The Values of Our Youth: VDH Interviews Julie Banderas

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Victor Davis Hanson Show – "The Values of Our Youth: VDH Interviews Julie Banderas"

Release Date: June 4, 2025

In this engaging episode of The Victor Davis Hanson Show, hosts Victor Davis Hanson and Jack Fowler are joined by Julie Banderas, a prominent advocate for traditional values and author of the children's book "A Monumental Mistake." The conversation delves deep into the erosion of societal values among the youth, the role of parenting, media influence, and the current political climate. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key discussions and insights shared during the episode.

---

1. The Decline of Traditional Values in Youth

Jack Fowler initiates the discussion by addressing a growing concern: the lack of reverence among younger generations for the traditions and legacies left by previous generations.

"I went back and looked at a lot of things you've said. You're one person who's... concern that we deprecate people who came before us..." ([01:37])

Julie Banderas concurs, emphasizing the critical role parents play in instilling respect and positive historical lessons in children.

"I think the parents are dropping the ball. And I think it's time for the parents to teach positive lessons about history." ([02:06])

She highlights alarming trends of disrespect and hatred among youth, linking these behaviors to deficiencies in parental guidance.

"I have been seeing disrespect in this country since my kids were toddlers. But now more and more I think that it's gotten worse and it's time to take it back." ([02:45])

---

2. Parenting and Instilling Respect

The conversation shifts to practical measures parents can take to foster respectful behavior in children. Julie shares her personal approach to parenting, underscoring the importance of language and decorum.

"None of my children are allowed to even say the word hate in my house... they don't say any derogatory words." ([03:13])

Jack adds his observations about declining decorum in public settings, noting the prevalence of profanity and disrespect.

"...the F word... it tends to be more on the left, although there are people on the right." ([05:00])

Julie reinforces the necessity of teaching children polite disagreement and respect for differing opinions.

"It's not okay to dislike someone, to disagree politely, that's okay." ([04:25])

---

3. Media Influence and Political Divide

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around media bias and its impact on societal divisions. Julie critiques mainstream media for perpetuating a left-leaning agenda, which she believes exacerbates hatred and misinformation.

"The media is 100 to blame for it. They've been brainwashed. Our kids have been brainwashed by parents who are watching mainstream media." ([41:06])

She laments the lack of accountability in media, particularly highlighting instances where journalists have misled the public.

"That is irresponsible and any journalist should lose their jobs for that." ([16:10])

Jack echoes these sentiments, recounting his experiences with media figures like Jake Tapper and expressing frustration over the lack of responsibility taken by certain journalists.

"...you believe that if Fox News Channel tells it, then it must be fake news or a lie." ([40:17])

---

4. Education and Institutional Failures

The hosts and Julie delve into the failures of higher education institutions to uphold traditional values. Julie shares her skepticism about liberal universities and advocates for alternatives like Christian schools and Hillsdale College.

"I think our next generation is doomed... they see a worldview that's 90% of the faculty would be negative about the United States." ([44:34])

She criticizes the lack of enforced rules and the overemphasis on race and gender issues in academic settings.

"...if Hamas wants to set up a camp and damn Israel every day they would be given exemption laxative. Nobody would enforce it." ([52:35])

---

5. Julie Banderas’ Career and Advocacy

Julie Banderas provides an insightful look into her professional life and her commitment to promoting traditional values through media and literature.

a. Career in Journalism

Starting her career in local news, Julie discusses her transition to Fox News Channel in 2005, recognizing it as the only major network that aligned with her conservative views.

"I have been there ever since. And I've stopped looking for jobs... it's not a place that I would ever leave." ([30:07])

She shares her disdain for mainstream media outlets like CNN and MSNBC, critiquing their anchors' hostile demeanor.

"She is angry like nobody... I want to see someone who is pleasant and is not hateful toward the people that they're talking about." ([31:46])

b. Authorship and Children's Literature

Julie discusses her children's book, "A Monumental Mistake," aimed at teaching respect and traditional values to young readers. She elaborates on the collaborative process with Brave Books and the book’s reception.

"I think that these books are important because they do... go back to American traditional values." ([22:43])

She also hints at future projects, including an autobiography that will explore her personal and professional growth.

"Eventually I'm going to be writing an autobiography... to help them make smarter choices when they go into their careers." ([53:14])

---

6. Personal Anecdotes and Family Life

The episode takes a personal turn as Julie shares stories from her life, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of her motivations and values.

a. Balancing Career and Motherhood

Julie describes her demanding daily routine as a single mother working with Fox News, juggling early mornings, long commutes, and limited sleep.

"I get up at 5:30... I go to bed the second I get home. If I get four hours, I'm lucky because I got to get the older ones to bed." ([24:51]–[26:09])

b. Family Heritage and Name Change

She recounts the story behind her name change from Bidwell to Banderas, highlighting the pressures of appealing to a broader demographic in New York City.

"My mother was Colombian... I was asked to go with my mother's maiden name to appeal to the Hispanic demographic." ([44:33])

Julie explains her resistance to adopting a non-authentic name and the eventual compromise that led to her current professional identity.

"She said, how about Banderas? Antonio Banderas? You can keep your initials. And I said, done." ([46:00])

c. Mother's Influence and Upbringing

Julie shares heartfelt stories about her mother's strict upbringing and the cultural expectations that shaped her own values and approach to parenting.

"My mother was so innocent, like there was no goodnight kiss... that was my grandmother's way of enforcing discipline." ([47:11])

---

7. Future Endeavors and Closing Thoughts

As the conversation wraps up, Julie expresses her aspirations to continue advocating for traditional values through her work and future publications.

"Bravebooks.com thank you so much. It was so lovely talking to you." ([54:20])

Jack and Victor encourage listeners to support her work and reflect on the importance of re-establishing foundational values in society.

---

Notable Quotes

• Julie Banderas ([02:06]): "I think the parents are dropping the ball. And I think it's time for the parents to teach positive lessons about history."

• Julie Banderas ([04:25]): "It's not okay to dislike someone, to disagree politely, that's okay."

• Julie Banderas ([16:10]): "That is irresponsible and any journalist should lose their jobs for that."

• Julie Banderas ([31:46]): "It's filled with venom. You know, I want to see someone who is pleasant and is not hateful toward the people that they're talking about."

• Julie Banderas ([41:06]): "The media is 100 to blame for it. They've been brainwashed. Our kids have been brainwashed by parents who are watching mainstream media."

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Victor Davis Hanson Show offers a compelling exploration of the challenges facing today's youth in maintaining traditional values. Through Julie Banderas' insightful commentary and personal experiences, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the interplay between parenting, media influence, and societal changes. The discussion underscores the urgent need for parents and educators to actively cultivate respect and responsibility in the next generation to counteract the prevailing trends of disrespect and division.

---

Transcript

[Victor Davis Hanson]

Let's face it, our health care system is no longer serving the people it was designed to help. Appointments take weeks only to end in a rushed five minute consultation. Prescriptions are delayed, bureaucratic red tape gets in the way and treatment options are limited to what some agency deems acceptable. It's inefficient, impersonal and increasingly untrustworthy. That's why all family pharmacy is different. They believe in medical freedom. Your right to choose what works best for your health alongside a doctor who respects that choice. No interference from government regulators or insurance companies. Ordering a simple and direct skip the waiting rooms and the long pharmacy lines. Just go online, place your order and your medications are shipped right to your door. They carry over 200 medications, including trusted names like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, mebenzidol, antibiotics and other essential treatments your family may need. You can also order emergency kits, customize your supply or buy in bulk to be fully prepared. Over 100,000Americans have already made the switch to all family pharmacy. Perhaps now is the time for you to do the same. Visit allfamilypharmacy.com Victor and use the promo code Victor10 to get 10% off your first order. That's all family pharmacy.com Victor take back control of your health on your terms.

[Unknown Host]

Julie, it's so nice to have you here.

[Julie Banderas]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Unknown Host]

Yes. So you're. I went to in preparation. I went back and looked at a lot of things you've said. You're one person who's. I guess and I have the same concerns that we deprecate people who came before us or handed down these traditions that were not this particular generation. I don't know if it started with the boomers, but doesn't show reverence for the world they inherited or the people who gave us this inheritance. And one way you wanted to address that was through a children's book?

[Julie Banderas]

Yes. First of all, I think that the parents are dropping the ball. And I think it's time for the parents to teach positive lessons about history. Teaching our children to respect those who came before us and to respect their peers and to respect those in society and their authority figures such as teachers, law enforcement. How many times have we heard stories in the news where older college students who were raised by parents maybe that lacked this sort of lesson at home are now doing these hateful things on college campuses, preaching against, you know, or for antisemitism. It's just the hatred level in this country as an all time high you talked about the baby boomer generation. When did this all start? I believe the political divide right now has hit an all time low. And I do believe it started in 2016, but it obviously was in existence well before then. Since I was a mother, My oldest is 15. I've been seeing disrespect in this country since my kids were toddlers. But now more and more I think that it's gotten worse and it's time to take it back. Otherwise, if we don't, our next generation is doomed.

[Unknown Host]

Are you worried about where you're going to send your kids to college, the three of them?

[Julie Banderas]

Very much so. And I will certainly not be sending them to these liberal schools that allow for hatred. Hatred seems to be the norm. It's almost as if you can in hatred these days. And that's why my kids go to Christian schools. And they have a different moral and value scale there where they don't allow bad language. My child, none of my children are allowed to even say the word hate in my house. I mean that's how strict I am. Never mind the curse words, okay? They don't say the words. Shut up. They don't say any derogatory words. But the word hate is like the number one word that is never allowed in our household until this day. I have a 15 year old. A 15. Now if you're, you know how most 15 year olds are okay, when she highly dislikes something she says I each word that and some of my friends have overheard my 15 year old and they're like, she must be talking about hell or like another really bad word which they would never say hell. Right. That's a curse word in my, my, in my book for my kids. But that's the way my children speak. And I'm not saying everyone needs to parent their children as conservatively as I do, but to teach them that the word hate is not okay to hate those that are around you because they disagree with you. It's not okay to dislike someone, to disagree politely, that's okay. But that those are the lessons that are lacking our parents.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, I agree. I think all of us have to kind of react in the opposite direction. I know that on our podcast we one time one of us said the said hell and we got a lot of people angry. But yeah, the F word. What I've been really shocked about, especially with young kids listening is yeah, it tends to be more on the left, although there are people on the right. But if you notice how they cut a video, the Senate Liberables where they use shit again and again and again they use the F word. It's just. It. It's just.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

I never imagined that. And it's part of the general course. And I. When you fly today, and I just wrote a little thing on our blog today. It's. People show up in beach wear yoga pants. There's no respect for the people next to them about decorum. They. They bring in taco belt boats or something Frito right in front of you. And then when they. They announce group one, Group four goes. And it just. It's a general coarsening. And I think all of us. I just gave the graduation speech at Hillsdale College. That's something you might consider because it. It's. It's trying to inculcate tradition. And what I like about it, and I think this is something that you've talked about, is that it's so pernicious to take the mores or the customs of today and then retrofit them back on prior generations when people were so poor it was hard to just survive one more day. And we say, well, they didn't know any. They didn't respect transgenderism or they didn't do this well. They were working 15 hours a day to survive. They didn't have antibiotics. They didn't have anything that we have. And yet we. We want them to be perfect. And if they're not perfect, they're not good. I really don't like that trait. Both in our generation. I think our generation started at the borders that to condemn entire generations that we. None of us could survive Okinawa or Normandy beach or flying in about 17. And yet we. We. Damn those people, if I could use that word, nonetheless. But profane sense. And then the same thing is, have you noticed about these people in a therapeutic sense or psychodramatic, they start to. They start to fault their parents when they get about 30 or 40. And all their disappointments then can be explained by a parent who didn't meet their expectation.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah, that's a really good point. And, you know, maybe part of it is right, but the other part is this expectation to be given everything and not have to earn it and not have to work for it. You know, and. And those who came before us, those who fought in wars that entitled us to our freed. It doesn't mean we're entitled to freedom. It's because we are so fortunate that those who fought and were here before us gained us our freedom. And we should appreciate that and show gratitude and show humility, and those are characters that you don't see in young people these days. And it's really upsetting. You mentioned the airplane thing, the whole decor. I mean, that's so funny that you mentioned that, because my parents were very conservative. And every time that we got on a plane, you'd think we were going to church. I mean, we were in our Sunday best. I'm talking skirts and little pump heels and I mean, I looked like I was going out to the opera and I was stepping foot on a plane. But that was how my parents presented us. You know, when we go out on a plane, you were supposed to be dressed presentable. And now people are going into schools in their pajamas, for example. I know public school kids dress right. Pajamas and slippers.

[Unknown Host]

How is that acceptable when you're raising your own children? And that's obviously reflected in your book, both the experience of doing that and then the prognosis of trying to enlighten larger society. But do you feel that it's almost a 24 hour struggle for their decorum, their clothing, their language? It is that you're a kind of an island in a vast sea of it.

[Julie Banderas]

100% is because I have taught my children to behave a certain way, to respect others and to be polite and courteous. And all that work sometimes takes several steps back after they got home from school. So, you know, all the work that I've done when they, you know, I have a daughter who's right now in public school only for this year. And then we're going back to private. My kids have been in private Catholic schools their whole lives. But she sees how the other kids dress. And then she tries to walk out of the house with like, slipper uggs. And I'm like, no, no, those are slippers. You are not going to school. Everybody else does. I don't want to hear it. I have a certain rule. And we walk out presentable. And you will be respect. Respectfully dressed. You know, you're going into a school where the teachers are expected to dress a certain way. Why should you dress as a slob? So I think that's just sort of a disrespectful way in presenting yourself. You wouldn't go to a job interview dressed like that. I mean, what are we preparing our future for?

[Unknown Host]

I don't know. I think, I mean, I grew up and I was born in 53, and I remember growing up in the late 50s and 60s. And I guess we would call it a shame culture. Everybody faults a shame culture because it's supposed to be pre Pre modern. But there was one thing about was kind of a deterrent to bad behavior. So if somebody I remember in my freshman year a guy broke into the local foster freeze and you know what the local paper said? It said John Smith, age 15. No, no, no latitude. But he's a juvenile son of Mr. And Mrs. At 16 Selma is now a Q is now facing charges and his parents express deep regret in the way and promise to make restitution to the owner of foster free. That's completely. Today that would be considered child. But it was based on shame. You don't want to shame your ancestors or your family name.

[Julie Banderas]

First of all, it's based on accountability. That's what that was. I bet you that 15 year old never did that again. Right? But now not only are these kids getting away with it, the parents are defending them and they're not punishing them.

[Unknown Host]

I know I had a grant. I'm speaking on the farm. I commute to Stanford, but I'm on my farm today.

[Julie Banderas]

Okay.

[Unknown Host]

And it's been in my family six generations. But I can remember my grandfather telling me, when you go to town, I don't want to see a cigarette hanging out of your mouth and I don't want you drinking. But remember your middle name is Davis and your last name is Hanson. That was my maternal name. His name was Davis. And if you do anything, you not only disrespect you, but me and all of our ancestors. And that seems like it's out of Roman history today. It's so ancient. But I wish I'm starting to get a little indication that this young generation is all generations rebel. But maybe they're rebelling against this left permissive therapeutic culture. I see a little bit of hope is what I'm trying to say.

[Julie Banderas]

I think this last election a lot of youth started to have an awakening. And I hope that they're starting to see the, the, the, the hardcore leftist liberal woke agenda is nothing but hateful. I mean, and they accuse Republicans and conservatives of being hateful by being discriminatory, by being racist for not for not saying it's okay for a trans woman to participate in women's sports. It's not about being anti lgbtq. That's not what this is all about. It's about fairness and it's about earnings. A place. Right. You can't win a track competition when you're a biological woman racing up against a biological man. I mean, biologically speaking, men are faster and stronger.

[Unknown Host]

So I did an interview. I think that's a really Good point. I did an interview the other day when somebody asked me, you wrote something and transgendered people are just the same as biological people. And I said, if that is true, why do biological men who transition to women kind of warp or weaponize the sport and win? But women, biological women who buy, who transform to men, never win any male. They never do, you know what I mean? Because they're biologically a woman. They're framed, they're muscles. So transgenderism is not quite what you're saying, as a separate third sex.

[Julie Banderas]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

Because if it were, then, you know, it wouldn't make any difference if you were biological men or women, you could, you could compete equally in the particular sport you trans, you transition to. But it's not true, right? It's really weird how the left has embraced this, the so called feminist left, that it's really destroying the aspirations of thousands of young girls.

[Julie Banderas]

I just can't understand that. I mean, I have two daughters, and if I ever had a trans female in the same locker room as one of my daughters, and that's a biological male changing in a locker room or sharing a bathroom. I mean, I personally am offended when there's unisex bathrooms in New York City now. You know, there's all of these bathrooms. He, she and I hadn't experienced that because I moved out during the pandemic. So since the pandemic, there's all these unisex bathrooms. I was in the bathroom one day. Now they're all like separate doors, you know, with locks. Right. But then I go out to wash my hands, and next thing you know, this man walks up next to me and is washing his hands. It took me back. I mean, it freaked me out. I was thinking, oh, my God, how did this man. Why is this man in the bathroom? And then I walked out of the bathroom and I looked at the sign out front and it said, men and women. What. What world are we living in? Why is this. Okay, I don't even understand how politics has anything to do with safety. I don't want to be in the bathroom with me.

[Unknown Host]

Let me ask you, because you're a Fox regular, you're a nationwide media figure, but as you were ascending, to what degree, if you look back on your career, did your traditionalist, or if I could use the word conservative, social culture, whatever.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

To what degree did that affect your career or did you ever. That ever come up? Because that was a minority point of view.

[Julie Banderas]

No, it was. I have to say, I worked in local news for many years, so I started my career in 1997 was my very first job in television. It was for an ABC affiliate, but we were all news. There was no opinion. So opinion really wasn't a thing. When I started news, it wasn't until the Fox News channel, the CNNs and the MSNBCs came around. You know, the mainstream broadcast media, the networks, abc, NBC, cbs, Nightly News, they've always tilted to the left. But in local news you do not express opinion. So I never said the word I. You know, I would never say I believe it's always they say or you would source it. You know, I was very careful about that. It was once I started working at Fox News Channel and it was touted as being fair and balanced and I didn't quite understand what that meant because I, I saw Fox News Channel and knew that Fox News Channel was considered conservative and a lot of people called it a Republican right leaning bias. What I realized after working at Fox News Channel, it wasn't until I started there in 2005 in fact, and I had been in the business for some time by that point, that it was the other side that was biased. So all the media was left and then you have Fox News Channel all by itself. So this is the mainstream media and this is Fox. Right. And so Fox was considered biased because it was expressing the one view that you never heard over here. But this view has been dominant for so long that the damage has been done. I mean you look at the news just this week alone when you've got the Jake Tappers of the world that have come out to admit that they lied for the former President because he was a Democrat, only because he was a Democrat. He wasn't best friends with Joe Biden. He lied because he was dishonest to the American public to prevent a Republican from taking office. That is so irresponsible and any journalist should lose their jobs for that.

[Unknown Host]

I thought so. I just finished a few minutes ago a two hour interview with Megyn Kelly who had him on yesterday.

[Julie Banderas]

She's a good friend of mine. Yeah, I saw the board.

[Unknown Host]

I thought that was an excellent interview on her part. But what was even more shocking is he would have never come out and said anything if Joe Biden had been President now. So it's only after that he has no power to reward or punish Jake Tapper. And then the second thing he would have, he never would have said anything unless he had a book out. And then once the book out, third, he's saying this because obviously his publishers called him and said we've Got a problem? This is a tell all, tall tell all book that you co authored. But things have changed so rapidly. The narrative now is that Joe Biden is a pariah and you're on record blasting people who said he was. So you're going to have to come out. And then he went out and hired, he hired a specialist that had worked on how to rehabilitate. You know, he, he was, he used the word I feel humility. What does that mean? I feel humility. He didn't apologize, he didn't say, I did a lot of damage. And then it doesn't end. Now we're supposed to believe that Joe Biden got his last PSA prostate antigen test in 2014. Did anybody believe that after.

[Julie Banderas]

No, no, absolutely not. When he was 70 years old. You know, there are some people that say that they stopped testing after 70. That makes no sense. It's a simple blood, it's a simple blood test.

[Unknown Host]

You know, the President of the United States.

[Julie Banderas]

The President of the United States is going to be tested for everything. So that's not true. That's just simply not true. But it doesn't surprise me. Obviously. It doesn't surprise you. Doesn't surprise anybody.

[Unknown Host]

It, it's so weird though is that when you look back at this, there was, there was a Russian collusion that was all concocted. The dossier was, and then we had laptop disinformation, right, the 51 intelligence authorities. Then we had all these pollsters that were telling us, I think the NBA, the NPR, PBS final poll on election night of 2024 said that Kamala Harris was going to win by four points beyond the measure of error. And she, she obviously lost by a point and a half. But all of those polls that had her ahead and the only ones that didn't were the ones that were always accurate. Rasmussen, Trafalgar insider advantage but the point I'm making is that they never apologize. And then we're told that all the inside polls for Kamala Harris always said that she was going to lose. That's the ones that are accurate because you pay for them.

[Julie Banderas]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

So they were all lying. And yet I just saw the hundred day evaluation of Trump once again. Rasmussen, Trafalgar inside the one they all said he was either equal or a couple of points approval. And every, every one of those discredited had him down as much as eight points. They just keep doing it. There's no consequences for lying and distortion. And that's what's, I think that's what's so bothersome. It gets, I think, what happens to a lot of people on the conservative side, they look at this sometimes and they get overwhelmed and they just kind of throw up their hands.

[Julie Banderas]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

Give up. That's why I think you've been really good on television and I, you know, my wife's a big fan of yours. The gut feel when you're out, I think it's really important to be outspoken and just not to try to round the edges or anything. That's the biggest problem we have.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah. No, I think the biggest problem is that we're at a place in this country where people are very ignorant and they are very naive and they believe everything they hear. And I'm hoping that this round, after this election, that people actually are starting to see the truth. I mean, when you hear Democrats come out and say that they don't believe that illegal criminals who have raped and maimed and murdered Americans should be deported, you know there's a problem. Those are the people that you voted into office. If it were your sister, if it were your mother, if it were your daughter and she was raped, would you feel the same way? I don't think so. How could you possibly protect an illegal criminal from being deported and thrown into a prison in El Salvador or in any other prison, as long as it's not in our country? That's when you know we have a fundamental problem. When you have Americans who are elected officials who are not trying to protect their fellow Americans, why are they in office?

[Unknown Host]

I don't know. I thought I was watching today, the clips of Marco Rubio. He was wonderful when he was amazing.

[Julie Banderas]

He was amazing.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Involved. Senator Van Hollen was a complete demagogue and he just, he just, he didn't back down. And he. That's very important that the Trump appointees are not like the first administration appointees. They don't take it anymore and they get back. That's very important.

[Victor Davis Hanson]

In today's fast moving world, your team needs to stay connected to your customers without mixed messages, communication silos, or slow phone systems. A flexible and efficient business phone system isn't just nice to have, it's essential to succeed. Enter OpenPhone. OpenPhone is the number one business phone system that streamlines and scales your customer communications. It works through an app on your phone or computer. So no more carrying two phones or using a landline. With OpenPhone, your team can share one number and collaborate on customer calls and texts like a shared inbox. That way any teammate can pick up right where the last person left off, keeping response times faster than ever. Plus with AI powered call transcripts and summaries, you'll be able to automate follow ups, ensuring you'll never miss a customer interaction again. So whether you're a one person operation drowning in calls and texts, or have a large team that needs better collaboration tools, Openphone is a no brainer. See why over 50,000 businesses trust Openphone to manage their businesses calls and texts. Openphone is offering our listeners 20% off your first 6 [e-mail] Victor that's O P E N P H o n e openphone.com Victor and if you have existing numbers with another service, OpenPhone will port them over at no extra charge. OpenPhone no missed calls, no missed customers.

[Unknown Host]

You wrote the book and did you. You had a co author as well.

[Julie Banderas]

Brave Books does these children books where they pick a different author once a month and there's a Brave Books subscription. So Brave Books worked on the book with me.

[Unknown Host]

So you, so they, they have a, a market for what, what is the readership age wise?

[Julie Banderas]

Oh gosh, I mean you could read this book to a toddler as young as two. The pictures are great, so maybe even a, you know, a one year old but. And then I would say through 12, but I mean I read my book to my 15 year old and she loved it. I mean she was fully into it. So I think that these books are important because they do. They basically go back to American traditional values. And I hope that my book reminds parents that it doesn't have to be old fashioned to say yes ma' am, no sir, thank you. And please, you know, these are just the fundamental respectful ways that we should be communicating to our peers, to our friends and to anyone that we have any social interaction with. So bravebooks.com is where people can pick up the book and you can also get a monthly subscription or you can get both of my books for free. My first book was on Perseverance, which was another very important thing to me is that you know, when you do not succeed, succeed, do not give up. Keep trying, trying, trying. That was a lesson my father always taught me. Tenacity is what he used to always say.

[Unknown Host]

And where, where did. And you can buy them on Amazon. Do you have your own website that they could.

[Julie Banderas]

You can go to Amazon and you just put in a monumental mistake. It was the number one kids religion section book on Amazon. So you can purchase on Amazon or on bravebooks.com and then along there you can get a subscription to bravebooks.com as well.

[Unknown Host]

So Julie, walk me through a, a general day, what you're doing. Because I see you on. Oh my God, just give us some idea.

[Julie Banderas]

Because my day.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, start us off with your children or what happens?

[Julie Banderas]

All right. Day starts at 6am I'm a single mom of three kids. I've got one bus that shows up at 6:30 in the morning. That's my 15 year old.

[Unknown Host]

And you're in the New York area.

[Julie Banderas]

And I'm in Southampton, Long island right now. But I am planning on going back to New York City.

[Unknown Host]

How long is that for you to get. You have to come in the studio.

[Julie Banderas]

Three hours every day? Yes, yes. So I leave here once I get my kids off on the bus. So I've got one kid that gets on a bus at 6:30. The other two get off at 8. I get them up, I get them breakfast, I pack their lunches, I get them all ready.

[Unknown Host]

What time do you get up?

[Julie Banderas]

I get up at 5:30.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Julie Banderas]

And I get the first one up at 6. I'm in my shower while the other kids are getting ready. And then I have a car service, thank God, through Fox that comes and picks me up. We leave here at about 7:50 15, 7:30 in the morning and it takes.

[Unknown Host]

Three hours to get into Manhattan.

[Julie Banderas]

And in the morning at that hour it will take three hours. It takes approximately two hours and change coming back depending on what time of day.

[Unknown Host]

So then what do you do when you get on a typical day at Fox?

[Julie Banderas]

And then when I get into Fox, I go into hair and makeup. Thank God they have that because I don't get much sleep. So they have magicians that work at Fox News Channel. They are the best. So we do hair and makeup. I spend about an hour doing that and then I go into whatever studio I'm hosting. Sometimes I'm a guest on shows. For example, last night I was on Jesse Waters. The night before that I was on Gutfeld. Other hours I'm hosting. If I'm hosting the 11am hour or I'll appear with Brian Kilmeade on One Nation. I also do, you know, guest appearances on a bunch of other shows too.

[Unknown Host]

So you're there from say I don't know, nine o' clock till when?

[Julie Banderas]

It depends. So last night I didn't get out of work until 9pm and then it's a two hour commute home. So I got home at like 11:20.

[Unknown Host]

What time do you go to sleep?

[Julie Banderas]

And I go to bed the second I get home. So I mean, but of course two.

[Unknown Host]

Of My five or six hours is good.

[Julie Banderas]

If I get four hours, I'm lucky because I got to get the older ones to bed. I don't get much sleep. That's where the makeup.

[Unknown Host]

Now what is so Carver service. Bring your kids to your home where you're gone?

[Julie Banderas]

No, no. The kids come home on the bus and then they wait for me when they're home. But my kids have learned a lot of responsibility since moving out here because they do spend a lot of time.

[Unknown Host]

Wait, your 15 year old is in charge of everything?

[Julie Banderas]

Pretty much, yes.

[Unknown Host]

You have extended family, like relatives?

[Julie Banderas]

Not here. No, not here because I live in Long island and my mother is in Connecticut and I have a sister in New York City. So I'm on my own out here.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, so that's your five day a week ritual.

[Julie Banderas]

It is, but actually four day a week. Wednesdays are my home time.

[Unknown Host]

Okay. So don't you get. What do you do about invitations to speak? Travel? Do you do that?

[Julie Banderas]

Yes, I do, but I haven't done a speech in a while. I went to Oklahoma State University and did a speech there. It was awesome. I was married at the time, so the kids stayed with the husband. My ex will watch the kids. If I do desire to travel, I've put travel on hold until I get back into the city and I have like a more easy commute back and forth. But right now my life is a bit hectic. So in June, I'm actually moving back to the city. I've been living here since the pandemic. So I got this house and I rented this house annually since 2019. But then in 2020, the pandemic hit and then they were all homeschooling through zoom, which I did not want to do. So I found a Catholic school out in Southampton where they were in person September 2020. So I'm like, we're going to have to move out there full time. And so we've been here since. I did not expect to be out here this long, though. It's very far away.

[Unknown Host]

That's amazing.

[Julie Banderas]

It makes it really tough.

[Unknown Host]

So you can. An average day at Fox. You can be on two, three, four different venues.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes. Yeah. There's days I've been like on. I had five things the other day last week I had five different. Oh, and I go on radio as well for Fox.

[Unknown Host]

I did. I try to limit two interviews a day and then I do Fox Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But.

[Julie Banderas]

Oh, cool.

[Unknown Host]

You know, on Jesse Waters, Laura Monday, Jesse Tuesday and Sean tonight. But I. And then I write the rest of the day. Yeah. And I, I have a full time job at Stanford, but. And it's a long commute.

[Julie Banderas]

But how long is your commute from.

[Unknown Host]

Your farm to Stanford?

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

183 miles. So I have an apartment. I have to drive over there and I stay in an apartment.

[Julie Banderas]

Oh, my gosh. So how many hours does that take you?

[Unknown Host]

Well, it's California, so when I was a graduate student, I went there as a graduate student.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

It was 2 hours and 45 minutes. Okay. The freeways literally have not changed. We went from 17 million people when I was a graduate student to 41 million. And it's the same infrastructure. So I have to literally be almost scientific about when I leave. If I. If I make a mistake and I get caught. I. My record is seven hours of traffic.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah, I was going to say I have to.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, I have to do it. I'm coming in. I have to do. Always the opposite flow of the commute into the Bay Area. I don't like the barrier, so I like out here. It's where I grew up. It's southwest Fresno county, right in the center of the state. And we have. I have an almond orchard, 40 acres, right around the house.

[Julie Banderas]

Awesome. That's so cool.

[Unknown Host]

And that's where I raised. I had three children, too.

[Julie Banderas]

And it's a lot. They say from, you know, you go from one kid to two kids is a lot. But then when you get to three kids, there's these funny things on Instagram where it's like, go from one kid to two kids. You're having two kids. You have three kids. It's like having 15 donkeys, 12 cows.

[Unknown Host]

I know. You change it to the first trial. You're so paralyzed, paranoid, and anal retentive and everything. And then by the time of the third, you're so much more mellow.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes. Oh, my gosh, yes. My third child gets away with everything. And my first child calls me out all the time. She's like, mom, you would have never let me do that. I'm like, I'm too tired to tell him no anymore. Like, I can't.

[Unknown Host]

So, Julie, what's the future where you envision yourself in five years?

[Julie Banderas]

Oh, my gosh. I envision myself. I will be living in Connecticut hopefully within six months, and I'll be working at Fox News Channel.

[Unknown Host]

I mean, what does that sound? What's that?

[Julie Banderas]

Oh, an hour. An hour hour. Much easier than, oh, yeah, it's a dream.

[Unknown Host]

That's good. Yeah, that's good.

[Julie Banderas]

And Fox News Channel is My home. I mean, I've never been in another place where I didn't ever want to leave. You know, when you start in journalism, you work in small markets and you work your way up. And I started in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and then I moved on to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Then I moved to Horizon Hartford, Connecticut. Then I went to WNYW, the local Fox affiliate. Fox 5 in New York City. And then in 2005, I made the job to Fox News Channel, and I've been there ever since. And I stopped looking for jobs. You know, when your contract comes up, you're just ready to resign. I mean, it's not a place that I would ever leave. I really love it.

[Unknown Host]

That's good. Good.

[Julie Banderas]

And the people. It's the people I work with, really, that. That make the job I do.

[Unknown Host]

I did Tucker for five years right after his monologue every Monday. But I. I like going on Sean. I all. I like all three of them.

[Julie Banderas]

And so they're all great guys.

[Unknown Host]

I always say no to CNN or msnbc. They don't even ask anymore. They really degenerated. I mean, they've gone. Their quality of everything is. Is. I don't know how. Why I. I don't know if they even. How they can maintain. I don't know how Jake Tapper can have an audience after this, but apparently he does.

[Julie Banderas]

I don't know why the executives at these networks haven't reined in their anchors, quite frankly, because the level of hatred that I see whenever I watch is just so disturbing. I mean. Sarah Wallace. Is that her name?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Julie Banderas]

Okay, so I've seen Nicole Wallace. Thank you. I don't watch.

[Unknown Host]

She used to work for George W. Bush.

[Julie Banderas]

Okay. It's really shocking to see her conduct interviews. I mean, I watch that. If I were a manager, I'd be like, could you try to be a little bit more, you know, impartial and try to be a little more balanced?

[Unknown Host]

She's vicious. She's vicious.

[Julie Banderas]

It's. She's angry. I mean, the woman is angry like nobody. First of all, Roger Ellis always used to say that when you select what you want to watch on tv, you notice people's faces. And you. If with the mute button on. He used to turn on the TV with the mute button on, would I want to stay tuned? You go into these networks, even if the mute button was on, they all look angry. I mean, it's just. They're filled with venom. You know, I want to see someone who is pleasant and is not hateful toward the people that they're talking about. And that's all you see on the other networks. I don't understand how anybody gets through a program.

[Unknown Host]

They're angry and they say the View is just, I can't even remember. I can't even imagine that Barbara Walters once envisioned that.

[Julie Banderas]

No, she, that's not what she envisioned.

[Unknown Host]

No, she, you know, and they are paranoid, they're schizophrenic, they're conspiracy minded. They're, they're just, and the quality is so, so bad. It's one thing that there is no real competition in cable news for Fox anymore. I mean that, that's good. But MSNBC and cnn, I remember years ago it was, you know, it was Greta Van Cester and you remember her way back in cnn.

[Julie Banderas]

Of course, we worked together for years.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, yeah. And it was quasi normal in those days. Larry King show. He was left wing, but he wasn't obnoxious about it. He was just.

[Julie Banderas]

No, no, Even if he was. Yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean even Wolf Blitzer back in the day, you know, he wasn't as, as staunch liberal. Jam it down your throat. You know, he obviously was left leaning. But you know, the Wolf Blitzers and the Larry Kings of the days past CNN are gone.

[Unknown Host]

There was nobody like Brian Selter or Don Lamone or Jim Costa Costa. There was nobody like that. They would have allowed that to happen. I don't know if it's ever going to return. I think that the left is getting angrier and angrier because in that last election cycle, every one of their signature issues, the transgender, the border crime, dei, the foreign policy, Israel, Hamas, campus politics, they were, you know, down 60, 40, 70, 30 on the right. And they got angrier and angrier. I think they just rely, they always rely on not popular support but the manipulation of institutions, the media, academia, foundations. That's where they get their message amplified. But they don't have grassroots support. And I think that really that's why they're so troubled right now. They just can't figure out why Donald Trump got elected or why A recent Rasmussen poll I just saw for his first hundred days, it was 52, 50, but 61% of Hispanics said they approved the first hundred days. That's. And that to them, that's unfathomable. I live out Here with about 95% demographic of Mexican American and my brother, my brother's one brother had a Mexican American wife and the other has two Mexican American children. And anybody who lived here could have told you that there was a sea change in the Hispanic community.

[Julie Banderas]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

2016 to now, they were sick huge. They were tired of high gas prices, of high construction materials, of the atheism, the open borders where they dump people in their communities. They were tired of DEI and they never saw it coming. And they're, and they still, they still don't understand. That was what's so phenomenal about Trump. He kind of displaced race and made it more class. So that I, I think that a Hispanic working family or a black working family has about as little in common with Jasmine Crockett or AOC as a white as a white working family has with Schumer. You know, I mean, it's the same. The elites don't, there's no such thing as. Because I'm black or Hispanic or somebody, I have, I have a constituency anymore. It's more what did you do for the everyday viability of me? Right, that's it. That was, that was brought about this, that was the best thing that Trump did. He took this kind of aristocratic golfing, even though he's a very good golfer.

[Julie Banderas]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

But he took that party that had, that was stained or tagged with being elitism. Whether it was or not, I won't get into it. He made it into a, more of a middle class party. And that's what the Democrats are so angry about.

[Julie Banderas]

Well, yeah, I mean the Democrats obviously thought that they had the minorities, they had the Hispanics and the blacks and they had the middle income Americans in their back pocket. But quite frankly, if you look at the polls, the ones that matter and the ones that are truthful, the number one issue for Americans was not only the economy, but illegal immigration. And all of the Hispanics that live in California are being treated worse than the illegal immigrants that are taking up tent cities and are taking advantage of our taxpayers dollars.

[Unknown Host]

I know.

[Julie Banderas]

And getting free health care and free everything else. So of course the Hispanic middle American who's paying their tax dollars doesn't want to be taken advantage of. And I think Democrats made a huge mistake by assuming that they had those demographics in their back pocket. They never, they didn't, they lost them.

[Unknown Host]

I know.

[Julie Banderas]

That's what helped Trump get elected was the Hispanic community in this country because they're sick and tired of being put in the back seat and illegal immigrants and criminals taking the front seat.

[Unknown Advertiser]

If you're like me, you have a lot of product on your bathroom counter. Well, I have found the secret serum and it's Vibriance Super C serum. The ingredients in this one bottle can replace your day. Cream, creams eye creams, night creams, neck creams, wrinkle creams and even dark spot reducers. Made in the USA with the highest quality ingredients including vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5 and vitamin E. Super C serum delivers noticeable results. Simplify your skin care routine, get a healthier complexion and minimize wrinkles and age spots with Vibrance. I just began using Super C serum last time week and I love it. My skin feels so much better, soft, moist and fresh. And by the way, it smells beautiful like the orange blossoms outside my kitchen door. Give it a try and you'll love it too. And if you don't find it better than your current skincare routine, you'll get a full refund. Go to vibrance.com victor to save up to 37% off and free shipping. That's Vibrance V I B R I A n c e vibrance.com Victor and we'd like to thank Vibrance for sponsoring the Victor Davis Hansen show.

[Unknown Host]

Every time I went in this campaign of 2024 into the food market post office I was probably the only white so called white person there or Maybe there was 10% but every Hispanic male especially came up to me. Some of my known my entire life would say Victor why don't when you go on Fox, why don't you tell Everybody we're paying 550 a gallon. Why don't you tell that I can't get my mother into dialysis clinic anymore because there's seven illegals ahead of her. Why don't you tell, why don't you tell everybody that my son is at school and one of these guys and M13 kids as threatened him because he doesn't speak Spanish. Why don't you tell the bank teller, why don't you tell people that I reported a gang banger to somebody and his cousin called me from Mexico and knew where I lived here and said he was like God kill me. And that if I go to Stanford and tell my colleagues there what's going on, they have no clue whatsoever what the effect of illegal of 12 million people was on communities that had to absorb it. I think that really was really one of the reasons they just said I'm not going to do this anymore and vote Democratic.

[Julie Banderas]

And none of the media, none of the mainstream media covered it. So just imagine a huge swath of this country is absolutely oblivious to the stories that you told and if they did hear those stories they would believe that they were false if they were coming from another network. So If Fox News Channel tells it, then it must be fake news or a lie. But, you know, unless you hear it from the mainstream media, they don't believe it to be true. And unfortunately, the mainstream media is never going to tell these stories. So then you talk about how we are going to reverse this culture. And the only way, quite frankly, to reverse this culture is to start at home by properly educating our youth so that our next generation is not. My mind blown and not, you know, their minds aren't completely shattered by this irreversible culture that we've created. And the media is 100 to blame for it. They've been brainwashed. Our kids have been brainwashed by parents who are watching mainstream media.

[Unknown Host]

I think you're right. I. I think it was important. When I had three children, I don't know if it was wise or not, but I said, you're going to go to the public schools. You're all going to work on the farm. They all worked since they were five years old. My. It's funny, funny. My son was an expert forklift driver here. We used to have 200 acres. And anyway, when he was 12 years old, but then when he went to Cal Poly, he went to show you our culture. He went to. It was kind of like a Home Depot. And none of the people knew how to drive a forklift. They were trained. They had little forklift certificate. You know, they went to a certificate. So a big truck came in and it had blocks, these cinder blocks, and there was nobody there at lunch to unload. And the guy had a schedule. So he starts swearing. Where is the. And my son said, well, I. I can do it. And he said, get on there.

[Julie Banderas]

So wait, how old was he at the time?

[Unknown Host]

He was 18. 17 or 18, okay. But he'd been driving a forklift since he. 10. 10 years. So he just whizzed around and unloaded the whole thing. And. And the guy was happy.

[Julie Banderas]

That's amazing.

[Unknown Host]

And then they. But this is what I'm getting at. So then rather than rewarding the initiative or even the courage to just jump on a thing and try to help out, they fired him because he wasn't a certified authorized person with a jacket with a little thing around. And he said, the guys that were would have taken an hour to do that. But yeah, even though he probably shouldn't have done it, they should have rewarded him and told him that they liked his initiative, maybe let him a day without pay or something.

[Julie Banderas]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

He came to me and he said, I got fired. And I said, you should have been promoted. That was great to take that initiative, but I don't know what it is about. We don't reward the right things and we, we punish the wrong things. But it had an effect on him. And, and, but anyway, I never thought, because I had gone to UC and Stanford and I, I thought it was just a negative environment for. So I never wanted my kids. You know, I think parents push their kids for these, they don't understand that these blue chip universities, Harvard, Yale, Princeton. Yeah, they're not the same as they were 10 years ago, much less 20. I, I'm on the Stanford campus and they have remedial math now. They give 80% A's and they're under the gun by the government. But I would never send my kid where I went to school there because they would get, they would get a worldview that's 90% of the faculty would be negative about the United States and negative. It would be obsessed with race. Separate dorms, separate graduation, separate spaces. There would be no rules enforce. If Hamas wants to set up a camp and damn Israel every day they would be given exemption laxative. Nobody would enforce it. That's what happened. They trashed the president's office, swarmed it. And then finally the alumni stopped giving to the same degree. And now all of a sudden we have a great new president. He's trying to make reforms. But the higher education is not a place to send your child to get a positive or healthy view of the country. And it's. You should consider your daughter going to Hillsdale College. I think she'd like it. You should visit.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah, yeah, no, it sounds great. There's also a Christian college in Newport, Rhode island that I'm also interested in as well.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, good.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Let me do before we finish. So your name is Banderas. Tell me about your mother was from Colombia?

[Julie Banderas]

Yes. So my legal name is actually Bidwell. Yes. So my father, his last name was Bidwell. And then when I got into New York City, I was asked to go with my mother's maiden name to appeal to the Hispanic demographic. Now this would never happen in this day and age, but this is back in Gosh, it was 2001.

[Unknown Host]

Did you grow up speaking Spanish?

[Julie Banderas]

I did. And my mother's maiden name was Rodriguez and they wanted me to go with my mother's maiden name. My father's name was Bidwell, British ancestry. And I said, no, I don't want to go with my mother's maiden name. First of all, I don't identify with the name Rodriguez. That name is never spoken, and I have no. I don't want that. So they said, okay, well, come up with a Spanish name. Believe it or not. I mean, could you imagine this hap. This actually flying in this day and age? Are you freaking kidding? It would never happen. But it was my, you know, job opportunity in the number one market. My agent's like, don't worry. Just come up with a name. So ultimately, my sister went through celebrity names, and she named me. She goes, well, you could be, you know, to keep my initials. She's like, you could be JLo and go with Lopez. And I said, absolutely not. I'm not going with Lopez. So she said, jlo? No, I would not do that. She goes, how about Banderas? Antonio Banderas? You can keep your initials. And I said, done. Sold. So I went to my agent. I said, how about Banderas? Julie Banderas? They're like, fine, but. And I said, I don't want to keep this name, but it could be a deal breaker, as I was told. And so I got the job. And three years later, I was hoping that I would go back to Bidwell, but at that point, it was too late. I was known as Banderas in the.

[Unknown Host]

New York City, but at least it was authentic that you. Your mother was Colombian.

[Julie Banderas]

She is Colombian, yes. Although Banderas isn't even a Colombian name. I think it's Spanish. It's from Spain, so it doesn't even make sense. But I got stuck with it, and then by the time I got to Fox News Channel, I played around with wanting to go back to Bidwell, but at that point, you know, I was already kind of known for.

[Unknown Host]

Did you take your husband's name at any point?

[Julie Banderas]

No, I did not. No. Not even legally? I think there was a sign there. From the very beginning, I knew this was not forever, and so I never changed my name except for two. Banderas. Not legally. So Bidwell is the name.

[Unknown Host]

Does anybody ever ask you about Banderas? Where?

[Julie Banderas]

I mean, it's out there. Like, if you Google my name, you'll see and it's on Wikipedia and so forth. But a lot of people don't understand.

[Unknown Host]

What's your children's last name?

[Julie Banderas]

Their names are Bidwell, Samson. So they have their father's name hyphenated in there, but that's their last name.

[Unknown Host]

How did your mother and father meet?

[Julie Banderas]

On a singles cruise. So my mother. Yeah, this is the funniest story. So my mother came from Medellin, Colombia. She came to this country legally 55, 56 years ago, she had never had a boyfriend. She was raised by very strict mother who actually sent her to a monastery or, you know, Catholic, all Catholic girl, you know, boarding school. So my mother never had a boyfriend in her whole life. Okay. That's how strict my mother was, so. Or my grandmother. So she went on a singles cruise and she met my dad.

[Unknown Host]

And how old was she again?

[Julie Banderas]

She was probably in her 30s at this point.

[Unknown Host]

Was she living in the U.S. she.

[Julie Banderas]

Was living in Queens, New York, by the way, when she wanted to come to this country, her mother came with her because she wasn't letting her come by herself. So they both lived in Astoria, Queens. And I'll never forget my mom's funniest story ever. On their first date back in the United States, after they got back from their cruise, my father drove from Connecticut. Connecticut. To pick my mom up for a date. Picked her up, took her out to dinner, brought her home. I mean, there my mother was so innocent, like there was no goodnight kiss. It wasn't like that. My mother, so conservative. Anyway, my grandmother was not happy with how late they arrived. She came down the three floor walk up, okay, open the door, and grabbed my mother by her hair. She was 32. 32, grabbed her by the hair, yelling at her in Spanish. What are you thinking staying out until this late? And she went back up to her room and threw herself down on the floor and had like a clown, complete nervous breakdown. Screaming, crying of embarrassment. She was in her 30s. So I tell my kids, you will start dating when you're 40. I'm gonna. I'm gonna beat my mom.

[Unknown Host]

I'm gonna. Your dad must have been a very patient person.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes, very patient.

[Unknown Host]

Is your dad still alive?

[Julie Banderas]

No, he's not. No, he's not. He would right now be. He was born in 1930. So how old did that make him?

[Unknown Host]

95.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes. So he, he passed away when my youngest, who's now 15, was 16 six months old. He had Parkinson's among, you know, past heart issues and so forth.

[Unknown Host]

So this has been fascinating. Everybody get to know Julie Banderas better. And her book is. It's came out in April.

[Julie Banderas]

It came out in April. It's called a monumental mistake. And it does talk about history and respecting historical figures and monuments. And that's where the monumental comes in.

[Unknown Host]

That's where the monumental. So the monumental, it's not the adjective just great. It's a monumental.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes, but it has couple meetings because we are making a monumental mistake by not teaching our children respect. But you also have to respect monuments in this country, which is another thing that for some reason in the past administration, they were taking them down because.

[Unknown Host]

God is part of history. They toppled all these beautiful statues.

[Julie Banderas]

Yes. They stood for something in history that we're not proud of. Well, yes. That's how we got to where we are today.

[Unknown Host]

And some of them weren't even controversial.

[Julie Banderas]

No, they weren't.

[Unknown Host]

It was almost like 1984 or. Well, I came to work one day and we had Father Junipio Serra Plaza. You know, where you see pictures of Stanford, you see the big tower. My office is at the top. So I always would park and walk on Junipio Serra Plaza. But I had been gone overseas for a month, so I went there and there was no plaza. They. I, I said to my assistant, so what happened? He said, where have you been? Junipio Serra, who was. Did a wonderful thing. He came from Spain, and although they were, you know, it was the mores of the time, he created basically California agriculture. He introduced viticulture, pomology, the mission. The mission system. And they said, well, didn't you know, he whipped the Native Americans. And so we have delisted him. I said, you depersonalize him. He Trotsky Ize him. So we took it down. But then I said, but there's Junipio Serra Boulevard, the main thoroughfare, right? And they wouldn't touch that with. Oh, no, no, no. Too many people love the address and everything. So they pick and choose, right? Which is. And they completely erased it. And they didn't even. It was like I was in a different planet. And all these references. The first 15 years were gone. They just.

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And that's. And somebody decided that they were afraid. And then it's very funny about the name changing. You know, they always do it opportunistically. They take things that are representative or iconic or just examples, but not things that affect them. So I had an argument with a faculty member. I said, well, the Chumash Indians were not too far. And so if you believe this isn't it, why don't we change Stanford's name? Because Leland Stanford, the founder of the university, was the head of the Union Pacific Railroad and he used Chinese labor. And we have a letter from him where he was. He described the Asian labor in racist terms in 1866, 1868. So let's use. Let's use the values of today to condemn him, him for eternity and renamed the university Chumash. And the first thing the guy said was, he didn't even try to hide. He goes who would want a degree from Chumash, you know, and that's. That just told the whole thing that they're just opportunistically picking and choosing, but they don't ever want to touch Yale or Harvard.

[Julie Banderas]

You're so right. Yeah, that's a great example.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, they're cowardly. Well, this has been fascinating, Joanne, and given what you described about your day, I'm gonna have to let you go because you, even if you're home, you're probably.

[Julie Banderas]

Kids are. My Wednesdays are their day with their dad. So my Wednesday is like my breathe day because it's the one day a week that they go with their father. So actually notice how it's quiet in here. It's because.

[Unknown Host]

Are you talking to people from Fox for tomorrow?

[Julie Banderas]

Yeah, I do through email, but Wednesdays, I'm pretty much, I do my own thing and then, you know, I do.

[Unknown Host]

This last, last question. So what's your next children's book? Or is it going to be a children's book?

[Julie Banderas]

I believe that eventually I'm going to be writing an autobiography because I think a lot of life stories that I think people could apply to their, to their lives today and hopefully help them make smarter choices when they go into their careers smarter.

[Unknown Host]

So you're going to think you're all your things that you got right and a few you got wrong.

[Julie Banderas]

Oh, I will be. Oh, there's a lot that I got wrong and that will take up probably half the book. And then, and you know, eventually I'll get to where I actually started to make right decisions. But I mean, we all make mistakes. And I think that's, that's what's also important for parents to teach their children that nobody's perfect and to be humble and learn from your mistakes and admit them. Admit your mistakes. Kids can't say I'm sorry anymore. Why can't they say I'm sorry, Apologize.

[Unknown Host]

Jake Tapper didn't do that. He just said he felt more humility. But he didn't. He didn't say it all.

[Julie Banderas]

No. He should have said to the American people, I am so sorry for lying to you. I lied to you. I lied to you. Take responsibility for your actions.

[Unknown Host]

I know he should have. Anyway, it's been fascinating. Thank you. Julie Banderas and everybody go out and buy the monumental mistake.

[Julie Banderas]

Bravebooks.com thank you so much. It was so lovely talking to you. This was really enjoyable.

[Unknown Host]

Thank you. Same here. See you. I'll see you tonight on television.

[Unknown Advertiser]

Find yourself looking for a new job or change in career. Monster.com is here to help. We are not only here to bring you job postings, but also AI interview prep and salary tools, expert career advice and top notch resume services. We've got everything you need to land your perfect job fit. Discover the magic of finding the ideal job with monster.com your future starts now. Visit monster.com today. Your next job opportunity is just a click away.