The Real Reason Democrats Hate Elon Musk

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ruthless Podcast – "The Real Reason Democrats Hate Elon Musk"

Episode Information:

• Title: The Real Reason Democrats Hate Elon Musk
• Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
• Release Date: February 18, 2025
• Duration: Approximately 64 minutes

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1. Introduction

The episode commences with Josh Holmes highlighting the central theme: the Democratic Party's concerted efforts to undermine Elon Musk. The hosts, comprising Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook, set the stage for an in-depth analysis of the political dynamics surrounding Musk's influence.

Notable Quote:

• Josh Holmes [00:00]: “This is what they're focusing on, is how do we destroy Elon Musk.”

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2. Democrats' Strategy Against Elon Musk

a. Shift from Trump to Musk: The hosts discuss how Democrats, recognizing the formidable challenge posed by former President Donald Trump, have pivoted their focus toward Elon Musk. Instead of directly attacking Trump, they portray Musk as a more manageable adversary.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [01:56]: "If you followed even tangentially the news, Democrats have decided... they're going to try to take a different tangent by just going after Elon."
• Michael Duncan [02:27]: “They already tried in November and got smoked trying that approach.”

b. Power Dynamics and Protection Racket Analogy: Comfortably Smug likens the Democratic approach to a mafia-like protection racket, emphasizing their intent to “shakedown” influential figures.

Notable Quote:

• Comfortably Smug [00:04]: “The left has operated like a mafia in this country, a protection racket that they've extorted business...”

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3. Elon Musk’s Influence and Achievements

a. Combating Federal Waste: Elon Musk is portrayed as a disruptor combating wasteful federal spending, particularly targeting agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [07:24]: “What is he even saying?... there's nothing that anybody cares more deeply about than a four letter agency.”
• Comfortably Smug [14:50]: “...Elon Musk is one of those people you can't shake down because he did it himself.”

b. Media Disruption and Authenticity: The podcast highlights Musk’s impact on traditional media, citing his ability to attract massive audiences through platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [03:58]: “He's completely destroyed the midday ratings for every cable news outlet.”
• Comfortably Smug [04:11]: “And there's a generational change in media and he's filling this vacuum for people who want authenticity…”

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4. Media and Democratic Attacks on Musk

a. Portraying Musk as a Villain: Democrats and certain media outlets are criticized for attempting to deconstruct Musk’s image, branding him negatively to undermine his influence.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [14:23]: “They have the same vested interest.”
• Comfortably Smug [12:34]: “...the left attacks people like Elon Musk... they always try to take the opposition, elevate somebody, and crystallize that, and then attack it.”

b. Public Protests and Harassment: The podcast showcases clips of protests and derogatory remarks aimed at Musk, illustrating the intensity of the opposition.

Notable Clips:

• Josh Holmes [05:00]: A clip featuring threats against Musk, portraying the media's aggressive stance.

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5. Connecting Musk’s Efforts to Trump's Political Strategy

a. Insulation of Trump: Attacking Musk serves to create a buffer around Trump, allowing him to pursue his agenda with reduced direct opposition.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [12:34]: “...the more that they attack him, the more insulation that they provide for Donald Trump...”

b. Republican Leadership and Policy Changes: The discussion touches on how Republican leaders, aided by Musk’s initiatives, are pushing for significant policy reforms, such as revising Medicare and reducing federal waste.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [14:13]: “...the way that Trump has put this whole thing together.”
• Comfortably Smug [19:14]: “...the government unions provide that power to them, and that is sacrosanct.”

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6. Guest Segment: Interview with Will Kane

a. Introduction of Will Kane: Will Kane, a prominent media personality, joins the podcast to discuss his new show and the broader media landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [45:12]: “I want to welcome to the program a very famous individual... Will Kane.”

b. Authenticity in Media: Kane emphasizes the importance of authenticity and deep engagement with the audience, contrasting it with traditional, superficial media formats.

Notable Quotes:

• Will Kane [48:56]: “My currency is authenticity. I would like to think that I'm the same dude if we hung out in New Orleans that you see on tv.”
• Comfortably Smug [50:24]: “...they are willing to go deep. They’re willing to look around the corner for what comes next.”

c. Future of Political Media: Kane discusses his vision for a more authentic, conversational approach to political commentary, moving away from rigid formats.

Notable Quotes:

• Will Kane [51:54]: “...authenticity over time. I'll tell you how I'll allow myself to be authentic.”

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7. Additional Segments and Stories

a. F18 Crash in San Diego Bay: A segment covers a dramatic aircraft crash captured live, highlighting the unpredictability and dangers of military operations.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [37:13]: “That is an F18 crashing into the San Diego Bay...”

b. Lost Bitcoin Incident: The podcast narrates the story of James Howells, who lost 8,000 bitcoins when his ex-girlfriend disposed of his hard drive, now valued at approximately $800 million.

Notable Quotes:

• Michael Duncan [40:25]: “8,000 bitcoins. This happened in 2013. Today's value is $800 million.”
• Comfortably Smug [41:28]: “...you have to go to a bank and get a loan for this.”

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8. Closing Remarks and Call to Action

The hosts express gratitude to their listeners, celebrate their milestone of 500 episodes, and encourage audience engagement by asking for input on future content.

Notable Quotes:

• John Ashbrook [20:25]: “499 more than I thought would make it.”
• Josh Holmes [34:18]: “We have a question of the day... what game should we play?”

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Conclusion

The episode of the Ruthless Podcast provides a robust analysis of the Democratic Party's strategic shift in targeting Elon Musk as a means to counteract Donald Trump's enduring political influence. Through a combination of sharp commentary, guest insights, and illustrative clips, the hosts elucidate the underlying power dynamics and media maneuvers shaping contemporary American politics. Additionally, the inclusion of diverse segments like the F18 crash and the lost Bitcoin story adds layers of intrigue and exemplifies the podcast's commitment to delivering varied and engaging content.

Overall Themes:

• Political Strategy: Democrats' pivot to targeting Elon Musk to undermine Trump's influence.
• Media Disruption: Musk’s role in transforming traditional media landscapes and promoting authenticity.
• Federal Oversight: Critique of wasteful government spending and advocacy for fiscal responsibility.
• Authenticity in Media: Emphasis on genuine engagement and depth in political commentary, as exemplified by guest Will Kane.
• Diversified Content: Balancing political discourse with intriguing real-world stories to maintain listener engagement.

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Note: This summary encapsulates the core discussions and insights presented in the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the podcast.

Transcript

[Josh Holmes]

This is what they're focusing on, is how do we destroy Elon Musk?

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, the left has operated like a mafia in this country, a protection racket that they've extorted business in this country, corporations, huge multinational corporations.

[Josh Holmes]

Shakedown racket.

[Comfortably Smug]

Shakedown racket. And Elon Musk is one of those people you can't shake down.

[Josh Holmes]

We finally beat Medicare. He's right. He did beat Medicaid. Beat it to death. Joe Biden's legacy for seniors. He raided Medicare, made premiums skyrocket, and drove up drug costs. Worse, the Biden pill penalty is already slashing the development of affordable drugs, forcing seniors to pay the price of Biden's failed policy. Biden broke Medicare, but President Trump can fix it. Call Congress and urge them to end the Biden pill penalty. Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.

[Comfortably Smug]

Just to catch it straight over here.

[Josh Holmes]

You'Re in for a hell of a show.

[Michael Duncan]

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

[John Ashbrook]

It's time for our main event.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, it's a good Tuesday. Back here at the Ruthless Variety program, Josh Holmes, comfortably smug, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook, the White House correspondent, left to right, across the radio dial, a holiday weekend. Hope everybody had a good one. We're back in action here at the Ruthless Friday program. Never a moment's rest.

[Michael Duncan]

No, we take no days off. And listen, I mean, the news cycle doesn't stop. No, it takes no days off. So we got to be the same.

[John Ashbrook]

And our president doesn't stop. And this was President's Day weekend, and it's celebrating presidents of America from yesteryear. However, I think that in the future, what we need to mark is Donald Trump on President Trump Day. Trump Day.

[Josh Holmes]

Trump Day. That's something. That's something. I didn't hear that coming. Listen, we're going to cover a lot of topics for you today. The primary one that we're going to discuss is Elon Musk. Clearly, Democrats have made Elon Musk their target. They understand that you can't go straight at Donald Trump. Too big of a problem for them. They don't know how to message against him. He's dynamic. He's got more energy than them. He always finds himself.

[Michael Duncan]

They already tried in November and got smoked trying that approach.

[Josh Holmes]

They've understood this is a failing proposition. And so what they've tried to do is go against Elon and they've tried to make a boogeyman out of him. Essentially. It's not working for any variety of things, but we're going to get into all, all of that. We got some variety too. I mean there going to be good stuff, There'll be some crazy stuff that we'll show you. Good video. And then we also have a great guest today.

[Michael Duncan]

That's right.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

The one and the only Will Kane.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

This is like the new big thing. He's like the new big thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, and selfishly, you know, I think what he's doing is blazing a trail that people like us have been trying to get into for a while, you know, where we're sort of doing a different format of the news and politics for you, the listener and the viewer. And he's sort of leading the way on that. And so like his success is our success.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. I mean, and that's the way that we've always seen. It's the way Megyn Kelly's always seen it. Like all of our friends, which you know, because they've been on the program, we've been on theirs, we see this the same way. Is that like a rising tide lifts all boats and the as much as we can promote folks like Will who are in it for the right reasons, who are authentic, who give you their actual view on a day to day basis. Now he's doing it with like three and a half million people.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

He's completely destroyed the midday ratings for every cable news outlet. And Fox is like, this is amazing.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. I mean his numbers are through the roof. And it's because he's just a likable, authentic.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, and there's a generational change in media and he's feeling, filling this vacuum for people who want authenticity, they want long form. It's the reason why people listen to podcasts like Ruthless. And so it's just, just so great to have him on the show.

[Josh Holmes]

You will love this interview. I mean this guy, he tells you exactly not only how he approaches all of it, but why he approaches all of it. And I think you're gonna get a lot out of it. So that's at the back end here. I don't have to tell you. Americans are ready for what's next. Moving beyond the hardships of inflation and economic anxiety towards building a future, a better future for our families. Ensuring greater access to more affordable energy that powers daily lives. Reliable energy that fuels innovation and economic growth, and the abundant energy that keeps our nation safer and more secure. It's all within our grasp. We'll do this together, building a brighter future for us. Powered by America's oil and natural gas resources. You can learn more about all of [e-mail] but the way we start, fellas, is on Elon. I don't think it's missed anybody. If you followed even tangentially the news, Democrats have decided, well, we're not going to like fully front on attack Donald Trump. We're going to try to take a different tangent by just going after Elon. Some of this shit will blow your mind. It's incredibly bad. Let's put clip one up now. I'm gonna be quick because I want to send a message to somebody. Not quick, Elon. Take your musty millions and musty Moscow rights, what, to the moon. Because if you don't, we're going to stand up, we're going to speak out, we're going to march, we're going to do anything we need to do to make sure that the people of this country understand that the CFPB is for them.

[Comfortably Smug]

You get your mustard.

[Michael Duncan]

What is he even saying?

[Josh Holmes]

Ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing that anybody cares more deeply about than a four letter agency.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's right. In Washington D.C. it's football, it's apple pie, it's CFPB. Every American. Every American.

[Josh Holmes]

What a disconnected idiot. I mean, these people are absolutely crazy. But you saw this all week. Last week they were out in front of one, three or four letter agency after another that was getting audited by Doge and by Elon and everybody else for a good reason, because you saw what's come out, all nasty shit. And then these people would run out and be like, I will not stand, right? I will not stand for any cutting of federal taxpayer dollars to this agency that does basically nothing.

[Michael Duncan]

And that's the thing is right now what Elon Musk is trying to do is sell, save everyone in this country money. He's cutting wasteful spending. And then you see these people be like, we're gonna get people to march in the streets. Well, what are you gonna tell them? We're gonna be like, listen, you need to keep paying high taxes, right? And you need to get out in the streets and march for that.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's exactly right. Smug. Because the real reason Democrats hate Elon Musk is he's upsetting the gravy train.

[Michael Duncan]

That's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

And only in Washington D.C. could be, you know, a person who's trying to save taxpayers money is somehow the villain.

[Josh Holmes]

Can I just tell you that the hidden genius of what the Trump administration is doing and what Republican leaders in Congress are doing is that they're spending the first three, four weeks examining these departments and flushing into light the Gross waste of taxpayer dollars. One after another, agency after an agency. They're all coming to light. You're all hearing about all of this stuff and then they're gonna get into the topic of taxes. It's much different when you can have an antiseptic discussion about like, well, the rich should pay their fair share in a populous nation right now. Rich should pay their fair share. And like, you don't find out until later that you're the rich one that they're talking about. It doesn't feel like you're rich, but like you're the one that they're talking about. But that's a conversation that Democrats have done pretty well with over the years. Very different when on the front end of that conversation you have a discussion about trans studies in Tanzania and condoms, you know, they're like, oh, no, we're pushing back hard. And the condom. It wasn't $50 million that went to condoms in Gaza. It was also the horn of Africa. Okay, well, we're still paying for $50 million.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. If anybody should be marching in the streets and holding bullhorns, it's the taxpayers of this country that' it's absurd that you've got people out there pretending that they're the victim cuz they're part of this gravy train that sucks out all of this money from hardworking taxpayers and plays victim.

[Josh Holmes]

Right?

[John Ashbrook]

But they're too busy earning their living so that on April 15th they can turn over whatever they're supposed to turn over to the federal government. And dude, we talked about this with Megyn Kelly last week. The waste in this government is astronomical. Unbelievable. It's not just sex changes in Nicaragua. Nicaragua. It's not just a DEI musical in Ireland. It's not just like climate change.

[Josh Holmes]

Which, by the way, river dance thing with the. It was his. Dude, river dance is. It's pretty. You know, it's racist.

[John Ashbrook]

We already have. We already have Riverdance. You know, why do American taxpayers need to fund some DEI musical in Ireland? Why do we need to fund, like, climate change heroes in Tajikistan? People from Tajikistan are coming here so that they can prepare to attack us. Like, we actually need to stop them. And Donald Trump is doing that.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. No, it's amazing. But I will say, like, just in a more meta level, every president, at some level, they're in the front of the news no matter what. Every time they open their mouth, it means something. And traditionally, Biden did it. Obama did it to Biden, Bush at some level did it. This has gone on for generations. You take issues that are somewhat complex and somewhat controversial, and you have the Vice president basically deal with it. They've got an additional player in the game in Elon Musk in that he has provided insulation. Trump is sitting on top and blessing Elon to go do what it is that he's doing, all of which is extremely popular with the American public. But you have this entrenched Democratic interests in Washington, D.C. that have just decided to, like, focus on it. It's like moths to light. Like, they just go for it. And so this is what they're focusing on, is how do we destroy Elon Musk? It's one of the geniuses of the way that Trump has put this whole thing together. And then you've got. JD Is doing, like, very, very serious things with AI. You saw his address in Paris, in Paris last week. Incredibly important stuff for the future of the country. And nobody speaks to it. Like, he does fantastic work, by the way. But then Elon is tackling these, like, very thorny, entrenched interests, and they're like, well, we can't really attack Trump on it. We gotta attack Elon. He's built another level of insulation around what it is that he's doing. Like, Elon is trying to handle that frontline attack. And you see it on CNN and msnbc, It's Constitutional crisis, all these things. And Trump, meanwhile, is doing 17 other things because he's not in the middle of it. It's brilliant.

[Comfortably Smug]

It is brilliant. And also, the left has had this playbook for a generation. If you have never read Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky, I highly recommend you do, because it's a real guidebook for the way that the left attacks people like Elon Musk who are trying to change things. And that is they always try to take the opposition, elevate somebody, and crystallize that, and then attack it, because it's easier to attack a person than it is an idea.

[Josh Holmes]

Yep.

[Comfortably Smug]

And Elon Musk is the richest person in the world, and he's sleeping on a cot in the Old Executive Office Building. It's hard to attack that guy.

[John Ashbrook]

It is.

[Comfortably Smug]

Because he's just trying to save money for the taxpayers.

[John Ashbrook]

And if you listen to him talk, he talks just like normal people.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, he is reading these things as if a normal person is reading.

[Josh Holmes]

Them with a kid on his shoulders.

[John Ashbrook]

Exactly.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, I mean, this is. You're looking at this from a political perspective, and you're like, I can't believe this is controversial.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

But Democrats have taken all of this and said, this is our target. We're gonna go after this guy. This is the guy who. And my favorite stuff, it's like, oh, he's this rich, greedy billionaire who wants to steal your money. Really?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Does anybody think that Elon Musk is interested in your paycheck? The guy flies fricking, you know, rockets to Mars. I mean, why in the world would Elon be interested in anything other than what's in the best fiscal interest of our country? Because it's good for him. It's good for everyone. It has no. There is nothing you could say about this guy that it's not an altruistic thing. Do you think it's, like, in his business, best interest to become a part of the national political conversation? Course not.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Of course not. But he's doing it nevertheless. And the more that they attack him, the more insulation that they provide for Donald Trump and the more they end up getting done.

[Comfortably Smug]

So I have a theory on this, like, why Elon Musk draws so much of their ire. And that is. You know, we've talked about this a lot on the show. You know, the left has operated like a mafia in this country, a protection racket that they've extorted business in this country, corporations, huge multinational corporations. Down racket, shakedown racket. And Elon Musk is one of those people you can't shake down because he did it himself.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, he said. He said it on those panel. Remember those panels like pre election 2024, where they're like, you know, you're pretty outspoken. Are you worried about that? And he's like, I don't give a fuck.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, that's what his. Like, he's on reach. Untouchable.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Level.

[Michael Duncan]

And, you know, the radicalization of the left can't be understated here. I saw online, people were posting. This is in California. They're posting photos of flyers that were put on their Tesla saying that, like, you have until February 20th to sell and get rid of your Tesla or there will be violence committed again.

[John Ashbrook]

Are you kidding?

[Michael Duncan]

Dead serious. Like they've lost their mind.

[Josh Holmes]

Lunatics. But the rest of the country, I mean, it has like a. There's an ebb and flow to it because the rest of the country hears stuff like that. And they're like, oh, now I'm with him. Now I'm with him. You know, not to mention the fact that, like, he had the audacity to make sure that my tax dollars are being spent.

[Comfortably Smug]

Wife. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, it's just it's wild. Let's play. Clip two, please. Privileged billionaires who don't give a damn about America and Americans should not be making decisions that put Americans at harm. We have got to tell Elon Musk. Nobody elected your. We will see you in the courts, in Congress, in the streets. Elon Musk is a Nazi Nipple baby. I am going to stand with you in this fight. And we will win. We will win. We will fight their violations of our Constitution of the United States of America. We will not shut up. We will stand up. We will speak up. Two observations. First is.

[Comfortably Smug]

I'm sorry. Number one, I don't know. You know, we read every YouTube comment, and the one thing I would say is we've been playing a lot of these super cuts of all these protests and stuff.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And it's upset some people to see all that on their television. So we're sorry, but we have to show it to you.

[Josh Holmes]

We got to show it to you because you need to know what they're up to.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Have you ever seen, and this is the most revealing part of where the modern left is. Have you ever seen a group of politicians so upset about something, and that something being the government union jobs that they get their contributions from? Like when the people were drowning in western North Carolina, when there were fires in California, when there are wars fought overseas with young women and men dying in pursuit of, like, American interests, These people don't get mad.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, there's no way.

[Josh Holmes]

You never see anything.

[Michael Duncan]

You've never seen them this animated.

[Josh Holmes]

But when you threaten the government complex, oh, they get pissed.

[Michael Duncan]

That's the thing is they've drawn the line in the sand over having access to your money because that's what matters to them. You never saw them out in the streets shouting like this, being like, hey, kids need to go back to school during COVID They're like, no, we stand with the teachers units. That was their position. They weren't out there screaming and shouting.

[Comfortably Smug]

Where'S the FEMA money for North Carolina? No protests then.

[Josh Holmes]

And here's the thing. They know better, right? Because these people aren't divorced from society. They actually know the damage that it was doing to children. Some of them have children in school age. They know the damage that was happening during COVID They clearly knew the damage that was happening. People in, like, western North Carolina and Tennessee and all across from her. But none of that provoked the outrage that you saw when you were threatening the government complex, like the spigot by which all of these people draw their money from It.

[Comfortably Smug]

Because it's what smug always says. And there's no ideology, there's no principle they won't put beneath the ultimate principle, and that is power. And the government unions provide that power to them, and that is sacrosanct. They will put us all through hell if they can keep power.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's just. It's remarkable, right? I mean, look, we're in a very big transition, a change environment. Trump is doing change. Things that he was elected upon, he talked very transparently about. There's no surprises here. He's doing what it is that he was elected to do. And then when he does it, the entrenched interests act like it is the fucking Normandy invasion. And like what we're talking about is giving people paid leave for eight months and full retirement. And they act as though that this is like a constitutional crisis, like, will our union exist?

[Michael Duncan]

And that's the thing is what they are fighting is oversight. They don't want anyone to see where the money's going. Why? What kind of person's like, no, don't ask any questions about where the money's going. What does that tell you about them?

[John Ashbrook]

Everything.

[Josh Holmes]

It's just incredible. We're going to get to a lot more of that right after the break, but we also want to let you know, thank you to everybody who's coming to the 500th Ruthless episode. 500. Who'd have guessed we'd have made it this far? Incredible, right?

[Michael Duncan]

499 more than I thought would make it.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

It doesn't feel like work, though, does it, fellas?

[Comfortably Smug]

No, no.

[Michael Duncan]

We're having too much fun.

[John Ashbrook]

What a pleasure.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it really is.

[Comfortably Smug]

I just figured that, like, Lawfare would have put us in prison by now.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, Trump got elected.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

We probably. If Kamala was there, I'm pretty sure we have some kind of an indictment looming for it.

[Michael Duncan]

Wouldn't be like Trent Agua on a plane. It gimmel be us four.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, right. Your high crime is being too funny and too cool.

[Josh Holmes]

I hate that you're cool. You're going to. So, anyway, if you can't join us live and in person, I understand it because we had a limited number of tickets. It sold out very quickly, and I'm very sorry about that. But if you can't, it goes live in 5am on Thursday morning. So it's a normal Thursday episode, but we're gonna tape the whole thing for you, the listener, to be there live.

[Michael Duncan]

Because we wouldn't get there without you.

[Josh Holmes]

I really wouldn't so we're going to get to all of that. We're going to get to Will Cain and everything. By the way, it's not only elected officials that have an irrational hatred of Musk, the media. Wait till you hear a little something about that. We're going to get to all of that right after this.

[John Ashbrook]

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[Josh Holmes]

All right, so the media is totally unhinged, particularly on Ellen, which is what we're talking about here. I want to play clip three, because this is. I mean, just wait to hear some of this stuff. Go ahead, Spaghetti. I want to hear why. But do you think that calling Elon Musk a dick is effective messaging for confronting what is a potentially irreversible transformation of the US Government?

[Comfortably Smug]

Irreversible?

[Josh Holmes]

Well, he is a dick, and I think he's also harming the American public in an enormous way. And what I think is really important and what the American public want is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy, for the future of this country. It's important to push back on.

[John Ashbrook]

The chairperson of this committee over his shoulder is Will Rogers, and there's a statue of Will Rogers in the Capitol. And I guarantee you that he is rolling over in his grave surprised he.

[Josh Holmes]

Didn'T get off the mount at the.

[John Ashbrook]

Thought of this guy who's apparently like, I don't know, an elected representative of the government.

[Josh Holmes]

As we're told.

[John Ashbrook]

Apparently as we're told.

[Josh Holmes]

It's hard to believe that anybody would elect somebody that idiotic. But, like, you know, the Dick thing has come up a few times. That's their new thing. He's like, dick that's trying to be edgy.

[Comfortably Smug]

Balls.

[Michael Duncan]

It's like, this is what you guys are bringing to this situation where President Trump gets elected, popular vote, landslide in the electoral vote. And the way you're trying to rebuild your party is like you're picking battles like this. I mean, to your credit, it's a good question. Like, you Guys kind of sound like idiots.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. The media and the government are natural allies in this fight against Elon Musk. And it's for the reason that Elon Musk is disrupting both of these industries, both of these power centers that have had a monopoly on information and control in this country. You know what Elon Musk says is you are the media now when you use X. And it's true. He's disrupting the entire media ecosystem. And that scares people on cnn.

[Josh Holmes]

They can't be the filter.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right. And Doge going through the books scares the government.

[Josh Holmes]

That's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

And so naturally they're both gonna be attacking them for the same reasons. They have the same vested interest.

[Josh Holmes]

They total. And what I find so amazing about this is there's like this faux edginess that they're trying to do.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, he's like, oh, you're a dick. Thinking that there's like a younger generation of Americans that appreciate the straight talk. And in the end, what he's trying to do is defend 70 year old institutions of public employee unions who haven't gone to work in three years, four years. And like, people aren't that dumb.

[John Ashbrook]

No, they see right through it.

[Michael Duncan]

That's the problem for them is this is just. At the end of the day, I think every American polling shows this sees right through their bs. Elon Musk and Doge are trying to cut wasteful spending. That's it. That's the entire purpose of it. And then who's on the other side of that?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, they pretend like it's a constitutional battle or the democratic democracy battles for democracy. Democracy.

[John Ashbrook]

Every time Democrats say democracy, what they really mean is bureaucracy. That's what they're trying to protect.

[Josh Holmes]

And it's. Look, it's taken me a while to wrap my head around this sort of break it all coalition that is now in the Trump coalition. Because look, I spent some time in government and I knew how hard conservatives fought for the limited victories that we had. But like the overarching point that I think the right has made that has now enveloped much of the center left and union Democrats who are now voting for Donald Trump is that you've got this industrial complex in Washington D.C. that doesn't want anything to change ever.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You can switch party one side or another, as long as you don't look at the books. Right. As long as you don't get underneath every. We can change tax policy, we can change our judges, we can change all these things. All the really important pieces of the component, but like their whole goal is larger than that and they just want to protect this pay to play operation inside.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, the Blob must survive.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And like it took me a while to figure that out because like we were on the front lines of trying to fight a whole bunch of things over the years that we thought made a material difference in the American people's lives. And we had serious victories, never got huge credit for it. We had some setbacks, always got a huge blame for it and like it made me pissed. But now I get it. Now I understand none of those things were really mattered. What mattered is what we're talking about now, which is uncovering this group of, I don't know, maybe less than 10,000 people in this country who are totally focused on just trying to micromanage underneath in contracts and in direction in policy or whatever that you never actually get to because they're not in the forefront of a policy debate. They're just the ones in the background who are like taking the money off the top.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, we were always able to scratch at the surface, I feel like, especially in the Obama years, you know, there was the cash for clunkers, right? Remember shovel ready jobs were not shovel ready Solyndra for example. But we really just were scratching the surface as conservatives. And like what Doge and Elon Musk are doing now are like they're flipping the log completely and all of the insects are scurrying out.

[Michael Duncan]

Total.

[John Ashbrook]

Great point.

[Michael Duncan]

Three out of the top five wealthiest zip codes in this country are the ones surrounding Washington D.C. and why is that? Why is that? Because, you know, is this Silicon Valley that they're creating jobs? Is this Houston, Texas? Do we have oil wells surrounding dc? No, no, it's because like you said, there's that group of people who have built this little system that only helps them. These government programs, these NGOs, they all skim off the top, they take their big salaries, they get a piece of the action on contracts. That's what they're protecting. And the politicians in their pockets, they send them out to go have their little protest in front of the buildings.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, well, they send them out and they're never more pissed, they're never more angry. I mean, you see, look at the emotion in that clip that we just paid. Like they are completely unhinged that someone is actually checking where the money goes.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, I haven't seen Cory Booker that animated since he had the I am Spartacus moment when he thought he'd be president. What a loser.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean it's all just so performative and it's just. Oh, God, it's unbelievable. So we have one more clip. Clip for. Let's play this one.

[Comfortably Smug]

Elon Musk, I think, has likely a more sinister motive, which is also to kind of grease the skids for his new business interest. Is interested in starting his own payment app. He's partnered with Visa to do that. And so he has a real interest in ensuring that the CFP PB isn't blocking an effort like that.

[Josh Holmes]

That is the most insane thing yet. As if Elon Musk wants something from this government. Do you think it would be a good play to make yourself the tip of the spear in reducing the size of government if your ultimate goal was to get a government contract?

[Michael Duncan]

Doesn't make any sense.

[Josh Holmes]

It's the dumbest fuck thing I've ever heard my entire life. And yet they just repeat it uncritically. And all of these airwaves, like, he's somehow surfing your Social Security account to make sure you don't get paid. But he does. Like, that's not how somebody is worth $50 billion. I just have to be honest with you.

[John Ashbrook]

Right. Think NASA has done nothing over the last, who knows how many years. And the only guy who is making advances in space technology is Elon Musk. And he's doing that all on his own. He's the guy with the Falcon Heavy and the rockets that are caught. You always.

[Michael Duncan]

They're parallel parking rockets. Yeah, like this guy. And then for her to try to make the point, like, he's working with Visa to try to have payments. And it's like, oh, boy, I bet him and Visa would be doing some crazy shit if it wasn't for, like, him trying to. Like, it makes no sense at all.

[Josh Holmes]

The man sleeps on a cot. Yeah, he's worth, like, if he spent every day buying everything in a mall near you, every single retail item, and then a Lamborghini on top of it, he could never spend what it is that he has. And you're convinced that this is agreed play? Are you nuts? Like, these people have lost their fucking minds. I can't believe that this is an argument that we're having in the public domain.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't think anybody actually believes it. I think that what these people are doing is they're filling time on CNN and MSNBC and they're playing yesterday's playbook. And I think that what Elon and President Trump are doing is tomorrow.

[Comfortably Smug]

And yeah, I just, I think they have to create a conflict in order to Keep people watching and keep people outraged. And they could never imagine their own lives doing something so selfless as what Elon Musk is doing. Right. And so they have to find some sinister motive that feels like it's kind.

[Michael Duncan]

Of telling on themselves.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

Where they're like, well, as we all know, you get involved in government to clean the place out and steal the money.

[Josh Holmes]

Right, Right, totally. But also, the cockiest guy, you know, is the most insecure.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, like, in this case, like, the most concerned about grifting are the people who are grifting.

[Comfortably Smug]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, it just. It is what it is, and it's just it. Listen, there are a hundred ways to describe what's going on. None of it is in a bad interest to the American taxpayer. Like, all of this stuff is very good for you. If you're interested in future generations of Americans getting Social Security, you should be pretty interested in somebody examining who's getting Social Security now if they're 175 years old, because that's how you bankrupt a system. That's how we've operated for the last 30 years.

[John Ashbrook]

Right. And here's the other thing. Think about the number of illegal immigrants in this country who are somehow getting money from our Social Security system. The government doesn't want people to know that number. They don't want people to know how much that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were pushing out the door of your money to people who did not pay into the system and who do not.

[Josh Holmes]

Works two ways.

[John Ashbrook]

They don't want anybody.

[Josh Holmes]

It's not only that, which is real. It's the other side of the coin, too, which is all of the illegal labor that. I mean, nobody likes FICA taxes, but we all pay it. They don't.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. So you're getting the back end of the benefit without having to pay the front end of the dues for admission. And that is happening. That is a very real thing. These are the things that they're looking at. What an outrage.

[John Ashbrook]

How dare they.

[Josh Holmes]

What an outrage.

[John Ashbrook]

How dare they try to make sure money is spent, Spent appropriately.

[Josh Holmes]

Have to ask yourself, why are they so mad?

[Michael Duncan]

That's the thing.

[John Ashbrook]

Because they're taking the money.

[Michael Duncan]

That's it.

[Josh Holmes]

Why are they so mad?

[Michael Duncan]

Straight up.

[John Ashbrook]

We know why.

[Josh Holmes]

We have a question of the day for you, and it revolves around next Thursday's episode, which is our 500th and really, really important show for us. It's going to be live. It's great. But this answer to this question will inform what it is that we do. And the question is, what game should we play?

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, very good question.

[Josh Holmes]

We've played probably six or seven games. I know there's going to be one game that's brand new, one game that's brand new that we're unveiling at the 500th episode. But you've heard, you know, six or seven different games. You all have your favorites. King of the Hill, you got to imagine is going to be in there no matter what. That's a staple. But let's give it your vote.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, yeah, because when we do a live show, we emphasize the theatricality of the production. Because you want to give people a show.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And so we need your help. We really do.

[Josh Holmes]

We do. And you need to tell us what is your favorite? And we will. We'll frickin play it. We'll play it. Coming up in Variety, some incredible footage of a military aircraft you're not gonna want to miss. And then a follow up on a man whose ex girlfriend threw away 8,000 bitcoins. We did a story about this maybe six months ago or so. It was just like a tragedy, right? Because it was like, you know, it's worth millions, a lot of money, and the guy is apoplectic about it. There's a follow up that you're not going to want to miss right after this.

[John Ashbrook]

So we just got some big news from Americans for Prosperity, the most effective grassroots organization in the country. They've just launched a massive $20 million campaign to protect your hard earned money. Here's the deal. If Congress doesn't act, the Trump tax cuts will expire. That means families could pay 1500 more in taxes next year. We all remember the benefits of those tax cuts. More money in your pocket, higher wages, and thriving mom and pop businesses across the country. But Bidenomics has taken us backward. Record inflation and rising costs mean families are paying over $13,000 more per year just to make ends meet. Now is not the time for higher taxes. That's why AFP is unleashing its grassroots army to protect the tax cuts. With hundreds of local events, millions of voter contacts, and direct pressure on lawmakers. Join the fight. Visit ProtectProsperity.com to demand Congress renews and strengthens the Trump tax cut so we can reignite the American dream. That's protect prosperity.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so in our effort to show you not only the best of news and our understanding of what's happening in Washington, D.C. we also have to get like the best of the Internet and like, the most crazy things that we've seen over the last few days.

[Michael Duncan]

This is completely insane.

[Josh Holmes]

This is one of the craziest things that we've seen over the last few days. Can we please play clip five, please?

[John Ashbrook]

Holy.

[Josh Holmes]

That is an F18 crashing into the San Diego Bay off Point Loma. Pilots now fortunately ejected before they got out of here. But you don't see this kind of thing on a day to day basis. This is absolutely wild. A live webcam of the San Diego harbor that you're looking at showed all of this. Now, again, fortunately, nobody was hurt at all.

[Michael Duncan]

But, like, wow.

[Josh Holmes]

Huh?

[Comfortably Smug]

It's terrifying.

[Josh Holmes]

Terrifying.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, that is insane to see.

[Josh Holmes]

Totally nuts.

[Michael Duncan]

And it also speaks to how, like, aerodynamic that fighter jet is that it almost makes, like, no splash on the way in. It was, like, going full tilt. Thank God they ejected and we're out of there.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, they had two pilots aboard. Authorities confirmed both were able to eject safely. Before that crash, a nearby fishing vessel picked both pilots up.

[Michael Duncan]

If I'm the captain on the chevron, I'm like, so what the hell happened?

[Will Kane]

Cause that looked pretty crazy.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, for our audio only listeners in that video, it's like you did the can opener off the high dive. Like, not a lot of splash. And this is a huge fighter jet.

[Josh Holmes]

But also the proximity of that camera to land. Yeah, I mean, it should. Could we do one more time? Can I say that one more time? I mean, this. This jet is real close.

[John Ashbrook]

Looks like a missile, and it just.

[Josh Holmes]

Goes head first right into the bay. I mean, it couldn't be more than 100 yards offshore.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Yikes.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. I will tell you, God bless the fishermen out there listening, because it is the most magnanimous, generous community of people in our entire country, and they're looking out for everybody.

[Josh Holmes]

We stand with the fishermen.

[John Ashbrook]

We stand with the fishermen.

[Josh Holmes]

We stand. We always stand with the fish.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, we had some great captains as fishermen when we did that trip with J.D. good folks.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I hope those people are thinking about how we're going to recreate that in a way that we catch actual.

[John Ashbrook]

Yes. 100.

[Josh Holmes]

Because we're going back to Michigan at some point to do that.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, smug caught fish.

[Michael Duncan]

I did.

[Josh Holmes]

That's nonsense. They were very cold.

[Comfortably Smug]

You pulled them up from the depth.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. The depths of.

[Michael Duncan]

Very cold.

[Comfortably Smug]

The grocery store.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. The things were.

[John Ashbrook]

I love when JD Called you out right away, like within seconds, he was like, that's bullshit. He knew.

[Josh Holmes]

He knew. He knew. All right, you want another crazy story?

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

So we did a story a few, I think, months ago. And this one's covered by Sky News, but about somebody who had lost bitcoin.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, I think he had it on a flash drive or something.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. Just an enormous amount of bitcoin that he had lost, and he thought it went to a landfill or whatever. So after a legal case to force the council to let him search the site was thrown out by the judge. He wanted to search the landfill for this thing that he knew was thrown away in a landfill and worth, like.

[Michael Duncan]

Millions to back up. It was his ex girlfriend that threw out a hard drive.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, There you go.

[Michael Duncan]

8,000 bitcoins. This happened in 2013. Today's value is $800 million.

[John Ashbrook]

Wow.

[Josh Holmes]

So, like, again, be careful about who you partner.

[Michael Duncan]

Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. No. You know, former Mayor of Washington, D.C. marion Barry understands this.

[Josh Holmes]

A bitch set me up.

[John Ashbrook]

Exactly.

[Josh Holmes]

That's where you're going.

[John Ashbrook]

That's what happened here.

[Josh Holmes]

She threw it out. I love that you marry and bury that thing.

[Michael Duncan]

I don't want to get into trouble. Only a woman could be like, I'm so mad. I'm gonna light $800 million on fire.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, I'm sure she didn't know.

[Will Kane]

She knew.

[Comfortably Smug]

No, she knew.

[Josh Holmes]

They.

[Michael Duncan]

They also.

[Comfortably Smug]

Maybe she was like this loser with his bitcoin. I'm gonna throw this out.

[John Ashbrook]

I'm.

[Josh Holmes]

Throw it out.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, why would else. Yeah, throw it out.

[Michael Duncan]

They want you to lose, dude.

[Josh Holmes]

They want.

[John Ashbrook]

They. They.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, my God.

[Michael Duncan]

They get mad when you're winning.

[Josh Holmes]

They hate it. They hate it. So his name is James Howells, and he's toying with offering to purchase the landfill.

[Michael Duncan]

Not a bad idea.

[Josh Holmes]

And he's discussing the idea with business partners.

[John Ashbrook]

Because at the end, look, there's a lot of money.

[Josh Holmes]

It's like you're. It's like a gold mine. Yeah. I mean, essentially, somewhere in that joint, there's $800 million.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, we think. I mean, like, he doesn't even know. He doesn't know necessarily. I mean, how do you do. You have to go to a bank. Like, you go to a bank and get a loan for this. And you're like, all right, my collateral is some.

[John Ashbrook]

There.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's there in the landfill somewhere.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

How do you do that? How do you establish chain of custody to prove that it's in there? So that a bank would loan you the money to buy the thing.

[Michael Duncan]

The pitch would be so easy. You just step in the bank. You're like, one man's trash is another man's trash in a more literal way sometimes than others.

[Comfortably Smug]

Smug would get that loan in a heartbeat.

[Michael Duncan]

Done.

[Comfortably Smug]

He could do it.

[Michael Duncan]

He could do it.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I mean, so yeah, his ex girlfriend threw this thing out. He's a 39 year old IT worker. But I mean, I understand what he's dedicating his Life to at $800 million. Yeah, like you gotta get that that's real or die trying.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, it's every young boy's dream. You're getting to do a real life treasure hunt. You know, like that would be really cool.

[Josh Holmes]

It would be really cool. Well, anyway, he's trying to buy the landfill. He's taking investors. Newport City council is planning to close and cap the site in the 2526, which it almost certainly spell the end of any lingering hopes for him. So Mr. Howells said he's widely reported comments on Monday that had been quite a surprise to hear the council's plan and he's going to try to buy the joint.

[Michael Duncan]

So you guys remember there was this stunt. I think it was Geraldo trying to get into some vault. What was that? Was it like, oh yeah, this is so easy for this guy. Make this a reality show because you'll get some TV channels.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, in the age of streaming, I mean, like you could in an email pitch this to Netflix and they would greenlight it, right?

[Michael Duncan]

Totally.

[Josh Holmes]

But it's also no different than like, you know, what you do in the oil business by people betting on whether you hit wells or not. Like there's a reasonable chance. $800 million in there. You spent a couple hundred million bucks. You get 600 million bucks out of it. Like that's an investment.

[Michael Duncan]

It would be such good reality tv. Like the moment, like you have the show, you find the hard drive. The moment he gets it in hand, then you go live of him calling his ex. Like, you tried to stop me. Yeah, you tried.

[Josh Holmes]

I want, I want an expose on this lady.

[Michael Duncan]

We want this. It should be a TV show.

[Josh Holmes]

Do you think she's just like fat and ugly?

[Comfortably Smug]

No.

[Michael Duncan]

She is right now celebrating his misery. Dude, that's like every day she wakes up, it's Christmas, she's like, yeah, I won. I made him miserable.

[Josh Holmes]

Do you think that's what's happening?

[Michael Duncan]

Dude, I know that's what's happening. It's 100%. They're so happy, smug.

[Comfortably Smug]

Do you think you have ex girlfriends who listen to this show?

[Michael Duncan]

I hope so. Watch me shine.

[Comfortably Smug]

I hope not.

[Josh Holmes]

Watch me shine. Oh, my God, that's fantastic. Well, anyway, when we come back, we're gonna get Will Kane.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

One and only Will Kanek, great friend of the program. You're not going to want to miss any of that right after this. I want to welcome to the program a very famous individual. This guy is a, a star of stars. He's somebody who with sheer presence on television can triple ratings in a matter of hours. Yeah, he's an old friend of the program. You've heard him here before. We love doing stuff with this guy. Will Kane. How are you, sir?

[Will Kane]

Just my sheer presence.

[Josh Holmes]

That's it. That's it.

[Will Kane]

Just talk about Blake Lively. Whatever. Triple rate.

[Josh Holmes]

That's it. That's it. You know, just some down to earth sort of middle of the country common sense for everybody. And look what happens. All of a sudden the 4 o'clock hour is exploding.

[Will Kane]

It has, it's. Yeah, it's. Man, I'm, I don't even know what to say. Like, it's. I, I'm not fist pumping because I'm not like, what did I do? I don't know. I mean, like I'm as shocked as everybody else, but I'm, I'm super humbled and flattered. It's, it's just awesome. It's awesome. I should, you know what though? I should give credit to my co host. I didn't know when they gave me my own show on the Fox News Channel and said, guess what we're gonna call it the Will Kane show, that I would actually end up with a co host who's very unpredictable and long winded. But he joins me every day at 4 and it's President Donald Trump.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Will Kane]

In no small part for my ratings. Signing eos and giving press conferences every day in the 4 o'clock hour.

[Josh Holmes]

It's like drinking from a fire hose. There's so much news. I mean the content. We have this on, on Ruthless, but we're not doing the 4 o'clock hour on the channel like this guy. But I mean the hardest part about doing news or commentary in this particular era is trying to figure out what you're going to jam into the time you have allotted. I mean there's, you could cover anything, you know.

[Will Kane]

And the funny thing about that, I was actually. So when I went to the super bowl this weekend in New Orleans and I got to sit with some of my bosses and one of them said something really smart. She said, you know, a lot of my friends, like, I just want to catch up on what happened today. Like what did the President do today? So we started that this week almost like a report card or a to do list. What did he do today. It's because it's hard for the audience. It's got to be because it's hard for us to keep up with what he did every day. The other thing about that Holmes is, you know, this whole thing about having your own TV show is really a work in progress. What I mean is I have a vision for what I want this show to be at some point. And we're not even. We're not even to first base yet. Like what I. I want to be very casual the way I am here with you guys and the way you guys are on your program and. And we're going to earn our way into that with the audience. And I also like to go deep. Like, I want to go into the why of a lot of this news and why it matters and give some historical, textual background. But the point I'm getting at is that's really hard right now. Like you said, it's like a fire hose of information.

[Josh Holmes]

You can't go deep.

[Will Kane]

How do I get deep on? What do I do, you know, to get in here?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. If you go deep on anything, you're talking about news that happened 48 hours ago.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, the last seven things that happened in the 15 minutes before you went on air go unnoticed as a result of it. But I think, like, one of the things that excites us the most, and like, Duncan, you and I were talking about this a little bit, is the commitment of Fox to go with you. Will Kane says to an awful lot of us who have, you know, similar overlapping audiences, a digital audience, all these other things of a generational change, not just in who appears on air, but the way you approach issues, the way that you talk to your audience, the way you interact with your audience. And that, to me is super refreshing that we've gotten to a point where, you know, 4:00 used to be sort of a stale hour. And like, Fox has always done better than anybody else, but it's, you know, that's kind of like the winding down part of your work day. And like, nobody's sort of like super enthused about 4 o'clock hour until now. Until now, because they got something different.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, I think Fox has recognized what we've seen here over the last two, four, six years. It's like people consume information differently now, and their appetite for how news is packaged has totally changed. They're willing to go deep. They're willing to look around the corner for what comes next. I want to have a discussion about that. We do that on Our show, you do that on yours. And so my question to you is, with all this fire hose of media and trying to stay on top of the day to day stuff, like, how do you plan for what's next for the Will Kane show? Like, how do you give your audience a peek into the crystal ball and how does that inform, like how you're going to produce the show so you get past like first base to second based and all the way home?

[Will Kane]

Well, so part of that is, is I think it's almost too, it's too shallow to say aesthetic. Okay, let's, let's go esoteric and then apply it more, more concretely into what I envision the program. So what you were saying a minute ago, which I am incredibly flattered by and I appreciate how I package the news and I think a lot about that and, and the way when Fox approached this, I, I, look, I'm, I was a host of Fox and Friends and that's a different kind of show. So I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. Like, I have this vision and I want to hit it right out of the gates. I want to, you know, you know, probably two months worth of planning and this. And they're like, nope, we're just gonna, Nope, we're putting it on air and you're gonna figure it out as you go. I'm like, wow. Like, I. It's not only. It's, it's wise. It's actually wise. The bosses that I've gotten to know even more so recently, it's just incredibly wise because you don't want to shake the snow globe of television overnight. You just don't Machiavellianly. People point out to me, Jimmy Kimmel did that when he got a late night show. He totally rejected the format and I think he gave up monologue and did some other things and the ratings absolutely tanked. And then he morphed back into all the other late night programs. Well, I'm going to do it the other way. My show now is way more traditional than I want it to be. It's going to grow and I will earn the audience's license to grow it even more abnormal than what you see on so smart. But what you said, Holmes, is what the execs said to me once at the beginning. They just said, hey, will just be you. That's it. We want you to be you. And that can be an intimidating thing for somebody to say. It's like liberating. And you're like, yeah, awesome, be me. But the Other part is like, what does that mean? You know? But here's what you touched on. I think it was home saying this. It may have been smug. Here's all I know about me is that I. My currency is authenticity. That's all it is. I would like to think that I'm the same dude if we hung out in New Orleans that you see on tv. I'd like to think I'm not putting on pretenses. Not false sense of expertise. Curious when I'm curious, opinionated when I'm opinionated. And I hope that's what you're seeing. Like when you said it's a refreshing package. I hope that's what I'm accomplishing right now, being authentic over time. I'll tell you how I'll allow myself to be authentic. Well, they're building me a studio right here next door. I'm not gonna be stuck behind this image in this one shot.

[Josh Holmes]

Just when we fell in love with the one shot.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

This is unbelievable.

[Will Kane]

I'm gonna get up, man. I'm gonna. I'm gonna deal with the wall. I'm gonna have you guys in. I don't want to do a four minute interview. I want to have a conversation with you guys. You know who's awesome. I must give you an example. Trey Angst is awesome, right? And I had Trey. I've had Trey on the Will Kane show, the digital show, just like you guys, 30 minutes. Trey and I talk in Israel, Gaza, you know, everything. And the version of Trey that I. I would love that version of him. Like, I mean, this dude's an expert. He's there all the time. And so I want to figure out ways to use him and bring him into a conversation where I'm learning with the audience. And it's not just a traditional Q and A. So I hope when we look up in six months, it's authentically me in a more authentic environment, formatically.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it's really well said.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. Well, I just. I got to ask you about something, because you are not the real article. You are an authentic guy. And I heard something last week that I think could be more meaningful to you than the huge show and all of your success on television. It was at the super bowl, and Jerry Jones was walking. The owner of the Cowboys was walking down the red carpet, and he was asked by somebody about the season. It was a disappointment. And he apologized to one key fan. He actually apologized to Will Kane for the performance of their team this season. And I heard that, and I was like, oh, my God, that's pretty big. This is a lifetime achievement award for a super fan, okay?

[Will Kane]

You want authenticity. So Tyrus asked him that. Here's here. So I, I don't know Jerry, and I am doubtful that Jerry knows who I am. I'm doubtful. Now, I do know some of Jerry's family, okay? I live in Dallas, they live in Dallas. Our worlds have intersected. So here's the authenticity. So I go to this party, right? I'm in this new world, right? I get to be around some big wigs. This is in New Orleans. And I'm at the party, you know, like, Brady is there and this and that and, and there's Jerry. And I mean, he is five feet away from me, right? He's got the ostrich boots on. And I'm like, this is my moment. I'm gonna go, you know, and I'm not gonna say, hey, why haven't we been to a Super bowl in 30 years? I'm not gonna do that, I don't think. But I kind of. He was talking to a guy, right? And that these. You guys have been to cocktail parties, your big DC big wigs, you guys. And you know, it's that thing like, how do you approach a conversation when it's not like, is the circle closed? Is it open? So Jerry's body was kind of like he was side talking to this guy like this, you know, And I walked up, just kind of let him know I was standing there. I think he side eyed glanced at me and turned to talk to the other guy. And it was clear there is not an opening. I embarrassingly shuffled away and it felt very rejected.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, now, now he wants to make it the head coach of the Cowboys. Well, it's a hell of a transformation in a couple short years.

[Michael Duncan]

So you mentioned Tom Brady. I just want to ask you, what's it like playing on the same team as him? Is he as much of a leader? Does he really dominate the scene?

[Will Kane]

I met him for. I met him for the first time this weekend. And so I have nothing but positive. I'm a big fan. I'm a big fan, but always still the greatest.

[Michael Duncan]

You do know that, right? John Elway?

[Josh Holmes]

No, exactly. Do not take the bait.

[Will Kane]

One, Mahomes to Montana. Three. I don't know where Elway comes in, but it's, it's getting there after.

[Josh Holmes]

That's fair ranking.

[Will Kane]

Brady is, he's, he's awesome. Like, he met my son, which I got to take my son, which was incredible. My 13 year old and he was so Cool. He took time. He talked to my son and said nice things about me. Brady's another level of superstar, right?

[Josh Holmes]

Totally.

[Will Kane]

When you get to that level, I'll put it this way. Brady's close. But I'll tell you, the two most accessible superstars I've ever met, and what I mean by accessible is they're not going through the motions. They're talking to you. They're interested in you. And there's a lot of demands on Brady in the time, in the. In the place that I was. Right. There's a lot of people around, so it's sometimes dependent upon the situation. But the two most accessible that I've ever been around are Dwayne Johnson, who is the Rock. Awesome dude. He's one of my favorites, man.

[John Ashbrook]

Love to hear that.

[Will Kane]

Looks you in the eye, asks about you, like, how's your life?

[Josh Holmes]

What are you doing?

[Will Kane]

Not doing it in a politician type way. Like.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Will Kane]

Wants to have a conversation. And the other is Donald Trump.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally.

[Will Kane]

We're talking about superstar and uniquely accessible human being that is genuine in their interaction with you. Trump is amazing.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally. And as he's broken the media in many ways, that is now apparent for all to see over the last three and a half weeks of his presidency. He talks to you directly several times a day. And you can tell, I mean, look, some of us, we've been fortunate enough to sit in the room with that guy kind of a lot over the last few years. And you're so right. Every single time that you have an interaction with Donald Trump, he is looking you in the eye, he's asking questions, he's engaged. And in a world in Washington in which many of us professionally grew up, that is such a rare commodity.

[Comfortably Smug]

People usually don't take interest in other people in this town. No, it's like, what can you do for me?

[Josh Holmes]

Exactly.

[Comfortably Smug]

But Donald Trump's always interested in you. I mean, if you went and watched that Theo Vaughn interview, for example.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think Donald Trump asks more questions than Theo Vaughn does.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, he wants to know, you know, what was it like being on cocaine all those years?

[Will Kane]

And Duncan, it doesn't turn off.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Will Kane]

I used to have this theory. You guys are much more plugged into DC with me, but you can measure the talent of a politician by the amount of time they can pretend to be interested in you. So I met Joe Scarborough. Five minutes. Five minutes. I saw the light go off.

[Josh Holmes]

I saw it.

[Will Kane]

And I saw it in his eyes.

[Josh Holmes]

Looking over your shoulder.

[Will Kane]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Elliot spitzer couple months.

[Josh Holmes]

He was looking, looking, but he was kind of looking for something else.

[Will Kane]

I was around Elliot early in my career when I was at cnn. But I'm gonna tell you something, he's a talented politician. He really is. Donald Trump never turns off. Somebody has to pull him away. He doesn't lose interest in you. He's not trying to wrap up the interview. Someone else has to tell him. Sir, you've got to go. The Chancellor of Germany is waiting, and you're still talking to the host of Fox and Friends Weekend.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, it's so good. The last part that I wanted to get into you with Will and I know you gotta run. Look at busy guys. Got the millions of people to entertain here shortly. You came at this thing differently. We've talked about this on the show before. You were heavily into sports. You obviously have a interest in politics, and that has grown over the years and what you've now become. But what I love about your show is that you fuse it all together. It's one of the things that we've tried to do at Ruthless is you can't come at the things that you come at from a political perspective unless you understand your cultural awareness, your understanding. What are the things that drive you and motivate you. For those of us who played team sports, obviously, we've got a different way of looking at a Republican team than we do, you know, somebody who never played any sports. And they're like, these are all individual things. And like, you have done this to a level for the first time in my mind on cable television in a way that brings in more than just giving you the political news. We're giving you the whole thing. I mean, that's got to be a huge motivation for you, you know, but.

[Will Kane]

That'S just back to the authenticity thing. It's not calculated as you were talking about that. I'll give you the three moments that I think led me to whoever I am and whatever I'm trying to present to the audience on tv. Law school was really huge for me. I went to law school at the University of Texas. And, you know, it's kind of weird. Like I said this other day, it's the first time in my life that I didn't care about my grades. Like, all through high school and college, I'm trying to get good grades. I'm trying to get to the next step, whatever it is, admission to this or admission to that. When I got to law school, I did not care about working for a big law firm. Just didn't Care. I knew I was gonna do something else with my life and it totally liberated me to actually learn. And I learned and I fell in love with the Constitution, just learning the Constitution. So that's hugely formative for me in my life. Second was Obama, McCain election. What is that? 090809 and I just felt like it was a huge philosophical debate in the country that was being missed through the partisan dynamic. Like I think Obama represented a real shift in our, in our country's arc on the kind of things that we accepted as our relationship between us and our government. And that led me down the political path. That's how I ended up going down TV path and that kind of thing. Then to your point, I took five years after doing politics for whatever it was, six years and I just left. I did sports for five years on espn, which I loved. And that I think we all have to be careful. We have to be careful because politics can consume us totally. And then worse, partisanship can consume us. And it's, we have to remember it's just one narrow lens through which you view the world. It's maybe it's not that narrow. It's big because it represents culture as well. But being in sports for five years, I just reconnected with people of every different walk of life and saw all the ties that bind us. I'm not doing false kumbaya stuff, but like by the way, I loved the non comradery part of it, meaning the debate on first take. And I loved it. But the point is it's just life is deeper. It's just so much deeper than Republicans and Democrats. And so I just tried to marshal all that or I guess I don't even know if I'm trying. I just am marshaling all that into whatever I'm doing now, which, yeah, it's.

[Josh Holmes]

So well said and it's awesome that you can explain. I mean, that's why the authentic piece of what it is that you do shines through. Because that, I mean, that's the best explanation I've heard of the whole part of becoming a host and the way that you approach news and your job and everything else. Listen, I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of you and not just at 4:00 on Fox. You're a good friend. You've been awesome to this program. We always love having you on. Will Kane, thank you so much for joining us.

[Will Kane]

I expect to start seeing you guys on a regular basis at 4. I'm saying now we said it before we went on air, but I want your audience to hold you accountable.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, good.

[John Ashbrook]

Count it.

[Josh Holmes]

Good. I love that. Thanks so much for joining us, Will.

[Will Kane]

Thanks, fellas.

[John Ashbrook]

Man, that guy is so great. And Fox was so smart to put him in the 4 o'clock hour. And what he is doing with that is revolutionizing television. And this guy is the future of what we're all hoping to do.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, like the basis of what he's doing with the authenticity and bringing in different components of his life like sports and other things, to have a conversation that is largely about politics and what have you is what we did at the beginning for long years ago at Ruthless. It is so gratifying to see somebody like Will get to the point where he's at because it's like, you know, it's like a. A stamp that. Yep. Yeah, we get it.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's like the proof of concept for why we started this show in the first place. And it's not only on television, it's succeeding. The ratings are fantastic.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, he's like over doubled.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

The ratings had in that hour. He's crushing.

[Josh Holmes]

It is a whale of a guy. I mean, this is somebody like In a top 10 list of people you want to have a beer with and hang out and just discuss life.

[Michael Duncan]

You love seeing the good guys win.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally. Totally. So thanks to Will for joining us. Remember, we have a question of the day is what game are we going to play next Wednesday for our 500th episode? What you tell us we're going to end up doing. You should like and subscribe. Like and subscribe. Enter your answer. We're going to play it on Wednesday. And with that, gentlemen, I think we've done it.

[Michael Duncan]

I think so. Absolutely. Banger of an episode. Gentlemen, thank you so much to Lil Kane and thank you so much to listeners. We wouldn't be here without you. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line and own the libs. We'll see you Thursday. Stay Ruthless.