Chris Cuomo reacts to comments about "sanewashing" Trump, Luigi Mangione & more

Summary

Summary of "Chris Cuomo Reacts to Comments about 'Sanewashing' Trump, Luigi Mangione & More"

Release Date: March 20, 2025
Podcast: The Chris Cuomo Project
Host: Chris Cuomo

In this engaging episode of The Chris Cuomo Project, host Chris Cuomo delves into a range of pressing topics, responding to listener comments and calls that touch on political double standards, Latino voters' motivations, the role of violence in societal change, and the pervasive influence of social media judgment. Throughout the episode, Cuomo provides insightful analysis, backed by his extensive experience in journalism, while maintaining an open dialogue with his audience.

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1. Double Standards in the Legal System

The episode kicks off with a thought-provoking question from a listener (Caller 1) at [04:06], who asks:

Caller 1: "If Trump can have 34 felonies and still be the president, why is it that I can have one and can't find a job or not get hired?"

Cuomo addresses this concern by highlighting the inherent unfairness within the legal system:

Chris Cuomo [04:26]: "It's because it's not fair. That's why. It's because the system's not fair."

He elaborates on the perception of selective prosecution, noting that Trump's felony counts related to business records and hush money payments may not be universally valued or treated consistently compared to ordinary individuals facing single charges. Cuomo underscores the frustration stemming from a two-tiered system where power and privilege seem to shield the wealthy from repercussions that others cannot escape.

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2. Understanding Latino Voters

Rosa, a listener from Montauk, shares her perspective on Latino voters' support for Trump, attributing it to economic concerns and immigration policies:

Rosa [07:00]: "Sometimes you don't know about those things about Latinos. They don't know and they don't listen to good news like you and the news that I watch."

Cuomo counters the generalization by emphasizing the diversity within the Latino community and presenting election statistics to clarify voting behaviors:

Chris Cuomo [08:00]: "Latinos, again, not to generalize, but there is a cultural influence of family unit, very important, Christianity, very important. And those structures and values play to being slightly conservative."

He refutes the notion that Latinos are monolithic or single-issue voters, explaining that economic factors, legal immigration status, and cultural values significantly influence their voting decisions. Cuomo cites exit polls indicating that Trump secured approximately 46% of the Latino vote, challenging assumptions that Latino support for Trump stems solely from ignorance or favoritism.

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3. The Ineffectiveness of Violence as a Catalyst for Change

Another caller (Caller 1) confronts Cuomo with a strong stance on using violence to instigate social change, referencing historical movements:

Caller 1 [10:51]: "... maybe it's time for violence or whatever in order to initiate a change."

Cuomo firmly disagrees, advocating for nonviolent means of transformation:

Chris Cuomo [12:24]: "I really don't agree with you. And if you are a black man, this doesn't make me racist. The idea that we got civil rights reform because of violence, I think it's the opposite."

He argues that pivotal movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., succeeded through nonviolent resistance and litigation rather than violence. Cuomo contends that resorting to violent methods undermines ethical standards and distracts from addressing systemic issues effectively.

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4. Social Media Judgment and Miscommunication

The discussion shifts to the impact of social media on public discourse, particularly focusing on a segment where Cuomo and co-host Greg Ott navigate YouTube comments about a previous interview. A notable exchange revolves around the proper terminology for kitchen tools:

Christopher Benson [42:57]: "Anyone with kitchen awareness knows it's a colander."

Chris Cuomo [43:54]: "I don't get like. I used to disagree with Don Lemon about this all the time. You don't get."

This interaction serves as a metaphor for broader societal tendencies to prioritize perception over reality. Cuomo reflects on how social media fosters a culture of constant judgment and distraction:

Chris Cuomo [44:15]: "Social media has driven an addiction, a consumption, an obsession with judging others."

He laments the superficiality of online critiques, asserting that meaningful discussions are often sidetracked by trivial disagreements, such as the colander versus strainer debate.

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5. Reflections on Political Figures and Media Critique

Addressing comments about Joe Rogan, Cuomo clarifies his stance on media personalities and their influence:

Chris Cuomo [39:13]: "I don't hate him and I admire his success. I think there's going to be better than what he offers."

He acknowledges Rogan's impact on digital media while expressing a desire for more substantive talent to emerge. Cuomo distinguishes between personal feelings and professional critique, emphasizing the importance of objective analysis over personal bias.

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6. The Role of Perception in Politics and Media

In concluding segments, Cuomo ties together themes of fairness, representation, and the challenges posed by misinformation and superficial judgments. He underscores his commitment to fostering independent critical thinking and resisting the allure of simplistic narratives that overshadow complex societal issues.

Chris Cuomo [44:40]: "We have many problems, okay? One of them is judgment. And not just discerning judgment, critical thinking. But social media has driven an addiction, a consumption, an obsession with judging others."

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Conclusion

Throughout the episode, Chris Cuomo adeptly navigates a spectrum of contentious topics, providing nuanced perspectives backed by factual insights and personal experiences. By addressing listener concerns and dismantling stereotypes, Cuomo reinforces the podcast's commitment to independent, thoughtful discourse. The episode serves as a testament to Cuomo's dedication to exploring multifaceted issues impacting politics, society, and culture, encouraging listeners to engage in informed and respectful dialogue.

Transcript

[Chris Cuomo]

Support for the Chris Cuomo project comes from AG1. Listen, we're getting into the spring. Everybody wants to declutter spring cleaning. We all need resets all the time. And one of the easiest things to do is to start your day off right in terms of taking care of yourself. And that's where AG1 comes in. You're just one and done. Unlike other supplements with a lot of big claims, without research. Again, AG1 has the facts, okay? And if you look at the research that they've done, you'll see that there's a reason that so many people have used AG1 for so long. So when it comes to my health, I want something I can Trust. I choose AG1. Science backed ingredients, benefits I can feel. AG1 makes it easy to support overall wellness every day. And that's why I've been partnering with AG1 for so long. AG1 offering new subscribers a free $76 gift. When you sign up. Ooh. You'll get a welcome kit, a bottle of D3K2, and five free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out drinkag1.com CCP and get this offer. That's drinkag1.com CCP. Start your new year on a healthier note. Chris Cuomo here at the Chris Cuomo Project. And as you see, I'm putting in my ifb. Why? Because it is time for me to hear from you. What are your questions? What are your comments on what I'm putting out here on the project? And to take you on, you have a very, very capable advocate in the form of Gregory. Maybe his real name, maybe not.

[Greg Ott]

Ot 100% my real name. Hey, tell people what IFB stands for.

[Chris Cuomo]

Inter Frequency Broadcast.

[Greg Ott]

Wow.

[Chris Cuomo]

I didn't think I wasn't going to know.

[Greg Ott]

No, I. I figured you would know. But you say ifb, you know, that's an acronym. It's like a business industry acronym. You got to. Oh, okay, okay. Well, the audience listening to this can't see that you're pointing at a muscle on your body.

[Chris Cuomo]

A big muscle.

[Greg Ott]

Okay, but a muscle, a big muscle. Okay, great. Well, I'm just telling the audience what you're doing if they're listening to this and not watching it.

[Chris Cuomo]

So let me tell you something. Oh, it is very important that we keep doing this. Too many of these podcasts are falling prey to something that happens in all media, which is bubble effect. So it's really important that we keep hearing from who likes and who does not like and looking for that space and the nexus of the two. And if Greg Ott loves doing one thing, it's finding comments and questions that are bad for me.

[Greg Ott]

Now, hold on a second. I found a pretty good mix this time. I've also went through all the YouTube comments. Not all of them, but, you know, many of them. And I filtered out there. You filters out the automatic mean ones. There's a lot of. There's a lot of them that is like, cuomo, you suck. Cuomo, you, blah, blah, blah. I'm not using those. I don't really rely on those anymore. I actually have a pretty good grab bag for this episode, and I think you're going to like the calls and the comments, many of which we have. Are you cool if we launch into this to get this?

[Chris Cuomo]

I don't know what else I'm going to do.

[Greg Ott]

Well, you're playing on your phone right there. You're showing off your muscle to the camera, so I just want to make sure you're all ready.

[Chris Cuomo]

I showed off the muscle to the camera. Apropos of my strong move.

[Greg Ott]

Right. Gotcha. Question. I'm trying to clarify, though, for the audience what IFB means. And now we all know I am.

[Chris Cuomo]

Also, you know, when I'm doing this, I am not just a podcaster. I have a cable news show every night that I write. So I'm always working on different things. Always, always, always multitasking. And I believe it helps. I help. I. Because I think that I'm just in a general groove. You know what I mean? Like, this isn't just one aspect of my day. I'm working on a 24. 7, 365. So what do you got?

[Greg Ott]

Let's. Let's launch into the calls right now. These are list calls, real calls from the people who listen to and watch the show.

[Caller 1]

Just had a question in regards to Trump. If he can have 34 felonies and still be the president, why is it that I can have one and can't find a job or not get hired?

[Chris Cuomo]

Just saying that is a great, great question. It's because it's not fair. That's why. It's because the system's not fair. And we don't believe in rehabilitation and redemption in the society the way we say we do. Everybody loves a comeback. Yes and no. And I think they're few and far in between. And, you know, it's interesting. The difference is this. His 34 felony counts that he was convicted on are about business records and of course, the. The payments. Right. To the women and those. I don't think were really valued by people as much as saying 34 counts. What they were about matters also. And people thought that this was a selective prosecution that was done because it's Trump and that if it was anybody else, these cases would not have been made this way. Now, there are counterfactuals to that. There are a lot of business records, cases that are made exactly like this. But again, people had mixed feelings about it. And that was certainly true about the hush money payments, which I definitely agree with that. I believe the New York cases were not the best cases to bring against Donald Trump. And I don't believe that the metric is as simple as, well, is it a case you think you can win? I think it's about what the public policy is that's involved also. And yet at the other end of the scale, there's you and there's somebody who has a felony for something. I don't know what it is. You didn't say what it is, but that it's unforgivable and you can never get back. It is a double standard. And the irony within the irony is people see that Trump was a victim of a two tiered system, right, because they were going after him for political expedience. Other people see him as proof of a two tiered system because the white guy with power doesn't get screwed by the system the way you did in terms of harshness. And that's where we are. And that's really frustrating. And there's no question that we have to do better about how we reincorporate people into society. Change is slow, especially when we're not focused on it. And right now we are often wasting energy on what I think are things that take us nowhere or backwards. And I'm sorry for your situation and I hope it changes for the better. And I appreciate your question. It's a great one.

[Rosa]

Oh, hello, my name is Rosa. I'm calling you from Montauk. I just want you to talk about the Latinos to drop in power that the Latinos didn't know about other things. They just did it because, okay, the economy and maybe the Latinos want to deport the others. The Latinos want the leagues to be deported and they both for Trump or for the economy. But I know the economy was good. We had a pandemia. But they don't know. They never think about that now. They think Trump is going to give them papers. Sometimes you don't know about those things about Latinos. They don't know. They don't listen to good News like you and the news that I watch. Okay, bye. Thank you.

[Chris Cuomo]

Well, Rosa, look, I get it and I appreciate you and maybe we'll bump into each other. I love Montauk out there all the time, especially during the fishing season. My wife surfs out there. Kids are always out there. Thank you for calling in. Now, no disrespect, obviously, you're a Latina and you understand the culture better than I will. But. But let's not generalize, okay? Not all Latinos, it's not a monolithic group. Right. And the idea that Trump, that Latinos put Trump in office, is that true? No, white voters put him in office, but he got 46% of the Latino vote, give or take, looking on at the exit polls. And that is almost a 15, 10 to 15% increase depending on which slice of Latinos you're looking at from the law. The election he lost to Biden. And so why did it change in his favor? I think the economy had a big thing to do with it. And I also think a lot of Latinos are against illegal immigration and don't believe that Trump is a bigot. They believe it's about right and wrong and that they did it the right way. And overwhelmingly Latinos in this country are here legally or born here. Right. And they can also be frustrated by and against politically and personally to what is seen as a permissive southern border mentality and an unsafe border. And Latinos, again, not to generalize, but there is a cultural influence of family unit, very important, Christianity, very important. And those structures and values play to being slightly conservative. So I'm not shocked that Latinos vote. Right. And not just Cubans who are known to be center. Right. But I think the idea that all Latinos are going to be lefties because they're illegal immigrants or they side with people who enter illegally, I think is old thinking. I think the economy and yes, culture and concerns about our culture can move Latino voters and we saw that in this election. They shouldn't be looked at as a monolith and they shouldn't be looked at as single issue voters. And I don't think it's about collective ignorance. You know, I hear that a lot from people who are anti Trump, that they think people who vote for him are stupid. I think that that is a stupid idea. Not you, Rosa. I would never disrespect anybody that way. And I think you're intelligent and I think you care and thank you for caring. But you don't have to be a bigot and you don't have to be dumb to vote for Trump. You can be worried about things and think that the risk of what the alternative is to him is even worse than what he is personally. And I think that's why we are where we are.

[Caller 1]

Chris. Nobody supporting what you say about this Luigi Magione being a terrorist. You're saying that on your own, man. You're totally wrong. Ain't nobody scratching their heads or whatever. You've been covering this for over 20 years and you see it hadn't changed. When is it going to change, Chris? One of the insurance companies going to change? It ain't changing. Maybe it takes violence, and I think you're wrong. Look at throughout history, you never see a change that takes place, a significant change takes place without violence. Even in civil rights and stuff here in the US for black people, it had to be that balance that made it change. You know, peaceful breaching and walking and all that stuff doesn't cause no changes or whatever. For that it was. It was the people like the Nation of Islam and all of those and the violence and everything and the Black Panthers and stuff that cause it. That cause it to change and even throughout history and stuff. So maybe it's time for violence or whatever in order to initiate a change. Not all of this peaceful stuff or whatever. You've been covering this over 20 years. Why hasn't it changed then, Chris? There's been plenty of protests, plenty of lawsuits, plenty of appeals. All of this stuff. Why hasn't it changed, Chris? I mean, my goodness, don't assume that everybody has your same opinion or whatever, and maybe if you give us some of that rich insurance you have, we won't have a problem. I'm sure you never had to struggle with insurance problems at all, being all that money and rich and everything, you know, with your daddy and stuff coming, being governor. I'm sure he was. I'm sure you had the best insurance all of your life, man. Once you try putting on our shoes and struggle for a while and then. Then talk.

[Chris Cuomo]

All right, look, you have your right to your opinion. I appreciate you calling in. You make some decent points. I have had problems with insurance, personally. I've been fighting with an insurance company over about $100,000 for a surgery for my daughter that they don' to pay for. So I do know. And that money would matter to me. My father was a public servant almost my entire life, certainly growing up. He got out of public service when he. I was 25 and then he died when in 2015. So I was what 45. So for 20 years, he was in private sector for 25, growing up when he was insuring me, to your point, he was in public service. And, yeah, there was good insurance. I don't think that means. And I think we have a problem. I don't think it helps you get to a better place by accusing a person who says something that you don't agree with of privilege. Most of the people who fought for civil rights were not black people who were disenfranchised in terms of creating the change in Congress. Right. Which is where it happened. Lbj, you can question why he did it. Kennedy, you can question why he did it. Those were white men that made it happen. And it was white men in Congress who codified it into law. So the idea that just because you're a privileged white person, you can't understand anything, I think is a little off. Okay. And I think that whatever my personal experience is, and again, it's not as you see it. But even if it were, it doesn't mean that over the course of decades covering the issue, because you're saying two things at once, that I've covered it for 20 years and nothing's changed. So you get that. I see that. But you also say at the same time that I don't understand your pain. And I think I can understand the issue and understand the pain that people feel without having felt it myself. And I think that that's true for you, too. Right? There are lots of things that you can understand and have sympathy for and empathy for that you didn't experience yourself. Now, I really don't agree with you. And if you are a black man, this doesn't make me racist. The idea that we got civil rights reform because of violence, I think it's the opposite. I think the reason that Dr. King and a generation of activists prevailed was because they didn't succumb to the tactics of their opponents of harshness and violence and ugliness. I think it's the opposite. I think the reason that the movement wound up going with Dr. King and not Malcolm X's early understanding of by any means necessary and violence as a path to change and the Panthers, et cetera, is because of the nonviolence of the movement and that it was done through litigation and not violence. So I disagree. I think that there was unrest. I think that there was anger, and I think that those are motivating factors. But the violence, I don't agree with you. That being a positive change aspect in our history. And I think that even our Revolution against England, when you have an oppressor and that is the only mechanism for change is warfare. That's one thing, right? Even the Vatican acknowledges that there can be such thing as a good war. But the specific here with the guy who assassinated the CEO, what has changed for the better with healthcare? Because he shot the guy in the head. I think if anything, we got distracted by how wrong that was and it kind of took the energy out of dealing with healthcare. And there are real problems and now we're seeing real problems with the California fires in property and, you know, fire insurance. Should you go shoot some big shot from all these different companies that we're dealing with now? I hope not. God forbid. God forbid. What would that make better? The idea that you can become what you oppose and get to a better place, I don't think works. And I don't think that's some, you know, mushy headed thinking. I think it's. I think it's cold, hard practicality. You got to be better than what you oppose if you're going to change it. And I think that's always been true. And the idea that you're going to shoot someone in the head and it's going to lead you to a better place, I haven't seen it yet.

[Stephanie]

Hey, my name is Stephanie. Super weird request. My grandmother loves you so much. She's 88, she's bedridden. I got her a pillowcase with your face and a heart around your face last year for Christmas and I'm just wondering if you can call and just leave her a message. Her name is Robbie and she would freak out if she got a message from Chris Cuomo. We live in Vancouver, Washington and she has the absolute biggest crush on you. Okay, thanks so much. Bye.

[Chris Cuomo]

Hey, you great Stephanie.

[Caller 1]

Leave me a message.

[Rosa]

Thanks so much.

[Greg Ott]

Bye.

[Chris Cuomo]

Robby, this message is for you. It's Chris Cuomo and I need to have you on my show because I have to ask you where you were on the night of April 5, 2017. No, I'm kidding. I'm calling to say thank you so much for caring about what I do and for supporting my efforts and for giving me an opportunity to do the job. And your granddaughter is a beautiful example of being raised right by you and by her parents that she thought of you this deeply to waste her time coming to someone like me to try to call you. And I'm happy to do it. I hope everything is good with you. I've been to Vancouver and it is a, an interesting place. I was covering A bad thing when I was there. But I hope you guys are well up there. And I thank you again for giving me a chance and for thinking good thoughts about me and what I do. And I appreciate Stephanie, your granddaughter as well. God bless. Be well.

[Greg Ott]

That was very sweet of you. I assumed you would call them right away as soon as I played that call.

[Chris Cuomo]

Really?

[Greg Ott]

Yeah. Because you do. You do that kind of stuff.

[Chris Cuomo]

What are you, a mentalist?

[Greg Ott]

No, I just think you. I think you like reaching out to people who, you know, you're always telling me I'm going to pull all the bad stuff. That was a nice thing. And by the way, there are multiple Cuomo pillows available on. If you Google Chris Cuomo pillow, there's one of you on a probably whoopy cushions Bronx chair. There's one that says in Godfather We Trust with Fredo. And it looks like a. A dollar bill with you on the, on the center. I don't, I don't think that's the one.

[Chris Cuomo]

They got Italians, the only ethnicity you can on. And it's not bigotry.

[Greg Ott]

What about you kissing Don Lemon? That's a pillow.

[Chris Cuomo]

That's nice.

[Greg Ott]

That's beautiful. And then there's one of lots of, lots of your face. This is just lots of you in profile and your face.

[Chris Cuomo]

Nice.

[Greg Ott]

This is.

[Chris Cuomo]

It's available on a lot of me.

[Greg Ott]

That's a lot of you. Hey, this channel's a lot of you. This is all Cuomo. So Maybe this is 19.99. It's actually on sale right now, down from 21.99. If you want a small 14 by 14 version or if you have a big couch, that's 29.99 on subly works dot com.

[Chris Cuomo]

You enjoying yourself right now?

[Greg Ott]

No, I'm just telling you that this la. You got a pillow with your face on it. And if the audience wants another pillow with your face on it, well, here's one right here.

[Chris Cuomo]

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[Greg Ott]

We'Re gonna move on to the YouTube comments right now. I'm sorry you didn't like all the pillow talk.

[Chris Cuomo]

Pillow talk. See what he did there? Go ahead.

[Greg Ott]

Just talking about pillows. I am going to go back to the call that we had a moment ago about the health insurance CEO Brian Thompson, his murder. There have been a lot of comments on the channel about you covering that subject and health insurance in America. This is from RIA5690 from YouTube. You make the CEO out to be a saint. He was making millions in bonuses and he knew exactly what he was doing. 237. 7 likes Marianne Kunitz 7777 wrote Chris, I just cannot relate to a man who earns $10 million per year. I can't relate to a person who puts corporate profit over human life. I'm a very empathetic person. But this type of greed is not anything I can relate to at all. 295 likes and then Muddy Waters538 wrote, I disagree with what you said. Every penny that CEO made was blood money and he was walking down the street like he owned the whole world. 397 likes.

[Chris Cuomo]

First of all, I'm happy the numbers are small because I just think it's a reflection of the worst of us. And here's why. I'm not a fan of the health insurance companies. I've been covering it for 20 years. We're working on a news nation series where we're going through all these different things that need to be changed about health insurance. And I guarantee you we'll be ahead of most people who just move by that tragedy and just forget about it like we do all the time in our society. Look, I can't get past the idea that murder is a good change mechanism for policy. It just doesn't work. You don't know anything about the guy and every cent of or every dollar he made. So UnitedHealthcare does nothing good? I mean, come on. It's just, it's not rational. And I get the anger, but the idea that murder gets you to a better place, you just. You lose me. That doesn't mean that I don't think that these guys put profits over people. You know, look, we have a problem with capitalism in this country, right? You're not really allowed to talk about it. Everything's got to be capitalism. It's like our national religion, right? But you know, you can take care of them whenever they need it. They get bailed out, they get special treatment, they get accommodations that no individuals get or small businesses don't get. Why? Well, because they, they motivate our economy. They employ a lot of people. But, but what do you get? When capitalism is unbridled by ethics or morality, then it's just about greed. And I think health insurance companies have certainly been on the wrong side of that line way too many times. And there's a need for change. But, but, but you don't get to a better place by shooting a guy in the head. Look at, look, are we having congressional hearings right now about changing the healthcare industry? Because this punk ass kid shot somebody in the head. And by the way, he didn't have a single problem with health insurance companies. It never affected his life. He's been living his best life in Hawaii on his parents dime. Who made their money in the health care business. Don't you see the hypocrisy at play here? You are no better than what you oppose as soon as you shoot a guy in the head because you don't like the system. Why don't we kill our leaders all the time then be like Pakistan. I mean Come on. Either you want a standard that they're not meeting. There's a morality, there's an ethical standard that they are failing to meet, but you're not going to meet it yourself. Well, sometimes violence is justified, really. And this is the case. I don't accept that. And that doesn't mean that I have a different feeling than you about the insurance system or the need to change it. It's about how you change it. And I don't see how shooting a guy in the head who you don't know anything about, let alone that he's responsible for what you hate about United Health Care or insurance in general. He was walking around like he owns the place. How the do you know how he was walking around? So if somebody thought that your father was the reason that their life isn't going great at work because he's a shitty boss, should they shoot him in the head? If he had been unfairly holding them down, keeping them back for money they should have made ripping them off, should they shoot him in the head?

[Greg Ott]

These are from your interview with Ian Bremmer, you recently had him on. And he talked about the biggest geopolitical risks he sees in 2025. He put out a report about that and also talked a bit about Trump's second stint as president. Jim McCord4722 just wrote. I generally listen closely to Ian, but as a former farm operator, I totally disagree with his opinion that Americans will be willing to take on the work in agricultural fields that illegal immigrants now provide. House construction work, yes. But nope, never going to happen in our ag fields or depends what they pay. There's another. There's another comment. Thomas Thetans wrote. I highly doubt corporations and businesses are going to give up cheap labor to give Americans the jobs they aren't eager to work.

[Chris Cuomo]

It depends how much they pay. And I agree. I don't think that the pay will be enticing enough to do work that Americans to this point have shown that they don't want to do anymore, which is why there is the demand for labor. Right? Which is why they're coming here. Right. They're coming here to do jobs that we don't want to do. But a big part of the reason that we don't want to do the jobs is because of what they're getting paid and how they're treated there. So that's part of it also. And then you have the other part to Ian's theory, which is, well, what happens when they do start paying enough to make you want to pick strawberries. Well then how much do the strawberries cost? See, I don't think the. Look, I think we know the answer already, okay? The American consumer is okay with things being made elsewhere if it puts their prices down and that is why nothing changes, is that you don't see an American revolt against buying abroad. I'm only going to buy American. Who does that? Who does that if it's not cheaper? Do you do that in your life?

[Greg Ott]

I think of like a guitar, like a US made guitar or a one made in Mexico or something that is ostensibly a very similar model. Like I think like a Fender Telecaster. Like I have a non US Telecaster at home because it cost like half as much as a US made one. And what's the difference? To me, while I'm a casual player, it's like I don't want to invest all this money.

[Chris Cuomo]

You remember Amherst? You'll convict me if I'm wrong. But remember Ibanez? Ibanez was not an American company. I think you gotta, gotta look it up. But they were so much less expensive. They look just like the other ones. So you buy it. I mean that's what China has done. Right? And I'm not blaming them. That's what the market demands.

[Greg Ott]

Yeah, they're a Japanese company.

[Chris Cuomo]

So the idea that this sucks. Trump is right. Okay, how is he right? Well, because these illegals are coming here and taking our jobs. They are not taking our jobs. They're taking lower rung jobs that Americans demonstrably don't want to do. Which is why they're available. Yeah, but that's because they don't pay enough. Make them pay. Okay, but then those things are going to cost more and you don't want to pay more. And look, there is an argument to be made and I've heard it made many times and there is a compelling aspect to it. But it's tricky, which is what our best national security ok is to make everything here and only buy our own stuff. But economically it gets tricky because, sorry, so you're paying more and things cost more, but then what does that do in terms of inflation rate and currency value and savings rate, which is ridiculously low anyway. But if you only bought stuff that you make and you don't need anybody else, it's very safe for you. But it's not a reality in a global economy when there's such inefficiencies. That way you can get things cheaper outside. And obviously you're okay with it because that's why it exists. If Americans refused to buy things from abroad because they wanted stuff that was made by Americans who were given a living wage. Then the correction would take care of itself and people would start making things here and paying people to make it here because that's the only way they could sell it. But that's not what we buy. What am I missing?

[Greg Ott]

There's a little irony here. Do you remember a few months ago, there's that dock worker strike that had to be resolved?

[Chris Cuomo]

Yes.

[Greg Ott]

And people were starting to hoard toilet paper. They were going out and buying all the toilet paper. Well, it turns out that nobody needed to hoard toilet paper because something like 90 of it is made in the United States. So it's this converse thing of like, even the things that people worry, oh, no, I'm not gonna be able to have this. I better stock up on. It's like, well, you're actually stocking up on the one thing that's made in the US because it makes no sense to make this anywhere else because we use so much of it and it's all, you know, we have plenty of forests. I can produce this stuff like it's a domestic product.

[Chris Cuomo]

So look, sometimes perspective, perception is not always reality, okay, it is in politics. Perception wins over reality all the time. And this is an example of it that it feels satisfying to say, yeah, keep these people out, let those jobs be here. And Ian says, yeah, I'm happy paying for more. Paying more for those things. I don't think most people are. And look, I also think that it's minimizing the real challenge for our leaders in terms of our economy. The real challenge is to train our workers to do jobs that are higher paying jobs in our economy, create more of those jobs and create more people who are able to do those jobs that make more money. I mean, that's the real solution. More pie. Instead of who gets this slice of the pie, Make a bigger pie. More jobs that are high paying jobs. Encourage industries where that is what is happening there. How? Why? I don't, I don't have the answers to this. I'm in the business of asking questions and scrutinizing and testing power. But that should be the bar for leadership instead of just blaming illegals because, okay, there's no more illegal labor. Who's going to do those jobs? Oh, well, these guys will really. They're going to make a fraction of what they're making now. They're going to start paying three times what they're paying now for things. I don't think so. That has not been the history in America. See people leave that part out. Why? It's not as satisfying and you have to discern. That's critical thinking. Sounds good. Get rid of them. Yes. America's work. You know that the unemployment rate is almost at a record low, right? Most economists believe we're almost at full employment, right? Means that the people who can work and who want to work are working. So what does that tell you? You need labor, you need new blood. Either you're going to make it with babies or you're going to bring it in, or both. It sounds good. Doesn't mean it is good.

[Greg Ott]

Same episode Al Saves Democracy writes. The scariest thing in America is watching people like Cuomo sane washing Trump and helping him get elected.

[Chris Cuomo]

Oh, please. Listen, at what point are you going to realize that people know who Trump is and what he is and what he has done? They're not electing him to be their daddy or to date their mom or to take care of their kid or to be in business with them. They are picking him to be a disruptor of a system that they are more concerned about than any of his personal foibles. Don't you get it? I'm not sane washing him. Who criticizes Trump more than I have? Come on with my platform. Give me a break. I'm one of the only anchors in the media who will tell you outright. Personally, I've had beef with him for calling me an enemy of the state and making life hard for my wife and my kids. I had to move because of that and he knew about it and he continued doing it anyway. That's my beef. But I still cover him fairly. Why? Because I care more about the people who voted for him and that he is now in control of again in terms of our collective fate than I do my personal problem with him. It's not the job to just judge people on the basis of how I feel about them. It's about what they mean in society and what the issues are for the collective, not just me. I'm not saying washing Trump. I'm not now a Trumper. I haven't been red pilled. It's all bullshit. But I gotta be hopeful that he does better this time. I want good things for the country. I want progress. Don't you?

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[Greg Ott]

This is from your take on Mark Zuckerberg's wonderful suite of apps ending fact checking programs. CLI3003 35 wrote. As an Australian, I'm so thankful to the government for banning social media to under 16.

[Chris Cuomo]

Yeah, me too. I mean look, I, I, I think it's, it's way out in front of us. I, I think that we're overwhelmed in a way that television never was. You know, our, my generation of parents, my parents called the boob tube and they were so worried about tv. It was nothing compared to these kids with these phone. And here's why. I didn't watch TV and watch a movie at the same time. I didn't have to watch TV while I was doing anything else. These kids can't watch a movie without their phone. They want to look at their phone while they're playing catch. It's how they spend every other moment. You know, I saw this comedian the other day talking about how we never heard the word mindfulness when I was growing up because you had plenty of moments of being mindful alone, waiting for something. You know what I mean? Walking somewhere, getting somewhere, waiting for a bus, waiting for a train. You know, we had moments where we were just thinking, just alone with our thoughts. You don't have that anymore. I am good with a ban and I get why a lot of parents aren't going to like it. A lot of parents don't like that they take the phones in schools. I think that's crazy. I love has changed every measurable performance dynamic in my kids school. It's a good thing. Why? This is a drug and it is fucking up how they deal with one another, how they think about themselves and creating this huge basis of false understanding about the world and dynamics from sex and love to how you're supposed to look to how you're supposed to be. I have no problem with it being banned. If I could go back and do one thing differently as a parent, I would have fought for my kids to not have a phone as long as possible. Not a phone, social media access, Internet access for as long as possible. You give me an age. I think the kid's better off without it. Seriously. Right into college. I think they're better off without it. I cannot even make a case that the pluses are anywhere near what the negatives are.

[Greg Ott]

This is from your predictions for 2025. Brennan Ratani writes, I don't really get the hate boner Cuomo has for Rogan. Every chance he gets, he takes shots at him. Rogan stays at number one in podcasts this year.

[Chris Cuomo]

Maybe, maybe not. I don't have a hate boner for him, which is a weird pseudosexual thing.

[Greg Ott]

Well, a couple of people have said things along those lines. Karoma17 said Cuomo never fails to try to throw a jab at Rogan. Stop listening the episode as soon as I heard that. And MK replied, well, as soon as you remove Rogan's from your mouth mouth, maybe you can join the adults. So a lot of, a lot of sexually explicit.

[Chris Cuomo]

Well, if I have his in my mouth.

[Greg Ott]

No, I think the is in the. The commenters comment. I think they're saying that Chroma, Chroma 17 has the in their mouth.

[Chris Cuomo]

Ah, look, I am not a Rogan hater. I respect his success. I think he says a lot of things that are ignorant and that he's advancing a lot of things that he should not a lot of things. From time to time he advances something he shouldn't given his platform. What I respect is he's kind of like the Trump of digital media where people don't just listen to him or watch him. I don't believe he's a thought leader. I believe you watch him because you identify with him and he is symbolic for people. So you believe that I'm insulting you when I am critiquing him. And I get that. I just don't give a shit how you feel. What I care about is what matters to everybody, not just those who have a cult following for Rogan. I respect his success. I I don't agree with you that he's going to be at the top this year. I think that better talent is going to get involved and I think that there is going to be. And I mean look, it's already happening. I mean, Kelsey's wife came out of the box and was challenging Rogan. Why? Because the zeitgeist has caught on now that digital media is a place where you can get traction and I think you're going to see a different level of, of talent get into it. You know, Joe Rogan is many things. He has never been a top talent. Right. He's not a top comic. He wasn't a top host on television. He is a great and I would argue top mma, a fight analyst, I think. I think he's great, very entertaining. But I think that people are going to overtake him and is that what I want? No, not necessarily. I mean, it doesn't bother me what Rogan is doing. From time to time it does, and I speak about it, but I don't hate him and I admire his success and I wish him more of it. I can want him to be successful and think that someone's going to catch him and pass him because I think there's going to be better than what he offers. Because I think the main value of what he offers are the guests, not his input.

[Greg Ott]

I saved this for last in your 2024 Year in Review episode, we went over some of the biggest stories of 2024. One of them was the big solar eclipse. And I gave you an anecdote about how my neighbor came upstairs and they used a colander to watch the, the shadow instead of looking through those eclipse classes. And you for some reason didn't like me using the word colander. You said you wanted to use the word strainer or something and you kept yeah. So there's a lot of replies about this. Christopher Benson, 2634, says, Anyone with kitchen awareness knows it's a colander. JQ Lauren says, Chris, you're wrong on this one. A colander and strainer are different tools. 39 Zonk says it's a colander, for goodness sake. Cynthia Gesky's 1457 says, I call it a colander. Are larra 6844 some people still call it a colander. Chris Especially in New York State. Corian Hernandez 4,449 rights I call it a colander. Richard in Japan 4,578 the difference between a colander and a strainer is the size of the holes. Also, a strainer is generally designed such that it can be used with one hand, whereas a colander usually requires both hands.

[Chris Cuomo]

I get it. I get that you guys have Google several points. One great example of how people are so Desperate for gotchas. And. And now, second point. Do you know that if I had said that on tv, a reporter would now have the basis of a hit piece based on 10 people on social media who say that I shouldn't have said something, which is my biggest problem with the media's interaction with social media is that we've decided this is vox populi, when I'm just fucking around with Greg. The combination of your desperation to be relevant and play gotcha and the media's desperation to be negative and have fodder, where now they can say, well, it's not me, but online, they're upset about what you said. Ten people. And I don't believe that people say colander as much as they say other things.

[Greg Ott]

It's a different tool than one the.

[Chris Cuomo]

Person was saying, first of all, did you even know that it's a different tool? Yes.

[Greg Ott]

A strainer and a colander a different thing. Yes.

[Chris Cuomo]

You thought there were different things because you said on the episode, people call it either thing.

[Greg Ott]

Yeah, because.

[Chris Cuomo]

But now you're saying they're different because.

[Greg Ott]

I think not everybody understands the distinction between the two things. So I think people think it's interchangeable, that it is two separate tools for the kitchen, which a lot of these people are getting at.

[Chris Cuomo]

You never said they were two separate tools. And, you know, you didn't think about that at the time. And now you're using it because now.

[Greg Ott]

You'Re trying to do a gotcha to me. You're trying to make it seem like I'm the. Trying to like jam.

[Chris Cuomo]

I am the. That's my job.

[Greg Ott]

There's no. I think. There's no.

[Chris Cuomo]

You didn't know that they're two different things. You wouldn't have separated them. You thought just one word you used.

[Greg Ott]

Are two different things.

[Chris Cuomo]

Listen, the size of the holes doesn't matter to me.

[Greg Ott]

No, but that's what. Well, it should. It should to a lot of people. In Italian, a colander is generally called a scola pasta and is generally intended to simply drain liquids, whereas a strainer has a sieve construction, is intended to filter out small solids as well as liquid.

[Chris Cuomo]

Look, people use them interchangeably all the time, not just as vernacular, but as kitchen tools. And, you know, look, we have many problems, okay? One of them is judgment. And not just discerning judgment, critical thinking. But social media has driven an addiction, a consumption, an obsession with judging others. It's kind of why daytime TV took off, the desire to see others and judge them. And this idea. You don't Know what happens in the kitchen. You don't know what happens if you don't have insurance. Like, you guys know me and know my life and know my experience. Well, you've always been rich. You're a rich guy. You don't know what the fuck you're talking about. And that's okay because I signed up for your judgment. I signed up. See, I don't get like. I used to disagree with Don Lemon about this all the time. You don't get. Get to sign up to be public facing and say. And then when people say back to you say, I'm offended, or you don't get to say that, or you don't get to come on here, or that's out of bounds. I think that bar has got to be super high because this is what you signed up for. You signed up to be weighed and measured. I get measured minute by minute. I signed up for it. I'm okay with it. I just find it lacking in substance and usefulness. Like, who gives a shit about what I said about a colander? All the things that we're talking about, that's what you pick on. Why? Because that's where your head is. I would have never remembered that conversation if he didn't, you know, start going through comments about it. And I think that we are easily distracted in this society in general. Greg Ott, I love you. Thank you very much for going through these with me. Of course, everybody. I appreciate the comments, I appreciate the questions. Even if I don't agree, even if I don't like a perspective, doesn't mean that I don't value the input. So thank you very much. Thank you for subscribing and following here at the Chris Cuomo Project. It is a project because it's a collaboration. We're working on it together, and there's a lot of work to be done. Independent critical thinkers, free agents. Wear your independence. Get the gear. Feel any way you want to feel. And tell me about it. We're both free agents. Doesn't mean we're going to agree. In fact, it means we are free to disagree. I'll see you on News Nation, AP and 11p every weekday night. And one simple thought. A lot of problems coming at us. Same approach for all of it. Let's get after it.