The Charlie Kirk Show: Bukele at The White House + Where The Money?
Episode Overview In the April 15, 2025 episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk delves into significant geopolitical and financial topics. The episode primarily focuses on El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele's visit to the White House, scrutinizes the Federal Reserve's financial practices, and highlights the release of the faith-based animated film "King of Kings." Through insightful discussions with Chief Economist Brian Westbury and Jeffrey Harmon of Angel Studios, Kirk provides a comprehensive analysis of current events affecting America and beyond.
1. Nayib Bukele's White House Visit
Charlie Kirk opens the episode by unpacking El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele's recent visit to the White House. Bukele's administration has been lauded for transforming El Salvador from a perilous nation grappling with gang violence into a safer country, surpassing even some American cities in security.
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El Salvador's Transformation: Kirk emphasizes Bukele's decisive actions against MS-13, resulting in the incarceration of tens of thousands of criminals, which has significantly improved national safety. He states, “El Salvador is now safer than the United States of America” (00:59).
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Regional Implications: The discussion extends to neighboring countries, questioning why nations like Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico haven't achieved similar safety improvements. Kirk attributes this to differing government priorities, asserting, “If the west is to fall, it's because we choose to fall” (04:36).
2. The Federal Reserve’s Financial Practices
A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to exposing the Federal Reserve's opaque financial dealings and their impact on the U.S. economy.
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Brian Westbury Explains the Fed’s Losses: Brian Westbury, Chief Economist at First Trust LP, uncovers how the Fed has been incurring losses by paying private banks $200 billion annually to hold excess reserves, rather than lending the money out. He elaborates, “The Fed is losing. Last year they lost about $80 billion and the taxpayers funded that” (10:07).
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Deferred Assets and Congressional Oversight: Westbury discusses the concept of "deferred assets," describing it as a negative account where the Fed is essentially borrowing from the Treasury to cover its losses. He points out the lack of transparency and oversight, stating, “They have what they call a deferred asset. So normally before all of this change, the Fed owned bonds, but they didn't pay banks” (10:15).
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Potential Deficit Reduction: Highlighting the fiscal impact, Westbury suggests that halting these practices could reduce the national deficit by $2 trillion over a decade, posing critical questions about the sustainability of current monetary policies.
3. Comparing Safety: El Salvador vs. U.S. Cities
Kirk draws a stark comparison between the improved safety in El Salvador and the ongoing struggles in several U.S. cities plagued by crime and gang activity.
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Safety Metrics: He argues, “It is safer to walk the streets of San Salvador than it is the streets of Chicago” (11:50), underscoring the effectiveness of Bukele's policies compared to the perceived inaction in American urban centers.
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Critique of Ideological Captivity: Kirk criticizes the U.S. government's prioritization of ideological sentiments over tangible safety measures, asserting that “the ideology of the MS-13's feelings matters more than the well-being of the kid that's trying to walk to school” (14:49).
4. "King of Kings" and Angel Studios
Transitioning from geopolitical and financial discourse, Kirk introduces Jeffrey Harmon, co-founder and CCO of Angel Studios, to discuss the release and success of the animated film "King of Kings."
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Film Overview: Harmon describes the film as a reimagined portrayal of Jesus Christ’s life from a child’s perspective, blending motion capture technology with a star-studded voice cast including Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman. He notes, “The entire movie was full of kids and all these kids go running down during the credits and while the credits are playing, they're all dancing around” (26:56).
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Audience Reception: The film has achieved significant box office success, grossing $19.3 million over the weekend and receiving a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Harmon attributes this success to the Angel Guild, a community-driven approach where over a million members vote on film projects.
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Angel Guild Participation: Kirk and Harmon emphasize the importance of community involvement in content creation, encouraging listeners to join the Angel Guild. Harmon explains, “As a guild member, you get to approve” (28:45), highlighting the platform's mission to reflect family and middle-American values through its productions.
5. Closing Discussions and Call to Action
In the concluding segments, Kirk touches upon the influence and reach of The Charlie Kirk Show, citing its popularity among Trump voters. He reinforces the importance of financial freedom and cultural influence, urging listeners to engage with platforms like Angel Studios to shape the future of media.
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Podcast Influence: Citing a study from Axios, Kirk shares that 19% of Trump voters listen to The Charlie Kirk Show, positioning it as a significant voice in conservative media (35:12).
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Financial Empowerment: He reiterates the critical discussion on the Fed's financial practices, encouraging listeners to stay informed and take action against policies that may undermine economic stability.
Notable Quotes:
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Charlie Kirk on El Salvador's Safety Improvements:
“El Salvador is now safer than the United States of America.”
(00:59) -
Brian Westbury on the Fed’s Losses:
“The Fed is losing. Last year they lost about $80 billion and the taxpayers funded that.”
(10:07) -
Charlie Kirk on Safety Comparisons:
“It is safer to walk the streets of San Salvador than it is the streets of Chicago.”
(11:50) -
Brian Westbury on Deferred Assets:
“They have what they call a deferred asset. So normally before all of this change, the Fed owned bonds, but they didn't pay banks.”
(10:15)
Conclusion This episode of The Charlie Kirk Show provides listeners with a critical examination of both international and domestic issues, from transformative leadership in El Salvador to the intricate and often opaque financial mechanisms of the Federal Reserve. Moreover, it showcases the growing influence of faith-based media through the success of "King of Kings" and the community-driven model of Angel Studios. By intertwining geopolitical analysis with cultural commentary, Charlie Kirk offers a multifaceted perspective aimed at empowering his audience to understand and influence the socio-economic landscape.
For more insights and discussions, visit freedomarliekirk.com.