Trump Hosts Starmer & Hollywood’s Woke Reversal | 2.28.25

Summary

Morning Wire: Trump Hosts Starmer & Hollywood’s Woke Reversal | February 28, 2025

Hosted by John Bickley and Georgia Howe, Morning Wire delivers in-depth analysis on the latest developments in politics, culture, education, sports, and more. In the February 28, 2025 episode, the hosts delve into President Trump's strategic meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the escalating recall efforts against California Governor Gavin Newsom amidst wildfire crises, and a significant shift in Hollywood's cultural landscape.

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1. President Trump's Oval Office Meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer

[00:03 - 03:38]

The episode begins with President Trump hosting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office to discuss peace in Ukraine. John Bickley introduces the significance of this meeting, highlighting it as a "moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal" (00:03).

Key Discussions:

• Ukraine Peace Deal: Prime Minister Starmer expresses concerns about a ceasefire without safeguards, stating, “my concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give Putin the opportunity to wait and to come again” (01:47).

• Trump’s Security Guarantee: Trump counters by introducing a minerals deal with President Zelensky, which he claims will serve as a "de facto security guarantee" (01:47). Zelensky emphasizes the significance of the agreement, stating, “we’re going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides because it’s really going to get us into that country” (02:05).

• Defense Spending and Tariffs: Trump urges NATO members to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, while Starmer commits to raising the UK’s defense budget to 2.5% by 2027 and 3% by 2025 (02:24). Additionally, discussions on tariffs reveal Trump’s intent to impose reciprocal tariffs effective April 2nd, contingent on the UK and others reducing their own tariffs (03:13).

Notable Quote: Starmer acknowledges Trump's role in the peace process, saying, “Trump was the only reason peace in Ukraine was possible and offering him an invitation from King Charles” (02:58).

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2. Escalating Tariffs on Mexico and Canada

[03:38 - 05:27]

The conversation transitions to Trump's recent announcements regarding tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods. Initially pausing the 25% tariffs after Mexico and Canada tightened their border controls, Trump has now reinstated these tariffs, citing continued illegal drug influxes.

Highlights:

• Tariff Enforcement: Trump declares, “drugs are still pouring into our country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” reaffirming the implementation of tariffs on March 4th unless significant border control improvements are made (03:45).

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3. Jeffrey Epstein Document Release Controversy

[04:19 - 05:36]

John Bickley shifts focus to the ongoing saga surrounding the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the release of heavily redacted documents, which largely reiterated publicly available information. Bondi criticizes the FBI for withholding thousands of pages, demanding full disclosure by 8:00 AM the following day.

Key Points:

• Redacted Releases: Initial document releases lacked new information, sparking frustration.

• Demand for Transparency: Bondi accuses the FBI of “intentionally hiding thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein” and insists on complete access to all materials, including audio and video recordings (04:28 - 05:27).

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4. Recall Efforts Against Governor Gavin Newsom Amid Wildfire Crisis

[05:36 - 08:03]

The episode addresses the intensifying recall efforts against California Governor Gavin Newsom due to his administration's handling of recent wildfires.

Details:

• Recall Initiative: A bipartisan group, Saving California, officially served recall papers against Newsom, fueled by frustration over wildfire management. Mel Gibson publicly criticizes both Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass for “gross mismanagement and failure to preemptively deal with what they knew was coming” (06:22).

• Political Climate: With ten California counties flipping from Biden to Trump in 2024, there is a shifting political landscape suggesting broader voter dissatisfaction (07:11).

• Support from Saving California: Randy Economy, chairman of Saving California, emphasizes the group’s diverse support base and the critical need to hold state officials accountable (07:39).

Notable Quote: Cabot Phillips asserts, “Saving California vote to make sure that we can have the ability to fire him before he spends another two years in office” (07:50).

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5. Hollywood’s Shift from Wokeness to Patriotic Themes

[10:02 - 14:49]

A significant portion of the episode explores Hollywood's pivot away from progressive narratives towards more patriotic and inclusive content, aiming to reclaim viewership.

Highlights:

• Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy: The departure of Kathleen Kennedy from Lucasfilm is cited as a response to fan dissatisfaction with the franchise's direction, particularly regarding character development and perceived feminist overtones (10:26).

• Cultural Pushback: A South Park clip humorously mocks the industry's attempts at inclusivity, indicating widespread audience resistance (11:08 - 11:16).

• Patriotic Messaging: A surge in patriotic themes is evident, with actors like Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford featuring in Super Bowl ads emphasizing freedom and military honor (11:48).

• Corporate Realignments: Studios are reducing their focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Figures like Netflix’s Ted Sarandos have shown overt support for Trump, signaling a strategic cultural realignment (12:03).

• Content Adjustments: Disney’s removal of a transgender storyline from Pixar's "Win or Lose" series and orchestrated apologies from stars like Rachel Zegler reflect an industry-wide retreat from controversial social topics (13:05).

• Box Office Impact: The shift in content strategy coincides with a decline in box office revenues, with 2024's total at $8.7 billion compared to $12 billion in 2018, not accounting for inflation (14:08).

Notable Quote: Paramount’s recent statement to the New York Times underscores the new direction: “Our focus is now on all audience, flat out entertaining films” (13:05).

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6. Conclusion and Industry Outlook

[14:39 - End]

John Bickley wraps up the episode by highlighting the necessity for Hollywood to produce content that appeals across the political spectrum to revive box office numbers and restore pre-pandemic industry strength. Georgia Howe shares a commercial anecdote, reinforcing the interconnectedness of consumer behavior and political alignment.

Final Thoughts:

• Audience Engagement: Engaging with diverse audiences remains crucial for Hollywood’s recovery.

• Market Adaptation: The industry must adapt to changing viewer preferences and political climates to regain its former economic vitality (14:39 - 14:45).

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Morning Wire continues to provide comprehensive coverage and insightful analysis on pivotal issues shaping the national discourse. Stay informed with the facts presented by John Bickley and Georgia Howe.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

Trump hosts the British prime minister for an Oval Office meeting centering on peace in Ukraine. You've created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal. I'm Daily Wire editor in Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, February 28th, and this is MORNING Wire. A recall effort against California Governor Gavin Newsom gains momentum as the fallout from the wildfires grows.

[Cabot Phillips]

Governor Newsom and Karen Bass let us all down.

[Georgia Howe]

And struggling Hollywood is dialing back the wokeness in an effort to win back viewers.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING Wires. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

[Megan Basham]

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[Georgia Howe]

President Trump vowed Thursday to push ahead with tariffs on Mexico, Canada and European nations as he hosted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the latest. Hey, Cabot. So Trump hosted French President Macron Monday, as we discussed, and now it's time for Britain's leader. What was the focus of their visit?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, the heart of things focused on Ukraine. Speaking ahead of their Thursday meeting, Starmer said, quote, my concern is if there is a ceasefire without a backstop, it will simply give Putin the opportunity to wait and to come again. For his part, Trump says that this new minerals deal with Zelensky will serve as a de facto security guarantee. Here he is during Thursday's meeting.

[Megan Basham]

President Zelensky is coming to see me on Friday, Friday morning, and we're going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides because it's really going to get us into that country.

[Cabot Phillips]

We'll be working there.

[Megan Basham]

We'll have a lot of people working there. That's a backstop, you could say. I don't think anybody's going to play around if we're there with a lot of workers.

[Cabot Phillips]

More broadly, Trump argues that if Europe is worried about Ukrainian security, then they need to step up their own defense spending he's called for NATO members to raise defense spending to 5% of their GDP. Starmer responded this week by announcing they'd be increasing their spending to 2.5% of their GDP by 2027 and then 3% by 2025. And while Starmer has made clear in the past he's not a big fan of Trump, he. He turned on the charm Thursday, saying Trump was the only reason peace in Ukraine was possible and offering him an invitation from King Charles. Have a listen.

[John Bickley]

This is a letter from His Majesty the King. It's an invitation for a second state visit. This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented. I think that just symbolizes the strength.

[Cabot Phillips]

Of the relationship between us. The two also reportedly discussed tariffs. Starmer, like the rest of the world, is looking to avoid Trump's threat of tariffs. But the president said he's not going to budge unless the UK and others lower their own tariffs. He said Thursday that reciprocal tariffs will officially go into effect on April 2nd. Remember, that policy will create customized tariffs for each country we trade with based on the rate they charge us.

[John Bickley]

Now, on the topic of tariffs, the president also made some news regarding Mexico and Canada yesterday. What's the latest there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. At the start of the month, Trump announced Those plans for 25% tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican goods. Within days, though, he paused those tariffs after each country vowed to lock down their borders. But evidently they did not do enough. Since then, writing on Truth Social, Trump said, quote, drugs are still pouring into our country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA and therefore, until it stops or is seriously limited, the proposed tariffs scheduled to go into effect on March 4th will indeed go into effect as scheduled.

[John Bickley]

Here we go. Now, before we go, there have been a lot of rumblings regarding the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Tell us about the latest on that.

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, a strange saga playing out. So, earlier this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that a large batch of Epstein files would be released Thursday afternoon. But ultimately, all that really was released were heavily redacted documents containing information that was already overwhelmingly available to the public. And now Bondi saying the reason they're not releasing more is because the FBI is withholding thousands of pages worth of documents. She wrote a really remarkable letter to FBI Director Cash Patel on Thursday, saying that a whistleblower in the FBI had alerted her that federal investigators in New York had not handed over everything they had on Epstein and were intentionally hiding, quote, thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein. Bondi demanded that, quote, by 8:00am tomorrow, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings and materials. Long list related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained.

[John Bickley]

And also the plot thickens and the anticipation builds.

[Megan Basham]

Right?

[John Bickley]

Definitely follow up. Kevin, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Anytime.

[John Bickley]

The handling of the recent wildfires that devastated much of the Southern California coast is calling into question the leadership of the state's elected officials. The governor faces another serious recall effort, and many are calling for the mayor to step down.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire contributor Micah Parker has the story. So, Micah, the fallout continues politically in your state. First, what's the status of this new recall effort against Newsom?

[Megan Basham]

Hey, Georgia. So, yeah, in battle. Governor Gavin Newsom was officially served recall papers a few weeks ago by a bipartisan group called Saving California. Amid mounting frustration over the wildfire crisis, the group pushing for the recall held a press conference Wednesday where Hollywood heavyweight Mel Gibson actually showed up. Here he is harshly criticizing the governor and LA Mayor Karen Bass.

[Cabot Phillips]

We deserve much more and much better. And there is absolutely no adequate excuse the governor or mayor can make for this gross mismanagement and failure to preemptively deal with what they knew was coming.

[John Bickley]

Was it incompetence?

[Cabot Phillips]

Was it indifference?

[John Bickley]

Complacency?

[Cabot Phillips]

Carelessness?

[Megan Basham]

Was it negligence? Absolutely. Now, Gibson's involvement adds national attention to this recall effort, and it's going to be interesting to see if other Hollywood figures follow. Adding to Newsom's criticism, Chevron also just announced it's moving its headquarters to Texas after 140 years. Saudi California's hostile business climate. So that's another wrench to throw in the governor's troubled tenure.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, this isn't the first recall effort attempted against Newsom. Is there any reason to think that this one is going to succeed where others haven't?

[Megan Basham]

Well, in short, yes. That was four years ago. And politically speaking, the landscape in California and across the whole country has shifted. Consider this. Ten California counties that voted for Biden in 2020 flipped to Trump in 2024. That's a massive swing. Even if it wasn't enough to flip the state entirely, it signals a broader trend, one where voters, even in historically liberal regions are looking for change. I spoke with Randy Economy, chairman of Saving California. That's the group behind the recall. Here's what he had to say.

[Cabot Phillips]

California is in a crisis right now, and we are very blessed that we have the ability to hold our state constitutional officers accountable by pulling what is known as the recall trigger.

[Micah Parker]

We have gotten to the last resort with this politician.

[Megan Basham]

So that's why we're Deciding to create.

[Cabot Phillips]

SavingCalifornia vote to make sure that we can have the ability to fire him before he spends another two years in office.

[Megan Basham]

So does this recall stand a real chance? Maybe. If California's political shift continues, and that's a big if, then Newsom's once unshakable grip on the state may finally be slipping.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, some pretty fierce criticism. Has Newsom responded publicly?

[Megan Basham]

Well, his office dismissed it as another far right stunt, releasing this statement following Wednesday's press conference. Quote, the same group of far right MAGA acolytes have launched seven different recall attempts against the governor since he's taken office, each of which have failed spectacularly. But listeners should keep in mind Saving California isn't some fringe group. It includes Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who feel abandoned by Newsom's leadership.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, this isn't just a referendum on Newsom, though, particularly with regard to the wildfires. It sounds like this group is also targeting Mayor Bass.

[Megan Basham]

No, that's absolutely right. In fact, Mayor Bass is also facing pressure to resign and facing a possible recall effort herself if she doesn't. She's facing criticism over the recent firing of LAFD Fire Chief Kristen Crowley. Crowley spoke out about budget cuts and lack of support from city leadership, and many see this as retribution. Also, in another bizarre move, Bass did an interview with Fox 11 where she tried to deflect blame for lack of preparation and her questionable trip to Ghana, claiming she received no warnings about the fire danger from Chief Crowley and calling for an investigation into why she was allowed to go to Ghana in the first place. Here's that audio.

[John Bickley]

When I talked about it with the fire chief, what she said is that.

[Megan Basham]

We have warnings of Santa Ana winds a lot, but predicting this, that level of preparation really didn't happen.

[John Bickley]

So it didn't reach that level to me to say something terrible could happen.

[Megan Basham]

And maybe you shouldn't have gone on a trip. Why didn't I? But to me, I don't know.

[Georgia Howe]

So it sounds like a lot of finger pointing, which is never a good sign. Micah, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Of course.

[John Bickley]

As we enter after Academy Awards weekend, Hollywood is showing some signs of tacking to the right, embracing patriotism and stripping out divisive politics.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham is here now with some analysis. So, Megan, a great example of this trend is the departure of Kathleen Kennedy from Lucasfilm. For listeners who don't Follow Star wars closely. What's the significance of that move?

[Micah Parker]

Well, you know, Kennedy took over the franchise in 2012, and despite a few successful products like the Mandalorian, she very prominently embraced the girl power model. And meanwhile, the iconic characters that fans love, like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, they were kind of deconstructed. In fact, you could even argue that Luke's character was so subverted that he actually became a bad guy. And so a lot of fans objected to this new sort of feminist bent of Star wars and also the Indiana Jones franchise. And ultimately the trend became a cultural punchline, which I think was pretty well captured in an infamous south park clip. We were just discussing ideas of what to do with the new Prince Eric movie.

[John Bickley]

Put a chicken in, make her gay.

[Cabot Phillips]

Maybe we should go a different route than we did with Indiana Jones.

[Megan Basham]

Indiana Jones, put a chicken in, make.

[John Bickley]

Her, name it gay.

[Megan Basham]

Sure, yeah. Let's try that again.

[Micah Parker]

Bottom line, with each new Star wars film and series, you saw the fan base diminish.

[Georgia Howe]

And do you think this is part of a larger shift in Hollywood?

[Micah Parker]

Well, there's definitely signs of that. So multiple A list actors, including Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford, appeared unmistakably patriotic. Super bowl ads this year. Really interesting that Ford made a pointed comment about pride in his gpad, which was all about freedom and honored military members. Take a listen here.

[Megan Basham]

There are real heroes in the world.

[John Bickley]

But not the ones in the movies.

[Megan Basham]

Real heroes are humble. They're not driven by pride.

[John Bickley]

Pride was a terrible driver.

[Micah Parker]

And keep in mind that every word of these ads is carefully considered. And then, just like the rest of corporate America, a lot of studios have quietly laid off their DEI executives. And just like the big tech execs, some entertainment bigwigs have been making nice with Trump. Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, for instance, made the pilgrimage to Mar a Lago after the election. And I would say that things have been pretty muted, politically speaking, this award season. We simply have not seen the acceptance speeches condemning Trump or pushing politics in the ways that typically characterize these ceremonies. In fact, when Trump announced that he'd named Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as his new Hollywood ambassadors to bring back the golden age of the industry. I expected joking and criticism, and there really wasn't even any of that. And then there's the new messaging coming from the studios. Paramount told the New York Times recently that their focus is now on all audience, flat out entertaining films. And that's similar to what we've heard from Disney chief Bob Iger this is what he told CNBC in April.

[Megan Basham]

The bottom line is that infusing messaging.

[John Bickley]

As sort of a number one priority in our films and TV shows is not what we're up to. They need to be entertaining.

[Micah Parker]

And he made good on that. Just recently, Disney removed a transgender storyline from Pixar's new streaming series Win or Lose. And after the election, Snow White star Rachel Zegler apologized for posting that she hopes Trump supporters never know peace and report. Reportedly Disney publicists were a part of orchestrating that apology. So a lot of evidence that the political winds are changing, but I would say that 2020 to 2023, those years when the political fracturing was at its most extreme, they allowed a new competition to gain a foothold. We've seen more conservative leaning audiences have gotten used to looking for entertainment in more niche ways, and fledgling entertainment companies that cater to them, like Angel Studios and the Daily Wire, which produces this podcast, have had some really big successes.

[Georgia Howe]

So how are the numbers these days at the box offices?

[Micah Parker]

Well, you will still see the big tentpole successes with movies like Wicked or Deadpool and Wolverine, but overall box office is still way down from where the industry was before the pandemic. 2024's total was 8.7 billion compared to 2018, which was 12 billion. And that's not adjusting for inflation, which makes those numbers even worse. So we do need to see a lot more movies that draw audiences of political stripes if we hope to return to that pre pandemic strength.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, good to remember Michael Jordan's advice. Republicans buy sneakers. And of course, movie tickets too.

[Micah Parker]

That's right.

[Georgia Howe]

Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Micah Parker]

Anytime.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. And if you enjoyed what you heard this morning, share this episode with a friend.