Batya Ungar-Sargon
Appearances
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
When I was reporting my book, Second Class, and traveling around the country interviewing working class people, their top two policy agenda items were they wanted much less immigration, legal and illegal, and much more access to high quality, affordable healthcare.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
And I'm going to say it again, I've said it before, the first party to arrive at that combination of much fewer immigrants, much more affordable healthcare is going to have a ruling majority of for 40 years. They don't distinguish between legal and illegal immigration because what people living on a shoestring budget understand is that labor is like everything else.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
It adheres to the ironclad law of supply and demand. The more you have of it, the cheaper it is. The less you have of it, the dearer it is. Now, as a leftist, it was my understanding that what we were trying to do was get higher wages for the working class. It turns out the Democratic Party didn't agree with me.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
They thought that the point was raise taxes on the rich, take all that money, and treat the working class like the poor and give them stuff. And honestly, working class people, that does not appeal to them.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
But they see competition in working class jobs that don't require a degree coming across the border in the form of 11 million illegal immigrants who are all going to be working in five or six or seven industries, resulting in just collapsing wages in those industries. By the way, people will say those are jobs Americans don't want. It's absolute nonsense.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
There is not a single industry in America that is done a majority by immigrants, legal or illegal, meaning that a majority of every single job is done by native-born Americans. Now, just let's for a minute imagine how that makes them feel to be told by billionaires, this job is beneath the dignity of an American, so I'm going to bring somebody in from Venezuela to do it. So let's set that aside.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
What launched the whole debate was over the Christmas holiday – I don't understand why these people weren't with their families, but they weren't. They were on Twitter. Vivek Ramaswamy wrote a long Twitter thread about how American culture is producing lazy and stupid and mediocre people because Americans are culturally addicted to mediocrity. And Elon Musk joined in –
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
retweeted somebody calling American workers retards, and then literally told people to go F themselves in the face because he's going to die on the hill of expanding the H-1B program. And the reason people like me have a problem with that program is,
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
is back in the early 2000s when they shipped 5 million good middle class jobs overseas to China and Mexico to build up their middle class, they told people to learn how to code. But now it turns out actually they're going to be importing people to do those coding jobs. So yes, 85,000 H-1B visas a year. There's about half a million, three quarters of a million people who are on H-1B visas
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
75% of tech engineers working in Silicon Valley today are foreign born. These are great middle-class jobs when they're done by Americans. But when you import people to do them from India, they do them for about $40,000 a year cheaper. And what that means is it drives down the wages across that industry. So our best and brightest are not now even going into that industry at all.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So people will say, oh, we're bringing in the best and the brightest. This is a brain drain from the rest of the world. It's nonsense. I mean, half a million people is not the best and the brightest. 30% of people working in STEM are.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So again, we're talking about just we're importing a cast of indentured servants who are allowed to enter the country, but they have to stay with that employer, which again reduces their wages by another 25%. This is the opposite of everything Trump wants. Trump campaigned on, ran on, and won on. And it's a huge betrayal of his base.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
And I'm really hoping that at some point, you know, Steve Bannon wins this fight and Elon is kicked to the curb before Trump becomes president. Because if he really is about to now betray his entire base over this immigration issue, which is the number one issue as far as they're concerned, it's not going to go very well for the administration.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
We actually have a visa for people who are uniquely talented. We have the 01 visa for exceptional aliens. So we actually have a separate visa for people who are bringing a talent that you cannot get here. What makes me so enraged is that these H-1Bs are more often than not given to people who are totally mediocre. They come from less good schools than Americans in the tech sector.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
They get not as good grades. In fact, American STEM graduates routinely rank higher than people from China, Russia, and India. So they are mediocre compared to our homegrown talent. Plus, why are we not going into the inner city in Appalachia and teaching our people how to do those jobs. People will say, oh, let's just pay people more. We'll tie the visa to the highest paying thing.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Do you know how much angrier I'm going to be when they do that? That's going to be their solution. It's going to be, let's pay these immigrants even more. And then I'm going to be even angrier. Instead of paying an American $90,000 a year, you're now going to be paying half a million Indians that. And It's, I have nothing against them.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I'm a quarter Indian myself, you know, but I just, the idea that we do not owe anything to our neighbors while we get rich is disgusting to me. And that is the ideology that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are bringing into the administration through Doge. I'm sorry, but I think that that Doge is just a, it's a cover for the Chinese Communist Party. Whoa, what? Yes, everything. What? Let me explain.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I will make the case, and then you can tell me why you think this is not true. But I mean, basically, let's look at what it has accomplished so far, okay? The first accomplishment of Elon Musk has been to tank a spending bill, and the total top beneficiary of that action was China because there were limits in the first bill on investments in China that were taken out of the second bill.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
And I remember thinking to myself when Elon Musk was jumping up and down on stage next to Trump, it's so interesting that Elon Musk whose entire supply chain is in China, who built a showroom for Tesla in the Xinjiang region of China where the Uyghurs are being genocided, that he is being given the green light by Xi Jinping to try to help Donald Trump win.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Because of course, Xi Jinping would rather the Democrats win. They're much softer on China than Donald Trump is. But look how much China has already gotten for bang for its buck. And Trump's not even in office yet. They've got somebody who has never said a negative word about China. I mean, never. Now is number two to the throne.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So two things. The first is we are not winning if our neighbors are poor. It's not winning when our GDP goes up and 90% of that goes into Elon Musk's pocket. That is not what winning looks like. Winning is when you have a middle class that is stable, children that are upwardly mobile, who are living in safe neighborhoods, whose parents know where their retirement is coming from.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
You know, like that's what winning looks like. It's not just a GDP number is not winning, but also all of these supposed best and brightest are literally being trained here in the U.S. Like they're coming here, they're paying sticker ticket prices for our universities, and that is how they get fed into the sector. They have no like, this is not like a special talent pool of uniqueness. talent.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
These are people who are getting an education that should be going to Americans who are not getting this education because they don't have those opportunities. They don't have access to them. They're not going to pay the sticker ticket. Like people are getting rich off. This is not what winning looks like. As a nation, we owe something to our neighbors.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
We can't keep lining our pockets with the proceeds of an economy that is an upward transfer of wealth. So let me give you a very specific example.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Are you both totally comfortable living in a country where someone like Elon Musk fires 4,000 workers to replace them by H-1Bs? No. Is that—so on what—can we all agree that that is dastardly? Yes. Just to get cheaper workers to do the same thing? No argument whatsoever.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I think Steve Bannon is the most important voice if you want to understand where the Trump base is and where the working class is. So with my cards on the table, I really hope he wins. I don't know if he will. If he doesn't, I will have a very different view of Trump going into this administration. I'm not saying like if Trump doesn't kick Elon Musk to the curb, I won't.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
But if he capitulates and does a 180 on where he used to have this very clear view of the H-1B visas, I will be extremely, extremely vociferously critical of him. I'm not one of these people who can't. I was in it for this.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I'll just say quickly, I saw very little of it. I did see some of it, but I saw very little of it. The number one victims of mass immigration into the United States have been black Americans who have suffered in massive, massive ways from being replaced by foreign workers. It is verboten to talk about this on the left.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
They call any attempt to stand up for Americans at the expense of non-Americans racism. And so like... I refuse to accept that. Like I will be speaking on behalf of black Americans and working class Americans until the day I die. So I deplore any racism. But this was not about racism. This was not about race.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
It was uniquely about Indians because they represent a massively disproportionate number of H-1Bs. Again, as somebody who's quarter Indian, you know, I certainly I saw very little of it, even though I was on the lookout for it.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I don't want to deny that it was there, but it was certainly not, you know, present in any of the many conversations I've heard Steve Bannon have about it, that I've had about it, that the, you know, I've been swimming in these waters doing very little else, talking about very little else since Christmas. And I don't think this is a big part of the movement.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I don't think it's significant in terms of that it represents why people feel so strongly about this.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Yeah, I think that's a good way. Yeah.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
People are infuriated, infuriated. I've seen so many people. People have reached out to me personally to say, you know, wow, mask off moment from Elon. I used to admire him. I honestly think Vivek's political aspirations may have – he may have really hurt himself by that long tweet thread about – how Americans are addicted to mediocrity and have a culture of loserdom.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So I think that this is going to have a really big implication. You know, last time around, at some point, Ann Coulter, who was a huge proponent of Trump, one of the few people who predicted that he was going to win, she really turned on him because she felt that he sold out the controlling the border because basically Wall Street called him and were like, where are our slaves at?
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
You're doing too good a job there. And so he eased up some of the border restrictions. This is her narrative. And so she really turned on him. She got very angry. She supported DeSantis in the primary. So it's not like there wasn't sort of pro-business forces trying to influence Trump the first time around. He's much more focused this time around. He is much more intentional.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
He's very, I mean, he's sort of like very laser focused on the agenda. So it'll be very interesting to see. I cannot predict who's going to win this. I think it's significant that Steve Bannon is talking about it so vigorously. Like, obviously, that signals that Trump, I think, to me, if I had to read that, I would say it signals Trump wants this debate to happen in the public sphere.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So he can decide, you know, which way to go on it. But I can't say which way it'll end up.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Yeah, you're seeing people on the left kind of blaming the climate change issue and people on the right blaming DEI or incompetence. I feel pretty grossed out by both of these trends. I think Leighton Woodhouse really nailed it in a piece he wrote for Newsweek and also in the Free Press article.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
No, just Glenn Greenwald had such a funny point. He pointed out that in the video, Zuckerberg had a whole new wardrobe, like a whole new look. Like he looked he didn't look like a Silicon Valley bro anymore. He looked now like a crypto bro. Like he had the like the T-shirt and the necklace and the one and it was like a whole different. And it's almost like he's now in his next era anymore.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
And it just reads so false to me. I mean, like, I'm glad that they're doing it, but it's just such, it's just evidence, like you both were saying, like of the vibe shift and nothing more.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
And just like that private companies, you know, that once like, you know, made their bread and butter off of being hashtag resistance, wokesters are now trying to sort of like tack to the middle because they realize that that's where the money is and that's where the advantage is.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Like, obviously nobody has any morals in this business, but it's, you know, it really suggests that like people have understood that nobody is buying that earlier version anymore. And we've really fully turned a new page.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Barry, I wanted to ask you about this because I feel some type of way to see all the people who called me racist for pointing out that like the real divine America is class. It's not race. All these people called me racist for saying this like five years ago, four years ago, three years ago. And now they're all saying it without a shred of self-reflection.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Like, oh, maybe all these people's lives we tried to destroy, they actually were saying this. Do you feel resentful about that or you just feel grateful that it's over?
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
where he argued that there's just something about the geology of this place that lends itself to these horrific acts of God every half a century, that the land there, you know,
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Instead of doing a prediction, which I'm always wrong about those, so I'll just give you a little insight into something that happened over the weekend, which is I ran an op-ed at Newsweek by Greg Kelly, who's a Newsmax host, which if I tell you that, you would assume that this...
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
would be very pro-Pete Hegseth, but actually what he argues is that Pete Hegseth has already shown himself susceptible to being blackmailed because he was blackmailed by this woman who accused him of sexual harassment and assault, et cetera. And the fact that that came in, I think that there are people looking for cover to demur on Pete Hegseth, which I was surprised by.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So there's a little more pushback than I was expecting on that one. And as far as the other two, You know the person to watch? It's John Fetterman. I mean, talk about the MVP.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
This guy has come out and just had, you know, a spine of steel, meeting Trump, meeting all these people and saying, you know, he said about the Lake and Riley Act, if we can't get seven Democratic senators to vote for this thing, we deserve to lose. Like, just calling all of the truth bombs out there. And I think he had a really nice meeting with RFK Jr., actually, and Pete Hexeth.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Around the Santa Monica Beach, Pacific Palisades should never have been developed because it was always going to erupt in flames in this way due to the fact that the vegetation grows really lush during the rainy winter months and then dries out and the Santa Ana winds show up in the dry summer months. And so to me, I found that really compelling. I just think it is so hard to imagine...
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So, you know, there might be more Democratic support than we're expecting.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
You know, somebody doing a better job with so much destruction. I don't have any confidence in Karen Bass or in Gavin Newsom. I don't think that they're stars or particularly competent people. But at the same time, nobody's pointing to things that are legitimate as, you know, actual mistakes that would have actually prevented this or... helped the situation.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
From what I've been able to gather, and your listeners should tell me if I'm wrong about this, but it seems like the reason there was no water in the hydrants was not because there is an absence of water for this kind of thing, but because the water pressure was simply failed because they were trying to get all of the water in the city into one place, which
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
which is something that is very predictable, but I don't know how you fix for it. So to me, I feel like the politicization of this has been extremely disappointing. But I do think that on the ground, there's been a lot of unity and a lot of coming together, a lot of really moving moments on social media. So I'm trying to focus on those.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
That was my first thought, is this is the end of his political career. I don't see how he survives this. And that sounds like a contradiction with what I opened with, but I don't think it is. It could be that something is just so devastating that your inability to respond to it in a way that's compelling ends your political career, even though there would have been very little you could have done.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Obviously, like if DeSantis had been in charge of L.A., I think people would have felt it. like there was more competence going on around them. Because I agree, of course, with both of you that the contract in California has been broken and that there's a huge crisis in trust in public institutions. I just think that this was an act of God and was so devastating for these ecological reasons.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
that it seems sort of almost unfair. You know, the Karen Bass being in Ghana, that was an unforced error that led to this perception that the people in charge were not worthy of the trust of the public. And they have earned that in a million different ways.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I certainly, through all of my research, have not been able to come up with a better plan for how they could have handled this, but it may sink their careers. I think that that's very likely.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I want to say something really quickly because I really want to hear what Brianna has to say about that. 20 people have died, I believe. Is that correct?
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
24 people so far have died, and we mourn every single one of them. Horrific tragedy. Most of them were seniors and disabled people who couldn't get out. It's horrifying. When you look at the scope of the damage, people were informed. People got out.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I mean, if you had asked me, looking at that landscape, that apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, burnt-out landscape, how many people I would have thought would have died? And again, God forbid I'm not minimizing these horrific deaths. I would have expected it to be in the hundreds, if not the thousands. So I do think that there's a point of view.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
And we're talking about, I mean, you think about the neighborhoods like the Pacific Palisades. I mean, I've been reading a lot about this. A lot of these towns are built. There's one road going into an area where 2,500 people live. The cars, they had to flee their cars and survived fleeing their cars because the trees on either side of the road were engulfed in flames.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
So really miraculous survival of many, many people. And again, God forbid not to undermine the deaths, but it does seem like people's lives were very much saved. There was a lot of property damage. And of course, that's terrible. But I just wanted to make that point.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
Because I think a lot of the donor base that would have supported him are now homeless. You can either sort of really upset the middle class of the Democratic Party or you can upset the sort of rich donor class. And I think a lot of the people who would have been that support against the bulwark of the sort of middle class and working class neighborhoods that went up in flames
Honestly with Bari Weiss
L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
I could also make the argument.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
First of all, to set that up as the standard for leading, I think is so unfair. But also, how could you say he's not a leader? This is a person who walked into a political climate in which there was a handshake agreement between both sides and said, I'm taking on both of you. I don't care at all. Like everything he's doing. Marco Rubio getting 99 votes to zero confirmed.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I mean, talk about a leadership position. Picking someone for secretary of state who could get total consensus from both sides. Come on. I mean, that is leadership personified. And we're going to see that again.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I mean, talk about leading. I do think that this is where most Americans are at and that this is an attempt to do a kind of reset. It does not preclude having the kinds of conversations Brianna wants to have down the road.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
But in terms of practical application, I think this is a good step towards getting a lot of the stuff that you actually do want, Brianna, like protecting women's spaces, protecting lesbian spaces. I mean, that all has to start with a definition. And I do think that that... definition does track clearly with how most Americans feel.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
You know, the polling shows that the vast majority of Americans want trans people to be protected from discrimination in housing and in the workforce. And I'm talking 80 plus percent of Americans want that. But the numbers really, really drop when it comes to things like trans women in women's sports. Women's prisons, you know, protecting women's spaces.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Women also have rights that I think we could probably agree on 90 percent of the cases. In some instances, the trans agenda has actually taken away some of those rights for women. So, you know, in terms of saying, you know, drawing a line in the sand and saying, you know, as the federal government, we want to start correcting for this overreach situation. That has to start with a definition.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And that definition, I think, does track pretty clearly with how most Americans feel about it. So I think that this probably was met with relief, not just by a lot of Republicans and conservatives, but by a lot of Democrats and a lot of liberals who have felt like they can't say how they feel about this. And yeah, this is a moment, I think, of real leadership.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Pacha, what do you make of this, EO? I was listening to Peter talk and thinking to myself, man, this Trump guy sounds like quite the leader, you know? Six decades of terrible policy that we all agree has resulted in like, like really awful outcomes. You know, the demoralization of minority communities. Yeah.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
among other things so yeah i think it's great i think that people let's say you're trump and you want to come in and you want to say like there are all these like very symbolic issues that have helped people see why we need to change we need to get away from the left-wing you know crazy radical policies it's very hard to sort of put meat on that and say like okay how do we actually make that happen like yeah we're all sick of like the culture of dei right the feeling of like
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
you know, that woke culture. How do you put meat on that? How do you create policy that, you know, furthers the aim of getting us back to that American dream? It's not a simple thing to do. And it takes a lot of leadership and a willingness to say, look, here's our first shot. Here's, you know, shot across the bow. We're going to try this. We're going to try that. So I think it's pretty cool.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And I think it's significant. And again, as with the gender EO, I think this is going to resonate with a lot of people who were Democrats, you know, two years ago, five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, maybe people who didn't even vote for Trump, but who feel like, you know, the left has gone too far. And I can't even tell you how many people have said to me, I didn't vote for Trump.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I couldn't bring myself to vote for him, but I'm very glad he won. I mean, my reaction to them is always the same. You coward. You You made other people carry that decision for you. You refused to put your money where your mouth was and just pull the trigger for the person you thought was going to actually fix the country. But this is what that looks like, I think, in effect.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Honestly, I'm not so sure that this is going to lose, but I think the reason this was... so smart was because my understanding is I'm not a legal scholar, but that the 14th Amendment was a response to the Dred Roberts case where basically the Supreme Court had ruled that Black people are not citizens.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And the 14th Amendment was specifically in order to address that and say, yes, our Black population were brought here against their will, but they are citizens of this country. And the reason that I think this was such a genius move is because it echoes that exact theme.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
thing that happened, which is this thing that was supposed to protect Black people was then co-opted in order to protect illegal immigrants.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And of course, that's the history of the Democratic Party over the last 50 years, is that, you know, it's Black Americans who have paid the heaviest price for mass migration, you know, to the tune of, you know, 40% decrease in wages, 10% increase in mass incarceration. I the breakdown of the family. You could connect to this downward pressure on wages, et cetera.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
So I think in that sense, it's very poetic. And if you notice during his inaugural speech, Trump specifically thanked Black voters and Hispanic voters for turning out for him and said he was not going to forget it.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And if you look at the polling, Black Americans, Black Democrats are the most anti-immigrant of all the demographics because, of course, they've paid the highest price for mass migration. So in that sense, I think this is a very poetic way
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
way to say, look, we are going to put an end to this thing where every group comes and claims the mantle of the civil rights movement and effectively downgrades the status further of Black Americans, starting with this initial amendment that was meant to protect the civil rights of Black Americans.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Can I just say quickly, though, like that's literally how people talked about Trump saying we're going to build the wall in 2016, which is now a very, very popular proposal. Like that thing, he's gone too far, was literally how people in the elites were talking about things that were appealing to his base and
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
in a really big way from the beginning that we now are all sitting here being like, well, of course, obviously, most Americans want this. Of course, most Americans now want an America first approach to the southern border. Well, Peter, you know, that was like paid for in blood to get you to admit that, to get Democrats and liberals to admit that.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Like Trump literally had to be indicted 91 times and almost killed twice to get Democrats to be able to utter that sentence. So he is often ahead of the curve when it comes to things, especially when it comes to taking the pulse of the people.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I mean, he literally won every swing state and the popular vote running on these exact issues. He did not. He was not shy about admitting this. And he got the popular vote like these are popular ideas. The movement has grown way beyond just like the MAGA base. It's just the elites who don't want to get on board. And that's OK.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I think this whole like this new like Manifest Destiny 2.0, like people like it. I mean, people vote on this stuff. You know, I don't know how important this is, but, you know, people are it gives people a sense of optimism, you know, a sense of like we're going places, a sense of like we're back, baby.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I've heard that as well from nutcases. All right. So I think the reason Trump did a 180 on this, I agree with everything Brianna just said. I think it's a huge, huge national security concern. I think it's destroying the minds of our children. We know kids have been pushed to commit suicide based on stuff they saw on TikTok.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
The Chinese won't allow their own children to use this app, which is like, OK, number one, like do not allow anything into your country that your enemy will not allow their children to look at. At first, I thought Trump, you know, did this 180 on TikTok because, you know, he used it. He you know, he got a lot of support from young people, blah, blah, blah.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
But yesterday during the press conference that he had in the Oval Office. He talked about it in a different way. You could see like it seemed to be really authentic how he was talking about it. Basically, what he said was this app is worthless if we ban it and it's worth a trillion dollars if we allow it here to be sold to an American. You know, his. His eyeballs just became dollar signs.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And I think he just can't stand the idea of giving up half of a trillion dollars and thinks, look, if an American has it, an American owns it, an American controls it, has a controlling stake in the company, 51% stake in the company, that's just free money for us because it's already here and people are already using it. When he said that, I was like, oh, that's what he's in it for.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Somebody told him it's worth a trillion dollars. China will never allow it to be sold because the whole purpose of TikTok is to be- Or they'll allow it to be sold to someone who's potentially compromised. Exactly, to Elon Musk. Exactly. That's another thing to bear in mind.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Anybody that China allows to acquire 51% of TikTok, that person is somebody that the Chinese Communist Party believes has their interests at heart more than the Americans. And so that is a very important thing to keep in mind as well. I totally appreciate that point, Barry. So, you know, from that point of view, somebody has to convey this to Trump. This is extremely important.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I will just say I feel a little bit like really upset at the idea that the Supreme Court could have ruled on something, that Congress could have passed a law and two consecutive presidents could just say, we're not going to enforce this law. Exactly. That's very upsetting. And we should all be very upset about that.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
It is both the case that the Democrats pointing out this oligarchy are complete and utter hypocrites. They were totally happy to have these people running their party as long as they were giving to the Democrats. It is both the case that the Democrats are the party of the rich, that the vast majority of Americans who are rich are now Democrats.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And it is also the case that seeing those tech oligarchs at the inauguration allowed to bring their, you know, sluttily dressed wives when, you know, the cabinet members were not, you know, sitting there amongst the Trump family and cabinet like that. That is a chilling image. Now, Steve Bannon had a great line. He was like, these people were there as trophies. OK, they were Trump's trophies.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
They don't have any power. They're not going to have any influence. They're hung on the wall to show how far he's come and how he can sort of, you know, get anybody to show up at his shindig. They did pay the million dollar, you know, ticket fee to get there. I guess after you give a million dollars to the inaugural fund, you know, you're kind of guaranteed a ticket even when everybody else is.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
can't bring their wives or whatever because it was moved indoors. I feel a little bit nervous about it. Trump has done a 180 on H-1B visas. I cannot believe that this is somehow divorced from Elon Musk's feelings on the subject. I'm very worried about the influence of China through these people who all have very close ties to the CCP.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
But then again, you know, Barry, you yourself did an interview with Sam Altman, who I believe has beef with Elon Musk. And he was in the Oval Office yesterday being, you know, a new trophy for Trump. Right. So, you know.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And I guess if I could just put a pin on this, which is that, you know, if Trump is willing to play them against each other, like no individual person can have that much power. Right. I mean, this was really a slap in the face to Elon Musk to be like, OK, look, I'm now, you know, this is my new BFF now. Right. Vivek is out. Right. He's been kicked out of Doge.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Marjorie Taylor Greene is now put in Doge. You will not find a better, you know, more America first person than Marjorie Taylor Greene. So I really do think, you know, Steve Bannon, you know, he said that he would have gotten rid of Elon Musk's influence by inauguration. And there are some signs that Steve Bannon has been successful.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
It's too soon to tell. I'm watching very closely. You know, the H-1B thing was evidence to your argument, right? Because he yesterday was asked about that during the presser and he said he supports them. And before he had said he opposed them very strenuously. But, you know, it really remains to be seen. TikTok, right? China, immigration.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
These are all issues that are very, very important and in which the tech bro oligarchy is at odds with the MAGA base. So these are all going to be issues that we should all be watching very closely to see in which direction Donald Trump is going to head and to see who has the power in this relationship. Is Trump being led by the tech bros or are they being led by him?
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I just think he has so little to gain at this point to squander his legacy to curry favor with them. He needs nothing from them at this point. He's not going to run again. So he needs nothing from them. He loves to bring people into the office and say, look, I raised $500 billion for AI plants that we're going to build here.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And they were promising yesterday that they're going to be able to screen people for cancer and create cancer vaccines out of AI. I mean, he loves to do this. But at the end of the day, they need him a lot more than he needs them. But I am open to the idea that it's going to go in the other direction. I'm watching closely.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I was expecting J.D. Vance's take on things, that it would sort of be case by case and that anybody who hit or assaulted a police officer would not get a pardon. 16 people did not get pardons. They had their sentences commuted. So from that point of view, I think From the Trump team's point of view, they were going case by case.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Yeah, I think I have like more credibility to defend him on this issue than anybody else as someone who's like literally can't stop criticizing him on everything. I will say when AOC came out, so the ADL even came out, the ADL, like one of the wokest American Jewish organizations came out and was like, we get that people are upset, not a Heil Hitler.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
There were people who they felt what they did was too extreme to get a pardon. I would have preferred that the standard that J.D. Vance laid out be the one that they followed. But I think the way they're thinking about it is, first of all, Biden came out with these utterly egregious preemptive pardons and family pardons literally 15 minutes before the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And AOC literally said to the ADL, like, you've lost all credibility. And she was like, you're working for them now. And I was like, is them the Nazis? Did AOC just say that the ADL is working for the Nazis? I couldn't stop cracking up about it. And I thought it was so funny. But to me, what's amazing is 10 years ago, this would have been a story that everybody would have
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
believed anybody who defended him would have been facing calls to get fired, would have been called a Nazi by association, would have been attempted to get canceled. For the next five years, anytime they tweeted something, there would be a thousand leftists in their replies being like, you're a Nazi defender. So and right now we are all in agreement that they are the laughingstock. I
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
through exactly what you're talking about, Brianna, the supply of instances of Nazism on the right just simply far, far underperforms the outrageous demand from the left who have nothing else to offer the American people. And I think that this is like, I have such a relief that I'm literally laughing about it, that we're not back in 2016.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Batya? I think it was a feint for the Panama Canal, which is what he's really after, so I agree with Peter.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And so I think they felt that a little bit more leeway. If you look at who Biden pardoned, it was all of these very well-off elites of his party and his side and his family, as opposed to the people Trump pardoned. These are the kind of You know, the rabble of his side, you know, these are not people who are, you know, in the elite. So there's a real split screen there.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Batya, favorite look? Ivanka coming out in the Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina Givenchy, of course. I will also draw your attention to Melania's gorgeous navy blue. I believe they were Manolo's, her daytime look. She wore those from 7.30 in the morning until after 6 p.m. Just God bless her.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Like, that's insane. It was really spectacular. The hats, you know, I wear hats to shul every Shabbos, so I was very in it for the hats. But definitely the Givenchy, I think, was the winner.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
And also, I think they thought, you know, the point Trump was trying to make with these pardons is that the justice system was weaponized against him and his supporters. And so to make that statement that we do not take seriously anything that came out of that DOJ process. They prefer to go with this more blanket approach than the case by case approach. I don't know how big of a mistake that was.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Like I said, my preference would have been for the case by case J.D. Vance version. But I honestly don't think anybody's going to be talking about this in a week. I do think what Biden did in terms of pardoning was so utterly egregious and is going to become a massive albatross around the neck of his party in a way that these really aren't for Donald Trump.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I think people are very happy about it. They did feel like the overzealousness and the weaponization of justice, that was a big deal for the people who are sort of the real base, like the people who've been like the Trump OGs, the people who've been with him since like 2015, you know? Not like the Vivek camp, but like the 2016 Trump. Or the Batyonger Sargon camp. Right, right.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
The people who were really there from the beginning. I do think that what Biden did was so much worse because of the precedent that it sets. Like here you had, like you said, Barry, the Supreme Court weighing in and saying and ratifying this idea that there was an overzealousness here.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
This was clearly part of an attempt to criminalize the personhood of Donald Trump and his supporters in ways that I think none of us would support. As opposed to what Biden did, which is to preemptively, to say there is literally nothing that the Democrats could find out that Dr. Fauci did, that they would deem worthy of prosecution or even inquiry, which sets such a different standard.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I mean, every single person on January 6th was convicted. They had a trial. We know what they were accused of. So I think like holding these side by side, I think one is markedly worse. And again, I'm not saying that as like an endorsement of, you know, pardoning people who hit cops. But I do think that this had a sort of symbolic power in terms of saying to the base, like, look, you matter now.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
You matter to me and I'm going to have your back.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Yeah, of course I do. I just think Trump is being judged as if he is certainly going to do what Joe Biden just got away with actually doing. It's very rare to have Democrats like you, Brianna, who are honest enough to say that does not feel right. That does not feel American about Joe Biden's actions when he spent the last four years prosecuting his political opponent.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
So the impression, the certainty that Democrats have that Donald Trump is about to engage in this kind of weaponization of the justice system comes from the precedent set by their own side, which they failed and continue to fail to denounce. So pardon me if I don't take that very seriously.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
You know, it's sort of like, you know, setting fire to a house and then demanding, you know, that the fire department be, you know, beefed up because certainly there's going to be
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
more fires right like that's the thing that bothers me is that the democrats refused to denounce it when joe biden was doing it and now they are justifying totally un-american behaviors in the certainty that donald trump is going to do what they refused to condemn when it was their own side by the way i don't think donald trump is going to do it but i'm not going to promise that we're going to keep having this conversation we'll see what he does
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I don't think he's bent on vengeance. He keeps saying our success will be our retribution. I think he's very laser focused on creating a great economy. And that's really the thing that he really wants. But the idea that somehow it's justified to destroy the norms in the name of protecting the side that destroyed norms from somebody who might then destroy the norms.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
Like I just I find that to be morally vacuous. But yes, I do understand why people feel that way.
Honestly with Bari Weiss
26 Executive Orders, TikTok's Future, and Elon’s Arm
I think that's just total nonsense. It's like saying, now that we set this thing in motion, now that we beat you up, oh, now we're calling a truce. First of all, I think that's like, so it's such an unfair standard to set. You are not a leader unless you... Accept a truce after we beat you up and punched you in the face a billion times.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
The reaction online is also just such a reinforcement of how much aesthetics, attractiveness, I mean, like the shallowness of the American people, the American people who are online, we'll say, is very much on display here. Part of, yes, there's absolutely a bubbling anger about the inequity in the country writ large and in the health care system, no question.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
But so much of the clips we were watching at the top of this segment are driven by the fact that this is this is an attractive segment. We've got to drop the banner to show why. And it is deeply troubling that we are celebrating this person who's committed cold-blooded murder because, you know, he clearly went to the gym.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
I really recommend people watch that whole interview. It's an incredible hour and 15 minutes, not least because of the way it was misrepresented by the headlines in the liberal press. But I think when Trump writes his memoirs and looks back on his life, this will be like the sweetest time. He's in his magnanimous era. He has been so thoroughly vindicated on everything.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
So many fronts and it has brought out this unbelievably confident magnanimous side of his personality, you know, even when he's criticizing the journalist he doesn't call her nasty in this interview he just says to her, you know, you have so much potential. Which I thought was really funny. That was like the most ad hominem he would go. He's in a really wonderful place right now.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
And the three to me, the three headlines would have been if I was sort of covering this honestly would have been the last question she asked him is what is your message to Americans who did not vote for you and did not support you? And his answer, Megan, was I love you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
He said that he was invested in protecting the dreamers, especially the ones who are older and middle aged and contributing a lot and have good jobs. And he said that he was not interested in any kind of retribution. He said, again, our success will be our retribution. He said he's not going to get involved in Pam Bondi's work or in Kash Patel's work. He's going to let them do their jobs.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
I mean, these were real headlines that, of course, nobody pointed out. As to immigration, I think you're totally right. You know, the... Homan is so the perfect man for this job because he could care less what anybody thinks about him. He is an unbelievable patriot and feels that it is his job to protect the American people. And honestly, Megan, Trump is very sensitive to the headlines.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
He's thinking ahead about how to sort of preempt them, how to protect himself from those accusations from the unfair media. But I got to say. He was given a mandate by the American people to do exactly this. And the media has lost all credibility because in opposing him in the most dishonest and vitriolic way, it was revealed on November 5th that they were opposing the American people.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
Their hatred for Donald Trump was revealed for what it is, which is hatred for the American people. And so when the media stands up and says, look at this racism, look at this cruelty, how dare they try to deport these lovely families, the American people are going to say, hey, that's me you're calling racist. I voted for this.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
And so I think we're going to see a really different relationship between the administration and the media. And if we don't, it is the media who's going to suffer, not the administration.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
You know, I was struck by how succinctly the president-elect summed up his mandate.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
Well, he didn't go after Hillary Clinton the first time around, right? We have a record. That's what's so insane about all the accusations against him. We were all there. It was four years ago. They act like that never happened. It's so ridiculous. I honestly think Donald Trump only cares about two things. He cares about no more wars. He hates war because he thinks it's wasteful.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
And he wants an incredible economy that will lift up the working class, hardworking people who work and work and work and can't get ahead. He really, those are his priorities. That's what he cares about. He really wants the people in his cabinet to do what they view as the mandate given by the American people so that he can focus on those things.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
The idea that he's on some sort of revenge tour is so, so ridiculous. And you know what, Megan, it's just a pure projection. Every accusation from the Democrats is a confession. They spent four years waging revenge against Donald Trump for beating Hillary Clinton. They tried to put this man in prison for the crime of trying to elevate the American working class.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
It is they who are hellbent on revenge. It is they who have politicized the Justice Department. It is they who think that they are above the law. I don't know if you saw this, but Biden apparently is planning mass preemptive
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
pardons, meaning for people who have not even been yet accused of anything, suggesting that if you are elite enough in the Democratic Party, you cannot even be accused of a crime or indicted for a crime or investigated for a crime if you are close enough to the Biden family. I mean, it just it is this from the so-called defenders of democracy. So I think that this is all just pure projection.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
And I really believe that Trump has no reason not to be this magnanimous version of himself going forward, given the support and the mandate that the American people have given him. He truly is a leader. He is a reflection of what Americans want. And he was that before they knew that in 2016, when we were a little bit more divided around these issues.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Best of the Week: Trump vs. NBC, Insane CEO Assassination Reaction, Caitlin Clark Bends the Knee
So I think it's going to be a great four years.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
I mean, the grunting and the acting and the laughing, like it's clear that this is some sort of sexual fantasy these people have of these ICE agents coming in and them getting into this brawl in this protection of their students. I really want to ask them, why do you not care about the students of yours?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
who have been totally shortchanged by the millions and millions of dollars that are going into ESL to educate students who are not American citizens. Where is the compassion and the empathy for the black students
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
who are paying the highest price because of course they always drop these kids in the worst performing poorest neighborhoods where kids who are already getting shortchanged and short shrifted on education are forced to bear the burden of the pieties of these actors and performers. It's so disgusting. And of course, we talk about this a lot on your show, Megan.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
These people are enforcing their open borders woke agenda because they are not themselves paying the price. It's the opposite. The elites have been lining their pockets with the proceeds of this mass migration because it is not them who have to pay for it. They, in fact, are the consumers of illegal labor.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And so they show up as if they are the ones with the higher moral high ground and the pieties and the virtue when actually what they have done is wage class warfare on much poorer Americans and working class Americans who are struggling to give their children the American dream and can't because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the Democrats writ large have imported 15 million people to jump the line and take that American dream from them.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And it is just so unbelievably amazing to see a president show up and say, you don't have to live like this. You are not alone. And the fact that so many Americans are being represented by Donald Trump, that's really where his power comes from. The fact that this is wildly popular power.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
proposals and policies that have purchased not just with Republicans, but also with the vast majority of Democrats. I'll just say one more thing, Megan. I have never seen a person like Tom Homan show up
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
so ready and eager to do the job, so qualified from day one with a smile on his face because he doesn't care about the lies they're going to throw at him and the pieties and the garbage that they're going to spout. He knows that he, like President Trump, is representing the best interests of this country and he's going to do it with a smile no matter what they throw at him. That man is a hero.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And he is so the perfect person for the job, just like President Trump.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Who is she weeping for? The rapists and murderers who are being deported? Because that's all they've come for so far. Let's just be clear. They have started with murderers and rapists. Those are my people. Why are her people not the victims of the murderers and the rapists, be they migrant victims of murderers and rapists or American victims of murderers and rapists?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
What is wrong with this person that she can look at the scum of the earth that Donald Trump is getting out of this country and repatriating where they came from and say, everything is going poorly for my people. That is woke mindset. You look at the color of the skin rather than the actions, rather than is this person good or evil? They are evil. And she is weeping for them. It's so sad, Megan.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
This woman is the victim of, on the one hand, mass misinformation. By the way, the only people left watching the mainstream media, reading the New York Times and watching MSNBC and CNN are rich people like her who are totally out of touch and don't have a single working class person to tell them, actually, no, those are not our people.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
But OK, you know, it's the mass information and then a mental health crisis that is like Really, really, really deeply, deeply embedded. I saw a tweet the other day about some guy who's tweeting, if my MAGA family comes to me for help, if they're starving in the street, I won't help them.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
That's the combination of mass psychosis from misinformation from the mainstream liberal media and a mental health crisis where people are so... so embedded in these narratives that they cannot tell right from wrong. They have lost their humanity. I mean, to weep over murderers and rapists, it really, my heart goes out to her because this person is so lost.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
I know. It's so sad. I mean, first of all, Drill Baby Drill is going to bring down the price of groceries. It's not going to be immediate, but it's going to happen soon because, of course, energy is a huge component when it comes to the cost of groceries. You have the energy that it costs to grow things, to harvest them. to take care of livestock and then to transport stuff.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
God willing, there will be an end to the war in Ukraine soon. That too will help bring down the cost of groceries undeniably. Yeah, he didn't accomplish it in the first week, but it will happen. The thing that J.D. Vance said that was the most important thing is about wages.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Inflation is terrible, but it is absolutely crushing the working class most of all because their wages have not kept up with inflation, which means that their money that they work so hard for is not equal to the task of feeding their families anymore.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Every single one of Donald Trump's economic executive orders was targeted specifically at raising the wages of working class people, which will put more money in their pockets to buy those groceries.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Now, to rich people in the mainstream liberal media, this is invisible to them because they don't know working class people and they themselves make so much money that they don't understand what it would mean for your wages to not keep up with inflation.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
They don't understand how tariffs are the most beautiful word in the English language, not just to Donald Trump, but to working class people who know that what a tariff does is it makes their labor more competitive to an employer because we're not in a race to the bottom against Chinese slaves.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
They know that controlling the border and the face of Tom Homan means that there's going to be less competition for their job in the marketplace, which is immediately going to give them more power to ask for higher wages from their employer. This is all stuff that is invisible to rich people and is unbelievably important to working class people.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And it is literally the only thing Donald Trump cares about is he wants a strong economy, which will make working class people have access once again to the American dream. And it is so clear how everything from the tariffs to the trade, to the immigration, to telling any company, you bring your company back here to America, you're going to get 15% corporate tax rate, the lowest in the world.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
This is all designed to raise the wages of working class people, people who work with their hands for a living, people who work in agriculture, people who work in the service industry. He's going to get rid of the foreign competition from illegal migrants. He's going to get rid of the foreign competition from China and its slave labor.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And this is going to make them have more power in the marketplace. This is how you restore the American dream. And to the leftist elites, it's utterly invisible. And they do not matter, Megan, because the people who matter are the American people. This was the mandate they gave Trump. And in one week, he has made good on it.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Yeah, exactly. I'm going to try not to go Selena Gomez on you because I, I like many of my followers got very emotional watching that press conference to see a president decide that what he's going to do with the power of his office
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
is show up and give his platform to the forgotten, literally the forgotten men and women of America, the backbone of this country, the hardest working people who have been utterly, utterly forgotten by both parties, and then to name and shame the insurance companies that are stiffing them. There is not another politician who I could think of who would do this.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
This is a person whose heart just bleeds for the American people. This was one of the most astonishing things I've ever seen in my entire life as a journalist, as an American. It was absolutely astonishing. You could see the love that went back and forth between the president and these people. These are the people that he was elected to serve. And
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
This was his first stop on his way, as you say, Megan, to go and speak to and help the much more affluent people in California. This is a man who intends to be the president of every American, whether you're a broke person in Appalachia or rich person in California, he's going to show up and simply demand better for you. Telegraph the singular message. You are not alone because I am here.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
I never thought I would see something like this. There's something about it that is just unbelievably humbling and pure and godly. And it just, it really, it brings tears to my eyes. I don't quite know how to process what we are seeing here because I don't think it's something any of us
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
expected to see and pay close attention to which Democrats recognize this, that there is something happening here to us as a nation. We are coming together in a way that Donald Trump promised we would. He kept saying they kept accusing him. He's going to do revenge. He's going to do this. He's going to do that. And he said our success will be our retribution.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And that is what we are seeing right now.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Yes, absolutely. And I think, you know, the fact that the media is trying to run the 2016 playbook and sitting there weeping and in tears over murderers and rapists, it's falling so flat, especially in light of what you just said, Megan, your mom was one of millions of Americans who were Democrats.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
a year ago, two years ago, five years ago, 15 years ago, who have found in the MAGA movement specifically a home, this glorious multiracial, multiethnic working class coalition, thanks to Donald Trump and honestly, Steve Bannon, who played a huge role in this, in explaining to people what was happening here, that this is not white nationalism, this is nationalism. This is love of country.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
This is regular folks, not fancy folks, average, hardworking people who have been screwed over again and again and again, put last again and again and again, and then smeared as racists. for daring to want a better future for their children. This is who Donald Trump represents.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And because of this glorious coming together on November 5th, it is no longer possible for the media and the Democrats to get away with lying on him and smearing him. When they lie about him, they are lying about the American people. And the American people know that. So they just can't get away with it anymore.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
We're really about to enter a glorious new golden era of unity and common ground and coming together around common sense values that this country was built on. The idea that you owe something to your neighbor first. First, that we owe something to our citizens. It has to mean something to be an American.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
You can't just give that away to rapists and murderers from Colombia and expect the American people to just take that. We're done with that.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And it's so backwards, of course. You look at the people at that press conference in North Carolina. These are the kind of people who help their neighbors, who have been helping their neighbors, keeping people afloat when the government didn't step in and do it for them. You know, I've been obviously super critical of certain aspects of Elon Musk and Doge and what have you.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
But the idea that some massive government bureaucracy that has failed time and again to equitably distribute aid to the people who most need it knows better what's good for these people than they do themselves is just laughable. And you saw in California how exactly like you said, Megan, Donald Trump was speaking up for people who just wanted to go home and use their own money to
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And try to find their precious belongings that they could salvage, try to clear whatever it is. They want to use their own money to do it. And the government was literally getting involved in Karen Bass not giving them permits to do this. And all Donald Trump said was, why can't they do it? And she goes, oh, well, they can do it in a week. Well, a week is a very long time.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
I mean, this is just, this is what he's doing. He is showing up and saying exactly what you wish you could say, but you can't because you have not been given a voice and you have not been given the right to do that. The most obvious commonsensical thing to help people who are suffering.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
First of all, Megan, were the rocks there, the heart rocks? Did she find them?
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
I honestly sitting watching Donald Trump sitting there and just calling her on her BS. I did not realize that a president could just do that, could just show up and say, that is not true. I know it's not true. Why don't you tell the truth now? Why don't you change this policy? It's the most radical thing. And it's so obvious and so simple.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
You know, if that is all he accomplishes, of course, we know he's doing much, much more than that. But to just show up and say, I am going to be the accountability here. This is It's utterly unacceptable. Let these people into their homes. Let's have a little common sense here. Stop lying to me.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And it's so amazing how she says, you know, first she says they can go to their homes and he says, no, no, they can't. And she says, well, they will be able to go to their homes. Right. The immediate follow up. I mean, this is really and truly amazing. powerful, powerful stuff.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And you made the greatest point, which is whether you're broken Appalachia or rich in California, Donald Trump wants you to thrive. And that is what this presidency is going to be about.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Absolutely. You're totally right, Megan. The common sense theme is such an important one here in terms of understanding where Trump is coming from. I will disagree with that tweet just a little bit. I don't think he's governing like he has no Fs to give. I think he's governing like an assassin who spent the last four years developing a perfect plan and now is executing it
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
executive order by executive order by executive order with a kind of confidence and a kind of sort of happy warrior attitude, knowing that he has the American people behind him. And you're totally right. You look at the polling and where Donald Trump is at and whether it's Immigration or tariffs or gender issues or even abortion, this is where most Americans are at.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
The vast majority of Americans are in the sort of radical moderate middle. So people are pretty pro-gay. They're pro-gay marriage. They really like Scott Besant, the highest appointed gay out person in the history of this country, Trump appointee, right? People like to see that, but they really don't like the trans agenda. They really don't like it in schools. They really don't like it in sports.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Right. Common sense. Treat every person with dignity. Don't bring your Mishigas into my child's classroom. Right. It's obvious. Right. Immigrants. Yes. Right. Come here legally. If you have something to contribute that we cannot get from somebody who's native born, sure.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
But if there is a person being left in Appalachia, a brilliant child who's not getting an opportunity or a kid in the inner city who's not getting access to that opportunity, how dare you? The presumption that you're going to come and benefit from the glory of this nation when we haven't lifted up our own neighbors? Forget about that. Mass deportations. You came here illegally. You broke the law.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
You are a criminal. We don't owe you anything. You don't have constitutional rights. This is where the vast majority of Americans are at. And it is not an accident that it is where Donald Trump is at.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Honestly, what I think we're about to see is what we're already starting to see a little bit in the liberal media. These people are lemmings. So Hollywood, the liberal media, like everybody, nobody there has a spine. Nobody has any ability to think independently. They walk in lockstep, like a flock of sheep or geese. And I think we're about to see actually a big turnaround.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
You're already seeing this. If you turn on CNN, you'll frequently see people defending Trump. It's amazing. You haven't seen this in a decade. And I think we're going to start seeing that in Hollywood as well. People understand that the nation is just not there with all their garbage, with the activists on the trans front and the open border front. This is not where the nation is.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
And I think that there is this sense already in Hollywood. I mean, I'm sure a lot of these Hollywood stars losing their homes and now having to face like totally disastrous Democrat leadership is going to help a lot. But already you saw at the Golden Globes, there was a kind of almost humility. There was no politicking. They get it. They understand that they are out of touch.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Yes, well, right. I think we're going to see a big turnaround right now. The lemmings are going to start following in the other direction. That's my prediction. I...