Can Democrats Pull Out of Their Death Spiral?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Charlie Kirk Show – "Can Democrats Pull Out of Their Death Spiral?"

Episode Details

• Title: Can Democrats Pull Out of Their Death Spiral?
• Host: Charlie Kirk
• Release Date: March 6, 2025
• Description: Charlie Kirk, America's hardest working grassroots activist and founder of Turning Point USA, delves into the biggest news of the day, offering an unapologetically conservative perspective on America's culture wars and political landscape.

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1. Introduction and Hosts

The episode begins with Charlie Kirk introducing his co-hosts and guests. At [00:00], Caroline Levitt takes the podium to provide incident analysis, while Professor Dr. Miles Smith from Hillsdale College discusses freedom of speech. Additionally, guest Kane joins the conversation, bringing insights from his experience on the ground.

Charlie Kirk: "Charlie, what you've done is incredible here." [00:00]

2. Critique of the Democrat Party

Kane and Caroline Levitt lead a robust critique of the Democratic Party, portraying it as out of touch and driven by fringe ideologies.

Caroline Levitt: "This is just another version of state-sanctioned bullying and genocide." [01:54]

Charlie Kirk: "Genocide is the word that they're using... It's really a 95.5 issue. I think the polling is wrong." [02:14]

Kirk argues that Democrats are dominated by a small minority pushing divisive policies, particularly regarding transgender issues in sports, which he believes alienates the majority of voters.

3. Highlights from President Trump's Speech

Caroline Levitt provides a comprehensive overview of President Trump's recent speech, highlighting his achievements and President Trump's commitment to American families.

Caroline Levitt: "President Trump level set with the American people on the economy and exposed how badly Joe Biden screwed it up by causing the worst inflation crisis in four decades." [13:27]

She details President Trump's actions, such as the detainment and subsequent justice served against terrorist Mohammad Sharifullah, and honors individuals affected by violence, emphasizing the administration's focus on law and order.

4. Young Voters and Political Shifts

Kane discusses the significant shift of younger voters towards the Republican Party, attributing much of this change to the efforts of Turning Point USA.

Kane: "It's probably at least 50% because of TP USA... Younger voters in particular are moving to the right, even more so than their parents." [10:35]

He credits grassroots mobilization and social media engagement as key factors driving this realignment, predicting positive outcomes for the Republican Party in future elections.

5. President Trump's Tariff Policies and China

A substantial portion of the discussion focuses on the administration's tariff policies, particularly targeting China, and the economic implications for American consumers.

Caroline Levitt: "President Trump has cited [the fentanyl crisis] for imposing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China." [40:16]

The dialogue addresses concerns raised by Chinese officials threatening potential conflict in response to tariffs and discusses the administration's strategy to mitigate economic impacts, including price increases on consumer goods.

Kane: "If you have a distressed or defaulted private student loan... Go to yrefi.com they provide you with a custom loan payment based on your ability to pay." [35:21]

6. Free Speech and Higher Education

Dr. Miles Smith from Hillsdale College explores the complexities of freedom of speech on college campuses and critiques the federal government's role in regulating speech.

Dr. Miles Smith: "Our definition of freedom of speech sort of has ebbed and flowed throughout the years." [23:46]

Charlie Kirk: "Let me ask just a separate question then. What are the implications of the fight for freedom of speech today?" [23:57]

Smith argues that the administration's efforts to withhold federal funds from institutions allowing protests aim to refocus colleges on their educational mission rather than political activism.

7. Media Relations and White House Correspondence

The episode introduces Mary Margaret Olehan of The Daily Wire, the network's first White House correspondent, discussing the administration's approach to media engagement and press access.

Caroline Levitt: "Many of you were admonished for asking questions about that truth." [39:18]

She counters criticisms regarding press restrictions, asserting that the current administration promotes transparency and openness, contrasting it with previous administrations' approaches.

8. Conclusion and Future Outlook

Charlie Kirk wraps up the episode by reinforcing the themes discussed, emphasizing the resilience and potential resurgence of the Republican Party in the face of Democratic challenges.

Charlie Kirk: "We are crushing the Democrats on this issue. We are running circles around them on every core one of these issues." [02:14]

He encourages listeners to stay engaged and informed through the podcast, highlighting ongoing developments such as the upcoming analysis of the Gavin Newsom interview.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Caroline Levitt: "This is just another version of state-sanctioned bullying and genocide." [01:54]
• Charlie Kirk: "Genocide is the word that they're using... It's really a 95.5 issue." [02:14]
• Kane: "You go to college campuses... TP Action and TPUSA." [10:35]
• Dr. Miles Smith: "Our definition of freedom of speech sort of has ebbed and flowed throughout the years." [23:46]

Key Insights and Conclusions

• Democratic Party's Challenges: The podcast underscores the Democratic Party's struggles with internal divisions and reliance on minority-driven agendas that alienate mainstream voters.
• Republican Resurgence: Turning Point USA's efforts are credited with significantly shifting young voter demographics towards conservative stances, suggesting a promising future for the Republican Party.
• Policy Focus: The administration's stringent tariff policies against China and its implications for national security and consumer prices are critically examined, highlighting a tough stance on trade and foreign policy.
• Freedom of Speech: The conversation emphasizes the importance of protecting free speech on campuses, advocating for reduced federal interference to ensure educational institutions remain centers of learning rather than political protests.
• Media Strategy: The administration's proactive engagement with conservative media outlets like The Daily Wire is portrayed as a strategy to counteract perceived mainstream media biases and promote transparent communication.

Final Thoughts

The episode presents a staunchly conservative analysis of the current political landscape, arguing that the Democratic Party is on a downward trajectory while the Republican Party, bolstered by grassroots activism and strategic policy decisions, is poised for growth. By addressing key issues such as free speech, economic policies, and media relations, Charlie Kirk and his guests provide listeners with a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities facing American politics today.

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For more insights and updates, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to The Charlie Kirk Show podcast and visit freedomarliekirk.com.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey, everybody. Today on the Charlie Kirk Show, Caroline Levitt takes the podium. We have incident analysis. We have a professor from Hillsdale College that speaks about freedom of speech. And Cain joins the program. Email us, as always, freedomarliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast. Open up your podcast application and type in Charlie Kirk show, that is Charlie Kirk show and become a member today. Members.charliekirk.com, members.charliekirk.comble up, everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Kane]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[Caroline Levitt]

I want you to know we are.

[Charlie Kirk]

Lucky to have Charlie.

[Kane]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks. I want to thank Charlie.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

He's an incredible guy.

[Kane]

His spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one.

[Caroline Levitt]

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 and 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 let's play some more pieces of tape here. As we kind of recollect, on the State of the Union, one of the announcements that was made at the State of the Union was no men in female sports. Something that Democrats should be able to agree on. Something that Democrats should be able to do. This is Representative Kozlovsky who says the Preservation of Girls Sports act is genocide. Placot86 and they aren't going to stop.

[Caroline Levitt]

Being transgender just because you strip them from sports or from housing or from their health care or any other public place that you don't want us to be. And so members, make no mistake that this is just another version of state sanctioned bullying and genocide. And I don't say that loudly.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm glad no one's engaging in hyperbole. Genocide is the word that they're using. I mean, what a repulsively insulting framing. Because we've seen real genocides over the last 100 years. Obviously. The Holocaust, terrible. What Mao Zedong did to his own people, what Stalin did. And she's comparing no men and female sports as a genocide. That's the state of the Democrat Party. Which is an 8020 issue. It's really a 95. 5 issue. I think the polling is wrong. I think when people are actually presented, should men be in female sports? I think there's a 5% minoritarian, lunatic vanguard. And the rest of the country wants nothing to do with this. Nothing to do with this. And I guess it's fine because we're crushing the Democrats on this issue. We are running circles around them on every core one of these issues. I wish the Democrat Party would actually come to the middle on some of this stuff. I mean, it would be harder for us politically, but better for the country. I would rather have what's better for the nation than what's just good for the Republican Party. I'd rather have the high road of, okay, we can agree we are not going to have men in female sports. And all of the trans stuff is destroying the base of the Democrat Party. They have a partnership with the trans zealots. They are captured by this sinister and pernicious ideology. And this is a great tape here of Governor Healy talking about how DEI is being rolled back. Placott 7.

[Caroline Levitt]

Talk to any CEO, major, Fortune 500 company, they'll tell you that their bottom line, dollar wise, does better when there's more diversity in the room.

[Kane]

But many of these, that's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. It's made stronger.

[Caroline Levitt]

Many of these companies, though, are ditching their DNA programs. And I don't know why. I don't know why.

[Charlie Kirk]

Apparently we have Kane that's been in the waiting room. I didn't know that. Mr. Kane, how are we doing? I'm sorry to keep you waiting, man. I didn't know that. How are you?

[Kane]

Yeah, no, I figured you didn't know. It was interesting just to listen because I never have time to listen to your show because I'm always stacking.

[Charlie Kirk]

It's. What do you think? Am I doing an okay job?

[Kane]

Yeah, you're doing pretty good, dude. I think you. I think you're. You know, if you keep working hard for another five years, maybe someone will have heard of you.

[Charlie Kirk]

Maybe I could make something of myself, right? So.

[Kane]

It's unbelievable, Charlie. It's unbelievable what you've done. What you've actually made it yourself. I don't know if I can talk about. But I want to talk for a minute about how I cannot wait for the Gavin Newsom interview. Cannot wait for that.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. So talk about that. It went well. Everyone's laughing because there's now some drama over the release of some of what happened there, but we filmed it ourselves. But yes, Cain, tell me about your thoughts on that.

[Kane]

Well, number one, you made the right choice. You and I haven't talked for a week or so. I hadn't really been paying attention to your Twitter, but it just popped up yesterday, the photo of you leaving Gavin's office. So the first thing I noticed of the photo is Gavin Newsom is not, is not accustomed to dealing with people taller than him. So that's the first thing that came to my mind is like Charlie at six, five and a quarter, he's towering over Gavin Newsom. I like this to begin with. Secondly, I, I'm glad you did it. Look, we all made fun of Newsom with this, with the launch of the new podcast, but dialogue is important. And one of the things I liked about the most recent event that you guys had was, for example, when you had Cenk up there on stage and you did 20 minutes with Cenk and sort of bridging the kind of left wing populism that approaches the America first agenda. So I think it's a really good thing that you did it. And I can't wait to see it. I'm assuming I know how you find. You tend to find common ground with people, but at the same time you don't back down on the important issues. So I'm expecting there to be both of that. I'm expecting there to be some, you know, a couple of segments where there's common ground and you sort of bring Newsom to the middle and then I'm expecting segments where he just, you know, goes into full blown denial. But I, I can't wait to see it, to be honest.

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, worst case scenario, we have our own iPhone video of it. So we'll see what happens. All that still being discussed in the moment. So let's talk about the state of the Democrat Party. Kain, they're making our job quite easy right now. Why is that?

[Kane]

I don't know, Charlie. I think it's because the moderate voices get drowned out. It was a literal freak show last night. It wasn't just the fact that they've completely turned their back on America. They couldn't stand once. They couldn't celebrate any of the achievements, despite the fact that they know when polling. For example, you know, for example, in that CBS poll that's out this morning, the ideas that Trump stands for are 25 points more popular than Trump himself. Like, almost all of his platforms are in the 70s in approval rating and prompt himself is in the 50s. So the idea that the Democrat Party can't even find any common ground, can't show that they support. I mean, I remember, you know, let's more or less this was a state of the union. So I remember State of the unions when Republicans would, would, would stand up and, and clap for things that, that Obama did that they supported. I mean there used to be a little bit of a sense, you know, a small sense of, of, of bipartisan honesty. Let's say to me it was a freak show. They look like a freak show. They, their signs were freakish. Al Green, that was embarrassing what he did. And it seems so, so sort of staged, you know, and then as I throw it back, the last thing, you know, Mark Mitchell was on, was on this morning with Bannon on War Room and just really laying out how, you know, the numbers. For example, in the 18 to 39 voting group that Trump has 60% approval with that group. So when we look at the overall, Mitchell was pointing out that when we look at the overall approval rating of Trump at sort of 51 to 53 to 55, that, that it's actually much higher with young people. And he said it's actually above 60% with Hispanics. So I don't know why they're committing suit, you know, committing party suicide. Charlie but the, but the, you know, the most extreme voices, the Jasmine Crocketts, the Sandy from Brooklyn, Alexandria, Ocasio Cortez, those are still the voices that are being heard and it is not helping them. And I don't think 2026 is going to be good for them.

[Charlie Kirk]

I'm with you Cain and I mean, I don't want to make any predictions about the midterms, but the direction of the Democrat Party, it's just troubling for how a major political party could believe this and how they could embrace this ideology, it's beyond disturbing. Hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here. What does the future hold for business? Ask nine experts, you'll get all sorts of different answers. In fact, you might get 10 answers. If you ask nine experts, they'll say a bull market, a bear market, rates will rise or fall, inflation up or down. Can someone please invent a crystal ball? Until then, over 38,000 businesses have future proofed their business with NetSuite by Oracle. The number one Cloud ERP bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR into one fluid platform with one unified business management suite. There's one source of truth giving you the visibility and control you need to make quick decisions. With real time insights and forecasting, you're peering into the future with actionable data. When you're closing the books in days, not weeks, you're spending less time looking backwards and more time on what's next. At Turning Point usa, this is exactly what we plan on using. Whether your company is earning millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars, NetSuite helps you respond to immediately challenges and seize your biggest opportunities. Go to netsuite.com kirk Mr. Cain, the speech last night was remarkable. The southern border is closed. Talk about the demographic realignment. Younger voters in particular are moving to the right, even more so than their parents. Speak about that. Mr. Kaine.

[Kane]

Well, it's happening, Charlie. It's been happening for, for six months, for a year. And to be honest, it's probably, I don't know how to, I don't know how to designate percentages here, but it's probably at least 50% because of TP USA. I mean, look, how do you get young people, how do you get young people to sort of open their eyes? You go to where they are. You go to college campuses. Who's been going to college campuses more than anyone else? TP Action and tpusa. So the strategy that you came up with has worked, but, you know, that's not really even the interesting part. It isn't interesting that it's worked. What's really interesting are the actual numbers that, you know, these are big, as you said, more than their parents are. How can you even imagine saying five years ago that one of the strengths of the America first movement or the Republican movement would be young people, would be voters under 39? It's astonishing that we can even say that. But that's how much things have changed in five years. And again, how it happened. It's a combination of things. It's social media, it's Trump, but it, but really sort of the grassroots, it's all the work that TP did. And, you know, it's, it's why probably 14 years ago, when you came up with this idea that you were able to find people interested in bankrolling it, because there were other people who thought, well, you know what, if this kid can pull it off, that's going to completely change future elections because we're always so used to losing these young votes. So, so I think that's where it's coming from. Charl I don't know if you've already talked about it before, but one thing I wanted to add quickly was, you know, unfortunately, we had a Democrat congressman who'd been in office for 62 days who replaced Sheila Jackson Lee passed away last night.

[Charlie Kirk]

Tough situation.

[Kane]

So yeah, it's obviously and when anyone passes, it's very tough. But Democrats enjoyed when we lost Matt Gaetz and when we lost Elise Stefanik and how that was going to help their voting. So I think the bottom line of, you know, of what happened is we now have one more vote to play with. And something else I'll add that's just been breaking as I've been on the show with you. Howard Lutnick was on FOX News Live. They tried to get him on to explain what's going on with the tariffs. I'm sure your readers are following that. We've had Lutnick came out yesterday and said that Trump might be announcing a 30 day pause. So he sort of clarified in the last 20 minutes he said the full tariff agenda from Trump will come out April 2nd. And he said that it has not been and the reason it hasn't been announced. And I'm guessing this is why Caroline Levitt is delayed. I think she's waiting to get a hold.

[Charlie Kirk]

She just took the stage. So Cain, if that's okay, let's cut to her. Cain, we'll talk to you soon. Citizenfreepress.com, you're the best. Kane. Let's go to Caroline Levitt who is on stage. Let's listen in.

[Caroline Levitt]

Everyday Americans love this president because he tells it like it is no matter what. And he did that last night. President Trump level set with the American people on the economy and exposed how badly Joe Biden screwed it up by causing the worst inflation crisis in four decades. President Trump was honest about where we are while making clear that help is on the way. As the president declared last night he will make America affordable again. Last night you all saw saw who motivates the president to work so hard? Everyday Americans who President Trump shined a spotlight on last night in his speech from Mark Fogel, who President Trump was finally able to reunite with his family and his beautiful 95 year old mother after being detained in Russia. To Peyton McNabb, whose heart wrenching story motivated President Trump to end men in women's sports. And to Allison and Lauren Phillips, the mother and sister of Lake and Riley, who President Trump honored by signing the Lake and Riley act to ensure her name will live on forever. In other amazing and surprise moments, President Trump honored the life of Jocelyn Nungare who was brutally murdered by illegal alien gang members. He ensured Jocelyn will never be forgotten by renaming a national wildlife refuge in her home state of Texas to honor her life. And in One of the greatest surprise moments of the night. DJ Daniel, an incredible 13 year old boy who is beating brain cancer, saw his dreams fulfilled by President Trump when he was made an honorary Secret Service agent. And finally, after nearly four years, President Trump delivered justice for the families of the 13American heroes who were killed at Abbey Gate. And the Biden botched Afghanistan withdrawal, which was one of the worst humiliations in the history of our country. President Trump announced that we have detained Mohammad Sharifullah, the monster who was responsible for that horrific attack. And he was delivered to Dulles Airfield earlier this morning on his first day in office. President Trump's national security team across the federal government prioritized intelligence gathering, gathering to locate this evil individual. President Trump's team shared intelligence with regional partners such as Pakistan who helped identify this monster in the borderland. As President Trump said last night, this killer will now face the swift sword of American justice for these atrocities right here on United States soil. Joe Biden was responsible for this botched withdrawal and he had three years to fight find this evil terrorist and he didn't even try to get the job done. But President Trump campaigned on behalf of and grew very close to the Gold Star families. He promised them accountability and last night he kept his promise. He spoke to those Gold Star families yesterday ahead of his speech in an incredibly heartwarming call to share this incredible news. And as President Trump asked in his speech last night, he how could anyone possibly be opposed to any of this action that he is taking? Well, apparently the modern day Democrat Party could. The behavior of Democrats last night was completely disgraceful and demonstrated how severely out of touch they are with the American public. It was the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses. In that beautiful chamber, in what was supposed to be a unifying moment for our country, Democrat members of Congress instead screamed at the President of the United States who was just overwhelmingly reelected by their constituents, walked out of the chamber. And worst of all, they disrespected the American people. Democrats didn't stand to keep men out of women's sports. They couldn't even clap for a girl who got her head smashed in by a man on a volleyball court. Democrats didn't stand for an innocent and beautiful child who is surviving brain cancer. They opposed eliminating taxes on tips and Social Security. They didn't stand in favor of cutting taxes for hardworking Americans. They couldn't even clap for two mothers whose daughters were killed by illegal aliens. One of the only things that could get Democrats off their feet last night was cheering for Ukraine not for America. Last night was a very clarifying moment for our country. The Democrats exposed themselves as the party of insanity and hate, the party that wants to put America last. They've allowed their Trump derangement syndrome to stop them from celebrating America and our people and we will not allow them to forget that. And it's not just the Democrat party. The mainstream media still doesn't get it. Last night MSNBC's Nicole Wallace disgustingly looped in a 13 year old boy with brain cancer into an attack on the president over January 6th. And CNN's first chyron out of the speech called it divisive. President Trump wasn't divisive. The Democrats were. And CNN was proven wrong by their own viewers, 69% of whom in a Post speech poll said they had a positive reaction to the president president's speech. It's sad and frankly pathetic that Democrats and liberals in the legacy media continue to allow their hatred for the president to override their love for our country. But nevertheless, the president will continue to unify this nation through policies that are grounded in common sense and that uplift all Americans. We have an individual in our new media seat today, Mary Margaret Olehan, who is the Daily Wire's first ever White House correspondent. Congratulations, Mary Margaret. The Daily wire was founded 10 years ago by Ben Shapiro. The Daily Wire now has over 1 million paid subscribers, a monthly network reach of 138 million, and has evolved into a leading conservative multimedia giant. They are now the fifth largest podcast network in the world and home to some of the top ranked shows. With that, I will take your questions. And Mary Margaret, why don't you kick us off. Thank you so much, Caroline. It's great to be here. Thanks. So I had two questions if that's okay, the first on last night and the second on Maine. You talked about behavior from Democrat lawmakers, a lot of disruptions and I just wanted to kind of go back to that. We saw Democrat lawmakers not stand for Lake and riley, for Peyton McNabb, for the son of a slain police officer and 13 year old cancer survivor. What are the optics of that nationally, just in terms of not just the people who were in the room last night, but across the nation. And also was President Trump expecting this type of behavior when he was crafting his speech?

[Charlie Kirk]

Ms.

[Caroline Levitt]

So I gave a quote to one of the media outlets in this room yesterday that Democrats behaving like children would be the least surprising thing of the night and unfortunately that quote did turn out to be true. I think the president and everyone frankly, was surprised by the Democrats refusing to stand for not the president's policies because, frankly, we expected that. But for the everyday Americans who President Trump was shining a light on their stories, Mark Fogle, for instance, an American schoolteacher who was detained by the Russians, President Trump freed him. If Joe Biden had done that, they all would have been on their feet. But because of what came from President Trump, they weren't. So we think it's very sad, but we're very proud of the president today. And the American people are the people that this president cares about most. And the reviews are in. And everybody loved his speech. Thank you. And then on Maine, we know that the governor of Maine has really pushed back against the president's executive order saying that boys should not be in girls sports. I spoke with a lawmaker from Maine this morning who told me she'd been censured by state lawmakers for calling a man a man and speaking up on this. What is the next move for the White House?

[Charlie Kirk]

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[Dr. Miles Smith]

Freedom of speech is kind of a tricky thing. We sort of see, forget that the whole the question of freedom of speech developed. George Washington, for example, had a pretty capacious view. He thought that even that if you're criticizing the president, you're allowed to do that. His successor, John Adams, in the Aliens to Conditions act, actually passed laws against that. So it's never been quite as clean as we want to think. There's been quite a few sort of, you might even call it, interpretations of freedom of speech throughout the years. Abraham Lincoln, of course, used the power of the government to suppress newspaper publication during the Civil War. Franklin Roosevelt did too, during World War II. So our definition of freedom of speech sort of has ebbed and flowed throughout the years. There's not one clean definition that we might want to appeal to.

[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, so let me ask just a separate question then. What are the implications of the fight for freedom of speech today? And what are the dangers of limiting wrong information?

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Well, so I think that the problem is that our, the First Amendment doesn't make the government the referee of freedom of speech. And so, for example, during COVID the government sort of setting itself up as the referee of what could be published about, for example, health and medicine and whatnot. That's not what the First Amendment did historically. The government isn't the referee. The government is a participant in a free speech regime. It means that the government is a player just like all the other players when it comes to speech. The difference is the government carries the power of the sword, carries this coercive power that comes with states, but it's not the referee. And I think that's the mistake that a lot of people made during COVID They perceive the government to be the referee. It's not the referee. The government doesn't get to tell us what's right speech and what isn't when it comes to say, medicine or what you saw during COVID tide.

[Charlie Kirk]

So we've largely strayed away from the founders intent for America speak about the growth of the administrative state and how in current, the last couple of weeks we are seeing this new administration at least attempting to reorient us back to first principles.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Yeah, so I think that, for example, what the president's doing on college campuses, withholding federal money from schools where he perceives, and I think a lot of the American public perceives to be inappropriate and even illegal protests. He's not actually trying to tell them they can't speak, though, speak what they want. He's just saying, the government's not going to fund you if you do that. And so I think what that is is the president attempting to do what I think is in his heart and turn all the educational universities and colleges in the United States towards what their actual mission is. Of course, the mission of education is education. It's not protest. And so maybe there's some protests that add to the mission of a college, but the mission of colleges is not protests. And so my best guess is that the president kind of perceives that and wants to push back against the idea that colleges are sort of places where protest is the preeminent value or even the preeminent action that they do.

[Charlie Kirk]

All federal funding being prohibited from these universities. What then is case law kind of leading up to the idea of what is acceptable and unacceptable speech on these campuses? Where is the line? Educate our audience on that, please.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

But I think the answer is we're going to find out where the line is, sort of just how Abraham Lincoln had to find out where the line was on war powers was for the President. I think we're going to find out. And that'll be probably a political engagement between the President, Congress, and the courts. And so the President is sort of figuring it out. He's probably trying to see what works. He's going to see what he can get stick and what can't. And so, you know, case law always develops, you know, for this idea of settled law. For example, Roe v. Wade was called settled law for a long time, and turns out it's not settled. And so I think that things are going to change. The President is going to maybe push what people might think, think of as the settled boundaries of settled law. But it's never quite as settled as we want to think. And so I think the president's sort of finding what's going to work, finding what the courts, the Congress, and he can make stick.

[Charlie Kirk]

I want everyone in the audience to know, in the same way we struggle with truly free speech, we need to uncover the true American founding. Everyone can do that. @charlieforhillsdale.com, the real American. A conversation in closing here. Doctor, please tell us about the work that you are doing, the scholarship you're most interested in what you appreciate about Hillsdale College. Tell the audience.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Yeah, thanks. I do a lot of. In the intersection of Christians and how Christians in the United States history have sort of understood the relationship of their faith and religion and government. I wrote a book called Religion and Republic and it sort of shows that people think there's a lot more interaction between religion and government than people might have perceived historically. We're not a theocracy, but we are a very religious Republican and our republic has religious commitments throughout its institutional history. So that's a lot of what I do. I'm a Christian. I hope Christians will take their history and their government more seriously and take the American republic more seriously.

[Charlie Kirk]

You guys should check out his book. What is the name of your book?

[Dr. Miles Smith]

It's called Religion and Republic.

[Charlie Kirk]

Excellent. Just for about a minute. Elaborate a little more. You say we are a religious republic. What do you mean by that? That will make a left wing person go a little nuts.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Yeah, well, I think that we sort of. We always have these discussions on church and state. Church and state. And my point is I'm not really saying that we have a state church or that we should have state churches, but religion is part and parcel of our institutional life here in the United States. You can't really go very far. You can't throw a rock without hitting an institution with religious commitments. And the United States is Republican. Government guarantees the protection of those religious institutions. The government's not indifferent to it. The Constitution is not indifferent to the protection of religion. The government is our protector as religious people and it protects religious institutions. And so the Republic, the President, the Congress and the courts, their job is not to tell us what our religion should be or shouldn't be, not to tell us what our beliefs should or shouldn't be. It's to protect us as we Christians declare what we think of as the truth of the gospel. And the gospel has both sort of very spiritual and political ramifications too, in various ways. So it's the government's actually job to protect the church's right to say those things in public.

[Charlie Kirk]

Doctor, I would love to have you on at a different time. We have a lot of breaking news here with press conferences and etc. People should check out charlieforhillsdale.com and I see the Ash. And to all of our Catholic friends, Ash Wednesday. People should know that the idea of using ashes as a sign of mourning goes all the way back to the Old Testament in the book of Daniel, in the book of Jonah. It is a very ancestral idea in the scriptures. So thank you, doctor. Talk to you soon. Thank you.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Thank you, Charlie.

[Charlie Kirk]

Let's cut back to Caroline Levitt. Let's see what's going on is that.

[Caroline Levitt]

They have a president in the Oval Office who is committed to doing what's right for them, especially women and girls across the country. And I think it's very ironic. Thank you for bringing up the point about women, that Democrat women were wearing pink to support our fellow females, yet they couldn't stand again for a young woman who was almost killed and severely injured by a man on the volleyball court. They couldn't stand for the mothers of two beautiful young women whose lives were taken tragically at the hands of illegal people. So you can you can't say you're the party of women and then support men and women's sports and not stand up for basic law and order and immigration reform that will protect women in this country. That's what President Trump is doing. He's the president for women. Lindsey, good to see you. Thank you, Caroline, good to see you. So speaking of tariffs, China said yesterday that they're ready for any kind of war with the US because of these tariffs that have been placed on them. And a Chinese spokesperson also said that the tariff would not lead to a resolution of US Concerns about fentanyl originating in China. Can you speak to how the administration is planning on responding to that? Ms. Well, I think Secretary Hegseth has responded to that this morning. He said that America will always be prepared to defend itself, especially under the leadership of this president in the Oval Office. And that certainly remains true. Again, when it comes to tariffs. The president has been very tough on China, not just now with 20% and more with the reciprocal tariffs that will hit on April 2, but look at what he did in his first term. There were billions of dollars worth of tariffs that he implemented on China, and it's quite telling that the previous administration did not rescind those tariffs because they realized the value that they had in not only deterring China, but also raising revenue here in the United States. Rachel? Thanks, Caroline. Just a quick two quick follow ups on tariffs. The president mentioned a little disturbance during his remarks yesterday. The CEO of Target says that consumers will likely see prices go up on everything from strawberries to bananas to avocados. How long should Americans expect to pay higher prices? Are we talking a week, a couple of days, a few months? Ms. Again, I don't have a crystal ball, but what I can assure the American people is that this president and this administration is doing everything they can and I would remind you and everybody else in this room that it's because of the previous administration's economic policies that Americans were left with record high inflation. Inflation throughout Joe Biden's entire 48 months in office was at or above 3%. It hit record highs, as you know. And there's a whole list of what the Biden economic disaster this president was left to clean up. It's been a month, but he's working, working hard every single day to do just that. Just a follow up on the carve out. Sorry to cut you off there. The US imported $43 million worth of eggs from Canada. I know you mentioned some of the exemptions when it comes to automakers. Will there be any other carve outs, including for eggs? We know prices are Soaring for Americans. Ms. The president is open to hearing about additional exemptions. He always has open dialogue and he'll always do you know, what's right, what he believes is right for the American people. But again, as for the egg crisis in this country, the president is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring we're increasing our egg supply and we're also bringing down cost. And Secretary Rollins has been all over this issue. She comes from an agricultural background and family. That's why she's leading that very important department. She wrote an amazing op ed in the Wall Street Journal. She's been all over the media talking about her plan. She has a real plan. The President endorses it. And he even, you know, gave her an off the prompter shout out last night to say, brooke, I'm counting on you. It's an important issue. And this White House is working with Secretary of Agriculture every single day to address this issue.

[Charlie Kirk]

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[Caroline Levitt]

Frustrated with President Zelensky when he was handing out blank checks and President Zelensky kept asking for more. Joe Biden was quite frustrated with that. So again, as I've said repeatedly, Friday revealed the frustrations that this administration has had had in closed door negotiations with the Ukrainians. However, President Zelensky did put out a statement yesterday which we believe is a positive step forward. And National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has been talking to his Ukrainian counterparts. And so we're in the midst of this and we'll see what happens next. Caitlin. Thanks, Caroline. I have two questions. One on the reprieve that is being granted to these three automakers for one month on the tariffs on Canada and Mexico. How do the president settle on one month? The reciprocal tariffs will go into effect on April 2, and he feels strongly about that no matter what, no exemption. So that's where the one month comes from. Does he expect them to be able to shift production within a month?

[Kane]

Ms.

[Caroline Levitt]

He told them that they should get on it, start investing, start moving, shift production here to the United States of America, where they will pay no tariff. That's the ultimate goal. And on the conversations between between the White House and the Ukrainians and the letter that President Trump revealed last night that he got from President Zelensky. Director Ratcliffe said today that the President has paused also intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Is that temporary or Is that permanent? Ms. I believe what the National Security Council told me in regards to that was that they paused or they are reconsidering the funding for Ukraine, as you saw the pause pause on the funding. As for intelligence matters, I would refer you to either the National Security Council or the CIA as well, but they're considering lifting the or reinstating the military aid going to Ukraine, which they paused. Mr. Again, it's a pause for a review.

[Kane]

Follow up on that.

[Caroline Levitt]

Sure.

[Charlie Kirk]

The president read parts of the letter.

[Caroline Levitt]

That he received last night from President Zelensky. Can you give us a sense of when President Trump now plans to sign that minerals deal after receiving. Ms. Those talks are happening as we speak. I just saw the national security advisor. He's working very hard on it. I believe he was going into the Oval Office to give the president an update on where this stands. But again, the president is committed to a peace deal. He wants to see this war end. And I think that President Zelensky's message, which he also shared on X as well, is a positive sign in the right direction. The president also said that the United States was reclaiming the Panama Canal. The president of Panama this morning or at some point today said that President Trump was lying. Wanted to get your response to that.

[Charlie Kirk]

And also curious if the president had.

[Caroline Levitt]

A reason for not specifically mentioning BlackRock.

[Charlie Kirk]

Last night when he was praising the.

[Caroline Levitt]

Company that is buying canals or ports.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Around the Panama Canal.

[Caroline Levitt]

Ms. Yeah, I'm not sure if Panama has seen what's going on with their own canal, but as you just mentioned, BlackRock is now interested in investing in taking over the two ends of the port, which is very important because the president was very vocal several weeks ago about the need to ensure that China is not controlling the Panama Canal. This is a very important place for the United States of America. We also saw that the Panama Canal lifted fees on our US Naval ships that are going in and out of the canal. That's a win for the United States of America. This same question just given to me in different verbiage of three different times, and I will answer it again in an effort of transparency to the American people because this is an important issue and the American people, this president understands that it is. And again, that's why in his joint address to Congress last night, he addressed this issue with a realistic and honest approach. He talked about what this administration is doing to unleash American energy and to make America affordable again. And this administration is wholeheartedly committed to doing it. And I would remind the American public that the first term record of this president speaks volumes. That's why they reelected him, because they know that he can fix our broken economy and it's very, very broken from the previous administration. Stephen thank you, Caroline.

[Charlie Kirk]

I've got two questions, one on press access, the other on fentanyl and tariffs on press access. Your predecessor, Karine Jean Pierre, who presided over many novel press access restrictions, criticized the recent changes the press pool made by your office. She said in an interview, what we're looking at is what North Korea is doing. What's your response to that? And can you say anything to allay concerns that unfavorable coverage will be punished.

[Caroline Levitt]

In this new press. I think that's the same individual who said from this podium numerous times that the commander in chief was mentally and physically up for the job, which we knew was a lot. Many people in this room knew it was a lie. Many of you were admonished for asking questions about that truth. And so when it comes to truth and transparency, this administration, this White House, is setting the example. This president is taking far more questions than his predecessor, Joe Biden, did on a daily basis, and that will continue.

[Charlie Kirk]

And on fentanyl and tariffs. Fentanyl produced largely in China, has kicked killed 334,000Americans over five years, according to CDC data. That's about one in every thousand Americans. President Trump has cited this for replying new tariffs to Canada, Mexico and China. But in addition to China's talk about being ready for any kind of war, they said yesterday, the foreign Ministry said that the fentanyl issue is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S. tariffs and the U.S. not anyone else's response responsible for the fentanyl crisis. So what's the response to China? That the talk of fentanyl is just an excuse for tariffs, and what does that say about the resolution?

[Caroline Levitt]

Ms. Well, of course, the country that is getting very rich off of distributing this deadly poison to American citizens is going to say that again. The president knows where the American people stand on this issue. Fentanyl overdoses, Dassha brought up all of us campaigning all across the country. They talked about inflation. They also talked about the border, the illegal immigrants that were pouring through, but also these deadly drugs. And again, the president keeps in mind those families every single day when he is making these tough decisions. But it's a necessary decision and he's no longer going to allow the United States of America to be a dumping ground for illegal immigrants and for illegal drugs that are killing our nation's people. This is the number one leading cause of death in our country, and there needs to be action taken to ensure that that cannot continue. Thank you very much, guys. We'll see you later.

[Dr. Miles Smith]

Thanks, Caroline.

[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, everybody, email us as always, freedomarliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast. Caroline Levitt just finished her press conference there. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast for instant analysis on the Gavin Newsom Conversation. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. Email us as always, freedomarliekirk.com thanks so much for listening and God bless. For more on many of these stories.

[Caroline Levitt]

And news you can trust, go to Charliekirk Com.