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- [00:00]
A
We're live now, and Jim is talking about. I said he's got the perfect anchorman hair. Even though, you know, you don't need the suit and the tie and the pancake makeup anymore, but you still got the hair, Jim.
- [00:09]
B
You gotta have the hair. And the hairs look better than this. But this is post town hall hair is what I'm calling this.
- [00:16]
A
Yeah, Tim, the no Fear Town hall. By the way, thank you so much for inviting me to do it, to be a course. It was really, really great. What's your takeaway? What'd you think?
- [00:25]
B
I really enjoyed it, Don, and honestly, it was great to be reunited with you. And this is such an important time in our country, such an important moment in our country that I think it is therapeutic, it's informative, it's uplifting to get together with people who have the same sort of belief system that saving our democracy, saving the American way of life is important, and then also to do it in front of a big audience, Don, where we. I mean, you had some really sincerely patriotic and just earnest people who want to get to the bottom of what's happening right now. So I just thought it was a great discussion and we had a wonderful panel, and you were incredible, as I knew you were going to be. So I'm glad we did it. Really glad.
- [01:10]
A
I love hearing from all the people there. Don't get me wrong. You know, Harry Dunn was fantastic.
- [01:15]
B
Tara set was fantastic.
- [01:16]
A
I love Olivia Troy. Let's talk about Olivia Troy next. And of course, having Michael there. But, you know, my new thing, and I told you my new thing is to listen more. And I think last night people wanted to. They had so many questions. Like, they just have so many questions for us. It's true, and I'm hopeful that they do. Did you learn anything?
- [01:40]
B
You know, it was interesting when Dan Luria, you know, the actor from the Wonder Years, he was in the audience with us, and it was like, wow, okay, this is great. But, you know, the way he said that people want to fight, they want to fight back, and not in a violent way, but they want to resist, they want to push back. And, you know, I think it's helpful, Don, for you and I to, as you were saying earlier, just listen and sort of absorb that. I think people are in a fighting mood right now. They wanna push back. They don't wanna just roll over and take this crap that's going on in this country right now. We have the President of the United States saying, well, we can just take American citizens and send them to some gulag in El Salvador and so on. This is some crazy, surreal, batshit dystopian stuff. And it's not just you and I who feel that way. Don't. And it's not like you and I can be accused of just having the Trump derangement syndrome and so on, when real people in the audience feel this way. We're obviously onto something. Don, you know what?
- [02:36]
A
Also what I got. Yes, you're right. Sorry about to knock my camera off of the thing. Yeah, I know that we're onto something. Look. And then you realize that sometimes you're in a place or in a position where you can't authentically be yourself, or sometimes it sort of plays tricks on you, like, oh, my gosh, am I crazy? And then you get out and you talk to people and you realize, well, no, I'm not crazy. People are hurting. There was, you know, I said last night, every time I do a. A live stream where I have interaction with the audience, so I talk to someone on the street. On the streets. I feel like we are in group therapy or in need of group therapy. Yeah. And. And I say that in a sincere way because people just don't know what to do. One of the last questions last night was, what do we do? And I said, you know, I don't really have an answer, but you have to be willing to sacrifice something.
- [03:25]
B
That was such an honest moment when you said that, Don. And I think it resonated in the room because there are a lot of other people who are saying to themselves, I don't know what to do. I watch the news. It drives me nuts. What do I do besides that? And I think the answer is. And we all talked about this. You talked about this, too. The demonstrations, the rallies, the town halls. Get involved, get engaged. Don't just sit on your couch and take all this crap, get up and do something. And I think everybody left last night with that feeling, which I think is an incredibly positive thing.
- [03:53]
A
Yeah. I also talked, Jim, about and. Which was mentioned last night. A lot of folks ask, you know, how do we sort of get people together? I think that Democrats, not just Democrats, because I'm not a Democrat or Republican, but Democrats are the ones who are, can, I guess, uphold, can hold our democracy together, if that's even possible right now. I hope so. I hope so. But how. How do Democrats and people who care about democracy, whether they be Republican, Libertarian or whatever, how do they create. Or how do we create an echo chamber that is as loud and as. And as strong and as powerful as the right, as the broadcasters who get all of the money dumped into their podcasts and their streaming shows. How do we get Democratic politicians on board to get them to understand that these streaming spaces are just as important, if not more important, than legacy media? You and I both were on cable, but I think we were living kind of in a bubble to think that we had the reach that we once did. And I hate to say that, but it's true.
- [04:53]
B
So it's kind of gone. Yeah, yeah.
- [04:55]
A
How do we get people to understand. How do we get politicians to understand that? And some, you know, just the general public.
- [05:01]
B
I. I think that what you're hitting on is tremendously important. I think more than just having an echo chamber or an ecosystem, we need to rebuild the information system of this country. And that I think a huge component of that is going to be independent media. What you and I are doing right now, Don, and people are gravitating towards it. I mean, we were talking about this last night. One of reasons why they showed up at this town hall, one of the reasons why they tuned in, not just here on Substack, but on the Midas Touch and Show and so on, is because people want to engage. They want to be a part of the process. One of the things I love about Substack is we're democratizing the process. We're bringing the people in. You're seeing the comments at the bottom when people tune in and want to weigh in. And that's hugely important. And one of the issues that we have right now, and you and I both know this, is that you see out there on the right, there are the Joe Rogan's of the world, Ben Shapiro's of the world, the Megyn Kelly's of the world, a lot of bad faith actors pumping a lot of bullshit into people's heads on a daily basis. And what we need that's going to help save our democracy, Don, is getting folks like you and me. People care about the truth, the facts, giving people information. You're a newsman, Don. You love doing that. I love doing it. And we just have to put that love into action and get people information and fight like hell and do what every day, do it here, do it on all these different platforms. And I think over time that is going to grow into something that is going to have an impact and help build up a new information infrastructure in this country. We desperately need it right now.
- [06:34]
A
Yeah, and look, I said echo chamber, I think, but I meant ecosystem, but also an echo.
- [06:38]
B
I know, I Knew exactly what you meant.
- [06:40]
A
Yeah, but no, seriously, I'm just, I just want to clarify, but I mean, maybe even an echo chamber, because, you know, I think you're going to need to reach people and if the truth is echoing, then you need echo.
- [06:53]
B
We. You echo, I echo. I mean, it's a huge part of this. There's no question about it.
- [06:57]
A
Yeah, yeah. And look, I'm trying to, I'm trying to. I think we all need to support each other. And I have, you know, some of the folks in these, in the streaming spaces, I don't, I didn't. A lot of these people, I did not know. I don't know if you know, you know Jake Huger, right?
- [07:09]
B
Yeah.
- [07:09]
A
You know, all these wonderful people and Brian Tyler Cohen. So when I first started, I had them on my show and I called them maga's Worst Nightmare. And so every once in a while I bring the band back together. So I'm bringing the band back together with Magus Worst Nightmare, but I think that they're going to be on my YouTube show at 5 o'clock today, Eastern time. But you may have to become part of the Magus Worst Nightmare band, because.
- [07:34]
B
That'S what we are. Because this is about the news, Don. This is about truth. This is about facts. And there are a lot of people out there, the bad faith actors, what the hell are they going to be doing the next four years? They're just going to be kissing Trump's butt and repeating what he says? I mean, is that how they want to eke out a living? Okay, go ahead, have fun, have at it. Joe Rogan, have at it. Megyn Kelly. Don, you and I are going to be out here giving people the truth and giving people the news, which is what we need to do, and do it in a new and different way. And you were talking about, you know, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, people who care about democracy. You and I both know this. We're not in a left right world anymore. We're in a pro democracy, anti democracy world, at least in the United States. And I think it's very clear which side you and I are on and the people who care about this stuff. Look at Olivia Troy, former Republican, worked in the Trump White House, worked for Mike Pence. You know, she was for the longest time a tried and true Republican, cares desperately about this country, cares desperately about preserving democracy. And she speaks from the heart. And I think that's why folks like her resonate so well. So it's not just, you know, an ideological thing, like people who are on the left feel a certain way, people on the right. It's about preserving and protecting this American way of life. And at the heart of that is protecting our democratic institutions, protecting the free press. I mean, Don, when Trump is out there thumbing his nose at the judge who says, let the AP back in, and he's trying to ban other news outlets and wire services, that's outrageous. And, you know, we, we need to be on the side of protecting those folks, standing with those folks.
- [09:18]
A
I'm seeing folks in the comments saying they're glad that we're here because we can tell the truth or they stop watching some one network or whatever. This isn't about our old network, but we're glad that we're here to be able to tell the truth. But I did find it interesting that I didn't, you know, I had heard about it, but I didn't know. You know, I remember when Trump was in office the first time and said, you know, he sits there and he watches your show every night and he tivos it or whatever it is. And I was like, okay. And I heard that from a number of what, you know, he did, Don.
- [09:45]
B
He would, he would get so mad at you and he would say all these things. He would, like, hate watch you.
- [09:50]
A
Yeah, yeah, I, I suspected that. I knew he was hate watching me, but I suspected that the administration did not want people to come on my show. And, you know, Olivia confirmed it last night. She said they were so afraid of you, and I was afraid to go on your show and they would challenge you and they were afraid to do interviews with you as well. Jim, that is a real thing, and that's part of the issue right now, because I feel like there are great journalists out there doing great things, and our former colleagues are the best in the world. But there is, when it comes to corporate media, I think people are, you know, they're skeptical about it and they don't want the influence of a corporation on top of them. And they find us, they trust us, they find us more appealing. More appealing, more refreshing, and I think more authentic. And they know that we're going to bring them the truth in a real way.
- [10:43]
B
Yeah. Yeah. And, Don, you should look at it as a badge of honor that, you know, Trump would hate watch you and then go on Twitter and tweet out some stuff. I mean, I take it as a badge of honor that he took my press pass away. But you're absolutely right. Folks want this. And it's almost like the thrill is gone with a lot of folks in corporate media. And when you have some of these institutions making these terrible decisions to bend the knee and pay a bunch of money to settle things, they just don't realize. And I wish I could go over to those places and just say, give me five minutes and please let me persuade you as to why this is such a terrible idea. Because as soon as you placate him and give him money towards his library, whatever the hell these organizations are doing, he's just going to want more, and it's just going to make life miserable for the law, you know, the law firms who he's preying on now or the universities that he's preying on now. It's a fear and intimidation racket that he's running right now. And for the moment, he's getting away with it in part because there are people who are complying and people who are saying, yes, sir, can I have another? And that's the opposite of what we should be doing right now.
- [11:54]
A
What's your biggest fear right now, Jim?
- [11:57]
B
My biggest fear right now, and it's one of the reasons why I kind of led the discussion with it last night, is when you have, you know, and he has this knack to boggle the mind and make you think, wow, I didn't think he was that depraved. But when he's in the Oval Office earlier this week and saying, well, maybe we'll start sending homegrown criminals to the gugalags of El Salvador, which, by the way, as a Cuban American, my dad escaped Cuba as a Cuban refugee. The last thing we want are more gulags in Latin America. I mean, honestly. And why the United States is working in cahoots with the El Salvadoran government to prop this up and Trump saying, well, let's build more of them down there, and so on, it's really not American at all what he's doing. And when he talks about sending American criminals down there, it makes me think, okay, well, who does he deem to be a criminal? He brings up the idea of somebody pushes somebody in front of a subway and so on. But is there a huge leap from that to opposition leaders, dissidents, journalists, you know, people that he doesn't like? You know, he was talking about Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs the other day. You know, that's the part that scares me the most, is that he's going to take this to the next level and they're going to try to start scooping US Citizens off the street. They've already started to do it with students who are here on visas and so on. But if you were to take it to the next level, then I think, you know, we're, we're in the fight of our lives. I think there's no question about it.
- [13:33]
A
Here's what, here's how I feel about that. And I think you're right 100% and very well said. My biggest fear is apathy, that because Donald Trump is going to do what he's going to do, the administration is going to do what they're going to do, the Supreme Court is going to do what they're going to do. But if people are apathetic and they're just sort of like, and they, you know, like they become somehow inured, it's like, okay, it's happening. I don't know. I don't know. And they just, they're apathetic about it, that that's when we lose. That's when our democracy really goes off of a cliff. And I, I just think that people need to really get involved and in any way possible, as you said last night. And I think that, and you get, at the end, you said, you know, that you, you know, you had people hold up their phones and you said, you are a light. And it's true. If you look at these town halls all around the country, the people who are making a difference, the people are getting the eyeballs. The people who are getting their politicians to at least react in some way are the people who are showing up and showing out.
- [14:45]
B
No question about it, Don. Look what happened last night at Marjorie Taylor Greene's town hall. You know, Don, you and I had a town hall last night. We didn't tase anybody for speaking out at our town hall. At Marjorie Taylor Greene's town hall in Georgia, apparently they tased 2 people, 2, 2 protesters who wanted to speak out. You know what, Marjorie Taylor Greene, if you can't handle the American people giving you some feedback, maybe you should do like, you know, what your party's been advising the members to do and not have a town hall. But if you have a town hall, you have to expect that the town is going to show up. There might be some folks in the town who don't like what you're doing. And to think that, you know, they're tasing people at town halls. What in the, what in the world is going on, man? That's some scary stuff.
- [15:29]
A
Well, you know, what in the world is going on? I mean, they don't. Look, this is 1984, the novel, right? This is what people have been writing about forever. And finally it has come to fruition. I think about. We think about, you know, our founding fathers and the Constitution and all of that. We have really relied upon people not to be authoritarians, right? Not to push the bounds and the limits. And so. But finally we got someone in there who is not abiding by that. And that is a real concern. When we need to learn from that, we need to fix it.
- [16:00]
B
Yeah, well, and he warned us during the campaign. I mean, he. He said, I am your retribution. And he also said that he wants to go after what he called the enemy from within. He absolutely said these things out on the campaign trail. For folks at home who were saying, wait a minute, why is all this crazy shit happening? He was talking about Hannibal Lecter and windmills and sharks, electrocuting sharks. And so he was saying crazy town shit out on the campaign trail. And for folks at home who were like, gosh, I just didn't. I didn't know he was going to do tariffs. He talked about tariffs at almost every rally. It was covered extensively.
- [16:38]
A
He's been talking about it since the Oprah days. I think it was 1988. Did you see that clip? Right? Yeah.
- [16:42]
B
He's been talking about tariffs forever. So you had to think if he was going to get back in there, he's going to go for broke and finally try to do this thing. And he's realizing, maybe he's realizing to some extent that there are certain industries he just can't push around. And that for as much as he talks tough on China, he realizes that's where some of his bread is buttered. And I just think that we're in a place right now where, going back to what you were saying about apathy, we cannot afford any American who cares about any of this to be apathetic right now.
- [17:16]
A
Well, Jim, look, again, I want to thank you for inviting me last night. And I learned something from everyone, I've learned something from you last night, is that we should all be trying to do something, even if something like what you're doing, we should all be doing town halls. We should all be meeting with people. We should all be supporting each other. So thank you for inviting me. Thank you for jumping on at the last second because I thought we needed to have a little post discussion. We needed to debrief.
- [17:40]
B
You're right. I wish we had kind of done it last night and. But we were all ready to race off to dinner and have a glass of wine, so that was totally understandable.
- [17:48]
A
Too I had to go walk my dogs because they. And feed them because they hadn't eaten, and I didn't want to have any surprises on the floor when I got home. But I hear you, man.
- [17:56]
B
I hear you. There's a lot of that to clean up these days, not just at your place, but all over. But I appreciate you doing it. We appreciate Michael, Tara, Harry, Olivia, Matt. Friend came, brought the house down. I appreciate you so much. I'm so glad we reconnected and so glad we're doing this, man. It's. It's a lot of fun.
- [18:13]
A
Hey, Jim. The great Jim Acosta. Jim, I'll see you along the way, okay? Good luck, my friend. Thanks.
- [18:17]
B
Sounds good.
- [18:18]
A
All right.
- [18:18]
B
Sounds good. Talk to you soon.
- [18:19]
A
Talk to you soon. All right, and thank you, guys. I'll see you back here on Substack soon and also to 5pm Eastern on the YouTube today. Join in, join us then. Okay. Bye, Jim. Bye, everyone. Bye.
- [18:30]
B
Take care, buddy.