"It's Absolute Blasphemy!" Marc Thiessen Destroys the Left's New Woke Strategy

Summary

Brian Kilmeade Show
Host: Brian Kilmeade
Guest: Marc Thiessen
Episode Title: "It's Absolute Blasphemy!" Marc Thiessen Destroys the Left's New Woke Strategy
Date: May 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the current political landscape in the United States, focusing on Texas Senate races, the evolving strategies of the Democratic Party, the "woke" movement within the religious left, urban politics in Los Angeles, and recent U.S. military actions against Iran. Marc Thiessen provides sharp commentary from a conservative perspective, critiquing both the Republican and Democratic parties, assessing the chances of high-profile political figures, and analyzing national security developments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Texas Senate Race & GOP Dynamics

• Ken Paxton’s Victory: Kilmeade and Thiessen discuss the risks Paxton’s primary win poses to GOP dominance in Texas, citing his scandals and impeachment.
  • Thiessen: "If Cornyn were the nominee, it would be a safe Republican seat… [Now] we’re gonna have to spend tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in defending that seat..." (01:01)
• Trump’s Senate Majority: Paxton’s rise signals fractures in Trump’s influence within the Senate, with several centrist or anti-Trump Republicans leaving or alienated.
  • Thiessen: "Donald Trump doesn’t have an effective majority in the United States Senate today… he personally drove [some senators] out of the Senate." (01:46)
• Paxton’s Scandals: Kilmeade questions what Paxton has achieved, emphasizing his lack of effectiveness and ongoing controversies.

2. The Rise of the Religious Left and “Blasphemy” Critique

• James Talarico’s Rhetoric: Thiessen objects to Talarico’s use of religious language to justify progressive social policies, especially abortion.
  • Thiessen: "This is a guy who goes out and says... Mary’s conversation with the angel Gabriel... is justification for abortion because Mary had a choice, so should women. I mean it’s blasphemy." (02:30)
• Woke Strategy in Politics: Both hosts critique what they perceive as the left’s manipulation of faith for political gain.
  • Thiessen: "He’s trying to pioneer a new form of religious left which uses the Bible, uses faith as cover for left wing social policies..." (02:49)
• Kilmeade Mocks Woke Rhetoric: Brian reads and dismisses Talarico’s pronoun and whiteness references.
  • Kilmeade: "I am looking for Jesus’s help to somehow explain my whiteness. So that’s really going to come in handy." (03:43)

3. 2024 Election Fallout & Democratic Party Prognosis

• Eye of the Storm: Thiessen cautions that the current calm may precede a more intense "woke" resurgence should Democrats regain power.
  • Thiessen: "I fear that we may just be in the eye of the storm... these people are coming back and they’re coming back with a vengeance." (03:53)
• 2028 Democratic Prospects: Speculation on who could lead Democrats next—names like AOC and Newsom are floated.
  • Thiessen: "There is no moderate left in the Democratic Party… It’s going to be somebody who’s woke and left wing." (05:23)
• Policy Fears: Concerns include the Green New Deal, single-party control, ending the filibuster, and expanding statehood.
  • Thiessen: "They’re going to pack the Senate, they’re going to pack the Supreme Court… Socialism is a one way ratchet. We never come in and undo what they do." (06:24)

4. Local Politics: Spencer Pratt’s LA Mayoral Bid

• Pratt as a Reform Candidate: Kilmeade highlights Pratt’s unexpected success, painting him as a truth-teller against the status quo in Los Angeles.
  • Pratt: "They saw me destroy these two terrible politicians... Finally, somebody telling the truth." (07:38)
• Thiessen’s Skepticism: While rooting for change, Thiessen doubts such a conservative shift is possible as so many right-leaning residents have relocated.
  • Thiessen: "All the reasonable people… have moved out. The days where we elected Rudy Giuliani… seem to be behind us." (08:29)

5. U.S. Strikes on Iran: Analysis and Strategy

• Military Achievements: Marc outlines the U.S. decimation of Iran’s missile production, command, and military capabilities.
  • Thiessen: "We’ve destroyed 80, 85% of their [missile] production capacity. We took out their space program, decimated their leadership, their command and control." (11:14)
• What’s Next: Calls for Trump to intensify and complete bombing, open the Strait of Hormuz by force, maintain the blockade, and arm the Iranian people for regime change.
  • Thiessen: "I’d like him to finish the last two weeks of the bombing that he suspended… maintain the blockade and arm the Iranian people to overthrow the regime. That’s my plan. You like it?" (12:31)
• Temporary vs. Permanent Gains: Urges Trump not to settle for a temporary deal that lets the regime recover once a less-resolute Democrat is in the White House.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Blasphemy Accusation
  • Mark Thiessen ([02:30]): "This is a guy who goes out and says... Mary’s conversation with the angel Gabriel... is justification for abortion because Mary had a choice, so should women. I mean it’s blasphemy."
• Critique of Democratic Moderation
  • Mark Thiessen ([05:23]): "There is no moderate left in the Democratic Party… It’s going to be somebody who’s woke and left wing."
• Satirical Take on Wokeness
  • Brian Kilmeade ([03:43]): "I am looking for Jesus’s help to somehow explain my whiteness. So that’s really going to come in handy."
• Warning about One-Party Democratic Rule
  • Mark Thiessen ([06:24]): "They’re going to pack the Senate, they’re going to pack the Supreme Court… Socialism is a one way ratchet."
• On Iran – Call for Regime Change
  • Mark Thiessen ([12:31]): "I’d like him to finish the last two weeks of the bombing that he suspended… maintain the blockade and arm the Iranian people to overthrow the regime."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Texas Political Analysis and Senate Majority: 00:00–02:18
• Religious Left, Talarico's Rhetoric, and Woke Strategy: 02:18–04:40
• Democratic Future and 2028 Speculation: 04:40–06:59
• Spencer Pratt and Los Angeles Politics: 07:11–09:42
• U.S. Strikes on Iran, Military Outcomes, and Next Steps: 09:42–13:16

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Summary Tone & Takeaways

The episode is combative, skeptical, and satirical, especially toward progressive ideas and Democratic Party strategies. Thiessen blends policy critique with warnings about political overreach, “woke” ideology, and threats abroad. Kilmeade reinforces these views, often with humor or sarcasm.

For listeners: This episode offers direct, often critical insight into conservative concerns about both domestic politics (Texas, LA, Washington) and global threats (Iran), painting a picture of ongoing political battles both within and between America’s two major parties.

Transcript

[Brian Kilmeade]

Talarico of Texas thinks he's got a real shot of becoming a sitting senator in that state. Does Ken Paxton's winning the primary make that possible? According to the Cook Report, it went from solid right to leaning right. Mark Thiessen doesn't just lean right. He's solid right. He's chief former speechwriter for George W. Bush, FOX News contributor, Washington Post columnist, and a fellow at aei. Mark, welcome back.

[Mark Thiessen]

Good to be with you, Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, Mark, first off, your thoughts about Talarico and his chance of keeping that seat? He can speak.

[Mark Thiessen]

Yeah, I mean, it's, you know, it's put, you know, you never think that Texas is gonna go blue, but it put Texas in play. And at a minimum, we're gonna have to spend tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in defending that seat that would have been spent elsewhere trying to defend other seats or putting Democrats in play. So it's a big, I think if Cornyn were the nominee, it would be a safe Republican seat. And second of all, it's broken Donald Trump's majority in the Senate. Donald Trump doesn't have an effective majority in the United States Senate today because look at this, he got Cornyn, you've got Cassidy, you've got Tillis, all of whom Trump has driven out of the Senate who have absolutely no reason to be loyal to him. And you add that to the sort of already semi independent Republicans like Murkowski and Collins Curtis in Utah, and that's like six votes that he can't count on. And if we do have a blue wave this fall, which certainly it looks like that in the House, though the redistricting is helping, then he's got to get through everything he wants to get through Congress that's at all controversial. He's got to get through using the budget reconciliation process in the next few months, and he's not going to get it through without those Republican senators, three of whom he personally drove out of the, out of the Senate. So it was a mistake to do that to Cornyn.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I 100% agree. I'm not a Paxton fan. I mean, the guy's done nothing. But he's been surrounded by scandal. I really don't know what he's been effective on. He's conservative, fine, but look at what he, look at what he's done and how he's jeopardized that seat.

[Mark Thiessen]

And he's already been impeached with 70% of Republicans in Texas House voting to impeach him. I mean, and, you know, but again, it's like so many things in today, you're choosing between two evils, right? And Tellarico is by far a worse evil than Paxton is. This is a guy who goes out and says that Mary is a. The story of Mary's just conversation with the angel Gabriel where she said yes to the Incarnation is justification for abortion because Mary had a choice, so should women. I mean it's blasphemy. This guy is running, he's trying to pioneer a new form of the religious left which uses the Bible, uses faith as cover for left wing social and social policies that would absolutely be disastrous if it was successful.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I was just reading some of his notes. He says on the eighth day God created pronouns and, and I think that was come from the revelations. Here's a little of James Talarico. Cut six.

[James Talarico]

The American flag is such a complicated symbol for most of us and in many ways like Jesus, like the cross, it's been co opted and, and, and, and, and in some ways its true meaning has been betrayed. Prophetic voices like Jesus have helped me reckon with my own whiteness, my own masculinity.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Jesus does talk a lot about whiteness and, and I am looking for Jesus's help to somehow explain my whiteness. So that's really going to come in handy.

[Mark Thiessen]

It's almost comical. I mean this is, you know, this is what we all thought we got rid of when, when Donald Trump won in 2024. And this is, this is what my big concern right now, Brian, broader than just just the Talarico race. But he's a sort of a canary in the coal mine for this is we all thought after 2024, after we put the Biden debacle behind us, that clouds parted, the sun came out, all this crazy wokeness was behind us and it was a beautiful sunny day again after the clouds of the Biden years. And I fear that we may just be in the eye of the storm and that the other end of the storm is going to be much worse and much more and much more devastating than the first one is. It looks sunny right now because Donald Trump is in the White House. But these people are coming back and they're coming back with a vengeance. And they're going to be even more woke and more crazy on the second round.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Who is it? It's not Governor Shapiro or Bashir, who don't you know, they're not as moderate as they claim. But still, I mean, is it, is it you think AOC is going to be the force? You think people like her are going to be the force. You think that Graham Platner is going to be a force?

[Mark Thiessen]

Well, I just don't see. If you look at, you know, I think it's entirely possible that AOC is the nominee. You know, Newsom, who's been one of the most disastrous governors in American history, could get it. There's a lot. I just don't see any sign that the Democratic Party has looked at the 2016 and 2024 elections and said, you know what? Our crazy policies have elected Donald Trump and the MAGA movement twice and put them into power. We should go back to the Clinton days of moderation and centrism and triangulation. They're doubling down on Democratic socialism. They're doubling down on woke. And I find it very unlikely that whoever is the nominee, even if it's one of those moderates, so called moderates, just like everyone told us Spanberger was a moderate, right. There is no moderate left in the, in the Democratic Party. It's not going to be somebody who's going to be centrist. It's going to be somebody who's woke and left wing and Democratic.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But we have broken the green fever. I think anyone who runs on oil and gas doesn't have any future in our country. I think that's pretty much a dead issue that Democrats won't bring up. Don't you think?

[Mark Thiessen]

I don't know if they come back into power. I don't know. Especially if they get, look, think about this. The Democrat in 2028, the Democrats win the White House. They control the House and they control the Senate, right? Then they're going to get rid of the filibuster and then they're going to pass all this stuff with a simple 50 vote majority and they're going to pass the Green New Deal. They're going to pass all the Democratic socialism, they're going to pass Medicare for all. They're going to add Puerto Rico as a state, they're going to D.C. as a state, they could even add Guam as a state. They're going to get, they're going to pack the Senate, they're going to pack the Supreme Court so that they have justices that will uphold all their overreach. They're gonna pack the Electoral College by adding people to the House. There's so many things that they can do if they get control over all elements of power. And they all know that everything they do, Brian, it's a one way. Socialism is a one way ratchet. We never come in and undo what they do. All we do is we cut some taxes for a little while and restrict their programs and then they come in and pick up where they left off and start and start moving us towards socialism again so they don't mind losing an election once in a while.

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[Mark Thiessen]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

The most interesting stories is Spencer Pratt in Los Angeles. He actually understands the issues. He's extremely aggressive and comfortable. He destroyed the sitting mayor and now we might in a couple of weeks have somebody that leans right in a major city. I think that could be the beginning of a positive trend. Here's a little of Spencer Pratt today on Fox and Friends. Cut one.

[Spencer Pratt]

First off, the reason why all that money was raised, that was right after the debate. And they saw me destroy these two terrible politicians for an hour straight. And everybody realized, oh, finally somebody telling the truth. So that's where all the money came from. And a lot of it's from all over the country because people forget over 50,000 people a year leave Los Angeles because it's so terrible.

[Brian Kilmeade]

First time ever, more people leaving than coming.

[Spencer Pratt]

So these people see that I'm saying why they left. So they're trying to get me elected so they can move back.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So he raised 2.72 million bass 283,000. How intrigued are you about his nomination? And he thinks he can win outright in a week.

[Mark Thiessen]

Well, first of all, God bless him for trying, you know that and for inspiring a lot of people. I mean, I think he's a good person and he's trying to do the right thing. But as he pointed out, those 50,000 people, they can't vote in Los Angeles. They're voting in Texas now, they're voting in Florida. They've moved out. The big problem we have with all these blue states is that blue governance has, it's a self reinforcing phenomenon because it drives all the reasonable people out who would vote to, to elect a Spencer Pratt or someone like that. I mean, is Los Angeles more conservative than New York which just elected Mamdani? Is it more conservative than Chicago that had a choice in the last mayoral election between a semi normal Democrat and someone who was even worse and chose the lunatic? I mean, I just don't see any signs that in any of these major blue cities.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So you don't think he's gonna win?

[Mark Thiessen]

I Hope he does. I hope he does, but I do, you know, I just don't get the sense that that's where the electorate is in these cities. Because all the people who would, you know, the days where we elected Rudy Giuliani to clean up the city and where Democrats cross over to vote for a Republican seem to be behind us. I mean, I hope he proves me wrong. I'd love to. I'd love nothing better than to see someone like him running the city of Los Angeles. It would be fantastic. But all those people, as he pointed out on your show, those people have left. So they want to come back. They'll come back if he's elected, but he needs them to come back first to elect him.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So he doesn't believe there's going to be a big turnout which will work to his advantage. He said to us on camera, off camera he goes, I'm over 50. I go, what does that mean? Because that means I win June 2nd and I plan on taking vacation next week. So that'll be amazing. So I want to talk about Iran. The US military carried out new strikes in Iran yesterday targeting a military site that threatened American troops. They shot down four Iranian one way attack drones and then they blew up a control station at Bandar Abbas. If you're. Now, I know it's impossible to get in Iran's head because they have so many different factions, but if they are that desperate economically, why would they do something that could jeopardize talks that could go in their favor or could bring back some economic relief?

[Mark Thiessen]

Because there's no Delsey Rodriguez in Iran. There just isn't. There's no, this is the Nazis. Like there were extreme Nazis and moderate Nazis were the moderate Nazis. Moderate? There's no such thing. Right. So everybody. There is. I mean, the people that we are negotiating with who seem reasonable are absolute lunatics as well. And they are. Their, their military is broken, their command and control is broken, their military capacity is broken. Maybe just look at my column, I'm about to hit send on in a few, few minutes to the Washington Post. Just goes through the battle damage assessment of what we've accomplished in Operation Epic Fury. I mean, we just decimated their ballistic. Where did you get your information from Admiral Cooper? From Israeli military assessment, battle damage assessments. The stuff is out there. Admiral Cooper testified before Congress the other week. You know, people say, well, we didn' Eliminate all their ballistic missiles. Yeah, but we eliminated their ballistic missile production capacity. They can't rebuild. So what was Iran doing before Operation Epic Fury? They after After Midnight Hammer, they decided that they were going to go on a crash course to build 8,000 ballistic missiles by 2027 in order to create a shield that would, that would make them impenetrable because they could overwhelm Israel's defenses in a war and make it impossible for us to take out their nuclear program again. And so we've decimated that. We've destroyed 80, 85% of their production capacity. We took out their space program, which is. Was their cover for their long range ballistic missile program. We've just decimated their leadership, their command and control, their navy, their air defenses, their air force can fly sorties. These are all major military victories that have set the Iranian regime back dramatically. So this was important to do regardless of what happens now. But the question that is facing President Trump now is are these temporary achievements or are we gonna make them irreversible? Right. And the problem with a deal, even a good one, is that it gives the regime a lifeline to survival. Right now, they're on the ropes.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So what would you like to see happen? Mark? I know we have 90 seconds left. What would you like to see happen?

[Mark Thiessen]

Very simple. I'd like him to finish the last two weeks of the bombing that he suspended, which is what Admiral Cooper needed to finish the target list. I'd like him to open the Strait of Hormuz by force. I'd like him to maintain the blockade and arm the Iranian people to overthrow the regime. That's my plan. You like it?

[Brian Kilmeade]

How equipped are they to do that?

[Mark Thiessen]

I think that it depends on the Iranians. I mean, in a way, the Iranians. If the Iranians were smart and organized, they would cut a deal with Trump, give him what he wants, and wait him out until Gavin Newsom or AOC or some weak Biden esque figure is in the White House, and then break the deal and go and go for it again because they would see beyond the horizon. We need a permanent victory, not a temporary one.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, Mark, I look forward to your column today. I think people have to understand the success we have because we can't see it. We don't see it. And so we go. Okay, that sounds good. That sounds. But we don't know, you know, how are they still standing? Maybe we overestimated. And Mark will outline that in the Washington Post today. Mark, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

[Mark Thiessen]

Take care of.