Podcast Summary: After Party with Emily Jashinsky

Episode: Kimmel Returns, Kamala’s Unwelcome Comeback, and Trump Takes on Antifa
Date: September 23, 2025
Host: Emily Jashinsky (MK Media)
Guests: Andy Ngo, David Weigel

Overview

This episode of "After Party" covers several major stories at the intersection of politics, media, and activism:

• President Trump has signed an executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, and Andy Ngo, a leading reporter on Antifa, breaks down what this really means.
• Jimmy Kimmel's controversial return to TV is examined, including the political pressures on networks and the evolving landscape of "cancel culture" and media consolidation, with insights from longtime political reporter Dave Weigel.
• The left and right’s approaches to violence, media, and internal political dynamics—especially with figures like Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez potentially jockeying for new roles—are discussed at length, alongside reflection on the memorial for Charlie Kirk and the legacy he's left in conservative activism.

The episode is full of detailed analysis, sharp humor, and memorable exchanges, with the host and guests dissecting the complicated links between activism, propaganda, media, and political power.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Trump's Executive Order on Antifa

Guest: Andy Ngo (Post Millennial, Substack: Ngo Comment)
Timestamps: 02:56–39:57

• Ngo’s Initial Reaction [04:18]:
  Ngo details the difference between Trump’s 2020 "declaration" of Antifa as a terrorist organization and the new executive order, which is more specific.

• Legal Challenges and Definition [04:18-07:40]:

  • “At the end of the day, any executive declaration labeling Antifa a terrorist organization is symbolic... Free federal terrorism laws banning membership or material support only apply to foreign terror organizations.” — Emily Jashinsky [03:32]
  • The EO now gives governmental teeth to disrupt Antifa’s “anarchist anti-government ideology, violent extremist movement,” but legal constraints remain.

• Structure, Recruitment, and Tactics of Antifa [07:40–16:19]:
  Ngo likens Antifa’s structure to radical Islamic terrorism, involving individuals, cells, and interconnected networks.

  • “Antifa is better thought of as all of the above: ideology, organizations, networks, and individuals.” — Andy Ngo [07:50]
  • Example: Rose City Antifa (Portland) and the broader Torch Antifa network.

• Case Study: SoCal Antifa Criminal Trial [11:02]:

  • A rare but instructive example of authorities prosecuting Antifa members with felony conspiracy charges, leading to serious sentences and disrupting one cell, but sparking Antifa's move further underground.

• Challenges for Law Enforcement [13:19–20:27]:

  • Antifa groups often operate under names that don’t include “Antifa,” making enforcement and prosecution a game of “whack-a-mole.”
  • Many supporting “legal” groups (like bail funds, nonprofits, and SPLC) provide resources, legal aid, propaganda, or financial support, without direct involvement in violence.

• The Symbiotic “Apparatus” [15:33–22:51]:
  Discussion of the interconnected ecosystem—propaganda, funding, legal support, and street action—which sustains extremist activity.

  “A lot of them get funding through Soros philanthropic arm... SPLC is within the propaganda part of the Antifa apparatus.”
  — Andy Ngo [15:44]

2. Media Dynamics: Kimmel Returns, Cancel Culture & Partisan Media Change

Guest: David Weigel (Semaphore)
Timestamps: 41:41–72:46

• Kimmel’s Return & Network Pressures [41:41–44:15]:

  • Disney attempts to bring Jimmy Kimmel back on air while local affiliates resist, viewed by "Trump World" as a populist rebellion against Hollywood/Big Media.
  • Weigel scrutinizes the narrative that this is "little guys vs. Disney," noting Sinclair is itself a media conglomerate.

    “It’s very convenient that this is populism rhetoric wrapping around what is essentially a good deal for large corporations.” — Dave Weigel [43:00]

• Partisan Approaches to Media Leverage [44:15–47:02]:

  • Conservatives now advocate leveraging government power (FCC threats) against perceived biases, drawing a contrast with past libertarian reluctance to do so.
  • Weigel notes, historically, the left policed speech via boycotts and pressure campaigns but rarely overt government intervention.

  “Do you want to be a libertarian who doesn’t use power, or do you want to be a national conservative who does?”
  — Dave Weigel [45:07]

• The Left’s Response & Old-School Free Speech Energy [48:08–53:36]:

  • Shows like "The View" and personalities like Maddow rally around free speech, seeing government pressure as authoritarian.
  • Democratic activist energy is increasingly driven by older generations clinging to lost “norms,” with consumer boycotts emerging as more organic than in past “astroturf” campaigns.
  • Fragmentation: Growing mistrust of legacy media among liberals, with many shifting to niche/hyper-partisan alternatives.

3. The Nature and Perception of Political Violence

With Andy Ngo [30:45–39:57]

• Right vs. Left Violent Extremism
  • Mainstream studies frequently undercount left-wing violence due to methodological choices, exclude BLM riot deaths, and broaden what counts as right-violence.
  • The real cultural shift comes when violence and assassins are celebrated within a movement, which Ngo argues is now more likely on the far left.

    “Is this a game about who kills more ... ? The question really shouldn't be who's more evil ... the problem is violent extremism.” — Andy Ngo [26:18]

4. “Tran-tifa” and the Shifts in Activist Radicalization

[30:45–39:57]

• Trans Activism Within Antifa

  • Ngo details a noticeable overrepresentation of gender-diverse individuals among riot arrestees in Portland, linking radicalization to weaponized messaging about “trans genocide.”

  • He draws parallels to BLM’s role in previous years, noting that the current radical left is now using trans issues to recruit and incite violence.

    “All of the trans propaganda is about disembodiment, slitting throats, and shooting dead those who oppose their agenda.”
    — Andy Ngo [30:45]

5. The Legacy of Charlie Kirk and Conservative Youth Activism

Timestamps: 66:42–72:46

• Charlie Kirk’s Influence

  • Discussion of Kirk as an “irreplaceable” full-time activist who, through Turning Point USA, revolutionized conservative campus politics and created a pipeline for young activists and alternative media talent.

  • The memorial service for Kirk is discussed as a remarkable moment for Evangelical America, noted for unprecedented viewership and its deeply resonant middle-American aesthetic.

    “He really did start a brush fire ... there is an alternative media ecosystem ... very robust when Kirk was starting, but now ... very good at generating new young talent.”
    — Dave Weigel [67:52]

• Contrast with the Left

  • Weigel and Jashinsky note the left’s difficulties creating charismatic, movement-driven youth leaders; left activism is shifting away from classics, toward more insular activism.

6. Democratic Party Turmoil & 2028 Primary Jockeying

[59:08–66:42]

• AOC’s Rising Favorability and Harris’s Distancing from Biden

  • Kamala’s book and media interviews position her as a victim of the Biden era’s failings, distancing herself ahead of potential runs.

  • AOC, while popular, faces doubts about electability and the “woman can’t win” mentality, despite polling higher than Bernie did at the same stage.

    “Democrats don’t think that way anymore. That’s not possible ... if they wanted to stand up the government the way it was on January 19th, they kind of couldn’t.”
    — Dave Weigel [62:23]

• Shift from Legacy Media to Niche Outlets

  • Both parties show declining trust in mainstream media, with activists and candidates seeking influence through Substack, podcasts, and grassroots platforms.

7. The Culture Divide & Evangelicals in Public Life

[Timestamps: 75:08–86:48]

• Memorial Service Reaction (Don Lemon, Thomas Chatterton Williams et al.)

  • Don Lemon criticizes the Kirk memorial as “religious nationalism,” while Thomas Chatterton Williams notes a sense of estrangement from its aesthetics.

  • Jashinsky counters that what discomforts critics is not extremism but unfamiliarity with Evangelical norms, which remain dominant in much of middle America.

    “What people are really afraid of and uncomfortable with are the tastes, the sensibility, the sort of cultural sensibilities of American evangelicals.”
    — Emily Jashinsky [80:44]

• Forgiveness Moment at Kirk Memorial

  • Erica Kirk’s public forgiveness of her husband’s assassin is highlighted as a striking testament to faith, contrasting Trump's inability to forgive.

8. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Antifa’s Structure:

  “You can think of antifa as being organized in that same type of way. It varies a whole lot.”
  — Andy Ngo [09:54]

• On Media Power:

  “It’s very convenient that this is populism rhetoric wrapping around what is essentially a good deal for large corporations.”
  — Dave Weigel [43:00]

• On Polarization in the Democratic Party:

  “She inherited a situation from Biden that was hard to get a win out of. She was part of the administration that was mishandling immigration, but says that they just didn't explain it well enough.”
  — Dave Weigel [62:23]

• On the Power of Local Influence:

  “Don’t underestimate the enormous power that [passing down your values, raising your family] will have on the world.”
  — Emily Jashinsky [86:48]

• On Trump’s Ozempic Quip:

  “My friends, they're fat. They said, 'Yeah, I lost some weight.' I said, 'You don't look it to me.'”
  — Donald Trump [86:50]

Conclusion

This episode offers a big-picture look at the shifting alliances, strategies, and fault lines across American political culture. Through sharp analysis and real-time developments, Emily Jashinsky and her guests shed light on how grassroots movements, political violence, media consolidation, and generational divides are reshaping the U.S. left and right.
The stories are as much about taste, culture, and identity as they are about law, power, and policy. Whether you want to understand the true impact of Trump’s EO on Antifa, the dynamics behind Kimmel’s TV drama, or the broader changes in American life, this episode delivers a rich, nuanced road map through it all.

Notable Sections for Quick Listening:

• Antifa, Executive Order & Legal Challenges: [02:56–20:27]
• Antifa Prosecution Blueprint: San Diego Case: [11:02–13:19]
• Kimmel Media Saga & Cancel Culture Evolution: [41:41–53:36]
• Culture Wars, Evangelical Aesthetics & Kirk Memorial: [75:08–86:48]
• DNC 2028, AOC, and Kamala Dynamics: [59:08–66:42]

For questions or future discussion topics, listeners are encouraged to reach out to Emily via her website or through the show’s weekly Happy Hour edition.