Spectacular Media Fails of 2025

Summary

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Ruthless Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Spectacular Media Fails of 2025

Date: January 2, 2026
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook

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Overview

This episode of the Ruthless Podcast kicks off 2026 by taking a rollicking, sharp-tongued look back at the most egregious media blunders of 2025. Featuring the hosts' trademark banter and irreverence, the episode mixes biting critique of legacy media and progressive culture with lighter moments and interviews with top conservative political figures. The focus is skewering the out-of-touch narratives and ideological follies that dominated the news cycle, highlighting how shifting political winds have pressured the mainstream press into repeated self-owns.

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Segment Breakdown & Key Insights

1. Introduction: Setting the Tone

• Theme: 2025 was filled with “media fails”—the hosts’ main agenda is to spotlight the most absurd, egregious, and culturally telling flubs.
• Quote: “There was an embarrassment of riches to choose from.” (Comfortably Smug, 02:27)

2. Sydney Sweeney’s 'Good Genes' Ad & Manufactured Outrage

• Timestamps: 02:29–07:26
• The hosts dissect the media outcry over Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ‘good genes’ ad.
  • Legacy media, per the hosts, leapt to frame it as “Nazi propaganda” and evidence of white supremacy.
  • The panel ridicules the premise, arguing it's emblematic of progressive overreach and the left's obsession with identity politics.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Comfortably Smug: “No serious person believes this for years and for way too long. This whole, like, America is just covered in white supremacy, and it's the greatest threat we have...” (04:10)
• Analysis:
  • Hosts credit Trump’s 2025 presidency for shifting the Overton window, making such stories laughable rather than destructive.

3. Irish Deportation Comparisons on CBS (John Dickerson; St. Patrick’s Day)

• Timestamps: 07:27–12:23
• CBS and Dickerson equate ICE’s enforcement with historic Irish discrimination.
  • The panel mocks this as an egregious stretch and a patronizing appeal to white liberal guilt.
• Michael Duncan: “This is their view of the world. ...They look differently than us. There's no way they're doing something wrong.” (11:38)
• Comfortably Smug: “When they juxtapose the argument with like images ... getting sent to El Salvador prison, it's like, what are you trying to say here?” (09:52)
• Theme: Identity matters more than facts or culpability in the media’s current framing.

4. Jim Acosta Interviews Dead Children via AI

• Timestamps: 12:33–14:11
• CNN’s Acosta is lambasted for “interviewing” a murdered child recreated by AI to push gun control.
• Hosts unanimously agree this was the most ghoulish, morally bankrupt media moment of 2025.
• Michael Duncan: “This is the crown. This is like the degenerate left of media fails at its top.” (14:06)

5. Taylor Lorenz and Assassin Chic

• Timestamps: 14:22–17:12
• Taylor Lorenz is mocked for suggesting that women “stan” (idolize) a presumed assassin because he is “morally good.”
• The segment illustrates, say the hosts, how some progressive talking heads lionize criminality and invert moral logic.
  • “You know, put on your beret like your Che Guevara.” (John Ashbrook, 16:57)
• Reference to CNN tweeting a GoFundMe for the defense of an alleged assassin.

6. Miscellaneous 2025 Media Lowlights

• Timestamps: 17:12–20:44
• Hosts recall moments such as cheering for Tesla-burning, liberal celebration of right-wing figures’ assassinations, and the general unhinged behavior on legacy late-night comedy.

7. Brief Jim Cramer Take (The 'Inverted Cramer')

• Timestamps: 20:44–21:48
• Jim Cramer’s on-air antics discussed as ongoing meme fodder: "Any investment advice he provides, you just want to go the opposite.” (Josh Holmes, 20:44)

8. Olivia Nuzzi Saga

• Timestamps: 21:48–26:40
• The hosts recount Olivia Nuzzi’s personal and professional unraveling—alleged improper campaign involvement, professional fallout, and her failed attempt to cash in with a book.
• Comfortably Smug: “We know what she's terrified of. It's accountability.” (23:13)
  • Her actions and the substack exposé are mocked as emblematic of media class dysfunction.

9. Bill Belichick’s Bizarre Year

• Timestamps: 26:42–28:35
• Lighthearted look at the coach’s relationship drama and media's coverage of it.

10. Anderson Cooper vs. Chris Sununu (Luxury Hotels for Migrants)

• Timestamps: 28:35–30:06
• Anderson Cooper admonishes Sununu, telling him “don’t be a dick” during a heated exchange about FEMA funds. Hosts lampoon Cooper’s sense of entitlement.

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Political Interviews: Highlights & Quotes

Interview: The Vice President (beginning at ~30:44)

On Media’s Sweeney Outrage:

• “My political advice to the Democrats is: continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy.” (VP, 33:18)
• Analysis: VP calls out Dems for attacking “basic American life” and being hostile to normalcy.

On the Job:

• Tells story of never driving again after VP nomination (36:14), and bringing the nuclear football on family hikes.

Interview: Speaker Mike Johnson (37:47–44:31)

On House Majority:

• “It's an advantage to be underestimated sometimes... We defied expectations to do that.” (38:35)
• “There were articles the night before the election... saying we were going to lose the majority. I never believed that.” (38:35)

On Immigration & Riots:

• “We had existing federal law. The President had the authority to do it. Biden tried to argue with us. He never had the authority. ...They opened the border intentionally.” (40:08)
• “If the local and state officials... are unable or unwilling to keep law and order... then the President must. That’s called leadership.” (43:32)

Interview: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (44:40–49:16)

On the 'Big, Beautiful Bill':

• “It was an incredibly comprehensive piece of legislation... generational... national security, border security, energy dominance, tax relief made permanent... entitlement reform…” (46:15)
• “Not only did we avoid the $4 trillion tax increase at the end of the year, but ... there were other pieces added to it. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime...” (48:17)

Interview: Carolyn Levitt, White House Press Secretary (49:28–57:16)

On Her Role:

• “We're having a lot of fun. And I work for a boss who, believe it or not, is actually doing what he said he was going to do. So it makes my job... a heck of a lot easier.” (51:19)

On Media Transparency:

• “We announced the new media seat in the briefing room on day one. We've Brought in the ruthless podcast, you know, people like Sage Steele... Axio, Semaphore... and they don't have a seat in the room. Like, why?” (55:35)
• “This is the most transparent administration. We are not afraid to take questions from anyone.” (56:29)

Interview: Senator John Kennedy (57:16–65:53)

On Shutdown Drama:

• “The Democrats have done a pretty good job of muddying the water to make it look deep, but it’s very simple...” (58:43)
• Calls out Schumer, AOC; jokes abound (“He’s nervous as a pregnant nun”).

On Obamacare:

• “The Affordable Care act is not affordable... It sucks so much that people say, we will not buy it unless you give us the money.” (63:00–64:18)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is the crown. This is like the degenerate left of media fails at its top.” – Michael Duncan (14:06)
• “We know what she's terrified of. It's accountability.” – Comfortably Smug (23:13)
• “My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy.” – The Vice President (33:18)
• “There's a reason they're called paddy wagons, you know, so he's bringing that up, but...to turn it into, like, Trump would have done bad things. Like, that's a stretch.” – Comfortably Smug (08:15)
• “It is their avenue, they think, to hold onto power because they can't win on their policies.” – Speaker Mike Johnson (42:15)
• “This was to me kind of what you. This is why you do this job.” – John Thune (47:51)
• “Operation Let Her Speak.” – Sen. Kennedy, on AOC (60:53)

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Episode Timestamps – Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------| | 02:02 | Kickoff – 2025’s media fails overview | | 02:29 | Sydney Sweeney ad controversy | | 07:27 | CBS equates ICE to Irish deportation | | 12:33 | Jim Acosta interviews AI 'dead child' | | 14:22 | Taylor Lorenz lionizes assassin | | 17:12 | Late-night/leftist celebration of violence | | 20:44 | Jim Cramer—The “inverted Kramer” gag | | 21:48 | Olivia Nuzzi’s saga | | 26:42 | Bill Belichick’s relationship | | 28:35 | Anderson Cooper–Chris Sununu spat | | 30:44 | Vice President interview | | 37:47 | Speaker Mike Johnson interview | | 44:40 | Sen. John Thune interview | | 49:28 | Carolyn Levitt interview | | 57:16 | Sen. Kennedy interview |

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Conclusion

The episode’s tone is gleefully relentless, roasting the mainstream press for its perceived excesses and moral panics, while celebrating conservative political victories and cultural pushback in 2025. Interviews with prominent Republican figures showcase the administration’s legislative accomplishments and confidence in the new media environment. Through humor and pointed criticism, the Ruthless crew frames 2025 as a tipping point—a year when much of the press sabotaged itself, and the public’s appetite for alternative, unvarnished political talk reached new heights.

Final note from the team: “The best is yet to come. Believe you me, we’re working on it. ...Until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line and own the libs.” (66:22–66:47)

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Transcript

[Josh Holmes]

This is the crown. This is like the degenerate left of.

[Michael Duncan]

Media fails at its top.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, like we went through some dark days in 2025.

[Josh Holmes]

It does actually encapsulate a whole bunch of what's wrong with media and what's wrong with the modern left.

[Comfortably Smug]

No serious person believes this for years and for way too long. This whole like America is just covered in white supremacy and it's a danger. It's the greatest threat that we have.

[Josh Holmes]

Like you forget all this stuff because we went through a lot of in 2025, but like there was a period of time where you had half of the media apparatus. Like, maybe they make good points, maybe the assassin makes good points.

[Michael Duncan]

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[Josh Holmes]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Comfortably Smug]

Keep the fate, hold the line and own the lids.

[Michael Duncan]

It's time for our main event, Fun.

[Josh Holmes]

Time Friday, a 2026 edition. We kick off the new year with a good time where we're talking about what was the year of 2025 and the media fails. There was a lot of them. It was just a hard thing to put together. Hats off to Wolf and the production crew for actually coming up with a somewhat succinct list because I feel like almost every day you had an option.

[Comfortably Smug]

There was an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

[Josh Holmes]

There really was. I'm Josh Holmes, along with comfortably smug Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Left to right, across your radio. Look, I think the only way to start with this thing is the thing that captivated like a month of 2025, which was Sydney Sweeney. I'm blown away by this, but it does actually encapsulate a whole bunch of what's wrong with media and what's wrong with the modern left in that this was a story for more than like two minutes on weird sort of alternative media, crazy places. It was Like a mainstream discussion. Of course, what we're referring to is her jeans ad where Sydney Sweeney's got good genes, right? And, like, all of a sudden, it became a white supremacy discussion. Well, ABC had some thoughts on this, Cliff. When Time to check the pulse. We begin with the backlash over a new ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. Yeah, the ads are for American Eagle.

[Vice President]

And the tagline is, Sydney Sweeney has great genes.

[Josh Holmes]

Now, in one ad, the blonde hair, blue eyed act talks about genes, as in DNA being passed down from her parents. The play on words is being compared to Nazi propaganda. Good genes activates historical associations for this country. The American eugenics movement prime between, like, 1900 and 1940, weaponized the idea of good genes just to justify white supremacism.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Backlash.

[Josh Holmes]

American Eagle stock has been soaring.

[Comfortably Smug]

I love that the clip ended with that. They're like, meanwhile, the stock is going through the roof because no one, no serious person believes this for years and for way too long. This whole, like, America is just covered in white supremacy, and it's a danger. It's the greatest threat that we have. And like you had when Biden was president, Merrick Garland saying that white supremacy is the biggest threat that America faces. Like, turns out all that was a bunch of bullshit that the left was using to try and control people and be like, if you don't agree with us, you're a racist. Thank God people are over it.

[John Ashbrook]

And should it be any surprise that this country is just whacked out of its mind when you're, like, having your coffee in the morning, when you put on ABC News, oh, it's the pulse, we're gonna get a lighter side. Here's our finger on the pulse of pop culture. We, Sydney Sweeney is a white supremacist. And this ad about genes harkens to the days of Nazi eugenics.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Exactly.

[John Ashbrook]

What the fuck is wrong with you?

[Michael Duncan]

And ABC's like, don't take our word for it. Listen to this professor from Keene University.

[Comfortably Smug]

Guys, before you start, you knew what she looked like.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, you did, but, like, no question. Do you guys ever remember seeing Keene show up in March Madness? I mean, were they maybe a bubble team one year or something? Like, I literally never even heard of.

[Josh Holmes]

That college defund Keene. She looked like she had a mop on her head, too. I mean, she was exactly what you would predict somebody to look at.

[Comfortably Smug]

She's like, what?

[Josh Holmes]

Harkens back.

[Comfortably Smug]

I wonder why she's mad at Sydney Sweeney.

[Josh Holmes]

Guess those genes didn't go to Keene.

[Comfortably Smug]

No.

[Josh Holmes]

Incredible. But the whole thing was like, it was a nightmarish, like, open kimono on what is the modern left. And the critiques that you have in pop culture that was previously governed entirely by leftist view. And so you could get away with this kind of thing. And I think, look, a lot has been made, conversations happening about Donald Trump and what it is that he's been able to do in his first year. And, like, they got a lot done with the big beauty and everything before the Fourth of July. And so people are like, where's the legislative agenda? What are you doing day one? This guy took office in 2025, and by April, when this stuff is going on, the country is laughing at it. People are buying stock that four years prior would have been the end of that company. It would have been a boycott on that company. DEI had its roots into every company across the country. And that it was a shakedown racket for. You have to hire who we say you hire. You have to say what we say. You have to do all these other things. And, like, just by taking office and doing a few executive orders, Trump changed all of that. So it was actually a national debate that we can laugh at as a media fail. If it wasn't for Donald J. Trump, this story would not be a media fail. It would be like, look what's happened to American Apparel.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep. It'd be another pelt for the left.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

It would.

[Comfortably Smug]

Another company they'd go after. Boycott, destroy.

[Josh Holmes]

It really would.

[Comfortably Smug]

Good point.

[Josh Holmes]

No question about it. All right, clip two. On St. Patrick's Day, John Dickerson of CBS compares ICE enforcement to Irish discrimination in the 1800s. Check this one out. On this St. Patrick's Day, as millions of Americans celebrate their Irish heritage, recent events remind us that the Irish were.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Among the first immigrants to be targeted in deportation crackdowns.

[Josh Holmes]

In the mid-1800s, New York and Massachusetts enforced policies to have Irish immigrants rounded up and deported.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

The American Civil Liberties Union didn't exist.

[Josh Holmes]

Then, but if it had, it may.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Have taken the legal position it may have had.

[Josh Holmes]

Suing the Trump administration to stop. What is it? Illegal deportation over the weekend of more than 200 migrants to El Salvador.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, I mean, let him cook.

[Michael Duncan]

Hold on.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's bringing up a good point. He was like, on St. Patrick's Day, don't forget the problem that we had when there were a bunch of these Irish mix going wild. You know, sometimes they get drunk. There's a reason they're called paddy wagons, you know, so he's bringing that up, but I think the context he tries to use it of. Instead of trying to hold, you know, some Irish people accountable, of trying to turn it into, like, Trump would have done bad things. Like, that's a stretch. That's a bit much.

[Josh Holmes]

Also, if the Irish were a target of deportation is a failed effort. Like, look at Boston.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like that.

[Josh Holmes]

That didn't work. They didn't. They didn't deport.

[Michael Duncan]

They named the basketball team after him.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

For crying out loud.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's the Fighting Irish. Like, this is a history of all of this. This isn't just like a stereotype made.

[Michael Duncan]

Its way to northern Indiana.

[Josh Holmes]

But it's such a hilarious formulation. I mean, the whole idea is like, we hearken back to the Irish and when they were discriminated against and there was deportation efforts. And if the NAACP was a real thing back then, well, they would have been in charge. And so then therefore it would have had some sort of like, formal acknowledgement. No, no, no. Like, what are you talking. Is that your view of the. If the NAACP weighs in on something, that's when you understand that this is discrimination.

[Michael Duncan]

Dude, this is their view.

[Josh Holmes]

What the hell are they talking about?

[Michael Duncan]

This is their view of the world. They're like. And therefore trend has every right to everything that you have. Law abiding citizen.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing is like, when they juxtapose the argument with like images of like Trent Nicua guys getting like, sent to the, like, El Salvador prison, it's like, what are you trying to say here?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Maybe.

[Comfortably Smug]

Maybe we should put some Irish there.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, at no point is the question asked or answered like, were they committing crimes? Like, that's the thing in the drunken disorder. But in the liberal left's view of things, it's the identity that matters.

[Michael Duncan]

It's the identity, not actual culpability, doing.

[John Ashbrook]

Something wrong or anything like that. I'm sure we had plenty of problems, immigration problems in the United states in the 20s and 30s. I know because I've read a fucking history book.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, right.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, we could get into the anarchist Italians too, while we're at it for being honest.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, they should be held accountable, bro.

[John Ashbrook]

They were like, bombing buildings. Yeah, you know.

[Josh Holmes]

No, but it's just fascinating. It's fascinating because I can only imagine what the, you know, the strategic planning meeting look like over there to come up with that segment where you're like, you know what? This is just like, I think the American people. This is what it. Somebody in that meeting. This is before Bari got in CBS or whatever. And they're sitting there and they're like, I Think what would resonate with most people is if we took what was happening and we made it about a white person and we said it was the Irish that were the target, then people can actually, you know, these dumb Americans who can't possibly think of anything outside of their identity cone. Meanwhile, we're the only ones that think of everybody in an identity cone, that if they see people that look like them who are victims of some kind of discrimination, that then they'll understand that having narco terrorists in our country is actually a good idea.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, dude, it's exactly right.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

The problem with Democrats today has been their problem all along. 100 years ago, Democrats would look at somebody and be like, they look differently than us. They must be doing something wrong. And today Democrats are like, they look differently than us. There's no way they're doing something wrong. Like their entire party is based off of the way people look. And until they break that like, mindset, they can't operate like normal people in our country.

[Josh Holmes]

From their different and different is bad to their different and different is good.

[Michael Duncan]

Exactly, dude. They can't judge people based on what it is they're doing on a day to day basis. Like they never even listen to Martin Luther King.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally, totally.

[Michael Duncan]

They're like, oh, thanks for the speech. We got it from here.

[Comfortably Smug]

Is Dickerson Irish? Is that an Irish name?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, of course, of course. I mean, you can do a lot of.

[Comfortably Smug]

Not surprised.

[Josh Holmes]

History on. We'll spare him from that. Clip three, Jim Acosta, the old use. I mean, he was a perennial contender Wheel and Axle, the Hack Madness tournament. But here he is in clip three. Joaquin, I would like to know what your solution.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, my God.

[Michael Duncan]

This is what he would be.

[Comfortably Smug]

So for folks who don't remember this, he is interviewing.

[Josh Holmes]

I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, creating support and community engagement. We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making sure everyone feels seen and heard. It's about building a culture of kindness and understanding.

[Vice President]

What do you think about that?

[Josh Holmes]

I think that's.

[Comfortably Smug]

What do you think about. This is so deranged. That's the most deranged thing. So this was an AI that was created who is portraying a child who was murdered. Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And, and, and they make this AI.

[Josh Holmes]

In the parkland shooting the saddest of sad things.

[Comfortably Smug]

And Jim Acosta thinks it's a good, good idea to be like, I'll interview him. Like this is a real thing that's happening and not just like the most.

[John Ashbrook]

Ghoulish fucking thing that's ever been reanimate you through AI. But have you talk about gun control?

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. That's like back into what if we take your life that was stolen from you and make you spit out talking points for the left? How about that? Your face, the most demonic shit I could think of.

[Josh Holmes]

Your name and we back end it with a leftist agenda where you're speaking. I mean, it's. Dude, this is the crown. This is like the degenerate left of.

[Michael Duncan]

Media fails at its top.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't know how you can top that.

[Michael Duncan]

I don't think you can.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like, when he gets to hell, they're gonna be like, you know why you're here, Jim? Like, come on, dude, you really thought you wouldn't be here.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, we know. You know.

[Josh Holmes]

If it can be topped, it's by the old friend of the variety program, Taylor loren.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, boy.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Clip 4 these millionaire media pundits on TV clutching their pearls about someone stanning.

[Josh Holmes]

A murderer when this is, this is the United States of America.

[Carolyn Levitt]

As if we don't lionize criminals. As if we don't have, you know.

[Josh Holmes]

We don't stan murderers of all sorts.

[Carolyn Levitt]

And we give them Netflix shows. So you're gonna see women especially that feel like, oh my God. Right? Like, here's this man who, who's revolutionary.

[Josh Holmes]

Who'S famous, who's handsome, who's young, who's smart.

[Carolyn Levitt]

He's a person that seems this, like.

[Josh Holmes]

This morally good man, which is hard to find.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Wow.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. I just realized women will literally date.

[Comfortably Smug]

An assassin before they swipe right on me. That's where we're at. Wait, he's Irish, isn't he?

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

Here's the thing. We just saw her be like, so here's the thing is they, you know, there's a lot of women who be super excited by this guy because he's morally good. The guy who, like Luigi Mangioni.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Murder.

[Michael Duncan]

Someone shot him in the back, shot.

[Josh Holmes]

A father of a young family in the back. And she's talking about how the assassin is smart. Alleged assassin, I'm sorry, allegedly shot him. He's still going through his court process, but we did see it on video and I don't haven't seen a claim from the defense at this point that that is not him claiming that he was handsome and smart and funny and then also all of these things and like, dude, what a perfect encapsulation of a broken culture.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that's the thing is so like her trying to make a point of like, the guy he shot was Like a millionaire. Like being a millionaire is an evil thing. But she has to also go out of her way to say that because everyone at this point knows her folks are loaded and would send her to this like 50,000 a year Swiss boarding school. So she's got to always set the table of being like, I'm an ally.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yes.

[Comfortably Smug]

I went to a boarding school and I'm loaded, but still I'm an ally. And I'm gonna say this guy who is murdering people is actually morally good. Like, that's how twisted their belief system is.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, that's.

[Comfortably Smug]

First they have to be like, I'm an ally. I'm willing to be like a traitor. I'm willing to say that. Like, murder is good for you to say that. Okay, she's one of us.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. Because that's how they launder the reputation. If you're a super wealthy progressive, your only way to get in good with the other revolutionaries is to be a trade, a class traitor.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, and you know, put on your beret like your Che Guevara.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. You know, you remember when CNN tweeted out the GoFundMe page for Luigi Mangione's defense fund?

[Comfortably Smug]

It's still.

[Michael Duncan]

I forgot about. Are you kidding? Yeah, I forgot about that.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, we went through it, man.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

I like it.

[Josh Holmes]

We highlighted it here because it stands out. Like, you forget all this stuff because we went through a lot in 2025, but like there was a period of time where you had half of the media apparatus, like, maybe they make good points, maybe the assassin makes good points. Like, what the fuck are we doing?

[John Ashbrook]

Or you remember on Jimmy Kimmel when he was talking about, you know, the Tesla's burning and the whole crowd started cheering.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And they're like, oh, you're cheering for that?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And they're like, oh, yeah. Funny late night comedy.

[John Ashbrook]

Or look at the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination and how, you know, all of those liberals were celebrating online about it. I mean, like, we went through some dark days in 2025.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

We did. But media fails. They were. No question about it. Hopefully we're going to get to a better place because you've got the rise of things like the ruthless variety program.

[John Ashbrook]

That's right.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, I will. It does want to drive you to drink, however.

[Comfortably Smug]

Great saying.

[Josh Holmes]

And when you do, before you do, before you do, you're going to want some zbiotics. I can tell you that I had a little bit to drink over the holiday season, as you know, you want to have a good time, really enjoy everything. Maybe dull your senses just a touch. But I did have some Zbiotics beforehand and I gotta tell you, this stuff is absolutely incredible.

[Michael Duncan]

No, you know, it works. And one thing I don't think I told you guys is that in my family's secret Santa gift exchange, my old man, my dad had my brother in law and he got my brother in law Zbiotics.

[Comfortably Smug]

Are you serious? Hell yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

There we go. That's awesome.

[Josh Holmes]

That's so good. Talking about knowing your family and my.

[Michael Duncan]

Brother in law was like, this is the greatest gift you could have given me. Because it works.

[Josh Holmes]

It's a game changing. Pre alcohol drink, it's backed by science, right fellas?

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing. So Zebiotics, what you do is it's very easy. You have a Zebiotics before you drink because then you're not gonna wake up feeling terrible. Because a lot of people think, oh, you know, the night after I've been drinking, I feel awful. Must be because I'm dehydrated. That's not the reason at all. When you drink, your stomach breaks that alcohol down and there's these toxic byproducts. Zbiotics knocks that right out. So like you can try chugging Gatorade, you can try having seven glasses of water and you still feel awful. Zbiotics is how you avoid feeling bad the next day.

[John Ashbrook]

And I mean, obviously you can take our word for it because we are power users of the product, but I also say I get a lot of DM requests for like additional product or additional discount codes.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Like now there's like repeat customers that we've got hooked on this stuff. And so, you know, Zebiotics, if you're listening, maybe we do some more.

[Josh Holmes]

Maybe we do another like a second time purchase code or something like that.

[John Ashbrook]

Third, fourth, people are itching for more codes.

[Josh Holmes]

They are. You got to go to zbiotics.com ruthless to learn more. Get 15% off your first order. We'll talk to them about, maybe you get secondary orders, but you got to use Ruthless at the checkout. And when you do that, you get 100% money back guarantee. So if you're unsatisfied for any reason at all, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. You got to go to ZBionics.com Ruthless and use the code Ruthless at checkout for 15% off. All right. More failure from the media. I don't know if you guys remember this. It's a little bit funnier. Jim, Cramer is just a mess on television. And there was this hilarious meme for decades about how like any investment advice that he provides, you just want to go the opposite.

[John Ashbrook]

The inverted Kramer.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, the inverted Kramer. Yeah. Well, he got a little loose. In clip five, we. Our biggest problem is we have so.

[Vice President]

Much growth that the Fed won't cut.

[Senator John Kennedy]

What the fuck?

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, my God.

[Senator John Kennedy]

I'm so sorry.

[Comfortably Smug]

I'm so sorry.

[Josh Holmes]

I take it right back. Everybody take it right. Okay.

[John Ashbrook]

I take it right.

[Josh Holmes]

Take it right now.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

That was big.

[Josh Holmes]

It's cake. I came with a cable with a ticker.

[Senator John Kennedy]

As would say.

[Josh Holmes]

Take that back.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Live tv.

[Josh Holmes]

Jim, though to your point, Goldman, today, the most notable change. You're fine, Goldman time. The most notable. To say one. No, I just feel like. Enough. You want me to say one? Let Carl talk now. You want me to say one? Oh, I actually felt like it was like one of the more authentic presentations. I take. I just take it right back. It reminded me a little bit of the Reds guy. Yeah, that's exactly not who I am. I don't say that Castellano is the left. It's legendary.

[John Ashbrook]

Legendary.

[Josh Holmes]

So good. One person that we covered breathlessly on the program because we just couldn't get enough of this story. Although I've become very bored of it. And I know there's like 18 more parts that we haven't filled people in on in large part because if we can't follow it, we trust that you can't either. And it's like the Olivia newsy situation. Clip 6. You said you helped him, right?

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

During the campaign.

[Josh Holmes]

And I write about it.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah, right.

[Josh Holmes]

About what I did wrong. And it's like once you've done that.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Like you didn't, you know, you cease to have become like a journalistic actor and like you're.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I lost my job.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

I was fired. I was fired and I was in hiding and I was afraid. Were you scared? I was terrified.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I. I mean, I. I write.

[Carolyn Levitt]

In the book of about, you know, I was terrified of the man I did not marry. And I was very worried about people knowing where I was and.

[Josh Holmes]

Rfk.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

The man I did not marry.

[Josh Holmes]

I think she's talking about Lizza.

[John Ashbrook]

There's Lizza.

[Josh Holmes]

Sorry. As if Liz is a serial killer.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right. And she has to run off.

[Josh Holmes]

Ryan Lizza.

[Michael Duncan]

Boy, the guys are so say of journalistic class.

[Comfortably Smug]

We know what she's terrified of. It's accountability.

[Josh Holmes]

It totally is.

[Comfortably Smug]

A lot of women aren't fans of that one, are they? Consequences.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

Why?

[Comfortably Smug]

That's not part of the deal. She's like, isn't this the part I just bat my eyelashes and my problems melt away?

[Michael Duncan]

No.

[Comfortably Smug]

Turns out you fucked up and here's the consequences.

[John Ashbrook]

Also, she did the consequences because she wrote a book about it.

[Josh Holmes]

She brought it back.

[Comfortably Smug]

She's like, oh. She's like, can't I just monetize the consequences?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, can't I just.

[Comfortably Smug]

And the book sold like nine copies. Like, absolute flop.

[Josh Holmes]

An absolute flop. But what I find so fascinating about that interview that just spiraled sideways is that like, she's on with a dude who's also one of the worst humans of all time, right? Tim Miller. And he's acting. Honestly, you listen to it and it's like, what is that Walter Cronkite up there? Like, he's asking very fair questions. And she's like, melting.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Can't.

[Josh Holmes]

She rolled. Just as a reminder, this all happened in 2024. She got fired from her job, her marriage fell apart, or marriage to be fell apart. She wound up with nothing, ended up with a new job, and rolled a book about the whole thing. I back out and then she's like, why are you asking me all these things about my. I wrote about that. That's my favorite journalistic thing. I wrote about it. Well, okay, tell us what it fucking said then, Olivia. Tell us what it said. How about you provide a little bit of human emotion as to what it was that you were going through when you decided to try to sleep with somebody else's husband and then guide their campaign along, thinking you were gonna get absolutely no accountability for any of it.

[Michael Duncan]

Right? That's the point. She wrote a book about it and she was making money on it. I mean, can you imagine if Walter Cronkite asked Ernest Hemingway about the Old man and the Sea and he starts crying. He's like, you just don't understand, Walter. I can't deal with these questions about the Old man and the Sea. Like, under no circumstances would that happen. The man wrote a book, he sold the book, he's not gonna apologize for it. But now you have this.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't wanna talk about that.

[Michael Duncan]

Olivia Nuzi.

[Josh Holmes]

I can't talk about that whale. Right, Exactly.

[Michael Duncan]

It's just too emotional for me. I just. I wrote the book. I wrote about this in my book and I can't continue this interview. Well, Ernest Hemingway never did anything like that. He never did anything like that because he's an actual author. This isn't like a self published book that somebody promotes among like the Journal.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think it Was put out by like an actual publisher.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, are you kidding?

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, it was. It was a serious.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, no. Somebody paid something for it.

[Comfortably Smug]

And it all blew up because her jilted weirdo lover decided to just like substack nuke her, which is the age that we live in now. These disgusting, filthy, degenerate little journals. I like that they can hunt each other down with their sub stacks, though. That's a good use of it.

[Josh Holmes]

But if you found yourself in that situation that Lizzo was in, you'd probably do the same thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

In my opinion. This is satire. We're all laughing. He's a weird little foot dude. Like when he started, remember his, like.

[Josh Holmes]

He'S got a thing about Liz.

[Comfortably Smug]

He was like, liza starts the whole story. It's like a five part thing. I read like three paragraphs and I was like, you guys just.

[John Ashbrook]

I think it's up to a lot more now.

[Josh Holmes]

It's like, no, they have like a paragraph three.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's like, I'm organizing Olivia's shoes. And I'm like, you're doing what? I don't like where this is going. He's a weird little foot dude.

[Josh Holmes]

He offended his sense of this.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Allegedly.

[John Ashbrook]

Allegedly.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, allegedly. Allegedly.

[Comfortably Smug]

So they all deserve each other.

[Josh Holmes]

Another story that came to our attention was the old ball coach, Bill Belichick, who had a very, very difficult year.

[Comfortably Smug]

Very good year.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, namely from what some would describe as a big win and a big loss all at the same time. In clip seven, the other change for Belichick is 24, Jordan Hudson. His creative news. As he writes in his book, Jordan was a constant presence during our interview. You have Jordan right over there.

[Vice President]

Everybody in the world seems to be following this relationship.

[Josh Holmes]

They've got an opinion about your private life. It's got nothing to do with them, but they're invested in it. How do you deal with that?

[Michael Duncan]

Never been too worried about what everybody else thinks.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Just try to do what I feel.

[Josh Holmes]

Like and what's right. How did you guys meet?

[Carolyn Levitt]

Not talking about this.

[Josh Holmes]

No, no. It's a topic neither one of them is comfortable commenting on. Pretty standard question.

[Comfortably Smug]

Why is that journal giving him a hard time?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Pretty standard question. Can I run?

[Comfortably Smug]

Can I run the first three seconds of that clip again? Just the first three seconds.

[Josh Holmes]

The other change for Belichick, there's the answer. Is 24 year old Jordan Hudson.

[Comfortably Smug]

What's left to ask? Good for Bill. He's got someone who's helping him out. Answer these dumb journals questions.

[Josh Holmes]

Helping him out.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, he had a great season.

[John Ashbrook]

He was four and eight.

[Comfortably Smug]

Unc, great job. You know, I applaud Jordan, what she's done. Him and her and Bill, great job. UNC is right where they should be.

[Josh Holmes]

The NC State guy, huge fan of.

[Comfortably Smug]

Work through and he seems happy. He seems happy. He's doing great. I'm happy for him.

[John Ashbrook]

He's doing to UNC what the Somalis have done to Minnesota.

[Josh Holmes]

I certainly do. She's doing that to his hall of Fame record. I know that. It's the saddest part is that as.

[John Ashbrook]

A Colts fan, I don't care.

[Josh Holmes]

No, I know, I know. There's an awful lot of that going around. So Anderson Cooper, you know, they get worked up over at cnn. They've gone through a lot over there they can't figure out. So one of the most mild mannered and moderate members of the Republican Party, former governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, he's taken a bath on this program before, but I think we've learned to love him. Smog. You certainly have. In some ways.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's now with the airlines, isn't he?

[Josh Holmes]

I think so, yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's got a lot of tantrum on that.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. So Anyway, in clip eight, he deals with a frustrated Anderson Cooper, you know.

[Vice President]

$59 million spent on luxury hotels. It's actually not about the FEMA money that was used for migrants.

[Josh Holmes]

That was.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, FEMA money for migrants. That's okay now.

[Vice President]

No, I'm not saying it's. I'm not saying it's okay.

[Josh Holmes]

Don't put words. So would you stop that?

[Vice President]

Would you stop that process? Don't be a dick.

[Josh Holmes]

The portrait, what I'm saying is amazing by him is, oh, Chris, why did you just like.

[Comfortably Smug]

I would not turn the other cheek. You're gonna let some Vanderbilt heir be like, don't be a dick. Get his ass. I'd be like, are you kidding me, Anderson Cooper? You're gonna tell me, don't be a dick. He had a good point. Sanu's got a great point where he's like, look, you've got migrants stealing this FEMA money and you've got this Vanderbilt heir who's like, don't be a dick. It's a mere $59 million.

[Josh Holmes]

They're just ill accustomed to being challenged on the premise of a question.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

They, you know, and it's just, they're in charge. Play out time and time again. I don't know if It'll change in 2026, but there's been progress. I think there's been progress. In 2025. Listen, we've had a lot of great moments on the program, and a lot of them came from interviews. We've had kind of a who's who of the political world on here. We want to give you a little snippets of a couple of different interviews that we've done this year, just to give you a little shot back of what we've accomplished in 25 and what is to come in 2026. Mr. Vice President, thank you for hosting us here.

[Vice President]

It's good to be with you guys. Good to see you all.

[Josh Holmes]

The Indian Treaty Room, as we've discussed, my honor. I appreciate that.

[Vice President]

And the honor of smug. Yeah, that's great. Happy to welcome you in style to the Indian treating Room.

[Josh Holmes]

It's wonderful. Listen, I think the last time that we saw you, you uncovered one of the greatest scandals in sporting history in, in the angling community, at least as we were fishing and this guy tried to steal a victory.

[Vice President]

That's right. I remember that.

[Josh Holmes]

Out on fishing boats. Oh, no, buddy, they got a fish over there.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, no.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, no. That is a dead fish. Look at that fish. It's a dead fish.

[Vice President]

It doesn't have to be alive. I'd like a hand, a recount of that fish because none of us think that that fish is actually alive. What I, what I remember is when we got back, it was pretty cold. You know, it was Michigan in what, October? So it was a little chilly. But I was like, it's not that chilly because the fish is frozen solid. And that was my first tip off that we had. We had a sort of stop the steel moment here. But yeah, no, I actually, you know, I, I was telling you guys earlier, I went fishing. I caught four fish last week. It was a big deal. We were, we were in Nantucket for a fundraiser and then I was able to get a little fishing in beforehand. So that was n. Just a touch of normal life. Just a touch of normal life. You know, me and my, my nine coast guard boats and four, four police boats. But no, man, it's good, it's good to see you guys.

[Josh Holmes]

It's great to see you too.

[Vice President]

You know, last time we hung out, you were just podcast hosts and now you have your own TV show. Well, you know, you know, we're all moving up in the world. We all have new jobs.

[Josh Holmes]

We're ticking up a little bit. Just a little bit. But no, thank you for doing this and I know this is going to be all the hard hitting questions.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Okay, good.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, we're Just going to come at you like hardcore journos.

[Vice President]

It's so it's actually doing a friendly interview or like an interview with people I like is way more dangerous.

[Josh Holmes]

That's where you get in trouble.

[Vice President]

Yeah, that's exactly right. Because when you're doing a super hostile interview, first of all, you pretty much know what they're going to ask and you're kind of like ready for battle. I think it's when you let your guard down, actually, is when I've gotten the most trouble. But good, let's get into it. Let's get it to it. Let's just wade into really. Well, I won't say deep shit. You'll have to bleep it out, I guess.

[Comfortably Smug]

Not really.

[Josh Holmes]

No. I think they still take the gum altogether.

[Vice President]

Still good and unfiltered.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, I want to start with probably the most important, important discussion happening in our country today, which is Sydney Sweeney. So the Democrats have essentially been like, sydney Sweeney represents like a Nazi white supremacy issue. Do you think it's that deep? And do you think attacking Sydney Sweeney is how they can win back young male?

[Josh Holmes]

Is that a good move?

[Vice President]

Yeah. My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy. I mean, it's. It actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems, though, which is that you have like a normal, all American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad. They're trying to sell, you know, sell jeans to kids in America, and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. And it's like, you guys, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election? Like, I actually thought that one of the lessons they might take is we're going to be less crazy. The lesson they have apparently taken is we're going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful. Great strategy, guys. That's how you're going to win the midterms, especially young American men.

[Josh Holmes]

Their course Correction lasted about 30 seconds.

[Vice President]

That's right, lasted 30 seconds. Somehow has gotten even crazier. But again, it's just so much of the Democrats is oriented around hostility to basic American life. So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us.

[Josh Holmes]

No question. Duncan.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, so I. I think this is important because you're obviously a really cool, normal guy. And so I have to imagine we.

[Vice President]

Can wrap the interview there.

[Josh Holmes]

Thank you, guys. We're done.

[John Ashbrook]

Like having gone fishing with you and everything. I. I know that from experience. And so I have to imagine becoming Vice President of the United States is sort of a jarring experience. Yeah, it's weird level where it's like you kind of have an idea of what you're getting into, but you really don't.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

That's right.

[John Ashbrook]

And I'm curious, in this first six months, which has been incredible, and you guys have accomplished so much, is there one thing that is like, this is crazy. What's the craziest thing you've been sort of roped into here in this.

[Vice President]

Man, that's. That's a really good question. I mean, there's so much I could talk about just the job, about all the interesting conversations you have in the Oval Office of the President. I mean, we're here in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. For those who are watching or listening, like, across the street is the West Wing, which is where I have an office here, but my main office is in the West Wing. And so you do all this cool stuff. But two things I would point out. Number one is I really miss driving. That's kind of the craziest thing, is I don't drive a car anymore. I haven't driven in a week. And I remember. I mean, it's obviously a very tragic, but ultimately a good moment for the country because the President survived. But when you had the shots ring out in Butler, Pennsylvania, I was asked to be the VP nominee a couple days later. And that day, we were out at a mini golf thing in a brewery in Cincinnati with our kids. I grabbed the kids when I saw the President had been shot. I didn't know if he was okay or not. We drove home, and I didn't realize at the moment that on the way home, somebody calls me, says the President's okay. It's like, all right, thank God. Thank God the President's okay. But that was the last time I had driven a car.

[Josh Holmes]

Is that right?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Wow. Yeah.

[Vice President]

That was getting that phone call. And then we pull into my driveway. The Governor of Ohio sends the highway patrol to sort of do, you know, basically some security for the house for the next couple days. We didn't know it at the time, but because I was, like, one of the plausible contenders and that had just happened, he sent the Highway Patrol of Ohio to sort of take care of us. And I didn't realize that was. That was it. I would never drive a car again. The other. So the other crazy thing is, so we were home last. We were in Cincinnati last weekend. And I actually didn't realize this until this moment that we went on a like three and a half mile hike with our kids and it was hot as hell in Cincinnati. It was one of these, like 94°, 95% humidity days in southwestern Ohio. And I was looking and I saw the mill aide who's the person who carries the nuclear football. And she was like, sweating like crazy with this 50 pound pack. And I was like, wait, you have to come with me when I go on like a hike with my kids.

[Josh Holmes]

And then I kind of hit me.

[Vice President]

Like, oh, it makes sense, but, oh, you must hate my guts right now. I just made you run through southwest Ohio, three and a half miles. She's absolutely miserable, but, you know, you gotta do what you gotta do. And my wife actually asked the Secret Service afterwards. She was like, do they just hate the fact that we still try to live like a pretty active, normal life? And the Secret Service is kind of like, yeah, it was like. Well, half of them really like it because it forces them to exercise. And half of them, yeah, absolutely hit your guts.

[Michael Duncan]

Basically, the conclusion.

[Josh Holmes]

You may recognize him, Speaker Mike Johnson on the far right.

[John Ashbrook]

On the far right.

[Josh Holmes]

Far right, yeah. No, you, you indicated this was your preferable position here. Listen, you got a pretty, pretty difficult job these days, but it seems like you're getting things done.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Yeah, a lot of prayer and a lot of patience. You know, they've written my eulogy 10 times. They said that the Republican majority cannot deliver. But we keep doing it. We keep, they keep defying the odds. Democrats and media trying to divide us. We're not going to allow that to happen.

[Josh Holmes]

This is undeniably true. Duncan and I were having a conversation on the way in here, and you were saying he's got to be the most underestimated.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, I mean, it seems like since you got the gavel, you've been doubted, you know, from that vote on the budget and then, you know, BBB and all of these things. And I'm curious, going through all that and listening to all the media noise, how does it make you feel to prove him wrong over and over again?

[Josh Holmes]

That's got to feel pretty good.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

I mean, you know, it's an advantage to be underestimated sometimes, you know, and we're working with this. One of the smallest majorities in history. We had the literal smallest majority for a big chunk of the first hundred days. You know, we worked so hard to win that majority in 2024. We defied expectations to do that. I mean, there were, there were articles the night before the election in November, saying we were going to lose the majority. I mean, I never believed that. So we just charged through and we wound up with 220 Republicans, 215 Democrats. And then the President started culling my herd. You know, one, this one. This one. Taking him to the admin. I call him Mr. President. What?

[Josh Holmes]

We're down to one vote.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

What are you doing? I'm so sorry, Mike. Did I do that?

[Josh Holmes]

Yes, you did that.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

So we had a one vote margin, you know, so, I mean, there's no margin for error. And it just takes a lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of prayer. You know, you sit down with everybody and work through their issues and get them to. Yes, and I'm so confident that we're going to do that because we have an opportunity to save the. And everybody knows that. So the stakes couldn't be any higher.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, no question about it. I want to get to BBB and everything associated with it. But let's start with the riots. I mean, look, the American people delivered what is an unquestionable mandate on the issue of illegal immigration. One of the principal issues of the 24 campaign. The administration is going about the work of delivering on their promises and all of a sudden LA erupts into riots. Now you see Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, there's a Chicago. There's a big plan this weekend for all around the country. What's your take on this?

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

It's crazy. It's no question. The border was the number one issue in the election. I mean, there were a lot of issues, but that in every poll across the board, that was it. And we made a promise that we would bring order to the chaos. And the President has done that in record time and by the way, demonstrated what we had been saying all along. We had existing federal law. The President had the authority to do it. Biden tried to argue with us. He never had the authority. It was all just a big lie. They opened the border intentionally. We think the number is about 20 million illegal aliens came across the border in four years. So we'll be dealing with the fallout of this for the rest of our lives. I mean, you can't flip a switch and fix that. But he secured that border. It's more secure than it's ever been. The one big beautiful bill. One of the biggest components of it, one of the most important is to provide the funding to make sure that that border stays secure. We're going to hire 10,000 additional ICE agents, we're going to give bonuses to border patrol and customs agents and money for new facilities and deportations and all the rest. But that's what has the left in a full out panic. They hate ice. What is ICE is Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They don't want to enforce federal law. Don't get lost in the acronyms. I tell everybody these people are on the wrong side. They're defending dangerous, criminal, illegal aliens being in the country. If that's your political angle, go for it. Right. Like, I mean, they are doing this to themselves and I don't understand it. I do not understand it.

[Comfortably Smug]

So on that very subject, politically, it would seem like, especially after, you know, the election we just had in November, that wake up, the American people support a strong border. They want to get rid of the illegal aliens who are here just now.

[Senator John Kennedy]

What?

[Comfortably Smug]

The Polling shows that 60 to 40Americans support the troops being sent to Los Angeles. I brought up the point last week and now it's starting to echo all over the place that Democrats support this because of apportionment. They know that every census decides where the House seats go and illegal aliens get counted in that census. So when you're talking about 20 million illegal aliens came in under Joe Biden and roughly 750,000 per representative is what apportionment comes at. That's the majority right there for the Democrats that they're hoping for.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

That's exactly right. That was the whole thing. It is their avenue, they think, to hold onto power because they can't win on their policies. They're so unpopular. Right. So they gotta bring in more people and they're gonna. That was the idea that they would be able to swing elections and they would be able to change the apportionment through the census. It's dangerous stuff. And, you know, it's diabolical because they didn't care about all of the untold damage they've done to the country in their quest for power. I mean, fentanyl, Just one metric. I mean, it's the leading cause of death for Americans age 18 to 49. And they knew that it was flooding over the border and they did not care. We have dangerous, criminal illegal aliens. They emptied out jails in Central America. All the things President Trump was saying were right and everybody knows it and they can see it. And so we represent. The president, does our party represents bringing stability and order back. And the fact that he had to, you know, send troops to L. A was of course appropriate. I mean, I've been asked about this a thousand times this week and all of the press and they're hounding me as I walk up and down the halls of the Congress. And I said, listen, if the local and state officials in California or elsewhere are unable or unwilling to keep law and order, to uphold the rule of law, then the President must. That's called leadership. It's called leadership. We gotta do it.

[Josh Holmes]

Are you astonished? I know we are. At just how much bait your Democratic colleagues take on this particular set of issues.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, you got like, you know, Senator Chris Van Hollen down with the Abrego Garcia thing three weeks later. Boy, oh, boy, does that look pretty dumb. You got riots, you've got, you know, all these protests out in front of ICE facilities or federal detention centers, but they're literally just ironing in a political problem that they've got. And it's like they can't help themselves.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

They have an uncanny ability to do exactly the wrong thing at every turn. I mean, they.

[Josh Holmes]

It's incredible.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

It's really stunning to me. You know, I got asked about the call to arrest Gavin Newsom, you know, yesterday in my press conference, and I don't know where that came about, but I was sitting next to the President at the Oval Office when he said, yeah, maybe. Maybe it's deserved. So they asked me about it and I said, look, I'm not going to get in. I'm a constitutional law attorney. I'm not going to get into the legality of whether or not he should be arrested, but he ought to be tarred and feathered, you know, and of course, the media quoted me, literally.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Oh, yeah.

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

You know, and so there was like stories yesterday. Right. Speaker wants to torture Gavin Newsom.

[Josh Holmes]

We're joined here with a very special guest, as we say in the upper Midwest, but John Toon.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

That is correct.

[Josh Holmes]

The Senate Majority Leader. John Toon. How are you, sir?

[Speaker Mike Johnson]

Go.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

Good, Josh. Thank you. And thanks for asking. It's been interesting few weeks as we.

[Josh Holmes]

Grind it out, but not everybody checking in on your day to day mental health. No, no.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

Any recommendations about that?

[Josh Holmes]

I know I can talk to.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

No, I don't.

[Josh Holmes]

There's a reason why we're behind microphones.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, I'd be taking victory laps.

[Josh Holmes]

Getting the big beautiful buildup.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, that's a big deal. Huge.

[Josh Holmes]

There's a lot of big deals that have been going on, as we well know. Having worked in an office that you now reside in, it's sort of a thankless job in a lot of ways in that the big accomplishments are basically taken as an assumption. Right. It's kind of true, and you just kind of grind on it. But it is the job that you well knew and you signed up for, but really unparalleled success in a lot of different ways. All of us were talking about the big beauty as it was being formulated, and we personally thought there was absolutely no way that a big, beautiful bill would be signed into law by July 4th just because of how difficult the Senate is with all your various rule Byrd rules and reconciliation processes, things falling out, getting patched back together, trying to reconcile that with the House product. Somehow. You figured it out.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

We did. Shockingly, yeah. July 4th was challenging. It was an incredibly comprehensive piece of legislation and most comprehensive and consequential legislation I've dealt with in my time in either the House or the Senate. It really was generational. I mean, you talk about a piece of legislation that encompasses national security, border security, energy dominance, tax relief made permanent in a lot of cases, and frankly, the first entitlement reform, really since I've been here, and then a whole bunch of other things that were accomplished in there, things that we've been on our agenda for a long time, my school choice. And there was just some really, really pieces of that legislation that I felt like this is historic and the fact that we were able to wrap it up by July 4th. Now, we had a good plan in place and we were systematic in how we went after it from a timing standpoint. But there are always hiccups along the way, as you guys all know, and dealing with the Byrd rule, which is a unique feature to the Senate and the role the parliamentarian has in that, and she really is like a referee. And, you know, she's just calling, trying to sort it all out. But we had to make, you know, countless arguments in front of her on individual pieces of it. And then if she throws something out, we come back with a counter argument, a contingency plan. And so it was incredibly time consuming and exhausting process, but great to get across the finish line. And frankly, again, I just, in all the time I've been here, if I don't do anything else, this was to me, kind of what you. This is why you do this job.

[Josh Holmes]

That's why you sign up. No question about it. I mean, the basis of this, and this is the most difficult part about politics, is not being able to unprove a negative. Right. Where the basis of it is the American taxpayer is not going to have a dramatic tax increase next year. Right. If they had one, of course there'd be a huge political reaction to that. But preventing it.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

I know you don't get the benefit. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Is more difficult.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

It is.

[Josh Holmes]

Right, right.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

And I think the tax piece of this, not only did we avoid the $4 trillion tax increase at the end of the year, but there were other pieces added to it. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, increased deduction for seniors on Social Security. You know, in the. But in the. For example, in the business space, a lot of what we did is made it. Made the stuff permanent.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

And I think one of the reactions you're seeing in the market right now is in response to the fact that there is now economic certainty around the tax code instead of having to come back and do this in six or eight years. And so you take, you know, bonus depreciation or interest deductibility or R and D expensing, or the 199A deduction that small business take advantage of. And then there's an additional expensing thing in there now for small businesses.

[John Ashbrook]

Did you happen to get any podcaster deductions in there.

[Comfortably Smug]

Asking the real questions?

[John Ashbrook]

Yes, we were.

[Senate Majority Leader John Toon]

The way you guys are raking in the cash down here, we should have probably had some sort of a podcast or penalty.

[Josh Holmes]

But anyway, well, the questions just changed. I can't imagine you could do that better than our next guest, Carolyn Levitt.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thank you, guys.

[Josh Holmes]

How are you? White House Press Secretary.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yes.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, you seem like you're having the time of your life.

[Carolyn Levitt]

I am having the time of my life. We all are having the time of our lives. So much fun.

[Josh Holmes]

At the risk of sounding like I'm just completely blowing sunshine at this point, like, I, you know, I've been around a little bit. I've watched a number of people in your position inhabit that position and do, you know, different things, different people, very good at different elements of it. Like, Dana Perino is one that I remember being, like, really good at. Just getting facts to people, working with press and doing whatever. You're terrific.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thank you.

[Josh Holmes]

And we get this from all of our listeners all the time. Everybody's like, wow, I can't believe what a good job you're doing.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thank you. They told me you were gonna compliment me, so that's why I came here.

[Josh Holmes]

I'm just kidding.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thank you. Thank you. I love my job and I love Dana, and I love all of my predecessors. Dana, Ari, Sarah Sanders, Kayleigh, Matt.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, Sarah Sanders is another one. Terrific.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Kaylee was my boss. I love them all. They've all been very generous with their time and giving me advice before I Took this job.

[Josh Holmes]

You sat down with people and asked them?

[Carolyn Levitt]

Oh, yes, I keep in touch with all of them.

[Josh Holmes]

Were they all pretty generous about giving you some tips?

[Carolyn Levitt]

Absolutely. Had more than an hour and a half phone call with Sarah, had a lunch with Kaylee, had a dinner with Dana, spoke to Ari, and keep in touch with all of them. Sean Spicer, too, who was in my office yesterday. And it's so great because there's only so many people living on planet Earth who have done this job right. So I just wanted to be a sponge of wisdom once I learned I was going to be in this position to take their advice. And they all gave me great advice. But we're having a lot of fun. And I work for a boss who, believe it or not, is actually doing what he said he was going to do. So it makes my job as a spokesperson a heck of a lot easier.

[Josh Holmes]

It makes it easier. We were saying this on day one when you showed up and you're like, well, here are the facts, ma'.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Am.

[Josh Holmes]

It's basically you telling the American people what you're doing based upon the campaign promises that President Trump laid out. And there's no nuance, no. There's no bending of the truth. There's no, this is what we're doing. And that has to be sort of like self reinvigorating in a job as hard as yours.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yes, it is. And my job is just to find the facts. I read the news both left and right in every outlet under the sun and figure out, okay, this is what's being reported. Let me go to my colleagues inside the building, the policy experts, the National Security Council, and find out what the facts are, what the BS is. And then it's my job to go out there and articulate that. And obviously, most importantly, checking in with the President to see where his head is at on the news of the day. So sometimes I feel like I'm an internal investigative reporter because I'm calling people and I'm like, is this BS or is this real? What's the truth? So I can bring that to the briefing room.

[Josh Holmes]

That's amazing. So, like, look, a lot of us who've been in this line of work for a while have had some frustrations with the corporate media.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Is that so?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it turns out they don't always.

[Carolyn Levitt]

How much time do you have to talk about these frustrations?

[Josh Holmes]

They always don't. But, like, there's several just structural things that we've always had a problem with that I think have been contributors to the groupthink and the leftist drift of journalism over the years and how they report out facts to the American people, for one, you know, everybody kind of hangs out together. You understand that when you're doing, like, press pools and things like that, they all hang out together. They bump narratives against each other. It's a club. And like, that part just kind of anthropologically, you understand. What has always made less sense to me is the White House Correspondents association and like, how it is that this unelected, sort of unappointed group has entirely controlled the information flow all the way from who they appoint to pools to cover the president to who gets what chairs to do who does what. And you just pulled the pin on the grenade and rolled it in the middle of the briefing room. Like that had to. I mean, for people like us, keeping.

[John Ashbrook]

Your promise to the American people, right, that like, like in 2025, the White House, you know, press room should reflect the United States of America.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, not like three broadcast.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, network news stations. Like, this is 50 years ago. And these people are, you know, Edward R. Murrow.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

You know what I mean?

[Josh Holmes]

Cronkite ain't walking through that door.

[John Ashbrook]

And so, I mean, selfishly, we benefited from that. We benefit from that when John Ashbrook got to ask that first question and his head grew five times in size.

[Josh Holmes]

We're gonna get to more of that in a minute. But, like, look, this is something that you and your team talked about, obviously, and then actually took the step of doing, knowing that these people would set their hair on fire the moment that you threatened any of it.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Oh, we knew we were prepared. Look, first of all, this goes back to the non traditional media strategy that Donald Trump owned and won on the campaign trail. Sitting down with podcasts and influencers, comedians, and owning that space because no other politician has ever done that before, 100%. And he was able to reach so many people across the country who otherwise would have never heard his honest message and who he really is as a person, because the coverage of him has always been through the bias of the legacy media. So he ran in that lane. And I think in large part he won the election because of that. So many reasons he won the election, obviously, but that's one of many. And we felt it would be irresponsible of us not to continue that media strategy when we were elected.

[Josh Holmes]

Why would you stop talking to the.

[Comfortably Smug]

People who just helped us get here?

[Carolyn Levitt]

Right, right. So, you know, we announced the new media seat in the briefing room on day one. We've Brought in the ruthless podcast, you know, people like Sage Steele who were at legacy media outlet ESPN forever and now left that world because she saw the bias within those institutions. You know, we've had outlets like Axios and Semaphore who have incredible reach in this city, but also outside the beltway and they don't have a seat in the room. Like, why?

[Josh Holmes]

And also nonpartisan. I mean, we're like. The way that the White House Correspondents association would like to project upon your decision making here is that somehow you're just trying to get people to just sort of echo a MAGA message. What you just say, I mean, Axio, Semaphore, I mean, critical coverage at times. It's not about trying to get people to be sort of yes men.

[Carolyn Levitt]

The argument that we are trying to create more favorable coverage of Donald Trump or the administration or that we're afraid to take questions from legacy media, hilarious is laughable because the legacy media is still in the briefing room. I take questions from CNN just as much as I take questions from our great conservative friends who don't have seats in that room that have to stand on the sides for hours just to have a spot in there and look at what President Trump is doing. I mean, the man hosted a more than hour long press conference with his entire cabinet and took questions from everybody that was in the room. So their argument that this is about the First Amendment and democracy and this and that, that is completely ridiculous. This is the most transparent administration. We are not afraid to take questions from anyone.

[Josh Holmes]

I can't think of a more fun way to improve the product. With our guest, Senator John Kennedy. How are you, sir?

[Senator John Kennedy]

I am walking on sunshine. Happy to be here.

[Josh Holmes]

Always walking on sunshine. Despite your surroundings, which it's a little like, it's a little glum around D.C. these days.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Well, you know what it's like. I mean, the Senate is like high school, but no one ever graduates.

[Josh Holmes]

They just stick.

[Senator John Kennedy]

They just stick around. You know, we've got some guys that have been in the 10th grade for 37 years.

[Josh Holmes]

So we want to ask you a couple serious questions that it gets into a larger, funnier conversation, which is like, look, the government shut down the House, did their job, they passed a continuing resolution. But you know, like, I've been around a little while and when that happens, it's a clean cr, as they say, which is basically just continuing what you're doing. There's nothing really to negotiate against, unless of course, you're in a perilous political standing and you happen to Be a majority leader from the state of New York who's up and you have a young upstart with an issue as her name. And it turns out you almost lost your job as majority leader six months ago because you did the clean CR and they wanted you to fight and things. Is that kind of your takeaways, Chuck Schumer? Is this just like a political vanity project?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yeah, it's. Look, the Democrats have done a pretty good job of muddying the water to make it look deep, but it's very simple. Tuesday a week ago, the country was rocking along, minding its own business. Our budget ran out at midnight, but we'd been talking to the Democrats about just continuing the current budget, no strings attached, for six or eight weeks till we could negotiate a new one. And at the last minute, Schumer came to us and said, here's the deal. We're going to vote to shut down unless you give us $1.5 trillion and we're going to tell you how to spend it. And yeah, we looked at each other and, you know, you've heard me say this. My mama did not raise a fool. And if she did, it was one of my brothers and my colleagues felt the same way. Obviously, this really was such an unserious offer. It's not about policy, it's about politics. Senator Schumer is nervous as a pregnant nun because the loon wing, the socialist wing of his party, does not like him. He wants them to like him. And so he's trying to ingratiate himself to the loon wing of his party and its leader, Congresswoman Ocasio Cortez. Yeah, and that's what's going on.

[Josh Holmes]

And I don't think it escaped your attention, certainly didn't escape ours in that three weeks prior to all of this that she made sort of an announcement on background, by the way, somebody else was speaking for she couldn't do this herself, but that she's actively exploring either a run for the presidency or a primary challenge to Chuck Schumer. She hasn't decided yet. I imagine that the majority or minority leader had some attention paid to that kind of thing.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Well, look, you know, this is America, guys. You're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine. How can I put this? I think that the congresswoman is single handedly trying to put an end to dumb blonde jokes. And our attitude is, you've heard me say it before. Our, our secret plan is Operation Let her Speak. And Chuck, because he can't get, he sees what we see. Yeah, but he can't. He can't seem to figure out how to defeat it.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Now, and look, don't misunderstand me. I like Chuck. He's a friend. But he could start if he'd stop all the spastic arm movement. You know, he goes, I believe strongly in this. And you go, chuck, just loosen up, man.

[John Ashbrook]

But do you feel good about where we are at as a Republican conference? I do worry about this sometimes when the. Things like this, when we enter a period where you have a shutdown and there's microphones in front of the face of every senator, every single day, that you start to get this instinct to almost negotiate against yourself in some way. And I know you have conversations with the president and stuff like that. You do feel like the Republican Party's United States.

[Senator John Kennedy]

I do.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Now, we do have to worry. I mean, let's be. Be frank. The president likes to make deals.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

And we have to watch the Democrats slipping in and making a deal with the president. But he's been great about. About sticking. We're, for the most part, united. We understand the stakes. There are 24 million people on Obamacare who are receiving the sub. The extraception.

[Josh Holmes]

The Democrats started these emergency.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

They said it was for the pandemic. Well, the pandemic ended two years ago.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

And of the 24 people on the Obamacare exchanges, 1.6 are getting the extra subsidies. And what Biden did was take the cap off. Used to be you only qualified for the exchanges. Obamacare is the. If you were a family for making no more than 130,000 a year. Well, now we've got families making $600,000 a year. They get the subsidy, and they get the subsidy.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. It's almost like the Affordable Care act is not affordable.

[Senator John Kennedy]

No, it's. It's. That's. Josh, you nailed it. That's the real issue. The subsidies. Don't misunderstand issue. But the real point from 35,000ft is Obamacare exchanges are broken.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

I mean, they were supposed to make insurance cheaper and more accessible. It's done in either.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Senator John Kennedy]

And it's so bad that people will not buy the exchanges unless the federal government pays them to. It was just like electric cars. I never could understand. They said electric cars are swell. And I'd always think, well, if electric cars are so swell, how come you have to pay people to buy them? And Obamacare is the same way. It sucks so much that people say, we will not buy it unless you give us the money.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, look, you're a smart guy. You've got more degrees than a thermometer.

[Senator John Kennedy]

That's a good one.

[Josh Holmes]

I appreciate that coming from you. I really appreciate that. But you don't have to be an economist to know that if you create a program that somehow doesn't work from a market standpoint, and your solution to it is to throw more dollars at it. I don't know, something like student loans, for example, maybe a housing crisis, maybe things like that, that things just continue to be more expensive. Right. And yet it continues to be. Maybe it's just economic illiteracy, which I have long prosecuted the Democratic Party from, but it seems like there's just not a total misunderstanding of where this leads. What are you gonna do in five years?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yep.

[John Ashbrook]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, what are you gonna do? 10 years?

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yep. It's just going to get worse.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Way worse.

[Senator John Kennedy]

We tried to fix it. Senator McConnell, when he was majority leader, led our charge. He came within one vote. Yeah, one vote. I'll never forget that night.

[Josh Holmes]

Neither will he.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Yeah, neither will Mitch. And. And look, Mitch is still in there pitching, you know, when we. When we all are about. When, when the Republican senators, half of them have stopped taking their meds and everybody's all jumping around, God bless him, we've still got Mitch to stand up and say, okay, boys, settle down here a little bit. And it really has been an immense help. And I know that Senator Thune relies a lot on Mitch.

[Josh Holmes]

The Vice President, the Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House, Carolyn Levitt, White House Press Secretary, and of course, John Ken, great friend of the program. Good roundup. And there's dozens more of incredible interviews that we were able to do in 2025. We are already working on 2026. You're gonna get that and a whole lot more. It's pretty exciting, though. It's nice to be able to bring people in here and have real conversations, isn't it?

[Michael Duncan]

100%.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's what it's all about.

[John Ashbrook]

And the best is yet to come.

[Josh Holmes]

The best is yet to come. Believe you me, we're working on it. When you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety Program, we read all of your comments for absolutely everything. We get back to the very next episode with a whole bunch of it, and it guides our thinking both on interviews and everything else. So please do that. We've had a hell of a year here at the Ruthless Variety Program, and on a Funtime Friday, we bid you adieu. I think we did it.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think so. Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, thank you so much to the listeners. Remember, if you have not yet yet, go to the YouTube hit that subscribe because it's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line and own the libs. We'll see you on Tuesday. Stay ruthless.