The Potomac Crash, The Northern Border, and The Confirmation Battles

Summary

Summary of "The Potomac Crash, The Northern Border, and The Confirmation Battles" – The Charlie Kirk Show

Release Date: January 31, 2025

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1. Introduction

In this episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk delves into pressing national issues, including the recent tragic Potomac crash, the escalating crisis at the northern border, and the ongoing confirmation battles for key political figures. The episode features insightful discussions with Amber Smith, a former helicopter pilot and Pentagon official, and Josh Parker, a prospective Congressional candidate from upstate New York.

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2. The Potomac Crash Analysis with Amber Smith

[00:45] Charlie Kirk introduces Amber Smith to analyze the circumstances surrounding the Potomac crash, a recent tragedy involving a collision between a military helicopter and an airplane.

Key Points:

• Misidentification of Aircraft: Amber Smith explains that the helicopter crew likely misidentified the airplane, leading to the fatal collision. She states, “The army helicopter air crew most likely confirmed visual confirmation of the incorrect aircraft” [02:08].

• Airspace Mismanagement: Smith highlights significant mismanagement of the National Capital Region’s airspace, particularly around Reagan Airport. She points out the lack of adequate altitude separation between incoming commercial flights and helicopter traffic, stating, “That is extremely risky” [03:59].

• Recommendations for Improvement: Smith advocates for immediate cultural and policy shifts towards merit-based operations within the military to counteract the detrimental effects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. She emphasizes the need for accountability at all levels to restore military effectiveness, asserting, “Until there's some accountability for the leaders who have created the damage... that accountability is essential to making the military whole again” [07:54].

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3. Impact of DEI on Military Preparedness

In his book "Unfit to Fight: How WOKE Policies Are Destroying the Military," Amber Smith argues that DEI initiatives have undermined military standards by prioritizing diversity over merit. She explains that this shift has led to lowered standards, resulting in a weaker and less effective military force. Smith warns that such policies create unsafe conditions, as seen in the Potomac crash incident, and calls for a return to merit-based practices to enhance military preparedness and national security.

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4. Northern Border Security with Josh Parker

Charlie Kirk welcomes Josh Parker, a 27-year-old entrepreneur and potential Congressional candidate, to discuss the severe issues plaguing the northern border of upstate New York.

Key Points:

• Border Crisis Statistics: Parker reveals alarming statistics, noting a 550% increase in illegal crossings at the Swanton sector in 2024 compared to the previous 17 years [18:56]. He emphasizes that 75% of terrorists on the terror watch list cross the northern border, not the southern one.

• Impact on Local Communities: Parker describes the detrimental effects on his hometown, including a 29% increase in drug smuggling and an opioid crisis [22:10]. He shares personal anecdotes from residents, highlighting the fear and insecurity caused by undocumented crossings.

• Political Stance and Campaign Goals: Advocating for strict border security, Parker aligns himself with President Trump’s policies. He outlines his commitment to creating jobs, supporting American businesses, combating drug issues, and securing both northern and southern borders [24:14].

• Personal Background: Parker discusses his entrepreneurial journey, starting a maple syrup business that expanded to national distribution and later founding a construction company with 100 employees. He underscores his dedication to his rural community and his resolve to bring economic revival to upstate New York [27:44].

Notable Quote:

"This is an issue that we face here every day. It's an issue that we didn't used to have to face. And it's just terrible for upstate New York and for our whole country because again, and when I talk to border patrol agents here on the northern border, they say they are so scared every day that a terrorist is going to cross into our country and cause the nation harm." — Josh Parker [21:30]

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5. Confirmation Battles: Tulsi Gabbard and Bobby Kennedy

Charlie Kirk discusses the ongoing confirmation battles for Tulsi Gabbard, Bobby Kennedy, and Cash Patel, highlighting their potential roles in reshaping key government agencies.

Key Points:

• Appointment Significance: Kirk underscores the importance of these confirmations, portraying them as disruptors poised to bring transparency and integrity to their respective roles. He praises their selection despite resistance from established political figures and the legacy media.

• Opposition and Challenges: The episode details the obstacles these candidates face, including opposition from Republican Senators like Bill Cassidy and John Curtis, who are perceived as hindering their confirmations [35:05].

• Future Implications: Kirk emphasizes that successful confirmations would mark a significant shift towards a "great American renaissance," enhancing national security and public trust in government institutions.

Notable Quote:

"Kash Patel, Bobby Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard is a 1, 2, 3 combo package to help us enter into the great American renaissance and the golden era." — Charlie Kirk [16:48]

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6. Closing Remarks

In his closing statements, Charlie Kirk reiterates the challenges facing the confirmations of Gabbard and Kennedy, criticizes Senator Mitch McConnell's leadership, and calls for continued support of candidates who align with the audience's conservative values. He encourages listeners to stay informed and engaged in the political process to ensure the preservation of American values and security.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Charlie Kirk Show provides a comprehensive analysis of critical national issues, from military aviation safety and the detrimental impact of DEI policies on the armed forces to the escalating crisis at the northern border and the strategic confirmation battles shaping the future of American governance. Through expert insights and compelling discussions, Charlie Kirk underscores the urgent need for policy reforms and strong leadership to address these challenges effectively.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey, everybody. Today on the Charlie Kirk show, latest of what happened over the Potomac. Breaking news here with Amber Smith, an analysis of Cash Tulsi and Bobby Kennedy. And then Josh Parker, who might be running for Congress in upstate New York, joins the program. Email me, as always, freedomarliekirk.com and subscribe to our podcast. Get involved with TurningPoint [e-mail] that is tpusa.com Buckle up, everybody. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Josh Parker]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus. I want you to know we are.

[Charlie Kirk]

Lucky to have Charlie Kirk. Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[Amber Smith]

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.

[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 Honored to be with you guys. As always, you can email me freedomarliekirk.com or subscribe to our podcast. I want to dive right into our analysis about the tragedy that happened over the Potomac. We have a very special guest here to help us understand what exactly happened. Amber Smith, former helicopter pilot, author of Unfit to How Woke Policies Are Destroying the Military and former senior Pentagon official to break down the breaking news. Amber, thank you for joining the program.

[Amber Smith]

Thanks for having me.

[Charlie Kirk]

Amber. There's some recent news here, at least some new video footage that shows if the helicopter was almost not pursuing but accelerating into the airplane. What is the latest news here and break it down for the audience of what your theory is what happened that evening?

[Amber Smith]

Sure. So I was an army helicopter pilot for almost eight years, well over 1500 flight hours. And based off everything that I have seen in terms of the audio and the video, including the one you just mentioned that just came out is that the army helicopter air crew most likely confirmed visual confirmation of the incorrect aircraft. So when tower gave them the warning of traffic ahead, they were looking at the wrong plane basically and then likely never even saw the aircraft that they ended up flying into. And it's an incredibly tragic and horrific situation. But in army aviation, especially when it comes to helicopters, things are moving a million miles an hour. You have a lot going on in the helicopter. We are learning a lot about some mismanagement of the national Capital region airspace around Reagan, some of the helicopter corridors and the altitudes involved there, and very minimal altitude separation requirements between these incoming landing planes to Reagan and the helicopter traffic around them. A big red flag that I have seen in all of this is how common it has happened that the tower at Reagan is allowing these helicopters to fly underneath or behind incoming commercial planes as they're coming into short final to land at the runways. That is extremely risky. It is. Sets up unsafe conditions, as we've seen, because altitude deviations in a helicopter can happen in the blink of an eye, a wind gust. And what they have in terms of that separation right now is. Is completely unsafe.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, yeah, I mean, it's a very basic question. Again, I'm just a civilian. Whose idea was it to have the army do military exercises even remotely close to the airspace of Reagan? I mean, there's plenty of other places you could do army training, theoretically. Right. I mean, it's a big country, a lot of rural areas not near Reagan Airport. Who made this decision and for what possible reason and why? Did no one ever think in the months or the years leading up to this, hey, these near misses are probably a good reason to suspend these training exercises?

[Amber Smith]

Yeah. So my assessment off of this is that it is the ao, the area of operation for this helicopter unit. So this helicopter unit's mission is to conduct operations down that corridor that I told you about that flies basically down the Potomac River. And to my knowledge, it was a check ride. So this was not technically training, although I'm sure the training goes on there as well. This was a check ride. So an annual check ride where they're doing all sorts of procedures and maneuvers. And I'm assuming this is me assuming. I do not know if it is like a requirement. I'm assuming that they have to be checked out in this location because it is their mission. But that's something that I want to see, because if that is a requirement of theirs doing these types of operations, maybe being familiar with the route should be a requirement. But actually going out and doing something like a parts, which is an annual flight evaluation, should not be in this proximity to one of the biggest metropolitan metropolitan airspaces when it comes to the combination of helicopter and commercial aviation.

[Charlie Kirk]

So. So I want to broaden this. You wrote the book that Was that really address this unfit to fight how WOKE policies are destroying our military. And so I don't want to blame any sort of particulars on this incident, but can you give us more examples on how these WOKE policies have weakened America's military preparedness?

[Amber Smith]

Absolutely. So the opposite of dei, which we have heard the President talk about since he, since Inauguration Day, even before, is merit. So what we've seen in the, in the Biden administration, they pushed all of this diversity, equity, inclusion into all of the federal government, not just the military. My book's focused on the military. But. So the opposite of DEI is merit. Merit means you are the best person for the job. You have the best test scores, you have the best, you did the best interview, you, you have the best experience, the best physical fitness, whatever the standard may be, you're there and that's how they, you get promoted, that's how you get the job, that's how you get selected for flight training. So when you bring in this dei, obviously in order to get people who are not qualified into those positions, you have to lower the standard. You have to ensure that the people who are not qualified are able to somehow, you know, pass the bar. And therefore they do that by quotas or targets and lowering the standards. When you lower the standards, someone else along the line is having to pick up the slack. It weakens the chain, it weakens the unit and the mission as a whole. And it, it sets it up for dangerous operations.

[Charlie Kirk]

And so what, how would you recommend going about fixing it? I know the President has issued some orders already to fix, fix this problem in our military. Give us some specifics, further action items that you'd like to see the President undertake.

[Amber Smith]

Yeah. So this is a big challenge. The Department of Defense and this is not just a DoD issue, this is government wide where I'm sure they're going to be looking into the FAA and what's going on with atc, the air traffic controllers and see why they're under manned and still allowing full aviation operations to proceed. So what? There's a couple of things that need to happen. One, you've already seen the executive orders going out that sort of squash what can be squashed with an executive order removing some of the policies that were put in place for the Biden administration. The implement, the implementation of that is ongoing. You need to change things immediately culturally to merit based and that needs to be from the top down from President. We're seeing it. Sec. Def. And then through the commands all the way down that DEI will no longer be tolerated. This is going to be a significant task. The work is just getting started so you can issue the executive order. But now you need to ensure that it's going to be implemented all the way through the ranks, all the way down to the rank and file, through all the commanders that chose to implement and enforce, you know, the vaccine mandates. The ones who chose to kick out, you know, the 8,000 troops that were combat proven and wanted to stay in the military and just didn't want to take an unproven vaccine. So you're going to have to get through all of those people to ensure there's not sabotage going in along the ranks. That's going to be that cultural aspect that I talked about. That is what is going to be incredibly challenging. The other part that needs to be done is accountability. When there is no accountability in a culture that is running rampant with DEI and lawlessness, no one is going to change. So until there's some accountability for the leaders who have created the damage, have fostered this environment that has hurt the military and weakened the military and damaged our national security because of it, that accountability is essential to making the military whole again.

[Charlie Kirk]

Great analysis, Amber. Thank you so much. Everyone should check out your book, Unfit to Fight. Thank you so much. Hey, everybody, Charlie Kirk here. Brand new year, Brand new opportunities to change the world for the better. It's easier than you might think. You can save babies by providing ultrasounds with preborn. Together with the Sanctity of Human Life month, we're gonna save 35,000 babies to show the world that not only do we believe life is precious, but we're going to do something about it. Your gift of preborn will give a girl the truth about what's happening in her body so that she can make the right choice. What better way to start this new year than to join us to save babies? And $28 a month will save a baby a month. All year long. A $15,000 gift will provide a complete ultrasound machine that will save thousands of babies for years and years to come and will also save moms from a lifetime of pain and regret. I am a donor to this organization, and you should be, too. Start this new year by being a hero for life. Call 833-850-2229 or click on the preborn banner at charliekirk.com that is charliekirk.com and click on the preborn banner. I'm a donor. You should be, too. CharlieKirk.com preborn banner yesterday was a huge day of hearings on Capitol Hill yesterday is why we worked so hard to get President Donald Trump elected. You might remember I said for a while that you are not voting for Trump or Kamala Harris, that you were voting for 5,000 people that will staff your government. You are voting for the people that will run your agencies. You're voting for the people that will bring change throughout the Cabinet. You're voting for people that are going to go about and fulfill the mandate. Yesterday in real time, what we saw were three change makers, three disruptors that are going to go into their respective agencies and not do business as usual. We had Cash Patel, who's going to lead the FBI. Phenomenal selection. Bobby Kennedy for HHS to make America healthy again. Tulsi Gabbard to be the custodian of our nation's secrets. One, two, three. Now, what do all three of those people have in common? Tulsi, Bobby, Cash. They are hated by the legacy media. They are despised by entrenched in permanent Washington. Tulsi Gabbard is going to bring reform and transparency to the distrusted intel agencies that have been running coups and nonsensical operations against the American people. Bobby Kennedy will bring trust and integrity back to our public health authority. Asking the question is why is our childhood vaccination schedule 72 shots? Why is it that our kids are so obese and overweight? Why is that we are a sloppy and slovenly country? Should we really prescribe Ozembic to the entire country? Why is that 50% of our kids are obese or overweight by the age of 15 and only 3% of Japanese kids are? Why can't we even ask these fundamental questions? And then Kash Patel. Kash Patel will turn the Federal Bureau of Investigation into a bad guy catching operation, not a secret army or secret police of the regime to go after child sex traffickers, to go after predators, go after gun smugglers, to go after rapists, arsonists, not grandmas that went into the Capitol rotunda with a pocket constitution to go pray. Kash Patel, Bobby Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard is a 1, 2, 3 combo package to help us enter into the great American renaissance and the golden era. Now they're receiving resistance from Republican Senators Tulsi Gabbard and Bobby Kennedy in particular. And we're going to name those names of the people that are trying to get in the way. But let's just, let's summarize some of the highlights. Yesterday, Bobby Kennedy had a second hearing articulating the grievous condition of America's health care play cut 134.

[Bobby Kennedy]

Today, Americans overall health is in grievous condition. Over 70% of adults and a third of children are overweight or obese. Diabetes is 10 times more prevalent than it was during the 1960s. Cancer among young people is rising by 1 or 2% a year. Autoimmune diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, Alzheimer's, asthma, ADHD, depression, addiction and a host of other physical and mental health conditions are all on the rise, some of them exponentially.

[Charlie Kirk]

The people who are against Bobby Kennedy are those that are purchased by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and Eli Lilly. A healthy population is a threat to permanent Washington. A healthy population questions social distancing. A healthy population doesn't take an MRNA gene altering vaccine just because they're told to take it. A healthy population is one that challenges tyranny. Think about it. If you want to metamorphosize America into a third world socialist dictatorship where there's a permanent ruling class oligarchy that rules over your life, would you rather have fat people that are medicated, that aren't the best version of themselves, that don't question authority, or do you want a population that is vital, full of life, spark, vigor? Which one would you rather have? If you're a tyrant? If you're a tyrant, you want an unhappy population. You want a medicated population. You want a class of indentured servants of fat, lazy people because they're easier to control. Couple that with a third world invasion and you have a recipe towards world domination via the United States of America. Bobby Kennedy is about making America happy again, healthy again, to get us back on a trajectory where we have national readiness for our United States military to restore trust. Post Covid. When I say hear a doctor on tv, well, doctors say I inherently am distrustful of such statements. Bobby Kennedy, Tulsi and Cash must be confirmed by Republican senators. They must be put into office. They represent the citizens taking back their government.

[Dennis Black]

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[Charlie Kirk]

Really excited for this guest. Someone that I've wanted to have on for quite some time. Someone I've known for a while. I was actually the best man at his wedding almost exactly eight years ago, if I'm not mistaken. He's an amazing entrepreneur, father of four. He's young, and I think he'd be a great replacement for Elise Stefanik up in New York. 21 possible candidate, just a rock star. Founder and CEO of Parker Communications. I hope you guys understand he's in his mid-20s, like 26, 27. And by the way, he's being considered by all the very serious power brokers to potentially fill Elise's seat because she's going to the U.N. and again, he's a father of four at 27, was on Shark Tank, had an amazing maple syrup business. Really, really powerful. Parker Communications Co. With hundreds of employees. And it's Josh Parker. He joins us now. Josh, welcome to the program. Great to see you.

[Josh Parker]

Thanks so much, Charlie. Great to be with you.

[Charlie Kirk]

Tell us, where are you? I was going to introduce it to the audience. You're here at the northern border, which doesn't get as much coverage. Tell us about what you're seeing and hearing on the northern border and the need for border security up there.

[Josh Parker]

Yeah, that's right, Charlie. I'm here at the northern border in upstate New York. And as you've said, Congresswoman Stefanik has been chosen by President Trump to be the ambassador to the United Nations. She has been our congresswoman here in upstate New York for the last 10 years. And the people of our district love her. She's done an incredible job. And, you know, so we're obviously sad to see her go, but we are proud of the fact that she is going to be one of the most important voices on the global stage. I am here at the, at the north border, the U.S. canadian border. Charlie, most people don't realize that the northern border is actually in crisis. So this is known as the Swanton sector up in upstate New York. And in 2024, there were more illegal immigrants who crossed the Swanton sector than the previous 17 years combined. That is a 550% increase. And, Charlie, these are not just friendly Canadians. These people came from 97 different countries of origin. And again, Charlie, it's not just people, but it's also drugs. We have seen a 29% increase in the amount of drugs being smuggled across the northern border. And this is a shocking statistic, but not 8, 75% of the terrorists, the illegal immigrants on the terror watch list who cross into our country cross the northern border, not the southern border. So, as you know, this is the result of four years of Joe Biden's failed open border policies. And Congresswoman Stefanik has done a great job of bringing light to this issue. But we need to stand with President Trump to secure our northern border and our southern border.

[Charlie Kirk]

And that's why I think you'd be a phenomenal congressman for that district. I want to play this piece of tape here where you did a ride along. And again, I want everyone understanding might think, oh, you know who's coming across the border? There are some savage terrorists here. This is cut 177. Get ready for this. This is footage I want you guys to watch carefully here on Real America's Voice and on our streaming platforms of the people that are running across the northern border. These are stone cold killers, some of them terrorists, isis, people that want us harm. You think when you think of our border invasion, you think of Guadalajara. You think of the southern border where I live in Arizona. But understand, we have been invaded from all fronts. The northern border gets almost no coverage whatsoever because I think it's just a bunch of, you know, very nice talking Canadians that are trying to exchange, you know, dollars for maple syrup or whatever. No, no, no. Listen and watch carefully. Stone Cold killers play cut177.

[Josh Parker]

Where do they usually cross?

[G]

Do they cross through here or they cross here? A lot of the crossings are out back. And then they walk right up this road because this is technically a town road, part way.

[Josh Parker]

Do you guys ever feel unsafe up here?

[G]

Yeah, all the time. A lot of times. I mean, shouldn't have to. We live in the middle of nowhere.

[Josh Parker]

Right, exactly.

[G]

And here we are. I gotta have a security camera on my house so I can.

[Josh Parker]

Yes.

[G]

Try to. You know, I work midnights and.

[Josh Parker]

You got a wife and three kids.

[Amber Smith]

Yeah, yeah.

[G]

And, you know, it's very unsettling. It's a hopeless feeling when you're at work, and there's illegals walking by your house, and you have no idea what these people are gonna do, their intentions.

[Josh Parker]

Has this always been a problem? You've always seen people growing up here and things like that.

[G]

You see maybe one or two every six months.

[Josh Parker]

Okay, got it. Maybe yes.

[G]

Not ten a night. Yeah, that's what we were. We were up to like, 10, 12 a day.

[Charlie Kirk]

Now, what country of origin are these? Josh, I think that's an important question. And reiterate the point that the influx of terrorists is disproportionately from the northern border. Please reiterate that very important point.

[Josh Parker]

Yeah, Charlie, that's right. It is critically important to understand that, again, 75% of illegal immigrants on the terror watch list cross the northern border, not the southern border. So we don't know exactly where all of these people are coming from, but we do know that it's 97 different countries of origin. And talking to the farmer who lives on the border in that video, he was telling me, and he showed me videos of young men, military aged men crossing into the border. And the point that he made is that what they'll often do is they'll send a group of five or six migrants who want to be caught. So border patrol will catch them. And while border patrol is with those migrants, a group of others will cross into his property through the forest. And the question is, is why do they not want to be caught? This is not a desert in the middle of Texas somewhere. This is where this gentleman has kids. It's neighborhoods, and it's putting our communities at risk. It's extremely dangerous. And, you know, this is an issue that we face here every day. It's an issue that we didn't used to have to face. And it's just terrible for upstate New York and for our whole country because again, and when I talk to border patrol agents here on the northern border, they say they are so scared every day that a terrorist is going to cross into our country and cause the nation harm. And they're sure that if that happens, it's going to be through the northern border, not the southern border.

[Charlie Kirk]

So talk about how that impacts your hometown. I mean, New York 21, Elise Stefanik's been doing a great job. She's gonna represent everybody really well at the un but your hometown is very rural, and with it being very maga. But also, there's a lot of drug issues. You have a lot of issues of depressed wages. Your hometown, in some ways, is a picture of forgotten America. I mean, it is the north north country. Talk about the depression that has been invited into your community and how an open border of people we don't Even know, Pakistani, Indian, 97 countries. Has contributed to the jeopardization of your hometown, the north country.

[Josh Parker]

Yeah, that's right, Charlie. So I'm standing here again at the northern border, about 20 minutes from where I was born and raised. It's where I'm choosing to raise my four children with my beautiful wife, Allie. And, you know, this is an area of the country where our jobs have been shipped overseas, our farms have emptied. It's extremely rural. And what comes behind that? Behind losing economic opportunity, drugs and despair. And so we have seen drugs come across our northern border, and we have a major opioid crisis here in New York. 21. You know, this is a beautiful part of the country. We love swimming in the lakes. We love skiing the mountains. We love hiking the Adirondack Mountains. But slowly, that way of life that we have known for a long time has been slipping away over these last four years. And so it is so critically important that we deliver on President Trump's promise to put American businesses, American farmers first, to create jobs in economically depressed areas like New York. 21, to continue to support our military. We're home of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, which is the most deployed division of the army since 9 11. And so continuing to build on the gains that Congresswoman Stefanik has had for these last 10 years, reverse some of the negative results of the Biden administration and stand with President Trump. And that's what I would do if I'm honored to be able to serve my friends, my neighbors, my family here in New York. 21. I'm going to go to Washington and fight for them and fight for the president. This district voted overwhelmingly by over 20% for President Trump. And so we need to go and deliver on the mandate, bring our jobs back, but fight crime, get rid of drugs, and secure both our northern and southern borders.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, Josh, I want you to just talk more about yourself for a second here. I mean, you've actually built a business in the district. You know what it takes. Just kind of. Again, you're 27, father of four. That's, you know, you're ahead of me.

[Dennis Black]

Here, so I gotta catch up a little bit.

[Charlie Kirk]

But you've decided to do this in your hometown, and this is something that we talk about a lot on our show. I wrote in the book Right Wing Revolution that there's something really, I think, disturbing about this. Oh, just go move to New York City and forget your hometown. No, no, no. You've actually laid down your. Your roots. Where you were born, where your parents are, where your ancestors are from, even though it's more. Even though it's more difficult, even. You could have probably earned more money if you would have moved to Yonkers with your kids. That is part of the maga. The maga creed in the best possible way. Like, no, I want to live where my parents are. I don't want to have to go through this kind of. This. This forced urbanization talk about how you built the maple syrup business into a national brand, your family, and why. Why your home is worth fighting for, not fleeing.

[Josh Parker]

That's right. Yeah, that's right, Charlie. So my background, as you know, I was born and raised here in upstate New York, about 20 minutes from the Canadian border. It's, again, where I'm choosing to raise my four beautiful children with my wife, Allie. And when I was 15, I started a company making maple syrup. I learned how on a school field trip when I was 11. I just thought it was cool that I could tap the trees in my front yard and make it into syrup. And so I was able to turn that passion into a business, grow it from a couple of maple trees to ending up getting on Shark Tank, selling into about 8,000 stores across the country. And it was just. It was an amazing thing. It's the American dream that I could start with basically no money, no connections, and then be able to grow it into this. This national brand. I was blessed to be able to sell that business in 2020. And then in 2021, I started another company, a construction company, a totally different industry, and in four years, was able to build it to about 100 employees doing work all over the country. And you're right, Charlie, here in what we call the north country, it is my home. It's where my parents were born. It's where, again, I grew up. It's where I played hockey. It's where we go to church. And I grew up with this mentality that the north country was a place that if you wanted to succeed, you had to leave. You had to go to Florida, you had to go to New York City, you had to move wherever throughout the country. And that shouldn't be the case. You know, we should be able to have the economic opportunity here in New York, 21, to be able to build a good life as our parents did, as our grandparents did, to be able to build businesses, to be able to, you know, work at the factory for the 30 years and retire and be able to raise our family here in this beautiful place and again swim in the lakes and hike the mountains, play sports, do all those things that we've done for generations here in upstate New York. It is a tough place. Today it is approximately zero degrees. So it's cold. But we love it. We love the winters, we love the spring, we love the summer, we love the fall. And it's worth fighting for, as you said. And that's why I put my hat forward. I think that you and I both agree that good people with common sense and real world experience need to go to Washington and actually stand up for what we believe in or else we're not going to have a country anymore.

[Charlie Kirk]

I couldn't be more behind Josh, if you decide to run or whatever process is up there, and I've known Josh for quite some time at the very core of what MAGA means, it should be this Love and defend your home. Josh, you're welcome back anytime. Thanks so much. Talk to you soon. Hey everybody, Charlie Kirk here. You just saw it. The privileged get tax pardons while hard working Americans do not. The IRS just stepped up enforcement. If you owe back taxes or have unfilled returns, do not wait for the IRS letter to act. Waiting to get caught makes you look like a tax evader and it will not end well. Getting ahead of this is the smart move. But never, never contact the IRS alone. Turn it over to Tax Network usa. Why? Because not all tax resolution companies are the same. First, Tax Network USA has a strong relationship with the irs. Second, they have a preferred direct line to the irs. And why is that important to you? Because they know which agents to deal with and which ones to avoid. And third, their genius strategies are designed to quickly settle your tax problems in your favor. Whether you owe 10,000 or 10 million, their attorneys and negotiators have resolved $1.

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[Charlie Kirk]

I trust Tax Tax Network USA. Call and talk with one of their strategists. It's free. Stop looking over your shoulder and put the IRS troubles behind you. Call 800-780-8888 or go to tnusa.com charlie okay, so much to discuss here. I want to finish the point that I was making earlier this hour. Who is standing in the way of Tulsi Gabbard and Bobby Kennedy right now with Tulsi Gabbard? It's a little unclear. Looks like Todd Young is a little bit shaky from Indiana. Looks like Cassidy is okay for Tulsi, but Cassidy is putting up a problem With Bobby Kennedy, John Curtis from Utah. And this will not be an I told you so segment, but boy, did we fight so hard to try to get Trent Staggs in Utah. If I could have just had another 20 million bucks to deploy to get Trent Staggs to defeat John Curtis. We now have a Romney 2.0 in Utah. I went on the ground to help Trent Staggs. We campaigned in Utah. We saw this freight train coming. And I certainly hope he ends up voting the right way. We don't know yet. We don't want to judge until the final votes are cast. Susan Collins. I've always defended Susan Collins on this program. In fact, to the great anger of many of you in this audience, when I defend Susan Collins, my Susan Collins contention is this. She represents a very deep blue state. Without her, we would not have a Republican senator from Maine. And finally, she's almost always there when we need her. She was there when we needed her on Kavanaugh. We did not need her on Pete Hegseth. We did not. It was kind of a performative show vote. So it'll be very interesting to see. Will Susan Collins be there when we need her on Tulsi or on Bobby Kennedy? I grade on a political curve, if you're from a deep blue state, I grade it differently than if you're from Louisiana or from South Dakota or from Mississippi. Now, McConnell is just trying to do everything he possibly can to sabotage. McConnell's such a dishonest politician because for years he would always talk about how the conference needs to stay together. He would always talk about how the conference needs to vote together about you shouldn't try to resist the conference or resist leadership. Now Mitch McConnell is resisting leadership. Mitch McConnell is actually voting differently than John Thune. What do you think about that? That just goes to show how a dishonest fraud that Mitch McConnell has become has always been showing his true stripes. He is not going to be a senator beyond when he's up for election. I think he's up this next cycle in 2026. We're going to get somebody really good in Kentucky and put this situation to rest. He's already said he's not running. That's good. We got Bill Cassidy, which is a problem in Louisiana with Bobby Kennedy. And I hope Bill Cassidy comes around again. We don't want to get too aggressive until we kind of know the parameters of how these people are voting. But this shouldn't even be a close call. What exactly is your red flag? He says, oh, well, he might encourage vaccine hesitancy. No, no, no. The CDC did that on his own. In fact you can make an argument that Bobby Kennedy will actually increase people's trust in our public health authorities. I will. Honestly if Bobby Kennedy comes out after lots of scientific trials and says these vaccines are legit, that would increase my trust. The public health institutions, not this current cartel of criminals in the cabal that's currently running our public health authority. Look, we don't want to have to fight Bill Cassidy if we don't want to. But if Bill Cassidy is truly running again, the man who voted to impeach and convict Donald Trump, if he wants to be a senator ever in his future, I certainly hope for his own sake he votes for Bobby Kennedy. Thanks so much for listening everybody. Email us as [e-mail] thanks so much for listening and God bless.

[Amber Smith]

For more on many of these stories.

[Charlie Kirk]

And news you can Trust go to charliekirk.com.