1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: Joe Biden, President of the United States, refers to Donald 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: Trump as a sick fuck when he's in private, and 3 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: do you know what, that's exactly what Donald Trump is. 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: What happened in American politics this week, let's look back. 5 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 1: Three American soldiers were killed in action in a tiny 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: corner of Jordan at an American base that most Americans 7 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: have never heard of, called Tower twenty two. Dozens of 8 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: American soldiers were injured when an Iranian missile slammed into 9 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: their base, launched by Iranian proxies. It is sat. According 10 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: to government sources, the President Biden has decided on what 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: the retaliation will be. The administration's goal is to restore 12 00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: deterrence without escalating the Middle East conflict into an open 13 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: regional war involving direct engagement between Iran and the United States. 14 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: So apparently the decision has been made to strike back 15 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: at the Iranian proxies, including Iranian soldiers operating in Syria 16 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: and Iraq, but we will not target Iranians in Iran. 17 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: The world is at a dangerous hour, as Defense Secretary 18 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: Lloyd Austin pointed out, and the United States government has 19 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: made clear it will not tolerate attacks on American military 20 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: personnel by Iran, Iranian proxies, or anyone else across the 21 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: Middle East. It's important to remember the United States spends 22 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: over one trillion dollars a year on its defense. Iran 23 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: spends less than ten billion. Iran should be very careful 24 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: in provoking the United States because the United States remains, 25 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: despite the idiocy of so many of its political candidates, 26 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: the world's overwhelmingly most powerful nation. It is the most 27 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: powerful economically, militarily, it is the most powerful entrepreneurially. Nobody 28 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: wants war, but it is also the lesson of history 29 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: that weakness is what brings war. Appeasement is what brings war. 30 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: And this week the world became more dangerous. One of 31 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: the senior leaders of the British Army talked about the 32 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: need for Britains to prepare themselves, possibly for conscription and 33 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: a war against Russia. Soon, Great Britain will test fire 34 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: its first nuclear missile in almost twenty years. There have 35 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: been military skirmishes in the last weeks between Pakistan and China, 36 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: between India and China, between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the Balkans. 37 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: Remains fraud all over Europe NATO politicians are communicating to 38 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: their citizenry saying that you must be prepared. The winds 39 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 1: of war are blowing in Europe, and there is no 40 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: story that has greater implications in the United States than 41 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: that one. Here in America, there is polling that shows 42 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: that Joe Biden has finally, at long last passed Donald 43 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: Trump in some important polls. Why is this happening? There 44 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: are two core reasons. One is the race has become 45 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:57,119 Speaker 1: again about Donald Trump, and whoever this political campaign is about, 46 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: is the person who's going to lose. And after a 47 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: long season with the spotlight off of Trump, the race 48 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: again became about him, his insanity, his malice, his lack 49 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 1: of discipline, his foul temper, and the fact that after 50 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 1: being convicted of sexually abusing a woman, Egene Carroll, and 51 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: defaming her, he could not stop talking about her. And 52 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: now he has been sanctioned to the tune of eighty 53 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: three million dollars. The entire country has gotten to see 54 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: Donald Trump as he truly is, arrogant, small, petty, and 55 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: believing he is above the law, that it simply does 56 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: not apply to him, that he can walk in a 57 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 1: courtroom and out of a courtroom that he could disrespect 58 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: to judge the entire system, that if he loses in 59 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,919 Speaker 1: a w how just burn it all down? And the 60 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: American people are taking note, and importantly so is President Biden. 61 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: And this is an important story. You never really know 62 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: when you look at a political campaign. Do the opponents 63 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: truly understand one another? Are they able to properly and 64 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: unemotionally take each other's measure or do they become overwhelmed 65 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: by the competition, by the emotion of it. Well, now 66 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: we know how Joe Biden thinks about Donald Trump and 67 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: how he refers to him in the White House in 68 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:53,039 Speaker 1: the private space. Amazingly, the foulest person in American history 69 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 1: ever to hold high political office, a man without principles, morals, 70 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: or restraint, is a because he found out, Joe Biden, 71 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: President of the United States, properly, accurately, and precisely refers 72 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:18,039 Speaker 1: to Donald Trump as a sick fuck when he's in 73 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:24,799 Speaker 1: private And do you know what, That's exactly what Donald 74 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: Trump is and always has been. He's a liar and 75 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: he's a con man. Whether it was assaulting women by 76 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: the dozens leering at young women at teen beauty contestants. 77 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: He is a man unfit beyond any measure of mind 78 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: to be able to articulate. But what is important is 79 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,799 Speaker 1: the President understands his opponent. He understands that he's sick. 80 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: Understanding that will be key to the ferociousness that the 81 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: Biden campaign will need to unleash on. Donald Trump a 82 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: man that should be treated without respect, without dignity, without mercy, 83 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: and without pity until he is defeated and excised like 84 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: the cancer he is from America's public life. This was 85 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: also the week where Donald Trump attacked the world's biggest 86 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: pop star, an American woman of thirty four years old 87 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: named Taylor Swift. The MAGA extremists are a flutter about 88 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: the possibilities of conspiracies. Vivak Ramaswami, a crackpot without peer, 89 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: has suggested the Super Bowl has been fixed and that 90 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: everything we've watched play out all season law is simply 91 00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: a plot. The Travis Kelcey and Taylor Swift relationship isn't real, 92 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: you see, It's all part of the conspiracy to deny 93 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: President Trump a second term. And somehow the next move, 94 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: whatever it may be, will play out at the halftime 95 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: show with the super Bowl. The Chiefs, if you haven't 96 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: heard from VVAK, have already fixed the game. It's all 97 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelcey coming together to oppose 98 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 1: Donald Trump. When VVK Ramaswami looks at the Super Bowl, 99 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: that's what he sees, and what you should see is 100 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: a nut on top of a thousand more who want 101 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: political power at a dangerous hour. And that's dangerous for 102 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 1: every one of us, our children, our friends, our parents, 103 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:03,239 Speaker 1: all of our loved one who deserve better than the malice, 104 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: the meanness, the cruelty, and the rancid character of Donald 105 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: John Trump, who now stands on this Friday at the 106 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: edge of a court verdict in Manhattan where he will 107 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 1: find out what the accumulated consequences are of a lifetime 108 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: of fraud and business deception. These were the stories that 109 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: shape this week, and the thread that runs through all 110 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:39,680 Speaker 1: of them is the danger of extremism, specifically Donald Trump's extremism. 111 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: It's the type that can start World's War three, which 112 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,439 Speaker 1: according to a lot of experts, is closer at hand 113 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:56,319 Speaker 1: than it has been in decades. Think about that, as 114 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: we had into the weekends, when men like Donald Trump 115 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: stand at the edge of political power. After having held it, 116 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: there are always consequences. Think about what those might be, 117 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: because should he come back to power, they'll just be beginning. 118 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to my political commentary. If you 119 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: like what you heard today, please also consider subscribing to 120 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: The Warning daily newsletter on Substack. Our democracy hangs in 121 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: the balance. The twenty twenty four presidential election is the 122 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: most consequential in America's history. It's not hyperbole, it's a fact. 123 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: That is why the mission of the Warning with Steve 124 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 1: Schmidt is to help readers orient to the currents that 125 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:53,359 Speaker 1: are shaping our times and the unseen forces driving politics 126 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: that are very rarely discussed on cable news. Please sign 127 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,959 Speaker 1: up at Steve Schmidt s T E V E, S C, 128 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 1: H M I d T dot substack dot com again 129 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: Steve Schmidt dot substack dot com, or at the link 130 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 1: in the show notes section below. Thank you to each 131 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 1: and every one of you for listening and watching