The Adam Friedland Show (Cumtown) - GOV. WES MOORE Talks Military Service, Iran War, Oprah

Episode Date: April 29, 2026

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It's how we're making banking more human. So I guess like the first thing that brought you to prominence, is that correct? Is that the book you wrote about the other Westmore? Yeah, prominence, wow. Would you write a sequel? The other, other Westmore? Because we find this guy, Westmore, and he posted on January. On January 6th, 2019, he got four likes for this.

He said, I heart boobs. Oh yeah, that's definitely other west. On Facebook. That ain't me. I'm thinking this is the sequel. Hello and welcome to the Adam Friedland show. I'm Adam Friedland. Real quick, there are a couple tickets left to the Region Theater.

May 9th, Netflix is a joke festival. And I didn't tell you guys, I'm going to the brunch at Tensarandos' house. I'm so nervous. Regent Theatre, May 9th. First show sold out. There's a 945 that they added. A couple tickets remain. Also, San Francisco, California, end of the month, Portland, Oregon, more Democrat cities to follow.

Failed states, I call them, failed states. In addition, if you want to support the show, please sign up for Freedland Family Foundation here on YouTube.com. You can click to join and be a member. there's something in the, what is it called? The note. My guess this week is Wes Moore, and I know what you're thinking, West Moore, the drug dealer, the robber, the killer.

And for those of you who think that maybe take a long, hard look in the mirror, because there's a different Westmore, another Westmore, a governor of Maryland, Westmore, and an author of the other Westmore, one name, two fates, West Moore. West Moore is up for re-election currently in Maryland after first taking office in 2023, his first race for anything in his entire life.

But despite that impending race, I was shocked to see his name listed on every major prediction market site as a potential candidate for the next president of these, these United States. But after two hours here in the studio, started to make sense. He was acting well like the president. He was acting well

like the president. He was talking to people, he was talking to me, he was shaking people's hands and he even wore pretty nice clothes. So I've come up with a little plan. I was inspired by what I saw in this prediction markets. And so at the end of the episode, I want you to pay special attention to I think you'll figure it out. But legally, I have to just say, I'm not a financial advisor. Nothing I say constitutes financial advice

or a recommendation to buy slash sell slash bet. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Betting slash gambling carries the risk of total loss. And I'm not going to say anything further. And by the way, I don't even mean anything that I just said because I... So please enjoy.

what I said was Westmore. Ladies and gentlemen, Governor Maryland, Westmore. Give it up for... How are you doing? What's going on? We talked on the phone yesterday, and we were just, it was, we were saying some wild things.

Yeah. It was like the conversations comics have backstage, you know? It was great, though, man. It was like we were in the comedy mothership green room and we had Mogis, we had all the boys. Thanks for coming on. And listen, I've been looking forward to this. I told you, I'm a fan, because it's good.

You're in the fight of your. your life right now for your political career you're up for reelection of the of for governor I am I am I'm excited about we're for work where we're we're feeling good you're feeling good you're running for reelection of governor of Maryland yes and this is one year you've left the state in the middle of the work week and he's come here we really appreciate you coming as a campaign stop yes to a Jewish person YouTube show for your re-elect for governor of Maryland.

You were saying before he's been going to church every day. You're praying on this election. Every day, every week. Okay, good. Yeah. It's no, but it looks tight. Republican is at 28%. And the third party candidate,

how do you feel about don't know at 16%? Well, you know it's crazy. In my first poll when I was running for governor, I'm not voting was polling higher than Westmore, so I'm feeling better now. So you're like a, Comeback kid. You like that? It's a position that I'm very comfortable being in.

Was it your first election ever, even class president? Ever. No, listen. I had never... Had you never run for anything before governor? I've never run for any political office before my life. That's kind of not fair to the other guys that are trying to run for things, right? You just skipped.

Yeah, well, no. Well, you know, it's funny. They didn't argue that. They're like, he, what is he? He didn't wait his turn. No cuts, no butts, no coconuts? No coconuts? They said that to you? How do you feel about the dark horse in the race?

Someone else at 6% right now? We have our eye on them. Someone else. So this is surely you're up, it looks like 25% right now. You're in the fight of your life. You're praying for this. Okay, Governor, I've really enjoyed both our conversation yesterday and learning about you.

But you're from the city, actually. You grew up. Yeah, I spent part of my childhood in the Bronx. In the Bronx. Yeah, spent part of my child in the Bronx. So after I was born down in Maryland, And my dad died when I was young. And so my mom has to go live with my grandparents

who were living up in the Bronx. Your family's Jamaica? Yeah, my family, my grandfather was actually born in the US but actually fled the US when he was young, but was raised in Jamaica. My grandmother was born in Cuba and then went to Jamaica because her father got a job. What made him flee?

He was actually pushed out by the Ku Klux Klan. Really? Yeah, so my great-grandfather was minister. And he was a very vocal minister. And the, uh, and he was loud. Yeah, he was, he was loud. Yeah, he was loud. And, and eventually got the attention of the Ku Klux Klan. What year was this? This was, God, I don't know what year it was in South Carolina. South Carolina. Wow. And, uh, and he was an American guy that moved to Jamaica. Well, he was actually Jamaican who moved to the United States. And he was like, it sucks here.

Yeah, and was like, I'm giving my family out. And they, and they left. It's a nicer to Jamaica. It's like, yeah. People aren't threatening us. How's your Potswa? It's actually not bad. I had a roommate in college that was Jamaican and he'd be like, yeah, so anyway, and then he'd pick up the phone, he'd be like, you know, hear me now, ear me not.

That's right. It was awesome. Yeah, it was cool. You sound like, what's that, um, I didn't want to do the POT. The 1,900 number, uh, Ms. Cleo. What is that? What is that? Yeah, I was doing a Miss Cleo.

No, it was a impression of my college, wait, my friend, my friends said me this clip, this funny he said this is so funny and i just didn't understand what the guy was saying uh-oh can you tell me so you ought to you could like can you to translate let's give it a shot i'll let you know tell me what this this people forget that pottois actually like it's a real language like people think it's such a accent like not well there's like wikipedia with that's it in pottswa it's like yeah yeah there's like okay here we go okay what's that mean it means it's telling him that the that it's a very big island and And there's a lot of things to do in the island.

Chetana? Chetana. I don't know. I don't know. Well, he's straight from that. Father Tom Hanks, President said, and now why tune forward come.

Big up, tune in. What is he telling him? They're coming from the Golden Globes. And then he's telling him that there's a special session coming out. So he's telling people to tune into it. Oh, okay. And his father, Tom Hanks is, uh, what do you say? Is that, so is that who that is?

Yeah, that's, what's name? It's my friend Chet. Yeah, he went viral doing this. Yeah. That's actually not. He says Jamaican people loved it. But, but the. The Bobulans didn't like it.

The Bobulans hated it, but Jamaican people loved it. That's probably about right, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I get that from members of my family when I'm in Jamaica. Like sometimes when I try to kick into like, you know, in Pottois, they just kind of laugh, the island Y. They make fun of you. Yeah. Mainland Y, boy.

That's so fun. Yeah, it's one of the most beautiful places on it. Where's your family live? So my mother was born in Trelawney, which was actually on the west coast of the island. Okay. So, but she spent time in Chilani, she spent part of her childhood in Low River. And actually, there's a place called Westmoreland. And what's really interesting, which is kind of like my name, Westmoreland.

That's so cool. And so my family always kind of cracked jokes because my mother, when she married my father, whose name was West Moore, they'd always be like, you went to the United States and you married to West Marlin. Oh. And so it's so cute. Yeah. It's very cute. It's an amazing island, though. It's amazing country.

So, like, yeah, you were at Riverdale. You were at, like, a lead prep school. But it didn't work on you. Yeah, it didn't work out that well. Yeah. But you know, honestly. One of the cutest things that you said to the rich kids was that you have a vacation house in Brooklyn. That's so adorable.

They're like, we go to St. Bartz. Well, honestly, it's like, I didn't know summer was a verb. Because people like, oh, we summer. We summer. I was like, oh, okay. Yeah. Well, I summer too in Brooklyn. You summer in Brooklyn.

Where's your vacation house? Did you make it up? No. Is that the most exotic place you know? No. No, because my grandfather, my grandfather, who is a minister of a church in Brooklyn. No, in, in Bedside. In Bedside?

That's not, that's a vacation. It's a vacation house. That's why I vacations. Because you were like an elementary school. You're like trying to connect with like the dad, the guy whose dad is the president of fentanyl or something. You're like, I am. What was the biggest constant in your life was basketball throughout your upbringing? Yeah, I love that.

Well, basketball was really the thing that actually, where I could find acceptance. You know what I mean? Like when I moved to the Bronx, I didn't know anybody. I didn't know anything. And so like, but what I knew was there were courts that were like a block away, two blocks away. And so I would just go to the courts. And that's where I met some of my friends. That's where I learned about the neighborhood that I really wasn't familiar with. It was a place that, you know, when I told my mom or told my grandparents, like, I'm going to go play basketball. As long as they're like, as long as you're back by when a son comes down. Like you're good.

Yeah. And so it was a place of freedom for me, particularly when. What was your game? My game was actually pretty decent. I was pretty quick. What profile? What's your comp? What's your NBA comp?

You're a distributor? I wish I was good enough to have NBA comp. No, actually, you know who my game was? I was like a, if Anthony Mason were a point guard, that's who I was. You were a violent, a violent gentleman? I was a violent. Charles, okay. You're saying you're on our test at the in Detroit exactly exactly so did you have to scrap on the courts 100% really 100% I mean you had to you've yammed in your life how many dunks have you done your entire life

you know what I think I did my first dunk when I was a I would kill my I would die tomorrow just for one I think I had my first dunk when I was a baby maybe no I think I was a junior in high school in my first dunk yeah and I think I had my last dunk when I was a a junior in college. Wow. I think at that point, I was like, yeah, this, the knees ain't, ain't popping anymore. So, I don't think we've had a dunk president ever. Just, this is a trivia question.

There's nothing to do with your election for governor. You don't think Barack could have done? Or ever in his life? You're sucking up right now? No, I'm just asking. If you, one-on-one, you could snatch his soul? You think, Barack Obama president? No, no.

Oh, yeah. He's all right. He's not bad. Oh, I'm sure he's a great ball player, but like, I would never acknowledge that anybody could beat me. When I moved to New York, I moved to, Benzai actually yeah and I went to the courts on I think between Bedford and

Nostra and those big courts I had played pickup and I got dumped on by like a 13 year old I'm like I'm only playing against Jewish people for the rest of my life really like and people were laughing at me I was like what was I supposed to do it's a business it was a child yeah but listen when you see someone coming up it really you got to make a choice and Starberry ended your career is that right I loved him he was he was he was like you remember me Steph was like royalty stuff was stuff was royalty remember the ESPN the magazine thing you did with KG that's right no bikinis no thongs all nude as a kid I was like really

is he is he serious or there could be naked ladies also in this magazine I didn't know it was a confused wait so he just he cooked you yeah yeah he was like I'm not going to be in the NBA but and honestly like I was actually pretty good I was pretty good ball player in high school and but but But then when you go and you play against those guys and you go and you play against, you know, the Stefan Marlberries and, you know, Kobe and I were in the same- Bean. Yeah, same graduate class. Like that's nuts. Like they just play at a different level.

You met him? Yeah. Who, Kobe? Yeah. Oh yeah. And I'll tell you why, I've a really great Kobe story. So Kobe's cousin slash friend. I wasn't, he called him my cousin, but I'm not sure if he was really his cousin, was my

teammate in high school. And he was really good. He was like six, seven, six, six, eight. that. Anyways, we're going out and I'm trying to remember if it was right before Kobe declared for the draft or right after, something like that. 96? 96, but I'm trying to remember what time of the year it was. Okay. But he's like, yo, he's like me and Kobe, uh, me and Bean are about to go out

and we're going to go to the movies. You want to come? I'm like, yeah, that's cool. So we go out to the movies. What did you see? So me, oh, I can't tell you what we saw because we didn't see it. Buy the ticket. Because you had so much fun? No, buy the ticket, standing in line and then one person comes up, you know, can I have, you're always, you're to Kobe two people three people finally there's where in New York no in Pennsylvania oh in Philly yeah yeah yeah so now he went to prom with brandy that's exactly right which was a very big deal back then I was like oh shit that's so good a problem of brandy that's nuts how does the kid do that

I know imagine if I went to prom with Carmen a lecturer or something I don't know I don't know why that do you remember who you went to prom with Yeah, this girl, yeah, it was a disaster the whole thing. She was a competitive swimmer. So she just got back from a meet, and in our prom picture, she looked way more jack than me. And my mom also did my hair, and she used it. I had long hair. We don't have to get into it.

The picture is a disaster. I really want to see this picture now. I look terrible. But then we, yeah, we had the afters at my house, it was pretty cool. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, yeah. So you actually did the afters for your prom. I didn't get any just in case we were, is that what you're asking?

Because you chose to do it in your house. Who did you take the problem? Who did you take to prom? The military? Who did you take the military prom? It was a military prom. It was what we called the ring dance. The ring dance.

Because when it happens is, it's just like, you have your ring. This is still much, still my ring. Are there a girl? Is it co-educational? No, it wasn't co-educational when I was there. But you take, you took a girl from like the neighborhood. Was the girl? Girls school across the lake and then you do pranks on them.

That's how I imagine being out of all guy school. No, there was no girl school. There was no girl school, even though there was a military college there. And like right by there it was like Cabrini, Villanova was close. We would always go to Philly and so you got a chance to get out. For context, your mother sent you to military school. When I was like 13 years old, 13, 14 years old. 13, you were like, you ran away from, you tried to be a regular Jain Fawley.

You ran away from a child soldier school. You're from child soldier school. Because it sucks. I mean, like, you go there and it's horrible. Like they wake you up in the morning, they're screaming at you, they like, everything about your life is taken away. It was horrible. Yeah. And I'm like, wait, y'all pay for this?

We're doing to do this to us. But you ended up liking it. I ended up loving it. Yeah. Because I ended up needing it. Really? And I didn't realize how much I needed it. Yeah.

You know, because, listen, I mean, you know, I mean, you're not. Listen, I mean, things were hard and I wasn't, you know, I always said I feel bad for the kind of kiddos because my mom deserved a better son. What were you? How bad were you? You were being very bad? I was, listen, I mean, I had handcuffed my wrist buzz when I was 11. But did you deserve it or not? I could try to tell you that I didn't, but I probably did, right? Because, I mean, now that is. Oh, you could say. Yeah, no, I could say it.

Statute of limitations. Yeah. What did you do? Well, in that instance, what happened was, it was spray painting. I was tagging. Oh, that's street art. Thank you. I saw a bunch of, that was my argument.

I saw a bunch of rich Brooklyn Park Slope Kids at graffiti summer camp, like a couple years ago. People get paid for it now. They're like, now you've got to throw up your tag. Exactly. And did you tell the cop is one of the five pillars of hip-hop and you're not doing anything wrong? That's not that bad. You did a graffiti? Could you imagine if I said that?

You shouldn't feel like you're a bad son. I noticed that this is the father. Don't feel that your mom didn't think you were that. bad well I mean I was I was I was I was bad enough that that that she ended up sent me away well yeah I guess I said and that's all and it benefited you the president he also went to boy soldier school he did he went to I think New York Military Academy why did it you think it worked on you but it did it why did it it work on Donald Trump yeah I don't I don't I don't I don't speak for them well

what do you think was you just speculate oh because if it was a good for like structure in your life is yeah yeah like well you know what too is like like for me though right out of military school I actually joined the army yeah um I think he went to Wharton right yeah he was a college boy yeah yeah yeah so you think he's a uh he's you think you're more bad out it's more badass no I think I think I just we just have we have different experiences yeah and we have uh I wonder what it was like yelling at Trump in high school like the the whether he can we find the drill sergeant Trump's drill sergeant how amazing was he talking shit back Like, fuck you.

Yeah, yeah. See, that's the thing of my military. That'd be insane, actually. That would be amazing. Yeah, yeah. Oh, my gosh. It's bizarre to think about it. Wait, so, yeah, I guess, like...

I think you would have done well in military school. Me? Yeah. Oh, my God, it would have been awful. I think you would have done well. No, the problem is that we can get to this later, but Jews aren't supposed to go to the Army. We're not supposed to go to the war.

That's why everything's bad right now. We're supposed to hide from the war. That's what we did for 1,800 years, hiding from the war. We wrote books about hiding for the war. I thought it was interesting. You wrote about how you, like, educationally, it kind of like also say it you straight, too. Like, you started reading and stuff like that.

It was, because I was like, I was, it was really weird because it's like I was not a very good reader. I was reading below grade level, and I just didn't enjoy it. And I give it to my mom. She was the one who really helped to crack that nut because she actually started having me reading stuff that I actually enjoyed. And once I started reading stuff I actually enjoyed, I actually then just got into it. What did she give you? First book she gave me was a book called Fav Five.

About Jalen Rosen, there you go. Oh, cool. There you go, by Mitch Album. Sports, yeah. By Mitch Album. Yeah, yeah. And I went through that book. And when I first read that book, she was like, let me just get this a shot.

So she gets me to book, read it. Yeah. And like, two days later, she's like, did you start the book? I was like, I finished it. And she's like, you finished it. Yeah, it's a short book, though. You're facing on that. It's like 80-page books.

She was shot. But she was shocked. You know, it was good. And then I was like, and then I started like, and then I started like defending. I was like, yeah, and Chris Weber and Jalen Rose and Jimmy King and Jinnard and Chris Jackson. It's nice of you to say Jimmy King. I did. Yeah.

He was like, wow, you didn't acknowledge me. You know what the sixth man is? On that year? Rob Polinka. Rob Polinka. Rob Polica. Yeah. That's right.

Yeah. I felt bad for him because wasn't anything like a senior? Rob Polinka. When they start when they first came because he was supposed to be a starter and all I know is that they took a spot Jalen never existed before he was the first Jalen did you know that Jalen Rose He's the first Jalen ever and now it is the most popular name the NBA and NFL I said out of here yeah I did not realize that he has one of those Instagram reels everyone's been getting oh did you know that Jalen Rose is the first yeah I think it's mom combined two names it sounds nice as a name it does and I had no idea And you're right, because I now know Jaylins.

Yeah. Who... There's so many Jaylins. Yeah. Everyone's named Jaylin, though. That's interesting. He was a great ball player. We're getting off track.

But, like, so, like, how did you, like, learn to love educated? I mean, you became a Rhodes Scholar and stuff like that. I think there's a few things, right? I think, you know, first I started realizing that that was my escape. Yeah. You know, it's like all the stuff I'm dealing with in life. Uh-huh. All the anger, all the kind of stuff.

It's like, you can. education really became this place not just when people say it's your pathway or whatever like that like that's true but what it is it's an escape it allows you to go into different worlds it allows you to go into different places and imagine in new ways and I think that's what reading and education really became me and I started realizing that the world was just bigger than what was just directly in front of me and that gave me a whole new scope on what I wanted to and what I wanted to be.

And so that's when many ways I was like, that really helped to save me. What, I read that you said you, you found yourself, there was a moment where you, you read the autobiography of Malcolm X, and then you read Colin Powell's autobiography? Yeah. And you found yourself, oddly connecting more with Colin Powell. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I say that because-

Was that after the Iraq War? You can't be saying that, dude. Malcolm didn't go to the UN. Actually, you know what's funny? It was before. It was before the Iraq War. Oh, so you just got in at the wrong time. Let's give you a break.

The right moment. Malcolm X never went to the U.N. and a million people died because of a lie, he told. I'm not saying it was Cole Bell's idea. They made him. They made the one black guy doing it. That is true. That is true. That is true.

Who are we going to throw to the wolves right on? Jesus Christ. So you found a way out, but then you went to the military. When did 9-11 happen? Like in the- 9-11 happened. And I joined the Army in 96. I got commissioned 90 and then 9-11 happened three years after.

And what was crazy was that 9-11 happened. Oh, you got it in the wrong time again. Well, well. This is going to be a breeze. Well, it's true. They're going to pay for my dental surgery. Exactly. I'm like, they're going to pay for college and all kinds of stuff.

But when 9-11 happened and when I deployed, I was very honest with the people who I served with. I was like, listen, when I joined the Army, none of this was going on. I thought I was going to be doing pranks on the base with the bullies. Because there was nothing going on, right? And even if you look at things like Bosnia and what I can think, that wasn't, that wasn't for the army. That wasn't for the ground. That was an air war, for the most part, right? That's because Monica Lewinsky.

That's what they said. Isn't that what they say? It was Kosovo. Kosovo, right. But it's like. Look over. Yeah, right. No, but it's like, and then, but now I'm in Afghanistan,

and serving with all these people and like almost like to a person when you ask them, you know, why did you join the Army? They're based saying like 9-11, 9-11. Do they say that? Oh, yeah. Still? No, I think, well, this was back when I thought. Back in those days.

Yeah. Because. Pat Tillman. Yeah, that's true. Exactly. Yeah. And in some ways, that was actually my story, right? Because my story, as you see, is like, it has been a fascinating journey.

But the thing that has always brought me back to, my North Star has always been. service, right? That I was always willing to give up or sacrifice if it meant I had the opportunity to serve. And when I first went back with, you know, went back with my unit, back with the 82nd in Afghanistan, I was actually working in finance. I was working for Deutsche Bank. I was doing debt capital markets. I was making a lot of money living in London, having a ball. And I got a call from a person who ended up becoming my deputy brigade commander. Your unit got called up. Yeah, well, yeah. So he was, he was with the 80th airborne and he asked me he said when are you going to get in the fight right and I

was like shit like it's indicting like I'd go on through all this training I joined the army when I was 17 years old and we're now a nation at war and I'm sitting in London freaking banking yeah and I was like he's right when am I gonna get a fight and so I ended up leaving the my job the world of finance I told I told my fiancee that I got called up she didn't realize that the draft wasn't a thing anymore but I left You're a liar. You lied to your partner.

I imagine what she would have said if I told her I want to leave because I want to go to Afghanistan. If I told my mother that, she would have killed me. She would have killed you, right? So do you think, like, what is the experience of knowing what a war is? Like, how does that enforce? Like, we're at war right now, right? Yeah. Going back to Trump.

And most of this country doesn't even realize it. But, like, a lot of the people that kind of make these decisions a lot of the time are people that don't know what a war is. Correct. Right. Sounds like a stupid question, but what is a war? I can tell me, it sounds terrible. Yes. It sounds like one of the worst things, kind of, it sounds like awful.

It is. Yeah. It's horrible. And that's why it's like, listen, I mean, I think about, I think about, you know, I was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. That's the unit that has just gotten called up. Paratroopers? Yeah. Banned the brothers.

That's exactly right. One of the most story units in the history of the United States military, right? So you need to learn how to skydive. For your thing? I guess. So people always say it's like, so I jumped out of perfectly good airplanes. Wow. Okay, so keep going.

I cut you off. No, but it's, it's when we go, the thing I know about the 82nd or the 101st or, you know, any of these military units is we're the best in the world. Yeah. There's nothing we can't do. But that doesn't mean we should do it. Right. Right. Like we can do anything.

But it doesn't mean we can do everything. On a simpler level, like, you found yourself in combat? What is that experience? I mean, it's... Do I seem like a wimp right now? I mean, like... Because I feel like when John Kerry was in Vietnam. You know, like, people used to go back and then just tell Congress, like, it's terrible, right?

And we should, you know. And now I feel like I see politicians be like, oh, like, this is part of my resume. It's just like, I think that, I don't know, public figures like kind of telling us what the ramifications of the decisions being made, I think is pretty like a public service. It is. It is. That's what I'm kind of trying to do. Because we shouldn't take it lightly. Yeah.

It's like. Like, why are we, in your opinion, why are we always at war just in one place in the world? Yeah, I don't know. And honestly, especially because we're not explaining anybody what we're doing. Yeah. And that's why, and that's why, it means one of the reasons that I have been so vocal and I'm so bothered by this war that is going on is we once again are asking a very small percentage of the population and we are giving orders.

Poor people. Correct, right? And we're giving orders without giving a mission. We're giving orders without giving a destination. We're just telling you, go do X, go do Y. But we're not explaining what does victory look like and why are we asking the American people to be okay with your gas going up, your groceries going up, all this kind of stuff. And you haven't explained what we're doing or why we're doing it.

I'm just undereducated. But what was the specified mission in Afghanistan? What do they tell you when you were there deployed? Well, we knew that we had to address the Taliban, right? Yeah. That the Taliban was the government that was in place that allowed for Osama bin Laden and for al-Qaeda to be able to deploy attacks. So you had to be able to address the Taliban.

But what gets me is this. And do you know who's in charge of Afghanistan right now? The Taliban. The Taliban. It looks like they're having fun. Does that piss you off? It absolutely pisses it. Does it feel like you saw people die and then the Taliban are like on duck

boats? You saw that picture? Yeah. And by the- They're like having a vacation? Yes. And sitting there using equipment that we used. Do you think that that war, does it feel like as someone that participated in the longest war in American history?

Is that correct? Yes, it was. Does it turn into the longest war in American history? As someone that was there, seeing the Taliban back the next day, does it feel like, like what was the like point we got bin lad when 20 12 20 something like that and then we left in what president obama's second turn 23 24 when did when we yeah so i just i suppose like um and also pakistan had him right no well no he was right what torre bora then he snuck away right if you write torre bore you would have got his ass you think you would have got him

I would have been there if I was you just looking for bin Laden not listening to my commander like I'll be damn about none of this I'm gonna wrap this up we've been lied in that where is we're been lied net I mean no but but but on for real like emotionally as someone that's a human being that was there and then seeing that it was the longest American war ever and seeing the result like does that do you feel pissed off or like you feel like I shouldn't I saw people die and that's fucking that we um listen we lost over 20. 24, American service people. Yeah. Friends who didn't make it home. Many friends who made it home and will never be the same. Yeah. We spent trillions of dollars. And I don't know if anyone could argue that we even still to this day

had a very clear definitional understanding of what it is that we're accomplishing. And this is what makes me so nervous. about what's going on in Iran. Like, we were promised no more of these forever wars. No more foreign wars. And what are we doing? We've been at war in the Middle East pretty much since, I guess, most of my life, no?

Yes. That is right. Maybe. Just about. Yeah. So why is that happen? There is this absolute obsession that we seem to have with deploying people overseas reform war and I'm and listen I am I am someone who believes that there are times military forces necessary and required I understand that and there are some there are certain

situations where military force is the best option to be able to address the issue but military force should always be the last option and that's the thing I think for a lot of these folks they do not understand and they do not get and military force should always be the last option and you need to understand what What are we trying to accomplish and once you've accomplished it, move on. Yeah. And I'll say, I give actually a lot of credit to the first George Bush because when you had the Iraq war, the first Iraq war, he was very clear about the objectives that he wanted

to accomplish, right? By Kuwait, right? Very clear about the objectives, very clear about building the international coalition around it, very clear that he felt that that was the last option because Iraq had violated international law. So he knew there wasn't a negotiation that was going to get, sit on the move. So he went in, had the first Iraq war, lasted days, not months, not years. And when he accomplished his objective, even when he had advisors who told him, you can go further.

He said, no. We've accomplished what I said we were going to accomplish, and it's time to move on. Like that is actually having a clear conversation with the American people, which is not what we're doing right now with Iran where the goalpost keeps moving. We keep on saying this is a victory, that's a victory, getting rid of the Iranian Navy and the Air Force as if that was like the eminent threat, the Iranian Navy or the Iranian Air Force. It's like, what are we doing? It's oil, right? Correct. And not to mention that.

That's why when he invaded Kuwait, we did. I mean, he was from the oil industry. And the CIA. But he was clear about what is the objective? And once we've accomplished it, we're moving on. This is not going to turn into mission creep. Yeah. I suppose it's that.

But to me, what do I know? But to me, it just seems like there are a lot of companies that are American companies. Of course. That need us to be out of war so that they can make money. War, unfortunately, is big business. You know, like, and we can get to it later in the interview, you, but like, when people say that we appropriated $25 billion to Israel, I think it's what's missed in the equation is that we paid American companies $25 billion and sent over weapons

of war, right? So I just, yeah, I suppose like, what do you do about like if there's this massive industry that requires people to be getting killed by stuff? Yeah. It's what do you do about that? Like, well, it's like Eisenhower war, you know, it's been a problem for a while. A military industrial complex. Yeah. And the fact that you have, and there's also, there is a reason why you're supposed to have a commander-in-chief who serves as a civilian and not as a member of the, of the, of, of the, military because there does need to be that form of separation. We, and, and it goes back to the military being a tool, but the military should not be your end destination. Like, when I think about what is the point, right? It's the reason that you have soft power. It's the reason that you utilize

diplomacy, it's the reason you utilize foreign aid, it's the reason that you can, that you utilize cultural influence. All these are tools and another tool is the military. The problem is we keep on pretending like the military is the only tool that we have or the only one that is worth using. Well, it's also just a stimulus package for the economy. And that's for certain portions of the economy. Because what's happening right now is we're all going to pay more. We're paying more on everything so we can keep on feeding the warm issue. So when the president's coming back and asking for, he's like, I need another, you know, X billion for this war or X billion to be able, it's like, but wait a second, you're going to do that and cut our health care? Yeah.

Like that money's not going to come from nowhere. Something is going to get cut. And what's getting cut are the basic services that we rely on and the things we actually want so we can fight wars that we don't. I just realized I'm dead. Oh, it's all, it wasn't coming out. It was terrible. You should have warned me. On that shoulder, not on that one.

I don't know, but at least I'm not bald. I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. Because it's true. No, we were just, I mean. Can I tell you know, I've been shaving my head since I was a teenager? Because of Michael? Because of the military.

No. Jordan. Well, that's true. And I'm going to lie. Like, honestly, that was another thing about the FAB five. The FAB five, one of the things we loved about them wasn't just the back. They're good. They're all shaved their heads, the baggy shorts, the black socks, the trash talking.

And as a bald guy, that felt a lot. Those are my guys. But if you grew it out, it would be crazy looking at it. What is LeBron doing, by the way? Just let if he did a Clyde Drexler, a little like the C. like Fro thing. Yeah. And he was just cooking guys.

It would look so awesome. Do you get to go to a U.S.O show? I have not been to a U.S. show in a long time. When you were at the war, do they send out, do you have a lady with a fan pushing her skirt down and stuff? They didn't have that. Happy birthday. president. Do you get Bob Hope?

Do you get Bob Hope? We did not get Bob Hope. Do you get Jeff Ross, the Roastmaster General? We did not get Jeff Ross. You had to think about it. It sounds like he was one of those guys. No, he did a lot of horns. You probably got a good lineup.

We got, I'm trying to remember who we got. But you know, it's funny, though. One thing I tell people when they're like, well, you know, when this person visits to that person visits, we never really liked VIP visits. What do you mean? You did it like what? So, like, when the Secretary of Defense,

or the president, whoever like that came, to the to the base it was never an enjoyable thing for the troops because first of all you had to suck up you had to suck all the real work stopped yeah because you had to make sure that everything looked nice and all the kind of stuff for wolfowitz yeah paul wulfwitz that's a black did you got to meet you got to meet rumsfeld i did that guy used to get so irritable it was funny yeah we know it's like stop asking me questions ah romew's funny i never met him until i didn't meet him until i didn't him when I was deployed. Until I worked for the Bush administration.

Until I worked for the Bush administration. Until I worked as a White House fellow. What is that program? It's a prestigious program for what I said. So basically what you do is you work as a senior level advisor to a cabinet secretary or agency head in administration. But it's not political because they're not saying, okay, you're picking Republicans or Democrats.

Like I work for the Bush administration and I work for Secretary Rice when I was there. And so it was amazing because like I worked, I saw a year in Afghanistan. seeing how policy was implemented. What's Rice like? What's she all about? I really like her. She's nice. She's very nice. She was like she really became a very real mentor for me. She's a she's a, and the thing I was said about her text rice? Uh, yeah, we're still in touch you. You text Rice? What's she up to? Where's she at? Where's she at? She's in California. Do you think those guys feel bad? About what's going on right now? No, about what I mean that-

About what happened when they were there. I think I mean over a million people died. Yeah. Yeah. No. I mean, that's kind of first ballot Hall of Fame hell, if you ask me. I mean it. No, it's, listen, I think that there's a, when you look at the history of this country, and I do think it's important people to realize, like, loving this country doesn't mean lying about its history. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, this country has gotten a lot wrong before. Yeah.

And I think it actually is important for us to be honest about that, because if not, then we're just going to keep on doing this. Like, you've got to actually learn less. And I feel like right now one of the issues I have with what's happening with Iran is there seem to be no lessons learned about how about how our military is used about what is required from the people when we are a nation at war and we just keep on doing this over and over and over again and no lessons are being learned We're probably just buying a lot of like bombs and shit Yeah, people people are benefiting from this yeah people are benefiting from when we're at war people are benefiting when we're at war People are benefiting when we continue to allow this to happen and allow this to exist and it's It's not fair to the people who were involved in warfare.

It's not making us stronger as a country or in the international community. And it's not fair to these families. You worked with USAID when you were in the Bush administration, right? That was one of the first Doge cuts, if I remember. It was. It absolutely was. And it was something that had a huge impact on Maryland because a lot of those people, USAID, they're Marylanders. Oh, yeah.

They're federal workers. They're federal workers. They're federal workers. We've had over 35 or over 31,000 federal workers fired in Maryland just this year alone more than any of the state in the country. What have you done? Like, is there something you guys have helped them out? We have.

So we've actually been very aggressive in terms of placing them into available and necessary state jobs, working with the private sector. We did something called our feds to eds for our federal workers, which is actually saying we have a teacher shortage in our state, every state does. But basically, if you're a federal worker and you're interested in qualified, we're like, get them trained, get them certified, get them in classrooms. And we've actually been able to cut our teacher shortage in half in the state of Maryland. And some of those people have been federal workers who've then chosen to go into the classroom.

And so we've been really aggressive to make sure we're taking care of our people. Looking at your career, and we mentioned this earlier, but like, you know, bridging you being deployed, and then you also working in finance and then also working in a fellowship for the White House. Also getting a Rhodes. How'd that feel? Roads. Yeah, road scholarship. I mean, he's the architect of apartheid.

right so yeah well you know my family's from cape town we had to we left during apartheid know it was fucked up your family your family left at a horrible time uh yeah my dad got well my got called up to go to angola to the civil war which was like a yeah my mom was you know he was like on a list of somewhere but like it is i when i read that you were a road scholar was like is that cecil rose i literally it is sussle roads yeah and people people forget he was uh with the wealthiest man in the world at the time he started debiers he was he was started the beers. And in fact, the last, the last question I got, um, and he disenfranchised black people. I mean like literally where, where in fact, this guy

named Steve Fifer, um, asked me a question in my roads, my last words committee. And he said, you know, you have been to South Africa, because I, I lived in South Africa for six months. Where? In Cape Town. Where in Langa? Lunga. Oh, yeah. Oh, the township. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, he was like, you're African American, you know the history. And he said, How do you feel comfortable accepting a Rhodes Scholarship? It's kind of safe. It's kind of a chill. And it is.

But it's a fair question. I went on a day with a German girl once and I was like, this kind of thing. This kind of thing. What about that? Well, you know, and I told me. How do you like that? Well, you know, I told him, I said, I said,

I'm very familiar with the history of the roads. It's gotta feel weird. But I said, you know, one of the things that helps me be okay with where I'm out right now is that like, first of all, I know he is spinning in his grade because when he created the Rhodes Scholarship, he never intended me.

to get it. And I said, and also I'm thinking about all the people who had to sacrifice in order for me to be a finalist for this scholarship. And what would I be saying to them if I were to turn my back on this opportunity? So they changed the name of the Colin Powell Scholarship, in your opinion? You think that's... Well, listen, as a private scholarship, you can call it what you want, but it is important that people know it's history. Like, people need to know who he was if they are going to go and apply to receive that money. So what is so I guess like the first thing that brought you to prominence is that correct is the book you wrote about the other Westmore Yeah prominence. Wow. Yeah. Is that a big word you're from the road scholarship?

Why are you gassing me? I've read a book since Harry Potter eight bro I listen to them. No, I mean like you saw there's a there's someone that's from your neighborhood Your age is that correct? Yeah, as well he's he is he's a little bit older than me and when I was in fact when I just received the road scholarship. My mother, in fact, I was in South Africa at the time, and she said, I have something to tell you. She goes, there are wanted posters in your neighborhood. So you thought that they were going to take you out of college.

You thought they were going to throw you in the slammer. Well, she was like, and they're looking for West Moore. I was like, really? She was like, yeah. I was like, well, I'm in South Africa. And what have you done this time? Is that they're graffiti? God damn you!

What have you done? What did you break dance? What is this this bastard son of mine? She's like, I'm done with you now. The worst boy ever. A hero is the war. Okay, yeah. That was how I first learned.

So who is the other Westmore? He's a gentleman, but it was a young man who was, he was born. I was not born of Baltimore. He was born and raised in Baltimore. And around the same time that I received the Rhodes Scholarship, he was involved in a robbery of a jewelry store. And it was four guys who robbed a jewelry store. And in the process of robbing the jewelry store,

an off-duty police officer was killed. And this off-duty police officer, I mean, he was a legit hero. Like he was a 13-year vet of the Baltimore Police Force. He was a three-time recipient of a police officer the year. He was good police. He was good police. That's what I say. Yeah, good police.

And he was a father of five. Really? Just had triplets. So, but he was at, he took his second job because he needed to take a second job because he had now five kids. And he was working security at a jewelry store. And when they robbed the jewelry store, he was, he was shot and killed. So you were arrested.

It was a big mix up. No, I mean, so you got to know the other Westmore. Yeah, I got to know him. So I wrote, I wrote him a note. And then, and then a month. later I got a note back and what do you say well you know it's fine I asked him I would he would did he was he like you're a nerd I'm cool like you treat you like a nerd no he I think I think he must have treat you like a nerd maybe a little bit

maybe look at good at school guy coming yeah write a book about how how good he is at school well but initially it was really just us like we were just like talking and getting know each other and but the thing that I was amazed me about Wes is whenever we would communicate and we talk and he would ask questions like so tell me about your wedding or or tell me about your where so I'll tell me you know me and my wife on dinner where'd y'all eat and I realize that sometimes I'm linked myself like that's kind of an odd question but I was like oh it's like but for him it's actually not an odd question right for him it's actually like it's opening up a world yeah that he

never experienced and so I um and I think you know those letters turn into visits and you know I've I've now known them for how's he doing now he's still incarcerated yeah he's still he ended up getting life without parole yeah that's a long it's terrible I mean it's it's you know and it's insane I mean it's hard because I think about it where it's like you know listen I mean for you're like I I got straight days again and then this what this other guy He couldn't leave his room. Well, no, you know, it is.

It's like, I just think about how thin that line is, right? Would you write a sequel, the other, other Westmore? Because we find this guy, Westmore, and he posted, I think you could write a book about this guy. It's pretty interesting. The NC, the North Carolina basketball coach is named Westmore. You're going to write about him? No. He's a supposedly he's a very good coach, too.

Well, this guy, Westmore. On January 6th, 2019, he got four likes for this. He said, I heart boobs. Oh yeah, that's definitely the other way. It's on Facebook. That ain't me. I think this is the sequel. We can investigate this boobes guy.

Yeah. No, I mean, it became like a hit, the book. Yeah. Yeah. My mother-in-law, just so you know, I was talking around the phone this morning, you scored me major points. Really? Because she's taught that book in New York City public schools. Stop playing.

No. We don't, it's amazing to me, how many schools use that. is mandatory reading. Like, how many kids will come to? I read your book. I was like, did you have to? Like, yeah. I was like, I'm sorry. But how many schools have actually made it like part of curriculum? Really? Like the great Gatsby or something? Well, you know, it's funny. When I ran for governor, I would do events and like 90% of people there would be high school students. And I'm like, does they only have any questions? I'm like, like policy questions. They're like in chapter four, like it was a reading assignment.

So he became governor so he can sell his goddamn book to these little kids. Oh my God. You're just like the military industrial complex. You're doing it for books. Oh my God. You're Eric Adams. You're Eric Adams. Oh, I know. Wait better. Oprah?

It was Oprah Book Club? Yeah, Oprah. Oprah actually introduced it. She introduced the book to the world. That's your friend. I love Oprah. Yes. Yeah, she's great.

How many points is she getting off this book? This weed just opened up a huge one. You should start a book club. What's Oprah? A book club? Yes. Yeah, what am I going to make them read the game? Cut that, please.

Cut that, please. Wait. I'm going to make fun of you for this. Okay. You said that on January 6th, you called Oprah to say you're going to run for a governor of Maryland. That actually wasn't... What the hell is that? We did talk on January 6th.

That is true. You called Oprah to be like... No. We were talking. She picked up? Yes. That's a famous woman. How many rings?

She's very famous. She picked up and she's like, Westmore. Are you seeing this? And you're like, this is so funny. I'm literally talking. I'm talking with Oprah. And the TV is right there. Like, I'm speaking Oprah.

Yeah. And like, and the TV's on right there. I'm like, and we're talking on the phone. And I'm like, are you watching this? Did you call before Oprah or was she the first call? You could just call Oprah? Well, I didn't call her about January 6th. You said, I'm being wrong for government.

January 6 happened to be happening while I'm on the phone with her oh you had a you had yeah I didn't expect it oh it was on the calendar yeah it wasn't like I was like I wasn't January 6th and we're talking and like he's he's he snaked out of that one thank God you did that because if your brag was like and then I had to talk to Oprah no your brag was like he was just this capital Oprah I can you believe oh no no no so you had a call that day That's so crazy. And we were just talking, and then like, but this was on the television. And what did Oprah say?

She's like, this is insane. We did it. It was all my idea. The plan has worked. No, so what did she? Where were you on January 6th, by the way? I was, I was far away. No, I'm not accusing you being in the capital.

I was not there. But like, but what was your reaction when you were watching it? I don't want to say to you, because you're a real guy. I was saying this is what they think they're going to beat the government. Is that what you thought? Yeah, like, what are these guys? They're going to go there and win? It's just like for Trump?

I was like, what these guys are? I felt bad for the guys, kind of. Because I'm like, what, they thought? Did they actually think they were going to win? They're going up in there to win? I think they did. How are they going to win? They have a caveman and a guy.

that farted on Pelosi's chair, they just started doing pranks in there, too. But I think they thought they're going to win. It's one of the most insane things ever. It was like an out-of-body experience. It was. But they were being encouraged by the presidents. But it's the government. They're going to have bad guns and stuff.

They're not going to like, right? But the command. I felt bad for them that they were so, that they liked Trump so much that they were like, just going to go in there and do jackass in the capital building. The guy who farted on Pelosi's chair or whatever? There was a video of people smoking weed. They were like, we're doing it, man. If I saw that when I was 13, I would have been like,

this is what Sublime is talking about, dude. This is exactly, those guys are the founding fault. No, I mean, it was very strange and odd, and I felt bad for them that they were like, you know, a lot of those guys were like reading online that there was like baby slaves in the basement and stuff. And, you know. I think since we were all in lockdown,

I think people have gone a little bit crazy. And we don't talk about it enough. I agree with you. And I think that there's been a psychic toll that it's taken on people. And I think that there was always the phone, but like there was only the phone. And now people just went on the phone.

And now nothing is real, no one believes anything is real. That's right. It's pretty scary. We're about to have an election, and I'm certainly going to think this about your election against someone else and I don't know. But no one's going to believe any elections. Is that what's going to happen? Yeah.

How do you make people believe that like it's normal? If you allow, if you allow people just go down these rabbit holes and just continue to get manipulated, that they're looking at information that is not actually educating them. But it's speech, right? How do you curtail free speech then? I think you have to provide a better option. Like a better Twitter? No.

I think what you've got to be able to do is, so for example, in Maryland, In my example, in Maryland, we made Maryland the first state in the country that has a service year option for all of our high school grads. Part of that is because I believe that service will save us. Right? Part of it is because I believe that this is good workforce training. But part of it is I want people to be able to find ways

of getting to know each other again and working together on things because if you- They don't hang out anymore. They don't even hang out anymore. And it's part of the reason we're doing so much of this work. of this work that we're doing around young men and boys in Maryland is because I need them to get off of these devices and get to know each other again. Because this is very, very dangerous when you have these people who are just sitting there for literally most of the day staring at a screen.

I just feel like we know we went from this idea of we went from COVID to then, you know, to then kind of doing a partial societal opening, but without understanding, A, being able to really process what we just went through and then also thinking about but what is the right things that we should be asking from our society and now we're asking people to now participate in it and I just think that we continue dealing with these you know dealing with the casualties of that. Waking up after a totally normal night of drinking alcohol can sometimes still feel bad and so the next day you want to drink responsibly but you still feel bad. The other night it was a

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Would you annex it like Greenland or should we give it to Philly? I mean, I've been saying, I've been saying, no, we'll take it. You'll take it? You'll have to the mayor of D.C. all the time. I was like, listen. Who is it now? Bowser? Bowser. Yeah. And I was like, I know y'all want to be a state. And like, I'm all for D.C. statehood. But if they don't want to become a state, they should just become part of Maryland, just become, you know, a very large city.

You're trying to annex and you're trying to do a capital. You're trying to, you're trying to steal the capital. Listen, I think, I think it'd be a great thing. You are no different than that caveman on January 6th. I'm going to call Oprah and tell her. Okay, I guess I had Gavin Newsom on the show. And I guess it's a fair, it's a, I'll ask a similar question. But like, if someone, if you're meeting someone and you want to articulate to them what your political project is, like, what is the thing that you're working?

that you're spending your life devoted to accomplishing. How would you define that? End child poverty. That's for me. It's easy. Child poverty. That's the reason why I ran for governor. It's the thing, if I could end child poverty right now,

I could literally close my eyes and never open them again and feel like this was a life worth living. And that is a thing I just do not understand how any society can allow child poverty to exist, especially the level that we allow in this country. So, like, you're a leader of people. you're an elected official like um like if someone says why should i bet on you like what would you what would you say um i say because i do what i say yeah you know i mean like it's like if i tell you this is what we're going to do we're going to do it um and so that's the thing i always tell the people

of my state is like i i don't as you can probably i'm not like a traditional politician i i have not run for office to office to office to office. This is not, this is the first office ever held in my life. And, you know, when I'm, don't, like, I'm, and I'll be very, very comfortable and good when my time is done. That's why I moved with this energy.

How did you, like, learn the stuff for it? If it was the first, you know. Well, first. You just don't lie. Do you know what an omnibusman is? Ambusman. You knew that? I did.

No, you know what you did? No, you did. What you did? You know what omnibusband is? Yeah. I can't even say it. Amnbizman. Yeah.

But you know what it is? What is? You're not telling me. He's lying. He doesn't. I like it if you don't know. No one should know what that is. What ambusman is?

When you got to the same house, you're the new governor and you're like, I've, I, there had to have been like things where you're like. Oh, Adam, it was every day. Yeah. You're like, what the hell is this? Where's this room go? Oh, no. It was every day that I was going in.

And honestly, there's still things to this day. That you're learning on. Then I'm like, what is that? Yeah, yeah, sure. Or relationships are like, oh, yeah, when, you know, when Mac, so-and-so said, I'm like, who the hell is that? Yeah. That happens every day as governor.

How? And I'm, but I'm, but I'm, I'm good with that. One of the things I think is most impressive in your career, especially in politics, is that, you know, you're running against a member of the Obama cabinet. Is that correct? That's right. Tom Perez. Yep.

Two of them. Two of them. Two. And China King. You had two on you. Two Obama cabinet. So you came in and you, in state politics, you established a ground game. And how did you win that election, I suppose?

Like, that's, what do you attribute that victory to? Like, as some of that outside. Yeah. Yeah. I think one was, um. Oprah? We were just, no. Probably.

I think one was, we just outworked them. All the girls listen to her. All the girls do listen to her. Yeah. But I think the other thing is, too, is that, like, I wasn't trying to be like one of them. Yeah. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I don't, I remember there was a Fourth of July barbecue where they invited all the candidates or whatever like that.

And it was like 95 degrees. And all the candidates showed up in their blazers and their whatever like that. And I showed up in, in shorts and a polo. You dress cool. Well, I dressed because that was hot. And I'm like, I'm not wearing a suit. You know what I mean? And then I remember.

But how do you get people to meet you, I guess? Like, how do they, like, you? I would just go everywhere. And I would go a lot of places where they're running out of Democrats. I would go a lot of places where, you know, even still to this day, where, you know, I remember I did a town hall a little bit ago in a place at a part of the state that I lost by 14 points. But that was my 17th time being back there since I've been governor. I just show up.

And I'm okay with being uncomfortable. I'm okay with hearing things that I did not know because I'm not trying to be a suit. I'm not trying to be one of these career pauls. I'm just, I want to. What do you tell people when you meet them? Honestly, it's not even so much what I'm telling them is actually what I'm hearing. Yeah. Because I want to go and listen.

Yeah. I want to hear what are the things that you care about? What are the things you're working on and how can I help? Yeah. What if they say that they're baby slaves in the basement of the capital? You'd probably say, I don't think that's true. Come on, bro. You're just on the computer too much.

It's amazing some of the things you hear though, when people come up to you and think. I know, it's just crazy. It turns out that Diddy barely did anything. I'm just kidding. No, no, no. We'll cut that. We'll cut that. If you let him tell it.

We'll cut that. What is wrong with me? Okay. I guess, yeah, I asked you earlier why people should bet on you. Yeah. And I think you made a compelling case. And before this interview, I looked up on calshy.com. And they have you at a 2% chance to be the next nominee for president of the United States.

And so that's why I want my listeners to go, not the other one, Calshy.com and we're gonna do a new, we're gonna do bet on West, okay? I already have a little bit on this. We're all gonna go download the app or go to the website, calshy.com. The numbers are looking good for us. And guys, if you want like the studio to look a little bit nicer, Thomas is the little bit wires out, we can afford to do this if everyone hashtag bet on West. But you know, but you know what though?

And I think it goes back to. So he agrees bet on West. Cal sheet or the app. How much you put down on this? Company card. I put the company card. Thomas. You didn't say 10,000 to me.

What are the numbers on that? Bet on West, you're going to bet on yourself too. But you know what I'm going to do real nice. No, we're going to do real nice off this. He agrees, bet on what? But you know what is crazy about it, though? And seriously think about it, whereas, like, how corrupted this whole thing is. Yeah.

Because think about it, right? I'm like if you look at where where and I even looked at it but if you look at where my odds are winning reelection yeah they're probably pretty high right yeah yeah I mean we're feeling pretty good you know you've been going to church every week for this election she said I go to church every week before the election so but they're probably pretty good right yeah and but what is to keep me from turning around and saying you know what I'm going to put a 250 let's just do round round number $250,000 bet, right? Let's just say. That I would lose re-election.

No, that I would lose re-election. Okay. Now you lose. And then I tank. Oh, it's like the producers. Correct. Yeah, yeah. And so if I did that, and so let's say, again, I don't know what the numbers are now. It's springtime for Hitler. I like this. But is that, is that fair?

If I were to put them put a market down on me winning, losing re-election, then I go and intentionally tank re-election, and then I turn and walk away with $4 million? Yeah, but what if you try to tank and they love you more? right and then you do like a bullworth it's like a bullworth kind of thing right or so yeah so he's put it in 250 on this guys bet on west calshy dot com they're not a sponsor of the show honestly guys it won't be now if trump's allowed to take two billion dollars from katar for some shit coin we may as well it the world's over no one can do anything about it calshy dot com better thanks a lot it's crazy Thank you, brother.

Thanks, awesome. I love. Hey, y'all. It's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder, what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfar.

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