The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Politics, Power & Epstein: Michael Franzese's Take on America’s Dark Secrets

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: The Tudor Dixon Podcast: Politics, Power & Epstein: Michael Franzese's Take on America’s Dark Secrets
Release Date: July 21, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Description: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into pressing news, politics, and current events with intelligence and humor. In this episode, Tudor Dixon engages in a deep conversation with Michael Francis, exploring the enigmatic circumstances surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death, political corruption, and the pervasive issue of human trafficking in America.

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1. Introduction and Context

The episode begins with an introduction by Tudor Dixon, setting the stage for a conversation with Michael Francis, a figure with insider knowledge of the prison system and its dark underbelly. Tudor references a previous appearance of Michael, highlighting his unique perspective on high-profile inmates like Jeffrey Epstein.

Notable Quote:

Tudor Dixon [01:09]: “Welcome back to the Tudor Dixon Podcast. We've got Michael Francis with us here today... and of course, we have to cover that [Epstein case].”

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2. Jeffrey Epstein’s Mysterious Death

The core of the discussion centers around the controversial death of Jeffrey Epstein. Michael Francis challenges the official narrative that Epstein committed suicide, citing inconsistencies such as malfunctioning cameras and negligent guards.

Key Points:

• Isolation and Surveillance: Michael explains his extensive experience in solitary confinement, emphasizing that high-profile inmates like Epstein are under constant surveillance.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [02:48]: “As a high profile inmate... they're always checking on you.”

• Inconsistencies in the Suicide Narrative: Francis disputes the feasibility of Epstein’s suicide in the described environment, pointing out the lack of available means and the unlikelihood of Epstein acting alone.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [04:46]: “You have to try to lay on the ground and pull it yourself to try to choke yourself. There's just no way you can do it.”

• Speculation on Conspiracy: Francis suggests possible foul play or external assistance, undermining the official account and advocating for deeper investigation.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [05:53]: “I do believe that if there wasn't suicide, somebody had to have assisted him with that.”

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3. Political Corruption and Power Struggles

Diving into broader political themes, Francis draws parallels between the internal dynamics of organized crime and current political practices in the United States.

Key Points:

• Comparison to Mob Families: Francis likens modern political parties to mob families, vying for control and power through underhanded tactics.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [11:52]: “It's like mob families fighting over one another, fighting to stay in control and to stay in power.”

• Weaponization of Government Agencies: He criticizes the use of institutions like the Department of Justice and the FBI to target political adversaries, further entrenching partisan divides.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [14:20]: “They’re pulling out all stops by weaponizing the Department of Justice, the FBI...”

• Impact on Governance: The relentless power struggle hampers effective governance, with politicians prioritizing personal gain over public service.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [13:25]: “They are working against one another to try to maintain power.”

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4. Human Trafficking and Societal Implications

Francis shifts focus to the critical issue of human trafficking, highlighting its prevalence and the systemic failures to address it effectively.

Key Points:

• Scale of the Problem: The United States ranks as the second-highest nation affected by sex trafficking, exacerbated by open border policies.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [10:19]: “A major part of it is happening here in the United States.”

• Political Indifference: There’s a glaring lack of political will to tackle trafficking, with high-profile figures seemingly turning a blind eye.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [07:04]: “We have to stop this. These people have to be held accountable for abusing young children.”

• Call for Accountability: Francis urges for greater transparency and accountability to protect vulnerable populations from exploitation.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [08:18]: “These people have to be held accountable for abusing young children.”

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5. Critique of Current Political Leadership

The conversation delves into the shortcomings of both major political parties, emphasizing the rise of extreme candidates and the erosion of ethical standards.

Key Points:

• Democratic Party’s Drift: Francis criticizes the Democratic Party for endorsing radical candidates like Zoran Mamdani, whose policies he deems dangerous and anti-American.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [26:14]: “They’ve totally lost their way as a party and they’re doubling down on all the wrong things.”

• Republican Struggles: While acknowledging issues within the Republican side, Francis emphasizes the need for both parties to prioritize the American people's well-being over partisan battles.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [22:15]: “They’re stealing this money from taxpayers. This is theft.”

• Corruption and Wealth in Politics: The discussion touches on the disproportionate wealth accumulation by politicians and the revolving door between government and lobbying, undermining democratic integrity.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [36:25]: “We need a two-party system in this country. We don’t want a one-party system, a three-party system.”

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6. Personal Stories and Business Ventures

Towards the end, Michael Francis shares his personal journey and entrepreneurial ventures, emphasizing resilience and capitalism as antidotes to systemic corruption.

Key Points:

• Wine and Pizza Business: Francis discusses his successful wine and pizza business, highlighting the importance of supporting local enterprises and fostering economic growth.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [39:49]: “We’re really progressing and people are enjoying it, they’re loving it.”

• Capitalist Values: He underscores the significance of capitalism in empowering individuals and combating governmental overreach.

  Notable Quote:

  Michael Francis [40:12]: “We’re a capitalist nation. We don’t want the government feeding us everything.”

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7. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with reflections on the current state of American politics, the pervasive corruption, and the urgent need for systemic reform to restore trust and functionality.

Notable Quote:

Michael Francis [38:51]: “America is headed in a very difficult direction if this continues. And every day it’s worse.”

Tudor Dixon’s Closing Remarks: Dixon emphasizes the importance of exposing corruption and supporting movements that prioritize the people's interests over political elites.

Notable Quote:

Tudor Dixon [42:13]: “These things have got to be exposed because states like ours cannot, we can't recruit new businesses if we’re giving money to all of the politician’s friends.”

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Key Takeaways

• Epstein Case Doubts: Michael Francis casts serious doubts on the official suicide narrative of Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting possible external involvement.
• Political Corruption: A stark comparison between political power struggles and organized crime reveals deep-seated corruption and ethical decay within government institutions.
• Human Trafficking Crisis: The United States faces a significant human trafficking problem, exacerbated by ineffective political responses and open border policies.
• Bipartisan Failures: Both major political parties are criticized for prioritizing power over the public good, leading to increased division and governance issues.
• Entrepreneurial Resilience: Francis advocates for capitalism and entrepreneurship as means to empower individuals and counteract systemic corruption.

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This episode offers a compelling examination of the intersection between political power, corruption, and societal issues like human trafficking. Through Michael Francis’s insights and personal experiences, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing American politics and the urgent need for transparency and accountability.

Transcript

[Tudor Dixon]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Elahei Izadi]

When I listen to the news, here's what I want to know. Why this story matters, who's at the center of it, and how the reporters uncovered it. And as a journalist, I want to make sure that's what you get, too. I'm Elahei Izadi, co host of the podcast Post Reports. Every weekday, my colleagues and I at the Washington Post give you the context you need on the biggest stories. Health care tariffs, artificial intelligence. We've got you covered. Look for Post Reports where I. Whenever you listen to podcasts, I'm Rodney Williams.

[Rodney Williams]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak Podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Tudor Dixon]

I feel like sometimes being broke is.

[Michael Francis]

A cycle and that we might have.

[Rodney Williams]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

[Lisa Booth]

What happens when it doesn't go right?

[Tudor Dixon]

How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tudor Dixon]

Welcome back to the Tutor Dixon Podcast. We've got Michael Francis with us here today. You probably remember we had him on notorious mob boss went to prison, just so happens to have been in the same cell as Jeffrey Epstein. So I wanted to have you back to chat about all things politics, but also, of course, that we have to cover that.

[Michael Francis]

I'm good to go, Tutor.

[Tudor Dixon]

All right, awesome. So we. I saw that you were saying that you don't think it's possible to have committed suicide in that cell. Obviously, we've been looking at what's going on here. There's this weird missing part of the tapes because the cameras mysteriously went out at the same time as the guards fell asleep. But you were in that cell. So tell us a little bit about what that cell actually was like.

[Michael Francis]

Yeah, there always seems to be something mysteriously missing when it's for other people's convenience. But that wasn't my experience spending several months in that same tier in that cell. And first of all, this perfect storm of the cameras going down and the correctional officers not walking the tier, I never experienced that tutor. And I was in lockdown for quite. I spent 29 months in lockdown. So I have a lot of experience being in solitary. And that's what that tear is all about. And I've never witnessed anything like that. Number one, the correctional officers are always walking the tier. As a matter of fact, I'VE said this many times, not to be offensive, but, you know, you're trying to use the toilet and they're opening the door looking in on you constantly.

[Tudor Dixon]

I heard you say that. I thought that was interesting because I think that, you know, you've never been in prison before. You think solitary is like your by yourself and people bring you food and it's on a schedule and you are kind of alone. But to hear you talk about the fact that you're just kind of on display all the time. And I, I thought of that as we're hearing what. Who was it Debbie Wasserman Schultz who came out and was like, oh, these people that go to these holding centers, they have to brush their teeth while they go to the bathroom. Like you're literally being washed while you go to the bathroom.

[Michael Francis]

Absolutely. I mean, it's not constantly, don't get me wrong, that every time you do that, they're watching you, but quite often they do because they check on you a lot, especially if you're a high profile inmate like I was. So I know the drill, you know, and there was times when I was next to the Menendez brothers. They were checking on us all the time. We didn't have any. And this, that was in a different facility, don't get me wrong. But I'm saying if you're a high profile inmate, especially they're always checking on you.

[Tudor Dixon]

And you know, the camera, he was on suicide watch.

[Michael Francis]

Yeah, he was. Prior to this, he was on suicide watch for a while. So I know that they're going to give him even more attention, you know, so to say that they weren't watching or they fell asleep or they were playing online shopping, whatever they claimed they were doing, and then the cameras go down at the same time. And then there's. It just doesn't make sense, Tudor. And again, you know, I've said I have no horse in this race. It doesn't matter to me either way what happened. But I just cannot believe that all of these things happened and nobody happened. Nobody knows what happened with Epstein. That's number one. Number two, I don't know how he can commit suicide in that cell. I really don't. You'd have to be. I've said this so many times, midget, you know, to try to do it because there's really nothing you can hang yourself from. You know, it doesn't make any sense.

[Tudor Dixon]

They say that there was a window high up and that there were bars on the window.

[Michael Francis]

Well, you know what? So what? You know, you're still, it's still difficult. And he didn't do it from the window. They claimed he did it from the bedpost. You know, they showed the actual place where he did it from the bedpost. And you'd have to be trying to lay on the ground and pulling it yourself to try to choke yourself. There's just no way you can do it. You couldn't do it.

[Tudor Dixon]

So that, so that is the. Because we talked to his attorney, Alan Dershowitz, about this, and he said, I think that he had to have had help from inside the prison, that somebody had to have helped him do this. And we said, well, okay, so how long was his sentence? I, I didn't have a whole lot of details on this case. So that's why I wanted to talk to Dershowitz. And he said he hadn't been sentenced yet. He could have potentially been getting bail. He could have been getting out. And he was like, that's the weird thing. I don't know why he killed himself, but he said, you know, these guys who've lived this high profile life and this very, you know, highfalutin life, he's had anything he's ever wanted. Private jets, he's got beautiful homes. Maybe it was just too much for him. I mean, what's your take on that?

[Michael Francis]

I don't believe that also, because, you know, number one, he had skated an issue once before. Number two, I believe, you know, just according to the, the information that's come out, I mean, this guy had videotapes on high profile people. He had people that he was definitely bribing, starting back with that Les Wexner. You know, I believe he felt he'd get out of it again. Why would he commit suicide? The guy's been skating this for 20 some odd years. All of a sudden now it's not going to happen. It just doesn't make sense. And yeah, I do believe that if there wasn't suicide, somebody had to come and assist him with that. There's no way he could have done it alone. Tudor. It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't.

[Tudor Dixon]

It's really weird, but I mean, the timing of all of this coming out and these attacks on the president, it seems like a great distraction from what the President's doing right now. And to be honest, I, I, I think that a lot of people have used this story to divide people. And is it worth dividing people on a story that is this old when you have so many good things happening with the country?

[Michael Francis]

Well, you know, my only issue with that Tudor, of course, the people on the left neglect to say that this whole investigation was done during the Biden administration and nothing came out then. But obviously, that's conveniently forgotten, because anytime they can attack Trump, they will. But, you know, I think the important issue here is I had a fellow by the name of Paul Hutchinson on my podcast, and he was the one in the movie Sound of Freedom. He financed the movie. He was also. It was his character that went and rescued those 51 or 52 young girls at that time that was seen in the movie. He's dedicated past 10 years of his life to helping these sex trafficking victims. And some of the things he told me, Tudor, were just so atrocious. The way they treat these young girls, the way they have a menu of sexual services that these young girls will perform for money. And, you know, this Epstein was at the height of this, and there were other elitist people involved in this, people with power. And we have to stop this. These people have to be held accountable for abusing young children, both male and female. So the thing is. Yeah, I mean, this has to come out. You can't just sweep this under the rug.

[Tudor Dixon]

So let's get into that a little bit, because you've been talking about. You've been out there talking about George Soros and what he's been doing with these prosecutors and folks that he's gotten elected and Newsom and all these guys. You're talking about trafficking. You are from New York. You guys have a. In New York, they just. Through the primary, they have the. A new candidate for mayor. He is pro sex work. He wants to legalize sex work. Essentially, if you legalize sex work, what you just talked about is legal. You can own people and sell them and sell their services. This is like sex slavery. There's this weird thing on the left where they're like, oh, women should be able to use whatever they want to make money. It's never really the woman that's making money off of this. You end up with a guy who is selling women and owning women, and you have Epstein legal. I mean, what in the world is happening?

[Michael Francis]

You know, I hate to say it's my hometown, and I love the state, but I don't know if they're losing their collective minds, you know, on the left, to put somebody like this, a socialist who's really, really on the socialist side. I don't know. I don't. I can't even respond to this. It's so. It's so insane. It's so insane. I don't know where we're going in this country. Tudor, I really mean it. That a guy with his background, his beliefs, can actually become, you know, mayor of the biggest city in the country. You know, a position that can vault you into, you know, the top tier of politics. I don't get it. You know, I really don't. But I can tell you this, it's horrific with this human trafficking of young, of young, male and female. It's horrific and it's happening at a big level all over the world. And not primarily, but a major part of it is happening here in the United States.

[Tudor Dixon]

I think if there were more awareness about it, if we were actually, you know, these cases, they're hard. It's hard to bring awareness because people are underage. So you can't really expose a lot of these cases. I don't think people realize that we are the second highest sex trafficking nation in the, in the world. So when you look at the United States, and certainly having an open border has been a part of that. But I do think that you talk about politics. I, I think it's been interesting to listen to the way you've. You talk about politics because you talk about this as like, this is similar to how mob family is set up. There's different levels. There's. So you have an insight that we don't have. And when I got into the political world, I was like, man, this is. It's really hard to break in. And the corruption is incredibly strong, to the point where just recently one of my relatives was meeting with someone who has been on the Democrat side for years. And she said to this person, how could Tudor have possibly broken into this? Like, it's not open to the public. I mean, essentially the answer was it's not open to anybody. Which I was naively thinking that in this country it is open to anybody. And truly, I've proven that it is. But the political elites do not think it is. So how have you explain a little bit about how you've seen the mob organization work and how you see that in the political structure as well?

[Michael Francis]

Well, you know, Tudor, there's an old saying, absolute power corrupts absolutely. And I saw it in the street, in the mob. Look, we had certain codes and rules and policies there, and if you break them, the consequences could be very severe. And I saw those policies for political reasons being broken, and people suffered as a result of that. I see the same thing in government. People want to maintain power. That's it. And forget Democrat, Republican. But I think it's been highlighted over the past four, five, six years where we've seen the Department of Justice go after its political enemies, where we've seen, you know, power try to limit power on the other side. And we see it more today than anywhere else. So this is like mob families fighting over one another, fighting to stay in control and to stay in power. All we hear now, you know, is negativity from both sides. And these, this is supposed to be a Congress that's working on behalf of the people, not working on behalf of one another. They're supposed to be working together to try to, you know, to solve issues and try to make this country better. But instead, they're working against one another to try to maintain power. And that's how it is on the street. And it's so obvious. And now they're pulling out all stops by weaponizing, you know, the Department of Justice, the FBI, using the tools that they have to conquer the other side. So the American people now are there in the background. It's all about them maintaining power so that they can put their power upon us and put their policies upon us. Look, we even look, with the last election, with Kamala Harris being installed, the Democrats didn't even have an opportunity to choose a candidate. Now, that's not supposed to happen. They're not supposed to install somebody and say, ok, this is going to be the person that we're putting up there for president. So, and that's just one example. And I'm not trying to go Republican, Democrat because it happens on both sides. But in the last four or five years, we've seen this power. It's like two mob families fighting for territory, fighting for power, fighting to maintain control. It's so obvious to me because I saw it. I'll be honest with you. It wasn't as in your face. Back then, politicians tried to do something shady. They didn't want to be out there. But now it's like they don't care anymore. They're just out there and they're saying, we want to be in control, period.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon Podcast.

[Lisa Booth]

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[Elahei Izadi]

When I listen to the news, here's what I want to know. Why this story matters, who's at the center of it, and how the reporters uncovered it. And as a journalist, I want to make sure that's what you get too. I'm Elahei Izadi, co host of the podcast Post Reports. Every weekday, my colleagues and I at the Washington Post give you the context you need on the biggest stories. Healthcare tariffs, artificial intelligence. We've got you covered. Look for Post Reports wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger. And that's exactly why we created the wealthbreak. We made something different, something more human. It's not just another financial podcast. It's a conversation about real life, real struggles and real wins. We're here to talk about the journey. You'll hear from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed, and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business, we're bringing you their stories. And we're not stopping at success stories. We're breaking down the realities, like what it means to take risk, how to navigate failure, and why resilience matters. Because wealth isn't about money. It's about creating a life where you can thrive and help others to do the same. So if you're ready for a podcast as much as about people as it is about money, you're in the right place. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tudor Dixon]

So I will say I feel like, we're seeing this right now on the Republican side in Texas. Everybody loved Ken Paxton. He was this great attorney general. He was suing Joe Biden and his administration, and they were lifting him up. And so Ken Paxton was kind of like the MAGA person in Texas. And people felt like John Cornyn was kind of the old Republican. And then Ken Paxton comes out and he's running for Senate. And there were a lot of people that said you shouldn't run against an incumbent suddenly. And let me tell you, I don't think that Ken Paxton would announce a campaign and run for office if he thought that his family was going to have a public blow up. But somehow, in the midst of this, his wife puts out a statement saying that she's been this to these terrible things from their marriage have come to light and she's divorcing him. He has to publicly respond. And everything looks very much like someone in the other political camp went to her and destroyed their lives. And my problem with this is here you have our own side. You have two people that talk about being Christians, talk about faith, and they go to the heart of the family and break it apart. That's pretty twisted.

[Michael Francis]

Yeah, it is, Tudor. But there again, they forget this isn't about the American people anymore and about the country. It's about getting into power and getting into control. It's so obvious to me, sitting back, it's like, you know, it's again, it's mob families warring among one another to maintain power. You know, you go on social media and you have people, all they do is knock the other person on the other side of the aisle. They don't offer anything to the American people. They don't do anything positive. It's just knocking everything that the other side does. And look, I'll give perfect examples. You have Elizabeth Warren, you have Adam Schiff. Every single day, unfortunately, they're in my feed, and all they do is knock Donald Trump. They don't offer anything positive to the people, you know, and why? Because they want him out of power so that they can get back in power. And what do they do when they get back in power? They impose their will on us. Hey, you're going to do this. We're going to lock down for Covid. You're going to pay more taxes. You're going to do this. And it's another thing I tell the American people. I said, Listen, with $36 trillion in debt and counting every minute, we didn't do that. Irresponsible government did that. They ran up the bill, and now they're imposing it on us to try to fix it. Well, you have to pay our taxes. Well, you know, it's just so unfair. It's gotten so out of control. I don't know what the solution is. But again, when you think of the national. You think of our debt being $36 trillion and our leadership that we put our trust in, they caused that. It wasn't us. It wasn't the American people. American people are starving because we have.

[Tudor Dixon]

To carry that debt through side deals and sketchy business dealings. And this is all, as you said, power corrupts, and there's no check on power. That's the weird thing, because there's no. When you're an elected official, the bosses are the people, and you can get reelected. And there's nobody. The ethics committee, I mean, for years, the ethics committee was the one that was saying, okay, this is how much taxpayer money we'll use to settle this issue. So the American people don't know about it. It wasn't about exposing it to the American people. It was protecting the people in Congress. And where there are millions of dollars of taxpayer money that have gone to people who were har. Someone in Congress, and that was hidden. And that, to me. That, to me, is where Republicans right now should be saying, hey, that congressional slush fund, that we still have people in Congress who took money from us to cover up their sins. The bad things that they did, the sexual abuse, the. The children that they harmed.

[Lisa Booth]

Those.

[Tudor Dixon]

Those are the. That's the list I want. I want the list of people who took taxpayer money to cover up their own offenses.

[Michael Francis]

Tudy, you're so right on that. You really are. You know, but so much of this stuff is hidden from us. We don't know what's going on. You know, to think that, you know, the IRS will go after somebody because they didn't pay $10,000 in taxes, and meanwhile, where they're paying the taxes to are abusing the money left and right and putting us in debt while they're earning. While they're earning and living good lives. And. And look, I went through, you know, I spoke in front of the Senate, you know, staff, and a number of senators were there. It was the anniversary of 9, 11, and they took me on the tour. I mean, these people don't even get wet in the rain. They've got every perk available to them. It's unbelievable.

[Tudor Dixon]

They're like. Every one of them is like a mini prince. You know, they have a staff. I don't think people realize there's so many perks. All your meals are, you get to go out to fancy dinners all the time. You are treated like you're much, much more of an elite than anyone else in the country.

[Michael Francis]

Yeah. And the problem is, do you think we could ever reverse this? The answer to me is no, I don't think we ever can. So where does it ultimately lead? You know, I've never, in my 74 years on, I've never seen this, this divisive and this bad. And I, I don't know if there's a solution. I think America is headed in a very difficult direction if this continues. And every day it's worse. It's worse. I mean, they just keep butting heads and screaming at one another and trying to maintain power. And I think Trump is, I do believe, you know, that Trump is trying to get this country in order. I really do believe that. Nobody is perfect. There's going to be mistakes along the way. We understand that. But I believe he's really trying to bring this country back, whether he can do it or not. You know, it's a huge task.

[Tudor Dixon]

It's been interesting to watch because his approval rating, in fact, just on CNN today, they came out and they said his approval rating is even going higher. You know, for all these attacks, even some of these right wing, hardcore right wing influencers who have been attacking him lately, his approval rating across the nation just goes to show Twitter is not real life. His approval rating keeps going higher. So he's in the, among Republicans. He's over 90% right now. He's doing a great job. They're happy with what he's doing. It's interesting to watch the Democrats right now because this past week they had zoran Mamdani in D.C. and he was meeting with a bunch of people. And certainly that's been kind of a highlight of what's happening in the Democrat Party right now because he has made the comment, seized the means of production. He is, he says he is a socialist. His statements are communist. I talked about him wanting to decriminalized sex work. He has also said that he, he also voted against protecting people from revenge porn. Those two things together are, to me, very dangerous for women in the city of New York. But also, if is this the direction that Democrats are wanting to go and Democrats are struggling with it, Hakeem Jeffries doesn't know what to do. They've got this guy who they and are now in a position where you have to make a decision. It's not A small city. It's probably the most important financial city in the world. It is one of the most important cities in the country. This guy would be running. I mean, it's, it's, he's similar to what you would be running, the government. You know, he's running the government for New York City. And he's a young guy. He's talked about how if he runs out of money, his parents will just fund him. He's never run anything. He's never been a part of a business, he's never had a job as a part of a business. And he speaks in all of these bizarre socialist slash, slash communist terms. And yet the Democrat Party is going, well, you know, I'm going to endorse him. Ro Khanna, who has prided himself on being more of a moderate, he came out and endorsed him. And they said, well, what about this? What about this? What about this? And he said, I don't agree with him on those things. But you put your name on him, on his campaign. You put your name to him and said, you agree with this. You, once you have said, I'm for him, you have to be all in. So what does that mean for the Democrat Party? And watching this love fest in New York for someone who is so radically anti American, how, how does that jive for the Democrats going forward in the midterms and in 2028?

[Michael Francis]

Well, here's what I think. I think that, you know, they've totally lost their way as a party and they're doubling down on all the wrong things. And this is the ultimate double down on this mandami. Because, look, you know, they've taken up the cause of, of illegal migrants coming back into this country. They went after that fellow Garcia and made him a hero until they found out who he really was all about. They just, anybody that they believe is getting attention and maybe taking attention away from the Republican Party, from, away from Trump, that's who they're doubling down and going after. They just don't have a direction. They don't have a good candidate. They don't have a direction to go into. So anybody that seems to attract attention and people like, well, we're jumping to that person, even if it's a socialist, a communist or whatever, even if they have ridiculous policies, insane policies, because Tudor, all their policies are insane. And that's why, you know, Trump's approval ratings are going up. Because the same people in this country, in middle America and everywhere else, and there's many of them, you know, are saying, this is so radical. We can't accept this. I mean, we can't accept gender affirming surgery for our children, you know, in California, finally, you know, I mean, Newsom passes a bill where these kids at 11, 12 years old can have sex changes and the parents don't know about it. This is demonic. It's insanity. And the Democratic Party seems to double down on all of these crazy issues. And I think that most of the same people in this country and most people are saying this, we can't accept this.

[Tudor Dixon]

You know, it's interesting that you.

[Michael Francis]

I don't know. You know, I don't know what's happening to my people in New York. I just hope. I mean, look, Cuomo is not a good candidate to run against him. He's got too much baggage in his past.

[Tudor Dixon]

He would decriminalize sex work, too.

[Michael Francis]

Exactly, exactly. But I want to say, you know, we need a two party system in this country. We don't want a one party system, a three party system. Even with. We need. We need to have choices in that regard. But we got to also have good candidates on the Democratic side. Where are they? Who would you look at and vote for?

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon Podcast.

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[Hannah Jewell]

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[Tudor Dixon]

You brought up something interesting and I want to go there just for a second because you brought up these surgeries, the, the transgender surgeries. And I, I heard something this morning. Last week, Dr. Makary came out and, and he is the head of the FDA, right? Is that what I'm. Yes. So Dr. Marty Makary came out and he said that they've been doing some research and they found that women who have their ovaries removed have a much higher risk of heart attack. And he said, in fact, we, we found a young woman who was in her twenties who had her ovaries removed and had died of a heart attack at 26. And his point was not about transgender surgeries, but he was saying, you know, we've been looking at this hormone replacement therapy and we found that in women who are going through menopause, it's very important that they have hormone replacement therapy because it seems as though estrogen is protecting the heart in women. And it made me think, here's, that's true science. And here we have doctors who are removing the ovaries of young girls who are giving hysterectomies to 17, 18 year old girls. This is criminal to me. And yet when we talk about it. The Democrat Party is in this world now where it's like upside down is right side up and vice versa. You can't have a real conversation. You know, I wrote an op ed about a situation that we had in our foundry. This is the frustration that I have today because we had, in 2010, we had ICE raid our factory and take out one of our longtime employees. He'd worked there before we even bought the company. And it was devastating, and it was a horrible situation. And Obama was president. And when we tried to go to immigration and hire an immigration attorney, they were like, you know what? It's the law. And he broke the law, and there's nothing we can do. And back then, no matter what party you were in, if you broke the law, it meant something. And today it doesn't.

[Michael Francis]

No. You know, again, I just don't understand. They're on the wrong side of every single issue. Common sense wise, not Democrat Republicans, just common sense. Look, you're an illegal migrant in this country. You know, I don't think any of us want to see, you know, families torn apart. If they see illegal immigrants here that are working, paying their taxes and trying to do the right thing, I would love to see them have a path to citizenship. And I think most people would. Nobody's against them, but we have to get. Sometimes because an issue has gone so far overboard, you have to bring it back during that time. Some people are going to suffer. We've got to get it. And I tell people all the time, why are we at this point, this is Congress's fault.

[Tudor Dixon]

Yeah, exactly.

[Michael Francis]

They haven't come up with a good policy that makes sense. And, you know, again, it's the people that suffer for it when they don't do their job. They're blaming this, they're blaming Trump, they're blaming by everybody's to blame except the people that really deserve the blame, and that's Congress to come up with a good immigration policy that makes sense, that people can follow, that doesn't, you know, hurt one side or the other, but they don't do it.

[Tudor Dixon]

And I'll end on this. You've talked about Whitmer. She's the governor here in the state of Michigan, and she's just been exposed for taking $20 million of taxpayer money, giving it to a longtime donor of hers. She actually appointed this woman to the Business Development Board, which is an outside private organization that is appointed by the governor. She appointed her president. And then they decided that some of the money that would go to businesses to recruit Them to the state of Michigan. They gave her 20 million to create an incubator company that would create other businesses that had never existed before. The money was in many cases not all spent, but it was spent on like tens of thousands of dollars on first class tickets overseas. They bought a $5,000 coffee maker. This woman is taking an over $500,000 a year salary out of this. No, no businesses have been created. And now there's conversation that is being exposed between the governor and this woman's office. Like hey, we're going to get this money for you. To me this is top of the line corruption. These things have got to be exposed because states like ours cannot, we can't recruit new businesses if we're going to be giving money to all of the politicians friends. And as you pointed out, this is happening on both sides. When you just give us a little idea because you've, like I said, you've compared this to the mob. Tell me how you see business having to interact with government from the perspective of what you saw the mob doing. Because you said in the mob you own people. I mean you own politicians, you own police. You, you, you're familiar with this?

[Michael Francis]

No, absolutely. You know, look, you know, I can say I was guilty myself. There was a gentleman that had a Chevrolet dealership and he was a bad gambler and he got in trouble with some of my people and he owed several hundred thousand dollars and I took over his Chevrolet agency because he couldn't pay the bill. And you know, and look, we allowed him to continue to get in debt. We didn't cut him off and say, hey, you know, this has to stop now. We let him destroy himself and then we took over his agency. I mean it's the same, look, it's a different manner in which the government works. They feed one another and then they put money in their pockets and they put money in their friends pockets and their relatives pockets. Meanwhile they're stealing this money from taxpayers. This is theft. This is not where taxpayers money is supposed to go. They're stealing it, you know, they absolutely are. And you know the only way to stop this Tudor would never happen. Of course it's ridiculous for me to even say it, but if every taxpayer got up and said we're not paying our taxes anymore, end of story, lock us all up, well they couldn't do that, obviously. Correct, but it would be the only way. When you cut the money stream off, then people listen. If the government didn't have our money to play with anymore and to abuse anymore, well then this would stop. But of course it's not going to happen. There's no other way to get this under control because it's gonna continue. Look, I just read. I don't know if it's true or not, but I just read that AOC is worth $22 million. She's in Congress five years.

[Tudor Dixon]

I think she has denied that, but we certainly know that Nancy Pelosi has. Her financial situation has skyrocketed. But that's the thing. We've watched multiple people. It's like you're not supposed to be making money outside of your salary, but they go into. And they come out very, very wealthy. And where is that money coming from? I also, I mean, I have a strong feeling about people who have been lobbyists going into government and vice versa coming out of government and becoming lobbyists. You're. If you were making money off of the government, then you will continue to make money off the government if you decide to go back into the government. I just think that's a. Those that can't be trusted, because that's. That's what you did.

[Michael Francis]

The.

[Tudor Dixon]

The political world has become a place where, whether you're speaking about it or you're involved in it or you're selling to it, you are ma. There is just massive money on the line. And I think that's what I mean. I believe that President Trump is trying to cut that. And we saw Speaker Johnson come out and say we've cut a lot of waste. And I appreciate that. It's just like you said, it's ingrained and it has to be ripped out by the roots. And will they have enough time? That's why we have to continue this America first movement of people who are trying to make sure that the people come first and that the people are still we the people and not we the politicians. But that is going to be a hard thing to do. Before you go, I want you to talk a little bit about your wines, because I know you've got a wine brand and I want to plug that for the people so they know where to get that. You yourself have had such a fabulous story, such a fabulous comeback story. So I want to give you a chance to talk about what you're doing now.

[Michael Francis]

Oh, thank you. Tutor. Yeah, I'm actually in the wine and the pizza business and the wine side of it. We've been in business now three years. We import our wine from Armenia, which is the. The. The civilization where the wine first began. It was first rediscovered, I should say, in Armenia. It's the oldest vineyards in the world. And we've been in business now three years. Last year we were in 400 locations. This year we're in 3500 locations and growing nationwide. We now have a non alcoholic wine for people who want to enjoy wine but, you know, don't want the alcohol in it. So we're really progressing and, you know, people are enjoying it, they're loving it. You can buy it online, direct to consumer on all major retail outlets now are holding it. So I'm excited about it. Listen, it's what this country is about. You know, we're a capitalist nation. And if we can, you know, invest our time and our funds in the meantime, you know, we're, we're providing something, a service to consumers. We're putting people to work. That's how this country grew, you know, by doing that. We're a capitalist nation. We don't want, you know, the government feeding us everything. We don't want to have to, you know, depend upon the government for every facet of our lives. That, because that gives them ultimate control over us and we don't want that. We want to obey the laws because we want to protect society. We have to have laws, but we also want to be our own, live on our own and enjoy our lives. And that's what this nation has always afforded us. And to see it corrupted the way we are seeing it now in the hands of people that all they care about is themselves and making money and enjoying the perks and the power that we, the people have afforded them, it's very frightening and I don't know the solution. I wish I did. But I think somebody like Donald Trump understands that he cherishes this country. It's given him the opportunity to be a wealthy guy and I think he wants to see that for everybody. And hopefully that continues.

[Tudor Dixon]

I think your story is a true gift. I mean, I think you have a perspective having gone through what you did and coming out of it and changing who you are. Those stories are critical for us to become better and constantly be out there doing more. So I appreciate, I always appreciate having you on. I could actually probably talk to you for another hour, but Michael Francis, thank you so much for spending some time with me today.

[Michael Francis]

Tudor, thanks for having me and anytime. I appreciate what you're doing and I support you 100%. So I'm available anytime you need me.

[Tudor Dixon]

Thank you so much. Thank you. And thank you all for joining us on the Tudor Dixon Podcast for this episode and others go to Tudor Dixon podcast podcast, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or watch the whole thing on video on rumbleutterdixon and join us next time. Have a blessed day.

[Hannah Jewell]

I hear a lot from people that there are days where it's hard to read a single news story. Forget actually being caught up, but I host a podcast that can fix that. It's called the seven seven stories every weekday by 7:00am Eastern. And here, here's the other thing. It's short, less than 10 minutes in fact. I'm Hannah Jewell. The Seven podcast will turn around your morning and get you caught up. Check it out and follow the seven wherever you listen to podcasts.

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[Michael Francis]

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[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Tudor Dixon]

I feel like sometimes being broken is.

[Michael Francis]

A cycle and that we might have.

[Rodney Williams]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

[Lisa Booth]

What happens when it doesn't go right?

[Tudor Dixon]

How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[Tudor Dixon]

I'm Christiana Manpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders.

[Michael Francis]

For more than 330 years. And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden. We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven.

[Tudor Dixon]

Now we've joined forces on the X.

[Lisa Booth]

Files to make sense of how we.

[Michael Francis]

Ended up with no world order.

[Lisa Booth]

Listen to Christiana Manpur presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast.

[Tudor Dixon]

Or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.