1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: There's a lot to talk about, and you know, you 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: tell me where you want to go first. I mean, 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: I sort of think we should talk about the Kimmel thing, 4 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,480 Speaker 1: because you and I have had these conversations about the 5 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: state of our democracy over and over again, how we're 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: backsliding into some kind of authoritarian light type of system 7 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: in this country, and maybe it'll go full blown autocrat. 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: Who knows, but your sense of the way this was handled. 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,319 Speaker 1: And the thing I can't get over, Steve, is the 10 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: sheer cowardice over at ABC right now. 11 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 2: It is appalling, and they have obliterated the credibility of 12 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: their news division. It has been destroyed by the greed 13 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 2: of the corporate executives. And that rot starts at the top. 14 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 2: With Bob Iger at Disney. I am in Los Angeles. 15 00:00:54,480 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: We have some Save America movement activity happening this weekend. 16 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 2: We launched Liberty vans that will be staffed with chaplains, 17 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 2: with camera crews, with veteran with lawyers to document what 18 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 2: ICE is doing in these communities. But we will put 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 2: billboards up in LA with Bob Iger's picture, a yellow 20 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: stripe under it and the word catwork. It's a billboard town, 21 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,119 Speaker 2: and everybody can reflect on it as they drive by it. 22 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 2: I was personally scouting out locations for them earlier today, 23 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: and I don't usually scout out the locations for the 24 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: billboards unless I have a particular animus that's been built up. 25 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 2: And so the cowardice is appalling. And there are broad 26 00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 2: misconceptions in this country born out of ignorance or what 27 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:05,559 Speaker 2: the First Amendment is and isn't. And so we live 28 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 2: in an intolerant era when it comes to thought and speech, 29 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 2: and there is tremendous intolerance on the political left the universities. 30 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: Dare you be confronted with a thought that is contrary 31 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 2: to your own? The hysterics, the threats, the bullying, insanity, 32 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 2: and that is not the country we grew up in, right, 33 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: And that came after we went to college and became adults. 34 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: And that illiberalism is something I disdain. But that has 35 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: nothing to do with the First Amendment. With the First 36 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 2: Amendment says is the government will take no actions to 37 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 2: a bridge speech. And the government took action to demand 38 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 2: the removal of a president's critic. And when the lawsuits 39 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 2: and the investigations and the discovery proceeds, everything will be 40 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 2: known because every record will be preserved, and what they 41 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 2: will demonstrate is an arrogant FCC little Eichman named Brandon 42 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: Carr working to get these news executives under direct threat 43 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 2: to capitulate of Donald Trump and these people. You know, 44 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: whatever Bob Iger thought his legacy would be, he'll be 45 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 2: a villainous cretin in the movies of this time when 46 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 2: a record is made about who stood tall and who 47 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: collaborates who capitulated. The cowardice that you're seeing is extraordinary 48 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 2: to behold. It's historic. The chilling of speech is very real, 49 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 2: The terror is very real, and I just urge people 50 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: to rebel against it. 51 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: Republicans might be able to get a CR pass without 52 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 1: a single Democratic vote, It's possible. But if they need 53 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: any Democratic votes, what would be your advice to the 54 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: Democratic Party right now? 55 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 2: Well, my advice is the same in March, is that 56 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 2: Chuck Schumer is the architect of a political disaster that 57 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 2: allowed for the seating of the Trump cabinet, really without opposition, 58 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 2: without argument, without defiance, under the chamera and delusion of 59 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 2: that we'll have bipartisanship with these people. He set in 60 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 2: motion all of the conditions necessary for Donald to do 61 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 2: all of the things that Donald did between March and day, 62 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 2: and now he has the power again. And I honestly 63 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 2: I couldn't imagine out of three hundred and forty million 64 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 2: people a worst person I have sitting across UH representing 65 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 2: what I views my side of the proposition across from 66 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 2: these people to Chuck Schumer. It's appalling, it's disgraceful. Every 67 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 2: Democratic senator is complicit in it. We're all held hostage. 68 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 2: We're all held hostage by it. And what they have 69 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 2: to do is they have to deliver the word now, 70 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 2: and they have to force Donald Trump to bend in 71 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 2: his conduct, and they need to be prepared to leave 72 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 2: the leave the government shut down for as long as necessary. Listen, Yeah, 73 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 2: you have Pentagon sources telling Courtney Kobi at NBC News 74 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 2: that they're going to run a recruiting campaign aimed at 75 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 2: target point under the Mortardom banner of Charlie Kirk. The 76 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 2: handling of his casket by uniformed US military personnels deeply inappropriate. 77 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 2: The lowering of the flags are deeply inappropriate. The forced 78 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 2: grieving at Yankee Stadium and at NFL stadiums, the absurdism 79 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 2: of Cardinal Dole in comparing Charlie Kirk to Saint Paul. 80 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 2: Charlie Kirk was an outrage pimp and the only person 81 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 2: you can really compare him to in his death. And 82 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 2: this is an important point I want to be crystal 83 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 2: clear on it. Yeah, that whatever the reaction is to 84 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 2: anybody's death, it comes after their presence in the world 85 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 2: ceases to exist. And so the exploitation of Charlie Kirk's 86 00:06:52,480 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 2: death is not a sin that Charlie Kirk carries. What 87 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 2: Charlie Kirk stood for in life was division, a racial 88 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 2: supremacy and arrogance. Charlie Kirk did in debate, he provoked, 89 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 2: he instigated lowest common denominator internet contact, in debate, me 90 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 2: broke culture where he punched down, not up. And in 91 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: every instance where somebody came armed and ready to debate 92 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 2: Charlie Kirk on the substance in the facts, Charlie Kirk 93 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 2: quickly quickly slid into polemic attacks against that person, using 94 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 2: culture war theatrics. And so this is a tremendous tragedy. 95 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 2: And one of the things that's so tragic about it 96 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 2: is Charlie Kirk never had a chance to grow up. Yeah, 97 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 2: pull his head out of his ass on all of 98 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 2: his juvenile annex right, and his life got stolen by him. 99 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 2: But here's the deal with Charlie Kirk stood for in life. 100 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 2: I feel very strongly should be condemned all through the 101 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 2: rest of my life, and I'd deplore his assassination. But 102 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 2: in the instant of his death, from the second it 103 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 2: was clear he was dead, we have seen an abuse 104 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 2: of power and an outbreak of insanity, the tactics of 105 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 2: the mob, firings, capitulations, all of which are based on 106 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 2: a lie, which is that if you oppose Trump, and 107 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 2: you opposed the things that Charlie Kirk stood for, then 108 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 2: you are aren't of collective murder conspiracy that you like. 109 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 2: The senator said, Marshall, the Libs killed Charlie Kirk. No, 110 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 2: the gunman killed Charlie Kirk. That's right. 111 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: And just to put a pin in that for a 112 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 1: second and hit the pause button. I mean this, what 113 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,959 Speaker 1: you just said right there is far more harsh and 114 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: in many ways fair, I think, than what Jimmy Kimmel 115 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: said and what he got fired for. I mean, Jimmy 116 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: Kimmel basically made the observation sort of a more condensed 117 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: version of what you just said, that the right leapt 118 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,199 Speaker 1: at the opportunity to capitalize on his death. And I 119 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: stated this, you just stated a few moments ago. We've 120 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: all stated this. It's terribly tragic what happened to Charlie Kirk. 121 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,319 Speaker 1: I wish he were still alive for the exact reason 122 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: that you just said. And I had a conversation with 123 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: John Fugel saying about this last week. He said the 124 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: exact same thing. It would have been better for him 125 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: to live, obviously, to realize the errors of his ways 126 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: and not to think things like, you know, you have 127 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: to be worried if a black person gets into the 128 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: cockpit of an airliner, and that sort of a thing. 129 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,319 Speaker 1: These are things that Charlie Kirk's deplorable things that he said. 130 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: And I think Charlie Kirk would want the American people 131 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: to continue to debate his legacy now. And he himself 132 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: said on Twitter last year, there's no such thing as 133 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: hate speech in America. Right legal standpoint, it is it 134 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: is hate speeches is legal speech. Is as abhorrent as 135 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: we might find it from time to time. His home 136 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: hate speech was legal speech. And I just you know, Steve, 137 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: the thing that you caught me And we talked about 138 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: this on the phone the other day. There are historic 139 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: parallels to political movements trying to capitalize on a tragedy. 140 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 2: Like this, and the Nazis did this. The guy's name 141 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 2: is Horse Vessel, Yeah, and Horse Vessel was a pimp 142 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 2: who was murdered by a communist. He was a stormtrooper, 143 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 2: and he wrote a more song that became the German 144 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 2: national anthem, and the Nazi stage elaborate rallies and rituals 145 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 2: around this. The pogram known as the Crystal Knock followed 146 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 2: the assassination of a Nazi official in Paris. And so 147 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 2: the language that you're hearing of the administration and targeting 148 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 2: every transgender person in the country as being a terrorist. 149 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 2: When you target the most vulnerable populations, people that hold 150 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 2: the least amount of power, right and you blame them, 151 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 2: you scapegoat them, what that makes you is a Nazi. 152 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:50,319 Speaker 2: And so we're hearing legitimate Nazi rhetoric from Stephen Miller 153 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 2: and from others, and all of it is built on 154 00:11:55,240 --> 00:12:00,080 Speaker 2: a foundation that if you oppose Donald Trump, you you 155 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 2: are part of a conspiracy that killed Charlie Kirk and 156 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 2: you're a terrorist. And I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning. 157 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 2: I invite you to join this community where I promise 158 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:15,079 Speaker 2: to be honest, blunt and direct about what is happening 159 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 2: in this country. America is in crisis. Follow and subscribe 160 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 2: to this channel and on substack. Thank you.