Federalist Radio Hour — ‘You're Wrong’ With Mollie Hemingway And David Harsanyi, Ep. 183: Abigail Spanberger

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Mollie Hemingway (Editor-in-Chief, The Federalist)
Co-Host: David Harsanyi (Senior Writer, Washington Examiner)
Main Theme: Dissecting the political shifts in Virginia under new Governor Abigail Spanberger, the unraveling of Democratic moderation, media double standards, debates about immigration, law enforcement, and the state of contemporary political discourse.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the rapid policy changes under Virginia’s new Governor, Abigail Spanberger, focusing on the contrast between her moderate campaign promises and the sweeping progressive—often radical—actions taken in her first weeks in office. Mollie and David explore Democratic strategies, media complicity, the role of government, and broader implications for political culture, including the media's role in shaping narratives, immigration enforcement, and the nation’s growing political polarization. The latter portion of the episode dives into recent films and shows, alongside a discussion on political memoirs and the state of contemporary culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Abigail Spanberger’s Governorship: From Moderate Image to Progressive Action

[00:00–05:51]

• Overview of Spanberger's Policies:

  • Immediate introduction of “hard left” policies: tax raises, abortion expansions (“kill babies after they're born”), stringent gun control, lack of election accountability.
  • Purge of moderate staff and state university leadership, replaced by progressive activists.
  • Media portrays these shifts as normal, glossing over broken campaign promises of moderation.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Mollie: “Her first day in office... every kind of foundational progressive idea to weaken the country has already been embraced by Democrats in Virginia.” [00:27]
  • David: “She fired anyone who was good in the state universities and is replacing it with hard left activists... so they can do the most damage most quickly.” [01:23]

• Republican Response:

  • Mollie critiques Republicans for not running strong campaigns, making Spanberger’s win easy, despite Glenn Youngkin’s previous popularity as a moderate.
  • Despite Virginia’s Democratic tilt, the radical policy leap is seen as potentially undermining Democratic popularity.

2. Media Complicity and Narrative Control

[04:12–07:28]

• Media’s Role:

  • Hosts argue the “corporate media” shields Democrats by not acknowledging dissonance between Spanberger’s campaign and her governance.
  • Media’s history of avoiding accountability for misreporting—climate change, Russia collusion hoax.

• Notable Quotes:

  • David: “You can do a lot when you have corporate media at your beck and call.” [04:12]
  • Mollie: “Climate extremists... their doomsday predictions haven’t come true... all of the media participated in this. And there’s no reckoning.” [06:28]

3. Immigration Enforcement and State-Federal Tensions

[07:28–13:37]

• Virginia's Policy Shift:

  • Spanberger’s administration ends ICE cooperation—seen as a form of “rebellion” against federal law.
  • Massive influx of illegal immigrants and criminal incidents attributed to lack of enforcement.

• Media Framing:

  • The focus remains on accusations of excessive force by ICE, rather than the legal and social consequences for citizens.

• Notable Quotes:

  • David: “She’s in rebellion in a very Virginia sense ... against the United States government over enforcement of immigration and borders.” [08:04]
  • Mollie: “The essence of the debate is that states don’t want to enforce a federal law... but we can’t ever talk about that.” [09:08]

4. Partisan Double Standards & Political Culture

[13:37–18:26]

• State Cooperation and Law Enforcement:

  • Other states (e.g., Tennessee, Florida) praised for cooperating with ICE.
  • Democratic states, by contrast, are accused of encouraging lawlessness or even “insurrection.”

• Culture War and Religious Rights:

  • Discussion of an incident in St. Paul, Minnesota, where leftist activists disrupted Christian worship—media and Democratic leaders allegedly condoned the action.
  • Mollie links this to broader protest culture and a basic disregard for others' First Amendment rights.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Mollie: “Leftist protesters always... believe that their First Amendment rights trump the rights of other people’s First Amendment protections...” [16:48]

5. Trump, Leadership Styles, and the State of Political Discourse

[18:26–29:55]

• Trump vs. Other Leaders:

  • Hosts discuss Trump’s directness as refreshing compared to the “backstabbing” style of the Democratic establishment.
  • Acknowledge polarization: one must be “pro” or “anti” Trump; question the sense of total loyalty.

• Decorum and Debate:

  • Mollie laments the loss of policy debate and the rise of personal attacks and coarseness in politics, as well as the superficiality of performative swearing by politicians.

• Righteousness vs. Politeness:

  • David debates where the line should be drawn: polite Christianity vs. fierceness against destructive ideologies (e.g., radical trans movement, “communism is unacceptable”).
  • Calls for more forthright (even “mean”) opposition to ideas harming society.

• Notable Quotes:

  • David: “Men fight by punching each other, but... [Democrats] fight like girls. They gossip... and Trump is just like, ‘I’m going to say out loud that I don’t like that person.’” [23:38]
  • Mollie: “I think you need to be able to call someone evil. You need to be able to call what is wrong, wrong. What is truth, truth.” [28:11]

6. Greenland, Geopolitics, and Trump’s Negotiation Tactics

[29:55–38:54]

• Trump's Greenland Obsession:

  • Debate over the fascination with potentially acquiring Greenland for strategic reasons.
  • David notes every president has considered it; Mollie finds the obsession politically self-defeating and diplomatically risky.
  • Discussion of negotiation tactics: “great outsized threat followed by completely reasonable negotiations.”

• Notable Quotes:

  • David: “Trump seems to be the president who does what everybody says they’re going to do—but doesn’t do—or that takes action everybody just talks about.” [31:56]
  • Mollie: "Running a country is not the same as running a business... you probably need to approach it differently than... a hostile takeover of another company." [38:05]

7. Political Memoirs, Anti-Semitism, and Vice Presidential Vetting

[38:54–48:16]

• Josh Shapiro’s Memoir & Democratic VP Vetting:

  • Shapiro’s claim: he was asked in vetting if he was “a double agent for Israel”—viewed as an old anti-Semitic trope, overshadowing real policy credentials.
  • Walls' questionable China ties implicit in the discussion; skepticism that similar scrutiny applies in vetting non-Jewish candidates.

• Reactions to Anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party:

  • Observation that Democrats coordinated anti-Semitism statements in response to polling, not principle.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Mollie: “If someone asked me if I was a traitor, I would not go campaign for them... He said nothing until now, when he can make some money.” [45:46]

8. Culture Segment: Movies, TV, and Recommendations

[48:16–58:08]

• Recent Watches:

  • Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964): Praised for visual style and emotional impact. [49:10]
  • Room with a View: Enjoyed, but hosts now side with older, “wrong” characters with age. [51:05]
  • The Rip (Netflix): Mixed review (David liked, Mollie found implausible and boring). [53:15–54:21]
  • Seven Dials (Netflix Agatha Christie adaptation): Recommended for solid genre adaptation, though somewhat predictable. [56:39–57:24]
  • The Closer (old series, Netflix): Mollie binge-watching; a solid procedural. [58:08]

• Notable Quotes:

  • Molly: “I hate when I get pulled into something like that. I'm like, how many seasons are there? Oh, seven. I'm in it for seven seasons." [58:08]

Memorable Moments & Quotes—With Timestamps

• “This is, this is disconcerting. It's scary, actually. It's downright. Yeah, it's downright scary.” – David [02:30]
• “Even if [Republicans] do the hard work of winning elections, it doesn't seem to result in the type of change that Democrat voters get when they put the hard work into winning elections.” – David [05:03]
• “ICE does enforcement operations in all 50 states. You're not hearing about horrific problems in Tennessee because the government of Tennessee cooperates with the federal government.” – David [13:37]
• “Leftist protesters always seem to believe that their First Amendment rights trump the rights of other people’s First Amendment protections.” – Mollie [16:48]
• “I have no problem saying that I am happier with [Trump] as president than I've ever been of any president in my lifetime.” – David [22:07]
• “You need to be able to call someone evil. You need to be able to call what is wrong, wrong. What is truth, truth.” – Mollie [28:11]
• “He's threatening the Danes and others with all kinds of massive tariffs if they don't go along with this... you're just pushing these people towards China. It is not worth it. It's backfiring in a way.” – Mollie [34:22]
• “If you agree with me on 7 out of 10 things, vote for me. If you agree with me on 10 out of 10 things, seek psychiatric help.” – David, paraphrasing Ed Koch [21:22]
• “I'm going to gossip about this person and really hurt their reputation... and Trump is definitely more just like, ‘I'm going to say out loud that I don't like that person.’” – David [23:38]

Segment Timestamps — For Easy Navigation

• Spanberger’s Policy Pivot & Media Enabling: 00:00–07:28
• Immigration & Law Enforcement: 07:28–13:37
• Religious Rights Incident & Protest Culture: 13:37–18:26
• Trump & Political Discourse: 18:26–29:55
• Greenland & Foreign Policy: 29:55–38:54
• Political Memoirs & Democratic Vetting: 38:54–48:16
• Culture Segment (Film & TV): 48:16–58:08

Tone and Language

Consistent with the hosts’ style—wry, skeptical, and frequently irreverent. The conversation incorporates humor and cultural references, even when discussing heavy political topics, and maintains a sharp-tongued, debate-oriented attitude throughout.

In summary:
This episode is a comprehensive critique of the Democratic Party’s shift away from the center, as epitomized by Governor Spanberger’s Virginia administration, layered with broader reflections on immigration, the media, modern political culture, and the cultural products shaping the American psyche. The hosts draw connections between daily political drama and deeper currents in law, society, and values, finishing with a dose of pop culture commentary to round off a densely-packed hour.