DEMOCRATS SWEEP ELECTIONS, OHIO REP. JIM JORDAN, HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON

Summary

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The Stephen A. Smith Show (Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith)

Episode: "DEMOCRATS SWEEP ELECTIONS, OHIO REP. JIM JORDAN, HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON"
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Stephen A. Smith (SiriusXM, POTUS radio channel 124)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Stephen A. Smith takes his sharp, unapologetic approach to politics, breaking down the aftermath of the recent elections in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, which saw significant Democratic victories. With the nation in the midst of the longest government shutdown in history, Smith scrutinizes the implications, dives headfirst into contentious issues like police funding, tax policy, and healthcare, and hosts interviews with two influential Republican leaders: House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Smith also fields poignant calls from listeners, emphasizing centrist, pragmatic debate over partisan extremes.

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Main Discussion Themes

• The impact and meaning of Democrats’ statewide wins and the election of Zoran Mamdani as NYC mayor.
• Ongoing government shutdown: causes, culprits, and consequences for federal employees and the public.
• Ideological divisions within both political parties, especially the ascendancy of the progressive left.
• GOP’s position and strategy after electoral losses; Trump's continued dominance over the party narrative.
• Deep dive into healthcare policy—costs, coverage, and ACA subsidies—amidst political brinksmanship.
• Listener calls: public’s take on bipartisanship, immigration, media, and holding Congress accountable.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Election Results & Their Significance

• Democratic Sweep:
  Smith opens by contextualizing the Democratic victories in New York (Mamdani), New Jersey (Mikie Sherrill), and Virginia (Abigail Spanberger). All won by convincing margins, with Smith highlighting the growing generational and ideological divides within the Democratic electorate.

  • "This election was as much about Trump as it was about anybody... I think they went to the polls because they wanted to send a message that they are against Donald Trump." (Stephen A. Smith, 12:43)

• Zoran Mamdani’s Win:
  Smith expresses both admiration and apprehension regarding Mamdani—praised for charisma and progressive politics but critiqued for ambitious policies (defunding police, free public goods, rent freezes) whose feasibility Smith questions.

  • "I'm very, very concerned about some of the things that he said. I'm very concerned about what he once said about defunding the police. I'm calling 911. I'm being real with you. I don't want to see less police officers. I want to see more police officers." (Stephen A. Smith, 03:50)

• Difference in Democratic Strategies:
  Smith differentiates between pragmatic centrists (Sherrill, Spanberger) and the progressive approach represented by Mamdani, warning of potential consequences for the party if they lean too far left.

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2. Government Shutdown: Blame Game and Consequences

• Historical Context:
  At day 36, the shutdown surpasses the previous record, hitting over a million federal employees in DC and beyond. Smith and guests stress the tangible pain for families.

  • "People ain't receiving a paycheck. How long you think that's gonna last before disorder reigns? You can't do this to American people." (Stephen A. Smith, 10:27)

• Blame Allocation:
  Smith plays clips from Marjorie Taylor Greene blaming Speaker Mike Johnson ("It is an embarrassment to me that we’re not in session.” – Greene, 13:41) and reads statements from Republican leaders, with both parties insisting the other is culpable.

• Republican Leaders’ Defenses:
  Jim Jordan and Mike Johnson claim they tried to pass "clean" CRs (Continuing Resolutions) and put the shutdown at the feet of Senate Democrats, particularly Schumer and Jeffries, whom they argue are bowing to the progressive base to avoid primary challengers.

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3. Interview Highlights

a. Jim Jordan, Chair, House Judiciary Committee

Interview starts at [20:42]

• On Election Losses:
  Jordan dismisses Democratic wins as expected in “three blue states and one really blue city," warning against “socialist” policies in NYC.

  • "The fact that they elected a socialist there is, I think, probably... I had the opportunity 30 some years ago to compete in the Soviet Union... run by the government, which is what Mr. Momdani wants to do." (Jim Jordan, 21:14)

• On the Shutdown:
  Asserts that Senate Dems are at fault for not voting on the CR; attributes Schumer's motives to primary fears from the left.

  • "The real question, and everyone knows that’s the case, Stephen, because six months ago, Chuck Schumer voted for the exact same thing he won’t vote for now..." (Jim Jordan, 23:30)

• On Healthcare & ACA Subsidies:
  Critiques government expansion and subsidies, stating they drive up healthcare costs and primarily benefit insurance companies.

  • "The way you bring down health care costs is not have more government... look at higher education for goodness. Look what it costs people to go there because there's so much government involved." (Jim Jordan, 28:15)

• On GOP Health Care Plan:
  Lays out a vision for more market-based solutions: HSAs, catastrophic insurance, and deregulation; resists further government intervention.

• On Trump and Party Loyalty:
  Strongly defends Trump's record; equates Trump’s leadership style to a competitive athlete who "hates to lose."

  • "No one has done more of what they told the American people they were going to do than this guy." (Jim Jordan, 35:19)

• On Political Retribution:
  Denies that ongoing investigations are about revenge: “We're talking about the facts.” (35:48)

  • Confirms Trump declined to pursue Hillary Clinton post-2016 for "the good of the country."
    • "If he was a man of retribution, he would have went after Hillary in 2017..." (Jim Jordan, 39:50)

• On the Democratic Party:
  Argues that “the hard left has taken over” and that “crazy” progressive demands are now mainstream among Democrats.

  • "Not all Democrats are crazy, but the left that controls their party is." (Jim Jordan, 44:31)

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b. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House

Interview starts at [51:05]

• On Responsibility for Shutdown:
  Insists only Senate Democrats can end it; their refusal is motivated by fear of the party’s progressive wing.

  • "I wish I could tell you, really, the only person that can answer that is Chuck Schumer... real pain is being felt by real people." (Mike Johnson, 51:25)

• On ACA Subsidies Fight:
  Dismisses the Democrats' health care reasoning as a "red herring," arguing the real motivation is base politics.

• On Electoral Impact:
  Minimizes November’s result as unsurprising but expresses optimism for GOP prospects due to demographic shifts.

• On Immigration & Border Security:
  Claims the GOP "checked the box" by eliminating illegal crossings and emphasizes the importance of targeting "hardened criminals" among the undocumented.

• On Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Criticism:
  Downplays Greene’s attacks: "I'm not unaccustomed to hearing criticism from Marjorie... everybody has the right, you know." (58:17)

• On Health Care System Costs:
  Argues ACA subsidies prop up a "broken system"; lists Republican proposals for genuine cost reduction (CSR provisions, market reforms).

  • "If you extend the Obamacare cups the COVID era subsidy... it will cost taxpayers 358 billion additional dollars." (Mike Johnson, 63:11)

• On SNAP Benefit Cuts:
  Blames the shutdown and resulting contingency plans for delays in food assistance.

• On Congressional Pay During Shutdown:
  Asserts that Demands for Congress to forgo pay are “grandstanding,” but does not commit to withholding pay en masse.

• On the Epstein Files & New Rep Swearing-in:
  Dismisses allegations of partisan delay; assures oversight and release of files is ongoing.

• On Filibuster:
  Resists Trump’s calls to eliminate it, citing its checks and balances.

  • "It's a very important safeguard against the worst impulses of the Democrat party... massive whiplashes for the people between elections, between the parties, and that wouldn't be good for the system." (Mike Johnson, 71:19)

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4. Listener Call-In Highlights

• Callers thank Stephen A. for centrist leadership:
  "You've become a real voice for the moderates and for those of us who still believe in balance and reason and honest conversation." (Caller, Ken, 74:10)

• On Immigration’s Economic Impact:
  Debate over the effects of immigration on inflation and labor force, with callers citing economists and demographic trends. Smith offers nuanced takes supporting both border integrity and a welcoming mosaic.

• On Affordable Care Act & Who Benefits:
  Callers challenge and clarify misunderstandings around who actually receives ACA benefits, especially as it relates to undocumented immigrants.

• On Partisan Media:
  Callers echo Smith’s push for citizens to "educate themselves" via a diversity of news sources and avoid media silos.

• On Congressional Hypocrisy:
  Sharp criticism of Congress for failing to enact term limits, cut its own pay/benefits, or ban stock trading, drawing agreement from Smith.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "This election was as much about Trump as it was about anybody... I think they went to the polls because they wanted to send a message that they are against Donald Trump."
  — Stephen A. Smith, [12:43]

• "The fact that they elected a socialist there is, I think, probably... That's where they're headed in New York if the policies he's advocating actually, actually happen."
  — Jim Jordan, [21:14]

• "The way you bring down health care costs is not have more government... more government gets involved, drives up the cost."
  — Jim Jordan, [28:15]

• "People ain't receiving a paycheck. How long you think that's gonna last before disorder reigns? You can't do this to American people."
  — Stephen A. Smith, [10:27]

• "I'm very, very concerned about some of the things that he said. I'm very concerned about what he once said about defunding the police. I'm calling 911. I'm being real with you."
  — Stephen A. Smith, [03:50]

• "We solve the border crisis... We cut taxes, we cut regulations, fraud, waste, and abuse in government..."
  — Mike Johnson, [56:06]

• "Not all Democrats are crazy, but the left that controls their party is."
  — Jim Jordan, [44:31]

• "If Donald Trump were not president, do you believe that the Democrats would be this rigid in their thinking, in your estimation? No way."
  — Mike Johnson, [67:31]

• "If federal employees don't get paid, you don't get paid. You don't have any health care either. Got to make sure that our elected officials suffer with the people just as much as the people suffer."
  — Stephen A. Smith, [96:51]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Monologue & election analysis: 00:34 – 20:42
• Interview: Rep. Jim Jordan: 20:42 – 47:06
• Interview: Speaker Mike Johnson: 51:05 – 73:03
• Listener calls/feedback: 74:00 – End

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Tone, Language & Style

Stephen A. Smith’s tone throughout is passionate, direct, and irreverent—balancing humor and seriousness, challenging his guests, and emphasizing everyman common sense. He anchors policy debates in plain language and lived experience, pushing both elected officials and listeners to reject tribalism and demand practical solutions. He doesn’t shy away from calling out hypocrisy or inconsistency, regardless of party.

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Final Thoughts

This episode captures American political debate at a moment of intense polarization, government paralysis, and generational change. With incisive guest interviews and lively listener calls, Smith frames the conversation around accountability, pragmatism, and the perils of ideological extremism. Whether discussing policy minutiae, intra-party struggles, or the human cost of government dysfunction, Smith pushes for clarity, reason, and real talk—hallmarks of his transformative approach to broadcasting.

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Transcript

[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

On top of your cold and flu symptoms.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So this cold and flu season, grab Kleenex lotion tissues.

[Mike Johnson]

Visit kleenex.com to learn more and buy.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Now for whatever happens next. Grab Kleenex.

[Caller]

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[Interviewer/Host]

Get a savory and sweet sausage, egg.

[Caller]

And cheese McGriddles plus hash browns and.

[Mike Johnson]

A co only at McDonald's for a limited time only.

[Interviewer/Host]

Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California. And for delivery, Straight Shooter with STEPHEN A. What's up everybody? Welcome to this latest edition of Straight Shooter with yours truly, the one and only Stephen A. Smith coming at you over the Digital airwaves of SiriusXM POTUS Radio Channel 124. I shouldn't say digital, but the airwaves of SiriusXM POTUS radio channel 124, number to call up, as always is 866-967-6887. That's 8669-676889-86696. POTUS. To simplify it, we've got a jam packed show coming your way today. Tonight, rather, there is an election that took place last night, specifically and particularly in the state of New Jersey, in the state of Virginia for the gubernatorial seats and of course in New York for the mayor's seat. And I'll get into that in just a second. We're letting you know that today on this show we will have the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the one and only Jim Jordan coming on with us, along with speaker of the house Mr. Mike Johnson. Both of them will be on the show tonight. Obviously, there's a lot to get into. Day 36 of the shutdown, the government has been shut down. Federal employees escalating above a million haven't been receiving paychecks. 330,000 plus in the nation's capital, in its surrounding areas have not been receiving a check. Obviously, I am not happy about that at all. The longest government shutdown is in history, surpassing the 35 days in 2018 into 2019, which was during President Donald Trump's first term in office. It is not a good day. It is not a good time. And I'm here to tell you something right now. I'm not gonna act like today's a good time. Now last week on the show I had Andrew Cuomo, who was a mayoral candidate in New York City, the former three term governor in New York State, come on the show for a lengthy period of time in the immediate aftermath of that, Zoran Mamdani, the favorite to win that election since he had captured the Democratic nomination in the primaries. We, we expected him to be the favorite. And turns out he won. He had called into the show last week with about eight minutes left in the show. So I didn't have nearly as much time to get into some of the things he has said, some of the policies he has promoted pushing forth. But nevertheless, he obviously is a very charismatic candidate. Highly intelligent, very articulate. You know, you listen to all the ladies out there. Not, not difficult on the eyes because women 30 and under, they said he got like 84% of their votes. Okay. Nothing Andrew Cuomo could do about that at age 67, to be quite honest with you. But nevertheless, one would not insult the voters out there by implying that that's all it took for Zoramdani to gain their support. I'm going to tell you why I'm not happy about it. I like Mom. Donnie. I'm looking forward to interviewing him. He's promised to be on this show. But I'm very, very concerned about some of the things that he said. I'm very concerned about what he once said about defunding the police. I'm calling 91 1. I'm being real with you. I'm calling 91 1. That's what I'm doing. I don't want to see less police officers. I want to see more police officers. I heard him talk about mental health experts in the subway system. I don't care about that. I want cops in the subways in New York City, where I was born and raised. Born in the Bronx, raised in Queens. That's what I want. I want to hear about no damn mental health experts in subways. Nah, I'm not trying to hear that. Okay, 2% tax on the rich. Okay, fine. Eleven and a half percent capital gains tax on its face. Okay, fine. Free buses, free grocery stores in each borough. Really, really think that's gonna work? Ladies and gentlemen, we're at a crossroads in this nation and there's no way to slice it. And the level of vitriol that you see amongst the American citizen is because God forbid that you have a difference of opinion. It's not enough to agree. You know, people have to be disagreeable and you have to be selfish. If you're a person that's rich that's making money and you don't want to pay your fair share of taxes. Well, when you think about the billionaires in the state, in the city of New York, they make up about 48% in terms of the amount of taxes that they dole out compared to the average American compared to the rest of New Yorkers. And if you're talking about raising their taxes while doing these other things, you're making New Yorkers, you're making New York unattractive, not just for residents, but for businesses. And if you make it unattractive for businesses and you don't and you compromise the ability to be the capitalist that these people are, then they take their businesses elsewhere. So the money that they paid on their homes, on rent, they move out of the city or the state, businesses follow. And ultimately the tax burden falls on to New Yorkers out there, which means that rent freezes, which is also something that Madani pushed. Is that really going to be plausible? Are you really going to be able to freeze rent or are you going to end up hiking it because you don't have enough people here to pay it? Tax revenue, where you getting that from? See, these are all the kind of things that we have to connect the dots and ask ourselves, one plus one, does it equal two? Is it really plausible that these things are going to happen? According to me, Hokul 90% of the stuff Mom Donnie said he can't do on his own, he got to come through her in a state legislature in order to get it done. Is he going to be able to do that? What level of support is he going to have outside of young whippersnappers out there who love him and are so in love with his personality and everything else that they didn't really, really dot the odds, of course, the T's and look at actual policies and, and the kind of effect that's going to have on New Yorkers. That's what I'm worried about. I hope I'm wrong, because talking to him, I like them. I'm looking forward to sitting down and interviewing with them. I just want to know where the money coming from. See, I count, okay? I count. And I can't tell you how many young teenagers. It could be daughters, it could be nieces and nephews. It could be. It could be friends and family members or relatives of folks along that age gap. And you're asking the same question. And you know what you come up with? The people who love Mom Donnie the most are not people who pay bills every Day. I'm not saying that applies to everybody. I'm not applying that. But they certainly not people that pay bills every day, all the time. You don't see business owners clamoring to support them. I'm just saying these things are important to bring up because there's going to be a divide that takes place. Remember Mundani's ascension and his win in the mayoral election in New York last night is entirely different from what supposedly transpired in New Jersey with Mikey Sherrill beating Citarelli for the gubernatorial seat. And of course, in Virginia, where this lady Sears ultimately lost to Abigail Spanberger, by the way. I think Spamberger and Cherelle were rumored at one time or another, winsome Earl Sears. She lost by convincingly, to say the least. But the reason I bring that up is because their campaign was a bit different than Zoram Ghani. They were talking about affordability issues just like he was. But they were also a bit more pragmatic in their thinking. They weren't talking about free grocery stores and free bus rides. They weren't talking about those things. They were talking about centrist kind of policies that would ingratiate themselves with the vast majority of American citizens in their respective states. Because guess what? They recognize that's where the meat of the electorate lives. Not on the fringes with extreme progressivism. Not on the fringes with the mega right. 85 of the population lives there. That's where I live. That's why I'm on potus. That's where we live. We ain't veering one way or the other to the extreme because we understand, excuse me, it is about affordability, but it's also about the economy. It's also about safety in the streets. And when you're talking about the combination of a free bus rides or free grocery stores and, oh, by the way, less police, or at least not more police officers, and not prioritizing law enforcement in the streets of a city, of a state of the United States of America. You got a problem, you got a problem. And so now we got to sit up here and we got to ask ourselves, where are we going from here? Where you gonna find yourself? What you gonna do? Because you got a shutdown going on and folks gonna get volatile. These, these government officials don't get their act together, People ain't receiving a paycheck. How long you think that's gonna last before disorder reigns? You can't do this to American people. You can't do it. Now, I know that we've seen Politicians say all of these things and address some of these things, but I ain't satisfied the fervor with which it's been addressed because the shutdown is still going on. And needless to say, the President chimed in because a lot of people chimed in. And the President was one of those people, and he wanted to make sure that he had something to say about what he believes should be done. But I'm going to tell you before I go to him, he here's what I want to tell you. No matter what they deny, this election was as much about Trump as it was about anybody. Because I don't believe that folks went to the polls because of Sherrell or Spanberger or even Mom Donnie. I think they went to the polls because they wanted to send a message that they are against Donald Trump. Because, as I repeatedly said, you don't like the way X. There's Trump's treat right there. Trump wasn't on the ballot. This is Donald Trump on his Truth Social account. Trump wasn't on the ballot and shut down were the two reasons that Republicans lost elections tonight. Once again, it's about him. You ain't gonna be on the ballot in 2026, the midterms. You ain't supposed to be circumventing the 22nd amendment and running for a third term being on the ballot in 2028. You're supposed to be going. Your last election was supposed to be in 2024. Which means whether it's J.D. vance, whether it's Marco Rubio, whether it's Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida or somebody else, it's gonna be somebody other than Donald Trump. What you gonna do? Gop? Because when Trump is engaging in tariff wars, when he's got ice literally grabbing people off the streets and throwing them to the ground, and they happen to be American citizens, and they all ain't illegal. And one mistake after another after another is being made. And human rights, civil rights, are being violated in pursuit, supposedly, of those who are criminals and are here illegally. Yet too many people who are legal, who do have a visa, who are here righteously, are being harassed and bothered, et cetera, et cetera. And it's going on in the streets of Los Angeles, of Oregon, of, of Chicago, of D.C. or whatever. Why? How long do you think that's gonna last? I'm talking about the optics. I don't have the numbers right now in front of me. They gonna change anyway. I'm talking about the optics. How it looks. That's not America. And when something like that happens. People are going to respond. But before they get to respond about that, in their own roundabout way, they did it through the election. And because they did it through the election, a whole bunch of people had a lot to say. Let's show Marjorie Taylor Greene, who showed up on the View on ABC earlier and listen to what she had to say about the shutdown and the GOP's role in the shutdown. Take a listen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The worst thing that I, that I just can't get over is we're not.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Working right now and I put that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Criticism directly on the speaker of the.

[Interviewer/Host]

House and we should be at work.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All the people sitting in this audience, they go to work every day.

[Interviewer/Host]

People at home watching this show, they.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Go to work every day.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Ladies, you go to work every day. The people on your set.

[Interviewer/Host]

And it is an embarrassment to me that we're not in session. That was Marjorie Tiller Greene. She's talking about the shutdown and that about being a session. The reason why I bring that up is because Governor Glenn Youngkin from Virginia, who's about to be succeeded by Spanberger, blamed Republicans widespread election losses in the state on a recent government shutdown. Quote, I firmly believe the government shutdown was a very, very big challenge. As we ran into the selection, we have 330,000 government workers here that weren't getting paid. That is a real challenge. Heading into and election. That is what Governor Youngkin from Virginia had to say about what transpired. That's what he had to say. Zoram Hamdani had his own words to say, especially pertaining to calling out Donald Trump. Listen to what Zoram Ramdani, the mayor elect of New York City, had to say about the president last night. So Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you. Turn the volume up. We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption, and that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks. We will stand alongside unions and expand labor protections because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed. That's our Ramdani, the mayor elect of New York City, calling out the president of the United States, basically telling them to bring it on, daring them to do so. If we know anything about the president, he'll probably try and take him up on his offer. So pay attention. To what we have going on right now. We have that going on. You heard what Mom Donnie said. You heard Marjorie Taylor Greene blaming the gop. You know Trump's going to respond. You got Spamberger and Sherrell being centrist, not as outspoken as Zoran Momdoni was at that particular moment. And then you have this tweet on X, I believe, put out by Speaker Mike Johnson just hours ago. Look at this, ladies and gentlemen. According to Speaker Mike Johnson, Democrats in New York City have chosen a true extremist and Marxist. And the consequences will be felt across our entire nation. Zoram Mamdani's election cements the Democratic Party's transformation to a radical big government socialist party. House Democrats endorsed Mandani's dangerous policies, including defunding the police, seizing private property, and massive tax increases. Now every House Democrat, incumbent and candidate will co own Mamdani's disastrous record in the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, Republicans are fighting alongside President Trump to lower costs, make streets safer, secure our border, and deliver peace through strength. With exactly one year to go until the 2026 elections, the contrast between our parties has never been more clear. Mayor Elect Mamdani's extreme agenda is the future of the Democratic Party, but we will never allow it to be the future of America. That's another twist. I didn't even bring you the third one. Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California Prop 50 resolution pushed through. If you recall, that's Governor Newsom's measure to create more Democratic congressional seats, countering a similar redistricting effort pushed by President Trump and other states to protect Republican control of the House next year, especially Texas. When Texas did what it did, positioning itself to get five additional seats in the US House of Representatives, Newsom turned around. Unlike Texas, he had to go through the voters to pull that off. The voters co signed with him. Now you're talking about potentially nine additional seats in the US House of Representatives for the state of California. Where does that put Newsom in all of this? I'm here to tell you front and center that right now, as we speak, Governor Gavin Newsom looks like he's on the verge of being the Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of America in 2028. And you know what the GOP is saying. Pretty pleased with Sugar on top. Let it be you because of California's record on a multitude of things. Needless to say, Gavin, Governor Newsom has been invited on this show on numerous occasions. I love how these folks hesitate to show up, but I see them Elsewhere, not one to answer questions. It don't stop this train. I got a lot of stuff to say about the state of California and not just tonight, but I got other fish to fry for the moment, mainly Speaker Johnson, Representative Jim Jordan, both up next. At some point in this show right here with Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Oh, I'm fully loaded. I got a lot more to say. Don't go away. Welcome back. Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Smith over the airwave of SiriusXM POTUS radio channel 124. It is my honor to have my next guest on. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few weeks ago. I watch him on TV often. I'm relatively familiar with his work because I've known my man Sean Hannity for many years and I've seen him on Sean Hannity's show on many occasions. Well, he's my guest this evening. Evening. And he has served in the U.S. house of Representatives for Ohio's 4th congressional district since 2007. Please welcome the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the one and only Republican, Mr. Jim Jordan was with me right now. How are you, sir? How's everything?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm fine and good to be with you and it was great to visit with you a couple weeks ago on Mr. Cuomo's show at the Town Hall.

[Interviewer/Host]

I appreciate it, man. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure meeting you as well. And thank you for coming onto the show. Let's get right to it. Last night, Democrats won three key races in New York, New Jersey and Virginia, as you well know. In your opinion, is this a referendum on the President's first nine months in office?

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, I think it's three blue states and one really blue city. I mean, a major city, our biggest city. I think that's what it is. And for me, frankly, the takeaway is that, you know, we got a socialist. You might put the name Democrat in front of it. Democrat, socialist. But he's still a socialist who's elected now to again, our largest city, the great city of New York. So I think that's the key takeaway. No one really expected us to win. Republicans to win in New Jersey or in Virginia or in California or frankly, even New York. But the fact that they elected a socialist there is, I think, probably I was telling someone the other day, I had the, I had the opportunity 30 some years ago to compete in the sport of wrestling in Soviet, what was the Soviet Union. And I tell people, you go there, you thank the good Lord you live here. I remember we were In Moscow in February, it was like 400 below zero. And you walk into stores there that are run by the government, which is what Mr. Momdani wants to do in New York. And there was nothing on the shelves. I mean, it was like, it was, it was the most gray, dismal place. That's where they're headed in New York if the policies he's advocating actually, actually happen. So I think that's the real takeaway from, from yesterday's election is what happened in our, in our great city of New York.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm wondering, how can the gop, the Republican side, completely absolve themselves from this by just saying that it's the blue states, it's a New York, it's a New Jersey, it's a Virginia, when we're in the midst of the longest shutdown in government history right now. And obviously, President Trump, he's the President of the United States. And even though I understand what role the Democrats are playing, at least to some degree, the reality is that this is the art of the deal. This is the president that we're talking about here that usually finds a way to, to get things done, but the shutdown is still going on. Isn't there a level of culpability for the, for this election outcome that you guys should feel because of the shutdown?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I mean, I think, I think there's a level of frustration that all Americans feel to some degree, and certainly Americans who are working and not getting paid like some of our air traffic controllers and other things. But I think the culpability is with the folks who wouldn't vote to keep it open. I voted to keep it open. Republicans did that in the House 14 times. Democrats had an opportunity to do the same thing in the Senate. Republicans voted for it, but Democrats did it. And even one of their senators who said, who was who you talked to, who you interviewed a couple weeks ago, Senator Fetterman says Democrats are responsible for this. And the real question, and everyone knows that's the case, Stephen, because six months ago, Chuck Schumer voted for the exact same thing he won't vote for. Now, there's a reason they call it a continuing resolution, because you continue to fund the government at the levels you've already agreed to. But now Chuck Schumer says, no, we're not going to do it. That's, to me, this is a. Chuck Schumer's having a debate with Chuck Schumer. And right now, the same dynamic, I think, that put Mr. Mamdani in as the next mayor of New York, this left that's taken over the Democrat Party, this radical left, that's the same dynamic that's keeping Chuck Schumer from voting to keep the government open, even though he voted for it before. Because it's the left that has now taking control of the Democrat Party. That's all the pressure. Chuck Schumer's concerned about a primary. Even Hakeem Jeffries is now concerned about a primary from the left in that same city that will now be run by a socialist.

[Interviewer/Host]

What about those who are arguing that this was the plan for the Democrats all along? They never had any intentions of reaching a, of, of reaching a deal and signing off for the cr because you know something, it would not have benefited them for the election. Let's wait until the election is over and then let's see what happens. Because, because I think Ted Cruz, Senator Ted Cruz alluded to that the other day, saying he expects the deal to be done relatively quickly now that the election is over. Was that, is that plausible in your mind? Is that what's going on?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Only Democrats would know. Only Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, frankly, in the Senate would know that. But, you know, because we heard first it was going to go until after the no Kings rally, then it was going to go to November 1, when certain benefits and programs that are funded by the federal government come due and the pay period ends for that month. Then we said, well, now it's going to be the election. I don't know, because there are some senators who were taking the way you phrased the question, the first question that, oh, yesterday was great for Democrats. And so we need to keep the shutdown going and hold out for this crazy scheme that they want to do, continue to do with Obamacare? I don't know. What I do know is it's been now over a month and, you know, the pay of our military, our people have put on the uniform, protect our country is in jeopardy, and a host of other things. And it just doesn't make any sense when again, we didn't put anything new in the continuing resolution, we just continued the funding at the current level.

[Interviewer/Host]

And they said, no, we're in the longest government shutdown. As we just finished talking, I'm here talking to Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared on ABC's the View yesterday and blamed Speaker Mike Johnson, calling it an embarrassment that he won't bring the House back into session. Is he the right person to lead right now, in your estimation, based on.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What she had to say, yeah, the speaker's done, done, done a fine job. It's a tough job, but I think he's done it well, you know, when you only got, when you only got a few seat majority, it's tough to get things passed. I mean, again, this shutdown can only be blamed 14 times in 36 days. Democrats had an opportunity to keep the government open and to make sure things got done. And it wasn't just Senator Fetterman and two other senators who agreed with Republicans. Every government employee union, federal employee union has said the same thing. What are you doing? Democrats open up the stink. You don't think air traffic controllers want the Democrats to open up the government and vote for the same level of spending they did before? Of course they do. They're all saying that. But yet Democrats persist in just saying, no, no, we're not going to do it because Obamacare, everything they told us about it turned out to be false. That's what they want to protect. Remember when they said, if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Premiums will go down. President Obama told us premiums will go down $1,500 on average for family. None of that worked out, so they had to subsidize it. Then they had to extend it. Now they want to extend it again. That's where we're at. And they won't fund the government for that. That just doesn't make sense to me. Oh, open up the government and we'll have a debate on healthcare. That's fine. That's what we need to do and you know, debate public policy and try to work something out. That's all fine and good, but right now keeping the government closed makes no sense.

[Interviewer/Host]

Representative Jordan crystallize it for my audience out there that may not know. When we talk about prices increasing, when we talk about what the course was supposed to be compared to what it is, could you paint that picture for us? I remember reading something that, you know what, they said the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare was going to cost about 950 billion a year. Now I'm reading numbers at 1.3 trillion. I'm hearing you guys say it's going to cost even more than that down the pike. What are we talking about here? When you have the Democratic Party literally saying we have to address this ACA subsidies and you guys are saying, no, we're not trying to do that. That's a non negotiable issue. It is what it is. We're not we're not budging from opposition. Please explain in numbers.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, great question. We just think it's the wrong answer. The way you bring down health care costs is not have more government. I mean, history shows you more government gets involved, drives up the cost. Look at higher education for goodness. Look what it costs people to go there because there's so much government involved in the whole student loan process and everything else. So yeah, when you get more government involved, it tends to typically make things less efficient and drive up cost. And that's what's happened with health care. What we need is more association health plans, more health savings accounts, more ability to have just the high deductible catastrophic plan. Most families just want to know if their son or daughter gets a really bad thing that there's going to be insurance there to take care of them. That's what they want. And that kind of plan has much lower premiums. So those are the kind of things we need to work on. Not this more and more government driving up the cost. That is the problem. And by the way, this subsidy that they want to continue its expansion and the subsidy that they want to do, again, it goes primarily to insurance companies. It's always the insurance companies in the hospitals that seem to get all the money and it's the families who get shortchange. We want to empower families. And the way to do that is not more government taking money from one taxpayer and giving it to the insurance company that's supposed to in the end benefit some other taxpaying family. That never seems to work out very well, as evidenced by the fact they had to extend this. They set the deadline. Democrats did that was done, supposedly done during COVID to help during COVID when things were awful tough and families were, you know, people couldn't go get their go, go back to work. That's what they did. And now the deadlines come and do. And they said, we're going to shut down the government if you don't extend and follow the deadline that the Democrats said.

[Interviewer/Host]

But you talked about having a discussion, negotiating, working this out, et cetera, words like that. One could easily argue that, you know what, you guys are in power now, but you guys have been around for quite a while. Do you have a definitive plan? And if you do not, why don't you have a definitive plan? After all the years the representatives such as yourself and others have been on Capitol Hill knowing that this has been a problem that has been kicked down the can that's been kicked down the road on so many Years. Does the GOP have a plan, a definitive plan to make health care work in America? If so, what is it?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, it's not more government. It's less government, More marketplace, more market, more. And more decision power made in health savings accounts, where you can work with your employer, you can put money away that can be used for health savings accounts. There's a tax benefit there. All those things make sense. We want to expand that which actually empowers people, doesn't make them dependent on insurance companies and on the government. And again, I go back, Obamacare was supposed to. The Affordable Care Act. Obamacare was supposed to be the end all, be all and fix health care. Well, it didn't work, as evidenced by the fact that the things they told us turned out not to be accurate.

[Interviewer/Host]

And.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And the fact that they have to keep trying to subsidize it even more. That's making matters worse, I think, in my opinion. So let's. Let's focus on those things that actually empower families, empower people, not more government subsidies.

[Interviewer/Host]

How much longer do you anticipate this shutdown will continue?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I have no idea. That.

[Interviewer/Host]

Again, you have no idea.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's a question. That's a. Well, look, there's been talk all week that, you know, something may happen this week. And I think a lot of us were thinking, okay, maybe, maybe, like you said, after the election, Stephen, they'll come to their senses and do something. But then you got senators today. I think, like Senator Murphy and Senator Sanders said, oh, we won in three blue states and one really blue city. Let's take the shutdown further. Let's demand more. Let's go. I don't know. I truly don't know. It's been one of the strangest things I've seen in my time in Congress.

[Interviewer/Host]

Back to Marjorie Taylor Greene, Representative Jordan, she continuing with her appearance on the View. She told the ladies there she's fed up with the quote, unquote pissing contest in Washington amongst men. What's your response to that, sir?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well. Well, I don't know. What was the comedian who. The comedian who said, you know, I resemble that remark because I'm one of these older guys? I guess. So. Look, I mean, we have debates. I like Marjorie. I supported Marjorie when she first ran. Marjorie and I are. We've been friends and she's a. She's a good member of Congress. Look, you have policy differences and debates here. You fight it out. What I know is Margie's been good on a lot of the issues that I've cared about when the government told us all kinds of things that weren't accurate relative to Covid. She was one of the people saying, wait a minute, government's telling you you can't go to church, you can't go to work, you can't go to school, taking away your liberties. And everything they told us about COVID was almost as bad as what they told us about Obamacare. None of it was true. So I've worked with Marjorie. She's a good member. And, you know, you got all kinds of people in Congress who are debating the issues that matter to the American people.

[Interviewer/Host]

I got you, Representative Jordan. I gotta. I gotta transition back to President Trump because I'm gonna tell you what I think is not working. I'm not gonna even get into policy. If you're a Republican, you're GOP member, even, you're a centrist to some degree. There's some things you agree with. I got news for you. It's unpopular for people in my position to say, I don't disagree with everything he's done. And there are some things he's done I do agree with. And there are other things that I don't agree with. But I will tell you what I don't like. I don't like the verbiage. I don't like the rhetoric. I don't like the divisiveness. I think that it serves to exacerbate a lot of situations, and quite frankly, I think it serves to make your job, that of members of the House as well as the Senate, far more difficult than it needs to be. And I think it rallies Democrats in ways that most other things simply do not. I'm wondering, however, when are you guys going to speak up for him? And do you ever tell him to be quiet? Do you ever tell him to calm down? Because every time I turn around, it's almost. I'm not talking about you, sir, but there's a lot of people on the right. If I see one more person fawning over this man, I'm going to lose my mind. You can't go up in front of a microphone and just answer questions. These people say, I just want to applaud the leadership of President Trump. They can't get enough of him. It just drives me crazy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, well, here's what I'll say, Stephen. I always. I say this all the time. I think we make the job of being an elected official way too complicated. It's pretty simple. What'd you tell the voters you were going to do when you put your name on the ballot and you ran for the job. If they elect you, go do what you said. I have not seen anyone in public life, in the time I've been in public office, I've not seen anyone do a better job of accomplishing what they told the voters they were going to do than President Trump. And that's why I so appreciate him. There's a lot of other things I appreciate him. I spent a lot of time, got to know him over the last decade. I really. You love sports like I do. President Trump thinks like an athlete. He stinking hates to lose. And I tell people that is a good quality. You want a commander in chief who knows how to win and plays to win. I love that about him. But what I mostly love is he told the American people he was going to cut taxes. We did. He told him he was going to make sure Iran didn't get nuclear capability.

[Caller]

He.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He did. He said he was going to secure the border. He did. In his first term, he said he was going to put the embassy in Jerusalem. He did. He said he was going to build the wall. He did. He said he was going to put conservatives on the court. He did. No one has done more of what they told the American people they were going to do than this guy. And nobody I've been around in politics thinks so much like an athlete, so much like a guy who knows how to win than this guy. And that's what I like about him. So that's what I talk about, and I talk about the results and the attitude that I've seen time and time again from this guy.

[Interviewer/Host]

Let me transition to you directly because you've directed your Judiciary Committee to scrutinize past investigations into the president's political opponents. Yet critics suggest you're now mirroring the same kind of partisan targeting you guys condemned. How do you respond to allegations that your oversight is less about reform and more about settling scores?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'd stick to the facts. It's not about settling. So I'll give you an example. Two weeks ago, we did a criminal referral for John Brennan. We think John Brennan came in front of our committee during a deposition and wasn't square with us, said things to us that were not accurate. John Brennan told us in that deposition, he said that the Dossier going back 10 years, said the dossier was not part of the. He didn't want it in the intelligence community assessment, said he encouraged it not to be in there. Then we have this summer Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassifies the report, releases that report from the House Intelligence Committee from several years ago, and it says exactly the opposite. It said John Brennan put in writing that he wanted the dossier included in the intelligence community assessment. And it relates a story that took place in there where a CIA official approaches Director Brennan and says, director, this dossier doesn't stand up. There's no underlying intelligence to support it. It shouldn't go in the intelligence community report and the intelligence community assessment. And Brennan's response was, yeah, but doesn't it ring true? I think fully displaying his motivation, which was to go get the president. And that all happened back in that critical timeframe between election day 2016 and inauguration day January 2017, when they were changing the report. So one thing I know, you're not supposed to lie, but you're definitely not supposed to lie when you're under oath, talking to Congress in a deposition. And that's what John Brennan did. So we're not talking about revenge. We're not talking about retribution. We're talking about the facts. And I do very. We do very few of these on the Judiciary Committee. The facts have to be there before we will send a criminal referral to the Attorney General of the United States. But we did it in this situation because it was warranted.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm a throw something by you, Representative Jordan. I'm anxious to hear what you feel about this, sir. Can't tell you where I got it from, but I heard it from a few people. Okay. A few people. As I grow in this business, because I'm a novice at this, I, I'm still learning as we go along. Representative Jordan. Right. I'm a.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Sound like you got some experience to me with the questions you're asking.

[Interviewer/Host]

I know, I know. I got, I got a few people. So I remember I was told that around 2015, 2016, that actually 2016, I'm sorry, that, you know, it was believed that President Trump had Hillary Rodham Clinton dead to rights, that he knew about the emails. And y' all had gotten access to the emails, supposedly the deleted emails. You remember all that whole scandal, the 33,000 emails. And I was told when abundance of people wanted to get at Hillary Rodham Clinton, the president at the time, Donald Trump, said, nope, leave her alone. Yeah, it's for the good of the. It's for the good of the country.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well said.

[Interviewer/Host]

Now, we've seen, we've seen movies, we've seen all the. First of all, I want to know whether or not that's true. What I just said. But secondly, and most importantly, what I want to know is, decisions that are deemed in the best interest of the country are made all the time. And sometimes rehashing old stories, even when it involves somebody telling fibs to you guys on Capitol Hill might deem not in the best interest of the country to move forward with that. What about that mentality and addressing it from that standpoint?

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, fair enough. And I'll do the second part first. Fair enough. But one of the ways you hopefully prevent this kind of stuff from happening in the future is actually holding key people accountable. And we're talking about John Brennan, who was head of the CIA, pretty important position. And if he's falsifying things and then not being square with a congressional committee, who's looking into that, that's a problem. And by the way, when we caught Mr. Brennan saying these things that weren't accurate, and we weren't even asking him about this particular issue, the whole Russia hoax thing, we were asking him about the 51 former intel officials who signed that letter saying the Hunter Biden laptop was part of a Russian information operation that was bogus because the FBI had the laptop and it was real. But they send that letter, that becomes the basis for Biden to use it in debate and all that other stuff. So I think there's a pattern with Brennan and not being square with the country, not being square with. With the Congress. But you're also right. President Trump, if he. If he was a man of retribution, he would have went after Hillary in 2017, because remember what happened. The Clinton campaign hired the law firm Perkins Coie, who hired the public relations firm Fusion gps, who hired a foreigner, Christopher Steele, who wrote the dossier. That was complete National Enquirer garbage. And yet Jim Comey used that, used that to go spy on President Trump's campaign. To my knowledge, that has never happened in American history. But that was what took place. And we all know that's the facts, and Clinton was behind it. President Trump wins. No one thought he would, but he does. He doesn't go after Clinton. He says no. Her country, her and her husband have served our country. We're not going to do that. He didn't go after her. So this is not a guy about retribution. This is all about holding people accountable. That's what I'm doing as the guy who gets the privilege of chairing the Judiciary Committee. And that's where we're gonna stay focused.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'll take you at your word for it, but I know you're not sitting here right now and tell me that this present day president is not about retribution the way that he's, I mean, Bolton, Comey, everybody, we've seen the tweets, we've seen what he put out to the public. We've seen the orders that he's given Pam Bondi. I mean, we've seen with Jack Smith, we've seen this stuff. Representative Jordan, you're not gonna say that that same, this president is the same as he was in 2016, are you?

[Stephen A. Smith]

In all those you pointed out, the facts are there. John Bolton was indicted. Eighteen counts, keeping and sharing classified information. And of course, the irony is not lost on anyone. John Bolton's the one who went after the President, criticized him. Comey did the same thing. They all criticized the President on the classified document stuff when he's the one guy who's allowed to declassify things as the commander in chief of the country. So the facts are still there. He might have tweeted that stuff out, but that doesn't mean the facts don't support what he's saying. And that's my. But that's, I'm driven by the facts. I am totally.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm not questioning that. That's why I got into it with Cash Patel. I wasn't questioning the facts. I understood the facts. I'm like, I quit the investigation with the NBA. That's legitimate. You and what you're talking about, the investigation. I'm not questioning the legitimacy of it. I'm just saying, don't tell me that retribution has nothing to do with it. Donald Trump in 2025 is not what we described in 2020 16. Are we willing to at least concede that? That's what I'm asking.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, look, here's what I'll say. I think President Trump's a darn good president. Best, I mean, done more of what he said he would do than any president in my lifetime. I appreciate him so much and what he's doing. I think he, you know, you look at what he's been through. I mean, Stephen, think about it. They spied on his campaign. Then it was Mueller investigation, then it was impeachment one, impeachment two, Arctic Frost, Joe Jack Smith raid his home assassination attempt and depose every member of his family. I mean, holy. And through it all, I think he's kept an amazing attitude. Amazing attitude. Like, tell me, tell me anyone else who could handle all that?

[Interviewer/Host]

Again, this is why, listen, you saw me, I was on, I was on the Sports channel when we were talking about the whole NBA investigation. I looked into the camera and I said, he's coming. I did not say the investigation was illegitimate. I. I said, he's coming. People been messing with him. He's coming. You understand? I mean, I just. I. I knew him before he ran for president. We were at sporting events all the time. I know the guy. So I'm like, I know him. I'm telling y' all he's coming. But look, before I let you get on out of here, having. You like his attitude?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Don't you like his attitude? I mean, I don't.

[Interviewer/Host]

I don't. I don't like the pettiness because I think it gets in the way of government. And I think that he's the kind of person that if he's committed to getting a deal done, he can get a deal done. And sometimes the pettiness gets in the way, and it really, really get a deal done.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I agree with that. Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

And y' all can't call him out the way that I can call him out, because I'm not an elected official. I can get away with stuff that y' all can't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But I heard your interest. I heard you're interested in that. Is that.

[Interviewer/Host]

I don't know about that. I don't know. I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'm just. I'm not qualified. Before I let you get on out of here, a couple last questions for you. As we sit here today in the aftermath of this election, we heard Mike Johnson talk about his description of the Democratic Party as we speak. But I'm also looking at Gavin Newsom, Prop 50, and how people are pushing him front and center. Because, my Lord, look at what's happened with Prop 50 in the state of California. Is the party. Is the Democratic Party more emblematic of Zoran Mamdani in your eyes, Gavin Newsom, or do you view them not just as a Republican, but as a party, as one of the same?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I mean, I think the hard left has taken over the party. I heard you earlier. I do think. I do think it's. If I had to bet today, I would agree with you that Newsom is likely their candidate. I really think that whether that's good or bad, I don't know. But I do think what's bad is the left now controls the party. I always. When I'm out talking with groups around the country and Republicans all over the place, I always say not all Democrats are crazy, but the left that controls their party is. I mean, you can go issue by issue, Steven. It is Crazy to defund the police. It is crazy not to have a border, which was a situation under Joe Biden. It is crazy to say men should compete against women in sports. It is crazy to criticize the national guard coming to D.C. the capital city, which the president had every right to do that and clean up crime so much safer. It's crazy to criticize that. But the Democrats took all those. How about this one? It's crazy. It's crazy to let a Chinese spy balloon fly clear across the country and, and then shoot it down. I think I'd have shot it down before it went across the country. And we know Trump would have done that. So the party's crazy. Who they nominate, I don't know. But if I had to bet today, I'm with you. I think it's Gavin Newsom.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm gonna let you get on outta here, but my last words to you would be this, despite everything you just said, the president's disapproval ratings is hovering around 61 to 63% or so. I wanna know how worried you guys are in terms of your relationship with working class Americans, considering the fact that his approval ratings are not what you would, you would hope them to be.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, two things. One, I don't know that, that the big beautiful bills had, the tax cuts and everything that we put in that bill, though, I think we're good. Have had time to take impact or have a real impact yet. I think they will before the election next year. I also think once we get this tariff thing ironed out, that will help our economy. You know, the market's up, interest rates are coming down. I think there's some, there's, there's, there's lots of good things happening there. And then I'll point to our state. Fifteen years ago, Ohio was the bellwether state in presidential politics. 2016, President Trump carried our state by eight and a half. 2020. Carried it by eight and a half. 2024 by eleven and a half. That tells you things are changing. Youngstown, Ohio is now represented. They have a state rep who's a Republican, a state senator who's a Republican, and the congressman who represents Youngstown is Republican as well. Twenty years ago, that was the most Democrat area on the planet. So working class, middle class people have come our way. I think they stay with our party because we're the party of common sense. They're the party of crazy. And that's what this comes down. That's why Ohio, I think, has moved so much in a Republican direction.

[Interviewer/Host]

Representative Jim Jordan really really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule. I love the fact that you've been on the show. You're welcome back anytime, folks from both sides of the aisle. I don't play that mess. I welcome everybody. I'm not ostracizing anybody know that to you and your colleagues, you're always welcomed on the show. Thank you so much for your time, man. I really appreciate it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You bet. Enjoyed it. Thanks. Thanks, Stephen.

[Interviewer/Host]

Chairman for the House Judiciary Committee, one and only Jim Jordan right here with Stephen A. Straight shooter with Stephen A. I really enjoyed that conversation. I enjoy talking to him. I'm not sure I agree with everything, but he said a lot of stuff that really, really rings true. I can't deny it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I just can't.

[Interviewer/Host]

More straight shooter with your boy in a minute. Don't go any straight shooter with your boy. Stephen A. Smith. Courtesy SiriusXM channel 124. POTUS radio channel 124. Number to call in, as always is 8669-6768-8786-6967-688-7866, 96 POTUS. I really enjoyed that conversation with Jim Jordan. Let's see, you know, you're not going to agree on everything, ladies and gentlemen. I mean, if you're on one side of the aisle or the other, you're not going to agree. It's just that simple. But what you can't deny are the points that they actually make, you know, and then you, you dig in. And I was digging in from the standpoint. Don't, don't tell me this man ain't about retribution. Now, we've seen the tweets. We've seen, you know, the post on Truth Social. We've seen the commands given to Pam Bondi. We've seen all of this kind of stuff. Okay, but, but in the end, you also heard Jim Jordan say, look at what they tried to do to him. It's kind of justified. Which brings us and harkens us back to things that the Democrats did to get at him when he left office. Let sleeping dogs lie, leave well enough alone. A lot of people didn't want to do that. And this concerted effort to keep him out of office inspired and ultimately propelled him to return back to office. See, the kind of things you got to think about along the way. Now, that doesn't absolve Trump from some of the nonsense he's doing. By the way, Tom Holman borders are, you know, his personality. His personality. And I get that, personally speaking, I like him, but I don't like everything he's doing, you know, I mean, you can't be grabbing people off the streets and, and, and anybody that's there illegally is a criminal. You can't think like that. Get the real criminals. There's real criminals. You can't look at everybody the same, you know, because seeing folks getting snatched up in the streets, particularly by mistake, when they're American citizens, they just must be of Hispanic heritage or something, that's not a good look for our country either. And that could end up working against the Republicans if they're not careful. All of these things are things that people got to think about, gotta be careful about. But it involves conversation, dialogue, get to the bottom of things in an effort to make things better for the American people as a whole. That's what it's all about. That's what I'm all about. Straight Shooter, potus radio channel 124. Hour number two. Up next, Stephen A Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Welcome to hour number two of Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Over the airwaves of SiriusXM POTUS radio channel 124. Thanks again to chairman for the House Judiciary Committee, one and only Jim Jordan for being. Being on the show with us. And now I have one of his colleagues in the House with me. He is the speaker of the House. My guest has served as the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. He is now the man at the center of the longest government shutdown in American history. He is Mr. Mike Johnson, and he's on the show with us right now. Speaker Johnson, it's an honor to have you, sir. How are you, Stephen?

[Mike Johnson]

It's great to be with you. Congrats on the new show. It's still kind of new, I guess. I'm going to be on later tonight with our good buddy Sean Hannity. I'll tell him you said hello.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, my condolences, because he's crazy. I mean, I mean, I wish you all the luck in the world when it comes to that guy. But let me get right to it. First of all, when is this shutdown going to end?

[Mike Johnson]

Speaker, I wish I could tell you, really, the only person that can answer that is Chuck Schumer because he leads the Democrats in the Senate and as you know, because you're keeping the score. They voted 15 times now to keep the government closed. 15 different occasions, they've made it the longest in history. I don't know if that was the objective all along, but real Pain is being felt by real people, and it's getting more and more painful by the hour. We've got to break the impasse. But, but here's the thing, Stephen. As you know, because you're tracking this, we sent them a totally clean, nonpartisan cr. I know that that sounds like, you know, legislative speak to people back home. But what it means is we, we found the simplest possible measure was only 24 pages in length to just keep the government in operation so that we could finish the appropriations process, the government spending bills for the year and negotiate what remained on the calendar for the end of this year. Health care was one of those things. There were lots of issues, but this is the way it's always been done. And the Democrats always have done it in the past. They did it 13 times during the four years of the Biden administration. But now, suddenly, they wanted to pick a fight because they had to show that they were tough to the, what I think is the Marxist rise in their party. And they're running scared because of that.

[Interviewer/Host]

I was getting ready to ask you, verbally speaking, not anything they hint towards anything. What do they actually say is the reason they haven't signed the cr?

[Mike Johnson]

Well, they claim that this is a fight about health care, but it's not true. And everybody here on the Hill knows it's not true. What they're trying to say this is about is the expiration of the Obamacare Covid era subsidies. It expires at the end of December, December 31, not the end of the fiscal year, September 30. So they needed something to claim that what this was about, and they globbed onto that. It's not legitimate. It's not real. We were always planning. Every Republican and every Democrat in the building, Senate and House, knew that we were going to have to work our way through that complex issue in October, November, December, before the end of the year. They tried to claim that it's about that. That's not. That's a red herring. That's a distraction. The real, real reason, and this is just the honest truth, is that Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are both from New York. We saw what happened in New York City last night. We see the rise of the activist kind of socialist base in the party. It terrifies the old guard here on Capitol Hill. And both of those guys are concerned they're going to get a challenge from a Mandani disciple in their next election cycle. So they had to show a fight. They had to pick a fight. And this is one we chose.

[Interviewer/Host]

What about the notion that they did this and they've been holding out because they knew that the election was coming up and that it would look as if the GO was the ones that were most culpable in all of this and it would work for them in the election. I think it stands to reason that that might have had something to do with it. When you consider the fact that Zorram Donnie just won the mayoral seat in New York and obviously you got Sherrell and Spanberger that won the gubernatorial seats in New Jersey and Virginia respectively.

[Mike Johnson]

Yeah, look, there were no surprises last night. I mean, blue states and blue cities elected blue candidates. I mean, that was what everybody expected, frankly. Anything else would have been a surprise. I don't think we should read too much into the, the results last night or into the results of any off year election because they, they almost never indicate what will happen in the, in the upcoming year. We know the big contest is the midterm elections next fall. We are very bullish about that on my side of the aisle because we have a lot to, to show. We've got a great record to run on. We've been delivering on our promises to the people. That and Stephen, in the last election cycle, last fall, we had a true demographic shift. I mean, a real historic shift in the electorate where we had a record number of Hispanic and Latino voters and black and African American voters and Jewish voters and union workers, all these demographics. And we're going to prove to them they made the right choice and they'll have time to evaluate that before next November. And I think it's going to go well for us.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm wondering how concerned are you that you are going to prove that? Because I'm looking at the President right now like, listen, I've seen the tariff wars. I mean, there's pledges, but they ain't guarantees. I don't disagree with what he did with the border because I never thought Biden should have opened the borders. So I'm gonna be on the record right now. Unpopular it is. I agreed with him. I understood once Biden opened the borders, you got to do something to close it. You can't have all of that happening, not in this country. We get that part. But I also know that the manner in which it's been handled, particularly by ice, in terms of people being grabbed in the streets, everybody's not criminals, everybody's not here legally. And I think the optics and how bad it has looked has served to scare some of the American citizens that the Level of chaos that exists in the streets of America right now to some degree, in some, could somehow, some way mirror what we saw during his first term. And that kind of scares people as well. I want to know, does people like yourself and others. Have you thought about that? Have you talked to the President about that?

[Mike Johnson]

Yes, look, we're aware of the optics, and we're trying to do the right thing by the American people. That's the promise we made last November. The President ran on it. The border, the open border and the chaos that it created, as you know, was really the number one issue in the election last fall. And we went out and promised that we would bring order back to the chaos and that we would fix that. We would. We would stand for the rule of law. If you don't have a secure border, you don't have sovereignty as a country. And everybody understood that. We checked the box, as you know, Stephen. I mean, we've had almost zero illegal alien crossings over the border in the last several months. And that's because we have a commander in chief who's taken it seriously. And now we have to deal with the estimated roughly 20 million people who came across that border unlawfully. Now, you got to do it in the right way. We want to go after the hardened criminals and get them out of the country. That's like a 90%, you know, poll at the issue. But. But you got to be careful about maintaining the rule of law, ensuring that people are following it. And the White House is well aware of that. We are, too. But I would say this, you know, comparing the two parties as you go into the next election cycle, we really do have a split screen. I mean, just consider the last nine or 10 months, you know, the beginning of this Congress, the beginning of the new administration. On one side, you get President Trump and the Republicans, and they're delivering for the people. I mean, we. We solve the border crisis. We're trying to solve the crime crisis in creative ways. We cut taxes, we cut regulations, fraud, waste, and abuse in government. I mean, we got energy, American energy dominance going again. We got new trade agreements more favorable for the country. And the President is sol around the globe. He's up to eight or nine now. And on the other side of the screen, you got the Democrats. And what can they say they accomplished in nine months? They shut the government down. You know, they pushed some ICE officers around. They. They inspired political violence. I mean, this is not hyperbole. This is the real comparison between the two. I like our chances going into the election because we're working for the people and we can show it.

[Interviewer/Host]

We're talking to Republican out of Louisiana. One on Speaker Mike Johnson right here with Stephen A. On Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared on ABC's Division Review on Tuesday. She says she blamed you, sir, for not bringing the House back into session, calling it, quote, an embarrassment. I guess the question would be, why won't you call the members back? And number two, how do you feel about what she directed directly at you?

[Mike Johnson]

I'm not unaccustomed to hearing criticism from Marjorie. We have intense fellowship as we see in the Deep South, Stephen, and she knows I've got an open door. She can come in, talk with me anytime. But, you know, she goes on these shows, she likes to get the big interviews and that's fine. Everybody has the right, you know, but, but I'll tell you this. I'm in constant contact with all the House Republicans, and the reason we've not brought them back yet is because we did our job. We passed the clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution on September 19, and we're now waiting for the Senate to do their job. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have held off on that. They voted against it. They don't want to open the government. And so we can't do anything until we fulfill that most basic function, I mean, that's the most basic responsibility of the Senate and the House, of the Congress, is to make government work for the people, to keep it open, to keep the services flowing and, and the troops paid and all the rest. And so that's the first order of business. And anything else is just a side issue. So I will tell you, I have a weekly conference call with all the House Republicans and I talk to them more often. 99.5% of all the House Republicans understand exactly what we're doing and why. Marjorie has a difference of opinion. That's up to her, you know, but.

[Interviewer/Host]

Why is it that we're just sounding like there's absolutely nothing you can do, like there's nothing you can do? I mean, if the, if the Democrats don't agree with this, this is what it is, the government's going to be shut down and there's absolutely no recourse that you have available to you in your arsenal at all, you or President Trump, who I call the art of the deal, I do that facetiously because I'm getting on them. I can't do that. I've known him before he was became the president, the auditor deal, a guy that can make A deal that can figure out a way to get a deal done. Where's that guy with all of this right now while federal employees are not being paid?

[Mike Johnson]

I'm glad you asked. I mean, he is the great dealmaker and he tried before this began. Remember we had that fateful meeting where Leader John Thune in the Senate, I, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, the two Democrat leaders, we all went to the Oval Office, he brought us all in, and we sat right across Resolute desk. And the President tried to make a deal with those guys. And he said, guys, don't close the government down. It doesn't hurt help anyone. It hurts the American people. And they just basically gave him the middle finger, Stephen. I mean, that's what happened. And so they walked out. The President said, these guys don't want to make a deal. They want to shut the government down. And that's what they've proven over and over. So you're asking me why I'm not negotiating right now. Here's the simple truth. There is nothing that I can pull off of that continuing resolution to make it more palatable for the Democrats. Because guess what? I didn't put a single Republican partisan priority or policy on that measure at all. In fact, Steven, this is so important. This cr. This continuing resolution continues the government funding at the current levels, which is the Biden era policies and spending. I mean, literally, it's the Democrats stuff that they're voting against. So there's nothing I can do to go make it better. I have nothing to negotiate. I literally don't have anything I can pull off of that. And that's the whole problem here. Again.

[Interviewer/Host]

No, there's people that's gonna look at the Republican side now, not just the Democrat side, because you got people think they have an agenda. They wanted to, you know, they wanted the voters to have to show that they have voters remorse for voting Trump in the office. They wanted to use this for the election and gain an advantage. There's a whole bunch of reasons that people throw out about the Democratic, the Democrat side. On the Republican side, people look at y' all and they say, you know what? The American public are gonna question the level of seriousness that you guys have about governing. Accusing y' all of grandstanding to some degree. How are you going to answer the American public as those sentiments grow in your direction?

[Mike Johnson]

Well, we've done the opposite of grandstanding. I mean, I have a live press conference every single morning and I go out in front of the American people and you know, Fox News carries it live. Other stations do as well. Every morning we take questions from the press and we just look straight into the camera, Stephen, and tell them the simple truth. The truth is. Truth is very simple. We have laid bare all the cards. Everything's out on the table. We gave a simple nonpartisan measure to keep the government in operation so Congress can do its job here and finish everything else. I don't have a political strategy. I'm not playing a game here. I'm just trying to keep the government in operation. It's the Democrats who are engaging in this campaign of misinformation and doing this. And I know it sounds like a he said, she said thing, but the American people are smart and they can watch the tally. They can watch the scoreboard. 15 times house and Senate Republicans have voted to open the government. Fifteen times Democrats have voted to close it. And I mean, that's the score. That's the reality, and that's the thing they can't get around.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm going to ask you the same question. I asked Representative Jordan about specifics in regards to the finances. You know, we. We can talk all day. The Affordable Care act subsidies, they're going to double, premiums are going to double, et cetera. We've heard all of that. That's us talking. We're not the speaker of the House of Representatives. You are. Paint the picture. Obamacare, what it cost then, what it was supposed to cost, what it ended up costing, what we're anticipating it's going to cost. Really, to articulate and illuminate the urgency of dealing with this health care crisis we got in this country, could you paint a financial picture? The numbers. Throw it out there for my audience to hear so we can understand.

[Mike Johnson]

Yeah, I will. It is a crisis and it's not created by Republicans. I mean, that's the biggest political gaslighting in the history of America. Remember that the aca, the Affordable Care act is exactly the opposite. It's been the Unaffordable Care act because from the time it was enacted in 2010, by most estimates, premiums have been risen by 60% in most categories. I mean, health care is unaffordable and it's increasingly inaccessible because the system doesn't work. The Democrats response to that is to subsidize. Stephen, you know, when the government is subsidizing something, it means it's not working on its own. They got to prop it up. Well, they want to. They want to extend the COVID era Obamacare subsidy, which is really a subsidy to insurance companies. And you know what happens when you subsidize insurance companies? It drives the cost up even further. So we need real reform to make healthcare affordable again, to increase quality, increase access to care for more people. The Republican Party is the party trying to do it. We're the only ones that have ideas on the table to do that. The Democrats just want to keep doubling down and spending more tax money to prop up a broken system. I'll give you a quick example. This is not just talk from us. We did it in the one big, beautiful bill, the working families tax cut. In the House version that we passed and sent over to the Senate, we had what's called a cost sharing reduction, a CSR provision in there. It would have driven, according to the Congressional Budget Office, not Republicans, it would have driven the average premium down in america by. By 12%. And it would have saved taxpayers about $30 billion over 10 years. The Senate Democrats fought to take that provision out of the bill. So it didn't make it in the final legislation by comparison. Okay, remember I said that would have dropped prices premiums by 12% and saved about 30 billion. If you extend the Obamacare cups the COVID era subsidy, as they're trying to do without any reforms, it will only reduce premiums by about 5.7% on average, and it will cost the taxpayers 358 billion additional dollars. Look, we have real ideas to fix it. We have. We actually publish booklets full of ideas. We got to build consensus around it. And it's a very complicated thing because health care is very complicated. It's a big percentage of the US Economy, and we have to do it right. And Republicans are the ones that will lead us out of that wilderness.

[Interviewer/Host]

Thanksgiving is in three weeks, sir. SNAP benefits of being cut in half, as we all know. But they're talking about how it'll take weeks or even months for recipients to get them. Could you explain why that is?

[Mike Johnson]

Yeah, it's a great question. The easiest way to stop all this chaos and get SNAP benefits rolling right now is for Democrats to come in here tomorrow and vote to reopen the government. But if they don't do that, we're relying upon a contingency fund. Here's the problem. It's math. It's about $9 billion a month to cover SNAP benefits. We got about 42 million recipients on that. Right? There's only $5.2 billion in the contingency fund, so you got about half of what you need. So in order to get to even use the contingency fund, is that the courts have ordered to be done, the states have to recalculate and adjust their systems to send out partial payments. It's not going to be enough. It's going to be a long lag time to get that done because it's an unprecedented situation. And, and, and that's why we're appealing to the Democrats. Stop causing the pain. Just get the government open. We're not asking you to vote for any Republican priority. We're just saying do what you have always done. Do what you did 13 times during the Biden administration. And Chuck Schumer and 10 Democrats in the Senate did as recently as March of this year. Chuck Schumer himself went on the floor, Stephen, and gave an impassioned speech, said, we have to do the cr. We have to keep the government open.

[Interviewer/Host]

Because this is last March.

[Mike Johnson]

Yeah, this is March. This is like eight.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah.

[Mike Johnson]

And the same guy now has dug his heels in and says, we can't reopen. I mean, it's just, it's a 180. And again, the only explanation is that he's worried now. He's more afraid of the, of the radical rise of the base in his party than he is making people go without food. I mean, that, that sounds harsh, but that is a reality.

[Interviewer/Host]

If Donald Trump were not president, would this be happening? What I mean by that is that the last time there was a lock, a shutdown this long, it was his first term. Now it's happening in his second term. And you guys, I see you guys religiously calling it deranged, you know, Trump deranged syndrome. There we go. So I'm asking it, based off of that flavor, the kind of things that y' all have been saying, if Donald Trump were not president, do you believe that the Democrats would be this rigid in their thinking, in your estimation?

[Mike Johnson]

No way. No, I mean, that's the whole point is they're trying to show that they're willing to fight Trump to their base, and they'll pick a fight over anything or nothing. Some people call this the Seinfeld shutdown, because it's really about nothing. I mean, that's the whole point. But I could tell you this, this is my Exhibit A in my case that I'm making to you. We don't do this. I was speaker under President Biden. We did not shut the government down. I mean, I got a lot of pressure from my angry part of my base to do it, but it would be too dangerous for the people, and we were going to do the right thing. We're not going to make troops go unpaid and TSA agents and Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers. We're not going to stop SNAP benefits and, and nutrition supplements for women, infants and children. We wouldn't do that. So we took tough votes. We voted for Biden policies and spending because we, we, we care about the people. And the Democrats are demonstrating every day here. They have a very different priority and it is themselves and their own political survival. That's what this is about.

[Interviewer/Host]

Speaker, before I let you get on out of here, I'd be. No, I couldn't. I'd be remiss neglecting to not ask you this question. You haven't sworn an Arizona Rep. Elect Representative Adelita yet. Why do you have to follow the Pelosi president? Because I heard you allude to that. A lot of people think that you guys, particularly you by name, are stalling when it comes to this. What do you have to say to that?

[Mike Johnson]

We're not stalling. I mean, that precedent is not just hers, its previous speakers as well. What happens here is that when somebody's elected in a special election, that's what she was. She fulfilled the seat of her late father, which is a great honor to her. You wait until you're back in regular session to do it. I cite Pelosi because she did it a number of times. Times like for example, when they had special elections filled during an August recess for Congress, she would logically wait until the next month when everybody came back to get into session to do it. I'm anxious to administer the oath to her. And we will. But we got to get the lights turned back on here first and get Congress open and operating for the people so that we can get all this done. We got a lot ahead of us. There's no other objective here. I'm just trying to follow the regular order. By the way, she can serve her constituents in every capacity right now. She's got a full staff. She's got offices and computers and phones and she can be doing what everybody else is doing right now as the Rep. Elect until we just go through the formality administrator.

[Interviewer/Host]

But what she can't do is go on the Hill and vote as a member of the Democratic Party to have the Epstein files open, which is what people bring up as a reason as to why she hasn't been sworn in yet. To that you say what?

[Mike Johnson]

Yeah, it's another red herring. Total distraction. It's a moot point now. Look, the House oversight is doing a full, a full in depth investigation and they're delving through the Epstein files and releasing them. I mean people have lost track of this. There's 43, 000 pages of that stuff out in the public on the website right now. Two Fridays ago, a little over a week ago, they, they released the latest Epstein estate files, which is his personal logs, his calendars, his flight records, flight logs, his financial records and all the rest. We've got subpoenas that are being supplied, answered right now. And the more the information comes in, the more it's released. The only thing that's being redacted right now is the names of young women, the victims, the victims who went through these horrific crimes as a result of these sex trafficking operations. And we have to protect them. But that's the only thing that's being withheld. So it's all out there and more is coming. And I can tell you the House Oversight Committee is filled with some of the biggest guard dogs in Congress on the Democrat and Republican side. And they've got their teeth sunk into this thing deep. So it's already happening right now. I mean that's, that's just a non issue.

[Interviewer/Host]

Very last question for you regarding the filibuster and President Trump. I saw him speaking this morning and he wants it eliminated in the Senate. He's basically saying that's the only way anything will get done in order to pass, you know, the record breaking number of bills and circumvent Democratic obstruction, as he called it. What are your feelings about that? Eradicating the filibuster and just moving forward without needing 60 votes. What are your thoughts about that?

[Mike Johnson]

He and I have talked about this a lot and what you're hearing is an expression of his anger and frustration at the time. Democrats won't reopen the government. He doesn't want the American people to hurt. We don't either. And desperate times call for desperate measures. But, but I reminded him that what, what a lot of the Senate Republicans believe that's not a House issue, it's a Senate issue. But what they believe is that it's a very important safeguard against the worst impulses of the Democrat Party. My Republican colleagues will say that because they say, sir, they've already told us what they would do without the, without the, the speed bump of the, of the filibuster. If they ever took over again, they would expand the Supreme Court, pack the court. They go to 13 or 15 judges or whatever they wanted. They'd make puerto Rico and D.C. states. They would do, you know, Second Amendment restrictions. They would nationalize federal elections just go on and on and on, and there'd be nothing to stop them. And so I think the fear on both sides of the aisle, to be fair, has, has kept the filibuster as part of the tradition. The founders intended the Senate to be what they referred to as the cooling saucer, Right. But the House would be hot, lots of activity and lots of emotion, and it would go over there and it was supposed to simmer and cool. So cooler heads prevail in the Senate. If you take the filibuster away, that doesn't exist anymore, and we would have massive whiplashes for the people between elections, between the parties, and that wouldn't be good for the system.

[Interviewer/Host]

Speaker Johnson, appreciate your time. Thank you so much. I'm going to let you get on out of here and brace yourself for dealing with Sean Hannity because he's a mess. I know that's going to be tough for you. But anyway, thank you so much. I really appreciate it and just want you to know, as I say to both sides of the aisle, you're always welcome here. I don't take sides. I don't give a damn about, about all of that. You got something to say? I want you to know that you got a platform here to come and speak, you and everybody on your side of the aisle anytime you please. So please know that. And thank you so much for coming on Straight Shooter with Stephen. I appreciate it.

[Mike Johnson]

It's an important public service, my friend. Keep it up. Thanks so much.

[Interviewer/Host]

Thank you, sir. All the best to you, one and only Speaker Johnson, Republican out of Louisiana, right here on Steven Hill Street. Speak of the House. You heard what his position was. You heard where he stood. You heard what Representative Jim Jordan said and where he stood. We know from last week where the Democrats stand on it. We heard from Akeem Jeffries the week before that. There's a lot going on. There's a lot to talk about, and I'm here for it. The number to call up is 866-967-6887. That's 8669-676889-86696. POTUS, you're listening live to Straight Shooter with Stephen a, courtesy Sirius XM POTUS radio channel 124. Back with your calls and more in a minute. Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Let's get to the phones because I spent the first hour and a half doing interviews and giving my opening monologue. So let's get right to it. Let's go to H. I'm gonna go to Ken in Georgia. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, Ken? How are you?

[Caller]

Hey, Stephen, how you doing?

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm doing all right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know, you.

[Caller]

You're seeing. You're senior to me and age, you know, Mr. Smith, CNA, whichever you prefer.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Thank you for.

[Caller]

Okay, so, you know, just coming in color. Thank you for what you're doing not only with sports, but with your platform beyond. I mean, you've become a real voice for the moderates and for those of us who still believe in balance and reason and honest conversation. You know, all these extremes get all the attention, and you've had a lot of courage to stand up in the middle and streak the truth with a lot of conviction. And, you know, and that's what relationship is all about. So, you know, I just came on here to say thank you for that. You know, all the guests you brought on, whether it's Lindsey Graham, allow people to understand that, like, you know, like, that's a very influential man like you talking about 30 years a lawyer. Depending on who you ask, some people would say, oh, is he more influential than LeBron James? He more influential than this. But depending on how you live your life, I guarantee he's probably gonna be more influential than where your money is going and how your life is actually being lived. That's a credential human being.

[Interviewer/Host]

Listen.

[Caller]

But just saying that. Yes, sir.

[Interviewer/Host]

Politicians aren't always right. We all know that. A lot of times they're not telling the truth. They're not being as forthcoming. They're taking into account the constituency voters, voter reactions, et cetera, et cetera. But these are elected officials who are running our country and essentially our lives. We have an inherent obligation to listen to what the hell they have to say and not engage in demagoguery and vilification without hearing where they stand and why. And so for me, it's incredibly important that on this show and on this channel that they know that they always have an outlet to speak. As long as they're willing to answer any question that I ask, I don't care. They. They have a right to say what they feel, and they have a right to say and to put their perspective on things. And I'm going to make sure they have that on this show. I don't give a damn what anybody thinks. That's the way I roll, and that's the way I'm going to stay. It's. I've always been that way, and I will always be that way. I'm a centrist who leans left. I'm a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. That's who I am. But that does not mean that I'm going to excoriate either side. Who I can't stand are the fringes on both sides. The extreme left or right can't stand it. That's not, to me, practical. And that's not what touches on the real world, to make sure there's some semblance of harmony in our country. And I'm big on that, Ken. That's who I am. Last word. Go ahead.

[Caller]

And I completely agree, you know, with you bringing out people like Westmore, you know, great man, great human being, great ideals. They're coming in. And, you know, you're just giving the truth, you know, to people. And whether you like it or not, it's just giving them the plays like you're giving them the answers to the test, whether it's a Jasmine Crockett. It's like how she'll be perceived is different from how other people, because you've dealt in different lanes of people. So people just have to understand, like, everything you're saying.

[Interviewer/Host]

And, Ken, if they don't understand, bump them. And I ain't here to please everybody give a damn. I'm not trying to make any enemies, but I ain't looking for new friends. I got friends. I got loved ones. I got family. What I care about is America. And I care about putting us as a nation in the best possible position to maximize the greatness that this country has to offer for all of us. All of us. That's my objective. What's theirs out there? Who are the naysayers? Bump them. Got to go, Ken. Appreciate the call, man. Thank you so much. Paul in Georgia, you're live with Stephen A. What's up, Paul? How are you?

[Caller]

Hey, Stephen.

[Interviewer/Host]

Hey.

[Caller]

Did you know.

[Interviewer/Host]

Roll up your window. Roll up your window, Paul, so we don't hear. So we don't hear all of that wind. And the audience can hear you clearly, buddy. Go ahead.

[Caller]

I'm sorry. Can you hear me now?

[Interviewer/Host]

Yes, I can. We can hear you. Go ahead. Go ahead.

[Mike Johnson]

Okay.

[Caller]

Excuse me. Did you know that for every 2 million. For every 1 million immigrants allowed into this country, we. Reducing the inflation rate by 2.1%.

[Interviewer/Host]

Reduce? You said reduce.

[Caller]

Yeah, okay.

[Interviewer/Host]

I did not know that. That's what. I never heard that before.

[Caller]

Well, there's a. There's a geopolitical economist named Peter Zinn. He can reinforce what I just said. If you ask him about it.

[Mike Johnson]

I will.

[Caller]

The next I got another one for you. Did you know, did you know that between now and 2030 that 70 million baby boomers are going to retire?

[Interviewer/Host]

I knew.

[Caller]

I didn't know the number.

[Interviewer/Host]

70 million. I didn't know the 70 million. I thought it was like between 50 and 70, but I didn't know it was 70 million.

[Caller]

No, sir, it might be. It might be 50 million, but 50 million, I think it's. The ratio is 3 to 2 because there's only 35 million Gen Zs coming into the workforce. That means were going to be short 15 million workers.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay.

[Caller]

And to me, they kind of got things ass backwards.

[Mike Johnson]

They ought to.

[Caller]

They ought to be. They ought to be building out the economy first. And then after we build the economy, we need to get rid of any of these guys.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, let's stop there. Let's stop right there. Paul, Paul, let me talk to you. Let me tell you why I challenge you on that. I'm not saying, first of all, I'm not for open borders, but I'm not for closing it to the point where we shut off ourselves and we engage in nationalistic mentality. And having a nationalistic mentality and not being a gorgeous mosaic to invite people in, you know, you should come through the borders legally. That is true. Every nation, you know, pretty much tries to control their borders. We shouldn't be excoriated or vilified for trying to do the same. Having said that, I do think it's important as an American citizen to pay attention to at least what some are concerned about. For example, when we talk about the Affordable Care act, which obviously is an excuse that has been used by the Democratic Party to point to why they haven't signed the CR and why our government isn't open, even though we know blame belongs on both sides of the aisle. But they're making a point about the Affordable Care act. Right. Obamacare. Right. And they're talking about how the premiums are going to double and they're concerned about that. Hell yeah. We need to address it. Right. But here's the flip side to it. The Affordable Care act has about 24 million people enrolled on it, some millions it actually doubled once Covid took place, which was when the subsidies kicked in. And if the subsidies kicked in after Covid kicked into place and you extended it for three years because of the cr, now that the seat, now that covet has, we've gotten beyond that period of time to that period of crisis of a pandemic in our country. Okay, why are you talking about the CR now, or why are you talking about the subsidies, rather, continuing into perpetuity now because you want to address it because it's more expensive than you thought it was? Well, that would mean that it was inconsistent or your information was wrong when you said it wasn't going to cost the American people and the American taxpayer the money that it's actually costing us. And so if you're an American taxpayer out there and you're struggling to make ends meet and you got to dole in this extra dollars because of Obamacare because of the Affordable Care act, you might not like it, but it might be something that's easier for you to stomach if you're an American citizen and you're doing it for American citizens. But if you're doing it for people who are not American citizens that come over to the country illegally and it's an excuse for one particular party to ask you for a continuous exorbitant amount of dollars, that might build and fuel resentment. And if it does that, where does that leave you? So again, it's not a definitive answer one way or another. It's not a definitive side to take a side to take one way or another. But it is something that warrants a discussion and a debate for all of us to have. So somehow, some way a resolution can be reached. And if you're not trying to reach a resolution because all you're trying to do is force the hand because you believe this is the one time that, that you have the leverage to make sure that the government has shut down, people are going to suffer. And as a result, we'll be making our case so we can get what we want with the continual resolution. It's a problem. It's a problem. There's so much that goes into that. It's not that simple. So your point is, is, is valid, Paul, if it is for the reasons you say it is. But what if it's for their reasons because they put and implemented policies in place that might have helped 24 million plus Americans and especially the desolate and disenfranchised and the impoverished amongst us, which I'm all for paying taxes for, paying extra taxes for. But in the same breath, when we got a deficit that's $37.8 trillion, and that $38.7 trillion doesn't go or didn't go to the causes that we thought it was going to go to, and we got states missing money, losing money, and it's inexplicable as to where that money is, which is taxpayer dollars. You're gonna piss the American people off, and they'll be justified in being pissed off. And that's what I'm saying we have to pay attention to. Do you feel me on that?

[Caller]

Yeah, but I also noticed something that you remember when Biden left those 10 million immigrants into the country right before the election? Okay, the illegals. That was the magic number to bring inflation down before the election. Yeah, but he did that on purpose.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, but you're. But you're assuming everything is done to bring inflation down and some things that have contributed to inflation. Our inflation numbers at 3.1% as we speak. You understand our deficit is at 38 trillion.

[Caller]

I disagree. I disagree. I work. I own a grocery store.

[Interviewer/Host]

Listen, sir, I'm not. I'm not refuting it with you. I'm telling you that they put the number out there today. Maybe they're wrong. They put the number out there and they said inflation's at 3.1% percent. I'm not arguing. I've only read the number that they. I didn't. I didn't make it up. That's what they said. But we gotta go. I appreciate the call, man. Thank you so much. Derek in New York. You're live with Stephen A. Talk to me, D. How are you?

[Caller]

What's up? Yo. Is Kathy Hope worried about her race next year? Donnie won in New York City.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm sorry, I didn't hear your question. Could you repeat that, please?

[Mike Johnson]

Hopeful.

[Caller]

Like Kathy hopeful? The governor of New York, is she worried about her election next year?

[Interviewer/Host]

She should be.

[Caller]

Donnie won.

[Interviewer/Host]

She should be. I hear the Republican candidate, that woman. Woman, that's the Republican scheduled to run against her is pretty sharp. I forgot her name. I think it's Seabird or something. But I. I hear she's coming for. I hear that she's very familiar. Okay.

[Caller]

Could she be. Could she beat khaki over election?

[Interviewer/Host]

I don't know. I don't know. It's New York, I would imagine. But most of the time, Democrats win. There's very few Georgia, there's very few Patakis as a governor of New York. That doesn't happen often, but maybe she can.

[Mike Johnson]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Appreciate the call, though, man. Thank you so much. Liz in Myrtle beach, alive. Stephen A. Go ahead.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Hey, Stephen A. I'm just saying I'm really glad I found you. Believe it or not, I'd never heard of you. And I'm glad I stuck with your first episode and got used to your personality because I love your show.

[Interviewer/Host]

Thank you.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

I have two quick comments. Two Quick comments. First of all, you know, I've been reading a lot of hair on fire comments about Mom. Donnie, I don't live in New York. Obviously this is who they selected. But I will say this, that the status quo never changes unless we have bold risk takers, starting with a handful of Englishmen that got into a boat and took six months, coming over here with the idea that they could be free and they could have their own religion. It's been that way since the beginning of our country. Any invention, any idea that's been made a difference in our country, it took some crazy person thinking that it could happen. So my thing is, give the guy a chance. He will live or die by his results. The second thing is. Sorry, I'm nervous. The second thing is that, you know, I keep hearing that how dare the Dems, you know, that they're not signing onto this clean cr. But what's not being said is how. And also a Democrat had the audacity to say that they had leverage. Well, if Republicans had allowed Democrats in the months previous to have any kind of input on, I'll just say this big bill, which was over, which is about a thousand pages, included just about everything. They were in the Senate, they were completely shut out, including the House. But the House is, you know, majority, you know, vote. But in the Senate, it's supposed to be 60 votes. Well, the Democrats were not included in any negotiations. No talks, no backdoor meetings, no anything.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

And then because of this, of course, they weren't going to get any Democratic votes. So they changed the rules, Republicans changed the rules to reconciliation, where it took a simple majority, just like in the House. And now they're, lo and behold, they're screaming about the Schumer shutdown and this and that. And, but this did not just start with this shutdown. It never does previous with disrespect. And, and obviously it is not a blowout mandate because the House and the Senate are almost evenly split.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, listen, the House and the Senate, I mean, you're talking about 50. What is it? It's like 55 to 50. I'm trying to look at the numbers. I want to look at it and make sure I have it right before I even go any further. Right now you're talking about 53 to 45 majority in the Senate for the Republicans and a 219 to 213 majority for the Republicans in the House. Three vacancies in the House the Democrats could, could, could reclaim by getting at least three seats and obviously about four seats in The Senate as well. So that's how you're looking at it. I mean, it's too independent to caucus with the Democrats in the Senate. In the end, the bottom line is this. You're right. It comes with disrespect. It comes with all of those things. Look at the way they talk about one another. This is one of the problems and it serves to divide the country because we see how petulant they could be with one another, and we find it impossible to comprehend that you're truly, truly interested in working with one another. And so we're reticent about them and their commitment in that regard. And that makes us all apprehensive about whether or not any progress will be made. And so that, to me, is what I'm trying to discourage. Certainly they got their tricks going on. We all know this. We were born at night, not last night. Liz, we get it. The flip side to it is that you just hope that cooler heads will prevail and ultimately compassion and heart for the American citizen that's out there working, that's not receiving a paycheck from the federal government. They'll get their act together, so this is no longer an issue. That's all we could hope for right now. But I get where you're coming from, Liz. I'll give you the last word really, really, really quickly because I got to go to commercial. Go ahead, Liz. Your last word.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

The only thing, the only thing that I would recommend is for, you know, people to educate themselves. And don't educate yourself by listening to Fox, MSNBC or any Partizan podcast or wherever. Usually you're getting your information. Listen to potus, any of the people on potus, because I used to be in the left wing silo. And it's amazing, once you get out of that and then you look at it again, your thoughts completely change. And I will say the same thing about anybody who's in the right wing silo. You know, it's, you know, educate yourself. If you're going to watch cable media, listen to news, watch News Nation, at least they try and be down the middle and have both sides represented. But, you know, or in my case.

[Interviewer/Host]

If you're going to watch, watch it all, watch it all on both sides so you can deduce who's telling the truth and who's lying. Because I like listening to the lies, just like I like listening, listening to the truth tellers because I know who the lies and the truth tellers are.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Once I'm listening, don't have the time to watch it all. That's true, you know, but if you're going to watch just one thing, give yourself the best chance because, you know, it's like anything, you can't make a good opinion about anything if you only have one side.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's true.

[Marjorie Taylor Greene]

Totally impossible. You may like what you're hearing. And also they're all just trying to make money. They're telling you what you want to hear.

[Interviewer/Host]

Appreciate the call. Call back anytime. Okay. You take care. Thank you so much. Trey Shooter with Stephen a. POTUS channel 124, SiriusXM call in number 866-967-6887. That's 86696, POTUS back with your calls to close out the show in a minute. And thanks again to Jim Jordan and Speaker Mike Johnson as well for coming on to the show. You're listening live. The Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Your call to close out the show in a minute. 50 minutes past hour. Number two, back in the Stephen A. Smith show, or rather Straight Shooter with Stephen A. SiriusXM Polish channel 124. By the way, Elise Stefanik, that's the name. That's the US Representative that's expected to run again against Governor Kathy Hochul in New York, even though she hasn't made her decision yet. She says she's gonna wait until after the election to do so. But according to everybody you speak to, she's pretty damn sharp and that Kathy Hochul will have her work cut out for her to regain the gubernatorial seat in New York City if indeed she's running against Elise Stefanik. Back to the phones we go at 866. That's 866-967-6887. Let's go to Enrique in California. You're live with Stephen A. Enrique, how you doing, man? How's everything?

[Caller]

Hey, good afternoon, Steven. It's going great. I was hoping you could educate me in a talking point that I keep hearing from the Republican side of the House and that you just made a little bit ago about illegal immigrants being able to get benefits through the Affordable Care Act. I've worked before on social services and on public health, and I was giving benefits to people. And I know for a firsthand experience that undocumented are not able to get Medicare, Medicare or SNAP benefits. So could you use at least that's here in California, which we give benefits pretty much to everybody.

[Interviewer/Host]

The belief is in certain states, particularly one like California and others where you have medical, that there is money that is, that is that is given to the states from the feds that's thrown into the Medicare program. And obviously because of Medicare, which is called medical in California, essentially, if you have an emergency or whatever, you can go and. You can go and receive health services when you go to the emergency room or things of that nature. And that is something that people have used to highlight how some, not most, not all, but certainly some. Some illegal immigrants, illegal migrants get a hold of healthcare, of funneling into our healthcare system. That is the belief. That is something that. That has been said. That is something that's been said to me and various others, obviously. So in terms of whether or not that's actually true, I'm quite sure the other side would try to dispute that. But that's something that they've disputed on Capitol Hill. They've disputed it in state legislatures, they've disputed it in states like California, where they're talking about the price of healthcare, you know, talking about an $88.4 billion tag that comes attached to it. And you had people saying some of the illegals are going to get some of that for our services. And obviously people have been turned off by that because those are taxpayer dollars that's being funneled in that direction. And they believe that, you know, taxpayer dollars certainly should. Should be something that's prioritized for American citizens or those who are here legally.

[Caller]

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think it's. It's always a matter of transparency on the numbers.

[Mike Johnson]

Right.

[Caller]

Because it's hard to see, always. It's hard to see how much of those are actually going towards that since the state is putting a lot of their own funds to fund that program.

[Mike Johnson]

So.

[Caller]

Yeah, hard to tell, but. Okay, well, thank you. Thank you for. For that. I know that I deny benefits to a lot of. To a lot of people because they didn't have the legal status. They are able to get medical, but it's. It's very limited circumstances.

[Interviewer/Host]

Got you. Appreciate the call, man. Thank you for calling. Enrique, feel free to call back anytime, buddy. Thank you so much. Let's go to Irvin in Louisiana. You're live with Stephen A. What's going on?

[Caller]

Stephen A. Sir, you've had both sides on your show, and they appear to be polar opposites. I'm gonna give you five things that they're alike on, okay? First of all, both sides. Both sides agree they won't or can't balance the damn budget. How about both sides agree, Both sides agree we can't have term limits. Both sides agree we can't prohibit congresspersons from dealing in the stock.

[Interviewer/Host]

Stop right there. Stop. Stop it. To stop it. Stop at 2. Stop at 2 for a second. Term limits. What are you talking about? Senators six years, Representatives two years. But you obviously could get reelected. You're talking about you can't serve but so much time. Okay, go ahead.

[Caller]

Yes, and just like we have with the president, governors and other elected offices. And again, number three, they're never going to agree to prohibit congresspersons from basically inside information on the stock market because they own committees that make certain decisions. Number four, we've got a health care problem in this country. We got Medicare subsidies and cuts of being an issue. But I haven't seen Democrats or Republicans propose they cut their 75% subsidized by taxpayers. Blue Cross health plans. Haven't heard anybody say we're going to cut our stuff until we get everybody else on board.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, we know they're going to do that. We know they ain't gonna do that. Go ahead.

[Caller]

What's your fifth one agreement with that. And both sides say they feel the pain of federal workers who are not getting paid.

[Interviewer/Host]

No, they don't.

[Caller]

But I haven't seen either side propose they cut their pay. They get paid on the last day of each month. They got their checks on October 3rd.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, all they say is that they're not accepting any checks. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she wasn't. Jim Jordan said he wasn't. One of the representatives on the Democratic side said they weren't. We hear that, but we all know that in the end that that's a decision they can afford to make. While people who are not receiving checks can't afford to make those decisions, they're not making those decisions for themselves. So we get that loud and clear. There's no surprise there. And I'm one of those people who proposes, you know what? If federal employees don't get paid, you don't get paid. You don't have any health care either. Got to make sure that our elected officials suffer with the people just as much as the people suffer. That's what I think.

[Caller]

Can I say one more thing?

[Interviewer/Host]

One more thing. Go ahead.

[Caller]

Yeah, well, they're posturing with that. You know, I'm not going to take my check. Put it on the floor for a vote. Let me see. A vote, an official vote that the entire Congress is going to bypass their paycheck for one month and two months until we get this straight.

[Interviewer/Host]

I gotta run to another caller. I appreciate the call, man. Call back next week, brother, so we can talk. Giovanni in Miami. You're Live with Stephen A. You only got a minute. Giovanni, go ahead.

[Caller]

Yeah, I know, man. Real quick. I told you, I, I, I follow you on all your platforms. I just call to tell you thank you. I talked to you on the Stephen A. Smith show, and I told you that me and my boys was gonna go to the super bowl, but there's 10 of us and two, unfortunately, can't go because of the, the, the temporary status. But the other eight, we're gonna go. But I, we can't take that chance. You feel what I'm saying?

[Interviewer/Host]

Don't take that chance. And don't take that chance. Don't take that chance. You got temporary status. Don't go to that super bowl because ICE gonna be there. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. The eight of y' all that don't have temporary status enjoyed. The two that do, stay home. Don't do it, because Trump's gonna try to make some noise. He's gonna try to make some noise. Appreciate the call, man. Thank you so much. Gotta get on out of here. I hope y' all enjoyed the show today. Thanks again. The House Judiciary Chairman for the House Judiciary Committee, the one and only Representative Jim Jordan, Republican out of Ohio, and of course, speak of the House Republican out of Louisiana, Mike Johnson. I thought it was important to have both of them on today, considering the election results last night. Mom, Donnie wins the mayoral seat in New York City. Cherelle. And you know, Abigail Bamberger, she wins the. They win the gubernatorial seats in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively. There's a wave that's coming. What's Trump gonna do about it? What the GOP is going to do about it? What are the Dems going to do about it? Which direction are you going in? Gavin Newsom. And is he going to be like Momdani, or is he going to move towards the center? All of that and more take into consideration as we move forward. That's it for this edition of Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Holl at y' all next Wednesday. Until then, peace and love, everybody. God bless. Be safe.