The Ben Shapiro Show – Ep. 2376

WTH?! McDonald’s Celebrates…Ramadan
Date: February 26, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)
Guest: Wilfred Reilly (Professor, Host of Daily Wire+ Series “Black Lies Matter”)

Episode Overview

This episode’s main focus revolves around Western cultural shifts, the nature and comeback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and the problems Ben Shapiro sees with what he calls Western “virtue signaling”—examples ranging from Germany’s McDonald’s Ramadan campaign to the persistence of DEI in the U.S. Shapiro is joined by Wilfred Reilly, who discusses his new series and the backlash (and possible revival) of DEI in corporate and academic America. The episode also covers U.S. politics, the fallout from Trump’s State of the Union, Democratic responses, welfare and Medicaid fraud, ongoing international negotiations with Iran, and listener Q&A.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. McDonald’s Ramadan Campaign in Germany and Western Virtue Signaling

[03:36–09:30]

• Incident: McDonald’s Germany launched a campaign removing food imagery from billboards during daylight Ramadan fasting hours.
  • Shapiro criticizes this as the latest example of “bizarre bend-over-backwards celebration” of someone else’s religious traditions in the West, especially as McDonald’s is not halal.
  • Quote: “The people who are presumably going to be very moved by these billboards are not going to head over to McDonald’s after dusk and start chomping down on the cheeseburgers. So what is McDonald’s doing?” (Ben Shapiro, 06:11)
• Analysis: Ben likens this to a non-kosher restaurant marketing for Yom Kippur, calling it self-defeating and a sign of “cultural disintegration.”
• Underlying Motive: Argues corporations are not truly targeting religious minorities, but rather signaling virtue to “left-wing” Westerners who see such campaigns as moral or progressive.
  • “It’s a strange form of cultural reparation that somehow the West owes it to other cultures to participate in their religious activities...” (08:17)
• Broader Trend: Compares this to U.S. companies promoting themselves during progressive causes/events (e.g., Black History Month, Gay Pride Month), saying DEI persists as a form of social status competition—rarely for profit, but for virtue.

2. The State and Survival of DEI in the U.S.

[09:30–21:09]

• Current Status: Despite backlash, Shapiro argues, DEI hasn't died with the Trump era and could return “with a vengeance” if Democrats regain power.
  • Refers to a Time Magazine article titled “Why Donald Trump Can’t Kill DEI.”
  • Notes institutions still upholding DEI in practice, even when abandoning the label.
  • Quotes: "Many companies have retreated from DEI under legal and political pressure. What makes fewer headlines is that most companies that have settled away from the acronym continue to affirm the values of DEI under a different name." (Paraphrased summary of Time article, 11:26)
• Guest Introduction: Wilfred Reilly, creator of “Black Lies Matter,” joins to detail how DEI “goes underground,” with companies rebranding diversity officers as “VP of Belonging,” illustrating a ratchet effect—these roles rarely disappear.

Wilfred Reilly on Corporate DEI “Entrenchment”:

• Quote: “One of the problems is that you now have an entrenched base within the company... there is opposition there. You have HR, you have diversity. All these people had six-figure salaries. All of them were looking around the Camp Pleasant, Ann Arbor for hate offenses...” (17:55)
• Reilly describes internal resistance to change, as DEI staff defend their positions.
• He also critiques studies (like the McKinsey report) allegedly showing DEI correlates with profitability, arguing causation is backward: wealthy companies indulge in DEI because they can afford it, not because it creates success.

3. DEI’s Political Cycles and Real-World Impact

[14:19–21:09]

• Political Perspective: Reilly and Shapiro discuss how left-wing trends in business and academia retreat after backlash but never fully disappear (“the left-wing ratchet only turns one way”).
• Practical Solutions: Both discuss potential strategies to eliminate DEI: mass layoffs, removing bureaucratic layers, or simply refusing to replace outgoing DEI staff.
• Corporate Incentives: Reilly theorizes DEI persists partly due to internal lobbies and partly as performative gestures toward left-leaning (especially white liberal) consumers.

4. The Black Lies Matter Series – Reilly’s Pitch

[21:09–23:40]

• Series Overview: Reilly’s “Black Lies Matter” aims to dispel common myths about race, policing, and systemic racism in America:
  • Quote: “There’s not a wave of police officers killing African American men. That number’s about 12 [per year]. There’s not a wave of interracial crime, certainly from whites against blacks.” (21:43)
  • Calls attention to high-profile “hate crimes” later exposed as hoaxes.
  • Argues institutional affirmative action has been in place for decades, cutting against claims of “systemic” disadvantage for minorities today.
  • Criticizes the cultural trend of “victim culture.”

5. Listener Q&A – School Choice, Ben on Left-Wing Shows, Electoral Strategy

[26:12–31:53]

• School Choice: Shapiro explains that while many states have adopted school choice policies, federal involvement is limited; as a federalist, he prefers these issues handled at the state level.
• Shapiro on Left-Wing Podcasts: Says he’s willing to criticize Trump, but uses such platforms to expose the biases and shortcomings of the left as well.
  • “If I can get [a Democratic host] to cave... then maybe a more moderate politics can be found on the left.” (27:24)
• Electoral Danger for GOP: Warns that Democrats currently lead in midterm congressional polling and even in Republican strongholds like Texas, setting up the possibility of a blue wave if turnout issues persist.
• Candidate Quality: Stresses Republicans must nominate electable, competent candidates (uses Texas Senate and House races as an example).
  • Critiques Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez’s scandal as potentially disastrous for maintaining a GOP House majority, suggesting rooting out scandal “may lead to short-term pain for long-term gain.”

6. State of the Union Fallout & Partisan Rhetoric

[36:39–44:31]

• Democratic Reactions: Plays soundbites of Democratic leaders (Ilhan Omar, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Al Green) responding loudly and often dramatically to Trump’s State of the Union address.
  • Highlights accusations that Trump is “taking us back” on race relations.
  • Schumer frames Trump’s speech as a “State of Delusion.”
• Trump’s Response: Trump, on Truth Social, launches a personal attack on Democratic Congresswomen and Robert De Niro.
  • Quote: “...low IQ Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib as they screamed uncontrollably last night at the... State of the Union... lunatics, mentally deranged and sick... should be institutionalized... They can only damage the United States of America." (43:34)
• Shapiro expresses amusement at both sides' overblown rhetoric, essentially calling out the spectacle.

7. U.S. Welfare Fraud and the Limits of Federal Programs

[51:51–56:35]

• VP JD Vance & Medicaid Fraud: Shapiro discusses the Trump administration’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud, beginning with Minnesota.
  • “Far too many people have gotten rich by taking what is the best of the American spirit and getting rich off of it instead of providing services to kids who need it. That is stopping today.” (JD Vance, 52:21)
• Shapiro distinguishes between outright fraud (prosecutable) and systemic “abuse” (legally within bounds but ethically problematic), blaming the scale of welfare systems for incentivizing both.

8. U.S.-Iran Nuclear Negotiations

[58:09–62:50]

• Status: The U.S. demands Iran dismantle nuclear sites and deliver uranium. Iran publicly refuses, rejecting the “zero enrichment forever” principle.
  • Shapiro Analysis: More robust demands than under Obama’s JCPOA, but still insufficient. Stresses U.S. interests go beyond Israeli security and include broader Middle East stability.
  • Reports rumors that the U.S. hopes Israel might strike first, providing cover for U.S. retaliation.
  • Quote: “If you’re going to do something, do it. Don’t hit a camel in the ass and then claim victory.” (61:48)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On McDonald’s Ramadan campaign:
  “It’s not a sign of cultural respect. It’s a sign of cultural disintegration...” – Ben Shapiro (07:47)
• On why DEI persists:
  “There is an entrenched base within the company. When you have a base like that, people start looking for something to do... all these people had six-figure salaries.” – Wilfred Reilly (17:55)
• On “victim culture:”
  “This victim culture isn’t empowering anyone. The American dream still exists and these are the lies keeping black people from fully experiencing it.” – Black Lies Matter Trailer (13:13)
• On welfare abuse vs. fraud:
  “There is a difference between fraud and abuse. ...Abuse is incentive driven. It is a huge, enormous problem when you change the incentive structure for human beings.” – Ben Shapiro (54:37)
• On Iran negotiations:
  “If you’re going to do something, do it. Don’t hit a camel in the ass and then claim victory.” – Ben Shapiro (61:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• McDonald’s/DEI Topic Begins: 03:36
• Wilfred Reilly’s Interview & DEI Discussion: 13:55–23:40
• Listener Q&A (School Choice, GOP Strategy): 26:12–31:53
• State of the Union Fallout/Partisan Soundbites: 36:39–44:31
• Medicaid Fraud & Welfare System Critique: 51:51–56:35
• U.S.–Iran Nuclear Negotiation: 58:09–62:50

Episode Tone & Style

Fast-paced, combative, and highly polemical, typical of Shapiro’s style. Quotes and analysis are direct, sometimes sarcastic. Guest segments with Wilfred Reilly are data-driven but also acerbic, focused on debunking what they describe as media and academic “mythology.”

Summary Conclusion

• Shapiro uses the McDonald’s Ramadan campaign as a springboard into broader debates about Western cultural priorities and the place of DEI initiatives.
• With Wilfred Reilly, he explores the resilience—rather than retreat—of DEI in the post-Trump era, referencing company rebranding and entrenched bureaucratic interests.
• The episode argues for skepticism of progressive “virtue signaling,” highlighting cultural “disintegration,” and echoes a call for returning to merit-based systems in both business and government.
• Listeners receive updates on GOP political strategy, welfare/Medicaid abuse, ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions, and previews Reilly’s “Black Lies Matter” series—from a firmly conservative standpoint.