WEBVTT - WHO Will Stand Up & Oppose Donald Trump?

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<v Speaker 1>How do you process this moment thirty four days out

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<v Speaker 1>as Trump appears before the national media and basically says, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I got you tamed. They all nod back at him,

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<v Speaker 1>and you got to keep being nice. Gotta be nice,

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<v Speaker 1>nice to Trump? How do you assess the strategic landscape politically?

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<v Speaker 2>I think the question is the right one because one

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<v Speaker 2>of my great mentors is a guy named lescal who

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<v Speaker 2>ran the Council on Form Relations, and he used to say,

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<v Speaker 2>strategy is hard.

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<v Speaker 3>Most people can't do strategy. And I think what you

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<v Speaker 3>see right.

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<v Speaker 2>Now is a landscape that looks like an evolving battlefield, right.

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<v Speaker 2>And you've got a force that's on the offensive and

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<v Speaker 2>is taking ground and got momentum and got energy, and

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<v Speaker 2>you've got a fragment to disorganize, demoralized opposition and series

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<v Speaker 2>of oppositions. And I think for me, I go back

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<v Speaker 2>to being a dad, right, And when I send my

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<v Speaker 2>boys off to school, we have little sayings every day.

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<v Speaker 2>I got two little boys, they're nine and five, and

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<v Speaker 2>we say strong of body, strong of heart, strong of mind, right,

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<v Speaker 2>And that's how I kind of steal them to think

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<v Speaker 2>about how they can be empowered to take on whatever

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<v Speaker 2>is gonna come at their day and I make the

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<v Speaker 2>brothers look at each other, tell them they love them,

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<v Speaker 2>and they go in together. Right, And every day they're

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<v Speaker 2>going into the unknown in New York City public school.

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<v Speaker 2>But when my nine year old was a kindergartener, he

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<v Speaker 2>was going into COVID with a mask and a temperature

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<v Speaker 2>check and I couldn't even go in the room.

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<v Speaker 3>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>So I kind of bring it all back to that, Steve,

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<v Speaker 2>because I think the most important thing for people, especially Democrats,

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<v Speaker 2>to understand is it's on. It's been on for years

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<v Speaker 2>and now it's fully unfolding. And for these folks that

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<v Speaker 2>are licking their wounds or they're you know, doing with

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<v Speaker 2>what Democrats love to do, which is like a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of listening sessions and roundtables.

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<v Speaker 3>Trump is pushing his advantage very aggressively right now.

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<v Speaker 2>He's not taking Christmas off to handout presents to his grandkids, and.

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<v Speaker 3>He's going to try to run up the score.

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<v Speaker 2>So what's lacking is a strategy to oppose him, right,

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<v Speaker 2>And I think what's also lacking is.

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<v Speaker 3>A strategic leader.

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<v Speaker 2>There is no Churchill, there is no FDR, and no

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<v Speaker 2>one has yet emerged to be that person.

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<v Speaker 3>For the Democrats or for America.

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<v Speaker 2>And I've been talking to folks as I'm sure you have,

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<v Speaker 2>who are trying to figure out what to do next

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<v Speaker 2>to get my read and I say, look, part of

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<v Speaker 2>it is about betting on leaders, whether you're betting on

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<v Speaker 2>Steve Schmidt or you're betting on AOC, or you're betting

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<v Speaker 2>on Dan Osborne who ran as an independent for Senate

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<v Speaker 2>in Nebraska and almost one. It's not a time where

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<v Speaker 2>the existing organizations are nimble, dynamic, or even capable enough

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<v Speaker 2>to respond to this threat.

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<v Speaker 3>And I view it as a threat.

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<v Speaker 2>I still view it as a national security threat more

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<v Speaker 2>than anything else. And the Trump movement now is very

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<v Speaker 2>close to having the keys to the entire castle. But

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<v Speaker 2>none of it is normal. None of it is and

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<v Speaker 2>none of it is inevitable.

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<v Speaker 3>And what we're.

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<v Speaker 2>Lacking because we don't have strategic leaders, and we don't

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<v Speaker 2>have a national strategy or even enclaves of strategies to

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<v Speaker 2>oppose him, is we're lacking priorities, so people don't know

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<v Speaker 2>where to focus. And that's to Trump's advantage. He wants

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<v Speaker 2>to overwhelm the zone.

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<v Speaker 3>He throws.

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<v Speaker 2>Hegseth at you right after Gates and here comes Tulca

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<v Speaker 2>Gabbard and RFK Junior, and nobody's even paying attention to

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<v Speaker 2>the fact that he nominated a guy for Secretary of

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<v Speaker 2>the Navy who's never served in the Navy, or that

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<v Speaker 2>he's got a very radical pick at the Department of

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<v Speaker 2>Veterans Affairs that's way below the radar and getting no

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<v Speaker 2>coverage or even oversight. So that the strategy is to

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<v Speaker 2>overwhelm the country, overwhelm the press, overwhelm the government, and

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<v Speaker 2>get as much ground as he can so that the

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<v Speaker 2>midterms become irrelevant. Right people are stacking their chips for

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<v Speaker 2>the midterms or for four years from now. I'm saying

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<v Speaker 2>it's about the next thirty five days, and right now,

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<v Speaker 2>I think the most urgent priority is heagset because he

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<v Speaker 2>is the biggest move at the biggest agency in the

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<v Speaker 2>federal government.

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<v Speaker 3>He's not inevitable.

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<v Speaker 2>We saw that with Gates, and I think Hegseth is

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<v Speaker 2>the same situation. But if you're Trump and you're going

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<v Speaker 2>for your breaking into the house, okay, whether it was

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<v Speaker 2>your house or someone else's house, the first thing you

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<v Speaker 2>go for is the gun closet. You go for the

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<v Speaker 2>gun closet because it's the most dangerous, it's the most valuable,

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<v Speaker 2>it's got all the symbolic reasons, right, and he knows

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<v Speaker 2>that the Pentagon stopped him last time, so he's taken

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<v Speaker 2>a long shot.

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<v Speaker 3>He's picking the most political, the.

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<v Speaker 2>Most extreme, the most not just unqualified but disqualified person

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<v Speaker 2>to take over the largest federal agency in the government,

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<v Speaker 2>not just because it has and the most significant, not

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<v Speaker 2>just because it has two point seven million employees and

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<v Speaker 2>a seven hundred billion dollar budget, but because it's the

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<v Speaker 2>most powerful thing that stopped him last time. Right, So,

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<v Speaker 2>if you want to talk about things like federalizing the

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<v Speaker 2>National Guard to rip migrant kids out of schools, if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to talk about owning the military leadership so

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<v Speaker 2>they don't oppose you, when you want to do any

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<v Speaker 2>number of crazy things, the first thing you do is

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<v Speaker 2>hit the Pentagon. And that's what he's doing. Pete Hegseth

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<v Speaker 2>is like a political nuke strike. And if he goes through,

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<v Speaker 2>which I don't think is gonna happen, everything else is.

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<v Speaker 3>Easy, right, va is cake education no problem.

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<v Speaker 2>You can even you know, even if he does go down,

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<v Speaker 2>you can put up somebody like DeSantis and he sails through.

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<v Speaker 2>So I really think it's important that people understand that

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<v Speaker 2>Pete Hegseth was built for this moment. He was built

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<v Speaker 2>as a culture warrior, funded by the Koch Brothers, empowered

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<v Speaker 2>with a spot on Fox News, and we never thought

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<v Speaker 2>that he would actually get nominated because we knew his

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<v Speaker 2>personal life was messy. I figured he was going to

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<v Speaker 2>be cheap of staff or maybe press secretary.

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<v Speaker 3>But Trump is literally saying, and he's saying you, He's

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<v Speaker 3>I'm gonna roll you. I'm gonna put this guy up.

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<v Speaker 2>And he is a culture warrior, and he's got, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>tattoos that might be associated white nationalism, and he's got

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<v Speaker 2>three divorces, and he's openly talked about, you know, having

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<v Speaker 2>sex with other people's wives. I mean, this is all

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<v Speaker 2>out in the open. And if he can get heag

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<v Speaker 2>set through, then the Democrats are going to just get rolled.

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<v Speaker 2>And I really think that's why, you know, I continue

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<v Speaker 2>to bring focus towards strategic leaders that aren't political, someone

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<v Speaker 2>like Admiral Straviti's or maybe it's a retired Chairman of

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<v Speaker 2>the Joint Chiefs like Mike Mullen.

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<v Speaker 3>Maybe someone else will emerge. I don't have an answer

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<v Speaker 3>for you.

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<v Speaker 2>But I do think that independent Americans, especially people who

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<v Speaker 2>do put country first, people who took off the uniform,

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<v Speaker 2>especially veterans who want to continue to serve but don't

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<v Speaker 2>necessarily want to get in politics. This is a time

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<v Speaker 2>for true patriots to step up and defend our values.

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<v Speaker 2>Whether you're a school teacher that has to represent yourself

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<v Speaker 2>at the school board, or you're somebody who's been thinking

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<v Speaker 2>about running for Senate, you know, maybe this is your time.

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<v Speaker 2>But at the end of the day, he wants to

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<v Speaker 2>roll everybody. And I think that's the most important point

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<v Speaker 2>about December twenty twenty four going into January, is he

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<v Speaker 2>wants to come out with a.

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<v Speaker 3>Head of steam. This is like a blitzkree. He's putting

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<v Speaker 3>it all up front.

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<v Speaker 2>He wants to push it through because once he gets

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<v Speaker 2>the keys to not just the gun closet at the

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<v Speaker 2>kitchen and the security system and everything else, then everything

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<v Speaker 2>else becomes easier. So I think it's really important that

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<v Speaker 2>you lay out that landscape where we can't count on

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats. I've never been been counting on the Democrats.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't think you have either, But I think it's

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<v Speaker 2>kind of a wake up moment for America to go, hey,

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<v Speaker 2>they're not going to fucking save you here, and we

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<v Speaker 2>have to look to other leaders and other structures and

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<v Speaker 2>other tactics and to have a strategy on a very

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<v Speaker 2>basic level to defend our values, defend our constitution.

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<v Speaker 3>And let's start with defending our.

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<v Speaker 2>Military from a guy who says he doesn't want women

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<v Speaker 2>in combat when we've got two hundred thousand women in

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<v Speaker 2>combat and.

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<v Speaker 3>Has all this other shit.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's start with focusing on Pete hagg Seth and not

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<v Speaker 2>all the other shiny stuff, because this is a very

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<v Speaker 2>important fight, and it's the fight that is right in

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<v Speaker 2>front of us, and we'll dictate I think the pace

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<v Speaker 2>for everything else for years to come.

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<v Speaker 3>I want to talk about Pete Hagsath. That was a

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<v Speaker 3>lot to throw at you when we start.

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<v Speaker 1>No, no, indeed, and I agree, I agree, I agree

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<v Speaker 1>with you. Obviously, he is unfit at such a profound

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<v Speaker 1>and deep level. It's tough to find the words. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>gonna do my best as we get, as we get,

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<v Speaker 1>as we get into it. But but I want to

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<v Speaker 1>I want to play Devil's advocate to you about something

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<v Speaker 1>that I think is fundamental that we we got to

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<v Speaker 1>put on the table and talk about more in the country,

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<v Speaker 1>which is an honest reckoning about how we have arrived

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<v Speaker 1>at this situation. In the military, as you as you know,

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<v Speaker 1>after every action there's gonna be an after action review. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>it's important to have an appreciation right of how it

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<v Speaker 1>is they arrived at whatever situation one finds oneself in

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<v Speaker 1>in order to get out of it, right and and

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<v Speaker 1>and so in that sense, let me ask you a

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<v Speaker 1>couple a couple things. Is it possible that Pete Hegseth

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<v Speaker 1>could be worse in that position than Donald Rumsfeld and

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<v Speaker 1>Robert McNamara were.

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<v Speaker 2>Thousand percent yes, okay, absolutely, totally and completely. How because

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<v Speaker 2>on a very basic level you may have disagreed with

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<v Speaker 2>McNamara or Rumsfeld on policy right like whether.

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<v Speaker 3>To bomb Cambodia, whether to stay in Iraq.

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<v Speaker 2>This is compromising the entire integrity of the establishment. It's

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<v Speaker 2>it's making it a political wing of Trump's agenda. And

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<v Speaker 2>I think that's why this is very important, right because

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<v Speaker 2>everything that Trump wants to get done on everything from

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<v Speaker 2>migrants to banning trans people, right the entire spectrum of

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<v Speaker 2>his agenda will start with Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon. Right,

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<v Speaker 2>So let's use an example that that is maybe you know,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe not a great one, but maybe like trans people's rights.

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<v Speaker 2>Right day one, at the Pentagon, they flip the switch,

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<v Speaker 2>there's a trans band. Anybody who's trans gets pulled out

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<v Speaker 2>of a unit, you get kicked out of the military,

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<v Speaker 2>you get processed out, and we start there.

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<v Speaker 3>Right.

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<v Speaker 2>It is going to be easier at the Pentagon than

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<v Speaker 2>the Department of Justice or the Department.

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<v Speaker 3>Of Labor, or at education or at home.

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<v Speaker 2>The Depentagon is going to be the fulcrum for everything

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<v Speaker 2>because it will be present presented as a position on

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<v Speaker 2>national security. If we don't do this, the Chinese will

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<v Speaker 2>have an advantage. If we don't do this, our enemies

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<v Speaker 2>will be at an advantage. Right, And that's going to

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<v Speaker 2>be true for trans bands, that's going to be true

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<v Speaker 2>for activating the national card.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to say that as a political argument, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>if you lead with we have to protect national security

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<v Speaker 1>by opposing Trump's trans band on day one, right, this

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<v Speaker 1>is this is the first thing we're running at.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm using that as an example because it's because it's

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<v Speaker 2>the easiest one for him, right, and it's what he

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<v Speaker 2>ran on, right, it's what he ran on, it's what

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<v Speaker 2>he weaponized, it's what he used as as kind of

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<v Speaker 2>a boogeyman.

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<v Speaker 1>Right to me, Right, you Trump is going to impose

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<v Speaker 1>a ban on all transgender service members. They're going to

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<v Speaker 1>be honorably discharged. And there's nothing not honorably not anybody

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<v Speaker 1>can do to stop that. Well, they'll be generally generally discharged.

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<v Speaker 2>They'll probably be dishonorably discharge or at least general discharge.

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<v Speaker 2>They probably won't get benefits. And this is why it's important,

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<v Speaker 2>right because in some ways you could argue that trans

0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:41.439
<v Speaker 2>people are the most vulnerable, or the weakest or the

0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:45.440
<v Speaker 2>most politicized. Right, so you you start with them, right,

0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:47.680
<v Speaker 2>And so when you want to do something like take

0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:51.320
<v Speaker 2>women out of combat, which which is bigger than it seems,

0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:55.160
<v Speaker 2>because what it is is it's saying women are not equal. Right,

0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:57.280
<v Speaker 2>women are not equally that's the bottom line. You can't

0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:59.440
<v Speaker 2>do the same things that we do, and therefore you

0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:02.719
<v Speaker 2>will not have this same opportunities, rights, etc. So if

0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:05.720
<v Speaker 2>you succeed in achieving a lack of equality for women

0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:10.760
<v Speaker 2>at depentagon, abortion rights, everything else is a downhill slide

0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.640
<v Speaker 2>from there. So when you ask me, is he more

0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:17.400
<v Speaker 2>dangerous than McNamara or Rumsfeld? You know, yes, because the

0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:21.000
<v Speaker 2>agenda is much more extreme. I would argue that you

0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:23.800
<v Speaker 2>could at least count on Rumsfeld on some levels to

0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:25.920
<v Speaker 2>put country over party.

0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:26.280
<v Speaker 3>Right.

0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:29.400
<v Speaker 2>He may have agreed with his allegiances or his politics,

0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:31.240
<v Speaker 2>but I think on a basic level there was some

0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:35.000
<v Speaker 2>kind of integrity there around the institution and the world

0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:37.600
<v Speaker 2>wasn't as dangerous Steve. I mean, we've got, you know,

0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:39.800
<v Speaker 2>a land war in Eastern Europe. We've got the Chinese

0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.600
<v Speaker 2>threat of Taiwan. We've got all these other threats that

0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:46.640
<v Speaker 2>are real but also in a position to be exaggerated,

0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.400
<v Speaker 2>not just by Trump but by Hegseth, who I think

0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:54.000
<v Speaker 2>too many Democrats dismissed these people. Hegseth is a masterful communicator.

0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:58.040
<v Speaker 2>He is brilliant at doing this, at selling, at communicating,

0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:01.600
<v Speaker 2>at motivating people. And he's a multi sport athlete who

0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.040
<v Speaker 2>can go on Joe Rogan, but can host a show

0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:07.160
<v Speaker 2>on Fox and also entangle with the reporters on Capitol

0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.400
<v Speaker 2>Hill and spin a weakness into his strength. And that's

0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:14.240
<v Speaker 2>why this is the playbook for the rest of the administration. Right,

0:13:14.240 --> 0:13:16.520
<v Speaker 2>It's the same kind of skill set Tulsey Gabbert has.

0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:18.400
<v Speaker 2>You could argue it's the same kind of skill set

0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:20.600
<v Speaker 2>other people in the cabinet, how even like someone like

0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:21.320
<v Speaker 2>a Christy Nome.

0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:22.640
<v Speaker 3>But they're good on TV.

0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:28.000
<v Speaker 2>They're able to communicate to people, you know, foreign and domestic, and.

0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:29.720
<v Speaker 3>They're good at this. They're good at this thing. You

0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.280
<v Speaker 3>may not like the thing, but they are very very

0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:32.800
<v Speaker 3>good at it.

0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:35.600
<v Speaker 2>And if you have a pete Hegsev controlling everything from

0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:41.120
<v Speaker 2>our nukes to who gets to join right, that drives

0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:44.120
<v Speaker 2>the culture for the entire country. So if you don't

0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:47.640
<v Speaker 2>understand why Joe Rogan is important, you probably don't understand

0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:50.200
<v Speaker 2>why the Pentagon's so important. And that's the parallel that

0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:53.360
<v Speaker 2>I think democrats and many liberals in this country are

0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:55.000
<v Speaker 2>really failing to understand.

0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:57.120
<v Speaker 3>It's much bigger than about politics.

0:13:57.160 --> 0:14:01.560
<v Speaker 2>It's about culture and manipulating American pagetriotism into something much

0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:02.440
<v Speaker 2>more nefarious.

0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:06.080
<v Speaker 1>I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning, and I invite

0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:10.280
<v Speaker 1>you to join. Subscribe on our substack, on our YouTube channel,

0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:16.800
<v Speaker 1>follow us. Welcome to the community.