"Do You Just HATE Muslims?!" Piers Morgan vs Randy Fine + Mehdi Hasan

Summary

Piers Morgan Uncensored – "Do You Just HATE Muslims?!": Piers Morgan vs. Randy Fine + Mehdi Hasan

Date: February 19, 2026
Episode Overview:
This explosive episode sees Piers Morgan interrogate Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine about his incendiary social media post—“the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one”—which ignited a bipartisan backlash. The episode ventures into Free Speech, Islamophobia, assimilation and minority rights in America, with Fine defending his rhetoric under the banner of cultural preservation. Later, journalist Mehdi Hasan joins to dissect Fine’s bigotry, the Republican Party's trajectory, and pivots to discuss the unfolding Epstein files scandal and the 2026 US political landscape.

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Main Themes & Purpose

• A probing debate on Islamophobia, free speech, and American values following Randy Fine’s controversial remarks.
• Examination of how politicians use social media rhetoric and its societal consequences.
• Analysis of growing polarization within US politics, especially concerning Islam, antisemitism, racial prejudice, and the political “culture wars.”
• Discussion of recent political scandals (Epstein files), US foreign policy, and the future of both parties’ leadership.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Randy Fine’s “Dogs vs Muslims” Post

[00:02–12:33]

• Randy Fine’s Statement: Fine roots his post in responding to a tweet from Nerdeen Kiswani (pro-Palestinian activist), who commented “NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs are unclean…they definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets.” Fine rejects the notion of sacrificing “American culture” and dog ownership to accommodate Muslim preferences, stating, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”

  • Quote [03:27]: “If Muslims want to be in the United States and they want to practice their religion and go to mosque, that's great. But if they make us choose ... the choice is not a difficult one, I think, for me and the overwhelming majority of Americans.” – Randy Fine

• Piers Morgan’s Challenge: Morgan labels Fine’s post as “brazenly bigoted,” challenging him on his lack of clarification and the sweeping nature of the statement.

  • Quote [04:48]: “If only you had phrased yourself exactly how you've just phrased yourself, it wouldn't have caused half the outrage it caused... You simply said dogs against Muslims.” – Piers Morgan

• Political Fallout: Both progressive and conservative figures (Gavin Newsom, AOC, Megyn Kelly) condemn Fine’s post across the political spectrum.

  • [06:05–06:35]: Morgan reads out Megyn Kelly’s rebuke: “What I figured out, you pathetic sweaty man, is when an idiot Muslim says, no dogs in nyc, instead of attacking the person or the policy, you went full bigot. Fuck off.”

• Fine’s Defense of Context: He insists his comments are misconstrued and contextual, referencing global cases (Morocco dog cull, attitudes in Judea/Samaria) to argue his sentiment reflects mainstream American values of assimilation.

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2. Broader Issues: Assimilation, Cultural Values & Double Standards

[07:35–12:33]

• Morgan’s Hypothetical: Morgan asks if Fine would object to a statement: "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Jews is not a difficult one." Fine claims the difference is Jews don’t impose dietary or lifestyle restrictions on others.

  • [07:55]: “Jews are not asking people to give up their dogs... The difference here is ... they are the ones asking us to submit to their faith, and that's not okay.” – Randy Fine

• Assimilation Argument: Fine repeatedly claims immigrants should adapt to American customs rather than expect “America” to adapt.

  • [10:47]: “Moving to America means that you are going to assimilate into America, not that you're going to make a difference.” – Randy Fine

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3. Accusations of Islamophobia and Bigotry

[16:25–20:51]

• Morgan presses: “Do you basically just hate Muslims?”

  • Fine denies, specifying: “Many come to America for freedom and opportunity… But I don’t like those who want to come to our country and fundamentally change it… If you want to come to the United States, you should love this place, share its values and want to be a part of it.” [16:28]

• Citing Radicalism: Fine cites October 7th pro-Hamas rallies and the “call to prayer in Minneapolis” as evidence of “problematic” Muslim integration.

  • [17:29]: “October 7th radicalized me... The examples are too great.”

• Morgan counters: Most Muslims have said nothing of the sort; calls out the risk of tarring 2 billion people for one activist’s tweet.

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4. Mehdi Hasan Responds to Randy Fine & Republican Islamophobia

[21:43–24:00]

• Hasan’s Condemnation: Hasan lambasts Fine’s “nonsense explanation” and contextualizes it as part of a broader pattern of bigotry. He cites Fine’s other inflammatory posts calling Palestinians “evil” and supporting starvation as a weapon.

  • Quote [21:43]: “The man is vile, he's racist, his rhetoric is genocidal ... He says mainstream Islam is pure evil.” – Mehdi Hasan

• Republican Party Critique: Hasan claims Islamophobia is systemic within the GOP, citing other party figures (Brandon Gill, Andy Ogles) making similar statements, and criticizes the party’s silence/complicity.

  • [22:56]: “If Randy Fine said that about any other group, we would be saying that is Nazi rhetoric from the 1930s and 40s.”

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5. Epstein Files Scandal

[25:29–30:45]

• Morgan & Hasan discuss: The scale and cover-up of the Epstein files, including the lack of full disclosure and the staggering number of redactions. They debate the level of media complicity and speculate on powerful names (including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Elon Musk) in the files.

  • Quote [25:29]: “A United nations panel of experts this week, Piers, said this could amount to a crime against humanity ... And yet you have Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, going in front of Congress ... and saying there's no evidence Epstein trafficked anyone.” – Mehdi Hasan

• Media Complicity and Transparency: Emphasis on the need for total transparency and independent investigation.

  • [30:23]: “But it hasn't been a full investigation. But there hasn't been a full investigation.” – Mehdi Hasan

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6. Election 2026: Trump, AOC, and Democratic Prospects

[32:12–37:52]

• AOC’s Taiwan ‘word salad’:

  • Morgan critiques: AOC’s meandering answer about US defending Taiwan, compares her incoherence with Trump’s gaffes.
  • Hasan responds: The criticism is manufactured by right-wing media; Trump has offered less coherent answers, referencing his own gaffes and lack of policy clarity.
    • Quote [33:22]: “What we just heard was not her finest hour ... It wasn't a great moment for her, but the idea that that summed up her presence at Munich is actually what I would question...” – Mehdi Hasan
    • [34:29]: “The Donald Trump sentences make AOC look like the most eloquent woman in history.”

• Trump Derangement vs Denial Syndrome:

  • Morgan accuses: Democrats suffer Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), making Trump stronger with their constant outrage.
    • [38:10]: "One of the reasons Donald Trump got reelected is that you guys have got literally, Trump derangement syndrome. It plays into his hands."
  • Hasan fires back: The real syndrome is Trump Denial Syndrome, with media figures like Morgan downplaying Trump’s racism and authoritarian instincts.
    • [39:21]: “You have TDS, Piers. You have Trump denial syndrome.”

• Racism and Nazi Analogies:

  • Morgan insists it's offensive and ahistorical to call Trump a Nazi, citing the Holocaust. Hasan says Trump and the GOP are increasingly adopting Nazi themes and white supremacist rhetoric.

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7. Democratic Field: Who Can Take on Trump?

[43:07–45:26]

• Hasan’s Picks: Gavin Newsom, AOC (“insanely popular”), and Ro Khanna stand out for their fight and progressive leadership; questions if the next nominee needs to be a “fighter” rather than focused on ideology.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” – Randy Fine [03:27]
• “Do you basically just hate Muslims?” – Piers Morgan [16:25]
• “This is the Republican party of today, Piers. It's a far-right fascistic white supremacist party.” – Mehdi Hasan [21:44]
• “The Donald Trump sentences make AOC look like the most eloquent woman in history. What are you talking about?” – Mehdi Hasan [34:29]
• “One of the reasons Donald Trump got reelected is that you guys have got literally, Trump derangement syndrome.” – Piers Morgan [38:10]
• "You have TDS, Piers. You have Trump denial syndrome." – Mehdi Hasan [39:21]

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• “Dogs vs Muslims” original tweet & fallout: [00:02–12:33]
• Debate on assimilation, cultural identity: [07:35–12:33]
• Is Fine's rhetoric hate? Islamophobia and media reaction: [16:25–20:51]
• Mehdi Hasan’s response, context, and critique: [21:43–24:00]
• Epstein files scandal, investigation, & media breach: [25:29–30:45]
• Trump, AOC, US politics ‘word salads’ and party futures: [32:12–37:52]
• TDS/Trump Denial Syndrome spat: [38:01–41:10]
• Democrats’ prospective leaders: [43:07–45:26]

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Tone and Language

The episode is combative, provocative, and rapid-fire. Morgan alternates between adversarial and skeptical, prodding Fine and then Hasan on their respective blind spots. Fine is unapologetic, defensive, assertively framing his statements as common-sense Americanism. Hasan is passionate, indignant, and rhetorically powerful, pushing for accountability and historical context.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a high-octane primer on America’s deep divides: it captures a viral culture-war moment, the ways politicians (and media) shape national narratives around identity, immigration and faith, and the dangers of sweeping generalizations and inflammatory rhetoric. Randy Fine is held to the fire by Morgan for his anti-Muslim tweet but doubles down, framing his stance as defending American cultural norms against alleged Islamic encroachment. Mehdi Hasan, entering after, situates Fine's rhetoric as part of a wider wave of conservatism veering into hate, identifying systemic issues both within the Republican Party and broader US society, while fiercely debating the boundaries of racism and responsible media criticism. Alongside, the Epstein scandal and US election field provide further evidence of tumult and distrust running through the body politic. The episode pulls no punches: it is raw, challenging, and represents the unfiltered nature of “Uncensored” at its most uncompromising.

Transcript

[Randy Fine]

If I have to choose between having dogs, which are part of the fabric of the United States, and a group of people who want to come here and say, I can't have them, they can go home, Sharia is coming. And I'm simply saying we aren't going to put up with.

[Piers Morgan]

Do you basically just hate Muslims?

[Mehdi Hasan]

This is the Republican Party of today, Pierce, the far right fascistic white supremacist party. Should the US Actually commit US Troops to defend Taiwan? You know, I think that we are moving in all of our positions to avoid that question to even arise. Donald Trump's sentences make AOC look like the most eloquent woman in history.

[Piers Morgan]

One of the reasons Donald Trump got reelected is that you guys have got literally Trump derangement syndrome.

[Mehdi Hasan]

You have TDSP as you have Trump denial syndrome.

[Piers Morgan]

Congressman Randy Fine has become a bete noir for those who believe that Israel has undue influence on American politics. It's not only the fact that he supports Israel, which they don't like, but rather the way that he does it. A post by the congressman on X this week stating that he choose dogs over Muslims drew a ferocious backlash from across the aisle. Gavin Newsom called him a racist slob. Megyn Kelly, the conservative commentator, said he was a pathetic, sweaty bigot. Well, here to justify what he did is Randy Fine, the Republican congressman in Florida. Congressman, welcome back to Uncensored.

[Randy Fine]

Thanks, Piers. Thanks for having me.

[Piers Morgan]

It takes quite something to unite Gavin Newsom and Megyn Kelly. And what it was was what you posted on X. You said, if they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one. To which I responded to you when I read that, you disgusting prick. To which you responded, Piers, what is disgusting is a major New York City Muslim leader saying we must give up our dogs because NYC is coming to Islam. We will not be shamed into being conquered like the Europeans. I choose my dog. Then you said, I know my first appearance on your show didn't go well for you, but if you want to try again, I'm happy to administer another beating, which I'm very, very pleased to see that you've decided to do that again. Me now having recovered from the first one. The comment you were responding to was by someone who'd been on my show a few times, Nurdine Kizwani. She's the co founder of the pro Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime. She wrote this. Finally, NYC is coming to Islam. Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets like we've said all along. They Are unclean, she later clarified. Also clearly trying to weigh in on an issue unaware of the current NYC discourse where we're collectively jokingly hating on dogs, Given all the visible dog shit and the unmelted snow. Laughing my ass off, followed by laughing my ass off at the Zionist frothing at the mouth of this, thinking they're doing something. It's obviously a joke. I don't care if you have a dog. I do care if your dog is shitting everywhere and you're not cleaning it. So she says she made a glib comment which is intended as a joke. I certainly read it that way. But your response, the reason it enraged people so much, was just so brazenly bigoted. You made no attempt to even hide it. The choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one. Explain what possessed you to do that.

[Randy Fine]

Well, thanks, Piers. First, I would sort of clarify what's actually occurred here. That woman made that comment. There was nothing funny. There was nothing sarcastic about it. It said, finally, Islam is coming to New York. Dogs are unclean, and we should not have dogs as indoor pets. No reasonable interpretation could find that funny. Several days later, after millions of people had seen it, she tried to backtrack by saying that it was a joke. And my response was clearly in response to that. And you left out the important part of it. I said, if they force us to choose, I don't want to choose. If Muslims want to be in the United States and they want to practice their religion and go to mosque, that's great. But if they make us choose, as this woman would like us to, between owning a dog and having our neighbors say, you can't have a dog, the choice is not a difficult one, I think, for me and the overwhelming majority of Americans, I think that's simple. I don't know how in this country. That's exactly what I said. And I don't know how in this country we reach the point where not only do we have to let people come here, but we then have to change how we live in order to make them happy. I don't agree with that, and I'm not ashamed of saying it.

[Piers Morgan]

But, you see, if only you had phrased yourself exactly how you've just phrased yourself, it wouldn't have caused half the outrage it caused. Because. Because you qualified by saying Muslims. Muslims who hate. Well, no, you just qualified it by saying something you didn't actually say. You said, muslims, you hate dogs, or whatever. You qualified it actually, what you tweeted, and I'll repeat the whole thing in full if they force us to choose. The choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one. As Alexandra Ocasio Cortez said about what you said, this is genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I've ever seen issued by an American official. It should not stop shocking us that the Republican Party openly embraces this. Fines should be censored and stripped of committees. To ignore this is to accept and normalize it. Gavin Newsom, California Governor said resign now.

[Randy Fine]

You read Gavin Newsom's comment already, Piers, I think you've read it three times now.

[Piers Morgan]

Look, okay, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on one second. Let me just finish my point. Ro Khanna said we must call this what it is, disgusting bigotry. Fine. Must be centered. It's about morality and decency, not politics. But then, crucially, as I said earlier, Megyn Kelly, who is a prominent conservative commentator, I understand. Somebody who would never normally.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Multiple times.

[Piers Morgan]

So hang on, hang on. No, I'm gonna read her whole quote. Somebody who would never normally stand behind any of those three people said, what I figured out, you pathetic sweaty man, is when an idiot Muslim says, no dogs in nyc, instead of attacking the person or the policy, you went full bigot. Fuck off. She said, now that's the truth. It's the way you phrase what you posted gave no equivocation.

[Randy Fine]

Okay, so let me ask you.

[Piers Morgan]

No clarification, no qualification.

[Randy Fine]

Let me ask you.

[Piers Morgan]

You simply said dogs against Muslims.

[Randy Fine]

I know it's your show and I try to be respectful, but I'd like a chance to speak. What you didn't do is in my post, I immediately posted the comment that I was responding to. So the context was there and it was obvious for anyone who wanted to read it, the comments not being made out of the blue. I'd also note, I'm not saying that Muslims or dogs are better than one or the other. I'm saying if you give me the choice where I can only have one, if you're going to tell me I have to change how I live, I choose to tell you to go home. And look, if people are upset about it, that's up to them. But the point is remains true, I don't want to make that choice. And look, these people can lose their minds. AOC can go to Germany.

[Piers Morgan]

So let me ask you this. You know, so let me ask you.

[Randy Fine]

Gibberish.

[Piers Morgan]

All right, so let me ask you this. Okay, let me. Let me ask you a question. What religion do you practice?

[Randy Fine]

I am Jewish and I would Note this. I do not expect to change how they live because I am part of a religious minority. I don't. Fine.

[Piers Morgan]

Fine. Okay. So would you say the same thing if somebody posted. If they forced us to choose? The choice between dogs and Jews is not a difficult one. How would you say.

[Randy Fine]

That's a great question.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Absolutely.

[Randy Fine]

Yes. But the difference here is that Jews are not asking people to give up their dogs. Jews don't eat pork, but we don't tell people that they can't sell it. One of the things that people are learning through all of this is, is this dislike of dogs is not unique. This is a mainstream Islamic view, and I'm not criticizing it. Different religions like different animals. Hindus worship cows. Good for them. Muslims don't like dogs. That's okay. I'm not criticizing that. But they are the ones asking us to submit to their faith, and that's not okay. In the United States of America, there are 57 countries where you can live under Sharia law.

[Piers Morgan]

It's.

[Randy Fine]

It's my job to make sure we don't become number 58.

[Piers Morgan]

Where did anybody say that you had to do this?

[Randy Fine]

Make that post. I think you can make that argument.

[Piers Morgan]

The post doesn't say that.

[Randy Fine]

Where did anyone say you had to do what?

[Piers Morgan]

I'm sorry, where have you got the entire Muslim population of 2 billion people saying that the dogs all have to go? Where have I read that?

[Randy Fine]

Piers. Piers in Morocco, they're shooting 3 million dogs in order to get ready for the World Cup. In Judea and Samaria, a mayor paid $5 a dog for everyone that was hunted down. The videos are out there. This is not. And again, I'm not criticizing it. You're allowed to not like an animal if that's part of your faith. I'm not criticizing that part of it. In your own country, There have been articles and discussions about Muslims not wanting dogs. In certain parts of it. They are allowed to not like dogs. That's fine. But what they're not allowed to do is to come to my country and tell me I can't have one. And this woman is not unique in her views.

[Piers Morgan]

I have not seen any quote. Where did anybody speak to that? Where did anybody. Where did anybody say you couldn't have a dog?

[Randy Fine]

Her tweet specifically says Islam is coming to New York City. Dogs are not clean. They should not be held as indoor pets. I mean, I think it's very clear what she is saying. And again, that is not a unique sentiment from many who share that faith. So I'm Just saying, come here. Live your life. Live in privacy. Hate dogs all you want. That's okay. Just don't tell me that I can't have one. Don't tell my constituents that I can't have one. And again, if I have to choose between having dogs, which are part of the fabric of the United States, so 65% of households have one, and a group of people who wanna come here and say, I can't have them, they can go home. Moving to America means that you are going to assimilate into America, not that you're going to make a difference.

[Piers Morgan]

Just to be clear, Just to be clear, it was one Muslim who says she was joking. And it certainly read like a joke.

[Randy Fine]

No, no, no, no.

[Piers Morgan]

And she didn't talk about.

[Randy Fine]

Two days later.

[Piers Morgan]

Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. She didn't talk about. She didn't talk about you or your dog or anybody else's dog. Right. And yet you decide to respond by branding all 2 billion Muslims as people you would rather not have? If it comes to a choice between dogs and them, yeah.

[Randy Fine]

Well, what I said again is if a group of people says, we want to live in your country, but you can't own a dog, which is, again, what she said.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Who has said that?

[Piers Morgan]

Who said you can't own a dog, by the way?

[Randy Fine]

That 6 million people had seen the comment and lit her up before I said anything. My view on this is not unique. I don't have an outlandish view on this. This is what she said. And I'm simply saying I want people in my country who want to assimilate into my country that don't force it to change. And you should understand this, in your home country, you're having to make accommodations for groups of people. I saw the debate in Parliament over whether cousin marriage should be allowed. If people want to move to the west, they should agree to live by Western standards, not make us change to the ones from where they came. If they want that, they can go home. And I'm not gonna apologize for that. We never thought 25 years after 9 11, we'd be hearing the call to prayer in New York City. But we are now hearing that this is coming. Sharia is coming. And I'm simply saying we aren't going to put up with it.

[Piers Morgan]

But anything that's practiced by Jews in New York City, which has more Jewish people living in it than any place outside of Tel Aviv, that's all fine. It's just.

[Randy Fine]

Anything I am not aware of.

[Piers Morgan]

Muslim state.

[Randy Fine]

No. And by the way, I am not aware of Jews asking non Jews to change how they live. When I was a kid and I went to Passover and I brought matzah because I couldn't eat bread, I didn't expect the school cafeteria to give up bread for the eight days. If I don't want to work on Shabbat, I don't expect other people to do that. As Jews, we understand what it is like to live as a minority in a Christian world and we're okay with it. We, that is America. Other people who come here with their own religions need to make the same choices. They need to respect where they come from, not force that place to submit.

[Piers Morgan]

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[Randy Fine]

Yeah, he campaigned with part of why this woman is so interesting. Woman he campaigned with advises him is the woman that you're speaking in general who is responsible for globalize the intifada, college radicalism and all of these other things. He won't say globalize the intifada is a bad thing. He stood up and he said that America needs to model its immigration policy all off of the way Islam does it. Yet non Muslims can't go to Mecca. I mean it's crazy the sort of things that we're seeing in New York. And yeah, I actually think I've got a real issue with him as mayor. I don't think he was honest to become a citizen. I think he should be denaturalized and deported. And I've said that for a long time.

[Piers Morgan]

Denaturalized and deported. Cuz the Mamdani I've been listening to has been since he was elected mayor, talking in a very inclusive manner about all people who want to live in New York. I've not heard a single jihadi sentiment come out of his mouth. In fact, quite the opposite. He's gone out of his way, for example, to try and mend a lot of the appalling bridges that have gone up between Jews and Muslims because of what's happened in Gaza, for example. That's all I've seen. I'm not seeing a guy.

[Randy Fine]

Are you kidding?

[Piers Morgan]

I'm not seeing every single. What's he done since becoming mad.

[Randy Fine]

Every single person he appoints has the most horrific backgrounds, involvement with care, which has been designated a terrorist organization in Florida and Texas, saying the most horrific things. I'm astounded that you would make that statement. And again saying that he is not going to work with ICE because he wants to follow the, the precepts of Islam which say non Muslims can't go to Mecca. So I don't how you can even make that statement. It's an absurd one.

[Piers Morgan]

Do you basically just hate Muslims?

[Randy Fine]

Not at all. Not in the least. I like radical Muslims. So there are Muslims who want to live in peace with us. Not every Muslim wants to take our dog away. Many come to America for freedom and opportunity and I think that is fantastic. But I don't like those who want to come to our country and fundamentally change it. And by the way, I don't care if they're Muslim. I don't care if they're anything. If you want to come to the United States, you should love this place, share its values and want to be a part of it. You should not demand that it's going to change to be you. But I have seen the most horrific things. October 7th radicalized me watching. On October 7th, Muslims in Tampa, Florida have a rally celebrating while people were being killed. Listening to voicemails of parents of children calling their parents in joy because they had shot and killed 10 people. I saw what aspects of this culture are capable of. That does not mean they are all like that. They are not. But the problem we have in the media is they categorize it as though it is this tiny, teeny weeny fringe. It's not. It's meaningful. It's also not 100%, but it's also not 0.1%. And I think that we have to have these discussions. The examples are too great. The Muslim mayor in Dearborn who told a Christian preacher, you're no longer welcome in our city the call to prayer in Minneapolis at 3:30 in the morning. I mean, these are not things that are simply okay in, in the United States. And I think we should say, come here, become part of us. Don't come here and demand that we change.

[Piers Morgan]

What percentage of Muslims do you think want to come and take your dogs away?

[Randy Fine]

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know there's polling that shows, for example, and by the way, my colleague Brandon Gill did a spectacular job of walking through this data last week in a congressional hearing. There is a very large percentage of Muslims who supported Hamas. American Muslims, not forget the ones over there. There's a very large percentage of American Muslims who want to live under Sharia. The fact that it's not 100% does not mean that it is not a problem. And it's also not 1%. These are meaningful percentages of people who are demanding we submit to how they want to live. Again, if I have to choose between my dog and people who tell me I can't have it, the choice is very easy. And by the way, I think that is the view of 98% of Americans. If Democrats want to take the you're a bigot. If you're not okay with giving up your dog argument, then fine, we'll campaign on that all day. But I know that's not where the American people are.

[Piers Morgan]

No, I think. I think the reason you managed to inspire such revulsion across the aisle was because you didn't qualify the. That it was about Muslims who want to take away people's dogs. You just.

[Mehdi Hasan]

It absolutely was here.

[Piers Morgan]

No, no, you just said. You just. But hang on. You just said Muslims in their entirety. Two billion of them. And as Nadine pointed out to you afterwards, Kristi Noem bragged about shooting her own dog. Right. You may remember the story in her memoir. She had a dog called Cricket, and

[Randy Fine]

I don't think it's okay.

[Piers Morgan]

Who was apparent. Well, hang on. Who was untrainable and dangerous? She led the dog to a gravel pit and shot it. It wasn't a pleasant job, but it had to be done. Should she be deported?

[Randy Fine]

I think you're conflating two things. I don't think shooting a dog is an ocean.

[Piers Morgan]

She shot a dog.

[Randy Fine]

But Kristi Noem is not telling me I have to shoot my dog. That's the difference. It's not that Kristi Noem doesn't like a dog. It's not that Nurdine and so many others don't like dogs. It's that they are Telling me Islam is coming to New York City, you're not gonna have a dog, and they're.

[Piers Morgan]

I don't want to shoot. All right, so. All right, just to be clear, if Kristi Noem was coming to New York City, you wouldn't be worried about us shooting everybody's dog? You don't think you should get in first?

[Randy Fine]

Not in the least, no. And do I think she should have shot her dog? Of course I don't. But she's not saying I demand everyone else shoot their dogs. That's what's happening.

[Piers Morgan]

You know the difference?

[Randy Fine]

They're not the same. They're not the same.

[Piers Morgan]

That's not the difference. The difference is. The difference is if Kristi Noem was a Muslim, you'd want to deport it. Randy Fine. Thank you very much indeed for joining me. I appreciate it.

[Randy Fine]

Thank you.

[Piers Morgan]

Well, the botched release of the Epstein files has tested the patience of many of Trump's most law supporters. For his fiercest critics, it's been a field day. Mehdi Hassan, editor in chief of Zateo News, has broken world records for tweets per minute over the past few weeks on X, and he joins me now. Mehdi, welcome back to Uncensored. Before we get to your world record burst on X, and I can understand why, by the way, just your response to Congressman Randy Fine, who basically thinks that if it comes to a choice between dogs and Muslims, he'll choose dogs. You've heard his explanation. What did you make of it?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, it's a nonsense explanation, which, as you pointed out, he would never accept for any other minority group, including his own, including for Jewish people in the U.S. i'm glad you pushed him on his horrific bigotry. Although I would say that one thing that was missing from that interview was the context. Right? Anyone watching Randy Fine for the first time might think it was just this one tweet that we're debating. This man has a long history of bigotry peers, as you know. A day before he tweeted about picking dogs over Muslims, he tweeted, palestinian is a synonym for evil. All Palestinians are evil, according to him. In the past, he's called for the new king of Gaza. He said, starve away. When people have talked about Palestinian children starving, he cheered and celebrated on Twitter. When someone sent him a picture of a dead Palestinian baby, he said, thank you very much. The man is vile, he's racist, his rhetoric is genocidal, and he lied to you, Piers, when he said, I'm just against radical Muslims. He's again on record. Go check his Twitter. He says mainstream Islam is pure evil. That that means that Islam practiced by all 2 billion people around the world is evil. This is what he says. So this is the Republican party of today, Piers. I've been trying to tell you about it for the last two years on your show. It's a far right fascistic white supremacist party. If Randy Fines said that about any other group, we would be saying that is Nazi rhetoric from the 1930s and 40s.

[Piers Morgan]

Well, I wouldn't judge the whole Republican party by what Randy Fine says. I do think he's an outlier.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Well, why haven't they censored? Why haven't they called him out? They're complicit. But Piers, they're complicit.

[Piers Morgan]

Well, they should. I agree they should.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Silence is complicity.

[Piers Morgan]

And speaking of never done anything to Randy Van when Megan. But when Megyn Kelly lined up to condemn him, that was a good thing, right?

[Mehdi Hasan]

100%. And she's a podcaster though the actual elected Republican party and the president in the White House. Your pal won't say anything about this. And the problem is because they've all said similar Islamophobic things. It's not just Randy Fine.

[Randy Fine]

He.

[Mehdi Hasan]

He mentioned his friend Brandon Gill who also says ridiculously anti Islamophobic things, calls for me to be deported. Mamdani to be deported. You have people like Andy Ogles who said horrific things about Islam and Muslims. So the rot is across the entire party. Unfortunately, this party now has embraced Islamophobia and racism of all kinds. Anti Semitism, anti black racism. We saw with the recent Trump post. It's a problem for the party as a whole. Fine is just the most egregious, repulsive avatar of it.

[Piers Morgan]

If you're an H VAC technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Let's turn to the Epstein files because it seems to me this is, as I've said a few times recently, this is the biggest political and royal scandal of my lifetime and seems to be getting worse. Not Better as it goes on. It reminds me a bit of Watergate with bells on. Watergate began as a very slow burner to a couple of years to really explode. And you're seeing the same thing with the Epstein files. And you're seeing a lot of people hoisted by their own petard, by their own lies, with all the documentary evidence coming out showing how they lied. Have you ever seen anything quite like this? And what do you feel about Attorney General Pam Bondi saying that's it, you've had all the files, even though we know that there are many redactions in the ones that have been put out, some of them totally baffling. And we also know there are apparently 3 million more files that they have no intention of releasing.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, it's without a shadow of a doubt the biggest political scandal of my lifetime. I'm 46 years old. You mentioned Watergate. I mean, Watergate in the US The Profumo affair in the UK These look like walk in the parks compared to what we're seeing recently. And the number of powerful people globally have been caught up in this. A United nations panel of experts this week, Piers, said this could amount to a crime against humanity. Just what we've learned from the redacted files. They talk about it being a global criminal enterprise that is systemically engaged in the trafficking of young girls and women. And yet you have Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, going in front of Congress last year, Piers, and saying there's no evidence Epstein trafficked anyone. Right. That's what he said under oath in front of the Senate. You have Pam Bondi, as you say, sending, saying that's it, no more. Her deputies saying nothing else to be seen. We know that Donald Trump's name thanks to Jamie Raskin, Congressman, who went and looked in the files unredacted. He says he saw a million references in his searches to Donald Trump. According to the New York Times, in the redacted files, we have 38,000 references to Donald Trump, his wife, Mar? A lago. So that's 96% of the mentions of Trump are missing. From what you and I can see, that's a huge scandal. Donald. Richard Nixon was, you know, organizing a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Donald Trump is accused in these files. I want to be clear. He's a very litigious man. There's no evidence of criminality on Donald Trump's part, but there are accusations from people the FBI interviewed in the files claiming all sorts of things about Donald Trump having allegedly done sex Acts with children, assaulted children, threatened children. We have no idea if they're true or not. I have no evidence to say they're true. But shouldn't they be true?

[Piers Morgan]

Well, we do. Well, hang on, hang on, hang on. This is why you have to be kept. Why? Well, hang on, hang on. This is where you have to be careful, because we do. Because in the more extreme cases like that, they've been investigated and they've been ruled out as fantasy stuff or people trying to.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Not all vicious or whatever it may be. Not all of them, Piers.

[Piers Morgan]

Actually, everything in relation to some.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yes, I agree with you.

[Piers Morgan]

Well, no, everything in relation to Trump that involved alleged criminality has been ruled out. And the reason I'm comfortable in saying that is I interviewed David Boies yesterday. He was Virginia Giuffray's one of the top criminal lawyers in modern American history. He's looked at everything and he says there's nothing criminal against Trump. And I do think it's important to say that I don't think his motivation, Trump, in trying to shut this down is about himself. I think it's actually about a lot of people he knows.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Well, I agree with that. And he told Marjorie Taylor Greene, according to mtg, that you're gonna hurt my friends, which in itself is a massive scandal. I think you would agree, if he is covering up for rich and powerful friends. We know how many Trump people are in the files in very awkward positions, lying about their relationships from Elon Musk to Howard Lutnick, Mehmet Oz, multiple. That's why Thomas Massie is now calling this the Epstein administration. But just on Trump. I just wanna mention a couple of things. I just brought this along just to remind myself. Donald Trump traveled on Epstein's private jet many more times than has previously been reported or that we were aware. That's an email from one of his own DOJ lawyers. In 2020, Trump lied, Piers.

[Randy Fine]

When?

[Mehdi Hasan]

When he said he never went on the plane. He went on the plane eight times. We know, for example, that Epstein wrote in 2011, Donald Trump spent hours at my house with a victim. He referred to Trump being at his house as the dog that hasn't barked. He said in 2019, Trump knew about the girls. Now, he could be lying. Epstein, he's a horrible convicted sex offender. But the point is, we've not had full investigations. The media has barely touched this, Piers. There's been a lot of coverage of Prince Andrew and. And Thiel and Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman and all sorts of people. Katie Couric There hasn't actually been that much coverage of Donald Trump's own relationship with Epstein as much as there should have been. If this was any other president or politician, this would be a huge scandal. And I agree with you on the kind of we haven't got evidence of criminality. But I just wanna show this is in the Epstein files, right? This is page 21. This is a 21 page FBI PowerPoint presentation. This is the page they have from last summer called prominent names. Donald Trump's at the top with two allegations in there. Now I'm not saying those are proven allegations, but the idea that we as a media, that the American public's not even familiar with those allegations. I think we need to be talking much more about what a huge scandal this is and how many lies have been told by the people in power, not just Donald Trump. And I know Bill Clinton is gonna have his day to talk about what were his relationships with Epstein as well. Piers, I'll say this one last point. I no longer can just laugh at people who come up with conspiracy theories anymore.

[Piers Morgan]

I can't.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I used to be very dismissive of conspiracy theorists.

[Piers Morgan]

No, I agree. I said this.

[Mehdi Hasan]

We have seen the lies in the COVID up.

[Piers Morgan]

Do you know what I said the other day? I would literally now be prepared to believe any conspiracy theory relating to the Epstein scandal because so much of it is actually coming true. Who the hell knows, right? I mean I just think the idea. Although you think they.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Although you're quick to defend your pal Donald Trump who was close to him.

[Piers Morgan]

No, no, I'm only quick to defend him about one part of this, which is there's a lot of stuff in those files that is clearly fantastical malicious and was investigated and.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But there's a lot of stuff redacted, Piers.

[Piers Morgan]

No, I agree, I agree. But there's no. How do we know there's been no

[Mehdi Hasan]

evidence the full extent of this.

[Piers Morgan]

Well, that. It's a perfectly valid point.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Agreed. But it hasn't been a full investigation. But there hasn't been a full investigation.

[Piers Morgan]

I agree with.

[Mehdi Hasan]

You would agree with that, Pierce. And I'm with you Patel and Pat Bondi shutting it down. Why? Why is the direct to the FBI and the Attorney general shut it down many.

[Piers Morgan]

You're preaching to the choir. I've been saying the same thing.

[Mehdi Hasan]

There should be full transparency. I love it when we agree, Piers.

[Piers Morgan]

I always feel a bit disconcerted when we agree. Let's talk about something else. It's interesting because let's assume a scenario here which Plays out. I said on my show on Monday, we were talking about the polling for Trump and the midterms coming up pretty soon now. We're nearly in March. You've got midterms in November. It is highly likely, the way things are looking, that the Republicans will get a big beating in the midterms unless something extraordinary happens, which it might. But if they do and they lose control of the House, then any president in that position pretty much becomes a lame duck president. And if that happens, it's a free for all for what happens next, both amongst his own party and, and of course, the Democrats. The Democrats don't really have yet. To me, anyone clearly coming through in the way that Bill Clinton did or Barack Obama did, which is a massive problem for the party. One of their leading lights is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. And I watched this clip of her. She went down to the Munich conference, I think, to sort of show her her global aspirations and how smart she was and so on, and ended up getting pretty well ridiculed for a few things, but one of which was her explanation when she was asked by a friend of mine, actually would and should the US Commit troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move? And she said this

[Mehdi Hasan]

would and should the US Actually commit US Troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move? You know, I think that this is such a. You know, I think that this is

[Randy Fine]

a,

[Mehdi Hasan]

this is, of course, a very long standing policy of the United States. And I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation. And for that question to even arise

[Piers Morgan]

now, if Donald Trump had come out with that, you'd have gone, what the fuck is he talking about? That is a load of gibberish, word salad nonsense. So in the cause of intellectual honesty, Mehdi Hasan, would you say that what we just heard was a load of gibberish, word salad nonsense?

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, I think what we heard was not her finest hour in terms of articulating an answer on a very complicated subject. I was awkward watching that. It's obviously not great to, um, an hour for 20 seconds. I wrote a book about public speaking, you know, that I've, you know, addressed these issues in people who do public speaking. It wasn't a great moment for her, but the idea that that summed up her presence at Munich is actually what I would question the premise of your entire discussion. You, you Just played a clip from an account. I noticed where you played it from. It's a well known right wing banger Twitter account. The right of very good peers, aided and abetted sometimes by your good self in pushing narratives about Democratic politicians to brand them in the why does it

[Piers Morgan]

matter where it came from?

[Mehdi Hasan]

2,000 they did it to? It does because, for example, she gave fantastic answers on inequality, on Gaza, on authoritarianism. She spoke to a packed crowd in Berlin the next day. She met with the spd, she met with the falafel. No one mentions any of that. Instead, everyone in the US media is talking about this because the right wants you to talk about this. That's my first point, that this is a very manufactured narrative. And number two, it's not at all equivalent to Trump. Piers Trump could never say even half of what she said about Taiwan. Her answer actually at the end, which is we shouldn't get to that point, is actually the right answer when Trump. I checked because I knew you were gonna ask me about this. I checked before I came on air. Trump was asked about Taiwan a few months ago and he couldn't answer a question. He said, it's a secret. I can't tell you what my position is, but. Well, that's much better. In fact this week. Pierce, forget rhetoric. Do you know what Trump said about Taiwan? He told reporters on Monday that he's checking with the Chinese president before he sells arms to Taiwan. That goes against a 42 year longstanding US policy on Taiwan that Ronald Reagan set up. Not me. Ronald Reagan set up. So you can go on about AOC's 22nd umming and ahhing which wasn't great for AOC, I admit. Or we could talk about the fact that Donald Trump has a very bad policy on Taiwan that goes against US traditional national security policy and we could talk about that. The Donald Trump sentences make AOC look like the most eloquent woman in history. What are you talking about? Have you heard Donald Trump rant about shark attacks the size of Arnold Palmer's penis? About toilet flushing? AOC's never said anything like that. Donald Trump. Hold on, I haven't finished. Donald Trump went to Davos. Piers, did you play the clip? Did you play the clip? In the interest of fairness and intellectual honesty, to quote you, did you play the clip of Donald Trump and Davos calling Greenland Iceland again and again and again? He went to Davos and embarrassed himself calling it Iceland. And by the way, worse than calling it Iceland, he wants to invade Greenland. No Democrat has ever suggested anything as mad as going to war with Denmark as Donald Trump. So please don't come here and talk about gibberish and intellectual honesty. Your pal is the most deranged person to ever get close to any top office anywhere in the West.

[Piers Morgan]

Do you know what? I haven't heard such a strident piece of apologia since Comical Ali in the Iraq war when he was trying to explain why the United States.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Everything I said was true, and you can't dispute a word of it. Well, did you play the Americans are not coming. Did you play on this show? The Americans are not on this show.

[Piers Morgan]

Let me answer. Let me answer.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Your power saying Greenland is Iceland.

[Piers Morgan]

Yes or no, Mehdi? Yes, multiple times. And more than that, I interviewed the Prime Minister. Wait a minute. Yes, and more than that, I interviewed the Prime Minister of Greenland as well. Did you?

[Mehdi Hasan]

So? So what's that got to do with anything?

[Piers Morgan]

What's the matter with you?

[Mehdi Hasan]

You have run cover for Donald Trump. Piers. Piers, do you agree. Do you agree that Donald Trump is mad, nuts, deranged and mentally unfit for office? Do you agree with that?

[Randy Fine]

Do you agree.

[Piers Morgan]

Why don't you do this? Why don't you just agree he's mad? Why don't you just say Mehdi?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, it's a simple question, Piers. People are watching. Do you agree Donald Trump is mad?

[Piers Morgan]

Mehdi?

[Mehdi Hasan]

Deranged.

[Piers Morgan]

It's not. It's not your show.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Unfit for office. Cause those are your words, Piers. Those are your words.

[Piers Morgan]

When I come on your show.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Those are your words.

[Piers Morgan]

When I come on your show. When I come on, you call Donald Trump

[Mehdi Hasan]

nuts.

[Piers Morgan]

When I. I know, and occasionally I think he is those things. And as you know, I've said it. When I think he is and when I think he deserves praise, I give him praise. My point is, though, that you're. Overall, you're blinking about aoc. No, I think sometimes he's perfectly normal and lucid. Sometimes he does nutty things.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Most of the time. Come on, Piers. This is a man who rants about shark attacks, who talked about Arnold Palmer's penis at a rally, who did impression of someone doing oral sex on a microphone at a rally. There's been no president like this. I hate George W. Bush, but I would put George Bush 100 times above Donald Trump in terms of intellectual and mental fitness for office. You cannot question any Democrat's intellectual fitness for office when you have supported this man, the most deranged man.

[Piers Morgan]

Your words.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Deranged man, nuts. Man in office. Just to be clear, this is a man who couldn't find Taiwan a map. His life depended on it.

[Piers Morgan]

Mehdi, Mehdi. Here's the problem, I'm afraid. Listen, you know I like you. I respect you very much. You've built an amazing business with Zateo. Congratulations. But one of the reasons Donald Trump got reelected is that you guys have got literally, Trump derangement syndrome. It plays into his hands. I. I prefer to be more even handed with him. I prefer to praise him when he deserves it and I prefer to whack him when he doesn't. When you're so blindly enraged by everything, including silly jokes, he says you're so deranged about it. Actually, in the end, you managed to achieve the unthinkable. You managed to help get Trump re elected.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Hold on, hold on.

[Piers Morgan]

He got reelected with a bigger majority.

[Mehdi Hasan]

So do I get to speak? So hold on. Let's just deal with a couple of things. The reason he got reelected, I would argue, is the media gave him a pass. People like you. I came on your show on the eve of his election and you were telling me all sorts of things. Oh, don't call him a Nazi. Don't call him a fascist. Meanwhile, we have masked thugs.

[Piers Morgan]

He's not a Nazi.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Citizens off the street.

[Piers Morgan]

He's not a Nazi.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Cold blood shooting.

[Piers Morgan]

He's not a Nazi.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I was right about his fascism. You were wrong about his fascism. I was right that he would sign up.

[Piers Morgan]

I don't think he's a fascist.

[Mehdi Hasan]

You were wrong about that. His people are shooting America.

[Piers Morgan]

He's going to stay in office in 2021.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I said would happen in a second term.

[Piers Morgan]

He didn't stay in office.

[Mehdi Hasan]

And you said he was not a Nazi.

[Piers Morgan]

And he's not a fascist.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Oh, my God.

[Piers Morgan]

Piers.

[Mehdi Hasan]

You, in January 2021 accused him of trying to stay in office. You said he sent an armed mob to the Capitol. You said he should be removed from office, never be president again. You change your tune once he got back to the presidency. I get that. That's fine. I've been right about everything I've said about Trump. And as for being Trump, Derangement syndrome. It's the very opposite. Even I didn't think he. He'd be trying to start a war with Denmark. Even I didn't think he'd be shooting Americans in the street. Fourteen months into his presidency, even I didn't think he'd be this corrupt on this level so openly. So, in fact, he's been much worse than those of us who allegedly have TDSs. You have TDS peers. You have Trump denial syndrome. When I say to you, is Trump racist? You say, no, he's not racist. Even though he calls Somalis low iq. Piers, do you agree that Somali people are low iq? Is that not the most racist thing?

[Piers Morgan]

Just to explain. Just to explain, Mehdi, just.

[Mehdi Hasan]

You're dodging me.

[Piers Morgan]

This is not your show.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Do you think Somali is a low iq?

[Piers Morgan]

This is not your show. Mehdi, do you think Somali's a low iq?

[Randy Fine]

You.

[Piers Morgan]

You don't get to interview me for half an hour. It's not your show.

[Mehdi Hasan]

People are worried about it.

[Piers Morgan]

When I come on your show, when I. I haven't been silent about any of these things. You should watch my show more Trump calls smiley low iq.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Is that not a Nazi thing to say? Is that you okay not ask you a question?

[Piers Morgan]

It's a Nazi thing to say?

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, I think. I think it's not a Nazi thing. It is. It is white supremacist rhetoric to call black and actually calling and low iq. The problem is it's amazing that you're defending. Okay, many amazing.

[Piers Morgan]

Let's not talk at the same time. No, here's what I'm defending. When people like you on left keep calling Trump a Nazi or comparing him to Adolf Hitler, that is exactly what I'm talking about. About Trump derangement syndrome. It is so ridiculous, so offensive, so inaccurate. Adolf Hitler and The Nazis murdered 12 million people, including 6 million Jews in a holocaust. There is zero comparison to be made.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Then why are they pumping out Nazi propaganda from the DHS Twitter account? Why are they using literal Nazi themes and quoting Nazi books? Do you know that they're doing that? Have you checked that out? Go check it out. I wrote about it. Why are they trying to.

[Piers Morgan]

Has he murdered 12 million people?

[Mehdi Hasan]

A man who says why is he. That's not the definition of a Nazi. That means Nick Griffin's not a Nazi. Cuz he didn't murder. You know perfectly well you don't have to be Hitler to have Nazi views. These are Nazi views. When you put someone in front of Congress right now, they're trying to confirm someone to the State Department peers who says that we need to address the Jewish question, that Jews are victims, that white people are being erased. Are those not Nazi views? Are those not far right views? Are those not views you want to condemn? This is your friend. You say Donald Trump is my friend. I'm asking you, Donald Trump, your friend is friends with Epstein. Donald Trump, your friend says Somali's a low iq. I'd like you to condemn that.

[Piers Morgan]

Mehdi Mehdi, I don't have to condemn it because I did condemn it when he said it. My team have just sent me the monologue the day after he said it about the Somalis. Do you want to hear what I said the next day? Sure.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Did you call him a racist?

[Piers Morgan]

But just. But just as it's absurd and abhorrent to argue that every British Muslim man is a rapist, it's clearly wrong to say that every one of 116,000 Somalis in the US are thieves or low IQ. That's why many are unhappy with some of the rhetoric pouring from the White House. I did criticize.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I don't hear the word racist there. Pierce, do you not think it's racist to call all.

[Piers Morgan]

But you just.

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, no. But you didn't call it racist. Of course you criticized it. Did you call it racist? You will refuse to use the R word. I noticed.

[Piers Morgan]

I think absurd and abhorrent says it all. Mehdi, you just didn't know I said it, did you?

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, I don't think it does. I don't think it does. I think if you call. If you call all Somalis garbage and low iq, I think that is white supremacist. I think that is racist. If you post a picture of the Obamas as apes, I think that's racist.

[Piers Morgan]

Okay. You're entitled to think that. Who do you think is going to be the Democrat nominee? No, I met many. Who do you think is going to be the Democrats?

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, I don't do predictions because I don't do. I don't do predictions anymore. Trump in 2016. In 2016, there wouldn't be Brexit.

[Piers Morgan]

Who in the Democratic ranks is impressing you? Or who in the Democratic ranks is impressing you?

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yes. So Gavin Newsom impresses me because he's been very good at attacking Trump. I'm not impressed with all his policy positions, but I think he's been very strong in taking the fight to Donald Trump, which is what Democrats want from a leader. Democrats are fed up of having a spineless party, and I think the next nominee is not gonna be about left or right. It's gonna be about who's a fighter and who's not a fighter. I think Newsom has done very well. I think AOC is insanely popular with the Democratic Party. She's won over everyone across the Democratic political spectrum. Center, left, far left, everyone. I think she will be formidable. I think Ro Khanna is a progressive voice who's done so much good work on the Epstein files, has won A lot of goodwill across the political spectrum. I think there's gonna be a lot of strong candidates. The question is gonna be, you know, who are they gonna.

[Piers Morgan]

Yeah, I think that's a really interesting question. It won't be Donald Trump, I can tell you that. It might be somebody else called Trump.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Well, we don't know that for sure.

[Piers Morgan]

You might fancy a run.

[Mehdi Hasan]

We don't know. I mean, honestly, I'm not sure. Trump tries to stay on past 28,

[Piers Morgan]

of course, but my, my, you know who I think is the most impressive operator of his whole team is actually rubbish.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, I mean, Rubio rebranded himself very well. This is a man who once used to call Donald Trump a con man. Mocked Donald Trump's penis. Now he's a loyalist, going to Munich to push the maga, or what I call the mega message now. He went to Munich and said, let's make empire great again. Let's bring back empire. He was praising the empires of the past and saying the Europeans need to get on board with that. He then went to Hungary and endorsed Viktor Orban, a man who he used to criticize. So Rubio's done a complete 180 like JD Vance. Uh, we'll see. Both of them are kind of fake when it comes to their MAGA credentials. It'll be interesting to see if it is Rubio versus Vance, who the MAGA base believes is more of a believer, because neither of them were believers until about two minutes ago.

[Piers Morgan]

The only reason I would like to see Donald Trump try and run again is purely to see your face. No other reason.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, my face would say CP as I was right again and you were wrong again.

[Piers Morgan]

Have you ever been wrong about anything, Mehdi?

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, I was wrong when I said Donald Trump wouldn't win in 2016, and he won.

[Piers Morgan]

Mehdi, I love arguing with you. Always good having you on our censor. Thank you very much.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Thanks, Piers.

[Piers Morgan]

Piers Morgan on Sensit is proudly independent. The only boss around here is me. If you enjoy our show, we ask that only you one simple thing. Hit subscribe on YouTube and follow Piers Morgan uncensored on Spotify and Apple podcasts. And in return, we will continue our mission to inform, irritate, and entertain, and we'll do it all for free. Independent, uncensored media has never been more critical, and we couldn't do it without you.