Pablo Torre Finds Out

Episode: “Donald Trump’s Secret Weapon Is a Quarterback”

Date: November 7, 2023
Host: Pablo Torre
Correspondent/Guest: Devin Gordon
Special Interview Subject: Johnny McEntee

Overview

In this episode, Pablo Torre investigates how Johnny McEntee—once only known as a viral trick-shot quarterback at UConn—became one of Donald Trump’s closest aides and ultimately an instrumental figure in Trump’s inner circle, wielding outsized influence despite being little known to the public. Torre and journalist Devin Gordon break down McEntee's unlikely rise from internet notoriety to the ultimate “body man” for the President, then to headhunter for the administration, and now, curiously, to CEO of a conservative dating app. Along the way, the episode reveals striking dynamics in Trump’s world and how McEntee’s story embodies an American fable about luck, loyalty, virality—and unsettling competence in navigating a chaotic political era.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Big Picture: Why Johnny McEntee?

• The episode opens amid Trump’s New York civil fraud trial—a “legitimately unprecedented political moment” ([01:29]), with Torre flagging the outsized role of Johnny McEntee for Trump’s possible return.
• “Project 2025”—the group preparing for a new Trump administration—refers to McEntee as its “secret weapon.” ([04:45])
• McEntee’s arc is framed as uniquely emblematic of modern American politics and the Trump era: a random viral star turned power broker.

2. The Trick Shot Origin Story

• McEntee’s viral trick shot video at UConn (2011) predates “Dude Perfect” and others.
• The idea originated as a spoof of a women’s basketball trick shot video:
  • “One of my buddies… said, you need to do a football version of this.” – Johnny McEntee ([08:44])
• The video racks up ~7 million YouTube views—a huge number for its time.

3. Personality and All-American Vibes

• Journalist Devin Gordon describes McEntee as “sumptuous, sculpted… apparatchik Ken… instantly likable.” ([06:19]-[07:11])
• McEntee’s background: affluent Orange County, CA, conservative, star QB at Servite High, but never a serious NFL prospect.

4. Viral Fame to Political Ambition

• As his football career ended, McEntee became interested in politics during the 2012 Romney-Obama race.
  • “I met a guy at church that worked at Fox and I was like… I need to get in there.” – Johnny McEntee ([12:36])
• Lands an entry-level Fox News digital job, where Trump’s 2015 escalator campaign launch instantly inspired him.
  • “I thought he had a great chance and I knew I wanted to work for him.” – Johnny McEntee ([13:30])

5. Infiltrating the Trump Campaign

• McEntee relentlessly emailed the Trump campaign until hired as a volunteer.
  • “Every day I would… email the Trump for president campaign. Got no response. Two weeks in, I say, you know, does this place have anyone to check emails? I’ll do it for free.” – Johnny McEntee ([14:42])
• Started at the bottom as a “gopher,” later traveling daily with Trump ([16:51])
  • “He probably thought I looked the part of what an aide should look like.” – Johnny McEntee ([17:05])
• Embraces Trump’s “central casting” mentality; McEntee’s looks and demeanor made him a favored figure.

6. The Role of “Body Man” and Building Influence

• Proximity to Trump: McEntee becomes Trump’s “body man,” his constant companion, trusted even with things like ordering Trump’s KFC or forging (as a prank) his signature ([21:12]-[23:28])
  • “He literally walked Trump up the stairs to the White House private quarters at night.” – Devin Gordon ([21:47])
• Adopts the mantra: “Whales that surface get harpooned.” – Keith Schiller via McEntee ([24:50])
  • “I think the loudest people in politics are doing the least.” – Johnny McEntee ([24:54])

7. Chaos in the Trump White House: Purges and Promotions

• John Kelly’s arrival as Chief of Staff creates new friction; McEntee gets flagged and is fired over “gambling and taxes” (in reality, suspicious winnings from blackjack).
  • “I was probably being a little careless…” – Johnny McEntee ([28:53])
• Trump immediately brings McEntee back—shows McEntee’s extraordinary loyalty and value to Trump ([29:31])
• Promoted to Director of the Presidential Personnel Office, responsible for hiring key federal positions—even as he’d never hired anyone before ([30:50]-[32:51])

8. Loyalty > Competence: Trump’s Hiring Philosophy

• McEntee’s hiring rationale: “You can learn policy, you can’t learn loyalty.” ([33:27])
• Only “mission-aligned” hires matter, not necessarily experienced ones.

9. Media Infamy and January 6th

• Political press refers to McEntee as “Trump’s enforcer,” even “shadow president” and “the architect of January 6th.”
• McEntee dismisses comparisons to the Gestapo/Stasi:
  • “It doesn’t bother me at all… I think the more over the target you are, the more incoming you get.” ([35:46])
• On Jan 6th, McEntee claims he was out getting dry cleaning, downplays the insurrection:
  • “I don’t know if I’d call them anything other than curious, enthusiastic people that took things too far…” – Johnny McEntee ([36:32])

10. Post-White House: Right Wing Matchmaking

• Now CEO of The Right Stuff—a conservative dating app to “put everyone in one place.”
  • “Everything I’m doing, I’m trying to help the conservative movement…” – Johnny McEntee ([39:44])
  • Entrance questionnaire includes prompts like “January 6th was ___” and “Favorite liberal lie” ([41:06])

11. The Future: Project 2025 and Beyond

• McEntee involved in Project 2025, gathering names to staff a potential new Trump administration ([42:57])
  • “The secret weapon also happens to be the guy whose main hustle now is running a right wing dating app and seeing Moulin Rouge on the 48th of 50 first dates…” – Devin Gordon ([43:47])
• Torre and Gordon debate whether McEntee could have an even larger role—or be a future candidate himself.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On McEntee’s ascent:
  • “The greatest trick that Johnny Mac ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” – Pablo Torre ([46:31])
• On “body man” duties:
  • “He would walk Trump up the stairs to the White House private quarters at night. So…he was the last person to see Donald Trump every night.” – Devin Gordon ([21:47])
• On loyalty:
  • “You can learn policy, you can’t learn loyalty.” – Andrew Kloster (quoted by Gordon) ([33:27])
• On January 6th:
  • “They were walking through the rope and stanchion. So I don’t know if I would call them anything other than curious, enthusiastic people that took things too far…” – Johnny McEntee ([36:32])
• On the White House job:
  • “Working at the White House is exactly like the movies.” – Johnny McEntee ([45:03])
  • “He’s literally asking, what can my country do for me?” – Pablo Torre ([46:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:51]: News on Trump taking the stand; context for episode’s urgency
• [02:50]: Reveal that McEntee is Trump world’s “secret weapon”
• [08:20]: The origin of McEntee’s trick shot video
• [12:36]: McEntee initiates his political journey via Fox News
• [13:30]: McEntee explains why Trump’s campaign launch inspired him
• [14:42]: McEntee’s persistent effort to join Trump’s campaign
• [21:12]: Description of the “body man” job
• [23:28]: McEntee forges Trump’s signature as a prank
• [24:50]: “Whales that surface get harpooned.”
• [28:53]: Story behind McEntee’s White House firing
• [30:50]: Return as Director of Presidential Personnel
• [33:27]: “You can learn policy, you can’t learn loyalty.”
• [36:32]: McEntee’s account of Jan 6
• [39:44]: Transition to running a dating app
• [41:06]: Right Stuff app questionnaire and ideology screening
• [42:57]: McEntee’s role in Project 2025
• [45:03]: McEntee on the glamour of the White House
• [46:31]: Torre’s final reflection—McEntee’s “greatest trick”

Tone & Takeaways

• The episode mixes irreverence with clear unease. Torre and Gordon dissect how McEntee’s bland likability, insistent pursuit, and media-savvy instincts fit perfectly within Trump’s idiosyncratic court—and signal broader transformations in American politics.
• The story moves from college football stunts to corridors of power, revealing the deep value Trump places on loyalty and “central casting” appearances over expertise or ideology.
• McEntee is portrayed as both a cipher—“the quiet guy who gets things done”—and as the quintessential Trump-world operator: nonplussed, adaptable, deeply loyal, and chameleonic in ambition.
• The American dream, here, is less about service than about proximity, virality, and utility to those in power.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode tells you everything you didn’t know about how a little-known viral video quarterback became a linchpin of the Trump era, why his role is more important than it first appears, and how this phenomenon signals deeper undercurrents in American society and politics. If you want to understand both the charisma and the chilling implications of the “body man”—and why even now, figures like Johnny McEntee may be quietly shaping what happens next—this is essential listening.