The Michael Knowles Show - Ep. 1880
Title: JD Vance And Nicki Minaj COOK At AmFest
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)
Guests & Key Speakers: J.D. Vance, Nicki Minaj, Vivek Ramaswamy
Overview
This lively episode of The Michael Knowles Show dissects the bombastic atmosphere of America Fest (AmFest), focusing on the standout speeches of Vice President J.D. Vance and the unexpected yet impactful appearance of Nicki Minaj. Against the backdrop of conservative infighting and debates about the movement's future, Knowles draws parallels between Vance and Minajâs messages on race and religion, explores the boundaries of American identity, and offers sharp cultural commentaryâmost notably on Disneyâs race-swapped Santa Claus and the release of the Epstein files. The episode is a cocktail of political analysis, quotes from center-stage moments, and Knowlesâ trademark sardonic tone.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. America Fest Recap: Conservative Podcast Infighting
[00:29-04:12]
- The fest was âexplosive,â with podcasters attacking each other, showing public splits in the conservative movement.
- Vice President J.D. Vance delivered an âexcellent, excellent speechââin Knowlesâ view the best of the weekendâby addressing the big cultural battles rather than engaging in loyalty tests and public denouncements.
- Nicki Minaj shocked the crowd with a surprise appearance, echoing similar themes.
2. J.D. Vanceâs Speech: Race, Creed, and Coalition-Building
a) On Racial Politics
[04:12] J.D. Vance:
âYou donât have to apologize for being white anymore. And if youâre an Asian, you donât have to talk around your skin color when youâre applying for college. Because we judge people based on who they are, not on ethnicity and things they canât control.â
(04:12)
Analysis:
- Knowles celebrates this sentiment as âhitting it right out of the park,â noting this would have been unthinkable for conservatives a decade ago. The audience at AmFest signaled strong agreement.
- He connects it to the cultural shiftâstating that âafter decades of ideology telling people to feel bad about themselves if they're white, itâs become clear that this is totally unacceptable.â
- Knowles praises Vance for not being afraid to address âone of the elephants in the roomâ and for reflecting the current political moment.
b) On American Identity and Christianity
[06:15] J.D. Vance:
âThe only thing that has truly served as an anchor of the United States of America is that we have been, and by the grace of God, we always will be, a Christian nation... Christianity is Americaâs creed. The shared moral language... our countryâs major debates have always centered on how we could best, as a people, please God.â
(06:15)
Analysis:
- Knowles elaborates that Vance is not demanding everyone be Christian but framing Christianity as the shared âcreedâ that defines the nationâfrom the Founding Fathers to Lincoln to Reagan.
- The host reflects on how American identity is not purely about âstock and raceâ nor just âcreed and ideas,â but a complex blend.
- Knowles lauds Vance for articulating the foundational Christian moral language as unifying, nuanced, and inclusive (while recognizing America's openness to others).
c) On Purity Tests, Coalitions, and Charlie Kirkâs Legacy
[10:36] J.D. Vance:
âPresident Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running his supporters through endless self-defeating purity tests... If you love America... you have a home on this team. I didnât bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to deplatform.â
(10:36)
âThe best way to honor Charlie is that none of us here should be doing something after Charlieâs death that he himself refused to do in life.â
(11:32)
Analysis:
- Vance emphasizes building a broad, winning conservative coalition. He explicitly refuses to partake in the recent âdenounce and deplatformâ trend.
- He invokes the legacy of the late Charlie Kirk as a unifier who included diverse perspectives for the sake of winning and principles.
- Knowles supports this approach, arguing for âkeeping our eyes on the prizeâ in politicsâachieving moral and political victories, not just debating for its own sake.
- He critiques the tendency among conservatives for endless micro-splintering: âyou get 100 conservatives in a room, theyâre all going to want to slap each other... but we have to keep our eyes on the prize. This is politics. This is about winning.â
3. Nicki Minaj: A Cultural Wild Card Strikes a Chord
[19:29-21:43]
- Nicki Minaj enters with Charlie Kirkâs widow, Erica Kirk, and stuns the crowd by independently echoing the main points of Vanceâs speech.
a) On Race and Beauty
[19:29] Nicki Minaj:
âIf we felt like that as black women, why would we want to do that to other women? Why would we now need to make other people downplay their beauty so that we can feelâno, thatâs not how it works⌠Why have we gotten to a point where certain colors or certain kinds of people have to be afraid of loving themselves and loving the way they look... Isnât that wild?â
(19:29)
Knowlesâ Commentary:
- He points out the direct correlation to Vanceâs comments, paraphrasing: âyou donât have to apologize for being white,â and expands it to other groups.
b) On Religion and Political Leadership
[20:45] Nicki Minaj:
âThere are people out there who felt good about chastising Christians right here in our country. And itâs kind of really, really sick... We cannot have people who have a problem with us worshiping God in power. We cannot have them in power.â
(20:45)
Knowlesâ Commentary:
- Notes how Minaj, coming from a vastly different background than Vance, is hitting the same political-cultural points: pride in oneâs identity and defending Christian faith in public life.
- Celebrates the formation of a âwinning coalitionâââas polar opposite a cultural background as there can be in the United States... and yet not only do they agree broadly, they are agreeing point by bold point. That seems to me a winning coalition.â
- Notes Minajâs history of speaking out for persecuted Christians, expanding the reach of the conservative message.
4. Defining âAmerican Identityâ: The Vivek Ramaswamy Perspective
[26:25-29:15]
- Vivek Ramaswamy critiques the idea of âheritage Americansâ and the notion that lineage makes someone âmore American.â
[26:25] Vivek Ramaswamy:
âThis idea of the heritage American... says the truest form of an American is somebody who is a descendant of the American Revolution period. I think thatâs about as loony as anything the woke left has actually put up. Thereâs no American who is more American than somebody else. Itâs binary: either youâre an American or youâre not.â
(26:25)
Knowlesâ Counterpoint:
- Acknowledges heritage groups are mostly ordinary, patriotic people, not elites.
- Finds Vivekâs view âpartial truthââasks, âDo you really believe that you are not more American than the guy who was naturalized yesterday?... No one really believes that.â
- Cites Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, who believed acculturation takes generations, and argues that the ability to assimilate matters.
- Suggests that âthe old slogans donât necessarily work anymoreâ and calls for a more complex account of American identity in a changing nation.
5. Cultural Commentary: Disneyâs Black Santa
[35:19-37:53]
- Knowles critiques Disney for replacing Santa Claus with a black Santa at its parks and ships.
[35:19] Michael Knowles:
âSanta Claus is not black. Santa Claus lives at the North Pole. There arenât black people at the North Pole. If Santa Claus were black, that would mean heâs a recent immigrantâbut heâs not. Heâs an elf. Heâs jolly and he has a bowl full of jelly... Stop trying to erase Santa Claus.â
(35:19)
- Explains Santaâs origins: rooted in Northern/Greek tradition, and that truth and logic are required for genuine inclusivity, not âincoherence.â
- Offers examples of authentically black saints (St. Moses the Black) as more appropriate cultural icons.
- The recurring theme: âIncoherence is not inclusive... what allows us to be inclusive is truth.â
6. Epstein Files Released: A Clinton-Focused Scandal
[41:42-44:20]
- New âEpstein filesâ are released, featuring images of Bill Clinton with women on Epsteinâs properties and planes, and even Noam Chomsky on Epsteinâs jet.
- Knowles stresses that the scandal was always âchiefly... a Democrat scandalâ despite attempts to make it about Trump.
- Highlights the calculated political advantage in releasing the files now: âItâs brilliant politics... It refocused Epstein onto what it was always about.â
7. Briefs, News, and Teasers
- Reference to election integrity issues in Fulton County (Georgia) and the Wall Street Journal's throuple story.
- Commentary on the need to update conservative slogans and coalition strategies, letting go of âghosts of Reaganâ for modern challenges.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Remark | |-----------|---------------------|-------------| | 04:12 | J.D. Vance | âYou donât have to apologize for being white anymore...â | | 06:15 | J.D. Vance | âChristianity is Americaâs creed. The shared moral language...â | | 10:36 | J.D. Vance | âPresident Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running supporters through endless self-defeating purity tests...â | | 11:32 | J.D. Vance | âNone of us here should be doing something after Charlieâs death that he himself refused to do in life.â | | 19:29 | Nicki Minaj | âWhy have we gotten to a point where certain colors or kinds of people have to be afraid of loving themselves?â | | 20:45 | Nicki Minaj | âWe absolutely cannot let people who have a problem with us worshiping God be in power.â | | 26:25 | Vivek Ramaswamy | âHeritage Americans... is about as loony as anything the woke left has put up.â | | 35:19 | Michael Knowles | âSanta Claus is not black. Santa Claus lives at the North Pole...â |
Important Segments & Timestamps
- [04:12] J.D. Vance on racial politics
- [06:15] Vance on Christianity as Americaâs creed
- [10:36/11:32] Vance on coalitions and Charlie Kirk
- [19:29] Nicki Minaj on race, beauty, and self-love
- [20:45] Nicki Minaj on Christianity and political power
- [26:25] Vivek Ramaswamy on American identity
- [35:19] Knowlesâ Santa Claus rant
Tone and Language
- Knowlesâ tone is witty, combative, and satirical. He mixes deadpan mockery (âSanta Claus is not black... heâs a jolly old elfâ) with earnest analysis (âwe have to keep our eyes on the prizeâ).
- Guest speakers are quoted verbatim, maintaining their respective rhetorical stylesâVanceâs measured statesmanship, Minajâs exuberant candor, and Ramaswamyâs technocratic logic.
Conclusion
This episode showcased a surprising meeting of minds between J.D. Vance and Nicki Minaj on themes of identity, coalition, and creed, setting them up as ironic standard-bearers for a diversified, values-driven conservative movement. Knowles draws out these parallels while critiquing the leftâs culture war excesses, lampooning corporate inclusivity, and urging conservatives to move past old slogans and factional squabbles toward building a resilient, winning coalition. The show is both a highlight reel of America Festâs major ideological flashpoints and an audition for what the next phase of right-wing politics might look likeâunited not by purity but by principle and practical strategy.
