The Benny Show: How The America First Movement Can Win The Midterms

Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Benny Johnson
Guests: Mark Mitchell (Rasmussen Polling), Harmeet Dhillon (DOJ Civil Rights Division), Rep. Tim Burchett

Episode Overview

In this midweek edition, Benny Johnson dives deep into what Republicans must do to win the 2026 midterms, criticizing the “doomerism” prevalent in conservative circles and outlining the potential dangers if Democrats gain more power. The show features pivotal guests—pollster Mark Mitchell, DOJ Civil Rights chief Harmeet Dhillon, and outspoken Rep. Tim Burchett—who each provide unique insights into polling, election integrity, and Congressional dysfunction. With President Trump launching his first major midterm rally and the America First agenda in full campaign mode, the conversation revolves around messaging, policy priorities, party strategy, and the adversarial state of American politics.

Main Themes and Discussion Points

1. Setting the Stakes for the Midterms (00:01–07:12)

• Benny sets an urgent tone: The future of America is at stake in the 2026 midterms. He warns that an unchecked left will “nuke the filibuster, pack the court, make D.C. and Puerto Rico states, push universal vote by mail and phone, lower the voting age, and naturalize millions of illegal immigrants”—making it nearly impossible for Republicans to regain power.
• Key Quote: “We are at a precipice right now. We’re at a turning point right now.” (07:12, Benny)

2. Polling Realities and the Republican Path to Victory

Guest: Mark Mitchell, Rasmussen Polling (14:55–43:51)

A. Polling Trends & Data Analysis (14:55–18:05)

• Trump’s approval rating ticks up and outpaces Obama and Bush at equivalent points in their presidencies.
• “Don’t black pill, don’t ignore the midterms… they’re not unwinnable” (14:52, Benny)
• GOP House prospects buoyed by redistricting; confirmed and pending gains could net 21 seats for Republicans.

B. Key Challenges for the GOP (14:58–33:12)

• Underperforming with under-40s: The Republican Party isn’t converting younger, independent, or crossover voters who want system reform.
• Young voters are desperate for order: "Half of the Trump-voting under 40 voters are actually raging socialists… What they want most is order." (18:29, Mark Mitchell)
• The “Doge moment”: Trump once had a 60% under-40 approval rating, coinciding with viral populist/crypto moments; GOP failed to capitalize.
• Leadership disconnect: The current GOP leadership is seen as “the party of billionaires and oligarchs” (18:29, Mark Mitchell) and out of touch with everyday struggles.

C. Advice to Trump and the Republican Party (21:01–35:34)

• “Smash the Oligarchy, don’t be the oligarchy.” (18:29, Mark)
• “Be brutally pragmatic. Present a clear, multi-year plan for economic reform and government accountability.” (23:32, Mark)
• GOP must offer an alternative to “Democratic Socialism” to attract the next generation.

D. Core Issues & Messaging (35:34–43:58)

• Voters are desperate for visible action on affordability, jobs, and government reform.
• Need for wartime leadership: “This is, essentially, a war. And leadership needs to fill a vacuum and be single-threaded.” (35:34, Mark)
• Optics and clarity: The Trump campaign must be “specific about what are we fighting for?”
• Quote: "If they don’t deliver… Republicans are going to be a laughingstock for a generation." (41:45, Mark)

E. Notable Quotes

• “You had a 60% under-40 approval rating, which is unprecedented in modern politics...Every Republican should have been like, wait a minute, we did something right.” (21:01, Mark Mitchell)
• “For every Apple developer that gets an H1B, that’s probably the economic equivalent of 10 deportations of illegal aliens.” (31:00, Mark Mitchell)
• “America needs a wartime leader… Draw a line in the sand. Tell America, let’s have a gut check.” (36:49, Mark Mitchell)

3. DOJ’s Aggressive Push for Election Integrity

Guest: Harmeet Dhillon, DOJ Civil Rights Division (45:34–64:45)

A. Cleaning the Voter Rolls (45:34–50:01)

• DOJ under Dhillon sues 14 states (including California) for refusing to turn over voter rolls.
• 47.5 million records checked, finding 260,000 dead voters and thousands of non-citizens on the rolls.
• Quote: “You can’t have a country where people rely on the elections if you don’t have clean voter rolls.” (46:07, Harmeet Dhillon)
• Bipartisan problems, with some red states stonewalling as well.

B. Pursuing Illegal Voting (47:43–49:22)

• DOJ is pursuing investigations and possible charges against those who knowingly voted illegally.
• “The narrative from the left has been, ‘there is no fraud.’ We’re showing it’s real and requires action.” (50:49, Benny)

C. Voter ID and Redistricting (52:10–59:08)

• Mandatory voter ID enjoys 90% support in polling, but DC is slow to act; states are circumventing Congress.
• Rhcisting down of racial gerrymandering appears likely from the Supreme Court; Dhillon’s team filing amicus in Louisiana v. Calais.

D. New 2A Civil Rights Unit (60:22–63:17)

• DOJ launches official Second Amendment rights section within the Civil Rights Division, actively suing jurisdictions obstructing CCW.
• “We are arguably more active on Second Amendment issues than any DOJ in history— and we haven’t even crossed a year in office.” (61:03, Harmeet)

4. Congressional Dysfunction and the MAGA Movement

Guest: Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) (66:44–104:00)

A. Culture of Congressional Sabotage (80:33–89:32)

• Staffers and lobbyists kill meaningful legislation in committee; leadership is constantly undermined.
• “You’ve got staffers in key spots that are crooked… they kill very good pieces of legislation. That’s part of the design, because they want to undermine Trump.” (80:58, Tim Burchett)
• Deep resistance within the party to real change: “You gotta have somebody that is not running for reelection that wants to just clean this trash can out or it will never change.”
• Open admission that party moderates and leadership sabotage the MAGA wing’s initiatives and fund mediocre candidates to “kill off the MAGA Republicans.”

B. National Security and the Deep State (69:11–76:31)

• FBI/DOJ investigations (pipe bomber, cocaine in the White House) are slow-walked or covered up.
• “You judge people by their enemies, right? And you never get punished for telling lies; you only get punished for speaking the truth.” (68:12, Benny)

C. Foreign Policy and Grift (85:26–90:54)

• Exposes ongoing $45 million weekly US payments to the Taliban, with blame placed on unelected, unaccountable officials.
• Elon Musk discovered at least $50B-$1T in government waste but was run out of DC for exposing the grift.
• “It’s all just crooked, and the Taliban thing is a perfect example.” (87:38, Tim Burchett)

D. Role of Faith and Morality (97:59–101:04)

• Burchett invokes biblical comparisons (King David, the “forces of darkness”) as he discusses political struggle and national survival.
• Elon Musk publicly declaring belief in God seen as an encouraging cultural shift.

Highlights from Trump’s Campaign Rally (109:25–117:13)

• Trump’s sense of humor noted (“proves he’s ‘the funniest president to ever live’”) (00:53, Benny).
• Trump escalates rhetoric on immigration, denouncing “third world hellholes” and specifically calling out Rep. Ilhan Omar and Somali refugee policy.
• “Can you imagine if Donald Trump married his sister to get citizenship?… She should get the hell out.” – Donald Trump (111:10–111:48)
• Immigration, affordability, and national security remain central campaign themes.

Final Analysis and Takeaways

• The GOP is in a winnable but precarious position, largely dependent on redistricting, turnout, and message discipline.
• Key is connecting with the under-40 and under-50 voters, who crave “order” and “systemic reform” but feel disconnected from the GOP’s older, wealthier leadership.
• Election integrity, aggressive legal action on voter rolls, and restoring trust in institutions are top priorities for America First leaders.
• Congressional dysfunction remains a huge hurdle—rooted in staffers/lobbyists, leadership sabotage, and systemic corruption.
• Benny and guests agree: positivity, clarity of mission, and action over “doomerism” are crucial as the right approaches a historic crossroads in 2026.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Don’t black pill, don’t ignore the midterms—they’re critical for the future of our country, and they’re not unwinnable.”
  – Benny Johnson (14:52)
• “Half of the Trump-voting under 40 voters are actually raging socialists… What they want most is order.”
  – Mark Mitchell (18:29)
• “You had a 60% under-40 approval rating… Every Republican should have been like, wait, we did something right.”
  – Mark Mitchell (21:01)
• “Be brutally pragmatic. Present a clear, multi-year plan for economic reform and government accountability.”
  – Mark Mitchell (23:32)
• “You can’t have a country where people rely on the elections if you don’t have clean voter rolls.”
  – Harmeet Dhillon (46:07)
• “You judge people by their enemies, right? You never get punished for telling lies; you only get punished for speaking the truth.”
  – Benny Johnson (68:12)
• “Dad gum, I love him in the White House, man. I… hug his neck because that’s why he did all those executive orders—because he knows Congress doesn’t have the guts to do it.”
  – Tim Burchett (94:39)

Key Timestamps for Reference

• [07:12] – Benny Johnson sets stakes for 2026, warns of Democrat procedural moves
• [14:55] – Mark Mitchell begins polling discussion
• [18:29] – Under-40 voter insight (“raging socialists,” reform focus)
• [33:12] – Mark’s direct advice to Trump campaign
• [46:07] – Harmeet Dhillon details DOJ lawsuits on voter roll access
• [61:03] – DOJ Second Amendment enforcement initiatives
• [80:58] – Burchett on Congressional structural sabotage
• [97:59] – Faith, King David analogy, morality of leadership
• [111:10–111:48] – Trump’s remarks at the Pennsylvania rally
• [115:26–117:13] – Stephen Miller’s case against mass immigration

Closing Note

Benny closes on a message of faith, hope, and mission—urging the audience to “walk on the sunny side of the street.” The show underscores 2026 as a crossroads for America, calling for focus, optimism, resolve, and a tactical, not defeatist, mindset.

For those who missed the episode, this summary encapsulates all major topics, memorable speaker moments, and the urgent, unvarnished tone that characterizes The Benny Show’s style.