| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
|
unidentified
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| Welcome back. | ||
| We're joined now by Armstrong Williams. | ||
| He's a columnist, TV talk show host, and entrepreneur. | ||
| Armstrong, welcome to the program. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning, Mimi. | |
| You have been largely supportive of President Trump's actions this first month in office. | ||
| Tell me why and why you think Trump 2.0, as it's being called, is different from the first. | ||
|
unidentified
|
As a broadcast and a media owner, it's not about being supportive of the president or not. | |
| I think it is the media's responsibility to be more of a referee and just tell the facts about what any administration is doing, whether it's Biden-Harris or Trump vance. | ||
| And I think, and I made some of my own notes here, I think when you look at the legal border crossings, and when you think about the fact that on the southern border you have less than 269 people crossing a day versus 11,000 when Biden and Harris were in the White House, you just cannot ignore that's progress for the American people. | ||
| And that's one of the things that the president promised that he would deal with when he was running for president. | ||
| And that has happened. | ||
| Even when you talk about Doge, he and Elon Musk campaigned together and they made it clear that they were going to reduce the waste and fraud in government. | ||
| They want to make sure that the taxpayers' money works better for them. | ||
| Obviously, Mimi, there's a lot of chaos in the process. | ||
| Obviously, there are people that are being terminated that probably should not be, they should be terminated. | ||
| Obviously, there's some harm that is being done, but in chaos, particularly at the rapid fusilized speed that President Trump is moving, obviously you're going to have to have some corrective courses. | ||
| And this is why it's necessary that Congress, unlike the last Congress, who conceded so much of their responsibilities to the White House, do their job. | ||
| This is why we have a check and balance system in place. | ||
| We have the courts and we have the Congress to make sure that you balance out what the president does because the president cannot shut down a federal agency that is funded by Congress. | ||
| That is Congress's role. | ||
| And I think Congress is getting over the shock. | ||
| The USCID has been shut down and those programs have been stopped. | ||
| Even the sign has been taken down. | ||
|
unidentified
|
This is true. | |
| The U.S.AID is sort of unique in its own way, and we understand that. | ||
| But listen, there's a lot of waste, fraud, and abuse in USAID, as well as other government agencies. | ||
| I mean, listen, the conversation that we should have instead of being, and we should criticize the president constructively. | ||
| That's what a democracy is. | ||
| But listen, I mean, if you just look at the whistleblowers, when they talk about the waste, when you talk about checks that are being written because they've been written this way for so long, you cannot even question whether they're going to terrorist organizations, whether they're going to people who are living, whether they're going to people that are in need. | ||
| I mean, that's $55 billion. | ||
| It may not seem like a lot when you think about the budget of the United States government, but it is a story. | ||
| I mean, I'll take my own example. | ||
| Look at as someone in the media when you cover these community action agencies around the country. | ||
| You have people that go to these agencies to get their lot bills paid, to make sure they are able to have their water turned on. | ||
| They cannot pay their rent on time. | ||
| And so sometimes what these agencies will do is pay this for them three or four months in advance. | ||
| And these same people come back at the same time because they don't use the money that they have to pay for their expenses. | ||
| There are a lot of these things that just go on and on and on. | ||
| And what is needed is better management. | ||
| Yes, we know these agencies do a lot of good. | ||
| There are a lot of people that are in need, like the elderly, but sometimes the people in need, because these systems have become so out of corrupt and so mismanaged that the people that really need it don't get it. | ||
| And so the fact that the president and Elon Musk is pursuing this government efficiency, accountability, and responsibility is a good thing. | ||
| And look, as a CEO of a business, I understand. | ||
| We can talk about working from home and the benefits that has, but there's nothing like being in person, working with your colleagues, sitting, coming up with an idea, having these exchanges, running back to the office, have a better idea when you're talking face-to-face. | ||
| There's nothing like the human interaction. | ||
| The government, particularly here in Washington, D.C., when the federal government is shut down, it affects tourism, it affects the economy, it affects everything. | ||
| Yes, there may be some people that may need to work from home, but so many people need to be back at work. | ||
| People being back at work to meet me is an economy in and of itself. | ||
| As you said, you are a businessman, and you have cautioned Elon Musk not to approach the federal government as he would in downsizing one of his businesses. | ||
| What do you see as the fundamental difference there of how Elon Musk should approach this, you know, the good objective of reducing fraud in the federal government? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, you know, this is a piece that was in the Baltimore Sun on Sunday. | |
| And, you know, while you may have these noble intentions, you cannot run a private business the way you run the federal government. | ||
| You can go in and you can cut and slash, you can do that. | ||
| But in government, you've got to respect the processes. | ||
| Elon Musk, as well-intended as he may be, he has to work with Congress. | ||
| He has to work with people within these agencies that you have to trust to a certain extent that are willing. | ||
| There are people willing to tell you what a waste and fraud is. | ||
| You just cannot go and just shut down agencies and not realize the harm that you can do in the long run because that becomes the narrative. | ||
| You cannot become a dictator when it comes to the government because you will lose. | ||
| And as well-intended as he may be, he will fail in the process. | ||
| And because of what he's doing, it's so important. | ||
| He should respect the different processes that are in place that can better help him accomplish the goals that he's trying to achieve. | ||
| If you'd like to join our conversation with Armstrong Williams, you can do so. | ||
| Start calling in now. | ||
| 202748-8001 is for Republicans. | ||
| 202748-8000 is for Democrats. | ||
| And 202748-8002 is for Independents. | ||
| You just bought the Baltimore Sun. | ||
| This is on the front page of the paper for today. | ||
| It says, Christian leaders grapple with new Trump policies, targeting of, quote, anti-Christian bias, eradication of DEI programs, provoke reactions from Maryland clergy. | ||
| Explain that article. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, Pastor Al Hathaway, who's a prominent pastor in Baltimore, is quoted throughout the article. | |
| He talks about the old school Bible and biblical understanding. | ||
| Listen, when Donald Trump skated death with an attempt at Saddison's bullet where it glazed his ear and you could see the blood, even he has said that God saved them and it was an act of God. | ||
| Many Christians will see that as God had a greater purpose for Donald Trump. | ||
| And so therefore, Donald Trump is a president about destiny, and it was destined for Donald Trump to win. | ||
| But also, then you look at Donald Trump's character, and people say that what Donald Trump does in his moral life, in his personal life, is not necessarily what Christians adhere to. | ||
| I mean, when you look at him. | ||
| But then they also point to David, who was an adulteress, and how he betrayed his wife. | ||
| But God was able to use him for a greater good. | ||
| Now, you know. | ||
| He also repented. | ||
|
unidentified
|
He repented. | |
| That's right. | ||
| He repented. | ||
| I'm not saying the president has not repented, me, me. | ||
| I don't know what he does in his private life. | ||
| But we do know when you think about Donald Trump's extraordinary journey, what he's gone through, the indictments, the lawsuits, people have given up on him, the fact that he could come back surviving an assassin's bullet and become president again. | ||
| For Christians, that has a very spiritual, strong foundation for them, and they think there's a greater good in Donald Trump. | ||
| And this is why they believe that Donald Trump, there may be the possibility that Donald Trump could usher in a golden age. | ||
| But I would say you have to be cautious with that because, listen, the bottom line is Donald Trump is human. | ||
| And sometimes you don't want to become a syncophant for the president, that everything he does, you support it, and you turn a blind eye to the things that you can caution on him to be a better person. | ||
| You don't want to be an enabler. | ||
| And while I would say that Donald Trump is a much calmer president, he's not sending out the crazy tweets. | ||
| He's not attacking people the way he has attacked them. | ||
| So you do see a more mature, a more laid-back, and a more measured president. | ||
| And I say that is progress, but still, I do think that Donald Trump, from his experiences as a businessman, he's got to have some compassion about his policies. | ||
| Because the Bible tells you, don't allow your good to be evil spoken of. | ||
| And so Donald Trump has to be very measured. | ||
| I like the fact that he's getting along very well with Elon Musk. | ||
| That's a little surprise. | ||
| I like the fact that he's working very well with his trifect in Congress. | ||
| They all seem to be on the same page. | ||
| The people that seem to be upset seems to be the Democratic legislatures, the members of Congress, and some of the articles that you see in the media. | ||
| But for the most part, Americans, 55 to 60%, are willing to give Donald Trump a chance to see if his policies work in the long run for the American people. | ||
| Now, how long are they willing to suffer, be inconvenienced, and live in fear? | ||
| That remains to be seen. | ||
| But I do think what is giving Donald Trump the win that he needs right now is that the American people believe these are the promises made, the promises kept, let's give him a chance. | ||
| I just don't know how long this honeymoon will last. | ||
| Let me ask you about DEI diversity, equity, inclusion efforts. | ||
| Are you supportive of President Trump's efforts to essentially take that out of the federal government completely? | ||
|
unidentified
|
I think that's what he promised to do. | |
| I do think that they are all closing. | ||
| Look, it is one thing to talk about equality. | ||
| I think we all believe in equality, Mimi. | ||
| But equity is a different thing. | ||
| I don't want anyone to give me an advantage because of what they perceive my race is. | ||
| I want to go back to the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, that a man is judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. | ||
| But let me also caution that racism, bigotry is not dead. | ||
| People still harbor that in their hearts. | ||
| And people are not going to always do what is in the best interest of people because sometimes they cannot let go of the baggage of their ancestry. | ||
| But still, the government needs to be colorblind. | ||
| I don't like filling out a form when someone asks me what my race is. | ||
| I don't want somebody to perceive just because some kid got into college and a scholarship, they got there because of their race, somebody gave them a disadvantage. | ||
| I think it cheapens those who fight hard, work hard, parents make sacrifices, those that study to be the best and brightest, not only in the classroom, but wherever they are. | ||
| I do think that we live in a country today where we should be judged not by the color of our skin, not by our sexual preference, but by the content of our character and our work ethic and our sacrifice and our discipline. | ||
| And you are, and you think that that's going to happen during the next four years? | ||
|
unidentified
|
It's a process. | |
| Nothing happens overnight. | ||
| Justice, equality. | ||
| You're optimistic that it's moving in the right direction. | ||
| I'm cautiously optimistic. | ||
| I don't have an issue with what the president is doing because I find it shocking that someone who campaigns and made all these promises are actually keeping them. | ||
| The problem is the Democrats and others did not take him seriously. | ||
| And for the speed that he's working in his late 70s, his focus, his organization, the way his team has been in place putting this together, these executive orders, this has been well planned out. | ||
| It did not happen overnight. | ||
| Donald Trump is prepared. | ||
| Whether Congress is prepared or not, that's a different question. | ||
| I want to show you a clip of Hakeem Jeffries. | ||
| He's a House Democratic leader talking about DEI programs, and then you can respond. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Sure. | |
| Diversity, equity, and inclusion are American values. | ||
| It's about economic opportunity for everyone. | ||
| We support merit for everyone based on what you know, not who you know. | ||
| The problem that seems to be unfolding is that there are some in this country who want an America of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires. | ||
| Not for working class Americans, middle-class Americans, or everyday Americans. | ||
| A country of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires. | ||
| Diversity, equity, and inclusion are about economic opportunity for everyone, even if you're not wealthy, well-off, or well-connected. | ||
| These are values that everybody in this country should embrace. | ||
| What do you think, Armstrong Williams? | ||
|
unidentified
|
You know, listen, I was with them until he got to the billionaires. | |
| I mean, when you talk about these DEI programs, someone who's watching us today, you ask how average lower-income person benefits from these programs. | ||
| How much has government really changed their lives, whether Biden and Harris is in the White House, whether it's Trump, Pence, in the White House? | ||
| How much does it really impact progress? | ||
| I mean, unfortunately, the people that were poor when Biden and Harris were in the White House, they're poor now. | ||
| What he's talking about are contracts that go to their friends, that go to their colleagues. | ||
| You know, you're talking about a Congress that stocks, the rules that we have to abide by, that you cannot have a conflict of interest. | ||
| They're able to delve in stocks with companies that come before their legislative body. | ||
| I mean, these guys, and it wasn't until recent that the civil rights laws that he alludes to apply to Congress. | ||
| I mean, I don't want to call him a hypocrite, but what is this? | ||
| This is political grandstanding. | ||
| They're in the minority now. | ||
| They lost. | ||
| And until they learn the lessons of that election, to try to support Donald Trump where he is, to try to improve DEI and these programs that he speaks of, where they work across the board, where they don't favor some based on some illogical thing like race agenda, where it works with people because they're qualified and they're the best at what they do. | ||
| They've got to realize this messaging that they had during the last election was profoundly defeated. | ||
| They need to face reality. | ||
| They've lost, and they need to find a new message that resonates with the American people because until they do so, they will continue to lose and lose it again. | ||
| The Democratic Party has been decimated because they have lost touch. | ||
| They used to be the party of the working class of America and the middle class of America. | ||
| That demographic voted for Donald Trump. | ||
| Blacks, Hispanics, even people in Michigan who consider themselves to be Muslim. | ||
| And people say, How in the world could you support Donald Trump and his policies? | ||
| It seems to go against your best interest. | ||
| But they're voting for family values. | ||
| It's not just about whether it's about the economy. | ||
| It's about what is gender affirming. | ||
| You're talking about dry queens teaching children in the classroom. | ||
| You're talking about parents cannot have a say-so in their children. | ||
| If you're talking about if they're going through some kind of sexual evolution, listen, the bottom line, Americans still care about traditional values. | ||
| And until Hakeem Jefferson and the Democratic Party get a message that resonates with the majority of Americans, they will continue to remain in the minority. | ||
| Ready to talk to callers? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yes. | |
| We've got Homer is a Republican in Florence, Massachusetts. | ||
| Good morning. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Amen and hallelujah to everything that you said. | |
| You are highly intelligent. | ||
| I'm wondering why it was okay for Joe Biden to fire Americans, work federal workers for not getting a vaccine and people in the military, but now it's not okay for Trump to fire people. | ||
| And I also noticed that Bill Clinton fired 400,000 federal employees. | ||
| Is that going to happen under Trump? | ||
| He's not even close to that, so I don't know why he's complaining. | ||
| And I'm just curious: there's 383 million people active on the Social Security with Social Security, active Social Security numbers. | ||
| There's only 340 million people in the country. | ||
| 383 is a lot more. | ||
| That's ridiculous. | ||
| We've got to look into these things. | ||
| And I love all the election deniers that call in for the Democrats now, and it's all okay because it was racism and misogyny and sexism. | ||
| I mean, can you guys please tell me why that's okay, that you let those people go on and on saying racism and sexism? | ||
| And thank you for not you know, you know, here's a larger point. | ||
| You know, this criticism of Trump using executive orders, this criticism of Trump's cabinet that he put forth before the Senate, and all of them are going to be confirmed. | ||
| And I mean, this criticism about Trump embracing billionaires alike Elon Musk, and no one talks about Biden Harris embracing George Soros and Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. | ||
| But since you bring it up, Armstrong, what about not? | ||
| He's got a trifecta. | ||
| Why not go to Congress with some of these things? | ||
| Why depend on an executive order that can be reversed by the next president? | ||
|
unidentified
|
We agree. | |
| But we know President Trump. | ||
| President Trump feels that Congress does not move fast enough for him. | ||
| It would be better for him to wait two or three months. | ||
| His attitude is the American people cannot afford to wait two or three months. | ||
| And why put something in place that three or four years later, another administration can come in or two years later if there's a new Congress and rescind? | ||
| I agree with you. | ||
| But Donald Trump is not like any president that we've seen in recent memory. | ||
| We've never seen such a frenetic way of so many executive orders because he wants to change it. | ||
| And he also knows he has more experience that a lot of these things that are pushing will probably go through and become effective. | ||
| And once that happens, and people really begin to believe that it's having an impact on empowering their lives and moving them forward, particularly when it comes to their economy, they will remain in place. | ||
| Because remember, it doesn't matter whether it's the president, members of Congress, their boss. | ||
| And the American people, what has happened, Mimi, we have awakened a sleeping giant and we, the people, and they're not going back to sleep. | ||
| They're more educated, they're more in tune than they have ever been before. | ||
| Here's James, a Democrat in Chicago. | ||
| Hi, James. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Hey, how are you doing, Mimi? | |
| Good. | ||
| You know, people can make their mouth say anything. | ||
| Now, all this fraud and waste. | ||
| Is anybody going to jail? | ||
| Have anybody, one person been accused or anyone been accused of this? | ||
| And since he brought up the law, the man on the stage with him, did the God kill him? | ||
| And did he have a purpose for that man? | ||
| Thank you, Mamie. | ||
| You know, when it comes to what Donald Trump is doing, it takes time before you find out. what the fraud is and who the culprits are. | ||
| It doesn't mean that someone won't be held accountable down the road. | ||
| And listen, I don't try to understand the ways of God. | ||
| You know, my heart goes out to that person that died on that stage. | ||
| You ask yourself, why is it that that Toronto plane that crashed in the snow, everyone survived. | ||
| But why is it that those over the Potomac a few weeks ago, everybody died? | ||
| You know, God has ways that many of us cannot understand. | ||
| When it comes to the ways of the Lord, I don't get into trying to explain that because you know what? | ||
| Some things you cannot explain. | ||
| I want to ask you about a posting on X that Elon Musk wrote in response to the 60 Minutes interview. | ||
| He says, 60 Minutes are the biggest liars in the world. | ||
| They engaged in deliberate deception to interfere with the last election. | ||
| They deserve a long prison sentence. | ||
| I want to ask you, since you're the owner of the Baltimore Sun now, if one of your journalists did an interview that Elon Musk disagreed with, how would you respond if he posted on X that they deserve a prison sentence? | ||
|
unidentified
|
I would vehemently push back. | |
| You cannot judge CBS, our media institution, by the 60 Minutes interview with Cameron Harris. | ||
| And listen, the media, obviously the media is biased. | ||
| There's no question about that. | ||
| Obviously, many people believe that the legacy media was in the tank with Biden Harris. | ||
| And obviously, they feel as though their policies are more reflective of what the agenda they want for America. | ||
| But I would defend the Forfeit State at every turn. | ||
| CBS, NBC, Sinclair Broadcast Group, I would defend them because many of these reporters are very decent. | ||
| They have a lot of integrity. | ||
| And they do their jobs very well. | ||
| And they put a lot on the line to do those jobs. | ||
| And what changes should we expect at the Baltimore Sun now that you own it? | ||
|
unidentified
|
You know, we're fortunate because David Smith, who's my business partner, we're working with a terrific group of people. | |
| You know, people, I've always perceived the Baltimore Sun as being this liberal paper and us being conservative. | ||
| But when your realm of your cohen is journalistic integrity, putting out the best editorial, finding divergent voices that represent all voices in the community, and when you want to deal with commentary that reflects where people are, and also give a lot of attention to localism, the local issues that people care about, that affects their way of life immediately. | ||
| It's not always about what's going on on the national stage. | ||
| We put together a very good work collaboration with the Baltimore Sun. | ||
| The paper has greatly improved. | ||
| And I've never worked with a greater group of people than I've worked with at the Baltimore Sun. | ||
| So our formula works. | ||
| Here's Juan in Fairfax, Virginia, Independent Line. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Hey, how you doing? | |
| Morning, Mimi. | ||
| Thank you for taking my call, and welcome to the show here as first-time caller, so I appreciate your time. | ||
| I wanted to do a quick glance and maybe highlight an article from the Department of Education regarding the Department of Education from the New York Times, where it looks like they're warning schools, apparently, in higher education that take considerations into scholarships or hiring regarding, not DEI necessarily, but culturally based aspects. | ||
| When they tailor sororities of attorneys or something like that. | ||
| I just want to note: you know, President Trump to this point, or even in his first administration, all politics generally have been okay, you know, with general, I think, not a sleeping giant like myself, or I don't think I represent that population. | ||
| But, you know, when it gets to the part where, you know, now you want to shut down, you know, I think higher education, each one, teach one sort of philosophy, you know, that kind of will impact, I think, you know, a part of society that I think maybe I'd like to hear your guests sort of illuminate on, where, you know, the Department of Education might be going a little too far, maybe. | ||
| These are institutions that help out in higher education. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Okay, Juan. | ||
| And I just want to show you what I think he's talking about. | ||
| This is the New York Times with the headline: Education Department gives schools two weeks to eliminate race-based programs. | ||
| It says the Department's Office for Civil Rights warned that it would penalize schools that consider race in scholarships, hiring, and an array of other activities. | ||
|
unidentified
|
And I actually think the president is correct. | |
| I think that it's favoring one certain Americans over other Americans. | ||
| You have a new leader in town that is Donald Trump. | ||
| He made it clear that during his campaign, this is exactly what he would do. | ||
| And I think it would be wise for the Department of Education to adhere to this new administration's guidelines. | ||
| Let's talk to Mark next in Florida, Republican. | ||
| Hi, Mark. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning. | |
| Thank you very much for taking my call. | ||
| And I agree a lot with what your guest has to say, Mr. Williams. | ||
| And I am all in favor of what is going on with Elon Musk, President Trump, and Doge. | ||
| And the biggest thing, though, that I would contradict your guest on is that there's the way that private industry works in the way that they go through their processes, and there's the way that the government works. | ||
| And I question the government's processes. | ||
| And when I say that, do you think that they're like ISO 9000 certified? | ||
| Are they ISO certified? | ||
| Do you think they're AS 9100 certified? | ||
| These are certifications that the federal government requires private business to be in order to conduct business with them. | ||
| But I don't think they have the same standard. | ||
| I can speak to this because I was in the industry for almost 39 years. | ||
| I worked for the largest defense contractor in the world. | ||
| And there are some good government employees. | ||
| Don't get me wrong, but there's a lot of oxygen thieves. | ||
| There's a lot of cruisers. | ||
| They will pound on their chest and tell you it takes an act of Congress to fire them. | ||
| Nobody in their job in the private sector thinks like that that works that way. | ||
| I mean, no matter how important you think you are as the general worker, if you would, God forbid, die that day, the stock's not going down one penny because you died. | ||
| That's a fact. | ||
| So the government needs to work at a more efficient rate. | ||
| And that might mean slashing complete areas because it's redundancy. | ||
| And in the private sector, they make us look at ourselves as to how can we be more efficient every single year. | ||
| How can we squeeze out more efficiency and get better at what we do? | ||
| And unless you're trying to practice continuous improvements, then you're just doing the same thing over and over again, looking for a different result. | ||
| And the government acts like Grandma's ham. | ||
| They keep doing it the same way. | ||
| Why? | ||
| Because that's how they've always done it. | ||
| All right, Mark. | ||
|
unidentified
|
You know, he makes an excellent point. | |
| And this is why you have to create chaos in government because they have created this preponderance of layers where they're protected. | ||
| And it's created a lot of incompetency. | ||
| They know where the fraud is. | ||
| They know where the duplication is. | ||
| They know people are not doing their jobs. | ||
| And what many of these government workers should be doing now is working with the president and working with the White House. | ||
| He said, this is where we can do better. | ||
| This is where we're ineffective. | ||
| These are the programs that are working. | ||
| They know this. | ||
| And listen, the bottom line is that nothing remains the same. | ||
| Change is necessary. | ||
| And our government, me me, is not as effective, not as accountable, not as responsible, and not as efficient as it could be. | ||
| And it should. | ||
| This is a start. | ||
| No one knows how it's going to play out, but Donald Trump has the right attitude. | ||
| And plus, let's not forget, we still face this trillion-dollar deficit that America could go over the financial cliff if we don't get our financial order and our financial house in order. | ||
| Here's Joanne in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Democrat. | ||
| Hi, Joanne. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Hi. | |
| Yeah, I just want to tell this guy and Donald Trump. | ||
| There's only one God, and his name is definitely not Trump. | ||
| R. Williams, thank you for your time. | ||
| Have a nice day. | ||
| His lips keep moving and Elias keep throwing. | ||
| And I absolutely agree with her that Trump is not God, never will be. | ||
| He's just a man, flawed like everybody else, but he just happens to be president of the United States. | ||
| Here's Marie, an independent in Maryland. | ||
| Good morning. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning. | |
| Can you hear me? | ||
| Yes, we can. | ||
|
unidentified
|
This is what I don't understand. | |
| I don't like anyone having my social security number. | ||
| We call the NRA was taking a little bit of money out of my checking account until I caught it because sometimes as you're getting older, we don't look at the small things. | ||
| Now, if the NRA was removing money from my checking account without my permission, I can imagine what someone else who was going to have my Social Security number and everybody's is what they're going to do. | ||
| But my main thing is what I don't understand is what happened to the values of the adults here in this country. | ||
| Look, period. | ||
| That the president of the United States is a registered sex offender. | ||
| And all of you act like this is something to applaud. | ||
| You should be ashamed of yourselves for even thinking that that part of the case, forget his felons. | ||
| He is a registered sex offender. | ||
| Sir, how do you feel about that when it comes to your family? | ||
| Well, I don't think the president is a registered sex offender. | ||
| We do know that the president is flawed. | ||
| We know the president has had moral challenges like all of us. | ||
| But the American people understand this better than anyone else. | ||
| I think it was because he was so flawed and they thought that the government targeted him that it built a lot of empathy for him until they became his protector during the last presidential election. | ||
| I think they know exactly what Donald Trump is. | ||
| And I think that's why he was elected, because they realized they'd rather have an imperfect man to do their bidding than someone who professes something very different. | ||
| Here is Jesse in Babylon, New York, Republican. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yes, good morning. | |
| Mr. Williams, you're a very interesting man to listen to. | ||
| I just want to ask you, do you support Mr. Trump 100%? | ||
| You know, as a broadcaster, I support journalism. | ||
| I am a referee. | ||
| I'm not a coach. | ||
| It is our responsibility to prevent both sides without manipulating the facts, favoring the facts, and let you, as the reader at the Watcher broadcast, come to your own conclusion. | ||
| I'm not here to do any bidding for Donald Trump or for the Democrats. | ||
| My bidding is citizen journalism, bringing the facts for you to make your own determination. | ||
| I want to ask you about New York City Mayor Eric Adams. | ||
| The Trump administration's Department of Justice has asked that those, all the charges of corruption against him be dropped. | ||
| What was your reaction to that? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, listen, obviously, a lot of top prosecutors and lawyers resign over this. | |
| And, you know, there are two schools. | ||
| You know, Donald Trump believed, because of his own journey and prosecution by the courts, he feels it was a witch hunt that this happened to Mayor Adams because he bumped the Biden administration on the immigration policies. | ||
| Do you believe that? | ||
|
unidentified
|
That partly, yes. | |
| Even though the prosecutor said that they had been investigating the allegations of corruption before immigration. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yes, I believe that also. | |
| But I don't believe that Governor Hoko should have the power because, you know, she's trying to make a decision now of whether to remove Mayor Adams from office. | ||
| I don't think the governor should undo the will of the people. | ||
| You have an election that is coming up. | ||
| Donald Trump wants to have someone that he wants to work with in New York because that's a very important sanctuary city and immigration is very important there. | ||
| It could have been done a little different. | ||
| And what I think some people realize, some of these top prosecutors that stepped down were Republicans. | ||
| They're just Democrats. | ||
| Some of these people had just been recently appointed by the president himself. | ||
| You just got to let this play out. | ||
| Mayor Adams is very defiant. | ||
| He feels he's done nothing wrong. | ||
| But in the end, the president, his decision, he asked the Justice Department to drop the case. | ||
| There's been a fallout. | ||
| We just have to see where it goes. | ||
| Here's Lisa in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Democrat. | ||
| Lisa, you're next. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yeah. | |
| I've been very upset with what's going on with what Trump's doing. | ||
| I find that he has put Elon Musk in place to do what he's doing. | ||
| So, because Trump likes to get other people to do his dirty work so he can have Elon Musk do the dirty work so he can say, I have nothing to do with that. | ||
| And with what's going on with Russia and Ukraine, it's pretty disgusting because Russia started it. | ||
| It was not. | ||
| Russia started it. | ||
| And Putin is not scared of Trump. | ||
| Trump is scared of Putin. | ||
| And if Trump gives Putin everything he wants, no, this is wrong. | ||
|
unidentified
|
And you know what? | |
| You're right. | ||
| God let Trump live that day because he does. | ||
| Pour it on, pile it up. | ||
| He'll get him in the end. | ||
| All right, Lisa. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Let me respond too, because I think she said some things that really need to be addressed. | |
| Listen, the only people who pay the price for war are the innocent families who lose their sons in this war. | ||
| JD Vance gave a speech in Europe that was defiant, but it was truthful. | ||
| The Europeans, the Germans did not like it. | ||
| Macron in France called an emergency meeting. | ||
| But listen, their migrant policies are really out of control. | ||
| I mean, I don't know the last time you've been to London. | ||
| They can use knives, they can attack you, they can beat you, they can assault you, and you have no rights. | ||
| If you punch back, you hit them, you're going to jail. | ||
| The fact that Europe has not carried its weight, if they don't like, if a particular leader is about to be elected, they suspend the elections. | ||
| I think JD Vance gave Europe a reality check. | ||
| The bottom line is Donald Trump maintained a relationship with Putin. | ||
| Say whatever you want to say about that. | ||
| But it's because of that relationship that you stay in contact with what we perceive to be as our enemy. | ||
| You're able to bring Ukraine and Russia to Saudi Arabia to talk about. | ||
| But Ukraine's not there. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yeah. | |
| But you know what? | ||
| Mark Rubio, the Secretary of State, said they will be at the table. | ||
| And I'm going to take his word for it. | ||
| But still, it is best to sit down to cut out the bureaucracy in Russia and Ukraine and Europe to bring a closeness so people stop dying and the infrastructure is destroyed. | ||
| But I heard the foreign minister of the EU say as early as this morning, let's try to work with the United States instead of fighting against her to bring some kind of resolution to this situation where innocent people continue to die. | ||
| Who would be upset if it were your son or somebody else's son dying in this war, someone steps in like Donald Trump and says, let's bring a close to this. | ||
| I know that land is in the issue. | ||
| Mark Rubio said it's not going to happen overnight. | ||
| But this is where we should be instead of innocents continuing to die. | ||
| Let's talk to Mark in Clearwater, Florida, Independent Line. | ||
| Good morning. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning. | |
| I have a question for the gentleman here. | ||
| I was watching one of y'all's shows a few weeks back where it was about the insurance thing and all this and that. | ||
| You had two people, one on the phone and one at the table, and she was going to make a statement on how the subsidies that the government gives to corporations. | ||
| And then I looked it up, and the government gives to corporations $500 worth of insurance coverage for the company for the health their coverage, $1,200 for two people, and an X number for three for family. | ||
| My question, the gentleman is, does he take subsidies for insurance coverages? | ||
| And then why is the government going to look into those fraud and abuse, why the American people are paying company subsidies for their employees' insurance? | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| You know, what is not talked about, Mimi, enough, it's not just people who did not support people on the lower rung of the ladder, people in the federal government that's being impacted by Donald Trump's policy. | ||
| There are a lot of businesses, farmers who hire these workers. | ||
| They're not showing up for work because they feel that ICE is going to come along and pick them up. | ||
| I mean, you've got these Venezuelan migrants who were saying we're no longer going to extend their work visas, which really impacts a lot of companies in this country. | ||
| Listen, I don't do work with the government. | ||
| You know, I went through this thing called No Child Left Behind early on in my life and almost got left behind. | ||
| And I vowed after that I would never have any kind of business with the government. | ||
| I'm in the private industry. | ||
| In the private industry, we cannot allow our operation to run like the government does because we would not be in business. | ||
| You cannot allow your household to run the certain way. | ||
| We provide health care coverage for our employees, not because we have to, because we choose to, because it's the right thing to do. | ||
| There's only so much government could do in people's lives. | ||
| But I do think for private corporations that do well, whether they're getting on the dole of the government or not, you should take care of your employees first. | ||
| I mean, listen, the government can only do so much with people that are struggling. | ||
| Corporations in these communities do a lot to lift up lives that are struggling, particularly in the particular economy that we're in right now. | ||
| But yes, I think everything is open in terms of government in terms of what Elon Musk is trying to do because they're looking for the transparency. | ||
| I want to ask you about criticism of President Trump that says one of the biggest concerns of the American people during the campaign was the economy and inflation and that President Trump hasn't done enough or hasn't focused enough on bringing prices down at the grocery store. | ||
|
unidentified
|
That's a slow process and he's come back to admit that it may have been a little over-exaggerated during the campaign. | |
| But I do think when you cut out waste and abuse, when you cut out the number of migrants that are crossing the borders, I mean, I think many people felt that weight on their way of life as it related to housing and other things. | ||
| I think those things will add relief. | ||
| But what you just mentioned, that's a slow process that must take place. | ||
| It's not going to happen overnight. | ||
| And people have to be patient. | ||
| Here's Gary in Guyton, Georgia, Republican. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Good morning, Mr. Williams. | |
| How are you this morning? | ||
| Good morning, Gary. | ||
| You know, when I was young, we always took the vacation up to the Smoky Mountains, and we would all pile in the station wagon and go. | ||
| And back then, they would allow you to feed the bears right on the side of the road. | ||
| And it got to be a big thing, and it went on for years and years. | ||
| Well, when they stopped that, all the bears just stood out on the side of the road and starved to death because they didn't know how to feed theirselves. | ||
| You know, if you've got a man that's going to teach you how to fish, and you've got a man that's going to give you a fish, and you come back to him tomorrow for that fish, which man you want to be with? | ||
| You know, I want to say to him, and I think his point is well taken, the best, me, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare I had growing up was my mother and my father. | ||
| Much of what is happening today, wives, there's so much pain in society. | ||
| Men and this juvenile justice and this crime, because these young boys have no idea what it means to be a man. | ||
| They have no idea right and wrong. | ||
| And we must strengthen the family again. | ||
| Not only do we need men in the households, but we need them in the school system. | ||
| Because where you have men in the school system teaching these kids, especially these young boys, they react differently to them. | ||
| You have less behavior problems. | ||
| You have less crime. | ||
| You have less homicide. | ||
| You have less rape. | ||
| And so we've got to get back to the understanding of the family that work ethic, discipline, sacrifice works. | ||
| And that's something that can be taught in the family. | ||
| There's only so much the government can do. | ||
| And there's only so much the government can help unless you've already built yourself a stable foundation. | ||
| And every now and then you may struggle. | ||
| Something may blindside you. | ||
| But at least because you have a stable foundation, the government is better prepared to help you. | ||
| But if you're just solely dependent on the government and you're not bringing any other resources to the table except the government help, that's not going to work for you in the long run. | ||
| You said there should be more men in the classroom. | ||
| How do you encourage more men to become teachers, especially if there's no Department of Education? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, I'm not going to say there's not going to be a Department of Education. | |
| I do believe that states do a better job than the federal government. | ||
| So then how can states encourage more men to become teachers? | ||
|
unidentified
|
You know what? | |
| You encourage them to mentor. | ||
| You must make them realize the value of being in the classroom because this is a child that could take your child's life someday. | ||
| This is a child that could marry your daughter someday. | ||
| Men, I think men want to be in the classroom, but I think you've got to give them a center. | ||
| Whether better pay, I think teachers should be paid the way of CEOs. | ||
| I think they have more of an impact on the lives of kids than these CEOs who make these millions of dollars. | ||
| I think we need to show more respect for teaching and what people sacrifice in the classroom because it's become a war zone. | ||
| These schools is what it is. | ||
| One more call. | ||
| Carolyn in Baltimore, Democrat. | ||
| Good morning, Carolyn. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Hi, good morning. | |
| I'm glad I got through. | ||
| Thank you for this information. | ||
| Two comments in the question. | ||
| I'll be really brief. | ||
| I'm a retired federal government worker. | ||
| I wish people would stop trying to demonize federal government workers. | ||
| We worked hard and we had a lot of credentials to get the positions that we had. | ||
| I do see, and there were people who didn't work, but those were a few. | ||
| And I have an issue with the indiscriminate firings that are being done. | ||
| You have people who are working hard and they shouldn't be fired just because, you know, some random issue. | ||
| Second, the media has always been biased. | ||
| With you being now with the sun, I hope you show more black people doing well. | ||
| They seem to focus on the ones that are not. | ||
| And it's more of us who are doing well, who are Christian values, family values. | ||
| And I wish you would focus more on that because I'm tired of being demonized for that. | ||
| My question is: 63 years old, when I was coming up, our community taught us we had to be twice as good as other populations to get a job. | ||
| So, as far as DEI is concerned, and adding to that, I have personally trained at least two white people who got promoted over me. | ||
| So, my question is regarding DEI: Do you actually think that the people who were hired under these programs are incompetent and got the position only because they're black? | ||
| Because I would say that is not the case. | ||
| All right, Carolyn. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Well, absolutely. | |
| The majority, not. | ||
| I think most people would get there on their own merit. | ||
| That's why you don't necessarily need DEI. | ||
| But I really appreciate you calling from Baltimore because we have, over the last few weeks, been focusing on very successful Americans who happen to be black and entrepreneurs and how they contribute to the better way of life in Baltimore. | ||
| So, I hope you follow that series. | ||
| If not, just go to baltimoreson.com. | ||
| And I would encourage you also to subscribe to the Baltimore Sun. | ||
| I had to get that in there, Mimi. | ||
| All right, Armstrong Williams, columnist, TV talk show host, entrepreneur. | ||
| His website is armstrongwilliams.com, also the owner of the Baltimore Sun. | ||
| Thank you so much for being here. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mimi. | |
| Always a pleasure to see you. | ||
| I always enjoy watching you when I'm not here. | ||
| You do such a terrific job. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Welcome back. | ||
| We're joined now by Ellie Mistal. | ||
| He is a justice correspondent and columnist for the nation. | ||
| Ellie, welcome to the program. | ||
| Hey, thank you so much for having me. | ||
| I want to start with this Associated Press article with the headline: Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to let the firing of whistleblower agency head proceed. | ||
| Could you get us up to speed on what that court case is about and what the issue is there? | ||
| Yeah, so Trump likes to fire people, and he thinks that because he is the president, he can fire anybody he wants for any reason, whether or not they were appointed or not, for just because he feels like it, and he remembers it from his TV days, right? | ||
| There are laws regarding how you can fire people when they work for the federal government, who you can fire, what the proper process is, and all that sort of thing. | ||
| Trump wants to ignore those laws, ignore people who have their positions that are authorized by Congress and fire people willingly nilly. |