The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Piers Morgan On Royal Family 'Racism', Trump's Trajectory, Biden's Disintegration, Israel + More

Episode Date: January 18, 2024

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Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop.

Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different, inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it.

And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was called a moment. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, my undeadly darlings. It's Teresa, your resident ghost host. And do I have a

treat for you. Haunting is crawling out from the shadows, and it's going to be devilishly good. We've got chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the lights stayed on. So join me, won't you? Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Wake that ass up. In the morning.

The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest. In the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlemagne the Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest joining us this morning. We got Piers Morgan. Welcome. Thank you.

How you doing this morning? It's good to be here. I'm a little bit apprehensive because I messaged my sons to tell me the big news I was coming on. And what'd they say? Well, my middle boy's a big fan of the show, and he said, Dad, Dad, you got to be careful. He said, Charlemagne's a bit of a menace. And I went, and then I didn't reply, and he then paused and then replied again,

actually, so are you, so it should be fine. You should have replied. You got to be friends. You should have replied back, do you know who your father is? You know what I wanted to always ask, you know, in reference to that? I heard you say once you were hired to be controversial when you got the gig at ITV.

So my question is, is Piers Morgan actually controversial or is it just performative? Well, I don't wake up in the morning and start screaming at my family about the state of my Marmite on toast. But I am by nature very opinionated. I've encouraged my four kids who range from 12 to 30 to have opinions about everything i think if you don't have opinions you have a lazy mind i always believe the things i say at the time i say them i'm happy to change my view if somebody gives me a compelling argument for why i'm wrong i have have no problem saying, you know what, you have a point. I'm changing my perspective. But yeah, look, am I controversial? I often take issue with that

because I don't actually think my views are that controversial. I actually think that they're controversial if you only judge my opinions by what Twitter now X says. But then 80% of the public are not on Twitter X. 80% of the public aren't on social media at all. And when I walk around the streets, whether it's in New York or LA or it's London or wherever it may be, Sydney, Australia, I get a very different reaction to the one that I get on the social media platforms where people go, yeah, everything you say is outrageous. Well, actually, it's not. I think I have reasonably popular views, which a lot of people subscribe to. I think a bit like you, I don't know your politics,

but I think a bit like you, I don't identify as left or right. I think I like to go after everybody, examine their opinions, challenge them, and I think that's the way you should be if you're in our game. So I don't like to be identified into a box about anything. So look, am I controversial? I say things forcefully. I express my opinions forcefully. I don't think that's controversial.

For people that don't know who Piers Morgan is and how you got into this. Is there anybody listening that doesn't know me? And that don't know how Piers Morgan is and how you got into this Is there anybody listening that doesn't know me? And that don't know how you got into this entertainment world Break down how you got into this world, how you started off at The Sun And what made you follow this path? Well, I was from a very early age, like six or seven My mom remembers me reading newspapers avidly In Britain, the national newspaper culture is very big. We have

about 13 national newspapers, very unusual. Obviously, we're a very small island by comparison to the United States, but it means that the national papers have a very large influence over the thinking of the people. And we have a wide range of papers, left wing, right wing, centrist, there's something for everybody. But I used to read the papers avidly when I was six or seven and read out stories to it. So I had this thing in my blood. I had a few journalists in the family. I just wanted to be a journalist. And I ended up going to journalism college, ended up going on local newspapers, doing all the flower shows, the weddings, all the boring stuff, but important because it teaches you the craft of reporting.

Then I got onto The Sun, which was at the time the biggest selling tabloid newspaper in Britain. In fact, I think it was in the world at the time. And I very quickly became the show business editor doing a column called Bizarre, which basically did what it said on the tin. It covered the bizarre world of entertainment. It was a great gig. It was a time when newspapers sold huge amounts. The Sun sold over 4 million copies a day and was read by about 11 to 12 million, so a huge audience. And my job was to go around the world in very nice conditions and interview the world's most

famous people and to cover what they got up to. And I really enjoyed it. I did it for five years. And then Rupert Murdoch, who owned The Sun, he flew me to a beach in Miami. I walked along the beach with him for three hours. I had no idea what I was doing there. I was 27 years old. And the consequence of that long walk along the beach was he made me editor of the News of the World, which was his biggest selling newspaper in the world. It was the biggest selling newspaper in the world. It's closed now. And I took on this extraordinary job at a ridiculously young age.

What year was that? It was 1994. That's way before Fox knew. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So my whole trajectory from my youth onwards was to become a national newspaper journalist. And I became an editor of the biggest selling papers in the country. I was the youngest editor ever of a paper there. I then moved to the Daily Mirror, which was a slightly left of center newspaper. News of the World was slightly right of center. So going back

to what I said earlier, I never parked myself into either box really politically. And I did that for nearly 10 years, competing against Rupert Murdoch. So I had the benefit of working for a man I consider to be a genius when it comes to the media, and then competing against him. And I have to say, it was more fun competing against him. Because we were the underdogs, we had less money, less staff, less resource. I found that a brilliant challenge. And then I got fired. It was a huge scandal in the UK. The Iraq war was raging. I had taken the paper's position as anti the war, very aggressively. Tony Blair was the Prime Minister in the UK. And we were the Labour supporting newspaper historically, but I went against him on the war. And I think I've been vindicated by subsequent events, I felt was an illegal conflict. What complicated it more for

me was my own brother, who was an army officer in the Royal Regiment of Wales, actually went on the front line in Basra in Iraq at the same time that I was opposing the war. So for my family, it was a very complex situation, as you can imagine. But I got fired because we got some pictures. You may remember the Abu Ghraib pictures, which came out of American troops abusing Iraqi civilians. They were horrific. And we were passed some pictures, not as bad, but they were pretty awful. And we were passed some pictures that were not as bad, but they were pretty awful. And we published them and it was said they were fake. I've never been fully, I think, confident of exactly what they were. The story that they depicted was never

denied and is accepted as being true. It was British troops abusing Iraqi civilians. And they retracted it too, right? The paper fired me and then said, sorry, but I didn't say sorry. And I haven't retracted it. And the more I've gleaned over the next 20 years, 20 years, incredible, since it happened, I've been told by many people in the army that actually they might well have depicted, not just depicted a genuine incident, but the pictures themselves may not have been what people were led to believe. So I was thrown into the wilderness. My dream was over of being a newspaper journalist.

I was 38. I became the youngest editor to be appointed and the youngest to be fired. So it was a nice little win-win at both ends of that career. And then I had lunch with a guy called Simon Cowell, who'd been an old friend of mine. Back when no one knew who he was, he was a record plugger. He used to plug some terrible records, and I used to help him promote them.

Record plugger is like a record promoter here in the States. Record promoter, right? And he was an A&R guy, basically, for a record company. His job was to get publicity and stuff behind the records of the company and I would help him do that with my column so we'd established a little relationship which worked for me he gave me interviews with his guys and so on and Simon Cowell took me for lunch and he went what are you going to do I said I have absolutely no idea we were at the Belvedere in Kensington London lovely restaurant he went well you see I said look I'm thinking about bringing back a talent show

and i went okay i said what do you mean he said well you remember the old gong show in america he said there's nothing like it on tv anymore there's idol which is a singing show and he was the biggest tv star in the world at the time on idol um he said but there's nothing that's like all-round entertainment any Any talent will do. And he said, I'm going to try and do this. So long story short, he mapped out on a little handkerchief in the restaurant. He mapped out what you'd have. You'd have like a mother hen judge.

You'd have a controversial judge. You'd have a straight down the middle judge. You'd have a good host. And they could do any talent. And we then, interesting story behind it because we then did a pilot for that which was uh called paul o'grady's got talent you probably don't know who he was he died sadly uh recently but he was a huge tv star in the uk very popular and the pilot was brilliant and itv the network loved it this was going to be my big comeback. I was thrilled. Prime time television.

It's amazing. As a talent show judge. And then Paul O'Grady fell out with ITV, hurled abuse at them, defected to the rivals, and the show got put on the back burner. And I was completely disconsolate. I think, well, what am I going to do now? And then I'll never forget, I got a text from Cal about two months later, maybe even earlier, saying, I've sold the rights

to Got Talent to NBC in America, and they want to repackage it as America's Got Talent. And I can't be on it because of Idol. And I was trying to think, who do I know who's as annoying, egotistical, objectionable, and judgmental as me? And your name has immediately sprung to mind. And I was flown to, it was a crazy period of my life. I was flown to LA. Simon picked me up in his Bentley at the airport. The next day I met with two NBC executives who'd never heard of me. I had to sell myself. He said, just bullshit like you normally would, which I did,

obviously quite successfully. Because the next thing is, two weeks later, I'm on the Paramount movie lot with the famous Melrose Gates in LA in a trailer next to David Hasselhoff with Regis Philbin down the alley, and I'm in this show, America's Got Talent. Now, he said to me, Cal, don't get too excited, because most shows open and bomb, right?

So you've got a kind of three in 30 chance all right that's it the rest just get tanked so just enjoy it have fun and he said and be right with your judgments 80 percent of the time if you do that it can be as mean as you want but if you're wrong and the public at home don't agree with you the mean act doesn't play yeah you just you just uh curmudgeon at that right but if you if you're tough but right and the audience agrees with you the act will fly i love you and uh we we recorded all the audition shows and the first night it went on air i was in the uk he was in l.a and i he rang me and he and he did the full cowl on me he said here's it's simon it's it's not good news and And I went, oh, no. He said, it's really, it's bad news, really bad news.

I went, oh, how bad? He went, it's, well, for me personally, he said, it's as bad as it could possibly be. I went, wow, how bad were the ratings? I said, okay, this is, okay, I'm done. He went, yeah, unfortunately, it's number one in the ratings, which means you just became a massive star in America. And I feel like Dr. Frankenstein.

And that was that. And that was the start of my TV world. So I did America's Got Talent for six years. Then I did Celebrity Apprentice with a certain Donald Trump as host. I remember. It was the first season of the celebrity version. I won it. Did he really smell? People say he has a smell. Does he really smell? No, no. He was the first season of the celebrity version. I won it. Did he really smell?

People say he has a smell. Did he really smell? No, no. He was always immaculate. And actually, yeah, he smelled fine. I'll tell you what was interesting. Someone asked me the other day about this. He was much more empathetic in the boardrooms for hours on end than he's ever been as president.

It was interesting to watch. He stopped that empathy vow, which I saw a lot of in The Apprentice. I don don't know why it would help him it's almost like he feels you have to be this big tough guy if i were advising him i'd say if you do win again bring a bit of empathy right people it goes a long way um but i ended up winning that uh went back on talent and then as a result of all this really what i wanted to do was do a big interview show and then larry king uh stepped down from cnn the greatest bit of interview real estate in world television at the time yeah and my late great uh manager john ferrata somehow got me the gig and we celebrated at the beverly wilshire cut restaurant with a bottle of 1961 chateau tourour. I think I paid about $10,000 for it.

Nice. And we drank it very slow sip by very slow sip. And I signed the contract, which was brought to me by the front desk from CNN at about midnight. And that was one of the great moments of my life and my manager's life. And that took the whole thing full circle. I did nearly four years at CNN interviewing amazing array of people. And then I came back to the UK, did the breakfast show. Just to be clear, we had the most dangerous morning show in the world, right? Not you guys. You guys, you're kind of dangerous. Little dangerous. We were properly dangerous. And then as you may recall, the Meghan and Harry interview aired on Oprah Winfrey. I took a view.

I didn't believe a word they were saying about the more serious allegations, which I think has stood the test of time pretty well, actually, given no evidence has ever emerged. And I got fired again. It was put in a position where either I should apologize or I lost my job. Now, at the time, we were killing it in the rating. We had just beaten the BBC for the first time in our show's history. We had trebled the ratings in five years.

We were on fire. We were dangerous, anarchic. Anything happened. I never used to look at scripts. It was just like off we went every day. Right. And so it was a real shame. I didn't want to leave it, but I left it.

And then I went back to work for my old boss, Rupert Murdoch. He was launching a new network in the UK, Talk TV, and my show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, which was what I needed to be without people making me apologize to people I thought were lying for saying I don't believe them. And that's where I've ended up. And I love it.

You know, we've been on air, it'll be two years in April. I think we found ourselves a voice of being genuinely uncensored, platforming everybody, challenging everybody. I love it. It is in three continents, Australia, the US, on Fox Nation here, and talk TV in the UK. And that leads me to my career high, which is appearing on your show. You had me on Uncensored too.

I appreciate that. A few conversations, a few questions came out of everything you just said. Number one, did Rupert Murdoch ever try to hire you at Fox News? No, it was always about Fox Nation. Fox Nation is the kind of subscription platform that Fox has,

which runs side by side with Fox News. I do a lot of Fox News stuff, like I'm doing The Five this week for two days. I'll go on Sean Hannity's show. But the interesting thing for me is, whatever people think of Fox News, I'm never put under any pressure to toe any line, to have any view about an issue, nothing.

Nobody even talks to me. I'm allowed to just be me and have my opinions. And I have strong opinions about a lot of cultural issues in America, which do not sit well with Fox viewers, for example, about guns and things like that. Nobody ever tries to censor me when I appear on Fox News, which is interesting, because I would say it's more difficult now to have that kind of freedom as someone like CNN, where I used to work, because they're so, for example, hostile towards Donald Trump. If you try to go on there and say anything positive about him, that would probably, someone wouldn't like it. I don't get any of that at Fox. And I find that a really just an interesting observation from me personally,

that I'm allowed to just be me and do my thing. They're going to let you be pro-Trump on Fox, of course. No, no, but I can be critical of Trump too is my point. Okay, got you. Whereas I think it would be harder to be pro-Trump on CNN and get invited back too many times. I think it's changed now. I think it has done a bit. Yeah. It's good.

They need to because CNN should really be in the middle. Otherwise, where do American viewers go to for genuinely impartial news coverage? You've got MSNBC to the left. You've got Fox, obviously, very conservative. You need to have CNN to be impartial. I felt they lost their minds over Trump. I mean, the reality is all of them should be impartial. That would be the beauty, right? It would be beautiful if all of them were objective. I actually have no problem in a country like America, a bit like the UK, a bit like with the newspapers, when we had left-wing papers, right-wing papers. I used to read them all. I still do.

I still, when I'm back in England, I get four or five papers. I read them all. I get a flavor for what everyone's thinking. I don't have a problem with left-wing networks or conservative networks, but you've got to have some place that Americans can go to for genuinely impartial coverage. And I think in the UK, we're quite blessed, really. We have the BBC, we have Sky News, we have other networks, which are very,

in my estimation, comparative to here, very impartial. And I like that. You know who used to be that for America? Jon Stewart in The Daily Show. Yeah. Well, I miss him. I felt he gave up that show, unfortunately, too early. I think Jon Stewart would have been a really important voice through the whole Trump era. You needed people, strong personalities through that era to put things in perspective. I don't think he would have gone the whole way in,

constant Trump bashing. Because, of course, I've known Trump a long time since I did his show. The thing about the Trump bashing is it only helps him anyway. I had a great conversation with Chris Rock when Trump won in 2016. And I went to the New York Knicks with my eldest son, Spencer. He was over with me. And we were just sitting in one of the VIP areas,

and Chris Rock was at the next table on his own. So we got talking. And I said, what do you make of what's just happened? The election happened the day before, and New York was like a mortuary. You walked around. There was these terrible silence everywhere. We were like, how did this happen? And I'd been predicting Trump was going to win

because I'd been doing crime documentaries down in rural America, down in Alabama, down in Florida, rural Florida, rural Texas. I could feel it. I could feel the Trump train steaming. And no one on the coast seemed to have picked up on this. And the media hadn't picked up on it. They were just like, oh, Hillary's going to gonna slaughter him she's the most qualified candidate ever and i thought you you don't understand middle america and what's happening here and i think the same thing is

happening again now by the way which is why the iowa result shocked everyone on the coast um but you know i remember talking to chris rock and said, you know, several things. He said, one, fame. Do not underestimate the power of a television fame in America. He said, now. He said, and secondly, he said, if someone's killed nine or eight people, I think he said, don't go around saying he's killed nine. I thought it was such an astute thing to say. As we would say in England, don't over-egg the souffle.

Don't exaggerate how bad Trump is to score your point or get some clicks on social media or whatever. Just give it straight. Examine what he's saying. Examine what he's doing. Often what he says and what he does are two different things. But don't over-exaggerate. Don't over-demonize him, he said. Don't go around calling him he said don't go

around calling him the new Hitler when we know Hitler killed 12 million people so I thought that was a really smart take then and I think it's a really good bit of advice now for the Democrats which is if you continue to over demonize Trump all these legal cases against him and so on it just allows him to play the martyr the victim victim. It fuels his popularity. Even Republicans who don't like Trump are rallying behind him because they think he's part of a Democrat-led liberal media witch hunt. And if you allow him to play that card, he's going to win. So if you're a Democrat, this is a bad strategy. But you have to hold people accountable. Nobody's

above the law. No question. Absolutely. But you have to hold both sides accountable. Right. And Trump needs to be held accountable. But you cannot deny that what's happened in Iowa, I thought was fascinating. He won across the board. Right. I know. But if it had been if it had been a Democrat with those numbers, trust me, all the people saying, yeah, would have said very different things. Well, I was watching Morning Joe yesterday and he said, otherwise he had a different perspective, which I didn't think about. He was like 50% of Republicans also voted against Trump, which makes it, it doesn't make it a slam dunk for him in the general election. I love Morning Joe. And I think Joe Scarborough is brilliant, by the way,

one of my favorite people to watch on television over here. But would he have said the same thing if Joe Biden got those numbers? And the truth is, no, because of course, they were tremendous numbers. Well, we'll never know because the Democrats don't want to do a primary, which is also not democracy. But the truth is, Trump winning by 30 points of his nearest rival, Trump having the biggest win of any Republican in an Iowa caucus ever. These are undeniable numbers. And if Democrats want to look at these numbers and pretend they're not what they are, they are once again deluding themselves about Trump and they will be sleepwalking, which sadly, and I know you've been quite critical of Joe Biden about his just general lack of energy, general lack of fire. If you look at

Trump, he's only three years younger than Biden. He looks 20 years younger than Biden. Trump's never had a drink, never had a cigarette, never had a drug. I've had long conversations with him about his brother who died of alcoholism in his 40s and made him swear off all that stuff. He has an unusual health for a guy who doesn't look like an athlete. He's pretty fit, and he's got a lot of energy. He can get up there. He can rally crowds. He's a very, very effective performer as a politician, regardless of what you think of his policies. And I also think he's shown qualities which many Americans admire, not least resilience. This comeback he's making, nobody thought he could do this.

After the stolen election bullshit, after the January 6th riots, all that stuff, after the 91 criminal charges, did anyone really think we'd be in a position where Trump had a landslide win in Iowa and is now in most polls I'm looking at likely to beat Biden if he does end up as candidate? I mean, it's an incredible comeback. Is your country falling apart? and is now in most polls I'm looking at likely to beat Biden if he does end up as candidate. I mean, it's an incredible comeback. Is your country falling apart?

Feeling tired, depressed, a little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There's 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Kaperburg.

I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. The Waikana tried my country. My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a racket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio appheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts

hey guys i'm kate max you might know me from my popular online series the running interview show where i run with celebrities athletes entrepreneurs and more after those runs the conversations keep going that's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High.

It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection,

it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing.

Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here.

I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different, inspiring figure from history,

like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Colvin. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hola mi gente, it's Honey German and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again. The podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators,

sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme laughs and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity, community, and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries. Don't miss out on the fun, el té caliente, and life stories. Join me for Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral.

Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, it's something we say all the time, right? We know that America systemically, structurally is a racist country. And I think things like that prove it. And I wanted to ask you about in in Trump 2016, after you win, I can understand the case for optimism, right? Nobody wants to see this country fall. But it's 2024 now.

Based on everything we've seen Trump do, all of the things you just said, the attempted coup of the country, the 91 criminal charges, you still think he should be president? Well, it's not a question of whether I think he should be. It's whether I think he might be. I don't, as a non-American citizen, it's not for me to say whether Trump should be your president.

It's down to Americans, right? What I do know is, remember that last time after four years of Trump, nearly 10 million more Americans voted for him a second time around than first. It was the biggest vote for both sides. Now, Biden got a huge vote, the biggest ever. But don't forget, Trump got 10 million more than first time. So he is hugely popular with a constituent of American people, with many tens of millions of American people.

And the enthusiasm levels for him with his own base are massively higher than they are for Joe Biden. I agree. I think the Democrats, if they insist on allowing Biden to progress as their nominee, are going to hand Trump the best chance he has of being reelected. They would say the opposite. They would say, well, we beat him last time. Joe Biden beat him last time because it was the anti-Trump vote.

Not just the anti-Trump vote. It was like some of the most tragic situations that happened. I mean, you had COVID. You had George Floyd. People were in the streets protesting. Like it was a series of unfortunate circumstances, I think that helped Joe Biden. Listen, if it hadn't been for the pandemic,

I think Trump would have won that last election very comfortably. Well, what do you think about people now who are very critical of Joe Biden, which is probably going to influence people not to vote for Joe Biden, which is pretty much as far as all the Democrats have. So it's like even with Charlamagne,

they're very critical of him talking bad about Joe Biden and saying that it might push people to sit on the couch instead of go out and vote. Well, I know you endorsed them both last time, right? Biden and Kamala Harris. I actually endorsed Harris. Right. I couldn't endorse Biden. I endorsed Harris. So what do you think about a lot of people that are very critical of Joe Biden, but

kind of that's all we have? I think it's a bad state of affairs for the Democrats, and it's sleepwalking into potential defeat, potentially to Donald Trump. I think Trump is 95% certain to be the Republican nominee. And I think if you have a young, dynamic candidate on the Democrat side, then you can draw a real difference now between you and Trump. If you go over someone like Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, all right, he's not universally beloved for a lot of his policy stuff. But I watched him go on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News for the hour. Really interesting. The fact that he did it shows he's got balls, right?

The fact that they had a pretty courteous debate, what was very interesting, he's slick, he's a good operator, he's been governor of one of the biggest states in the country. You know, you look at that and you think, why wouldn't you want to parachute someone like him in to take on Trump with more energy, with more dynamism, with more of maybe, you know, choose a path for the country you think will resonate with enough people to beat Trump. I just think Biden, sadly, I don't know him personally.

I had an amazing conversation with him once on the phone when his son Beau died, because Beau used to be on my CNN show a lot. And I had no doubt from that conversation. He just rang me to thank me for a column I'd written about his son. And we had a very moving conversation about loss and grief and all that kind of thing. And there's no doubt he has incredible empathy, Joe Biden. If you want to know the problem with Joe Biden, go back and look at YouTube clips of him as a senator when he was in his 40s. There's one in particular where he's railing against apartheid South Africa.

You're watching a firebrand guy, absolute firebrand. You'd vote for that guy every time. He would get the vote out against Trump in a heartbeat. He's not that guy anymore. It's not because he's 81, actually. I've met some incredible people. Rupert Murdoch's in his 90s. He still has vim and vigor and is sharp as a tack. Dame Joan Collins at the Emmys is a very good friend of mine, right? Look how fantastic she looks. She's 90. She's nine years older than Biden but has 10 times the energy.

It's not about his age. Trump's nearly 78. It's not about him being 81. Mick Jagger. I met Mick Jagger at the cricket. You're big cricket fans, you guys? Not so much. I met Mick Jagger at a england cricket match in uh in the

summer and he just turned 80 and i went you know look at you compare it to joe biden we were laughing i said you should be president of the united states if you're american because it's not about age jagger's only a few months younger than biden it's about unfortunately bigger it's about senility it's about probably a slow dementia It's about his inability to stay on two feet, his constant vocal gaffes and so on and huge superpower for another four years. He can't. And you can't go to Kamala Harris. She's been a total disaster. So the Democrats, if they're not- I think she scares people more than- I think if he had- and that's just what racism and sexism comes into play. I think if he has a white male vice president, I don't think people are as afraid to vote for Biden. You know what?

I honestly don't think it has anything to do with Kamala's race or gender. I think it's because she's turned out to be useless. And sometimes you just have to call what you see. I mean, most vice presidents are useless, though. Well, some of them are. That's their job. It's not a great job. You don't really have any power.

You just take all the flack. She's been especially ineffective. Let's put it like that, right? I met her actually once. I thought she was very charming to me. And I was expecting more. She's obviously a bright woman. She's just been incredibly ineffective for him.

I mean, her poll numbers are just as bad as his. So the pair of them- I think she's been ineffective because of, to go back to the fact her race and her gender, I think that allows her to say and do things that other VPs probably couldn't or even somebody like Joe couldn't, but she's choosing not to. I agree. And I don't think she's done nearly enough for your community, by the way. I mean, a lot of promise came in with Kamala Harris. Where's the delivery? I don't see it. So I don't think she's been effective at all the interesting thing about Gavin Newsom if he was to become the nominee it solves a problem of how do you fire Kamala Harris if you're a Democrat leader because you they both come from California she wouldn't be allowed to be his VP anyway there's a rule apparently in the Constitution about that all the

election rules so automatically you solve two problems at once you get rid of this decaying old guy as your nominee with a guy half his age and twice the energy and you also don't have to have karma as vp anymore and he doesn't have to be seen to be firing him so it's an interesting little twist on that what puts you in so much into american politics right because i love it i don't think there's anything like American politics. I don't think any, like, what made you want to jump into American politics and to learn American politics? Because it's a lot of bullshit.

When I came to CNN, I started it in January 2011. And, of course, we had the election in 2012. And I just was covering this night after night after night. You've got to understand the difference between the American process and ours in Britain. The election in Britain, the general election, it lasts

about six weeks. That's it. Prime Minister calls an election and within six weeks it's all over. Here it basically starts the moment one's ended. And then it really starts at the start of election year for 11 or 10 months. I find the whole process,

A, apart from anything else, you really get to understand what these candidates are about. There's no escape. In Britain, you could actually become a leader of a country like Britain without the public really knowing that much about you, because there's not enough time to scrutinize them properly. Plus, the American media, when it really gets together and goes after people, is a formidable scrutinizing beast. So I love America. For me, it's been absolutely the land of opportunity. I've had amazing successes here and a few lows. And I love the fact that Americans, whether you're, I've been all around America, doing America's Got Talent, you went to almost every major city quite regularly. And I just love the difference between

the states, the cities, but I love the concerted view that America's still the place if you want to come and be someone, America's still the number one place to make a success of yourself. You know, when I was doing one on TV here, I was very conscious so few British people have done that really I'm just a handful to hold down a nightly talk show like Larry King's old job on CNN for nearly four years was pretty much unprecedented so I love it don't David Frost back in the 70s you'd have to go back to so I love I love the everything about America and the can-do mentality and the competition that you had because you've got 330, 40 million people competing for these prized jobs and the work ethic. You have like three weeks vacation a year maximum. In most European countries, it's at least double that.

So you have less vacation time, you work harder, you're more competitive, you're more successful as a nation than anyone in history. I love all that. That plays to all my, I like to think of a strong work ethic, very competitive. I like to win in the biggest possible marketplace. That's America. And I love my own country too, of course. But I love that about America. And you lose that at your peril. And it's this whole issue about democracy in America, incredibly important to preserve the safeguards of your democratic process. When I watched that January 6th- That's why you can't vote Trump back in. Well, it'd be interesting. The one thing I thought was interesting was at the end of his

exception speech at Iowa, he suddenly sounded very conciliatory and inclusive for the first time and I go back to the guy I saw across the boardroom on The Apprentice it may sound trite to do that but you remember for most nights for three hours I watched this guy interacting with people he was a very different person very different much more charming much more um you more towards the female contestants, towards people who've had a hard time, much more empathetic. We didn't get this brash, often quite boorish guy that you see a lot of when he was president. I think if you want to understand why Trump became like that when he became president, go and read his book, The Art of the Deal, which I read several times before competing in his show. It's probably why I won it, because I

used to talk to him like it was him. But he says in there, somebody punches you, punch them 10 times back. That's his natural default thing. He has the thinnest skin of anyone in the world, but he has the thickest too. So he reacts to everything, but he can soak up pressure that would destroy any other politician. The fascinating double skin quality he has. But his natural thing is to be a New York real estate magnate pugilist, right? And if you take him on, as everybody did immediately, and tried to kill him off, he will fight back with everything he's got. That's just his instinct. I agree with you when you say the Democrats need to move away from Joe Biden.

But I also feel like Republicans are doing themselves a disservice by not moving away from Trump, because it's hard to say you're not the party of white supremacy when you're supporting a guy who, you know, did an attempt to cool this country. A guy who says he wants to be a dictator for a day. A guy who's talking about killing his political rival right now. So let me stop you. More importantly, a guy who said you should eliminate the Constitution in order to overturn the results of an election. I don't care if you're a Democrat, Republican. You can't have somebody, a leader of the free world who doesn't believe in the Constitution. I agree.

And I think the other thing you've always got to be mindful about with Trump is not to take everything he says too literally. No, you have to. You don't have to. When you're the president, you've got to. You shouldn't take us not to take everything he says too literally. No, you have to. Oh, you don't have to. When you're the president, you got to. You shouldn't take us too literally because we're just media personalities. You should definitely take us too seriously. No, I think if you look at, for example, the other day in Iowa, right?

He comes out with his crack on the eve of the vote. And he said, look, I don't care if you're sick at home. Just tell your wife, darling, I've got to go and vote. And he said, and if you end up passing away, at least your vote wasn't wasted, right? And I watch people on CNN, my old employers, trying to be po-faced about it, right? He's basically risking the lives of people in Iowa. No, he wasn't.

He was cracking a Trump gag, right? And one of his Trump cards, literally, is humor, right? People in middle America finding malarious right people in New York pretend not to but probably laugh quietly a lot of the stuff a lot of the other characters a candidate seemed very dull by comparison wasn't running for leader to free world top three funniest people on the plane yes I agree so if you so but also you know you're gonna remember he comes from a business real estate in New York where bullshitting is an artful right there

that's what they do, right? They just try and persuade people something's worth what it's not. So his entire life has been spent exaggerating, going over the top, all that kind of stuff. And I will say, an interesting question for you guys, if you took away all Trump's rhetoric, which you can't do, but his rhetoric and his tweeting when he's president, take all that away, right?

So you never actually hear him speak. You just judge him on what he did. What did he actually do that was so outrageous? He implemented, he put three conservative judges on the Supreme Court. That's perfectly his right. Yeah, sure. But look how- Conservatives would say that's an amazing success. Absolutely.

But look how far right they are. They got rid of Roe v. Wade, right? They got rid of affirmative action in colleges. They're gutting the Voting Rights Act, want to get rid of the Voting Rights Act altogether. I'm not cool with that. Hang on, I would say, and I'm not a conservative by definition, I would say that they pursued

a conservative agenda, nothing secretive about that. They did what conservatives would want conservative-appointed, Republican-appointed judges on the Supreme Court to do. Trump just got lucky that he was able to do it three times in one tenure. He just got lucky, right?

You could argue with the tactics of the Democrats allowing some of those Democrat appointed judges to go on too long and allowing them to die on his watch. But the things they got rid of directly impact people that look like me and people that I love. I got four daughters. Roe v. Wade is a big deal. I agree with you personally, but that is democracy. What you're challenging there is actually a constitutional right of an American president to nominate Supreme Court justices. He just happened to be able to do it three times in one tenure.

That happened to now skew the court conservative. But you asked me, what did he do? You can't blame Trump for appointing conservative judges on the Supreme Court. Any Democrat would do the same the other way. Sure. But he takes credit for Roe v. Wade being gone. Him personally. He doesn't agree with you and I. I'm making an assumption here about your view. He doesn't agree. I believe in a woman's right to have an abortion. I think it's awful that there are states in America which are going to make it incredibly difficult, if not impossible.

I would counter that by saying there are many countries around the world where it's completely illegal to have an abortion. You can't go to Poland and have an abortion legally, for example. Malta, I think, is another one. The UK has some of the loosest abortion laws in the world. The current legal term is 24 weeks or something, right?

And he led an attempted coup of this country to overturn the results of an election. I agree. And I wrote a column at the time saying I thought it was a despicable assault on democracy, right? And that all plays to Trump is hates losing uh he got in his into his head i think he genuinely believes the election was stolen i think he had a lot of people around him giuliani and other people who were telling him 24 7 it was stolen wrongly from you and because the number of votes involved is like 40 000 votes the, the tiny number of votes, right, which he had to, in his head, compute into a loss. He couldn't do it. And that's a failing of Trump. And his failure to honor the result of that election was a disgrace. And I've told him to his face, and he lost his

shit with me in an interview and gave it to me, you know, and you're a fool and you're this. I said, well, maybe I am the fool. But I just think if you're an American president and you lose, you accept defeat. I said, there's no doubt the American political system is one of the most secure in the world. The voting system is one of the most secure in the world. So I don't agree with him about that. But, but, and it's an interesting but, I come back to, you take away all the rhetoric, actually judge him on what he did. He didn't take America into any wars. That's a big plus to me big plus Right. He had interesting relations with traditional American enemies North Korea China Russia, right

Did that help or hinder American interest would Vladimir Putin have invaded Ukraine if Trump had still been president? I don't know the answer, but he had an interesting way of going about relationships with these people, which America has traditionally been very hostile towards. And if you look at him purely on his foreign policy, I thought he was right about NATO, not in getting rid of it, but in making other countries pay their dues. They're now all paying their dues. Big tick in the box for Trump. He was right. Why should America be paying for everything? If you're a signed up member of NATO and you want the American military to come and support you, you pay your 2%, whatever it was, right? And now they all have to.

So Trump did a lot of effective things with his barrel-like thing. He was right, for example, to take on the Germans about their over-reliance on Russian energy. Because when it came to it, Russia turned the tap off and Germany was screwed. So Trump has these sort of, you know, he has these instincts. If Trump gets back- Sometimes he's right, sometimes he's wrong, right? But I don't think it's as straightforward as he's Hitler or he's an angel. He's somewhere in the middle.

Well, Hitler didn't start off Hitler either. I'm sure you've read The Fall of the Third Reich. Trump is never going to kill 12 million people. I can guarantee you. He's not going to do that. I don't think anybody thought that about Hitler either in the beginning. Well, he showed a lot more sign of it than Trump. But I think the idea of equating someone like Trump to Hitler is stupid.

Again, it comes back to that Chris Rock thing. Don't over-demonize the guy. You may have to have him as president here for another four years. I would urge Donald Trump to change. Right. He's got to stop being in defense mode the whole time. Right. Have a more.

That's why I come back to his speech in Iowa. He suddenly started sounding much more inclusive. I want to bring independents and Democrats with me this time. Right. Has he learned lessons? Has he. Does he regret quietly what went on with January? I bet he does, right, knowing Trump.

I bet he does. He'll never admit it, but I bet he does. Would he pivot to a more inclusive president second time around? Has he learned lessons? I don't know the answer to those questions. I know that his style enrages a lot of people, but it also delights a lot of people. I know that's your guy, but I don't believe none of the bullshit

that's coming out of his mouth. What have said that's wrong as far as what as far as trump my reading of him well even if you talk about uh you know uh what what he would do in regards to russia and ukraine i personally think if russia gets back i mean trump gets back into the white house in 2004 he would turn his back and let russia do whatever they want maybe to ukraine but if you judge him on what he actually i think he actually judges foreign policy on what he did as president, there's no sign of that. To me, none of that, all of that fails in comparison to how he does not give a damn about American democracy.

I agree. When you've got a guy literally saying, let's get rid of the Constitution to overturn the results of an election. I agree. I'm not, like, no. I agree. Yeah, I'm not... He's the I agree. Yeah. I'm not. He's the guy who says America first.

There's a very good argument that someone who does that should not be allowed to run again. Absolutely. However, your constitution makes it crystal clear that he can run again. And in fact, even the 14th amendment, the 14th amendment said, if you tried to lead a cool this country, you are ineligible to be president. Let me tell you what's going to happen. The states that have tried to play that card, it'll go to the Supreme Court and they're going to throw it out. You know why?

Because he's got Republican judges. Yes, that he put in place. Come on, cut it out. You know why he was able to? Because he was elected your president in 2016. You're right. If Americans didn't want Trump as president, don't vote for him. And the same applies now.

Don't vote for the guy. Because you know what? If he can pack the Supreme Court with more Republican judges next time around, that's exactly what he'll do, as the Democrats will do as well. No, Democrats won't do because they don't have the courage to do that. They could have done things like that. Even when Barack Obama could have implemented Merrick Garland, he chose to follow the rules of democracy because Mitch McConnell told him, hey, it's too late in your presidency to implement. That was a tactical error. Yes, because when Trump got the chance to do it, he did it. But let me ask you.

Mitch McConnell didn't encourage it. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired, depressed, a little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy.

There are 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Kaperburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. Why can't I create my own country?

My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh, my God. What is that?

Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, guys.

I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire,

join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you.

Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection, it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going. This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself.

It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. yourself you're trying your best and you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing alicia keys like you've never heard her before listen to on purpose with jay shetty on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts so y'all this is quest love and i'm here to tell

you about a new podcast i've been working on with the story pirates and john glickman called historical records it's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nemany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all.

Nemany here. I'm the host of a brand-new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it.

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On July 8, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. It took drama and mayhem to an entirely new level. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, every backstab, blackmail, and explosion, and every single wig removal together. Secrets are revealed as we rewatch every moment with you. Special guests from back in the day will be dropping by. You know who they are

sydney allison and joe are back together on still the place with a trip down memory lane and back to melrose place so listen to still the place on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts so this is an interesting little question i always throw people interesting if you guys Thank you. Interesting, right? You don't know. I mean, I know it was a lot, but I don't know the exact number. Have a guess. I don't know. Give me a number. I actually have read that it's more than Trump. Give me a number. I really don't know.

Guess. I don't know. Eight years. Eight years. How many people did he physically have deported in eight years? I have no idea. Well, give me a number. You don't want to, do you? No, I really don't know.

I really don't know even where to begin. I don't know if it's tens of thousands, millions. I don't know where to begin. Millions? But I've read that it was more than Trump. The answer is over 3 million. He was known as Deporter-in-Chief by Mexicans. Yes, and that was more than Trump.

He deported way more than Trump. He deported way more pro-rata than any president in history. Who dropped the most bombs in a calendar year in American history? Oh, come on. President Barack Obama. Barack Obama, right? Including drone programs and so on, right? Who got elected in 08-09 on

shutting down Guantanamo Bay? Because as a former lawyer, he believed it was an illegal institution. Barack Obama. What is still open today? Guantanamo Bay. Correct, right? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So I know that the general thing is Obama, angel, Trump, devil. But if you actually apply the scrutiny that we give Trump, put it this way.

If Trump had deported 3 million people, you think you guys wouldn't know that answer? Of course you would, right? Nobody knows that answer because nobody thought that way about St. Barack. And I think that he wasn't St. Barack and Trump isn't the devil. Trump has a more devilish way of talking and he has to be held absolutely to account. And it's a very good argument to say after what happened on January 6th, he shouldn't be allowed to run again, but he is allowed to run again. And in fact, he could be convicted of a crime before the election and still be allowed to run as president.

And he could actually go to prison and still be allowed to run as president. That's insanity. And he could actually go to prison and still be president of the United States constitutionally from a prison cell. So this is not my constitution. These aren't my rules. This is the reality. So I'm not sitting here saying you should vote for Trump. I'm not defending Trump, I think, irrationally.

I'm simply presenting a slightly fairer argument about why Trump is now back in the position he's in and why he could win again than some people want to present because they think it doesn't suit them politically to say that. How often do you speak to Trump? I haven't spoken to him since we fell out over the last interview. But I'm sure I will do, and I'm sure that I had a chat with him before the last election.

I said, after the pandemic stuff. um but i'm sure i will do and i'm sure that i had a chat with him before the last election i said after the pandemic stuff i fell out with him when um when he did some ridiculous announcement that the best way to solve um covid was to inject yourself with bleach i remember right and i read a column saying mr president your bat crazy ideas are going to get people killed right stop it and he unfollowed me on twitter which was no big no small thing because he only followed 50 things on twitter half of them were companies the other most of the other half were his family i was the only non-american i think he followed on twitter this became a big story i didn't speak to him for a few months and about a week before the election maybe two weeks before i was doing fox and friends and they said what you know you

know donald trump what advice would you give him? And I said, I looked down the barrel of the camera. I went, well, if he wants my advice, I said, it's not too late. Just give me a call, Mr. President. Next morning, I get a call from Air Force One. I think it was. Mr. President of the United States. So on he came.

Nothing had happened. How does that come on your call ID? I'm just curious. Does it come on the Air Force One on your call ID? No, it was no call. I never normally answer. I happened to be at home with my daughter. And she just said a hilarious thing that morning on the school run.

She was about, I can't remember, she was only about eight or nine. She said, Dad, she said, you know, I know you keep saying that Donald Trump is a unique character. She said, I think he's too unique. Anyway, next thing, literally like two hours later, we're sitting there and the phone goes, and it's the White House switchboard putting me through to the president. And I said to Elise, can I talk to him i went probably not a

good idea uh but being like a half hour conversation and i said look if you really want some advice i said it's this you've got to start being more empathetic i said your behavior through the whole pandemic has been it's all about you the stock market crashing is is you know is damaging your election chances right you're airing these stupid theories about covid from a presidential podium which if people listen to them they're going to kill themselves it's madness where's I said you want you just want to be commander-in-chief but actually you could be comforter-in-chief that's equally important put your arm around america sometimes right as president be the comforter in chief millions of people are getting covered many of them are dying right many of them

are suffering horrendous uh problems with kobe put your arm around the country and be empathetic you got it yourself is it true is it true you applied to be trump's chief of staff no that was totally totally made up yeah i don could. I would never work for him. And I would never tell people to vote for him. That's not my business. I'm not American. I have a house here. I love the country, love the people.

It's your country. It's your vote. But all I would say is that you did vote him in in 2016. I didn't. Right? And I know Trump very, very well. Stop rubbing it in. No, no, but it's on you. Right? It's on you. I didn't. Right? And I know Trump very, very well. Stop rubbing it in. No, no, but it's on you.

Right? It's on you. I didn't vote for him. And all I see now is the Democrats whining about Trump's comeback. One of the reasons he's soaring back is because there's such a perceived weakness in Biden. Biden's approval ratings are shocking. Democrats suck. Shocking, right?

No incumbent president, I think, has ever been reelected with these approval numbers. So the country, most people in America think the country's going the wrong way. Most of them are feeling economic hardships. Most of them, you know, have all sorts of problems with the way the country is being run. And they think back to Trump and they think for all the garbage that comes out of his mouth, they look at the way he handled the economy until the pandemic. And they think, actually, we were better off under Trump. They look at his foreign policy, and they think, actually, we didn't start poking

our nose in all over the place with wars here, left, right, and center. And they like that. Most Americans I've spoken to, they think he took immigration a lot more seriously, for example, than Biden seems to be doing. The situation on the southern border is catastrophic. Everything you're saying is absolutely right. And the polls show it. What happened in Iowa shows it. You preach it to the choir. So when you say to me, Charlemagne,

just to pull you up, when you say to me, I don't think you believe a word of what you're saying. All I'm doing is presenting facts, right? I'm not launching a campaign for Trump. I push back on just be more empathetic. It's like, nah, he's done... Only because I've seen him be that. And he has that in his locker.

When people show you who they are, you gotta believe them. We've seen enough of Trump to know who he is. I agree. And Trump, good, bad, and ugly, is who he is. He's not going to change at 77, right? He's not. So you know what you're getting. You know what you're voting for this time. If America votes him in again, it's because they want to. That's a fact. You can't get away from that. That's's right and by the way his his popularity amongst

african americans is rising as biden's falls that's incredible i remember when biden came on this show right and he started oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah and he started saying if you don't vote for me then you're not black you're right it was a stupid joke but what a stupid thing to say and actually actually, how ironic that ever since he said it, the kind of black votes disappeared from him, right? Is there a candidate that could beat him? Do you think there is a candidate that could beat Trump? If I were the Democrats, I would absolutely go for somebody like Newsom, right?

Yes, he's progressive, but he's moved himself to the center very skillfully in the last six months to a year. He's been to China and met President Xi. You think President Xi was going to meet the governor of California unless he thinks he might actually end up president one day? He looks like a president, right? He looks like someone that could run the country. He's articulate. He's intelligent.

He's run one of the biggest states in the country. I think he has a lot of things going for him. I don't necessarily agree with the more progressive stuff, but I think he himself has realized his pathway to running the Democrats and to potentially becoming president is to move more to the middle ground, right? And if he does that

and he's given a chance to do that, and that can be the options for America between Trump and someone like Newsom, I think he's got a very good chance, a better chance than Biden. I agree. There's a great black philosopher by the name of Lil Boosie. He makes a statement. He said, I don't want to talk about it no more. It's enough. That's how I feel about the political conversation. But I do want to talk to you. Do you regret what you said about Meghan Markle in

regards to her mental health? Because you know, I'm a huge mental health advocate. And none of us know what people are truly going through. Do you believe that you were insensitive to her mental health? For people that don't know, what did you say? So she went on Oprah Winfrey in that infamous interview and she made a claim

that she had had suicidal thoughts and she'd gone to a senior member of the Buckingham Palace staff and asked for help and was told you can't have any effectively because it would be bad for the royal brand. I did not believe that happened.

So what's happened since? This is over two years ago, right? Ever since then, not a single shred of evidence or a name of that person has ever been produced. Prince Harry writes a book of over 400 pages, never mentions this, didn't mention the racism claims either. It was like they never happened. He then said later, I didn't mean to say that the royal family were racist. We didn't.

It was the media. Bullshit. He said that members of the royal family turned out to be King Charles and Kate had expressed negative concern about the potential skin color of your baby, which that conversation will have never happened. And there is no evidence that it happened in the way they tried to imply. Well, Oprah gasped in horror. And so for two years, the royal family have had to deal with being accused of being callous racists who don't care about a young woman's suicidal thoughts and don't care about being brazenly racist about the skin color of their child.

I said, I don't believe those things happened. So you weren't dismissing her mental health and what she may have been going through? No, and in fact, I went on my morning show the next morning and spent a minute clarifying my view about mental health. I think mental health is incredibly important. People should talk about mental health. But on that specific thing, I repeat it. Is it feasible that somebody at Buckingham Palace at a high level

said to a young woman who said, I feel suicidal, you cannot get help? And by the way, Harry at the time was the figurehead of a major mental health charity. Why couldn't he get her help? None of it made sense to me. But in his book, it never gets mentioned. There's not a mention of her mental health or suicidal thoughts. There's not a mention of the supposed racism again. It's like it never happened. That's a good point about what you said about Prince Harry. He is a big mental health advocate. Huge. So why do you think she's lying? I think she's a liar. And I think he unfortunately is a liar too. And we saw it again this week.

They called their daughter Lilibet. Now that at the time was an incredibly sensitive thing because the Prince Philip was dying and he this was his nickname for his wife the Queen and only a very tiny number of people called her Lilibet including him mainly so he would sign you know she would sign letters to him Lilibet it was very special and it emerged that Harry and Meghan were going to call their daughter Lily Bear. And then when there was a big furore about this, they said, well, we have the permission of the queen. Turned out to be an absolute lie. They did not have the permission of the queen.

A book has just come out written by a very authoritative journalist with full access to all the royals including all the royal household and they've made it crystal clear that the royal household said they'd never seen the Queen so angry as when she discovered they were going to call their daughter Lilibet her private nickname from her husband who had by now died right Wow so I'm afraid I think they speak with forked tongue and I think it's caused enormous damage to the royal family's reputation, not least here and in the Caribbean, where of course many countries still are part of the Commonwealth. I think a lot of black people around the world thought, wow, they're just a bunch of nasty racists. And there's never been any evidence. And when I found out through this, you may remember

a few weeks ago, this guy Omid Scobie, who wrote a book about always supporting the Sussexes, wrote a new book about the downfall of the monarchy, as he put it. And a Dutch version of the book suddenly named Charles and Kate as the people who supposedly made these racist remarks. Everyone in Britain went, oh, don't be so ridiculous. They're the last two people on earth who'd ever be racist or say something of the negative context about a skin colour of a baby. And I would ask you guys an interesting question, which I asked at the time,

to huge furore again. But when you have a white father, Meghan's father's white, and a black mother, and you're about to have a baby as the daughter is it not a common conversation where someone might say oh by the way what color might the baby be is that not a perfectly normal question to ask when you have white one white parent one black parent I would say it is you know you should have on your show to have this discussion a great scholar in America named dr. Umar Johnson. Right. But what do you guys think? What do you guys think? Honestly, I've never heard that conversation.

But do you know people in that position? No, I've never heard them say that. Okay, so I do, right? I know in Britain. I haven't. In Britain it's pretty common, right? You have a lot of mixed race parents and then you have a child and they all came out and said, well, yeah, we've had that conversation. So the question then becomes not the question if that was what was said. We still don't know. It becomes what was the intonation of the question? Was there a negative concern element to that question?

Was it was, well, I hope it isn't going to be too dark. Nobody believes Charles or Kate would have ever said anything like that. Why do you think they're trying to take down? It seems like you're saying they're trying to take down the royal family or make them look bad or make them look like racists. Whilst keeping their royal titles, which I think is sickening hypocrisy. Why? Why do you think they would want to do that? Because I think, I have to say, I think Meghan Markle is a very manipulative person. You don't like her at all, do you?

Not at all. I think she's been poisonous to our royal family's reputation. Very damaging to the monarchy. And I'm a huge monarchist and support our thing. I have to ask, if she was 100% Caucasian, would you feel the same? If it was the same rhetoric, if she was doing the same thing, but she was white, would you say she's poisoning the royal family? Only if she accused them of being a bunch of racists with no evidence. Well, she couldn't do that if she was white, right?

Of course. So obviously it's only because she herself is, well, she says she's black. She's from a mixed race parenting. She made incredibly serious allegations about the royal family being racist and has produced no evidence and like i say why did harry not mention this in his book if it was that serious he probably loves his family still he probably he hates his family he doesn't talk to any of his family you think he really hates him though she doesn't talk to anyone in her family right so you have somebody from a

toxic family herself who only talks really to her mother. At the wedding, she only had one guest, the mother, right? And, you know, you ask me, did Meghan Markle's skin color play any part of my argument about it? No. Right to the point she played the race card with no evidence, which I thought was disgraceful.

And there's been no evidence since. So you were fine with her up until that point? I got on very well with Meghan Markle before she met Harry. I thought she was perfectly nice. I liked suits. I thought she was good in it. So you do like suits? Yeah.

Love suits. Absolutely love suits. And so it was never a... In fact, I wrote a piece, which you can go and find, on the day they got married, a big piece for the Mail on Sunday, saluting this wonderful moment for the royal family of the first biracial marriage we'd had.

Everyone in Britain celebrated this. Britain, is he going to understand about Britain? We're a very multicultural, tolerant country. By every poll that comes out, people consider Britain to be one of the most tolerant, multicultural places on earth. And I would say that, having lived there most of my life, right? We don't have the kind of incendiary race issues that you have in America. All the history just doesn't exist in the same way. And that's why what happened on that Oprah interview was so shocking and so damaging. And then the question became, well, was it true? And I've got to say, sitting here now, two years later, no, it wasn't true. How would she prove that if it was though?

How would she prove she went to somebody and expressed her mental health concerns? How would anybody be able to fact check that? She just has to give us a name. Who was it? Oh, gotcha, gotcha And she could have named the alleged royal racist and let them defend themselves, but instead by not naming them. You've got to remember in the Oprah

interview, she said that the racism comments were made to Harry when she was pregnant He said it was before they got engaged by not naming them. You've got to remember in the Oprah interview, she said that the racism comments were made to Harry when she was pregnant. He said it was before they got engaged. That's a year and a half apart. They couldn't even decide what year this was supposed to have happened.

So a lot of it just smelt to me of being wrong, untrue, very damaging. But no, none of my criticism of Meghan Markle's got anything to do with her skin color or upbringing or anything. In fact, I would think more of my criticism of Meghan Markle has got anything to do with her skin color or upbringing or anything. In fact, I would think more of her because of her background. I think it was, as I wrote in my piece on the day they got married, this is a great moment for our monarchy, which is a very white family, obviously.

Just historically, right? I don't blame them. It's just like a lot of families in Britain like their family. They're very white. It was great to see someone who was not from the normal background is that really the reason you let go got let go by ITV yeah I didn't believe her and I was told if you if you don't apologize for disbelieving it then what they didn't tell me when this ultimatum was put to me they didn't tell me that the night before

she had written to the female boss of ITV and demanded she fire me. Wow. Personally. Wow. Right? And they didn't tell me that. If I'd known that, I would never have quit. I'd have had the public debate. I'd have had the argument.

I wasn't going to be held ransom by some lying Princess Pinocchio, as I called it. Did you want to quit, or did they force you up? No. They said you apologize or you have to leave. So you got fired, essentially. Well, I could have apologized and groveled, but why would I do that? You know, you once said after the Meghan Markle interview that freedom of speech is a hill you're happy to die on and you're off to spend more time with your opinions.

In this era of everybody having an opinion and a voice, should people be able to say whatever they want without consequences? Well, there are, listen, even under the First Amendment, which is the most brilliant protection of free speech probably anywhere in the world, there are limitations, right? Child pornography and so on. There are things that you can't say because they have repercussions. There are laws that govern these things, right? I had an argument with Elon Musk about this, about bringing Alex Jones back to X, for example.

Yeah, Elon called Alex Jones a free speech hero. You called him a hate speech monster. Which he is. And the truth is Elon originally didn't bring him back and said, I don't think anyone who's exploited the deaths of children like that. And he talked about himself losing a child. No one like that should be allowed back on this platform when he first bought it. And then he did a U-turn, right? I haven't done a U-turn. I thought he was right

the first time. Alex Jones owes over a billion dollars to those Sandy Hook families for deliberately over many years, systematically spreading lies about them to make himself very rich. He made hundreds of millions of dollars by deliberately promoting lies about Sandy Hook families grieving their children being blown to pieces at school. And I was on air when that happened. And I come from a country where very few people ever get shot dead. I mean, literally, we've had one mass shooting in God knows how long. You have one every two days, right?

It's a totally different culture. We don't have a gun ownership culture. But I remember the pain of those families and the fact that this guy was sitting there in his Texas studio, deliberately saying they were actors making it all up, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, for money. And there was a direct correlation. He would say this stuff and you'd see a huge spike in his revenues. And we're talking tens of millions pouring into the coffers by making these people even more miserable than they were already. I think it's unconscionable. But it's also covered by the First Amendment defamation exclusion. Defamation is not covered by the First Amendment. He's been found guilty of one of the biggest defamations in American history. But that alone, I don't think he should be allowed back on X. And Elon Musk has

banned a lot of people from X, by the way. So there's nothing unusual about banning people from X, even in his free speech world. And I think he does a lot of good for free speech, Elon Musk. But there are limits. Of course there are. But generally speaking, if you're not spewing hateful stuff which is good I mean gonna member somebody listen to Alex Jones I went to the grave of one of the Sandy Hook victims and urinated on it that's crazy because they believed it was all staged imagine being the family of that child and then you end up hurting that guy cuz right if you're a father you that was the

consequence others were chased down the street with people screaming abuse at them for being actors, right? Acting that their child had been obliterated by an AR-15 at school. And, you know, one of them said to me, I won't say which one, but one of the parents said to me, you know, they'd seen some pictures

and that the AR-15 that this monster had used, Lanza, created holes the size of golf balls in their child, multiple all over their body, golf balls. And this person decided, Alex Jones, to exploit that to make himself very rich. And I think that's, I would think most Americans, actually, when you hear me spell it out like that, would think that crosses a line. That's right. Okay, so when it comes to, just to go back real quick,

Trump got taken off a lot of your social media platforms. I thought that was wrong. For the same reason, though. He shouldn't have been because, and this is a difference, I think world leaders, everything they say is a matter of historical record. No, not Trump. Not when Trump's pushing conspiracy theories. Yes, but not on that, telling Trump's pushing conspiracy theories like pizza gate.

Well, okay, but look. They took off Trump, but they kept on the leader of the Taliban. They kept on the Ayatollah in Iran. They kept Vladimir Putin's account. Right? So are you comfortable that Trump is the one that's removed? What is Putin telling people? Like you said, they inject

themselves with bleach to cure COVID when they could die. Pushing YouTube conspiracy removed. But is Putin telling people, like you said, they inject themselves with bleach to cure COVID when they could die? Pushing YouTube conspiracy theories? Putin is spewing conspiracy bullshit about Ukraine being a bunch of Nazis

and he's denazifying them. Yeah, that's true. All the time. But Taliban are spewing their bullshit on Twitter. The Ayatollah is talking about eradicating Israel. So how do you regulate this stuff?

I draw a distinction between ordinary members of the public and world leaders. Aren't the world leaders worse? Because I think we're going to have some Orson Welles, War of the Worlds stuff. World leaders, I think everything they say and do is a matter of historical record.

You can't hide it away. Trump, I would argue, has gotten more popular by being taken off Twitter. But how is Pizzagate historical record? It's not. So I think what Elon's done is great. He's brought in the community notes, right? So now you can see in real time under these tweets that people put up which are conspiracy theory nonsense, you can see the true

story immediately. That was lacking before. So these things would fly around without anyone, you know, being able to look at it and see the real story underneath it none of that's going to work like we had we were talking this morning about where do you draw the line though i don't know because he hit the thing we were talking about you take every world leader off effects it it depends if you keep on if they're lying if what they're doing they have that much power yes what they're doing is inciting violence in any way shape or form yeah because the truth of the matter is people are stupid. And even with the watermarks and the things that are saying this isn't true,

people will say they're just saying this isn't true because they don't want us to believe the truth. I hear you. It's tricky, man. But it's very difficult once you go down that line. And the line I've drawn, for better or worse, and your listeners can make their own minds up, I think world leaders of any kind, it's historical record.

And if you take one down, you gotta take them all off. Because a lot of them say bad things. I wanted to ask you too about the 2004 pictures. You couldn't fact check them then. Well, we tried. Shit is way worse now. So how do you fact check as a personality? That's a really, I mean, I think the fake news thing,

the way artificial intelligence can now have someone like me, I've seen a clip played at a TED talk actually of me promoting guns. It was me and it sounded like this is what I was saying, but it was fake and saying the complete opposite to what I was thinking. And that's going to happen more and more and more. And it's very easy to do now. It's incredibly easy to do.

You see it all the time. It's very, very scary. And I don't think anyone's quite worked out what you do about it. It's a bit like artificial intelligence generally. I interviewed Professor Stephen Hawking in the last interview before he died, up at his office at Cambridge University. And I said, what's the biggest threat to mankind? He went, when artificial intelligence learns how to self-design, it's all over.

Because they'll decide pretty quickly, humans are ridiculous and should just be killed. And you can tell that a lot of the experts, like Elon Musk and others, think we're getting quite close to that point. That's why they called for the six-month pause recently in a letter signed by a thousand of them. They know that AI is incredibly exciting and groundbreaking and brilliant and can probably save a lot of lives and all the rest of it. They also know that in

the wrong hands, AI can be a lethal weapon. And this is going to be the dilemma for this generation. What do we do about it? And go back to what you said. The internet, right? Remember the internet? But this is far more dangerous. Yeah. To go back to what you said. The internet, right? Remember the internet? This is far more dangerous. To go back to what you said, I don't think any world leader should be allowed to be on social media. I think as soon as you become a world leader, you have to give it up. Because it's too dangerous.

Well, that is a very interesting... Fake tweets, the AI stuff. I think you're all in or all out. Yes. So I'm with you. I would personally still argue they should be on, but I think that's a good argument to say you take them all off. World leaders can't tweet.

They can make official statements, and the media can determine how they report those. And if they're spewing untruths and deliberate lies, which are going to lead to potential violence, the media can say that in real time. See, that's the difficult thing, because you always say go where people are, right? And a lot of people are not looking at the news or the press conferences. It's horrible. We can say it's bad, but people are not. People will follow Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Biden faster than they'll watch a news clip on TV. But those official statements will get sent out through social media.

I just think it's too dangerous because if I know world leaders are on social media, how do I know this tweet isn't real if it's a fake tweet? How do I know this AI video that's posted on their page? The moment people hear this, they're going to go nuts and say, every world leader, freedom of speech, blah, blah, blah. But I get your argument. Too much power. I get your argument.

And that to me makes more sense than piecemeal, taking some off and leaving others on, where there's a rank hypocrisy. I think you've got to have the same rule for all world leaders. Because like I did with Obama earlier, you can create an argument for and against almost anybody, particularly if they're a president of a big country. So I think you've got to be all in or all out. I got just a few more questions. You talked earlier about Tony Blair and you said you were anti-war. What was that?

The Iraq War. Why aren't you anti-war now in regards to the... Well, what I felt with the Iraq War was I felt that it was America and Britain going after the wrong country for 9-11. And they hadn't produced evidence to me that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and they never found those weapons of mass destruction so the war was

fought on a false pretext and therefore in my view actually was illegal Tony Blair also didn't get a second UN resolution mandating warfare which he thought he was going to get and when he didn't get he went along with America anyway and I think it was a catastrophic mistake that led to 20 years of hell in the Middle East, not least the rise of ISIS, who sprang out of what happened. So I felt there was no justification for the war, no moral justification, no actual justification presented that was true, turned out to be false. So you're not anti-war you would just... No I look at what is the moral justification so the case in the latest stage of the Israel-Gaza situation is that on October the 7th Israel was subjected to one of the worst terror attacks of modern times medieval barbarism involving the most horrendous assaults on women, children,

and so on. And they had not just a moral justification to defend themselves against that attack and to go after those who perpetrated it, but actually have a duty to their citizens to do that. Not least because Hamas, through their official spokesman, said our intention afterwards is to do this again and again and again. So there's a clear and present justification morally for Israel to respond to Hamas. Now, here's where it gets very complicated. Hamas have 35,000 terrorists, as I call them. You can call them whatever you want, but to me they're terrorists and they live immersed amongst a population which is just over two

million people of which half are under 18 and just under a third are under 10 so you have an extraordinary number of innocent children as part of the mass population but living amongst them in embedded in their schools the mosques the hospitals and so on. We know this from the tunnel system that Hamas deliberately created. You have Hamas terrorists. How do you eradicate Hamas, 35,000 terrorists who have done that without a lot of civilians getting killed? And so I've continually been asking and saying to people, I have a moral quandary about this. I don't know what is proportionate. I do know you cannot allow Hamas to continue running Gaza after what they did.

They are a terror group who will commit more and more acts of terror. But is Israel's response now, as many people claim, itself an act of terror? Is it disproportionate to what happened to them on October the 7th? They've killed many more people, including many more children. As a father, it just absolutely destroys me to see these scenes coming out of Gaza. But I understand why Israel feels this visceral need to eradicate Hamas. I do. What I don't accept from Israel is any desire by them out of this to continue having an occupation of the Palestinian people. And when you go back to the history, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians back in 1948, you can absolutely see that people were

oppressed and have been occupied. And the constant flare-ups in this conflict throughout the next 70 years are as a consequence of a large number of people being very badly treated. But that doesn't justify anything that happened October the 7th. So yes, I understand the history, but I think the difference between Iraq and this is that there's a clear moral justification for going after the people that perpetrated it. The problem is how do you

minimize civilian casualties, which happen in any conflict? And I would say the argument that Israel put forward, which is a reasonable argument, nobody had these debates about what happened when we went after ISIS in Syria or Iraq, and many civilians, clearly many children were killed then. We didn't see it. Social media changed the whole dichotomy. So we see it in real time. I have enormous sympathy for Palestinian people. I think for a long time they've been oppressed. There's been an obvious occupation.

I think Israelis who try and deny that are deluding themselves. We saw that when they were able to turn off the Israelis, the energy supply like that, the water supply like that, the food supply like that. Imagine water supply like that, the food supply like that. Imagine how Americans would feel if one of your neighboring countries had that power. You would consider yourselves to be oppressed and occupied. Nobody outside of America should have the power

to do that to you. That's how Palestinians feel. And I completely understand that. Is that a war crime? Well, the United Nations has found against Israel many times, but to what consequence? I have a lot of sympathy for Israelis. You've had to live under a hail of rockets since Hamas took charge in 2005 and living in daily fear of that.

This is an awful conflict. I would simply tell people that whether they think there's no hope, I remember Northern Ireland and the IRA and the loyalists being at war and the terrorism went on from IRA towards the British and so on and eventually they did find peace and in fact the the people engaged in hating and fighting each other ended up working together you can't you can do this I just that i uh hamas to me are now behaving like

isis a nihilistic terror group who don't care how many innocent people they kill and they just want to see the eradication of israel you can't have that if you're israel um but it's it's a horribly complicated situation and i don't have easy answers other Other than out of it, you've got to try and get everybody in that region together to forge a two-state solution where they can live side by side in peace. And it was achieved in Northern Ireland after many decades of war. So it can be done, but you need strong leaders. I don't think that either side has good leaders. What you gave is a very nuanced answer

and i think most of these topics and issues that we try to discuss there is nuance but everybody picks the side you said something earlier about social media which i think is true i don't think people think for themselves anymore i think people go on social media to see how they should feel just go to their issues yeah and they and they pop up and they exist in echo chambers where they only follow their own tribe, right? So they go in and they want to have a view and they want to read their view reinforced all day long. And anyone who deviates from that view on either side of any of these things,

whether it's Trump, whether it's Israel Hamas, whether it's Brexit in England, whatever the issue is, whether it's COVID vaccines, there's nuances, crucial, crucial. And I'm not saying I'm blameless. you know whatever the issue is whether it's covid vaccines this nuance is crucial crucial and i'm not saying i'm blameless i remember getting very angry about people who didn't have vaccines for example when it was believed because the scientists told us that you couldn't transmit the virus if you had the vaccine because then it wasn't just about you it was about you infecting some person and killing them but when

it when they changed their minds and said actually it looks like you can transmit it even if you have the vaccine i completely reversed my position people went disgusting u-turn well yeah because they u-turned the advice no information now but i was too censorious about people who hadn't had it should be personal choice what you put in your body should be personal choice. I accept that. And I got irrationally angry about that because everyone was a bit irrational through the pandemic. But on Twitter, there's no room for nuance.

And there has to be. If everyone could have conversations like we're having about all complicated issues, we'd get a lot further than we do having them on social media where nobody gives an inch and i don't think anybody's trying to be right the other side yeah we're not trying to be right we're just just putting it out there having a conversation yeah you got two more questions what were your thoughts when you got called to replace larry king in 2011 and were you shocked when it

didn't work uh well i would argue about whether it worked or not i mean i did it for nearly four years i could have carried on working at cnn They offered me a new gig to do just big interviews in several series a year, which I ended up not accepting. So it wasn't like CNN fired me. They offered me a new gig, but it wouldn't be the daily thing. The problem with the daily thing for me was I wasn't American. And there were so many issues, not least guns, which kept coming back, where I just had an implacable different view to what most of the viewers would be thinking you know even most CNN viewers probably have a pretty relaxed view about guns whereas I looked at it as a Brit and went you have more people murdered by guns a day

than I think the next 20 civilized countries of the world combined. We in Britain have an average of about two gun deaths a year. America has 80,000 or something a year, of which I think half are suicides, whatever it is. These are crazy numbers. But ultimately, I realize that it's a matter for Americans. It's your country. It's your culture. I understand why people believe in gun ownership here.

I understand why if there are 400 million guns in circulation, then you probably want to need to defend yourself with your own. I get it. I get it. It's not my debate to have. There was a cultural problem there. Actually, I went to CNN to do big interviews. I did

more big interviews in nearly four years than I think probably anyone outside Larry has ever done for them. That's when I first heard about you. And the interviews were amazing. I mean, I interviewed, you know, Bill Clinton twice, President Carter three times, Oprah Winfrey, the Dalai Lama, the President of Iran, almost every celebrity you care to mention. And so when I look back at them, I had an amazing, I mean, I did 1200 shows, right? And I had a great time, but I felt and CNN felt, we had a long chat, we just felt it kind of, I'd done my time.

It was tight, and I was like, I miss home. I'm very British really. I like pubs, our kind of pubs. I like cricket. I like proper football with a round ball. I'm an Arsenal fanatic. I love going to watch that. It would be like- You said your what? Arsenal, you know Arsenal? Oh, I thought you said I'm an Arsenal fanatic. I love going to watch that. It would be like-

You said you were what? An Arsenal. You know Arsenal? Like you said, I'm an asshole fanatic. I thought you said I'm an asshole fanatic. I'm like,

you can do that in America. I'm like, what? You definitely miss Herman. Yeah, that's what he said too. I was like, he's a little kinky. All right,

whatever you're into. You miss Hermes, Hallamore. Arsenal. Okay. Although we do say we're going up the arse on a Saturday, which can be a bit misleading.

But no, I loved all those things. And it would be a bit like, I would acquit it to you, if you suddenly went to London, and you did a show from London for nearly four years, and you'd already lived in America pretty much, America's Got Talent, for six years. So for 10 years, I pretty much lived a lot of my time in the US. When I was at CNN, probably for 48 weeks of the year.

If you did that, I reckon after four years, you'd be gagging to get back to New York, right? To get back to your friends, your old friends, your family, but also your culture. It's a simple thing. I would go into a cafe in New York or LA, and they'd all be talking about American cultural stuff. Politics, I loved it, but American sport, not so much.

So they'd be talking about the big football match or the big baseball game or the basketball. But basketball is my favorite American sport, so I could have a little bit of a chat about that, but not with any expert view or any history, of any history at all. When I go to my local cafe in London, there's all the guys in there, the same people,

male, female, old, young, and we're all talking about the big arsehole game I liked before, the big cricket match, our sport, our culture, right? And I miss that so much. And I love that so much. Now I have the best of all worlds

where I do a show which is filmed mainly in London, but for about three months of a year I come to America. I love that. I come in and I stay each time just long enough for neither of us to get fed up with each other. And then I get on a plane and go off again,

and that's fine. And I prefer that. Last question. Probably the biggest thing we talked about in this whole hour and a half. Is it true that you played the homeless bird lady in Home Alone 2? No! Was that you? It is not true in Home Alone 2. No!

Was that you? It is not true. Prove it! Prove it! It's not me! Just like you said to. You've got to prove it. Why don't you ask the actress who plays the bird lady, Brenda Fricker.

She doesn't exist. It's a woman! What's her name? Brenda Fricker. Never heard of her. She's an actress. You must have got that before. Sounds like you made it up.

I had to do my Christmas card based on this two years ago because I've got so many people going on about it. She's an actress. You must have got that before. Sounds like you made it up. I had to do my Christmas card based on this two years ago because I got so many people going on about it. It is not me. And every time that bloody movie airs, which is every Christmas, I get bombarded on Twitter with, It's him. It's him. It's not me.

We don't believe you. I don't believe you. I have, though, been in nine other movies playing myself, which have grossed over $2 billion. So you're actually, you won't realize it, but I'm one of the biggest movie stars you've ever had in your life. Piers Morgan, ladies and gentlemen. We appreciate you for joining us this morning.

Guys, great to see you. Thank you so much. And it's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Wake that ass up. In the morning. The Breakfast Club. Had enough of this country?

Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory.

Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zaka Stan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-A-Stan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max.

You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love.

I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

your podcasts. Hey y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand-new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap is another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history.

Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, my undeadly darlings. It's Teresa, your resident ghost host. And do I have a treat for you.

Haunting is crawling out from the shadows, and it's going to be devilishly good. We've got chills, thrills, and stories that'll make you wish the light stayed on. So join me, won't you? Let's dive into the eerie unknown together. Sleep tight, if you can. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.