Ruthless Podcast: "Trump Trolls the UN"

Episode Date: September 25, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Special Guest: Brent Gardner (AFP)
Episode Theme:
A fast-paced, razor-sharp conservative roundtable tackling rising leftist violence, Democratic messaging on ICE and immigration, and a detailed, uniquely irreverent analysis of Trump’s headline-grabbing performance at the United Nations. Plus, a takedown of the UN, a scorched-earth review of Kamala Harris’ latest adventures, and a lively “King of the Hill” tournament of the worst blue-check Twitter takes.

Episode Overview

The hosts open with a deep dive into a spate of attacks targeting ICE agents and facilities, arguing the left and mainstream media both enable and minimize this violence. They explore the rhetoric from Democratic leaders and left media that, in their view, emboldens extremists, as well as the copycat phenomenon around anti-ICE messaging. The team then pivots to a play-by-play of Trump’s appearance at the United Nations—a showcase for his confrontational, showman style—and closes with a series of comedic but pointed cultural critiques, reader feedback, and a fresh “King of the Hill” Twitter takedown. Brent Gardner of AFP joins for a policy-rich discussion about the looming government shutdown.

Key Topics and Insights

1. Pattern of Leftist Violence against ICE (00:00–13:00)

• Discussion of Recent Attacks:

  • The team highlights an attack at a Dallas ICE facility, noting the shooter had bullets engraved with “anti-ICE” and citing at least 14 attacks on ICE agents/facilities since January 1st.
  • Copycat phenomenon: attack trends influenced by previous high-profile incidents, with shooters engraving messages on bullets and being turned into heroes in some left circles.
  • Media obfuscation: The hosts argue outlets like the Associated Press and left-wing commentators deflect or spin such incidents, blaming other sources or downplaying the leftist ideological link.

• Media Response Critique:

  • Ashbrook draws attention to mainstream outlets softening coverage or blaming insurers or other tangential targets, referencing AP coverage of Luigi Mangione (05:16).
  • Notable quote – Ashbrook (05:16):
    "So this is not only a pattern of a leftist lunatic carving into bullets, but the media trying to obfuscate and cover for them."
  • Rick Wilson rails against what he sees as “disgusting” online responses and left-wing deflection:
    • (06:04) “The obfuscation that there are prominent Democrats, these never Trump fuck faces... talking about. They’re just trying to obfuscate the reality that this is a targeted attack on ICE officers.”

• Political Weakness & Moral Leadership:

  • Michael Duncan notes the lack of backbone among Republicans to call this out as a left-wing problem, praising The Atlantic’s shift to acknowledging “left-wing terrorism” (07:37).
  • Holmes stresses the attack trends are not random or isolated, but organized and thematic (08:15).

2. Democratic Rhetoric, Media Misinformation, and Radicalization (13:00–32:00)

• Democratic Leaders’ Statements:
  Multiple audio clips (with timestamps) are cited where Democratic leaders compare ICE to slave patrols or Nazis, or make unsubstantiated claims of ICE targeting children.

  • Gavin Newsom claims ICE is the "largest private domestic army" swearing loyalty "to him [Trump]" (17:47).

  • Jasmine Crockett and Kamala Harris draw slavery and Gestapo analogies (19:07, 20:54).

  • JB Pritzker compares ICE practices to Nazi Germany's demand for citizenship papers (22:09).

  • Pramila Jayapal pushes a debunked hoax about ICE agents kidnapping a 5-year-old girl (25:06–26:55).

  • Quotes:

    • Josh Holmes (20:25):
      “You can understand if there’s an audience for that show... conceptualizing ICE as slave patrol, like, if you’re a bona fide Jasmine Crockett fan, god help you.”
    • Michael Duncan (23:04):
      “They all describe the van... Well, what was shot on Wednesday morning?”
    • Rick Wilson (24:33):
      “You want to know why all these young people who are leftists, who have no leadership…are on discord servers, feeling nihilistic and trying to shoot people? It’s because they feel like they don’t have a voice.”

• Overton Window Shift:

  • The hosts trace the radicalization of discourse back to the acceptance of “concentration camp” language about ICE (28:12).
  • Emphasis on how this language and Overton window shift paved the way for escalation and justifies, in the minds of radical actors, violent action.

3. Trump at the United Nations: A Ruthless Breakdown (32:42–51:52)

• Trump’s “Showtime” at the UN:

  • Hosts compare Trump’s arrival to Michael Jordan playing in Madison Square Garden—high stakes, hostile crowd, and peak performance (32:42–33:35).
  • Macron literally blocked by Trump’s motorcade, forced to walk to the UN (34:31).
  • Trump’s showmanship highlighted by his teleprompter failing and quick improvisation:
    • Trump (37:06):
      “Whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”
    • Trump pokes fun at the UN’s logistics: “A bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. These are the two things I got from the United Nations.” (38:14)

• Dissing the UN:

  • General frustration with the UN’s location, tax exemptions, and frequent gridlock in New York is vented (35:49–36:55).
  • Holmes and Ashbrook question continued American largesse toward an institution they argue achieves nothing.

• Trump’s Speech Highlights:

  • Trump slams the UN for inertia, positions himself as the world’s real peacemaker (43:45):
    • Trump:
      “In a period of just 7 months, I have ended 7 unendable wars… It’s too bad I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them. And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help.”
  • Mocks renewables, exposes UN hypocrisy on energy (45:10):
    • Trump on wind power:
      “Those big windmills are so pathetic and so bad... Most expensive energy ever conceived.”
  • Calls out the UN for enabling uncontrolled migration (47:25):
    • “The United Nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders.”
  • Predicts European leaders will eventually admit he was right on energy and migration.

• Endgame—Should Trump “Deport the UN?”

  • The crew proposes evicting the UN, turning its HQ into a VA hospital or an ICE facility (49:52–51:27).

4. Kamala Harris Roast & Lightning Round (54:05–69:57)

• Kamala’s Book Tour and Dem Party Issues:

  • Hosts mock Kamala for blaming her veep selection (over Buttigieg or other “diverse” picks) on American bigotry rather than her own campaign’s cynicism:
    • Holmes (57:19):
      “It’s not that I’m a homophobe or anti-Semite, it’s that the American people are.”
    • Ashbrook (58:06):
      “It’s so insulting to have the DEI pick be like, oh this country’s too bigoted…you got that job because of DEI.”
  • The panel critiques modern Democratic politics as “meritless” and overly focused on identity over leadership.

• Election Prospects & Internal Critique:

  • Harris remains deeply unpopular (-13 net favorable nationally, -37 with independents), failing to recover even in defeat (68:20). Panel contrasts to positive post-defeat rebounds of past politicians.
    • Michael Duncan: “Do you know how hard that is to do, to be the candidate who loses…and make it demonstrably worse?” (69:01).

5. King of the Hill: Twitter’s Most Unhinged (70:00–78:56)

• A tournament of “cringe” between Rick Wilson and Matt Dowd.
  • Dowd’s winning lowlight: attempting to sell T-shirts using the controversial phrase that led to his firing after the Charlie Kirk assassination, showing “the depths of depravity” (75:12–78:47).
  • Commentary on the line between online “truth-telling” and tasteless, exploitative self-promotion.

6. Government Shutdown—What’s Really Going On (79:01–92:44)

• Guest Segment with Brent Gardner (AFP):

  • Explains the current government shutdown standoff is the result of Democrats making “unworkable demands” from a position of weakness.

  • Describes the politics of ACA subsidy extensions, NPR/PBS funding, and the “blame game.”

  • Importance of government functionality for the American public, both practically and politically.

  • Voters, especially seniors, demand accountability above all and overwhelmingly hate shutdowns (87:44).

  • Quotes:

    • Brent Gardner (87:49):
      “Democrats, by and large, oppose government shutdowns and always have at a higher rate than Republicans…this is bad politics for Chuck Schumer, but it’s bad for the country.”
    • Gardner (89:00):
      “Our grassroots are up in arms over this…The American people are demanding that their government actually function.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On media obfuscation:
  Ashbrook (05:16): “Pattern of a leftist lunatic carving into bullets, but the media trying to... cover for them.”
• On Democratic rhetoric:
  Holmes (20:25): “She’s turning it on because that slavery...you’d be like, I’ll do. That’s why we had the Civil War, folks.”
• On Trump at the UN:
  Holmes (33:45): “Trump gets better in that situation. He’s like more comfortable with the uncomfortability of it than anyone I’ve ever seen on an international stage.”
• On Kamala Harris:
  Holmes (58:38): “It’s just a meritless political party.”
• On the UN’s value:
  Michael Duncan (42:19): “What is the difference between the real UN and the model UN that all the nerds did in high school? ...Those nerds’ parents pay taxes and the UN doesn't.”
• On government shutdown politics:
  Brent Gardner (87:03): “There’s political accountability that comes with it…and it’s going to be whoever wins the media war, not the policy one.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–13:00 – Analysis: ICE attacks, media responses, “left-wing violence”
• 13:00–32:00 – Dem leaders’ rhetoric, ICE/immigration narrative, Overton window
• 32:42–51:52 – Trump’s UN visit: performance, speech, UN critique
• 54:05–69:57 – Kamala Harris book tour and Dems’ political troubles
• 70:00–78:56 – King of the Hill: Worst Twitter Takes
• 79:01–92:44 – Brent Gardner (AFP) on government shutdown dynamics

Summary Tone & Style

Irreverent, combative, and darkly humorous—laced with inside jokes, references to pop culture, and sharp-tongued political analysis. The hosts provide an exaggerated but laser-focused conservative critique of both recent news and broader trends, with a clear intent to entertain as much as to persuade.

For New Listeners

This episode is packed with references to current and recent news, pop-culture analogies, and a rotating cast of political targets. The structure alternates between serious news breakdowns, pointed audio segments, satirical roasts, and crowd-sourced audience Q&A. If you want a blend of conservative media critique, Republican “locker room” analysis, and a relentless takedown of Democratic messaging, this episode is for you. Key takeaways include skepticism of media narratives, a call for GOP assertiveness, and the enduring appeal (or controversy) of Trump’s theatrical political style.