VINCE Podcast | Episode 121
Title: BREAKING: Trump Goes To 'War' In Chicago
Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Vince Coglianese
Guest: Ben Shapiro

Episode Overview

In Episode 121, host Vince Coglianese tackles the major news that President Trump has initiated aggressive federal interventions in crime-ridden cities, most notably launching “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago and “Operation Patriot 2.0” in Boston. With his trademark passionate and unfiltered style, Vince covers the details behind these federal crackdowns, the political firestorm they've generated, and the responses of local Democrat leaders. The episode features a detailed discussion with Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, focusing on America’s rising crime rates, media bias in covering urban violence, and the larger cultural battles reflected in Shapiro’s new book “Lions and Scavengers.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Crackdown: “War” on Urban Crime

(Main Segment: 01:00 - 16:00)

• Trump's "War" on Chicago and Other Cities

  • President Trump announced a zero-tolerance approach to lawlessness in major cities, framing it as "going to war" to restore normalcy (“The President of the United States is going to war in Chicago, in Boston and all of these horribly run American cities … to restore some normalcy to them.” [01:03])
  • The President posted a meme online, which left-leaning media figures reacted to with outrage (“The emotional incontinence of the left is … distilled into one. Yamiche Alcindor, she's a crazy left wing reporter… here's President Trump smacking her into the earth.” [02:14])
  • Trump’s position: “We're not going to war. We're going to clean up our cities … That's not war, that's common sense.” [Trump, as quoted by Vince, ~02:30]

• Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago

  • Federal agents, including ICE, are actively arresting criminal illegal immigrants in Chicago, a city Vince describes as “a sanctuary for this kind of lawlessness” and where local politicians have allegedly shirked law enforcement.
  • Notable local focus: Mayor Brandon Johnson criticized for hypocrisy—maintaining a 150-officer security detail while opposing more policing for the city at large (“Instead of making the city safer, he's making himself safer. … If you have 150 people defending you, you're defended by a wall that's built out of humans.” [05:45])
  • Example of police protection hypocrisy: Mayor Johnson refuses to reduce his own police detail, insisting instead on more social services (“He's not hiring a private security force. He's taking taxpayer money, stealing it. … That's what Brandon Johnson is doing. It is madness.” [05:45])

• Federal Immigration Enforcement:

  • ICE’s increased operations target serious offenders, as detailed in a segment with Fox’s Griff Jenkins, who describes the arrest of a convicted child sex offender living unlawfully in Chicago (“Early this morning … we arrested this individual … convicted in 2024 of forcibly sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13.” [08:32])
  • Vince’s take: local Democrats feign outrage over lack of notification, but “you’re a part of the criminal enterprise that made this happen. We don’t alert the criminal conspiracy that we’re about to begin enforcing the law.” [10:21]

• Memorializing Victims

  • Enforcement action dedicated to Katie Abraham, a Chicago woman killed by an illegal immigrant, cited as a moral catalyst for the crackdown. [11:58]

2. Expanded Federal Actions: Boston and New Orleans

(Segments: 15:00 - 18:00)

• Operation Patriot 2.0 (Boston)

  • Begins targeting criminal undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts.
  • Legal action filed against Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for hindering immigration enforcement (“DHS says that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s sanctuary city policies have created a public safety threat.” [14:29])
  • Vince’s summary: “Boston has been a complete disaster as well. … Operation Patriot 2.0 is on.” [15:05]

• ICE Arrests in New Orleans

  • Arrest of Cristian Soto Galliano, a convicted child predator, is highlighted (“Check out this pint-sized predator, as the New York Post calls him … his crimes are not at all.” [16:00])
  • Vince’s harsh tone: “That little pedophile. He's smiling on camera having been captured. So there you go. … They're doing a good job.” [17:30]

3. Supreme Court Ruling Supports Immigration Crackdowns

(Main Segment: 18:02 - 26:30)

• Legal Background and National Ramifications
  • Supreme Court lifts a District Court’s restrictions, validating more robust ICE stops based on “totality of the circumstances.”
  • Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion: “Although ethnicity alone is not enough, you can include a combination of factors … constitutes a reasonable suspicion of illegal presence in the United States.” [~22:40]
  • Left-leaning Justices dissent, notably Sotomayor: “We should not live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.” [23:18]
  • Vince: “No, idiot, no, it doesn’t. … People who are not American, who are here illegally are being picked up, and your constitutional freedoms are being protected by this.” [23:50]

4. Interview: Ben Shapiro

(Segment: 32:13 - 49:13)

Israel/Doha News Reaction

• Breaking News Discussion
  • Israeli military strikes Hamas leadership in Qatar after failed hostage negotiations.
  • Ben Shapiro: “Qatar has never been an honest broker … directly funneled billions of dollars to Hamas that houses Hamas’s top officials.” [32:47]
  • On impact: “I don’t think that Hamas has an interest ever in releasing the hostages … [the strike is] intended to convey…either you’re going to release the hostages or your entire top leadership will die.” [34:38]

U.S. Crime, Media Bias, and Systemic Issues

• Charlotte, NC Murder
  • Case of a Ukrainian refugee murdered by a repeat offender on public transport covered up by mainstream media, according to Vince and Ben.
  • Ben: “We do not actually have an over-policing crisis in the United States. We have an under-policing crisis … people who are schizophrenic, mentally ill, violent, with long criminal histories, with gigantic rap sheets. And that needs to stop.” [35:54]
  • Media selective outrage: “If it’s Daniel Penney … it’s a national news story for six months. [But] when a black assailant kills a white victim, they just ignore it entirely.” [39:35]
  • On bystander failure: “I can’t blame the people on the subway … they’re probably figuring that he’s going to stab them next … we live in the safest society in history, [most of us] have never had to confront an honest to God murderer with a blood-dripping knife.” [40:14]

Shapiro’s Book: "Lions and Scavengers"

• Key Themes
  • Duality in American culture: builders (“lions”) versus destroyers (“scavengers”).
  • “The lion … believes they have a moral duty in the world … the scavenger says all of our problems are the fault of some unspecified, shadowy system … the only thing left to do is to rip down all the systems that make America great.” [41:58]
  • The importance of belief in God and moral absolutism in creating resilient societies: “You can’t be a secular atheist and have a real basis for a moral system … they’re just running off the fumes of biblical values.” [43:50]
  • On tearing down versus reform: “The thing that distinguishes lions from scavengers … is whether there is good evidence that an institution is so thoroughly corrupt … and lions seek to build replacement institutions or at least find good answers.” [45:34]

5. Urban Crime: Arrest Recidivism & Political Solutions

(Segment: 51:39 - 54:55)

• Police Chief on Recidivist Crime
  • Former DC Police Chief Robert Conti: “Right now the average homicide suspect has been arrested 11 times prior to them committing a homicide. That is a problem.” [51:39]
• Vince’s Policy Prescription
  • Calls for Republican governors to request presidential assistance in Democrat-run cities with high crime rates (“If you have a city that has crazy homicide rates, you should answer the call to help them. … It becomes then your job to step in and say that you’re a governor of the state, do your job and ask the president for all the help in the world.” [52:50])
  • Specific cities named: Jackson (MS), Birmingham (AL), St. Louis (MO), Memphis (TN), New Orleans (LA).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Vince on Trump’s Approach:
  “I know that's a novel idea in Washington … Can you imagine the military serving the American interest, taking out cartel members who are killing Americans by the hundreds of thousands every year?” [02:45]
• On Brandon Johnson’s Security:
  “If you have 150 people defending you, you're defended by a wall that's built out of humans. That's what Brandon Johnson is doing. It is madness.” [05:43]
• On the Rationale for Federal Action:
  “We don't alert the criminal conspiracy that we're about to begin enforcing the law. Sorry.” [10:21]
• Ben Shapiro on Over-Policing Narrative:
  “We do not actually have an over-policing crisis in the United States. We have an under-policing crisis … where we release people onto the streets who are clearly dangerous to themselves and others.” [35:54]
• Brett Kavanaugh (as paraphrased by Vince):
  “Although ethnicity alone is not enough to justify a stop, you can include a combination of factors. You can consider … the totality of the circumstances.” [22:40]
• Sonia Sotomayor (as read by Vince):
  “We should not live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.” [23:18]
• Ben Shapiro on Repairing Institutions:
  “It’s not enough to just wreck the CDC … You actually have to replace the CDC with something that works.” [45:34]

Important Timestamps

• 01:03: Trump’s “going to war” rhetoric
• 02:14–03:00: Media outrage, Trump clip on Chicago
• 05:27–06:00: Brandon Johnson security detail segment
• 08:32–09:40: Live ICE arrest in Chicago
• 14:29–15:05: Operation Patriot 2.0 (Boston) explained
• 16:00–17:30: New Orleans ICE arrest of Cristian Soto Galliano
• 18:02–26:30: Supreme Court ruling on immigration enforcement
• 32:13–35:13: Ben Shapiro interview begins, Israel/Hamas strike
• 35:54–41:31: Charlotte subway murder, media bias, public response
• 41:58–43:50: Shapiro’s “Lions and Scavengers” book discussion
• 51:39–52:11: D.C. Police Chief Conti on criminal recidivism
• 52:50–54:55: Vince’s call to Republican governors

Episode Tone and Style

Vince’s delivery is passionate, unfiltered, and highly critical of Democratic politicians and left-leaning media. He uses sarcasm, analogies, and pointed language to drive home his view that progressive policies have failed America’s cities, and welcomes tough, common-sense law enforcement responses. The conversation with Ben Shapiro maintains a conversational, analytical tone, combining cultural critique with direct calls for political action.

For listeners:
This episode offers an unapologetically conservative perspective on the Trump administration’s law-enforcement measures in major cities, sharp criticism of Democratic city leadership, and in-depth analysis of media bias regarding race and urban crime. The Ben Shapiro interview brings wider context about American societal divides and plenty of food for thought regarding institutional reform.