Ruthless Patriots! A Preview of Our Upcoming Event Marking Jan. 6 in DC with Harry Dunn, Olivia Troye and Glenn Kirschner

Summary

The Jim Acosta Show – "Ruthless Patriots! A Preview of Our Upcoming Event Marking Jan. 6 in DC with Harry Dunn, Olivia Troye and Glenn Kirschner"

Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Jim Acosta
Guests: Harry Dunn, Olivia Troye, Glenn Kirschner

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Episode Overview

This special edition of The Jim Acosta Show serves as a preview for an upcoming live event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., marking the fifth anniversary of January 6th. Host Jim Acosta brings together guests Harry Dunn (Capitol Police officer and January 6th witness), Olivia Troye (former White House Homeland Security advisor), and Glenn Kirschner (former federal prosecutor) to reflect on the ongoing importance of remembering the attack, the need for accountability, and the work required to safeguard American democracy moving forward. The tone is urgent, passionate, and at times playfully defiant, as the guests claim the label of "ruthless patriots" in their fight against disinformation and erasure of January 6th.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Mark January 6th? (00:00–02:40)

• Acosta introduces the event, emphasizing the need to remember the Jan. 6 attack not just as history but as a lesson for the future.

  "We need to remember this very important day, but also to focus on the future to make sure this doesn't happen again." – Jim Acosta [00:53]

• Harry Dunn expresses frustration over lack of accountability five years later, detailing difficulties in securing support for commemorative events due to donors’ reluctance:

  "A lot of donors wanted to stay away from January 6th...trying to erase what happened that day." – Harry Dunn [01:33]

  • He emphasizes the persistence of “ruthless patriots” unwilling to let the day be whitewashed or forgotten.

2. The Threat of Whitewashing & Rewriting History (02:40–04:55)

• Acosta and Dunn underline the ongoing attempts by political leaders and media to recast January 6th—sometimes as a “tourist” event or the work of outsiders.
• Olivia Troye stresses that revisiting Jan. 6 is about learning to "weather what's to come," and acknowledges the wider crises (political, economic, cultural) that drive vulnerability and division in America:

  "There's a lot of people out there who feel invisible...trying to figure out where do they fit in and what does the future look like." – Olivia Troye [03:16]

3. Accountability: The Pillar of Prevention (04:55–06:45)

• Glenn Kirschner argues accountability is non-negotiable for preventing future attacks:

  "The only way we get to keep our republic is if we ultimately place accountability where it belongs." – Glenn Kirschner [05:50]

• He, Dunn, Acosta, and Troye agree that both the perpetrators and those who incited the violence must face consequences.
• Kirschner enthusiastically embraces Dunn’s use of the phrase “ruthless patriots,” joking:

  "Here lies a ruthless patriot. I will take that any day of the week...I think we may have to start the Ruthless Patriots Club." – Glenn Kirschner [06:31]

  • The group laughs about making "Ruthless Patriots" T-shirts.

4. Remembering the Real Victims (07:36–10:03)

• Acosta and Dunn recall the human toll: deaths (like Officer Brian Sicknick), injuries (e.g., Mike Fanone), and ongoing trauma.
• Dunn emphasizes the day’s lasting impact:

  "It's easy to...romanticize January 6th as, you know, a slogan. But people's lives were completely affected and turned upside down on that day." – Harry Dunn [08:22]

  • He also reveals he’s suing the Architect of the Capitol to force recognition for the officers, as Congress still refuses to hang a commemorative plaque.

5. Current Political Cowardice & The Fight Against Erasure (10:03–11:34)

• The group calls out Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for refusing to honor the heroes of January 6th:

  "He’s essentially led around on a leash by Donald Trump. And he's not a man. A man would hang that plaque up." – Jim Acosta [10:41]

• Olivia Troye cheekily announces she’s secured the “Ruthless Patriots” URL for their burgeoning club:

  "We now own the URL and the domains. I just picked those up. So Ruthless Patriots is yours." – Olivia Troye [11:10]

6. Donald Trump’s Continued Influence and Pattern of Behavior (12:30–19:48)

• Acosta and Kirschner condemn Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election and his pattern of trying to circumvent or undermine democracy—redistricting, blaming others, and manipulating followers.

  "I've never seen anybody complain and bitch and moan and whine so much all day, every day, particularly on social media..." – Glenn Kirschner [15:19]

• Troye adds that even some Trump supporters are exhausted by the failures and blame-shifting:

  "I actually think that some of his supporters are also tired of him failing them, because that's truly what is actually happening here." – Olivia Troye [15:44]

• The group cites the former president’s bizarre claims about Ukraine and deference to Putin, warning that American foreign policy now serves adversaries, not US interests.

  "Putin wants all of Ukraine. Donald Trump, you are not playing with a full deck." – Jim Acosta [17:21]

• Kirschner delivers a particularly memorable analogy:

  "That's literally like saying pedophiles want the best for children." – Glenn Kirschner [19:41]

7. What’s At Stake in the Year Ahead (19:48–23:27)

• Acosta worries about Trump or Congressional allies trying to stall or block future elections and the continued undermining of institutions.

  "What we are up against in this coming year is way worse than broken promises, way worse than, I mean, as bad as it is siding with Vladimir Putin, it is the potential undermining of our democracy." – Jim Acosta [20:03]

• Troye urges vigilance over changes in executive orders, DHS actions, and the increasing politicization of the DOJ.

  "We need to be thinking about the election workers...who are possibly going to face the harassment and the threats...They are the people that are holding the line." – Olivia Troye [22:35]

8. Supreme Court, Accountability, and the Rule of Law (22:50–25:56)

• Acosta raises the alarm over the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity, questioning the survival of democratic “guardrails.”
• Kirschner points out not all hope is lost—there are legal distinctions, and accountability is still possible for acts outside “core constitutional functions”:

  "Justice has been delayed here. But we can't forget that just because the Supreme Court said...You have presidential immunity for core constitutional functions. Core constitutional functions represents a fairly small subset of what Donald Trump has done that is criminal." – Glenn Kirschner [23:44]

• Both warn that if Democrats retake power, they must act with urgency—no more delays, no more caution over prosecuting crimes against democracy.

  "There have to be penalties. There have to be consequences...You can't do this Hamlet on the Potomac to be or not to be...They are. These are crimes." – Jim Acosta [25:12]

• Kirschner sums up the mood:

  "It feels like we need some ruthless patriotism, doesn't it?" – Glenn Kirschner [25:53]

9. Call to Action: The January 6th Event (26:10–End)

• Acosta details the forthcoming National Press Club event (Jan. 6, 2026) and reiterates its dual purpose: honor January 6th heroes and chart a course to prevent future attacks.
  • The event will be live-streamed to ensure national participation.
• He closes with an appeal for collective strength:

  "Let's make one small request for 2026, that this is the year that America stands strong, that all of us stand strong, that we all stand up to the dictator and stand up for the American way of life." – Jim Acosta [27:31]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Not on our watches...refusing to let...erase what happened that day and sweep everything under the rug, rewrite history, lie about it, and reward the people responsible for it."
  — Harry Dunn [01:54]
• "Jim, the only way we can avoid this from happening again is with accountability. Accountability has been delayed. But, but this ain't over, not by a long shot."
  — Glenn Kirschner [05:32]
• "Here lies a ruthless patriot. I will take that any day of the week."
  — Glenn Kirschner [06:31]
• "It's easy to...romanticize January 6th as, you know, a slogan. But people's lives were completely affected and turned upside down on that day, and we can't forget that."
  — Harry Dunn [08:22]
• "He’s essentially led around on a leash by Donald Trump. And he's not a man. A man would hang that plaque up and tell Donald Trump, you know, we're honoring the heroes who defended the Capitol that day."
  — Jim Acosta [10:41]
• "We now own the URL and the domains. I just picked those up. So Ruthless Patriots is yours."
  — Olivia Troye [11:10]
• "All things are possible with accountability, but nothing good is...possible without accountability."
  — Glenn Kirschner [24:26]
• "It feels like we need some ruthless patriotism, doesn't it?"
  — Glenn Kirschner [25:53]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–02:40 — Introduction, event preview, Harry Dunn on accountability and donor fatigue
• 03:16–04:55 — Olivia Troye on American disaffection, looking ahead to 2026 and banding together
• 05:31–06:45 — Glenn Kirschner on the imperative of accountability; "ruthless patriots" coined
• 07:36–10:03 — The human cost, erasing history, Dunn’s lawsuit for Capitol recognition
• 10:24–11:34 — Blame and cowardice in current leadership, "Ruthless Patriots" as movement/URL secured
• 12:30–19:48 — Trump’s persistence, undermining democracy, exhaustion among supporters, foreign policy chaos, and cutting analogies
• 19:48–23:27 — Urgency about upcoming elections, sabotage fears, threats to election workers, DOJ politicization
• 23:27–25:56 — Supreme Court concerns, paths to accountability, Democrats urged to act decisively
• 26:10–End — Event details, call to action, closing reflections

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is a galvanizing, sometimes somber but ultimately hopeful rallying cry for truth-telling, accountability, and civic courage. The guests—self-proclaimed "ruthless patriots"—refuse to let trauma, fatigue, or political pressure erase the reality of Jan. 6 or its consequences. They urge listeners to join them in honoring the past and fiercely defending the future, both at the upcoming National Press Club event and in the everyday vigilance needed to maintain American democracy.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to a special edition of the Jim Acosta Show. Happy holidays and really appreciate all of you tuning in. I know I said last week I wasn't planning on doing much this week, but surprise here, here we are. And we've got some great guests with us right now. Glenn Kershner, Harry Dunn, Olivia Troy. And the reason, guys, while we're doing this is we need to promote and preview something we're going to be doing very special next week. We're going to mark five years since January 6th, and we're going to do this event at the National Press club in Washington, D.C. so if you're in Washington, you can make it live. I did put out a post just a few minutes ago with a link for how you can get tickets and join us. We're also going to stream it out live that day for folks who are not in the D.C. area. But Harry, you and I were talking about this not too long ago and we were both sort of saying, hey, this is coming up. Suddenly we need to do something about this to remember this very important day, but also to focus on the future to make sure this doesn't happen again.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. So, obviously, can you really believe it? It's been five years. I guess it would be a lot easier to believe if accountability was served. And I feel like that five years wouldn't feel like an eternity. But here we are. And, you know, I wanted to do something very big. So I've been working on, you know, talking with potential to the point where I would need, like, donors, like a big event that I really wanted to do. And yeah, I ran into a little problem that a lot of donors wanted to stay away from January 6th. And I'm talking like big donors that, like, trade on the stock exchange donors. So those were the people that we were trying to get to to help fund this event, but that fell through. And it was very disappointing to hear some of the reasons why they wanted to stay away from throwing money towards an event like this. But, you know, people like yourself, like Olivia, like our buddy Glenn, are some of the most relentless and ruthless patriots that I know and that I am glad to call his friends that, that want to remember, want to tell the truth accurately, want justice, want accountability, or what happened on January 6th. So I'm so thankful that we're able to make this happen. And just a group of great patriots just refusing to let what this administration is trying to do, erase what happened that day and sweep everything under the rug, rewrite history, lie about it, and reward the people responsible for it. Not on our watches. And I'm so glad to be able to join you all this coming January 6th.

[A]

Yeah, no, we're not going to let that happen. We're not going to let them whitewash this and rewrite the history of what took place on January 6th. We know it was not a. A guided tour that happened that day. They said they were tourists or whatever, all that nonsense, that it was antifa and so on. We know the truth. But, Olivia, this is also about the future. This is about letting the past inform us so we can all work towards a future where our elections are safe and secure in this country. It's an important topic and it's something that people are very much worried about right now.

[C]

Yeah. And I think there's a lot of people out there who feel invisible, they feel politically dismissed, they feel economically strained right now. I mean, there's a lot going on culturally, they're being talked down to. I mean, there's just all these dynamics happening across our country where people are truly suffering and trying to figure out where do they fit in and what does the future look like. And we have a big year coming up, obviously, in 2026. And I think this is a conversation about looking forward and how do we band together and stand together and weather what's to come. Whether it's the upcoming election. We know that's going to be hard. We already know the forces that we're going to be up against. We're seeing it, whether it be in executive orders or actions by the Department of Justice and dhs, unfortunately, and the things that they're doing there in terms of the people that they're putting in place in positions of leadership that really raise questions because they were some of the people that were part of this entire situation that led to January 6th. And so I think it's important to while we revisit January six and the insane, horrific things that happened that day and also tie it to the current and the future of what we're seeing here. Because there's a lot of threads to pull there, Jim. Right. We all talk about. I know Glenn knows this, Harry knows this, you know this. We're seeing a lot of things come together. And while we have the daily chaos of what's happening in the Oval Office and the whatever theatrics that exist to distract us from it, the truth is we've got to stand together and really navigate this and pay attention, because that's really going to matter in the next 12 months going forward on what's to Come and how we prevent this from ever happening again.

[A]

Yeah, no, absolutely. And Glenn Kirchner, I mean, from a law enforcement justice standpoint, justice mattering standpoint. You know, Harry mentioned the fact that, you know, a lot of these guys, I mean, they got off scot free, Donald Trump pardoned them. We, we never saw Jack Smith bring this, this investigation, this prosecution of what took place that day to fruition because of the Supreme Court. I mean, there's so much to unpack here. But your thoughts on this and why it's important to, to mark this day that's coming up and how, how much it matters to all of us moving forward.

[D]

Jim, the only way we can avoid this from happening again is with accountability. Accountability has been delayed. But, but this ain't over then, not by a long shot. There are people like, you know, like you, Jim, like Harry, like Mike Fanone, obviously Olivia and Miles Taylor, who. I can't speak for them, but I can speak for myself. I'm ready to get back into the fight right now. Hell, if Kamala Harris had been elected, I would probably be back in government in whatever capacity if you take me back fighting for accountability right now. But the only way we get to keep our republic is if we ultimately place accountability where it belongs. On the folks who not only attack the US Capitol, but on the folks who put them up to it, who sent the hitman there, as my friend Harry Dunn has said. But on the lighter side, I think Harry just coined a phrase that I am going to consider putting on my headstone, because I think he just called me and Olivia and all of us on this call, ruthless patriots. And you know what?

[A]

I love that.

[D]

Here lies. Here lies a ruthless patriot. I will take that any day of the week. And Harry, I think we may have to start the Ruthless Patriots Club, but.

[B]

We might be on to something.

[A]

T shirts.

[C]

Yes. Yeah.

[D]

I mean, Harry is both a victim of January 6th and the hero on January 6th, who not only protected everybody in the US Capitol, but, but he and, you know, hundreds of other law enforcement officers protected American democracy. And yet apparently people are running away from celebrating that, remembering it, you know, 9, 11. I'm not comparing those two incidents, but you know, we have ceremonies every year to make sure that never happens again. And we need to make sure on the fifth anniversary of the attack on the United States Capitol and on American democracy that that never happens again. And that's why we're here. That's why we're going to be at the National Press Club with you, Jim, on January 6th. To stand up, to stay strong, to speak out, and to make sure people don't forget and we don't replicate this.

[A]

That's right, Harry. I mean, you know, we. We need to take a moment to just pause and, and remember what happened that day. There were police officers who died in the days that followed, you know, people like Brian Sicknick and, you know, there were people who were horribly injured that day. Our friend Mike Fanone is going to be with us on January 6th. Akalina Ganell, he's going to be there with us on January 6th. These are people who are badly injured still, still dealing with the aftermath of this. And we need to remember the people who protected our Capitol, who protected our democracy that day.

[B]

Yeah, a lot of people just, you know, well, it's easy because a lot of things happened that day. It was one of the darkest days of American history. It was the first time with the. We didn't have a peaceful transition of power. The elections delayed being certified, like, so many firsts. Right. But also, people were attacked. They were victims. They were real life people that had their lives turned upside down and even ended. And that includes some of the rioters. There were a lot of real life victims there. So it's easy to, you know, romanticized January 6th as, you know, a slogan. But people's lives were completely affected and turned upside down on that day, and we can't forget that. It, It's. There were real victims there. And you talk about, like I said, Brian Sicknick and Ashley Babbitt, you know, I'm not, you know, I'm not supporting her at all. But if, if January 6th didn't happen, if Donald Trump didn't tell them to go to the Capitol, she would still be alive. People would, you know, well, they're all out of jail now. But people, if there was accountability, people were in jail, I probably would still be a Capitol police officer. Not even involved. Y' all probably wouldn't know. I mean, y' all know who I am, but not like in the way that you are.

[A]

Just like, oh, there's Harry. He's a great guy, you know. Yeah, yeah, I know that guy. Yeah.

[B]

But here we are. But here we are. And that's the thing. There were real life victims from that day, and you saw the best of people from that day. And you got to see the worst of it, unfortunately. And moving on, we got to see the worst of America in that day. By Congress still refusing to acknowledge by hanging the plaque, which I have an active lawsuit against the architect of the Capitol for Refusing to honor what happened.

[D]

Unbelievable.

[B]

So I have to sue to get acknowledgement and recognition for what they already passed. It's not like I'm suing for them to. I'm not even gonna get into the whole damn lawsuit. We'll talk about that there at the event.

[C]

But.

[B]

But that just goes to show how they're trying to erase what happened that day by refusing to even hang up the plaque.

[A]

Yeah, no, it's a load of. And a lot of this is being led by Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, who is absolutely petrified and terrified of being a man. Of being a real speaker of the House, who stands up to the President of the United States.

[B]

He.

[D]

He.

[A]

He. He's essentially led around on a leash by Donald Trump. And he's not a man. A man would hang that plaque up and tell Donald Trump, you know, we're honoring the heroes who defended the Capitol that day.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

And I mean, Olivia, you know, and. And I. I will say, Harry, you might just be the OG Ruthless patriot. We just might have to start there. Harry gets T shirt print number one when that comes out.

[B]

Let's do it.

[A]

Let's do it.

[C]

Olivia, real quick on that note, since we're on that. Back on that topic and you all brought it up again, I would like to inform you all that I'm an implementer. As you know, I operationalize things. So we now have. We now own the URL and the domains. I just picked those up. So Ruthless Patriots is yours.

[B]

Ruthless Patriots. There we go. There we go. Look at that.

[A]

I love this.

[C]

And anyone who's joined this live is going to be, you know, grandfathered into this club. We will develop the merge. But, yes, I just wanted to let you know that that just happened.

[B]

There you go. There we go. I love it. I love it.

[A]

Olivia's on the case. Olivia can multitask. This is the thing, you know, that I've learned about Olivia is that she can multitask. It takes me. I barely can single task.

[D]

But, Jim, on the tech front, I'm like you. I don't even know how to spell URL. That's how bad I am.

[C]

I can juggle. I could juggle, too, guys, so stay tuned.

[B]

Well, Jim, I'm. I'mma tap out. If you wanted to, we're going to get one of our other friends who's going to join us at the event. I'll go to tap out. So everybody, if you're all able to join us, please join us in person. If not, we're going to, like Jim said we're going to live stream it, so we got a lot to talk about, so. Love you all. Love you guys. I talk.

[A]

Really appreciate.

[C]

Take care, Harry.

[B]

Later, y'.

[A]

All. Thanks. I'm gonna. I'll see if I can bring in Miles, but I think Miles said he had to put the kids in the car, so that might be. Put the family in the car. So he might have been in an indisposed position. But, but, I mean, you know, Glenn, you know, if Donald Trump had just been a man, I've said this many times, if Donald Trump just been a man and accepted that he lost the 2020 election, I, you know, when I talk to my sources behind the scenes that around that time, they told me that he was aware that he lost, that he knew he lost, and that he just didn't want to accept it. And so, you know, he was going to basically go about figuring out a way to overturn a free and fair election. And, you know, our democracy just can't allow that sort of thing. And I'm, I'm very. And we're already starting to see the same pattern of behavior emerge this time around with the upcoming midterms where you can't accept the fact that people are going to speak out, people are going to come out, come out against his, his actions during the second term and put in a new Congress. And so he's trying to circumvent that by doing all of this ridiculous redistricting that we're seeing in places like Texas and so on. And there's a, There's a pattern here. And I think that's part of the discussion, too, that we need to have.

[D]

Yeah. And Donald Trump is no kind of man to pick up on what you were saying. I mean, I never in a million years thought I would hear a president of the United States say, and I think this is damn near a quote, I don't take responsibility at all. I mean, not only does the buck not stop with him, he is forever pointing fingers and, you know, trying to deflect responsibility for everything that has gone so horribly wrong in his first administration. And now, you know, it seems even worse in this administration with, you know, murders in international waters, trying to militarize the streets of America, turning, you know, American against American, running roughshod over the due process rights, the Fourth Amendment rights, guarding against unreasonable searches and seizures of American citizens, of military veterans, of documented immigrants, of undocumented immigrants, of visitors to the United States. I mean, it's absolute insanity. But, you know, if there's one Thing that I hold fast to it is the results of the recent elections when you talk about the upcoming midterms. Because I think, you know, we have only begun to see just how pissed off America is. And I think that's right. He's going to try to interfere, Jim. I agree with you. He's going to try to interfere with our free and fair elections, as he always does, but he's going to fail. People are peeling away from him and going back to the no kind of man thing. I've never seen anybody complain and bitch and moan and whine so much all day, every day, particularly on social media when we're all enjoying our families. He's posting hundreds of times a holiday night, just complaining about everyone and everything. You know, I think he's getting weaker. I think he's circling the drains. I'd be surprised if he remains in the presidency for four years. I think politically he's going to end up imploding, you know, given. Given what we've seen him doing recently.

[A]

No, no, I think you're right about hiring.

[C]

Aren't we tired of him? Like, I just find him to be tired. Yeah, that's really the phrase for it. I just find him to be tired. Like, okay, yeah, let me guess. It's Joe Biden's fault again. Got it. Joe Biden's been out of office for, like, a year, but all right, let's blame Biden again. And he's still relitigating the 2020 election even though he's back in office and, like, we're several years later. So, I mean, I. I just. I actually think he's tired, and I think, like, we're all tired and exhausted from all that he's doing. But I actually think that some of his supporters are also tired of him failing them, because that's truly what is actually happening here. He's failing them on the policies that he himself promised. Right. In many ways. And in many ways, every time he fails, it's Joe Biden's fault. Well, it's like, okay, that excuse is getting old. We're all kind of seeing through it now. So it will be very interesting to see how he manages throughout this next year as we're going into midterm elections on what the talking points shift to, because from my experience, he's incapable of talking about anyone else but the Clintons and Joe Biden and the same people in Kamala Harris. Right. I mean, that's what we've seen.

[A]

That's right.

[C]

So, like, I'm just waiting you know, I mean, I'm surprised that even. I don't know, Glenn. I've been tracking the Venezuela thing, but the ship bombing, like, is that Joe Biden's fault too? Is Joe Biden the one. No, I think, I mean, what is going on here?

[D]

I think Barack Obama is at fault for that one. Right, let's go all the way back there.

[C]

Yeah, right, right. You're right. You're right. Yes, yes.

[A]

Jimmy Carter, who are they going to blame next?

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

No, I mean, but you're so right about this. And he still doesn't give up on the 2020 election being rigged. All this bizarre. He was saying it with Zelensky just in the last, what, day or two. He was with Zelensky and he was saying, well, the war in Ukraine would have never happened had I been, you know, had I stayed in power into 2021. And so he, he, he can't give up on this even though he knows deep down that he lost the election and he could. You know, the lying that we see coming from him on a, on a regular basis is, is so unhinged and deranged. I mean, he said next to Zelensky, just to stay on that subject for a moment, Olivia, he was saying, well, you know, Putin just wants the best for Ukraine. No, Putin wants all of Ukraine. Donald Trump, you are not playing with a full deck. There's in no world. Does that make any sense to anybody. Well, you know, go ahead.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I also think that Donald Trump can't do diplomacy on his own. There's always someone in his ear. Right. And so this time during the Zelensky, it was Putin, who did he talk to before the meeting? He had a conversation. Are you kidding me? He had to check in with his, his own master to figure out what he's allowed to do and what he's allowed to say and what he's going to do. And the reason he says that about the war in Ukraine is because he's probably right. There wouldn't have been a war because it would have just handed over the country and said, oh, you're allowed to do this and we're going to help you do it. I mean, that's what he's done. Right? I mean, we're seeing it. And it's not just a one off, by the way. We're seeing it in his antics with Greenland. We're seeing like these now picked an ambassador who's actually openly said that he thinks that Greenland should be annexed and become part of the US Which Denmark is sitting there like, no, we're not okay with this, what's happening here. Right. So we're constantly picking away at our allies. And who does that serve? People like Putin. So, like, I mean, that's right. Frankly, I think it's just appalling that that's how we're conducting our foreign policy now.

[D]

I mean, and Trump pledged that on day one, he would end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine. And what a miserable failure he has been at that. And I wish, you know, corporate media, legacy media would remind him of these things every damn day. I have to tell you, I don't want to use pedophiles as a punchline, but when Donald, when I heard Donald Trump say that Putin wants the best for Ukraine, all I could think of is that's literally like saying pedophiles want the best for children. I mean, it is just that. Yeah, Czar. A comparison that he makes.

[A]

Yeah, no, and, and the other thing that we should point out is, you know, he, you know, keeps talking about Russia, Russia, Russia being a hoax, as he describes it. He just described Epstein once again as a hoax. And, you know, this is what he does. And you know, Glenn, Olivia, we all, Harry, when he was on, we all understand the pattern. We see the pattern of behavior, the pattern of lying, the pattern of dishonesty and so on. But what we need to focus on, I think at this event coming up next week is not just on what took place in the past on January 6th, but what we are up against in this coming year. Because to me, what we're up against in this coming years is way worse than broken promises, way worse than, I mean, as bad as it is siding with Vladimir Putin, it is the potential undermining of our democracy. And I worry, Olivia, how far he's willing to go to stop these midterms from happening as, as we've seen midterms happen in the past, which is people go to the polls, they vote, election officials monitor those elections, they send in the returns, and we have results. I mean, keep in mind, we have a Speaker of the House who during the government shutdown would not swear in Adelita Grialva because she was going to be that critical vote to force the release of the Epstein files. He waited some six or seven weeks to do that. Does he try to do that the next time around if there's a new Congress that comes in, Democratic led Congress that wants to hold hearings and investigations and potentially try to impeach Donald Trump again? I, you know, that's what my concern is. Moving forward is, is that what he is capable of in the next 12 months?

[C]

Yeah. And that's what I was talking about when, you know, looking at what the Department of Homeland Security is doing, looking at how they're setting up some of these executive orders, if you really look at the fine print, and we can talk about that during the live town hall, is what's really behind the curtain there. And that's what's concerning to me is kind of like, what are they going to do when it comes to election machines? What are they going to do when they certify these elections? Like, how are they going to hold this up? And I, I mean, here's the thing, right. I mean, we know that the Department of Justice has shown itself to be basically Donald Trump's legal department.

[A]

That's right.

[C]

For his personal self, not for the actual independent jurisdiction of what the Department of Justice should be and the rule of law. Right. So, I mean, we have an extension which is basically his right hand person sitting there. And I think that is really the concern is how does this play out going forward? And I think there's a lot of people thinking about that. And I think about, you know, we need to be thinking about the election workers and we need to be thinking about the people who are going to run these elections, who are possibly going to face the harassment and the threats and the intimidation that happens along the way. And I think, I think I remind people of that because I think it's important to grow community and really support and remember that there are people, human lives at stake here who are thinking about this, on how they're going to navigate this, because they really are the people that are holding the line, that are doing their jobs in these roles with integrity.

[A]

Yeah. And Glenn, I mean, just to circle back and to start wrapping this up, I mean, what you were saying at the beginning of this, there needs to be accountability. But, but how do we have accountability when the Supreme Court has basically said that Donald Trump can basically do whatever he wants as President of the United States, that crimes committed in office have immunity. And my concern, and you and I have talked about this many times about the guardrails of our democracy and whether they stand and whether they hold? I think the next 12 months are going to be critical. They're going to give us the answer to that question. I think ultimately is whether we do indeed still have guardrails right now as we speak.

[D]

Yeah. And Jim, I think what we tend to forget in the Trump induced darkness is, you know, there are a few points of light, including even on the ruling in Trump versus United States, the presidential immunity ruling. Remember that Judge Chutkan was in the process of litigating which of the January six crimes could go to trial. Right. That it's not a done deal, that he has absolute presidential immunity for those January 6th crimes. I fully believe that she would have ruled that these were not core constitutional functions. These were not official government acts that were entitled to presumptive immunity. They may have been private acts as a candidate that were entitled to zero immunity. So listen, that, you know, we have been delayed. Justice has been delayed here. But we can't forget that just because the Supreme Court said, yeah, you have presidential immunity for core constitutional functions. Core constitutional functions represents a fairly small subset of what Donald Trump has done that is criminal. So we can get back on track. It's going to be an uphill climb. It's not going to be easy. It's not going to be fun. But Jim, all things are possible with accountability, but nothing good is a is possible without accountability. There has been no accountability thus far. But you know what? If we don't fight like hell for accountability, as soon as the rule of law comes back into the light of day, and it will, then I don't think we get to keep our republic. And I think we want to keep our republic.

[A]

Yeah. And I think what needs to be stated, you know, and hopefully the Democratic candidates who start running for president will say this clearly, and that is that there's not going to be any of this wishy washy Merrick Garland the next time a Democrat gets into the White House. If a Democrat can somehow get back into the White House, if there are going to be crimes committed by one party of this country to try to thwart our and subvert our constitutional election process, there have to be penalties. There have to be consequences. And it can't be that you can just game the justice system and drag things out until kingdom come. The investigations have to start right away. The prosecutions have to start right away. You can't do this Hamlet on the Potomac to be or not to be. And wonder whether or not it's a good idea to prosecute people who are trying to subvert our elections in this country. They are. These are crimes if you commit.

[D]

It feels like we need some ruthless patriotism, doesn't it?

[A]

It sounds like we need ruthless patriotism, no question about it. But. And so for the folks who are just tuning in, because I see even during a holiday week, we're getting a decent audience here, which is Wonderful. On January six, which is a week from Tuesday. Do I have that correct?

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Olivia's on the case. She, she has all the details here. We're going to have a live, live event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. if you can get a ticket and make it, be there in person, great. If not, because you can't get there, maybe there's going to be a blizzard or something. God help us, knock on wood, that that's not the case. We'll stream it, we'll put it out live so folks can see it as well. But make sure, make sure you tune in for that because we're not only going to honor the heroes who defended our Capitol that day and remember what happened that day, we're going to talk about how to prevent this from happening in the future, how to safeguard our democracy so it is there for future generations. But my thanks to Glenn and Olivia and to Harry, who hopped off earlier so we could bring in Miles, which we couldn't do. But it's a work in progress, folks. You know how it is. But in the meantime, really appreciate it. Thanks, Glenn. Thanks, Olivia.

[D]

Really thanks, Jim. Great seeing you.

[A]

All right.

[C]

Thanks so much. Bye, guys. Take care.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

All right.

[A]

We're going to take it easy on everybody since it's a holiday week, but thanks to everybody for watching. Really appreciate it. This was a special edition of the Jim Acosta Show. Might not be with you every day this week, but we'll try to get back to you with updates as all of this takes place. And thanks to everybody for being there. In the chats. I saw all of your terrific comments and saw some of our friends in there as well. I saw Lev and Aqualino and Miles and some other folks, some of our frequent guests on the show. So hoping to have some conversations with all of them in the future as well. Guys. This is a very important topic, folks, making sure that this democracy stands strong. You know, the year of 2025, I think was, was very much marked by people who bent the knee, people who bowed down to the tyrant. In 2025, I think let's make one small request for 2026, that this is the year that America stands strong, that all of us stand strong, that we all stand up to the dictator and stand up for the American way of life. Thanks to all of you for watching. Still reporting. I'll see you next time. Thanks for tuning in. Really appreciate it. Bye bye.