The Charlie Kirk Show
Episode: The Biggest Event in American History
Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Charlie Kirk
Guests: Katie Miller, Jeremy Karl
Overview
In this episode, Charlie Kirk unpacks what he describes—tongue in cheek—as "the biggest event in American history": the engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. He uses this pop culture moment as a springboard to discuss America’s culture war, the impact of marriage and family on political and personal outcomes, and broader issues like student visas for Chinese nationals. Guests Katie Miller and Jeremy Karl contribute insights on conservative outreach to young women and the debate over international students in American universities.
Key Discussion Points
1. Katie Miller on Women, Career, and Family
[00:50 - 10:09]
Katie's Podcast and Its Mission
- Katie Miller introduces her new podcast for conservative women, highlighting its focus on family values and female empowerment through marriage and motherhood.
- “There isn’t a place online for conservative women to truly just have an audience for themselves, to gather, to talk… We should have a place where women can do that.” —Katie Miller [01:45]
Navigating Career and Family
- Katie shares her journey balancing a demanding career and raising three children, emphasizing that family enriched her life and career rather than limiting it.
- “I got married late in life at 28… I had three kids in four years, and then I was a top advisor. And what I found is that you can have kids… don’t worry about that gap on your resume.” —Katie Miller [03:03]
- She encourages young women not to see marriage or motherhood as obstacles, but as opportunities for personal growth and career advancement.
Critique of Modern Feminism
- Both Katie and Charlie critique "new age feminism" for creating a false binary between career and family. Katie argues that support from a spouse can be a profound advantage.
- “My career has completely taken off because I have a champion at home… I would encourage young women to find their partner.” —Katie Miller [04:59]
Reaching Young Female Voters
- Katie suggests that the GOP should speak directly to women on issues of family, health, and child-rearing, and cultivate communities for conservative women.
- “The more that we can talk to women where they are on their value set… the more we give moms that outlet.” —Katie Miller [06:42]
- She credits the "Make America Healthy Again" movement and figures like Riley Gaines for resonating with women concerned about their children’s well-being and cultural values.
Hollywood's Influence and Cultural Pushback
- Katie criticizes Hollywood and progressive media for glamorizing single, career-first lifestyles, arguing that family life is also empowering.
- “[They] glorify this single woman… behavior that is, in my opinion, not degenerate, certainly not moral, but… opposite of what I find to give me value.” —Katie Miller [08:10]
2. Pop Culture & Politics: Taylor Swift’s Engagement
[10:13 - 17:00, 33:00+]
The “Biggest Event” Framing
- Charlie uses hyperbole to emphasize the cultural magnitude of Taylor Swift’s engagement, linking it to broader societal and political narratives.
- “This is bigger than World War II. Honestly. This is bigger than storming the beach, than Iwo Jima, D Day. You will remember where you were sitting.” —Charlie Kirk [10:42]
The “3 M’s”—Mortgage, Marriage, Mating
- Charlie posits that “mortgage, marriage, and mating” are key steps for becoming more conservative and responsible, applying this logic to Taylor Swift’s engagement.
- “How often do we on this program talk about the three M’s… mortgage, marriage, and mating.” —Charlie Kirk [11:29]
Hope for Cultural “Conservatization”
- Charlie speculates that Swift’s transition to marriage and motherhood could make her more conservative and a better role model for young women, contrasting this narrative with “career-first” feminism.
- “Maybe one of the reasons why Taylor Swift has been so just kind of annoyingly liberal… is that she's not yet married and she doesn't have children.” —Charlie Kirk [11:45]
- “Taylor Swift might de-radicalize herself.” —Charlie Kirk [12:24]
Cultural Influence
- Kirk urges celebration of marriage and large families, challenging Swift to have “more children than she has houses.”
- “Taylor Swift, and I’m not being sarcastic… if she ends up having children, she’ll stop this kind of liberal endorsing Joe Biden nonsense.” —Charlie Kirk [13:12]
Recurring Theme: Marriage as a Social Good
- He concludes that Swift’s engagement could inspire a cultural shift towards marriage among young women.
- “Your queen is getting married and maybe you should too.” —Charlie Kirk [34:25]
3. International Student Visas and National Security
[17:00 - 27:30]
Guest: Jeremy Karl, author of "Unprotected: How Anti White Racism Is Tearing America Apart"
The Chinese Student Visa Debate
- Charlie and Jeremy Karl discuss the implications of admitting large numbers of Chinese (and other foreign) students to American universities, linking it to economic and security concerns.
- “We’ve got something on the order of a million foreigners studying in the US right now… sometimes crowding American students, particularly in technology, out of these top programs.” —Jeremy Karl [18:44]
- At the graduate level, there are heightened risks of intellectual property theft and espionage.
- “When you get to a graduate school… you’re talking about people who are really working on often very, very cutting edge work.” —Jeremy Karl [19:50]
Economic Reliance and University Viability
- The pair discuss whether foreign students prop up otherwise failing US colleges, with Kirk favoring allowing low-performing institutions to close.
- “If the argument is… so that a bunch of colleges don’t go under, that dog doesn’t hunt. Let those… should've gone under a long time ago.” —Charlie Kirk [27:33]
- Karl notes that many schools are heavily reliant on international students for revenue, particularly from China and India.
Xi Jinping’s Interest in Student Visas
- Charlie theorizes that Chinese interest in US student visas is not just about espionage, but also prestige and status within the CCP elite.
- “Some people say it's international espionage… but I actually think… he’s getting a lot of internal pressure from Chinese oligarchs.” —Charlie Kirk [22:21]
- Jeremy agrees, citing Xi's own daughter’s Harvard education as evidence of the personal dimension for Chinese leaders.
- “Xi’s daughter… is actually a Harvard graduate. And for a long time, CCP top leaders have been sending their kids here.” —Jeremy Karl [23:25]
Macro Perspective on US-China Negotiations
- Charlie and Jeremy contextualize the current debate over visas within broader US-China trade negotiations, reiterating faith in President Trump’s approach.
- “If in the context of that, he has to make some small concession on student visas… that’s something I can live with if the bigger deal is a good deal for us.” —Jeremy Karl [25:46]
4. The Conservative Case for Marriage & Parenthood
[30:32 - End]
Humorous but Insightful: Whitney Cummings Clip
- Kirk plays a humorous clip from comedian Whitney Cummings, who jokes about her political shift after becoming a mother.
- “As soon as I had a kid, I was like, I need a gun now. [...] Before I had a kid, I was like, they [coyotes] coexist with us. Coyotes were here first. Now I'm like, let's make hats out of them.” —Whitney Cummings [30:37]
- Kirk cites Cummings as an example of how major life changes—especially parenthood—tend to lead people, even liberals, to develop more conservative instincts.
The Societal Importance of Family Formation
- Kirk returns to a recurring argument: family and children are central to a healthy, decent society, and the West’s declining fertility explains many social ills.
- “Having children changes you… having children can change your core beliefs.” —Charlie Kirk [31:15]
- He ties this to the emergence of grassroots parent activism in the conservative movement, calling them “the Parents Party,” especially in the wake of recent political and cultural upheavals.
Final Word to Listeners
- Marriage, children, and family are not just individual choices but civilizational necessities.
- “Having more children, it’s not just a good thing, it’s a necessary thing to reverse the entire fertility collapse that is facing our society and our civilization.” —Charlie Kirk [32:15]
- Charlie closes with a repeated exhortation for young women: “Your queen is getting married and so should you.” [34:25]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Taylor Swift’s Engagement:
- “If you feel that violent shaking in your home, that is the earthquake of the pop culture. If you hear that high pitched scream, those are the young ladies on your block screaming.” —Charlie Kirk [13:40]
- On Family and Career:
- “I would encourage young women that marriage and family gives you the ability to go further and higher in your career, not less.” —Katie Miller [04:14]
- On Foreign Students in Universities:
- “We would be better off in the grand scheme of things if we let more of these schools fail, because again, they can only be propped up by foreign students.” —Jeremy Karl [21:20]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [00:50 – 10:09] – Katie Miller on podcasting, marriage, motherhood, young women’s politics
- [10:13 – 17:00] – Charlie discusses Taylor Swift’s engagement, marriage & conservatism, the “three M’s”
- [17:00 – 27:30] – Jeremy Karl on Chinese student visas, US university dependence, national security risks
- [30:32 – 34:33] – Whitney Cummings on motherhood making her more conservative; Charlie on the vital role of parents and children in America’s future
Episode Tone and Style
The episode is high-energy, blending humor, pointed critique, and optimism. Charlie Kirk weaves together viral pop culture moments, political commentary, and in-depth policy discussion, maintaining an unapologetically conservative and often tongue-in-cheek style throughout.
For more on the stories and themes discussed, visit charliekirk.com.