Podcast Summary: "Adelson Owns Trump" – Part Of The Problem

Host: Dave Smith (w/ Robbie "The Fire" Bernstein)
Date: January 21, 2026
Podcast Network: GaS Digital Network

Overview

In this episode, Dave Smith and co-host Robbie Bernstein unpack the state of American politics, focusing specifically on the relationship between Israeli advocates, U.S. political influence, the shifting censorship landscape, and the consequences of foreign and corporate money in American government. The episode highlights a series of recent viral incidents involving alleged censorship and government overreach (especially concerning criticism of Israel), explicit acknowledgements of political influence by pro-Israel figures, and the broader implications for freedom of speech and the future of U.S. policy.

The discussion is sharp, irreverent, and infused with the show's trademark libertarian critique, touching on establishment power, media, and the incentives fueling political corruption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Collapse of Government Propaganda and Loss of Narrative Control

• [02:00] Dave Smith describes the current era as historically unique, with the government’s “propaganda apparatus essentially shattered.”

  • There’s no single source of consensus—neither the traditional press nor official science—and “the consensus is almost ours, like the podcast scene’s consensus.”
  • Quote [03:30] (Dave): “It kind of feels like you're in one of those cartoons, where a character runs off a cliff but doesn’t fall until they look down. We're about to look down.”

• [05:30] Policy vs. Narrative: While anti-war and anti-establishment narratives dominate online, government policy has grown more repressive—more hawkish stances, especially regarding Israel and dissent.

2. Censorship, the State, and the Erosion of Free Speech

• [04:45] Dave highlights a disturbing new trend: police showing up at people’s doors in the U.S. over critical tweets about Israel. In the UK, 12,000 arrests have been made this year for social media posts.

  • Smith cautions against dystopian exaggeration, but sees expanded censorship and “hate speech” policing as imminent, particularly tied to criticism of Israel.
  • Quote [05:20] (Dave): “They came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and they're all out of bubblegum. The state is all out of propaganda. The only thing they have left is kicking ass.”

• [06:46] Robbie observes that the “only likable thing” about Trump was supposed to be better censorship climate, a promise that’s been totally broken.

  • COVID-era especially bad for censorship; the only current exception is Twitter/X.

3. Media & Social Platforms: Attempts to Regain Influence

• [09:54] Dave and Robbie discuss the major players (like Larry Ellison buying TikTok, CBS News with Barry Weiss) trying to shore up pro-establishment and pro-Israel narrative control. These efforts consistently fail to find an audience.
  • Quote [10:41] (Dave): “You’re spending all this money for the name, CBS, that no one trusts or gives a shit about... You might as well spend hundreds of millions buying shit soda.”

4. Crackdown on Dissent: Case Studies and Staggering Overreach

• [14:28] Clip: Pam Bondi (former Attorney General) brags about getting a student expelled from FSU for throwing a phone at a man wearing an IDF shirt.

  • The incident is used as a virtue-signal to pro-Israel donors and as a warning of the administration’s zero-tolerance stance on “antisemitism,” even when the facts are murky.
  • Quote [15:47] (Dave): “For the Attorney General of the United States of America, why are you even involved in this? Why are we cheering; is it so obvious it’s a good thing this kid’s life got fucked up because she got kicked out of her school?”
  • Quote [17:15] (Dave): “Don’t say, you can't say he's wearing an IDF shirt and then say she attacked him just for being Jewish... Those are different fucking things. If she just attacked someone for being Jewish, why the one with the IDF shirt and not the one without?”

• [21:12] Robbie mocks the incident: “I just love a lady getting up in front of a room of Jews and going, hey, if you guys keep tattletelling, this administration has your back. And them applauding...”

5. ADL Surveillance & Open Coordination with Law Enforcement

• [28:55] Clip: Jonathan Greenblatt (ADL head) details their real-time monitoring of “extremists”—including anti-war activists, leftists, and pro-Palestine groups—across all platforms. He admits to direct collaboration with the FBI, sharing intelligence that leads to prosecutions.

  • Quote [30:24] (Greenblatt): “We monitor them online... We share the intelligence with the FBI... We train 20,000 officers every year.”

• [32:10] Robbie notes: “Just the idea that a Jewish group is telling you, ‘We don’t control anything, but we do have direct communication with the FBI...’ I don’t know, kind of sounds like you got some premium access there...”

• **[32:59] Dave calls it “very creepy,” identifying the ADL as “so loose with terms” and notes that merely criticizing Israel is now grounds for labeling someone an extremist.

6. Buying Political Influence: Miriam Adelson and Pro-Israel Advocates

• [36:30] Clip: At a public pro-Israel event, panelists—including Miriam Adelson—explicitly describe how political access and influence are purchased.

  • Notable Quote [39:33] (Panelist): “Those that give more have more access, and those that give less have less access. Just simple math.”

• [40:49] Dave: “...if you're a plumber, Miriam Adelson can give [the politician] a few hundred million dollars. What can you give him?...You're a foreign spy, that's essentially what you're telling us.”

  • Both hosts point out the difference between domestic lobbying and foreign interests essentially shaping U.S. policy via campaign spending.

• [44:50] Adelson (paraphrased): When asked what influences politicians besides money, pleads the “fifth,” quipping: “But money works!”

• Robbie, darkly joking [44:56]: “She goes, ‘We have Jeffrey Epstein, gets them to rape children...’ She wasn’t going to say that part out loud.”

7. Sam Harris, Immigration, and the “Jewish Conspiracy” Charge

• [45:56] Clip: Sam Harris derides “the Jewish hand in immigration” as an anti-Semitic conspiracy, only for a fellow panelist to admit on the same program that Jewish organizations strongly supported and benefited from open immigration.

  • Dave elaborates [47:18]: “...open immigration has been a disaster for America… yet if you're advocating for that... you’re kind of caught with your pants down now that everybody realizes it was a big, huge mistake.”

• [51:03] Dave: “If that's the case, then I just don't see how the next thing you wouldn't say is, like, ‘so I understand why we take a lot of heat for that.’...Isn't it kind of obvious why that would get some people to go, ‘Oh, that was kind of fucked up’?”

  • He stresses the need for honest conversations about the results of mass immigration, without scapegoating an entire group.

• [55:46] Robbie: “Even the Holocaust Jews, I don't think they were looking to go back... There’s a middle ground between, ‘You can live here forever’ and ‘You can ride out this wave, but you can't stay’.”

• **[56:39] Dave reflects on nature vs. nurture and the difficulty of “undoing” mass migration policies—emphasizing that both genetics and environment matter, and that true assimilation fails when immigration numbers are too large for integration.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [05:20] (Dave):
  “They came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and they're all out of bubblegum. The state is all out of propaganda. The only thing they have left is kicking ass.”

• [15:47] (Dave):
  “For the Attorney General of the United States of America, why are you even involved in this? Is it so obvious it's a good thing this kid's life got fucked up because she got kicked out of her school?”

• [21:12] (Robbie):
  “Hey, if you guys keep tattletelling, this administration has your back... Them applauding... such a wild escalation.”

• [28:55] (Greenblatt/ADL):
  “We have a whole apparatus... monitoring extremists... We share the intelligence with the FBI... We train 20,000 officers every year.”

• [39:33] (Pro-Israel Panelist):
  “Those that give more have more access, and those that give less have less access. Just simple math.”

• [40:49] (Dave):
  “...you're a foreign spy, that's essentially what you're telling us. I'm a foreign spy who’s here to influence your government. What else can you say?”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:00] – The government's lost its consensus/narrative power
• [04:45] – Cops knocking on doors for tweets critical of Israel; censorship trends
• [06:46] – Trump’s failures on free speech; tech platform dynamics
• [09:54] – Ellison/TikTok & CBS/Barry Weiss: attempts to control discourse
• [14:28] – Pam Bondi’s incident: government overreach for pro-Israel causes
• [28:55] – Jonathan Greenblatt (ADL) on monitoring dissenters & FBI coordination
• [36:30] – Miriam Adelson/pro-Israel lobby: openly describing pay-for-access politics
• [45:56] – Sam Harris, immigration, and Jewish advocacy: conspiracy theory or reality?
• [51:03] – Dave on honest discussions about immigration, policy backlash
• [55:46] – Robbie & Dave: on immigration, mass migration, and the limits of assimilation

Overall Tone and Takeaways

The episode is a blistering libertarian critique of the state—funny, caustic, and frequently profane. The hosts skewer the bipartisan war machine, highlight with concern the West’s ongoing slide into censorship (especially tied to criticism of Israel), and mock the naked transactional nature of U.S. politics, as demonstrated by open admissions in elite pro-Israel circles.

The show’s tone balances alarm over genuine threats to free speech and civil liberties with a dark, sardonic wit. Listeners are reminded of the urgent need for honesty in public discourse, skepticism towards entrenched power, and the perils of unaccountable influence—foreign or domestic—over American policy.