Episode 30 - Mailbag

Summary

Interrupted by Matt Jones – Episode 30: Mailbag

Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Matt Jones
Co-host: Billy Rutledge
Podcast: Kentucky Sports Radio (iHeartPodcasts)

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Episode Overview

This special “Mailbag” episode features Matt Jones and Billy Rutledge tackling four of the most-asked questions from listeners. Building on the fallout from a trip to the Super Bowl, Matt invites candid listener inquiries on high-profile topics, delivering spontaneous, often fiery commentary on everything from the Jeffrey Epstein documents to athlete protests at the Olympics, the ICE controversy in Milwaukee, and the Democratic field for the next presidential election. The tone is candid, opinionated, and quintessentially Matt Jones: sharp, questioning, and often irreverent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Jeffrey Epstein Situation: What’s Changed?

Timestamps: [02:00]-[18:15]

• Matt’s Position Evolution:
  Matt clarifies he never thought the Epstein scandal was “not a big deal,” but admits he’d underestimated its scale and potential for conspiracy coverups. Recent details and government resistance to full disclosure have shaken his confidence.

  • “My takeaway is like many folds. First of all, it confirms one thing I did think was true, which is the elites of the world, they all know each other… it also confirms that the world is running by these elites that all gather together and I think make decisions that have a huge effect on policy.” [03:20]

• The Elites and Shocking Networks:
  He’s astounded by the varied and high-profile nature of names included—politicians, bankers, professors, sports figures, and more. The correspondence is brazen, showing intimacy among global power brokers.

  • “It has shocked me how many different types of people are involved… It goes on and on.” [04:22]

• Prosecutions and Redactions:
  Matt is angry about the lack of accountability for those implicated, especially officials such as Pam Bondi and Cash Patel, calling their dismissals and redactions of “important people” shameful.

  • “Pam Bondi, the Attorney General should be fired. Cash Patel fired. They lied. They didn’t mislead, they lied … The victims not being redacted is shameful.” [07:48]

• Lack of Institutional Trust:
  The erosion of public trust in institutions frustrates Matt, as does political cover for both Clinton and Trump associates.

  • “One of the things that makes me sad about institutions crumbling and belief in them is you get to a point where nobody believes anything.” [12:10]

• Praise for Rare Political Integrity:
  He singles out Kentucky’s Thomas Massie and Rand Paul, along with Ro Khanna, as politicians who “stand up for what they believe in,” regardless of party pressure.

  • “You gotta give that dude credit. … We need politicians on the left and the right who do what he’s doing.” [13:05]

• Predictions on Outcome:
  Matt predicts the Democrats will win the House and initiate their own investigations. He’s pessimistic about accountability: “I worry that nobody’s gonna be held responsible.” [17:39]

Notable Quotes

• “How can you justify bringing them [the Clintons] in and not bringing the other people in?” – Matt [09:24]
• “I’d much prefer you to put the names out there and then have the person come and go, 'Listen, I was ordering a hamburger from him.'” – Matt [11:01]
• “I think the Democrats are going to take the House in November and they’re going to push hearings on all this.” – Matt [15:41]

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2. Olympic Athletes Speaking Out (about the U.S. and ICE)

Timestamps: [18:17]-[28:12]

• On Athlete Free Speech:
  Matt is unequivocal—athletes have the right to speak out, even while representing the U.S. at the Olympics. To him, this ability epitomizes what makes America great:

  • “Isn’t that what America’s supposed to be about? … There are countries in the world where, if they said that, they couldn’t go back home.” [18:48]

• Historical Context:
  He cites the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute, Jesse Owens, and current Ukrainian athletes as examples of politics and protest at the Games.

  • “Politics have always been part of the Olympics. So it doesn’t bother me now if people don’t like it. I understand that. But … they should be sent home? I don’t agree with that.” [21:57]

• On Criticism and Double Standards:
  Matt critiques those who say athletes should only be positive about the U.S., challenging why praise is lauded but criticism is taboo.

  • “We tend to praise when athletes speak up when we agree with them, and we tend to tell them to shut up … when we disagree with them.” [24:50]
  • “Trump’s entire running philosophy was that Obama had ruined America, yet he still got to say he loved America. Don’t I get to do the same thing?” [27:23]

Notable Quotes

• “I’m fine with it. I mean, whether you agree with their sentiments or not, isn’t that what America’s supposed to be about?” – Matt [18:48]
• “I love America and not love its leader, correct?” – Matt [27:15]

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3. ICE Operations in Milwaukee: Trump Administration Decisions

Timestamps: [28:43]-[35:32]

• Shifting Credit:
  Matt criticizes the Trump administration’s original role, especially Stephen Miller, but credits Trump and Tom Holman for scaling down ICE’s operations after disastrous outcomes and public outcry.

  • “He decided to get rid of Stephen Miller … and now they’re leaving. And that was the right decision.” [29:26]

• Leadership and Media Optics:
  He praises Trump’s TV instinct to understand the power of images, arguing that negative visuals on Fox News influenced the administration’s course correction.

  • “He is a master marketer, probably one of the best marketers in the history of the United States.” [31:49]

• The Need for Dissent in Leadership:
  Matt discusses Lincoln’s “Team of Rivals” and Obama’s practice of keeping dissenters close, bemoaning Trump’s echo chamber:

  • “Trump needs that. Needs one just to know about optics and, like, what could go wrong.” [35:04]

• On Training and Competence:
  Both agree the ICE crisis exposed how unqualified leadership leads to chaos and risks on the ground.

  • “They put people in charge … who don’t know anything. He’s trying to create conflict.” [31:03]

Notable Quotes

• “Trump is a TV star. Trump is … a master marketer, probably one of the best … in the history of the United States.” – Matt [31:49]
• “When you surround yourself with people that won’t question you, Billy, that’s bad.” – Matt [33:25]

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4. The 2028 Democratic Presidential Field – Who Should Run?

Timestamps: [35:37]-[53:36]

• Process of Elimination:
  Matt rules out Kamala Harris (“already lost. … She’s cringy” [35:57]) and Gavin Newsom (“He’s our Trump” [36:31]) due to electability, personality, and “sleazy” vibes.

• Candidate Profiles:

  • Possible “Young Cool Liberals”:
    • AOC, Wes Moore—would excite the base but risk seeming too fringe.
    • “AOC is a star. I can’t stand him but Tucker Carlson’s a star … Obama star, Clinton star, Reagan star. Joe Biden was not a star … J.D. Vance is not a star.” [44:46]
  • Boring but Electable:
    • Roy Cooper (NC), Josh Shapiro (PA), John Ossoff (GA), Andy Beshear (KY)
    • “To me, we need a boring white guy … Boring and can talk.” [39:28]
    • Andy’s likable but may lack the “star” quality needed nationally (“He’s added some sprinkles, but does he have chocolate chip?” [41:08])

• Kentucky’s Place:
  Fascinated by a potential Andy Beshear vs. J.D. Vance matchup—“it would be fascinating … if the presidential race were two dudes from Kentucky.” [48:07]

• Trump’s Endorsement Games:
  Matt predicts Trump will undermine Republican successors by neither fully supporting nor abandoning them:

  • “He’ll never shut up. … He could just have all of them kiss his butt but he never really gives any of them his support.” [42:28]

• Debates and “Stars”:
  Matt insists that the Democrats’ nominee must be smart and capable on the debate stage to counter J.D. Vance (“J.D. Vance is smart. So you can’t have an idiot up there.” [52:38])

Notable Quotes

• “The one I want the least is Kamala Harris. She’s already lost. … She’s cringy, so yes. And she’s not, like, the world doesn’t think she’s cool.” – Matt [35:57]
• “For me, Josh Shapiro or John Ossoff in Georgia’s probably the best ones.” – Matt [44:43]
• “We need to find a… star. But I don’t see another star.” – Billy [44:40]
• “Andy’s… gotten a lot better. But can Andy, can Andy get people?” – Matt [47:02]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Political Courage:
  “I can’t believe I’ve become a big fan of Thomas Massie … the dude is gutsy. … We need politicians on the left and the right who do what he’s doing.” – Matt [13:05]

• On America’s Strength:
  “That’s what I don’t like … when people equate not liking Trump to not liking America. Trump’s entire running philosophy was that Obama had ruined America, yet he still got to say he loved America. Don’t I get to do the same thing?” – Matt [27:23]

• On Trump’s Personality:
  “Trump is a TV star … there’s a reason people are like, so surprised, Trump knows, like, he’s got it. Cause Trump’s got it. That’s why Trump’s so jealous of Obama.” – Matt [45:59]

• On the Power of Debate:
  “We also need someone smart, by the way, because J.D. Vance is smart. Trump’s not smart. We’ve been used to having fodder. J.D. Vance smart. So you can’t have an idiot up there.” – Matt [52:38]

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Chapter Timestamps

• Show Opens, Mailbag Setup: [00:01]-[02:00]
• Epstein, Elites & Institutional Decay: [02:00]-[18:15]
• Olympic Free Speech Debate: [18:17]-[28:12]
• ICE Operations & Leadership Lessons: [28:43]-[35:32]
• 2028 Democratic Candidates & Kentucky’s Role: [35:37]-[53:36]
• Closing Thoughts: [53:36]-end

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Final Thoughts

Matt Jones and Billy Rutledge deliver a candid, substantial episode, using real listener questions as a springboard for potent commentary on politics, sports culture, and the current social climate. Matt’s Kentucky perspective, willingness to criticize all sides, and focus on principle over party makes the episode both accessible and thought-provoking—especially for listeners navigating the turbulent years ahead.

Contact for Mailbag: 772-774-5254

Transcript

[A]

This is Interrupted by Matt Jones on Newsradio 840 WHAS now, here's Matt Jones. Welcome to Interrupted by Matt Jones. It is episode 30 here on a Thursday in the cold part of February. I we have just gotten back recently this week from the super bowl and it was an awesome experience. That was one of the cooler things I've done in media. But a lot has happened in the world. You know, you spend so much time on sports that it's easy to sometimes forget. News continues constantly. And Billy is with me here and I a lot of times get questions from ye, the listeners about what is going on, kind of our thoughts. And so I decided to compile some of the best questions I get on the text machine. And if you ever have questions you want to hear us discuss here on interrupted, it is 772-774-5254. And I get questions from people and I thought I would compile some of the ones that we get a lot and talk about them. And Billy is here with the questions. And Billy also, you know, you are a newshound yourself, right?

[B]

That's right. This isn't this is the news. But I always enjoy delivering the news like an anchorman.

[A]

Yeah, you're kind of, you know, Tony Decouple started at cbs. You're kind of the Tony Decouple of the KSR world. Tony decopal said that too much times the news comes from elites. So it's nice to have you because you're not elite.

[B]

Not close.

[A]

You're not elite, but you can still deliver the news like Mr. Decouple.

[B]

And an elite delivering of the news you could say could be.

[A]

So why don't we get started? We've got how many questions do we.

[B]

I got four big questions.

[A]

Four big questions. Okay. And let's go.

[B]

All right. So originally you said your opinion on the Jeffrey Epstein stuff was that it wasn't that big of a deal.

[A]

No, just don't, I don't know who wrote that. I never said it wasn't that big of a deal. It's a huge deal. So let me just say what I said was, is that I didn't think that it would necessarily there would be this deep conspiracy. That was my take for a long time. People thought there were things that were kind of being hidden. And I was like, I don't know about that. I always, to the writer, I always thought it was a big deal.

[B]

To the writer's point. Their question goes on to say, has your opinion changed at all on this? And how do you Think it all ends.

[A]

Yes, it has changed. You know, the. It started to change when I realized how hard the administration was. Was trying to fight releasing it because it was in my. They ran on the premise of they were going to release the Epstein file. Right. So when the bill passed to release it and they just wouldn't, I was like, well, there's gotta be something. But since they've come out and I don't think they're all out right now, I think. I don't know. Have they. Have they said what percentage of it is out?

[B]

I'm not sure. I'm in a percentage.

[A]

Yeah. But even what has come out, it is much bigger than I. Than I thought. So my takeaway is like many folds. First of all, it confirms one thing I did think was true, which is the elites of the world, they all know each other and they all. I can't believe the communication was all by email.

[B]

It is brazen. Some of the stuff they're saying on email.

[A]

On email. Was there ever a time in your life you emailed people like this?

[B]

Never.

[A]

I mean, text message is one thing, but who sends emails like this?

[B]

John Gurdon.

[A]

That is true. Jon Groot. But it's clear that, like, all of these people knew each other. They hung out with each other. Now, we don't know how many of them did illegal things. Clearly, though, some of them did. And all of them were kind of in this social relationship where they had, you know, business at best, business relationships with. With each other, but probably more likely, you know, sexual relationships where. Where he or others were setting people up with women and then in the worst case, setting people up with underage. Right. So it has shocked me how many different types of people are involved. You know what I mean? It's not just this handful of politicians. It's bankers, it's professors, it's TV personnel. You know, it's. It's people in sports, it's agents. Like, it just goes on and on. It seems like every day another person, you know, NASCAR drivers, driver. Brian Vickers, ex wife. I saw. I haven't thought about Brian Vickers in a decade. And then I saw his ex wife was like working for Jelaine Maxwell and all the stuff she did. So it's so. It's awful, the stuff having to do. It's hard for me to know amongst it what is illegal behavior, like who engaged with. With underaged women. Those people should all be prosecuted. I don't care whether they are. I don't care if it's the president or anyone under him. Or like all of them, if Democrat prosecute, like they all should be prosecuted. I don't know how many people there are that are like that. There are clearly many who he somehow was in this like getting women for thing. And some of those, maybe most were of age. You know, I bet that includes most of the group of people we're talking about. And it's like skeezy and it's, it's weird and it, but it also confirms that like the world is running by these elites that all gather together and I think make decisions that have a huge effect on policy, et cetera. The thing is none of us knew Billy, who Jeffrey Epstein was and he clearly was this figure where all of these people in the world of major importance were contacting him and yet we didn't know his name. Which makes me wonder how many of these people are out there?

[B]

How many people in the shadows?

[A]

How many people are in the shadows? Because the only reason Jeffrey Epstein is out of the shadows is because of the underage women.

[B]

Yeah. Scary to think about. If it's sex workers, they could still be doing this without us ever knowing. It's the children.

[A]

Yeah, but it's not. But let's just maybe. I'm sure there's people who have no sex anything, but they're still like running the world, you know what I mean? I'm just saying Jeffrey Epstein clearly had connections to some of the most powerful people in the world to the point that they were writing him, begging to go to his parties, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And we had no idea who that is. There have got to be other people like that. Even if they're not involved in the sexual part, they're involved in the banking. And you know what I mean, the.

[B]

Real people that rule that, the real.

[A]

People that have a huge impact on the world, that's the part where even where like it should be eye opening and it has been eye opening for me.

[B]

I just get frustrated that they don't redact some victims names and it ruins people's lives and then. But they redact all the important people that we've been trying.

[A]

Pam Bondi, the Attorney General should be fired. Cash Patel fired. They lied. They didn't mislead, they lied. What was it Cash Patel said? Trump's name is in there less than 100 times. Turns out it was 3,000 times three.

[B]

That's a big difference.

[A]

That's a big difference. Pam Bondi said we're not going to investigate this anymore. How you know, they had that Senate hearing and they're asking her about it and she's talking about the Dow. She's an embarrassment. If I were Trump, let's just say he didn't do anything illegal. I don't know if that's true or not, but he clearly has an administration full of people that were connected to this. I don't know why you don't fire all of those people. Howard Lutnick, gone. Right. The Secretary of Labor, I think, is involved. Gone. RFK is in it. A lot of people don't talk about that. And then Patel and Bondi completely screwed this whole thing up. They should be gone. Like, why would you cover for these people? The guy that runs the LA Olympic Committee is all over it. Why do you want him running the Olympics?

[B]

Well, because they may know something that could damage Trump.

[A]

Maybe. Or maybe he just is like, covering for all of his friends. And then, you know, Jamie Comer is an embarrassment. They're bringing Bill and Hillary Clinton in for a deposition. Okay, if you want to do that. I'm not against that. But why aren't you doing it with these other people?

[B]

Do with everybody.

[A]

Do it with everybody. I'm fine with Bill and Hillary Clinton. I don't know. I don't know why Hillary's being brought in. Is she in there?

[B]

I think she is.

[A]

Okay, then bring them both in. But bring all these other people in. How can you justify bringing them in and not bringing the other people in? And he goes, well, because they're, they get asked all the time, your Congress, they can't lie to you. Or at least they're not supposed to.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Jamie Comer's an embarrassment and he used to be my friend. Embarrassment. All these people are embarrassing. Why are you covering up for this? Anyone? Why?

[B]

Trump fires enough people, but he hasn't.

[A]

Fired anybody this term. Have you noticed, Mr. You're fired fires no one now?

[B]

Well, I think he might be afraid of what they could say if they run off. Right now, they're part of the good old boys club, Right? Maybe there's just a lot of blackmailing going on, too. There has to be.

[A]

I. And then you're exactly right that when it is from someone and they redact it, I don't know what the justification is. Now, some, I think they've said, well, people, innocent people might have been emailing him and they had nothing to do with this. And I'll, I, I'll buy that, but let the facts sort themselves out. Right? I don't believe everyone whose name is mentioned in there did something illegal. I mean, There are emails in there that are about going and getting hamburgers. Right.

[B]

Kentucky got a mention, too.

[A]

Yeah, it did. But when you redact a name almost, in my opinion, Bill, it makes me think, oh, there must be something they're trying to hide.

[B]

Exactly. Leads to speculation.

[A]

I'd much prefer you to put the names out there and then have the person come and go, listen, I was ordering a hamburger from him.

[B]

Oh, they get all those redaction. Right. But not the victims.

[A]

The victims not being redacted is shameful.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How about the Department of Justice and FBI not meeting with the victim?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How do you not do that? You know, there are reasonable people who can say correctly, well, why didn't the Biden Justice Department do more fair question. They should ask the people that. They should ask Merrick Garland, who was the Attorney general, and I don't know who was the head of the FBI. Who was the head of the FBI during the Biden years. Whoever it was, they should ask him, too. Right. Him or her. But, like, it is baffling to me how this has gone. And it is. It is very eye opening. And, you know, and every time these emails come out, there's so many of them. They still come out every day. Right?

[B]

Yeah. There's still media still trying to comb.

[A]

Through, trying to comb through all of them.

[B]

So do we just wait till Trump's term ends and, like, some of the real stuff starts to drop or, like.

[A]

I think we've reached a point where no one's going to trust any of it? Like, one of the things that makes me sad about institutions crumbling and belief in them is you get to a point where nobody believes anything. And that's a tough point to be in a society when you don't even share, like, basic facts.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, like, there are people who still believe the 2020 election that Trump won.

[B]

The Russian hoax, I mean, that's.

[A]

Well, the Russian hoax is a little different. That's a little different.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But the 2020 election, there are still people who legitimately believe Trump won, and there are still politicians who know he lost, but just lie because they don't want to upset. Yeah. And that is a shame because objectively, he lost. He lost, but they will not believe it. And that gets to. When people don't trust anything, that becomes very difficult.

[B]

Well, you should be able to support Trump, but also disagree with him. I feel like Trump's supporters can't.

[A]

They can't. Trump's hardest core supporters will not say. And even worse than the supporters, the politicians mainly yeah. They will not say he does anything wrong because they're so scared of it. Which is why I can't believe I've become a big fan of Thomas Massey, the libertarian. Meaning, you gotta give that dude credit. He's one of the gutsiest politicians I've seen. He and I probably disagree on 80% of issues, but the dude is gutsy. He stands up for what he believes in. Trump has said, I'm going to beat you in the primary. They're putting millions of dollars against him, and he still does it every day. And I think everyone in America who cares about these things should hope he wins that primary. Like, they should hope he wins that primary because he. We need politicians on the left and the right who do what he's doing. Like, it's kind of easy for politicians on the left right now to make Epstein their crusade because they don't like Trump, but for a guy on the right to do it, that takes guts. It's like there were a few politicians on the left who were saying, biden cannot run again. His mind is deteriorating. There weren't many, but there were a handful that took guts because my side didn't want to say that. So I give a huge amount of credibility to Thomas Massie for having the guts to stand on principle when it's.

[B]

Not popular, no matter what it is.

[A]

We should want that. We should want that. And he should be praised for that. The other guy, what's his name? Ro Khanna. I mean, I give him praise, too, but it's easier for him. It's hard for Thomas Massie to do it, so he deserves a lot. And Rand Paul. Rand Paul's another one. I can't believe I'm praising Rand Paul.

[B]

How about Kentucky standing strong?

[A]

Why do you think that is? I mean, why do you think Kentucky has the two politicians that seemingly on the right have had the strongest will to stand up for their principles, maybe strong values.

[B]

They care about their constituents.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I'm not maybe, but I also just think, like, I think they're just contrarians. But do you think there's something in the nature of Kentucky that has led that to happen? Is there something about our state stubborn. You think? You think we're very, very stubborn.

[B]

Well, like, I don't know. Nobody's going to tell me what I believe in you?

[A]

Yes. So I give them a lot of credit. And as far as. How was the last part? How's it going to end?

[B]

Yeah. How do you think this all ends?

[A]

I think what will end up happening is I think the Democrats are going to take the House in November and they're going to make. They're going to push hearings on all this. Right. So a lot of Republicans are secretly upset, Combers bringing the Clintons in.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Because they know the Democrats will be in charge here in a few months and they're going to bring all them in.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think you heard Donald Trump said, I don't think they should bring the Clintons in.

[B]

I did hear that.

[A]

Why do you think he said that? It's going to be him one day.

[B]

They're going to flip it.

[A]

They're going to flip it and it's going to be him one day. It would not surprise me, Billy, if something happens to kind of make it to where the Clinton thing doesn't happen or if it happens, it's watered down. Because this will be all them one day. Yeah. Probably very soon because the Democrats will probably take the House in November. So how does it end? I don't know. Do you think anybody gets charged? Like, do you think any people of significance get charged? Right now the DOJ doesn't even have an investigation.

[B]

I just, I can't. We can't hide or hold nobody responsible for this.

[A]

Well, Maxwell and Epstein have been held responsible.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Besides them, do you think any of these other people do?

[B]

I don't know. I just. When I see the FBI comes out and says that, you know, the Epstein wasn't running a sex trafficking.

[A]

How can they say that?

[B]

Because Cash Patel's under the thumb of Donald Trump.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I don't know how they can.

[B]

So like that's how.

[A]

Like I heard Scott Jennings on CNN say, I mean, this was a PR blunder. This was not a PR blunder. These people lied, all of them. At best they lied. At worst they covered up serious crimes, but at best they lied. And your attorney general and your head of the FBI line, they can't have those jobs.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Right. They can't have those jobs.

[B]

So that makes me pessimistic that anybody would be held responsible.

[A]

I worry that nobody's gonna be held responsible. I worry that it's been so long that because these victims have pointed out who did it, it's not like they don't know who these people are. They've pointed it out and they're not getting charged.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then you, you know, I, it's with the of age people, I don't think anything will come of that. But the underage people, those definitely should lead to charges, but I don't, but I don't I don't know if that's going to happen.

[B]

All right, ready for number two?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Okay. The Olympics is happening in Milan, Italy, Right.

[A]

Are you watching much?

[B]

Hell, yeah, of course.

[A]

I really enjoy it.

[B]

And Team usa, Free Skyle Ski Team spoke out about representing the United States while ice operations continue to take place back home. Chris Lills and Hunter Hess said that they have mixed emotions about representing the Stars and Stripes and. And are heartbroken about what's happening back home. What are your thoughts about Olympic athletes speaking out against the United States while at the Olympics?

[A]

I'm fine with it. I mean, whether you agree with their sentiments or not, isn't that what America's supposed to be about? I mean, the whole symbol of America is that they can say that and still wear the flag and still be Americans because there are countries in the world where, if they said that, they couldn't go back home.

[B]

True. But as a representative of the country, do you think that they should be a positive force for the country?

[A]

What does that mean? Okay, so these people, they got asked the question. They didn't just come out and go, I'm here and I don't like America. Right. They got asked, do you have any reservations about what's happening in America? Well, how are you supposed to answer that if you're them? Like, if, let's say you legitimately have reservations, are you supposed to just lie? Are you supposed to say, I'm good with everything?

[B]

Well, for devil's advocate purposes, like, it's not the time and place, maybe for.

[A]

You to give their opinion about they got ass.

[B]

Well, you just say respectfully, like, I'm not here for that.

[A]

But isn't that lame?

[B]

I mean, it depends on how you look at it.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know. Did he. Did they mention ice specifically, or do they just speak, like, in the general? I think he kind of spoke in the general. Like, there are things that happen that I don't.

[B]

I'm going to double check the quote, but I believe they were referencing ice when they were questioned. The ice stuff that was happening back.

[A]

Well, first of all, I disagree with the premise that at the Olympics you're supposed to basically shut up and dribble. Right. So let's go through history. You remember the guys in the 68 Olympics that held the black power thing? That was a monumental thing. When they came back to him. They were sent home from the Olympics after they did that. The Australian guy. You ever heard the story about the other guy in that picture? So, you know, there's Three guys. There's the golden bronze and they're both doing the black power thing. The white guy that comes in seconds from Australia and they asked him to do it and he said, I feel like it's weird for a white guy to hold up the black power symbol. So he put on a patch on his shoulder to show solidarity with them. He got sent home too. And there's a great story in Australia how for about 25 years he was not allowed. He was basically shunned by the entire country, all three of those people. It's, you know, how many years is this now? 56 years. We still talk about it and what it meant, right? Jesse Owens running in front of Adolf Hitler, right? Showcasing, you know, that whole Olympics was about white supremacy. And then Jesse owens wins the 100 meter dash with Adolf Hitler standing there. Like politics have always been part of the Olympics. So it doesn't bother me now if people don't like it. I understand that. But the idea, like I've heard people say, well, they should be sent home.

[B]

I don't agree with that. I was just thinking of more of like the place and time of. It isn't the time to give your personal opinion.

[A]

But what is the time? Because if you're. What's his name? Hunter Hess.

[B]

There's two of them. Hunter Hess.

[A]

And when is anyone going to ask Hunter Hess what he thinks about politics again?

[B]

Well, I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to. Domestically.

[A]

It's easy for people like me and you or somebody that hosts a talk show on the. On media who gets to give their opinion all the time to go, this ain't the time. Yeah, okay, well when is his time? Because no one's going to care about what he thinks after this.

[B]

I would disagree with that. He's still got a plastic.

[A]

Did you know who Hunter Hess was before?

[B]

No. No idea.

[A]

Who is the American that is racing for the US in the luge?

[B]

No, I don't know.

[A]

Exactly. So if you are a loser and you feel like you have something that you need to say, isn't this the only time to do it?

[B]

In that regard, there's no better time. There's no better stage for to get your message out there. I would argue that these Olympians need PR training with the Norwegian coming out saying he cheated on his girlfriend.

[A]

Yeah, well, that was.

[B]

There's a couple of slightly different situation that need a little help with the media.

[A]

I, I think that's right. I'm okay with it. But I think more broadly I think it's like an example of why America actually is great. Because there are lots of countries in the world where you cannot do that. And the fact that they can do it and that the president can go on social media, I think, acting like a fool, but criticizing them and that they still get to put that flag on. Right, Right. Even though the president doesn't agree with them, they still get to do it. That's America.

[B]

Let's say they go a lot farther. It's not mixed emotions, and they're heartbroken, but they're calling for Trump to step down and calling him names. Do you feel like we would have the same grace with these athletes representing the country still?

[A]

I would not do that on that stage, but I still wouldn't. I still would be okay with it. I want you to get. Let's. We're using. It's easy to get wrapped up in our politics, but let's talk about, like, someone from Ukraine. Okay. We talk. You know, the Ukraine guy didn't get to wear his helmet. And that's a little different to me because it's. Once you start down that path, then everybody can do. I understand the IOC's argument on not allowing him to wear the helmet that had the. But if the. If the Ukrainian. What is he, Skeleton guy? He's talking daily about the atrocities Russia is committing against his country. Is anyone telling him to shut up in skeleton?

[B]

I don't think so. I'm not sure.

[A]

They're saying he's bringing attention to this thing that's happening. Most Americans are praising him. So why can't our own country, athletes, get to do the same thing? You know what I mean? Like, now, granted, it's a much worse situation for him. It's a war. I understand that, but we tend to praise when athletes speak up when we agree with them, and we tend to tell them to shut up. And it's not the right place when we disagree with them. Right. If. If an athlete, and I'm sure there are athletes over there that like Donald Trump, if they win the gold medal and they say Donald Trump is the greatest president of all time and MAGA support ice, you think those same people are gonna be telling him to shut up?

[B]

No, no, no.

[A]

So are we gonna have a situation where you can praise the government overseas but not criticize it?

[B]

Well, black and white like that, I can see it could be a slippery slope. You don't want to say that. You can't do that.

[A]

I think most athletes would take the view. I've waited my whole life for this, I'm dead focused. I ain't talking about any of that stuff. That's probably what I would do. But I also understand if there's people who say, I want to have an impact on the world, this is my moment. And I'm okay with that, too. It does. And it. By the way, it wouldn't bother me if people got up and said Donald Trump's the greatest president of all time. I mean, I don't get mad when Nick Bosa puts on a MAGA hat during his post game interview. I don't. I mean, if he wants to, he's telling me what he's like. But that's okay. He can do that. So why get mad at this? The same people that told Colin Kaepernick to get out of league. I don't hear him complain about Nick Bosa.

[B]

No, because they love this country, and that can be seen as anti American.

[A]

They love Donald Trump. Okay. I bet Hunter Hess loves America, too. I can love America and not love its leader, Correct? Right. Remember when Donald Trump ran, he said America was a blank hole. The whole premise is make America great again. What is the implication?

[B]

It's not great.

[A]

It's not great. Now he gets to say that. Why can't Hunter Hess say that?

[B]

That's fair.

[A]

That's what I don't like when people equate not liking Trump to not liking America. Trump's entire running philosophy was that Obama had ruined America, yet he still got to say he loved America. Don't I get to do the same thing?

[B]

Yes, I guess. But with Trump the leader, he's not going to be happy with you saying that he doesn't win.

[A]

When does it matter whether he's not.

[B]

Telling what he thinks?

[A]

Yeah, I know. But guess what? This is not a king. If he's not happy, then he's not happy. So what he doesn't have. It's not Billy Rutledge's job to make J.D. vance happy.

[B]

Nope. Never will be.

[A]

Well, maybe I could see you working for him.

[B]

You're working for JD when he runs for president.

[A]

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[B]

All right, so here's the third one. This person wants to know about the ICE operations ending or scaling down in Milwaukee. He wanted your extended thoughts on what ICE has been doing and if you will give Donald Trump any credit for what is happening.

[A]

Well, the fact that it happened is his fault, or at least his. The Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem. But the fact that he decided after the death of. What was the guy's name?

[B]

I don't.

[A]

Alex Preddy, I think was in.

[B]

I think that sounds right.

[A]

The fact that he decided to change course, you do have to give him credit for that because, you know, he could have kept going and made it worse.

[B]

Alex Preddy is correct.

[A]

Yeah. So, you know, he decided to get rid of Stephen Miller or not get rid of him, but move Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem off of that. Put this Tom Holman guy in charge, who, by the way, was head of ICE and should have been in charge.

[B]

To begin with, didn't know that they.

[A]

Had pushed him to the side because he didn't want to do this. Like, he said, this is a bad idea. Before they did any of that, they were like, this is a bad idea. We are creating conflict we do not need. And he said, we are putting our agents at risk.

[B]

And they just took him off and we'll just.

[A]

And they took him off and they put people in who would do it. So they put that guy who's dressed like, you know, 1935 Germans. They put him in there. Well, guess what? They flip it, put that guy, and now they're leaving. And that was the right decision. You know, I'm fine with them getting these violent illegal immigrants out, but there's no reason for them to be fighting with people on the street, you know, and even though a lot of these protesters are. Are instigating it, you got to be better than that. You have military grade equipment. They have a camera, you know, disengaged. That's the point. So I actually think I get. I do give that. Them credit and especially Tom Holman credit for realizing that and now drawing it down because I think it has eased the tensions on. On what was quickly becoming an untenable situation up there.

[B]

Well, there's been a lot of stories with ICE over the last couple months, but just so surprising, the lack of training that these agents have. Like, they were just throwing people out.

[A]

In the field because they put people in charge. Like, Tom Holman's a perfect example. He's worked for ICE for 25 years. He ran ICE under Obama. He had run it for Republicans and Democrats. I can't think of anybody that would be more of an expert of what you should do. Right. They got rid of him. And Stephen Miller, who might be the worst person in America, was put in charge. And you saw what happened, because he doesn't know anything. He's trying to create conflict. He's trying to create. This is one of the good things about Trump ready for a good thing. Because he's a TV person. He watches so much tv. He came from tv. He understands the power of visuals.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

Right. He is a master marketer, probably one of the best marketers in the history of the United States. He is an amazing marketer. He understands the visual medium and he understands the power of images as such. He knows images that are good for him and he knows images that are bad for him. That's why he always wants to put people in office. He'll say, oh, he's got movie star good looks. You know what I mean? Because he's an image guy. Right. He, I think, understood with the Renee Goode thing first, but then really with the Alex Preddy thing that the images were bad for him. You gotta remember, he lives in this cocoon where, where everyone just comes up to him and tells him how wonderful he is. You know what I mean? So the only time he ever sees criticism is when. When he turns the television on, all the people around him tell him he's great, he's handsome, he's the best golfer of all time. No, they do.

[B]

Yeah. That's why he's got 20 club championships.

[A]

You're the best golfer, Mr. President. You're the most handsome, you're the smartest, you're the. This. The only time he gets doses of the real world is on television. And I don't think it's a coincidence that Fox News, which also understands tv, was starting to that day say, all right, maybe this isn't this in Looking Good. And I think it was Fox News that morning came out and said, maybe Trump should get rid of those guys and bring in Tom home. And then he did it like an hour later.

[B]

A big optics guy.

[A]

But that's good because it's the one thing that keeps him connected to reality. Because when you surround yourself with people that won't question you, Billy, that's bad.

[B]

Isn't that something Obama did? He had somebody on his staff that would disagree with him constantly on the.

[A]

Let's start. Yes. So Obama was very. Well, it starts with Abraham Lincoln. There was a book called Team of Rivals where Abraham Lincoln had been fighting with all these people know. Cause the. The Union wins the Civil War. Or, you know, the Union. We're in a civil war. And rather than just getting everybody that agrees with him, Lincoln takes all of the people who were that disagreed with him but were on the Union side, and he creates a cabinet full of them. He called it the team of rivals. And the idea was, if all these people who disagree with me are together, I'll get the best advice. And it. It worked, right? Sure. Then fast forward. Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court every year would have one liberal clerk, two conservatives, one liberal, and he would give his hardest opinions to the liberal. He wanted to know, what are the criticisms of what I'm thinking and how can I make myself better. That's really smart. Obama, he didn't get. He made sure to always have one Republican in his Cabinet.

[B]

That's where I'd heard.

[A]

Yeah, he had one Republican in his cabinet. I think Biden did, too. Maybe George W. Bush did as well. The idea was one person in there who will give you the other opinion. Trump needs that.

[B]

Needs one just to know about optics and, like, what could go wrong. You don't have to have a ton.

[A]

But you've seen those Cabinet meetings where they sit around that room and everybody just tells him how great he is and he falls asleep. You would fall asleep, too, if you just had three hours, everybody telling you how awesome you were.

[B]

Yeah, they get boring.

[A]

So. So, yeah, I think it was good they did that, and I think it saved what was already. Billy, a bad situation. It could have been a lot, lot worse.

[B]

I agree with that.

[A]

So, thankfully, looks like it is scaling down.

[B]

All right, one more big question for you, Matt. As a Democrat, who do you want as the candidate for president in the upcoming election?

[A]

That's a long way away.

[B]

And is that Andy Bashir?

[A]

So let's go in order of who I don't want. All right.

[B]

I like that.

[A]

The one I want the least is Kamala Harris. She's already lost. All right. And she's cringy, so. Yes. And she's not like, the world doesn't think she's cool. So.

[B]

So don't run it back.

[A]

You should never run it back. Okay. When you lose, you get one chance to lose. It's over. Right. When you're the party's nominee, you get one time, then you go. She's leading in the polls.

[B]

Of course she is.

[A]

That'll change. Because, like, most people don't know, they just know her the most. My second least favorite is Gavin Newsom, California Governor. I think the weight of California Just being California, and he's kind of a prick, and he's just like. He's like our version of Trump, and I don't want that. I want us to move past that. Yeah.

[B]

It seems like he's adopted the Trump.

[A]

Method, and I don't like that. I grant you it's effective. It was effective for Trump, but I don't like it. I can't sit here and say I don't like when Trump calls people names and then be for my guy that calls people names. Right. Sure, he's not as bad as Trump, but it's still the same thing. Plus, he seems sleazy to me.

[B]

Is that just the hair that he's got going on?

[A]

So I think it's the gel. Do you find him sleazy?

[B]

Well, with somebody with gel in my hair as we speak, I can't say sleazy is the word I would use.

[A]

So you don't find him sleazy?

[B]

No, but I don't like the Trump, like, back and forth, yelling and, like.

[A]

Find him a little. I feel like if I was in a room with him, he'd be trying to pull one on me.

[B]

You'd have to kind of look at him.

[A]

Yeah. And I don't know if I'd want to leave my girlfriend with him.

[B]

Can't trust him.

[A]

I mean, but do you see what I'm saying? Do you see the vibe I'm talking about?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. So he's out now. If he gets the nominee, I'd vote for him over J.D. vance, but I don't think we should pick him.

[B]

I would guess he would be the one in the lead right now.

[A]

He will. I don't think Kamala will run in the end, so I think he will be the favorite, but I don't like that. Okay, so then we have two choices. We can get one of two kinds of candidates. I prefer column two, but let me tell you what I think column one is. Column one is you get a liberal that's young and cool, and it gets people excited. Okay. This is not what I would do, but like, aoc, is that okay? Right. You get somebody who's young, gets all of, like, gets the Democrats their cool back because we didn't. We lost it with Biden and Harris, and Trump to some people, is cool. Not me, but some people. So you get someone like aoc.

[B]

And.

[A]

They get people excited. I don't think that will happen, but I could see it. So trying to think, who else is like that? Wes Moore of Maryland, the governor of Maryland. He's. He's one of those people. Who else? Well, I mean, Bernie's in that world, but I don't think he's still. He's too old.

[B]

Like, he missed his window.

[A]

He missed his window, but you get what I'm saying. Well, Zoron would be like.

[B]

So these are more extreme.

[A]

It's not so much they're kind of extreme, but it's more just like they've got swag. Get the young vote and liberals, like the real progressive. Like, so, you know, Obama was perceived like that, even though he wasn't as liberal as people perceived he was like that. The second thing is a boring, probably white guy, our guy. To me, we need a boring white guy. Or a boring doesn't have to be white, but just a boring person. But boring and can talk. Okay. So for me, the best candidate we have today would probably be Roy Cooper of North Carolina or Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Because they are seasoned and they are very popular in swing states. Right. States we have to win. Or the congressman down in. Or, excuse me, the senator down in Georgia. Ossoff. You know what I'm talking about.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then you have Andy. Now, I like Andy a lot, and I may even vote for Andy in the primary. I just wonder, does Andy have enough sizzle? He's got more sizzle than I thought he did. I used to say it was vanilla ice cream without sprinkles.

[B]

I was going to say it if you didn't.

[A]

I think he's added some sprinkles, but does he have chocolate chip?

[B]

Are you worried about the debates, like just not having the fire?

[A]

No, I'm not really as worried about him as I was. I just don't. I just don't know. He. He's not winning Kentucky no matter what. Do you agree with that? If it was him versus JD Vance? Cause there wouldn't be an argument to bring him in if he would win Kentucky.

[B]

You don't think there's any shot of him winning Kentucky?

[A]

Well, do you? If it was Andy Beshear, JD Vance, do you think he would win Kentucky.

[B]

As the only person to turn the state blue? I feel like he would have a.

[A]

Shot, but it's harder in a federal race.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Not as many people vote in the.

[B]

Governor'S race, but not every governor's gone through Covid and natural disaster.

[A]

It'd be interesting to see if they polled Andy Beshear versus JD Vance to today. Who do you think?

[B]

I think JD Because Trump is still.

[A]

Associated with JD and he will be in the.

[B]

But. But Trump's then gone in the next presidential election.

[A]

Never. I mean, he ain't going until he dies. Like he'll never shut up. You know that.

[B]

Yeah. You think he's going to be campaigning for J.D.

[A]

You want my prediction? Yeah.

[B]

If he doesn't run again, I bet.

[A]

You he doesn't even endorse J.D.

[B]

Oh, that would be a huge hit.

[A]

I bet you. This is my. This is my. This is my. Write it down. Matt Jones. He'll stay out of it.

[B]

Just let him battle it.

[A]

But he will throw shots at all of them that they aren't as good as him.

[B]

I could see that happening.

[A]

Couldn't you see that happening? He could just like have all of them kiss his butt. But he never really gives any of them his support until he knows they're going to win. And then he'll join them. But he will constantly be saying they aren't as good as he is. How many times do you think he's gonna do rallies where he goes, don't you wish it was me?

[B]

Oh, well, every rally. Every rally, more than once.

[A]

That's gonna be tough for them. Cuz he's gonna want it to. And he'll be a bigger star. If you were to go to a JD Vance campaign rally and Trump was speaking, Trump would have to go last.

[B]

He would. Or together. Or at least announce JD With Trump. But.

[A]

But go ahead.

[B]

I was going to say that would be throwing the Republican Party aside pretty quickly after you're done.

[A]

You don't think that man is more concerned about himself than the Republican Party?

[B]

I think JD Is definitely the successor in his mind.

[A]

See, I think. Why do you say that?

[B]

Just because he's part of the club, he can get the agenda.

[A]

For J.D. vance to win, he's gonna have to distance himself from.

[B]

See, I disagree.

[A]

Yeah, I don't. Because Trump, J.D. vance is not nearly as cool to people as Trump is. J.D. vance is all the negatives of Trump without that little bit of sauce that helps him get the independent voter.

[B]

But don't you think they'll try to replicate what Trump did?

[A]

He doesn't have that personality. Trump is a TV star. Trump is the thing that Democrats have underestimated about Trump for 10 years. He's a television star. Television star. They know. They're magnetic. We hate him so much, some of our people, that we can't understand why people like him. He's a star. Obama star, Clinton star, Reagan star. Joe Biden was not a star. Kamala Harris is not a star. And J.D. vance is not a star. You either have it or you don't.

[B]

Sounds like we're building an NBA roster. We need to find a.

[A]

But am I wrong?

[B]

You're not. But I don't see another star.

[A]

I don't. AOC is a star. Yeah, no, she is. Now I'm not. I don't want her to be the nominee for a variety of reasons, but she's a star. I can't stand him. But Tucker Carlson's a star.

[B]

Oh, you think Tucker is a star?

[A]

He won't be the nominee. He's gone too extreme. He's gone on like he does can, like he can't win. Women can't stand him. But I'm just saying, I don't think the next president actually will be a star. But JD Vance is not a star. Trump's a star. In my lifetime, we've had four political stars. I don't think this next election will have one of those. That's why Trump, by the way, likes Zoron so much. Because he's a star. Trump is a TV guy. He can sense when someone's a star and he wants to be associated with them. And he knows Zoron's a star. Again, I'm not a big Zoron guy. But the reason people are like, so surprised, Trump knows, like, he's got it. Cause Trump's got it. That's why Trump's so jealous of Obama.

[B]

Obama's got it, but JD Doesn't.

[A]

JD doesn't have it. Do you think he has it?

[B]

I mean, I could see him not having it. I pick up what you're putting down.

[A]

He's a dork. He's a dork.

[B]

Dorks can be president too.

[A]

Yes, but dorks can't do what Trump did. For JD to win, he's got to win an old fashioned political race like Bush versus Gore. Right. And on the issues right now, if you look at the swing state polling, it's better to be a Democrat than to be Republican today. Now that might change over the course of the next two years, but today. So I think you want to beat JD Vance. Pick someone boring that won't say something stupid and that shows they can win states. And for me, Josh Shapiro is, or John Ossoff, and in Georgia's probably the best ones. But I will say if Andy keeps getting better.

[B]

So not this cycle, but.

[A]

The next cycle, I think Andy, he's gotten a lot better. But can Andy, can Andy get people? So you got to remember, it starts in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, I was full of religious, conservative Democrats and crazy lefties. But she ain't getting the crazy lefties. But he might get those conservative, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I was his chance. New Hampshire's all intellectuals. They ain't gonna pick him. And in South Carolina's black people, I don't know if they're gonna pick him either. So he's gotta win Iowa. So I'm gonna make you bet over the next two years. And he's gonna be. His second home is gonna be Iowa. He's gonna live in Frankfurt and Des Moines.

[B]

He's already started the circuit of shows and getting his name out there.

[A]

How do you think he does on those?

[B]

I haven't watched a lot just by clips. I think he's doing fine.

[A]

And he does.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

See, that's what I worry. Is Andy the guy that's fine.

[B]

It's not like, whoa, yeah, that's the star that you're talking.

[A]

And that's what I'm saying. I wonder if. Does he have enough to be whoa. It would be fascinating, though, if the presidential race were two dudes from Kentucky. Although J.D. vance, not from Kentucky, but spent time here. What if that were the presidential race?

[B]

I'd like it. I mean, just because it's us on the big stage, he's not get asked.

[A]

What we think about a lot during that race.

[B]

You need to talk to J.D. have him back on the show.

[A]

I can't, though, because I know what JD Actually thinks and I know how full of it is.

[B]

Well, it would still be a good thought experiment to hear him.

[A]

I'd love to have him on. I mean, I'd love to have him on. I'd want to interview him in person. And I. I would. If he agreed, I would do it tomorrow. I don't think he would agree.

[B]

Meanwhile, Andy's interviewing Rick Patino on his latest podcast.

[A]

I haven't heard. I heard part of it last night. Yeah. That's kind of cool. So let me ask you the question. You are the kind of person that if the Democrats are going to win the 2028 race, they've got me. I'll probably vote for whoever they have. We gotta get you. Like, I said this to somebody the other day. I was talking to a national Democratic person and I said, I judge. This is true. I judge candidates by. Will Shannon and Billy vote for them?

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yes. Because Drew will, Ryan will. I will, Mario will. What will Drew and Billy do? Because, like, excuse me, Shannon and Billy. Because, like, I know Shannon voted for Trump the first time he voted for Biden the second time, and I don't know who he voted for the third time. I'm gonna guess he voted for Trump. Or maybe he didn't vote. I don't know. I'm gonna guess he voted for Trump. Although I don't know you, I could see voting for either party. I won't put you on the spot to say which one you did. So the question is, of those candidates in the Democratic Party, which one are you most likely to vote for?

[B]

Not Newsom.

[A]

So if it was Newsom Vance, you'd vote Vance?

[B]

Probably.

[A]

That's why we can't pick Newsom, because.

[B]

I don't want the Trump derangement syndrome. I think it would be a lot of the same.

[A]

But don't you think J.D. vance do the same stuff Trump did?

[B]

See, I don't know, because you said that dorks can win the presidential election, but if he replicates Trump, then he's not the nominee.

[A]

I worry he'll do the same stuff as Trump. He just won't say as many outlandish things, but he'll do the same things.

[B]

Yeah, I think it'll be a little different. He'll try to, like, be his own man.

[A]

I also worry, by the way, JD Vance is way too connected to AI, to all the tech people.

[B]

Oh, really? Well, that's even more so.

[A]

Why?

[B]

He would become the next president. Oh.

[A]

J.D. vance is who the tech people want 100%. The guy that started Palantir, the guy that said we all need to be. Or, excuse me, the guy that said we all needed to be replaced by robots.

[B]

Remember that guy, Peter Till?

[A]

Peter Thiel. He's the guy that created JD Vance. JD Vance was just working at a company, and he invested all that money, made him a senator, and made him the vice president. Like Peter thiel. The reason J.D. vance is in our lives is him.

[B]

Well, this may be a moot point then, if that's already been decided. I mean, Andy, I'm biased.

[A]

So would you vote for Andy?

[B]

I think I would, yeah.

[A]

Would you vote for the Josh Shapiro types?

[B]

Not until I see debates.

[A]

So you'd be open to it?

[B]

I would, yes.

[A]

Would you AOC JD Vance? Why?

[B]

I think it's a little too young, a little too fringe.

[A]

Not that much younger than J.D. vance.

[B]

I just associate her with the differently than I do.

[A]

And I think that's right. I do think she would lose guys like you, which is why AOC's path is all right. I might not get Billy, but I'm gonna get people to Vote who don't otherwise vote.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And she'll win a lot of the Hispanics back. Because we lost a lot of Hispanics to Trump. Mm. She'd win a lot of them back.

[B]

So maybe her as a vp.

[A]

It's interesting. I don't know.

[B]

Andy. Aoc.

[A]

But it would be a weird.

[B]

You got. You gotta get.

[A]

I think actually AOC Andy makes more sense.

[B]

Aoc.

[A]

And would you vote for AOC Andy? You know, Kentucky was in the vice presidential chair.

[B]

I'd have to just see. I'd have to see. I mean, I. People are like. These debates don't decide voters.

[A]

I think that they do for you.

[B]

I think definitely to see them actually speak is a big part of.

[A]

We also need someone smart, by the way, because J.D. vance is smart. Trump's not smart. We've been used to having fodder. J.D. vance Smart. So you can't have an idiot up there.

[B]

The debates would be.

[A]

Because he'll make. He'll make. And he'll make somebody not smart look stupid. So you got. And of those candidates we mentioned, I think pretty much all of them are smart. I don't think any of those people that are the top people are dumb.

[B]

Yeah. But Gavin might just play a bit.

[A]

There's a world where Gavin could look sleazier than J.D. vance, and we don't want that.

[B]

Yeah. And that's the pendulum swinging.

[A]

But Bashir is not going to look sleazier than JD Vans.

[B]

Not at all.

[A]

Neither is Josh Shapiro. So it's interesting. It's going to be. I'll just be glad for Trump to.

[B]

Be out of my life if he doesn't run again.

[A]

Well, let's not even go down that path.

[B]

That's another Interrupted episode.

[A]

That's another Interrupted episode. Well, Billy, nice job on the mailbag. If you have questions. 772-774-5254. Thank you for listening to another episode of Interrupted.