Podcast Summary: Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words

Episode: Spying on Senators and Crushing Free Speech in the UK
Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Victor Davis Hanson
Podcast Network: The Daily Signal

Episode Overview

In this episode, Victor Davis Hanson returns from a short hiatus to deliver incisive commentary on critical issues shaping the political and cultural climate in the US and abroad. The episode primarily explores three intertwined themes:

• Israel and the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas attacks, the West’s response, and peace prospects in Gaza.
• Revelations of FBI surveillance of US senators, broader political prosecutions, and what Hanson views as the erosion of civil liberties and abuse of federal power.
• A look across the Atlantic at increasingly illiberal moves against free speech in the United Kingdom, the changing nature of political violence, and the danger of new forms of nullification in American cities.

Throughout, Hanson situates present controversies within historical frameworks, drawing parallels and warning of potential consequences.

Key Topics and Insights

1. The Legacy of October 7th and Israel–Gaza

(05:19–16:49)

• Hanson provides historical and political context for the Hamas attacks on Israel, stressing that:
  • Israel had entirely withdrawn from Gaza 20 years prior, leaving infrastructure behind. (05:55)
  • Billions in Western aid did not foster prosperity but funded terror tunnels and warfare. (07:03)
  • The October 7 attacks were widely supported by Gaza’s populace, contrary to Western narratives that absolve civilian complicity. He recounts Gazans flooding into Israel to kill and loot during the attack. (09:24)
• Notable Quote:
  • “Anybody who knew Israel and the history of Israel and the thin margin of error that it has to survive would know they were not going to tolerate that... It’s like Pearl Harbor... They started it.” (13:36)
• Hanson fiercely critiques Western double standards:
  • Civilian casualties attributed to Israeli counterstrikes are, he argues, lower than many similar Western campaigns elsewhere, yet draw more condemnation (e.g., US in Iraq, Russia in Ukraine). (14:54)
  • International treatment of Israel differs from Ukraine, where civilians aren’t texted prior to airstrikes and foreign aid is not contingent on ceasefire terms. (15:41)
• On peace prospects:
  • Israel’s military campaign significantly weakened Iran, Hezbollah, Assad, Hamas, and the Houthis; this may (perhaps paradoxically) create room for peace or, at least, a new status quo. (16:01)

2. FBI Surveillance and Political Prosecutions

(16:49–23:14)

• Discussion of Senator John Kennedy’s revelations: FBI, under the Biden administration, is alleged to have monitored at least eight senators and potentially Republican House members. (16:49)
• Hanson highlights the irony of Democratic outrage over the idea of a “police state” while left-leaning administrations have been at the forefront of surveillance (Obama on AP reporters; Biden’s FBI partnerships with Big Tech, etc.). (17:33)
  • He points to Democratic officials’ repeated evasion of subpoenas, contrasted with aggressive prosecutions of Trump associates. (20:24)
  • Notable Quote:
    “They project their own sins onto other people... prep the battlefield so you get the impression they’re incapable of ever doing this. Therefore they do it. They get a pass...” (21:45)
• The revelations reveal deepening distrust of federal law enforcement and concern about selective, partisan application of justice.

3. Violence, Nullification, and the Erosion of Law

(23:14–38:04)

• Review of controversial cases, e.g., diminished sentences for a would-be Kavanaugh assassin citing transgender status, and Jay Jones (Virginia AG candidate):
  • Jones reportedly texted threats to kill Republican colleagues, urinate on their graves, and expressed approval for anti-police violence. (27:01–30:33)
  • Hanson laments the lack of Democratic condemnation and the growing tendency for political violence and intimidation to be excused if the perpetrator is left-leaning or fits a progressive identity narrative.
  • Quote:
    “All you got to do is shut the blank up and give some crocodile tears and we’ll squeak by... A lot of the ballots have already been counted and we’re winning, so don’t, don’t blow it.” (29:18)
• Rising concern about lawless protest and selective enforcement in cities like Portland and Chicago:
  • Progressive mayors and officials have at times refused to help ICE agents under siege or prioritized protestor “rights” over federal law enforcement. (41:36)
  • Parallel drawn to nullification crises pre–Civil War; Hanson fears a return to American civic breakdown if states and cities flagrantly defy federal law. (33:50, 38:04)
  • Quote:
    “We’re headed to a John Brown Harper’s Ferry incident ... where somebody’s going to say, you know what, I want to be famous for taking on ICE.” (32:15)

4. Police, Security State, and the Institutions

(40:47–44:33)

• Critique of police leadership advising activist groups on how to evade federal agents (Portland), and the reluctance of law enforcement in certain cities to support ICE:
  • Raises concern that radical ideological capture may extend to the command structure in police as well as federal agencies.
  • Parallels drawn to military leadership’s flippant or political statements (e.g., General Milley during and after Trump’s administration), suggesting establishment figures are eager to resist right-leaning authority but silent under left-leaning government.

5. UK Free Speech Suppression and European “Hinge Point”

(47:11–57:57)

• Hanson discusses widespread crackdowns on speech in the UK:
  • “Thirty people are arrested every day in the UK for something they wrote or even saw or retweeted...” (47:48)
  • Harassment and arrest of people for merely appearing Jewish or praying in a Christian manner, while radical street intimidation goes unchecked.
  • European leaders ignore or deny the roots and real perpetrators of rising antisemitic violence, instead fearing the supposed “right-wing” backlash.
  • Quote:
    “They want to appease [immigrant radicalism] and cut deals while you still can as a majority population. But I don’t think they understand there’s going to be a big backlash against this... It’s our last chance.” (49:39)
• Warnings about moves towards digital currency and ID cards, potentially enabling unprecedented state surveillance and social control.
  • “Once you have all that info, you’re going to tell me I can’t buy that third pound of ground beef...” (57:24)
• As in the US, progressivism’s establishment dominance now meets grassroots resistance:
  • “The left was against the establishment. Now they are the establishment. They were marching on the buildings. Now they’re inside the buildings.” (66:08)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Direct condemnation of Western progressive hypocrisy (13:36):
  “It’s like saying, well, you dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and they only killed 2,500 people at Pearl Harbor. No, they started a world war...”
• On double standards in law enforcement (21:45):
  “They project their own sins onto other people... prep the battlefield so you get the impression they’re incapable of ever doing this. Therefore they do it.”
• On the changing nature of the American left (66:08):
  “The left was against the establishment. Now they are the establishment. They were marching on the buildings. Now they’re inside the buildings.”
• Warning of looming civic crisis (32:15):
  “We’re headed to a John Brown Harper’s Ferry incident.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• Beginning—Historical Perspective on Political Violence: 00:00–02:00
• Israel, Gaza, and October 7th Analysis: 05:19–16:49
• FBI Spying Allegations & Political Prosecutions: 16:49–23:14
• Jay Jones Scandal & Violence Rhetoric in Politics: 27:01–32:15
• Nullification, City-State Lawlessness: 33:50–38:04
• UK Free Speech Crackdown & Digital Surveillance: 47:11–57:57
• Education, Grade Inflation, and Ideology in Academia: 53:18–57:57
• Closing Reflections on Progressivism as the Establishment: 66:08

Takeaways

• Hanson paints a grim picture of declining norms around free speech, due process, and bipartisan governance.
• He sees a fundamental change in the American left: from anti-establishment radicals to secure-in-power authoritarians who now control institutions, weaponize law enforcement, and selectively suppress dissent.
• He warns of civic fractures both domestically and in Europe, pointing out that elite efforts to appease radicalism may provoke lasting backlash.
• The episode ends on a reminder that, while alarming, awareness and resistance to these trends is building among ordinary citizens—at home and abroad.

For more content and exclusive articles, visit VictorHanson.com – The Blade of Perseus.*