The Rubin Report: "Have Dems Gone So Far That It's Time for This Nuclear Option?"

Guest: Senator Ron Johnson (Wisconsin)
Host: Dave Rubin
Date: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Rubin Report features Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson in a candid, wide-ranging discussion with Dave Rubin about America’s current political landscape. Topics include immigration policy, voter integrity, law enforcement, the filibuster ("the nuclear option"), political motivations on both sides of the aisle, government spending, and the looming threat of war with Iran. Throughout, Johnson argues that the Democratic Party’s approach to border security and voting rights is eroding constitutional norms, and he calls for aggressive Republican action—potentially including ending the filibuster and overwhelming enforcement tactics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immigration, Crime, and Enforcement

• Johnson raises concerns over the Biden administration’s immigration policies, specifically referencing statistics about criminal aliens present in the U.S. ([01:10])
  • “There were more than 600,000 criminals…about 15,000 murderers, 20,000 rapists. That’s what the Biden administration let into this country.”
• Johnson attributes increases in crime and chaos to Democratic policies and activist groups impeding ICE:
  • “We’ve got videos from the…trained activists that are harassing and obstructing ICE. It’s tragic what the left is doing to this country.” ([01:57])
• Rubin summarizes Johnson’s numbers, stressing the gravity: “That’s 35,000 extremely violent criminals...How do [Democrats] offer a defense…?” ([02:45])
• Johnson accuses Democrats of seeking to make non-citizens voters and dependent on government, relaxing election controls for political gain:
  • “They want to make it so that non U.S. citizens can vote in not just local elections…but…federal elections too.” ([03:16])

2. The Filibuster “Nuclear Option” Debate

• Johnson supports ending the filibuster if Democrats regain power and use it for partisan advantage:
  • “If we end the filibuster, it’ll be for the benefit of the American people…to secure America, secure our elections, secure our border.” ([04:49])
  • Prediction of Democrats turning D.C. and Puerto Rico into states, packing the Supreme Court, and pushing for “a one party nation.”
• Rubin asks directly: “Do you…want Trump to pull the nuclear option here?...with a simple majority?” Johnson agrees, calling it “unfortunate” but necessary. ([04:36]-[04:49])

3. Political Distractions & Activism

• Discussion of chaos and protests in Minnesota as a “distraction” from local fraud investigations, particularly involving left-leaning officials ([05:52]):
  • “They just turned the other way. It could be a distraction, but…you have nationalized groups who are funding these and train these activists to harass, impede, obstruct ICE’s activity.”
  • Johnson emphasizes risk to ICE agents from aggressive, organized protestors:
    “ICE have been shot at, they’ve had their vehicles rammed…One of the trained activists…armed to the teeth…now they have their martyrs.” ([07:04])

4. Law Enforcement, DOJ, and FBI Concerns

• Rubin presses on whether law enforcement will pursue a “RICO case” against activist funding networks ([08:03]); Johnson voices skepticism, citing issues with left-wing officials in DOJ/FBI, and bureaucratic distractions like the Epstein files:
  • “There are more important things to do…That's what Congress made the Justice Department do. So they had to go through three and a half million pages.” ([08:31])

5. Constitutional Crisis and Sanctuary Cities

• Rubin asks: “Does the Constitution even matter anymore?” ([11:05])
• Johnson references the Tennessee clerk jailed for refusing gay marriage licenses to argue for jailing elected officials who ignore federal law on immigration:
  • “[Lindsey Graham] keeps pointing out this county clerk…She didn’t do it and she went to jail…We ought to do the same [with] elected officials who refuse to follow their oath of office…That is the insurrection. Those are the insurrectionists.” ([11:37])

6. Democrats’ Political Strategy and “Replacement Theory” Accusations

• Johnson suggests Democrats’ immigration positions are motivated by electoral advantage, not humanitarianism, claiming their goal is a “one party nation” ([13:10]).
  • “[When] people like me used to talk this way, ‘Oh, you’re pushing replacement theory.’ Well, yeah, that's what they did…That's what they're actually” ([14:19])
• Rubin notes Johnson was “way ahead of most people in the Senate on Covid” and is seeing similar patterns now. ([14:39])

7. Bipartisanship and Senate Dynamics

• Johnson describes Democrats as “dug in” and unwilling to negotiate; only mentioning Fetterman as a potential outlier ([15:46]).
• Frustration with both parties’ lack of fiscal discipline; Republican support for earmarks cited as a failure of party unity ([20:55]).

8. Fiscal Policy and Government Waste

• Johnson outlines missed opportunities for spending cuts—using a “businessman’s approach”—and claims legalized fraud within Medicaid, primarily due to perverse federal reimbursement incentives ([19:04]):
  • “We allow legalized fraud, for example within Medicaid…states get reimbursed more by the federal government than what they spend.”
• He warns of ballooning debt and Social Security insolvency:
  • “Combining the one big beautiful bill, the projection over 10 years: $26 trillion of additional deficits…Social Security will deplete itself by about 2033.” ([17:18])

9. Transparency and Oversight: Technology Initiatives

• Johnson touts a $100 million allocation for an AI-driven audit of the entirety of federal spending, with special attention to funds passing through NGOs ([22:12]):
  • “We already hired somebody to help spearhead this thing…$14.1 trillion in NGO assets…They use [it] for political influence…”

10. Foreign Policy: The Threat of War with Iran

• Johnson expresses confidence that Trump is “the least likely president in my lifetime to get us into a war,” but will use force if necessary:
  • “This is not a man who wants to go to war…He wants peace. But sometimes the only way you achieve peace is through strength and destroying the people who are menacing…” ([24:14])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Democratic Strategy:
  • “They want to make it so that non U.S. citizens can vote…They’re going to be the party, they’re going to be the ones in control.”
    — Ron Johnson ([03:16])
• On Republicans and the Filibuster:
  • “If we end the filibuster, it’ll be for the benefit of the American people.”
    — Ron Johnson ([04:49])
• On Organizers of ICE Protests:
  • “Are they crying big crocodile tears over the fact they finally got their martyrs? It’s largely their responsibility that these people are dead.”
    — Ron Johnson ([10:18])
• On Law and the Constitution:
  • “We ought to do the same thing with elected officials who refuse to follow their oath of office…That is the insurrection. Those are the insurrectionists.”
    — Ron Johnson ([11:37])
• On Government Spending:
  • “We allow legalized fraud…states get reimbursed more by the federal government than what they spend. I mean, it’s sick.”
    — Ron Johnson ([19:04])
• On GOP Earmarks and Fiscal Policy:
  • “Earmarks are the gateway drug…All of a sudden we’ve got a Republican chairman of appropriations…spending bill included $14.3 billion of earmarks.”
    — Ron Johnson ([20:55])
• On Peace and War:
  • “This is not a man who wants to go to war…But sometimes the only way you achieve peace is through strength.”
    — Ron Johnson ([24:14])

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [01:10] Johnson’s statistics on criminal aliens and critique of Biden immigration policy
• [04:36]–[04:49] Debate over the nuclear/filibuster option
• [05:52] Minnesota chaos as “distraction” and activist strategies against ICE
• [08:31] Concerns over DOJ and FBI priorities and “lawfare” against conservatives
• [11:37] Discussion on sanctuary cities, the Constitution, and taking legal action against officials
• [13:10] Johnson’s theory on the Democrats’ endgame (voter realignment)
• [17:18] Warnings about U.S. debt, deficits, and Social Security
• [19:04] Medicaid “legalized fraud” and missed opportunities for spending reform
• [22:12] Federal spending audit, NGO influence, AI tracking initiative
• [24:14] Foreign policy: Trump’s aversion to war despite aggressive threats

Tone & Closing Thoughts

Senator Johnson maintains a blunt, urgent tone throughout, blending factual claims, personal opinion, and pointed accusations against Democratic strategy. He expresses frustration not only at the opposition but also at his own party’s lack of cohesion on spending and transparency. Rubin, meanwhile, brings his trademark skepticism and direct questioning, pushing Johnson for specifics and clarifying contentious points.

For listeners seeking an unfiltered conservative perspective on today’s top political issues, this episode is a comprehensive, at times incendiary, glimpse into the arguments shaping Republican strategies as the 2026 election draws near.