YOUR WELCOME with Michael Malice
Episode 356: Meghan McCain
March 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of "YOUR WELCOME," Michael Malice welcomes Meghan McCain—author, podcast host, former co-host of The View, and famed "Princess of Arizona." The conversation dives deep into cultural and political taboos, personal evolution, nepo-baby discourse, friendship with Tulsi Gabbard, the current climate in American politics, and controversial issues like trans inclusion in women’s sports. Malice and McCain’s repartee is candid, witty, and unfiltered throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Relatability and Coming from Privilege

(03:16–07:01)

• McCain discusses her large, predominantly female audience and the perceived relatability that comes from not curating a "perfect" image:
  • “I’m not a size zero. My Instagram isn’t, like, a perfect filtered whatever… honestly, not being skinny is a big part of what’s made me relatable.” (Meghan McCain, 03:35)
• Malice highlights the contrast between public perception and reality:
  • “There’s no way someone who looked like you who went to your high school was treated as like the popular girl as opposed to people big picking her.” (Malice, 04:42)

Taboos Around Wealth & "Nepo Baby" Culture

(05:20–12:53)

• They explore Rob Henderson’s idea of hidden wealth cues, especially among elites:
  • McCain shares anecdotes of subtle "rich" signals: “Jacket is funny you brought that up… I can definitely clock a rich bitch. And I can definitely clock a rich by her bag.” (Meghan McCain, 08:56)
• McCain tells a revealing story about meeting Elizabeth Holmes:
  • “She was going on about how ‘I don’t care about material things.’… that bitch is carrying around a Birkin… she’s full of shit. Everything about this woman’s full of shit.” (Meghan McCain, 09:35)
• Discusses why wealthy people hide/deny their privilege:
  • "Most wealthy people I know either want to pretend they aren’t wealthy or want to cosplay that they’re poor." (Meghan McCain, 11:22)

The Strange Populist Moment & Celebrity Wealth

(12:53–14:22)

• There is more stigma today than ever around being from a wealthy or politically connected background:
  • “Having a last name is actually a detriment now... something I’ve been told by political strategists.” (Meghan McCain, 13:32)

On The View, Family Dynamics, and Political Personas

(15:23–16:11)

• Malice reminisces about the 2008 campaign and John McCain’s mother:
  • “John Cane had, like, that sit his mom down and be like, mom, please, you’re up for me.” (Malice, 16:04)
• McCain confirms: “She, like, called him a Muslim or it was bad… my grandmother Roberta, rest in peace.” (Meghan McCain, 16:11)

Evolving Friendship with Tulsi Gabbard

(16:22–23:33)

• Malice asks about McCain and Tulsi Gabbard’s early TV clash vs. their current friendship:
  • “She didn’t like me either. She just again, is classy and wasn’t public about it… Van [Jones] said, we have a lot in common, we should have lunch.” (Meghan McCain, 17:25)
• Their bond deepened after both shared fertility struggles:
  • “We really bonded over that… And she’s just, like, I feel very privileged that I get to have this relationship with her because she doesn’t let a lot of people close to her.” (Meghan McCain, 22:19)
• On public evolution: “I was so mean… we all evolve and change. Even on her meeting with Assad, I’ve evolved.” (Meghan McCain, 23:29)

Shifting Foreign Policy Views

(24:14–27:02)

• McCain explains how her family's deep military tradition and her brother’s experiences shifted her once-interventionist views:
  • “My brother Jimmy… I was lied to about the wars I went to fight in. I’m the most isolationist, anti-interventionist person on the planet because of that.” (Meghan McCain, 24:26)
• Still supports strong US-Israel relations: “I am a big supporter of Israel… But there’s other situations that… I really listen to my brother first.” (Meghan McCain, 26:18)
• On mainstream hawks losing touch: “Bill Kristol… I just don’t trust their judgment because they don’t think they’re living in the world that we’re living in.” (Meghan McCain, 26:39)

Nuanced Trump and Cultural Shifts

(27:02–39:41)

• Malice presses McCain on her views about Trump, the pro-life movement, and “never Trumpers”:
  • “I’m really enjoying this Trump years. I’m really enjoying Trump 2.0 on a lot of different levels… Just keep doing what he’s doing.” (Meghan McCain, 38:18)
• She didn't vote for Trump, but appreciates some of his recent actions, particularly on issues like trans athletes in women’s sports.

Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports & Pop Culture Fallout

(40:08–46:27)

• Discusses the backlash and public break with Andy Cohen after McCain supported a female athlete injured by a transgender player:
  • “These, you know, you’re attacking… it’s not phobia when someone has brain damage.” (Malice/Meghan, 42:51)
• Cohen later apologized privately but not publicly. McCain frames this as a deeply personal feminist issue:
  • “How many women getting brain damage is okay with you?… We can sacrifice some women for this? Like, what about, like, he has a daughter...if that happened to his daughter, like, you’re okay with it?” (Meghan McCain, 44:07, 45:00)
• Malice punctuates: “This is volleyball. It’s not like football where you’re expecting… sometimes you get tackled really hard.” (Michael Malice, 45:46)
• They agree: the issue is unpopular, but activists push it anyway; cowardice abounds on the left.

Arizona Politics & Personal Grudges

(53:13–59:19)

• Rumor mill: McCain’s brothers aren't running for AZ governor; Meghan herself has no interest.
  • “No. It seems awful. And Arizona is the only place I could ever run in and I’m not.” (Meghan McCain, 54:05)
• Her "pathological hatred" of Carrie Lake:
  • “You, I’ll kill your family. I said no peace.” (Meghan McCain, 55:24, 55:29)
  • “She used to be close to… my brother… did interviews with her… I knew her when she was an Obama supporter and a Buddhist… It was so unnecessary… She said McCain voters can get the hell out. And then ironically, she lost by…around the amount of people who consider themselves McCain Republicans in Arizona. That irony is a little delicious.” (Meghan McCain, 55:39–56:53)
• Will never forgive Lake: “I just felt like you get everything out of this situation. What do I get out of it? I don’t need anything from you and I don’t want anything from you.” (Meghan McCain, 58:00)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Public Persona vs. Privilege
  “Even though, like, you know, obviously I don’t come from a normal background, by anybody’s metric, I think I lead a pretty normal life... not being skinny is, like, a big part of what has made me relatable to other women…” (Meghan McCain, 03:35)

• On Nepo Baby Discourse:
  “There’s nothing less cool than having, like, a privileged background, particularly in this moment. I think it’s why there’s, like, all this rage against Nepo babies...” (Meghan McCain, 07:01)

• On Elizabeth Holmes:
  “That bitch is carrying around a Birkin. She’s carrying around, like, a, I don’t know, 20 to $50,000 bag. And any woman who doesn’t care about material things isn’t carrying around the most expensive bag on the planet.” (Meghan McCain, 09:35)

• On Her Friendship with Tulsi Gabbard:
  “We just became really close... One of the things we really bond over is people really love us, but people also really hate us. And we both feel, like, misunderstood, I think, by the media and have been really targeted for all the wrong reasons.” (Meghan McCain, 22:19)

• On the Shift in Foreign Policy:
  “My brother Jimmy... I was lied to about the wars I went to fight in. I’m the most isolationist, anti interventionist person on the planet because of that.” (Meghan McCain, 24:26)

• On Trump 2.0:
  “I’m really enjoying this Trump years. I’m really enjoying Trump 2.0... Just keep doing what he’s doing.” (Meghan McCain, 38:18)

• On the Trans Athlete Controversy:
  “So how many women getting brain damage is okay with you? Five? Why is violence against women, long term violence against women, sacrificing a handful of women...” (Meghan McCain, 44:07)

• On Carrie Lake:
  “She’s going after his voters, which, again, whether you like it or not, there are people that still consider themselves that in Arizona... She was so cruel and unkind for so long, and she didn’t even say… we need to… And then she said, we’re both mothers. And I was like, oh, please...” (Meghan McCain, 58:38–59:19)

Notable Timestamps

• 03:35 – Meghan on relatability and body image
• 09:35 – Elizabeth Holmes’ Birkin and what it signified
• 13:32 – Stigma of family names in modern politics
• 16:11 – Salty stories about the McCain family
• 17:25 – Meghan and Tulsi’s rocky beginnings turn to friendship
• 23:29 – On personal evolution and public forgiveness
• 24:26 – Changing views on American foreign policy (“I was lied to…”)
• 38:18 – “I’m really enjoying this Trump years...”
• 44:07 – “How many women getting brain damage is okay with you?”
• 54:05 – “No. It seems awful.” on running for office
• 55:29 – “You, I’ll kill your family. I said no peace.” (on Carrie Lake)
• 58:38–59:19 – The final word on the Carrie Lake feud

Final Thoughts

The episode stands out for its blend of confessional honesty, sharp observations on the American cultural landscape, and unfiltered opinions on everything from political dynasties to divisive culture war topics. The warmth and irreverence between Malice and McCain keeps the tone lively and surprising throughout, delivering both context and candor for listeners who want to understand not just what Meghan McCain thinks, but why her views have changed over time.

“I just love talking shit with you, Malice. The mic can be on or off. I love talking shit with you.” (Meghan McCain, 59:29)