The Great Venezuela Caper and America First

00:00:03 Speaker 1: My name is Charlie Kirk. I run the largest pro American student organization in the country, fighting for the future of our republic. My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth. If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're gonna end up miserable. But if the most important thing is doing good, you'll end up purposeful. College is a scam, everybody. You got to stop sending your kids to college. You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible. Go start at turning point you would say, college chapter. Go start attning point. Yould say high school chapter. Go find out how your church can get involved. Sign up and become an activist. 00:00:39 Speaker 2: I gave my. 00:00:39 Speaker 1: Life to the Lord in fifth grade, most important decision I ever made in my life, and I encourage you to do the same. 00:00:45 Speaker 3: Here I am Lord, Use me. 00:00:48 Speaker 1: Buckle up, everybody, Here we go. The Charlie Kirk Show is proudly sponsored by Preserved Gold, leading gold and silver experts and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends and viewers. 00:01:09 Speaker 3: All Right, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show. It's our first show of the new year. I can't tell you how excited I was for twenty twenty five to come to an end. Joined as always by Blake Neff, the producer on the show, and we are honored to have the great Andy Biggs in studio here in Phoenix, Arizona. Welcome back to the show. 00:01:29 Speaker 4: Thanks Andrew. Great to be with you, and Blake, thank you for. 00:01:31 Speaker 3: Having Yeah, it's an honor to have you. We thought it was appropriate, you know this your race for governor was truly it's hard to put into the words actually how important it was to Charlie that you become the next That was his project twenty twenty Sex Project twenty twenty six was make Andy Biggs governor of the great State of Arizona, State forty eight. And so it just felt fitting to have you here. And you know, I was prepping for you coming in studio. I was looking at the poll and I was the latest one from Emerson has you up like huge in the U. I want to get the actual the actual number here pick one fIF two has you at fifty percent within the GOP primary. So that's I mean, this is the last independent pole that we have to go off of in this primary. So things are looking good. 00:02:22 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, And you know, I tipped my hat to Charlie and and I'm working hard in not just for the state, but because Charlie was a friend and he went out on a limb to support me, and so so we're going to win big for Charlie. 00:02:38 Speaker 4: And the polls will do look good. 00:02:41 Speaker 3: The polls look good. How many you wes just telling me how many independent polls have there been, you know, conducted on this race. 00:02:47 Speaker 5: I believe it's seventeen and I've led by at least thirty points in every one of those. 00:02:51 Speaker 3: Oh, God, bless you. That's great. So we're very, very excited about that. We're going to get into some Arizona specifics in just a few minutes here. But we have so much breaking news over this holiday break, this holiday weekend. Of course. You know, the big news is that Nicholas Maduro has been deposed the dictator of Venezuela. He is being arraigned right now in a Manhattan courthouse, federal courthouse. You know, there has been much made about the fact that Congress you're still a sitting congressman, was kept in the dark about this. What do you think about that? As a member of Congress. 00:03:26 Speaker 5: Well, so we're going to get brief this week, but let's just face the facts. I have literally sat in the skiffs where they've had all of Congress sitting there, and walked out, and for some reason, somehow, the media is telling the world exactly what I just heard in the skiff. Yes, Congress leaks like a sieve, and that was that was wise. 00:03:48 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, so let's let's play this clip. 00:03:50 Speaker 1: One. 00:03:52 Speaker 6: Was the administration justified in this case and not briefing Congress? 00:03:56 Speaker 7: Well, there's been no evidence that the administration has presented to justify the actions that were taken in terms of their being an imminent threat to the health, the safety, the well being, the national security of the American people. 00:04:11 Speaker 3: So you've got the minority leader here, Hakim Jefferies, saying there was no imminent threat and that Congress should have been briefed. So your response to your colleague in the House, then. 00:04:22 Speaker 5: Well, Number one, he didn't answer the question because he knows Congress should not have been pre briefed. Number Two, that's not the legal standard. He knows that's not the legal standard. He's going to try to distract because that's their mantra. 00:04:37 Speaker 4: Everything is bad. 00:04:39 Speaker 5: They didn't question when nor Diega in Panama, which is the. 00:04:42 Speaker 4: Case law that we rely on. 00:04:44 Speaker 5: Yeah, I think he was bogus from start to finish, but that's Hakim's way. 00:04:49 Speaker 3: Yeah. So there's a larger issue here because you're kind of you're an America first guy. You are, you know, part of this larger coalition. We are not neocons. You are not about foreign adventurism. And it's a question that we all sort of have to grapple with. And you know, I thought Rubyo put this very well. I'm going to play a clip here. Have you respond to it where he's talking about basically the Monroe doctrine and Western hemisphere dominant Donro doctor Donro doctor the new the new uh yeah, trumpet the Donroe doctrine. I don't know. 00:05:24 Speaker 8: We don't need Venezuela's oil. We have plenty of oil in the United States. What we're not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries. 00:05:33 Speaker 2: Of the United States. 00:05:34 Speaker 8: You have to understand why does China need their oil, Why does Russia need their oil, Why does Iron need their oil? They're not even in this continent. This is the Western hemisphere, this is where we live. They are not going to come from outside of our hemisphere destabilize our region in our own backyard, and us have to pay the price for it. Not under President Trump. 00:05:51 Speaker 3: So, I mean, I think that was a pretty good articulation essentially of the Monroe doctrine. Where where do we draw the line, Congressman, where do you draw the line on when we should get involved when we shouldn't, and and how does this one sit? You know, it feels like the comparisons to Iraq and Afghanistan are not apt here, they're they're unfair comparisons. But we still want to be cautious, skeptical and not give in to foreign adventurism and the neocons. 00:06:19 Speaker 4: Yeah. 00:06:19 Speaker 5: Right, So the first thing to remember is Maduro was indicted. This was a legal issue, and what you're going to find is that the FEDS now took them over legally. So the second that that the military essentially had control of Maduro, they gave them to the law enforcement. That kind of obviates all of those other issues. The question now is going forward, what do you do and do you leave a vacuum there for China? Which literally was meeting in Venezuela at the time to do what to take over the oil just the way they've they've done the Alternate Canal and Panama the way they the way they are trying to basically take over. So so for us, it's not it shouldn't be viewed as a typical American adventurism type of issue. What we're doing is we're enforcing the law from a guy who was the head of a cartel that was coming after the US. 00:07:15 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's well said. I mean, the reaction has been mixed. You know, Blake, you're the contrarian in the room. I mean, you know, what are your concerns and what do you have a defense of the administration's act? 00:07:30 Speaker 2: Well, the best, frankly, the best defense is that so far it's worked very well. I think that stands apart because the biggest argument against most interventions is they're unpredictable. They can have a lot of downside, and the upside isn't always as clear as it seems. So far, it looks pretty straightforward. They got Maduro out quickly, there were no casualties on our side, and ideally they could install a friendly government in Venezuela and we're in a better situation. My concern would be, right now, we still don't actually run Venezuela. I know the President said we're going to run it, but right now we just spirited out one guy. So we either have to threaten them into making concessions or we're going to need more military effort there. And at that point you're asking, Okay, are US troops in Venezuela long term? Are they trying to control the interior of the country. How difficult is that? Those are questions that are still going to need to be answered, and those are the ones Charlie would care about as well. 00:08:29 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly. And a reporter asked the main question congressman here, that is why is running Venezuela America? 00:08:37 Speaker 4: First? 00:08:37 Speaker 3: President Trump was asked about this at the press conference one thirty six. 00:08:41 Speaker 9: Mister bredon why is running a country in South America America? 00:08:45 Speaker 10: First? 00:08:46 Speaker 6: Well, I think it is because we want to surround ourselves with good neighbors. We want to surround ourselves with stability, We want to surround ourself with energy. We have tremendous energy in that country. It's very important that we protect it. We need that for us else we need that for the world. 00:09:01 Speaker 3: So that really does become the central question. I think the success of this is going to be determined in the coming weeks and months ahead. You know, to Blake's point, how costly is this going to be from a military standpoint, from just a cost of doing this? And will the people still in charge in Venezuela, will they seed control, will they cooperate? Will will that transition happen? Well, we don't have a great track record of that, but President Trump does not have a bad track record. 00:09:28 Speaker 4: That's right. 00:09:29 Speaker 5: And I would just say that nation building is not what we should be engaged in here, and I don't think that's what the president intends. And don't forget that ostensibly, pre Hugo Chavez, you have, Venezuela was a democratic regime. They had regular, good elections. Even Chavez and Maduro nodded to elections, right, So, so but maybe what we want to do is just make sure they have good elections and if they get good elections, then we can work with them. 00:09:56 Speaker 3: You're tempting me to go down a rabbit hole. 00:09:58 Speaker 2: Here, Howdy Blake. Here. You know, in moments like this, truth really matters. The truth was important to Charlie, So we want to share with you a new documentary that's caught our attention, not because it's political, but because it refuses to shy away from the questions that so many Americans are still asking. It exposes the truth. Thank You Doctor Fauci is a hard hitting investigative docu thriller from award winning filmmaker Jenner First. He digs through thousands of documents, sits down with scientists, intelligence insiders, and whistleblowers, and exposes what may be one of the most significant public health cover ups of our lifetimes. This film isn't about scoring partisan political points. It's about transparency, accountability, and the courage to follow the evidence wherever it leads. If you've ever wondered what really happened behind closed doors, this is something you need to see for yourself. Angel Studios was the only platform willing to release it, and that's because you, not hollyw would decide what gets made. Join the Angel Guild today at angel dot com slash Charlie Kirk, become a member and stream Thank You Doctor Fauci today. 00:11:12 Speaker 3: For the audience that doesn't know Andy, tell us why you are running for governor of Arizona. 00:11:19 Speaker 5: So I've got a vision for the state of Arizona to restore the American dream, which has been priced out here in Arizona by this governor, the current governor, Katie Hobbs. And so she took down border protections for Pete's sakes. And so we'll restore border protection so we're the safest state in. 00:11:38 Speaker 4: The country again. 00:11:39 Speaker 5: But we'll also put the American dream back out there so young people. This really gets to me. They can buy a house, they can afford to buy a house, and we won't have sticker prices since that cause shock. We're going to create jobs again. She's taken us down andrew as far as job creation, from the fourth highest in the country to number forty seven. That's the problem that we have. She's not doing anything with our infrastructure. She's not doing anything with our education system. She's basically hermetized herself except for some radical environmental issues, where she's gone after this her own state, trying to stop our economic development growth. 00:12:19 Speaker 3: That's shocking. Actually, you know, a lot of the sticker shock. I mean, you know, somebody is newer to the state has actually impressed me, Like I've been floored at how expensive some of the just basic items, the rent, the housing market is in at least where people want to actually live, you know. And you know, is some of that because we're just getting flooded with Californians like you know myself. 00:12:45 Speaker 5: That some of it is that, but that's not The demand is high. But historically we've always met that demand and been able to keep prices rational. But what she did is this governor imposed land and water management restriction areas. So in the Phoenix metro area in some places you can't even build a single family home because of her restriction. 00:13:07 Speaker 4: So prices get jacked up. 00:13:10 Speaker 5: Transport prices because so much has got to be done by gas, and we don't have any natural gas resources. We have to basically pipe in from California and Texas, and we're at capacity right now. And we've got we've got a great jobber who wants to expand, but the mayor of Phoenix and the and the state will not let him expand he wants to do on his own dime for Pete's sakes, and this would give us greater storage, which help bring down gas gas prices overall. 00:13:45 Speaker 3: Yeah, it just feels like to your point that a lot of this is just a regulation issue, it's a green new scam issue, it's. 00:13:54 Speaker 2: It's an anti it's just kind of hatred of civilization, hatred of development, hatred. 00:13:58 Speaker 4: Of gradual anti human I would say, santi. 00:14:01 Speaker 2: Sorry, this is a total wild card. But while we're talking about maybe bossing around Latin American countries, I know for the long term growth of Phoenix, the biggest concern is always water. And I've read a lot that the best thing to do to get water for Phoenix is you build a desalination plant in Mexico and you pipe it here. And it's basically regulatory apocalypse that would prevent this from ever happening. But while it's on the table, could we get in Mexico to help us with that? 00:14:26 Speaker 5: Actually, there is a there is a plan to bring it up from sea if Cortes and they've got they have some of their permits. Now the question is, since Mexico's ostensibly run by cartels, and I asked the operators at the of this company, what are you gonna do about the cartels, and they said, well, we're an Israeli company and we're going to work with some Israeli security forces. 00:14:47 Speaker 2: And okay, that's interesting. 00:14:49 Speaker 4: That's that's very interesting. But I'll tell you, Blake and Andrew. 00:14:53 Speaker 5: What people need to understand is even Katie Hobb's own water resources departments say we have six to seven nd million acre feet of water underground in Arizona, but they just don't allow us to access it and treat it here and get it into the stream. That by the way, that's about three hundred years supply at growth levels including industry. But it gets again to management and and stopping the myth that she's created that we have no water. 00:15:24 Speaker 3: M see a Cortes Israel security forces. This is a complicated Uh, that's I didn't know that. 00:15:33 Speaker 4: I see, I see a mini series. 00:15:35 Speaker 2: Yeah, movies. It's one of the funny things. Israel is really good at making their own water. 00:15:39 Speaker 3: Yeah, of course. Yeah, they have a lot of experience with that. They they made the desert blossom, certainly. So head to head, you know, again, I don't want to look past the primary, but you are dominating in the primary polls, which is going to continue. We're going to help make sure that that happens to the best of our ability. And but but this was what floored me, and it had to have with Katie Hobbes. They have you know, they say the first top issue is the economy, considered the top issue facing the state thirty four percent of voters, followed by immigration eighteen, threats to democracy eleven, housing affordability ten, education nine, and healthcare nine. In a matchup between Hobbes and Biggs, voters who say the economy is their top issue break for Hobbes forty five to forty one percent, which and by the way, those who find immigrations would be the top issue break for Bigs eighty one to six percent. So why do you think that that is and what's the message to fix that? 00:16:38 Speaker 5: Well, it's hard to comprehend it, except for I think some people they like on economy, they think they're in the status quo. They don't really like to see change. They're quite sure what's going to happen. And the reality is we're going to deal with income taxes are InCom taxes are pretty low two and a half percent flat tax. We're going to reduce those significantly as the governor. People also have a concern about property taxes. We're going to We're going to have a plan to reduce property taxes as well. And and uh, I just think that people they they sense that they should be doing better and they're not doing as well as they'd like. And that's a reflection that comes that is the Republicans in charge now, and we're got to be better. 00:17:26 Speaker 3: So we're holding the bag for the last four years of terribleness under Biden basically and the inflationary environment that was created. And I mean, listen, things are too expensive. But the way you get those prices down or at least, you know, real earnings start to outstrip inflation, even even the inflation under Biden during the Biden years, You've got to have a pro growth candidate in office. It's it is boggling to me that you are the pro growth candidate. You are obviously the candidate that is going to be expanding housing, permits, expanding. Uh you know, dec he's seeing the cost doing business, making this more of a pro growth state, pro jobs, obviously, more income, more tax base, all of those things. She's the anti growth candidate that so she's the one that's stopping Arizona from being unleashed to its full potential. And here you go, people, people are I think taking it out on anybody with an our nex to their name, because we're still getting out from under the Joe Biden. 00:18:22 Speaker 4: Years exactly right. 00:18:24 Speaker 5: I mean, inflation under Biden was about real inflation is about twenty two percent. Trump's taking it down. Real inflation rate under him is a little over one point actually, But but we got so high and people wanted it bent down. And the reality is we got to catch up to the level of inflation. 00:18:46 Speaker 3: You see that with that GDP number that came out just before Christmas, it was a four point three percent growth, which actually outstrips inflation. So real wages, real incomes are going up. This we're on the right path. This ship does not turn overnight, but we are on the right path now hopefully. I mean, Charlie was always very clear about this. We are we're in a race against time exactly. We have to show that these ideas work and we have to do it quickly so the electorate starts feeling the relief in their their their pocketbooks. What other issues do you want our audience to know about and how do they get behind your campaign to support you? 00:19:20 Speaker 5: Well, so I think it's important for them to understand that we have to use our resources in the state. So when I talk about tax policy, or talk about water or land policy, all of those can be a milierative to our our current affordability issue, because that's what it is. Uh, you know, if we don't fix that, Andrew like, we're not gonna we're not going to win this. And but it's going to turn around in the in this first quarter, probably because of the big beautiful bill and and some. 00:19:50 Speaker 4: New tax breaks coming in that. 00:19:52 Speaker 10: Yeah. 00:19:52 Speaker 5: So so we're going to uh make sure that we're the safest state. We restore the the American dream. But I have a vision for the state. I'm not going to veto everything that the legislature does because they also have some great ideas that need to happen that this governor's killing. But if you want to get behind my campaign, it's bigs for Arizona dot Com. 00:20:14 Speaker 4: Bigs for Arizona dot Com. 00:20:15 Speaker 3: The number four. 00:20:17 Speaker 4: Nope, spell it out all right, good, spell it. 00:20:19 Speaker 3: Out, bigs for Arizona dot Com. Get that up for everybody. Everybody needs to get behind this. This was Charlie's Mission twenty twenty six, Project twenty twenty six, whatever you want to call it, was Charlie's nearest and dearest passion going into twenty twenty six, and Arizona has to be a red state. It is a red state. It went for Trump by nearly six points. Turning Point Action is going to have our army of ballot chasers behind you completely, and you know we have your back. Anything we can do to help, We're here for you. And we know that the state of Arizona will be in good hands if we get Andy Biggs elected as its next governor. So God bless you, sir. 00:21:00 Speaker 5: Godspeed, Thanks Andrew, Thanks Blake, and I look forward to serving the state again here in the state. 00:21:06 Speaker 3: Well, we got a lot of work ahead of us this year, but it's going to be fun and we're gonna be behind you and we're going to get it done. 00:21:14 Speaker 11: This is Lane Schomberger, chief investment Officer and founding partner of y REFI. It has been an honor and a privilege to partner with Turning Point and for Charlie to endorse us. His endorsement means the world to us, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Turning Point for years to come. Now, hear Charlie in his own words, tell you about why Refi. 00:21:34 Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you guys about whyrefight dot com. That is why are e f y dot com. Why refi is incredible private student loan debt in America told us about three hundred billion dollars. Why refy is refinancing distress or defaulted private student loans. You can finally take control of your student loan situation with a plan that works for your monthly budget. Go to yrefight dot com. That is why refight dot com. Do you have a co borrower, why ref I can get them released from the loan. You're going to skip a payment up the twelve times without penalty. It may not be available at all fifty states. Go to y refight dot com. That is why are e f y dot com. Let's face it, if you have distress or de fault the student loans, it can be overwhelming because of privacit loan debt. So many people feel stuck. Go to y refight dot com. That is y r e f y dot com Private student loan debt relief, yrefight dot com. 00:22:23 Speaker 3: It was great with Andy Biggs. We're honored to have him. Gonna be the next governor of the great State of Arizona. But we have so much news that is Tim walls Is have enounced that he is not running first governor brought down by a YouTuber and apparently he is very upset. This morning held a press conference and we'll get some of those clips, but they he didn't take any questions. The reporters are very upset that he didn't take questions. So that's happening. Obviously, we have the Maduro arraignment. We're gonna have David Zierr from Real America's Voice reporting live outside the courthouse in Manhattan. We have the un IS condemning President Trump's oh No, No tack against Venezuela. Yeah, you have Somalia sort of leading the charge, which is an irony. Authorities and Liberia was getting in on the action. Pete Hegseth initiates proceedings to demote US Senator Mark Kelly, a retired captain over his seditious six video telling soldiers to refuse illegal orders. So all of that is happening and more. But I do want to just sort of start here blake at at this baseline that this was an incredibly impressive precision attack where no US troops were killed. We had no military equipment that was lost. One helicopter was shot, but it maintained its flyability, and it seemed to be just executed at a level that no other nation perhaps could even match. China and Russia probably looking on going. 00:24:00 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think that's the most that's the immediate, most impressive thing you can remember. In twenty twenty two, Russia did their attack on Ukraine. They also tried to go for not really a kidnapping but a decapitation strike. They landed troops in Day, landed troops in Kiev. It seemed their belief was and frankly the belief in the West also at the time, was that Ukraine would collapse quickly. We apparently offered Tavzelenski flee the country, like we thought the whole thing would collapse in a matter of days, and Russia thought that as well, and it didn't work out. And they're more almost four years later, hundreds of thousands dead, and that's still ongoing. So by comparison successfully spearing out Maduro, it's now coming out that last night, I believe that he had this sort of Cuban praetorian guard. Yeah, apparently this was apparently thirty plus Cubans were killed in US capturing him. 00:24:57 Speaker 3: So yeah, so that is like the interesting part. I mean, you had Cuba, Venezuela turned into essentially a playground for all the world's worst actors, right China, Iran, Cuba, Russia. They were all trying to get access to the mineral riches that exist within Venezuela. And it's fascinating to watch the left wing reaction to it, where everybody seems to be very upset that America is going in, that Trump's being honest, that we're going to control We're going to the oil fields that were expropriated from American oil companies back when Hugo Shavs took over, that we're going to take those back, and that we are going to share the revenues with the people of Venezuela. But Americans are going to get their recompense, so it people are upset about that. But I actually I've been thinking about this all week and long, and the fact that we are asserting dominance in the Western hemisphere. It feels like a return to sanity from years of foreign adventurism in Iraq, Afghanistan, other places that have been catastrophic, that have been terrible for our country, terrible for our coffers, costs us blood and soil and lives and so this but this does feel different. It's you know, people don't realize how close Venezuela hold on. I mean it's in the Western hemisphere. They don't realize how close it is to Miami. It's like a two hour flight to Miami from Caracas. And you know, you if Venezuela fell into control of foreign agitators like China, which China was there visiting the day it happened and the day before it happened. So it does feel like the then question is how do you sell this to the American people when they're struggling to afford gas and groceries? Right that that is a fair question to ask, and I mean people do need to understand that when you control oil resources, mineral resources, energy resources within the Western hemisphere, that will ultimately make America, say for a more secure place. But the question then becomes, we are running Venezuela. That is, or at least in theory, we are, and that is gonna that's gonna be a tough pill to swallow for the American first craft. 00:27:07 Speaker 2: Well, well again, I think right now the vibe is very good, and the vibe is very good because it was easy, there were no losses, they got their guy, they got out. Everything looks extremely smooth, especially in comparison to Russia's own failed military ops, especially compared to our failed endeavors in the Middle East. This is clearly better. But our endeavors in the Middle East looked better early on when we took down the Taliban. They crumbled in a matter of weeks and we took over the whole country. And then it was the following twenty years where everything went horribly wrong. And Venezuela it's a big country. It's got four I think forty million people. Eight million people have left, and so we'll say a known number of people, then a lot of people. A lot of it is rainforest, a lot of it is mountain, a lot of it is urban healthscape, not well controlled. It's not a super it's it's not like taking over Japan or something where it's a pretty orderly society. It's a chaotic society. It has some of the highest murder rates in the world some years, and it will be especially when it's super easy early on. You have to worry about that temptation to get more invested. Oh, I know, if we put two thousand troops here, it'll be okay. If we've had a few more, we can get this under control. You're going to have to resist that temptation to get too involved, either in monetary terms or in military investment terms, and so I think we'll have to watch out for that. You'll also have to make sure you don't, in my opinion, overlearn from how easy it is. So you've seen some takes, Okay, well, is Cuban? Next? Is Mexico? Next? Is Colombia? Next? Should we just forcibly seize Greenland? I would say, make sure Venezuela is actually a success before you start looking for new things to do. And we were talking during the break that after Afghanistan and after the initial Iraq takeover as well, there was a lot of arrogance that, oh, we can remake the Middle East to our will. Max Boot I think he's still at the Washington Post, but he was this neo Khon guy, and you can find his essays from that period where he's saying, yeah, we could topple Syria, we could topple Iran, we could topple Saudi Arabia. He actually goes a little mad with power about all the countries that we could take out with our unlimited military might. I would always say, calm down. Remember what is truly America first, and what is most America first is not getting us involved in foreign quagmires. As long as this is not a foreign quagmire, that's great. It's great if we're able to turn an extremely anti American regime in our backyard into a pro American regime in our backyard at minimal cost. If it's true that this is a fragile regime, you take out the top guy and you could use your blockade to pressure them into something much more friendly. That is good, but be careful because there will people. There will be people who try to sell us on a much bigger involvement, a much more expensive intervention, and if we get into that, it's harder to get out than it is to get in. And that's where you get the potential for negative effects for America. And let's be frank, negative effects politically. If this is a big win a year from now, it helps the Trump administration helps us in the midterms. But if this is if this has become a conflict where US troops are getting killed, where there's no obvious way out, then it's going to be bad. 00:30:37 Speaker 3: Well, to your point, this is what makes I think a lot of people nervous. You got Lindsay Graham, we're grabbing the clip here. You just wait for Cuba. He says, Cuba is a communist dictatorship that's killed priests and nuns. They've prayed on their own people. Their days are numbered. So now we are talking big talking, big game. Lindsay Graham at it again, neocon of neocons, lick his chops at another possible invasions. By the way, he's flanked by President Trump and Commerce Secretary of Lutnik while he's saying this in a press gaggle. So that's not a good sign. But you know, and you've got President Trump talking about Columbia saying he needs to watch his backside to say in a nice president Columbia. So there are questions here, but certainly, and we need to I think it's listen, it's important to be skeptical because this stuff tends to spiral out of control. If this can be done in a clean way. 00:31:34 Speaker 12: This. 00:31:34 Speaker 3: One of the things that I'm encouraged by is the fact that you have the Venezuelan diaspora, whether that's in New York City or Florida or Argentina. These people are taking to the streets by the tens and tens of thousands celebrating the fall of Nicholas Maduro, who was a bad guy and who stole the election, who has militarized the military, which is against the people of Venezuela. The extreme poverty rate in Venezuela's over fifty percent. Their oil production has fallen off a cliff, their inflation has been through the roof. People can't afford jobs. They're eating cats and dogs literally in the street. And so this this was a dictatorship that held on to power, and as Andy Biggs described it, he is a head of a cartel. Essentially, it's a thug based sort of boss style mafiosa mafiosa tactic to maintain control of the country of Venezuela. It's a good thing that Maduro is gone. But what's interesting here is that you have all these clips now coming out from Democrats who before were talking tough on Venezuela. But now that Maduro's gone at the hands of Trump, it's suddenly a bad thing. Right, So let's play one p. Fifty four. This is Democrat Chris Murphy doing exactly that. 00:32:49 Speaker 12: In twenty nineteen. You wrote a not beed and you called for Maduro to be gone. You said, let's get one thing straight. There should no longer be any debate about Maduro's lack of democratic LEI legitimate to see. The Trump administration is right to put restoring Venezuelan democracy at the center of our approach to this crisis. A return to a stable democracy is in the interest of the Venezuelan people and the United States and the hemisphere. We don't know what's going to happen with regard to the civilian leadership there Tom Cotton, which is here saying that he hopes that there are democratic elections. Isn't that what you want? 00:33:25 Speaker 13: Well, the rest of that article, right, was a criticism of President Trump's early moves to saber rattle around regime change. 00:33:35 Speaker 3: And not only that, but in Joe Biden put a twenty five million dollar bounty on Nicholas Mduro's head. So this is Joe Biden twenty five million dollars, and now you have Democrat after Democrat after Democrat that is in it. Chuck Schumer is guilty of this, Hakim Jeffreys, Chris Murphy, many that are now going back on that saying this is bad. 00:33:56 Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously they're going to be hypocrites. That's going to be. That's just an inevitable with Congress. I feel people you though it's less interesting. We should focus, in my opinion, if it won't matter if Democrats are hypocrites, if this is a win for us because the wind will overshadow whatever dumb stuff they do, and if this is a disaster for us, the fact that they were hypocrites is definitely not going to bail us out from that. So the number one focus always is make sure that this intervention is not damaging to America. Make sure we achieve the America first goal. That has to be the number one focus, not winning any social media fight. 00:34:32 Speaker 3: Yeah, it'll be interesting to see the way this plays out. Certainly, hopefully the saner voices prevail and we don't expand this too much. But again, I think I agree with what something Jonathan Turley actually wrote that whether we set it out loud, that we were going to be running Venezuela or not. The truth was we were going to be running Venezuela. After you do a mission like this, you got to see it through and you got to make sure the transition happens, which is a big if, which just a big if. So we're about to be joined by David Zyr who's outside of the federal courthouse where Nicholas Maduro has just pleaded not guilty, not guilty, saying he's a decent man. I mean, regardless of whether you support this intervention in Venezuela, regardless of how it plays out, Nicholas Mduro is not a decent man. 00:35:19 Speaker 2: I'm a decent man. 00:35:21 Speaker 3: By the way, some of my favorite parts of the videos playing over the weekend was, you know Maduro like saying, come at me, now, come now, coward, and and you know, and then he gets you know, they fast. Apparently they shanged. 00:35:32 Speaker 2: His clothes ten times in a twenty four hour window, like he keeps having a different outfit. 00:35:36 Speaker 3: One time he's spotted. Oh really, just to kind of I have no idea. It's probably some Cuban uh praetorian guard defense measure that they've. 00:35:45 Speaker 2: No no this is. This is since we got him, they keep changing his outfit appareently fascinating. 00:35:50 Speaker 3: Let's just talk about this too. Nicholas Maduro was given multiple off ramps and he foffoed. 00:36:00 Speaker 9: Nicholas Maduro had his chance, just like Iran had their chance. Until they didn't, and until he didn't. He left around and he found out. President Trump is deadly serious about stopping the flow of gangs and violence to our country, deadly serious about stopping the flow of drugs and poison to our people, deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us, and deadly serious about re establishing American deterrence and dominance in the Western hemisphere. This is about the safety, security, freedom, and prosperity of the American people. 00:36:41 Speaker 3: Yeah, it is. I think the biggest challenge is going to be communicating why this is good for America. I think that's going to be I think the American. 00:36:51 Speaker 2: First challenge, although I don't as long as it remains a clear win, that will be easier than it thinks. Like I think, we took out a guy, and we did it in one night with a few special forces, and we took no losses. Makes it a lot easier to make that sell as long as that remains what has happened, especially if we follow up with a government that is friendly to the United States and we can point towards stuff. 00:37:15 Speaker 10: It's going to be. 00:37:16 Speaker 2: A harder sell the more there is clear downside to it. So that's why you have to avoid getting in massed, you have to avoid getting US servicemen killed, and even just the jump from zero to one is going to be very important in that regard. If this is a thing where US soldiers have been killed, that's very different from something where there are no casualties. 00:37:35 Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree. I just think again, you've got the suffordability crisis, You've got a base that is clamoring for us to focus on domestic issues, and here we are again. But this is what I'm saying, is the harder message to sell is that this will have downstream positive impacts on America, and iother. 00:37:56 Speaker 2: Think I would just not be too arrogant about how much the upside is. Remember George hw Bush won the Gulf War in February of nineteen ninety one. February of ninety one, after the midterms, wins a gigantic war against a big enemy, complete beat down. I think he has eighty five percent approval or so at that time, and he loses reelection, loses bad, and he loses it thanks to a recession that it self ended in March nineteen ninety one. That's how much economic stuff beats out foreign policy stuff. That victory was just totally forgotten. 00:38:27 Speaker 3: Well it was also ross Perot stole a lot of his votes. 00:38:29 Speaker 2: Well yeah, but ross Paro. Why was ross Paro stealing his votes? Yeah? 00:38:33 Speaker 3: Well, fair enough. I mean, I'm just saying if it wasn't been head to head, you know, he would. 00:38:37 Speaker 2: Have lost worse. You think, so, Yeah, ross Pero took I think more votes from Clinton if anything. 00:38:41 Speaker 3: Wow, we can argue that another day, but I do think here's here's my basic thought on this. We have to deal with Mexico. If you really want to deal with the fentanyl flowing into the country, it has to be you have to deal with Mexico. That's where absolutely the most of it is coming from the pre or just come from China, they go into Mexico. I have a whole theory that we need to threaten Mexico with reversing the Gaston purchase, connecting Arizona to the Sea of Cortes, reclaiming Baja. Yes, this. If they don't, they're gonna fa fo as well. But this is this is way better. This is way better. Blake, don't look at me like that. This is way better because this is actually contiguous with the United States, the lower forty eight. We're just gonna ad. 00:39:24 Speaker 2: Like you just want us to extort Mexico. 00:39:26 Speaker 3: Yea, if they don't stop the fentanyl coming into our country. 00:39:29 Speaker 2: I read a history of Mexico a year ago. The number one moral I took from it is we should build a one thousand foot wall around all of Mexico and keep it in and just not No one goes in, no one goes out. It's like Escape from New York, except with the whole country. 00:39:43 Speaker 3: I don't know. Baja's pretty beautiful, I will I'm open minded to just building a way bigger wall. I would invest in that one thousand feet high Game of Thrones, Yeah, I mean so basically, you know the point is the so I guess we have David's there. Let's bring him in really quick. David, can you hear me? 00:40:00 Speaker 10: Yeah? Got you, loud and clear. 00:40:02 Speaker 3: Awesome, tell us what you're seeing in Manhattan. 00:40:05 Speaker 13: Well, we're outside the courthouse, heavy security, Jern's helicopters everywhere. I just walked out of the arraignment about five minutes ago. No cameras or any recording devices were allowed in there, but I did take some notes. And Maduro defiantly pled not guilty, along with his wife Celia Flores, saying that I am an innocent man, I am a good man. And he went on a speech in Spanish. I only understood a little bit of it. He said he's a prisoner of war and he wants to be treated I think according to Geneva Convention in Vienna Accords, but don't quote me exactly on that. But Judge Hellstein cut him off and said there would be plenty of time for such dialogue in the future, that this was just about the arraignment. And the judge asked him if he wanted to request the bell, and he said, I don't want to request the ball at this time, and he reserves the right to do that at any point going forward. The defense did say that this was a military abduction, and also it didn't look that healthy. The judge didn't sound that healthy either. You know, it's a ninety two year old Bill Clinton appointee Hellerstein. But you know, the attorneys for Maduro were requesting also medical help for Celia Flores, who may have sustained perhaps what they say is a fracture during the arrest from a few days ago, and wanted her to get some treatment. The case will reconvene in sixty days. I believe that date is March sixteenth. And they also discussed his right to consult with his counsel because as a foreign person, I think he has the right to consult with the consulate in Venezuela or other And they also talked about in the prosecution agreed. I think because we're not allowed to take money from Venezuela attorneys in the United States, that the prosecution would make an exception. I believe to be able to transfer funds to pay the defense team Vasilia Flores. And what Nicholas Medoro said, he is the rightful president of Venezuela. 00:42:11 Speaker 10: A lot going on here on the ground lower Manhattan. 00:42:14 Speaker 3: Yeah, David, I'm curious if you've got any insight as to why this case was tried in Manhattan as opposed to perhaps the Southern District of Florida. Do you have any insight onto that. 00:42:25 Speaker 13: Well, the case, the crux of the case, and I know Florida District did participate in this under DOJ, but this goes all the way back to twenty eleven for the DOJ Southern District, and we had other indictments and a recent conviction of top General Hugo Armando Caraval Barrios, also known as El Poyo, the Chicken who worked for Hugo Chavez. This is a fifteen year old Southern District indictment, and he said he's been working that Barrio has been working with the cartel since nineteen ninety nine in a conspiracy. I think has said ing is coming up next week. Here he pled guilty to the same charges as Maduro and he's facing life in prison. 00:43:08 Speaker 10: And I was thinking maybe he sang like a canary. I don't know that. 00:43:12 Speaker 13: But the indictments, all four indictments including narco terror as a conspiracy, alleging a twenty five year partnership with FARK, the Revolutionary on Forces in Columbia, weapons chargers, corruption and violence, kidnappings, murder, and to protect trafficking ops. All those indictments he did plead not guilty too, as well as Celia Flores, who also said that she was an innocent She's innocent one hundred percent in this case. 00:43:39 Speaker 10: So a lot more to. 00:43:40 Speaker 13: Come, and I think maybe there will be an application to move the trial to Florida. 00:43:46 Speaker 10: I'm not sure if that's doable or. 00:43:47 Speaker 3: Not right, So it's a sort of a legacy of when the indictments against Maduro started. It sounds like probably in twenty eleven. They were filed in the Southern District of New York, so keeping with the league and the indictments that were previously issued, that makes sense. David Zier, thank you for the reporting on the ground in the federal courthouse where Nicholas Maduro has been a reigned and pleaded not guilty. David Zyr, thanks so much. 00:44:12 Speaker 10: Thank you, sir. 00:44:20 Speaker 11: For more on many of these stories and news you can trust, go to Charliekirk dot com.