Piers Morgan Uncensored - 'Even TRUMP Sees There's a Split!' MAGA in Meltdown Over Putin, Gaza & Files

Episode Date: July 14, 2025

MAGA puritans must feel like they’re in a bad dream, as a major rift that began with Trump’s decision to order US attacks on Iran, then descended into outrage over the Epstein files, is about to b...e compounded - perhaps permanently - over a dramatic shift on Ukraine. Senator Lindsey Graham says the US is pivoting to a “game-changing” influx of military support for Zelensky and sanctions for Putin, leading to an even louder chorus of US conservatives saying “this is not what I voted for”.  Joining Piers Morgan to discuss MAGA meltdown is host of ‘Can’t Cancel Rob Smith’ Rob Smith, former GOP congressman and presidential candidate Joe Walsh, host of ‘The Josh Hammer Show’ and author of ‘Israel and Civilisation’ Josh Hammer and host of ‘The Liz Wheeler Show’ Liz Wheeler. Piers Morgan Uncensored is proudly independent and supported by: American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. 866-721-3300 or visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/Piers. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org Tax Network USA: Call 1-800-958-1000 or visit https://TNUSA.com/PIERS to meet with a strategist today for FREE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Okay, Elmo, you say your account was hanged. I have to take your word for that. If that is what happened here, do you condemn these posts? President Trump was all smiles yesterday as Chelsea lifted the inaugural Club World Cup in New Jersey. Future generations will be forgiven for thinking that Donald Trump was in fact Chelsea's head coach. It certainly looked like a welcome distraction from the President's day job of managing the actual United States. Maga Puritans must feel like they're in a bad dream, a major riff that began with Trump's decision to order U.S. attacks on Iran and then descended into outrage over the Epstein files
Starting point is 00:00:40 is about to be compounded by a dramatic shift on Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is 50 days to make a peace deal or face massive tariffs and an influx of weapons to Ukraine. We are very unhappy. I am with Russia. But we'll discuss that maybe a different day. But we're very, very unhappy with them. And we're going to be doing very severe tariffs. If we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100%.
Starting point is 00:01:10 You'd call them secondary tariffs. You know what that means. But today we're going to talk about something else. And as you know, we've spent $350 billion approximately on this war with Russia and Ukraine. I would like to see it end. It wasn't my war. It was Biden's war. It's not my war.
Starting point is 00:01:30 I'm trying to get you out of it. Well, Senator Lindsay Graham and Maga Betts, Noir says that Trump is pivoting to a game-changing strategy of backing Ukraine. The chorus of U.S. Conservatives saying this is not what I voted for could be about to get a lot louder. This weekend's Turning Point USA conference in Florida was dominated by fury over the Epstein fumble and by criticism of Attorney General Pan Bondi. It's extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. Now, no one's allowed to say that that foreign government is Israel because we have been
Starting point is 00:02:04 somehow cowed into thinking that that's naughty. Epstein is a key that picks the lock on so many things, not just individuals, but also institutions, intelligence institutions, foreign governments, and who's working with him on our intelligence apparatus and in our government. She has never missed an opportunity to go on television and dangle sweet nothings that might be coming your way.
Starting point is 00:02:34 try to lead you to believe that she's got it. It's on her desk. It's coming tomorrow. You're going to see something on Epstein. And it was a tease. So you either believe that Pam Bondi was telling the truth then or that she's telling the truth now. But both cannot be true. Well, Trump is standing by Pan Bondi and by his record.
Starting point is 00:02:54 He called for calm and a long-truth social post this weekend aimed at his quarreling, quote, boys and gals. But the Epstein's issue has done serious damage for three key reasons. First, the people now in office made it a core campaigning symbol of a sordid deep state, as they put it, which prioritised the powerful friends of a wealthy sex offender over probity in government. Second, they're telling people they can't believe their own eyes and ears. The files are truly shocking. The client list is on my desk, they said.
Starting point is 00:03:22 Now, there is no list, but if there is, it was written by Hillary Clinton and Obama. And the third is Israel. There's a strange coalition of nationalist anti-Semites, America First, isolationists, and legitimate critics of Israel's war in Gaza and its influence over US politics. The idea that Epstein could have been a Mossad agent, facilitating abuse for leverage, suits all of them, and it angers them too. Now, it may well be the case that...
Starting point is 00:03:46 may well be the case of releasing all of the paperwork would prove nothing new, while unfairly implicating many innocent people who are obsessively cultivated the contacts by Epstein. And if so, that was always going to be the case. But many people who are now in power created this monster, and they're finding out that if you don't feed the beast,
Starting point is 00:04:03 It will eventually come back in each year. Well, joining me on the panel to discuss all this. Rob Smith, host of the Can't Can't Cancel Rob Smith podcast, and fellow from the Rainy Center for Public Policy, Joe Walsh, the former Republican Congressman for Illinois, a presidential candidate, Josh Hammer, host of the Josh Hammer Show, and author of Israel and Civilization,
Starting point is 00:04:22 and Liz Wheeler, the host of the Liz Wheeler show. Well, welcome to all of you. Let me start with you, Joe Walsh. There's a lot going on. It's been a lot going on since the day Donald Trump won the election. There's a lot swirling around, and unusually, Donald Trump is doing stuff which is angering his own hardcore MAGA base.
Starting point is 00:04:40 You could point to the strike on Iran. I thought we weren't going to interfere in foreign wars anymore. He did. Now we're seeing that he may be lining up to inject a lot of money and support in favor of Ukraine against Russia. Again, a lot of the MAGA crowd don't like that. And then you have the Epstein scandal
Starting point is 00:04:59 where the MAGA crowd would lead to believe the moment the Trump administration, got their hands on all the files, everything would be revealed and true accountability would follow. That isn't happening. So Trump's got an interesting issue here of how to retain his base.
Starting point is 00:05:16 He's been very loyal to him at the same time as making big decisions which are enraging them. What do you make of this? Good to be with you, Pierce. Look, I've never thought that Trump's followers follow him based on any sort of issues.
Starting point is 00:05:34 He's a symbol for them. He's a clenched fist for them. He's always been perceived of as an outsider who's going to reveal the deep state. Pierce, that's why I think this Epstein story is going to damage him, big time. It's not just Bondi and Bongino and Patel who are out there for a few years lying,
Starting point is 00:05:58 right, to their audiences about, oh my God, the Epstein thing, the files, the list, I'm going to deliver Bill Clinton's head on a platter. Trump was saying the same damn thing. So when you look at this Epstein list, they promised their MAGA base that this was going to be the mother of all deep state, going after the elite pedophile kind of a scandal like we've never seen. and now Bondi, Patel, Bongino, and Trump are all saying nothing there, let's look away, let's move on. They can't do that. So either, Pierce, they were all lying to their base, and then they assume roles in government,
Starting point is 00:06:42 and they learn the truth, or it's more sinister than that, and they're covering up for Trump. Why would Donald Trump want to move on from the Epstein files? Makes no sense. Well, the thing Rob Smith, which complicates it, is, of course, the Elon Musk fall out with Donald Trump a few weeks ago, and Elon, in the middle of the night, unleashing what he called the biggest bombshell
Starting point is 00:07:05 of his falling out with Trump, which is that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. And since then, all the apparent enthusiasm by the Trump administration, Alina Ab came on here and was telling me about how big it was going to be and how many people, were involved and so on and so on. None of that
Starting point is 00:07:26 has materialized. But, you know, people are putting two and two together here, and maybe they're getting five, but they're saying, Elon Musk says that and then the whole thing gets shut down. And the problem with that is it lends itself, obviously, to furious speculation.
Starting point is 00:07:44 All right, peers, let me make, thanks for having me, let me make a couple of points here. First, my first point is this. The concern over the Jeffrey Epstein case and the Epstein files and all of this stuff doesn't really seem to be a concern of the everyday American that voted for Donald Trump. It seems to be an exclusive concern of the types of people, you know, myself included as one of my side jobs, that speaks on
Starting point is 00:08:08 camera or podcasts or spends time on social media every single day. In addition to being a podcaster and a content creator, I'm also a fellow with the Rainy Center for Public Policy. And as such, I talk with local and state legislators all across the country. You know, they want to talk about deporting illegal immigrants. They want to talk about making sure that America can compete with China and the race for energy independence. They do not want to talk about, nor do they care about the Epstein files. That's the first point that I want to make is that nobody really cares about this that doesn't do things like this for a living. The second point that I will make about this entire topic is that, yes, the Alina Habas of the world and a lot of people on Team Trump made a
Starting point is 00:08:54 fundamental miscalculation when after being elected and after being put in their positions, they still went on podcasts and they went on cable news and they kind of like drummed up and ginned up this expectation that there was going to be some big reveal. That was a fundamental miscalculation on their parts. And I think that a lot of people who are either never Trump conservatives or people that are pushing liberal propaganda would like to make it seem that this is some huge schism or huge shift in the MAGA base, of which I don't think it is. I think that the one thing that the MAGA base truly cares about is illegal immigration, and the Trump administration is doing their job when it comes to that. So peers, probably a lot of people in this panel are going to disagree with me,
Starting point is 00:09:42 but I just simply do not think that the average American, who is not terminally online, cares at all about the Epstein files. Did they make a miscalculation spending too much time on social media themselves and jenning up this expectation. Yes, but the average American just doesn't care. Today's show is sponsored by American financing. If you're feeling stretched by everyday expenses, groceries, gas, bills, and all alone, most Americans are putting these costs on credit cards and many feel there's no way out. One option is to delay your mortgage payments and win some breathing room. Experts at American financing can show you how to use your home's equity to pay off debt. Consultants are helping many
Starting point is 00:10:24 homeowners to restructure their loans and consolidate dates, all with no upfront fees. Their customers are saving an average of $800 per month, which is like a $10,000 raise. It's fast, it's simple, and it could save your budget this summer. So call them today before it's too late. 866-721-3300. That's 866-721-3300. Or visit Americanfinancing.net slash peers. Okay, I think you'll find Liz Wheeler cares.
Starting point is 00:10:56 Liz Wheeler. With all due respect, I think Rob Smith is misreading the megabase. I think President Trump, with all due respect, is misreading the megabase on this too. For an interesting reason, right? Let's go back to that day in February at the White House. I was there. I was one of the new media figures that were invited to the White House. I was given one of those infamous infernal White Epstein files binders that day.
Starting point is 00:11:23 And we weren't actually invited, by the way, to be given those files. We weren't invited to be given anything on Epstein or even to meet with Pam Bondi. We were there for a cool initiative by the White House to ostracize the mainstream media and instead say, hey, we're not going to reward bad behavior and propagandists. We're going to give you access to the upper echelons of the Trump administration. That's why we were there to meet with all kinds of officials in the Trump White House. But during our maybe 15 minute meeting with Pam Bondi, she brings in these bankered boxes full of these Epstein files and hands them to us. And as soon as we saw them, we were like,
Starting point is 00:11:54 whoa, Epstein files, phase one, what are we getting our hands on? She clarified very quickly and said, no, no, this is, there's nothing juicy or dirty in here. This is what was given to me by the FBI when I requested these files, as I promised you I would. But a whistleblower called me last night and said, actually the SDNY is hiding truckloads of these documents trying to subvert the president, the attorney general, and you. So the real story is that there are still deep straight swamp creatures in the federal government trying to subvert the president's agenda. That was the story. Now, here's the strange part of this story,
Starting point is 00:12:25 and it started right, the red flag started right from that moment, is on the front of that binder, that cover sheet that said the most transparent administration in history, attorney general Pam Bondi told us at the White House that day that she created that cover, that cover sheet, that she printed it, she created it and she was very proud of it. The most transparent administration in history, she was bragging about this, which was the first red flag to me because I thought, well, what's in this? There's there's nothing in this. And I asked her at the time, I said,
Starting point is 00:12:52 have you seen the documents that the SDNY is hiding from me, the real dirt, she told us. And she said, no. So you fast forward a little bit. You know, at the time, she's the Attorney General of the United States. It's a friendly White House because I'm a supporter of President Trump. You give the Attorney General the benefit of the doubt. You hope she produces. Obviously, we can talk about the botched embargo that led to the media frenzy that day. But you can't square what Pam Bondi said in that room to me, bragging about the cover sheet of that binder. You can't square that with her appearances on Fox News where she says,
Starting point is 00:13:23 it's on my desk, the client list, the Epstein client list, where she promises the real stuff, videos and photos and recordings, that's going to be delivered to you. You can't square that then with its unsigned memo that probably she leaked to Axio, saying, actually, there's no client list, there's no blackmail, he definitively killed himself. You're not getting any more information. So, PIRS, suddenly we're left in this situation. And the reason this narrative is so important is because it demonstrates why the base cares about this, why it's not just an online issue.
Starting point is 00:13:55 Listen, I was never one of those podcasters that dug deeply into all of the details and nuances of the Epstein case itself. I was never one that was filing FOIA requests for government information about it. But all of a sudden to the base, because of Attorney General Pam Bondi's lies, all of a sudden to the base, the Epstein files start to represent the justice. that we voted for. You have to understand that during the Joe Biden administration, we were hurt. We were hurt by the deep state. We were told you have to stay in your homes. You're locked down because of COVID. You're going to be forced to get a vaccine. We were thrown in jail over January 6th. We were we were castigated as Russian agents because of Russigate. You know, we were hurt by the lawfare against President Trump by censorship. Pro-lifers were jailed, undercover journalists, some of whom
Starting point is 00:14:41 work for my show right now, were targeted by the FBI. Parents were called domestic terrorists. Catholics were called violent extremists. We were hurt by this deep state and we voted for President Trump because he promised justice. Justice does not mean memory-holing these things and moving forward. It means identifying the people who committed the wrongdoing, indicting them, arresting them, and putting them on trial. And when you have that mentality, if that's the reason why you voted for President Trump, and suddenly the Epstein files, you are not just smelling a rat with his operation and his connections and his money and his death, not just the facts of the case itself,
Starting point is 00:15:20 but the lack of transparency and the outright lies that you can identify being told by, not by Trump, by Attorney General Pam Bondi, then suddenly this starts to be associated with the justice that you voted for and you worry that you're not going to get that very justice. Okay. That's why the base clears. Well, I think it's a really interesting assessment
Starting point is 00:15:40 of what I think is the correct way that many MAGA voters are looking at this. Let me bring in Josh Hammer. I mean, there are two arguments about this. One is, I do think Liz Wheeler hit the net on the head. This is what the MAGA base, a lot of them are feeling. Is that actually the Trump administration on this issue is
Starting point is 00:15:58 behaving exactly like the deep state it professes to want to get rid of and that is damaging just politically, I think. Never mind anything else. But there's also the issue that maybe maybe, you know, is it all disproportionate that actually are there much more important things going on as we're talking?
Starting point is 00:16:14 President Trump has come out and said, look, if Russia doesn't do a deal now with Ukraine in the next 60 days, then all hell is going to break loose with massive tariffs, 50 days, I think. Let me read the exact quote. We're very, very unhappy with them, Russia. We're going to be doing severe tariffs. We don't have a deal in 50 days. Tariffs are about 100 percent and billions of dollars more in weapons for Ukraine if no deal is done. He's already authorized the use of the Patriot missiles.
Starting point is 00:16:40 There's a lot going on here. Israel. There may be a ceasefire in Gaza. and so on and so on. Are people putting a disproportionate amount of attention on the Epstein files, or is it, in terms of the politics here, actually really significant, because it may hemorrhage Trump's core support? Here's a great question. I happen to agree with large swaths of what both my good old friend, Liz Wheeler, and what Rob Smith have said, so I'll try to thread something of a needle here.
Starting point is 00:17:09 I do agree with, I certainly agree with the entire list of grievances that Liz laid out against the Biden, when it comes to XYZ things, prosecuting the pro-life grandmothers under the FACE Act, calling anti-critical race theory, parents, domestic terrorists. All of that is totally fair game. And more generally peers, I think what you have to understand when we talk about something like the Epstein files, there have been so many data points over the past five to 10 years in American, perhaps by extension, Western public life, but especially American public life that have really made people genuinely, genuinely distrust authority. You have COVID-19 and all the various restrictions and the vaccines and the lockdowns
Starting point is 00:17:45 and all that our governor here in Florida, Ronda Sanders calls the biomedical security state. That was a major deal. Big tech censorship subsequently revealed by Elon Musk in the Twitter files. That was a massive deal as well, especially when it comes to the 2020 election, the 51 deep state spooks, John Brennan, Jim Comey.
Starting point is 00:18:01 I could go on. Rush again. There are a lot of things, I think, have soured the American people there. So when you have what appears to be an irreconcilable flip-flop, what we have seen from the Trump administration, I think that a lot of people
Starting point is 00:18:12 definitely their kind of jaw drops the floor. And they're asking, perhaps not illegitimately, what the heck is going on here? On the other hand, I think Rob Smith is totally right. And this was actually the syndicated column that I wrote just on Friday. I titled this column, log off social media and return to the real things. I think it is also true that the median Donald Trump voter, not the median attendee of a high-profile conservative conference, the likes of which the one I just spoke at yesterday, the Turning Point USA, you know, those are the kind of folks who are really riled up about this. But the median person who voted for Donald Trump to lower the price of
Starting point is 00:18:48 chicken and eggs and butter at the supermarket, who voted for Donald Trump to finally once and for all secure the southern border and to make sure that illegal aliens are not disproportionately committing crime, to vote for Donald Trump to try to get some semblance of peace and stability, whether it's in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, or to finally once and for all rollback Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific. To me, these are the real issues, peers. These are the issues that I personally get very animated about, certainly in my capacity, as a speaker, as a talker. And I think that the Epstein Files is not unimportant. The administration, clearly, this has been very, very far from their finest hour. But I think that this is that this,
Starting point is 00:19:25 too, is ultimately going to blow over. There is one thing that I feel very, very, very, very confidence about knowing about Donald Trump's voters, they support Donald Trump. And if Donald Trump is really, really, really going to dig his heels here and stand by his attorney general, Pam Bondi, regardless of the merits, whether that is a good or a bad thing, Donald Trump's voters are going to stand by him, and I think that we will probably forget about all of this two to three weeks from now. Do you know the spanner in the works of that, actually? I'll bring Joe back in.
Starting point is 00:19:50 Elon Musk is lurking in the wings here, and he's not just any old lurker. You know, this is the most, well, the richest and most successful businessman, arguably in American history. He unleashed his 200 million followers on his own social media platform to thoroughly endorse Trump all the way to back to the White House. I think he had a significant effect on Trump winning that election, particularly with younger male voters. I think he is vengeful.
Starting point is 00:20:22 I think he's angry. I think he feels he's being let down. Obviously brought in to do Doge and then sees a big beautiful bill which he thinks is the opposite to what Doge was trying to achieve and so on. So they've had this big falling out. He's already shown how intemperate he can be.
Starting point is 00:20:39 you know, with his posting. And that, you know, bombshell, Donald Trump's in the Epstein files and so on. I think anyone who thinks Elon Musk going to leave it all here, I think if he senses that he can politically damage Trump now as he promotes his America party and so on, I've got a feeling this has quite a way to play.
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Starting point is 00:21:22 They have direct access to powerful IRS programs and expert negotiators on your side. Tax Network USA knows how to win. He'll get a free consultation and they may even be able to reduce or eliminate what you owe. So don't wait for the next IRS letter. call 800-958-1-000 or visit t-n-usa.com slash peers that's tnusa.com slash peers for expert help on your tax. The right-wing media for the last few years has been echoing what bongino and petel and bondi and trump and vance all said about the Epstein files and they're upset their every bit is upset as
Starting point is 00:22:05 Liz Wheeler is and others are, that the conservative talking voices are. I agree with Liz, this is not an online issue. For the MAGA base, this is a huge issue. I can't remember another issue where Trump has gotten so much blowback from his own base. And again, I keep coming back to this, Pierce. Why? The base was promised these goals. Why is Trump? And don't let Trump off the hook. Pam Bondi's doing what Trump wants to. And also, you know what?
Starting point is 00:22:42 My gut feeling is a journalist for many decades, more than I'd like to share with you. My gut feeling about this is obviously the only people who committed crime sit are not likely to be exclusively Epstein and his Madame Gillane Maxwell. It just defies all credulity that this guy was faring around, girls to his island, to his properties and so on. We know from Prince Andrew in my country paying $11 million, reportedly, to make a case go away
Starting point is 00:23:16 whether a woman said she had underage sex with him in various locations. Why would the Queen of England's son pay $11 million to get rid of a problem like that for somebody claims he never met? So a lot of this stinks, honestly. And I've always felt there are lots of men. I interviewed Alan Dershowitz earlier, who was actually wrongly accused by the same person accused Prince Andrew and who herself took her life,
Starting point is 00:23:43 very sadly recently. It's riddled with tragedy this whole story. The poor girls in this in many different ways. But what he did so is interesting. He knows personally of a handful, as he put it, of men who he believes are in these files who should be properly investigated. And when you have someone like Dershowitz,
Starting point is 00:24:04 who acted for Jeffrey Epstein in his first case back, you know, 15 years ago. He knows him better than most people. If he says there are other men who ought to be investigated, I can't see this going away. Yeah. So, but, again, Pierce, I agree. So why does Trump? Can I interject here? I'll bring you all in.
Starting point is 00:24:25 Let Joe just respond quickly. Then I'll bring Lewis and then I'll bring one. So then, Pierce, I agree with all of that. So then why does Trump? wanted to all just go away. I don't know. And I find it odd. I'd love to ask him.
Starting point is 00:24:40 I find it odd, but I also think for the conspiracy theory viewpoint, and it may not be a conspiracy theory, we don't know, right? Because the files have all been released. But that Elon Musk post and then the juxtaposition on the timeline of all this getting shut down is pretty close, right? It's like, well, hang on a second. Everyone's gone from coming on my show, administration people, really pumping up the Epstein files
Starting point is 00:25:05 as being really damaging and really serious and it's all going to come out to suddenly, boom, it all shuts down. And the only thing that seemed to change was Elon Musk's post. Now, it might be totally disconnected. Alan Dershowitz again said he'd seen
Starting point is 00:25:20 no evidence to ever link Donald Trump to anything nefarious with Epstein other than he happened to hang around with him for a bit and then he disowned him. So I'm not suggesting for a moment. Trump's done anything wrong here. But the juxtrous. a position of his right-hand guy Elon Musk, who was there pretty much all the time before
Starting point is 00:25:40 during and after the election. And that post, and this getting closed down, is unsettling. Pears, let me jump in here for just a moment because I think a couple of things. Never Trumpers, whether they're on the left or whether they're never Trumpers on the right, want to use this issue that the megabase is expressing as a way to drive a wedge between the megabase and President and Trump, and that's silly and stupid. I don't think they need to try it. No, because a true friend, well, that's not how I view it, because I think a true friend tells you the truth,
Starting point is 00:26:13 even when it's uncomfortable. But, hang on, Donald Trump, in his truth, hang on, hang on, hang on, Liz, in his truth social statement, Donald Trump talks about the division in his own base, right? He talks about the boys and gals all falling out in the MAGA base, right? So it's not outside people trying to create a wedge here between MAGA and Trump. it's Trump understanding that all this stuff around Epstein has created a big wedge amongst his MAGA base.
Starting point is 00:26:40 He's the one that's identified. Right. I understand. I read his question. Let's finish your point. Then I'll bring you in, Rob. Okay, okay. Yeah, let me finish my point here. So a true friend tells you the truth even when the truth is uncomfortable.
Starting point is 00:26:54 And there's this idea that criticizing an administration that you support is somehow disloyal. And that's not how I view it at all. I view it completely the opposite. I share an America First agenda with President Trump, and I want to do what I can to help him run his administration the most effectively that he can. Sometimes that means sharpening his administration. Like when I exposed Dr. Jeanette Nishiwad, his surgeon general nominee,
Starting point is 00:27:18 who was absolutely terrible. She was a COVID freak. I did that not to get one on the Trump administration, but to make sure the Trump administration understood what the base wants when it comes to COVID accountability and COVID justice. So when I look at at this issue, the Epstein files. First of all, there's one person who made this a problem in the past four months. And that person is Attorney General Pam Bondi. Yes, there was a lot of talk from various figures
Starting point is 00:27:41 during the campaign about the Epstein files. But it was Pam Bondi who deliberately gave us those Epstein binders. It was Bondi who bragged about making that cover sheet. It was Bondi who repeatedly went on Fox News. She led everybody. She wants attention. And that's what associated the Epstein files with justice in the base. I would prefer that we had accountability for COVID. I would prefer we have accountability for the journalists talking about the FBI and the parents. You have an attorney general who led everybody to the water's edge. Exactly. So President Trump can take care of this issue by listening to the base. Yeah. Look, if you take people to the water's edge like that, you've got to give them a drink. Rob. All right. So the point that I want to make here is this.
Starting point is 00:28:23 I think that this idea that the Maga base is fractured and there's all this stuff. Again, And it just seems to be something that's entirely about the internet. It's not. It's not. No, Rob, you're wrong about that. Has there been... You're wrong about that because a number of... Rob, you're wrong.
Starting point is 00:28:38 I'm going to tell you why you're wrong. When you've got people like Tucker Carlson and other very high profile figures on the right, they're not just online people. They are big, big figures who are getting mainstream media coverage because of it. This is a big, genuine issue in the MAGA movement. This is. And again, and again, it is. And to the point.
Starting point is 00:28:58 that I was going to make peers. Yes, Tucker Carlson is major. Making Kelly is major. All of these people are major journalists and podcasters who command huge audiences and a large part of their business is to get attention from said huge audiences. Has there been a single Trump administration cabinet member that has said, I'm stepping down because I don't like the handling of the Epstein files? Has there been a congressman or congresswoman, an elected official all across the country? That has said that I am standing down because of the Epstein files. Has there been an elected that is saying that I have so thoroughly lost all of my confidence in Trump and the Trump administration over the mishandling of the Epstein files that I'm literally going to resign? Yes, the rumors about Bonino.
Starting point is 00:29:46 Rob, hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. to blow it over. Rob, here's my answer to you.
Starting point is 00:29:52 Here's my answer to you. Donald Trump on Truth Social, 12th of July. What's going on with my boys and in some cases, gals? They're all going after Attorney General Pat Bondi who's doing a fantastic job. We're one team on MAGA
Starting point is 00:30:06 and I don't like what's happening. And he goes on and on and on about it. Donald Trump thinks there's a split in MAGA. And he's not an online guy. He's a president of the United States. No, he's not an online. Look, he's the president.
Starting point is 00:30:20 of the United States who I fully support and voted for twice. But you can't just protect this an online issue. And he's also somebody, but still, he's also somebody again that spends an inordinate amount of time on social media and on regular media. I think you honestly, I think you
Starting point is 00:30:36 literally, peers, peers, I will die on the hill that normal people do not care about this. I spend enough time talking with local and state legislators. I spent enough time with people out there. Hang on. Hang on. Let me say something.
Starting point is 00:30:52 I want to tell Rob who he sounds like. Rob sounds like the members of the woke left who keep trying to tell me that nobody in America cared about biological men and women's sports. Oh, so now I'm a leftist. Okay. Trust me. Trust me. This is why.
Starting point is 00:31:08 Trust me they did. I want to bring in Josh, Josh, because Josh has been very patiently waiting. Josh, I don't just want to talk about the Epstein thing here because I think there are other things going on, which the MAGA base is also likely to be. be pretty upset about. And one of them is Trump now going all in against Vladimir Putin and helping Ukraine. Now, I happen to agree with this, right? I think it's long overdue that Trump flexed his muscles with Putin. I think Putin's been mocking Trump and mocking America by talking to Trump and then unleashing his biggest bombardment within hours of doing it. It's just deliberate
Starting point is 00:31:43 taunting of the President of the United States. So it's long overdue. But again, the MAGA base that voted him back in such big numbers. They did not vote for big time help of Ukraine, did they? This was going to get sorted in 24 hours, and they didn't want to have any more intervention in foreign wars and so on. So again, if I'm a MAGA guy, and I'm already incensed about the Epstein thing, and now I'm hearing that Donald Trump, who has closed down the Epstein files, now wants to go all in behind Zelensky, who many people on the MAGA side think is a reprehensible character.
Starting point is 00:32:15 I don't get it. Why they think that? Because I've met him. I respect him hugely. I think he's been invaded by a marauding Russian dictator. And in the good old days, the conservative right in America would be united in wanting to repel the Russian invader. Those days don't exist anymore. But my point is, it's not just going to be about Epstein. I think that Trump's going to find that a lot of the MAGA base really don't like him now going filling behind Ukraine. What do you think of that?
Starting point is 00:32:43 So I have lots of thoughts on Ukraine. I've had lots of thoughts on Ukraine for a long time. just a very brief word, if I may, on Epstein and DOJ to kind of put a bow on that conversation, then I'm happy to weigh in on Ukraine. Look, I hear you, Pears, and I hear Rob. I agree this is not a solely online phenomenon. My contention is that there are other issues. I think the median Trump vans voter cares more about. But I think there's also a bit of a missing of force for the trees type thing going on here,
Starting point is 00:33:07 even within the confines of the Trump, DOJ. Pierce, I'm also a lawyer. I clerked on the U.S. Court appeals for the Fifth Circuit. I speak at law schools all across the country. this is the most conservative Department of Justice in my entire lifetime. Has Pam Bondi and the DOJ handled all of this to a T, if they cross all the T's da, the eyes? No, of course not. I am not here to be Pam Bondi's apologists or anything like that there.
Starting point is 00:33:27 But you look at what the DOJ is doing when it comes to prosecuting, this prosecuting, that, assisting Tom Holman to execute the avowed largest mass deportation operation in American history, all the things that Solicitor General Sauer is doing at the U.S. Supreme Court when it comes to ending chemical castration for minors in the state of Tennessee. and on, the DOJ under Trump is getting win after win after win. So that is one of many reasons why I come back to the point that if Donald Trump is really going to dig in his heels on this and stick with Pambandi, as I have every reason in the world to expect, based on all my sources, that he is 100% going to do that, that within the next two or three weeks at the most, people will have forgotten that this ever happened. So that's kind of my bow on that, on that conversation. Now, turning a little bit to Ukraine and Russia, look, I am someone who
Starting point is 00:34:09 has indeed been skeptical of aggressive U.S. involvement in Ukraine for a very long time. I've and countless articles on this. I've spoken about this at great length. I view the exact contours of the eastern boundary between Ukraine and Russia to be something that is not necessarily directly in the American national interest. Of course, if Vladimir Putin starts marching into Warsaw, Poland triggers Article 5 of NATO, very, very different conversation there. Now, I did vote for Donald Trump, among other things, for foreign policy because he shares my nationalist, realist, sober foreign policy that is neither neo-conservative nor isolationist. I think that Donald Trump, with good faith, with good faith, has really...
Starting point is 00:34:44 really actually tried to get a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. He has tried to apply pressure on both Vladimir Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. Probably a little bit too much pressure, actually, at times on one and then the other there. But he really has actually tried, from all I can tell, in genuine good faith to do that. As it turns out, Pierre's, Vladimir Putin is simply not playing ball. In fact, if you look at the missiles and the drones, the death tolls over Kiev, over the past month or so, these are some of the largest volleys of the past three and a half years of the war. So what is he supposed to do other than to threaten tariffs and sanctions?
Starting point is 00:35:12 He's actually approached this in a very empirical ad hoc step-by-step way, not necessarily in hoc to ideological blinders as so many in the foreign policy established and have. So even I, as someone who is skeptical of advanced involvement for the U.S. in the Russia-Ukraine theater, I think he's actually handled it quite well. I'm still costly optimistic that we can find our way to a ceasefire here sooner or rather than later. Okay, Joe, on Ukraine, I know you've been very critical that Trump hasn't acted earlier. I've talked to him quite a few times this year, and I got a real sense. of his utter determination to stop the census killing as he saw it.
Starting point is 00:35:47 The numbers are just, I mean, terrifying of soldiers on both sides getting killed on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. So I've got no doubt he's determined to bring this to an end. I think he felt he could do a deal earlier with Putin than it's turned out to be possible. I think he gave Ukraine quite a hard time. We all saw that. It was a bit unedifying in parts with the Oval Office bust up and so on.
Starting point is 00:36:11 but it was certainly effective in getting Ukraine to crystallize their relationship with the United States to a way that Trump was happy. And I think Ukraine were okay with where they got to, with the mineral deal and everything else. The problem, as Josh just said, is that Putin is not playing ball. In fact, what he's doing is raining more and more bombs down on Ukraine. And I feel the moment has come where the doubting MAGA right on this
Starting point is 00:36:38 have got to understand what they're dealing with for Putin. He is a ruthless Russian dictator, who's a former KGB agent, who took Crimea, bated Georgia, now invaded Ukraine. He's not going to stop until actually the bigger person in the room stands up and stops it. That is America. So what do you feel about where we are now with Ukraine? I worry that this isn't permanent. Look, Pierce, from the beginning, Trump's inclination has been,
Starting point is 00:37:08 and this is where he was before he won in November, to always take Putin's side and to always go after Ukraine. From the moment Donald Trump was sworn in, everything he's said and done has been to praise and stroke Putin and to hit Zelensky over the head. That's gotten us nowhere because, as you say, Pierce, the bad guy in this, the bully, the tyrant, the dictator, the evil one is Putin.
Starting point is 00:37:35 Now, does Trump now after six months finally realize that? I don't know. I think people around him realize. that. But I don't, I worry, Pierce, this isn't permanent. He was asked today. What did Trump do today? He threatened these secondary tariffs in 50 days. That's the second time he's made that threat to Putin. I don't know if it's real. And he was asked today, what are you going to do if Putin accelerates his attacks and does more? And he said, oh, it's Biden's war. Don't ask me a question like that. So he still is loathe to say anything bad about Putin. But Pierce, last thing, to your point, his base isn't
Starting point is 00:38:18 going to understand this. And that's why I go back to the Epstein issue, because the Epstein issue is a breach of trust with his base. That's going to make him selling what he's doing in Ukraine even more difficult. Yeah, I think that's a really good point. Rob, let me bring you in here. I do think that's a good point. And that's why I think you're slightly, I say this respectfully, but I think you're slightly, you're downplaying, I think, the scale of what is happening here by saying it's only an online thing, because it's not. And I think that Trump's going to face, I think Trump's going to face a real uprising of pretty high-profile people who are going to use these three things, actually. They'll probably use Iran, the strike there. They're probably going to use the Ukraine
Starting point is 00:39:01 support. They're going to use the Epstein files, getting sure. They're going to put it all together and say, this ain't what we voted for. And that's where the problem's going to come. Well, peers, let me respond as a newly minted member of the woke left. I'm kidding. So you conflated a couple of things that I was saying. You conflated a couple of points that I was making. I will die on the hill that nobody cares about Epstein. What the base and what people like myself do care about is they do care about the handling of Iran. And they do very much care about sending more money and more weapons to Ukraine because there are people that are still, like myself, incredulous, that this war is still happening. All right? And so that is something that not only the matter of interest, Rob,
Starting point is 00:39:42 how would you stop Vladimir Putin? What's that? I don't know. I like, I'm not in the administration. What I'm saying is this. If you don't like the current strategy, you've got to have a better. What I will say is this.
Starting point is 00:39:52 You can't just let him do it, can he? And I'm not speaking. What's that now? Well, you can't just let Vladimir Putin maraud around invading sovereign democratic European countries. Or can you? No, you absolutely can. And I'm not, you absolutely can.
Starting point is 00:40:05 And I'm not saying that. And I'm also not saying, not saying to stop funding the war and to stop army Ukraine. I'm not not saying these things at all. What I will say and what I will agree with the majority of the panel about is that this is something that the base cares about. So now the Trump administration, I think that the one thing, and one of the many things that I can really ding them for, but I think that they have a really hard time effectively communicating their messaging on things that are important like the Russia-Ukraine situation, right? I think that they have problems with communications. I think that they
Starting point is 00:40:37 have problems managing influencers and all of that stuff. And so now what I will say to this is that they need to find out a way how to effectively communicate to not only the MAGA base, but to the American people that voted for Donald Trump, that by the way, are not all MAGA base, why they are doing this, why they need to continue to do this, and what is the reasoning behind this? Because I will tell you that, yes, there are a lot of people that obviously do not want Russia to just be given free reign to do what they want to in this war. But there are people that have some very solid concerns and points, and I'm one of them myself, that is saying, we did not elect you to continue writing blank checks to the Ukraine. So, peers, I absolutely
Starting point is 00:41:21 understand where you're coming from on this. Hell, I even understand where Joe is coming from on this. And so I think that it's up to the Trump administration and everybody that is in charge here to figure out more of a way to more of a way to more affect. effectively communicate their messaging about this. I think they depend way too heavily on MAGA influencers and the MAGA base. And I think that they need to tighten up the communication and they have to actually have some of their employed staffed people whose job it is to be communicating these things to the American people. They need to get them out there effectively communicating this because I think that they're losing in the comms game right now because it's all about communications.
Starting point is 00:42:02 and I don't think they're doing a great job. Okay, Liz. Two things. First of all, the American people and the people that voted for President Trump want nothing more than an audit on all of the money, the American taxpayer money or the money that Joe Biden printed and sent to Zelenskyy because you can believe two things at one time. You can believe that Vladimir Putin was wrong
Starting point is 00:42:23 and shouldn't have invaded Ukraine. And you can also understand that when Joe Biden sent blank check after blank check of U.S. dollars to Zelensky, it impacted us. devalued the U.S. dollar, which caused inflation to rise, which made it more difficult for us to buy gas and groceries. That's real world effects day-to-day kitchen table effects that it had on us, even if you think that Vladimir Putin is wrong. So I think my standpoint on this is that we should audit every dollar that we sent, whether it was in military equipment, whether it was in
Starting point is 00:42:52 humanitarian aid, every dollar we sent to Ukraine because I don't want to be paying for the pensions of Ukrainian government bureaucrats when we have issues we need that money for in our country. That's the first thing. The second thing is the answer to your question that you posed to Rob before of, okay, well, what should be done to stop Vladimir Putin? Well, the answer is President Trump has an almost 100% track record in foreign policy. If there is one area that he gets less credit than he deserves, it's foreign policy. That guy is good at foreign policy. And look at a couple months ago, that, that true social post when he said, guys, don't be panikins about the tariffs. He said, he just stayed quiet because when you're in the middle of a
Starting point is 00:43:29 negotiation. You can't show your hand to your base because it also shows your hand to the other side. And he just sat there for about 72 hours while a lot of his baits lost their minds about the tariffs. And ultimately, all the countries that he levied these tariff threats on caved. And we are now in a situation where he is working towards a more or a fairer playing field for economic trade deals with countries all around the world. That is what's happening before our very eyes right now. These tariffs that he is threatening on Vladimir Putin, it's the exact same. playbook. You can just watch what's unfolding. Step back for a minute. Watch what's unfolding. You can see it happen. So I'm not fearful that President Trump is sending more patriot missiles to
Starting point is 00:44:09 Ukraine, even though I don't think that we should be involved. I don't want more of my money sent over there. I know exactly what President Trump is doing. He is negotiating his way and he's being tough about it because like you mentioned, Piers, Vladimir Putin didn't just roll over on day one like Trump and we were all hoping that he would. You have to play a little hardball. And this is the Trump negotiation strategy. My money is on President Trump. I think it'll work. Yeah, listen, he also gave Iran a deadline to do a deal. And the day after that deadline elapsed, Israel attacked. And about 10 days later, Trump attacked with the most powerful bombs in the world.
Starting point is 00:44:44 So this idea that he doesn't go through on things, I think people that live under that massive misapprehension, look at General Soleimani, look at the former head of ISIS. I mean, there are lots of people where Trump, you know, has been boxed into a place where he thinks, actually, I'm going to do something. And I think Putin's got to be very careful. I was advising him, I'd be like,
Starting point is 00:45:06 do not push Trump too far. Because if Trump thinks you're mocking him, which I think he does now in the way that Putin's going about this war, then I think he's going to suddenly wake up and find that actually Trump's no longer his big pal. But we'll see. It's fascinating. Already this Trump administration is one of the most fascinating.
Starting point is 00:45:28 I have ever covered, and we're only six months in. We're all nearly exhausted. There's only three and a half years left, but it is riveting to watch. And it's great to talk to you all. Thank you all very much. Thank you, Pierce. Piers Morgan Unsensit is proudly independent.
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