
Can people still disagree politically without turning every conversation into a performance? In this Digital Social Hour episode, Sean Kelly sits down with Brian Shapiro from Pushing the Limits to discuss political media, online outrage, immigration enforcement, Gavin Newsom, J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, debate culture, free speech, private platforms, and why modern politics has become more about loyalty than truth. Brian opens up about his experience debating conservatives, attending AmericaFest, speaking with people he strongly disagrees with, and why he believes some political influencers say extreme things because it gets clicks, money, and attention. The conversation also covers ICE raids, Minneapolis protests, viral clips, independent investigations, media credentials, Alex Stein, Donald Trump, Gavin Newsom, Elon Musk, Patrick Bet-David, Candace Owens, Dave Rubin, Chris Cuomo, and the growing number of public figures who shift political lanes for audience growth. ...
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Brian
I don't think Newsom is a morally good guy. If it is Gavin Newsom versus JD Vance, it is a vote against the MAGA agenda. It is a vote against J.D. vance. A private company like X. Agree with Elon Musk or not, he owns X. So if he doesn't want me on his platform because I'm a bald white dude, okay, who leans to the left and okay, I'm going to have to live with that. Elon is a phony fake person who just happens to be the richest man in the world. But I have no respect for him. And I think when it comes to the word respect, I respect people that are good fathers, people that are good family people. Because when you die, you die with no money. Okay? I don't care how much money Elon Musk is. I just think he's a bad person.
Interviewer
All right, guys, got a friend of mine on the show today. Just a solo episode. No fiery debate this time. But it's good to see you, Brian.
Brian
Yeah, good to see you too. Thanks for having me on.
Interviewer
Yeah. Wanted to get you on in a. In a calm setting this time. Cuz last time we were together was at America Fest.
Brian
That wasn't. That wasn't entirely calm.
Interviewer
Yeah. We got two fiery debates that trip. You and Alex and then you and Gary.
Brian
We did, for the most part. That was. Yeah, that was. That was a fun couple days. I. I had some conversations with people that I didn't think I would, you know, Michael Knowles, Jack Bobic. Got two people. You know, I'm not really anti Michael Knowles, but Jack Posic, I. I'm not a big fan of, but we had a respectful conversation, so I was actually quite surprised.
Interviewer
Yeah.
Brian
Although General Flynn went on social media saying I shouldn't be credentialed to another event.
Interviewer
Really?
Brian
Yeah. I've been trying to text him and he won't get back to me.
Interviewer
So what was his reason? He didn't.
Brian
Don't know. That's why I reached out to him. I have a cell phone number. I said, you know, hey, let's have a conversation. Why do you think I shouldn't be there?
Interviewer
I felt like you were very respectful.
Brian
I tried to be.
Interviewer
You weren't wearing a Cookie Monster hoodie. I was.
Brian
No, I wasn't.
Interviewer
I saw you go on Myron show the next day after he wore that.
Brian
Yeah. You know. Yeah. There's certain people that are just right wingers or whatever they are, and they're just out to spread hate and bigotry and, you know, Fuentes being Another one. I put Myron in that category. And, and, you know, I just. I just don't have time to, to, to debate people like that or even have converse. I mean, Myron's done my show before, but.
Interviewer
Oh, he's been on your show?
Brian
He did do my show once, and he was very tame. I get a very tame Myron. But, you know, there are certain people that say certain things that I don't even think they believe. You know what I mean?
Interviewer
Yeah.
Brian
They just say it because they. It'll get clicks and make money. And that's why I have no respect for Myron.
Interviewer
I do respect people more than when they're authentic, even if I disagree with them.
Brian
Yeah.
Interviewer
You know what I mean? Because there's that level of respect.
Brian
Yeah. I'm not always going to be right. I'm going to say things that a lot of people are going to disagree with, but I can't recall ever saying anything on the air in 20 years of radio that I didn't believe or I didn't mean. And, and, you know, it doesn't mean I'm always going to be right, but I always say things not to. For a factor, to get people to click to get clicks. But, you know, I say things. I'd like to think what I say on the air is pretty genuine, and I believe in those things, you know?
Interviewer
Yeah. And right now you're going hard on ice.
Brian
Yeah. Yeah. What's been going on in Minneapolis, I think is a travesty. It's despicable. It's disgusting. I don't even know where to begin there, I guess.
Interviewer
With Nick Shirley. Right. He's kind of what set it off.
Brian
Yeah, to an extent. I ran into Nick Shirley in Phoenix. I don't think he's a very intelligent individual. I think he's a phony.
Interviewer
He's.
Brian
He's. I think he's an imbecile. I think he's a guy that goes over to Ukraine in the middle of the war and, and makes, you know, videos that, that even he would say are, like, mocking the war. You know, he even admitted that on another podcast parody, you know, stuff. So he's not to be taken seriously. He's a young kid who just knocks on some doors of some, you know, child care facilities without knowing their business hours, without having any evidence that they're actually committing fraud. And he only does this to get clicks and make money and, and, you know, know, you look at Elon Musk and you look at J.D. vance, who have pumped it up and you know, you know, hundreds of millions of views and I just think he's a, he's a right wing grifter and I met his mother also, who I not very fond of. And yeah, I just don't take people like that seriously. But the problem is it causes damage. You know, a lot of these Somalians out there in Minnesota. I'm not saying there's not fraud going on and I'm also not saying that it shouldn't be investigated. But Nick Shirley's not doing that because he cares about fraud. If these right wing grifters out there care about fraud, then what about the Trump pardons of over 20 people that have committed billions of dollars in fraud and they don't have to pay back any restitution? So I don't take any of these people seriously. And I think if these Somalians were, quite frankly, people that looked like you or me, I don't think this would be happening.
Interviewer
Yeah. When I look at people that blow up overnight like the way he did, where now he's on Shawn Ryan, he's on Tucker Carlson's podcast, pbd.
Brian
Yeah.
Interviewer
Part of me is like, is that organized or like, is that orchestrated? Because that just doesn't happen randomly, you know.
Brian
No, it doesn't. And I think, I think it was orchestrated with, with somebody, with somebody's help, like Elon Musk. I do think there was some behind the stuff scenes going on. And it turns out that guy David that was walking around with him is a right wing political operative.
Interviewer
Oh, wow.
Brian
So, yeah, there was a. I absolutely agree that this was, this was orchestrated in advance. And listen, there's a lot of idiots out there. Nick Sorter is another. He goes out in front of Tim Waltz's home screaming out, I mean, how do you take people like this seriously? Listen, I had a cordial conversation with Cam Higby, but in my personal opinion, he's no different than a Nick Sorter. These are right wing agitators that are out there to get clicks and to make money. And, and quite frankly, I don't have any respect for them. I really don't.
Interviewer
Yeah. Now, Tim, was it true that he announced he's stepping down or was.
Brian
Yeah, so it makes sense. And by the way, people, this is another thing. This helps the Democrats. Tim Waltz is probably going to take Amy Klobuchar Senate seat. Klobuchar is a far more stronger candidate than Tim Waltz. Tim Waltz could have lost. Klobuchar is not losing. I guarantee you she wins by 10 or 15 points. So in essence. These people have actually helped the Democrats.
Interviewer
Wow. That's crazy, because they're celebrating Waltz stepping down.
Brian
Yeah, it's insane. Klobuchar, I can look you in the eye right now and tell you Tim Waltz could lose. Very vulnerable. But Klobuchar is not going to lose. She's going to be the next governor of Minnesota, I guarantee you.
Interviewer
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Brian
Look, absolutely. 100%. I said that at the beginning. I thought it was a terrible debate he had with J.D. vance. I think I did Don Lemon show that night after the debate, and I said, this is a terrible debate. Performance by Tim Waltz. You know, Vance was very vulnerable. He won't even answer a question of who won the 2020 election.
Interviewer
I mean, lot of people on the right won't answer.
Brian
Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it? I mean, I. I would hammer them on that stuff. Listen, I think Tim Waltz is a good guy. I think he means well. Good family man. I don't have anything personally against him. He's just not the best candidate. And I thought it was a bad VP pick.
Interviewer
Yeah, yeah, we'll see who they. Yeah, go, go with in 28. Right. Probably way stronger.
Brian
You know, I have a lot of opinions on that. I have. If the elections were tomorrow, I think Gavin Newson would obviously be the front runner. Vp. If you want to pick someone like an AOC or. Or a Jasmine Crockett or a Josh Shapiro, the governor of Maryland is somebody else that comes to mind. West Moore, we got a long ways away between now and then, but right now, I think Gavin Newsome gives them their best chance.
Interviewer
Would you say Trump is trying to become a dictator right now?
Brian
I think he is. I don't think he's trying to be one. You know, it's interesting, Sean, because I've never made these statements before. I'VE been very careful to use the term fascist, to use the term Nazi. I haven't really ever wanted to use these statements. But after I've seen what's been going on right now with ICE in cities across the country, I have no problem in using those terminologies. And if MAGA out there don't want me to use those terminologies, then go ahead and try to defend what Trump is doing with ICE right now.
Interviewer
I mean, if he tries to overtake Greenland too.
Brian
Well, yeah, he's threatening military force against Greenland. He just kidnapped the President of Venezuela, who is a bad guy. But stealing oil, that is not ours. Threatening military against, against other countries. We see what is happening right now in this country when it comes to ice. And yeah, I mean it is. I've always said he's a wannabe dictator, now he's just a dictator. He idolizes people like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin rolling out the red carpet for Putin. So yeah, I think this is absolutely a dictatorship. I don't think it, I know it. And it's sad. And what's going on in Minneapolis right now with this ICE shooting and, and everything else, it's just, it's really awful. A friend of mine, Robbie Roadsteamer, who was out there in Phoenix, I mean they just arrested him yesterday for singing. Yeah, he was arrested again yesterday and he was roughed up by police.
Interviewer
What city was this?
Brian
Minneapolis. Okay, so there's video of it all over the place. So yeah, he's doing my show tomorrow. It just, it just, it sickens me. And I'm not saying any of these people should be throwing stuff at officers, ICE officers or, or hitting their vehicles. And listen, I don't condone any violence in any way, shape or form, but you have these ICE agents that only need 47 days of training, 47 hours I think it is. They're getting a fifty thousand dollar payment. They're hiring people left and right with no education, with no skills. This is very, very dangerous. And that's why we're having the situations we're happening. Like what happened in Minneapolis, they had
Interviewer
a recruiting booth, I don't know if you saw it, America Festival, ICE doesn't surprise me.
Brian
Yeah, these are mostly MAGA supporters who are ill informed and uneducated who have no skills at all. They don't know how to de. Escalate. And again, this shooting that took place where this innocent 37 year old woman in my opinion was murdered, I mean there's so many different factual examples I can give you of how they went against protocol.
Interviewer
Yeah. What do you think of people were saying she tried to run him, the officer over, or did you see?
Brian
Yeah, well, first of all, he wasn't run over. Second of all, Trump lied. He never went to the hospital. He didn't have any injuries. Third of all, is he doing with a cell phone in his hand, walking behind the vehicle, in the front of the vehicle is against any training or protocol. So that's. Those are a couple things right there. Then after the shooting, he walks over to the vehicle when she's clearly bleeding out and dying andor already dead. He doesn't provide any medical help to her, doesn't even check her pulse, walks to his own vehicle afterwards, very casually says, guys, call 911, gets into his car and drives away. That's also against protocol. After an officer involved shooting, you're told to stay there and hand over your weapon. He doesn't do any of those.
Interviewer
I didn't know he left.
Brian
Yeah. So if you want to, there's video of it. So if you want to talk about any of those protocols, we could do that. Two out of three shots were from the side of the vehicle. After the threat was already. She had already tried to turn her vehicle to the right. He was barely grazed by the vehicle. They're acting like he almost died, which is not even close to being true. Listen, all I want here, if people disagree or agree with me, all I want is an independent investigation, let the chips fall where they may. But Kristi Noem does not want to do that. She does not want an independent investigation. Why? Why? Because they're hiding. They're hiding what really took place. We saw with our own eyes what took place. I don't believe that officer ever felt like he was in life. Life danger. But again, even if you disagree with Brian. Independent investigation, what's wrong with that? Yeah, they won't even do that. They won't even work with the state of Minnesota. So it's just. It's so despicable and disgusting to me, and I feel horrible. Even at worst case scenario, she was com. She was committing a misdemeanor. Let's just say she was blocking traffic, which, by the way, she wasn't, because in the seconds before her death, she was waving cars that were past, so she wasn't even doing that.
Interviewer
Wow.
Brian
So it's. It's pretty sick. And now Trump's DOJ wants to investigate her spouse. I mean, it's like, what world are we living in right now? It's, It's. It's really scary. It's sickening. And these ICE agents going up to people because of they have brown skin or they have an accent, asking them for id, asking them, are you a legal US Citizen, completely illegal to do that. That's racially profiling. I just, I just hate what's happening right now, not just in Minnesota, but throughout the country with what these, you know, ICE agents are doing. I just think it's awful.
Interviewer
Do you want any illegal immigrants out or you kind of.
Brian
Yeah, I mean, first of all, if you're a violent criminal, I want you out. Of course I do. But I also don't want non violent undocumented immigrants sent to El Salvador prisons either. There's a way that we should be going about this, and the Trump administration is going about it the wrong way. It says in our Constitution, clearly any, any person deserves the right to due process, not any citizen. And the Trump administration is not doing that.
Interviewer
I've heard the prisons over there are really horrible.
Brian
Horrible. The abuse is terrible. And again, if you're a violent criminal, that's one thing. But there's a lot of people that he's been sending over there to these types of prisons that are non violent criminals and, and these are human beings and they shouldn't be treated like animals.
Interviewer
Yeah. You mentioned DOJ investigations earlier. There's one on Powell now. Did you see that?
Brian
I did not see that.
Interviewer
Jerome Powell, Trump's launching.
Brian
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. Jerome Paul. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So listen, I don't think he committed any crimes or did anything wrong. And I think it's going to like Donald Trump and, and Republicans look, look pretty bad here. That's what I think. There's a lot of Republicans that are even against this.
Interviewer
Yeah. So, yeah, when I see him make a move like that, part of me is thinking, like, why, like, what's the, what's the game plan here?
Brian
You know, Jerome Paul was not a yes man to everything that Donald Trump wanted him to do. And we see this time and time again with people that have been around or close to Donald Trump's orbit. If you don't agree and you're not a yes man to everything that Donald Trump wants you to do, this is what happens.
Interviewer
Yeah. And I think that makes people scared to speak out. Right?
Brian
Sure. I think the reason why a lot of Republicans aren't speaking out, though, is not maybe because they're scared. It's because they want to remain in power and they feel like if they speak out against anything Donald Trump is doing or saying they're going to lose their base of support. The only real Republicans out there that are speaking out against Donald Trump are those really that are not running for reelection.
Interviewer
Right.
Brian
The Marjorie Taylor Greene's of the world.
Interviewer
Yeah, that's a good point. I do see a lot of his base leaving right now, though. I feel like Trump's at probably his lowest point he's ever been.
Brian
You think? I mean, I mean, maybe.
Interviewer
But in terms of approval ratings, I think it's one of the lowest.
Brian
You're right.
Interviewer
What I'm seeing on Twitter, people are starting to turn on him. People in our space, I feel like, are really opening up, you know, I
Brian
mean, I hope so. I hope you're right about that. But I mean, does it change anything? I don't know. I mean, I think J.D. vance is a microcosm of who Donald Trump is. So I don't know. You are right about his approval ratings. They are very low. But I just don't understand even. I get it. If you're a Republican and you don't like Democrats, okay, fine. But I don't understand how you can still support Trump with what he's doing to this country, with tariffs, the economy, what he's doing with ice, rule of law, just the Constitution being ripped up. It's, it's very frustrating. But I have these debates and I have these conversations. I had a debate with a guy who works for OAN who does a show there who claimed that Donald Trump is a good guy. And I'm like, I had a guy who called in today who's a big Trump supporter, who was trying to compare morally a Barack Obama to a Donald Trump. I mean, it's, it's very difficult to have good faith conversations with people like that. But, you know, I try to do it every day.
Interviewer
Yeah, hats off to you, man. You must be stressing sometime.
Brian
It is, it is.
Interviewer
Sometime I see you get red.
Brian
Yeah, sometime I feel like it's almost every day. You know the, the debate that you moderated with Alex Stein, you got red. Listen, I did get red, but I did enjoy it because I don't. I know Alex is not a bad guy. And we were having a little bit of fun and it was more of a show to the people that were there and they got what they wanted. But yeah, it does bother me when somebody who is Jewish like Alex Stein can't call out somebody like Myron Gaines. That did bother me. It does bother me when, when you, when you give any credibility to somebody who is a Holocaust denier you know, that's. That's another issue. So, yeah, I mean, those issues certainly bother me at the same time, but. But I, I don't think Alex is a bad guy.
Interviewer
Yeah, I like Alex.
Brian
I don't.
Interviewer
Yeah, I was just at World War debate, which I know you might be debating in March, next event, and this guy said something, Ben Swan, he's the moderator. He said something to me that really resonated. He said politics is a sport and no matter what evidence is presented, sides will continuously defend their, I guess, person, you know?
Brian
Yeah, I, I don't agree with him at all, really. I'm not on a side. I think some people do that, but I'm not on a side.
Interviewer
Do you try to be objective?
Brian
I've called out Joe Biden for not stepping down sooner. I was very upset at that. I've called out Kamala Harris's campaign for not giving her more avenues to talk and debate. I thought she should have done the Joe Rogan Show. I don't like Ilhan Omar, even though I do think she's right when it comes to what's going on with ICE in Minneapolis. I don't like Ilhan Omer. I do believe she's an anti Semite. I don't like Rashida Tlaib. I didn't vote for Hillary Clinton. I didn't vote for. For Barack Obama. Not because I didn't don't like Barack Obama. I have a ton of respect for him, but I also have respect for John McCain. I have respect for Mitt Romney. So I disagree with that assessment that Swan would make. And I would argue that not everybody is like that. There are some that are like that that are disingenuous, but not everybody.
Interviewer
What do you think the percentage breakdown is, if you had a guess?
Brian
I mean, are you talking about politicians? Are you talking about people like you and me?
Interviewer
Are you talking about, say, like, Republican, Democrat? You're independent. But I feel like the independent vote is, is way smaller than other two categories.
Brian
Oh, sure it is. Absolutely.
Interviewer
So I think that's mainly what he might.
Brian
Well, I would agree that the, the two worst words in this country are Republican and Democrat because I think too many people make decisions based on what party they're in rather than what's good for the country. So I do agree with that. But I will happily criticize a Democrat or somebody on the left if I think it's warranted. You know, nobody tells me or pays me what to do or what to say. I'm my own boss here. So, you know, I'm not. I don't answer to anybody.
Interviewer
You know, that's how I try to operate. I try to be objective as well. You know, I do wish there were more events like Turning Point on the Left that I could film. Yeah, I don't see as many.
Brian
Yeah, I think it's important to go to all events, you know, right or left. And I think that's why, hopefully I did have a lot of people at amfest that came up to me and a lot of people that would say, brian, I disagree with everything you say, but I respect you being here and willing to have that. I had that at, you know, Tim Pool's live debate in D.C. i had people. And that's the best compliment you can get. Yeah, I'm not here so that everybody can agree with everything I say. I'm here because I want to have debates. I want to have discussions with people that I disagree with.
Interviewer
You've debated some of the top people in the space. Who would you say your most formidable opponents have been?
Brian
Boy, that's a good question. I don't know.
Interviewer
Andrew Wilson?
Brian
No, I don't think he, you know, and people say that Andrew's a good debater and I, I completely disagree. He just plays word games with people. And then, you know, I wanted to debate him on Venezuela. He didn't want to do that. I wanted to debate him on this ice shooting. He doesn't want to do that. And he wants to do the same old debate. Why do you think Donald Trump is a fascist? Listen, I do a show every day and I talk about the news of the past 24 hours or the last week, and I want to debate him on this ice shooting. Doesn't seem like he wants to do it and I have the DMs to prove that. So. Yeah, no, it certainly wouldn't be an Andrew Wilson. I don't know. I'd have to put a little bit more Tim Pools.
Interviewer
You see up there.
Brian
Yeah, Tim Pools. I think that would be up there, sure. Tim Pool's obviously a smart guy and I have only had one, one on one debate with him in, in Virginia, where he lives. But sure, I think Tim is somebody who. I know that I'm walk. If I'm walking into a debate with Tim Pool, it's going to be a good debate.
Interviewer
He's done his research.
Brian
Yeah, of course. But I certainly wouldn't put Andrew Wilson in that category. Caroline Levette is a spinner. Boy, that sounded really bad. Mean it that way. We can ask this crypt keeper husband about that one. But, but I've had Caroline Levent on my show and she's just incapable of calling out Republicans or Donald Trump for anything because that's her job. She just spins everything. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Another guy, Vivek Ramaswamy, not an easy person to debate. I've had him on my show. So there's plenty of MAGA right wingers out there that I've debated. Some are more intelligent than others. I certainly, I certainly wouldn't put Nick Shirley at the top of that list either. But yeah, I'm willing to debate anybody if they're a good faith debate. I think the one debate I had with Andrew Wilson, we were supposed to talk about Donald Trump's ethics and instead it turned into where do you get your ethics from? And abortion bad. So it doesn't matter. Anything you say about Trump, abortion is worse. I mean, that's not a debate. But here's the thing, right? And, and I had a conversation with Tim Pool off the air about this. I mean you could, you could have a debate with somebody and they could literally urinate in front of you and not have any real substance and their followers will still say, oh, they destroyed you, they cooked you. Right? So it, that's just the way it works in, in our political spectrum today is it doesn't matter what an Andrew Wilson says or does. You know, his fans are going to say, oh, he destroyed you. And that's just, so that's why I don't get, I don't get really wrapped up in who won the debate or who lost the debate. Because yeah, that's what you're going to get from fans on the other side no matter what. And vice versa, people on my side too.
Interviewer
So yeah, what I've noticed is even if you objectively win the long form debate, if you get, if you look bad in the clips, people will say you, you've lost.
Brian
Yeah, you can clip a debate. You can, you can put words in somebody's mouth that they didn't say Andrew again. Going back to Andrew, he's one of those people that will every debate. Well, I, I conquered you. I killed you. I destroyed you. I did this. I, I think you have to be a certain type of insecure person to, to, to behave that way. It's kind of like a 12 year old that's coming back from school and tells their parents, mommy, Daddy, I won this debate again. It's like, dude, what are you doing? Like, just have the conversation and fine, let people decide. But I don't need to After a debate or conversation, brag and say, oh, I cooked that guy, I destroyed that guy. No, let the listeners decide on that. You know, I really don't care what people say. I mean, you know, sure, that's just, that's just who I am.
Interviewer
No, I will say people respect you because I know you don't identify on the left. But a common complaint I hear from people on the right is they can't find people on the left to debate. And I hear that all the time.
Brian
Definitely. And I definitely lean to the left on social issues. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a liberal. I'm just not one of those. Yeah, I debate. I voted for eight Republicans in the last midterms and you know, probably won't be voting for as many Republicans this go around. But, but yeah, I think Democrats need to, People on the left need to go into the lion's den. You need to go on Fox News. You need to go on whether it's oann. I've done that. I've done oan twice in the last couple of weeks. I don't care where it is. Go in there and debate.
Interviewer
Yep.
Brian
And if you're not willing to debate people on the other side, then I would call you a coward.
Interviewer
Wow.
Brian
That's my personal opinion.
Interviewer
I personally agree. But at the time we only have destiny, maybe a few others. I can't even think of that many.
Brian
Destiny will go anywhere. And I give him a lot of credit for willing to debate just about anybody. I would say Adam Mockler is another one of those people that would do that. Yeah. But then I also go to people like Mark Levin and right wing radio hosts that are dinosaurs and they never talk to anybody on the opposite side. So I think, I think you can make the argument it goes both ways.
Interviewer
There's a balance.
Brian
Yeah.
Interviewer
I'd love to see you on a jubilee video.
Brian
I would love to do that. I would be willing, I'd be willing to be that guy in the middle that would be willing to debate 20 white supremacists. I'm ready. I'm ready. Let's do it. You know, I have a lot of respect for Mehdi Hassan. I think he's another one.
Interviewer
He was crushed it when he did.
Brian
Yeah, he's great. He's. And I was wrong about him. Listen, a couple years ago I thought that he was anti Semitic.
Interviewer
Really?
Brian
Yeah. I, I, I, I, I got all this guy does is bash Israel. And then I realized as I, as I researched it more that I was wrong. That I don't think he's anti Semitic. I just think, like me, he's anti Benjamin Netanyahu, he's anti genocide, he's anti Israeli government. Doesn't mean you're anti Israeli people. And I don't think he is. So I was wrong about him, and I have. I have a lot of respect for him.
Interviewer
Well, hats off to you for admitting that, because a lot of people would never admit something like that.
Brian
You know, that's another problem. There's a lot of people that are not willing to admit they were wrong about anything, whether it be the 2020 election, January 6, being wrong about thinking that Donald Trump is America first, which clearly he's not based on policy, based on things he's doing. It's the biggest issue I have with a lot of people, particularly Trump supporters, is they just can't admit they were wrong about anything.
Interviewer
What have you liked so far in Trump's second term? Anything all out to you? The credit card thing he just did, did you like that?
Brian
Yeah. I mean, when it comes to. Yeah, I'm okay with that. But the problem is, is that when you, when you have a policy like that, where, where, where are we taking money away from? I mean, the biggest tax breaks are the top 1%. Yeah. A hundred billion dollars in tax breaks last year over the last 12 months for the top 1%. It's in the big and beautiful Bill. There's so many things where I could say, okay, I'm on board with that, but where are we getting the money for this? Where, you know, we can talk. Where are we getting the money from ICE. I mean, AOC said it best yesterday. These $50,000 payments to ICE, it's because our premiums have gone up twice, you know, double. So, you know, there's not a lot of things where I can say, man, I'm really glad that Donald Trump did. I mean, I can go to Operation Warp Speed in his first administration and say, okay, okay, I'm on board with that. That's okay. That's a good thing. I could, I could mention a few things here and there, but when I look at where the economy is at when it comes to the tariffs and ICE and, and, and, you know, endless wars. And he claims he ends eight wars, which is not true. I think he's the only president in modern American history that has bombed eight different countries.
Interviewer
No new wars, though, right? Yeah.
Brian
Yeah. I mean, look at what's going on in Iran right now.
Interviewer
Yeah, that's.
Brian
Look at. He says there's peace in The Middle East. There's no peace in the Middle East. The war is not over in 24 hours. It's only been worse when it comes to Russia and Ukraine. So, no, I got to tell you, man, if the, you know, yeah, the credit card thing, okay, fine, I'll give him that. But I just think there's so many things that he's doing and that he has done that are, that are damaging this country to no avail. And it's, it's, it's, it's really bad
Interviewer
when it comes to free speech and social media censorship. Do you think he was better than Biden?
Brian
I mean, I don't think he's done. I think he's the opposite of that. I think Donald Trump talks about the enemy within. He wants to take away the credentials away from media members. Look, look at the people that are being invited to the White House. All due respect to Tim Pool, and I think he would admit this, he's not a journalist. Neither am I. You have Benny Johnson's and people in that seat, in that first seat that they're calling on. These are not journalists. These are Trump fluffers. Okay. For lack of a better term. So, yeah, I think he, he's very bad when it comes. Look at the Pentagon. They're not credentialing anybody and that are going to ask Pete Hegseth any. You know, this is really important. This is really important when it comes to the media, that you need to have members of the media that are going to question and ask tough questions and hold our politicians to the highest extent. And, and you don't you think Ham Higby's going to do that? Nick Sorter, is he going to do that? Nick Shirley, is it? No. These are clowns, Benny Johnson, these are people that are getting paid a lot of money to spread propaganda. It's very important to have the Jim Acostas of the world and to have other people that are credentialed, that are in there. And you know what? Same thing for the left. Same thing for a Joe Biden that's president too. But yeah, I just think that when it comes to free speech, Donald Trump calls people like me the enemy with them. And no, I'm not the enemy within. I'm just going to challenge people. And, and, and I feel like Donald Trump is the opposite of free speech. It's only free speech if they agree with the speech for these people on the right. And I have no respect for that.
Interviewer
I'll say this, just being objective. I feel like tick tock's gotten worse for me personally. I'm getting censored way more on Tick.
Brian
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Interviewer
Facebook and Instagram, I would say. Got better. YouTube got better for me. I feel like it wasn't as bad.
Brian
I've never had issues with YouTube.
Interviewer
Were you covering like J6 and the vaccines and Covid?
Brian
So vaccine stuff is the only time I ever got flagged on YouTube because I had a voodoo doctor buffoon that was on my show and spread a lot of medical misinformation. But that, you know, and that wasn't even me that did it. But I also understood it. They don't want medical misinformation put forth on their platform, which I totally support. And I think YouTube's great. They've been fantastic. Tik Tok is the worst. Yeah, they are the worst. That you can't say the word murder. You can't say guns. You, there's so many things you. The words you can't even use on there. It's a joke. But then again, it's run by China, so should we be surprised?
Interviewer
Yeah. You think it still is though, because Ellison took over?
Brian
Yeah, my understanding. But I, I, I do think there's some influence there, but there are too many things that they're doing on Tick Tock that I think are. But then again, I don't like to use the term censorship because these are private companies.
Interviewer
That's true.
Brian
And I had a debate with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. About this on my show and he's like, why don't you agree with me? I'm going to do. I can't do his. Brian, welcome. You don't agree with me. Well, here's why I don't agree with you. Because these are private companies and a private company like X agree with Elon Musk or not, he owns X. So if he doesn't want me on his platform because I'm a bald white dude, okay, who, who leans to the left, then, okay, I'm going to have to live with that. Oh, you're censoring me. No, I wouldn't cry about it. I'd be like, it's unfortunate. I would like to be on there. But at the same time, these are private companies that have the right to, to. You can't have somebody not on your platform because of the color of skin.
Interviewer
Right.
Brian
You can't discriminate against people. But if you don't like somebody because of their political beliefs, you know, again, it's private. There's a difference between being on a public sidewalk and holding up the sign that says I hate Republicans and then doing it, you know, which I wouldn't do, by the way. Or. But there's no between doing that and then doing it on Elon Musk platform. He has the right. He's the owner.
Interviewer
That's an interesting take. Yeah, I actually haven't heard that take before.
Brian
Yeah, I mean, I had that debate with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. About it and you know, you know, it's not free speech when it's a private company. I had this debate with Jack Bosobic on Piers Morgan and I said, jack, you don't even know what freedom of speech is. Right. If you're a private company, then you have the right to tell people, I don't want you on I don't like your blue shirt. I don't want you on my platform. I mean, they own the company. Who are we to say they can or can't have certain people on their platform? It is a privilege. Right? It's not a right. It's a privilege to be on these social media platforms. Doesn't mean I have to agree with what they're doing, but that's just the fact of it.
Interviewer
That's an interesting take, but I will say this because, like, these private companies have gotten so large now that they are meeting with the government. I feel like Zuckerberg is at the White House all the time.
Brian
Yeah. Which I don't like.
Interviewer
Elon. Elon's back with Trump, you know.
Brian
Yeah, well, that's a joke too. I mean, you know, Elon just a few months ago was saying, and he was right. Donald Trump's all over the Epstein Falls and now they're buddy, buddy again because it's a financial thing between them. They're phony people. They're fake people. Elon is a, is a phony fake person who just happens to be the richest man in the world. But I have no respect for him. And I think when it comes to the word respect, I respect people that are good fathers, people that are good family people. Because when you die, you die with no money. Okay? I don't care how much money Elon Musk is. I just think he's a bad person. I don't think he's a good guy. And he only cares about himself and his investors. He certainly doesn't even care about his. How many children does he have all over the country. It's a, it's insane. The non disclosures and it's like, I don't know, he's a weird guy. He's socially Inept. I don't care how much money he has. Doesn't mean anything to me. I think his cars are. If I can't say that. And yeah, I just. I just don't like.
Interviewer
That's the least controversial thing you said today.
Brian
Yeah, probably. Probably. Yeah, probably.
Interviewer
I've actually had on a girl he offered to, like, impregnate.
Brian
Oh, yeah, he's a weird.
Interviewer
He's not dming girls.
Brian
And yeah, he's a nut. I mean, he hits up these. St. Clair is another one, right?
Interviewer
Yeah.
Brian
He hits up all these women. He tries to have sex and impregnate them. He wants to spread his seeds, so to speak. And then he has them sign not disclosures. He pays them a lot of money. And he's not a father. He's not involved in these children's lives. It's sad, it's unfortunate. And that's one thing I will say that I have a lot of respect for somebody like a Joe Biden, somebody like a Barack Obama. Can't say that about Donald Trump. The Republican Party always talks about family values, right? Oh, really? Having unprotected sex with a porn star two weeks after Barron is born. Those are family values. Cheating on every single woman he's ever been with. Those are family values. So they preach family values and then look at the guy, the clown, in my opinion, who's the leader of the Republican Party right now. It's insane.
Interviewer
I mean, that's why I personally can't get behind Newsom, because he cheated on that.
Brian
Listen, I don't disagree with you. I don't think Newsom is a morally good guy.
Interviewer
Yeah.
Brian
Okay. If it is Gavin Newsom versus J.D. vance, it is a vote against the MAGA agenda. It is a vote against J.D. vance. But I agree with you, Gavin News. You know, listen, if I had it my way, it would be a Josh Shapiro or it'd be a West Moore type, you know, who are morally very good people as far as I'm concerned, and very intelligent people. But Gavin Newsom gives him the best chance to win if the elections were held tomorrow. Why? He's got the look. He can debate. He's willing to go to the other side. He's been on Sean Hannity's show, you know, and I like what he's been doing recently with going after Trump. I didn't like what he did with Charlie Kirk with that podcast. I thought he was way too easy on Charlie Kirk. Same thing with Steve Bannon. I did not like that. But right now, if the elections are Tomorrow, He. He has to be the front runner.
Interviewer
He has to be. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting conversation. Being morally good while being in politics, I feel like it's a rare thing these days.
Brian
It is rare. I think Bernie Sanders is one of those people. I don't think Ocasio Cortez is a bad person. I think there's a lot of Democrats that I could look at, and there are some Republicans, but a lot of Democrats that I look at in office right now that I say that is a decent human being. You might not agree with their polic. Not a bad person. I always felt that way about Joe Biden. I always felt that way about Barack Obama. I felt that way about John McCain. I felt that way about Mitt Romney. Look at the Republican Party and look at what they've done to Mitt Romney. I mean, it's, It's. It's ridiculous. But just because I disagree with someone on policy doesn't mean they're a bad person.
Interviewer
You know, speaking of Biden, did you see Hunter Biden's interview on Sean Ryan a couple of weeks ago?
Brian
I did not.
Interviewer
Oh, you didn't know?
Brian
I didn't trust that guy. Well, listen, Hunter Biden is a guy that never worked in Biden's administration. He's a guy that certainly took advantage of who his father was. He's a guy that suffered from substance abuse. But I do have some respect for Hunter Biden because he's helped a lot of people with substance abuse and he's gotten out of that lifestyle. I do appreciate that about him. But, yeah, he's done some pretty stupid things. There's no question. But he comes from a family of, you know, listen, I would rather defend Hunter Biden than Jared Kushner, who took $2.1 billion from the Saudis. You know, Hunter took advantage of who his dad was. There's no question about that. But I don't think Hunter Biden was ever a threat to this country like so many people made him out to be.
Interviewer
Yeah, Kushner, he took 2 billion.
Brian
You said 2.1 billion from the Saudis. Yeah, yeah. I mean, $2.2.1 billion check. And Donald Trump was, and by the way, pretty high ranking in Trump's administration in his first go around. Yeah.
Interviewer
Is he part of the second term?
Brian
No. So Trump, at the end of his first term, wasn't sending Mike Pompeo out there. He was sending Jared Kushner out there, and then for an investment, $2.1 billion, and then Donald Trump. Don't even get me Started with all the business that he's doing. Five and a half billion dollar resort and Qatar. He accepts a 400 million dollar gift in this, in this jumbo jet, whatever you'd like to call it, doing business with all. And listen, this, this war in Venezuela, that's what it is right now. This is about oil, it's about money. He doesn't care about the drug cartel. If he did, then he would not have pardoned this guy last month who was prosecuted, a former president in a court of law. He was prosecuted for 400 tons of cocaine he brought in here. And Trump pardons that guy. Oh, well, I think he was treated unfairly. Oh, okay. Yeah, sure, Mr. President. So this isn't about drugs. This isn't about Maduro, who's obviously a bad guy. This is about oil and stealing oil from another country. That's, that's, that's what this is all about. And this is about the fossil fuel industry and the billionaires that supported Donald Trump. That's what this is about. It's about money.
Interviewer
I do remember a big campaign, I guess, marketing tactic they were using for Trump the second go around was that he wouldn't make money. I remember like they were saying, why are you running? Like you're going to lose money, you're going to lose net worth.
Brian
Do you remember such a joke? Yeah, I remember that. And, and MAGA supporters that are not very intelligent still say he doesn't accept his $400,000 a year salary. Oh, really? Well, let's talk a little bit about the billion dollar crypto scandal where his family has made billions of dollars. Let's talk about the net worth. He's about 10 times more wealthy now than he was when he first ever came into public. Always about Donald Trump. Every single time the guy plays golf, it's usually on one of his resorts. Millions of dollars the company is making the guy, whether it's selling bibles or trading cards or pieces of his suit when he was indicted. Everything is a grift with, with the Trump family and it's about money. And unfortunately Milani is on board with it. His kids are on board with it. And it's, it's sick. It's sick. I, I, I hate it, I hate what's going on. But they want to talk about Hunter Biden because he sold a $10,000 painting. I mean, it's, it's insane how much money Trump and his family have been enriched because he's in power.
Interviewer
I know there's a Melania documentary coming out. I really want to watch that? Because I've never seen her talk.
Brian
Yeah.
Interviewer
I don't know.
Brian
She talks about her book a lot. Yeah. Or his. Her stupid Christmas ornaments. I think she's just as despicable as Donald Trump. This is a contractual marriage. You know, we've seen her slap his hand away and all that stuff. That's one thing I will say about Joe and Jill Biden and Barack and Michelle. They. They obviously love each other very much. She's not even in the White House. Right. And then she used the excuse of why? And she says, well, because I need to take care of my son, Baron. Why? He's at college. He's living in a dorm. Why do you need to take care of your son? It's a joke. I. I think she hates him maybe even more than I do. I think that's possible.
Interviewer
I got a list of names here. I'd love to get your thoughts on them.
Brian
Sure.
Interviewer
And end things off here.
Brian
Yeah. Yeah.
Interviewer
Brandon Tatum.
Brian
Brandon's done my show. He's a grifter. He's the male version of Candace Owens. He only says things and does things so that he can be enriched and make money. If you want to watch a fun debate where I absolutely destroyed him, and I. I don't want to pull an Andrew Wilson on you and say, oh, I destroyed somebody at a debate. But, yeah, Brandon, again, he's very good at marketing himself. He's incapable of criticizing anybody on the Trump side. And he's a grifter, whether it's selling his shirts or. Or sweatshirts or the money that he is making. Again, he is Candace Owens with a penis. That's who Brandon Tatum is, in my opinion.
Interviewer
I will say this about him. He's been on the show three times. I like him as a person.
Brian
As a person. I don't know him. I'm just going by what I.
Interviewer
What you've seen. Yeah, yeah. But I will say he was really defending Israel for a while, and I haven't really seen that lately. I don't know what that was about, but I just wanted to throw that in.
Brian
I just. I just. I just think he's grifting off of Donald Trump. I don't believe that he even believes some of the stuff that he says. But when someone is not capable of pointing out anything that Donald Trump does that's wrong, then it's very difficult to take anybody like that seriously. That's my. That's my. That's my Brandon Tatum.
Interviewer
Asmin Gold. What do you think?
Brian
Don't know him. Don't know.
Interviewer
He's a streamer. Okay, don't know him. That one. Adam Carolla.
Brian
Yeah. So I've had Adam on my show. I used to love the man show with Jimmy Kimmel. Love Jimmy Kimmel. And I think he's Rob Schneider 2.0. He can't even sell 40 tickets at the Jimmy Kimmel Comedy Club. So he's pulling a Rob Schneider. I think he, he's an angry guy who is 100% pro Trump. Again, another guy that can't criticize Trump for anything. You look at the success that Jimmy Kimmel's had, because I think he's more talented in my personal opinion. But again, just like a Rob Schneider type. A guy that his career has passed and now he's in the realm of politics. Like a James woods who's a washed up actor. And they take the right wing approach on everything and they want to attack minorities and they want to attack liberals and Democrats for all of their problems. I think Adam Carolla should be focused a little bit more on trying to sell 40 tickets at the Jimmy Kimmel Comedy Club in Las Vegas, which from my understanding, he's struggling to do.
Interviewer
Damn, I haven't been to that club. How is it?
Brian
I actually, I was there when Jimmy Kimmel opened it up. It's a great club. I've seen some, some friends of mine that perform there and they sell more tickets than Adam Corolla, that's for sure. But yeah, Adam's done my show. But rarely does he ever debate anybody. It's very rare for him. When I had him on my show, it wasn't very combative because they wanted me to promote him showing up at Jimmy Kimmel. And listen, I met Adam, I shook his hand, you know, cordial conversation. But again, Rob Schneider 2.0. In my personal opinion, when Alex Stein
Interviewer
came to Vegas, I'm pretty sure he sold more than 40 tickets.
Brian
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. At Corolla, they're giving out free tickets left and right. When he comes out here, he doesn't sell, he doesn't sell tickets anymore.
Interviewer
Wow, that's crazy. Yep. Candace Owens.
Brian
Oh, geez. Where do I even start? You want to talk about the definition of a right wing grifter? She's a Democrat, by the way. And the only reason why she did, she does the same stuff that Tatum does, in my personal opinion, is you go against the needs of minorities in this country in order to get clicks and make money and take the far right evangelical white supremacist approach. The stuff she said about Charlie Kirk is a. Is a joke. I don't know if you can swear in this show it's a joke. The stuff that she said about Charlie Kirk. There's no evidence to suggest that anybody else was responsible for Charlie Kirk's death. And Tyler Robinson. Okay, so it's a grift. That's what she's doing. And, yeah, I, I defend Tim Pool, who. I don't like using this word very often, but Tim Pool did call her a cunt on his show. And I said, tim, you know, I, I'm. I'm with you. I agree with you, but why don't you call these other right wing grifters out, too? Only if it affects you. She's a terrible person and she's a phony and she's homophobic. Again, a Myron Gaines type makes horrific statements about Jews, makes horrific statements about homosexuals, and makes horrible statements about transgenders. Why does she do this? I don't even think she actually believes some of the stuff she says. She does it because it works. She has a lot of viewers. She makes a lot of money.
Interviewer
She does. You can't deny that. Yeah, I remember when the Tim Pool shooting happened, she was, like, asking for evidence, and I thought that was weird.
Brian
I saw Tim showed me a video. It's absolutely happened. And the idea that Tim would make something like this up instead of your initial reaction, which would be, oh, my gosh, I texted Tim right away and I said, man, I hope you're okay. I'm really sorry, you know, and I don't think Tim's a bad guy. And. And I, I wouldn't wish that upon anybody. And. And for her first reaction only to get clicks. That's all she cares about is clicks and money. And. And it's. It's. It's the problem with social media. There's a lot of problems with social media today, but one of which is if you spread hatred, it could be anti Semitism, it could be a Myron Gaines type. It makes you a lot of money. There's a lot of people out there that are very hateful people. And, you know, the worst thing I'll do is call somebody a buffoon, you know, a right wing buffoon. But I never attack somebody because of the color of their skin. I never attack somebody because of what's between their legs or because they're a transgender or gay. I mean, it's so sick. I mean, I had a guy call into my show today talking about how he thinks Obama's morally bankrupt and I said, why? Give me an example? And he says, well, there's rumors that Barack Obama was gay. I'm like, what? That's a reason for somebody not being a good person? Like, these people are just crazy. They're crazy. Yeah. Candace Owens, I have nothing nice to say about her, that. That's for sure.
Interviewer
Yeah.
Brian
She ever done the show?
Interviewer
No. I would have her on. Would you ever have her on your show?
Brian
I would have. Listen, just because I hate somebody or just because I think they're a monstrous human being, that's where I will take the side of Tucker Carlson. Even though he did not push Nick Fuentes. But I don't blame him for having him on.
Interviewer
Yeah.
Brian
I blame him for not giving pushback. When O.J. simpson was alive, I tried to get O.J. simpson.
Interviewer
He was out here in Vegas.
Brian
Yes, he was. And I know his attorney, Malcolm Laverne very well. I was offered to play golf with him. And. And I would have had OJ On. Did I think OJ Murdered his ex wife and Ronald Goldman? Absolutely. But I would have. But I would have had him on. I don't mind it when people give these people platforms. What I mind is when you don't give them pushback.
Interviewer
Yeah, right.
Brian
You got to give people pushback. And Tucker Carlson didn't do that because I believe Tucker Carlson is also anti Semitic. Medic.
Interviewer
Do you think he's controlled up? I don't know, because there's that CIA rumor.
Brian
I don't. I don't know if I agree with that. I know that Tucker Carlson was brought up in a white privileged family. He's extremely hateful, racist, and anti Semitic. And I think when you're raised that way, then your True Color Show. And I think that, you know, Tucker's made a lot of money. He doesn't need to make more money. He doesn't even need to work right now. But he's doing it because he probably enjoys it. And I don't think anybody's paying him what to do, what to say. I think he's been doing this for years.
Interviewer
It would be hard to believe someone could do that to someone like that. He's pretty high.
Brian
I mean, I used to enjoy the show Crossfire. That was a good show where you had both sides. Back when Tucker was somewhat normal, I used to watch Hannity and Combs out, the late Alan Colems because you used to be able to get both sides. I'm hoping that maybe we can get more close to that. I'm shocked that, you know, you know, oan I'm having. Going on their programs now more. I think that's good. I praise them for that because I think we don't have enough of that. We need to hear both sides, and it doesn't mean we need to scream at each other or yell at each other, but I think you need to hear both sides and then try to maybe somehow meet in the middle if you're willing to do so.
Interviewer
Yeah. Patrick Bet David.
Brian
Yeah. So it's funny because I was invited to do their show about six or seven months ago. Trying to remember his name.
Interviewer
Was it a. Or a show?
Brian
They wanted me to go out to Florida. So I. I did Pierce Morgan with. And I'm. I'm forgetting his name.
Interviewer
Oh, Vinnie.
Brian
Vinnie.
Interviewer
Vinnie.
Brian
So I did Pierce Morgan with Vinnie and I just think he's a complete buffoon. Not a very bright person. And I called him Jersey Shore and his head exploded on Pierce. It's actually very funny. You can see it on YouTube. And then right after that, I'm dming with Patrick Bet David, and they're like, hey, you know you're going to come out to Florida. Let us know. We'd love to have you on. I just never. Never got to doing it.
Interviewer
But you should do that show.
Brian
That's a. Yeah, I probably would do it, but. But you asked me about Patrick bet David. I don't know a ton about him, except a lot of people have alleged that he's a scam artist. A lot of people have alleged that he did some very shady business dealings. I don't know the facts. What I do know is that I do appreciate the fact that at least he's willing to talk to people that disagree with him. I do like that.
Interviewer
Agreed.
Brian
I don't like his PBD side piece, as I like to call him, Vinnie. I don't think he adds anything to the conversation. But yeah, I do. I do watch some of his show at times. I remember they had David Pakman on and a few others on the left. I do appreciate those conversations.
Interviewer
He's had quite a few people that disagree with him on, so I do appreciate that.
Brian
I like that part.
Interviewer
He also has a new show with all females called her take. It's like Anna Kasparian, Lindy Lee.
Brian
I think Jillian Michael, not a Lindy Lee fan.
Interviewer
You don't like Lindy Lee?
Brian
I think that's like another version of Candace Owens in that she. I think I've seen that show where I think she flipped from Joe Biden supporter, Democrat to. To lean to the right. So that she could make money and sell a book. And again, another grifter, and that's somebody that I would like to debate.
Interviewer
Speaking of someone else who leaned from or went from left to right, what about Dave Rubin?
Brian
Yeah, listen, I don't know a lot about him, but I will say this. In general, I think in most cases, not all people that switch parties in this political climate that are already fairly successful, people do it for one reason and one reason only. Not because they had an epiphany. Not because, geez, you know, I can't support this party anymore. It's for money. It's for audience. I. You know, Chris Cuomo is a perfect example of that. I think people flip and switch not because they change, but because they know that if they go a certain way and move to a certain direction, maybe they'll get better guests, maybe they'll get more clicks, maybe they'll get a bigger audience. And it's very disingenuous. And I can name you a plethora of people that I feel have done that in the last couple years.
Interviewer
Yeah, well, Brian, it's been an honor, man. I can't wait to do more stuff with you. More.
Brian
Absolutely.
Interviewer
In the meantime, where can people find you? This is your.
Brian
Yeah. So Pushing the Limits Live is my website. The two good places to catch my show live every day would be my YouTube page, which is at PTL Radio Show. Again, the YouTube page at PTL Radio Show. I just started posting more stuff consistently on Facebook. So Pushing the Limits Facebook fan page are probably the two best places you could catch me. YouTube and Facebook. I just started with the Instagram stuff, but I'm more of a YouTuber Facebook guy. So those are the best places.
Interviewer
Check them out, guys. Peace. If you learned anything from this episode or got any value at all, please share this episode with a friend. It helps us grow the channel, it helps us grow the podcast, and it means a lot to us. Thank you so much.
Episode Title: Why Political Grifters Are Winning... | Brian Shapiro | DSH #2076
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Brian Shapiro
Date: July 21, 2026
In this episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in an in-depth, candid conversation with radio host and commentator Brian Shapiro. The main theme centers on the rise and dominance of political grifters in today’s media and political climate, offering critique on figures across the political spectrum and the monetization of controversy. The discussion dives into recent events involving ICE, political opportunism, authenticity vs. grifting, polarizing media figures, and the erosion of trust in institutions. Brian provides sharp, unfiltered opinions on political personalities, the current state of free speech, and the importance of good-faith debate.
| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------| | 02:17 | "They just say it because... it’ll get clicks and make money. And that’s why I have no respect for Myron." | Brian | | 08:03 | "I've always said he's a wannabe dictator, now he's just a dictator." | Brian | | 09:29 | "These are mostly MAGA supporters who are ill informed and uneducated who have no skills at all. They don't know how to deescalate." | Brian | | 11:33 | "These ICE agents going up to people because of they have brown skin or they have an accent... That's racially profiling." | Brian | | 21:03 | "I don't need to... brag and say, 'Oh, I cooked that guy.' No, let the listeners decide." | Brian | | 22:23 | "If you're not willing to debate people on the other side, then I would call you a coward." | Brian | | 23:14 | "I was wrong... I don't think [Mehdi Hasan] is anti Semitic." | Brian | | 28:15 | "If he doesn’t want me on his platform because I’m a bald white dude... I’m going to have to live with that." | Brian | | 39:50 | "...the definition of a right wing grifter. She's a Democrat, by the way. She does it for clicks and money..." | Brian |
Brian’s tone is blunt, irreverent, and deeply opinionated, with frequent humor and sarcasm. The conversation retains a conversational, sometimes combative, air but is underpinned by a persistent call for authenticity and rigorous debate, eschewing safe takes and capitulation to tribalism.
This episode delivers a bracing critique of the modern political landscape, skewering grift on both the right and left while offering thoughts on the future of political debate, social media power, and the importance of maintaining principle in the public square. If you want a raw take on U.S. politics in 2026 with no shortage of call-outs, this conversation delivers.