B (21:55)

Hey, I'm doing great. Proud to be your first guest. Congrats on the show.

A (21:59)

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Let's get right to it. I would love to have had you on under better circumstances, but considering at the time of this taping what transpired almost a week ago with the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, your reaction to that when you first heard about it, when you first saw it, assuming that you did, considering the state of our affairs in this country right now, what are your thoughts?

B (22:24)

Look, immediately when I saw what happened, I was horrified. Horrified that someone's life would be cut down like that while he was engaging in speech, while he was engaging in dialogue with our fellow Americans. Now, Stephen, we don't have to agree with what the man was saying to know that you can't go shoot somebody in the town square and that this was a man who was a husband and a father and certainly did not deserve what he got. I have been worried about this country in the days that followed in both the voices that have celebrated his assassination and the voices on the other side that have called for revenge killings. We need to take down the temperature. And this is a moment, I think, where we need Americans to come together and leaders to speak and act with moral clarity.

A (23:14)

How much faith do you have that America will do that in this day and age? So many people that I've spoken to, elders, for example, have told me. I've literally had people tell me it seems worse now than it was even in the 60s. I've heard that from elders. What are your thoughts?

B (23:30)

You know, I've heard that as well, and I obviously don't have that personal perspective, but I can tell you I feel like it is the darkest moment in my lifetime of public service. What worries me, beyond the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the assassination of Speaker Hortman in Minnesota, the attack on my life and my family's life at the governor's residence in Pennsylvania just a few months ago, the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and sadly, Stephen, the list goes on and on and on beyond those horrific moments in America. What I worry about, Stephen, is the growing number of people in this country who believe that the institutions can no longer solve their problems. And so they view violence as sometimes justifiable, as a way to bring about change, as a way to get their policy viewpoints heard. And that, to me, is incredibly dangerous. We need speech in this country, not violence. And I'm deeply concerned and troubled by the moment that we are in right now.

A (24:41)

Having said all of that, and I completely agree with you, I've been on the record stating that we can say it all starts with us, but there's no question that it should, at least to some degree, start with our commander in chief. Yet he has taken a different position that one would argue at the very least, is acerbic and troublesome because of the position that he was willing to take. Before I ask you about the President of the United States, listen to him talking about who's to blame for something like this. Take a listen. Well, the problem is on the left.

C (25:12)

When you look at the problem, the problem is on the left.

A (25:14)

It's not on the right like some.

C (25:16)

People like to say, on the right. The problem we have is on the left.

A (25:20)

And when you look at the agitators, you look at the scum that speaks to so badly of our country, the.

C (25:27)

American flag burnings all over the place.

A (25:30)

That's the left.

C (25:30)

That's not the right.

A (25:32)

That's the left. That's not the right. You heard what he had to say. I don't Think that's constructive? I certainly don't think it's statesmanlike. I certainly don't think that's something that we need to hear from the President of the United States. This is something that I've echoed on several occasions, your response to what you heard.

B (25:47)

Couldn't agree any more, Stephen. It is not only not constructive, I think it is divisive. The President claimed in the hours after Charlie Kirk was assassinated that he wanted to be a healer. Instead, he's further dividing this country. I want to be very clear about something. No one political party is immune from political violence. I can attest to that. You know, Steve Scalise, a Republican congressman, and Gabby Giffords, a Democratic congresswoman, both walk with a limp to this day, along with other physical challenges because they were shot in episodes of political violence. One a Republican, one a Democrat. We have seen the manifestation of political violence leave physical scars on Republicans and Democrats alike. And, Stephen, let me be real with you. It's also leaves emotional scars. I can attest to that. At the same time, no one's immune from it. No one has clean hands when it comes to the level of toxicity in our politics today. There are people on the left to blame, and there are people on the right to blame. Let's speak truth on that. By the President pointing his fingers just at some Americans, he divides us further. And let me tell you something. For the President to stand up and call some of his fellow Americans scum. Stephen, come on, man. No matter how different our views might be on something, you don't call our fellow Americans scum. As Commander in Chief, you have a responsibility to unify this nation, to bring people together. Yes. To hold true to your views and your values, to believe that your policies are better than the folks on the other side. But to try and divide the American people like that and use that type of language to describe his fellow Americans, I think that's low. And that is making it harder for this nation to come together at this dark moment.

A (27:45)

It is low. It is unethical. It is a bit belligerent and acerbic to say the least. And I certainly don't shy away from that. But playing the devil's advocate for a moment here, there are many on the right who would say, what about the rhetoric emanating from the left for years about him? And especially since he's returned to office for a second term as the 47th President of the United States? We've seen what AOC has said about him. We've seen what? What? What? Jasmine Crockett out of Texas has said about him. We see Governor Gavin Newsom in California and how he sort of changed his behavior in his presentation when it comes to addressing things about President Trump. But in, in fairness to him, he has been called Gavin news scum, as you would articulate, as you articulated about what Trump, what, what depth Trump goes to in, in talking about the governor of California on several occasions. What about the notion that the left is no different from the right when it comes to just really abrasive presentations about the president?

B (28:48)

Stephen, just a moment ago, in response to your question, I made clear that there's responsibility on both sides of the aisle. I do believe that all leaders need to speak and act with moral clarity. And I believe that starts with the President of the United States. I think, sadly, too many people in our politics today appeal to the lowest common denominator because it gets them some likes on social media, some clicks. I think what we need to do is appeal to our highest common denominator. I think that's where most Americans are. I think that's what they want from their elected leaders. Make no mistake, though, the President United States sets the tone in this country. And I think it is a tone that has been quite vitriolic and quite unconstructive. And we need to do better than that.

A (29:31)

What if it doesn't win you election, sir? Respectively, because the Gavin Newsoms of the world have alluded to that. They've talked about, you know, have something needing to be done, fighting fire with fire per se. And because he has shown no willingness to change his stripes when it comes to his, his abrasive deliveries and what have you. And he has a somewhat cult following. Some people would say that the only way to deal with it is to fight fire with fire, to replicate his behavior to some degree, just to be able to fend off the onslaught of momentum he appears to be building as his presidency continues.

B (30:08)

Let me say, Stephen, I am sitting here behind my desk in the governor's office here in Pennsylvania. I am privileged to Serve as the 48th governor of this commonwealth. I think you and I can agree Pennsylvania is the ultimate swing state. It is the largest of all the swing states, and it is elections here decided on a razor's edge. I have run for statewide office here three times. Each and every time I've won, and each and every time, I've set a record for the most number of votes in that particular election. And I've done so by bringing Republicans and Democrats and independents together in showing them that we can Have a positive, constructive way forward, showing them that actually if we work together with, we can get stuff done and solve our pressing problems. That has been a formula for success, appealing to the highest common denominator, bringing people together. I refuse to accept that you've got to attack your fellow Americans in order to win an election, and I simply won't engage in that.

A (31:08)

The thing about it, though, Governor, is this. I mean, obviously, you're undefeated. When you run for office, you usually win, and I applaud you for that. You certainly have my support. I've been unapologetic about that. You and Governor Merlin are two of my favorite guys. You and you. Two of my favorite guys. You're undefeated.

B (31:22)

Absolutely, by the way. But so are my eagles. So are my eagles.

A (31:27)

Oh, don't hold on to that. That's not the way that they've been looking at those two weeks. But we'll talk about that a little bit later. I got to ask you this, though. You would think that someone in your position would have even more support from your party, but there's a progressive left that people point to that has been critical of you. A lot of people felt you should have been the vice presidential selection instead of Tim Walsh by Kamala Harris when she was the Democratic nominee. You see these kind of things, and even though behavior is consistent and your position is consistent, some folks on the left don't seem to be willing to support you as much as you should be supported, considering what you just said. What kind of a winning formula do you think is best to go up against? What, the right. What, the gop, what the capitulating gop, meaning congressional figures and senators and what have you, you know, the kind of behavior they've engaged in in supporting Donald Trump. How do you think you can ward off the momentum he's building?

B (32:22)

Look, just what we're doing here in Pennsylvania, I mean, I'm proud here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to have near, near, you know, total support from Democrats, Democrats who would consider themselves to be, quote, unquote, moderate. I hate these labels. And Democrats who would consider themselves to be more progressive or on the left, along with Republicans and Independents as well. It's why we win and it's why we've been effective at governing. I think what the American people really want in their government, certainly what the good people of Pennsylvania want, are elected leaders who actually solve their problems, who figure out ways to bring people together to get stuff done, who don't slice and dice the electorate, but actually find ways to bring them together. I'M proud of the support that we receive from people on both sides of the aisle, and I'm going to continue to govern in that way. I think that is what we need more of in this country, people that bring folks together instead of pointing fingers and dividing folks.

A (33:16)

We desperately need it. Governor, I'm just wondering, how has your faith in being able to pull that off been compromised, at least somewhat, based on what you've been seeing transpired, transpire in the streets of America?

B (33:30)

Now, listen, I appreciate the passion of those who are standing up and righteously and peacefully, peacefully protesting, who are going out and making clear that they want to see change, who are going out and let's be real, Stephen, saying the Democratic Party hasn't delivered for them in some cases in recent years. And I'm proud of the fact that those are folks who want to see change. I'm grateful for the fact that those are folks who want to see change in this country and are standing up and speaking out. I'm proud of the fact that those individuals support me here in Pennsylvania and see me as someone who's been a champion for change and ushering in more progress and doing so in a way that actually brings people together to get stuff done. You know, Stephen, it's one thing to go out and talk about all this stuff. It's a whole other thing to go out and do this stuff. I've done it at the ballot box in Pennsylvania, and I continue to do it while I'm governing behind this desk here in Pennsylvania. I think we need more of that. I'm grateful to those who are raising their voices, but at the end of the day, what we need to do is put together coalitions that can both win elections and then govern effectively.

A (34:37)

I was getting ready to ask you, what concrete bills or executive actions are you pushing forward in the state of Pennsylvania to hold individuals or even organizations accountable for incitement or threats or anything like that? Is there anything specific that you're doing to address the kind of concerns we're talking about?

B (34:52)

I mean, listen, we have tried to speak out anytime we have seen that whether the speech is something I agree with or disagree with, condemning actions that claim lives and making sure that we create opportunities for safety in our communities, the safety for those who want to protest and the safety for those who want, who have a right to be able to walk down their street free of violence. I'm proud of the work we've done to bring our police and our communities closer together. I'm proud of the work we've done to reduce crime, to hire more cops and invest more in violence prevention initiatives. I think at its core, elected leaders, particularly executives like mayors and governors and presidents, have a responsibility to keep people safe. And we're doing that work here in Pennsylvania. And I think the way you do that effectively is by finding ways to bring people together, bring communities and police closer together, bring Democrats and Republicans closer together. That's the work we're doing.

A (35:52)

Governor Shapiro, I'd be curious to know if there are any topics or policy positions you feel Democrats sort of need to leave behind or move on from in order to find yourself in a position where you can regain power and Capital Hill and ultimately the presidency in 2028. Is there anything that stands out in your mind as you reflect on your own party in terms of what needs to be done in order to move the Democrats closer to being to the American people, being more receptive to them?

B (36:21)

Again, look, there's no question that the national Democratic brand has a lot of work to do. I think one of the most important things the Democratic Party can do is look to the states, look to governors who are leading in ways that produce concrete results and find ways to bring people together. I think there's some extraordinary governors out there. You mentioned one before, our good friend Wes Moore, a friend of yours, friend of mine and someone who's doing really good and important work in Maryland. I think part of the struggles for our party is we got too focused on D.C. and we weren't focused enough on what was happening in the states. And the states are where you've got concrete action led by Democratic governors. Consider this for a moment. There are seven so called swing states that Donald Trump won that are led by a Democratic governor. And by the way, Democratic governors in those states who were popular and performing well, from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin to Michigan to North Carolina, Arizona, you know, I mean, there are, there are example after example where you are seeing Democratic governors lead the way in states that Donald Trump one and I think we need to look to the states and that's what I want to see our party do more of and not be branded by the DC Think.

A (37:35)

I think one of the things that has to happen as well for the Democratic Party to move forward in a very, very positive way is that, you know, again, you have to be resolute and we understand that. But in the same breath, when folks come out and they're revealing, well, they may have been a bit deceptive or they may have not been as forthcoming as they should have been or what have you People are looking at things like that, and they're saying to themselves, excuse me, that was a concern. I bring this up because I'm thinking about former vice president, former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. She's coming out with her book, 107 Days, which is scheduled to be released sometime next week. In it, she recounts her run, which was the shortest presidential campaign in modern US History, by the way. And there's an excerpt in there where she says, quote, it's Joe and Jill's decision. We all see, said that like a mantra, as if we'd all been hypnotized. Was it grace or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn't a choice that should have been left to an individual's ego, an individual's ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision. We hear something like that. The question some folks will want me to ask you is, is she right? My question would be, why didn't you say that before? Right. That's what I would be thinking. That's the question that comes to my mind. And as a voter, how should we feel when we hear something that we suspected but wasn't acknowledged by politicians who were looking for our support, and then we find out later we were right and they should have spoken up and they should have shown more courage? What do you say to that?

B (39:03)

I mean, look, I haven't read the former vice president's book, and she's going to have to. She's going to have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly. I can tell you that I wasn't in the room. But when I was confronted with engagement with the former president, in looking at it simply from the perspective of how's he doing in Pennsylvania? Could he win Pennsylvania? Because I think, Stephen, you understand, if you can't win Pennsylvania, it's pretty darn hard to win the national election. And I was very vocal with him privately and extremely vocal with his staff about my concerns about his fitness to be able to run for another term. I was direct with them. I told them my concerns. I told them my worries. I told them what I was seeing in the polls. I think it seemed to me that maybe his staff wasn't counseling him with all the information that we knew on the ground here in Pennsylvania that, you know, frankly, they should have shared with the president. I think that's a conversation between the former president and his staff. But I can tell you that I tried to speak to them candidly about it and to do so in a constructive manner. I believe in talking directly to the individuals, not running around and talking to the media. I don't mean that disrespectfully, but I think in that moment, you've got to be direct. And I was.

A (40:26)

Well, considering how direct you are and how direct you say you were to the former President of the United States, let me be direct with you because of your concerns, and you're in a position to address them as the Governor of Pennsylvania with the job that you're doing. You're up for reelection next year in the state of Pennsylvania, but There's also a 2028 election on a national level, you know, for the presidency of the United States. Where's the mind of Governor Josh Shapiro right now, considering the times that we're living in? What's needed and what you believe in your heart you could do for this country if you were in such a position as President of the United States of America? Last question. Where do you lie with all of that right now at this point in time?

B (41:08)

I mean, first and foremost, and don't roll your eyes when I say this, because I need you to know just how deeply personal this is to me. I love what I do, and I am honored to sit behind this desk. Stephen. I'm looking up and there's a portrait of William Penn, who had this job first. It is humbling to. To me to be the 48th governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I do not take that for granted. I also know you asked a different question, and I want to answer that, but I. I can't let that go. I do not want anyone to. To. To. To leave this question not realizing just how humbled and honored I am to do this work. I also love this country and. And I really believe for the many of the reasons as you and I were talking about at the beginning of this conversation, we are at an inflection point. And I am troubled by what I'm seeing in this country, and I'm concerned about what I'm seeing in my party. And I know that I have a voice that needs to be heard in that process. How that voice ultimately gets heard, how it manifests itself, what I ultimately do. We'll see. I don't think that's a decision that one can make sitting here right now, but I can tell you I love this country, I love my party, and I want to be a part of making sure it is fixed, it is reformed, that we win elections again as a party, and we Steer this country back in a common sense direction, and we move it in a way that can be uplifting for more and more people in the. In the way in which I've tried to do here in Pennsylvania, bringing people together to get stuff done.

A (42:44)

Governor Shapiro, I really, really appreciate time out of your busy schedule. Thank you for all the conversations we've had, by the way, for the advice you've given me in the short time we've gotten to know each other. I greatly, greatly appreciate it. And I greatly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to join me today. Unfortunately, I can't give you the greatest news and tell you that your Eagles are going to be flawless and they're not going to lose any games. Go. That's not going to happen. They're not going to go and defeat it. They got. But I do have them going back to the Super Bowl. That much I will tell you. I'll stop there.

B (43:12)

Well, I will just. I will just remind you that I sat with you on the eve of the Super Bowl. I predicted the Birds win and you were still on the whole Patrick Mahomes thing. You still thought they were going to.

A (43:24)

But I picked the Eagles. But I picked the Eagles. I did pick the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. I did not pick the Chiefs.

B (43:30)

My Birds did not know how to win. They proved it again yesterday. And let me tell you something, this is a good team that really knows how to win. And they're fun to watch and just. They're just really fun to watch. I'm enjoying it.

A (43:43)

I got you. Appreciate you. Governor Josh Shapiro. Really, really thank you for your time. My buddy, my man. Take care of yourself and we'll talk soon.

B (43:50)

Sounds good. Congrats on the new show, Stephen. Talk soon.

A (43:53)

Thank you so much. Talk soon. 52 minutes past hour number one on the debut of Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Let's get right to the phone calls before I go to hour number two. Looking forward to talking to Senator Lindsey Graham and of course, Governor Spencer Cox. We've got Shawn and in Florida on the line with us. What's going on? Sean, how are you?

C (44:19)

How many Sean's do you know in Florida, for crying out loud? Good grief. What do you think? It's Sean in Florida.

A (44:25)

Sean Hannity. Oh, my Lord.

C (44:29)

This is your debut show. My buddy, my pal, my friend, rock star that you are. Multimedia superstar Stephen A. On the potish channel. Now, does that mean we're going to go back to this debate? Oh, is Stephen A. Running for president again? God help us.

A (44:51)

I mean, the country could. The country could use me. The country could use me, Sean. You know what I'm saying? Especially. You know what? I'd make a monthly visit with you, so you shouldn't be running from that. I'd make a monthly visit with you if I was the president. You understand? So you should be happy about it.

C (45:05)

Should be weekly. It would. If I would, I would negotiate weekly. Listen, I'm really just calling for people that don't know Stephen A. Smith and Sean Hannity are dear friends. I love this man. Respect this man. I am announcing, by the way, I am starting my own sports talk show. Considering you're now entering my arena, you can't do sports. Coming up.

A (45:31)

Oh, my Lord. I'm much. You're much worse than sports than I am in politics. You shouldn't do that.

C (45:37)

I don't think so. Oh, all I'll do is wait. I'll follow your lead. Trash Tim Tebow. Trash Tim Tebow. Trash Tim Tebow. I used to, you know, yell at you. Listen, I don't know how much time we have, so I want to be quick. I'm proud of you. I'm happy for you. It's your debut show. I'd be negligent if I didn't call in and congratulate you. If you're thinking of running for president, it's a bad idea. It's not going to end well. However, if you're thinking of finally crossing the aisle and coming to the common sense lane of conservatism, there we go. And supporting our dear Donald Trump.

A (46:19)

Oh, my Lord.

C (46:20)

You are more than welcome. We are a big tent party. We are, we are celebrating people like you that succeed at the highest level in everything you do.

A (46:30)

I keep telling you I love you, but I'm allergic to agreeing with you. It's not going to happen. It's not gonna happen. So I'm gonna let you go. Okay. Because I know you got shows.

C (46:37)

You have to agree with me.

A (46:38)

Yes, yes. I would not do it. Sure, man. Listen, listen, I appreciate the love and all sincerity, man. You know, you and I have gone back over 23 years now. We've been friends the whole time.

C (46:49)

Oh, yeah.

A (46:49)

You've always been a big time supporter of mine and I appreciate you so much. Got love for you, my brother. Thank you so much, man, for calling in. I really appreciate it.

C (46:56)

Love you, too. And listen, congratulations and many, many, many happy years and success, bro.

A (47:02)

Thanks a lot, my brother. Appreciate you, man. Thank you so much. The one and only Sean Hannity calling in to the Stephen A. Spit show. That does not mean that the conservatives should be happy with me because, damn it, I don't agree with y' all more than half the time. But sometimes I do and sometimes you make sense. And when I agree with you, I'm gonna give it to you. And when I don't agree with you, I'm gonna let you know. Let's go to Graham in Pennsylvania calling in to 86696, POTUS. Straight shooter with Stephen A. You're my real first call, even though Sean Hannity was my real first call, but you are now. Graham, what's going on? How are you? Graham, are you there? Come on, Graham, you got to be ready for me, man. Charlie in Los Angeles, you're live with Stephen A. What's up, Charlie? How are you?

C (47:45)

Hey, Stephen A. I've met you before at my job. I greeted you at the Beverly Hill tonight at the Rose Bowl. So it's an honor to be the first call on your show. But I would just get to the point. I really wanted to ask you in regards to this Charlie Kirk thing, how, how often do you think, well, how soon do you think it'll be socially acceptable to silence the voices of the moderate? Because now that people are moderately talking to people down the middle to agree and disagree and understand the other side, the more that we cancel these people, we're letting the extreme voices on both sides take the realms of the, the discourse. So how soon are we to that and what can we do to prevent that?

A (48:28)

Well, Charlie, I appreciate the call. Let me answer and thank you for calling into the show. You know, outside of Sean Hannity, you're my first caller, Charlie in Los Angeles. Really, really appreciate it. Calling in the Street Shooter with Stephen A at 86696, POTUS. Let me say this. You know, it's not about, oh, you're a moderate voice, so you know what, you're separate and apart from everything else. No, you're inclusionary in your mentality. You're open to the fact that when you talk to a conservative or a Democrat, guess what, they might be right about a particular subject. Okay. And another time that may not be the case. But if you're open minded and open and willing to listen to other people and be edified, and then your decisions that you reach are based on sound facts and things that you deduce, that makes absolute sense. Sense that's for the betterment of the whole. And you're not just isolating and thinking about yourself. Then it contributes to making the world a better place. That's what we're trying to do here. That's what we're trying to do here. Do we really want chaos in the streets? Do we really want violence at every turn? Do we really want to hate on one another and not come together and learn the definition of compromising? Nobody gets everything they want, period. Senator Lindsey Graham, he'd agree with me. He's up next with George Trulley right here. Straight Shooter, Steve Nay album number two, Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Our number two of the debut of Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Coming at you courtesy SiriusXM POTUS radio channel 124. The number to call up, as always is 866-967-6887. That's 8669-676887-86696. POTUS. Yes, it is indeed the debut of Straight Shooter with Stephen A. The first ever political show I've, you know, I've ever hosted. Wow. It's a special feeling. It's a special feeling. Got to take a time to give a shout out to one of my best friends on the planet. His name is Jeff Brown. My, my, my high school buddy. I know no one in my circle more in the politics than him. And throughout the years he's tried. I mean, I need all the help I can get, ladies and gentlemen. Sometimes I just don't get it. Sometimes I just don't get it. But he tries to help me. He tries to help edify me as much as he possibly can. So me being on this radio show is a tribute to him as much as it attribute to anything or anybody else associated with me in politics. Because that brother tries to educate me every chance he gets. Love you, bro. Love you. Again, the number to call up is 866-967-6887. That's 86696, POTUS. Before I get to the callers, back to the callers, I've got another conversation to play for you. This time, last time, rather first hour, it was with Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania talking about the climate that we're living in, particularly in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk killing that transpired a week ago today. Now it's time to talk to somebody on the GOP side. He is a longtime senator out of South Carolina. He's well known. You know him, the one and only. Lindsey Graham sits down with yours truly on the debut of Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Stephen A. With Senator Lindsey Graham. Welcome back to Straight Shooter with Stephen A. My debut show, my next guest is a senior United States Senator from the state of South Carolina, the one and only Senator Lindsey Graham is joining me right now. Hello, sir. How are you? How's everything?

C (52:30)

I'm good. My hope is that you have two shows after you have me on. Okay. So good luck.

A (52:36)

Well, I'm looking forward to it. Yes. And I'm. And I'm counting on that, sir. And I can't wait to see you face to face.

C (52:42)

I like risk takers. Yeah.

A (52:44)

Well, thank you so much. Let's get right to it, honestly. Unfortunately, to start off on a sad note, we all saw the horrific killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last week. Your thoughts about what. When you, how you felt when you first saw what transpired, sir?

C (53:04)

Well, disbelief, really. I said, here we go again. Couldn't believe it. I didn't know Charlie that well, but I did know him in the MAGA world. He was a very influential figure. He helped President Trump enormously win in 2024. So I knew him through that. But what I hadn't told anybody this, Stephen, but I was actually at the White House set to meet with President Trump at 3:30, and I was talking to Witkoff about the Mideast, and he showed me the video where Charlo got shot, and I couldn't believe it. And when President Trump issued the statement that Charlie had been killed, that Charlie was dead, I was sitting right across from him in the Oval Office at the desk, right across from the president. And he said, send it out. And it was a gut punch. It was a. The mood in the White House was really one of shock and just great sadness. And Charlie was close to the president. This was a gut punch to him.

A (54:07)

When you talk about a gut punch, you've said, you've been on the record saying that the president sees this as an attack on his conservative political movement. Explain that, sir.

C (54:17)

Yeah, well, I think he sees this as an attack on what he created. You know, they tried to blow his head off in July of last year. And, you know, there are, there is political violence, but this seems to me to be different. It's not. They all do it. You know, if you're going after the president, he's the head of this movement. He's also the president, but he's the head of a political movement. And there's probably no greater symbol of the MAGA movement outside the president than Charlotte Kirk. So that's the way he views it, and I think most Republicans see it that way, is that the radical left is sort of declared open season on the MAGA world. And here's what I would say. I blame the man who did the shooting above all others. But the radicalization of people with political differences is sort of an all time high. You're too young to remember this, But I remember 1968 well. And the last thing we want to do, Stephen, is become the Mideast. In the Mid east, when somebody is wronged or harmed or somebody close to you is killed, the answer is to kill the other group back. Well, that's Mideast. We don't need that here. The answer is to organize politically and try to follow Charlie's lead of debate, political organization and winning at the ballot box.

A (55:33)

I completely agree with that. I have no opposition to that kind of thinking at all, Senator. I'll tell you that much, and I'll state that for the record. But when we talk about political radicalization, I don't think any side is immune from guilt on this one, whether it's the right or the left. You get the impression that things have gotten a bit too extreme to say the least, and it needs to be dialed down significantly. Yet the President didn't necessarily do that when he first learned of Charlie Kirk's death. What he did was blame the left. And in my estimation, that helped nothing. What were your thoughts about that?

C (56:11)

Well, I'm just trying to be honest with you. You got me on the show for reason. I think he believes this is a continuation of an attack on his movement. Not just we all do it, everybody does it. What happened in Minnesota is terrible. What happened to Gabby Gifford is terrible. I mean, his political figures were attacked and killed, but this is an attack on a movement, a political movement. That's the way he sees it. But the answer lies with a response. And the response has to be nonviolent. The response has to be, take your disagreements into the political arena, do what Charlie did, debate the other side out, organize them, register the vote and show up in 2026. That's what I'm focused on. You're heartbroken, I get that. But how we respond to this will determine whether or not we can become a great country, stay a great country, or we've become the Mideast. If you want to live someplace where, you know, revenge is the norm, go to the Mid East. I choose not to live that way.

A (57:14)

Neither do I. We're talking to Senator Lindsey Grant right here on Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith. I gotta tell you, Senator, you know, when I look at some of the politicians, certainly not all, and it'd be wrong to castigate and impugn the integrity of all politicians. But I saw folks on Capitol Hill, folks were asking for a moment of silence, and the representatives on Capitol Hill couldn't even come to an agreement on that. And so how is an American citizen, in your estimation, supposed to look at something like that when we have elected officials on Capitol Hill that can't even be reasonable and sensible enough to engage, to come together for a moment of silence, let alone some level of decorum, at least in the face of the cameras, so the American citizen doesn't have to see that level of dissension and tension going on in our nation's capital.

C (58:00)

Great question. How should they feel? They should feel disappointed. There's a, you know, the Red Sox, Yankees, Auburn, Alabama, you pick your robbery. Some people get more joy out of the team they hate losing than the team they support winning. I'm in the camp. I want my team to win, and I don't necessarily have to hate the other team. So there's a. There's a belief we reward in American politics today the loudest among us. And, you know, people played their political basis. But, yeah, that's a good point. You cannot have, like, a moment of silence for a man that was killed with two young kids. Whether you agree with Charlie or not, he was debating out in public, and the answer is not blow his head off. And America's kind of screwed up right now. But we've been there before. You know, 1968, you know, you had Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy killed within months of each other. You had riots in the street. So you had the Vietnam War. We pull out of that, I think we'll pull out of this. But let's start with social media. You want to find common ground here. The social media sites who spread all this crap, who radicalize and let people prey on kids and bully kids and, you know, push people to commit suicide. You can't sue them. Then there's a regulatory body. Let's start going after social media and hold them accountable. That would be a good place to start.

A (59:31)

You have a supporter 1000% in me on that front because something needs to be done. Because I got to tell you something, there's no level of accountability. And that's one of the biggest problems, because people could say and do whatever they want over social media and essentially operate with impunity. Are there any laws that you're proposing or anybody, any of your contemporaries, anything y' all doing on Capitol Hill to address this?

C (59:55)

Absolutely. I've got an idea. Now, this is a little wonky, but hang in There with me. In the 90s, when they created the Internet, when Al Gore invented the Internet, there was a. There was this understanding that you're not going to hold the social media company liable for the content. So if you say something on Google or Facebook or whatever that's offensive or defames a politician or a public figure like yourself, Google or Facebook is not liable. You have to go after the person who did it. Well, the problem all these years later is that the social media companies addict people by extreme content. These sites are used by sexual predators to groom children. So if you're a broadcast network, you're a newspaper, you defame me or you, we can sue them. But social media companies who spread the defamation, who allow their platforms to be used by sexual predators, are immune from liability. We have a section in our law called Section 230 that prevents individuals from suing social media platforms. So if your child is being bullied, they're on a website and you call the website and say, my child is being bullied. Will you help me? If your child is being groomed on one of these websites and you call the social media company, please help me. There's nothing you can do about it if they don't help you. I want to change that. I want to do away with section 230 and allow parents and people in America who feel harmed by these social media sites to bring a lawsuit. It will be up to them to prove their case. But if you believe your child has been bullied, pushed into suicide, drugs being sold, that your child has been preyed upon by sexual predators, and the website in question made that happen, then you can bring those bastards to court and sue them. They're the only companies in America that you have no recourse against. There's nothing a parent can do because the law won't allow these people to be sued. I want to change that law.

A (62:04)

And you believe that's going to go a long way towards solving a bullet.

C (62:09)

That's going to go a long way.

A (62:10)

That's plaguing. That's plaguing America.

C (62:13)

These guys, I used to be a trial lawyer. You can have a social media site, but you got to be responsible for the content. You got to be responsible for what's put up. So if you got a website where bunch of people start chatting about killing somebody, then I want to go after you because you're making money off that chat. I want you to be held responsible for what you put out there, how you make money. That's not unreasonable, is it?

A (62:36)

I don't think it is at all. I completely support where you're coming from, so I have no problem with it whatsoever. We're talking to Senator Lindsey Graham out of South Carolina, right here with Stephen A. And Straight Shooter with Stephen A. I want to get to a couple of subjects because I know you only got a few minutes. And I just want to make sure, while I have you on the line to get to some of these things, because I know obviously you're a member of the gop, a strong supporter of President Trump, et cetera, et cetera. I want to know what your position is today on a couple of issues. The war in Ukraine, for example, is ongoing. Yesterday, UN Representative Brian Fitzpatrick out of Pennsylvania introduced the Sanctioning Russia act of 2025 following the President Stern Truth Social Post to NATO nations. Explain that to my audience, please.

C (63:15)

Okay, number one, what's going on? Russia is to blame. I want you to hear from me on your show that the bad guy's Putin. You know, Ukraine got invaded. They're fighting like tigers. What would you do if somebody tried to take your country? You'd fight back. I blame Putin. This bill that you just mentioned, I created in the Senate. Brian is the House co sponsor, the author of I got 85 co sponsors. And here what it. Here's what it does. It allows President Trump to put tariffs on countries that buy cheap Russian oil. That don't help Ukraine. China, India and Brazil buy about 80% of Russian oil very cheap. It helps their economy. Putin takes that money to prosecute the war. I want China and India to understand that if you keep buying cheap Russian oil, we're going to put tariffs on your products coming into the United States. So you have to pick from the American economy. Between the American economy and buying cheap oil. When Trump put 25% tariff on India for buying cheap Russian oil, all of a sudden India's talking to us, right? I'm urging Europe to do the same.

A (64:23)

Senator Graham, I get that part, but help me. I'm a novice at this. Let me be very, very clear. I'm not an aficionado. I learn as much as I possibly can as we go along. And I give you my honest opinion every time I hear about us and we're going to throw tariffs on China, I'm like, wait a minute. This is China that we're talking about. We do business with them just like they do business with us. Last time I checked, we kind of owed them some money. What can we really do to faze them? What do you say to an American.

C (64:50)

Citizen that has that question, be less dependent on them. You know, what did we learn from COVID All of our medical equipment, all of our antibiotics are made in China. You know, that's not good for us. So there's going to be a company coming to South Carolina that can make antibiotics in America. We got 3% of antibiotics that we use come from America. I want to get to 50%. We can wean ourselves off on our dependency for China. But the last time I checked, there's no way to fight evil without taking some pain yourself. You know, In World War II, everybody was all in, Stephen. Nobody complained. Everybody joined to my friends in Europe. Hell, yeah. It will be hard for you to take on China. It will be hard for us to take on China. But if you want to end this war in Ukraine, make China pay a price for propping Putin up. If we can't do that, there goes Taiwan. This is a dress rehearsal for Taiwan. If China believes that Europe will not stand up and push back to China, helping Putin invade Ukraine, there goes Taiwan. If we can't demonstrate to China that we're willing to make them pay a price for propping up a war machine, that is a bloodbath in the making. By helping Putin buy his cheap oil, you're keeping this war going and you need to pay a price. If we can't muster the courage to stand up to China and fight back now, economically, they will take Taiwan and they will not stop. Okay, this is a defining moment in the 21st century.

A (66:24)

But Senator Graham, when you talk about getting back to Putin and Russia for a second, because like you said, he's the instigator in all of this, this guy is the individual in the wrong. One would argue that is not the message that we have heard in profound fashion anyway from our president. You seem to be hardcore about Putin the way most Americans believe him to be, but that doesn't seem to be echoed by your president. What do you say to that?

C (66:51)

That's actually a very good question. I'm not the guy going to go talk to Putin, but somebody has to. And here's what I said about President Trump. He put a 25% tariff on India for buying cheap Russian oil. That's a great start. He gave long range weapons to Ukraine, something we didn't do in the past administration, so they can reach out and hit Russia more effectively. But I would say this, the red carpet treatment didn't work, Stephen. The attacks against Ukraine have gone up on Trump's watch, not down. It's important for him to follow through. It's important for Europe to join the cause of punishing people who buy cheap Russian oil like China. But I am hoping that President Trump will take it to the next level, and that is to go after China. If Xi called Putin tomorrow and said, you're hurting me now, this war would end. Take the $300 billion in frozen assets that exist in Belgium, Russian assets, give them to Ukraine. Do a 10 year weapons package to Ukraine where Europe buys our weapons so they can defend themselves in the future, then start coming up with packages of tariffs and sanctions. To go after Putin's customer is a way to end this war. But when President Trump says it's not his war, I would say it's the world's war, not just Trump's war or Biden's war. That anytime somebody does what Putin's done, then the world has to respond. Because in the 1930s, we sat on the sidelines and watched Hitler take one country after another, and 50 million people wound up getting killed. We've had Poland and Romania hit by Russian drones. So this is a war that matters not only to America, but to the world. And I stand behind President Trump to end it. But all of us are gonna have to up our game before I let.

A (68:44)

You get on out of here. Senator Grammon, I appreciate your time again. Thank you so much. I got one more subject to tackle with you, and then I'll let you go. The President has deployed National Guard troops to cities in blue states like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. chicago. Well, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster sent 200 South Carolina Guard troops, according to my research, to D.C. to help, quote, restore law and order, end quote. South Carolina has one of the highest murder rates in the nation. Is he willing to accept military occupation to bring down the crime rate in South Carolina? I thought that would be an interesting question to ask you, sir.

C (69:15)

Yeah. You know, I think Washington, D.C. is out of control. I think going to Memphis is next. That's Tennessee. That's a red state. Blue city in a red state. I think he's looking going to New Orleans. I like the idea of trying to break the cycle of crime in our nation's capital. If you live up here, things are better. I don't know how sustainable this is, but the point is, yeah, we got to be for fighting crime wherever crime is, not the color of the state or the voting habits. So he's looking at Memphis, he's looking at New Orleans. And the idea of trying to restore law and order is long overdue. I just think too many Americans, Republicans feel afraid and let's do something about it rather than just talk about it.

A (70:00)

I agree with that. I agree with where you're coming from in terms of doing something about it. But last thing that I'd say to you, Senator Graham, is this. You know, when you are a governor of a state, basically you're the commander in chief of that state. As Maryland Governor Wes Moore said when it came to Trump alluding to sending National Guardsmen to Baltimore, obviously, Gavin Newsom, you know how, you seen how he's reacted when Trump sent the National Guard there to protect federal property. Even though folks may not like it, nobody's questioning anything about what he's doing in D.C. because again, that's, that's, that's, that's federal. But when you talking about usurping the authority of a governor in their respective state, you don't find yourself concerned about that, considering our Constitution.

C (70:44)

Well, we sent, we sent the Guard into states, cities. Detroit was on fire. We've done that before. Presidents have done that before. But really the question for the country is if you don't like what Trump's doing in terms of sending the Guard into these high crime areas, then we'll have an election in 2026. You can go to court. I think the governors are going to challenge him. You can be mad at me because I support what he's doing. But the good news about America, if you don't like what any president's doing, or any member of the Senate or the House, you can vote us out. And that's a privilege most people don't have. I travel this world a lot. We got a lot of problems here at home, but we got something to be proud of, and that is the ability to charter your own destiny. I don't know where you come from, but you got a hell of a thing going on here. I'm on your show because I find you entertaining.

A (71:39)

Thank you.

C (71:39)

I find you common sense, serious. It's not where I agree with you, not. I just think you're fun to listen to. America, you know, we can get through this. We're going to get through this. And if you don't like what Trump's doing, then vote for the Democrats in the midterm. If you like what he's doing, vote for the Republicans. That's sort of the way it works.

A (71:58)

Well, Senator Graham, let me say this before I let you get on out of here, sir. Whether I agree or disagree, we have another show. Especially the last thing that you just said, I can't argue with that, when you say there's an election every four years, you could go out there and vote. You can change rules, you can change laws, you can change the people that's in office. And that's exactly where I'm aligned with. I couldn't agree with you more. And one of the things that's going to happen on this show, as long as I'm doing it, I'm going to be fair minded. If you're a Republican and you're right, dammit, I'm going to say you're right. And if you're a liberal and I think you're wrong, I'm going to say you're wrong. And that's just the way it's going and vice versa. So that's just the way it's going to be. I thank you so much for your time, Senator Graham. I really appreciate it. You didn't have to take time out of your busy schedule to be a guest on my first show and I really appreciate it. I thank you and I hope that you'll come back soon.

C (72:48)

I will. I hope it's not your last show. I certainly.

A (72:50)

Don't worry about that. Don't worry about that.

C (72:52)

I'm gonna be around you and shine, going at it. I watch you on TV a lot. You're an interesting guy and the only sin that I can't afford is being boring. So you're definitely not born.

A (73:05)

Thank you, sir. Senator Graham, appreciate your time. Thank you. Take care. My next guest has served as the 18th governor of the state of Utah since 2021. Please welcome to Straight Shooting with Stephen A, the one and only Governor Spencer Cox. Welcome to the show, Governor. How are you, sir?

D (73:22)

I'm doing okay. Stephen A. Thank you so much for having me on.

A (73:25)

It's my pleasure. First things first, how would you describe things in Utah, in your state, how at this particular moment, considering what transpired a week ago? Yeah.

D (73:34)

Well, it's been a tough one. I always imagined if I ever got to talk to you, we'd be talking hoops. I wanted to talk about Malcolm Brogden and my guy Jordan Clarkson coming to your Knicks.

A (73:45)

That's right.

D (73:45)

Instead, we're talking about the worst possible thing that has happened maybe in the history of our state and one of the worst in our nation. It's been heavy for the people that are here and I just got back from the campus. I was down there. Students went back on campus for the first time today and seeing them, there's a memorial there for Charlie, a huge US Flag. That's been draped over the side of the building there. Everybody's hearts are just broken for Charlie's wife, his kids, their family, and we're certainly all feeling it out here. But I'm grateful that there's been some light in a dark world. And your words shortly after this political assassination were really important and really helpful. So thank you, sir.

A (74:30)

Well, thank you. Thank you for the words that you have been expressing over the last week. So I really appreciate that. We know since the untimely death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down by Tyler Robinson while speaking at a Raleigh. But Robinson now faces seven counts, including aggravated murder, and the state will seek the death penalty. What do we know about the motive?

D (74:53)

Well, we know what was released yesterday. And I think the clearest evidence that we have of a motive actually comes from the shooter right to his. His boyfriend in when. When asked why he talks about he. There was just too much hate in that person. And so obviously he felt that. He felt that Charlie Kirk was full of hate and that. That somehow justified this. This horrific act. And, and clearly, again, points to his ideology. We can argue about whether ideology matters or doesn't matter, but I do think a couple things matter. And that is an ideology that. That teaches that words are violence is wrong and is terrible. Words are not violence. Violence is violence. And we can't equate those two things. I think another ideology piece that we would push back on is this idea that hate, if you think someone hates you, that somehow justifies anything. And I think we've made a mistake in this country where we call each other fascists or Hitler or whatever it is, and then that allows these, these people who have been doing stuff like this. Sadly, this isn't the first attempted assassination or even successful assassination we've seen. We had Democrats in Minnesota who were. Who. This former speaker who was tragically killed there. So we've seen this, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. But clearly in this case, that is what we know so far.

A (76:24)

I gotta ask you before I extend beyond the specifics of this subject. It's been reported that Robinson is not cooperating with investigators. What is that about?

D (76:33)

Well, there is, again, I have to say that the family helped to turn him in. There's a question about how much talking he's doing to investigators. I can't opine on that any more than what we heard from the attorney yesterday. But we do have so much evidence. Again, the text messages where he admits to this, we certainly have. Now, as, again, as was mentioned yesterday, there is DNA Evidence. We know where the gun belongs. The gun belonged to his grandfather. That has been confirmed by the family. We have pictures of that gun that, you know, that they have all of those things that really point to this. So whether or not he's talking or cooperating really doesn't matter that much at this point because there is so much other. Not circumstantial evidence, but direct evidence.

A (77:19)

Now, Governor, you told reporters the day at a press conference announcing his Capture, quote, For 33 hours I was praying that if this had to happen here that it wouldn't be one of us, that somebody drove from another state, somebody came from another country. Sadly, that prayer was not answered the way I hoped for. What did you mean by that quote, sir?

D (77:40)

Yeah, well, I said what every single governor in these situations says. I prefaced that by I was talking to the people of Utah.

B (77:47)

Sure.

D (77:47)

What I hoped was that this person was not from Utah. I didn't care, you know, what I've been accused of being a racist for saying that or, or some microaggressions or something. I didn't want it to be a white person from Utah. I didn't want it to be a black person from Utah. I didn't want it to be a brown person from Utah. I didn't want it to be a Muslim from Utah. I didn't want it to be a Latter Day Saint, a Mormon from Utah. I was hoping that it was, you know, someone from Russia or someone from another state, because this. Something shattered in us as a people. Utah is a special place. Stephen A. I know you've been out here before, full of really, really great people who care about each other. We lead the nation service every year. We lead the nation in charitable giving every year. We care about our neighbors. We. It's a special place and we didn't want to think that someone from here could do something like this. And as I talked to my fellow governors who have been in terrible situations like this, they all think the same thing. We hope it's somebody from somewhere else so that that spotlight doesn't shine even brighter on us in such a negative way. And that's all I was expressing again, off the cuff. Just these raw feelings that I was feeling in that moment.

A (78:59)

I totally get and I totally appreciate you providing that explanation. Let me move on to a subject that's even greater for me at this particular moment in time, especially than it was a week ago, than it was a month ago or even a year ago. And when we're talking about the level of political violence in this country recognizing that it appears to be at an all time high, we've got to acknowledge that it appears to be that way on both sides. You made a plea for both parties to tone down the vitriolic rhetoric. How do we get there? I have to ask you, Governor Cox, when there's a president who continues to excoriate the left, how do we get there?

D (79:35)

Sure, I've said many times and look, I just want to again be fair to the president. Yesterday he said, again, he said nonviolence. He agreed with me and my message. He called me after that press conference and thanked me for sharing those words. Charlie preached nonviolence, that we have to engage and have these discussions. But here's the thing, Stephen, a like look, it is if we're going to wait for a president or a governor, a politician to get us out of this very dark place that we're in, it is never going to happen. Maybe you can do it. I certainly hope so. That's why I said yes to coming on to this program, because you do have a very large voice. But I truly believe that every single one of us, every single American, we have to ask ourselves, is this what we want? And if it is not, and I hope it's not, I believe it's not for the vast majority of the country. In fact, we have polling that shows that 70% of Americans hate what is happening in politics in our country. And that's before we had this assassination. So are we going to be part of the solution? And the way we solve this is we get offline. We stop. We stop sharing stuff that tears others down. Building is hard. Tearing down is easy. We need a nation of builders. Go out and serve your neighbors. Service makes us stronger. It helps us come together. Start talking to people who are different than you. That's what I admire. You do this all the time. You bring people on that you disagree with. You have debates, whether it's sports or politics or whatever it is, we can have these conversations without violence and we.

A (81:04)

Can build each other up without violence. Absolutely right. And I'm with you. But I got to tell you, I want to express what I feel here and interject without a question, but more so of a statement and get your opinion about where I'm coming from. It clearly is on the the onus is on the American side, citizen, to come together to be decent and humane and to understand that there are lines that we should never cross with one another. That to live and let live to some degree, to a strong degree, certainly without invoking Any kind of violence whatsoever is something that should be the order of the day. But the reason why I point a finger at Capitol Hill is because unlike sports, and I often say this to people all the time, we see fanatics. You got a Utah Jazz fan, you're a Chicago Bull fan, you're a Nick fan. You know what you have to do. You turn the channel or you're watching your team and you're hoping they kick the other teams, you know what, you know, go out there and beat them, et cetera, et cetera. If you don't like what you're seeing, if you don't like what's transpiring or whatever, you can turn the channel. And at the end of the day, it's just a game and it's a product and a brand. You don't have to patronize if you don't want to. I've often explained that the difference between politics and sports is that you have politicians on Capitol Hill who, who literally are in a position to dramatically impact, not just influence, but impact our lives, the economy, health care, immigration, safety in the streets, affordability, et cetera. All of these things are going on. And when people view themselves as being relatively helpless and at the mercy of what's transpiring, whether it be on Capitol Hill or in state houses and state legislatures across the country, that, to me, is where the ayah comes from. Which is why I think it's even more important that decorum amongst both sides is shown. Because if you present an imagery of calmness and a willingness to compromise, listen to one another and negotiate without engaging in vitriolic language, or, dare I say, behavior towards one another, then you're showing that there indeed is sanity, therefore it can trickle down to the rest the of. Of us and give us the notion we don't have to go this far. That's where I'm coming from with it. Do you disagree with anything that I just said?

C (83:12)

So.

D (83:12)

So I don't disagree, but I'm going to push back just a little bit. And the way, the way I would do that is to say this. I believe that every single one of us has our agency. That's, that's part of my faith tradition that we get to choose. I hate this idea that we are helpless. I think we're spreading too much of that, that we, that we're just helpless. And whatever they say, I don't wake up every morning saying, thinking, whatever the President says, that's how I'm going to react to treat my, my, My neighbor today, I don't disagree with you that we do need people of elected office to work together and come together and see if we can't find a better way forward. But here's the thing. We have this. Today is Constitution Day and we're celebrating the constitution. We're celebrating 250 years of the Declaration of Independence. We the people get to decide. And if we don't like the way our elected leaders are acting, then we should support someone else. There is a market failure in this country, a market failure amongst both parties. People don't like what's happening in politics, but we keep voting for people who continue to divide. And I put myself in that category. Sometimes I'm divisive. I need to be better. I'm trying much harder. But I think our politicians are a reflection of we the people. I don't think we the people are a reflection of our political leaders. And so I think we the people need to wake up and decide that we're going to be better. And then we can. This is the Constitution gives us this framework where we can push back and we can elect someone different who is going to try to bring us together.

A (84:41)

Well, fair enough. But what do you think about when Vice President Vance, JD Vance guest hosted Charlie Kirk's podcast and stated that the administration plans to crack down on, quote, left leaning organizations in the name of slain conservative. Of the slain conservative activists. Is that an appropriate move in your opinion, based on the kind of discussion that we're having right now?

D (85:00)

So I'm very concerned. Anytime we use government authority to crack down on any type of group now, we do need to find out where extremism exists. Of course, I think it is absolutely fair to have a conversation about. We need to do a deep dive, figure out everything that this person had been into. I think social media is a big cancer. I think we need to do more there. For sure. I would be concerned if someone on the left was saying, and by the way, it's happened, it's happened before, that we're going to crack down, we're going to use the IRS data to crack down on conservatives. I didn't like it when that happened and I'm not going to support it if my party's trying to do the same thing. What we need to do though is again, we need to hold people accountable for the things that they do wrong. Figure out what it is that's poisoning the mind, especially of young men. I think it's this, this deep, dark Internet culture. I think it's social media, the algorithms where these Companies with trillion dollar market caps. If you want to point a finger somewhere, that's where I would be pointing the finger. These companies are making money off of stealing our free will, especially from our kids, getting them addicted to their apps, using outrage with the dopamine hit to make all of us outraged and hating each other. And that's something we can do something about.

A (86:14)

So you believe that in the United States of America, particularly with our youth, our will is being stolen, their will is being stolen from these kids because of social media and things of that. You're, you're of that thinking right now?

D (86:26)

I am of that thinking. Again, there, there is something very addicting these algorithms and the, the data that they're taking from us, especially our kids. Again, we don't do this anywhere else. In any other, in any other part of the economy where we allow a company to contract with our kids to steal their data.

C (86:43)

Right.

D (86:44)

And with adults too, obviously we're doing this. But what they're doing is they figured out how to keep us addicted to these apps with these dopamine hits. And the algorithms know us better than ourselves. It's why a kid at 4 o' clock in the morning will be stuck scrolling on TikTok nonstop. Because they can't break free. They're an addict. No different than gambling or fentanyl or any other type of addiction.

A (87:05)

Wow. You know, you're also the chair of the National Governors association and have an initiative for called Disagree Better where you work across party lines with blue state governors. What does the initiative do to affect change, number one, and how, if at all, is it doing when it comes to affecting the kind of change you're talking about what you just finished talking about just now?

D (87:27)

Yeah, you know, so we, we worked together. I was actually the chair last year. I'm not the chair this year, but my initiative was called Disagree Better. And the whole point of that was we were using research. There are a amazing researchers across the country. The Depolarization lab at Stanford is doing a lot of this work and what they found is if you, if you actually can get like a red governor and a blue governor in an ad together talking about how they disagree but they don't hate each other, it does have, as you mentioned earlier, the ability to lower the temperature a bit. People have less feelings of actually violence. They were able to measure this in an interesting study they did with thousands of people. So we're trying to do more, more of that. We are trying to get more governors together on stages, on videos, commercials, talking about how we can disagree without out hating each other. I will say that in Utah, we have passed the most stringent social media bills anywhere in the country. We're in litigation right now with some of the biggest companies on earth trying to get those through. But to protect our youth, lots of states are doing this. We've now gotten phones out of the classroom in Utah. A bunch of states are doing that as well. So we're starting to make some inroads.

A (88:35)

Have you spoken before I let you get on out of here? Governor Cox and I deeply appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to join me in my debut show. Thank you so much. I really do appreciate it. I want to ask you, have you taken the time to express to the president what you're feeling, along with your contemporaries who support you in terms of zoning in on the impact of social media and the detrimental effect it's had on our youth? Because you're talking about a president that has used social media more than any commander in chief in the history of this country. Although I know it just came recently, but my goodness, I mean, nobody uses it like him.

D (89:10)

That is absolutely true. We had some initial discussions around social media and some of the problems with social media. He was asked about that yesterday. I said in a press conference that I thought social media was a cancer. He said correctly, by the way, that there are some good parts of social media and some very bad parts of social media. And so I think he agrees conceptually with that. We're trying to figure out how do you keep the best parts of that and keep the worst parts at bay again, especially with our young people? And that's the piece I'm most worried about right now.

A (89:38)

Governor Cox, right here. Governor Spencer Cox for Utah, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule. I really, really appreciate. I know the last week has been incredibly trying, but people like myself and millions upon millions of others appreciate the words that you have expressed, appreciate the leadership that you've shown in that state in the aftermath of everything that's true transpired. Thank you so much for your time and it was an honor to sit here and talk with you. Thank you so much.

D (90:00)

Thank you. Stephen A.

A (90:01)

There you have it. Governor Spencer Cox from Utah right here on Straight Shooting with Stephen A. 866-967-6887 is the number to call up. That's 866-967-6897. Let's get to the phones. Before I take a break, let's go to Fernando in Rhode Island. You're live with Stephen A. What's going on? Fernando, how are you? Fernando, are you there? Okay, let's go to Chris in New York. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, Chris?

C (90:25)

How are you, Fernando? I sound like a Fernando to you?

A (90:30)

Well, first of all, you don't sound like that because you, you. You sound like Chris now. But the other line said Fernando. I'm sorry. What's up, Chris? Who is this? What? Chris is this now what Chris is this?

C (90:41)

Fernando is my code name when I call into radio. Because if I were to say this, this is Chris Cuomo, and I am here to question Stephen A. Smith.

A (90:52)

Oh, my God.

C (90:54)

Congratulate him and say you and I were talking about the potential to expand the conversation and to use a powerful platform like Sirius for exactly this. Congratulations. I love you and I respect you.

A (91:11)

Mad love to you, too, my brother. And thank you you for all the things you've taught me about the world of politics. I'm still learning. I'm still learning. But I gotta tell you, man, I can't thank you enough for. The love and support is right back at you. I love being on your show every weeknight on News Nation at 8pm You've taught me so much about the world of politics. I'm still learning, still growing. But thanks to people like yourself, mainly you. I can't thank you enough, my brother. I appreciate it, man. Thank you so much.

C (91:36)

Listen, I love the conversations. Cox has been the best. Senator Durbin said some good things in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's murder assassination in the hearing, but Governor Cox has been the best. He has been, arguably, the only elected executive official who is trying to find a way to bring us back together. And that's the most frightening part of this, except the obvious implications for Charlie Kirk's family, which are unforgivable.

A (92:05)

I got you. I got you. Chris Cuomo.

C (92:08)

Cuomo.

A (92:08)

On News Nation every weeknight, 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time, over the airways of News Nation. Thank you, my brother. Appreciate you. Love you, man. I'll talk to you soon. All right.

C (92:18)

Good luck. You're gonna blow it up.

A (92:20)

That's the intent. Always the intent, always the intent. 866-967-6887 is the number to call in right here. The Straight Shooter with Stephen A. 866-926-POTUS. You are listening to Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Back with your calls to close out the show in a minute. 52 minutes past hour number two on the debut of Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Coming at you every Wednesday evening. From 6 to 8pm Eastern Standard Time over the airways of SiriusXM Potage Channel 124. Let's get to the phones right now. Let's get to Fernando in Rhode Island. Are you there this time?

C (93:17)

I am. Can you hear me?

A (93:18)

Yes, I can. Pleasure. How are you? Go ahead.

C (93:22)

All right.

A (93:22)

Go ahead.

C (93:23)

I'm good. How are you?

A (93:24)

I'm doing all right. Let's go.

C (93:28)

Well, congrats on your new show. I was on the other show with the calls before. But my quick question to you is, you know, there's a lot of things that the commanders are getting their new stadium, but I want to know if you think the taxpayers should be putting up the hundreds of millions of dollars whereas the billionaires maybe should be the ones that are actually doing well.

A (93:49)

I don't have a problem. I don't have a problem with it, Fernando. And this regard. Let's just say, for example, the project cost $3 billion. I'm just throwing out a number because I don't remember the exact number. Let's say, for example, it cost. It cost $3 billion and owner Josh Harris is looking to put up $2 billion of his own money. Then I don't see any problem with the local government putting in a share of it when the economic. When the economic impact of it all stands to be incredibly beneficial for that low California. Now, it's not like you're getting nothing out of it. In the end, you're going to have a football stadium, you're going to have surrounding shops and businesses to patronize, et cetera, et cetera. And if you're in a position to benefit from that as a taxpayer, because there's restaurants, there's shops, people are being employed, et cetera, et cetera, that there's a financial windfall that comes from that that serves to benefit the taxpaying citizen. And in that regard, there's nothing wrong with asking the local government to make a contribution into that. Cause when there's a benefit, it's like an investment. And that's the way that I look at it. Fernando, I gotta run, but I appreciate that. Call. Call back when we could talk about that more further at a bit at a different time. Let's go to Devin in Chicago. You're live with Stephen A. Real quick. Devin, go ahead.

C (95:04)

Hey, Stephen A. How are you?

A (95:05)

I'm all right. Talk to me.

C (95:08)

If you were elected as president, what would be your first policy with changer and act?

A (95:14)

That's a difficult question for me. I haven't thought about that. I would tell you that it would be something to stir the economy in a very forward and positive direction. I don't think it would be a tariff war because I don't know. Even though that could potentially help long term, the short term effect of it I think would be relatively catastrophic. I wouldn't enjoy that. I would definitely be looking to fuel small businesses entrepreneurship so we can have jobs, people employed, having money in their pocket. And I would also mandate that everybody learn as much about AI as possible because new technology is not going anywhere. And you have to insist that people adapt to the changing times so they don't end up on the outside looking in and they fall by the wayside. We're only as strong as our weakest link. We can't be the richest nation in the world, but we got homelessness in the streets ravaging city after city after city. We can't have something like that. But it. So it would definitely fall along the line of economics. Make no mistake about it. That definitely would be me. Mike in la. You're live with Stephen. A real quick Mike, talk to me.

C (96:15)

Big fan of everything you do.

A (96:17)

Thank you.

C (96:17)

Just wanted to ask you a question. Have you heard about this Jimmy Kimmel being canned?

A (96:22)

I heard. Whoa. He was not canned. He was pulled off the air indefinitely. We don't know whether he was fired or not. His show has been pulled off the air because of the comments he made about Maga. A Maga and the Charlie.

C (96:38)

Yeah. So look outside of the last time he talked about the late, great Kobe Bryant, I really haven't heard too much sympathy from him from either side of the left or the right. Do you think that he knew he was on thin ice before he made those comments? Do you think he just went on the show?

A (96:57)

No, I think that everybody feels like they're on thin ice in light of what happened to Stephen Colbert and in light of President Trump's threats that Jimmy Kimmel was next. So I definitely think that he felt that he may have been thin ice. But here's the reality. I'm a huge fan of Jimmy Kimmel's. I filled in for him and hosted the Jimmy Kimmel Live show in August of 2021. One of my proudest moments, I did an 18 minute monologue, a comedic monologue, opening monologue. I'm still proud of that to this very day. I love him as a person. I love him, his talent, the whole bit. That does not make what he said right. And in the times that we're living in, you have to be very, very Careful about what you say when you open your mouth. And you can't associate a political group of people with a murderer. You can't do that. But that goes for both sides. President Trump shouldn't be coming out of his mouth talking about how, you know what, this was instigated and stirred on by the left. I love my man Sean Hannity. I love, you know, I love a lot of people in our business and our industry on both sides of the aisle. None of them should be doing that. Nobody should be doing that. That's how I feel about it. And you know, that individual, that was him, and it was a sick individual that murdered Charlie Kirk. And we should be focused on the fact that we don't need to be seeing anything like that in the streets of America, no matter where you are. We are a civilized society, okay? We're not supposed to conduct ourselves that way and we're not supposed to be condoning any such thing. And the only thing that I would say as it pertains to Jimmy Kimmel was where was the joke? Because you're a late night host and obviously that has a comedic attachment to it. Where was the joke? Obviously it wasn't anything funny about that. And so we have to take that into consideration and make sure that we play oppositions and understand what we can and cannot say because we have a responsibility when we have a camera and a microphone in front of us to articulate ourselves in an approach appropriate fashion. We can be dogged, we can be opinionated, we can provide perspectives, we could do a lot of things, but we could also be responsible while doing so. And that's the deal. So that's how I feel about it overall and that's that. But I wish him nothing but the best because he's an incredible talent and an incredible teammate on abc. And I'm always wishing him well. I don't have to always agree with him to wish him absolutely, positively nothing but the best because I really, really am a fan of his. That's it for this debut, a Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Right here on potus radio, channel 1 24. I will holla at you next Wednesday, 6:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Until then, peace and love, everybody. Take care.