Trump Bombs Iran, While Obama Just Bombs

Summary

The Victor Davis Hanson Show: “Trump Bombs Iran, While Obama Just Bombs” – Detailed Summary

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Hosts: Victor Davis Hanson and Jack Fowler

In this gripping episode of The Victor Davis Hanson Show, hosts Victor Davis Hanson and Jack Fowler delve deep into the recent and historically significant event: President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. Released just days after the operation, the episode provides a comprehensive analysis of Trump’s foreign policy maneuvers compared to previous administrations, particularly Barack Obama’s military actions.

---

1. Trump's Executive Order on Drug Prices

Timestamp: [00:00] – [04:17]

While the core discussion centers on foreign policy, the episode opens with Victor addressing domestic issues, specifically the high cost of prescription drugs in America. He praises President Trump’s new executive order aimed at lowering drug prices, highlighting its patient-first approach over corporate interests.

Notable Quote:

Victor Davis Hanson [00:00]: "President Trump's new executive order to lower drug prices is such a big deal. It's smart, long overdue, and puts patients, not corporations, first."

---

2. Immediate Aftermath of Trump’s Bombing of Iran

Timestamp: [05:02] – [27:38]

Jack Fowler sets the stage by referencing the historic bombing of Iran, seeking Victor’s immediate take on the matter. The discussion quickly turns to a comparative analysis of U.S. foreign interventions over the past five decades.

Key Points:

• Historical Context: Victor outlines the pattern of U.S. administrations struggling with Middle Eastern policies, citing Carter’s failed rescue mission in Iran and Reagan’s near-impeachment woes.
• Trump’s Strategy: Unlike his predecessors, Trump successfully executed a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities without congressional approval, demonstrating both audacity and competence.
• Operational Excellence: Victor praises the meticulous planning and execution of the bombing, emphasizing its secrecy and lack of casualties.

Notable Quotes:

Victor Davis Hanson [05:46]: "Trump knew that the negotiations were going nowhere... It was not easy."

Victor Davis Hanson [11:55]: "He knew that if he waited too long, the chances of surprise would diminish."

---

3. Political Reactions and Partisan Responses

Timestamp: [27:38] – [37:59]

The conversation shifts to the political landscape following the bombing. Victor discusses the varied responses from different factions within the Republican Party and the broader political sphere.

Key Points:

• MAGA Support: Despite some dissent, a significant majority within the MAGA movement supports Trump’s decision, aligning with 85% of his agenda.
• Leftist Criticism: The left criticizes Trump for bypassing congressional authority, a tactic they also attribute to Obama, albeit with different outcomes.
• International Relations: Victor touches upon the lack of support from European allies, citing Germany’s Chancellor Merkel and France’s Macron as examples of muted backing for Israel’s actions.

Notable Quotes:

Victor Davis Hanson [12:46]: "They weren't going to negotiate because that's who they are."

Victor Davis Hanson [17:23]: "I don't see how he was played. Unless you think that Iran posed no existential threat to us."

---

4. The Dollar Reset and Economic Implications

Timestamp: [03:06] – [31:08]

Interspersed with political commentary, advertisements promote the Dollar Reset Survival Kit, warning of the U.S. dollar’s declining global dominance and advising listeners on safeguarding their retirement savings through gold investments.

Notable Quote:

Victor Davis Hanson [05:02]: "The dollar is rapidly losing its 80-year global dominance."

---

5. Trump’s Future and Conservative Strategies

Timestamp: [37:59] – [66:43]

Victor and Jack explore the potential trajectories of Trump’s political career, analyzing his unpredictable nature as both a strength and a challenge within the Republican landscape.

Key Points:

• Deterrence Through Unpredictability: Victor argues that Trump’s volatility enhances deterrence, making adversaries uncertain of his next move.
• Conservative Unity: Emphasizing the importance of rallying behind Trump to prevent leftist agendas from overpowering the conservative base.
• Critique of GOP Critics: Victor dismisses mainstream Republicans who oppose Trump, labeling them as lacking the necessary grit or competence.

Notable Quotes:

Victor Davis Hanson [23:12]: "The more unpredictable you are, the more deterrence is likely to accrue to you."

Victor Davis Hanson [37:59]: "On the conservative spectrum, you're not going to get anybody who is as competent in getting things done for the conservative cause than him."

---

6. Criticism of Barack Obama’s Presidency

Timestamp: [39:44] – [54:40]

The hosts delve into a scathing critique of Barack Obama, highlighting alleged failures and policy missteps that, according to Victor, set the stage for future administrations' challenges.

Key Points:

• Operation Crossfire: Accusations that Obama was aware of covert operations against Iran but failed to act.
• Benghazi and Libya: Victor contends that Obama mishandled the Benghazi attack and the bombing of Libya, leading to unnecessary chaos and loss of life.
• Post-Presidency Influence: Obama’s recent calls for resistance against Trump are dissected, with Victor viewing them as attempts to undermine Trump’s legitimacy.

Notable Quotes:

Victor Davis Hanson [39:44]: "Barack Obama... you're a complete fraud."

Victor Davis Hanson [40:02]: "Your polls went up because we didn't see you, we didn't hear you."

---

7. Racial Politics and the Black Conservative Movement

Timestamp: [44:43] – [54:40]

A contentious discussion unfolds around race, with Victor critiquing liberal approaches to racial issues and highlighting the rise of black conservatives who align with Republican values.

Key Points:

• Black Republicans: Victor praises figures like Byron Donalds and Roland Fryer, emphasizing their conservative and merit-based contributions to the black community.
• Liberal Racial Narratives: Criticism of prominent black liberals and celebrities who, according to Victor, perpetuate victimhood narratives and undermine conservative successes within the black community.
• Polling Data: Reference to Rasmussen polls indicating significant support for Trump among Hispanic and black voters, challenging mainstream narratives.

Notable Quotes:

Victor Davis Hanson [45:55]: "Most of the talent in the black community is really brilliant... It’s all conservative."

Victor Davis Hanson [49:51]: "If you want to see real racism, go down to Oaxaca or Michoacan."

---

8. Critique of California Governor Gavin Newsom

Timestamp: [54:40] – [72:35]

The episode culminates with a vehement critique of California Governor Gavin Newsom, condemning his leadership and policies as detrimental to the state’s well-being.

Key Points:

• Handling of Crises: Victor lambastes Newsom for mishandling events like the LA riots, homelessness, and infrastructure issues.
• Personal Attacks: Personal anecdotes and harsh criticisms are directed at Newsom’s character, accusing him of incompetence and privilege.
• Political Strategy: Discussion on Newsom’s attempts to reposition himself within the Democratic Party by aligning with moderate and fringe elements, ultimately portraying him as out of touch and ineffective.

Notable Quotes:

Victor Davis Hanson [59:20]: "He is a spoiled, entitled Bay Area brat. He always was, he always will be."

Victor Davis Hanson [64:00]: "Everything he touches turns to dross."

---

9. Listener Engagement and Final Remarks

Timestamp: [66:43] – [72:35]

In the closing segments, the hosts read listener comments, further reinforcing the conservative perspectives presented throughout the episode. Personal anecdotes about Victor’s family and their alignment with working-class values are shared, underscoring the show’s connection with its audience.

Notable Quote:

Listener Q5H [67:38]: "We're so lucky that Victor Davis Hanson represents the traditional independent working class and the cultural history that still struggles to exist in California."

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Victor Davis Hanson Show offers a fervent defense of Trump’s foreign policy actions, a robust critique of Obama’s presidency, and a polemic against liberal racial politics and California’s governance under Gavin Newsom. Through incisive analysis and pointed commentary, Victor and Jack aim to illuminate the strengths of conservative strategies while castigating their political adversaries.

For listeners seeking an in-depth exploration of contemporary political dynamics from a conservative standpoint, this episode serves as a compelling resource.

Transcript

[Victor Davis Hanson]

People are right to be frustrated with the cost of health care. Prescription drugs in America cost more than they should and more than almost anywhere else in the world. And that's why President Trump's new executive order to lower drug prices is such a big deal. It's smart, long overdue, and puts patients, not corporations, first. But while that change is being rolled out, let me tell you about a pharmacy that's not waiting around. All Family Pharmacy is stepping up now, all offering 20% off all medications through June 30, so you can stock up and stay prepared, whether it's ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, methylene blue, antibiotics, or just your daily prescriptions. They've got over 200 essential meds, no insurance needed. They work with licensed doctors in all 50 states. To get your prescription and ship it right to your door. Go to all factors family pharmacy.com Victor and use the code Victor20. That's Victor20. To save 20% today, this is what health care should be. Affordable, accessible, and back in your hands again. That's allfamilypharmacy.com Victor. Use the code Victor20.

[Jack Fowler]

Hello, ladies. Hello, gentlemen. This is the Victor Davis Hansen Show. I am not Sammy Wink, although I'm sitting in the Sammy Wink chair. I'm Jack Fowler. I happen to be in the People's Republic of California. I'm here with the great Victor Davis Hansen. Apologize. Just got off airplanes. I look haggard, but who cares about that? Who cares? We want to hear Victor's wisdom today. We are recording on Sunday, June 22, which is a few days, actually, maybe Even less than 24 hours after America's historic bombing of Iran. We're going to get Victor's take on that. On Gavin Newsom, on Obama, on Gavin Newsom.

[Unnamed Guest]

Oh, my God.

[Jack Fowler]

I'm sorry, Victor.

[Unnamed Guest]

That's torture.

[Jack Fowler]

You got to deal with it. Victor is the Martin and Ely Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Wayneh Marshabusky Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College. He is not the president of the Gavin Newsom Fan club. He has a website, the Blade of Perseus. You'll find [e-mail] and later on in this episode. I'll tell you why you should subscribe, Victor, when we come back from these important messages. Oh, hi. Thank you. We'll talk about. We will get your take on what happened in Iran.

[Unnamed Guest]

And I'm discharge free.

[Jack Fowler]

Are you?

[Unnamed Guest]

I am. I think so. I think there will be no slugs today.

[Jack Fowler]

Oh, okay. By discharge, we're Talking about nasal things. Well, yeah, we'll get to medical things when we come back from these important messages.

[Victor Davis Hanson]

Did you know there are companies called data brokers that sell your data? They do it without your consent and they make billions selling it to marketers, scammers and even stalkers. Listen up because you'll want to hear about today's sponsor, Aura. Aura is all in one digital security. You may already have a digital security tool, but not having Aura is like locking the front door but then leaving the back door open. Aura takes care of the hard part, automatically removing your info from these sites and keeping it off. Aura has 24. 7 monitoring to help keep your identity secure. Plus you'll get alerts if your personal info is found on the dark web and real time fraud alerts for credit and banking if anything does happen. Aura includes $5 million in identity theft insurance protection and they have US fraud experts ready to help.

[Jack Fowler]

24.

[Victor Davis Hanson]

7 Try Aura free for 14 days at aura.com VDH in those two weeks, you'll discover where your data is being exposed and sold. I'm not leaving myself vulnerable. And you shouldn't either.

[Jack Fowler]

What is dedication?

[Unnamed Speaker]

The thing that drives me every day as a dad is Dariana.

[Unnamed Guest]

We call him Day Date for short. Every he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge. And there's this huge responsibility in making.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Sure that when he's no longer under.

[Unnamed Guest]

My wing that he's a good person.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I want him to be able to.

[Unnamed Guest]

Sit back one day and go, we worked together. We did a good job.

[Jack Fowler]

That's dedication. Find out [e-mail] brought to you by the U.S. department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council. We're back with the Victor Davis Hanson show. Victor, I guess we want to just throw it out there. Iran, what's your take on every aspect of it?

[Unnamed Guest]

If you think about it, Gerald Baker or I really like him, I disagree with him Place, but he's a very astute observer. He pointed this out and others have too. And I had written about it that the Middle east has been the graveyard of administrations if you think about it, for the last almost 50 years. Jimmy Carter ruined his administration with a failed April 1980 rescue. Missing Ronald Reagan was almost impeached. But with IRAN Contra, George H.W. bush was doing well. He was 90% approval after the 91 first Gulf War and then the survival of Saddam and the Kurds. And then that imploded him and he lost 100 hours.

[Jack Fowler]

Right.

[Unnamed Guest]

Hundred hours. And then we had Bill Clinton. He Kind of did the best of avoiding things, but he didn't kill. He could have killed bin Laden. There were some mistakes. And then we had, of course, George W. Bush with the tragedy of the Iraq war. Obama was almost done in by Benghazi and the bombing of Libya from 2011. And by the way, that went all the way up to the last day it was in office, full day. And then, you know, we have. Trump was the first one really to dodge the bullet with Soleimani and ISIS and Baghdadi Wagner group. He did well. So the point I'm trying to make or belabor is that a lot of presidents don't want to get near that quagmire. And yet I can't think of any other Republican who would have done what Trump did. They either didn't have the guts to do it or they didn't have the competence to do it. But it was not easy. If this had failed like these other failures, he would have been done for. He knew that because the idea that seven of these things, these B2, worth a couple of billion dollars each, were going to fly, what, 7,000 miles, coordinate with fighter escort the moment they went into Iranian territory, be refueled several times, 15 hours of wear and tear on the pilot, and then to hit these targets the size of what, kitchen table from 50,000ft, and get out without any losses whatsoever and get back home and have it completely confidential, leak free, secret. No one knew about it. Even the media was faked out. It's pretty amazing. And he took a huge gamble because he knew that the negotiations were going nowhere. So that is one thing. And then. And if we just for a second, Jack could look at all of his critics. So the left says he didn't get constitutional authority, but he doesn't really need it. If it's. I guess it's 60 days, but you're allowed. But now they're hammering that. I can't believe it. Tim Kaine, he was head of the DNC when Hillary. Who was that? It was Hillary, Susan Rice, Samantha Power and Ben Rhodes wanted to bomb Gaddafi out of power. I had been in Libya in 2007 and it was a. Well, I had a rupture appearance.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah, your life saving.

[Unnamed Guest]

I was in my room and I talked to a lot of people in the Libyan government and they were all excited that the kids were taking over. It was going to be a kind of like a Jordanian dictatorship. But the point was the Italians were coming in with a big free trade zone. The people in Malta had the Corinthian Hotel there, archaeological excavations were going to resume. And we bombed and we just caused. The clinic that I had been saved at was bombed. And Hillary said, we came, we saw. Winnie Witty weeky, kind of, I came, I saw, I conquered. But she said, we came, we saw, he died. She was making fun of the fact. And it was chaos, by the way. Left wingers. So the point I'm making is they didn't get any congressional authority. The last day that Donald, that before Donald Trump was inaugurated, on January 19th of 2017, if I recall, Barack Obama bombed Libya. And you know what? He bombed them with B2s, and he didn't get any congressional. So the gumption of these people to say, you don't have congressional. Another thing is the whole taco thing disappeared, didn't it? Trump always chickens out. Remember that? They don't talk about it today, do they? I think it's gone.

[Jack Fowler]

Actually, the day before, there was this talk, oh, he always uses two weeks. I said, two weeks means infinity.

[Unnamed Guest]

Two weeks was brilliant because what it did was he needed a deadline so that he could reestablish the fact that his threats are always reified. The 60 days people had already said, well, you didn't keep the deadline. The Israelis did it for you. So he wanted to make sure that he had a deadline that he would enforce. He wanted to give the Israelis a couple of days, see if they could come up with something, maybe a commando raid. And they probably said, you know what? It's not going to work. We can't take this out without you. He wanted to get the assets all assembled in the right place and all planned out. And he knew that if he waited five or six or eight days, that each day the chances of surprise would diminish as you got near the deadline. So it was a really good thing to do. And it also showed that he was willing to negotiate, and that was important. So everything about it was inspiring. Inspired. And the left hadn't. I mean, what position do they have? I saw one of my colleagues at the Hoover Institution, Mike McFall, said, well, we're going to have. This was the end of negotiations. I mean, my gosh. He tried to negotiate with them, but what were they going to negotiate about? They weren't going to give it up, because that's who they are.

[Jack Fowler]

Negotio ergo sum, Right? They just. They live for that.

[Unnamed Guest]

They're a proverbial scorpion. That's what scorpions do. They sting and kill people. And so that's what they do. They can't without their terrorist Appendages. Without their nuclear threat, without their oil, they're nothing, nada, nothing. And they know that. So they weren't going to negotiate. And by the way, Trump comes in in January and they say, hey, by the way, Mr. President, they're a few weeks from a bomb. And he must have said, well, wait a minute, when I left, they weren't. We had sanctions, we had embargoes, I dropped them. Well, you know, they wanted to negotiate and they gave them $100 billion in oil revenues and they begged to get.

[Jack Fowler]

The free pallets of cash.

[Unnamed Guest]

Also that was Obama. And then Biden gave them the free reign, begged them to get back in the Iran deal. And then of course, they destroyed deterrence with Kabul, Chinese balloon, the Anchorage disaster, all that stuff. So Trump comes in and they say, well, why didn't he negotiate? Well, why did you deliver to him an Iranian bomb basically on a plate? So there was nothing to negotiate with. Now there's. Trump is really, it's really ironic because he says, well, now that you don't have a nuclear threat to speak up for the immediate future, let's negotiate. And they're thinking we don't have anything to negotiate because the only card we had was our nuclear threat and you took it away. So are we going to negotiate about our survival?

[Jack Fowler]

Well, we should talk about what's it now called? Miga. We'll do that in just one second. Victor. The dollar reset that currency experts have warned about for decades just shifted into overdrive. And the warning signs are impossible to ignore. Central banks are hoarding gold at unprecedented rates. And this isn't temporary market volatility. History shows that when global powers coordinate to replace a reserve currency, a massive reset inevitably follows. Gold isn't overpriced at record highs. It's the dollar that's rapidly losing its 80 year global dominance. Meanwhile, central banks have purchased over 1,000 tons of gold annually for three consecutive years. 1,000 tons of gold, I think is, is less than a bunker buster in weight. But this isn't just economic policy. It could be the early stages of complete monetary restructuring. And that's why American alternative assets created the Dollar Reset Survival Kit that shows you exactly how to position your retirement savings before this historic transition accelerates and potentially receive up to $10,000 in free silver. To jumpstart your protection strategy, call 8332-USAGOLD or visit victorlovesgold.com today. That's 833-287-2465 or victorlovesgold.com Protect your wealth before it's too late. We thank the good people from American Alternative Assets for sponsoring the Victor Davis Hanson Show. And by the way, walking into the studio, I tripped over so much gold.

[Unnamed Guest]

Here because Victor loves golden A disease called crucophilia, an addiction to gold.

[Jack Fowler]

Gold, love. Hey, Victor, we haven't finished all of.

[Unnamed Guest]

The people who are going to be affected by it.

[Jack Fowler]

Of course not. Yeah, I'm not moving on.

[Unnamed Guest]

So I was thinking then the MAGA people, remember we were told there was a big fracture in the base.

[Jack Fowler]

Right.

[Unnamed Guest]

But the polls, if you look at Republicans on one hand and MAGA people who identify and they overlap, the vast majority support the idea they couldn't have a bomb. And even by a magnitude, I should say less of a majority, but still a majority wanted the preemptive attack. So I know Rand Paul was against it. Candace Owens was. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a prominent critic, Shaun Davis and Tucker Carlson. But there's no other alternative. They agree with Donald Trump on 85% of his agenda. The border crime, you name it, the new Green Deal, opposition to that, court appointments. So really, it's a particular issue. I know it's an important issue, but it's a funny kind of war. I can guarantee you there won't be one American free footprint on the soil of Iran. It's a kind of funny war when you go all the way across the world, you don't lose any soldiers at all. And you probably didn't kill any soldiers or a few or maybe none. And then the enemy is losing and no sooner do you destroy, I don't know, 5 or $600 billion of infrastructure, then you say you want to negotiate when they're losing. That's not a typical war. Tucker was. Did you see that debate he had with Ted Cruz? Yeah, it was kind of a. I mean, they were both on the same side, but it was very acrimonious. But at one point, Ted Cruz said, well, you know, they wanted to kill Trump. And Tucker said he didn't know that yet. The Biden, not the Trump DOJ, indicted that suspect in November of 2024. And he's in Iran now. And they're proceeding now, Pambani's proceeding. They have apparently a lot of evidence. So when Cruz apprised Tucker of that, he said, well, if I had known that, I would like to nuke them. I think he was just exaggerating with a nuke. But what he meant was that would be reasons to go to war. So I'm not sure that even he will sustain his criticism because he kind of modified that.

[Jack Fowler]

Can I ask you about a conservative criticism in along these lines is that Donald Trump is being played by Bibi Netanyahu. That's a theme out there from some.

[Unnamed Guest]

I think it's just the opposite. Because if you think about it, the reason Donald Trump could go in there and there were no Iranian missiles, there were no Iranian aircraft, so to speak. And as we're speaking right now, there is no Hezbollah attack on the American Embassy. There may be. There is no Hamas uprising in Gaza. There are no terrorists coming from the Houthis is because Israel. And there were no air defenses because Israel denuded Iran months ago of its air defenses. It neutered Hezbollah, it destroyed Hamas, and the Houthis are pretty much inert. And there's no Assad dynasty as a receptacle of Iranian supplies in Syria. And guess what? There's no Russians in the Middle east anymore right next to us. If Putin's Russians planes were right there, as they have been, it might have been iffy. So Donald Trump waited and let this play out. He, unlike Biden, he basically said, you're a sovereign nation. What they did on October 7th was reprehensible, horrific, medieval, go do what you got to do. And they did. And that helped Donald Trump. So I don't see how he was played. Unless you think that Iran posed no existential threat to us. The Europeans sure, apparently do, because they are kind of coy. I feel kind of bad for them. They don't have any military wherewithal to be credible to Iran. But unlike what you might think, that they would just play to the left. Maybe it's because of the rise of the conservative parties they're worried about, I don't know. But the German Chancellor Mertz said they're doing our dirty work for us. In reference to Israel. Absolutely. Macron said, they can't have a weapon. So they've been actually pretty supportive, according to their fashion. The Arab world is just. It's on spec. It was the same with Israel. And that is they contact the Iranians and say, oh, you know, we're not. We had nothing to do with this. Not us. You guys right across the Gulf were looking at us every evening. We had nothing to do with it. And then they kind of believed, this is terrible. We don't believe in preemption. And then they call us up or the Israelis say, have you guys gonna do this? We're all for it, but you gotta finish the job. Don't let this animal be wounded. And then they'll turn on us. So we support you, but only if you annihilate them. And that's pretty much the Arab world, China, and everybody's, oh, China and Russia, I think. Who said World War Three? Was it Tucker? I think maybe.

[Jack Fowler]

Oh, yeah, that was Steve Bannon.

[Unnamed Guest]

Steve Bannon. Tucker was just being rhetorical if he did. But Steve Bannon. And so here's Russia. Now Russia's looking and thinking, well, we got kicked out of the Middle East. We no longer have a patron, I mean, a client in Syria. And there was a reason why we didn't go into Osatia, Georgia, Kiev, Crimea, Donbas. In other words, there was a reason why we went in during the week in George W. Bush, the Obama administration, the Biden, but not Trump. And this confirms why we didn't go in. He's too volatile, he's too unpredictable. We don't know what the blank he's going to do. And we're tied down in Ukraine. We've lost a million dead, wounded and missing. And finally, this is not good that he was so preemptive and we don't know what he's going to do. And finally, I think they say, oh, the Middle east is in turmoil. Oh, my gosh, that's so terrible. Oil could go up to $150 a barrel. In other words, it wouldn't be a bad thing for Russia to get a windfall profit. China is just the opposite. Their attitude is just get, please. We used to buy 90% of oil from Iran and we get 50% of all the Middle east oil comes out of the street. Please, please, the United States, just calm down. We don't want any disruption and we don't like what you did with Iran. But we also are afraid that you did it because we don't know what you would react to if we did that in Taiwan. I don't think either one of them are going to do anything. So you look at the left, there's nothing there. It's very hard to attack a successful. All these presidential actions abroad are like football. The 49ers out here in California are 10, 0. You can't find a seat. And when they're 0 and 10, nobody can give away a ticket. So what Kennedy set off of the Bay of Pennsylvania, he said, success has a thousand parents and defeat is an orphan. And that's what it is. It was successful so far. It changed. George W. Bush was pulling 90% when the statue in 2003 fell in April and 25% at the end of his term. He hadn't changed the mission. It wasn't working without cost as it had been.

[Jack Fowler]

But was the. Would the world have been quaking in its boots over George H.W. bush? You wrote something the other day that Victor. Well, you've written these things frequently. Trump thinks out loud, he's unpredictable, and he will drop a bomb on your head. And that, that dynamic of, of how he acts in public, and they take.

[Unnamed Guest]

It like a fog.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

And they know that. And there's always an element to it. And he understands something that all of the people from the Kennedy School of government, with few exceptions, don't. And that is the more unpredictable you are and the more volatile you seem, the more deterrence is likely to accrue to you. And he knows that. And, and so all of these groups that are supposedly going to weaken his presidency, whether it's the MAGA base, that's not going to happen. The left is.

[Jack Fowler]

What is it?

[Unnamed Guest]

It's like we're going to oppose. We're going to oppose and really smear Trump because for the first time in 47 years, the Americans have struck back for the Beirut bombing, the hostage taking the Marine barracks, the killing 2000 in Iraq, trying to kill a president. And he finally said, no mas, and that's terrible. And it was successful, and that's terrible. And there's no more nuclear threat in the foreseeable, and that's terrible. That's not going to work. Russia and China is not going to work. The Arab world is not going to rise up. And then the question is, what will Iran do? And it's sort of like Straits of Hormuz. And the US Navy can handle the Straits of Hormuz terrorist enclave. If they kill. If there's. I hope that doesn't happen, because if you have some Iranian terrorists that start killing Americans in the United States, you know what Trump will do? He'll just say, everybody that's got a green card or a tourist visa from Iran, I don't care, you're going home. And. And he will expel the whole diplomatic corps. He'll get rid of all of them. He'll shut down all the Iranian nationals that are. So that's not going to happen. I don't think that's going to happen. Is it good things can happen? Is it the Iranian street? Anytime you bomb somebody, it's very hard for the people who are on the receiving end to side with the people who are on the bombing end.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah. So, I mean, Japan did, but what was its option? Right.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, I mean, we took Out. And then when you get rid of a dictator, you bomb them out or threaten Milosevic left. And we got something better. Gaddafi, that we bombed out of existence, we got something worse. We bombed Saddam out of existence. We got something slightly better maybe, but it took years and years. So it's an iffy thing. I don't see the Iranian street. It's like that. Keep quoting the Aesop's fable. Everybody wants to bell the cat and put a bell so you can hear him coming. But no mouse wants to be the one that has to be devoured in the first attempt. So anybody that goes out in the street is going to be butchered. The more likely sense of resistance will come from the army because they've killed what, 20 to 25 of the top generals. And the people are going to get very angry when they start to hear and see, and they already are, that probably a trillion dollars over 50 years was invested in Hezbollah and Hamas and the Houthis and the Assads. And all these people were greedy and demanding and they were impotent and they're all gone. And all that money was for nothing. And then you had all the nuclear burrowing and rock mountain fortresses all for nothing. And the embargoes and the sanctions that cost you billions of dollars for nothing. And the military through all of that finally turns out a country of 11 million people versus 91 million. That little country destroyed your air defenses and now is flying, waving at you all over the country and you can't do anything. So your military was impotent. Impotent, incompetent. And now they're thinking the generals. Well, they killed the first 25, so my name's on some list. So where do I sleep? You know, Fordo's all blown up. I can't go underground like a mole forever. So you would think that there are some army people who would sleep. These theocrats got the people angry at them and they're killing all of our generals. And we're not the same thing as the theocrats. And maybe one of them will do something, but I doubt it. But that's the only source that I can see of a popular uprising coming from the army and the military.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, there's a few more Iran related topics to get your take on, Victor. One of them is Barack Obama. Another is the aforementioned make Iran great again. And Pete Hagseth, I'd like to get your thoughts on him. And we'll do that when we come back from these important messages.

[Unnamed Sponsor]

You might be wondering when's the right Time to start adding collagen to my diet. How about today? Collagen production starts to dwindle in your 20s. By the time you've hit your 50s, decreased collagen contributes to wrinkles, sagging skin, joint discomfort. Native Path collagen can help. It's packed with only type 1 and 3 collagen fibers, the ones your body needs most for healthy joints, skin, bones, hair, nails and gut. Plus, it's third party tested for purity with no fillers, no additives and no artificial junk. Two scoops a day of native path delivers 18 grams of protein. Mix it into your coffee, tea or any drink. It's completely flavorless and easy to use right now. Get a special bundle deal at a fraction of the retail price plus free shipping [e-mail] Victor with over 4 million jars sold, thousands of 5 star reviews and a 365 day money back guarantee, this is your moment to take control of aging before symptoms get worse. Go to getnativepath.com Victor now supplies are limited and demand is surging. And we'd like to thank Native Path for sponsoring the Victor Davis Hands.

[Victor Davis Hanson]

We'll return to our program shortly, but first, a critical financial alert you need to hear. The dollar reset that currency experts have warned about for decades just shifted into overdrive, and the warning signs are impossible to ignore. Central banks are hoarding gold at unprecedented rates while global powers coordinate to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency. This isn't temporary market volatility. History shows that when nations reach this level of coordination, a massive reset inevitably follows. Gold isn't overpriced at record highs. It's the dollar that's rapidly losing its 80 year global dominance. Meanwhile, central banks have purchased over 1000 tons of gold annually for three consecutive years. This isn't just economic policy. It could be the early stages of complete monetary restructuring. And that's why American Alternative assets created the Dollar Reset Survival Kit that shows you exactly how to position your retirement savings before this historic transition accelerates and potentially receive up to $10,000 in free silver. To jumpstart your protection strategy, call 833-2-USAGOLD or visit victorlovesgold.com today. That's 833-287-2465 or victorlovesgold.com Protect your wealth before it's too late.

[Jack Fowler]

Folks. We're back with the Victor Davis Hansen show recording on Sunday, June 22nd. This episode will be up on Tuesday the 24th. I apologize, Haggard. I hardly slept. Flew across the country.

[Unnamed Guest]

I don't know how you're doing. Well, we're both in bad shape, the.

[Jack Fowler]

Walking wounded, but exhilarated by the news of yesterday on Saturday, late Saturday evening on the East Coast. But on the plane here, Victor, roughly three hours ago, I think from when we're talking right now, I saw on Fox, I was watching it on the plane and Donald Trump put on truth Social, I'm going to call it a tweet, but it's not but a truth. And he talked about, well, first of all, the background talk was we just, we were not into regime change. And then he said something like, you know, regime change is just a phrase, something like that. And yeah, let's make Iran great again. So I wonder where is he? Just he's just talking, thinking out loud. Maybe as you've written, one side of.

[Unnamed Guest]

The peninsula is going to be Gaza Riviera and the other side going to be, I don't know, Monaco or something. But again, what do you make if you're an Iranian and this guy has just destroyed a trillion dollar 50 year investment and neutered you and the next thing you know he wants to make you great again and negotiate with you. It's not quite the way that most American presidents act. And at the same time, it's not a sign of weakness because he did something that no other president would have done. So he's very confusing to these people and he just keeps everybody off. That's why the left, by the way, can't figure him out because they want him to be a right wing bogeyman. But on the one hand, they see him around with Joe Rogan and Dana White and RFK and Tulsi. And on the other hand, Wall street hates him more than unions. Unions like him. Wall street hates him. And so he's, he gives, he doesn't want to tax Social Security. Usually Republicans want to privatize it. He doesn't want to be taxed. So he's hard to pigeonhole.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

And well, they were trying to pigeonhole.

[Jack Fowler]

Pete Hegseth earlier this week, Victor, and what a difference a day makes from the that he and Tulsi Gabbard were on the outs. They were not in the inner circle. And I think in the last 24 hours, again, you know, we're 24 hours out from the activities of yesterday. I think he's come off looking really well.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, I mean we have two defense secretaries. One of them oversaw the greatest humiliation in 50 years since the embassy fly off in Saigon in 1975. Lloyd Austin, who went AWOL for a week. And he was beloved by the left. And here have another guy who participated as a partner with Rubio and Trump and probably the most spectacular American operation in the Middle east in its history. And he got. When people were leaking and he fired two or three of his closest soldiers. He leaks all the time. He could. There was no leaks. The media bought hook, line and sinker. They had a problem, because when you're going to use these B2s, you don't want to put them out in a place where they could. They're $2 billion each, so you want them home and you don't want them to be targeted by a drone or something. But when they flew out of, there were reporters at the base looking to see when they would take off. So you had to. They came up. The Pentagon came up with the idea that they were going to Guam. Everybody believed it. So the Iranians thought, well, they're in Guam. We'll just start surveilling Guam. And they weren't. They were headed right toward Fodor. So everything he did was pretty much contrary to what the left said. His stock has risen. So has Rubio's. So has Trump. My wife was watching Ms. It was. I think she was trying to torture me because I said, I've suffered enough. Please don't do this.

[Jack Fowler]

You want to see them in these hours? You want to see them in their misery.

[Unnamed Guest]

She did turn to. She started smiling. Watch this. We watched CNN and then msnbc. It was incredible. Each guest they had on was, well, I'm not a big Trump fan, but this was inspired. This is brilliant. I mean, Martha McKellen on Fox had on Mike Pence. Did you see him?

[Jack Fowler]

I did. I saw Today, Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

I felt bad for him. Yeah, because they were. I mean, she was a good journalist and she was trying. She was trying to point out the contradictions of. But it was a little different. He had differences in one sphere, not foreign policy, but I don't know if. But he was magnanimous. He said he was. Only Trump would have done this. I saw him do it. It was. And the thing about all this is when you get tied emotionally like he did, I understand that he felt he was in danger January 6th and all that, but the fact of the matter is, on 80% of the issues, he was on Trump's side in the 2024. And saying, you're not going to vote for that and you're going to sit out is like voting against it in a tight race. So when you're not voting, you're going to endanger the republic by letting a nincompoop like Kamala Harris come into office.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, you just shut your mouth about it.

[Unnamed Guest]

All he had to do was do what Bill Barr did. Remember Bill Barr said early on, I'm going to vote for Trump.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

And then he kind of shut up and he didn't see that. But if you look at all the people who have crossed Trump, none of them end up. Well, not John Bolton, not our former colleagues at the National Review, not anybody. And Tucker was very wise. He got, you know, he got a little overboard. And then Trump said today, reportedly that Tucker called him and he was nice guy and apologized.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

And then Elon, you know, he was going nowhere with Trump and nowhere beyond Trump. And then he kind of made his peace. He's working his way back. It's just not a good idea to get emotional and not look at dispassionately if you're a conservative. Because on the conservative spectrum, you're not going to get anybody who is as competent in getting things done for the conservative cause than him. He may not be a purist, but my gosh, why would you just sit out because you don't like his tweets or you feel that he's using capital letters or something?

[Jack Fowler]

Buckley Rule of the rightward most electable candidate I think should apply. I mean, if you have a moral issue like abortion, something like that, you think your soul will be at risk. That's one thing. Hey, Victor, before we get on to one last aspect of Iran, I think we should get your take on Barack Obama's recent utterances. But first, I just want to take a moment for our sponsor. Open. OpenPhone is the number one business phone system that streamlines and scales your customer communication. 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 fast than ever. OpenPhone is a no brainer. See why over 50,000 businesses trust OpenPhone to manage their businesses calls and texts. OpenPhone is offering the listeners of the Victor Davis Hanson Show 20% off your first six [e-mail] Victor. That's Openphone. O P E N P H O- N E I can spell when I'm reading it. 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. And we thank OpenPhone for continuing to sponsor the Victor Davis Hansen show. Victor Obama, before there was any sense, before the bomb started to fall two or so days beforehand. Obama, who seemed to have been under.

[Unnamed Guest]

A rock recently, or you know, he's hurting, be sympathetic. Michelle said.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

That she didn't want a boy because if a son would have turned out like Barack.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, she's getting even with all of his. I don't know what he, what his transgressions are, but whatever they are, she's getting even.

[Jack Fowler]

She's got a lot to get even for.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yes.

[Jack Fowler]

So does he, I think.

[Unnamed Guest]

I don't want to go there.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah. Well, here's an article that Obama calls for Trump resistance. And the headline is I forget where I got this. May have been Fox News, Obama's awkward call for a broad scale Trump resistance. Speaking to the Connecticut Forum in Hartford, the former president called for institutions, law firms, universities, members of both parties, and even Justice Department officials to make quote, unquote, uncomfortable sacrifices to defend a democracy he argued is increasingly under fire and President Donald Trump's second term. He suggested, without ever using Trump's name, that the U.S. was, quote, dangerously close, end quote, to a more autocratic government. Would this guy just go away?

[Unnamed Guest]

Barack, I'm addressing you personally.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

Who was the one that said, if Congress is not going to pass my legislation when you lost the majorities, I have a phone and pen and I'm going to use it. In other words, you set the president for executive orders. Who was the one who sat in the Oval Office as James Comey and John Brennan discussed Operation Crossfire and you knew what they were doing and you did nothing. Who was the one whose irs, under Lois Lerner's maverick or maybe institutional chicanery, tried to go after Republican, what, nonprofit.

[Jack Fowler]

PACs or, well, applicants.

[Unnamed Guest]

Applicants. Right before the 2012 election, your secretary of state. We don't even get onto Uranium One and all of those scandals. But the Benghazi thing was completely avoidable and those people died and were wounded because you would not allow forces that could have saved them and coming to their aid from Sicily and other places you wouldn't do. And then you created this Susan Rice lie that it was a pre planned. Oh, it was spontaneous. It wasn't pre planned. It was a spontaneous riot over a Coptic filmmaker. Remember that? Yeah, yeah. That was all a lie and you knew it. And now, now when you say that we all have to get, all of your liberal friends have to be mobilized, do you say that as I said earlier, when you lectured black men about their false consciousness, do you do that from Colorama? The 9 million dollar estate, the Chicago 3 or 4 million dollar estate, the 20 million dollar estate on the beach at Hawaii that should be flooded because you said global warming would rise the oceans by now. Or the big Nantucket, sweetheart. $14 million deal for 20 acres. So you are the elite of the elite. And I can't find any evidence that your two or $300 million that you've cashed into, I don't find anything that you did that in a norm, if you were a normal Barry Sotello that you would have earned. It's all based on leveraging your office. And you did it the last year in office because you knew the more that people saw and heard you, the lower your polls were. And then you said, you know what? I'm gonna let Hillary and Trump fight it out in 2000 and I'm just gonna golf and cut deals with Netflix and everything else and use my office to cash. And that's what you did. And your polls went up because we didn't see you, we didn't hear you. So nobody listens to him anymore. Everybody's making fun of him. I mean, you got two successive presidents. One is senile and was at the center of the largest cover up in presidential history. And they know that and they can't avoid it. They're even fighting among themselves. You did it. No, you did it. No, the White House did it. No, the media did it. And then you had Barack Obama, Who? Everybody, everybody, even your closest supporters realized that your whole purpose was always to make money and to have a life of leisure and then to assuage your guilt by calling people less than genuine revolutionaries or community organizers like yourself. So you're a complete fraud. You've got a diminished capital. And the only good thing about all this is your presidential library reflects your own competence. It's a monstrous eyesore. It's unfinished. Your DEI little agendas turned in to be a disaster. And it reflects your presidency perfectly on a similar line.

[Jack Fowler]

And not because she's black, but. And he's black. But Whoopi Goldberg. Did you see her the other day? Like people in Iran, but black Americans have it worse.

[Unnamed Guest]

You know, I don't. I've said this is a very sensitive subject. But two things are happening with the black elite. On the one hand, there was a Rasmussen poll, a tracking poll, a weekly poll, and it was just ignored because when I turned on MSNBC and CNN on this torture chamber, My wife put me through. They were all saying the polls are terrible for Trump, but they're not. The Trafalgar and insider advantage and some other ones that were accurate, Rasmussen among them, especially Rasmussen. 53% of Hispanics favor what Trump's doing. 54% of blacks higher than the white vote. And then you have these brilliant black Byron Donalds, and you've got the new Texas legislator. Representative from Texas. He's a U.S. military Academy graduate. He just destroyed Bill.

[Jack Fowler]

Oh, Bill Maher. Yeah. I forget his name.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, he. He was just brilliant. So what I'm getting at is that most of the talent in the black community is the really brilliant Roland Fryer in the legacy of Shelby Steele and Tom Sowell. It's all conservative. And Jason, all these people. But at the same time, this is happening. The left, the DEI left, looks at all this and they see that their power is waning, that black males are defecting to the Republican Party. And they have to play the race card because they have to say, no, no, no. I, Whoopi Goldberg, may be a multi, multi, multi millionaire. I may have every advantage that I could have that someone in East Palestine, Ohio, does not, but I have to play the race card. Otherwise, who am I right now? So she does and says that life is harder on blacks than it is on people. And around. Nobody believes that, Whoopi. And then this is collated. This is synonymous. When we had Jasmine Crockett say that half the country, the people who voted for Trump, were mentally ill. You're mentally ill. Every time I see you, you don't know whether to sound like a prep, spoiled brat with no ghetto accent to a ghetto accent to play. What. What are you doing? And then she ends up with this racist diatribe in which she says, oh, and then. Brilliant Kamala Harris. Brilliant Kamala Harris. Do you think that she could build one building? I don't think she could supervise the construction of a house. That's what Donald Trump did. And so then she says, and so they had to vote for an old white man. That's what Joe Biden is. But my point is, it's always white, white, white, white, white for Whoopi Goldberg and for her. Then we had this clown, I don't know who his name is. Alex Padilla. He's our senator. All I remember. Then he says, well, I was just going up there. I don't object to incarcerating, to deporting, Incarcerating, criminal ill. Yes, you do. You were at California. You helped draft the sanctuary cities. To protect illegal alien, criminal. And anyway, what are you supposed to do, Mr. Padilla, when somebody came here illegally, cut in front of a line, probably had fraudulent ID and you happen to be in the vicinity of an eyesight, Are you supposed to say, well, the law says I'm supposed to detain you and deport you or give you a hearing, but I can't because you haven't committed a crime other than the crime of entering? No, they don't do that. I'm sorry. Then he was mad because J.D. vance, who didn't know who he was and he had been a fellow senator, said he was Jose Padilla, the would be bomber, and he thought that was racist. So he did that psychodrama. I was arrested. And then you have this grown man, Mr. Macho, and he starts crying.

[Jack Fowler]

Did you ever, in your life, other than this, have you ever seen a man try to fake, fake up the tears? I mean, it is one of the most embarrassing things.

[Unnamed Guest]

I thought he humiliated himself. I know that. I mean, as I've said, members of my family are intermarried with Latino. I grew up with Mexican American people. And I can tell you that a grown man crying like that is publicly humiliating. And it's something that community doesn't really appreciate. And, and so I don't understand. And then, so you had that. And then you had this view where they were going on and they suggested, excuse me, we had Whoopi Goldberg, then we had Ilhan Omar. And she starts mouthing off and says that the dictatorship in Somalia that she grew up under and fled was not as bad as the. One of the worst countries.

[Jack Fowler]

Go back, go back.

[Unnamed Guest]

I remember when I was a student, remember the left had a sign that said effort or change it. Change it or eff it. And the white had love it or leave it. And you'd see warring. But really, if you came as an immigrant and you were the beneficiary of state largesse to go to college, we the taxpayers, federal and state, paid for your education. You violated campaign finance laws, you kind of cheated on the use of discretionary funding as a congresswoman. You married one of your political operatives. Just kind of conflict of interest. I won't get into your immigration status marrying your brother, whether that's true or not. But there were some credible sources at least, and you would think you'd have a little bit of gratitude. Just a little bit. Why does she have no gratitude? I think it's because of dei. I think people come here and they survey the landscape and they say, I have a Choice. Now, I can either really like this country and compete and be on my own, or I can play victim. And even though I just set one inch inside the United States, I can claim that because of the color of my skin, I have been a victim of two and a half centuries of oppression. And I need repertory treatment. And that's what they do. And it will not stop until somebody says, if you're an illegal alien and you come in here and you're going to pose as a victim, or you're Mr. Khalil and you're going to pose as a victim, it's not going to work. I don't care what it is. You have not suffered anything. If you want to see real racism, go down to Oaxaca or Michoacan and see how the Spanish elite treat indigenous people, people. But it's not Americans doing that. When you come up here, you have been a victim of racism in Mexico, but you are a beneficiary on the spurious idea that because you're now in the United States, you can draw on supposed centuries of racism for compensatory treatment. And we're not going to do it anymore. And I think that's part of this anger now. They're getting more and more desperate. The DEI left white, white, white, white, old white man, old white man, old white man, terrible country. Somalia is better, and it's really racist. And I think. And this is going on, Jack, at the same time, we're hearing James Carville, one of his lunatic videos, saying, I don't know what's going to happen, but they got to get the white working class back. They just got to get it back. They don't know what they're good for. Them. They're not. Well, they're not going to go back, right? Why would they go back? You think they want to vote for Pete Buttigieg when he comes? Doesn't even want to go to East Palestine. He's scared.

[Jack Fowler]

We know you hate us.

[Unnamed Guest]

They know you hate them. Yeah, you hate them. You call them deplorables, irredeemables, chumps, garbage clingers. They understand that. They've read Peter. They know who Peter Strzok's texts were. I went to Walmart and I smelled all these Trump supporters. So you're never going to get them back. They don't like you because of your issues and your attitude and your sense of privilege. And the ultimate culpability here is with the white elite bicoastal class, because they are the beneficiaries of a lot of, you know, old boy networking. I agree with that. And they're very successful. They're very wealthy, they're very influential and they are very materialistic and they don't want to give that up, but they feel terrible about it. So one thing they do is they patronize wealthy people just like them that happen to be non white. And there's a lot of them, just as many almost. You can be Indian, you can be Asian, you can be Hispanic, you can be anything. And if you're non white, a white liberal will try to feel so terrible what he what white people, not him people in East Palestine have done. So then they and it works two ways. They patronize the DEI elite, which only makes them more emboldened and think they can get anything they want. And then the poor white people who don't get anything, then they're the ones that are the cause of all the racism according to the white elite. And I think everybody's sick of it. We're all sick of it.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, Victor, I think we're sick of Gavin Newsom. And as we're talking, talking right now, for all I know, he's at his winery sipping wine while he's at the.

[Unnamed Guest]

French laundry having a $600 meal while everybody's locked down under Covid.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, we have to talk about him as we round the turn here and head into the home stretch. And we're going to get your take on what Gavin's done lately when we come back from these important final messages.

[Unnamed Sponsor]

I'd like to welcome back our sponsor, Quince. Frankly, I'm not big on trends, but I am big on clothes that feel good and last. That's why I keep going back to Quince. Their lightweight layers and high quality staples have become my everyday essentials. Quince has all the things you actually want to wear this summer, like organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts and comfortable pants that work for everything from backyard hangs to nice dinners. The best part, everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands. By working directly with top artisans and cutting out the middlemen, Quince gives you luxury pieces without the markups. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and fabric finishes. Quince products belong among the classics in my closet and any closet. Beautifully fabricated, easy, comfortable wear, great for any occasion and great prices. The recent linen vest I purchased is another case in point. Dress it up, dress it down, it goes anywhere and looks and feels great. Stick to the staples that last with elevated essentials from quince go to quince.com Victor for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N C E.com Victor to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Victor and we'd like to thank Quince for sponsoring the Victor Davis Hansen Show.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Craving your next action packed adventure, Audible delivers thrills of every kind on your command. Like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir where a lone astronaut must save humanity from extinction. Narrated with stunning intensity by Ray Porter. From electrifying suspense and daring quests to spine tingling horror and romance in far off realms, unleash your adventure aside with gripping titles that'll keep you guessing. Discover exclusive Audible originals, hotly anticipated new releases and must listen bestsellers that hook you from the first minute because Audible knows there's no greater thrill than the one that speaks to you. Discover what lies beyond the edge of your seat. Start your free 30 day trial at audible.com wondery us that's audible.com wondery us.

[Jack Fowler]

We are back with the Victor Davis Hansen Show. I didn't mention the blade of Perseus. Victorhansen.com Go there. Subscribe $65 a year. That's discounted from 650amonth. Why would you subscribe? Because twice a week Victor writes an exclusive article for the Blade of Perseus. Once a week an exclusive video plus links galore, archives of these podcasts, Victor's other appearances. You're going to love it. If you're new to the show, you didn't even know it except exists and you're a fan of Victor. You got to check it out. Victorhansen.com the Blade of Perseus I got.

[Unnamed Guest]

To make a plug before we continue. Plug away.

[Jack Fowler]

It's your show.

[Unnamed Guest]

I know. Given this volatile situation in the Middle east and given that Turkey has been very aggressive lately against my beloved Greece and Cyprus, I think it's time for Donald Trump. I know he's not listening, but I think it's time for Donald Trump to to make a spectacular ambassadorial appointment. I've mentioned it a couple of times. Max Nikias, the ex USC president, Cypriot native. No one has been more pro Trump, more Competent Engineer, brilliant PhD and he knows Cyprus backwards and forwards. And Cyprus, like Greece, will play an integral role in the next three years. He would be the most loyal, competent and impressive appointment for for a Cypriot ambassadorship. As well as Tom Connor on the American Battle Monuments Commission. Why? Because he wrote the book on it. Hillsdale professor of military history. Superbly qualified.

[Jack Fowler]

Wait, wait. Had he been on it and was he balanced?

[Unnamed Guest]

I was on it.

[Jack Fowler]

You were. I know, but he was not on it.

[Unnamed Guest]

No, he wasn't. But he should be on it. I know that a lot of times the donor class. But he's been to all the cemeteries. He knows it backwards and forward. Those two appointments of Tom Connor and Max Nikias would be wonderful.

[Jack Fowler]

Okay, well, you hear that Donald Trump?

[Unnamed Guest]

Sure, he's listening.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, he may be watching it at 3 in the morning. Gavin Sips while LA riots. Have we forgotten LA was rioting. It's amazing how, Victor, how something was going on a week ago. Seems to be ancient history. Almost. But as the riots engulfed Los Angeles and mobs vandalized public buildings, incinerated vehicles, assaulted law enforcement officers, California Governor Gavin Newsom was enjoying a swanky wine tasting party.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, he left his $9 million home and he went to Napa in the same fashion he went to the French Laundry while we were all locked down. He can't help it. He's another scorpion. You know, the frog takes a scorpion across the wall and then the scorpion kills him for treating him so well. And you ask him why? He is a spoiled, entitled Bay Area brat. He always was, he always will be. He's incompetent, he's mediocre, he can't do the job. And he's always been a beneficiary of Getty money. His father was a judge. He had all the right contacts. They introduced him to the world of easy commerce. And he's been a complete. If you look at his role on the San Francisco City Council, as San Francisco mayor, as lieutenant governor and as governor, and you total that whole 30 years, there is not one American more responsible for the destruction of California in general and the Bay Area in particular than Gavin Newsom. Whether it's the homeless problem or the defunding the police or the budget deficits are letting water out to the ocean while our farmers are short and our reservoirs are half empty as I speak, or, or the 30 to 40 cents a kilowatt hour, or blowing up dams on the Klamath river or not building dams, or the high speed rail boondoggle, the 15 to 30 billion that's going to. It's just a disaster. Everything he. He has the unmitas touch. Everything he touches turns to dross. Now you have Pacific Palisades. He should be down there every day just hammering away on the zoning, the coastal. Get these houses built, help these people. They're wonderful people. If we can get a renaissance and get them back up, it'll help la. Let's get rid of the homeless downtown. He's not doing anything. All he's doing is, well, how he's doing this with his shoulders, this little jig he does and he's trying to think the party is really alienating. I'm going to have to move to the center. So he gets Charlie Kirk on and he gets all this Steve Bannon and then somebody says, hey, you idiot, you're never going to be nominated because it's full of a bunch of Marxists and socialists. You do that after you get the nomination. But right now you have to compete with the lunatic fringe, so you've got to act lunatic. So then he goes down and he wants to pick a fight with Donald Trump. He said, J.D. vance the other day was a liar. We didn't need any. You know, the city is burning. You see AutoZone or all these stores, Rob. You see graffiti on federal buildings, you see bricks thrown at police from overpasses. You see the 101 shutdown, you see all of this Mexican flags, American flags burning and there's no problem. He and Karen Bass, the woman who caused basically the fire by her in absentia, non governance. So anyway, you think he'd be down there, but instead he's trying to get up from 4%. 4% of the Democratic Party want him to be the nominee in 2028. And his polls in California were about 20, 26%. So he's thinking, I had it all wrong going to the middle. I've got to get nominated, so I'm going to act as crazy as the other people. So I'm going to pick a fight with Trump. I'm going to call Vance a liar. I'm going to say, come out here and meet me. I dare you to jail me. This whole little sticky house macho stick. And then he thinks, and he's gone from 4 to 6%. Then he thinks he's going to get the nomination and then he will revert back like Bill Clinton and Dick Morris. It's not going to work. You know why, Gavin? Because it's you. And you reigned over 30 years. Your fingerprints are everywhere. Whether the California disaster is infrastructure, it's power, it's no gasoline that's affordable, it's driving oil refineries out. It's fires that were poorly handled.

[Jack Fowler]

So Oakland, look at Oakland.

[Unnamed Guest]

Look at Oakland as pre civilization. You, you, you did it and everybody knows it now. So he's gonna, and then he thinks that, you know, I think he thinks like this. Well, you know, everybody that takes on Donald Trump and starts slurring him and attacking him, going back to the Rosie o' Donnell days or going to the John Bolton or Mark Milley called him a foul or the ex general or all of them, the Rex Tillerson, they all lose. But I'm Gavin Newsom, and I won't. Yes, you will. You get in a big fight with Donald Trump. He doesn't care. He's just going to say to you, if you want sanctuary cities and you want to defy federal immigration laws, then don't take the money. And then he says, well, we're going to. We're going to cut off remittances. I mean, our tax system to. To the federal government. We give them $80 billion more than we serve. Yeah, it's 1.5% of $5.5 trillion in annual revenue the government gets. Gavin. It's nothing. And anyway, it's a felony to tell people not to pay their federal taxes, if that's what you meant. So he just. I don't know. He's a very exasperating person because he kind of questions your whole view of our system. When you look at him and you think, how did that guy get ahead? He is so mediocre. And then, you know, he was in rehab with alcoholism, and then he seduced his best friend's wife. And all of these things about him are reprehensible, but you just ask yourself, they could be forgiven if he was competent, if he did, but he's not.

[Jack Fowler]

Kamala Harris has the same disease. How did she get to be a breath away from.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, I can see that because it's funny you mention that because it's a really good point. Which is more powerful in our system. The old white boy network, where the wealthy and the people with degrees behind their names and the right zip codes take care of their own. The Martha's Vineyard crowd and the Bay Area crowd or the DEI angle, but they both have something in common. They're not based on merit. So he rose through the ranks, not on merit in the way that she did, but they did it in the same manner. But they did it through different agencies. But it's similar.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, we're gonna have to end it on that because to let our listeners in and viewers behind the curtain, we do have to record another show. And you are still recovering.

[Unnamed Guest]

I am. I am. I'm getting better every day. I'm anger. Angry at myself. I'm frustrated. It's been nine days and I'm not feeling normal. Okay.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah, well you're, you look okay for the walking wounded. But we're, we're, we'll close it out by thanking our listeners and, and letting them know viewers, whatever platform this shows now on Rumble, YouTube for viewing and Apple, Spotify etc. But it we try to read the comments. We appreciate people that take the time and effort to rate this show and to, and to leave comments and I'm going to read two comments. One is from lefty alone one. I think these may both be from YouTube this and the next one. The worst thing about being in Israel in our bomb shelter is missing two days of Victor and team. I was too nervous to take an hour away from the news. Missing an hour of Victor's common sense brilliant scholarship is much worse than missing an ice cold lemonade on a hot day. Please take all the time you need for a full recovery from your surgery. And that's from Lefty Alone one.

[Unnamed Guest]

That's a nice letter. I was thinking, I wrote a column what was Israel, I mean Iran thinking? And I had a paragraph that was too long. I should have included it. One of the things, what were they thinking by taking on Israel? I know they thought they were only 10 and a half, 11 million people, but they are the most capable people in the world. And when they get, I know they're fractious and they get in arguments but when they get united, they're unstoppable. And what they have done to Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas and everybody and indirectly to the, to Bashar Assad, it's all based on ingenuity and brilliance. It really is, and courage.

[Jack Fowler]

So what they've done to people, to bad nations and what they're doing for us, they're fighting civilization, war. Israel is fighting it on our.

[Unnamed Guest]

I said that today. I had an interview with, first interview since my operation with Ben Shapiro and he wanted me to comment on the slur that Netanyahu is leeching off us. You know, but actually, in a weird way, Trump handled that relationship beautifully because he allowed the parameters of what Israel could do to just be limitless. And he never threatened like Biden did to cut off munitions and all that. And the result was that when our bombers went in to finish off this nuclear program, there was no Israeli defenses. There was, I mean there was no Iranian defenses. There were no missiles. There was no Hezbollah that is going to kill. They may try, but they won't be as effective. There was no Hamas. There was the Houthis are kind of new or there's no Assad. The Russians were nothing. They did all that and we were the beneficiaries. I'm surprised that Chancellor Mertz in Germany was the one that understood that he did.

[Jack Fowler]

Ron Dermer, the ambassador, had said once at a Gatestone meeting, I think it was important, he said, israel is our indispensable ally. And I think he was, damn straight. They're so vital to America.

[Unnamed Guest]

It is. I mean, every time I've gone there and I look at Haifa, I thought, wow, this reminds me of San Francisco the way it used to be. You know what I mean? It reminds me of San Francisco. But everything worked.

[Jack Fowler]

Hey, one more comment here. It's from Q5H. Not sure what that stands for, but whoever this is writes a must Listen for the working class. We're so lucky that Victor Davis Hanson represents the traditional independent working class and the cultural history that still struggles to exist in California, the very backbone of the state's economy for 250 years. Thanks to both of you and everyone who's taken the time for comments. And I want to thank the folks that I've gotten a few emails this week from folks that read Civil Thoughts, which is the free weekly email newsletter I write for the center for Civil Society. We are trying to strengthen civil society. Comes out every Friday, 14 recommended readings. I know you're going to like it. Totally free. Go to civilthoughts.com sign up.

[Unnamed Guest]

I was just talking, just a final note. We were talking about a visitor who remained unnamed.

[Jack Fowler]

Oh yes, ungrateful visitor.

[Unnamed Guest]

And I was talking about my son when he was, how proud I was that he grew up, you know, on the farm doing everything and he was a great forklift driver. He still is and he's a high school teacher. But my gosh, he had so many working class skills and I always valued those as much as academic skill. He wasn't interested in the same academic things I was, but he was much more adroit and practical. The other day we had the boat and man, he just took off the. He just took off the blade and everything. Service. He's very mechanical. He works very hard. I'm very proud that he is a solid member of the working middle class.

[Jack Fowler]

Well, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Our listeners should know the second episode of this show we ever did back at national review, you had 103 fever and we're under your house, under this house fixing some leak from the kitchen plumbing and sick and grand covered. You were in a crawl space. You came and did the show. Yes.

[Unnamed Guest]

The plumber had done he need the bath to bathtub 2 inch drain had too many turns in it to get to the cesspool so I was trying to make a 3 inch line parallel with a straight shot.

[Jack Fowler]

With a fever.

[Unnamed Guest]

With a fever.

[Jack Fowler]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Guest]

And I kind of.

[Jack Fowler]

Mission accomplished. Yeah, you've been, you've been terrific. Victor, thanks very much. Thanks folks for listening. Thanks for viewing. We'll be back soon with another episode of the Victor Davis Answer.

[Unnamed Guest]

Thank you everybody.

[Jack Fowler]

Bye bye.

[Unnamed Guest]

Listening and viewing.

[Victor Davis Hanson]

Before we wrap up today's episode, I want to share an important warning about the global economy. The dollar reset that currency experts have warned about for decades just shifted into overdrive. And the warning signs are impossible to ignore. Central banks are hoarding gold at unprecedented rates while global powers coordinate to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency. This isn't temporary market volatility. History shows that when nations reach this level of coordination, a massive reset inevitably follows. Gold isn't overpriced at record highs. It's the dollar that's rapidly losing its 80 year global dominance. Meanwhile, central banks have purchased over 1000 tons of gold annually for three consecutive years. This isn't just economic policy. It could be the early stages of complete monetary restructuring. And that's why American Alternative assets created the Dollar Reset Survival Kit that shows you exactly how to position your retirement savings before this historic transition is accelerates and potentially receive up to $10,000 in free silver. To jumpstart your protection strategy, call 833-2-USA Gold or visit victorlovesgold.com today. That's 833-287-2465 or victorlovesgold.com Protect your wealth before it's too late.