The Michael Knowles Show - Ep. 1890

Will The Supreme Court Finally END Transgenderism?
Date: January 14, 2026
Host: Michael Knowles

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles analyzes the recent Supreme Court oral arguments on the legality of transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports and frames it as a watershed moment for the culture war around transgender ideology. Knowles expresses deep frustration and a sense of degradation that the country is even forced to debate such topics, but also emphasizes that this issue is a political boon for conservatives. The episode also touches on the ICE protests in Minneapolis, the death of cartoonist Scott Adams, the rise of "anti-male" sentiments in progressive activism, media coverage of right-wing figures' deaths, and a new undercover Secret Service scandal.

Supreme Court and Transgenderism: The Oral Arguments

Main Theme:
Debate over whether states can ban "biological males" from competing in girls' sports – cases: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. BPJ.

Key Segments

1. Setting the Stage: Why This Debate Exists

• Knowles expresses exhaustion with the transgender debate, calling it "ridiculous" and "degrading" for America to even have these legal discussions.
  • Quote:

    “As a right wing podcaster, [...] I’m sick of the transgender thing. It's ridiculous. Both the ideology and the debate are ridiculous. It is degrading that we as a nation have to talk about this.” (01:44)

• He conveys that while it's culturally demoralizing, it’s also politically expedient for the GOP, as the left’s stance is seen as extreme by most Americans.

2. Supreme Court Oral Arguments Highlights

[05:01] - Justice Samuel Alito grilling the ACLU attorney:

• Alito demands a definition of 'boy' and 'girl' under Equal Protection grounds.
  • Alito:

    “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for equal protection purposes?” (05:37, paraphrased)

• The ACLU attorney confesses they "do not have a definition for the court."
  • Knowles responds:

    “This is so pathetic. [...] Not even just that they can’t define boy or girl or man or woman, that is bad enough, but listen to what Alito says. [...] You just acknowledge that you need these definitions, and then you admit you don't have the definition.” (06:07)

[08:29] - Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Line of Questioning:

• Barrett uses terms like "trans girls" and "cisgender" unironically.
  • Knowles’ reaction:

    “I am among the people on the right who really don’t like this when conservatives use the trans language...to use those words is to grant the argument.” (09:03)

• Barrett questions discrimination:
  • Quote:

    “Since trans boys can play on boys teams, how would we say that this discriminates on the basis of transgender status...?” (10:13, Justice Barrett)

[13:46] - Justice Clarence Thomas’s Strategic Question:

• Thomas asks what remedy the plaintiffs are seeking, highlighting the inconsistency regarding access to hormones:
  • Knowles notes this “exposes the absurdity” that a girl identifying as a boy could receive testosterone, but a boy could not.

    “A girl has a right to be injected with the testosterone, but the boy does not. [...] If a boy were to do that, he'd be taking steroids.” (16:10)

[17:18] - Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s "Incoherence":

• Jackson attempts to outline the issues, but Knowles mocks her "rambling" and inability to clearly explain her point.
  • Knowles:

    “If I were in the first grade diagramming sentences—is this English? [...] This lady doesn’t understand rudimentary concepts. Not about the law, about reality, about language, about biology.” (17:49)

3. Knowles's Reflections

• He reiterates feeling degraded by the issue but sees electoral upside:
  • Quote:

    “It’s an electoral win for us. So I guess we are where we are...But this is so degrading.” (19:02)

ICE Protests in Minneapolis: Hidden Motives & Progressive Rage

On the ICE Raids and Leftist Protest

• Knowles discusses a story where a woman died after driving into a police officer during a protest against ICE raids.

  • He criticizes the protesters' motivations, suggesting they’re defending criminals rather than innocent people.
  • Connects the confusion over law enforcement and crime directly to the same "divorce from reality" as the transgender debate.

• Highlight:

  • Knowles suggests that the chaos stems from a greater societal degeneration and disconnect from moral and physical reality.

The Motive Behind the Protests

[26:23] - Viral Leftist Clip

• Plays a clip of a millennial woman linking her “hatred for men” to her rage at ICE agents:
  • Woman:

    “One thing that hating men has trained me for... chasing ICE cars off my street. [...] All that rage that I've felt towards men is coming out.” (26:23)

• Knowles uses this to argue that leftist protest is “about authority, not about migrants. It’s screw you, Dad.”
  • Quote:

    “Maybe liberalism comes down to three words, and it’s screw you, dad.” (27:09)

  • Suggests these women need “good husbands” and posits the protest is about “liberation from authority, from restriction, from reality.”

Scott Adams’ Death and Assisted Suicide

[32:29] - Reflections on Death and Dying

• Knowles discusses the legacy of Scott Adams and his well-publicized struggle with thoughts of assisted suicide, weaving it into broader cultural themes.
  • Scott Adams (flashback quote):

    “I had sort of internally planned... to get past my stepdaughter’s wedding and reception and then end my life. Guess when. Basically today. Today was the day I was planning literally to take my own life today.” (32:29, Scott Adams)

• Knowles commends Adams for changing his mind, ultimately giving "one of the best examples of dying well."

  • “Instead of killing himself... Scott offered us one of the best examples of dying well that we have seen in our lifetimes.” (34:58)

• Adams’ late-in-life religious openness is lauded as “childlike” in a positive sense.

[39:20] - Media Coverage Critique

• NYT/Boston Globe headlines about Adams’ death criticized for focusing on alleged “racist” remarks, not broader legacy.
  • Knowles points out Adams’ offending commentary was reading a survey and making a personal safety conclusion—arguing the media is unjust and more celebratory in death of right figures than the right is of leftist deaths.

Project Veritas Secret Service Scandal

[45:55]

• James O’Keefe’s undercover reporting finds a Secret Service agent for Vice President J.D. Vance leaking sensitive details and expressing political opinions.
  • Knowles sees this as a competence crisis, not just a political issue:

    “It’s competence... And it doesn’t matter if you have people with the perfect ideology or political priors. If they're not able to do the job... you’re gonna fail as a country.” (47:47)

  • Emphasizes urgency due to recent assassination attempts and national volatility.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the political gift of the trans issue:

  “It is the issue on which most Americans think that the libs are the craziest.” (01:17)

• On the ACLU's definition fail at SCOTUS:

  “You just acknowledge that you need these definitions, and then you admit you don’t have the definition.” (06:07)

• On conservative justices using trans terminology:

  “To use those words is to grant the argument.” (09:03)

• On the left’s cultural malaise:

  “It’s so degrading for our country that the left put us in this position.” (19:02)

• On the core motivation of leftist protest:

  “Maybe liberalism comes down to three words, and it’s screw you, dad.” (27:09)

• Scott Adams, on assisted suicide:

  “I had...planned...to get past my stepdaughter's wedding...and then end my life. Guess when. Basically today.” (32:29)

• On the Secret Service leak:

  “It’s competence...It doesn’t matter if you have people with the perfect ideology...If they're not able to do the job...you’re gonna fail as a country.” (47:47)

Timestamps for Key Sections

• [00:00] – Host monologue and episode framing
• [05:01 - 12:00] – Supreme Court oral argument breakdown
• [17:18 - 19:05] – Ketanji Brown Jackson's questioning and Knowles' dissection
• [26:23 - 29:00] – The anti-ICE protester’s viral tirade and motivations discussion
• [32:29 - 39:00] – Scott Adams’ death, assisted suicide, and legacy
• [45:55 - 47:47] – Project Veritas Secret Service expose and its implications

Tone and Style

Throughout, Knowles’ signature tone is caustic, sardonic, unapologetically right-wing, and often mocking toward progressive language, concepts, and personalities. He leans heavily on rhetorical flourishes, moral and societal warnings, and uses sarcasm to amplify his points.

Conclusion

Michael Knowles uses the episode to declare the Supreme Court’s transgender sports case as indicative of a broader U.S. decline, emotionally charges the debate with cultural decay and derision for progressive ideology, and leverages topical news items to reinforce his theme of national decadence and the need for both correct ideology and competence to restore order. The episode is both polemic and reflective, blending legal, political, and philosophical commentary with personal and cultural anecdotes.