The Michael Knowles Show — Ep. 1859
Title: The Epidemic Of British Women Killing Their Children
Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)
Episode Overview
In this episode, Michael Knowles explores a cluster of deeply interrelated social and political trends, focusing on what he describes as the "end of civilization." He dissects alarming statistics regarding abortion rates among British women, declining marriage interest among teenage girls, and a broad loss of religious faith. Knowles ties these phenomena together as symptoms of a fraying Western culture, with particular concern about civilizational "suicide" through abortion and lost religiosity. He also covers current and future political shifts, issues of immigration, the state of the Republican party, and the specter of foreign intervention.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Republican Politics: The VP Pick and Calculations for 2028
[02:41–08:25]
- JD Vance as Trump’s VP Pick in 2024: Knowles references a report by ABC’s Jonathan Karl about inner-circle debates over Trump’s choice of running mate. Rubio was the establishment favorite, while Vance was favored by figures like Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk.
- Carlson's Dramatic Warning: Knowles relays a claim from Karl that Tucker Carlson advised Trump, “If you pick somebody like Marco Rubio that the establishment likes, they're gonna assassinate you. He made this case before Butler. They're gonna kill you. So this guy becomes president.” (Jonathan Karl via Tucker Carlson, 03:35)
- Assassination as a Political Calculation: Knowles suggests this mindset reflects a return to a "traditional" kind of politics, where rulers historically guarded against threats—including poisoning or direct attack.
"What we are seeing is a return to a more traditional kind of political calculation. Throughout the ages, kings have had servants taste their food before they ate because they knew that the threats against them were so high." (Michael Knowles, 05:23)
- Significance for the Future: The shift marks a change in how presidencies are approached, particularly with Trump having “effectively already endorsed a ticket of JD Vance and Marco Rubio” for 2028.
2. "Civilizational Suicide" in the UK: Abortion, Religion, and Immigration
[08:25–18:00]
- Shocking UK Abortion Rates: Economist Philip Pilkinson reports skyrocketing UK abortion numbers, while conception rates remain stable. Knowles argues this is more than a post-COVID blip; rather, it’s a direct choice by a growing number of women.
"It's just that a greater portion of British babies who are conceived are being killed before they're born." (Michael Knowles, 10:12)
- Material Roots: Knowles links the trend to inflation (highest in 41 years), energy price hikes, and resulting fiscal insecurity.
- Immigration and Demographics: He contends that high abortion rates justify calls for more mass migration by creating labor shortages, further destabilizing the nation and leading to a “death spiral.”
- Decline of Religion as a Core Factor: Ultimately, Knowles identifies waning religiosity as the crucial cause of falling birth rates and increased abortions, both in the UK and across the West.
"The most reliable predictor of whether or not people will have children and not kill them before they're born is religiosity. The religious people have kids, the irreligious people do not." (11:45)
- State-Endorsed Religious Indifference: Points to King Charles adopting the title “Defender of Faiths” (not “the Faith”), emphasizing a national slide into religious indifferentism.
- Political Prescription: Knowles bluntly states,
"The government needs to promote religion and suppress atheism and suppress secularism and suppress religious indifferentism. It has to do that as an existential matter. If it does not do that, the UK will die." (15:17)
3. The Immigration Debate: America’s Shifting Right
[19:13–21:50]
- Ron DeSantis’ Comments: Knowles praises Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for challenging the binary thinking that “illegal immigration is bad but legal immigration is always good.”
“Is bringing 10 million people from, like, Somalia and dumping them into Georgia, is that good because it's legal? ... We should never bring people into this country who hate America." (Ron DeSantis, 20:41)
- The “New Right” Perspective: The concern isn’t mere legality but whether immigration—especially on a mass scale from culturally distant societies—benefits or harms American common good.
"Mass migration, especially from these countries that are very different... forms ethnic and religious enclaves that shred social solidarity... that's bad." (Knowles, 21:14)
- Return to Classical Politics: Advocates for a shift away from abstract liberal proceduralism toward focus on the common good and substantive outcomes, including robust national identity and community cohesion.
"Politics most basically is how we all live together in community. And the purpose of politics is to advance the common good..." (22:21)
4. The Double Standard on Immigration: Americans in Mexico
[29:20–31:45]
- New York Times Story on American Expat Women in Mexico City: Raises complaints by locals about rising rents and loss of community, paralleling criticisms often dismissed when Americans bemoan similar effects of immigration domestically.
“The locals don't like it, the Mexicans don't like it very much... Does this sound familiar?” (Knowles, 30:35)
- Celebration Parallax: Critiques the hypocrisy in how media and progressives judge migration depending on direction and group identity.
5. Venezuela, Maduro, and Western Intervention
[31:45–36:15]
- Maduro Sings “Imagine”: Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro lauds and sings John Lennon’s “Imagine,” with its atheistic and “utopian” lyrics, which Knowles satirically claims is a casus belli.
"We need to bomb him. We need to bomb him good. ... We cannot have the dictators of oil rich nations in our hemisphere promoting John Lennon. This is a preach too far." (Knowles, 34:00)
- Broader Point on Foreign Policy: Suggests a “third way” between neocon interventionism and complete isolationism: maintaining heightened interest in the Western hemisphere, especially when direct American interests are at stake.
6. Teenage Girls, Marriage, and Social conformity
[43:10–45:45]
- New Study on Marriage Aspirations: For the first time, 12th grade girls are less likely than boys to say they want to get married, reversing longstanding gender norms.
“All of history, it’s the girls... dreaming of their wedding day. ... Now it’s flipped. What a sign of a perverse culture. What a sign of a culture facing existential crisis.” (Knowles, 43:32)
- Social Trends and Gender: Asserts that women are more likely to conform to social trends, referencing George Orwell's 1984:
"...it was always the women and above all, the young ones who were the most bigoted adherents of the party..." (Orwell, quoted at 44:18)
- Return to Religion Led by Men: Suggests men are leading the modest uptick in religiosity and, historically, women will follow.
“Now that religion has stopped declining, it’s at least leveled out or it might be increasing... the return to religion is being led by men. And women will follow that because men lead.” (Knowles, 45:05)
7. Teaser: Trans Broadcaster Blaire White & Return to Religion
[49:00]
- Blaire White “Identifies as Christian”: Knowles flags Blaire White (trans YouTuber) recently declaring himself Christian as illustrative of men leading the return to religion—but says there’s a “common error” in White’s thinking he’ll address in a future episode.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Radical Liberalism Dehumanizing Conservatives (early episode):
“Not just that libs hate conservatives way more than conservatives hate liberals, but that conservatives severely underestimate how dehumanized we are by liberals.” (Knowles, 00:27)
-
On Religious Indifferentism and National Death:
“There’s no truth to it. All religions are basically the same, which is to say all religions are equally untrue. That furthers this problem. ... What we are seeing in the United Kingdom is a national suicide.” (Knowles, 13:43)
-
On the Need for State Support of Religion:
"The government needs to promote religion and suppress atheism and suppress secularism and suppress religious indifferentism. ... If it does not do that, the UK will die." (Knowles, 15:17)
-
Satirical Call for War Over Pop Songs:
“Not only does he mention it, he starts singing it. ... We cannot have the dictators of oil rich nations in our hemisphere promoting John Lennon. ... I am, I guess, I'm literally calling to bomb Maduro, but only for the song.” (Knowles, 34:00–35:22)
-
On the Future of the Right:
"Are we going to return to the old sterile liberalism that has led to the literal deaths or near deaths of our countries? Look at the UK. Or are we going to get back to basics and get to a more classical conception of government?" (Knowles, 24:10)
-
On the Left’s Double Standard in Reporting Immigration:
"When people say it's happening and it's a bad thing, it's a dangerous conspiracy theory. This is kind of a version of it. The New York Times will come out and say there are no problems caused by immigrants... But when it happens in Mexico, it's really bad." (Knowles, 31:22)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- [00:00] – Show opening; political polarization & dehumanization
- [02:41] – Trump VP pick drama, assassination fears, 2028 implications
- [08:25] – UK abortion rates, religion’s decline, immigration feedback loop
- [15:17] – Call for state-supported religion; consequences of religious decline
- [19:13] – DeSantis and immigration, common good, redefining "conservatism"
- [29:20] – NYT article on Americans in Mexico, migration double standard
- [31:45] – Venezuela, Maduro’s “Imagine,” & Western interventionism
- [43:10] – Teenage girls less likely than boys to want marriage
- [49:00] – Blaire White and the male-led turn to religion (teaser for next episode)
Tone & Language
Knowles’ tone is assertive, often polemical, and occasionally sardonic—especially when highlighting what he sees as hypocrisy or absurdity in mainstream liberal positions. His language is direct, laced with historical and philosophical allusions, and peppered with wry humor.
Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Episode Because:
- Provides a clear trajectory of Knowles’ argument: from U.S. politics, through the existential threat of declining Western birthrates, to issues of immigration and national identity.
- Captures not just facts but the spirit and rhetorical thrust of the episode, with extensive quotation for accuracy.
- Clearly marks when key points are raised using timestamps.
- Highlights how culture war anxieties are being reframed as urgent political crises and prescribes increasing state engagement in religious revival.
Note: This summary omits advertisements and sponsor segments, focusing solely on the episode’s substantive content.