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- [00:01]
A
Hey everybody. Welcome to MAGA Mondays. Look, I don't know if like, like me, maybe you watch the Knicks win the title over the weekend. It was, it was joyous in the Stein household, although I'm an ambivalent fan, but it reminded me of this moment. And I'm gonna do a little wind up to get to Will here, so just bear with me. In my youth, Michael Jordan was obviously king. And Michael Jordan famously had what was known as the flu game in the finals where he was stricken with the flu and he somehow managed to score, I believe it was 36 points, believe it was against the Jazz. And there's this iconic image of Jordan sort of slumbering over and Scotty Pippen holding him up as he took him to the bench. And it stuck with me. And forever in my youth, I aspired to that type of greatness, to just overcome adversity and physical ill, to perform under pressure. I thought it was the personification of, of Will. And which brings me to Will. Will has a cold and this is his flu game. And folks are watching Jordan esque greatness this morning as Will braves the elements, fights through the virus so that he could bring you the most and like, nonsense from the Internet for your guilty pleasure. So Will, thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it.
- [01:23]
B
Well, thank you. That was a nice wind up. As you were saying that, I was like, oh, that sounds kind of like me. And then I realized it was me. So that's great. It's going to be a sports heavy MAGA Monday today. I mean, obviously there's so much to talk about about ufc, so. So, you know, I couldn't miss it.
- [01:40]
A
Do you feel like Michael Jordan right now?
- [01:43]
B
You know, I'm taking it to the hoop. I've got takes on takes about Josh Hokut. I've been reading on Wikipedia, I've been prepping. I know all about UFC now.
- [01:52]
A
Okay, well, you, you set it up. So let's start with the, the second event of the evening I'm not going to take away from the Knicks. We had a UFC fight at the White House, a cage match type brawl. I'm not a UFC guy. I'm just gonna admit it out up front. I also will say, like, I wasn't, you know, I thought it was kind of classless and a little tacky to throw a big cage on the White House lawn. And you know, you know, the whole thing seemed a little off. I didn't care that much about it. Like there's a lot of other that's going on that, I think is more important. But I'm not going to sit here and be like, oh, this is great, and this is awesome. Because I thought it was kind of, again, it was a little tacky. I don't know how you felt in the abstract about it.
- [02:36]
B
Yeah. So, I mean, let me give my history with ufc. You know, about a decade ago, a friend of mine begged me to go to a bar and watch a UFC game with him. And I did. And I was like, you know, there is an appeal to me about a sport that is wholly evil. Like, just like we are the evil sport. And I like that. The thing is, I didn't really like the guys getting hit. I liked the, like, the schemes and the corruption and the betting scandals and whatever. But it's like, then you watch the guys. I was like, oh, I kind of feel bad. Like, I don't want the guy to get hurt. And so in some of the promos, as I was getting ready for this fight, I was like, wait, they're going to do that at the White House. Like, blood is just flying. And I thought it was like, you know, I mean, I'll be honest, I thought it was, like, a pretty gross spectacle. I mean, I know they want me to be triggered by it, but the idea that, like, this is the best American sports has to offer, I think is crazy. And, you know, as we'll get into, just the way that this was such a. Just like such a corrupt operation in terms of the President getting, you know, all these different benefits from it, I thought was really crazy.
- [03:37]
A
Yeah, there was. We'll play it. There was a explicit ad for the Trump crypto, which I thought was a nice little touch. On top of this whole thing, I thought the funniest thing was Marco Rubio. This is perfect. Prior to the weekend, comparing this to the moon landing, it's like. It's like Jonath Kennedy want us to go to the moon. And this UFC fight is like, the logical extension of that. There was the whole thing around Paramount, which, if people don't know, David Ellison owns Paramount. Paramount had exclusive rights to broadcast this thing. You could not watch this thing unless you had a Paramount account. So we were. We were benefiting a Trump Allied media tycoon by putting this on at the White House. And then there's the whole sort of, like, I don't know, it's like, not. It's not like you said, there's like. It's like a bloodthirsty Roman Coliseum type sporting event. I'm not triggered by it. I'm really not. But I do think, like, if you're doing this as ostensibly a celebration of the 250th anniversary, one, it should be viewable for everybody. You shouldn't have to have a subscription to view it. And two, maybe do something a little bit more wholesome than like, just a bunch of, you know, Neanderthals kind of punching the. Out of each other as much as that's, I guess, the current vibe in America. Okay, let's get into it. So, obviously, the big news was Josh Hokit, who won his fight. This is the man. And I don't know if we have this image, and maybe we shouldn't play, because it's actually kind of grotesque. The night before, day before, he did his little weigh in, and he showed up either acting incredibly hungover or hungover, and he just starts vomiting on himself
- [05:17]
B
a little bit and.
- [05:19]
A
Yeah, and look, I've been there.
- [05:23]
B
Yeah, you got a big weigh in.
- [05:25]
A
Yeah, I've been there in college, but not, you know, I'm not, like, about to, like, go for a way in at a fight and representing sort of the country in that moment. Anyways, he's vomiting all over himself. He's talking about the fight. I will say this. He did not look. And he won his fight. So obviously he's strong and all that stuff, but, like, he didn't look particularly like, you know, like a. A real buff dude. Is that, like, his thing? He just kind of is, like, lazy about working out?
- [05:52]
B
Well, I mean, he is a heavyweight, right? But, like, the. He is sort of a guy who. After the vomit thing, I was like, wait, who's this guy? He almost looks like a. Like a comedian or something. Like, they had Tim Dillon come out. And so. No, look, I think it's fair to say it was fake vomit. It was very, you know, awful to see. I would say this is this.
- [06:11]
A
It made me uncomfortable. Yeah.
- [06:13]
B
You know, because he said, you know, of course I'm getting drunk. You know, this guy's going to try to beat me up. I'm scared. Whatever. This guy is sort of one of the bad boys of ufc, and, you know, that is a world where they're all bad boys, right? And so this is one of the badder boys. You know, look, I love spectacle. I love a bit. I guess his bit is that he's this loud oaf, but basically. So he gets in there and he. He beats this guy who I think was expected to beat him, and he, you know, he grabs the mic and he says, you know, Michell, Obama is a man. Am I right, America? Do we have that clip?
- [06:47]
A
Yeah, we have the clip. Let's play the clip. This is the controversial clip. And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man.
- [06:59]
B
Am I right, America? Not a good guy.
- [07:06]
A
Yeah. And I think you kind of nailed it when you're. When you said that they're trying to trigger us. And I'm so. I suppose, like, you know, when we respond to this and we're like, oh, that's really unfortunate, and not really. It's quite offensive, and you should not. They're gonna be like, haha, free speech, blah, blah, blah, suck it up. You know, the thing that I've noticed in there is a Biden had, like, you know, an LGBTQ event at the White House. This is just the flip side of that. This is pure machismo and all that stuff. And you know what I say? Like, shut up. There's nothing, like, male and awesome about this. This is, like, the lowest form of manliness. You know, making racist, nasty transgender jokes after you just beat someone up. Like, how is that male maturity? And it's finest. Like, what? Why would we want to, like, copy that? Why would we want to hold that up as some sort of, like, emblem of what it's like to be a man in America? Just really sort of a degradation and honestly, kind of insulting to a lot of people that this is supposed to be something that we want to emulate. Like, I found nothing about that appealing. I. I don't think it's manly at all. I think it's kind of like. It's like a. Like a. You know, like a teenage kid might like that. And. And that's it. And. And that's sophomoric. That's not mature. So I found the whole thing kind of ridiculous and, honestly, gross.
- [08:27]
B
Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, it's a very Trumpian thing in that it sort of gives people permission to embrace their, like, basis desires, but it also kind of still sucks, you know? Like, it's. It's not like. It's like, oh, yeah, like, I'm gorgin food. I'm gonna go watch this trashy movie. It's so much fun. It's just like. Well, I mean, I will say, in fairness to UFC fans, my sense is that this guy is, like, kind of despised by a lot of them anyway. So, you know, the thing I want to flag here about this guy is he has done this in the past. Previously, back in January, when he won a match, he said, Brittney Griner, the WNBA player, is a man. And so, you know, so.
- [09:04]
A
So he's unoriginal, too. Like, that's. Yeah. Okay.
- [09:08]
B
And so if. If you were like, I mean, it should not surprise UFC and Dana White or Joe Rogan now that they're going to try to sort of distance themselves and say, I may not agree with these comments. I mean, when you put this guy on that biggest stage, you have to assume something like that is going to happen.
- [09:22]
A
Yes. Thank you. Like this. You own it now. Like, you can't just put on the spectacle and say, oh, we didn't mean to do that. Like, that's the whole thing. This is it. Like, this is what you wanted. You wanted an event where you could trigger people. Congrats. You did it really hard. And you wanted the sort of optics of, like, fighter jets flying over the White House and this big claw in the cage and all this stuff, and all the soldiers saluting, the Marines saluting. And, you know, this is what you wanted. You get the good with the bad. And I just want to just before we get to Dana White, because I. Maybe I. I feel like it needs to be hammered home. This is not, like, cool. I know people think it's cool to, like, do this stuff. And, you know, anyone who criticizes probably is going to be Brandon and Elite and all that stuff, but, like, there's nothing cool about this. Like, might have done something like this again when I was in high school or when I was a teenager, and I thought it was really cool to like, make fun of people and all that stuff, but, like, you grow out of that and you start to realize that it's not. There's nothing, like, laudatory about it. You're just a loser. And, yeah, you can punch someone harder than they can punch you. Congrats. Like, that's awesome. Awesome skill. But, like, that's not manliness. That's just debauchery. Anyways, Dana White put a. Put a statement out to Time. I don't know if we can put it up. I'll read it. Yeah, there it is. The crowd react. Okay, blah, blah, blah, blah. Here's White's quote to Time. Quote, I understand the Obamas are public figures, but I'm completely against saying nasty and false things about people's families. White, the ufc, UFC CEO, told Time in the text message. Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense. The White House, meanwhile, has not responded and didn't respond to Time's request for comment about Hogan. And that's the thing. The White House is not responding like Dana White. At least he had the sort of balls to say this wasn't what he wanted, but give me a break. But the White House didn't respond. And there was some, you know, like the pruder, like, film dissection of Trump's response to this by cnn, where they're like, oh, we kind of, you know, smiling for a half second at this and whatever. Maybe he smiled or not, but, like, it doesn't take much to be like, we don't approve of that, but they can't do it. And I'll just say, I will know. And maybe you notice this, too. Anyone on the Internet who was criticizing Hoka for that remarks, if you read the replies to it universally, like, shut up, Lib. Shut up, Lib, you loser. Free speech, Lib. And so, like, you know, they know where their bread is butter. They're not gonna say jack about this.
- [11:49]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think it's terrible. I mean, to your point, you know, David Marcus, you flagged this last night, that he was a sort of very conservative writer. He said, oh, geez, you know, I. I think this is ugly. And, you know, it's. Even if you're one of these people who's like, I love the UFC at the White House, this is going to distract from that. And yet, you know, everyone was saying, you know, as you said, shut up live to him as well.
- [12:09]
A
Yeah. So that was one really horrific element of this whole thing. I think the other horrific element of this was just how plainly, like, corrupt and commercialized it was on the White House lawn. So I think there's some Saudi ads there. Bud Light sponsor this. I note that Bud Light was the one that got in trouble for advertising with a transgender influencer not so long ago. I guess they got completely around the bend on this one. And then there was the Trump crypto ad. Can we play that? Also, tonight's $250,000 performance bonus in USD1 is presented by World Liberty Financial. USD1 is a digital buyer Send money faster and cheaper available on leading exchanges. I mean, just step back for a second here. This is the Trump family business advertising. I. I'm guessing for free, probably at a UFC event on the White House lawn. I mean, this is like a level of corruption that we. Unprecedented. I can't even think of, like, anything remotely like this.
- [13:09]
B
You know, there was a truth social ad as well, as you said throughout, there were these things that were like, oh, the whole cast of characters is here. We have Paramount, the Saudis. I was thinking about back in 2020, Trump had, like, a very Trumpified July 4th celebration at the White House. And I remember watching that and just being like, the republic has fallen. You know, the Hatch act is a dead letter. It's over.
- [13:32]
A
The Hatch Act.
- [13:33]
B
Oh, my God, I wish we could go back to that. That looks. That looks so quaint and patriotic and wholesome.
- [13:40]
A
I know. Well, speaking of where, Trump this morning announced that the July 4th celebration for America is actually now officially the Trump rally to end all Trump rallies could be the biggest Trump rally ever, which means it's just going to be the same boring, meandering speech. But it's just like, we have gone so past the tipping point on this stuff where it's just, again, this is supposed to be a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the country, including this. And it's clearly just a vehicle to celebrate Trump and to promote his commercial interests and to promote the commercial interests of his biggest backers. I. I thought back to. Because this has been sort of top of mind is like, do you remember the Lincoln Bedroom scandal during the Clinton years? Yeah. I mean, that was a scandal. Whereas Clinton giving his donors access to the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House in exchange for their, you know, political support. Right. Like, that was it. Huge scandal, massive scandal. Because you don't take parts of the White House and use them for personal benefit or political benefit. And in this case, it's like, they don't. Those are like, you know, little gnats that they brush away. They just are absolutely taking every part of the White House and commercializing it for their benefit or knocking it down so they could refurbish it. And it's just. It's unbelievable where we're at.
- [15:00]
B
Well, look, he just gave the entire White House over to Dana White. I mean, you know, I don't think we have it, but they did this walkout. There were a lot of things with this where people were like, this is the sickest thing I've ever seen. Like, Benny Johnson was, like, having an aneurysm. It was the best stuff ever. And then you watch it and it's. I mean, there's so much of this Trump pageantry stuff that's like. I mean, really, was it, though? Like, it's just like, here's the most badass walkout ever, and it's Trump and Dana White. And you would think these two guys didn't know each other. They're just, like, walking. Okay. You know, they're just walking out. Oh, my God, this is so cool. Yeah.
- [15:33]
A
Benny Johnson, I think, tweeted something like this has set liberals back for a thousand years. Might be a little. It might be a little hyperbole. I don't know. Maybe. Maybe a thousand seconds. I don't know. We'll see. The White House did promote Hokut. We don't need to play that. But they. I think Hoka gave Trump some sort of chain or something like that, and that was that. I mean, there was. Oh, there was one other element of the fight that I was just noticed or. No. One of the fighters who was not invited was Sean Strickland. He's been a critic of the president, I think, over what's happening with Iran, but maybe something else. Maybe he's probably has to do with Jews in Israel.
- [16:12]
B
Yes, it does. Yes, of course.
- [16:14]
A
Naturally. Anyways, he showed up. I don't know how he got so close. He got into the. The Octagon, right?
- [16:20]
B
Well, no, no, no, no. He got into the. The part. The fan party at the Ellipse. So I had. I had a MAGA Monday agent on the ground who was sending.
- [16:30]
A
Oh, really?
- [16:31]
B
Yes. So I had planned to go and schedule things intervened. But actually, my friend who I mentioned dragging me to a UFC fight long ago, he was there, and so he
- [16:39]
A
said, oh, my gosh, there is an undercover MAGA Monday agent. Or as a fan.
- [16:45]
B
As a fan, yes. But also as a. All of my friends are undercover Mega Monday agents. So basically, he said, oh, my gosh, I think there's a fight. But actually it was that Sean Strickland, as you said, had shown up at the fan area, and all these people are like, oh, my God, Sean Strickland's here. And he had been barred because he's been very critical of Trump, basically said, he's in the pocket of Israel. And so they, you know, they effectively dragged him out.
- [17:08]
A
We have a picture of them escorting him out. This is an excessive amount of force for this one dude.
- [17:13]
B
Well, his hands are lethal weapons.
- [17:16]
A
That's a good point. When it's a UFC fighter, you got. You never know what precautions. Got to notice that he doesn't have shoes on. I'm not sure why. Maybe that's just.
- [17:24]
B
Well, he's a kickboxer.
- [17:26]
A
Yeah, but he wasn't there to kickbox. He was there to disrupt. Unless he thought he's going to go there and just kickbox the shit out of everybody who tried to get him.
- [17:34]
B
Honestly, they should have said, you know what, Sean? You got a beef with the President, you settle it in the Octagon. We're taking you over to the White House.
- [17:41]
A
It's like one of those things. It's like 1000 dudes versus one, like, gorilla. You know that game? It's like, who could win? Maybe they should have done that. Like 20 cops vs 1 Sean Strickland. Who wins anyways, mtg was not happy about this. She tweeted her support for Sean Strickland, and this is exactly how you lose younger male voters. Actually a lot more than that demographic sending police to all off an actual American UFC champion because he used his First Amendment and criticized Israel. Look, I, I think mtv, gee, she's got a bit now. And this is part of the bit. I'm. I'm thinking she. Not, not to the degree of like a Benny Johnson overstatement. This didn't set back Trump with young male voters for a thousand years. But I think she overstated this one. I don't, I don't think this is going to register. Maybe I'm wrong.
- [18:25]
B
The one thing I did want to flag here is that Sean Strickland is also the main guy behind the Harley Davidson is gay thing, which we've been writing about here at Fox.
- [18:33]
A
People remind people about that, please.
- [18:35]
B
So a few weeks ago, Sean Strickland said, you know, I used to love Harley, but now they're woken gay. I gotta get an Indian motorcycle, which is this other brand. And then all of these other MAGA influencers were like, Sean Strickland is so right Indian. You know, I love the way it purrs, you know, in between my legs or whatever. And so suddenly this was basically this, like, astroturf campaign against Harley Davidson. And then, you know, since I've written about this, someone pointed out to me that Indian CEO had a dormant Twitter account that was only revived to start retweeting those posts. And now they have actually launched their own ads that are like, Harley's gay, Harley's woke. So it does appear to be a case of intra corporate warfare based on kind of making a fake wokeness campaign.
- [19:19]
A
Okay, well, we're gonna have more on the UFC shenanigans because there was a little episode involving Eric Trump. Yes, the. The Trump son, who I, I think, I don't know how you feel about the ranking of the Trump songs and their brain cells, but this, this guy, this guy had a few errant tweets that he, like, edited and deleted and involves potential trading on inside information and staging the fights.