The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1925 – "Dem Senate Candidate: Women Must Be Trans to Go to Heaven"

Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles delivers pointed commentary on current political and cultural events, focusing primarily on Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico’s controversial statements about gender, theology, and American symbols. Knowles also covers the escalating situation in Iran and its geopolitical implications, Republican primary news in Texas, and notable incidents involving public figures. The tone is sharp, irreverent, and unapologetically conservative throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Iran: Propaganda, War, and Geopolitics

• [01:59–06:30] Knowles discusses reports that the next potential Supreme Leader of Iran has erectile dysfunction, seeing this leak as part of a broader U.S. propaganda and psychological war effort.
  • Quote: "This war machine is operating on all fronts ... They're not messing around." – Michael Knowles [05:36]
• [06:31–07:52] Contextualizes the current military operations as the culmination of 47 years of conflict with Iran, referencing the Abraham Accords and changing alliances in the Middle East.
• [36:31–41:08] Details about Iran firing a missile at Turkey, raising NATO concerns, and the legal nuances of President Trump’s war powers.
  • Quote: “According to Article 5 of NATO, the collective security, all 32 members should be coming to Turkey’s defense.” – Michael Knowles [38:32]
• [41:09–42:54] Highlights the involvement of Kurdish forces in Iran, explaining how this fits established U.S. strategy.

2. James Talarico: Theology, Trans Ideology, and the American Flag

A. The Gospel of Thomas and Gender

• [07:53–08:42] Knowles introduces James Talarico (Texas Democrat Senate nominee) and plays a viral clip of Talarico referencing the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas in a church context:
  • Quote (Talarico): “In the Gospel of Thomas, ... Jesus as saying, ‘when you make the male and female one and the same, ... then you will enter the kingdom of God.’” [08:26–08:42]
• [08:43–10:52] Knowles critiques Talarico’s use of the Gospel of Thomas:
  • Labels it “heretical” and “Gnostic,” and mocks Talarico’s claim that “women need to grow penises to go to heaven.”
  • Quote: “Part of the secret knowledge is that women need to grow penises to go to heaven. That’s an actual claim from the Gospel of Thomas.” – Michael Knowles [09:40]
  • Fact-checks the assertion: “It was not taken out of the Bible. It was never in the Bible.” [10:16]

B. Critique of Talarico’s Platform and Statements

• [10:53–16:09] Knowles uses Talarico as an example of Democratic extremism, attacking his attempts to pass as “moderate” and “Christian.”
  • Quote: "This is the kind of freak weirdo that you’re dealing with in the Texas Senate race." [11:47]
• [15:47–16:09] Talarico likens the American flag to the Confederate flag, calling it “a complicated symbol of betrayal.”
  • Quote (Talarico): “The American flag is such a complicated symbol for most of us and in many ways, like Jesus, like the cross, it’s been co-opted and ... its true meaning has been betrayed.” [15:47]
  • Knowles’s reaction: “He thinks it’s a good idea ... to say the American flag is a complicated symbol of betrayal. And by the way, so is the holy cross of Christ.” [16:09]

C. Ongoing Compilation of Talarico Clips

• [16:10–18:34] Knowles urges Republicans to keep Talarico’s controversial statements in circulation leading up to November elections.
• [18:34–19:15] Texas legislator Steve Toth calls Talarico “as evil as they come ... a darkness to this man's life.”
  • Quote (Steve Toth): “There is a darkness to this man’s life ... there’s a wickedness and an evil and a demonic presence in the world, you only have to look at James Talarico.” [18:56]
  • Knowles agrees: “This is pretty evil stuff that Talarico’s doing.” [19:15]

3. Talarico Supercut: Abortion, Patriotic Immigrants, God as Non-Binary

• [23:24–24:41] A montage of Talarico’s statements:
  • Defends abortion as biblically justifiable.
  • Claims “modern science ... recognizes ... many more than two biological sexes."
  • Asserts “God is non binary.”
  • Pitches illegal immigrants as more patriotic than native-born citizens.
  • Quote (Talarico): “Our trans community needs abortion care too. ... God is non binary.” [23:56]
  • Knowles’s reaction: “God wants you to kill babies. We need trans kids. God might be trans, he suggests, or non-binary … it’s so sacrilegious and icky.” [24:41]

4. Texas Republican Primary Drama

• [24:42–26:38] Updates on the Cornyn–Paxton Republican Senate runoff, with Trump potentially endorsing Cornyn over MAGA-favorite Paxton.
  • “Trump comes in, he says, I want one of you guys to drop out ... Paxton is coming and saying he will not withdraw even if Trump endorses Cornyn.” [25:37]
• Contextual commentary on the stakes for Texas: “We can’t lose Texas, guys. Get it together, get it together.” [26:33]

5. Violence & Cultural Commentary

A. BLM Chapter Infighting

• [47:13–50:23] Discusses viral video of BLM's Clyde McLemore fighting Naisha Hill in the Lake County, IL chapter office:
  • Satirizes the “work” of BLM as “petty street crime.”
  • Quote: “The work is MAU Mauing the flat catchers. ... The day to day of BLM is petty street crime. There is no work here.” [48:51]
  • Observes both avoided pressing charges due to not wanting to send a black man to prison.
  • Quote: “The woman making this noble stand ... is saying that the good we will divert it to is to buying me cigarettes. This is Tom Wolfe’s story.” [49:41]

B. Rising Anti-American Sentiment & Security

• [50:24–53:23] Cites social media posts by relatives of U.S. mosque leaders vowing vengeance for Iranian losses and criticisms of U.S. tolerance:

  • “Why is this lady in America, or rather why is her father in law in America? ... That’s not American. That doesn’t help us.” [51:31]

• [53:24–54:46] Highlights a Henry Ford Community College professor in Dearborn mourning the Ayatollah and swearing to pass on his ideology:

  • Quote (Ali Akbar Shadid): “We’re going to continue on the path of Sayyid Ali Khamenei. ... We’re going to learn it and teach it to our children and grandchildren.” [43:28]
  • Knowles questions, “Why is this guy in America, this guy who says, Trump, you will rue the day ...” [44:03]

6. Challenges of Conservative Domestic Policy

• [54:47–55:57] Knowles laments it’s “much, much easier to depose the leader of a millennia old empire than it is to pass voter ID legislation domestically,” blaming activist judges and bureaucracy.
  • Quote: “The reality is ... it is much, much easier to depose the leader of a millennia old empire than it is to pass voter ID legislation domestically.” [55:41]

7. Notable (and Entertaining) Quotes

• “You need to remind them ... before the election. ... The moderate, the new fresh face of the Democrat party ... is going viral for making the claim that women need penises to go to heaven.” [11:47]
• “There’s a tweet for everything. With Talarico, there’s a clip for everything. Every time you think you’ve heard him say the craziest thing ... he says something twice as crazy.” [17:43]
• "If this guy were an adulterer or a drunk or a glutton ... I’d feel much better about him. The fact that he is so vile, a heretic ... makes him a lot worse." [19:57]
• “The only two places where women can physically overpower men are Marvel movies and BLM offices, apparently.” [48:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Iran rumor & propaganda: [00:30] – [07:52]
• James Talarico: Gospel of Thomas: [07:53] – [10:52]
• Talarico’s statements supercut: [23:24] – [24:41]
• Texas GOP primary battle: [24:42] – [26:38]
• NATO & missile on Turkey: [36:31] – [41:08]
• BLM violence incident: [47:13] – [50:23]
• American radicalism & security risks: [50:24] – [54:46]
• Conservative policy challenges at home: [54:47] – [55:57]

Memorable Moments

• [08:42] Knowles mocking Talarico’s Gospel of Thomas reference: “This is a kind of nature Gnostic heresy.”
• [16:09] “He [Talarico] thinks it’s a good idea ... to say the American flag is a complicated symbol of betrayal.”
• [19:15] Steve Toth (R-TX) on Talarico: “This guy is as evil as they come... there’s a wickedness and an evil and a demonic presence.”
• [24:41] Knowles: “God might be trans, he suggests, or non binary or what—I don’t even want to quote him saying that, it’s so sacrilegious and icky ...”
• [48:08] “The only two places where women can physically overpower men are Marvel movies and BLM offices, apparently.”

Summary

This episode showcases Michael Knowles’s blend of biting satire, theological critique, and hard-edged political analysis. He skewers James Talarico as emblematic of left-wing extremism on issues of gender, religion, and patriotism, and uses current foreign policy developments to illustrate both the power and limitations of conservative governance. The episode is fast-paced, punchy, and packed with quotable moments and viral clip commentary, serving up red meat for Knowles’s audience while warning conservatives against complacency in upcoming elections.