The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.18 Jake Paul Anxiety Backlash, "Gun Girl" Kaitlin Bennett SWARMED By Protestors, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup, you beautiful bastards. Hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. And buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. The first thing we're gonna talk about today, let's just knock it out. You had YouTuber Jake Paul in the news.

Starting point is 00:00:13 Well, for a number of reasons, though. The main consensus is people angry. And the main reason that Jake was trending, all these articles were being written up, was because of this tweet. Where yesterday he said, remember, anxiety is created by you. "'Sometimes you gotta let life play out

Starting point is 00:00:27 "'and remind yourself to be happy "'and that the answers will come. "'Chill your mind out, go for a walk, talk to a friend.'" Now, following that tweet, there was a lot of backlash, some light, right? People kind of joking, "'Oh my God, Jake Paul cured my anxiety.'" A lot of people really clamping down on that first sentence,

Starting point is 00:00:40 "'Remember, anxiety is created by you.'" And a lot of people taking this as another version of when someone tells you, "'Just don't be anxious.'" So we saw more serious responses like, "'Anx anxiety is created by you. And a lot of people taking this as another version of when someone tells you just don't be anxious. So we saw more serious responses like, anxiety is created by you unless you have an anxiety disorder, in which case it's your brain triggering the flight, fight, freeze response in inappropriate situations and you have absolutely

Starting point is 00:00:55 no say in it. You also had fellow creators like Sierra Schultz chiming in, tweeting this is actually really harmful. Anxiety can be incredibly physical as well as mental. Mental illness is not the fault of the sufferer. Please delete this. You are doing actual harm to your followers who very well may need to be seeking professional help

Starting point is 00:01:10 for their problems. You also had Colleen Ballinger tweet, "'Telling people with anxiety to just stop having anxiety "'does not help them with their anxiety.'" After seemingly seeing the pushback, we saw Jake Paul try to clarify his comments, saying, "'What I meant is that your anxiety can build up "'if you let it.

Starting point is 00:01:23 "'It doesn't just go away. "'Mine never does, but there's days where it's really bad, and then there's days where it's not as bad. So if anxiety starts to build up, there are ways to help it chill out. And following it up with everyone clowning my tweet, but it's now spreading more awareness about anxiety, which I didn't even know was a thing till I was 18,

Starting point is 00:01:37 but had it my whole life and never knew how to deal with it. And then linking to a Healthline article called "'How to cope with anxiety, 11 simple ways and when to see a doctor." Now after that, you still had a large number of people explaining why they had massive issues with his initial post. This ranging from people calling it insulting to making sufferers feel like they are the reason that they're having a problem.

Starting point is 00:01:53 But also, it should be noted, you had people defending Paul. You know, this ranging from he's trying to raise awareness of a serious issue. He was well-intentioned. And even if you disagree with his take on this, use this as an opportunity to educate rather than just flame. Now, with all that said, as far as my take on this, have it noted that I do not like Jake Paul for a number of reasons. I greatly question his character, but for a situation as serious as this, as applicable to as many people as it can be, I think it is an opportunity to educate. Now, as far as there being such a huge emotional reaction,

Starting point is 00:02:25 I understand where that comes from. You know, if you're someone that suffers from anxiety, you suffer from depression or anything like that, I actually, I highly recommend a comedy special, which is, I know it sounds like a weird thing to say. Gary Gullman, The Great Depresh, it's a special on HBO and it covers not only anxiety, but also depression. But in that special, a note that he hits on,

Starting point is 00:02:41 and I think it's why people have such a big reaction to it, is for years and years and years, a number of people, if you told them that you, a note that he hits on, and I think it's why people have such a big reaction to it, is for years and years and years, a number of people, if you told them that you had a problem, you were depressed, you were anxious, most people said, "'What do you have to be anxious or depressed about?' And they gave you a prescription of, "'Just don't be that.'"

Starting point is 00:02:57 To kind of add onto that, and I'm kind of echoing my wife here, everyone experiences depression and everyone experiences anxiety in a different way. So a Jake Paul who may not experience the intense anxiety that you feel in your everyday life may think, Oh, hey, this is actually a trick that I use to make myself feel less miserable.

Starting point is 00:03:14 But not understanding that your anxiety may be different. It may be debilitating. He may have only experienced a five to seven foot wave while you're dealing with tsunamis. Right, and on top of that, I looked at a Jake Paul who is 23 years old and I try and remember how ignorant I was at 23, hell even at 30 on a variety of issues.

Starting point is 00:03:30 And then for this specific topic, it kind of makes me put the pitchfork away. That said, I personally very much doubt and question Jake Paul's character. It's how much he means something, his intentions behind doing something. I'll always believe that it's for personal gain, but that's based off of historical

Starting point is 00:03:45 actions or what we've seen him do in the past, recent actions, but I'll always hope that someone can better themselves. But with that said, around this specific issue, that's the story, a little bit of my personal takeaway. And of course, I'd love to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts around this? And then let's talk about the story and situation with Caitlin Bennett, who many of you may know better as Gun Girl. And for those of you who do not know, she's a gun rights activist who went viral in 2018. That because after she graduated from Kent State University,

Starting point is 00:04:08 she posted a photo of herself walking around campus with a gun and her graduation cap, which read, come and take it. And that then caused a massive stir online, especially since Kent State was once home to a tragic shooting. But since then, she's also done a number of other things, including making videos for Info Wars and Liberty Hangout,

Starting point is 00:04:23 which describes itself as a libertarian media group. That group itself notably has faced controversies, even recently tweeting that being gay is a choice. Many also sharing what appears to be a deleted tweet, where they ran a poll questioning the legitimacy of the Holocaust. Also, as far as Bennett herself, right, her videos, often she goes to public places, often college campuses,

Starting point is 00:04:39 interviewing people on the street about hot button issues, or things like gender inclusive bathrooms, abortion, gun rights, among other things. And there, many argue that Bennett, being conservative, is trying to provoke liberal college students or just cause online outrage with these videos. And while she has no shortage of supporters, right, there's definitely an audience that craves stuff like that,

Starting point is 00:04:55 many of these videos have gone viral and either been met with criticism or just people simply making fun of her. The kind of simplified background hopefully gives you an understanding of what we're talking about. It also brings us to today's story because she had plans to make one of those videos at Ohio University on Monday.

Starting point is 00:05:07 Now the believed purpose of the video is to ask students trivia questions about President's Day, but when she arrived, she was met with protests. And a ton of students posted videos and TikToks of this. You saw people screaming, chanting. This video in particular getting a lot of online attention. No one fucking likes you! Who's winning it?

Starting point is 00:05:29 Where's your diaper? Where's your diaper? Also, for those wondering about the toilet paper and the diaper chant, there's sort of this online joke and rumor that Bennett pooped her pants at a party. But anyway, that's why at the protest, there are a number of videos where you see toilet paper being thrown on her. In others, you see her being surrounded, screamed at.

Starting point is 00:05:45 Caitlin also posted one of the videos herself, students throwing liquids at her car as she left, also kind of blocking the car from really moving. And after all of this, we ended up seeing her tweet. "'This is what happens when a Trump supporter "'goes to a college campus. "'Leftists at Ohio University started a riot "'when Joel Patrick and I showed up

Starting point is 00:05:59 "'and the OU police let it happen. "'I think Donald Trump should strip funding "'from universities like this that harbor terrorists. Notably, we also saw Ohio University's police department release a statement about the incident as well, writing that Bennett had quote, "'Engaged in a constitutionally protected activity.' She drew a large crowd of people,

Starting point is 00:06:14 many with opposing viewpoints, who also chose to exercise their First Amendment rights." Adding that they were there to protect these rights, people's safety, and other than asking people to keep spaces clear, no one was asked to leave. And as far as Bennett's initial tweet calling the scene a riot, they said, "'Contrary to allegations circulating on social media,

Starting point is 00:06:29 "'the incident did not rise to the level of a riot. "'There was strong language and allegations "'that some unknown persons in the crowd splashed water, "'but there were no reported injuries or violence "'and no one was arrested during the event.'" And also adding that Bennett did not notify the police that she would be attending the school's campus, which notably is not mandatory,

Starting point is 00:06:45 but would have given them a heads up in terms of staffing levels. Now Bennett was not pleased with their response, sharing their statement and claiming that hot coffee had been dumped on her and that the car was vandalized, and later stating, "'I will absolutely be returning to Ohio U's campus again, "'and next time I'll bring an army of gun owners

Starting point is 00:07:00 "'for an open carry walk through campus. "'You can't keep us away and you can't keep us silent. "'Just like Donald Trump, we will always win. Also adding that this morning, she had been contacted by the FBI about credible threats against her. And following this, you had a number of reactions. You had some people defending her.

Starting point is 00:07:13 Some saying things like, I'm a former OU grad and this makes me sick. I get people having differing opinions, but to act and do the things these students were doing, unacceptable human behavior, regardless of your opinion, belief, political party, et cetera. Blaze TV correspondent, Elijah Schaefer tweeting,

Starting point is 00:07:25 Violence against conservatives is not okay just because it's socially acceptable. You can't assault someone just because they voted for Donald Trump, or attack them because they disagree with you politically. James Woods, who's back on Twitter now calling it a display of mob mentality from Democrats, but also you had a number of people happy that Caitlin Bennett was being received like this. One of the people sharing the video saying Bennett genuinely doesn't understand if this is the attention she ordered. Others also sharing this sentiment with one student telling Athens News,

Starting point is 00:07:46 I kind of feel like she just came here to get this reaction. Others saying that Bennett and Liberty Hangout have shared hateful views and that Bennett often harasses people herself. We also saw a number of people saying that Caitlyn and people getting offended on her behalf are hypocrites. With tweets noting,

Starting point is 00:07:58 funniest part of the Caitlyn Bennett shit is seeing conservatives who love a president who bullies people cry about someone getting bullied. And here noting among other things, the president's attack on Greta Thunberg, who they described as an actual little girl. And along with all of this, we saw a number of people arguing

Starting point is 00:08:10 that essentially what we saw other than some instances of people seemingly throwing a liquid, that in general, this was the First Amendment in action. Essentially saying, Caitlin has the freedom of speech, but that does not immunize her from people reacting and shouting her down with words as well. But ultimately, that's where we are with this story, and I really would love to know your thoughts on this issue.

Starting point is 00:08:27 Because what's kind of interesting to me is I feel like everyone is leaving this situation feeling like they won. And what I mean by that is I think you're gonna have a number of people that were happy to see just the massive protest against Bennett, right? Seeing it as this kind of united front and reaction against someone they see as a troll, as bigoted. But on the other side of this, you're gonna have people

Starting point is 00:08:44 showcasing these videos as the left's intolerance, especially at the end when they start throwing stuff, liquids at the cars. And this is arguably one of the most viral incidents involving Bennett since she first blew up. So this, if anything, it just increases her profile. I mean, my personal thoughts on the matter based off the videos I've seen her put out

Starting point is 00:09:00 is that she doesn't genuinely want a conversation. She wants a confrontation, and that's actually what we saw here. So that's why I also think that this is likely fuel for her and her career. And you look on Twitter and you see Bennett using this as an opportunity to try and get Donald Trump involved, other gun owners involved.

Starting point is 00:09:14 Yeah, ultimately that's where we are as of right now. And I'd love to really know your thoughts on this one. And the last thing that we're gonna talk about today is a situation involving Attorney General Bill Barr, Roger Stone, and President Donald Trump. Now I mentioned this briefly last week as the story was first developing, but the background here Barr, Roger Stone, and President Donald Trump. Now, I mentioned this briefly last week as the story was first developing, but the background here is that Roger Stone

Starting point is 00:09:28 was a longtime friend and advisor of Donald Trump. Back in November, he was found guilty on seven charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress. With those indictments notably stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, right? And so last Monday, prosecutors for the case recommended that Stone serve seven to nine years in prison. Right after that, we saw Donald Trump tweet,

Starting point is 00:09:45 "'This is a horrible and very unfair situation. "'The real crimes were on the other side "'as nothing happens to them. "'Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice.'" Following that, we saw the Justice Department announcing that it was changing the sentencing recommendation, with an anonymous Justice Department official

Starting point is 00:09:57 telling reporters at the time that the recommendation was, quote, "'Not what had been briefed to the department.'" And adding, "'The department finds the recommendation extreme "'and excessive and disproportionate to Stone's offenses. Right, and a big note here is that this decision

Starting point is 00:10:08 for the department to overrule career lawyers was highly unusual. Which is also why it wasn't surprising that following that, four prosecutors withdrew from the Roger Stone case, with one of them actually quitting his job at the DOJ altogether. And with this, we saw a lot of people criticizing the move,

Starting point is 00:10:21 including former DOJ officials under both the Democrat and Republican administrations. Also accusing Barr of intervening in Trump's favor to lighten the sentencing recommendation for a Trump ally, with some also saying that this isn't the first time that he's done this. And the Justice Department, for its part, defended the move, with a spokeswoman telling reporters

Starting point is 00:10:35 that the DOJ officials did not discuss the Stone case with the White House, and also stating that the decision to overrule the recommendation was actually made before Trump's tweet, with Trump also denying claims that he directed the DOJ to change its recommendation. Though the next day we did see Trump tweet, congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control

Starting point is 00:10:51 and perhaps should not have even been brought. Evidence now clearly shows that the Mueller scam was improperly brought and tainted. Even Bob Mueller lied to Congress. So that tweet escalated and for a lot of people justified the claims that the Attorney General was doing Trump a favor. But then on Thursday we saw Barr do an interview with ABC. And there he defended his actions on the Stone case,

Starting point is 00:11:08 saying that he and his staff made the decision before Trump's tweets and denied that Trump played a role in it. But he did also say that the Trump tweet complicated things, saying the incident illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be. And when asked if he had a problem with the tweets, he responded.

Starting point is 00:11:20 Yes, well, I have a problem with some of the tweets. I'm happy to say that, in fact, the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case. However, to have public statements and tweets made about the department, about our people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department, and men and women here, about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job. I cannot do my job here at the department

Starting point is 00:11:57 with a constant background commentary that undercuts me. And then in a statement responding to what Barr said in the interview, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said, "'The president wasn't bothered by the comments at all, "'and he has the right, just like any American citizen, "'to publicly offer his opinions.'" Though we did see a debate around that Barr clip, right?

Starting point is 00:12:15 Some people taking that clip and those statements at face value saying, yeah, you see in a guy that's trying to do his job, Trump's complicating it. But others arguing that what we're seeing here is a coordinated effort from Trump and the White House with Barr and the DOJ to kind of separate one another. Right, essentially saying this was Barr trying to make it appear that there is a separation,

Starting point is 00:12:32 that there's maybe even a riff between the two, even though he's doing the president's bidding. Now also with this, we've seen Trump continue to tweet about the case. With Trump going on the offensive this morning on Twitter and threatening to sue everyone involved in the special counsel inquiry, indicating that Stone prosecutors were quote,

Starting point is 00:12:46 "'Moller prosecutors' in writing. "'Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation "'is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out.'" And continuing, the whole deal is a total scam. "'If I wasn't president, "'I'd be suing everyone all over the place, "'but maybe I still will. Witch hunt.'" Trump also tweeting comments made

Starting point is 00:13:00 by Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano, who said that Stone's defense team asked for a second trial because a member of the jury was biased against Trump. And because of that, quote, almost any judge in the country would order a new trial. Also, regarding the criticism of Barr, that has not stopped. In fact, one of the most notable things is on Sunday, we saw former DOJ officials across Republican

Starting point is 00:13:16 and Democratic administrations sign a letter posted on Medium. There, they condemned Trump and Barr, also calling on Barr to resign, writing, such behavior is a grave threat to the fair administration of justice. In this nation, we are all equal before the law. A person should not be given special treatment

Starting point is 00:13:30 in a criminal prosecution because they are a close political ally of the president. Governments that use the enormous power of law enforcement to punish their enemies and reward their allies are not constitutional republics. They are autocracies. And later adding, Mr. Barr's actions in doing the president's personal bidding

Starting point is 00:13:44 unfortunately speak louder than his words. Those actions and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice's reputation for integrity and the rule of law require Mr. Barr to resign. And as of recording, that letter currently has over 2000 signatures. Yesterday, we also saw reports that the Federal Judges Association

Starting point is 00:13:59 has called for an emergency meeting to address the intervention of DOJ officials and Trump in politically sensitive cases. But ultimately, that is where we are right now. We're gonna have to wait to see what happens right now. Roger Stone is set to be sentenced on Thursday morning. And as far as what happens from there, I think it's anyone's guess,

Starting point is 00:14:13 but I would say it's not a crazy thought to think that Donald Trump would not use a pardon. And I say that because notably Trump allies have not been on the receiving end of commutations or pardons yet. So Trump today went on what people have been calling a clemency spree, right? Pardons and commuting sentences.

Starting point is 00:14:28 And among those who received a commuted sentence was Rod Blagojevich, who if you don't remember was on the receiving end of a 14 year prison sentence for extortion, bribery and corruption. And some background here, if you're unfamiliar, as Axios explains, Blagojevich, a former contestant on Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, attempted to exchange an appointment to Barack Obama's Senate seat

Starting point is 00:14:44 for campaign contributions after the 2008 presidential election. As far as the timeline, the Illinois legislature impeached and removed Blagojevich for abuse of power and corruption in 2009, and ultimately he was found guilty of 17 charges in 2011. And there are two kind of key things to pay attention to in this moment. One, Blagojevich was a Democrat, and two, Trump has described Blagojevich's sentence as ridiculous. It has said that it was a result by the same group behind the Russiagate investigations that targeted him and his aides for the first three years of his presidency.

Starting point is 00:15:09 Right, and so it's believed by some here that Blagojevich is to a certain degree being used as a shield. Right, so essentially him trying to frame it as more him trying to help the victims of a ridiculous group that just wanted to do damage and not the president using his power to protect allies. Right, but ultimately we're gonna have to wait and see.

Starting point is 00:15:24 That's the story, a little bit of my opinions, some conjecture, but yeah, with that, I'd love to know your thoughts on what's happening here. And that is where I'm going to end today's show. And hey, if you liked this video, hit that like button. If you're new here, definitely hit subscribe. Also, if you're looking for more to watch, maybe you missed the last Philip DeFranco show,

Starting point is 00:15:38 maybe you wanna catch up on the newest podcast, you can click or tap right there to watch either of those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in, I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you liked this video. Subscribe if you like it.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.18 Jake Paul Anxiety Backlash, "Gun Girl" Kaitlin Bennett SWARMED By Protestors, & More

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