Charlie Kirk Today

Mark Halperin: March 9, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today

March 9, 2026 | 23:29

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Charlie Kirk Today | Mark Halperin: March 9, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today | March 9, 2026

Senator mark quinn
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Mullen is one of the most liked
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Senators, especially on the republican side of the aisle.
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Within washington, he is, congenial guy.
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He's very affable.
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A lot of people like him,
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Which it's good to be all of those things,
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But we're well aware that those phrases do set off
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Alarm bells for a lot of people.
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Yeah, well, we don't want to hear.
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You usually don't want hear some described
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As one of the most popular people in washington.
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Being popular in dc is not necessarily a compliment, but
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I will say i my glass is half full.
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I have, a great respect for the senator.
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I think he's, you know, here's the thing.
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He's a former mma guy.
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He's, military guy.
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He's, you know, he's
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I don't want to say
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He's mainstream, but he's kind of mainstream.
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Right.
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And again, alarm bells, alarm bells, alarm bells.
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Because say what you will about kristi noem.
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The same type of woman that is willing to shoot her
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Dog is not going to be as,
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Let's say, vulnerable to emotional appeals.
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She was going to be ruthless when it came to deportations.
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Here is the trade that you make when you are ruthless.
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You're not going to get cooperation from blue states.
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They're going to dig their heels in
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And they're going to fight you with everything they've got.
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And that's what we saw with christie noem's approach.
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And you kind of see this play out in minneapolis.
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So we have this huge uproar.
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Rene. good. alex. pretty.
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And people digging their heels in protest.
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Nobody wants to cooperate.
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And then homan comes in, kind of settles things down.
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A lot of it starts going under the radar.
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You don't see the headlines as much and things calm down.
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And the jails and the prisons and the counties and even
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Minneapolis start cooperating with ice, giving over,
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Criminal illegals with detention requests.
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That's a good thing.
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It is a good thing if they cooperate.
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But we have to be.
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This is there's going to be
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A little bit of a skirmish here,
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Because with any change of the person at the top,
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There is an opportunity.
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And there are definitely going to be people who approach
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The president, approach
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The president's aides, and they say, you know,
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Kristi noem,
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She had a lot of these problems because she was so tough and,
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You know, midterms are coming up.
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Some people think it's time to head
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Towards the middle a little bit and they'll try to sell
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The administration.
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Oh, this is a time to pivot
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Towards the middle on immigration.
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Maybe dial back the ice stuff, dial back
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Deportations, dial back enforcement stuff.
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And you know, this is your chance to do it.
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There's a new guy. he's pretty popular with democrats.
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We can be we can play nice with him.
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There will be this siren call to soften up.
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And i think the administration's got to resist.
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This is the president's signature promise.
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And his signature success of his term
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So far is the effort not just that is secured.
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The border, but there's a bunch of other things he's done.
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They've cut the number of h-1b visas that are being granted.
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They've cut the number of foreign students.
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The overall foreign population of the us is going down.
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It's basically stalled visas from a lot of countries.
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Dozens.
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I think 70 countries have a visa. pause.
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Right now.
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These are all good things long term there.
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It's stopping that it's breaking
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That utter dependance
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On foreigners endlessly coming into america
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That's hollowed us out in so many ways.
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And they're going to pressure trump
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To reverse course on this.
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And this is their chance to do it.
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They're gonna say, new guy at dhs, new policies.
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Midterm year is up on things.
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And as we said yesterday, there's
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Going to be pushback on anything worth doing at ice.
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You don't want the stuff we had with secretary nome, where
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A $200 million ad
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Buy should not be your source of controversy,
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The fact that you're not getting contracts signed
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Because they're just sitting on your desk
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Don't want any of that going on.
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But you do need to be prepared
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To fight out what really matters.
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And if mark wayne mullen is able
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To get along with democrats in a way that makes sure
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We still have enforcement going on, that's great.
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But they should not
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Allow themselves to get tricked into selling out
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What they promised before the, before the election.
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Well, and remember the context that we're in right now,
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This is what i want all of you at home
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To kind of think about. we have iran, right?
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So i was on with chris cuomo
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Last night and chris cuomo made this line.
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I didn't get a chance to respond to it.
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And i texted him about it after because i was like,
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You know, that was that was not cool.
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But he said that,
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You know, president trump was this america
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First that he ceded the america first mantle.
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I disagree with that.
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I know a lot of people that are skeptical about
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What's happening in iran.
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Think that he has ceded the america first mantle.
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I don't agree with that at all.
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I actually think that listen, i'm skeptical of what,
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We're doing in iran.
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But once we press go,
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We have our we have our president's back.
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We have our troops back.
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And i do think that there is an america first angle here.
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And i think you could message on it.
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I think that you could make that case.
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But dhs is central to the america first promise, reason
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Why president trump was elected in the first place.
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And this is the moment to seize that mantle
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And to make sure that we we drive it home.
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All right.
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So this is not a time
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To listen to the voices that would tell president trump
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And this administration to go soft, to get weak in the knees,
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To cede ground to the radical left in the activist base.
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No, but here's the middle ground.
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And this is why i think, mark,
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When one could be potentially incredibly successful at dhs.
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Dhs is really good.
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As our guest said yesterday, when there's no drama,
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There's commerce, meaning we want millions out.
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The way you get no drama is you have a guy
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Like marquand mullen who can reach across the aisle,
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Calm people's fears, put on an affable, congenial face to it,
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Stay out of the headlines and just get the work done.
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If we start getting prison transfers of criminals
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That have already
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Been taken off the streets by local police departments,
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And they get deported seamlessly,
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Easily with just a few agents.
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Not not these raids all the time.
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That's going to be really key.
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And the next key
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Employment enforcement,
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Employment enforcement,
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All right.
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It is.
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That time again, we have mark halperin.
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He's editor in chief of two way tv, as well as host
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Of next up on the and kelly network.
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Welcome back to the show.
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To the charlie kirk show.
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Mark, how are you doing, jim?
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And i'm good.
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And in honor of, intra maga conflict, i'm dressed
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Like steve bannon today with the three layers.
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That where we're going?
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Is that where we going?
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All right, all right.
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This is, tried to grow.
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I tried to grow my beard in, but i couldn't do it fast.
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Well, blake's, fro is going to take some of our,
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Strong cell hair to sprout all over.
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These are fake to me. fake?
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Fake allegations.
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All right, mark, so is this where you tell us
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That, the iranian war or conflict or whatever calling
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It is causing intra maga fighting or or what?
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What is your political analysis?
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Well, of where we're at, it is it is.
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And you could take a tucker, description of his opposition
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And graft a bunch of it onto a bernie sanders description.
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And it would look a lot of like,
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This is not a poll, a poll, a partizan issue as much as
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It is attitude about america's role in the world.
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So i'm for a robust debate.
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I think people shouldn't shy away from the reality
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That there are people within both parties
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Who disagree about whether this is a good idea,
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And i think it should be less about, personality
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And fighting and more about the get
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On the national town square and explain your position.
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I think the president, you know,
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Talked about this on next up last week.
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I don't think the why and the why now are ambiguous.
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And i it frustrates me
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That people want to spend time
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Debating the why and the why now,
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I think there are lots of debates to have.
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Congress is role.
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The end game regime change, how much it costs, the risks.
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But i don't think we need to debate why and why now.
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I think the president and caroline
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Leavitt have made that pretty clear.
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You know,
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But we had a nuclear scientist on the show yesterday
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Who said, basically, it's the same amount of time
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Going from 0 to 5% enrichment as it is 60 to 90.
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I mean,
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It ramps up very quickly how fast you can get it there.
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And so, i mean, listen,
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There's a lot of reasons,
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I think that this can make sense
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From a
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National security perspective,
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From a geopolitical perspective.
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The truth, though, is that trump could be 100%
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Right from a national security perspective and an american
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First perspective,
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But it could be politically costly,
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And we need to be honest about that.
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Mark, we had students from,
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Some of our chapters on and they said basically
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All the trump voters on campus hate it, too.
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Right. and this was something
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That charlie was intimately aware of.
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My perspective on it is once you press go,
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You got to be a patriot.
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You got to root for our troops, pray for their safety,
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And you got to pray
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That america's interest, are advanced somehow,
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The world's interest
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Iranian's interests are, advanced somehow here.
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But politically, i think this gets dicier the longer it goes.
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Right? so we were told 4 to 5 weeks.
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Now we're told 100 days, maybe through september.
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That seems to be the central question of how do you get out
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As this thing drags on?
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I think that's where the political fallout
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Is going to be felt most sharply,
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Especially as we close into the midterms.
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So what messaging is working, what's not working,
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What's piercing, what's getting through
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Line up the two sides?
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What do you think is working
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When the democrats are attacking it?
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What do you think is working when the the admin supports it?
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Well, first,
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I know you guys must do this all the time,
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But i really do wonder what would have happened
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If the president had called charlie
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Last week and said, hey, i'm thinking of doing this.
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What he would have said, and then what he would have said
00:10:03.923 --> 00:10:06.092
If the president hadn't agreed with his advice.
00:10:06.092 --> 00:10:08.127
But i'd done it anyway.
00:10:08.127 --> 00:10:09.395
So you mean that might have been his advice?
00:10:09.395 --> 00:10:11.397
I really do wonder because, as we all know, he was singular
00:10:11.397 --> 00:10:14.133
In thinking about
00:10:14.133 --> 00:10:14.934
These things from all dimensions,
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And i don't think he would have been exactly
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Where tucker is or exactly where the vice president is.
00:10:18.337 --> 00:10:20.606
But i do wonder where he would have been on this.
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Look, i think the politics overlap
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With the substance,
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But the substance is most important
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And the politics will flow from that.
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If this is successful,
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Then i think it will help republicans,
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Although it may not
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Save their majorities in congress in the midterms.
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The democrats are really surprising to me,
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Even in
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Given how much they dislike
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The president, how polarized things are.
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It surprises me how far out there
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They are, and just emphasizing the negatives about this
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And not not even sometimes even paying homage
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To the extraordinary performance of the us military.
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And, and the boldness of this.
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Yeah,
00:10:56.142 --> 00:10:56.509
We've had
00:10:56.509 --> 00:10:57.577
Decades of all presidents saying iran cannot have
00:10:57.577 --> 00:10:59.779
A nuclear weapon.
00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:00.847
Is it intolerable that iran is developing ballistic
00:11:00.847 --> 00:11:04.150
Intercontinental ballistic missiles?
00:11:04.150 --> 00:11:05.818
It's intolerable
00:11:05.818 --> 00:11:06.819
That iran is the leading sponsor of terrorism
00:11:06.819 --> 00:11:09.021
Around the world.
00:11:09.021 --> 00:11:10.156
Other presidents felt the same way about president trump.
00:11:10.156 --> 00:11:12.458
Not just that
00:11:12.458 --> 00:11:13.659
It was a bad thing, but that it was an intolerable thing.
00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:16.329
And yet donald
00:11:16.662 --> 00:11:17.730
Trump is the one who's done something about it.
00:11:17.730 --> 00:11:19.031
Now, there are
00:11:19.031 --> 00:11:19.599
Extraordinary risks,
00:11:19.599 --> 00:11:21.033
And you put your finger on for most what for most republicans
00:11:21.033 --> 00:11:24.437
Who are worried about the election
00:11:24.437 --> 00:11:26.205
Is the critical factor.
00:11:26.205 --> 00:11:27.507
How long will this last?
00:11:27.507 --> 00:11:29.609
And i believe that that the president could stop now.
00:11:29.609 --> 00:11:32.979
Right.
00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:34.180
There's nothing there's no there's no, factor
00:11:34.180 --> 00:11:37.717
That keeps the president except for maybe
00:11:37.717 --> 00:11:40.086
Fighting with that yahoo about it
00:11:40.086 --> 00:11:42.155
From saying, hey, we just we degraded on the fronts.
00:11:42.155 --> 00:11:44.891
We wanted to missile technology,
00:11:44.891 --> 00:11:47.660
In naval capacity,
00:11:47.660 --> 00:11:50.329
Nuclear development and terrorist sponsorship.
00:11:50.329 --> 00:11:53.466
We've degraded all those. we're done.
00:11:53.466 --> 00:11:55.034
We're going to we're going to
00:11:55.034 --> 00:11:56.169
We're going to come back home and warn the iranians
00:11:56.169 --> 00:11:58.104
That if they continue on those fronts
00:11:58.104 --> 00:11:59.939
To try to rebuild, we'll do it again.
00:11:59.939 --> 00:12:01.774
Or he can keep going and further degrading all four
00:12:01.774 --> 00:12:04.544
And hope
00:12:04.544 --> 00:12:05.311
That that
00:12:05.311 --> 00:12:06.479
Becomes an opportunity for the iranian people to rise up.
00:12:06.479 --> 00:12:09.215
So i think people who are worried that this is a quagmire
00:12:09.215 --> 00:12:12.385
Or too much money or an endless war,
00:12:12.385 --> 00:12:15.922
I think are underestimating the flexibility
00:12:15.922 --> 00:12:17.790
The president has here, too, if he wants to for substantive
00:12:17.790 --> 00:12:20.593
And or political purposes to just end it.
00:12:20.593 --> 00:12:23.129
Well, you know,
00:12:23.129 --> 00:12:24.730
I've heard that take, but do you think that holds up now
00:12:24.730 --> 00:12:27.834
That iran has taken this sort of lash out approach
00:12:27.834 --> 00:12:31.504
Where they are
00:12:31.504 --> 00:12:32.338
Shooting missiles at dubai,
00:12:32.338 --> 00:12:33.706
They're shooting missiles at kuwait?
00:12:33.706 --> 00:12:36.175
We've had things popping up in azerbaijan, jordan, cyprus,
00:12:36.175 --> 00:12:39.545
Even that actually, the president is sort of stuck
00:12:39.545 --> 00:12:43.649
As long as that's going on, because he has
00:12:43.649 --> 00:12:45.551
So many of these relationships with middle eastern countries,
00:12:45.551 --> 00:12:48.588
And he can't abandon all of them at once.
00:12:48.588 --> 00:12:51.057
Well, i hear what you're saying,
00:12:51.057 --> 00:12:52.925
But if you believe the american military and it's right,
00:12:52.925 --> 00:12:55.628
If you've got my profession
00:12:55.628 --> 00:12:57.196
To be skeptical of what the government says
00:12:57.196 --> 00:12:59.932
During war, especially during war,
00:12:59.932 --> 00:13:01.567
When governments historically don't always tell the truth,
00:13:01.567 --> 00:13:04.437
They can keep going and continue
00:13:05.137 --> 00:13:06.706
To degrade those things.
00:13:06.706 --> 00:13:07.773
So could they stop if if iran still had capacity
00:13:07.773 --> 00:13:11.444
To, send missiles or drones into other countries?
00:13:11.444 --> 00:13:14.447
Probably not.
00:13:14.447 --> 00:13:15.948
But if you look at the data of how many attacks they've
00:13:15.948 --> 00:13:18.684
Engaged in in the last 24 hours versus the first 48 hours,
00:13:18.684 --> 00:13:22.755
It appears the pentagon's telling the truth, that
00:13:22.755 --> 00:13:25.458
They've diminished their capacity.
00:13:25.458 --> 00:13:26.926
So can they.
00:13:26.926 --> 00:13:28.427
Can they make it so
00:13:28.427 --> 00:13:29.528
Run can never hit an american ally ever again? no,
00:13:29.528 --> 00:13:32.798
But they can degraded pretty substantially, it appears.
00:13:32.798 --> 00:13:35.601
And again,
00:13:35.902 --> 00:13:36.836
That could be a natural stopping point,
00:13:36.836 --> 00:13:38.204
Even if we know little about whether whoever's governing
00:13:38.204 --> 00:13:42.041
Iran now will be any better
00:13:42.041 --> 00:13:43.976
For the world and for the iranian people than
00:13:43.976 --> 00:13:46.145
What was there before the conflict began.
00:13:46.145 --> 00:13:48.514
There is a countervailing sense that president trump
00:13:48.514 --> 00:13:52.251
Is really the first president that's really unleashed
00:13:52.251 --> 00:13:55.288
Our military to just beat completely lethal and precise.
00:13:55.288 --> 00:13:59.992
Not not we're not tying their,
00:13:59.992 --> 00:14:02.061
Their, their feet here in their hands.
00:14:02.061 --> 00:14:04.030
So i mean that when you talk about
00:14:04.030 --> 00:14:06.132
We could actually do this relatively quickly.
00:14:06.132 --> 00:14:09.101
I mean, when you look at this, you're looking at the data,
00:14:09.101 --> 00:14:11.103
You're looking at how precise and lethal they're being.
00:14:11.103 --> 00:14:14.206
They really this really could be a new model.
00:14:14.206 --> 00:14:16.575
Even in a country as big as iran.
00:14:16.575 --> 00:14:19.045
Or do you think that that's coped?
00:14:19.045 --> 00:14:20.446
Do you think i'm, full of no opium here?
00:14:20.446 --> 00:14:23.115
No, i think i think it's it's
00:14:23.115 --> 00:14:25.985
Full use of force, but not but not boots on the ground.
00:14:25.985 --> 00:14:28.688
And no one's talking about
00:14:28.688 --> 00:14:30.356
Building schools and hospitals in tehran.
00:14:30.356 --> 00:14:33.292
So if you stay away from troops on the ground
00:14:33.292 --> 00:14:35.628
And boots on the ground, you stay away from nation building
00:14:35.628 --> 00:14:38.864
And you stay away from being responsible
00:14:38.864 --> 00:14:40.900
For the new government.
00:14:40.900 --> 00:14:42.034
Although the president yesterday suggested
00:14:42.034 --> 00:14:44.136
He was responsible for it, or at least he'd like to be.
00:14:44.136 --> 00:14:47.173
If you stay away from responsibility
00:14:47.173 --> 00:14:48.808
In those three areas, this is a new paradigm,
00:14:48.808 --> 00:14:51.143
And i find it amusing when people say
00:14:51.143 --> 00:14:54.213
There's never been, regime change forced by air power.
00:14:54.213 --> 00:14:58.651
Well, there's two things i think wrong with that.
00:14:58.651 --> 00:15:00.186
One is regime change doesn't have to happen for this
00:15:00.186 --> 00:15:02.888
To be a success.
00:15:02.888 --> 00:15:04.323
And number two,
00:15:04.323 --> 00:15:05.324
We've never had air power like we have now,
00:15:05.324 --> 00:15:07.093
Particularly with drones, but also the sophistication
00:15:07.093 --> 00:15:09.895
And lethality of america's air power from sea, land and air.
00:15:09.895 --> 00:15:13.132
So i wouldn't be surprised if this if this is actually
00:15:13.132 --> 00:15:17.536
What the president's
00:15:17.536 --> 00:15:18.704
Brand on these things stand for it well-executed,
00:15:18.704 --> 00:15:21.807
Which is overwhelming force mitigating the problems
00:15:21.807 --> 00:15:26.012
That have occurred
00:15:26.012 --> 00:15:27.046
In previous forever wars that he's still against
00:15:27.046 --> 00:15:29.615
And his constituents are against.
00:15:29.615 --> 00:15:31.317
President trump sort of pioneered the,
00:15:31.317 --> 00:15:33.986
You know, iraq was a dumb war, right?
00:15:33.986 --> 00:15:35.921
I mean, he said that from the debate stage,
00:15:35.921 --> 00:15:37.556
He was the first one to say it.
00:15:37.556 --> 00:15:38.424
The republicans wouldn't say that.
00:15:38.424 --> 00:15:39.992
Yeah. for a decade. yeah.
00:15:39.992 --> 00:15:41.527
And so the
00:15:41.527 --> 00:15:42.528
The fact we're even here is because of trump's
00:15:42.528 --> 00:15:44.397
Leadership, i don't think he gets enough credit for that.
00:15:44.397 --> 00:15:46.532
Honestly, even some of my skepticism is
00:15:46.532 --> 00:15:48.434
I've been probably too slow to give him credit for even,
00:15:48.434 --> 00:15:52.505
You know, where we're at currently.
00:15:53.272 --> 00:15:55.274
More with mark halperin.
00:15:55.274 --> 00:15:56.976
Stay right there. mark,
00:15:56.976 --> 00:16:01.004
Stay right there. mark,
00:16:01.004 --> 00:16:07.257
We spent a
00:16:07.557 --> 00:16:08.491
Lot of our one getting absolutely lambasted
00:16:08.491 --> 00:16:11.061
By some of you in this audience
00:16:11.061 --> 00:16:12.929
For our criticisms of kristi noem.
00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:15.532
We didn't like the luxury jets.
00:16:15.532 --> 00:16:17.033
We didn't like the marketing buys
00:16:17.033 --> 00:16:18.601
With her prominently featured.
00:16:18.601 --> 00:16:19.903
We didn't like her putting that on president trump.
00:16:19.903 --> 00:16:21.771
I knew a line had been crossed.
00:16:21.771 --> 00:16:24.040
And then, sure enough, by the end of our two mark,
00:16:24.040 --> 00:16:26.242
She was out.
00:16:26.242 --> 00:16:27.377
And, that was a huge, you know, tectonic shift
00:16:27.377 --> 00:16:32.082
In the admin, that was felt across the country politically.
00:16:32.082 --> 00:16:36.152
I think this is a huge win for president trump.
00:16:36.152 --> 00:16:38.221
I think deportations,
00:16:38.221 --> 00:16:39.522
The promises on immigration just to central to his election
00:16:39.522 --> 00:16:43.293
And his prospects going forward.
00:16:43.293 --> 00:16:44.994
I think we needed a change at the top.
00:16:44.994 --> 00:16:47.163
What say you?
00:16:47.163 --> 00:16:48.264
Well, i was surprised when she was picked originally
00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:52.435
Because it wasn't clear to me what her qualifications
00:16:52.435 --> 00:16:55.138
Were for this job, and
00:16:55.138 --> 00:16:58.741
She caused a lot of problems for the administration.
00:16:58.741 --> 00:17:00.910
It's a really big agency, really
00:17:00.910 --> 00:17:02.445
Big department, really hard to run.
00:17:02.445 --> 00:17:04.147
Yup. and, both she and corey lewandowski, her
00:17:04.147 --> 00:17:08.585
Advisor, have a lot of enemies in the administration.
00:17:08.585 --> 00:17:11.454
That's just objective.
00:17:11.454 --> 00:17:12.555
That's not, that's not gossip.
00:17:12.555 --> 00:17:15.258
It's not, anti maga or anti kristi
00:17:15.258 --> 00:17:18.161
Noem and corey lewandowski.
00:17:18.161 --> 00:17:19.496
It just an objective fact.
00:17:19.496 --> 00:17:20.897
They had made enemies for most of the year
00:17:20.897 --> 00:17:24.400
Including among
00:17:24.767 --> 00:17:26.202
Some of the most important and impressive
00:17:26.202 --> 00:17:28.004
And powerful members of the trump team. so,
00:17:28.004 --> 00:17:31.307
The their capacity to stay in the, positions
00:17:32.242 --> 00:17:35.378
As long as they did is quite an achievement.
00:17:35.378 --> 00:17:38.014
And at the same time, that's so harsh.
00:17:38.014 --> 00:17:41.084
I love it. it's really it's true.
00:17:41.084 --> 00:17:43.720
So yeah, it's true
00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:44.687
That the surprising aspect for you is not that
00:17:44.687 --> 00:17:46.823
She was ousted, it was the fact she last as long as she did.
00:17:46.823 --> 00:17:50.360
Yeah. yes that's true.
00:17:50.360 --> 00:17:51.928
But but but again i go back to the politics in
00:17:51.928 --> 00:17:55.698
In our talking about these things,
00:17:55.698 --> 00:17:57.167
I think i say respectfully and in
00:17:57.167 --> 00:17:58.968
And in the real lives of real people,
00:17:58.968 --> 00:18:01.137
The politics needs to follow from the substance.
00:18:01.137 --> 00:18:03.640
She was involved in helping control the border.
00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:05.775
That's one of the greatest achievements of this president.
00:18:05.775 --> 00:18:08.278
So she gets credit for that.
00:18:08.278 --> 00:18:09.913
But, but
00:18:09.913 --> 00:18:11.948
You can't go to congress under oath
00:18:11.948 --> 00:18:14.150
And say the president signed off
00:18:14.150 --> 00:18:15.418
On something he didn't sign off on.
00:18:15.418 --> 00:18:17.220
That's that's a that's a no brainer
00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:19.322
In terms of a firable offense.
00:18:19.322 --> 00:18:21.024
At the same time, she did about a dozen
00:18:21.024 --> 00:18:22.959
Other things that in a normal president
00:18:22.959 --> 00:18:24.661
And a normal cabinet member would have,
00:18:24.661 --> 00:18:26.796
Would have put her on at least then i so
00:18:26.796 --> 00:18:29.365
I think, i think i just, i just think as an american,
00:18:29.365 --> 00:18:32.035
We need this department to be run, run.
00:18:32.035 --> 00:18:33.803
Well it really well.
00:18:33.803 --> 00:18:35.471
And without this level of controversy.
00:18:35.471 --> 00:18:37.740
So i have sort of been hearing whispers.
00:18:38.575 --> 00:18:43.112
Mark, i'm curious
00:18:43.112 --> 00:18:43.947
If you've heard the same whispers,
00:18:43.947 --> 00:18:45.882
Two things i'll let you react to them
00:18:45.882 --> 00:18:47.450
In whichever order you want.
00:18:47.450 --> 00:18:48.818
Democrats were already planning impeachment
00:18:48.818 --> 00:18:50.620
Proceedings using and leveraging some of this,
00:18:50.620 --> 00:18:53.590
This, that when she said trump was,
00:18:53.590 --> 00:18:56.859
You know,
00:18:57.160 --> 00:18:58.027
He had approved some of these contract,
00:18:58.027 --> 00:18:59.729
These know, big contracts,
00:18:59.729 --> 00:19:00.763
Things like that when he hadn't.
00:19:00.763 --> 00:19:02.365
Secondly, i am concerned
00:19:02.365 --> 00:19:05.168
Moving forward about what
00:19:05.168 --> 00:19:08.471
Let's just say softness might come out of the dhs.
00:19:08.471 --> 00:19:10.673
I like senator mark when mullen,
00:19:10.673 --> 00:19:12.442
But i'm i'm concerned that he's going to be offering up
00:19:12.442 --> 00:19:16.079
Negotiating pieces that might be,
00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.115
Let's say, unsavory for the base that wants to see,
00:19:19.115 --> 00:19:21.851
You know, everybody deported, all illegals, deported.
00:19:21.851 --> 00:19:25.188
Take those in whichever order you want.
00:19:25.188 --> 00:19:27.223
But he's going to try and get blue states to cooperate,
00:19:27.223 --> 00:19:30.627
Just like we've seen in minneapolis.
00:19:30.627 --> 00:19:31.961
And i'm just concerned about the negotiation process there
00:19:31.961 --> 00:19:35.798
Between between the
00:19:36.266 --> 00:19:37.367
Secretary mullen and and democrats. yep.
00:19:37.367 --> 00:19:40.903
Yeah.
00:19:41.137 --> 00:19:42.105
First of all, i like the fact that he said
00:19:42.105 --> 00:19:43.273
Yesterday
00:19:43.273 --> 00:19:44.107
He hopes to get democratic support,
00:19:44.107 --> 00:19:45.708
You know, in the confirmation process.
00:19:45.708 --> 00:19:47.710
And he and he, my,
00:19:47.710 --> 00:19:49.012
Senators tend to,
00:19:49.012 --> 00:19:50.480
You know, be more inclined to vote for other senators.
00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.815
And he's, you know, widely considered
00:19:52.815 --> 00:19:54.684
One of the nicest members of the, of the congress.
00:19:54.684 --> 00:19:56.552
So, fresh start and a possibility to keep up
00:19:56.552 --> 00:20:00.423
The policies that are popular and consistent
00:20:00.423 --> 00:20:03.192
With the president's agenda and his pledged as a candidate
00:20:03.192 --> 00:20:06.362
And, to maybe win over some democratic support,
00:20:06.362 --> 00:20:09.332
Which would be good for everybody, be good
00:20:09.332 --> 00:20:11.034
Politically for the republicans,
00:20:11.034 --> 00:20:12.835
I think, but it'd be good for the country.
00:20:12.835 --> 00:20:15.672
The president, and tom homans doesn't appear to be going,
00:20:15.672 --> 00:20:19.008
So we'll have to see what that relationship's like.
00:20:19.008 --> 00:20:20.977
But the president has a pretty robust agenda.
00:20:20.977 --> 00:20:23.179
That deportation
00:20:23.179 --> 00:20:24.314
That i think would win broad support,
00:20:24.314 --> 00:20:25.882
That maybe not amongst the squad,
00:20:25.882 --> 00:20:27.483
But a lot of democrats would support it.
00:20:27.483 --> 00:20:29.652
He still has to deal.
00:20:29.652 --> 00:20:30.653
And this will be
00:20:30.653 --> 00:20:31.654
Part of what a secretary mullen has to address.
00:20:31.654 --> 00:20:34.223
What about cracking down on employers?
00:20:34.223 --> 00:20:36.993
What about deporting people
00:20:36.993 --> 00:20:38.194
Who are in the country illegally,
00:20:38.194 --> 00:20:39.228
But having been convicted of other crimes?
00:20:39.228 --> 00:20:42.031
That needs to be worked out.
00:20:42.031 --> 00:20:43.099
Still, what
00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:44.233
What exactly is the next three years look like in terms
00:20:44.233 --> 00:20:46.436
Of who gets deported?
00:20:46.436 --> 00:20:47.804
But a fresh start is a good thing
00:20:47.804 --> 00:20:50.239
Because, you know,
00:20:50.239 --> 00:20:51.641
Whether she would have been impeached or not. i don't know.
00:20:51.641 --> 00:20:53.643
I think the democrats
00:20:53.643 --> 00:20:54.577
Are going to have to think long and hard
00:20:54.577 --> 00:20:55.978
About how much they want to talk about impeachment now,
00:20:55.978 --> 00:20:58.514
And how much they want to address it
00:20:58.514 --> 00:20:59.816
If they do win the majority.
00:20:59.816 --> 00:21:01.417
But but,
00:21:01.417 --> 00:21:02.552
But i don't pay much attention to it because if they
00:21:02.552 --> 00:21:06.089
Impeached everybody who they talked about impeaching,
00:21:06.089 --> 00:21:08.358
It's all they would do.
00:21:08.358 --> 00:21:09.592
And i don't think they would
00:21:09.592 --> 00:21:10.460
Want to use their newfound majority
00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:11.894
To just run a bunch of impeachment probes.
00:21:11.894 --> 00:21:14.163
So to dig one level deeper, let's just say
00:21:14.163 --> 00:21:18.768
Daca, let's say
00:21:19.135 --> 00:21:20.503
Amnesty of some sort, let's say more,
00:21:20.503 --> 00:21:24.340
You know, work visa, whatever, whatever the offering is.
00:21:24.340 --> 00:21:27.009
I what i'm trying to get at here,
00:21:27.009 --> 00:21:28.911
Mark, is i am an all they all need to go guy.
00:21:28.911 --> 00:21:32.548
Right. you hear this.
00:21:32.548 --> 00:21:33.649
Yeah.
00:21:33.649 --> 00:21:34.650
This kind of bifurcation within the messaging
00:21:34.650 --> 00:21:36.886
That the worst first went to get the criminals.
00:21:36.886 --> 00:21:39.322
And then there's the base,
00:21:39.322 --> 00:21:40.757
Which a lot of us or a lot of them are like me.
00:21:40.757 --> 00:21:42.525
They all need to go.
00:21:42.525 --> 00:21:43.659
And what i'm what i'm trying to calibrate
00:21:43.659 --> 00:21:46.496
With you dispassionately.
00:21:46.496 --> 00:21:48.398
So you're
00:21:48.398 --> 00:21:49.599
You're not maga, you're you're kind of sitting outside of it.
00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:52.435
What would you brace us for accepting
00:21:52.435 --> 00:21:57.039
If we're going to get blue city sanctuary cities to cooperate
00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:00.676
And hand over their criminals at jails?
00:22:00.676 --> 00:22:02.211
What what do we need?
00:22:02.211 --> 00:22:03.179
What what is actually the most popular center?
00:22:03.179 --> 00:22:06.048
Kind of this.
00:22:06.048 --> 00:22:07.183
Yeah, well, you're on the wrong side
00:22:07.183 --> 00:22:08.718
Of public opinion on that question, as i know.
00:22:08.718 --> 00:22:10.920
You know, and there's a practical,
00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:15.358
A practical, reality.
00:22:15.358 --> 00:22:17.527
You know, i used to ask people before
00:22:17.527 --> 00:22:18.895
Maga back in like 20, you know,
00:22:18.895 --> 00:22:21.631
2012, 2016, before the president won the nomination.
00:22:21.631 --> 00:22:24.634
Do you what do you want to do with the
00:22:25.401 --> 00:22:26.736
The 15 million or so who are here illegally?
00:22:26.736 --> 00:22:29.672
And most politicians in the republican party
00:22:29.672 --> 00:22:31.908
Wouldn't answer the question
00:22:31.908 --> 00:22:33.476
Because they know not just what a heavy lift it is
00:22:33.476 --> 00:22:35.878
And how expensive it would be on the front end.
00:22:35.878 --> 00:22:38.648
But a lot of those people are integral to the economy,
00:22:38.648 --> 00:22:41.984
Particularly in two sectors.
00:22:41.984 --> 00:22:43.052
The president has a lot of friends who are owners.
00:22:43.052 --> 00:22:45.455
Yeah, hospitality and agriculture.
00:22:45.455 --> 00:22:47.924
So if you guys want to take the president on on deporting
00:22:47.924 --> 00:22:51.894
People who work in agriculture and hospitality, go at it.
00:22:51.894 --> 00:22:55.097
But i don't think he has any intention
00:22:55.097 --> 00:22:56.432
Of doing that, because every time it comes up,
00:22:56.432 --> 00:22:58.234
Some of his friends in hospitality
00:22:58.234 --> 00:22:59.769
And ag call him and say, you'd put us out of business.
00:22:59.769 --> 00:23:02.472
Yeah.
00:23:02.472 --> 00:23:03.439
So they might, they might have broken the law.
00:23:03.439 --> 00:23:05.441
They might be a drain on america, tax dollars
00:23:05.441 --> 00:23:08.010
In one way or another.
00:23:08.010 --> 00:23:08.811
Some of them might commit crimes,
00:23:08.811 --> 00:23:10.546
But they're an integral part of the economy.
00:23:10.546 --> 00:23:12.348
And i'm not saying they shouldn't
00:23:12.348 --> 00:23:13.249
Be removed from the country.
00:23:13.249 --> 00:23:14.584
Yeah, i'm just saying there are a lot of people
00:23:14.584 --> 00:23:15.885
In the republican party who don't want them removed.
00:23:15.885 --> 00:23:17.854
Well, i don't like that answer, but that's why i asked it,
00:23:17.854 --> 00:23:20.590
Because i want to know what you think.
00:23:20.590 --> 00:23:21.958
Mark halperin, thank you for making the time for us today.
00:23:21.958 --> 00:23:21.958

Mark Halperin: March 9, 2026 | Charlie Kirk Today

March 9, 2026 | 23:29

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