Normally Podcast: Abbey Gate is Finally Mentioned in a Presidential Speech

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Normally Podcast: Abbey Gate is Finally Mentioned in a Presidential Speech"

Host: Mary Kathryn Ham
Co-host: Carol Markowitz
Release Date: March 6, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (as per provided information, though the transcript aligns more with "Normally" podcast)

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1. Introduction to Current Events

Mary Kathryn Ham opens the episode by setting the stage for a discussion on the recent developments in the political landscape, particularly focusing on President Donald Trump's address to Congress and its aftermath.

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2. President Trump's Congressional Address and the Abbey Gate Mention

Carol Markowitz initiates the conversation by expressing surprise at the chaotic reaction following Trump's speech.

“The speech I thought was fantastic. I just thought the reaction and the response around it was beyond. I really did think it was a new level of insanity.”
— Carol Markowitz [00:54]

Mary Kathryn Ham suggests a strategy for Democrats to adopt a more measured response to Trump's rhetoric, emphasizing normalcy and reducing theatrics.

“I truly think the best thing to do would just be to sit very normally, clap when you like something, ignore it when you don't, and then leave the chambers.”
— Mary Kathryn Ham [03:11]

The hosts delve into the significance of Trump's mention of the Abbey Gate bombing, marking it as the first time this tragic event was referenced in a major presidential address.

“This is the first time that the Abbey Gate 13 service members have ever been mentioned in a major presidential address.”
— Mary Kathryn Ham [12:43]

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3. Democrats' Reaction and Criticism

Mary Kathryn Ham criticizes the Democratic response to Trump's speech, highlighting behaviors such as shaking canes and walking out, which she argues only provide Trump with more fodder.

“When your behavior is that it gives him opposition, that is once again dumber than anything he could have ever hoped for. And unpopular.”
— Mary Kathryn Ham [05:12]

Carol Markowitz echoes these sentiments, expressing frustration over the lack of decorum comparable to past administrations, such as during Obama's speeches.

“If it was Republicans not applauding a 13 year old cancer survivor, I would not like that.”
— Carol Markowitz [05:12]

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4. Supreme Court Decision on USAID Foreign Aid Contracts

Shifting gears, the hosts discuss a controversial Supreme Court decision affecting USAID's foreign aid contracts. Justice Alito's dissenting opinion is a focal point, criticizing the Court's handling of the matter.

“The court makes a most unfortunate misstep that rewards an act of judicial hubris and imposes a $2 billion penalty on American taxpayers.”
— Justice Alito [12:43]

Mary Kathryn Ham and Carol Markowitz debate the implications of this ruling, questioning the balance of power and the proper channels for addressing such disputes.

“If your temporary restraining order requires someone to throw $2 billion out the window, then that's a problem.”
— Mary Kathryn Ham [22:10]

“This is so confusing to me. How can it not be the President's prerogative to fund whatever projects the country wants to fund.”
— Carol Markowitz [22:41]

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5. Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025

The conversation shifts to recent legislative actions, specifically the Democrats' opposition to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. The hosts express bewilderment over the narrow vote margin and the implications for women's sports.

“They needed 60 votes to clear the Senate's legislative filibuster. They only managed 51, all from Republicans.”
— Carol Markowitz [27:19]

Mary Kathryn Ham highlights personal stories affected by the legislation, underscoring the real-life impact of the policies.

“One of the guests at the joint session was a young woman, Peyton McNabb, who got a traumatic brain injury from having been injured by a trans athlete.”
— Mary Kathryn Ham [29:34]

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6. Debates on Trans Athletes in Girls' Sports

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the contentious issue of trans athletes competing in girls' sports. The hosts critique the Democratic stance, arguing that it undermines the safety and fairness for biological female athletes.

Mary Kathryn Ham argues the mainstream support for policies limiting trans athletes in women's sports:

“Everybody with eyes understands why biological boys can't play in girls sports.”
— Mary Kathryn Ham [29:22]

Carol Markowitz reinforces this by discussing constituent concerns, emphasizing parental priorities.

“American parents care about their children. I know it's surprising and it's shocking and really not how Julie Brixie thinks it should work.”
— Carol Markowitz [30:25]

The hosts critique the Democratic focus on minority issues, suggesting it alienates the broader electorate.

“Democrats always say that they're there to represent these tiny minorities.”
— Carol Markowitz [32:52]

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7. Concluding Remarks

Mary Kathryn Ham and Carol Markowitz wrap up the episode by reaffirming their stance on the discussed issues, urging listeners to prioritize common-sense policies that reflect the majority's views.

“Thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.”
— Carol Markowitz [34:37]

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “I truly think the best thing to do would just be to sit very normally, clap when you like something, ignore it when you don't, and then leave the chambers.”
  — Mary Kathryn Ham [03:11]

• “The court makes a most unfortunate misstep that rewards an act of judicial hubris and imposes a $2 billion penalty on American taxpayers.”
  — Justice Alito [12:43]

• “He didn't just even really do policy. He segued slightly into sort of health policy and h. But like, not enough that it should keep you from cheering for the kid with cancer.”
  — Mary Kathryn Ham [11:56]

• “American parents care about their children.”
  — Carol Markowitz [30:25]

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Key Takeaways

• Critique of Democratic Strategy: The hosts argue that Democratic tactics during Trump's speech were counterproductive, emphasizing theatrics over substantive opposition.

• Supreme Court Ruling Concerns: The decision to lift the freeze on USAID contracts is viewed as an overreach, raising questions about judicial overstep and fiscal responsibility.

• Women’s Sports Legislation: There is strong opposition to the Democrats' stance on trans athletes in girls' sports, with the hosts advocating for policies that protect biological female athletes.

• Emphasis on Common-Sense Policies: The conversation underscores the importance of aligning policies with the majority's views and prioritizing the well-being of children and families.

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This episode provides a critical analysis of recent political events, highlighting the speakers' perspectives on leadership, legislative actions, and social policies. Through incisive commentary and real-life examples, Mary Kathryn Ham and Carol Markowitz offer listeners a window into the current political dynamics and their implications for American society.

Transcript

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[Mary Kathryn Ham]

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[Carol Markowitz]

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[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Hey, guys. Friends, normies, countrymen, we are back on normally the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. I am Mary Kathryn Ham.

[Carol Markowitz]

And I'm Carol Markowitz. Hi, Mary Kathryn. We are recording this the day after Trump's address to Congress, and I have to say, the news got weird.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

I mean, we all expected entertaining, right?

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, yeah. No, the speech I thought was fantastic. I just thought the reaction and the response around it was beyond. I really did think it was a new level of insanity. What do you think?

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Yeah, I think I am gonna sound like a concern troll. Like I'm telling the left what to do and maybe I'm trapping them. But I truly think the best thing to do would just be to sit very normally, clap when you like something, ignore it when you don't, and then leave the chambers. You give him so much less to work with when you do that. I think the paddles are so weird that the Democrats have decided to use and hold up when they're upset because it's so memeable. You just erase what's written on them and you write new things on them.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Why? Why would you do that?

[Carol Markowitz]

It made no sense. You know, I get the concern troll thing, but I have to tell you that alone in my bedroom with no one around, I am screaming at the screen, just be like, it's not. You know, I wasn't trying to trick them into anything. Just like, can you just be quiet? Can you not shake a cane at the president? What are you doing?

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Mildly concerned at the beginning. They weren't going to let him speak at all like that. There was going to need to be a mass escorting out of much of the Democratic caucus, which would have been bad. So they chilled out after Al Green, who was the cane shaker, was escorted out of the room. But I think they're in a tricky position because they do need to be more normal. And one of the things I tell our friends on the left is you're so weird that people turned to Donald Trump as the more normal option. Now, Donald Trump is many things, many good things, many bad things, entertaining, all these not normal.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

He's like, he's definitely an oddball, but he's normal than y'all.

[Carol Markowitz]

Way more. Way more normaler.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

So, yeah, I don't. I don't think it was effective. And. But their base requires that they do things that are theatric and big to stop this. Allegedly not normal. Duly elected president.

[Carol Markowitz]

But I have to imagine that their base can't possibly, like Them not applauding a 13 year old cancer survivor. I, I just again, I look at it from the right. If it was Republicans not applauding a 13 year old cancer survivor, I would not like that. And while I would want the Republicans to stand up to say, Joe Biden or whoever the president is, I still would not appreciate that kind of behavior. And I think it would have been better if they hadn't shown up. And that would have been more understandable to me than what they ended up doing. And of course, some of them did walk out. I know that Congressman Frost from Florida, one of the very, very few Democrats we have here, walked out and then took a selfie with a bunch of other congresspeople that walked out. And his shirt showed Trump an important message. No kings live here. He said, there you go. What? What?

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Well, and when your behavior is that it gives him in opposition, that is once again dumber than anything he could have ever hoped for. And unpopular. Right. When you sit in that chamber. Look, I think we have passed the point of sort of like pure motives. And things have gotten more circusy over the years for these state of the unions. However, when people bring guests, the guests are real Americans who are getting a chance to be in that chamber to do something big. They're being honored for something real. There's a veteran steel worker who has fostered 40 children. I mean, a saint walking the earth. And look, when I was watching Obama's and when Republicans were there for Obama's speeches. Yeah. Sometimes these people are used to push certain policies that you may not agree with.

[Carol Markowitz]

Of course. Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

But the person themselves and their personal story, you just gotta suck it up and be like, yes, because I'm there for that part.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

And we'll disagree about the Medicaid, whatever, later, you know. Yeah, but they can't do that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it should be our moment of unity. And it's such an easy one for them to accomplish and yet they still can't. Mike Solana on x tweeted in 2009, Joe Wilson shouted, you lie in the middle of Obama's speech. And it was a major national scandal. Both parties condemned the outburst and Wilson formally, publicly apologized. Very different times. Now none of these people are apologizing. And of course their argument is, well, look at Trump, look at what Trump does. And again, like you said, Trump comes off far more normal than they do. I think like the most abnormal part about Trump last night was him referring to Pocahontas Elizabeth Warren from the stage ad libbing that clearly I don't know, compared to their behavior, it sort of seems small potatoes.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Yeah. And to illustrate how little they're able to embrace a 13 year old kid who's struggling with brain cancer, who wants to be a police officer when he grows up and then is deputized by the head of the United States Secret Service as a Secret Service agent. It was such a beautiful moment. Just. It was the first one, that tearjerker that made me cry a little bit when his face lit up because he clearly was surprised by this. This is how we'll get. We'll do two of them. This is how Nicole Wallace responded to this moment.

[Rachel Maddow]

But I think this was a lesson in finding one thing that, that you let yourself feel. And I let myself feel joy about D.J. and I hope he's alive for another, you know, 95 years.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Rachel Maddow]

And I hope he lives and the life he wants to live. He wants to be a cop. He knows what he wants to do. And maybe when you have childhood cancer, that crystallizes for you. And I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer. But I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump's supporters. And if he does, I hope he isn't one of the six who loses his life to suicide. And I hope he isn't one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then live to see Donald Trump pardon those people.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Girl.

[Carol Markowitz]

Ma'am.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Woman, get it together.

[Carol Markowitz]

What are you doing, lady? What was that?

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

There's got to be a break in your brain that says, okay, look, I know I'm still. I'm mad about January 6th.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

But it should not be applied to the story of the 13 year old cancer brain cancer sufferer.

[Carol Markowitz]

Like, that's just who's getting like a Secret Service appointment.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

He gives the senior service director a hug.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

These are just.

[Carol Markowitz]

It's beyond. And again, I think about what I would think if it was happening on my side and I would not appreciate it.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Right. I would want you to just do the thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Like clap for the kid. I saw a funny Twitter back and forth between Tom Nichols of the Atlantic and Kathy Young. I believe.

[Carol Markowitz]

Oh my God.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Discussing what was the property way to do that. And Kathy was arguing like, maybe, maybe you could clap for him. And he's like, no, not you can't clap because you're just giving in to the manipulation.

[Carol Markowitz]

I hope those two get to the bottom of it.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

You've lost the plot, my friends. You really have. I believe you have another clip of.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yes, one more clip. Let's do it.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

For the record, and this is disgusting. The President made a spectacle out of.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Praising a young man who thus far survived pediatric cancer.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

As if the President had something to do with that. This was in the midst of him praising Doge. Doge cuts, among other things, have cut.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Off funding for ongoing research into pediatric cancer.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

It's disgusting. That was Rachel Maddow.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

On msnbc.

[Carol Markowitz]

I don't feel like he claimed any credit for any survival, you know, by this kid with cancer. I think that kid is doing the surviving all on his own with the help of his family and his doctors. I do not believe Donald Trump said that he was responsible for.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

No.

[Carol Markowitz]

The life this kid's living. He didn't just even really.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

He didn't even really do policy. He segued slightly into sort of health policy and h. But like, not enough that it should keep you from cheering for the kid with cancer.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's a step too far.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

No. A lot of the guests were so lovely last night. The widow of a slain officer, Stephanie Diller, was there. She has one child, one young child who she's raising on her own now. There was Corey Compratore's family. Was there a kid whose dream was to get into the United States Military Academy who was accepted on the spot by the President of the United States, which is not bad.

[Carol Markowitz]

That was nice.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

At which point he high fives DJ the Secret Service.

[Carol Markowitz]

So good.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Yeah, I love it. So a lot of really good moments. I want to draw attention to one policy moment that I think should be a bigger deal than it is. This is Trump announcing something we did not know before the State of the Union years ago.

[Rachel Maddow]

ISIS terrorists killed 13American service members and countless others in the Abbey Gate bombing during the disastrous and incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan. Not that they were withdrawing, it was the way they withdrew. Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country. Tonight I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity. And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

I wanted to let the applause go on for a bit because you'll see that even for catching a terrorist of ICE K who killed 13Americans and 170 Afghanistan citizens. The Democrats are in their seats and there was a closer close up shot too of several just like scrolling on their phones. While this was happening. In classic Donald Trump style, Ash Patel was out at Dulles, I think as the speech was Happening, receiving this transfer of custody of this ISIS K terrorist. And I just want to note for everyone because you might not know that is the first time that the Abygate 13 service members have ever been mentioned in a major presidential address.

[Carol Markowitz]

That is so wild to me. How is that possible?

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Biden had three State of the Union addresses after their deaths to mention them. He never did. Their families were not invited as guests to recognize them. They famously behind the scenes tried to get phone calls with him, tried to get face to face meetings with him. You'll remember when he did the dignified transfer at Dover that he was accused of catching his watch, checking his watch and was indeed caught on camera doing that. There have been all sorts of issues with that administration wanting to forget that this happened. And many presidents have to deal with the fact that calls they make end up causing the deaths or contributing to the deaths of American service members. And you know what you do? You do the hard thing and you give those families recognition and you make sure you put them in the speech in 2024, his last chance to mention them. He did not. Although he mentioned Afghanistan in general at least once, touting something else he was doing. There were also five other service members who had lost their lives in the two months before the State of the Union. They were unmentioned as well. So the empathizer in chief was not that for these families. And those families went to Donald Trump, who Donald Trump notes he knows well. He's not faking that.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

They went to him, they got the recognition, they brought him to Arlington. You'll remember during at the anniversary last year, at which point the press decided it was bad for Trump to go to Arlington.

[Carol Markowitz]

How dare you.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

After being invited by these families.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

It's so disgraceful, Carol. I'm writing about it for Outkick, but it's so disgraceful that I forget how disgraceful it is. And I just want to add one more data point. One of the fathers, Steve Nakuei of one of the Marines who died at Abbey Gate was a guest of Representative mast at the 2024 last year's State of the Union and he interrupted to yell Abby Gate and United States Marines. He was arrested and charged with a crime, Carol.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

They dropped the charges. Yeah, thanks guys. But that's the difference in how these things are treated and the credit that Biden got for being like Beau's father and just like Mr. Empathizer while Donald Trump gets no credit while he's actually doing the thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. Yeah. This is, I love that you are writing about this. I love that you mentioned this. I had not realized that Abby Gate was never mentioned in an official address. That is mind boggling to me. It's, you know what the thing is, it's obviously a difficult thing to take responsibility.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Yes.

[Carol Markowitz]

But it's also part of the job and I, it's not that difficult to suck it up for a short period of time, say their names, talk about what happened, say that we're going to find the people that did. This would be another thing.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

That's the other thing. When they, when they retaliated for this, they retaliated against a family. Oops. And got that wrong. So I hope we are now getting it right. And you know, Biden I think mentioned it in releases. He may have mentioned it in passing, but when he had chances to lift these families up, he didn't. When he had chances to meet with them every time they took a pass. And it's, it's been appalling to me the whole time. And then I think the arrest of the, the gold star father really puts the icing on the cake.

[Carol Markowitz]

Absolutely unacceptable.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Amazing stuff. So I'm. Thank you Trump for mentioning them.

[Carol Markowitz]

We'll be right back on. Normally.

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[Carol Markowitz]

Switching gears a little bit to what's happening at the Supreme Court, There was a decision this morning that ruled that USAID must pay out its foreign aid contracts and lifted the freeze that the Trump administration had put on those contracts. Justice Alito had a scathing opinion that included the words, I am stunned because I think a lot of people are stunned. And he also noted in his dissent today, the court makes a most unfortunate misstep that rewards an act of judicial hubris and imposes a $2 billion penalty on American taxpayers. This is so bizarre to me. How can it not be the President's, I don't want to say role, but certainly his prerogative to fund whatever projects the country wants to fund. I don't get it.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

So this. What. What Alito wanted and what would have been eminently possible is for this to continue going through a discussion of the merits at the appropriate channels instead of doing this argument about a temporary restraining order. Because his argument is it's not a temporary restraining order because once this money's gone, you ain't seeing it ever again.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Right. So if your temporary restraining order requires someone to throw $2 billion out the window, then that's a problem. Now, the folks who were going to get paid by this $2 billion, some of the parties that sued, they say, well, this is for work already done. I'm willing to listen to that argument, but it should go through the proper steps. Now, what the Supreme Court did is they sent it back to this district court, which Alito, I think, rightly is saying, how can they be the final arbiter on this?

[Carol Markowitz]

Makes no sense. Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

They send it back to the district court and said, like, you need to clarify this. Do I think that that district court is going to act in good faith to clarify this within the limits of its powers? I am not sure about that. And Alito was not either.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's confusing. You know, I. I spoke to my friend Josh Hammer, who I consider one of the top conservative legal minds. He made the point that it sounds like what the Supreme Court is saying is that Trump Doge are a circumvention of Congress and that the president's job is just to hit send on funds Congress appropriated, which, again, makes not that much sense to me. I get that he's not involved in what funds go where specifically, but it's certainly, I think, in his purview to say this is money being wasted. I don't see how it's not.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Well, and Alito makes the point that a pause to go through the courts to figure out who has power on the merits of these arguments would not irreparably harm people, although it would be a hardship on some of them.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

However, sending the money without having a process for checking and seeing whose power it is does potentially irreparably harm taxpayers whose $2 billion it is.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, it's really disappointing to see Amy Coney Barrett on the wrong side of this. I think that people are starting to get nervous that she may not have been the great conservative hope that people had imagined she was.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

I try not to get too nervous too fast, but I gotta say that ever since the Roberts Obamacare decision, you know, I'm sensitive. I'm sensitive. I'm also open to the idea that these guys can disagree in good faith and that I don't actually understand all of this, but this one does feel like maybe we should have just gone through the appeals court and chatted about this some more.

[Carol Markowitz]

We're going to take a short break and come right back with Normally Are.

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[Unknown Speaker 2]

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[Mary Kathryn Ham]

So good. Your bill, ladies. I got it. No, I got it.

[Unknown Speaker 2]

Seriously, I insist.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

I insisted first. Don't be silly. You don't be silly.

[Unknown Speaker 3]

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[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors.

[Unknown Speaker 1]

Shoot.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

No.

[Unknown Speaker 3]

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[Carol Markowitz]

All the Democrats voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports act of 2025, which is just insane to me. They needed 60 votes to clear the Senate's legislative filibuster. They only managed 51, all from Republicans. Senator Warren, you know, Pocahontas, for people who remember, held her thumb down as she voted because she really wanted people to know she opposes female athletes.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Yeah. Again, this is an 8020 issue. And I, myself, as an ideologue, I'm sometimes on the 20% side of issues.

[Carol Markowitz]

And so I'm not gonna.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

I'm not gonna hate on you if you need to stand up on principle. Occasionally. This one just seems like a real easy win. Like, 80% of American people are like, yeah, we. We should just have the women's sports and not the men, potentially beating them and hurting them in those sports. By the way, one of the guests at the joint session was a young woman, I believe her name is Peyton McNabb, who got a traumatic brain injury from having been injured by a trans athlete. Boy athlete. Under these rules. And again, it's another situation where Democrats can't bring themselves to acknowledge this very simple and popular thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Because it's a Trump thing. And I saw some people, there was some back and forth on Twitter last night saying, well, he doesn't really care about women's athletes. I mean, I don't care.

[Carol Markowitz]

He's shown kind of that he does, actually.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Well, this is the thing. They say that about veterans, too. He doesn't care about veterans.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

But he's the one meeting with the families. But he's the one pushing the executive order.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. So material action and not the emoting personally.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Like, to me, it's unimportant whether he actually watches women's volleyball.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right. Irrelevant.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

He'll probably like it. But if he does or not, I don't care. But if he's clearing the way for my daughters in the future to play safely, that's a win for me.

[Carol Markowitz]

Exactly. And he has granddaughters. He certainly may care about this. There was an exchange on X that I Found very illuminating. Brad Piquette, who is a state rep for the 37th district in Michigan. He said he. He posted I don't know what to call it anymore. He tweeted, Both of my U.S. senators, Gary Peters and Elisa Slotkin, are opposed to my daughter playing sports against other girls only. What a sword to fall on with only one of you at the end of your political career. A response he got from Julie Brixie, who is another Michigan representative in House District 73, said, but what are you doing to stop tariffs so Michigan cars don't get $8,000 more expensive while Toyotas don't? And what about the price of eggs? Who cares about who your kid plays in sports? What are you doing to help hardworking Michigan factory workers and farmers survive? Who cares about your kid? He cares. He cares about his kid. I think that's what really, what they don't understand is that American parents care about their children. I know it's surprising and it's shocking and really not how Julie Brixie thinks it should work. We about Michigan factory workers more, but no, we care about our kids. And so that would be priority one. And Michigan factory workers are certainly on the list as well. But the first priority is our children and keeping them safe and out of harm's way. And what's particularly interesting about this issue is that the trans issue is touchy in some places. And some, you know, there are some, definitely 50, 50 issues around trans questions, but sports, Biological boys playing in girls sports is simply just not one of them. And everybody with eyes understands why biological boys can't play in girls sports. And this whole who cares about your kid? I mean, continue to run on that.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

I saw an exchange that I thought was illustrative as well, which is Meghan McCain brought up Peyton McNabb and said, you know, it's important to protect people like her. I'm glad that the President is doing this. I'm worried for my daughters and Andy Cohen. They're like buds. Yeah, says surprised you're buying into the vilification of the trans community. Given the real problems happening in this country, your previous allyship of the LGBTQ community and the fact that this non issue affects about four people in this country. He's wrong on the facts. It's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of competitors who have taken podium slots and scholarships and all sorts of things from women. But he's totally wrong on the politics. And he decided to dig in on the issue of a woman who got a traumatic brain injury from this kind of danger. And that, to me, shows how committed they are to this losing issue.

[Carol Markowitz]

They really are.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

By the way, when they say, like, this isn't a big deal. There's only a few of them who made it a big deal.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Who required that women athletes not only lose to boys, but stand on the podium and cheer and say how amazing it was to feel so inclusive and lose. Like, who was it that made this a national story?

[Carol Markowitz]

Wasn't us. And also talking about, first of all, Democrats always say that they're there to represent these tiny minorities. And that's the whole thing. They are changing our language, getting rid of terms like mother and using inseminated persons. How many people in the whole country are pregnant and don't feel comfortable with the word mother?

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

Mother.

[Carol Markowitz]

And would prefer inseminated person. Like, I don't even believe there are four. I would be surprised to find four people.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

We can't find them.

[Carol Markowitz]

No. They don't exist. I think that if you are a biological woman, even if you have transitioned and you are pregnant with a baby, you still want to be a mother and not an inseminated person. So, yeah.

[Mary Kathryn Ham]

And one last point on this, which is that Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan was the responder. What do they call it? The rebuttal to this speech. It's a very unenviable position. You have to give a speech to a dark closet with no one after the president has spoken to a joint session. So even if it's Biden, you're having a tough time following, she did a good job of seeming medium, Normie. But this is the problem. Look at the voting record from just this week. And it turns out she's not in line with 79% of Americans who believe this thing.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's right. This very sane, normal, obvious thing that Democrats have decided to fight to the death. And so, okay, let's do it. Let's fight to the death. Yeah. Well, thanks for joining us on Normalely. Normale Ly airs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.

[Unknown Speaker 3]

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[Unknown Speaker 4]

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[Unknown Speaker 2]

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[Unknown Speaker 1]

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[Mary Kathryn Ham]

VGW Group void.

[Carol Markowitz]

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