The Michael Knowles Show

Episode 1808 — "Of Course, We Should Disarm Transvestites"
Date: September 5, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles, The Daily Wire

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles dives into the intersection of gun rights and transgender issues after reports of the Trump administration threatening to disarm transgender individuals. He explores the cultural and legal foundations behind this policy shift and the broader debate about natural rights, mental illness, and the exercise of political power. The episode also touches on government’s role in the economy, vaccine mandates, a colorful exchange between RFK Jr. and Sen. Mike Bennett, and the renaming of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. In the final segment, Knowles answers listener questions ranging from the serious (school bullying, drug use in dating) to the provocative (Israel’s influence on US politics, capital punishment preferences).

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Should Transgender Individuals Be Disarmed?

[05:21 – 12:00]

• Context: President Trump is reportedly threatening to take guns from transgender-identifying individuals, causing unusual cross-aisle contention.
• Right’s Dilemma: Conservatives oppose transgender ideology yet fiercely defend gun rights, leading to “strange bedfellows” in the debate:
  • “The right obviously is skeptical of the entire transgender ideology... But the right loves guns. And the left loves weird sex stuff... except they hate guns.” [05:48]
• Knowles’s Position: Argues that “a guy who thinks he’s a woman... probably should not have a firearm,” equating transgender identity with mental defectiveness.
• Addressing ‘Slippery Slope’ Arguments:
  • Recognizes the conservative fear that any new regulation can be abused, but posits that current law already allows for such restrictions:
    • “Federal law already today says that you can be deprived of your Second Amendment rights... if you are mentally defective.” [08:18]
• Transgenderism as Mental Illness:
  • Strongly asserts that “thinking you’re the opposite sex is prima facie evidence” of mental defectiveness, supporting firearm restrictions on these grounds.
  • “Clarity is charity, and that’s the truth.” [09:29]
• Political Willpower:
  • Rejects conservative timidity about using power:
    • “I am not afraid of exercising political power for the good today because of some hypothetical evil the Democrats might do tomorrow... Enough of that, man.” [10:50]

2. Natural Rights and the Senate Floor: Tim Kaine’s Critique

[12:18 – 18:50]

• Tim Kaine’s Argument: Kaine compares the concept of rights from the Creator (as in US founding documents) to the theocratic regime of Iran.
  • “The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator. That’s what the Iranian government believes.... So the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling.” — Tim Kaine [12:18]
• Knowles’s Reaction:
  • Mocks Kaine’s unfamiliarity with US philosophical roots:
    • “If he thinks that statement is bad, just wait until he reads Thomas Jefferson or any of the founding fathers.” [12:53]
  • Explains the liberal tendency to ground rights in “positive law,” and the inherent contradictions:
    • “You can’t say the word rights because rights are pointing to something beyond the mere irrational desires of men.” [14:44]
  • Argues that liberalism functions as a faith system, replacing “Providence” with the “invisible hand” but without metaphysical justification.

3. Trump, Big Tech, and Economic Nationalism

[19:21 – 21:42]

• Trump Hosts Big Tech Leaders (incl. Zuckerberg): Extracts a public commitment for billions in domestic investment, treating CEOs as accountable to the nation, not just to markets.
  • “Where’s the money, Mark?... Would $600 billion be enough?... That’s a lot of money.” — Michael Knowles channeling Trump [20:03]
• Rejection of Libertarian Economic Idolatry:
  • Critiques those who oppose any state intervention in the market, tying this “idol worship of mammon and lucre” to a sterile libertarian ideology.
  • Emphasizes: “We are a country with an economy. We are not an economy that has a country.” [21:10]

4. Florida Ends All Vaccine Mandates: Principle vs. Practice

[24:30 – 31:50]

• Florida Announces a Sweeping End to Vaccine Mandates: Not just COVID, but all public school vaccine requirements.
  • “This is gonna excite a lot of people on the right. Unfortunately, I think it might do so for all the wrong reasons.” [25:28]
• Knowles’s View:
  • “I actually have no problem with vaccine mandates in principle... but I do disagree with them often in practice.” [26:18]
  • Warns that conservative celebration of total autonomy is a fundamentally liberal (atomizing) idea.
• On Government Authority:
  • Government has the right—sometimes even the duty—to mandate certain behaviors (“seatbelts, dress codes, drug prohibitions”).
• Backlash as Public Health Consequence:
  • Notes that COVID-era dishonesty and overreach by health officials have justifiably eroded public trust in mandates.

5. RFK Jr. vs. Sen. Mike Bennett on Vaccine Safety

[31:52 – 33:56]

• Heated Exchange Over mRNA Vaccine Safety: Kennedy corners Bennett on the reality of vaccine side effects.
  • RFK Jr.: “Are you saying that the mRNA vaccine has never been associated with myocarditis or pericarditis?” [32:13]
  • Knowles: “Kennedy wins the exchange for sure... he totally nails him.” [32:43]
• Knowles’s Analysis:
  • Reiterates that public dishonesty about vaccine efficacy and safety led to justified skepticism and political backlash.

6. Trump Renames the Department of Defense

[37:41 – 39:38]

• From ‘Defense’ to ‘War’: Trump officially reverts the Pentagon’s name.
  • “...Department of War is honest. The Department of Defense is Orwellian.” [38:31]
  • Argues that honesty about national interests maintains peace more than euphemistic language.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Power:
  • “I am not afraid of exercising political power for the good today... Enough of that, man, that's loser mentality.” — Michael Knowles [10:50]
• On Liberal Rights Philosophy:
  • “You can't say the word rights because the rights are pointing to something beyond the mere irrational desires of men, the sheer tyranny of will.” [14:44]
• On Trump and Big Tech:
  • “Raise a glass. Cheers. Where's the money? Where’s my money, Mark?” [20:08]
• On Government vs. Economy:
  • “We are a country with an economy. We are not an economy that has a country.” [21:10]
• On Vaccine Mandates:
  • “I have nothing wrong with vaccine mandates in principle, and yet I do disagree with them often in practice.” [26:18]
• On Department of War:
  • “Department of War is honest. The Department of Defense is Orwellian.” [38:31]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Disarming Trans Individuals: 05:21 – 12:00
• Tim Kaine & Natural Rights: 12:18 – 18:50
• Trump & Big Tech: 19:21 – 21:42
• Florida Ends Vaccine Mandates: 24:30 – 31:50
• RFK Jr. vs. Bennett: 31:52 – 33:56
• Renaming Department of War: 37:41 – 39:38
• Mailbag—Bullying, Dating Vices, Israel Lobby: 39:39 – 44:47

Listener Q&A Highlights

Capital Punishment Method & Last Meal

[39:45]

• “I’d probably do a Philly cheesesteak... and I would choose death by firing squad.”

Bullying at School

[40:45]

• “A little bit of bullying... builds character. But there does come a point at which it can really screw up your life... If it’s really getting bad and there’s nothing improving, I would pull her [from the school].”

Dating a Weed Smoker

[41:28]

• “It codes lib... If he’s just doing this recreationally, I’d say, hey, this is deeply unattractive and you seem like a lib and I find libs to be, like, gross.”

Israel and U.S. Political Influence

[44:47]

• “Israel has a very strong lobby in the United States, or had a very strong lobby... Just look at the public opinion polling... mainstream, fringe, they all hate Israel.”

Tone & Language

Michael Knowles maintains his signature biting, sardonic tone—irreverent, self-assured, and combative. He delivers caustic criticism of both progressive and “squishy” conservative positions, often employing darkly comic analogies, and frames cultural clashes in moral-absolutist terms.

Conclusion

This episode pulls no punches, advocating for a blunt approach to political and cultural controversies, especially regarding gun rights and the legal status of transgender individuals. Knowles justifies conservative exercises of power, skewers liberal philosophical contradictions, and resists both libertarian and progressive narratives. The interplay of law, culture, and principle versus practical governance themes is woven throughout, offering listeners a provocative, hard-right perspective on the headlines of the week.