Is "The Trump Effect" Already Securing the Border?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Charlie Kirk Show Episode Title: Is "The Trump Effect" Already Securing the Border?

Host: Charlie Kirk
Guest: Todd Benzman, Mark Halperin
Date: [Assumed recent based on transcript]

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Introduction

In this episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk delves into pressing issues surrounding U.S. border security and the current dynamics within the Democratic Party. The episode features insightful discussions with immigration expert Todd Benzman and renowned political reporter Mark Halperin. Together, they explore the efficacy of Trump's immigration policies, the potential for self-deportation among illegal immigrants, and the challenges facing the Democratic Party in the wake of recent elections.

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Segment 1: The "Trump Effect" on Border Security

Timestamp: [01:26 - 07:00]

Guest: Todd Benzman

Charlie Kirk opens the conversation with Todd Benzman, an expert on immigration and author of Overrun. They discuss Benzman's recent piece for The Daily Wire, which argues that "The Trump Effect 2.0" is leading to a significant decline in illegal border crossings.

Key Points:

• First Trump Effect (2016): Benzman explains that Trump's campaign rhetoric in 2015-2016, emphasizing a crackdown on illegal immigration and the construction of a border wall, led to an 80% reduction in illegal crossings almost overnight. This effect persisted even after Trump took office.

  "Trump effect had the, the effect of it was that just his campaign rhetoric during 2015, 2016 caused illegal immigrants to stay home and shelter in place because he was saying crack down, crack down, big beautiful border wall, et cetera. So they stayed home. The numbers dropped by 80% almost overnight." [00:58]

• Second Trump Effect: Benzman posits that a second wave of Trump-like rhetoric, led by figures like Tom Holman, is currently suppressing illegal crossings. Holman's strong statements about deporting everyone are resonating with immigrants contemplating their future in the U.S.

  "We are probably in the middle of a second Trump effect right now... that has a very powerful effect on the receivers on the receiving end of this." [02:30]

• Impact of Social Media: The ubiquity of smartphones and social media allows immigrants to witness the consequences of illegal crossing in real-time, reinforcing the deterrent effect of the rhetoric.

  "They need to see actions behind the rhetoric. They need to see people actually blocked and actually deported... on their cell phones." [04:00]

• Policy Implementation Challenges: Benzman highlights the importance of follow-through on rhetoric with actionable policies. Previous attempts were hampered by legal challenges, but current policies like "Remain in Mexico" and safe third country agreements are legally vetted and more likely to withstand litigation.

  "The thing to watch for In Trump effect 2.0 is that very thing... So, the big question is whether Trump will be able to implement around that." [04:45]

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Segment 2: Self-Deportation and Policy Measures

Timestamp: [05:55 - 10:40]

Discussion: Self-deportation as a realistic outcome and specific executive orders to bolster border security.

Key Points:

• Self-Deportation: Benzman discusses the possibility of self-deportation, where illegal immigrants choose to leave voluntarily to avoid harsher penalties, such as a 10-year ban from re-entry.

  "People who are promised, look, we'll let you get in line through the legal process if you go voluntarily, but if we have to come and get you, you'll be banned for 10 years or longer." [05:55]

• Immediate Policy Actions: Benzman outlines three executive orders he believes should be prioritized:

  1. Eliminate CBP1 Humanitarian Parole: Suspend the program immediately to prevent the influx of migrants.
  2. Remain in Mexico Policy: Legally vetted to ensure migrants remain in Mexico while their claims are processed.
  3. Safe Third Country Agreements: Deny asylum applications from individuals who have passed through other safe countries before reaching the U.S.

  "Number one, eliminate CBP1 humanitarian parole immediately... Number two, to complement that remain in Mexico right off the bat... Number three, safe third country." [09:17]

• Enforcement and Messaging: Strong enforcement and clear messaging are crucial. Visible deportations and stringent policies deter potential migrants.

  "Deportations mean everything. So if they start getting people deported right away, they will be showing up on airport tarmacs in Honduras and whatnot, and making news in Spanish language media." [04:30]

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Segment 3: Cabinet Confirmations and the Republican Party

Timestamp: [17:47 - 26:55]

Guest: Mark Halperin

The conversation shifts to Cabinet confirmations, with Mark Halperin providing his analysis on the likelihood of controversial nominees like Matt Gaetz and Bobby Kennedy being confirmed.

Key Points:

• Nominee Support: Halperin argues that President Trump has significant political capital and support within his party, increasing the chances of his nominees being confirmed despite media skepticism.

  "My base case is that Gates gets through... they are not." [20:37]

• Senate Dynamics: With only a handful of Republican senators potentially opposing the nominees, the likelihood of confirmation remains high. Senators like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski may continue to oppose, but overall support within the party is strong.

  "Most of them would say a governor... if they want, they want to have their folks eligible for jobs." [21:16]

• Trump's Approach to Confirmations: Unlike past presidents, Trump is portrayed as willing to aggressively support his nominees, even in the face of significant opposition, ensuring their successful confirmation.

  "Donald Trump expects... he might personally feel bad for them, but he'll, he'll switch on a dime and say, all right, who we nominating next?" [26:55]

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Segment 4: The State of the Democratic Party

Timestamp: [27:46 - 34:38]

Discussion: The Democratic Party's current disarray and challenges post-election.

Key Points:

• Disengagement and Fatigue: Halperin notes a significant level of disengagement within the Democratic base, characterized by fatigue and resignation after continuous resistance without tangible results.

  "There is an interesting level of disengagement... they are trying to figure out how they feel about accepting the result." [27:46]

• Alienation from the Party: Democratic voters feel alienated due to the party's focus on progressive policies and internal conflicts, leading to a loss of authenticity and effectiveness.

  "Their description of his alienation from the party is a big part of why I think the Democrats are confused." [31:01]

• Leadership and Strategy Issues: The party struggles to unify around a clear leader and cohesive strategy, hindering its ability to effectively respond to Republican initiatives.

  "They can't agree on who to lead them and they can't agree on what the solution is to get out of where they are now." [31:01]

• Potential for Reorganization: There is hope among Democratic elites for a moderate figure to emerge who can bridge the gap between factions and restore the party's appeal to a broader electorate.

  "They are hopeful that Donald Trump will overreach and that that will give them the opportunity to get an audience with the American people again." [34:20]

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Conclusion

Charlie Kirk wraps up the episode by reinforcing the effectiveness of the Trump administration's immigration policies and highlighting the structural challenges facing the Democratic Party. The discussions underscore a pivotal moment in American politics, where immigration policy and internal party dynamics are shaping the future electoral landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• Todd Benzman on Trump Effect:

  "The Trump effect... caused illegal immigrants to stay home and shelter in place because he was saying crack down, crack down, big beautiful border wall..." [00:58]

• Mark Halperin on Democratic Disarray:

  "They are trying to figure out how they feel about accepting the result." [27:46]

• Charlie Kirk on Policy Impact:

  "If there's a pretty good chance that they're going to get pushed back and blocked, they're not going to do it." [07:00]

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Key Takeaways

1. "Trump Effect" is Potentially Resurfacing: Strong rhetoric and stricter enforcement policies are deterring illegal border crossings, mirroring the initial impact observed during Trump's 2016 campaign.

2. Policy Implementation is Crucial: Successful reduction in illegal immigration hinges on the administration’s ability to follow through on policy promises without succumbing to legal challenges.

3. Cabinet Confirmations Likely to Prevail: Despite media skepticism, Trump’s nominees have a solid chance of confirmation due to strong party support and strategic lobbying within the Senate.

4. Democratic Party Faces Internal Challenges: The party is grappling with disengagement, internal conflicts, and a lack of cohesive leadership, which may impede its effectiveness in future elections.

5. Future Political Landscape Uncertain: The interplay between robust immigration enforcement and Democratic disarray sets the stage for significant shifts in upcoming electoral contests.

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For More Information:

• Charlie Kirk Show: charliekirk.com
• Turning Point USA: tpusa.com
• Mark Halperin's Two Way TV: twowaytv.com

Note: The timestamps provided correspond to the transcript excerpts for accurate reference.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey everybody. Today Charlie Kirk Show, Todd Benzman goes to the latest on the border. And then Mark Halperin, the best political reporter in the country, breaks down exactly what is occurring with the Democrat Party. Matt Gaetz, nominations, confirmations, that and more. Email us. As always, freedomarlykirk.com Become a member today members.charliekirk.com and get involved with Turning Point USA at tpusa.com that is tpusa.com Buckle up everybody. Here we go.

[Todd Benzman]

Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Mark Halperin]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[Todd Benzman]

I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

[Donald Trump]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[N/A]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy, his spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

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.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's why we are here.

[N/A]

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[Charlie Kirk]

Joining us now is the premier expert on immigration, Todd Benzman, author of Overrun Fellow for the center for Immigration Studies. He has a brand new piece from the Daily Wire, The Trump effect 2.0 illegal border crossing set to plummet on one condition. Todd, welcome back to the program. What is the Trump effect in 2016 and is it happening again?

[Donald Trump]

Trump effect had the, the effect of it was that just his campaign rhetoric during 2015, 2016 caused illegal immigrants to stay home and shelter in place because he was saying crack down, crack down, big beautiful border wall, et cetera. So they stayed home. The numbers dropped by 80% almost overnight. And then once he got into office, it really stayed down. But I think that the rhetoric, connection to illegal immigrant decision making is still very strong in that we are probably in the middle of a second Trump effect right now. We are not seeing the mad rushes that we thought we were going to see before mainly because you got Tom Holman out there now with a football stadium sized bullhorn screaming to that to the world, we're going to deport all of you. We're deporting everybody. Get ready, don't get comfortable, that sort of thing. And that has a very powerful effect on the receivers on the receiving end of this. And so I'm hoping that we are going to see this decline and that the end of the mass migration crisis of the last four years is almost here.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, so that's a really important question, Todd, before we proceed, some people say, oh, that's just rhetoric. Can you give us more detail on how that resonates with an illegal who is illegally domiciling and harboring themselves in America? Those statements, they spread like shockwaves throughout those communities. Is that a fair assessment, Todd Benzman?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, absolutely. That is the truth. That is what happens. But what we saw, and I point out in the Daily Wire piece today in 2017, that the numbers started to creep back up because they're watching for follow through. They need to see actions behind the rhetoric. They need to see people actually blocked and actually deported. And they're watching on their cell phones. I've never met a migrant that didn't have a cell phone fully connected to the Internet and social media and everything else in 2017. Immigrant advocate, open borders. People gummed up all of Trump's policies immediately with litigation. So he was unable to implement for many months. It took a long time before he won those cases. And so they started to creep back in because they saw that the action was not matching rhetoric. The thing to watch for In Trump effect 2.0 is that very thing. We saw a piece in the New York Times just last week about how battalions of immigration lawyers in the United States are already mustered to mount a massive legal challenge to every single thing Trump does. So the big question is whether Trump will be able to implement around that. And I think there's a good chance that he will this time because many of the policies that he's going to put in place are already legally vetted, like remain In Mexico, safe third country, you know, title 212F. There are things that he can do right away that should, you know, act as follow through. And deportations mean everything. So if they start getting people deported right away, they will be showing up on airport tarmacs in Honduras and whatnot, and making news in Spanish language media. And that's really what does the trick. I think that we're very close to being able to call the great mass migration crisis of 2021-2025 over.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's a remarkable statement. And you kind of said this, Todd, in so many words. But I want to emphasize it. Is self deportation a realistic thing that will happen of somebody that is, for example, they've been illegally in Las Cruces New Mexico deportations are threatened. They might just go back to their country of origin. Is that realistic?

[Donald Trump]

I think that to a limited extent, that might work for some of them. People who are promised, look, we'll let you get in line through the legal process if you go voluntarily, but if we have to come and get you, you'll be banned for 10 years or longer from any possibility of coming in legally. So there is some merit to the argument. I don't think it's going to be a large scale, but I think it'll help.

[Charlie Kirk]

So it's just amazing to me how overnight, it's like flipping a switch. We went from America is a pile of money to loot and you could just come in to all of a sudden, oh, no, actually, we're a country. It just is. So, it's so. Can you just build that out?

[N/A]

Todd?

[Charlie Kirk]

We're only 10 days into this and we're seeing caravans getting broken up. And it's just. It shows that it was a lack of the will from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. It was a lack of the will. It wasn't some sort of major crisis.

[N/A]

They couldn't figure out.

[Charlie Kirk]

It was a lack of the will or even more sinister, the will to do the opposite. Todd, your thoughts?

[Donald Trump]

Right. This has always been a very simple calculus. When immigrants think that they're going to get in and stay in and work, they're going to drop the 10 grand on smugglers to get in. But if there's a pretty good chance that they're going to get pushed back and blocked, they're not going to do it. So when the Biden campaign, and I mean the campaign was talking about, we're going to let everybody in, we're going to give them this. So, you know, raise your hand for free health care and decriminalizing illegal entry and everything, they all heard that and came running. All they needed to hear was, we're shutting it down. You have Tom Homan out there, you know, talking up a storm about what he's going to do. And I'm telling you, that is, you know, incredibly impactful all by itself. He's going to have to. He's going to have to follow through, of course. And I think that they, they will to a large extent, be able to follow through enough. But they listen to. They're smart immigrants. I spent a lot of time with them. They are smart and savvy. They're making a calculus just like you and I would if we had some job offer in another city. Or whatever. We're going to make sure that it works financially for us. That's all it ever took. It just takes somebody to say no mas.

[Charlie Kirk]

No mas is right. And so, Todd, let me ask you, we have two minutes remaining. You are, this is not a hypothetical because, you know, there's some great people. What specific executive orders do you want to see signed on day one? Policy changes. Todd Benzman, let's just go 1, 2, 3, 4 for the audience, Donald Trump says, so help me God, on the King James Bible, he is president of the United States. He walks into the outer room of the Capitol, sits down and goes start signing pieces of paper. What do you want to have him sign?

[Donald Trump]

Number one, eliminate CBP1 humanitarian parole immediately. That has to be suspended right away. That's the we're, we're going to let you apply on a cell phone app and walk you in over the br, over the Landport Bridge and fly, allow you to fly into the United States. That's a million and a half people right there that they just allowed right in. Number two, to complement that remain in Mexico right off the bat, that is fully legally vetted all the way up to the Supreme Court. Incredibly impactful. And number three, safe third country. That was a policy that's also legally vetted where you're not allowed to apply for asylum here. If you've passed through one other safe country to get here. And there's a lot of them that do that. Mexico is a safe country and we deny you the ability to fake your way through a bogus asylum claim, which is the big draw. Those are three biggies right there. And you can do, you can Google this 212F of the immigration and Nationality act that allows a president to push back 100% of everybody on a whim for no reason at all. Put all those in place and it's done. Oh, one other thing. Tell Mexico its tariffs up the wazoo if you don't use your military to shut that down.

[Charlie Kirk]

Also to reinforce, as Donald Trump says, the most beautiful word in the dictionary, more so than love, is tariff. Because he knows exactly that he can have ultimate leverage to get the American people what they want. Todd Benzman, thank you so much.

[Donald Trump]

Thank you.

[N/A]

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[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, I want to play some of our voicemails here. So we've been a little behind on our members group. Members.charliekirk.com you guys can send us voicemails once we get back to regular established order here on the Charlie Kirk show, which I don't know when that will be. Andrew, based on what's happening here, I'm not leaving here anytime soon is we'll be doing our zoom calls. However, in the meantime, let's play some voicemails. I'd love to respond to them and hear from our amazing if you guys amazing listeners. If you guys want to communicate with me directly and get tons of benefits, it's members.charliekirk.com members.charliekirk. com play cut421.

[N/A]

Hey Charlie, thank you so much for everything you've done. I just want to know what the chances of Gates being confirmed are and if you think they'll have to do it in recess. Thank you again so much. Appreciate you.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's a wonderful question. Number one, this might surprise you to hear. I don't think we should do an attorney general in recess. I think that is one you have to get a Senate vote. Why? If you're going to be signing search warrants and arrest warrants, that needs to go through every established order or else people will not have trust in the just. We want to rebuild trust in the justice system so that one in particular, I don't think you should go recess. I give it a 5050 shot because of President Trump's political capital. We have Mark Halperin joining us next segment and he says my base case is that Gates gets through. And look, I'm talking to some of these senators and they might not like Gates, but it's like, well, will you publicly come against Gates? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Okay, so guess What? Unlike the Senate leadership election, when you guys were able to go hide in your little corner in the shadows and we don't know who voted for Thune and who voted for Cornyn, we know exactly who will vote for Matt Gaetz. So when a president has a mandate, which is very rare, you get a couple of gimmes, you get a couple little mulligans, if you will, where you kind of get whatever you want. And the question is, how bad does President Trump want this? And by all indications, both public and private, President Trump has earned this and he really wants it. So if he goes to the mat for Matt Gaetz, I would give probability towards Matt gaetz's confirmation. Play voicemail 422 from one of our members.

[Nelly]

Members.charliekirk.com hi Charlie, this is Nelly. I live in California and I'm wondering how Trump feels about cbdc, central bank and digital currency, especially with Elon Musk coming on board to be a part of his administration and if he supports it or if he is against it and what that looks like for our future financial industry. Thank you.

[Charlie Kirk]

So great question. I believe he made a campaign promise to eliminate cbdc. I could be incorrect in that, but every campaign promise he's made so far as far as personnel has been executed upon. So I believe CBDC will not happen under a Trump administration. You guys can or not to establish. Essentially, he said that will not happen. Okay, let's play member voicemail members.charliekirk.com 423 and thank you for being a member.

[N/A]

Hello Charlie. I just want to send my sincerest thanks to you and your crew for what you have done for this country and for saving it. What a huge part you played. I have joy that I haven't had for a very long time under the Biden administration. My question for you is who would you like to see as White House press secretary? I am hoping Charlie Kirk is a possibility. Or how about Greg Kelly? We need someone up there that can kick some.

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, first of all, love the question. I am not going to be White House press secretary. Here's it. Let me just tell you. I'm going to be here every day, guys, leading the charge from the outside, organizing Turning Point usa organizing Turning Point action. I think what we built here is really special. I think I could be more effective on the outside. By the way, you need outside allies. You need weaponry and machinery on the outside. Greg Kelly is a phenomenal choice. However, and I will say this, we need Greg Kelly on Newsmax. We need Greg Kelly on that program. So let me tell you, I like Will Kane. I think Will Kane would be great.

[Todd Benzman]

He's.

[Charlie Kirk]

He's my sleeper pick. I think Will has a great way about him. Don't you agree, Andrew? I think Will is a terrific guy. Right? He's so good on tv. He's smart, he's sharp, he's precise, he presents beautifully. So I think Will Kane would be great. Caroline Levitt's a great choice. Obviously, I don't think Alina Hava wants it based on just her tweets. So we'll see. We'll see what happens.

[N/A]

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[Charlie Kirk]

Okay, Mark Halperin joins us right now. He's been the best political reporter of this cycle. I think he's the best political reporter in America. From Mark Halperin's Wide World of news and most importantly, two way tv. That's the right URL. Right? I believe it's two way tv. Mark, welcome back to the program.

[Todd Benzman]

Sterling, thank you. Thank you for your kind words. And I'm amazing. You're probably the first person who was at Mar A Lago last night who's awake. So congratulations.

[Charlie Kirk]

Well, for the record, I am not a late night guy. I left at like 9:30. I got a nice dinner with my wife and I was asleep at a reasonable hour. So everyone else is recovering. I also don't drink. That makes it easier Mark, and I say those words because you've earned them, because you have been a straight shooter. You're not one of these new era political journalists with an agenda. You have a very interesting take, which I agree with. It's a contrarian, but it's true. You say your base case right now is that Donald Trump is going to get his Cabinet, specifically Matt Gaetz and Bobby Kennedy. Please make the case to our audience.

[Todd Benzman]

Well, I don't think it's a sure thing, but I think people are being too caught up in the way the most of the media covers confirmation controversies, which is what's called I call Perils of Pauline, which is like everything's raining out of control and there's all these issues and the person's never going to be confirmed. I think that President Trump won and the Republican Party recognizes the magnitude of the victory demographically, geographically, electorally. And I think it's going to be difficult for four senators, which is what it would take for Republicans to vote against these nominees. There are five of them now that are controversial, that want to shake things up, that have biographical and positions from biographical facts and positions from their past that make them not every senator's favorite choice. But the Trump campaign, the Trump transition, rather, has not started to organize maga. Pressure on these senators has not started to make the case for them. And I think the media narrative leaves out the fact that Bobby Kennedy was chosen for this job because he's inspiring tens of millions of people about children's health, that Pete Hegseth was chosen for the job because he's spoken out passionately about getting Wokeism out of the Pentagon, that Tulsi Gabbard was chosen for the job because she's talked about the intelligence community working in a more efficient way, and that Matt Gaetz was chosen for the job because people want an end to the politicization of the Justice Department. I'm not saying they're perfect people. I'm not saying there aren't legitimate questions about their background. But I think people are underestimating the extent to which MAGA will fight for these people and that Republican senators, not every one of them, will respond to that.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's an interesting point, and it's a unique thing because the senators that very well might hold this up are from very, very red states, of which they are. It's overwhelmingly pro Trump, where there are real threats of primary challenges of which some of these old Bulls in their mid-80s have not experienced. This sort of combination of a mandate election. There happened to be in cycle you have very popular, albeit unusual, Cabinet picks. How will the old bulls be able to get through that?

[Todd Benzman]

Well, look, there's the dynamic you and I have just talked about, which is the threat of a primary challenge or pressure at home. But there's another more kind of mundane thing, which is right now, every Republican senator has staff members, donors, constituents, and maybe even some family members who'd like to work in the Trump administration. And if they want to, they want to have their folks eligible for jobs. I don't think they're going to be in that line anymore if they're the ones who tank any of Donald Trump's nominees. So there's a lot of pressure on them to support and also just deference, not just an elected president who just won the popular vote, first Republican to do that in 20 years, but for this particular president who dominates the party unlike any other Republican president since Reagan and maybe even more than Reagan did. So they're going to be under a lot of pressure. Now, there are two Republican senators of the 53, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska who are impervious to most of what we just discussed. And I wouldn't be surprised if they voted against all five of the controversial nominees.

[Charlie Kirk]

I agree. I agree.

[Todd Benzman]

But that means they still need to be tuned to more. Now, Mitch McConnell, we know Mitch McConnell, not particularly beholden to MAGA. He could vote against them. They'd still need one more, but you can imagine that happening. So, again, I'm not saying it's a sure thing, but what I'm saying is the tone of the coverage leaves out two important things. Why they were picked, the positives of why they were picked, and the prospect that they will, in fact be confirmed. But I have to caveat this, Charlie, by saying I have extraordinarily good pro Trump sources on Capitol Hill around Mar? A Lago who are very pessimistic about Gates and about Kennedy in particular. And you can't discount that. So I'm not saying it's a sure thing. I'm just saying I still think it's more likely than not they're confirmed. And I still think the press coverage would lead you to believe their chances were de minimis, and they're not.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. And I think that's right. And so just have we ever seen, Mark, in your reporting career, a president have to go to the mat for a Cabinet official? And what does that look like? What does it look like when a president really wants somebody?

[Todd Benzman]

Yeah. So great question. He's now picked five fights that for any other White House transition would be like, the monster fight. Like, this is it. He's picked five, and I think there'll be more. Well, look, what it looks like is you pick someone who's called a confirmation Sherpa, someone with experience on Capitol Hill who develops a strategy, which senators votes are going to make a difference. How do we court them? When do we do a courtesy call? Who do we call to lobby them to vote for the nominee? This president is different than most presidents regard in a lot of ways. But in this respect, if there was a story that came out tomorrow that said Nominee X had once been sued by a business partner or had a messy divorce from his wife, there's some presidents who'd be like, whoa, you know, I'm not sure we can stand by this person anymore. Donald Trump, as you know, he just doesn't have that attitude. He'd be like, you know, it's probably fake. Maybe it's real. Who cares? Let's move forward. So he'll fight for them more than most presidents. The bar will be high for him to give up on them, but they have to fight for it, too. Donald Trump expects, we saw this with Brett Kavanaugh, he expects his nominees who are under siege, whether it's within their own party or with the press or the other party, he expects them to fight pretty hard. And I think the group he's picked are a bunch of fighters. I think all five of them are not going to strip away. However, it's a long process, long process. Background check, confirmation, courtesy calls, confirmation hearing, vote in committee, vote on the floor. And again, I hear from a lot of my sources, some of these people aren't going to make it to a committee hearing, that they'll be out before then because their families are going to say it's not worth it. And I think that's true. Every one of these folks is going to go through as much as all five of them have played at a high level in national life, whether it's media or politics or law or something else. All five of them are almost certainly going to go through before the hearing a tougher level of scrutiny than they've ever gotten. And that's not for everybody. It's not for every family. But Donald Trump will be there for them if they want to go forward. I suspect he'll be there for them. Yeah.

[Charlie Kirk]

And I'll say this. President Trump will go to the mat for them, especially if it's one that he made the decision for. If he felt as if he was being strong armed by somebody else around him, then that is a different calculus. Would you agree with that, Mark?

[Todd Benzman]

Great insight. It's absolutely the case. And to be honest, this personnel process has been, even by Trump standards, extremely chaotic. Extremely chaotic. It's been Three's Company meets Game of Thrones. Just everything's sprawled all over the place and people are named and other people who are supposed to be in charge don't even know it's happening. So I think you're right. There's some in this group who he wanted, he chose. He will fight for them if it was kind of not imposed on him. But it wasn't his original idea and he was a little ambivalent about it. He may not fight as hard, but I do think he doesn't want to lose. But again, this is the Trump mentality. It's one of his advantages is if one of these people go down, he won't think about it for 20 more minutes. He might personally feel bad for them, but he'll, he'll switch on a dime and say, all right, who we nominating next? How are we going to get that.

[Charlie Kirk]

Person confirmed next man up. And it's just, it'll, by the way, in the Trump news cycle, I mean, things last like 12 minutes right now. The old, the joke is I take, I texted my buddy Pete Hegseth, who I just adore. He's just amazing. He's like, man, you know, I was like, you know, hey, the media's tough right now, Pete. Don't worry, wait 30 minutes, reinforcements are coming. And all of a sudden, next thing you know, a lot of other announcements, no one's talking about Pete Hegseth right now as much. So, Mark, I want to now shift gears to talk a little about the state of the Democrat Party. We have about a minute and a half here. Tease it out. I've been anticipating this kind of major shockwave and backlash, but there's a fascinating piece on Politico which is basically the disappearing resistance. Sure feels that way. Are we right?

[Todd Benzman]

Well, I think for now, and you see that on my two way platform, what Democrats are saying is they're so filled with unhappiness, anger, confusion that revin organizing marches or joining new organizations or watching MSNBC or cnn, they want to take a break. And I think you may see that through the holidays. I think in January, when the reality of Donald Trump taking the oath of office and being back in the White House, then I think you're going to see more engagement, more organizing. But right now, there is a, there is an interesting level of the disengagement. There hasn't been rioting. There hasn't been the announcement of very many new organizations. There have been a few, but not grassroots. And I think that's testament to, they are resigned to what America decided and they're trying to figure out how they feel about accepting the result.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, it's just a fatigued movement, understandably. By the way, they've been in full nonstop resistance mode through Covid post Covid trying to stop Trump. It's just. And they lost. And they know they lost everybody.

[N/A]

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[Charlie Kirk]

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[Charlie Kirk]

Piece of tape here. 419 from two way. It's from two way tonight two way TV play cut.

[Mark Halperin]

419, please. It contrasts with Hillary Clinton's loss in 2016 where right away after I talked about the scientists marching, but there was a huge women's march. Yeah, the pink hats much more. Right. The pink hats much more overt. Kind of let's get in the streets and protests. It seems, you know, like people have been on the, on the left and Democrats have been hit by a sledgehammer. And I think what they're having a lot of trouble kind of dealing with is that the election showed that the country has moved to the right, which was not kind of going into election night where everyone was saying it was razor close was not the expectation. And you know, they're kind of in mourning over that mark.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's from your wonderful dialogue. Add more Depth to that, please.

[Todd Benzman]

Well, that's Jill Abramson, the former editor of the New York Times, who, you know, has a pretty good feel for that community. And I think there's a, there's a, it's a, it's a weird combination of shock and acceptance. And as you said, it's hard to be in the resistance for 10 years. And even as Joe Biden had a four year presidency, Donald Trump was dominating a lot of American discussion, dialogue. It's kind of popular culture, popular consciousness. And so I think there, there's so much second guessing on the level of kind of tactics of campaigns like Joe Biden staying in too long or was Kamala Harris the right person or did she run a good campaign? But what some Democrats are realizing is the problem they have is more profound. It's the alienation that occurred because of the way the party's conducted itself on what Ronald Reagan called the three stools of the three legged stool of the Republican Party on foreign policy with the forever wars, on economics without an agenda for the middle class that was compelling. And then on cultural issues that President Trump, like immigration trans, that President Trump has done so well with. I think we had a guy on two way this morning earlier today who is a young doctor who voted for Barack Obama, he lives in Tennessee, who voted for Bobby Kennedy. And he talked about his alienation from the Democratic Party as inauthentic, as rigging the system against people like Bernie Sanders and Bobby Kennedy. His description of his alienation from the party is a big part of why I think the Democrats are confused. They can't agree on what went wrong. They can't agree on who to lead them and they can't agree on what the solution is to get out of where they are now.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah. And so they kind of need a Truth and reconciliation commission or something. I mean, at some point. Let me ask you this. The rank and file one thing. What are the elders of the Democrat Party saying in two minutes? Mark, what are the top families? What are they saying?

[Todd Benzman]

Most of what they believe is that the party needs to do what Bill Clinton did in 1999 or in 1989-92, which is to stand up to the far left of the party and say, we honor your participation in the party. We don't want to be at war with you, but you've dragged us too far to the left to come up with some new policy ideas that speak to people, particularly on economics. And then most of them would say a governor, not a Washington person, but a governor who is understands how to communicate with authentic language. And it's true that all it would take would be to have a compelling, dynamic, more moderate figure be the presidential nominee and win the White House in 2028 to bring the party back pretty quickly. Now, I don't see who that person is, and that's a big ingredient, but they're hopeful that they can lay the groundwork to do that. And they're hopeful that Donald Trump will overreach. And they read in these controversial nominations that we talked about, indication that Donald Trump will overreach and that that will give them the opportunity to get an audience with the American people again to make the case that they've got something better on offer.

[Charlie Kirk]

Yeah, that would make so much sense. I don't see the Democrat Party shedding their far left base anytime soon. We'll see. We shall see. I do not see that, especially in the era of social media and the way primaries are done now, which is a race to the base. It's a race to the base.

[Todd Benzman]

I share your skepticism. I share your skepticism.

[Charlie Kirk]

Mark, great job. Thank you so much. Come back anytime. Twoway tv. Check it out. Thank you.

[Todd Benzman]

Good to see you, man. Thank you so much for your kind words.

[Charlie Kirk]

You bet. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. Email us. As always, freedom at charliekirk. Com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

[N/A]

For more on many of these stories.

[Charlie Kirk]

And news you can trust, go to charliekirk.