The Michael Knowles Show

Episode 1867: President Trump Really, Really, Really Doesn't Like Somalis
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles

Episode Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles dives into the latest political and cultural firestorms, focusing especially on President Trump’s blunt Cabinet meeting remarks about Somali immigrants and the broader implications for the immigration debate. Knowles examines the state of identity politics, group dynamics in the U.K. and U.S., and recent political events, including a special election in Tennessee and the reactions to an ICE media clip featuring a Sabrina Carpenter song. The show’s tone is intentionally direct, irreverent, and often polemical.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump's Cabinet Meeting Rant on Somalis

• [05:55–07:16] President Trump, during a Cabinet meeting, made incendiary comments about Somali immigrants, suggesting they contribute nothing to America and calling Rep. Ilhan Omar and her associates “garbage.”

  • Quote (Trump, 05:55):
    “The Welfare is like 88%. They contribute nothing. I don't want them in our country. I'll be honest with you. ... Their country stinks, and we don't want them in our country. ... Ilhan Omar is garbage. She's garbage. Her friends are garbage.”
  • Knowles draws a parallel between Trump’s rant and family holiday gatherings where someone "lets loose" after promising not to get political.

• Knowles’ Commentary:
  Knowles defends Trump's bluntness, arguing it resonates with what a large portion of Americans secretly think, if not say outright.

  • Quote (Knowles, 08:12):
    “Trump just comes out and he says what 70% of Americans think, probably what 80% of Americans think, and what 60% of Americans would like to say, and he's the only—he goes, yeah, they're awful. I don't want them here. They contribute nothing. They're garbage.”

2. Fraud, Crime, and Cultural Criticism

• [09:48–14:49]
  • Knowles claims Somali immigrants (and other “discordant” groups) have brought crime, including fraud and sexual violence, to American cities.
  • He references a recent rape case in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Somali community leaders wrote a letter supporting an offender, using this to argue that Somali culture is fundamentally incompatible with American norms.
    • Quote (Knowles, 12:49):
      “Look, here's the excuse he has to adjust to a new culture. You know, in our culture we abduct and rape 12-year-old girls. In your culture, I guess you don't do that. … That's what they're saying.”
  • He extends this criticism to a broader commentary that Africa and the Middle East have “rape cultures,” and the West needs to restrict or exclude such immigrants to protect its own cultural standards.

3. U.K. Identity Politics and Legal Ironies

• [17:06–20:59]
  • Knowles covers the story of Elizabeth Kinney, an assault victim in the U.K. who was arrested for using a homophobic slur against her attacker, while police allegedly ignore abuses by certain protected minorities.
  • Concludes that identity and group membership now drive law enforcement and government responses, both in the U.K. and increasingly in the U.S.
    • Quote (Knowles, 18:27):
      “They can be raped by Pakistani migrants all day long and the police will look the other way. … But if you do weird sex stuff with people, you are a protected class.”

4. The New Reality of Group vs Individual Politics

• [24:24–24:39]
  • According to Knowles, old, abstract debates about “free speech” or colorblindness are over. Now, politics is overtly tribal, reflecting group power struggles.
    • Quote (Knowles, 24:24):
      “We are in a kind of identity politics right now, like a very overt kind … that the left has brought upon us.”

5. Tennessee Special Election Analysis

• [34:30–37:21]
  • Recaps the Tennessee 7th District special election win by Republican Matt Van Epps over Democrat Afton Bain, a progressive candidate, noting a significant narrowing of the Republican margin.
  • Warns the GOP that demographic and political shifts threaten future victories, calling for urgent grassroots efforts.
    • Quote (Knowles, 37:21): “If I were Republicans right now … I think they need to start fundraising and knocking on doors now. ... We are headed, not full steam, but we’re headed pretty quickly for an electoral blowout in the midterms if we don’t start getting serious.”

6. Sabrina Carpenter, ICE, and the Culture War

• [40:11–43:22]
  • The Biden White House used Carpenter’s song in a viral ICE operations video; Carpenter condemned them publicly.
  • Knowles insists her music has “subversive conservative messaging,” even if she herself is not a conservative, and suggests the left is nervous about hidden conservative themes in pop culture.

7. Deportation, Crime, and The New Yorker Critique

• [44:30–47:21]
  • Responds disdainfully to The New Yorker’s sympathetic deportation story about a Jamaican national with a criminal record.
    • Quote (Knowles, 46:43): “The word that's missing is murderers. Murderers are just illegal alien, foreign national murderers are being sent to foreign prisons. Which would seem to make sense.”
  • Asserts deportation is not about race or cultural animus, but public safety and “the common good.”

8. Reflections on Christian Theology and Gender Identity

• [26:49–32:32]
  • Plays a clip of a transgender Methodist pastor’s coming out, then contrasts Advent’s emphasis on bodily incarnation with the pastor’s “gnostic” devaluation of the body.
    • Quote (Knowles, 32:10): “The Christian view is, no, no, this world is not just an illusion. God really makes it. ... Your identity cannot be disconnected from your physical body.”
  • Expresses pity for the pastor and the congregation, citing doctrinal error.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump’s Bluntness (Trump, 06:02):
  “I don't want them. ... I don't care. I don't want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. ... Ilhan Omar is garbage. ... These aren't people that work. ... They complain and from where they came from, they got nothing.”

• Knowles, on Popular Appeal of Trump’s Approach (08:12):
  “He goes, yeah, they're awful. I don't want them here. They contribute nothing. They're garbage. ... That's why people like this. Cuz he is saying what we're all thinking, which is a big part of the Trump rise.”

• Cultural Relativism Critique (Knowles, 14:29):
  “Don’t we have to respect rape culture? ... Somalia is a rape culture. Africa, the African continent, is a rape culture. They rape people there a lot … We have a different culture.”

• On the UK’s Shifting Legal Focus (18:27):
  “They can be raped by Pakistani migrants all day long and the police will look the other way for decades ... But if you do weird sex stuff, you are a protected class.”

• On Political Identity Shifts (24:24):
  “We are in a kind of identity politics right now, like a very overt kind … that the left has brought upon us.”

• On Deporting Criminals (46:43, 47:10):
  “The word that's missing is murderers. … Murderers are just illegal alien, foreign national murderers are being sent to foreign prisons.”

• On Christian Theology and Identity (32:10):
  “Your identity cannot be disconnected from your physical body.”

Important Timestamps by Segment

| Segment Topic | Speaker | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|-----------------|------------| | Trump’s Cabinet rant (audio) | Trump | 05:55–07:16| | Knowles’ reaction & defense | Knowles | 07:20–09:48| | Fraud, rape scandal in Minnesota | Knowles | 09:48–14:49| | UK assault victim arrested, group politics | Knowles | 17:06–20:59| | Identity politics & political struggle | Knowles | 24:24–24:39| | Trans Methodist pastor and Advent | Knowles | 26:49–32:32| | Tennessee special election recap | Knowles | 34:30–37:21| | White House/Sabrina Carpenter/ICE video | Knowles | 40:11–43:22| | New Yorker deportation story analysis | Knowles | 44:30–47:21|

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Tone: Polemical, combative, direct—Knowles is unapologetic about discussing group identity, immigration, law enforcement, and culture in stark terms.
• Underlying Theme: The episode argues that identity politics now drive law and society—and the right must adapt to this tribal game or risk losing power and control.
• Action for Conservatives: Recognize the stakes of current politics, organize for coming elections, and be unafraid to wield power when granted—especially to enforce immigration restrictions and combat what Knowles sees as the dangers of diversity politics.