A (3:36)

Yeah.

B (3:37)

Did you hit your head this morning or did you just roll in drunk from the bar? Were you out late with Judge Jeanine? Were you hitting the box wine at 4am on the Mar a Lago patio?

A (3:51)

Yeah.

B (3:52)

You know how to spell the word comportment? What about decorum? It was just despicable. And I think the whole country saw it. The whole country understands these people are crazy and they're unfit. And as an old political consultant, what I would say, if you're a Democrat, you should run explicitly on Pam Bondi needs to be impeached, Howard Lutnick needs to be impeached, Jeanine Pirro needs to be impeached, and Kristi Noem needs to be impeached. They are unfit for the duties they hold. And the disaster of this is plainly evident. Maybe she's been sent by God to wake up the American people from their long slumber of indifference. Because anybody who watched that should understand that the rule of law in this country has a jackboot on its. On its throat. And in the end, she is protecting child rapists.

A (5:09)

That's right.

B (5:10)

He's belligerent about it. She's aggressive about it. And her refusal to turn around and face those women was an act of profound moral cowardice.

A (5:23)

I couldn't agree with you more, Steve. And I think that it also raises the question, and I've been talking about this on the show, and I think you and I have talked about this, is that it just looks more and more that Donald Trump has something to hide. And it is, and it is way bigger than just, you know, what he said to Marjorie Taylor Greene about, you know, how his buddies might get hurt, their reputations might get damaged and all this. First of all, we don't give a shit about that. We don't care who. Who goes to prison as a result of raping children. That's where you belong. But I just. It just seems to me, what stood out to me from that hearing is that she is protecting something that is very dark, very sinister, something the public is not aware of, that we don't have the answers to. And a lot of this stuff is in the files and it's been redacted. And I know, Steve, one of the things that you've done is your Group Save America has put out ads targeting a variety of issues. And one of those issues that you're targeting is Pam. Bonnie, let's play this and continue to talk about this. On the other side. The Pambani ad list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients.

B (6:24)

It's sitting on my desk right now to review. Pam Body also told us there were thousands of videos. Now, pedophile protector Pam is lying.

A (6:32)

Covering up crimes of a child rapist. Lies and just deceive others. They rock the foundation of the self.

B (6:39)

The more a person lies, the less they can trust their and reflection. Bondi's Epstein lies are ugly. Ever challenge my integrity?

A (6:48)

We do pan him a thousand times over. Paid for by Save America Movement. It's a powerful ad, Steve.

B (6:54)

Yeah, well, she is hideous. And I do challenge her integrity. She's a woman with no integrity. In fact, she's evil. And I don't use that word loosely. Covering up the rape of little girls, teenage girls and young women by some of the most powerful men in the world is abjectly evil. And we're uncomfortable with the use of that word. But if it's Brian Kroberger in Idaho, it is an act of evil. If it is Ted Bundy, if it's Himmler evil, what these people are is evil. And the country has been indifferent to it or deluded about it or the evil would land somewhere. That doesn't bother me. But as the old poem goes, first they come for and then next. And the country is in revolt against these vile, dishonest people who have shown us who they are. She will go down in history as one of the greatest villains in American history. And because of Pam Bondi, the Department of justice is going to be taken down to its studs and have to be rebuilt because the rule of law has been desecrated by her.

A (8:33)

That's exactly right. And it just seems to me that there's really no other choice at this point. I mean, it was just, it was just reported, you know, in the last day or so, that a federal judge has now agreed to block the Pentagon from going after Democratic Senator Mark Kelly for participating in that video that called on troops, US Troops to resist unlawful orders. The judge in the case ruled that Pentagon officials violated Kelly's First Amendment free speech. This, according to the Associated Press, and, quote, threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees. And this is, I mean, this is a judge who is nominated by President George W. Bush. And this judge says, to say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their government and our Constitution demands they receive it. I mean, these are not. This is not small potato stuff. When a George W. Bush judge comes after the Pentagon in that fashion. And it just seems to me it just. It just goes to the overall picture that Steve, you and I have talked about so many times about this rising authoritarianism, this rising fascism that is coming up under this second Trump term. And I know you're. You're taking a meat ax after that, too, with these ads. Let's play one of the ads that you have aimed at at this issue. Let's. Let's talk about this.

C (9:59)

Canada is being attacked and is under threat from a vicious cancer. That cancer is maga, and its leader is the American fascist Donald Trump. The cancer has crossed the border and has spread to unfaithful Canadians and traitors that want to break up Canada just to please the Mar A Lago madman who is coming for your freedom and your oil. We want you to know that you are in grave danger. In Donald Trump's Canada, citizens will be beaten, executed, or thrown into concentration camps with no due process. In Donald Trump's Canada, you too, will live in a violent, secret police state. MAGA is making America poorer, more dangerous. Why would any Canadian in their right mind want to live like that? That cancer must be stopped. And the American people stand with the free people of Canada. Join us.

A (10:56)

Yeah. And, Steve, this goes to. I mean, Trump's maniacal ideas about taking over Canada, which are just insane. I don't know why the Republicans in Congress have not stopped him after he says this crazy stuff. It is a. It is a. I mean, it's. It's like sounding the alarm for the 25th amendment.

B (11:15)

Yeah. On behalf of the 800,000 donors of the Save America movement and on behalf of scores of tens of millions of Americans, we're sending a message to the 40 million people of our ally, our friend, our brothers and sisters, our loved ones in Canada. That ad will be playing in Calgary and in Ontario, and it will be digitally targeted to hundreds of buildings and institutions. And we're going to be advertising against some of Trump's ambassadors in Denmark, in Poland, in Canada. And this threat is a global threat. And. And it's more than just about winning elections. In November, there will be an enormous landslide that will put Democrats in the majorities in the House, in the Senate, in state legislatures all across the country. But this moment requires that the world hear from the American people that we will oppose this, we will fiercely resist it, and we will stand up for Canada. Enough with the threats. Enough with the bullying, enough with the, with the insanity. And, and one of the ad campaigns that we're about to launch is going to be around federal courthouses, and that isn't ready to start yet, but soon. And what that message will be, Jim, particularly in the D.C. federal courthouse where Jeanine Pirro has jurisdiction and where she tried to indict six members of Congress. Congress, we're going to communicate to every prospective juror going through the door digitally. They're going to see the ads and it's going to say, this is a serious duty. You are an American citizen. You cannot trust the corrupt Trump prosecutors. You cannot trust their evidence. You cannot trust a word they say. And when they ask you to lock up American patriots, when they ask you to lock up their political opponents, nullify it, say no. Return the no bill. And we're going to use the First Amendment as our shield and as our sword fearlessly to oppose this. I have no doubt that Judge Jeanine will say that's an obstruction of justice. And my response to Judge Jeanine is go fuck yourself. It's not. And so we are going to communicate on behalf of Americans, to our friends, to the voters in this country about what's at stake, and we're going to do it with some of the hardest hitting, most truthful political ads that anybody has ever seen.

A (14:07)

Well, and I think it's an important message not to, just to deliver to our friends in Canada, but I mean, all around the world, because, I mean, you look what's taking place even during the Olympics right now. You have Olympic skiers and other athletes who are speaking out, and the right wing is attacking them. JD Vance is attacking them. Donald Trump is attacking them. And they're saying, hey, just stick to your sport. Just go out there and skate. Just go out there and ski. But what people don't understand is, and you only see this and understand this when you travel around the world, is that the rest of the world, the rest of the free, democratic world is very concerned about what is happening in the United States. And they think Donald Trump is out of his goddamn mind. And so, of course, our athletes are hearing this and they're delivering these messages to say, you know, don't, don't just think that Donald Trump is what America is all about. There's, there's a lot of us back in America who are very concerned about what he's doing, about this rise of authoritarianism, what ICE has been doing to innocent civilians in Minneapolis and other cities. And I think it's a very good message to Send to Canada. And you also have an ad that's targeting our friends in Poland, and we should play that. Let's play that, too, if we have that.

D (15:20)

Poland has seen evil descend upon it before. It knows the sound of fascist boots. It remembers living with brutality, oppression, death and tyranny. Poland is under threat and attack from the vicious cancer of America. America's fascist Trump and his incompetent ambassador, Tom Rose. Pope John Paul II told the world, do not be afraid. We're here to tell you this. Do not be afraid of these American fascists. John F. Kennedy said the whole world was indebted to Poles who have been fighting and dying for centuries in the cause of freedom everywhere. Tom Rose doesn't care about Poland's freedom. Freedom. Tom Rose embarrasses and shames Americans with his threats and silent treatment. How dare he threaten Europe's bravest people? How dare he, the American people, stand with the people of Poland. Join us.

A (16:19)

Yeah, Steve, let's talk about why that's so important. I mean, I, I think it's. The polls are, are just. They're invaluable in their partnership with the United States when it comes to European security. They're right on Ukraine's doorstep. Talk a little bit more about the purpose of that and why that's.

B (16:37)

Well, you have a. First off, that ad will run in English throughout Poland, but also in Polish. Peter Coyote.

A (16:45)

Who is Peter Coyote, the great actor.

B (16:47)

The American ambassador is a disgrace. He's a Trump stooge who's threatened Poland. He's debased his office, he's debased the American people. When he threatens Poland, when he interferes in Polish domestic politics, when he tries to bully an ally, it deserves a response from the American people. So we will take on Maga wherever Maga is, poisoning freedom, whether it be in Poland, whether it be in Denmark, whether it be in Canada, and, of course, in our own country. And we are going to make certain that the ambassador is known. I can tell you that most of these people, Trump's billionaire stooges, the Tech Bros, have very thin skin. He doesn't look like a guy who's going to enjoy the ad campaign that is going to squeeze in on him and make life very uncomfortable for him in Poland. He is spreading misery under the American flag to people who don't deserve it. And we're going to reciprocate it with him as the target.

A (18:02)

Yeah, well, and I also think, I mean, just to go back to the conversation about the, the ad that you have targeting The Canadians, which I think is, is absolutely vital, is that you bring up this issue of ICE and these detention camps that are being built all around the United States. We don't know as a, as a people what the hell the Trump administration is doing. You have Tom Homan getting out there in front of the cameras and saying, you know, we're leaving Minnesota and so on. I think people are going to be tempted to say that the administration is raising the white flag. I mean, he said this ridiculously stupid thing where he said that they are leaving Minnesota safer. He said the surge is leaving Minnesota safer. I'll say it again, it's less of a sanctuary state for criminals after they murdered two American citizens in the streets. It's absolutely shameful, gaslighting of the American people. And I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on all this, because to me, these detention centers that are, they're trying to build all around the country, they're not being built in response to ICE de escalating. They're just going to move this circus to another city and unleash what they did in Minneapolis. It seems to me, I think, that.

B (19:16)

It is more appropriate to call these concentration camps. That's what they are. When you have 70 people laying in their feces on floors, can't get medicine, can't get outside, or being abused, being tortured. A few minutes before we came on in the Senate hearings, Rand Paul's committee, you heard the leaders of ICE say under oath that no, it is not illegal to yell at an ICE agent. No, it is not illegal to film an ICE agent. But every day we see these mass Gestapo drawing weapons, pointing them at American citizens, beating American citizens, abusing American citizens. And it will not stand that within three years time there will be justice, there will be prosecutions. Governor Waltz talked about the generational trauma inflicted on Minnesota's children who watch their classmates being stolen away, who were raised in an era where truth, justice in the American way became a joke. The assault on Minnesota is amongst the most despicable events in the history of the country. And this rogue agency that is funded with more money by the Marine Corps and is going to be disbanded, it is going to disappear. There won't be a Border Patrol. We'll have an agency that polices the border, but it won't be the U.S. border Patrol. There won't be any more uniforms and any Democrat who thinks that they can run in 2028 without tackling the toughest and hardest issues, including taking away legal immunities from the big tech companies. Breaking up the big tech companies has as much rocks in their heads as does Pam Bondi before the US House of Representatives. There is a reckoning coming due in America for all of this lawlessness. Tom Homan, his only credential is that he's not Greg Pavino, who is, who is deeply, deeply disturbed and allowed this lawlessness to go on. But Tom Homan, who calls himself a Catholic preposterously, is the architect of an evil policy, the child separation policy that hearkens to some of the worst abuses in our nation's history, back to the days of slavery, to the separation of Indian children from their parents and placements and reservation schools. It is. It is internment camps.

A (22:25)

That's right.

B (22:27)

And in the end, the American people are going to fix this. We're in the middle of a crisis, but also in the early hours of an awakening. And maybe Frederick Douglass talked about this, that after the Dred Scott decision, when he was so deeply depressed, he gave a speech and said that maybe, just maybe, this is all part of some link in a chain, a necessitous link that we can't see yet clearly and understand, that will bring about the end of the whole rotten institution. What happened in Minnesota has galvanized the country.

A (23:17)

That's right.

B (23:18)

And has fortified the resolve is they shot two people down and there were 10,000 more ready to stand up. Those lives are lost. The murder took them from their kids and their loved ones and their families. But it will help give birth to a. To a new liberty and a new sense of freedom in this country where Americans never believed that this could happen here. Well, not only did it happen here, it's happening here. And now we have to not just deal with this as a theory, but we have to act together to make it stop. To end.

A (24:00)

Yeah.

B (24:01)

And that's what you're seeing come together all across the country.

A (24:04)

Yeah. And, Steve, I want to have you put your Republican strategist hat or your political strategist hat back on for a second here, because I do want to go over something you just said talking about how there's a reckoning coming. The reason why. One of the reasons why there's a reckoning coming because is because Donald Trump is toxic. He is now toxic politically in this country. He's about as popular as Jeffrey Epstein. And there are these polls that are coming out now. There's a brand new one from the Associated Press showing that Trump's approval is now down to 36%. Much of this because of the deportation operations. He's cratered in the NBC poll that came out recently, 39, 37, and the Economist YouGov survey that just came out. And so when you have a president of the United States heading into a midterm cycle in the mid to upper 30s, as a, as a, as a political strategist, Steve, how toxic is that? Because you can win national elections when the candidate is maybe, when the guy is maybe in his 40s, mid to upper 40s. But this, this is Nixon territory. This is post January 6th territory for Donald Trump.

B (25:14)

I said the last time I was on with you that his numbers would be down between 29 to 32% by the last day of March. And he is on target to achieve it early. His, his numbers in the private polling that is being done by the consultants in both parties is about 35, 36% right now. What you have to understand is that the Latino vote that was attained in 2024, it's gone. Obliterated. Kaboom. The black vote that he had some record numbers with. Kaboom. It's gone. That the independence, gone. The coalition is annihilated. It's gone. And the Republican Party, you see some of the consultants talking about, well, there's going to be a wave. And the only question is, is it going to be a 2 foot or a 5 foot wave? These people are deluded. The wave is going to be 50ft high. The wave is going to be biblical. The wipeout in this election will be talked about for the rest of American history. But there's a caution I have to give. This is not a validation of Chuck Schumer.

A (26:47)

Right.

B (26:48)

This is not a validation of, of Hakeem Jeffries. This is people in the water reaching for the oar on the lifeboat because it's there, not because they want to be in the water and had any desire to get a ride in the lifeboat. And in the aftermath of this, there cannot be a repeat of what happened after 2022 when you saw, when you saw Democrats win against the MAGA extremists. And Chuck Schumer comes out and says, they love me, they love me. It was a vote for us. No, it's not a vote for them. Democrats have a lot of work to do to earn the trust back of the American people. And what it means is they're going to have to start the cleanup. One of the things that's so important, Joe Walsh, our friend, talks about this. His number one issue is tearing down the ballroom monstrosity. Presuming, yes, it gets built.

A (28:08)

Yeah.

B (28:09)

And that's important. Because it's an easy thing to do. If you can't do that, good luck. Breaking up the Homeland Security Department that needs to be broken up. It is a profound threat to American liberty. In fact, it has attained peer status for George Bush as co equal on his two disastrous decisions, signing the Homeland Security Department into existence and the Iraq war, taking away the legal immunities from big tech, breaking up these companies. The reality is in 2029, this is not extreme, this is necessary. And remember, I'm not a Democratic socialist, I'm a former Republican, and I say this in the spirit of Teddy roosevelt progressive Republicanism. SpaceX needs to be nationalized. He needs to be removed as the CEO. A board has to be reconstituted and then the government can privatize it and have an IPO for it. But Elon Musk, a global fascist, a non state actor, isn't going to hold the United States hostage and our allies hostage. Jeff Bezos is. Amazon needs to be broken up. It's a monopoly. These tech companies that have done so much damage to our children need to be paid. Taxes that are unpaid by the world's richest people need to be paid. And the reform era that is coming is one that Democratic leaders have to embrace through the prism of not. Oh, I just got this dial test back by the 10 Democratic pollsters that we all treat like some version of Jim Jones.

A (30:29)

Right.

B (30:29)

But, but instead lead. You know, Franklin Roosevelt didn't poll. Abraham Lincoln didn't have polling. Sometimes leadership has to be conviction based. You have to say, I'm prepared to lose an election standing for the right against the wrong. And anybody who would do a poll and think that the answer in the poll excuses them from confronting what we saw through Pam Bondi's testimony has rocks in their head. And so, so there's going to be a huge victory, an enormous repudiation, but out of that victory, a lot of hard work has to be done.

A (31:15)

Absolutely. And I, I think that hard work is going to get done and I think people just have to stay hopeful in all of this. And, and, and also, you know, keep in mind that between now and November, Trump is going to try to pull a fast one. He's going to try to pull multiple fast ones to avoid the accountability, the reckoning that is coming. Steve Schmidt, always great to talk to you. Happy to show those ads and can't wait. They're going to knock some people's socks off, I have a feeling. So thanks, Steve. Great to see you as always.

B (31:44)

Good to see you, Jim.

A (31:45)

All right. Take care. Thank you. You know, I want to finish out the show talking about a subject that I wish I covered more often on the show, and it's the subject of climate change. When I talk to my kids, when I talk to a lot of young people around the country and I ask them, what's the issue that you're concerned about, what's on your mind? A lot of times what you hear is climate change. And it is just grossly uncovered by mainstream media, legacy media, corporate media. And I don't think we do it enough in independent media. And we better start covering it now and do more of it because look at what the Trump administration is doing right now. The fight against climate change has suffered another blow. This is the New York Times that the Trump administration announced, this was on Thursday, that they are erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government's legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet. The action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging heat waves, droughts, wildfires and other extreme weather. I mean, this is of course, led by Donald Trump, who has referred to climate change as a hoax. And I can't think of a more dangerous thing that Donald Trump could do right now in this moment to the health and well being of this planet more than this, that we're just basically going to stop fighting climate change in America. What is that going to do to other countries around the world? They're going to say, well, if Donald Trump and America are going to do it, we're going to do this too. And we can't just lower our guards when it comes to this threat to the safety and well being of our planet. And I mean, I, you know, a lot of people are saying right now, well, look at the, look at the ice storm in D.C. look what's happened in the east coast. Look how cold it's been. Whatever happened to climate change? You know, look, look at all the snow that we have everywhere that won't melt. Folks, that is not what climatologists point to. They don't point to, you know, this ice storm here, that's snowstorm there. They, they point to the cumulative effect that climate change has all of us has on all of us. And for the folks who are like, oh, well, what about this ice storm here? Let me just show you a different piece of evidence that you might want to put into your, into your discussion on all of this. This is Vail in Colorado. The ski resorts out west are having one of the worst seasons that they've ever had. This is Park City and Utah in early February. They have no snow at these ski resorts. And if you go out and I'm, I'm a big skier, I love to go skiing out west. You talk to the people who operate these ski resorts out west and they will tell you that their industry is being decimated right now because the winters are getting shorter on both ends. They're not getting as much snow. And you talk to officials in Utah, and they will tell you that this lack of snow that they have out there, it is a lot more than just, you know, what, what is going to take place with ski season. They also rely on the snowpack for their water when it gets into the dry months. And they have very dry months during the spring and summer and even fall out west in places like Utah. And so that is why when you talk to climatologists, they will tell, you have to look at the body of evidence. You have to take into consideration what's taking place on all around the world. And you're seeing that our storms are getting more sinister, they're getting more destructive. The amount of damage that is being done by hurricanes down on the Gulf coast, decimating people who live on the Gulf coast, their ability to buy insurance for their homes and so on, this is all getting exponentially worse year after year after year. So the folks, this has been on my mind to respond to the folks who are like, well, look at this ice storm or look at this snowstorm. You got to look at the big picture, folks. You got to look at the cumulative picture. And it just seems to me that this is one of those topics because Donald Trump, we're sipping from a fire hose of insanity, care of Donald Trump on a daily basis, that we're ignoring the big things, that we're ignoring the big threats. And if the United States government, and keep in mind, that's what Donald Trump and his administration, that's what they are. They're the United States government. If the United States government is going to signal to countries around the world that we're no longer in the fight against climate change, what does that signal to China? Obviously, one of the biggest polluters in the world, if not the biggest polluter, India, you know, one of the biggest polluters, if not the biggest polluter in the world, Russia. Not that we can count on the Russians all that much, but I mean, the industrialized world, this is no time for the industrialized world to lower our defenses against climate change. And this is why it is so vitally important for young people to get engaged. A lot of young people, a lot of young voters, gen zers, they're pissed off, they're frustrated, they're demoralized, they're dejected, and they think that this government doesn't work for them anymore. And in many ways, they're right. But if you care about the future of this planet, if you're wondering what, what is our environment going to be like when you reach this old guy's age, what kind of shape are we going to be at that point? The time to start caring about climate change was yesterday. And this is no time to let down our guards. And just want to thank all of you for tuning in. I don't do this enough, but I'm going to do it again right here. It matters so much to us when you support the work of this program, when you support what we do in independent media, when you subscribe, if you become a paid subscriber, and if you like, if you share the content that you're getting on this show, it means something. It, it, it, it helps support the work that we do. And for those of you who do that, I appreciate it very much. And yes, you're probably noticing I'm in another one of these weird hotel setups. I've been on the road in California all week talking to some folks, been on some panel discussions talking about the importance of saving democracy in this country. And I'm getting back to D.C. so I'll have the old set behind me next week. But in the meantime, I am reporting from San Francisco with the cable cars and the Bay Bridge and, and the Golden Gate Bridge and all of those great things and the sourdough bread. And I had a chipino last night. It was wonderful. Always love the people of San Francisco and the people out here in California and, but really appreciate all the support that you give to this program day in, day out. It, it means so much to me and to the people who work on this program. But in the meantime, still reporting this time from California, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you next time. Sa.