The Tony Kinnett Cast – Ep. 390 LIVE w/ Sen. Eric Schmitt: 500+ Arrests in DC, Money Flows to Illegals in Blue States, Beijing Worried About Russia/Ukraine

Overview

In this episode, Tony Kinnett dives into major national news: the Trump administration's federally-directed crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. (featuring over 500 arrests), the controversial flow of government funds to illegal immigrants in blue states like Illinois, California, and Massachusetts, and the increasingly complicated geopolitical chessboard involving Russia, Ukraine, and a wary China. Kinnett is joined by Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) to discuss using the courts to fight left-wing initiatives, government transparency, and accountability. The episode closes with a wide-ranging mailbag, a humorous critique of Cracker Barrel’s rebranding, and listener Q&A on racism in politics, urban crime, and theology.

The tone is classic Kinnett: sharp, irreverent, and rapid-fire, with sarcastic quips mixed with detailed analysis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Polls and the Shifting Political Landscape

• Approval ratings for Trump and the GOP are bucking historical trends, moving upward instead of souring in an incumbent's first year.
• Democrats are facing a severe voter registration crisis: in 30 states (plus DC), they've lost 2.1 million registered voters since 2020, while Republicans gained an equivalent number.
• Kinnett attributes these shifts partly to the Trump administration’s aggressive moves on crime and immigration and declining trust in Democratic policy results.

"In these 30 states, Democrats lost 2.1 million voters between 2020 and 2024, whereas at the same time the Republican Party gained 2.1 million voters." — Tony Kinnett (03:20)

2. Law & Order: DC National Guard Deployment and Crime Crackdown

National Guard in DC

• Trump’s administration has federalized Washington, D.C.’s police and deployed 800 National Guardsmen to crime-ridden areas like Union Station.
• Kinnett contrasts the cleaner, safer stations and the presence of National Guard troops to the previous atmosphere of “vagrancy.”

Protests & Cultural Irony

• Pro-Palestine protests at Union Station were highlighted for their lack of diversity and earnest but, in Kinnett’s view, misguided activism.
• Kinnett mocks a protester over "cultural appropriation" for wearing a keffiyeh, highlighting perceived double standards.

Crime Data and FBI Involvement

• With National Guard and federal law enforcement involvement, D.C. has seen a reported 35% reduction in violent crime and over 500 arrests in a week. FBI Director Kash Patel reports 41 arrests (6 gun, 8 drug seizures) in one night.
• Kinnett suggests these swift improvements undercut progressive narratives about the intractability of crime in blue cities.

"In just the past nine days, we’ve seen a 35% reduction in violent crime... You can actually bring law and order to communities. You’ve just got to have the political willpower to do it." — Vice President J.D. Vance (08:11)

"In just one week alone, we have 550 total arrests of violent criminals, including dozens of firearms and 40 drug seizures." — FBI Director Kash Patel (10:38)

3. Immigration Policy and Blue State Controversies

Viral Video & Illegal Immigration

• Kinnett reviews the media uproar around the arrest of David Perez Tiofani, an illegal immigrant detained in DC.
• The arrested individual had a "final order of removal," prior felony charges (some dropped), and was previously arrested for aggravated sexual battery against a minor.

Liberal Response

• Outrage erupted from progressive and Never Trump commentators; Kinnett points out many deleted their sympathetic tweets after the facts emerged.
• Criticism is leveled at policies or attorneys (e.g., Fairfax County, VA) that drop charges against illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes.

[15:45] Interview with Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)

About the Book: "Last Line of Defense"

• Schmitt details his book as a "playbook" for conservatives to use the courts to defeat leftist legal initiatives, inspired by his successful tenure as Missouri Attorney General.

"Conservatives for a long time ceded too much territory there. We were fighting in the legislature... but not so much in the courts." (17:16)

Fighting COVID Regime & Government Secrecy

• Schmitt recounts taking depositions of Anthony Fauci and FBI agents about COVID policies, censorship, and transparency.
• He decries the rise of the "managerial class" and erosion of public trust via unelected experts and "fact checkers."

"The truth is they were obsessed with power and control... You have to get through the business of truth telling first to restore any kind of trust." (20:00, 24:13)

Supreme Court & Legal Wins

• Schmitt notes recent conservative victories in the courts, particularly with a more conservative-leaning Supreme Court.

“There’s no more nationwide injunctions. They're winning on deportations, all that sort of core stuff.” (18:07)

Administrative State & the War on Expertise

• Schmitt and Kinnett both rail against the notion of experts as unassailable authorities, referencing COVID-era measures and the stifling of dissent online and via government agencies.

4. State & Local Policy: Money Flowing to Illegal Immigrants

• In Illinois (Chicago), mayor Brandon Johnson allows flood relief applications regardless of immigration status, and orders city officials not to inquire about legal status.
• California (Gavin Newsom) and Massachusetts (Michelle Wu, Boston) are similarly directing resources to illegal immigrants, threatening business climates and prompting companies like Bed Bath & Beyond to leave the state.
• Critique that services (dental, etc.) are too freely given and taxpayers are “carrying the weight.”
• Notably, Rep. Corey Paris (CT) doxxed ICE officers and was defended by Sen. Richard Blumenthal—further polarizing the debate.

"The money is flowing towards illegal immigrants in the state of California, in the state of Illinois, and in the state of Massachusetts." — Tony Kinnett (28:37)

"That could’ve been any one of us. Yeah, I mean, if you break the law..." — Tony Kinnett mocking Sen. Blumenthal (36:10)

5. National Democratic Politics & Redistricting

• Discussion of Democrats’ sagging fortunes, with only Schumer seeing an uptick in approval.
• Texas Republican legislators pass a key redistricting bill, adding seats for the GOP.
• Kinnett lampoons Kamala Harris’ attempts to rally Texas Democrats after their walkout, mocking her incoherent encouragement.

"Here’s Kamala Harris calling the Texas House... History is going to reveal you to be super duper. It’s like she’s consoling a little league team who got spanked." (39:22)

• Quotes Gavin Newsom’s response to Bed Bath & Beyond: “F you.” as emblematic of blue state politicians' indifference to criticism.

6. International: Russia/Ukraine Negotiations and China’s Anxiety

Beijing’s Strategic Calculus

• With the US negotiating a possible peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, China is watching nervously.
• China prefers the war to continue, keeping the US “distracted” and avoiding focus on Beijing's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.

Security Guarantees

• Security arrangements on the table for Ukraine postwar may include Article 5-like guarantees—but Trump won’t approve US boots on the ground or NATO membership for Ukraine.
• Possibility discussed that British, French, or Dutch troops might serve as peacekeepers—a scenario China would not welcome.

Economic Leverage

• Trump’s use of tariffs and willingness to threaten Chinese trade is cited as a key lever but with no guarantee of success.
• Economic pressure may be substantial in forcing China’s hand, but both Kinnett and guest Virginia Allen warn against assuming Beijing would necessarily buckle.

"Their main concern is security of power and ensuring... the appearance of control." — Virginia Allen (54:55)

7. Listener Mailbag, Race, and Urban Crime

• Kinnett addresses questions about performative wokeness on the left, highlighting how some liberals openly admit to inherent racism as a kind of guilt release.
• He plays clips of left-leaning commentators arguing white people are inherently racist and criticizes this attitude as "patronizing, baby-voiced nonsense."

"If you’re white, yes, you are racist, even if you think you’re woke… Pretending you’re not racist only makes racism grow." — Unnamed TikTok commentator (59:39)

Urban Crime & National Guard

• Tony advocates deploying National Guard units to blue cities in red states and rebuts arguments that Republicans are “afraid of cities.”
• Mocks critics who frame urban crime concern as weakness in masculinity.

8. Culture Critique: Cracker Barrel’s New Logo

• Kinnett laments Cracker Barrel’s rebranding, which ditches its classic nostalgic style for generic corporate blandness.
• The segment ends with a comedic rant about "culture and texture" vanishing from American icons, and the perils of following soulless design trends.

9. Quick Theological Note: Can Trump "Earn His Way to Heaven"?

• Listener asks Kinnett for thoughts on Trump’s comment about ending the war to "get to heaven."
• Tony explains (seriously, but humorously) that Christian doctrine is not about earning salvation via deeds (“nowhere does it say you get a balance sheet at the gates of heaven”), emphasizing faith in Christ as the Christian route to salvation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On cultural protests in DC:

"The IQ in that room rose considerably as soon as that protester crew caught their Ubers back home—not riding public transportation, because they don’t actually do that." — Tony Kinnett (07:41)

On crime reduction after National Guard deployment:

"In just the past nine days, we've seen a 35% reduction in violent crime… We do not have to allow our cities to be taken over by violence and by disorder and by chaos." — J.D. Vance (08:11)

On performative wokeness:

"If you’re white, yes, you are racist, even if you think you’re woke… Pretending you’re not racist only makes racism grow." — TikTok commentator (59:39)

On Cracker Barrel’s rebrand:

"No one’s asking for Cracker Barrel to remodel. No, I don’t believe you… Applebee’s, with its license plates on the wall, has more personality than these redesigns." — Tony Kinnett (72:16)

On China and Russia:

"China, for their purposes, they want to see this war continue. They don’t want it to stop because they’re worried that the moment it does…the US is really going to turn its attention on China." — Virginia Allen (49:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:20] – Voter registration crisis for Democrats and GOP gains.
• [05:43] – Union Station protests and cultural appropriation tussle.
• [08:11] – J.D. Vance on crime stats and National Guard impact.
• [10:38] – FBI Director Kash Patel reports arrest and seizure figures.
• [13:45] – Viral illegal immigrant arrest video and media narrative collapse.
• [16:10-27:53] – Sen. Eric Schmitt Interview: Using courts to fight the left, legal battles, and deep state transparency.
• [28:37-36:45] – Money funneled to illegal immigrants in Chicago, California, Massachusetts. Business backlash and politics.
• [38:20] – Texas GOP wins redistricting fight.
• [39:22] – Kamala Harris' awkward pep talk to Texas Democrats.
• [46:59-57:20] – Russia/Ukraine negotiations, China’s economic anxiety (with Virginia Allen).
• [59:39] – TikTok monologue on inherent white racism, Kinnett’s critique.
• [60:25] – Urban crime talk: National Guard in blue cities, critics mocked.
• [68:07] – Cracker Barrel’s rebranding, Kinnett’s graphic design diatribe.
• [75:55] – Theological Q&A: “Can Trump earn his way to heaven?”

Final Thoughts

This episode combines political hardball, national security analysis, humorous jabs at cultural and media elites, and a healthy disdain for bureaucratic overreach and “expert worship.” Kinnett’s conversations—particularly with Sen. Schmitt and Virginia Allen—are candid and combative. The show closes with direct listener engagement, reinforcing why it’s become one of the fastest-growing political podcasts.

Summary prepared by The Tony Kinnett Cast Summarizer — 2025