The Michael Knowles Show

Episode 1906 – Minnesota Libs Accidentally Invent Border Patrol
Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles explores the irony of Minneapolis liberals establishing their own community checkpoints, essentially recreating the border enforcement practices they criticize. He analyzes this episode as emblematic of political and cultural contradictions on the American left. The show also touches on J.D. Vance’s deft handling of “gotcha” media questions, the continued fallout from the Epstein files (including international intrigue), and the increase in anti-Catholic violence in America, as well as lighter notes about political endorsements and liberal “religious rituals.”

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Minnesota Liberals and Community Checkpoints

[00:00-05:35]

• Michael Knowles highlights recent events in Minneapolis, where anti-ICE liberals have set up their own neighborhood checkpoints to monitor who enters and leaves, in response to ICE raids.
• He draws attention to the irony: “They've got people who are taking care of them, looking out for them. Some might say policing their communities... These are stopping points. Some might call them borders, staffed by people who check to make sure that only the right people get into the community..." ([00:02:05])
• Knowles argues this is liberals “accidentally inventing border patrol” and creating the very structures—borders, ID checks, selectivity—they claim to oppose at the national level.
• He lampoons the utopian-leftist notion that “if we just do it ourselves, it’ll be different,” concluding that societies recreate order and authority out of necessity, even if rebranded as community policing.

Notable Quote:

“Trump actually trolled the Minneapolis liberals into inventing border patrol, into inventing the wall checkpoints.” – Michael Knowles ([00:05:25])

2. J.D. Vance and the ‘Bogus Premise’ Trap

[12:20-17:05]

• Knowles recaps an interview in which Vice President J.D. Vance is pressed on whether he would apologize to the family of Alex Preddy, a left-wing activist killed during ICE protests.
• Vance’s key response: “For what?” Knowles praises this technique for refusing to accept the media’s loaded premise and putting the burden on the questioner.
• Comparison to Dick Cheney’s similar handling of leading questions.
• Emphasizes conservatives should not endorse or entertain left-wing premises embedded in “gotcha” questions.

Notable Quote:

“Mr. Vice President, when you accept my bogus premise, will you do what I want? ... ‘For what?’” – Michael Knowles ([15:10])

3. Justification of Trump Administration Actions in Minneapolis

[17:05-20:50]

• Asserts the Trump administration’s enforcement actions and ICE raids in Minneapolis are justified not just by electoral mandate but by the behavior of even anti-ICE activists, who “start recreating ICE.”
• Rejection of “counter-signaling” from squishes or critics—“How should they have done it differently? Wear pink uniforms?” – Knowles ([19:35])
• Predicts further support for mass deportation and strict law enforcement as politically validated by recent elections.

4. Trump’s 2028 Quasi-Endorsement: J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio

[23:15-30:20]

• Trump, in a recent interview, gives another “quasi-endorsement” to a Vance-Rubio 2028 ticket, highlighting their complementary styles and intelligence.
• Knowles discusses the perennial divisions on the right—“It’s always a state of civil war”—but frames the prospect of a Vance-Rubio ticket as analogous to Reagan-Bush: combining populist and establishment factions.
• Notes on Rubio’s diplomatic style balancing Vance’s bluntness, both candidates’ media savvy, and even “physical complementarity.” ([26:40])
• Sees this unity as rare and desirable, though acknowledges ongoing factions as evidence of conservatism’s pluralistic disposition.

Notable Quote:

“The combination of JD and Marco would be very hard to be beaten, I think. But you never know in politics, right? They say, in the age of Trump, you never know.” — Donald Trump, paraphrased ([24:03])

5. The Religious Ritual of Secular Liberalism: The Rosa Parks Bus Seat

[33:00-38:20]

• Knowles critiques New York’s MTA gesture of reserving a bus seat for Rosa Parks as a “secular religious ritual,” analogous to Judaism’s empty chair for Elijah or Christian anticipation of Christ’s return.
• Notes the demographic irony: “Now, a black person will not be able to sit at the front of the bus… That’s pretty funny.” ([35:05])
• Argues modern liberalism substitutes traditional saints with civil rights figures, replete with rituals and “holy days,” but fails to provide lasting meaning or order.

Notable Quote:

“Liberals hold a seat on a bus for the ghost of Rosa Parks ... This is a religious ritual that has been seen before.” – Michael Knowles ([36:12])

6. Virtue as Practical: Prince Andrew, Epstein, and Consequences

[38:20-43:15]

• Discusses the practical ramifications of personal virtue—or the lack thereof—in light of Prince Andrew’s exile from Royal Lodge over Epstein associations.
• Emphasizes that vice has tangible negative repercussions: “Had Prince Andrew not been palling around with Jeffrey Epstein, his life, in every practical way, would be much better today.” ([39:10])
• Contradicts the modern “hustler” notion that only money and pleasure matter; sanctity and virtue, he argues, are deeply pragmatic.

7. Epstein Files: Spycraft, Conspiracy, and International Reactions

[43:15-50:43]

• Polish PM claims Epstein might have been a Russian spy; Knowles notes previous rumors of CIA, MI6, Mossad ties—“Epstein was a spy for everyone.”
• Cites reports and speculation about Epstein’s connections, influence, and manipulation of powerful people on all sides, possibly as an “influence peddler” rather than a formal agent.
• Key conclusion: the files confirm what many already suspected—Epstein facilitated connections across governments, not as a conventional spy but as a facilitator.

Notable Quote:

“Probably, he was an influence peddler who brought a lot of people together, who was useful to intelligence, who just kind of greased the wheels and kept things going...” – Michael Knowles ([48:19])

8. Religious Attacks and Media Neglect: Anti-Catholicism in America

[50:43-53:20]

• Reports on a Catholic school in Southern California vandalized and ignored by mainstream outlets, despite local coverage.
• Raises concern that “anti-Catholicism might be the last acceptable prejudice,” citing U.S. and Canadian examples where anti-Catholic crimes are less publicized.

9. Language Policing: Homeless vs. Unhoused

[53:20-56:40]

• Lampoons a school board’s debate over whether to use “homeless” or “unhoused.”
• Observes the euphemism treadmill—terms become unacceptable, then replaced by synonyms: “Homeless and unhoused are literally synonyms. ... In five minutes, unhoused is gonna be unacceptable too.” ([55:40])

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Irony of Liberal Policy:

  “The anti ICE activists in Minneapolis are recreating ICE. They're recreating border patrol, they're recreating checkpoints and cops. That's how I know everybody agrees whether they want to admit it or not.” ([20:30])

• On Political Disposition:

  “What unites conservatives is a disposition to prefer the real to the imagined, the limited to the unbounded, the practical to the utopian present, laughter to utopian bliss, in the words of Michael Oakeshott.” ([29:35])

• On Modern Secular Rituals:

  “This isn’t my religion. Liberalism is not my religion. ... These are not really the people I venerate.” ([37:15])

• On Language Games:

  “They have a different flavor to them. Homeless just describes you as having been deprived of something, whereas bum implies moral agency. But homeless and unhoused are both adjectives that both describe a state of deprivation with respect to the very same thing, namely a home.” ([55:20])

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Minnesota Liberals & Community Checkpoints: 00:00-05:35
• J.D. Vance’s ‘For What?’ Interview Response: 12:20-17:05
• Trump Administration Justified in Minneapolis: 17:05-20:50
• Trump’s Quasi-Endorsement (Vance-Rubio 2028): 23:15-30:20
• Rosa Parks Bus Ritual as Liberal Secularism: 33:00-38:20
• Virtue as Practical – Prince Andrew/Epstein: 38:20-43:15
• Epstein Files and Spy Allegations: 43:15-50:43
• Anti-Catholicism in Media: 50:43-53:20
• Language Policing: Homeless vs. Unhoused: 53:20-56:40

Tone and Style

Michael Knowles keeps the tone tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, and openly polemical, regularly lampooning progressive pieties, media framing, and the “religion” of secular liberalism. He appeals to both historical/philosophical frameworks (Oakeshott), practical political analysis, and cultural commentary, often with layered irony. The show is punctuated with strong opinions and pointed humor directed at both political adversaries (and sometimes, his own side).

Summary Value

This episode offers a satirical but incisive look at contemporary left-right politics, examples of “living contradictions” in policy, and the underlying philosophies shaping modern American public life. Listeners will come away with a blend of news analysis, cultural critique, and rhetorical strategies for responding to political framing—plus a reality check on the “rituals” of modern secularism and their unintended effects.