Ask Charlie Anything 208: Fat Kids = Child Abuse? Afghanistan Alternatives? Is DCFS Abusive?

Summary

The Charlie Kirk Show Episode: Ask Charlie Anything 208 Release Date: December 30, 2024

In episode 208 of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk engages with his audience in a dynamic Q&A session, tackling a range of pressing issues from child welfare and military strategies to political investigations and economic policies. The episode, titled "Ask Charlie Anything 208: Fat Kids = Child Abuse? Afghanistan Alternatives? Is DCFS Abusive?", offers listeners insightful discussions grounded in Kirk's conservative viewpoints. Below is a detailed summary capturing the episode's key points, notable quotes, and overarching themes.

---

1. Government Safety and Drone Threats at the Inauguration

Listener Scott initiates the discussion by raising concerns about drone threats during the inauguration, questioning the U.S. government's ability to ensure public safety.

• Scott (02:13): Highlights his professional background in the counter-drone sector and asserts that "Trump didn't go to Bedminster due to drone threats," suggesting that the lack of protective measures poses a risk to public confidence.

Charlie Kirk responds by expressing hope that the government "gets stacked together to be able to secure our safety" and hints at ongoing efforts to safeguard the event without delving into specifics (04:56).

---

2. Legal Challenges Facing Former President Trump

Listener Rosetta brings up the contentious issue of potential legal actions against Donald Trump regarding hush money allegations, expressing concern over the statute of limitations.

• Rosetta: Questions the fairness of ongoing investigations, stating, "It's like he never got to defend himself. It was way past the statute of limitations."

Charlie Kirk acknowledges the complexities, stating, "It's still possible," while criticizing the extension of the statute of limitations as a "contortion" meant to pursue Trump during an election year (05:38).

---

3. Military Interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq: Alternatives and Critiques

A pivotal segment features Listener Bob questioning Kirk's stance on the U.S. military's post-9/11 interventions.

• Bob: Asks, "Could you please build out your thinking on what a better course of action would have been?"

Charlie Kirk differentiates between the initial, precise actions taken in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda and the subsequent, costly invasions of Iraq. He argues for a more agile and covert approach, emphasizing targeted operations over large-scale nation-building efforts. Kirk attributes the prolonged conflict and its repercussions to the "Bush Cheney junta," labeling the invasion of Iraq as "foolish" and "incredibly costly" (14:25-14:58).

---

4. The State of Child Welfare: Is DCFS Abusive?

Listener Maddie raises concerns about the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), highlighting instances of overreach and misuse of power against good parents.

• Maddie: Describes a scenario where a neighbor's minor complaint led to DCFS threatening to take children away, forcing the family to incur legal expenses.

Charlie Kirk concurs, sharing his experiences and stating, "I hear nothing but complaints" about DCFS's overzealousness in some liberal states (23:40). He balances his critique by acknowledging that DCFS does intervene appropriately in cases of genuine abuse but emphasizes that the agency often "hassles good parents" more than it protects children from harmful environments.

---

5. Child Obesity and Parental Responsibility: Is It Child Abuse?

Listener Kelsey poses a provocative question about whether having an obese child constitutes child abuse, comparing it to malnutrition.

• Kelsey: Asks, "Should it be child abuse to have an obese child?"

Charlie Kirk responds thoughtfully, distinguishing between malnutrition and obesity. While he deems neglecting to feed a child as "definitely child abuse," he stops short of labeling obesity as abuse. Kirk underscores the importance of parental responsibility in preventing childhood obesity but cautions against excessive government intervention. He states, "We believe in responsibility. Even though it's not criminal abuse. It is definitely, it is definitely culturally indefensible" (19:10).

---

6. The Gig Economy and Labor Policies

Listener Francis inquires about President Trump's stance on the gig economy and the potential impact of California's AB5 law, which restricts independent contractor classifications.

• Francis: Wonders if Trump will "free up the gig economy" amidst increasing corporate influence and restrictive state laws.

Charlie Kirk expresses support for the gig economy, criticizing AB5 as an "outrageous" overreach that forces gig workers into undesirable employment conditions. He emphasizes the need to prioritize American workers and prevent foreign labor from undercutting domestic employment opportunities (21:02).

---

7. Housing Crisis Solutions and Fiscal Policies

Listener Michael seeks advice on navigating the housing crisis, particularly in the context of rising property taxes and stagnant wages.

• Michael: Asks about Trump's plans to address the housing market and related economic pressures.

Charlie Kirk outlines several strategies to mitigate the housing crisis, including lowering inflation by reducing government spending, deporting illegal migrants to decrease competition for housing, restricting large corporations like BlackRock from purchasing single-family homes, and lowering interest rates to make mortgages more affordable. He advises prospective homebuyers to act swiftly once interest rates begin to decline, anticipating that housing prices will surge thereafter (32:16).

---

8. Education System and Parenting: Reflections on Vivek’s Comments

In response to Listener Caleb and Michelle's question about Vivek’s critique of the American education system and parenting, Kirk discusses the broader implications of perceived mediocrity in American society.

• Listener: Wonders why Vivek's main points on education and parenting are being overlooked.

Charlie Kirk agrees that there are harsh realities facing the American education system and parenting standards. However, he criticizes the delivery of such messages, suggesting that while the intent is to highlight systemic issues, the communication can be misconstrued as disparaging the American populace. He advocates for spirited yet constructive debates to keep the conservative movement vibrant and effective (29:27-29:34).

---

9. Involvement in Political Campaigns and Governor Elections

Listener Zane and Listener Shane inquire about participating in upcoming gubernatorial elections, specifically in Virginia.

• Zane: Seeks advice on engaging with the governor's race.

Charlie Kirk advises listeners to align with their preferred candidates during primaries and get involved within their state parties to influence the selection of governors. He underscores the importance of grassroots involvement in shaping political leadership (31:15-32:04).

---

10. Encouraging Responsibility and Community Standards

Throughout the episode, Kirk emphasizes personal responsibility, community standards, and the importance of preserving American values against perceived liberal overreach. Whether discussing child welfare, the gig economy, or education, his responses consistently advocate for limited government intervention, personal accountability, and the promotion of conservative principles.

---

Notable Quotes

• Charlie Kirk (05:38): "They signed a law extending the statute of limitations because of COVID only to try to still get Trump. You're exactly right, Rosetta. It was a contortion."

• Charlie Kirk (14:58): "We should never have invaded Iraq. That was a reach too far."

• Charlie Kirk (23:40): "I've seen it far more often being a situation of the government haggling and hassling good parents rather than trying to save kids from bad environments."

• Charlie Kirk (19:10): "It is definitely culturally indefensible. So look, we have to address the root causes with the government and I think Bobby Kennedy's gonna do that."

• Charlie Kirk (32:16): "The minute interest rates start to go down, that is the point, to actually go and buy. Because prices are only going to go up after that."

---

Conclusion

Episode 208 of The Charlie Kirk Show delivers a robust discussion on several hot-button issues, reflecting Kirk's commitment to addressing concerns from his audience with a staunchly conservative lens. From questioning governmental efficacy in child welfare and national security to critiquing legal pursuits against political figures and advocating for economic reforms, Kirk navigates complex topics with clarity and conviction. Listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of his perspectives on maintaining American values, promoting personal responsibility, and ensuring governmental accountability.

---

For more insights and to engage with future episodes, visit members.charliekirk.com or subscribe to The Charlie Kirk Show through your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey everybody, I take questions from you and that's you being a member. Members.charliekirk.com as we come to the end of this year, if this show has impacted you at all, please drop what you are doing and join us in a year end member drive. That is members.charliekirk.com youm too can be on the show. Members.charliekirk.Com you can help us out. It's members.charliekirk. com Additionally, if you just guys want to pitch in and give us some support, say, charlie, I love the work you're doing. I just want to pitch in some extra money. That is charliekirk.com support charliekirk.com support just the chip in some extra money to help us out if that's what you want to do. No pressure. CharlieKirk.com support Buckle up everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Scott]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[Charlie Kirk]

I want you to know we are.

[Scott]

Lucky to have Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks. I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy. His spirit is love of this country.

[Charlie Kirk]

He's done an amazing job building one.

[Scott]

Of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[Charlie Kirk]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives. And we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Noble gold investments is the official gold sponsor of the Charlie Kirk show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs, physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you could protect your wealth with noble gold [e-mail] that is noblegoldinvestments.com it's where I buy all of my gold. Go to noblegoldinvestments.com become a member. So this whole hour is for you to come on this show. That's right. We do this once a week. We're gonna be doing it more and more. It's members.charliekirk.com that is members.charliekirk.com we're actually going to start doing it on our second hour which will air here on real America's voice. So in real time, if you guys want to become a member, members.charliekirk.com Sign up right now. You can get in the queue. And our first member is Scott. Scott, thank you for being a member. Where are you from? What is on your mind? And dare I say, preemptive. Happy new year.

[Scott]

Hey, Charlie, can you hear me?

[Charlie Kirk]

I can. Yes. Hi, Scott. How are you?

[Scott]

Hey, excellent. First of all, we had a chance. You had me on the show about two weeks ago and we talked about Idaho.

[Charlie Kirk]

I remember that.

[Scott]

I don't know if you remember. Yeah. And you said Daisy was gonna follow up with me to talk again. I've got a lot of ideas. It'd be great if she reached out. I'd love to do that.

[Charlie Kirk]

Oh, no, you're calling out Daisy. I will defend Miss Daisy though. She was running a very good members experience at America Fest. So you got to cut us all a big thing of slack because we were running a huge enterprise there. But she will get back to you. So what else is on your mind, my friend?

[Scott]

So my question is about the inauguration and drone threats. And before I ask my question, allow me to share real quick information about my qualifications and statements from the US government that are really informative. So I worked in the counter drone sector for several years. These are the systems that are meant to detect, track, and then stop drones. And as part of my work, I participated in meetings with The Secret Service, DoD, DHS, FBI and other gave other government agencies. The information I'm talking about today is available in the public domain. It's not from these meetings. The first most important thing and people aren't talking about this is that Trump didn't go to Bedminster due to drone threats. That's never happened before. Right? And if he doesn't feel comfortable, why should we? The second out of these three points is that dhs, FBI, FAA and DOD statement. They came out and said that such drone sightings near or over DoD installations are not new. I mean, come on. And anybody encounter drone sector like myself has known this for years. Third, you're a football fan for the wrong team, the Oregon Ducks, sadly. But a couple years ago, there were two drone sightings on one weekend alone in Seattle. One at Husky Stadium and one at the Seahawks stadium. And neither time was the drone pilot found. So this other question and the last point that people don't understand, I can share some details if you want, but it's 10 times more difficult to detect, track and take town drones in an urban environment than a wide open area. I mean, think of you're out in a wide open area and you're shouting, right? And your voice just carries over a large area. Now, for an urban environment, you're in an echo chamber, Charlie, with me and other folks, five or six people and you're all shot at once. And the radar signals are like that. They're just bouncing around and you can't hear your own message. So urban environments, it's practically impossible to protect people. So my question is, are you aware the US Government can't guarantee the safety of people attending the inauguration?

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, that's uplifting for me that's going to inauguration. But let me just say one thing about this. I hope the government gets stacked together to be able to secure our safety, because a lot of important people are going. I can't say more than that, but I certainly hope they get their act together. Scott, thank you for being a member. You and I could talk more offline about that. Okay, who do we have next? Rosetta. Not to be confused with the Rosetta Stone. Rosetta, thank you for being a member. What is on your mind?

[Scott]

I don't understand how this Trump thing can still come against him about the hush money. I'm really concerned about that. It's like he never got to defend himself. It was way past the statute of limitations. Tell me what you're thinking here, Charlie.

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, that's a smart question, Rosetta, and that's why you guys are the best audience in all of broadcasting, because we gotta keep our eye on the ball here and keep the main thing. The main thing, which is what if they try to lock up Donald Trump while he's president United States in the hush money stuff? That's still possible. It's unlikely. But it is very much possible that that judge. Is it Juan Merchan? Is that. Is his name Juan Merchan?

[Scott]

Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

Could. Could lock him up. I'd give that a low probability, Rosetta, but it's not impossible. It's not zero. You're right. He was never able to defend himself. And it's even more egregious than that. According to New York law, there's a very specific statute of limitations that I think was seven years. They had. They signed a law or it was like five and a half years. They signed a law extending the statute of limitations because of COVID only to try to still get Trump. You're exactly right, Rosetta. It was a contortion. And they made it valid for one more year to be able to come against you. Yes. Thank you, Rosetta. We gotta keep an eye on it. This is something that is increasingly serious. And by the way, they wanna be able to do it to prosecute Trump in an election year. Yes. Thank you. Okay, who do we have next? Daisy? No, Juan Mershawn is not the next question. Trey, thank you for being a member. Members.charliekirk.com what is on your mind? Hi, Charlie, can you hear me? Yes, hi, So I just wanted to introduce myself again.

[Scott]

I met you at amfest, actually, on Saturday.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm the Turning Point USA chapter president for University of South Carolina. And it was an briefly said hello, I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend more time, but that is how those events are. Hey, you're a busy man. I get it. I get it, my friend. So I wanted to basically ask you two questions. So in your, in your talks at amfest, you said continuously that the left is going to come back with something stronger and a way to basically shut down the.

[Scott]

Or they're going to try and shut.

[Charlie Kirk]

Down the MAGA movement. They're going to try and shut down Turning Point, or they're going to at least try their best to. And I wanted to ask you, what do you have in mind or what's on your mind about that? What do you see them trying to execute? Question pretty much is my first question. And then my second question is, as a chapter president, what leadership qualities and traits do you look for in someone like me? It's great. Well, first of all, love the question and thank you for being a member. Two thoughts. Number one, let's be. Let's start with what I think the left is going to do. Number one, as far as how they're going to try to go after Turning Point or their outside groups, they're going to try to use state attorneys general against people like us. That's what they're doing at Bannon. They're trying to put Steve Bannon in prison on New York State charges. That's what they're trying to do. And so California, Massachusetts, they're gonna be even increasingly weaponized against groups like ours, people like myself. I think we're gonna be fine, but we have to be ready for that. Secondly, and you're starting to see this, if the left was really smart, they would try to peel Elon Musk away from Trump world. That combination of world's richest man with most popular famous man and powerful man. Look, there's three things that really are the web of influence. There's power, there's wealth, and there's fame. Between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, you have an overabundance of a supply of those three things. World's richest man, world's most powerful man, and the two most famous men on the planet. So if those two then combine forces, it's an unstoppable movement to be able to bring this country back to greatness. So what I think the left is going to try to do is have very they haven't been too sophisticated yet, but I think they'll increase in their sophistication of psychological splinter operations to try to turn Elon against Trump or Trump against Elon. So I think that we have to be very, very, very careful about that to try to keep those two very close and not allow those efforts to be successful in any way. They're already doing it, by the way, we're seeing it in real time. They're trying to run that play to try to create daylight because that combo factor of Elon and that whole group that he represents and Trump and obviously his movement and those together, that is an American restoration likes of which we could never have imagined. The Chapter Leadership Question the Chapter Leadership question Being a humble leader, going above and beyond, asking your field representative how you can help, how you can do more, how you can get more engaged on campus, and then delivering the biggest possible chapter that you can at the University of South Carolina. Thank you. Really appreciate it. Email us freedomcharliekirk.com Become a member members.charliekirk.com to ask us questions directly. To ask us questions live here on air, that is members.charliekirk.com members members.charliekirk. com you can listen to all of our episodes Advertiser free Be part of a community merch discounts, special turning point USA VIP seating and backstage access events that we had. Members.charliekirk.com hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here. As we gear up for another important election year, remember that we vote every day with our dollar. One of the best ways to support America is by buying from local farms and ranches. Good Ranchers makes this easy by delivering 100% American meat to your door. When you shop with Good Ranchers, you're not just getting the best meat for your family, but also supporting American farmers and ranchers. This year instead of buying imported meat. Cast your vote for American agriculture and local economy. I've used Good Ranchers meat for quite some time and they never disappoint. Whatever your choice of protein, you'll be pleased. If you cast a vote for Good Ranchers, use code Kirk for $25 off your order and your choice of free chicken breasts, ground beef, bacon or wild caught salmon for a year. It's time to make a stand. Vote for American Meat with Good Ranchers. Your purchase helps keep American farms thriving and ensures you get the highest quality meat for your family. I love Good Ranchers. You should check it out right [e-mail] use promo code Kirk that is goodranchers.com. check it out right now. Promo code. Kirk, we have Kelsey next. Kelsey, what is on your mind? Thank you for being a member. Hi Charlie. Hello. Can you hear me? What is on your mind? Yes, how are you? Okay. I'm great, thank you. So this is thought crimey, but I'm interested in your thoughts in the spirit of Maha. So it is child abuse to not feed your child leading to low weight and malnutrition. Should it be child abuse to have an obese child? Thank you for all you do. Thank you. Probably not. However, you can make an argument. But that's actually an interesting thing. So malnourishing a child is definitely child abuse. Feeding them too much. I mean I don't want to grow government to be that much in the sense where we're over policing child's BMIs. But you can make an argument that it is equally as damaging. Not equally, but not as, but very damaging to a child to be type 2 diabetic by the time they're 8 years old. And that is completely on diet and choices made by the parents. There was a, there's an incredible conversation Tucker Carlson recently had on his program with Dr. Mark Hyman. And Dr. Hyman said he was once working as an ER doctor, as a nurse. And this woman came in with her baby who was 10 months old and was drinking some brown liquid. He said, what is the baby drinking? She said, oh, it's Coca Cola. The baby loves it. 10 months at 10 months and you have to wonder, I mean, is that child abuse? I mean it's on the line, right? Like giving a 10 month year old Coca Cola. It is definitely bad parenting to let your child become obese. And we want to be sympathetic. We have allowed companies to make addictive, hugely unhealthy foods and we serve these foods in public schools. So we can't put this all on parents. That said, we believe in responsibility. Even though it's not criminal abuse. It is definitely, it is definitely culturally indefensible. So look, we have to address the root causes with the government and I think Bobby Kennedy's gonna do that. And I'd rather it be cultural pressures and stigmas than the government. That is why Ozembic should not come on the Medicaid schedule. We should not just say to kids, oh yeah, just take your shot of Ozembic once a week. No, it is about lifestyle, it's about movement, it's about getting vitamin D. It's about eating whole foods, not ultra processed foods, and actually eating food with ingredients you can pronounce and that God made. So thank you. Kelsey, great question, very thought provoking. Those are the ones I love. Thank you. Thank you, Bob. Bob, thank you for being a member. Members.charliekirk.com, what's on your mind? Yeah, hi, Charlie. Charlie, you've been critical of the post 9 11American military efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Scott]

I don't disagree with you.

[Charlie Kirk]

I just plead ignorance on what would have been a better way to respond to the 911 attacks. Could you please build out your thinking on what a better course of action would have been? Great question. Thank you for that. So let's first start with Iraq. Iraq did not attack us on 9 11. Saddam Hussein was a completely separate issue. It was largely unrelated. It was within the genre, I guess you could say, of bad men in the Middle East. But Saddam hated Al Qaeda. In fact, Saddam was constantly at war with Iran and it was a sovereign country. We should never have invaded Iraq. That was a reach too far. And remember, the invasion of Iraq happened two complete years after 9 11. That was in early 2003 that we invaded Iraq. When it came to Afghanistan. The invasion of Afghanistan is different than what we actually did in the first couple of weeks after 9 11. We went in with incredible precision. We went in with Navy Seals units, Army Rangers, Green Berets, and we put people on the ground and we were incredibly efficient at taking out the bad guys. So we had a couple thousand person fighting force very similar to what Erik Prince would talk about of people that did not require major tank assistance, did not require nation building type support, auxiliary, auxiliary support. That was just going through the hills of Afghanistan, finding the bad guys and killing them. Where I think we should have, what we should have done is had a very agile, thin and covert fighting force with air support all throughout the Middle east and found bad guys and killed them. Very similar, Bob, to what I might add of how Donald Trump took out isis. You see, that is a lesser talked about element of Donald Trump's first term. Donald Trump took out isis. How did he do that? Well, he didn't do that with 250,000 ground troops. He did it with a Green Beret unit here, a drone strike there, an F16 there. Very targeted, very precise. Instead, we went all in on an antiquated, expensive and costly version of war fighting, which is that we are going to liberalize Iraq and Afghanistan and turn them into Indiana and Alabama. That was foolish. That was dumb. Incredibly costly. And no one doubts that there should have been a response after 9 11. In fact, the first couple weeks after 911 was actually our most effective where after three weeks we did a lot. After 20 years we had very little show for it. And now we see of course, the disaster. $100 billion in equipment left over, complete humiliation. One of the darkest days in American history. And I point to the Bush Cheney junta for creating this mess in the first place. Are you ready to lose weight but not sure where to start? I understand I was right where you are two years ago. Let me tell you why I chose the PhD weight loss and nutrition program. First, Dr. Ashley Lucas has her PhD in chronic disease and sports nutrition. Her program is based on years of research and is science based. Second, the PhD program starts nutrition. There's so much more. They know that 90% of permanent change comes from the mind and they work on eliminating the reason you gain this weight in the first place. There's no shortcuts, pills or injections. Just solid science based nutrition and behavior change. And finally, a probably most Importantly, I lost 30 pounds. Look. They're amazing. If you want to lose weight, you got to go to myphdweightloss.com I was just texting with Dr. Ashley Lucas today. If you're ready to lose weight for the Last time, call 864-644-1900, go online at myphdweightloss.com do what I Did and what hundreds of my listeners have done and call today. 864-644-1900. I recommend their program Dr. Ashley Lucas has her PhD in chronic disease and sports nutrition. Her program is based on years of research and is science based. Second, the PhD program starts nutrition. But it's so much more. Go to myphdweightloss.com, myphdweightloss.com 6441900 I lost over 30 pounds. Dr. Asher Lucas, great American. Check it out. Myphdweightloss.com Shan thank you for being a member. Members.charliekirk.com what's on your mind?

[Scott]

Hey Charlie, I almost met you last time at amfest, but I kind of missed your signature signing thing on their hats. I wish the schedules a little bit perfect. But my question is in a society that we all live in, the biggest that the thing that people do is idolize people from sports or Hollywood. The biggest promise is that Donald Trump said that he will be releasing one of those Diddy party lists and exposing those people who did those freak offs. My question is, would it be really a great idea to be releasing names like Diddy, LeBron James who has a lot of influence on a lot of people's lives and some evil mold their lives around his name. I feel like if they did release the names, it will destroy a lot of hopes and communities knowing their heroes are evil.

[Charlie Kirk]

I think those lists should be released. I think that people deserve the truth. And so if these people went to freak out parties and did things illegal, release the names. By the way, Jay Z is not having a great news cycle right now. Not having a good news cycle at all. Thank you, my friend. Thanks for being a member. Francis, what's on your mind? Hey, Charlie, good to talk to you. Yes, you too. President Trump seems to be caving a little bit on labor. I mean, gig economy was important, was hugely important. California. Is he going to be able to free up the gigs again? Is he really going to support. There's a lot of money coming his way from many of the big corporations. It's not lobby money, but I guess it is lobby money. Can he shake free of that stuff and free up the American gigger? So, good question. I'm curious, are you pro gig economy or against? I'm guessing pro. Right. Pro gig economy. Pro our youth being able to do better than the H1B visa people. Got it. So you're talking about jobs. You're two different things. Got it. So the gig economy is a completely separate issue than the H1B thing. The gig economy is basically forced, not unionization, but benefits for people that are working as independent contractors, essentially Uber drivers. So we're talking about two different things. So the gig thing, President Trump hasn't really weighed in on much on that. But President Trump definitely remains resolutely pro American first when it comes to restricting the labor supply to be able to prioritize our workers first. We did an entire first hour on that. Does that make sense what I'm articulating? Because so I mean, we're not just talking Uber drivers, we're talking about grandmoms.

[Scott]

Okay.

[Charlie Kirk]

Having to be paid insurance because now they're taking care of their grandkids in California. That's what you're talking about. Are you in favor of that law or not in favor? I'm guessing not in favor. I am. I'm not in favor. I'm with you again. Or restricting giggers. Yeah, I'm with you. And President Trump, I don't think has weighed in on that either way. But it is highly restrictive of part time work and people that are just trying to make ends meet now all of a sudden employers are less likely to employ them. AB5 is the California law that was restricting the gig economy work that does not yet have a federal corollary as of yet. Thank you. Really great question. Yeah, go ahead, please. How do you think the Labor Secretary appointee designate at this point is she's against Sanchez? Yeah, that's an interesting question. Actually, she's more pro labor than Republicans past. That's gonna be a really. That's a thoughtful and a profound question. I don't know. Obviously the labor secretary serves at the pleasure of the president, but this California law is outrageous. I mean, I think it's completely out of control. It's a huge overreach and they say, oh, it's for good intentions, so on and so forth. But it is a mess to say the least. Thank you. Really appreciate it. Thank you. Let's go to Maddie now. Maddie, thank you for being a member. What is on your mind? Members.charliekirk.com hi, Charlie. Thanks for having me. My question is, what are your thoughts on Department of Children and Family Services? So dcfs, many believe it's one of the most corrupt government agencies, often misusing power and using fear tactics to pressure good parents into relinquishing their rights based on minor or untrue complaints under the broad term neglect. Do you think DCFS should be investigated for its practices? Yes. I mean, I'm sure they do some good work, but I hear almost nothing but complaints. I mean, one of our employees that works for us who does a great job, phenomenal parent, father of four, they had DCFS called on him because his kids were playing in his driveway too close to the cul de sac that they were in. And one of his neighbors, who's super left wing and super liberal, called DCFs, they had to hire a lawyer. They had to go through this whole process. They were threatening to take the kids away. So, look, I'm sure they do good work. I don't want to label an agency as all bad or all good, but I hear nothing but complaints. Do you agree with that, Mattie, that they are overzealous and overreaching, especially in some of the more liberal states? Absolutely. I witnessed it firsthand, actually. The same kind of like the same scenario you had with your colleague there.

[Scott]

That, you know, they had to hire.

[Charlie Kirk]

The lawyers, spend all the money just to say, like, hey, we're good parents. Like, you're focusing on family here whenever there's people that need the help. Yeah, I mean, look, it's totally outrageous. It's insane. I do want to say, though, I have known of instances where DCFS really should take the kid away because they are being abused and they are being beaten and they're not able to do that. Those are rare, but you can admit those exist, right? There are parents that do abuse their kids. But I've seen it on the other extreme. I've seen it far more often being a situation of the government haggling and hassling good parents rather than trying to save kids from bad environments. But I'm sure they do that. I'm not saying that sarcastically. I'm sure there are plenty of instances where they operate correctly and they're able to take kids away from abusive environments. Thank you, Mattie. Great question. Really appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks. All right, Shane, thank you for being a member. What's on your mind?

[Scott]

Hey, Charlie. First things, I just want to say thank you for everything you guys did during the election. I watched a whole bunch of your speeches going to different universities, and I wanted to say thank you for all of the hard work you guys put in.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you.

[Scott]

My question is, my wife and I are hoping to afford a home sometime in the near future, and I wanted to know what other knowledge or ideas Trump has planned to be able to combat the current housing crisis. And during the break, I saw that the illegal immigration was a factor in this.

[Charlie Kirk]

But I just wanted to know, like, what are the. Can you tell me where you live, what state you live in? I'm actually, I'm curious. I'm in Wisconsin. Wisconsin? Yeah. So, actually, housing prices in Wisconsin have gone up, as you well know. I tracked that. So a couple things. Number one, the price of everything that goes into buying a home has gone up dramatically, from windows to siding, concrete to the nails that have to be nailed in. And that is a byproduct of hyperinflation. So if President Trump is able to bring down inflation, which, of course, inflation is just very simple, more money than goods and services. When you have more money being pumped in than the growth of goods and services, you get inflation. You don't have to overthink it. That's just the basic equation. So, the first of which is trying to lower inflation. How do you do that? By bringing down energy costs and energy prices. Drill, baby, drill. Bring down the price of energy. That will help a little bit. But that's not the end all, be all. That's not the complete and total solution. Secondly, deportation of illegal migrants so that you don't have to compete against illegals to buy homes or to at least have housing. Thirdly, which is a more controversial take, but I think we can all agree on this One, is that BlackRock and this $10 trillion company should not be able to come in and buy single family homes when you yourself want to be able to buy a home. Fourthly, we have to bring down interest rates. We have to bring down the cost of money. You do that through a robust and growing economy. And by the way, interest rates go down when you no longer have inflation. Interest rates are the price of money and you use that as a lever to try to restrict the money supply. If you have too many dollar bills out there, if we can bring reflation into retreat, it gives us a signal to bring down interest rates. Now let me just give you some off the hand advice. And again, my friends Andrew and [e-mail] are the ones to talk to you about. They did my home loan. They're amazing, they're phenomenal. But let me just kind of give you some advice. The minute interest rates start to go down, that is the point, to actually go and buy. Because prices are only going to go up after that, if that makes sense. Because eventually once interest rates go down, they're going to go up even more. There's going to be this kind of lull period where housing will stabilize and then it's going to skyrocket because demand is going to go up like a hockey stick. And then finally, hopefully working wage is going to go up thanks to President Trump. And it's really too bad good people like yourself are at the outside looking in at some of the basic promises that you were given by your parents and grandparents. Oh, work hard, you'll be able to own a home. Save money, you'll be able to own a home. Unfortunately, that was a lot of deceit and misleading information given. Thank you, Michael. Thank you Shane, for being a member. Really appreciate it. Thank you, Michael. Thank you for being a member. Members.charliekirk.com what's on your mind? Hey Charlie, just talking about Vivek's comments and I'm wondering why so many people are missing his main point. His main point is that the American education system has been a disaster, is a disaster and so has been lazy American parenting over the last 50 years. It's a culture that is not producing American geniuses. That was his main point and everybody seems to be skipping that. So I just want to get your comments. No, that's fair. And look, I love Vivek and I think that is, that is a very good reading of what he wrote. I think that the way people were Gleaning it of which you can, based on Vivek's articulate tweet, which is that he was calling the American people mediocre and was also, there's a fair amount of people that did spend their high school and college years enjoying themselves and not necessarily studying all the time. I'm not one of those people. I didn't go to college. I've just been driven since day one. So I kind of sympathize with Veik's vibe here. However, not exactly wise to say that to the population because they say, wait a second, yeah, I wasn't spelling bee champion and I wasn't, you know, head of the math club, but I got my act together when I was 26, 27, and I'm not mediocre and I want to be better. And so the implication of Vivek's tweet can be, well, America sucks, therefore bring in foreigner. And I know that's not what you're saying, Michael, but can you understand how people read it that way?

[Scott]

Oh, absolutely. I do think, though, that the American.

[Charlie Kirk]

People need to face some harsh realities.

[Scott]

That the way we've been doing things over the last several decades isn't the.

[Charlie Kirk]

Path to the, to a good future. And this people need to wake up about it. I agree with that. Well, and again, a lot of saying there's some wisdom what he was saying. I would have worded it a lot differently and nor do I share a lot of the views in that tweet. But disagreement is what keeps a movement alive. Keep some movement fun. We are not like the board. We're not like the left, where we're just in complete harmony all the time. Top down, totalitarian. No, we have spirited disagreements and that's what keeps our movement moving and sharp. Thank you. Hey, everybody, Charlie Kirk here. MyPillow is excited to announce their Christmas extravaganza is finally here. Get this season's flannel sheets for as low as $59.98. They won't last long, so. So get them while you can. They're famous. My slippers. These haven't been on sale for over a year and are regularly priced at $198.98, but for a limited time, they're now for $59.98. And their six piece towel sets are back in stock with extremely limited quantities, but only $29.98. With hundreds of Mypillow products, there's something for everyone on your Christmas list. From bathrobes, duvets, quilts, down comforters and so much more. Call 800-875-0425 or go to mypillow.com promo code kirk and save on all mypillow products. That is promo code Kirk. Flannel sheets for as low as $59.98 with a six piece towel set. But that's not all. They're extending their 60 day money back guarantee until March 1, 2025 plus on all orders, $75 or more. Go to mypillow.com and enter promo code Kirk Zane is with us. Zane, what is on your mind?

[Scott]

Yes, hello, can you hear me?

[Charlie Kirk]

Yes, I can. How are you? Good.

[Scott]

How about you?

[Charlie Kirk]

Good.

[Scott]

And my question is how could I get involved with the upcoming governor election in Virginia?

[Charlie Kirk]

In Virginia? Good question. In fact, we haven't talked about that governor's race. I don't know who's running now. It won't be Glenn Youngkin because governors term out. They only have one term in the state of Virginia. My advice to you is find your favorite candidate who's running in the primary. Get behind them. I believe they have a delegate process where they all meet as a convention and they choose their candidates that way. But get involved in your state party. Get involved in your state party and from there in Virginia, you could have a really big say in who becomes the next governor of Virginia. Thank you. Really appreciate it.

[Scott]

Right now the lieutenant governor's running.

[Charlie Kirk]

Oh, win some Sears. Got it. Yeah. Very good. Thank you for being a member. Really appreciate it. Brett, what is on your mind? Thank you. Brett. Thanks for being a member. What's on your mind? Where are you from?

[Scott]

I'm from Florida actually. And I have to say you guys have been a great inspiration. First, first person I've actually subscribed to. So thank you for everything.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you. Means a lot. Thank you.

[Scott]

I figured that since we've already won so many things, the House, the Senate, the executive branch, the Supreme Court. We talk a lot about macroeconomics, a lot. Inflation, things that we can't control. What I'm wondering is how do we get the administration and Congress to prioritize and consider legislating a combined package of fiscal policies that address non life essential costs of the typical American budget. For example, tackling the out of control property taxes. Across the country, there's a movement in several states that are doing that. Florida home insurance, property taxes make up almost the same amount as a mortgage. In many cases interest rates and then also fixing the entire credit card industry is terrible in the way they're doing it's skewed against the consumer and a lot of people can't get credit that probably should in the way they do it. So I'm thinking like, how do we get down to kitchen table economics where they actually put together a bill that has direct impact on people's lives?

[Charlie Kirk]

That's a great question. So a lot of those issues are going to be state by state issues. The biggest thing we could do, first and foremost is to cut government spending. We have to cut government spending because that will lower the rate of inflation and return more money into the pockets of the American people, definitionally. Secondly is we have to also lower the amount that we tax on wages. FICA tax, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, do a working person's tax cut and get rid of FICA for people below earning a certain amount. So those are just some initial ideas. By the way, what you are talking about in Florida, flood insurance alone is more than people's mortgage payment for people that own property in Florida. It's outrageous. Thank you for being a member. Really appreciate it. This will be our last question. My friends Caleb and Michelle, they have a question about Shabbat and it was great seeing them at America Fest. Caleb and Michelle, what's going on?

[Scott]

Hi, Charlie, it was great seeing you. So as we're about to start Shabbat, Michelle and I have decided to participate.

[Charlie Kirk]

In it, coming up with the New year.

[Scott]

And so we want to ask you.

[Charlie Kirk]

What your favorite activities are and how you spend your digital Sabbath. Yes. And so to be very clear, what the scriptures say is that for six days you shall work and the seventh day you shall rest. Now, I still allow myself to watch college football on Saturday because it's not work, it is pure enjoyment, even though it's technology. But I'm not communicating, I'm not doing any work. So I love watching college football at the time. Number two, though, I love reading. I love reading on the Sabbath. I love journaling, I love reading and then just going for a walk, having no phone and going for a walk. If you guys on this program have not gone for a walk without a phone, you're missing out. I know that sounds extreme. When was the last time anybody on this program under the age of 35 went for a walk without a phone? It is amazing. In fact, in the book Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, he talks about just a 20 minute walk without a phone literally changes your brain's plasticity, changes it. And it's more in touch with its environment, more present, less anxious, less neurotic. And so those are some of my favorite things to do and I'm a big believer in the Sabbath. That's my next book that I'm writing, Stop in the name of God and can't wait to shut off. Tonight I'm going to do a true Friday to Sunday morning Shabbat. It's going to be amazing. God bless you guys. Thank you so much. Caleb Michelle thank you. God bless you. Email us freedomarliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast. Open up your podcast application and type in Charlie Kirk show again. Become a member today. Members.charliekirk.com supports our show, gets behind the work we're doing. Listen to all of our episodes advertiser free that is members charliekirk.com members charliekirk.com thanks so much for listening everybody. Email us as always freedom at charliekirk. Com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

[Scott]

For more on many of these stories and news you can trust, go to charliekirk. Com.