Stinchfield Tonight - January 1, 2026 (Aired Jan. 2, 2026)

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Host: Grant Stinchfield
Notable Guests: President Donald Trump (clips), Sam Rajofsky, Ben Berkman, Dunham Biles, Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk (clip), Border Patrol Chief Banks

Main Theme & Purpose

This New Year's Day edition of Stinchfield Tonight delivers a comprehensive review of 2025’s “biggest political, economic, and cultural stories,” exploring their impact and what they portend for 2026. Grant Stinchfield frames the episode as a look back to inform the future, promising optimism for the new year and particularly highlighting the second Trump administration. Key topics include President Trump’s campaign promises and governance, legal controversies, the immigration and border crackdown, economic analysis, the auto pen scandal, the influence of tech leaders like Elon Musk, and reflections on conservative resilience and mindset.

Key Segments and Insights

1. 2025 in Review & The Second Trump Presidency

[00:00–02:07]

• Stinchfield opens with optimism for 2026, crediting the “big, beautiful bill” and surge in the economy to Trump’s leadership.
• Key focus: Trump’s election and inauguration — “Maybe the most important story of all.”
• Quote:
  • Donald Trump (from inauguration):
    “The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. … I will, very simply put, America first.” [01:27]

2. Fulfilling Campaign Promises: Pardons for J6ers

[02:07–03:18]

• Trump fulfills the promise of full pardons for January 6 defendants—referred to by Trump and the hosts as “hostages.”
• Stinchfield emphasizes the personal commitment:
  “He signed the pardons himself. He didn’t use an auto pen. … persecuted for taking an unorganized tour around the Capitol.” [03:18]

3. The Auto Pen Scandal

[03:18–06:01]

• Stinchfield labels the Biden-era “auto pen scandal” as “the height of treason,” alleging that insiders signed official documents without Biden’s knowledge.
• Guest attorney Dunham Biles (Heritage Foundation) confirms legal concerns:
  “If it was auto penned without Biden knowing, it is clearly invalid. … the signature is an essential element of the act.” [05:36]
• Stinchfield pledges ongoing scrutiny:
  “The auto pen story is not over. We will not let it rest, not in 2026, that I can promise you.” [06:01]

4. Ending Wars and Trump’s Foreign Policy

[06:01–07:35]

• Trump claims to have “settled eight wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza, bringing … peace to the Middle East.” [07:07]
• Stinchfield:
  “He deserves a Nobel Prize. The president does.”

5. Economic Upswing & Inflation Debate

[07:35–11:15]

• Stinchfield touts economic resurgence, citing energy price reductions, surging job markets, and lower inflation under Trump.
• Sam Rajofsky connects lower energy prices to everyday cost-of-living relief.
• Stinchfield points to data:
  “Under Joe Biden, inflation in January of 2025 was 21.5% … under President Trump, 2.7%.” [09:50]
• Stinchfield credits “the big, beautiful bill” for removing taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security.

6. Elon Musk’s Role and Cabinet Praise

[10:53–11:15]

• Elon Musk lauds Trump’s cabinet:
  “The best cabinet ever. Literally so.” [10:53]
• Trump:
  “I do not give false praise. This is an incredible group of people.” [10:58]

7. Legal Showdown: Birthright Citizenship, Tariffs, Redistricting

[11:58–19:29]

• Birthright Citizenship: Sam Rajofsky (legal expert) discusses ongoing litigation challenging the right of children born to non-citizens to receive citizenship.
  • “If you come to this country illegally … you shouldn’t just be able to give birth to American citizens.” [12:19]
• Tariffs: The Supreme Court reviews Trump-imposed tariffs; economic success argued as justification.
  • Rajofsky:
    “Economic indicators continue to actually improve since the tariffs went into place. … The Supreme Court does not operate in a vacuum.” [14:51]
• Redistricting Fights: Legal clarity for CA and TX, but frustration that Republicans aren’t matching Democratic “gerrymandering.”
  • Rajofsky:
    “Republicans are unilaterally surrendering on this. Democrats in every blue state have gerrymandered the hell out of it.” [18:03]

8. Remembrance: Charlie Kirk

[19:29–21:00]

• Stinchfield memorializes conservative figure Charlie Kirk, suggesting he was “silenced” by the left.
• Kirk’s advice to youth:
  “You should go to Hillsdale College … be in charge of your own education.” [20:37]
  Stinchfield:
  “He’s bigger now in death than he ever was in life.” [20:53]

9. Border Security and Immigration Crackdown

[21:26–28:13]

• Stinchfield, Ben Berkman, and Border Patrol Chief Banks celebrate Trump’s “largest deportation effort,” closed borders, and “record morale” among border agents.
• Chief Banks:
  “If you’re in this country illegally, you should be looking over your shoulder expecting that a border patrol is going to show up, arrest you, prosecute you, and deport you.” [25:36]
• Berkman:
  “If you’re here illegally, the message is very simple … you committed a crime to come here. You don’t have a right to be here.” [26:09]
• Emphasis on “self-deportations” and increased ICE and Border Patrol morale, which Banks attributes to restored agency support.

10. Tech, AI, and Personal Responsibility

[29:58–36:48]

• Discussion of a murder/suicide case in Connecticut allegedly influenced by ChatGPT.
• Stinchfield:
  “I believe in personal responsibility. … Does OpenAI have some culpability in this? I actually don’t believe it has any.” [31:13]
• Attorney Dunham Biles notes the lawsuit’s argument that AI “substantially contributed”:
  “The issue legally is going to be whether AI substantially contributed to it.” [31:40]
• Debate over AI’s influence—akin to “cult leader” effects—but caution against overregulation or blaming tech for individual acts.

11. The Maverick Mindset & Overcoming Modern Malaise

[36:50–45:16]

• Stinchfield advocates “maverick mindset,” responding to an anonymous woman’s struggle with criticism and loneliness.
• “Everything you’re doing is not wrong. … Nobody knows yourself like you know yourself. Don’t listen to those people. You’ve got to tune those people out.” [38:43]
• Encourages positive thinking, self-reliance, and warns against negativity from others (and devices/social media).
• Nick Saban (clip):
  “If you’re going to be excellent or elite, you got to do special things. … You have to have special intensity, special commitment and drive.” [44:28]
• Critique of modern “work-life balance” mentality as surrendering the will to excel.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Donald Trump [01:27]:
  “The golden age of America begins right now. … America first.”
• On the January 6 pardons [03:18]
  Grant Stinchfield: “He signed the pardons himself. He didn’t use an auto pen.”
• On the auto pen scandal [05:36]
  Dunham Biles: “If it was auto penned without Biden knowing, it is clearly invalid.”
• On Trump’s foreign policy [07:07]
  Donald Trump: “Settled eight wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza … secured the release of the hostages, both living and dead.”
• On the economy [09:50]
  Grant Stinchfield: “Inflation in January of 2025 was 21.5% ... under President Trump, 2.7%.”
• Elon Musk [10:53]:
  “The best cabinet ever. Literally so.”
• On border policy [25:36]
  Chief Banks: “If you’re in this country illegally, you should be looking over your shoulder.”
• On AI responsibility [33:24]
  Dunham Biles: “We tend to believe in the genius of AI and we trust computers ... we put too much faith in them.”
• Anonymous Woman [37:58]:
  “Everyone is so quick to say, stop doing this, stop thinking like this, stop doing ... based on everything everyone’s telling me ... that I’m just doing everything wrong.”
• Nick Saban [44:28]:
  “If you’re going to be excellent or elite, you got to do special things ... special intensity.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | Notable Speakers | |---------------------------------------------|-------------|------------------------| | Opening & Theme | 00:00–02:07 | Grant Stinchfield, Trump| | J6 Pardons | 02:07–03:18 | Trump, Sam Rajofsky, Ben Berkman | | Auto Pen Scandal | 03:18–06:01 | Stinchfield, Trump, Biles | | Trump Ends Wars, Hostages Freed | 06:01–07:35 | Trump, Stinchfield | | Economy & Inflation | 07:35–11:15 | Stinchfield, Rajofsky | | Elon Musk & Cabinet | 10:53–11:15 | Musk, Trump, Stinchfield| | Legal: Citizenship/Tariffs/Redistricting | 11:58–19:29 | Rajofsky, Berkman, Stinchfield | | Charlie Kirk Tribute | 19:29–21:00 | Kirk, Stinchfield | | Border Security, Deportations | 21:26–28:13 | Berkman, Banks, Stinchfield | | AI, OpenAI Lawsuit & Ethics | 29:58–36:48 | Biles, Stinchfield | | Maverick Mindset/Own Your Path | 36:50–45:16 | Stinchfield, Anonymous Woman, Nick Saban |

Tone & Style

• Unapologetically conservative, combative, and optimistic for Trump’s America
• Emphasis on personal responsibility, American values, and opposition to “leftist” policies and narratives
• Frequent use of rhetorical questions (“How is that a bad thing, Grant?” — Ben Berkman [23:05])
• Blunt advice interwoven with motivational themes (“Don’t listen to those people. … Tune those people out.” — Stinchfield [38:43])

Summary

This feature-length episode is a victory lap for the Trump administration’s first year back in office, according to Stinchfield and his guests. It is also a call to vigilance and action, urging conservatives to keep fighting the fight—whether against bureaucratic overreach, legal battles, tech policy, immigration, or cultural malaise. Through major political stories, legal analysis, border enforcement updates, and motivational commentary, the episode celebrates what the host sees as a historic turning of the tide in American politics, wrapped up in a tone of resilience, urgency, and unfiltered patriotism.