← The Jim Acosta Show
The Jim Acosta Show
TRUMP SHUTDOWN DAY 3, PLUS EPSTEIN STATUE IS BACK. WITH MIKE FANONE AND MATT FRIEND
00:52:23
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- [00:01]
A
MAGA shutdown, day three, America held hostage by Donald Trump. Even the Liberty Bell is closed for business. Welcome to the Jim Acosta show. And that's right, it is day three of the MAGA shutdown. It's also Friday. We are bringing back from the dead or near dead another edition of it Friday. And of course, no Friday would be complete without my buddy Mike Fanone. And are we at the point now where we, we don't really feel uncomfortable saying we just, we just say it now, is that right?
- [00:41]
B
I mean, I, I've spent the better part of, you know, the last four years of TV appearances trying to normalize foul language on, you know, cable news, legacy media. I, I think it eventually got me canned. But, you know, here we are in independent media where there are no rules.
- [01:04]
A
Well, we get shit canned one way or another these days, Mike. It is day three of the MAGA shutdown, and it doesn't look good. Mike. Hope this is the AP saying hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown faded Friday. Republicans, Democrats dug in for a prolonged fight. Trump is playing games, of course, he's putting out memes. I mean, a normal president, you and I grew up with, like, TV shows like the West Wing and stuff like that. A normal president would be trying to get something done. His team would be working with congressional leaders. They would have a bunch of meetings. There's none of that. And by the way, we haven't even seen Trump out in front of the press for the third day in a row, which, Mike, I think that tells you everything that you need to know in terms of what they're seeing from the polling. The polling shows this is a giant sham sandwich for him. Easy for me to say.
- [01:57]
B
Yeah. No, I saw Harry.
- [02:00]
A
Is it Anton Eaton, something like that? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [02:03]
B
The most annoying pollster on the planet.
- [02:06]
A
He's okay.
- [02:08]
B
Came out with his voice. Just bothers me.
- [02:12]
A
It's Friday. You can, you can say what you want.
- [02:14]
B
Yeah, well, I, I will. It annoys the. Out of me. But the polls are not looking good for the Republican Party. The vast majority of. Of Americans, regardless of your political affiliation, recognize the fact that this is a Republican manufactured government shutdown.
- [02:36]
A
Yeah.
- [02:37]
B
You know, regardless of the fact, you know, they control all three branches of government. But I think the most telling aspect of it was, you know, when Donald Trump himself sat down with Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, and he tells Chuck Schumer that regard, whatever we have to do, we're going to get our way, whether it's through the military or something else, or through a government shutdown. Like what, what does that even mean?
- [03:10]
A
Yeah, that's not.
- [03:11]
B
Other than the fact that he refuses to negotiate. And I mean, listen, like, Democrats have a responsibility to negotiate on behalf of their constituents. Especially today since this president seems to dismiss the 50% of the country that didn't vote for him. Somebody's got to represent those, you know, those individuals. It's the first time in history that a president has literally declared, I am not a president for those that did not or do not support me. You know, I think back to like, the, you know, the Biden administration where all, like, the MAGA folks were like, he's not my president. Well, you can literally say, Donald Trump is not your president if you don't support him because he doesn't want to be your president.
- [04:06]
A
Yeah, no, he, he's not interested in being a president for anybody who is a Democrat or once voted for a Democrat or, you know, isn't, I guess, wearing a bright red MAGA hat. And, you know, he is going after blue states. You know, they're announcing they're going to take transportation money away from New York. They're, they're, they're trying to rattle the cages of, you know, Democratic politicians across the country. And then he's also putting out these, these stupid memes. He's like a kid on tick tock with these stupid. Let's play the one, the latest one where he, I guess, I don't know, maybe he's going to get sued by Blue Oyster Cult. But he, he ripped off the Grim Reaper, Don't Fear the Reaper and dressed up the Grim Reaper with. What's his name, Russ Vogt, the guy who's in charge of Office of Management and Budget. Let's, we'll show a little bit of that. We'll talk about. Good song. Now their time has come. Here the power gone GR is the reaper. He built a pen. The thin. I think that's, that's probably enough. I mean, I, you know.
- [05:35]
B
I gotta say, the first time I saw that, all I could think about was like the, the SNL skit with Will. Will Frell. Internet, do your thing. Superimpose Donald Trump's head onto Will or Will Frell's body. And that should be the next meme.
- [05:58]
A
The Democrats could fire that one back. Yeah, because Will Ferrell's got the gut hanging out of the shirt and he's hitting the cowbell with Christopher Walken. Yeah, yeah. He's like, I got a fever. I got a feeling. The Cure is more cow bell, that one. Right? I've watched way too much SNL over the years.
- [06:14]
B
Yeah, yeah, I, I, I don't, it's.
- [06:19]
A
A game to him.
- [06:21]
B
It, it's stupid and that, you know, to your point before, like, I don't even think Donald Trump necessarily wants to. Like, he doesn't want to do the things that the President has to do. Like, he doesn't want to be president. He just wants to be on television. You know, he wants to, you know, say provocative things, do provocative things, fool around on the Internet and go golfing and sell his wares. You know, whether it's bitcoin or his 20 Trump 2028 hats. I mean, I, I just, you know, like, I'm not a huge fan of Chuck Schumer, and I'm definitely not a fan of Hakeem Jeffries, but I can't even imagine as, like, two, you know, relatively serious men who've spent, you know, quite a considerable amount of their lives in public service to go into the Oval Office and see Donald Trump. And then during this meeting where they're trying to negotiate their way out of a government shutdown, two Trump 20, 28 hats mysteriously appear on the, on the table. Like, what the is wrong with him?
- [07:36]
A
There's something seriously the wrong with him. And it's all, it's all a game. He just wants to troll. Yeah, I guess, you know, he's been a troll his whole life, but social media, you know, landed in all of our laps right when, you know, he became a political contender. And now he uses this technology to sort of pollute our daily lives with whatever nonsense is rolling around in his head. And there's, there are enough trollish people like him who will give him all the memes that he, his heart desires. I mean, to me, it just, and that thing with the Mexican hats on Hakeem Jeffries and so on, it's just so childish. And I think it's part of the reason why the, the polls are where the polls are. The American people are looking at this and saying, he's not serious, he's not trying to solve this. And maybe on day three of the shutdown, there's not a lot of pain involved yet. Not all the museums have closed down and so on, but that's coming. There's, there's, there's negative stuff coming. And I, I kind of wonder if, like, this weekend, you know, he hasn't been out in front of the camera. So I wonder if this weekend they're going to try to figure out a way to get him out of this because I get the sense that they think this is bad, like really bad for them.
- [08:50]
B
Yeah, I mean, you, you saw, you know that clip that went viral where Madeline Dean was talking to Mike Johnson. Mike Johnson. And I guess he didn't realize that he was on a hot mic. But you know, she says, like, guys, he's unhinged and, and he acknowledges it and then does the, you know, all too familiar. Well, there's people that are unhinged on, on your side of the aisle too. Yeah, he's a President of the goddamn United States of America. You're acknowledging as a Speaker of the House that he's not. Well, that's right.
- [09:31]
A
That's what that video said to me. No question.
- [09:33]
B
You know, and the other thing too, because, you know, I know that like the MAGA trolls, they'll say, well, you know, oh, you can't take a joke. Like, it's a joke. It's a joke. Well, yeah, you know, I can take a joke and there's lots of times that I think it's appropriate to poke fun, you know, at your opponents. That being said, like, we're talking about millions of people's livelihoods and you're playing a game with millions of people's livelihoods. Although, you know, even Trump tried to, to spin that in saying that, well, hey, don't worry, I'm only going to fire people that are Democrats.
- [10:12]
A
Right.
- [10:13]
B
And I'm only going to cut programs that are, you know, traditionally left leaning programs. Although, I don't know, you know, like things like Snap, Wick, Medicare, Medicaid. I mean, these are all things that benefit Americans across.
- [10:35]
A
You know, a lot of, a lot of Trump supporters. Yeah, a lot of Trump supporters. I will tell you, having been to a lot of Trump rallies, a lot of those folks are on Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, you name it. No question about it. There's no question about it. So when they're talking about going after Democrat programs, they're talking about hurting their own people. And, and you know, they're stupid if they don't see that. They're just, just unbelievably stupid if they don't. And they, they are, but they, to not see that is almost, it's political malpractice. And for folks who are like, oh, he doesn't care, blah, blah, blah, they, they care to the extent that when the polls come in and it shows him, you know, upper Creek without a paddle, he's deathly afraid of 2026. He is so afraid of what's going to happen during these midterms. That's why he's trying to redraw all these congressional maps. And if the courts don't let him do that, and he's just this wildly unpopular, unhinged, unwell person, the voters are going to go apeshit on him.
- [11:43]
B
Republicans are even starting to, I mean, I've seen some ads popping up here and there where they're actually starting to run ads saying, like, hey, listen, if you don't support Republican candidates going into the midterms, the Democrats are going to invoke the 25th Amendment and they're going to go after, they're going to try to impeach or remove Donald Trump. Like we need to, you know, we, we need to keep a majority in, in the House and the Senate, otherwise we're going to lose the presidency. I, I, you know, I think that, I'm sure he's worried to an extent. I also, I think he feels so emboldened by the Supreme Court's.
- [12:25]
A
Yep.
- [12:25]
B
You know, granting him, you know, immunity or at least in his mind, what he believes. And I mean, who knows? I mean, if it was ever challenged under his administration, I feel pretty confident in saying that this Supreme Court would come to his rescue, you know, regardless of, you know, how outrageous his actions may have been outside the scope of the office of the presidency.
- [12:50]
A
No, I think that's right. I mean, but just, I mean, just to show you, like, you know, some of the nervousness that's going on inside the Republican Party right now about this shutdown, Josh Hawley, you remember Josh Hawley, Mike, Mr. Fist at the Capitol on January 6th. Yes. He says he's, he's warmed up to the idea that Democrats are pushing to get out of the shutdown. Democrats are saying, well, if we extend these Obamacare tax credits, which basically helps help people who are working class Americans afford Obamacare, he, he said today we've got to do something to make sure the premiums don't essentially double, which they will in my state. We can't allow that to happen. So Josh Hawley is admitting what the Democrats are saying, which is that everybody's health care costs or a lot of people's health care costs, especially under Obamacare, are going to go up big time if there isn't a fix that's done between now and when those increases take effect. And so if Josh Hawley is sounding like a Democrat on this particular issue, they know inside the Republican Party that they're kind of not to get too Wonky. But they understand that they're kind of fucked on this.
- [13:56]
B
Yeah, no, I mean, yeah, some, some Republican representatives are starting to recognize the fact that, you know, their constituents are going to be adversely affected, I mean, tremendously impacted in a negative way, you know, by the big, beautiful bill and then by this, you know, these Republican cuts to things like Medicare, Medicaid.
- [14:23]
A
Yeah, that's right. That's right. And, and the other thing, Mike, that I wanted to talk to you about is they're talking about putting the National Guard in Portland this weekend. We're seeing ICE agents going around Chicago wearing masks and stuff like that. I know you and I have talked about this before, but coming from a law enforcement background, I mean, I guess part of it is that they're, they're just getting us normalized. They're, they're getting us used and accustomed to seeing this in our communities. And I, I, I, I, I, I love the people of the National Guard, don't get me wrong. But I see them going around my neighborhood in D.C. and, and my neighborhood in D.C. does not need the National Guard. It just doesn't like, it's just that that's, that's not where I would deploy them. But what are your thoughts? I mean, they're putting them in, they want to put them in Portland.
- [15:11]
B
Yeah. I mean, up until now, this is just, it's been purely performative, all part of the Trump theatrical show, you know, purporting to be, you know, for law and order. But we have now the benefit of 45, 50 days of National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C. and we've seen the way that they've been utilized. And it's not to downplay the significance of this type of a deployment. And I do agree, I think that, you know, in part, it's to normalize the presence of military troops in American streets. And, you know, my real concerns come from, you know, what may come, you know, as we get closer to the midterm elections. But as far as what we've seen, you know, for the viewers on here that are not in Washington, D.C. or not familiar so far, they've been doing one of two things. They've been paid to sightsee in Washington, D.C. all I've seen is troops in full combat uniform with AR15 slung over their shoulders, walking around the National Mall, taking in the World War II memorial and, you know, the Washington Monument, et cetera. The other thing that they've been tasked with is gardening. They've been picking up trash. They've been doing, you Know, mowing lawns and you know, all of this to the tune of a million dollars plus a day. Not to mention the fact that you're, you know, impacting these individual Americans lives. You're uprooting them from their homes, you're forcing them to travel to Washington D.C. sleep in a barracks, be away from their families and their normal regular jobs. Yeah, right, exactly. Now they're not getting paid.
- [17:02]
A
Now they're not getting paid.
- [17:03]
B
Government shutdown.
- [17:04]
A
So.
- [17:08]
B
When Trump says that it's for public safety, that they are reducing crime, I mean, listen, one, they're only deploying these troops to areas that I would describe as someone who policed Washington D.C. for 20 years as low crime areas. The National Mall, Union Station are not areas in which crime is running rampant. And so if there was crime there, sure, they're displacing it for the time that they are deployed in that area. I mean it, you know, criminals are not that dumb. They're not going to commit crimes when there are uniformed, you know, personnel in, in their vicinity. Even though these National Guard troops have absolutely no law enforcement capabilities, they can't make arrests. They have pretty much the same capabilities as any other citizen. They can pick up the phone and call 911 and request law enforcement. You know, now I do worry, of course. We've talked about this many times about like a Kent State moment. You get some 18 year old, 19 year old guard member who's on his first, you know, big city deployment and now he's got a gun, he may see a crime and you know, forget the fact that he can't, you know, is not legally allowed to act. Now remember, these guys have had absolutely no law enforcement training, none, Zippo, zero. And then decides to intervene with his AR15 or his sidearm. And, and now we have this catastrophic incident in which, you know, a untrained agent of the, you know, government tries to intervene and ends up shooting and killing someone.
- [18:53]
A
Yeah, yeah. And I mean when you say they're not trained for law enforcement, I mean, Donald Trump said the other day at Quantico, talking to the nation's generals who flew in from all around the world to listen to his crazy talk, as we've, well, we're going to use American cities as training grounds for this. I mean, you and I have been around the block a time or two. I mean, it's just unreal crazy talk. I mean, it's like what Madeline, the congressman, Madeline Dean was saying, unhinged, unwell, to suggest that you're going to do this on A widespread basis in a lot of American cities. I mean, that, that's something I think a lot of Americans should think about this weekend. Like, what the. Is going on with this president? Seriously?
- [19:41]
B
Yeah, I mean, listen, in all seriousness, I, that was, for me, that was like, hopefully this starts normalizing the 25th Amendment talk. The idea that we now have a president of the United States that has suggested that it is, you know, would be appropriate to use American cities as training ground for the American military. And I feel pretty confident that regardless of, you know, those generals and, and flag officers of the United States military's political persuasions, that they would out and out reject the notion, you know, that that would happen. But I, and I don't think that that meeting was meant for the individuals that were in the room. I think that the meeting was meant for rank and file military personnel and I think it was meant for future ranks, future, you know, enlistees who may be coming into the military that, hey, listen, this is a whole new, you know, this is a whole new military. I mean, the Pete Headshot thing, I mean, this is a. I almost feel sorry for the guy. He clearly has imposter syndrome. He, he tries so desperately to gain the respect and admiration of, you know, people that clearly outclass him. And it, there's something pathetic about it.
- [21:12]
A
Yeah, he's crying on the inside. Yeah, it's.
- [21:14]
B
Yes, I, I would imagine that immediately after that, the lack of applause, that he went somewhere and experienced the business end of a bottle for, for a sustained period of time.
- [21:28]
A
Yeah. Just sobbing uncontrollably in a Don's Jack.
- [21:32]
B
Yes.
- [21:34]
A
But, you know, last case of emotion. There's another Will Ferrell thing.
- [21:37]
B
But anyway, I mean, there's a lot of parallels to that and, and what we saw in Memphis. I mean, you saw the, the, you know, Pam Bondi's down there.
- [21:44]
A
Yeah. Stephen Miller.
- [21:45]
B
Stephen Miller, addressing these, you know, police officers from Memphis, Tennessee. And I was on MSNBC last night talking about, you know, my reaction to that. And again, I think it was a made for TV moment. I mean, as a, as a police officer, I know that the vast. First of all, I don't think there's, I've never spoken to a police officer, even the die hard MAGA folks that have any respect for Stephen Miller. And I called him last night, I said, he's an unhinged nerd. And I stand by that. But what concerns me is not that these police officers hear his propaganda speech and then tomorrow they go out and just start beating the hell out of People. No, I mean, their training, their departmental policies and protocols are so ingrained in them that, you know, they, it's just going to be business as usual for the most part. That being said, I, I do, I have a great deal of concern for what the future of law enforcement looks like and the type of people that this administration is going to attract into that profession's ranks and what we're, you know, what, what's going to happen going forward? I mean, you already see ice. And I'm always clear to say, you know, Jim, when I talk about law enforcement, there's law enforcement agencies and then there's ice. ICE has just become this whole other animal that's the secret police. Yeah, it's, it's, it's Donald Trump's national police force. And it is, it's unaccountable to the American people. You've seen countless attempts by members of Congress to gain access into their affiliate facilities as they are legally obligated to do.
- [23:40]
A
Yep.
- [23:40]
B
And they're not, they're not allowed access. Some have been, you know, we, we saw the representative that was pushed to the ground for simply trying to attend a press conference and, you know, God forbid, ask a question.
- [23:53]
A
Yeah, yeah, we talked to a congressional candidate the other day. She was tossed to the ground by ICE outside a facility in Chicago, you know, just picked up and thrown on her ass. Unbelievable. Just sick behavior and there.
- [24:07]
B
And again, you know, no accountability for that agency. I mean, I've talked to, I've talked to law enforcement agencies across the country, friends of mine, you know, and on the west coast, in the Midwest and different places that ICE has been deployed. And I asked them, like, hey, does ICE cooperate with you when citizens come and file complaints against their agents? They said, absolutely not.
- [24:27]
A
Yeah. I mean, and I think we should get back to this 25th Amendment thing because honestly, people need to understand, you know, we can say 25th amendment and everything. It's in the Constitution. The Cabinet has to agree to this. Members of the Cabinet have to agree to this. The Cabinet is, is stocked with dear leader types who put Trump above country. And I don't think there should be any expectation at all that they're going to come to anybody's rescue unless he really starts to, like, eat the furniture inside the Oval Office or something and just, you know, just completely has a breakdown. I just don't see them doing it at this point. Not for, not for autocratic, authoritarian, dictator like behavior, which is a different kind of batshit behavior, but I just don't see them. I Don't see them coming to the rescue. Just don't see it.
- [25:18]
B
No, they're. I mean, no. Absolutely no chance that. I mean, I, I've seen, you know, some moments specifically with. With Cash Patel, where he clearly recognizes that. I mean, he's doing his best, I think, to tread water in that position. I mean, he's way in over his head. I mean, this is a podcaster and a conspiracy theorist who's now heading the premier law enforcement agency in the United States of America. And, you know, is. Is. Has been embarrassed almost as many times as Pete Hedge. Seth has been, you know, as the Secretary of Defense, or, well, now the Secretary of War.
- [25:59]
A
Well, legally, it's not. They. They call him that, but apparently it has to be changed by Congress. So it's like, you know, you. And I could call Mike, you're my secretary of war on this podcast. In addition to hosting your own podcast, which is a fine podcast on substack and YouTube and everywhere else, you are my secretary of war. I don't know if we can put the chiron up. Michael, podcast Secretary. Secretary of war.
- [26:24]
B
Yeah, man. You know, that body of water, you know, the reflecting pool is now the reflecting pool of Michael Fanone.
- [26:33]
A
And instead of water coming out, it's, it's, it's beer.
- [26:36]
B
You know, I'm surprised that Trump hasn't just renamed. That would be great, actually. I'm surprised that Trump hasn't renamed all the monuments to just be him. Don't even worry about rebuilding monuments. Just, you know, change. Have somebody chisel the face into Trump head. And the Lincoln Memorial is now the Trump Memorial. And, you know, Jefferson and the, you know, I mean, the Washington Monument, we know that's inaccurate. You'd have to.
- [27:06]
A
It has to be like, reduce it.
- [27:08]
B
By size, like 95.
- [27:13]
A
Right? Yeah, that's. Washington may have been able to boast that, but I'm not sure. What do you. I don't know, George. What do you think? I, you know, ask Martha. I don't know. I'm sorry, folks.
- [27:27]
B
It's Friday.
- [27:28]
A
It's Bucket Friday. It. But it. There is a new statue to Donald Trump. I don't know if you saw this on the National Mall, but there is a statue to Donald Trump and it's, It's. It's him and Jeffrey Epstein.
- [27:40]
C
It's. I, I don't.
- [27:40]
A
I, I want to alert the viewers that it was taken down last week. The, The Trump. Jeffrey Epstein statue was taken down. It was reinstalled, and it's now sitting on the National Mall. And I went down there and took a visit to go take a look at it. And we're going to show that to you at the end of the program here in just a few minutes. But Mike, my friend, great to see as always.
- [28:02]
B
Thank you, sir.
- [28:03]
A
The Secretary of War for the Jim Acosta show. Michael Fanone kicks ass, takes names, fills a reflecting pool with beer. All those goods, all those good things. Thanks, Mike, man, good to see you.
- [28:14]
B
All right, I'll see you. Have a good weekend, buddy.
- [28:16]
A
All right, you too. You too. Yeah, Mike. You know, we ought to take Mike down to the National Mall and, and show him this, this new statue that has been, I don't want to use that word, erected to Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Anyway, we're going to show that in just a few minutes, so stay tuned for that. But in the meantime, it would not be a Friday without my next guest, the one and only. There he is, Matt Friend.
- [28:41]
C
It's it Friday, ladies and gentlemen.
- [28:44]
A
Ladies.
- [28:45]
C
Jim.
- [28:45]
A
I'm doing good, my man. How are you?
- [28:47]
C
Where are you? Oh, my God, say it again.
- [28:49]
A
Where are you? Right now?
- [28:50]
C
I'm in New York. I was actually just writing out my full hour of stand up. So we're transcribing it all and we're getting closer to me taping it as a special probably early next year. So I was just in Boston, had a big show, biggest crowd I've ever had. It was like over a thousand people, so. Biggest headlining show, the Wilbur.
- [29:11]
D
It was a big show.
- [29:12]
C
It was the biggest crowd size anybody's ever seen. Jim, it was great, but it's crazy. Like, thanks for having me on the show, by the way. Now that the challenge is I do these shows and there's a lot of different types of people, Americans, non Americans that come to my show. So I'm finding this balance of how do you make the country laugh? Because we're in such partisan times and obviously it's so relevant now culturally with late night TV and this question of, like, where does comedy go politically? So I'm kind of. My thinking is just, I can let Jim Acosta do the commentary. I'll just make fun of Mitch McConnell's chins.
- [29:53]
A
I think that's. I think that's a good way to do it. And it's Fuck it Friday, so you can just let it. You can just let it rip. You do not have to worry. You can't. There's no canceling here, by the way. Also, Matt, like, it's not a Jimmy Kimmel situation here on the. I'm not going to cancel you. You are hereby never can.
- [30:08]
C
I appreciate it and I didn't think you would. I didn't think you would. But we have to say this because every time I see Jim, I'm always tempted to say you are a sad, terrible person. Get him out of here, please. Get him out, please. You are a sad. You're a pathetic guy. Nobody likes you. Nobody watches you. And you're a sad guy. It's a sad thing, okay? It's really enact that moment with you.
- [30:33]
A
I love it. Anytime we can reenact that moment, it's perfect. But you have been. You have been on a tear lately and you've been. I mean, I saw that you're going to be in a feature film. You have been on. You were on somebody's podcast the other day. That is Dax Shepard. Is that right? Do I have that correct?
- [30:50]
C
Yep, that's right.
- [30:51]
A
Which is a big podcast. You're moving up in the world, not just the Jim Acosta show anymore, which is. Which is a good thing for your career, I think.
- [31:00]
C
No, it's always great to be on the Jim Acosta show.
- [31:02]
A
No, but the other day. But the beautiful thing about it, Matt, is you still service the fans. You still believe in fan service. You're still doing the videos and the other day you were taking a stroll through the pharmacy. We should just show this and let's watch this and talk about on the other side. This was great. I love this.
- [31:19]
D
Hello, everybody. It's your favorite president. In front of a very dangerous drug. It's called Minafin Acid. Let's see how you pronounce it. Acida Finn Maceda Minafin, otherwise known as Tylenol. It's a big danger. They call it extra strength because you're going to need extra strength to fight this drug like hell. It's a big problem. RFK agrees, but it's a big problem.
- [31:44]
A
Look at this.
- [31:46]
D
This is called Ibrin. Ibren. It's a big deal too. It's not good. This is called Khalid. This is Khalid. That's great. Advil is a big danger. Advil is a very scary one.
- [32:00]
C
To kill bin Laden with it.
- [32:02]
D
You have here extra. Extra like Rosie o'. Donnell. She's a bit extra. Certain areas. Advil Pum. The prime minister of Advil. Turn it off, please.
- [32:14]
A
I love. And I love the way you dressed up for the bit too. That was really nice.
- [32:19]
C
I was on the road to to shows and we stopped in this big not pharmacy, like massive warehouse store. And then I saw this Wall of Tylenol that happened to be in the store. And I'm like, well, we gotta do something about this. And then I did it, and it.
- [32:37]
A
Was great because the bits do help write themselves, don't they? Be the other day when he couldn't say acetaminophen.
- [32:44]
C
Well, yeah, it's insane. I mean, the other day, Trump's on a plane talking to reporters, and a reporter asked thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel? He said, well, we'll talk about it, but, you know, we're on a plane and, you know, I hope it's a safe flight. I hope it's a safe flight. You know why I hope it's safe? Because I'm on the plane. And if I wasn't on the plane, well, I wouldn't care. I'm like, it's unbelievable. It's literally material that is being written for me. Not just Trump, though. It's mind boggling.
- [33:14]
A
No, no. I mean, with him, it's mental diarrhea. And maybe Tylenol is not the best medicine for that. But I noticed a little RFK in there. You don't mind doing a little rfk.
- [33:24]
C
The key to RFK is just imagine you're squeezing out the biggest shit of your entire life. That's how you sound like him. Jim Acosta on Fuck It Friday. Did you see the video of RFK sneezing behind Trump? He goes. And Trump goes, oh, Bobby, bless you, Bobby. Hope I don't have Covid. And then Dr. Oz comes in, you don't have Covid. You don't have anything. You're totally fine. Go to Wegmans, buy some coup d' etat and you'll be safe. I mean, it's like a clown car.
- [33:54]
A
Dr. Oz is weird as shit. I mean, it's just. And he has had more plastic surgery than I think, you know, like, just about anybody I've ever seen in my life. It's, it's, it's not.
- [34:04]
C
You worked at cnn, you didn't want a lot of plastic surgery over there.
- [34:08]
A
That's true. And I haven't, I haven't gotten any done. And this is like something.
- [34:12]
C
Jim, it's okay. Don't lie to your audience. We know you've gotten a lot of work done.
- [34:15]
A
Fake news. Fake news. No, man. And I'm just, I'm very happy for all your success.
- [34:22]
C
No, you're the best. You were one of the. By the way, Jim Acosta, one of the first to have me on their show. And also a lot of networks, I think, are very hesitant to have comedy on. They don't know what the person's going to say. Jim trusted me. And also, he's. He's just a great comedy sport. And that's why I was happy when he announced he was starting his own thing, because I think he might have more freedom for your fans and your audience to see your personality, which I don't think is restricted anymore.
- [34:52]
A
No, I totally can. And. And honestly, some of the best bits that you've done have been on Fox too. You went on Fox and Friends and you trolled the shit out of them, which I don't think they're not really smart enough to understand that.
- [35:03]
C
But I'm not offering a comment, Jim. I'm not offering an opinion.
- [35:07]
A
And you want to go back on.
- [35:08]
C
I go on the show and I make jokes.
- [35:11]
A
You know what happened.
- [35:12]
C
The thing is, I do the same thing, you know, on cnn. It's just. Or MSNBC or like wherever I am, but just with Fox loves you, too.
- [35:19]
A
Yeah.
- [35:20]
C
What's especially funnier. There's something a lot funnier about doing it in that context.
- [35:26]
A
Yeah. And what was your sense of going on with Dax Shepherd?
- [35:32]
C
Amazing. I mean, that was cool. I've wanted to go on it for a long time. And he's hilarious. Kind of surreal. I mean, it's like one of the biggest podcasts, and it was a crazy experience. You're really supposed to open up on that show and talk about yourself. And it was. It was a lot of fun.
- [35:49]
A
And you. But you impress them with your Howard Stern.
- [35:53]
C
Right. That was fun. Right, Right.
- [35:56]
A
Right, right, right.
- [35:57]
C
You're right. Right. He's right here. Right. Let's talk about it.
- [36:01]
A
And I mean, I. I'm trying to think of like a. A more talented couple in Hollywood. He. And is it Kristen Bell who is on that show?
- [36:11]
C
Blitzer are pretty. But we don't talk.
- [36:13]
A
We're not talking about that. We don't talk about that anymore.
- [36:14]
C
Okay. Yeah, later. Okay. Yeah, that's.
- [36:17]
A
Yes, that's post Friday. We don't do that on the Friday now.
- [36:22]
C
You just. Exactly.
- [36:23]
A
Exactly. And what's next? You're on the road. You've got on the road.
- [36:27]
C
I'm touring. A couple very big announcements coming up with shows and events that I will be hosting and appearing at, which I'm very excited about. So it's just all on my Instagram. The mat friend. You should follow me there. And my truth social. Jim Acosta, 69. That's my handle there.
- [36:49]
A
Wait a minute. That's the only fans don't I Shouldn't have said that.
- [36:52]
C
But, Jim, you are the best, and I'm so happy to see that you're thriving.
- [36:55]
A
I love it. It's been a lot of fun. It's been great. And you're. You're the best. And, you know, on behalf of Ted.
- [37:03]
C
Cruz, let me just say that Jimmy Kimmel, his firing, should have immediately been replaced by Late Night with Jim Acosta. What can I say?
- [37:11]
A
There you go. And what did Ted Cruz say the other day? He said something batshit crazy. He had, like, some Freudian slip where.
- [37:16]
C
Oh, we should stop attacking pedophiles. I saw that. Yeah. I'm like, thank you for that.
- [37:29]
A
It was so funny.
- [37:30]
C
Thank you.
- [37:30]
A
Yeah.
- [37:31]
C
Insane.
- [37:32]
A
It is insane, Matt. You're insane. But in a good way.
- [37:35]
C
You're the best.
- [37:36]
A
And in the. In these insane times, you are like a voice of sanity. I don't know if that makes any sense, but, Jim, I wish I could.
- [37:42]
C
Say the same, but thank you, and you are, too. And thank you for having me. And keep, keep, keep it on, baby.
- [37:48]
A
I will, baby. All right, let me know when you're in D.C. did you tell your audience.
- [37:51]
C
That you're joining Newsmax?
- [37:53]
A
I am. Yeah. Yes, I am. Exactly. Find me on Newsmax. Starting next Monday.
- [38:00]
C
It's.
- [38:00]
A
The show will be sponsored by Tylenol.
- [38:02]
C
Yes, it will be.
- [38:03]
A
Or acetaminum, something like that. You're the best. Love you, Matt.
- [38:13]
C
You, too.
- [38:14]
A
All right, you be good. Be a good boy. See you, man. Mad friend. Oh, my gosh. Okay, so that was mad friend. And you never know what's going to happen when he comes on. And I always think to myself, there's a part of my brain that says, am I going to get fired for this? Am I going to get canceled for this? Will I lose my show over this? But this is a. This is a completely voluntary exercise. You, the American people, you the subscriber. And by the way, if you can subscribe, you can, like, you can help us promote the show. All of those things are wonderful and help the show very much. One final thing I want to get into on this it Friday. We decided to say it and go down to the National Mall today because. And we don't have any sound effects on the show, but if we did have sound effects, there would be a drum roll there. We saw the. We witnessed the return, the resurrection of the Donald Trump Jeffrey Epstein friendship statue. The Epstein. There it is. The Epstein Trump statue returns. I'm sure Donald Trump's like, why is my name not first? It should be Trump Epstein. Not Epstein. Trump. But anyway, I'm trying my best to do Mad friend. And the statue returned, and I think we found an even bigger, bigger crowd down on the National Mall taking in the statue earlier in the day. Because, you know, once you take something away and. And for folks who don't understand the backstory, it was out there. What was it not last week or the week before? Right. And I guess somebody at the National Park Service got pissed or Trump got pissed, or somebody at the White House got pissed. Anyway, we don't know the complete backstory. Even though the people had it authorized for a permit for several days, it. It was taken down basically within 24 hours of it going up. It was. The statue was kind of taken apart. It was beaten up. It's got scratches all over it and so on. Anyway, the people behind the statue reassembled it. They put it back together, and today it was down on the National Mall. Let's take a look. Tourists to do here in Washington. You know, there's a government shutdown. We don't know what's open. Some things are closing. Some things are open. Some things are shutting down. Next week. Oh, wait a minute. There's one attraction that's open for business.
- [40:28]
E
I'm just glad that this is back, because everything he does is a distraction. It's also to desensitize us. But the main thing is that he knows there's something in the Epstein files that he doesn't want anyone else to know. And I'm really glad that they were able to get it back. The group who put this up, they'd obviously put some effort into building it.
- [40:52]
A
You're not a big fan?
- [40:54]
E
No, I. I'm loving the piece of artwork and what they did. I think the relationship has to be shown, you know, release the files.
- [41:03]
A
All right. I know what you're thinking. MAGA supporters. You're thinking that. All I did was talk to a lot of Progressive people in D.C. who don't like Trump and release the files and so on. But it turns out there were some Trump supporters down here, and they also think he should release the files. And what about the idea of releasing the Epstein files? Is that something you agree with? Yes, I think they should want to know everything that's going on there. And are you guys Trump supporters? Not Trump supporters. Kind of am. Middle of the road. Trump supporters. Trump supporters. Yes, your Trump supporters. Except for he does some crazy stuff sometimes. Okay. But we love Trump. You love Trump. And why do you think he doesn't want to release the files? I don't know. It's very sketchy. That's very. I mean, why isn't he? Why isn't he? I don't know. That's. That's our question. Yeah, that's our question, too.
- [41:57]
B
We think, we think they should.
- [42:04]
A
Well, you can see how the statue got a little banged up when they took it down the other day. But, you know, that happens in life. Friendships get a little banged up. You know what? Love always finds a way. That's right. The. That's right, folks. The moral of the story. The moral of the story is that love always finds a way. And I'm so glad that the love for freedom of speech, freedom of expression has returned to Washington, D.C. our nation's capital. And as I was saying, there's a lot of stuff that is closing down, shutting down as a result of the government shutdown. I don't know how long the Epstein Trump statue will be down there on the National Mall, but you ought to go check it out if you're here in D.C. and I will tell you as soon as this emerged on social media that the statue was back. People just started flocking down there. And we were out there during the day today for a good, I don't know, 90 minutes, two hours. And we must have seen a couple of hundred, two or three hundred people, I think, go back and forth up to the statue, all around the statue, getting pictures of it and so on. There was a volleyball team from a nearby university. I don't want to say which one, because I don't want to get them in trouble and get their money taken away. There. There were all kinds of folks. And I will say that very nice family from Alabama, from Birmingham, Alabama. I won't say their names because I don't want to get them in trouble. They could not have been nicer people. And they were so lovely to talk to. And they, and they were like, yeah, we like Trump. And then I said, you saw that there. I said, well, what about the Epstein files? And they were like, we want to see it released. And I will tell you, folks, I will tell you as much as it seems that we're, you know, approaching the darkest hour and everything is turned upside down and Donald Trump is wreaking havoc and he's shutting down the government and he's doing all of this Bach crazy things, and he's saying stuff that is absolutely disqualifying for a president. United States people still get it when it comes to the Epstein files, his own supporters get it when it comes to the Epstein files. And I saw this little nugget just before coming on the show. Epstein survivors are returning to Capitol Hill next week. The Hill reporting victims of Jeffrey Epstein will return to Capitol Hill next week when they will be hosted by a bipartisan group of lawmakers pushing the Trump administration to release the government files on Jeffrey Epstein. They have this discharge petition which is aimed at forcing the administration to release the Epstein files. They have 217 signatures on it, one shy of the number needed to force a vote on the legislation. Of course, for those who are following this closely, you know Representative elect Adelita Grialva of Arizona, who recently won a special election there. She is expected to provide the decisive 218th vote or endorsement whenever she's sworn in. And of course, we know right now the Republicans don't want to swear her in. She has been legitimately elected by the people in her district. The Republicans do not want to swear her in right now. The White House does not want her sworn in right now because she will be that decisive vote to force through a discharge petition this arcane, wonky thing that they can do in the House to compel, if it gets through the Senate, the White House and the administration to release the files. And you heard it right there. It's not just progressives, it's not just Democrats. We found a nice family, nice maga, Trump family from Trump, friendly family from Alabama who very much supports the idea of releasing the Epstein files. So I get it, I get it, folks. There's a lot of reason to be pissed and depressed and disappointed and everything else. But every, every once in a while, there is a glimmer of light that, that, that shows to me, that says to me that the truth is coming through, that the, that the truth, despite the best efforts of people on FOX and in conservative media and so on, the truth does eventually get through to people. The truth eventually finds a way. And kudos to the people behind that statue and their commitment to the First Amendment in Washington. That was one thing that I heard time and again from people down on the National Mall today that, you know, whether you like the statue or whatever, what is great about it is that freedom of speech, freedom of expression is not dead, ladies and gentlemen. It is not dead. It, it, it may not, it may not be having its best day, it may not be having its best moment, but it ain't dead. And that is something I think we need to hold on to as we head into this weekend. The other thing I wanted to say as we close out the week is I I very much think it, it's worth it for a lot of people to, to reflect on what Trump said in front of those generals earlier in the week when he went to Quantico and he talked about using American cities as training grounds for law enforcement. He talked about the enemy from within and going into democratic cities and unleashing the military on the enemy from within, which I think is has rightly brought up the conversation of the 25th Amendment. Donald Trump wants to be a dictator. He is a dictator wannabe. But the difference between a dictator wannabe and a dictator is us. It's us. And Donald Trump can say these things. But look what the generals did. Generals did not applaud wildly like some props out of a North Korean propaganda video. There were a lot of knowing looks in that audience, knowing looks that there is no way in hell they're going to go along with this. No way in hell that a lot of them are going to go along with this. And the, the statue, as as small of a gesture as that might be, is another example, the statue is another example of what separates a dictator wannabe from a dictator is us. It's our commitment to free speech. It's our commitment to freedom of expression. It's our commitment to the truth. It's our commitment to seeing that the truth has its day, that it comes out on top in the end and that the truth still matters. Because if that family from Alabama, Trump supporters from Alabama have figured it out, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why Donald Trump does not want to release the Epstein files. It's because he's in the Epstein files and the COVID up continues. And oh, isn't it interesting that one of the fringe benefits of this government shutdown for Donald Trump is that they can't have a vote, they can't have any activity as it relates to the Epstein files, isn't that interesting? But the truth will find a way. The voice of the people will find a way. Just like they tore down that statue, they took it apart, they, they, you know, dismembered the darn thing. And some good people, some good Americans who are committed to free speech brought it back. They went back to the National Park Service and they got, they got it back on the National Mall. And I will just tell you, I think that's a victory. It's a victory for you, it's a victory for me. It's a victory for all of us. It's a victory for freedom of the speech. Just like Jimmy Kimmel being returned to the airwaves, folks, the voice of the people matters. People. Power matters. So let's reflect on that as we head into this weekend. My thanks to Mike Fanone, the Secretary of War of the Jim Acosta Show. I've, I've anointed him. I've now appointed him Secretary of War of the Jim Acosta Show. Mike Fanone, and of course, my friend to comedian Matt Friend. If he comes to your town or community, make sure you check him out. It's, it's an unforgettable event whenever he does it. It's just, it's absolutely fantastic. And thanks to all of you for, for watching. Thanks for all the support that you give us week after week. If you can, click that subscribe button. Whether you're watching this on YouTube or on substack or wherever you get your podcast, like it subscribe it show your support for the show. It does make a difference. And it does, it does do a lot in terms of supporting the work that we do here. So thank you very much for that. In the meantime, still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you next time. Have a great weekend.
- [51:15]
B
Bye.
- [51:16]
A
Bye.