Summary of "Ep. 1555 - Michelle Obama And Dylan Mulvaney Both FLOP In The Same Week" – The Matt Walsh Show
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Introduction
In Episode 1555 of The Matt Walsh Show, host Matt Walsh delves into recent high-profile failures within left-leaning circles, highlighting the unsuccessful launches of Michelle Obama's podcast and Dylan Mulvaney's book. Through these examples, Walsh critiques the broader cultural and political issues plaguing the left. Additionally, he touches upon other topical matters, including President Trump's proposed tax cuts, a health board member identifying as a turtle, and an FAA official facilitating cheating among non-white applicants.
1. Michelle Obama's Podcast Flop
Walsh begins by scrutinizing Michelle Obama's newly launched podcast, imo. Despite significant media promotion and Michelle Obama's prominent status, the podcast has not resonated with the public.
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Content Critique: Walsh criticizes the podcast for its lack of engaging content, emphasizing that episodes predominantly feature Michelle and her brother Craig discussing mundane personal anecdotes.
"You can expect to listen to approximately one hour of Michelle and her brother talking about themselves. It's actually impressive the degree to which the entire show is about inane, completely uninteresting details of these two people's lives."
[03:06 – 05:04] -
Audience Reception: The first episode garnered only 65,000 views within 24 hours, with the majority of engagement stemming from negative comments rather than genuine interest.
"By far, the best part of the first episode was the comment section... you will not find a single positive comment anywhere on the page."
[05:04 – 08:02] -
Second Episode Analysis: Walsh further notes that the second episode failed to improve, maintaining the same self-centered format without introducing any compelling topics.
"Once again, the comments are full of people asking what Big Mike did to the chef. That's all the comments care about."
[08:02 – 11:06]
Walsh concludes that despite Michelle Obama's media presence and assumed popularity, the public remains disinterested, highlighting a disconnect between media promotion and actual audience engagement.
2. Dylan Mulvaney's Book Launch Failure
Parallel to Michelle Obama's podcast, Walsh discusses trans activist Dylan Mulvaney's recent book launch, which has similarly failed to make an impact.
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Book Performance: Mulvaney's book debuted at number 1081 on Amazon with a lukewarm rating of 2.9 stars, indicating poor reception.
"A day after its release, it had not cracked the top 500. So it's an unmitigated failure."
[13:20 – 16:24] -
Media Appearances: Despite receiving mainstream media coverage, including an interview on CBS News, Mulvaney failed to engage audiences effectively.
"Mulvaney as the great trans mascot gets, and it has not moved the needle for him even one inch."
[16:24 – 22:xx] -
"The View" Interview: Walsh critiques Mulvaney's inability to articulate his thoughts coherently during an appearance on The View, further tarnishing his public image.
"He has no thoughts. He can't defend the idea of men competing against women because it makes no sense."
[13:20 – 16:24]
Walsh uses Mulvaney's failure to underscore his argument that media-backed leftist figures often lack genuine engagement with their audiences.
3. Broader Left Cultural Problems
Using the flops of Michelle Obama and Dylan Mulvaney as case studies, Walsh argues that the left is experiencing significant cultural and leadership crises.
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Lack of Authentic Leadership: Despite heavy promotion, leftist figures are failing to connect with the public, suggesting a lack of genuine leadership and relatability.
"The left has the same problem culturally that they have politically. They have no stars. They have no leaders in the culture or on the political scene."
[22:xx – 32:23] -
Media Overexposure vs. Public Disinterest: Walsh highlights the paradox where the left achieves extensive media coverage without translating it into public support or success.
"They can shove all of these people in our face, and they do, but what they're discovering is that they can't make us care."
[22:xx – 32:23] -
Comparison with Right-Wing Success: Contrastingly, right-wing political podcasts and figures maintain popularity and influence, emphasizing the left's struggle to maintain cultural relevance.
"Nearly all of the most popular political podcasts are right wing."
[32:23 – 39:xx]
4. Additional Topics Discussed
Beyond the primary focus on Michelle Obama and Dylan Mulvaney, Walsh addresses several other contentious issues:
a. President Trump's Tax Plan
Walsh critiques President Trump's proposal to eliminate taxes for individuals earning under $150,000 annually.
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Support and Opposition: While acknowledging the potential benefits for lower-income earners, Walsh expresses concerns over the fairness and structure of the tax system under this plan.
"I'm not a fan of the no tax on tip thing, but... I fully support no tax on people under $150,000 a year."
[22:xx – 32:23] -
Critique of Progressive Taxation: He argues against the progressive tax system, labeling it as coerced favoritism and advocating for an equal or flat tax rate instead.
"I've always opposed the progressive tax rate system that we have now. I've always opposed this idea of choosing winners and losers."
[32:23 – 39:xx]
b. Health Board Member Identifies as a Turtle
Walsh discusses an incident where a member of Oregon's Health Board introduced herself with unconventional pronouns, including "turtle."
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Absurdity and Ridicule: He mocks the legitimacy of identifying as a turtle, equating it to other forms of false self-identification.
"It's absurd to identify as a turtle. A man is as much a woman as he is a turtle in the sense that he's totally not a woman at all."
[39:51 – 40:07] -
Language and Pronouns: Walsh also explores the grammatical challenges and social implications of using non-traditional pronouns.
"You have two pieces of bread and some kind of thing in the middle."
[40:07 – 40:22]
c. FAA Official Aiding Non-White Applicants Cheat
A significant portion of the episode tackles the misconduct of Shelton Snow, an FAA official who facilitated cheating among non-white applicants for air traffic controller positions.
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Voicemail Evidence: Walsh presents recordings of Snow encouraging applicants to cheat, revealing systemic racial discrimination within the FAA hiring process.
"Don't help white males, we're only concerned about African Americans, women of every ethnic background, and other minorities."
[56:29 – 60:18] -
Consequences and Safety Risks: He underscores the potential dangers of incompetent air traffic controllers resulting from this fraud, citing recent near-miss aviation incidents as evidence.
"If they hadn't been competent, if they'd cheated on their entrance exams, then the outcome could have been very different."
[60:18 – 64:42] -
Call for Accountability: Walsh urges immediate reforms within the FAA, including retesting all controllers and purging those involved in discriminatory practices.
"We can either get them done now, or we can take them after yet another aviation disaster happens."
[64:42 – End]
Conclusion
In this episode, Matt Walsh effectively uses the failures of high-profile leftist figures to illustrate systemic issues within the left's cultural and political strategies. By highlighting the disconnect between media promotion and public interest, along with exposing discriminatory practices within government institutions like the FAA, Walsh presents a critique that questions the efficacy and integrity of contemporary left-wing approaches. The episode serves as a call to action for accountability and a reassessment of leadership within left-leaning circles.
Notable Quotes:
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"You can expect to listen to approximately one hour of Michelle and her brother talking about themselves."
– Matt Walsh [03:06] -
"The left has the same problem culturally that they have politically. They have no stars."
– Matt Walsh [22:xx] -
"It's absurd to identify as a turtle."
– Matt Walsh [39:55] -
"We can either get them done now, or we can take them after yet another aviation disaster happens."
– Matt Walsh [64:42]
This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Episode 1555, detailing Matt Walsh's critique of recent left-wing failures and broader societal issues, while incorporating key quotes and maintaining a logical flow for readers unfamiliar with the original podcast.