The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1872 - Elon Musk Says He Believes in Jesus Christ?

Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)

Episode Overview

This episode delves into major cultural and political topics in the U.S., from debates over taxation and reparations, to religious belief in public life, to the power struggles of American government, and cultural controversies involving children and social media. The headline is Elon Musk’s recent comments about God and Christianity, with Michael Knowles offering extensive analysis. The episode also touches on Trump’s religious messaging, internal battles within the Trump-aligned GOP, and the risks posed by new tech platforms to children.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “No Taxes for Black People” Proposal

[02:05 - 06:42]

• Michael Knowles highlights comments from Jasmine Crockett (Democrat Senate candidate) entertaining the idea that Black Americans should not pay taxes for a period as a form of reparations.
• Knowles lampoons the proposal, joking about his own Sicilian ancestry and the subjectivity of racial categories.
• He points out that Crockett’s economic rationale mirrors classical Reagan-era GOP arguments about letting people keep more of their own money to stimulate economic growth:

  “She’s gonna be talking about the Laffer curve next… This is straight out of the 80s GOP talk points.” — Michael Knowles [06:42]

• Knowles critiques the broader reparations argument and notes disparities in net tax contributions by race.
• He segues to a related point about Elon Musk as a high-earning “African American” immigrant.

2. Elon Musk, Taxes, Immigration, and “Cultural Christianity”

[06:42 - 21:35]

Elon Musk’s Taxes & The Immigrant Wealth Narrative

[06:42 - 12:58]

• Some on the left accuse Musk of being a “parasite on the American taxpayer,” paying little or no tax.
• Knowles rebuts with figures showing Musk’s massive tax payments:

  “In those years, Elon Musk paid between 11 and 18 billion dollars in taxes each year.” — Michael Knowles [10:08]

• Contextualizes Musk’s taxes as exponentially higher than the median American and typical immigrant.

Musk’s Belief in God & Christianity

[12:58 - 21:35]

• Knowles plays audio from Musk on the Katie Miller podcast:

  “Who do you look up to the most?”
  “The Creator.” — Elon Musk [12:58] “What’s your current position on God?”
  “God is the Creator. …I believe this universe came from something. People have different labels.” — Elon Musk [13:06]

• Knowles finds Musk’s “Creator” answer better than atheism but unsatisfying:

  “It’s better than nothing…it’s not quite there.” — Michael Knowles [13:27]

• He characterizes Musk’s view as “enlightenment deism” (God as watchmaker), contrasting it with Christian doctrine, which asserts God’s ongoing involvement in the world and Christ’s divinity.

  “That’s not what Christians believe. Christians believe that God is constantly involved in the particular affairs of human beings…” — Michael Knowles [15:08]

• Musk, furthering his point, says:

  “I believe in the teachings of Christ…I believe in the Christian principles…forgiveness, turn the other cheek, love thy neighbor…” — Elon Musk [17:36]

• Knowles argues you cannot coherently separate Jesus’ moral teachings from his divinity:

  “One of Christ’s teachings is that he’s God. So you can’t really say that.” — Michael Knowles [18:31] “How can a liar be a great moral teacher? Liars are immoral.” — Michael Knowles [20:00]

• Praises Musk’s openness, but suggests he has not thought deeply enough about theology:

  “He hasn’t spent enough time thinking about these questions, the eternal questions…eternity matters more than temporality.” — Michael Knowles [20:50 – 21:35]

3. Trump’s Immaculate Conception Statement

[23:51 - 28:08]

• Knowles lauds Trump for issuing a presidential message honoring the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and recognizing Mary’s role in Christian history:

  “Even if you don’t agree with the Immaculate Conception…surely you must say this is wonderful that President Trump is speaking about religion and Christianity in this open way.” — Michael Knowles [24:41]

• He reflects on the American tradition of religious rhetoric and notes the surprising shift toward open Catholicism in the public square, attributing it to societal changes predicted by Alexis de Tocqueville.
• Emphasizes that interpretation of history evolves with the nation’s self-conception.

4. Presidential Power and the Supreme Court

[28:08 - 34:39]

• Coverage of the Supreme Court case on whether the President has the right to fire executive branch employees (Trump v. Slaughter).
• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson voices concerns about presidential overreach; Knowles retorts:

  “Could you imagine if the chief executive controlled the executive branch? What would happen?” — Michael Knowles [31:20]

• Argues that weakening the presidency increases the power of unaccountable technocrats (the “deep state”), which he sees as a greater threat to liberty.

5. Intra-GOP Infighting: Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Trump

[38:11 - 44:22]

• Airs Greene’s appearance on CNN, where she responds to Trump’s attacks:

  “I feel very sorry for President Trump…I personally think that’s poor leadership from a president.” — Marjorie Taylor Greene [38:49]

• Knowles discusses how personal relationships frequently trump ideology in politics:

  “Politics is about people. It’s a people business.” — Michael Knowles [40:28]

• Uses the late Charlie Kirk as an example of someone who could keep coalitions together, lamenting the lack of such peacemakers in today’s conservative movement.

6. Trump Admin’s Child Rescue Operation

[44:22 - 47:35]

• Cites border czar Tom Holman on how Trump rescued 62,000 trafficked migrant children.

  “President Trump saved over 62,000 children’s lives…some of these children were in sex trafficking, we found. Some were in forced labor.” — Tom Holman (via Knowles) [44:52]

• Criticizes left-leaning arguments for open borders, stating that encouraging unaccompanied migration leads to exploitation and abuse for children.

7. Social Media, Children, and the “Tinder for Kids” Scandal

[47:35 - 51:07]

• Exposes the existence of an app called Wiz, dubbed “Tinder for Kids,” and recounts examples of abuse and predation facilitated by the platform.
• Knowles argues that the app is a logical extension of current permissive social attitudes about children and sexuality being promoted in schools:

  “Our whole culture has now said…that children have the right to private sexual behavior.” — Michael Knowles [50:26] “Is Tinder for kids all that different from what the LGBT nonprofits in the public schools are doing? I don’t really see it.” — Michael Knowles [51:07]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Musk’s religious comments:

  “He’s too smart to be making these kinds of logical errors, which to me just means he’s just kind of distracted by other questions.” — Michael Knowles [21:01]

• On American presidents and public Catholicism:

  “60, 70, 80 years ago, it would be unthinkable that in the United States…there would be a statement this explicitly Catholic coming from the President.” — Michael Knowles [26:48]

• On the real threat to liberty:

  “The chief threat to liberty…comes from the president not having enough power. I think we need much more power in the presidency.” — Michael Knowles [33:19]

• On coalition-building in politics:

  “Charlie’s chief contribution was in keeping the team together…He did it better than anyone, frankly, including President Trump.” — Michael Knowles [41:54]

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | Summary | |-----------|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 02:05 | Jasmine Crockett's tax proposal | Black Americans, reparations, economic argument | | 06:42 | Elon Musk & Tax Narrative | Analysis of Musk’s tax record | | 12:58 | Musk on God | Musk’s “Creator” answer on religion | | 17:36 | Musk on Jesus’ teachings | Musk affirms parts of Christian ethics | | 18:31 | Knowles’ critique: Christ as moral teacher | Challenges separating Jesus’ morality from divinity | | 23:51 | Trump’s Immaculate Conception message | Discussion on religious rhetoric in politics | | 28:08 | Presidential power & the Supreme Court | Unitary executive theory; threats to liberty | | 38:11 | MTG vs Trump internal GOP feud | Infighting and the importance of coalitions | | 44:52 | 62,000 migrant children rescued | Immigration, trafficking, and border policy | | 47:35 | “Tinder for Kids” app expose | Dangers of tech and culture for children | | 50:26 | Analysis on sexual rights for children | Cultural critique of modern sex education |

Overall Tone

Michael Knowles maintains a witty, often sarcastic and polemical tone throughout the episode. His style is highly analytical but infused with both humor and cultural references, targeting political opponents and sometimes lampooning elements of pop culture or even figures within the GOP.

For New Listeners

This episode provides a sprawling yet interconnected analysis of religion, economics, politics, and culture-war issues. It’s particularly valuable for understanding how contemporary conservative commentators are approaching debates over faith in public life, elite infighting, and societal institutions—from government to tech. The Musk segment stands out as a deep-dive into the limits of “cultural Christianity” and draws clear lines between Enlightenment deism and classical orthodoxy.

Note:

• All advertisements, intros, and outros have been omitted.
• Quotes and segments are attributed using timestamps in [MM:SS] format.
• For the full context of debates and details, listen to specified timestamps.