Ana Kasparian
Appearances
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Well, I agree with you about forgotten Americans who have either been held hostage by authoritarian governments abroad. It's terrible. So when I see that photo of Mark Fogel kissing the ground, kissing America, essentially, it's an emotional moment.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And this is one of the good things that the Trump administration has managed to do in the few short weeks that he's been in office for his second term. So credit where credit is due. Absolutely.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Well, Megan, let me just tell you, I mean, while Biden was still in office, one of the things that really infuriated me was the story of a young American citizen, Eisenhower, who was actually protesting with some activists in the West Bank in regard to the high civilian death toll in Gaza. And Israeli snipers shot and killed her. And the Biden administration did not care.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
They pretended as though the Israeli officials had launched an investigation into it, and then we never heard about it again. That was an American citizen, one of our own. And I just think it's unacceptable.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
So I wholeheartedly agree with anyone who's upset with any government official or administration that leaves our American citizens either in the hands of an authoritarian government or left to die with no real investigation and no real justice. That is not leadership. So I totally hear what you're saying.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Right. I mean, look, I want to get our Americans back, right? So if you have to make those types of deals, it is what it is. And I'm sorry, leaving an American middle school teacher to die in a Russian prison or Belarusian prison, if you're talking about the other hostages that have been released, is unacceptable.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And so if you're willing to release someone who's accused of cyber crimes in order to get an American citizen back, I do think that's a deal worth taking. And You know, to your point about how there wasn't really much attention paid to these issues, especially, you know, the story of the woman that I'm talking about, the protester in the West Bank who was shot and killed.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I don't know if it's because of the political leanings of the individuals hired at these media organizations, because, look, now Donald Trump is in office. And there is no shortage of critical reporting about his administration. And I think there's nothing wrong with that as long as it's fact based and rooted in evidence.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
But I feel that they kind of treated the Biden administration with kid gloves, just kind of took what the Biden administration had to say at face value. I mean, look, the perfect example is the very obvious cover up of Biden's mental decline. It wasn't something new. There were complaints about that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I remember on the Young Turks, we were concerned about that in 2020 when he was running for his first term. And members of the media shut anyone down if they dared to question Biden's mental acuity, his ability to carry out the duties of a president. And so I think that there's a real reckoning taking place right now in regard to our legacy media outlets.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
you know, there are some changes being made because they've lost audiences, they've lost subscribers and readers. People are resorting to other independent sources to get their information because they have realized that they haven't been getting the full story. And look, I think one of the other big issues here is even in the context of independent media sources,
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
they do tend to lean in one political direction or the other. And when people are served up one side, we live in two different realities. And I think we need to do a better job speaking with each other, ensuring that we are giving the audiences that trust us and the readers who read our work, all the perspectives involved in any political debate.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
So they're fully informed and they can decide for themselves where they land on the issue. I don't think Americans are getting that right now.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Well, look, I certainly do have some concerns about the conflicts of interest that Elon Musk obviously has. I mean, he's a very successful businessman. He has multiple successful businesses. And look, I get it. He's already super wealthy and people think, oh, he's not going to abuse the power that's been given to him by Trump because he doesn't need any more money. That doesn't matter.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I mean, look, the most important thing, the most valuable thing that tech CEOs want is Data is power. Data fuels their businesses. And so the idea that someone like Elon Musk, who is in the tech industry, having all this access to our private personal information makes me incredibly uneasy. I also, by the way, agree that there is waste in our federal government.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
There is bureaucracy that needs to be cut down in our federal government. And if you go back to the Clinton administration, I mean, he got rid of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. And I think that that did bode well for our economy. I mean, that was the last time we had an economic surplus in the United States.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Now, of course, he implemented higher taxes for the top marginal tax rate and stuff like that. But when it came to getting rid of the bureaucracy under the Clinton administration, there was more of a review process. And it wasn't this, you know, blind cutting of entire you know, departments or agencies.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And so I wish there was more method to it, more of a review to ensure that we're actually getting rid of individuals that we don't really necessarily need in our government. I don't like the fact that he has not. Well, Elon Musk didn't do this, but Russell Vought, who's now the head of the Office of Management and Budget and the deputy head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said,
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
has effectively halted all operations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I do not agree with that at all. That's literally the only federal government agency that's doing oversight of how the big banks are treating American citizens. They've returned $21 billion to Americans who have been defrauded by financial institutions. So that's where I have the biggest disagreement right now.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
But in regard to doing an overview of what's happening with USAID. I have no problem with that. I think that there were good programs mixed in with a lot of waste and a lot of bad programs.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And hopefully we can bring those good programs back because, you know, building alliances and relationships through soft power, especially in African countries, which China is competing with us in basically having influence on. I think that's something we need to be considerate of. I mean, the
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
The Chinese want to have access to minerals, natural resources, all sorts of things that the United States wants in Africa.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And so when we cut down on programs that specifically help individuals who are suffering from AIDS, HIV, things like that, malaria, well, we're basically destroying a relationship that's not just beneficial to the individuals we're helping in these countries, but also beneficial for the United States and our own economic interests.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Yeah. So let me just preface this by saying I don't take anything that the left says at face value. I also don't take anything the right says at face value. So there have been instances where the right has claimed something. The left says, no, that's not happening. I look into it and it turns out the right is actually correct. In fact, USAID is a perfect example.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
There were incredibly wasteful programs within USAID as Democrats pretend like there were no wasteful programs. And so I'm Look, the CFPB is something that I have been kind of passionate about throughout my career. I was supportive of it being developed. It was Elizabeth Warren's project before she was even a senator. She wasn't in the Senate at the time. And she really had to push for
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Barack Obama, who was insanely friendly to the banks to actually do something on behalf of the American people who had been defrauded and who had been preyed upon by the big banks in the lead up to the 2008 economic collapse. all the claims that you listed, I have looked into, and they are unfounded, okay?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
So how the CFPB operates is they receive money from the Federal Reserve, not from taxpayers. So the Federal Reserve allocates about $700 million so they can carry out investigations of wrongdoing by payday lenders, big banks, you get the picture, or other financial institutions.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Through that money, which is honestly a small sum, they have been able to return $21 billion to Americans who had been defrauded or screwed over or ripped off by the banks. Other things that they've done is they have basically made it So your medical debt cannot be used on your credit report to prevent you from being able to rent a home, an apartment.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
They've ensured that overdraft fees are not predatory and they're capped at eight dollars as opposed to thirty five dollars.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
So so they've done some really, really good things on behalf of the American people. Look, I am disgusted with our federal government. OK, all these federal agencies have not carried out what their intended duties have been. I think that they have kind of lost their way in some cases. And I do agree that there's a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of waste. The CFPB is not an example of that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And I'm really saddened to see that there's a real effort here to essentially dismantle it. And I was listening to the Federal Reserve Chair.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
So I'll tell you why. I'm most concerned about the influence that the tech industry and tech CEOs have on the Trump administration. So people like Marc Andreessen, for instance, he went on Joe Rogan's podcast and he claimed that the CFPB is debanking people when it's actually the opposite. The CFPB goes after banks that debank individuals over their political leanings or political views.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
They actually have gone out of their way to try to protect Americans who have been debanked. The CFPB, though, does go after individuals who are engaging in things like money laundering, right, who are maybe part of the fintech industry and are using that sector to carry out nefarious actions. And so they don't want to cop on the block. And these are people who have been cozying up to Trump.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And that is really concerning because I think Trump has some good ideas, but he's also very transactional. And so if these individuals have donated a significant sum of money to his campaign, well, he's going to return the favor in some way. And so that's what I'm most worried about.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
If American people notice that there's no cop watching what Wall Street's up to, that might end up, you know, ricocheting onto Donald Trump and it might actually hurt him politically. So we'll see what happens. But CFPB was, again, one of the only federal government agencies that was looking out for the best interests of Americans who were getting ripped off by big banks.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Wow. Yeah. Look, I haven't looked into his claims, so I don't know for sure if the way he described it is entirely accurate. I think there are two things happening here. Right. So there is the message. Right. And so I think a lot of what he says needs to be fact checked. And I haven't been able to do that. By the way, there are a lot of fact checks by the left of Elon today saying it's true.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Interesting. OK, so that's that's fascinating. But I want to just talk about the optics and the politics of what happened last night, because I know the Democrats are being super critical because at the end of the day, Elon Musk is a billionaire. He's got conflicts of interest. And so it's rich to hear someone like Elon Musk tell us, just trust me, we're doing everything right.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
It's all above board. At the same time, though, when you compare what appears to be quite a bit of transparency in this new Trump administration versus the lack of transparency we received during the Biden administration, well, I mean, optically speaking, I think most Americans are going to have this sense that You know, Trump is telling the truth. He wants to be honest with us.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
He's calling it like it is. You know, he's constantly in the media, constantly doing press conferences. And so I think that is an important thing for the Democratic Party to maybe... Soak in and realize, you know, if you're going to try to hide from your voters, if you're going to try to hide the ball from your base, it's not going to bode well for you. The optics of transparency is important.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Actually being transparent is more important. And so it really remains to be seen if if Elon Musk was telling the truth about everything he said during that Oval Office press conference. But. Again, I just want to reiterate, I don't feel comfortable with someone who's still very much invested in these private businesses, you know, seeming to call the shots when no one elected him.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I also didn't like the optics of Donald Trump kind of like quietly sitting at a desk with Elon Musk kind of hovering above him and kind of commanding the room. I feel like that looked a little bad, but I'm curious.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Yeah, and look... We all know what we pay in taxes every year. And it is incredibly frustrating to see where the money actually gets spent, how little of it goes toward modernizing our systems, and essentially how little of it goes to making the lives of American citizens better. There is a lot of waste.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I mean, look, one of the main things that drives me crazy is how year after year with little debate, The Congress approves more and more money for the Pentagon. I mean, the defense budget is is very rapidly approaching a trillion dollars a year. And so there has been some talk about focusing on some waste. I mean, the Pentagon has failed every single audit seven years in a row.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And so I'm excited to see what Doge focuses on in regard to the Pentagon. The other has welcomed them to come in. He's Hegseth wants that, too. So we'll see what they cut and see how much of a difference it makes.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
The other area where I think that Trump can really make a difference, and I think he would go down as a historic president, is if he allowed for our Medicare system to negotiate drug prices, just negotiate.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Right.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
But he would go down as the most popular president in American history if he allowed for Medicare to negotiate drug prices so Americans and our Medicare system wasn't being price gouged by pharmaceutical companies.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Honestly, I think if this issue was brought to him by anyone in a very serious way, he would attempt to do it. He doesn't really care about what is or isn't allowed, right? So yeah, I mean, that would be incredible. I don't think that he's paying attention to that. But I think if you talk to him and ask him to work on that issue, it could really save the American taxpayers a lot of money.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
That would be fantastic. I think he should.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
It would embarrass Democrats so much if they managed to do that. It would be the most embarrassing thing for Democrats who claimed under the Biden administration that they were gonna do it, but they're beholden to the pharmaceutical companies as well. And so they whittled down that part of the agenda to 10 drugs that the Medicare system can negotiate. I mean, it's pathetic, it really is.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I mean, I would have tweaked it for sure, but not by much, just a little bit. I would have just showcased these incredibly successful, strong, accomplished women without having that, like, tinge of victimhood associated with it. Yes, yes. Because these women have accomplished amazing things. They're incredible, and I feel like it kind of takes away from their accomplishments to, like...
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
add that, like, weird victimhood thing to it. Like, look, this is the reality, okay? Are there misogynistic people out there? Sure. Yeah, there are. But steamroll them, okay? Steamroll them like these women did, okay? They don't control us, and they don't control our destiny. If you're willing to work hard, if you're willing to focus and be persistent, you can do anything you want to do, period.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And these women did. So I just... As a woman, I don't want to deal with the just like the incessant labeling of like victimhood because of my identity. Right. And I think that happens to a lot of different groups.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I hate this crap. I hate all of this crap. Okay. We just got through with an election cycle that really highlighted significant divisions between men and women. I feel like there's this effort to pit Americans against each other, depending on their identity or based on their identity. I don't see men as the enemy here. Okay. I think men in America have their own issues and
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
that need to be addressed. Obviously, the male loneliness crisis is a real crisis. If you look at graduation rates, women are graduating at higher rates than men are from higher education, from colleges and institutions like that. And so, look, I just think we need to heal. The country needs to heal. And these divisions based on identity like we need to stop taking the bait.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Like, I think there's a lot of bait right now and it's a distraction. And in reality, we need to be hyper-focused on how to improve the material conditions of Americans, period. That is what should be the focus. And look... Corporations like Nike are going to put out ads like that because they think that it's going to help them maximize their profits. Sometimes they hit the mark.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Sometimes they don't. Bud Light, of course. Conservatives decided to rain hell on Bud Light over the whole Dylan Mulvaney thing. I think these companies are probably better off not weighing in on culture war stuff because it only further divides Americans. And You're trying to sell us shoes and sports equipment. Focus on that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
I say you're going to put me in trouble, Megan. You're going to put me in trouble, Megan. You're going to give me another like month of my mentions full of people losing their minds because yeah, it's unfair. I agree. It is unfair. And the vast majority of Americans agree that it's unfair. Only 18% of Americans support the notion of biological males competing against biological females.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
Yeah. And I just look, I disagree with your framing a little bit, because at the end of the day, I see the humanity in everyone, including transgender women. And so I want to be respectful to them. But I also want you know, I want that to be reciprocated. I want some acknowledgement in regard to the biological differences between males and females.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
And for people who don't think that's a big deal, well, you represent a tiny, tiny, minuscule percentage of Americans who think that it's totally fine for someone to compete against biological females if they're male one day and then identify as female the next day. You know, it's just it's not fair. It's a question of fairness. And if the left has decided that fairness doesn't matter.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Unhinged Left Screams About Elon and Trump, and Trump Gets Detained American Released, with Adam Carolla and Ana Kasparian | Ep. 1006
well, they're going to lose a lot of support. And I think that that did hurt them significantly in this last election cycle.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Well, I have some experience with this, not necessarily meeting with Donald Trump, of course, but, you know, the culture where you're not supposed to talk to the other side at all. I mean, I've lost friends for my willingness to come on shows like this one because I think it's important to have these conversations. I do think that there are areas of common ground.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
It doesn't mean you need to be a Trump supporter, but. Trump is the president of the United States, meaning he's meant to represent everyone, including individuals who did not vote for him. And if the left in general is unwilling to even have a conversation with anyone on the right, including the president, well, how are you ever going to expect him to consider
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
the issues that matter the most to you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
So I actually think opening up dialogue with individuals you disagree with is more important than just existing in this echo chamber where you're going to hear everything you want to hear, where your ideas are going to be validated, and quite frankly, where the lack of challenge to your ideas will make you quite weak and unappealing eventually to the electorate.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Knowing Bill Maher's values, it's unlikely. I do think that they have some common ground because of the fact that Bill Maher is willing to call out some of the pathologies on the left, some of the culture, cultural issues on the left, the closed mindedness and stuff like that. So I think that finding that common ground is important.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
And I think that's what kind of opened up this situation where they can sit down and have a conversation with each other. But that doesn't necessarily mean that Bill Maher is going to be like a red hat wearing Trump supporter tomorrow. It just means that at least he had a dialogue. Maybe he's better. He's better suited to understand where Trump is coming from and vice versa.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
It's just an important thing to do when you have two major public figures who disagree with each other come together. And I think what Kid Rock said about the importance of healing the country is very much true. Again, you have two very different sides.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But is there a way that the two different sides can work together where they have common ground and also not engage in this really disgusting fear mongering and dehumanization that we've seen in this country for the last several decades in regard to the other side? We need to get past that because we need to bring Americans together.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I hate the fact that we've been dehumanizing each other for so long.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Yeah, I mean, look, I think that there are a few different things happening simultaneously. And I definitely played a role in it. And then once I realized how toxic it was, I tried to kind of reform the way that, you know, the majority of people on the left think about engaging in dialogue. So if you want to have...
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Any influence or sway over people in positions of power, whether it be a member of the media, whether it be a politician or even the president of the United States, you can't just close yourself off to talking to the other side. Right. And if you do, then you're not going to have any influence.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
You're going to be part of your cutesy little exclusive club where you engage in purity contests and you purge people away or purge people out of your group. Whereas, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about this and I'm going to ask you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I feel that the right wing, whether they're doing it because of who they are, their own personal culture and how they value conversations, or whether they're doing it as a way of accumulating power, they bring people in. Even if there are some significant disagreements... If there are areas where they can find commonality or agreement with the other side, they're super welcoming and inviting.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
And that's how you build power. That's how you build power. I mean, you bring people in, you don't push people out.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I mean, I'm not even pro MAGA. I'm just someone who's willing to have these types of conversations and I've lost friends over that. You know, my core values haven't changed, but I also realized that on some issues, I didn't have all the information and I changed my mind based on additional information I was exposed to. But, you know, the...
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Cultish treatment of politics, I think, has been really, really toxic for this country. And if you're already at a point where you're automatically dehumanizing the other side or a member of the other side, you've gone way, way too far. And you're actually taking part in what's ripping the country apart. So I'm not a Kid Rock fan. I want to be clear about that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But the fact that he, out of all these people... Out of all these people was able to set up a meeting between Bill Maher and Donald Trump is admirable. So I'm glad that Bill Maher did it. I hope that he doesn't get too much backlash because I don't see him as someone who's going to go out and start cheerleading the Trump administration. But I don't even he's leading by example.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Having these conversations is important.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Well, I have seen a lot of posts like that. But look, I'm just going to say she seems to know herself and what she wants really well. And she's going for it. So go for it. You know, I actually don't have any ill feelings toward her at all because she's determined. I'm unwilling to move even an inch on on my politics.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But I do agree that she might be closing herself off to individuals that would be wonderful for her, including her now ex-boyfriend, because people change, people grow and they shift their positions on issues here and there. I think it's wrong to think that, you know, someone's political identity can't be fluid. I think it's fluid to some extent.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
What I find really interesting is that he agreed with her on social issues and the agreement on social issues. It's what's really likely to lead to a smoother relationship. You know, if he's more fiscally conservative, I don't think that's necessarily something that should be a deal breaker. I'll tell you something, though.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Yeah, look, I have a broader point to make about that culture, and it goes well beyond wives posting about their husbands. Please stop airing your dirty laundry on social media. Honestly, have a little bit of respect, a modicum of respect for the people in your personal life, even if you're in the middle of a feud with them. How about respect their privacy and work it out privately?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
You don't need a bunch of random strangers chiming in on your relationship. I would never in a million years do that to my husband or my friends or to my colleagues, which has been done to me many, many times. I think it's disgusting. It shows a lack of maturity. Have the conversation privately. Work out your own drama and your own issues privately. So that's point number one.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Point number two is, look, a marriage, as I'm sure you know, it's a partnership. And I think when you fail to see it as a partnership and you instead kind of like tally who's doing what and whether or not you're pulling your weight or he's pulling his weight, that's just a toxic environment to function in, to have a relationship in. And so I learned that lesson pretty early on in my marriage.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I remember in the very beginning, it was like, okay, he's got his bank account. I've got my bank account and he's going to pay these bills. I'm going to pay those bills for some marriages that works out. But I remember, you know, Cenk Uygur, my co-host and the founder of the Young Turks, he kind of pulled me aside and said, you're kind of paving a path to a lot of conflict here.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
You have to see your marriage as a partnership and don't think of it as his money versus my money. And honestly, that was the best advice I ever got in my marriage. And we do really well together. And I don't, you know, he's not keeping track of whether I'm pulling my weight. I'm not keeping track of whether he's pulling his weight. We have mutual love and mutual respect for each other.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
And we look out for each other. That's a, that's in my opinion, a successful marriage.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
What do you make of it? Well, it's always made me uncomfortable, especially because I think the best possible situation is a situation in which women get to decide. Right. So if they decide they want to be stay at home mothers, I think it's important to have the economic conditions that allow for that to happen. And I have a lot of respect for stay at home moms. I agree with you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I think that's literally the most difficult job in the world. And it's important for kids to have that close relationship with their mother growing up, especially in like the formative years. But I do think that it's possible for mothers to work and still be great mothers. The thing is, a lot of women don't even have that choice. You get what I'm saying?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Especially in this current economy with inflation. So I would love to live in a world where I could be a stay-at-home, you know, housewife. But... It's just not realistic. You know, we got to pay our bills and we both have to work. But I really do think if we had that economic situation in place, a lot of women would choose to be stay at home mothers and it should be their choice.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I don't think it's anyone's place to judge the decisions that are made by any family. Right. It's up to that family to decide what works best for them and whether or not they could afford the setup that they want to pursue.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Yeah, I mean, look, I totally agree with you. I'm of two minds of this, though, because if you are a young man and you know what you want and you think you have the earning power to literally carry the entire family financially, well, then I guess wait around until you find the right woman for you. But I think most women, not all, but most women, even conservative women,
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
think it's important to have some level of financial independence, right? I mean, you never know if your marriage is going to go perfectly well. Things could fall apart. And if you haven't been in the job market at all for a long time, it's going to be difficult for you to get back in. So, look, it really depends on the guy. And if he really has a problem with his wife working, well, then...
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
That's on him. And I think he's actually going to have some difficulty finding a partner. But there's so many factors to consider, including the financial difficulty of living in a single income household where you're trying to raise kids. And look, I also think whether these guys want to believe it or not, when you have a stay at home wife.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I've seen too many instances of this resentment building because for whatever reason, guys tend to think that, oh, well, she's staying home. She's not out there working as hard as I am. She's just home raising the kids. She has a comfortable life. I'm providing for her. This resentment starts to build. And I've seen it all over the place. I've seen it in context, like my own family.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I've seen it outside of my family. And so I think... They don't really know what they're asking for here, but I could be wrong. Who knows? And I agree with you. I think that it is important to have strong female voices on both sides of the political aisle.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
And I think they could really be hurting the conservative movement by essentially, you know, banning women from taking part in conservative media. I mean, you're one of the strongest conservative voices, you know, female voices out there. So if you didn't exist, I don't know. I just don't think the conservative message would be as powerful.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Right. Look, I think that I remember you had put out some tweet and a lot of conservative women were like dogpiling on you. And I think the reason why that happened is because There's always this statement about how women can have it all. And I agree with you. I think women can be mothers. I think they can raise a family and still have a career.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But that message also needs to be followed up with the reality of how it is challenging and it's incredibly difficult. Right. It's not as easy as it is. For a man. And that's because of the gender dynamics at play. You know, a woman, women in general tend to be more nurturing. That's the evolutionary advantage that women have. They're the ones who do the nurturing of the family, of the children.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
And so when you add a career on top of that, that becomes very challenging and difficult. And you... I can see women kind of pushing back because they're probably exhausted. They're probably raising a family while also juggling a career. And I think they just want that validation. They want that acknowledgement of how much more difficult it is to do that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But it is still possible to do that and have it all.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Well, I actually have a question for you because. Look, I'm personally disgusted with the fact that he's like having all these children with different women. And for a long time, you know, that was one of the areas where I agreed with conservatives. Right. Like conservatives would be pretty judgmental toward men that would act that way or behave that way.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Now, I see that very differently from someone who established a family. But. For whatever reason, the marriage falls apart. They unfortunately get a divorce. And then later on in life, he finds someone else and has another family. Right. I don't want to be too judgmental toward people like that. Life happens. It is what it is.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But with Elon Musk, it's like he's intentionally having children with different women. I don't think that's something to celebrate. And I'm kind of shocked that conservatives haven't been more willing to kind of, you know, criticize him for that. And I get, by the way, I agree with you with Ashley St. Clair. I yeah. What did you expect, Ashley?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
He had already had a bunch of children from different women prior to you having his child. Allegedly, you know, we don't know for sure the paternity and he's called it into question. But I don't understand why it's okay to celebrate a guy who's this careless and irresponsible with bringing children into this world.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I found his jokes a little funny, but I'll say this. He saw the he saw the Mike flag. It was the Newsmax Mike flag. And he didn't want to give him anything. That's that's all that was. He just didn't want to give them anything to broadcast. You know, maybe he doesn't trust them. Maybe he thinks they're going to take him out of context. Who knows?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But to me, it was clear he didn't want to speak to conservative media.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I think there's this mistake made by a lot of folks on the left. And I want to be clear about how wrong they are. So I get that media representing the other side might be adversarial. They might ask you provocative questions.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But I actually think there's a lot of value speaking to them, not because you're trying to win the host over or the reporter over, but because you are sharing your message and your beliefs with an entirely new audience that may not have heard the arguments that you are making. It's not about the big public figures that you're talking to. You're not going to win them over. That's clear.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
But you are sharing a message with half the country that might not have otherwise heard that message. So it's look, do you want to persuade people or not? And if you're not interested in persuading people, that's fine. But I would venture to say that if you are in the public making political arguments, the reason why you're doing it is to persuade people.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
What's the point of just preaching to the choir and just talking to people in your echo chamber? It's more effective to talk to people you disagree with.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
Well, you know, it's it's interesting because I do think both sides of the political aisle do this to some extent. You know, it's it's an effort to kind of make the candidate appear more popular than they really are. And it has a bandwagon effect, right, where some voters who might might not be as politically engaged will see this mess.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
manufactured popularity, but they won't know it's manufactured. And they'll think, well, a lot of people like this guy or this gal. So I'm going to cast my ballot for that individual. But I think things have changed in our political environment where people are a lot more engaged because there's a lot of the line. You know, they have a stake in the game, whether it's the economy or something else.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Maher's White House Visit, and Senseless High School Student Stabbing, with Michael Knowles and Ana Kasparian
I just think that the Democrats being obsessed with that billionaire money is what has led to them being failures in the political system. They need to listen to the voters and ignore the billionaires. And that's how they actually bolster their popularity as opposed to doing whatever it was that Kamala was up to.