Morning Wire - Trump Super Bowl Buzz & New Media Rises | 2.10.25

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

Trump gives a big interview ahead of the big game, the new administration shakes up the media landscape, and Elon Musk’s DOGE encounters some obstacles. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Black Rifle Coffee: Get 20% off your first order or Coffee Club subscription with code DAILYWIRE at https://www.blackriflecoffee.com Old Glory Bank: Go to https://oldglorybank.com/wire today to open your account and put your money in the hands of people you can ACTUALLY trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bejew at board of Vyarai. Embarked and profite. Embarked and relaxed. Syrotie. Bukkinet. Oh, that also. And profite. Via Rai, the voice that we love. President Trump gives a big Super Bowl Sunday interview as he continues his blitz to reform the federal government. We have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone under the government. How do most Americans feel about the president so far? I'm Daily Wire, editor-in-chief John Bickley, with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, February 10th, and this is Morning Wire.

New media is on the rise under the new administration, who are the biggest winners and losers, and what's the latest on Trump's legal battle with legacy outlets? They should lose their license, which is worth billions of... And a judge blocks doge from accessing treasury data, as bureaucrats work to thwart the Elon Musk-led agency. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Hey, guys, producer Brandon here. Black Rifle Coffee helps you wake up each morning feeling dialed in and ready to make the most of your day.

And now's your chance to get 20% off your purchase using code Daily Wire at black rifle coffee.com. All of their explosive coffees are roasted right here in the USA by a veteran-led team of expert roasters, obsessed with crafting the perfect cup of coffee. Every black rifle purchase gives back to those who serve our nation. Your support makes it possible for Black Rifle Coffee Company to help provide funding, training, and equipment to our nation's military and first responders. Head over to their site now for 20% off your purchase with Code Daily Wire. All eyes were on the Super Bowl Sunday and on President Trump, who sat down for a big interview and appeared at the game. The high-profile moments come as three weeks into his second term, new polling shows he's more popular than ever. Daily Wire, Senior Editor Cabot Phillips is here with more.

Hey, Gabbitt. So Trump making Super Bowl Sunday interviews great again here. Let's start there. What did we hear from the president? Yeah, this was actually a return to tradition, as Joe Biden had declined interviews the last two years. Trump sat down with Foxes, Brett Bayer, and explained why he chose to attend the game in person. He was actually the first sitting president to ever attend a Super Bowl.

I think just the spirit of the country, the country's taken on a whole new life. I thought it would be a good thing for the country to have the president. it be at the game. Trump was also grilled by Bayer on his backing of Elon Musk, who really has come under fire in recent weeks for his plans to slash government spending as part of his Department of Government Efficiency. And I've had a great help with Elon Musk, who's been terrific. Bottom line, you say you trust him.

Trust Elon? Oh, he's not gaining anything. In fact, I wonder how he can devote the time to it. He's so into it. But I told him do that. Then I'm going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours. to go check the Department of Education. He's going to find the same thing.

Then I'm going to go to the military. Let's check the military. We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. Trump then, of course, went to the big game. Tell us about that sequence of events. Yeah, it was quite a day for the president who started the morning off with a round of golf with Tiger Woods before heading over to the Superdome for the game.

Trump walked around the field during warmups and was greeted warmly by a number of players, including the family of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And while the game broadcast only showed him briefly on screen, the arena burst into applause when he was shown on the Jumbotron during the national anthem. Have a listen. Now, as for the game itself, the Philadelphia Eagles denied the Kansas City Chiefs their shot at a three-peat, crushing the two-time defending champs 40 to 22.

It was hard for this Cowboys fan to watch. the Eagles celebrate, but it was their night. Right. Now, as Georgia mentioned at the top, we have some new numbers coming out over the weekend on Trump approval. What did we learn? Yeah, on Sunday, CBS released their first national poll since Trump took office, and it showed President Trump with a 53% approval rating. That is his highest mark in any CBS poll over the last eight years. We saw similar results from Rasmussen and Emerson polls, which had him with net favorability ratings of six and eight points, respectively. Those numbers,

Become even more stunning when you take into account just how polarizing and unpopular Trump was when he last held office. Remember, in January of 2021, just 38% of Americans approved of his performance while 58% disapproved. He was 20 points underwater. Simply put, he is disproving the notion that after eight years on the national stage, Americans have their minds made up on it. It certainly seems Americans are really giving Trump a fresh look this go-round. Now, you really dug into these numbers. What stood out the most? Well, first, it's how popular Trump's policies continue to be with the general public.

CBS found that 59% of Americans support deporting all illegal immigrants, 64% support deploying troops to the southern border, and 54% approve of his handling of the war in Israel. And more broadly, folks are pleased with how active he's been. 70% said whether they like him or not, he's doing what he promised he would do on the campaign trail. Also of note is how popular Trump is right now with the young voters. This poll found that 55% of Americans under the age of 30 approve of the job he's doing.

Again, those numbers would have been unthinkable four years ago when he was around 30% with young folks. I personally interviewed hundreds of young voters over the last year, and I heard the same message over and over. My life was better and more affordable when Trump was in office. We'll see if those numbers and that sentiment holds up, but it is very real, as evidence in November and in poll after poll since. Well, there's no doubt that there's real momentum for Trump so far. Kevin, thanks for reporting. Anytime. Have you seen all those woke executives just now jumping on the bandwagon of freedom and liberty?

Where were they when banks were sharing your data with big government and canceling patriots? Remember who they really are and certainly don't trust them now with your money. Trust the FDIC insured bank that was created to protect your privacy, security, and liberty. Old Glory Bank. Co-founded in 2022 by Dr. Ben Carson, Larry Elder, and John Rich, Old Glory Bank now serves tens of thousands of customers in all 50 states. Head over to old glorybank.com slash wire today to open your account and put your money in the hands of people you can actually trust. The Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room.

Because according to recent polling from Gallup, Americans' trust in mass media has fallen to a record low. That's White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt, described. the Trump administration's new approach to engaging the media, not only making itself more accessible, but also welcoming newer non-traditional outlets to press briefings. But some in the legacy media aren't happy with the changes. Here with the details is Daily Wire Culture Reporter, Megan, Basham. So, Megan, the Trump administration has been making sweeping reforms, including their approach to media. So what are some of the biggest changes? So the White House says that they're emphasizing access and availability. And because of that, they're now welcoming non-traditional media

outlets into the briefing room. And that includes political podcasts, bloggers, independent journalists, people like that who reach large and or underserved audiences. So to give you just one example, one of the White House's first press briefings included John Ashbrook of the podcast Ruthless, which is especially popular with young men. And then newer outlets with very large audiences, like the Daily Wire, also now have ongoing credentials for daily briefings, and our new White House correspondent, Mary Margaret Ollahan, has already been called on for several questions. So the White House has also established a permanent seat

that will be occupied by rotating members of the new media. And Leavitt invited outlets to apply for credentials for that seat, and at last count, at least 11,500 have done so. So this is for White House press briefings, but what about other parts of the administration? Are they taking a similar approach? Some are. So already the Department of Defense has restructured its press access

with a new annual media rotation program. So legacy outlets like The Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, Politico, NPR. They'll still be members of the Pentagon Press Corps and have access to DOD briefings, but they're not going to get dedicated workspace in the building, which they have in the past. Instead, this year, those offices are going to outlets like The New York Post,

newsmax, the Huffington Post, the free press, and then they'll rotate again in 2026. Now, I imagine these legacy outlets are not happy about this. Well, I would say that's putting it mildly. A New York Times spokesman said that these are quoting here, steps designed to impede access that are clearly not in the public interest. And a former Politico-exec told CNN that it's the erasure of journalism. So some somewhat hyperbolic responses there. And then just generally, you're hearing these.

outlets who are losing their work spaces, accusing the administration of giving preferential treatment to Trump-friendly outlets. And you do have to say, it's true that some of these outlets are considerably more favorable to Trump than, say, CNN and the Washington Post, whose own owner, Jeff Bezos, has acknowledged that it has a liberal bias problem. But again, this new rotation program is also providing space to media that are notably left, like the Huffington Post, or you could say consistently neutral, like the free press. But I do think it highlights that Trump no longer feels that he has to play nice with frequently hostile legacy outlets anymore.

And he's no longer willing to give them pride of place just because past administrations did so. Now, there's also some very significant tension with certain networks for legal reasons. So what's the latest on Trump's legal settlements? Well, already, ABC has settled with Trump over a defamation lawsuit and issued a public apology. Now it looks like CBS's ownership, Paramount, is set to settle over a $10 billion lawsuit that Trump had filed against 60 minutes. He claims that during the election, the network deceptively edited its interview with Kamala Harris in order to help her campaign. And you're hearing a lot of legacy media figures upset about this, like Jake Tapper at CNN. For Paramount to settle, this suit would be hoisting a white flag of surrender.

It would be the network of Edward R. Murrow at the behest of its owners saying, we will not speak truth to power. We will acquiesce to power at the expensive truth. So I think it's very likely that we could see additional changes from other federal agencies as Trump's cabinet continues to take shape. Well, it makes sense to have a diverse press corps that reaches all Americans. Megan, thanks for reporting. Anytime.

A federal judge has temporarily barred the Department of Government Efficiency, from tapping into the Treasury Department's data. It's the latest in a series of injunctions and delays imposed by the courts as Doge moves to reform government at a decidedly unbureaucratic pace. Luke Roziak is now the Daily Wire's government efficiency reporter and he's out with a wild story on how we got here. Hey, Luke. So what have you found so far?

Hey, John. So the first lawsuits against Doge by government employee unions were filed literally the day of Trump's inauguration, saying an outside advisory panel would be illegal. That's when they got their first big surprise. Doge wasn't an outside panel. It was repurposing an existing White House office set up by Barack Obama. Now, you're referring to the U.S. Digital Service, which was renamed the U.S. Doge service.

So what is that exactly? Well, in 2014, after Obama's healthcare.gov failed, he created this technology SWAT team based within the White House. It was exempted from ordinary government hiring rules in order to attract Silicon Valley types or short stints aimed at fixing government. It was run by a political appointee, and it hired a lot of Democrat activist types. After Trump won in 2016,

USDS convinced him that it should be a nonpartisan office, and Trump agreed to basically treat them like civil servants, even though they were literally within his executive office of the president. He basically left them alone to do their jobs. But the staff exploited that kindness

and turned it into a weakness. A pronoun using DNC donor was put in charge, and USDA became a hotbed of radical far-left activism operating from within Trump's White House. They hired multiple people who were actually from the pornography industry. They had an entire panel of queer employees speak at a DEI conference. This was within the executive office of the president during Trump's first term. Yeah, the whole thing was basically an open rebellion,

and staff would slow walk or undermine any projects they didn't like. And then Biden takes over, and does Trump get any credit? for exercising restraint? No, Biden immediately turned it back into an office that was overtly run by a political appointee. So Obama basically built this machine with exactly the power Doge needed. And then during the Trump administration, there was this over-the-top betrayal that ensured that in a second term, Trump wasn't going to be so deferential to this idea of a supposedly nonpartisan civil service. So when Biden increased political control over the office, it was basically loading the weapon and giving it to Elon And then here we are now, but Democrats created this structure. They also ran it in an openly

partisan way. Here we have Musk using it against them effectively. Yeah, here's the crazy thing. Elon's hires are a small staff working out of a separate building right now, but the 200-odd staff inherited from the Biden administration is actually still there at USDS. On Friday, I was at the White House. And as I was leaving, I saw this poster in the window of a White House annex building that said, hate has no home here. And so I did this double take standing in the middle of road because this was clearly a left-wing poster taunting Trump displayed in a government building within the White House's Secret Service perimeter. I looked at the address and wouldn't you know it, this was USDS's headquarters. So that kind of removed any doubt that this was never some sort of neutral civil service group. Yeah. And I wanted to point out Elon Musk did respond to your story on X saying live by the sword, die by the sword.

It seems like if Trump is more heavy-handed this time around, it's kind of this lesson from the last eight years that's likely to blame. Luke, thanks so much for reporting. Sure thing. Thanks for waking up with us. And if you enjoyed what you listened to, please share this episode with a friend.