The Matt Walsh Show

Episode 1722 - The WEF Made One Thing Very Clear: If Democrats Win We Are Totally Screwed

Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Matt Walsh

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh delivers a wide-ranging and impassioned critique of the World Economic Forum (WEF) events in Davos, focusing on what he sees as troubling trends involving global elites, U.S. rivals like China, and North America’s political future. Walsh draws a stark line between Trump-era U.S. policies and those he accuses Democrats and globalists of enabling, especially regarding U.S. sovereignty, education, and culture. The episode also delves into viral news stories—such as allegations of misconduct by ICE agents and recent debates over college credentials—offering Walsh’s signature combative commentary and advice for listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. WEF 2026: Trump vs. the Global Elites

• Contrasting Leadership Styles: Walsh opens by describing the WEF as typically a dull, “creepy” gathering of “lizard overlords” (00:45). He argues that when Democrats are in power, global elites “do a little Gaia worship” and collude to undermine Western interests, especially concerning immigration and economic policy (01:15).
• Trump’s Presence: Trump at the WEF, by contrast, is depicted as a rare spectacle, “crashing a party full of wealthy and powerful globalists who utterly despise him” and mocking their “orthodoxy” (02:15).
• Notable Quote: “They have to listen for more than an hour as Trump treats their orthodoxy...with nothing but mockery.” —Matt Walsh (02:25)

Canada's Alarming Shift & Chinese Influence

• Matt highlights Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech at the WEF, suggesting Carney is acting as a “Chinese puppet” (05:50), with serious allegations of financial entanglements.
• Carney is accused of “allying with China” rather than protecting Canadian (and therefore American) interests, like securing borders and defending national sovereignty (07:00).
• Military Exercises Against the U.S.: Walsh mentions Canadian military leaders "wargaming" defenses against a hypothetical U.S. invasion, quipping that “two days is optimistic, two hours is more accurate” (15:20).
• Canada’s Weakness: The idea of a Canadian insurgency is mocked—Walsh notes, “None of these people have guns for one thing. They've all been disarmed by the government" (16:10).

WEF Speakers: U.S. and European Leaders

• The show features clips from NATO leadership acknowledging U.S. dominance and European reliance (09:05), and from Canadian officials unable or unwilling to directly address China as a threat (10:50).
• Carney’s About-Face on China: “Less than a year ago Carney described China as the single biggest security threat facing Canada”—now, he won’t even say their name (11:30).

The U.S. Response

• Trump administration delegates such as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick deliver strong America First messages, renouncing globalization:
  • Lutnick (21:35): “Globalization has failed the west and the United States of America. It has left America behind... America first is a different model... our workers come first.”
• Walsh argues that Democrats and their union allies, particularly Randi Weingarten (President of the American Federation of Teachers), have “partnered” with the WEF to write American school curriculums (33:00).
  • Weingarten: “How do we use the WEF to create this kind of integrated network so that we're all working together so that kids can have...jobs that pay a living wage?” (34:10)

European Submission

• French and European leaders are criticized for “begging China” for investment and technology, proving Lutnick’s point that “Europe is deciding to be subservient to China” (26:00).
• Macron, Trudeau, and others are accused of lacking a stake in their countries’ futures, as “many of these leaders are happy to clown themselves, offer their countries up as Chinese colonies” (28:10).

Contrast with the Left

• Gavin Newsom is singled out for mocking world leaders for not standing up to Trump and for “rolling over.” Walsh’s takeaway: “Newsom...will do everything in his power to transform the US into a ward of China, just like Canada” (37:15).

2. U.S. Domestic Headlines

BLM Activists and the Shift in Law Enforcement

• Federal arrests of BLM activists in Minnesota are celebrated as a “great” sign of consequences finally catching up with leftist agitators (43:10).
  • Walsh’s Sarcasm: “They can cosplay as revolutionaries...to them it’s just a game. The whole thing falls apart once you start putting some consequences in place.” (44:45)

Viral ICE Allegation Disputed

• A Somali woman’s press conference where she claims ICE kidnapped her, assaulted her, and called her racial slurs is played and heavily mocked for inconsistencies (49:20).
  • Walsh on her story: “You could just see her making it up as she goes along...They cut my head off. Actually. They sewed it back on...The cartoonish band-aid...like nothing under her skull either in terms of a brain.” (51:20)
  • Points out the absence of video evidence despite many witnesses with cameras present.

Hoax Claims & Ethnic Stereotypes

• Walsh explicitly casts doubt on her claims, stating: “Leftists are well known for their hoaxes, and Somalis are notorious for being scam artists. So combine those two, leftist and Somali, and it’s the perfect storm of phoniness...Not really. But you’ve got someone you just can’t trust.” (54:10)

3. Michelle Obama on Legacy and Resentment

Podcast & Book Critique

• Michelle Obama, on a podcast promoting her new book centered around her outfits, vents about being mainly known as “Barack Obama’s wife” and for her fashion rather than her achievements (60:15).
  • Michelle (audio): “All of that just disappeared...you now see me as just Barack Obama’s wife...my shoes became the most important thing about me.”
• Walsh lampoons the irony: “She wants to be known for more than her outfits, and yet here she is with a book where it’s just, ‘I want to be known for more than my clothing. And to learn more about that, buy this book where it’s all my clothing.’” (62:30)

On Spousal Dynamics

• Walsh argues a healthy marriage is defined by a wife who “roots for you, fights for you, is your number one fan”—not someone resentful of their husband’s success as he claims Michelle Obama is. (68:40)

Notable Quote:

"You don’t want to end up with a woman who is resentful of your success and envious and wants to tear you down... you want a wife who roots for you, a wife who’s your number one fan." (71:30)

4. The Value of College Degrees: A Personal Rebuke

• Responding to journalist Zaid Jilani’s Twitter insult about his lack of a college degree, Walsh launches a full defense of “doing, not credentialism,” calling the glorification of degrees “not only dumb but also…very un-American.” (81:30)
  • “This assertion that a college degree is an achievement in and of itself, along with being false, is very un-American. It’s very foreign in a literal sense...This is a foreigner’s mentality.” (82:45)
• Argues that many of America’s greatest figures—Ford, Disney, Washington, Jobs—either didn’t go to college or dropped out (83:55).
  • The "fetishization of college degrees is very foreign coded, very third world coded" (86:20).
• Reframes education as a lifetime pursuit to be continued independently, not as a compulsory step after high school:
  • “What makes the most sense...is to graduate high school, continue your education on your own terms, [and] pursue success by actually doing the thing, whatever it is” (91:10).
  • On Personal Growth: “If you want to be smart and well-rounded…you have to learn every day whether you’re in college or not.” (97:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Canada’s readiness for U.S. invasion:
  • “Two days, probably more optimistic. Two hours, more accurate. And that’s if we stopped for a two-hour lunch.” (15:45)
• Mocking alleged ICE victim’s story:
  • “They cut my head off. Actually. They sewed it back on and that’s the other…The cartoonish band-aid…” (53:19)
• On credentialism:
  • “It is very American for a man to say, ‘Here’s what I want to achieve. I’m not going to go to college to achieve it. I’m going to go my own way...I’ll fail on my own terms. If I succeed, I’ll succeed on my own terms.’” (88:30)
• On marriage:
  • “You see a woman who brags about her husband almost to an annoying extent...that’s a very healthy marriage and that’s what you want. Not this Michelle Obama thing, which is the opposite.” (72:15)

Key Timestamps

• 00:45 — Intro & framing the WEF: Democrats vs. Trump
• 05:50 – 18:00 — Canada, Carney, and China
• 09:05 — NATO’s take on power dynamics
• 21:35 — Commerce Secretary Lutnick: “America First” at Davos
• 33:00 — Teachers union & WEF school curriculum partnership
• 37:15 — Gavin Newsom criticizes world leaders for “rolling over”
• 43:10 — BLM activists arrested in Minnesota
• 49:20 — Somali woman recounts disputed ICE encounter
• 54:10 — Accusations & commentary on ethnic stereotyping
• 60:15 — Michelle Obama on legacy, marriage, career
• 68:40 — Matt’s advice on marriage dynamics
• 81:30 — Zaid Jilani’s college insult & Walsh’s response
• 91:10 — College viewed as optional; lifetime education
• 97:20 — Concluding points: continue learning, take action

Summary

This episode sees Matt Walsh at his most unfiltered, using the WEF summit as a jumping-off point for grave warnings about globalism, Chinese influence, and the future of the West. He contrasts what he sees as the strength and clarity of Trump’s America First approach with the “malicious freaks” of the globalist left and their willingness to surrender education, sovereignty, and culture. The hour is peppered with satirical asides, lampooning media narratives, progressive icons, and the cultural elevation of credentials over real-world accomplishment. Listeners are left with a call to action: value achievement, marry wisely, keep learning independently, and resist the lure of credentialism and globalist influence.

For listeners who prefer their commentary combative, unapologetically conservative, and deeply skeptical of elites, this episode is classic Matt Walsh—exposing what he sees as the highest stakes facing America in 2026 and beyond.