The Matt Walsh Show – Ep. 1719 "IT'S TIME: We Need To Start Arresting Liberal Lunatics Like Don Lemon NOW"
Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Matt Walsh (The Daily Wire)

Overview

This episode is a forceful, provocative response to recent left-wing protests targeting churches over immigration policies, notably involving former CNN anchor Don Lemon. Matt Walsh argues that such protests constitute “domestic terrorism” and should be prosecuted using the same legal standards (specifically, the FACE Act) previously used to target pro-life activists. Walsh also dissects a viral self-help post promising to “fix your life in one day,” expressing intense skepticism toward these approaches.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The FACE Act and Double Standards in Law Enforcement

Timestamps: 01:00–07:30

• FACE Act Application: Walsh recaps how the Biden administration aggressively applied the FACE Act—originally designed to protect abortion clinics—to threaten and arrest pro-life Christian demonstrators while ignoring violent acts against pro-life centers.
• Key Insight: The FACE Act also criminalizes interference with religious worship, which, Walsh argues, should apply to recent leftist protests that disrupted church services.
• Quote:
  “If we're still pretending that the rule of law means anything, FBI SWAT teams need to immediately conduct pre-dawn raids on the homes of everybody involved in the act of domestic terrorism that took place on Sunday at a Baptist church called Cities Church in St. Paul...” (06:02, Matt Walsh)

2. The Cities Church Protest & Don Lemon’s Involvement

Timestamps: 07:30–16:00

• Event Recap: Leftist activists stormed Cities Church in St. Paul during service, allegedly to protest the pastor’s rumored ICE connections, disrupting worship and intimidating congregants.
• Don Lemon’s Role: Lemon live-streamed the event, rationalizing disruptive protest as essential and likening it to the Civil Rights Movement.
• Quote:
  “The whole point of a protest is to disrupt ... There’s nothing that says where you can’t protest. There’s like, a lot of laws that stipulate that, actually.” (10:37, Matt Walsh, responding to Lemon)
• Pastor Interaction: Lemon confronts a pastor mid-service, insisting on his right to protest inside a church, claiming First Amendment protection.
• Walsh’s Reaction: Walsh both commends and fantasizes about direct confrontation with the disruptors, calling their actions inherently violent:
  “Barging into a church like that is a violent act inherently… If the pastor had... punched that despicable, dumb little punk right in his face... he would have been totally justified in doing that.” (15:23, Matt Walsh)

3. Leftist Projection and Hypocrisy on Authority and Civil Liberties

Timestamps: 21:11–27:34

• Activist Tactics: Walsh highlights leftist activists’ rapidly escalating actions, such as following suspected ICE agents, demanding proof of identity, and forming “chaotic, lawless situations.”
• Notable Quote:
  “They are everything they accuse ICE of being. They are authoritarian, they're a criminal, they're thugs, they're kidnappers.” (23:26, Matt Walsh)
• Police Scanner Audio: Left-wing agitators act as self-appointed “dispatchers” to stalk and harass people they suspect of being ICE agents or collaborators.

4. Mob Harassment of White Men & Racial Dynamics

Timestamps: 27:34–32:00

• Incidents Detailed: Mobs targeted white men in restaurants and on sidewalks based solely on suspicion of being ICE agents, at times openly acknowledging “if you’re white and eating in Minneapolis, you’re a suspect.”
• Quote:
  “Being white at lunch is a crime now. White while eating. WWE—that’s a crime.” (30:14, Matt Walsh)
• Escalation: Ordinary citizens were effectively detained and interrogated by angry crowds.

5. Immigrant Community and Leftist Agitators' Escalation

Timestamps: 34:00–36:00

• Somali Community: Walsh references alleged violent incidents involving Somali immigrants and claims of assistance from leftist lawyers and state officials.
• Minnesota & Maine Officials: State officials are accused of illegally sharing confidential information to thwart federal law enforcement, which Walsh claims rises to the level of conspiracy.

6. Walsh’s Call for Law & Order

Timestamps: 36:00–41:00

• Comparisons to Prosecution of Trump Allies: Walsh insists that if Roger Stone faced armed SWAT raids, “Don Lemon has earned a Bearcat taking down his front door…”
• Quote:
  “For once in the history of this country, these leftists need to suffer the consequences they've routinely inflicted on others.” (37:12, Matt Walsh)
• On Mass Arrests: Walsh goes further, calling for “mass arrests” and the use of military force if necessary:
  “If they declare an insurrection, send in the military and begin mass arrests… Prosecute these people, put them in jail for a long time. Ruin Don Lemon's life. His life should be ruined now.” (41:30, Matt Walsh)

7. Don Lemon’s Response and Walsh’s Rebuttal

Timestamps: 39:25–41:30

• Don Lemon’s Defense: Lemon claims he was only present as a journalist and that the protest was not premeditated.
• Walsh’s Contradiction: Plays Lemon’s own livestream showing foreknowledge of the operation, calling it clear evidence of Lemon’s complicity.

8. Critiquing Viral Self-Help Trends: “Fix Your Life in One Day”

Timestamps: 44:00–68:00

• The Dan Ko Post: Walsh reads and critiques Dan Ko’s viral X (Twitter) post promising to “fix your entire life in one day.” He finds the writing weak and the premise unrealistic.
• Fundamental Objections:
  • No one can “fix their life in a day.”
  • Success comes from hard work, not self-help exercises or endless self-reflection.
  • Self-help industry thrives because its methods don’t work—if they did, it would cease to exist.
• Notable Quote:
  “No truly successful person in the history of the world has ever done any of this… That stuff is for losers. It just is. Successful and happy people don’t even know what that means.” (55:00, Matt Walsh)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Legal Double Standards:
  “The law also makes it a federal crime to obstruct or interfere with anyone… lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of a religious freedom, of religious freedom at a place of religious worship. So yes, the same law that bans protests at abortion clinics also bans blockades of churches…” (02:45, Matt Walsh)
• On Protesters and Don Lemon:
  “Leftists like Don Lemon are coming right out and saying in no uncertain terms that the civil rights movement was led by thugs and domestic terrorists. That’s what he just said.” (11:38, Matt Walsh)
• On Mob Harassment:
  “This is anti-white domestic terrorism committed by leftists who seek to intimidate, harass, and murder white men as an act of solidarity with Venezuelan gangbangers.” (32:00, Matt Walsh)
• On Calls for Accountability:
  “For once… these leftists need to suffer the consequences they've routinely inflicted on others.” (37:12)
• On Self-Help Trends:
  “You cannot fix your life in one day… If you aren't successful, it's not because you failed to conduct the right self-assessment… It's because you're not trying hard enough or you aren't good enough or both. That’s it.” (54:00–57:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• FACE Act and Legal Application Discussion: 01:00–07:30
• Cities Church Protest, Don Lemon Footage, and Pastor Exchange: 07:30–16:00
• Expanding on Leftist Tactics & Projection: 21:11–27:34
• Mob Harassment Incidents: 27:34–32:00
• Immigrant Community & Activism Escalates: 34:00–36:00
• Walsh’s Call to Action & Mass Arrests: 36:00–41:00
• Don Lemon’s Defense & Contradictory Livestream Audio: 39:25–41:30
• Self-Help Viral Article Reaction: 44:00–68:00

Style, Tone, and Final Thoughts

Matt Walsh maintains his familiar combative, sarcastic, and unapologetically partisan tone throughout the episode. The rhetoric is intense, laced with vivid moral condemnation, disdain for his ideological opponents, and a repeated call for direct legal and punitive action. Walsh spares no language in advancing his belief that only forceful, law-and-order remedies will restore justice and order. His closing segment lampoons viral self-help as a symptomatic sign of cultural deterioration, doubling down on the virtues of hard work and personal responsibility.

For listeners new to this episode:

• Expect a hardline, unfiltered perspective on culture war issues.
• The episode is rich in pointed criticism, legal arguments, and anecdotes supporting the host’s broader worldview.
• The tone is combative and intended to provoke as well as to rally like-minded listeners toward more aggressive demands for justice and accountability.