Podcast Summary: The Rubin Report

Episode: ‘Real Time’ Crowd Roars for Bill Maher Pointing out Hypocrisy of Protesters
Host: Dave Rubin
Date: October 20, 2025
Location: Sydney, Australia (on location at the Centre for Independent Study)

Brief Overview

This episode of The Rubin Report covers recent political unrest in the U.S., focusing on the "no Kings" rallies and the broader theme of free speech versus political activism. Dave Rubin analyzes media narratives, protest movements, and what he calls the hypocrisy of left-wing protests, featuring key commentary from Bill Maher, Bernie Sanders, and others. The episode tackles accusations of authoritarianism in U.S. politics, alleged media manipulation, and the future direction of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Rubin Abroad, America in Turmoil

• [01:54] Dave Rubin: Opening from Sydney, Australia, Rubin teases that “when Dave Rubin leaves the country things get a little wacky.”
• Jokes about losing track of days among kangaroos as he sets the show’s tone.
• Main Focus: The "no Kings" rallies in America, the leftist push Rubin characterizes as an attempt to "topple the American government."

2. Bill Maher and Protest Hypocrisy

• [03:33] Bill Maher: Criticizes federal government’s use of unrest as a "pretext" for sending troops and possibly cancelling elections:

  “I can see we have to cancel the next election. There’s just too much unrest. We'll get back to elections, but we have to. It’s just too much.”

• Rubin accuses Maher of fear-mongering but concedes Maher does catch some hypocrisies on the left.
• [06:00] Bill Maher: Calls out college protestors' silence on Hamas violence:

  “Where are the protesters? Suddenly the... keffiyeh wearing college kids can’t be found.”

• [06:15] Dave Rubin: Applauds Maher for calling out hypocrisy and selective outrage, tying past pro-Palestinian protests with lack of response to Hamas violence against Palestinians.

3. On-the-Ground at ‘No Kings’ Rallies

• [08:28] Protestor Interview:

  “I’m so tired of people saying, ‘oh, but you know, it’s a terrible thing.’ No, Hitler is dead. I’m glad Hitler’s dead. Evil people have no place in my world. ... I don’t have time for that.”

• [09:03] Dave Rubin: Argues that open celebration of political violence (Charlie Kirk’s assassination) marks a serious decline in political discourse and safety.
• Notes that, demographically, rallies comprised mostly of older, white participants (“Q-tips”), which he finds ironic considering their anti-Trump stance.
• [11:21] Dave Rubin:

  “Q tips, as we used to call them in the business. And they are out protesting. And not a lot of young people. Okay, so that's sort of interesting.”

4. Media, Propaganda, and the Aging Audience

• Rubin notes the average MSNBC viewer is 70 years old and links susceptibility to "mainstream narrative" with protest participation.
• Points out manufactured unity, “copy-pasted” placards, and professional organization, hinting at possible Soros funding and larger coordination:

  “These are well funded NGOs that I have no doubt have ties back to Soros funded groups.” [21:33]

5. Bernie Sanders, Class Warfare, and Hypocrisy

• [16:57] Bernie Sanders (at a rally):

  “I am talking about the insanity of one person, Mr. Musk, owning more wealth than the bottom 52% of American households.”

• Rubin scoffs at Bernie’s attacks on Musk while ignoring billionaires like George Soros.
• Plays Bloomberg’s famous 2020 zinger at Bernie about his three houses [18:41]:

  Bloomberg: “Have the best known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses. What’d I miss here?”

• [21:33] Dave Rubin:

  “Bernie has done nothing other than trick a generation or maybe two generations into thinking that envy and jealousy is actual virtue.”

6. Symbolism at the Rallies (Nancy Pelosi’s 'Crown')

• [21:26] Pelosi segment:

  “She teared up the crown, guys. She teared up the crown. Now of course it was an imaginary crown because Donald Trump doesn’t wear a crown because he’s not a king.”

• Rubin sees this as empty, performative resistance and further proof that protestors are propagating a “false narrative.”

7. Speaker Mike Johnson on Protest Irony

• [23:11] Mike Johnson:

  “If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. … If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the mall.”

• Rubin: The right to protest freely disproves the “Trump is a king” narrative.

8. Mainstream Media Narratives, Double Standards, and Hyperbole

• [26:48] MSNBC Reporter and ‘The View’ argue for protestors’ First Amendment rights, frame rallies as anti-authoritarian.
• Rubin suggests a double standard:

  “If Joe Biden… were president and a whole bunch of Trump people were rallying across the country… do you think you’d be defending their right to free speech?” [27:49]

9. Calls for Violence and the Media’s Selective Outrage

• Plays a clip of a militant Chicago protestor:

  "You got to grab a gun, we got to turn around the guns on this fascist system. These ICE agents got to get shot and wiped out."

• Rubin stresses hypocrisy—no coverage on CNN or ‘The View’, and no police action taken.

10. On Instigation and January 6th

• Rubin repeats claims that government agents (FBI) participated in January 6th to instigate unrest:

  “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed...274 FBI agents into the crowd…” [33:30]

• Asserts that this form of “government instigation” is ignored by mainstream media.

11. Bill Maher and the Pillars of America: Democracy & Capitalism

• [37:58] Bill Maher:

  “One party wants to get rid of one and the other party wants to get rid of the other. … Republicans … democracy is just not number one on their list … Democrats, … 74% are for democratic socialism, only 16% favor capitalism.”

• Rubin counters that Republicans aren’t anti-democracy, and Democratic socialism is antithetical to foundational American principles.

12. New York Mayoral Race: Socialism Ascendant

• Focus on Zorhan Mamdani leading the race:
  • [40:28] Mamdani: Plans to fund “free” city services via major tax hikes.
  • Rubin: Predicts exodus of business and capital, likening proposals to “communism 101.”
  • [41:41] Mamdani: Attacks Cuomo for not visiting a mosque; Rubin mocks this as identity pandering and warns of radical Sharia law creeping into NYC government.
  • [44:27] Mamdani’s canvassing director (re: NYPD concerns):

    “You’re a city employee, tell you get told what to do. Shut up. When did you get an opinion?”

  • Rubin sees this as authoritarian rhetoric, ironically coming from left-wing “anti-authoritarians.”

13. The Power of Messaging and Social Media

• [45:48] Mark Cuban:

  “Nobody in a Democratic Party knows how to use social media but him [Mamdani]. They will learn from him. Now, New York may be fucked for four years, right? But they will learn from him.”

• Rubin: Acknowledges the packaging and slick social media tactics, likens Mamdani’s messaging to catchy, meaningless Italian pop hit—style over substance.

14. Trump’s Approach: Focused on Results

• [49:54] Donald Trump (paraphrased):

  “I just care about saving lives and I love solving wars.”

• Rubin: Credits Trump for ending multiple global conflicts and not acting as the authoritarian figure claimed by protestors.

15. Closing Notes: Get Involved, Fight for Truth

• Rubin encourages civic engagement, echoes Michael Jordan’s quote on failure and perseverance:

  "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. ... I've failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.” [51:21]

• Closing thought: Don’t let media-driven narratives dictate action; instead, get involved and participate in the political process for real change.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Context | |------------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:33 | Bill Maher | “I can see we have to cancel the next election. There's just too much unrest.” | | 06:00 | Bill Maher | “Where are the protesters? Suddenly the... keffiyeh wearing college kids can’t be found.” | | 11:21 | Dave Rubin | “Q tips, as we used to call them in the business. And they are out protesting.” | | 16:57 | Bernie Sanders | “I am talking about the insanity of one person, Mr. Musk, owning more wealth than the bottom 52% of American households.” | | 21:33 | Dave Rubin | “Bernie has done nothing other than trick a generation... that envy and jealousy is actual virtue.”| | 23:11 | Mike Johnson | “If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now.” | | 27:49 | Dave Rubin | “If this thing was reversed... Trump people were rallying... do you think you’d be defending their right to free speech?”| | 29:24 | Julie Roginski | “They are desperate to invoke the Insurrection Act and they're going to look for any excuse…” | | 33:30 | Dave Rubin | “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed...274 FBI agents into the crowd…” | | 37:58 | Bill Maher | “One is democracy and one is capital, capitalism, free markets... One party wants to get rid of one and the other party wants to get rid of the other.”| | 41:41 | Zorhan Mamdani | “[Cuomo] had more than 10 years and he couldn’t name a single mosque...” | | 44:27 | Mamdani Staffer| “You’re a city employee, tell you get told what to do. Shut up. When did you get an opinion?” | | 45:48 | Mark Cuban | “Nobody in the Democratic Party knows how to use social media but him. ...New York may be fucked for four years, right? But they will learn from him.”| | 49:55 | Donald Trump | “I just care about saving lives and I love solving wars.” | | 51:21 | Michael Jordan | “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. ... I've failed over and over… That is why I succeed.” |

Important Timestamps

• [01:54] – Dave Rubin opens from Australia, sets up focus on U.S. unrest
• [03:33] – Bill Maher on unrest as a “pretext,” discussion of election fears
• [06:00] – Bill Maher points out protestor hypocrisy on Hamas
• [09:03] – Rubin on celebration of violence at rallies
• [11:09-11:21] – MSNBC reporter & Rubin: Demographics of the rallies (“Q-Tips”)
• [16:57] – Bernie Sanders at rally on inequality; Rubin on billionaire hypocrisy
• [18:41] – Bloomberg calls out Bernie’s three houses
• [21:26] – Pelosi tears up imaginary crown
• [23:11] – Mike Johnson on protest irony
• [26:48] – ‘The View’ debates protest motives; Rubin accuses of double standard
• [29:24] – Roginski on fears of Insurrection Act, calls for peaceful protest
• [33:30] – Rubin on FBI instigation at January 6th
• [37:58] – Maher on democracy vs. capitalism
• [40:28] – Mamdani on making city services “free” via tax hikes
• [44:27] – Mamdani staffer: police "should shut up" and do as they’re told
• [45:48] – Mark Cuban on Mamdani’s social media prowess
• [49:55] – Trump: “I just care about saving lives and I love solving wars.”
• [51:21] – Michael Jordan (via clip) on perseverance and success

Tone & Style

• Dave Rubin: Direct, sarcastic, combative; injects humor but stays on message of exposing what he sees as the hypocrisy and danger of left-wing activism.
• Guests (Maher, Sanders, etc.): Used as foils—sometimes praised for moments of clarity, more often critiqued for their perceived doublespeak or selective outrage.

Conclusion

This episode serves as a wide-ranging commentary on current American protest culture, the mainstream media’s alleged bias, and claims of double standards from the left. Rubin frames the “no Kings” movement as yet another evolution of leftist identity politics and anti-Trump fervor, punctuated by moments of real violence and hypocrisy that he feels are ignored by traditional media. He ends by urging listeners to stay engaged in the political process, confront media narratives, and “get involved,” using a Michael Jordan anecdote as a rallying cry for persistence.

This summary encapsulates the main themes, arguments, and notable moments for listeners who may not have heard the episode directly.