Podcast Summary: The Matt Walsh Show

Episode: Ep. 1687 – The Pundits Are All Wrong About Why Mamdani Won
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Matt Walsh
Main Theme:
Matt Walsh dissects the results of recent elections, focusing particularly on Zoran Mamdani’s victory as New York City’s mayor. He argues that mainstream pundit explanations – especially those centering on economic issues – miss the root cause: demographic change, multiculturalism, and tribal voting patterns. Walsh extends his critique to broader degeneration in Western societies due to mass migration and multicultural policies. The episode also addresses cultural trends, including racial resentment, the fat acceptance movement, and gender controversies.

1. Overview of the Episode

Walsh opens by dismissing the mainstream narrative blaming the economy for the Democrats’ electoral successes. Instead, he claims changing demographics and identity politics are the real drivers—especially in cities like New York. He uses Mamdani’s victory to illustrate a trend he sees as threatening the nation's culture and identity.
Throughout the episode, Walsh also covers:

• Racial resentment and tribal voting motives
• The downfall of the fat acceptance movement
• Various cultural controversies, including trans issues and historical grievances

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. The Election Analysis: Why Mamdani Won (05:52–27:00)

Turnout Context and Dismissal of Mainstream Explanations

• Walsh criticizes pundits who see shifts in local election results as signs of GOP collapse, citing small turnout and unique local factors (e.g., utility price hikes in Georgia).
  • “Turnout in Georgia was only about 20%. Hardly anyone voted... The people who did vote weren’t saying anything about the Trump administration or the state of the country.” (06:56)
• He dismisses redistricting outcomes in Mississippi as transient and rooted in racial politics.

Exit Polls and Demographic Shifts

• Focuses on Mamdani’s win, citing exit polls:
  • “Mamdani won 83% of voters who have lived in New York City for less than five years... Cuomo received just 15% of those voters. The longer that people have lived in the city, the less likely they were to vote for Mamdani.” (13:07)
• Asserts newcomers, particularly immigrants, are dictating the city’s direction—people with “nothing to lose.”
  • “The word for this situation is not migration... The word is invasion. It is a hostile takeover.” (14:40)
• Cites that 40% of New Yorkers weren’t born in the U.S.

Rejecting the Economic Explanation

• Dismisses claims that leftist policies attract the disaffected because of economic pain:
  • “We’re supposed to believe this is all about the economy, even though it’s the people who’ve been here for five seconds?” (18:37)

Race, Religion, and Identity Block Voting

• Quotes Lee Kuan Yew: “In multiracial societies, you don’t vote in accordance with your economic interests and social interests. You vote in accordance with race and religion.” (19:53)
• Interprets exit polls as evidence of tribal voting, with all groups except white men supporting Mamdani.
• Asserts that the driving force is racial resentment, especially against white men.
  • “They hate America. They hate American culture. They want to destroy it.” (22:42)

Notable Example & Analysis

• Plays a clip of Jennifer Welch at Mamdani’s victory party emphasizing “multiculturalism,” which Walsh derides as “the eradication of our identity as a nation.”
  • “Americans have no culture except for multiculturalism. Crusty white people need to learn how to embrace it.” [Imitated quote] (19:27)
  • Walsh: “Multiculturalism is not culture, it’s anti-culture. It is what happens when the thing is destroyed.” (23:47)

Results of Multiculturalism in the West

• Cites Germany, Sweden, France, and Canada as cases where multiculturalism has fostered dysfunction, crime, and declining economies.
• Uses Canada’s political accommodation of Indian/Sikh culture as an example of national identity loss (Canada segment: 27:04-27:41).

Conclusion for the Right

• Urges conservatives to stop blaming the economy and start voting tribally—“in accordance with our own common interests to protect our national identity.” (29:50)

B. Racial Grievance and Reparations (33:58–39:05)

• Discusses comedian Roy Wood Jr. admitting to an obsession with tracking down descendants of white slave-owners linked to his ancestry.
  • Roy Wood Jr.: “If I wanted to today, I could find the white Wood descendants in southern Georgia… and pull up on a house. One day I will.” (34:08)
• Walsh lampoons the incoherence of targeting living people for slavery committed centuries ago.
  • “You’re just going to be shouting at a nice white family while they’re eating dinner, and they’re going to be totally confused staring at you… they don’t have slaves.” (34:44)
• Argues that many Black Americans are better off than they would have been had their ancestors remained in Africa, which leads him to challenge the logic of reparations.
  • “If your ancestors weren’t brought here, you would be living in Africa right now.” (38:25)

C. Transgender Controversies & Women’s Spaces (43:11–46:55)

• Breaks down the Gold’s Gym locker room controversy where a trans-identified male used the women’s facilities and a woman (Tish) was banned for objecting.
  • Plays an interview with the trans individual, who admits to not having had surgery.
• Walsh frames the male presence as a fetish/fantasy rather than confusion:
  • “He wants them to be uncomfortable. That’s why he’s in there.” (45:36)
  • “He doesn't even believe he's a woman… for him this is a fantasy that he's playing out.” (45:12)

D. Fat Acceptance Movement & "Levels of Fat" (49:34–53:26)

• Plays a viral clip where a fat acceptance activist categorizes people by shirt size: “small fat,” “mid fat,” “super fat.”
  • Activist: “If you are a 1 or 2x you are small fat, 3 to 4x you are mid fat, 5 to 6x you are super fat… it’s based on your level of privilege in the world.” (49:37)
• Walsh mocks the categorization, relating it to fast food portions and satirizing the “oppression Olympics.”
  • “You could be a full-on 300-pound, greasy, sweaty lard-ass and you could still feel pretty good because you could say, hey, I'm only midfat.” (50:21)
• Claims the body positivity movement faded merely because weight-loss drugs like Ozempic offered an “easy shortcut.”
  • “The very second that an easy shortcut to being skinny went on the market, they all just jumped on that.” (52:57)
• Concludes: “If you’re fat, it’s because you’re not moving enough and you’re eating too much. That’s it.” (53:07)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The word for this situation is not migration or mass migration. The word is invasion.” (14:40)
• “Mamdani won 83% of voters who have lived in New York City for less than five years.” (13:07)
• “Multiculturalism is a kind of culture the way that a black hole is a kind of star.” (23:47)
• “If your ancestors weren’t brought here, you would be living in Africa right now.” (38:25)
• “He wants them to be uncomfortable. That’s why he’s in there.” (45:36)
• “If you’re fat, it’s because you’re not moving enough and you’re eating too much. That’s it.” (53:07)

4. Important Timestamps

• 06:56–12:30 — Critique of election punditry and local context
• 13:07–19:53 — Exit poll analysis & demographic voting patterns in NYC
• 19:53 — Quote of Lee Kuan Yew and explanation of tribal voting
• 21:00–24:10 — Clip of Jennifer Welch & criticism of multiculturalism
• 24:10–28:00 — Consequences of multiculturalism in Europe and Canada
• 29:50 — Call to conservatives to unite on identity
• 33:58–39:05 — Roy Wood Jr. topic and reparations logic
• 43:11–46:55 — Gold’s Gym incident and gender politics
• 49:34–53:26 — Fat acceptance movement, new “levels,” and body positivity decline

5. Tone and Language

Matt Walsh’s tone throughout is combative, uncompromising, and often satirical. He uses blunt, provocative language to lampoon progressive policies, identity politics, and various cultural trends. Frequently, his commentary is laced with mockery or rhetorical questions, and he often uses anecdotal and statistical evidence to bolster his arguments.

Summary Takeaways

• Walsh rejects economic explanations for progressive electoral victories, focusing on demographics and identity politics as decisive factors.
• He views Mamdani's win as emblematic of demographic replacement and tribal voting, consistent with broader Western trends.
• He strongly critiques multiculturalism and interprets American (and Western) societal changes as self-destructive.
• Other segment topics—racial resentment, gender controversies, and fat acceptance—are used to illustrate what he considers the decadence and irrationality of contemporary leftist culture.
• Walsh's solution: Conservatives must recognize and act on their own group interests to prevent further decline.