The Rubin Report – CNN Host Actually Thought She'd Outsmarted Shapiro, Until He Asked This

Host: Dave Rubin
Date: September 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode marks the official return of Dave Rubin for Season 14 of The Rubin Report after an August break. Rubin dives into critical issues dominating political discourse such as the collapse of mainstream media, the disconnect between red and blue states, law enforcement in major cities, rising global crime, free speech, and the ideological divide in America. The episode features Dave’s commentary over recent viral media clips — notably Ben Shapiro’s confrontations on a CNN panel — and weaves in parallel conversations about current events, immigration in Europe, and reactions to violence both at home and abroad.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Erosion of Mainstream Media Credibility

• Rubin’s Triumphal Return:
  He shares the "circus" feeling of stepping back into media and emphasizes gratitude for his viewers (06:00).
• Mainstream vs. New Media:
  Rubin stresses the ongoing collapse of mainstream media and the "ascendancy" of new media personalities (07:40).

  "You see the changing of the guard...the collapse of mainstream media that I'm always focused on...how will it all sift out, right?" – Dave Rubin (08:00)

2. Ben Shapiro’s CNN Interview: Debunking Mainstream Narratives

• Double Standards on Trump & Foreign Policy
  Dave critiques CNN host Abby Phillip and praises Shapiro’s clarity in distinguishing Trump’s actual actions from political talking points (10:10).

  “Trump is heterodox, but he is responsive to reality.” – Ben Shapiro (10:50) Rubin highlights how Shapiro exposes the left's ever-shifting objections to Trump’s Ukraine policies and the futility of their arguments.

• Social Security & Government Spending
  Shapiro challenges Anna Kasparian's assertion that U.S. debt is due to foreign conflicts rather than entitlements like Social Security (18:00).

  “You pay in X dollars, and then you get multiple times X dollars when you retire. That is how the system works. It is not a lockbox.” – Ben Shapiro (19:40)

3. Red vs. Blue States: Urban Decline & Law Enforcement

• California’s “Crumbling” — Gavin Newsom Critique
  Rubin scrutinizes Newsom’s sudden support for law enforcement as politically motivated (32:00).

  “This guy needs to be exposed at every turn. He probably is the most dangerous politician in the country because he has endless ambition, a completely out of control ego, and I would say no heart or soul.” – Dave Rubin (34:20)

• Trump’s Crime Crackdown
  Examines Trump’s deployment of federal troops to cities like Chicago and DC against rising urban crime (38:00).

  “I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation when 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets.” – Donald Trump (40:20)

• Skyrocketing Crime and Politician Deflection
  Features stories of repeat violent offenders in Chicago and the downplaying/dodging by Democrats like Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (45:00–51:00).

  “Cities have crime. Like, what an absolute, pathetic, pass the buck, I'm nothing person you could possibly be.” – Dave Rubin, on Pritzker’s excuses (48:20) “Violence in Chicago is not because we have too many immigrants... it's because we have too many guns.” – Brandon Johnson (52:10) “Apparently Brandon Johnson's approval rating [is at] 6.6%. That guy has a very short rope right now.” – Dave Rubin (54:45)

4. Global Parallels: Immigration, Crime, and Censorship in Europe

• European Crime Trends Since the 1960s
  Rubin references statistical spikes in robberies and sexual crime rates, linking them to waves of immigration (01:05:20).

  “Since the early 1960s, the number of police-recorded robberies has exploded. Maybe this can be...attributed to more reporting… but a large proportion certainly reflects a real change.” – Lif Finnider (01:06:10)

• Sex Crime Arrest Rates
  Cites data showing overrepresentation of foreign nationals in UK sex crime arrests & highlights Elon Musk’s commentary about the “rape of Britain” (01:07:40).

  “Remember to drop a white feather for the cowards who failed to stop this.” – Elon Musk quoting British Army tradition (01:09:10)

• Censorship & Free Speech Suppression
  UK PM Keir Starmer brags about hundreds of arrests related to online speech, criminalizing dissent about immigration (01:15:10).

  “400 people now have been arrested, 100 have been charged...a number of them are already in court. That should send a very powerful message.” – Keir Starmer (01:15:50)

• Ricky Gervais On Free Speech
  A classic Gervais quote epitomizes the arrogance of demanding never to be offended (01:18:10).

  “How arrogant are you to think that you deserve to go through life with no one ever saying anything that you don’t agree with or like?” – Ricky Gervais (01:18:40)

5. The American Free Speech Challenge

• Boston Imam's Extremism
  Rubin plays a clip of Imam Abdullah Farooq calling for "Europeans" (read: white Americans) to 'go back where you came from' and predicting an Islamic future for the U.S. (01:23:10).

  “Islam is America's future. Or without Islam, America will meet its demise.” – Imam Abdullah Farooq (01:24:00) Rubin questions how society should address hostile speech protected under free speech when it undermines societal values.

6. Media Hypocrisy & Obsession with Trump’s Health

• Conspiracy Theories About Trump’s Health
  Mockery of MSNBC’s Jen Psaki suggesting Trump’s absence over Labor Day signals illness — the same media, Dave notes, that ran cover for Biden’s obvious health decline (01:29:00).

  “Now, this is a woman...who was paid to lie about Joe Biden’s health… And now suddenly they're concerned about Donald Trump's health because he took a couple days off during Labor Day.” – Dave Rubin (01:30:00)

• Trump’s Wry Response

  “I didn’t do [press conferences] for two days. And they said there must be something wrong with him. Biden wouldn’t do them for months...and nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him.” – Donald Trump (01:31:40)

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s “Death Watch”
  Cites Walz making offhand remarks about waiting for Trump to die (01:34:00).

  “We thought we were gonna wake up and find out the President had died. Someday it'll happen.” – Tim Walz (01:35:55) Fox panelist Scott Jennings calls Walz a “complete piece of s***” for such rhetoric.

7. The Dark Consequences of Political Hate & Social Upheaval

• Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting
  Details of a transgender shooter who targeted children, leaving hateful, anti-Trump, and antisemitic messages (01:39:00).
• Society’s Neglect of Mental Health and Signs of Violence
  Comments by Seb Gorka highlight breakdowns in law enforcement and community intervention that enable such violence to occur (01:44:30).

  “We should be providing off ramps, we should providing mental health options for these individuals...The early warning signals must be addressed if children's lives are to be saved.” – Seb Gorka (01:45:00)

• Democratic Politicians’ Silence on Victims
  Rubin notes the lack of Democratic outreach to victims’ families.

8. Pushback & Hope: Youth Activism and Political Masculinity

• Student Walkout Against Woke Bathroom Policies
  Middle school boys in Temecula Valley, CA, stage a walkout to protest biologically male students in girls’ facilities (01:49:10).

  “All right, boys, why are you here today and why should we protect girls in the bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports?” – Interviewer
  “Fairness. I'm here to support my friends because they're suffering from a transgender guy...” – Student leader (01:49:30)

• The Need for Toughness & Masculinity?
  In a closing highlight reel with Clay Travis, Rubin and Travis joke about the “lack of masculine men” in the current Democratic Party and reflect on the cultural fallout (01:52:00).

  “Men aspire to be bigger, stronger, and faster than we are, almost universally. That's why superheroes are popular. That's why pro athletes are popular. Who is the most masculine Democrat right now in America? Mayor Pete?” – Clay Travis (01:53:20)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Trump is heterodox, but he is responsive to reality.”
  — Ben Shapiro (CNN clip, 10:50)
• “You pay in X dollars, and then you get multiple times X dollars when you retire. That is how the system works. It is not a lockbox.”
  — Ben Shapiro (19:40)
• “[Gavin Newsom] probably is the most dangerous politician in the country because he has endless ambition, a completely out of control ego, and I would say no heart or soul.”
  — Dave Rubin (34:20)
• “I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation when 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets.”
  — Donald Trump (40:20)
• “How arrogant are you to think that you deserve to go through life with no one ever saying anything that you don't agree with or like?”
  — Ricky Gervais (01:18:40)
• “Islam is America's future. Or without Islam, America will meet its demise.”
  — Imam Abdullah Farooq (01:24:00)
• “We thought we were gonna wake up and find out the President had died. Someday it'll happen.”
  — Tim Walz (01:35:55)
• “Men aspire to be bigger, stronger, and faster...Who is the most masculine Democrat right now? Mayor Pete?...No.”
  — Clay Travis (01:53:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Time | |-------------------------------------------|-------------| | Dave’s return & new media vs. old | 06:00–09:00 | | Ben Shapiro on CNN: Trump foreign policy | 10:10–13:00 | | Social Security v. Foreign Spending debate| 18:00–22:00 | | Gavin Newsom law enforcement policies | 32:00–36:00 | | Trump, crime, and federal intervention | 38:00–44:00 | | Chicago crime victims & Democrat response | 45:00–54:50 | | UK/European crime stats and media denial | 01:05:20–01:11:00 | | UK censorship & free speech crackdown | 01:15:10–01:19:00 | | Boston imam’s incendiary speech | 01:23:10–01:25:00 | | Trump death rumor, media hypocrisy | 01:29:00–01:34:50 | | Minneapolis school shooting aftermath | 01:39:00–01:46:00 | | California boys’ walkout vs. woke policies| 01:49:10–01:50:00 | | Closing on masculinity in politics | 01:52:00–01:55:00 |

Tone

The episode is quintessentially Rubin: brash, unapologetic, and skeptical of progressive narratives. Humor and sarcasm are used liberally, especially in critiques of mainstream media, Democratic politicians, and the cultural left. Emotional resonance builds during discussion of crime victims and the call for traditional values, but the show closes on a hopeful note, underscoring resilience, community, and the possibility of national renewal.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking in-depth coverage, pointed perspectives, and direct quotes from Dave Rubin’s September 3, 2025 episode.
All timestamps MM:SS.