if he is to survive in 2028, he's got to moderate himself.

00:36:37.000 And that's, I think, what you're seeing with his rhetoric, like very pragmatic rhetoric of, like he said the other day, like on The View, I think it was, hey, ladies, you know, It's okay.

00:36:47.000 We lost up and down the ballot.

00:36:50.000 We don't control the House.

00:36:51.000 We don't control the Senate. 0.99

00:36:53.000 When a new president wins and we get our asses kicked, he's entitled to his cabinet. 0.94

00:36:59.000 So he's out there saying stuff like that, which has many conservatives saying, yeah, that's pretty pragmatic. 0.97

00:37:04.000 And I think that's a strategy.

00:37:05.000 Will he vote for any of them?

00:37:07.000 Yeah.

00:37:08.000 Yeah, that's the real question.

00:37:09.000 I guess he said he was going to vote for Dr. Oz, so that's a good thing.

00:37:14.000 That's interesting.

00:37:15.000 Yeah, so we'll see.

00:37:16.000 I mean, we'll see what happens with that.

00:37:19.000 But Josh Shapiro is a little bit different.

00:37:23.000 Josh Shapiro...

00:37:25.000 Is a textbook Democrat that fakes a good game with being a moderate.

00:37:33.000 And Josh Shapiro is politically dangerous on so many levels.

00:37:37.000 One, he is not afraid to weaponize his position against and use the power of government to go after his political opponents.

00:37:44.000 That is not above him.

00:37:45.000 It's never been above him.

00:37:47.000 He is he has been on a very laser focused track to go from state representative to attorney general to governor, and he all with the focus on running for president.

00:38:00.000 So he is a political animal ladder climber through and through.

00:38:04.000 This is who he is.

00:38:05.000 So he's not afraid to weaponize the government against his political opponents.

00:38:08.000 He also does have some strong political.

00:38:13.000 He's very he's got some great talents, Don.

00:38:16.000 And I think you're spot on to say, hey, if we're going to win these races, we have to recognize the strengths in our political foes, right?

00:38:26.000 He's a strong candidate.

00:38:29.000 He fakes and talks a good game.

00:38:31.000 And in the state of Pennsylvania, and really our corporate media at large, they're not going to call out as radical...

00:38:38.000 When you have that kind of backstop, when you have that kind of artificial boosting, it's much easier to get away with it.

00:38:44.000 We don't get that luxury, right?

00:38:46.000 Yes.

00:38:47.000 And so part of what we're doing is going to be figuring out a way to go after him as well.

00:38:53.000 Because the thing with Josh Shapiro, we've laid out his strengths.

00:38:57.000 His weaknesses are he takes things very, very, very personally.

00:39:03.000 He's never really been attacked in any substantive way beyond a couple of social media hits here and there.

00:39:10.000 He's never had a candidate raise $30-40 million and go after his record.

00:39:16.000 And so when you start doing these types of things to even the most talented of politicians, you get in their head and then they start making mistakes.

00:39:16.000 never done that.

00:39:26.000 Josh Shapiro has never had an opponent like that.

00:39:29.000 And so part of our job, you know, you know, with Pennsylvania rising and some of the other things that we're building in Pennsylvania is to, you know, find someone who can do that, you know, who can meet that criteria and give them a formidable opponent in 2026.

00:39:45.000 Because it'd be a hell of a lot easier to stop him in 2026 before he jumps onto the national scene in 28.

00:39:51.000 Because, you know, that's coming. 0.99

00:39:53.000 Yeah, I was sort of wondering, I mean, I was very glad that Kamala Harris chose Tim Walsh because I was like, that guy's an imbecile. 0.92

00:40:01.000 Very clearly, I mean, it's not like, that's like an objective criteria. 0.66

00:40:04.000 Like, I am being kind.

00:40:06.000 You know, I think with, you know, whether it was decisions, whether it was the, you know, stances he took that, you know, his conduct, the flamboyance.

00:40:13.000 Yeah, how many walks out on stage, he's like, who waves like this?

00:40:16.000 Hey! 0.99

00:40:17.000 Spirit fingers!

00:40:18.000 Spirit fingers!

00:40:20.000 My kid waves like this!

00:40:22.000 Remember when they were like, MAGA is afraid of Tim Waltz's masculinity?

00:40:22.000 Yeah.

00:40:27.000 I was like, I don't know, dude!

00:40:29.000 He comes out on the stage with the leg kick.

00:40:32.000 What the hell was the leg kick?

00:40:33.000 I was like, yeah, it was like, yeah, that was a cheer squad.

00:40:37.000 Uh, I was glad of that.

00:40:41.000 Do you think that was because Kamala Harris was worried about a Josh Shapiro type overshadowing her because he does have some actual talent unlike her?

00:40:50.000 Or do you think that was her not being willing to cater to the Hamas caucus, which is a problem for...

00:40:56.000 You know, probably someone named Shapiro.

00:40:58.000 You know, just saying it.

00:41:01.000 I mean, yes.

00:41:02.000 Yeah, definitely.

00:41:03.000 Which one is it?

00:41:04.000 Or is it a combination of all of them?

00:41:06.000 Or is it that he just didn't want it because he didn't want to be tied to what was clearly a sinking ship, Kamala Harris?

00:41:13.000 Yeah, I think it's all three.

00:41:15.000 I think Kamala Harris, and look, anybody that knows her, to include her Democrat senator colleagues in Washington, she's reviled in the Democrat Party. 1.00

00:41:25.000 I mean, obviously the American people have rejected her.

00:41:28.000 She, in 2020, didn't even make the first caucus.

00:41:31.000 She got less than 1% in the Democrat primary in 2020. And I kept saying that to people.

00:41:35.000 They're like, no, but she's loved.

00:41:36.000 I'm like, no, no.

00:41:37.000 She's loved as of three weeks ago when she took over in a coup.

00:41:40.000 But before that, even the Democrats hated her.

00:41:42.000 I love, though, that she's leading.

00:41:48.000 I understand that's not real, but it's sort of funny.

00:41:51.000 I'm like, yes, please.

00:41:53.000 You have my full and total endorsement.

00:41:56.000 Complete and total endorsement to go with my father.

00:41:58.000 That would be a gift.

00:41:59.000 That would be a gift to the conservative movement.

00:42:02.000 Yeah, because all I wanted to see, frankly, was the J.D. Kamala Harris debate.

00:42:07.000 That was...

00:42:07.000 That was like all I wanted for Christmas.

00:42:11.000 It never happened.

00:42:12.000 J.D. obviously mopped the floor with Walt, but I really was looking forward to that when Joe Biden was still in the mix.

00:42:19.000 Yeah, and so I think Kamala, I do think Kamala likes, she likes the pomp and circumstance.

00:42:26.000 She likes the clout of the position.

00:42:28.000 She's not a heavy hitter when it comes to policy.

00:42:31.000 She doesn't even particularly like doing the job.

00:42:33.000 Anyone that knows her will tell you this.

00:42:35.000 And so I do think that, you know, when you get to that level of politics, there's a certain amount of ego, especially on the Democrat side of the aisle.

00:42:43.000 People don't want to be outshined by their potential vice presidential candidate.

00:42:49.000 I also think that the Dems have a lot, a very, very real anti-Semite problem in their base.

00:42:56.000 And I think that selecting Josh Shapiro would have fractured their base even further.

00:43:01.000 And I think even beyond both of those two things, Don, I hear that Josh Shapiro didn't want him because he knew that...

00:43:09.000 She was a sinking ship and going to have real problems, not just in Pennsylvania, but in swing states all across the country.

00:43:17.000 And you put yourself in Josh Shapiro's shoes.

00:43:20.000 She's such a terrible candidate. 0.66

00:43:21.000 And I mean this.

00:43:22.000 She is one of the worst candidates ever to grace the top of the ticket in the history of our country. 1.00

00:43:28.000 Just bad enough to wear...

00:43:31.000 I think, you know, because people weren't voting really for the vice president, Don.

00:43:34.000 You know, there's a chance he loses Pennsylvania. 0.99

00:43:37.000 And so what political capital does he have moving forward if he's selected to be Kamala Harris's vice president for the express sole purpose of carrying Pennsylvania, but because she's such a shit candidate, can't even do that. 0.99

00:43:50.000 So, I mean, like, why take that risk? 0.98

00:43:51.000 Yeah, I imagine the same sort of stuff was going through, you know, Gavin Newsom's head.

00:43:55.000 I imagine Gretchen Whitmer. 1.00

00:43:57.000 Gretchen Whitmer probably would have taken it, but like... 1.00

00:44:00.000 You know, yeah, I don't know.

00:44:01.000 It was an interesting thing to see play out. 0.72

00:44:04.000 Yeah, well, I'll just tell you, I'm very glad that she picked Walls because he is, you know, buffoonish in almost every single way.

00:44:12.000 Although it's sort of funny watching the postmortems when he's like, the campaign didn't do this, they didn't do that. 0.96

00:44:16.000 Like, I mean, even the clown is calling out the clown Joe. 0.90

00:44:19.000 It's just great to see.

00:44:21.000 You love to see it, Sean.

00:44:23.000 You love to see it.

00:44:24.000 For sure.

00:44:24.000 I mean, and what's amazing is that the Democrats don't know what we did or they're resistant to actually figuring it out.

00:44:32.000 The one guy who is not.

00:44:34.000 Is James Carvel.

00:44:35.000 Like, I hear him talk.

00:44:37.000 And by the way, we probably don't agree on anything, but he is kind of entertaining and funny to watch.

00:44:43.000 Like, I could probably have a drink with the guy.

00:44:44.000 Yeah, he's a caricature now.

00:44:45.000 He's a caricature, yeah.

00:44:46.000 But it's funny when he's mother effing, you know, some young person who, you didn't let her go on the podcast.

00:44:51.000 She probably would have blown it anyway, but I'm going to fire that guy and the guy that hired him, yada, yada, yada.

00:44:56.000 It was pretty good.

00:44:57.000 I was like, I like it.

00:44:58.000 That was the best.

00:45:00.000 When he said that, I would fire that 23-year-old and then I'd find the person who hired him and I'd fire them too.

00:45:06.000 And I'm like, no, this guy is politically dangerous.

00:45:11.000 What's up with Carvel in the sense that...

00:45:13.000 Okay, like, I get it.

00:45:15.000 But, like, what about Democrat policy do you actually still believe in?

00:45:15.000 You're a Democrat.

00:45:19.000 Like, you're an old-school Democrat when they, like, actually made sense.

00:45:23.000 Like, do you really think that, like, minors should be transitioning? 0.96

00:45:26.000 I mean, the hills to die on aren't.

00:45:27.000 Like, the other pundits are on there saying, I don't care if you can't afford groceries.

00:45:31.000 We need, you know, whatever the hell they needed.

00:45:34.000 Like, so has he had that reckoning yet?

00:45:37.000 Because I haven't seen that.

00:45:38.000 It's just like, this is how they lost. 1.00

00:45:39.000 They made some stupid decisions. 1.00

00:45:40.000 But I'm like, well, like... 1.00

00:45:42.000 It's the policy.

00:45:43.000 It's what you did to the economy.

00:45:45.000 It's the never-ending wars.

00:45:46.000 Like...

00:45:48.000 I get it.

00:45:49.000 You're a Democrat, but you can't realize that maybe today's Republican Party resembles more the classic Democrat Party than today's Democrat Party by a long shot.

00:46:00.000 Yeah, and I mean, if you look at, obviously, James Carville, a major advisor to an integral in Bill Clinton's victory back in the day, if you listen to Bill Clinton's State of the Union addresses, talking about illegal immigration, he sounds...

00:46:12.000 His positions then are where we are today.

00:46:15.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 1.00

00:46:17.000 And really, James Carbell should be really offended, Don, because his wisdom of it's the economy, stupid. 0.94

00:46:25.000 In other words, like, you take care of the economy, you foster a climate, an economic climate that is pro-growth, you know, putting it simply, then a lot of other things fall into place because the American people really do truly vote with their pocketbook and kitchen table issues. 0.96

00:46:40.000 If the American people are having trouble paying for eggs and milk and fuel, that's going to cause a lot of issues for any president, Democrat or Republican. 0.98

00:46:50.000 So James Carvel's wisdom of it's the economy, stupid, was great. 0.98

00:46:55.000 But Biden and all these these new Democrats turned that on its head completely. 1.00

00:47:00.000 And they went from it's the economy, stupid, to the economy is great, stupid. 1.00

00:47:06.000 They tried to gaslight us. 1.00

00:47:08.000 I'm like, if I have sticker shock as Donald Trump Jr., like we got a problem.

00:47:12.000 And so do the Democrats.

00:47:15.000 That's probably true.

00:47:16.000 So everyone's got to check out Pennsylvania Rising and what Sean's doing.

00:47:19.000 But Sean, while I have a warfighter on, I actually want to talk about the warfighters.

00:47:24.000 I want to jump into something that Pete Hexeth has been talking about a lot.

00:47:28.000 I mean, it looked like that was sort of...

00:47:30.000 The knives in the swamp and big war and the military-industrial complex were going out for him.

00:47:36.000 But because he is a fighter, he fought back.

00:47:39.000 And it looks like a lot of those guys that were getting squishy on that are coming back around.

00:47:43.000 So I want to hear your thoughts on the confirmation process, how how what looked like, you know, people were in trouble.

00:47:48.000 And, you know, once there was blood in the water, everything else that follows it, whether it's Bobby, Tulsi, Cash, all these guys would have also been in trouble.

00:47:54.000 Looks like Pete's doing great now.

00:47:56.000 We turn that around hard. 0.91

00:47:58.000 And honestly, it's because of people, like the people watching this, calling out the nonsense from the senators that were taking this ridiculous pro-Democrat approach. 0.87

00:48:06.000 It's like, no, no, no. 0.89

00:48:07.000 There's a mandate.

00:48:08.000 These are the people Americans want.

00:48:10.000 So it actually had much less to do with D.C. politics than it did from pressure from the outside.

00:48:15.000 But we see the Pentagon's failed seven audits.

00:48:18.000 The Pentagon's doing a disaster.

00:48:19.000 They're making policy about the warmongers. 0.72

00:48:23.000 You know...

00:48:25.000 What is, you know, when Pete's been talking about that, how the Pentagon's so resistant to actually letting someone who's fought the wars be a decision maker rather than the people simply pushing the wars for profit.

00:48:36.000 We've discussed many times there's no money in peace.

00:48:39.000 You know, what does that all mean to you?

00:48:41.000 And how's it resonating, you know, again, outside of the D.C., you know, bubbles?

00:48:46.000 Well, first of all, you know, all cards on the table.

00:48:48.000 I've known Pete for a very long time before Pete was on Fox and everything.

00:48:52.000 He was in the infantry.

00:48:53.000 I was in the infantry.

00:48:54.000 And we worked together.

00:48:56.000 You know, I was his senior advisor, the senior advisor for the organization at Concerned Veterans for America, while Pete was the chief executive officer.

00:49:04.000 We did everything together, Don.

00:49:06.000 You know what?

00:49:06.000 That's right.

00:49:07.000 I totally forgot that you actually were on.

00:49:09.000 This is one of the things they were criticizing him for.

00:49:12.000 And then You know, anonymous sources said he did XYZ. Everyone involved, everyone who took responsibility, everyone who would be in trouble if they were lying about it, were all like, there's nothing here.

00:49:21.000 Like, this is all a lie.

00:49:22.000 I mean, look, this is very personal for me for a lot of reasons.

00:49:26.000 One, you know, Pete's my friend, and I have the backs of my friends, period, full stop.

00:49:31.000 That's just how it goes. 0.93

00:49:32.000 And we should measure the quality of our friendships and relationships with people that we have in our lives based upon whether or not those people are there when times are shit. 0.72

00:49:41.000 You know, it's real easy to be around somebody when times are great. 0.92

00:49:44.000 You got a lot of strap hangers when that's happening.

00:49:46.000 But, you know, I saw Pete going through that.

00:49:48.000 And then I read that New Yorker piece by Jane Jane Meyer.

00:49:51.000 And I mean, I was at all of those events.

00:49:55.000 I was I was a part of the organization at the exact same time.

00:49:58.000 Part of the conversations when Pete departed the organization, I left shortly after him, actually at the exact same time for the same reason.

00:50:04.000 Do you know why Pete left CVA?

00:50:07.000 It had nothing to do with alcohol.

00:50:08.000 It had nothing to do with financial mismanagement or any leadership issues at all.

00:50:13.000 We built that organization into a titan of an organization, Don.

00:50:18.000 But you know why he left out of loyalty to President Trump?

00:50:23.000 Because at the time this was back.

00:50:26.000 He left in 2015.

00:50:27.000 I was on the calls, Don.

00:50:29.000 I was in the meetings like he left that organization and I did as well.

00:50:32.000 When your dad had just won his first term and.

00:50:36.000 All along that campaign, Pete and I started thinking like, hey, we fought these war wars before.

00:50:42.000 We hear what, you know, President Trump is saying, and we kind of agree with it.

00:50:47.000 And we started doing media hits that reflected an America First foreign policy.

00:50:53.000 And the folks who funded these organizations and back then, or Concerned Veterans for America was under the Americans for Prosperity umbrella, um, You know, the people who funded those organizations back then, their foreign policy views back then, I'm not talking about today.

00:51:08.000 I didn't realize that, man.

00:51:09.000 I didn't realize.

00:51:10.000 Yeah, that's what it was.

00:51:11.000 So that's why even the rhino, because that's the rhino, like, neocon, you know, warmonger faction of the Republican Party, or at least, you know, what's left of it, but that's still very real.

00:51:21.000 I had...

00:51:22.000 By the way, I did not know that that was a link.

00:51:24.000 That's a really big deal because that is...

00:51:26.000 That's what he left.

00:51:27.000 It was because it was out of loyalty.

00:51:29.000 We left because out of loyalty to your dad.

00:51:33.000 And it wasn't a negative thing.

00:51:33.000 100%.

00:51:35.000 It was like, hey, look, our policy priorities don't align anymore.

00:51:39.000 I mean, it was completely amicable.

00:51:41.000 And then we left but stayed on.

00:51:44.000 And when Mark Lucas, the following executive director...

00:51:47.000 He kept on Pete's entire executive team.

00:51:50.000 He inherited an organization that was strong.

00:51:53.000 I mean, there was no...

00:51:55.000 It was not because of poor leadership.

00:51:57.000 It had nothing to do with financial mismanagement and had nothing to do with alcohol.

00:52:01.000 That was all fake.

00:52:03.000 And so it had everything to do with We're America first now.

00:52:07.000 That's just it.

00:52:08.000 Well, Sean, I mean, you know, I wouldn't be Donald Trump Jr. if I didn't make a totally inappropriate joke about, like, you know, are you really, like, in the Trump administration without, like, a fake, like, harassment claim?

00:52:19.000 And, like, you know, I mean, don't you need a couple hoaxes to really, like, check the box?

00:52:23.000 I mean, God knows.

00:52:24.000 I know what they did to you and your family.

00:52:26.000 Like, you become America first. 0.77

00:52:28.000 You're not really America first if they don't claim you did something terrible that you obviously never did without evidence or whatever it is.

00:52:35.000 But it doesn't mean you don't have to still deal with it.

00:52:37.000 But, you know, it was sort of funny.

00:52:39.000 I've had this conversation with my father a bunch about, you know, during the Russia, Russia, Russia times.

00:52:43.000 I was like, he's like, yeah, that was brutal.

00:52:45.000 Honestly, it was one of the better things that ever happened to me because, like, you find out who you are.

00:52:49.000 And my father's like, you know, he's like, you're right.

00:52:51.000 Like, you know, it just made me so much tougher.

00:52:53.000 It made me a fighter in a different way than you and Pete, obviously.

00:52:56.000 I mean, you know, I'm not saying like, you know, in a combat sense, but like in a mental combat sense, it's very much real.

00:53:04.000 And I was like, yeah, like that was actually like very formative to who I am today.

00:53:08.000 Without that, it's like, I don't know.

00:53:09.000 I've been blessed.

00:53:10.000 I've been, you know, I've had it, you know, relatively easy compared to most just being born into my family and whatever it may be.

00:53:16.000 And I recognize that fully.

00:53:17.000 I'm very self-aware about it.

00:53:19.000 But, you know, my father's right.

00:53:20.000 He goes, yeah, you know, I never thought of it that way.

00:53:21.000 I felt so bad that these guys are want to throw you in jail for life.

00:53:24.000 You don't even know what the hell you did.

00:53:25.000 And it's like, I was like, yeah, but it's probably the best thing that ever happened to me because it created, you know, a bit of a warrior.

00:53:31.000 Yeah, Don, I, that is such a great point.

00:53:35.000 And I completely agree, having gone through this in the Senate.

00:53:39.000 The crazy thing about it, when you recount what happened, I got your father's endorsement.

00:53:44.000 We were crushing it in the primary, up over 30 points over every opponent in the primary.

00:53:49.000 A year out before Election Day, up over six points over John Fetterman, all because of your dad and we had an awesome movement going.

00:53:58.000 The day after that, the Department of Veterans Affairs leaked my medical record.

00:54:03.000 The media started painting a narrative of me that I drank, I was angry, and that women were a problem.

00:54:11.000 It's like, oh, wait, where have I seen this playbook before?

00:54:14.000 Oh, it's the exact same thing they're doing to Pete. 0.97

00:54:17.000 It's ridiculous. 0.63

00:54:18.000 And then they weaponized the court system against me. 0.82

00:54:22.000 I mean, you know, I'm not going to recap all that.

00:54:24.000 But the point is, That shaped me into an absolute political killer and opened my eyes to the system, how rotten and corrupt it is, and how it just needs a total overhaul.

00:54:39.000 if they didn't do that you almost need it to be effective meaning yes without without that you don't have an understanding of how depraved it actually is you just you know it was like me i used to like when i got into this i was like you know even with the beginning of russia russia russia it was like so naive i was like well no i mean the fbi said it there has to be something to it like i you know i don't know like i must have taken a selfie with you know some sort of russian asset and like i don't know i took 10 000 selfies that day you know i didn't i did not i did anything intentionally like there has the cia said

00:55:09.000 it like they must be like you know because i believed in sort of the america that you that you and I grew up believing in.

00:55:15.000 Like, you know, that's what I was fighting to preserve that America.

00:55:19.000 Instead, now I actually realized that America doesn't exist.

00:55:23.000 It hasn't for a long time.

00:55:24.000 That is the America I'm fighting to help recreate or perhaps create for the first time, at least in modern history.

00:55:30.000 And there's a really distinct difference there.

00:55:32.000 I could not agree with you more.

00:55:36.000 And I grew up, I mean, I love this country.

00:55:39.000 I loved our institutions. 0.98

00:55:40.000 I mean, look, your audience is probably going to like talk shit and laugh at me for saying this, but I was 20 something after 9-11 happened, signed up after 9-11. 0.97

00:55:48.000 And when they proposed the Patriot Act, do you want to know what I said? 0.99

00:55:51.000 I was like, I'm a Patriot.

00:55:52.000 Of course we should do that. 1.00

00:55:54.000 Like the moron that I was. 0.99

00:55:55.000 Whenever they name an act, it's always the opposite. 0.99

00:55:57.000 Just so we're clear.

00:55:58.000 But no, but wait, so I was, you know, I was with a guy that, you know, this past weekend, you know, hunting buddy of mine who was a Delta guy, you know, one of the guys that pulled, you know, I guess Saddam Hussein out of the, you know, out of the pit when they found him, like, you know, serious operator, great patriot, awesome dude, you know what I mean?

00:55:58.000 Yeah.

00:56:15.000 Like one of us, like, and, you know, but I was, so I asked the question, I was like, well, you know, now, like in hindsight, what do you think about all of it?

00:56:23.000 You know, 20, you know, 30 years later, and it's like, Yeah, like, you know, I wouldn't change anything because at the time I was working with what I did and I was just, but like, you know, hearing how all these guys have come to, like, oh my God, like my friends bled and died for a lie and for bullshit and to protect the interests of, you know, big war.

00:56:40.000 And, you know, it's hard, man.

00:56:43.000 It's hard.

00:56:44.000 It's disgusting that it ever happened.

00:56:47.000 But, you know, now we have that chance to do things.

00:56:51.000 I think that's why Pete is such a threat to the swamp.

00:56:54.000 I mean, you know, he's actually taking the job for the right reasons and not like to protect, you know, the financial interests of Raytheon defense contracts and, you know, and others.

00:57:05.000 They're not the only guilty party, obviously.

00:57:06.000 I use that a lot because it flows off the tongue better.

00:57:10.000 But, you know, but but all of them.

00:57:12.000 I mean, you know, I look at some of these other generals.

00:57:14.000 If you're a three or four star, you are there because you were a political appointee at that point.

00:57:19.000 Like that, you know, the warfighters don't get to that level.

00:57:23.000 The guys that will tell you common sense or speak truth to power, they never make it there.

00:57:27.000 Once you get the three and four stars, you're just a political animal.

00:57:30.000 And you see that, you know, Millie's out there with his badge of medals.

00:57:33.000 I'm like, I don't remember you winning a war like Eisenhower has like the one little thing.

00:57:37.000 Like it's it's such a it's such a scam.

00:57:40.000 And I think that's why Pete is such a threat to them, because he'll actually represent guys like you. 0.96

00:57:45.000 The guys doing the shit, the guys that we all respect and not just the corporate interests of the guys who's who are literally there. 0.97

00:57:53.000 because their off-ramp is that board seat at Boeing or Raytheon. 0.98

00:57:56.000 Yeah, and you want to know why that is, Don?

00:57:58.000 I mean, talking generally speaking, but I went into the military intending to make it a career and never getting out because I love my country.

00:58:07.000 We were attacked on 9-11.

00:58:08.000 I was all in it going after the enemy, you know, and so...

00:58:12.000 I went to Afghanistan a couple of years later, and 485 days of combat, 85% of my platoon was wounded, some twice, some three times I was wounded.

00:58:22.000 We killed over 350 enemy fighters, never hurt a single civilian in Afghanistan.

00:58:26.000 Very proud of that service and proud of the conduct of my soldiers in combat.

00:58:31.000 But when you go through that, hundreds of firefights in my base, Don, when we were at Ford Operating Base Burmel, which is right on the Afghan-Pakistan border, we got hit with over 4,000 plus indirect fire attacks there.

00:58:43.000 Over 4,000.

00:58:44.000 So, came back from that, I'm like, okay, my nine lives are up.

00:58:48.000 I'm not doing a career.

00:58:49.000 Eventually, it was taken out of my hand, and I was medically retired as a captain on my way to major.

00:58:55.000 Now...

00:58:56.000 Most guys that were the warfighters, that have been through something similar, that have actually had bullets cracked by their head, come to the same conclusion.

00:59:05.000 But those are precisely the guys that you want to stay in, who get the stars on their shoulder, who help lead an effective military based on merit.

00:59:13.000 But the problem is, many of the warfighters have that experience.

00:59:16.000 And they say, you know what, I gotta get out.

00:59:19.000 And they're getting shanked.

00:59:20.000 The amount of guys in the last six months that basically came like...

00:59:23.000 I mean, like serious operators, the guys we spend millions of, you know, SEALs, whatever it may be, Rangers, like, we're like, hey, you know, I'm trying to get an extension because I'm supposed to either retire or re-sign up, and I'm trying to get an extension so I can see what happens in the election, because I'm not doing this again, you know, for a warmongering party.

00:59:42.000 I'll serve my country under your father, but not under Kamala Harris.

00:59:45.000 And I mean...

00:59:46.000 It's actually scary because the notion of losing all these guys, I mean, that's just more Americans dead because you lose those experienced warfighters, the guys that have done it and led, because you are going to be in conflict.

00:59:58.000 I mean, there's going to be things that are going to have to be done.

01:00:00.000 You lose those guys and you have a bunch of green guys doing it. 1.00

01:00:03.000 You're just not going to get the same outcome.

01:00:05.000 That's just basic common sense.

01:00:06.000 Well, and Don, what you also lose is 20 years of tip-of-the-spear warfighting experience.

01:00:12.000 So yes, what do we have to show for Iraq and Afghanistan?

01:00:16.000 By the way, it was all of the experienced people, the right people that the system told us that we should put in these positions that got us into Iraq, that got us into Afghanistan.

01:00:28.000 That surrendered Afghanistan in the most horrifying public way.

01:00:30.000 That now got us entangled in a quagmire in Ukraine.

01:00:33.000 All the experienced people did that.

01:00:35.000 So you know what?

01:00:36.000 I'll take an outsider like Pete.

01:00:37.000 It was like when Trump won in 16. If he doesn't have experience, and experience got us to where we are, I'm good with no experience.

01:00:45.000 It's fine.

01:00:46.000 The experience has not led to results.

01:00:49.000 And so it's insane.

01:00:50.000 So, well, listen, I think now we have like this incredible opportunity, perhaps the best opportunity ever to achieve like actual America first greatness.

01:01:00.000 I want to ask you, Sean, before we finish up, what's your one minute, you know, minute one, you know, inauguration day agenda to get these things going?

01:01:11.000 In the military or just at large?

01:01:13.000 But, you know, obviously, your expertise is going to be the military.

01:01:13.000 In general.

01:01:16.000 But, you know, well, obviously, obviously, you got to secure the border.

01:01:20.000 Obviously, you know, have to become not just energy independent, but energy dominant.

01:01:24.000 Obviously, that has serious economic implications, but also, you know, global national security implications as well.

01:01:31.000 If you don't support if you hate Vladimir Putin, then being energy dominant Completely destroys his economy.

01:01:39.000 So those two things right off the bat, which your dad is, of course, laser focused on.

01:01:42.000 But then in the military, just getting back to warfighting and lethality, the idea that the military is not a social experiment.

01:01:51.000 We should not be focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

01:01:54.000 Every single general, and I mean this, every single strategic level leader, here's how you sift this stuff out.

01:02:01.000 Anybody that's out there that said diversity is our strength needs to be looked at because that is not true.

01:02:07.000 Anybody who says it's not, look, the fact that we're intellectually diverse in our military, that's great.

01:02:07.000 It's true.

01:02:13.000 The fact that we have, you know, lots of different backgrounds is a good thing.

01:02:17.000 But it's never about, you know, it's like college campuses, right?

01:02:19.000 They want diversity in anything other than, like, intellectual.

01:02:22.000 Like, you know, they want diversity of color, you know, this, that, the other, but, like, not the things that you would actually think of at university.

01:02:28.000 Same thing, I don't know if you've seen the show.

01:02:30.000 We've, for the last few weeks, we've highlighted these videos coming out of the VA, you know.

01:02:34.000 Oh, I've seen it.

01:02:35.000 It's insane, yeah.

01:02:37.000 These are my pronouns.

01:02:38.000 They're talking to guys that lost limbs about pronouns, and they're talking to them like they're three-year-olds, or this would be something that matters, and they've spent millions and millions of dollars, rather than like...

01:02:49.000 I don't know, fixing, you know, the veterans, you know, the administration, they're pushing pronouns and agendas, and they got, you know, prosthetic limbs for trans, you know, not like a leg, but like maybe a third leg, you know, for people going through a transitioning, and I'm like, what are you talking about?

01:03:09.000 Like, what is going, like, I think I'm being punk.

01:03:10.000 Like, South Park could do nothing on this.

01:03:13.000 Like, it was just other than maybe play the actual video. 0.98

01:03:15.000 Like they could not make it dumber or worse. 0.94

01:03:18.000 And yet, like, this is what our taxpayer dollars were going for.

01:03:21.000 And Don, it's, you know, anytime you hear somebody that says diversity is our strength, that's a big indicator that they're not a good fit for the job.

01:03:29.000 Because what makes our military exceptional is unity, not diversity.

01:03:35.000 It's the fact that, yeah, we can put aside our many differences, you know, color, skin color, you know, religion, you know, politics, political background and say, no, none of that matters.

01:03:46.000 We're a part of the greatest fighting force in the world.

01:03:49.000 And we're focused on one singular mission, and that is winning wars.

01:03:53.000 Anything else, you know, any diversity class, any pronoun BS, anything that takes away from our ability to fight and win wars is a distraction and it needs to be rooted out. 0.99

01:04:06.000 And then, obviously, getting the Pentagon to pass an audit because they haven't in seven years is also a pretty big priority to make sure that our taxpayer dollars and the money that's being appropriated to the Pentagon is being spent in the most effective way possible.

01:04:26.000 But, you know, last thing I'll say is this about the army.

01:04:29.000 I'm telling you, there is a huge problem with the United States Army right now, Don.

01:04:35.000 And this is the last thing I'll say, I promise, because I know we're coming up against the end.

01:04:39.000 But when I joined the military, we were largely focused on More conventional fighting force, the Soviets, Cold War era army, we shifted to what's called brigade combat teams, which were, to speak simply about it, to fight asymmetric threats as part of the global war on terror.

01:04:57.000 So what does that look like?

01:04:58.000 It means when we were tasked organized as a military to fight against conventional forces, we had surface-to-air missiles and platoons.

01:05:06.000 So in other words, we could be fighting against the Russians, light infantry on the battlefield, you have a Russian Hindy helicopter there, you've got to have Stinger missiles to take it out, otherwise you're done. 0.80

01:05:16.000 When we moved the brigade combat teams, those elements were taken out of platoons.

01:05:20.000 So we've had a brigade combat team structure for the last 20-some years in Iraq, Afghanistan, but now all the threats that we face are conventional.

01:05:29.000 China, for one.

01:05:31.000 And then Russia, for another.

01:05:33.000 Iran.

01:05:34.000 I mean, these are all conventional threats.

01:05:36.000 So our army right now needs to be laser-focused on evolving our force back to fighting conventional threats again.

01:05:46.000 What does that look like?

01:05:47.000 What does a table organization and equipment look like?

01:05:50.000 What's our task organization look like?

01:05:52.000 Because right now...

01:05:53.000 We are not equipped to fight conventional forces, and I've not heard a single person talk about that.

01:06:00.000 That is priority one for the United States.

01:06:02.000 I actually want to, like, we'll talk.

01:06:03.000 I'm going to talk to my team.

01:06:04.000 Like, I want to do a whole show on that because that is so important, especially, you know, in the advent of, you know, drone war.

01:06:10.000 You know, I'm watching some of these drone videos out of Russia and Ukraine.

01:06:13.000 And it's not like us when we send a $2 billion missile, you know, to take out, you know, one person and usually, you know, a bunch of civilian casualties, you know, You know, happened at the same time, but like, you know, they're using like a $300 drone from Amazon to take out 20 guys, literally with a little, you know, servo that drops a grenade.

01:06:32.000 I'm like, wow, like the battlefield is changing rapidly with technology.

01:06:36.000 I mean, you know, I would love to use more drones to get our guys out of harm's way and all these things.

01:06:42.000 I believe strongly in that.

01:06:43.000 Most of that technology, other than one or two places, coming out of China and everything like that.

01:06:48.000 So I'm a big believer in all of that stuff.

01:06:50.000 But we should do an entire show on that, because that would be amazing.

01:06:52.000 There's so much there.

01:06:55.000 And again, using a $300 drone is not as profitable as selling a multi-million dollar missile to accomplish the same thing.

01:07:02.000 We've got to get the Pentagon thinking that way as well.

01:07:05.000 Yeah, and I'm telling you, this is priority one.

01:07:07.000 Needs to happen on day one.

01:07:10.000 Whoever's in charge of this job has got to be laser focused over the next four years at evolving our army because I'm telling you, we are at great, great, great risk right now.

01:07:20.000 Well, Sean, thank you very much as always.

01:07:22.000 Let me know when you get down to Florida next time.

01:07:24.000 I promise you won't get arrested by Secret Service this time going back tomorrow.

01:07:28.000 I'll go.

01:07:31.000 We stayed around.

01:07:33.000 We hung out, had cigars a little bit late.

01:07:34.000 I think Sean rolls up to Mar-a-Lago where we were staying with his wife at like 4 o'clock in the morning.

01:07:39.000 And let's just say the Secret Service and local sheriffs did not just believe that he was just a guest at Mar-a-Lago coming out.

01:07:45.000 I'm like, I swear to God, Don Jr. is my friend.

01:07:48.000 I'm like, here's a picture with me and Don 20 minutes ago.

01:07:50.000 Like, what do you want?

01:07:51.000 We will make sure that doesn't happen again.

01:07:53.000 But in the meantime, guys, check out Pennsylvania Rising.

01:07:56.000 If you're into Pennsylvania, get involved.

01:07:59.000 That Supreme Court thing we were talking about earlier is a huge deal in being able to actually effectuate these policies.

01:07:59.000 Check out those races.

01:08:05.000 It's not enough just to have Dave McCormick in there as a senator.

01:08:09.000 We need more than that, and we've got to get involved down tickets.

01:08:13.000 So check that out.

01:08:14.000 Pennsylvania Rising.

01:08:15.000 Sean, thank you very much.

01:08:16.000 As always, you're the man.

01:08:17.000 See you, Don.

01:08:18.000 Take care, my friend.

01:08:19.000 Be good.

01:08:20.000 Guys, thank you so much.

01:08:21.000 Sean, thank you for all that you do and will continue to do to take back this country to grow the America First movement.

01:08:28.000 It's absolutely incredible.

01:08:29.000 Guys, make sure you're liking, sharing, and subscribing, okay?

01:08:33.000 It's that simple.

01:08:34.000 Just do it right now.

01:08:35.000 Hit the button.

01:08:36.000 It doesn't take any time whatsoever, but that's how we get the message out.

01:08:42.000 Remember to check out our incredible sponsors on your screen and in the video description.

01:08:46.000 You can see the links down below here.

01:08:48.000 I really appreciate that.

01:08:49.000 Make sure you're sending all of this to your friends.

01:08:52.000 Make sure you're checking it out on iTunes podcast or Spotify if you get your podcast that way or also get your podcast that way.

01:09:00.000 I really appreciate it.

Triggered - Donald Trump Jr - December 16, 2024

How Sean Parnell Helped Deliver PA, Plus Why Pete Hegseth Must Be Confirmed | TRIGGERED Ep.199

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript