The Michael Knowles Show – Ep. 1914 – "Is Elon Musk Becoming Christian?"
Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)
Central Guest: Dr. Robert Epstein
Main Theme
This episode tackles Elon Musk’s public affirmation of Jesus’s teachings and what it truly means to profess belief in Christianity, especially regarding the divinity of Christ. Michael Knowles then pivots to dissecting the political theater of Gavin Newsom and the Democrat party’s election strategies, particularly their rhetorical maneuvers around illegal immigration and perceived moderation. The episode concludes with a deep-dive interview with Dr. Robert Epstein about Big Tech manipulation in American elections.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Elon Musk's "Christian" Moment – The Cost of Half-Belief
[03:00–06:39]
- Elon Musk recently declared on X, "I agree with the teachings of Jesus."
- Knowles celebrates Musk's public embrace, seeing it as a cultural boost, but quickly problematizes “agreeing with Jesus” as a partial step:
- Key Point: Many like to claim Jesus as a great moral teacher without embracing his claim to divinity.
- Quote (Michael Knowles, 04:23):
“The crucial fact is that he is God. And he teaches this repeatedly…so what does that teaching imply for our lives and our actions?”
- Invokes C.S. Lewis’ “liar, lunatic, or Lord” argument: If Jesus claimed to be God, you can’t just take him as a wise moral instructor; it’s all or nothing:
- Quote (Knowles, 05:11):
“You can’t go halfway. It’s like that Frank Sinatra song, All or nothing at all.”
- Quote (Knowles, 05:11):
2. Gavin Newsom vs. Ted Cruz – Semantics and Victimhood Olympics
[06:39–13:04]
- Gavin Newsom accuses Ted Cruz of ableism for calling him “historically illiterate,” claiming offense as a dyslexic.
- Knowles notes Cruz said “historically illiterate,” not literally illiterate.
- Lampoons Newsom’s confusion about the meaning of “illiterate,” calling him “semantically illiterate.”
- Knowles theorizes that Democrats like Newsom seek “victim points” by claiming disabilities, comparing this to younger generations identifying as LGBT for social currency.
- Quote (Michael Knowles, 09:16):
“Gavin Newsom physically is everything the Democrats say that they hate. So he needs some kind of handicap.”
- Quote (Michael Knowles, 09:16):
- Asserts that claiming victim status helps politicians set expectations low and cover for lack of substance; draws a parallel to how J.D. Vance memes shift perception.
3. Democrat Midterm Strategy – Playing Both Sides on Immigration
[13:15–21:28]
- Focus on Abigail Spanberger’s gubernatorial campaign: ran as a moderate, then pushed left-wing policies.
- She criticizes Trump simply for enforcing existing immigration law, calling it “horrifying.”
- Knowles: This is misconstruing federal law for propaganda.
- Democrats, he argues, want it both ways: To the base, say “No human is illegal”; to centrists, claim tough deportation policies, referencing Clinton & Obama.
- Quote (Michael Knowles, 17:29):
“So which is it? Is deporting people good or not?...Anytime any Democrat trots out this ridiculous campaign line…just ask them what the implication is.”
- Calls this “contraceptive speech”—not meant to convey truth, just to achieve electoral convenience.
- Cites polling showing a record-high percentage of voters now see Democrats as “too liberal” (58% in 2025).
4. Will Democrats Moderate or Lie?
[21:28–24:56]
- Knowles suggests Democrats will pretend to be moderate to win elections, then govern from the far-left—citing Andy Beshear’s answer that Americans “want stability.”
- Example: Abigail Spanberger ran centrist, immediately governed as a progressive.
- Quote (Michael Knowles, 25:16):
“The only reason Andy Beshear points at her is because she lied and ran as a moderate. And that’s what they’re gonna do in the midterms.”
- Quote (Michael Knowles, 25:16):
5. The Left's True Face – Identity Politics and Media Obfuscation
[26:07–28:30]
- Lampoons the identity theatrics of Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota (“My Ojibwe name is Gijiwebada Mokwe…”).
- Urges listeners to expose leftist radicalism to moderate friends/family who “don’t believe this is happening,” blaming mainstream media for hiding the true ideology advancing on the left.
- Quote (Knowles, 28:26):
“The Democrats’ chief strategy heading into 26 and then into 28 is gonna be to hide all of it.”
- Quote (Knowles, 28:26):
6. Interview with Dr. Robert Epstein – Big Tech Bias and Election Manipulation
[33:39–45:06]
- Dr. Robert Epstein reveals:
- Big Tech’s 2024 Tactic: Google/YouTube tamed their manipulations pre-2024 and cozied up to Trump, getting the DOJ antitrust pursuit dropped.
- Quote (Epstein, 34:09):
“Google and some of the other tech companies did actually back off…They really did back off in 2024. Turns out they had a plan.”
- Quote (Epstein, 36:09):
“Right after the election, our numbers started to change…On Google, liberal bias since that 2024 election has increased by more than 275%...On YouTube…over 450%.”
- Now that federal scrutiny is off, Big Tech is more aggressively manipulating search and recommendation algorithms in favor of liberals.
- Impact:
- Claims Big Tech could shift up to 15 million votes (untraceably), strongly influencing both House and Senate races.
- Quote (Epstein, 42:49):
“They can shift up to 15 million votes without anyone knowing what they’re doing.”
- Key Data Source: Epstein’s “America’s Digital Shield” project, monitoring 17,000+ registered voters nationwide.
Memorable Quotes & Segments (with Timestamps)
- Elon Musk & Christianity
- “The crucial fact is that he is God. And he teaches this repeatedly…” (Michael Knowles, 04:23)
- On Halfway Christianity
- "You can’t go halfway. It’s like that Frank Sinatra song, All or nothing at all." (Michael Knowles, 05:11)
- On Gavin Newsom’s Semantic Games:
- "Gavin Newsom is semantically illiterate, meaning not only does he not read, he doesn’t understand the meaning of words." (Michael Knowles, 08:09)
- The Victimhood Trend:
- “I think this is why a lot of Zoomer guys just decided they were gay.” (Michael Knowles, 09:23)
- On Democrat Rhetoric around Immigration:
- "Anytime any Democrat trots out this ridiculous campaign line…just ask them what the implication is." (Michael Knowles, 17:29)
- On Democrat Election Strategy:
- "She lied and ran as a moderate. And that’s what they’re gonna do in the midterms." (Michael Knowles, 25:16)
- On Big Tech Manipulation:
- “Liberal bias since that 2024 election has increased by more than 275%…on YouTube…over 450%.” (Dr. Robert Epstein, 36:09)
- "They can shift up to 15 million votes without anyone knowing what they're doing." (Dr. Robert Epstein, 42:49)
- Closing Insight:
- "The Democrats’ chief strategy heading into 26 and then into 28 is gonna be to hide all of it." (Michael Knowles, 28:26)
Important Segment Timestamps
- Elon Musk’s declaration & Knowles’ Christianity analysis: [03:00–06:39]
- Gavin Newsom vs. Ted Cruz & the semantics game: [06:39–13:04]
- Democrat moderation rhetoric & immigration debate: [13:15–21:28]
- Dr. Robert Epstein on Big Tech's electoral manipulation: [33:39–45:06]
Summary Tone
The episode weaves together satire, skepticism, and earnest concerns about Christianity, political authenticity, and the viability of American democracy in light of Big Tech manipulation. Knowles’ style is snarky yet professorial—mixing mocking jabs with C.S. Lewis references and deep dives on the implications of political speech and tech's power.
Takeaways
- Knowles uses Musk’s tweet as a springboard to challenge “surface-level” Christianity.
- Exposes rhetorical sleights-of-hand by Democrat politicians, arguing much so-called “moderation” is a feint.
- Urges conservative vigilance amid deliberate attempts to mask progressive realities, especially with Big Tech’s silent shaping of the political landscape.
- Dr. Robert Epstein’s data-driven warning: Tech companies, especially Google, now have unchecked power to sway elections, and most of the public—left and right—is distracted by superficial appeasement.
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