In this episode, Mike Gallagher addresses a provocative and distressing comment made by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the subsequent reactions it sparked. Through guest discussions and media analysis, Mike seeks to understand the depths of such political rhetoric and questions its impact on public discourse and unity. Featuring network ads and personal anecdotes, this episode provides a broad snapshot of current political and media climates.
SPEAKER 12 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior, Mike Gallagher, broadcasting across hundreds of radio stations nationwide and seen on your trusted conservative TV network, Salem News Channel. Here’s Mike.
SPEAKER 14 :
I’m in kind of a weird place today. I’m in a strange mood, and I’ll tell you why. I’m not even angry about what Governor Tim Walz said yesterday. A lot of people are. I’m just, I think, almost mystified and kind of sad about it. Last night, Scott Jennings went nuclear over what Waltz said regarding President Trump. And you’ve heard the news by now. I’ll play the clip for you. I want to take a different approach today as we kick off a Wednesday. I mean, Scott went nuts. He just unloaded that we had to bleep it because he cursed. He called him a P.O.S., but he didn’t use the letters P.O.S., To say at a rally that as governor of the state of Minnesota you wake up every day hoping to hear news that the president, your president, has died is really beyond grotesque. And, you know, I told you how strange it was a week or two ago after the Minnesota shooting that Tim Walz would… have basically expressed gratitude to President Trump for offering the services of the federal government and expressing his condolences over the mass church shooting in Minneapolis. And I asked you, and I wondered out loud, if Tim Walz is thankful for Trump’s support, how can you be thankful for Hitler’s support? when you’re calling the president a fascist and a dictator and a Nazi and a Hitler and everything else, when you’re actually waking up every morning, opening up your phone and hoping you’ll see news about the death of a president, it can’t be real when you say, kind of nice things about Trump extending condolences after a school shooting. If you haven’t heard it, here’s what… And again, I want to try a different approach today. I want to invite people who don’t like Donald Trump, and there are plenty of people in the world that don’t like President Trump, don’t agree with his policies. And look, I… I don’t think your voice shouldn’t be heard. I don’t think your position doesn’t allow an airing. It’s what I do on this show. Typically, when people call the show and disagree, I try to put people to the top of the line because I like debate. I like dissent. I like to hear other people’s point of view. But I don’t know how many points of view you can have about this guy. Here’s the governor of Minnesota. Minnesota nice. You know, nice guy, right? His daughter says he’s a nice guy. I’m sure his wife thinks he’s a nice guy. I know people love him. He’s got family. I’m sure he has supporters in Minnesota. He actually said this at the Duluth, Minnesota Labor Day picnic at the Bayfront Festival Park on Monday.
SPEAKER 04 :
You get up in the morning and you doom scroll through things. And although I will say this, the last few days you woke up thinking there might be news. Just saying. Just saying. There will be news sometime. Just so you know, there will be news.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, well, there’s going to be news about you too someday. There’s going to be news about every one of us someday. We’re all going to die. It’s just that people shouldn’t wish that. on people, not their political opponents. Here’s Scott Jennings’ response to this last night with the appropriate bleep that we had to insert. Here he is on a panel on CNN. But I’ll tell you who is a complete piece.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m going to tell you right now.
SPEAKER 09 :
There have been a lot of swear words.
SPEAKER 05 :
Tim Walls, the former the governor of Minnesota, holding up a phone in front of a rally saying, well, we thought we were going to wake up and find out the president had died. Someday it’ll happen. Someday it’ll happen. I used to say he was the biggest buffoon in American politics, but it’s worse now. No political official, no elected official should be walking around saying, well, I’m hoping we wake up one day and the president of the United States has died. Crazy. Absolutely crazy.
SPEAKER 14 :
And no commentator like Salem’s own Scott Jennings should have to say that no sitting governor should openly wish for the death of a sitting president. So let me try a different approach. Maybe you’re disgusted. Maybe you’re as angry as Scott was. I don’t even find myself being angry. I find myself being a little bit just kind of sad about it. Perplexed. wondering how we could possibly have gotten here. So I want to ask you, and I mostly want to direct this to Trump opponents. If you don’t like President Trump’s agenda, I want you to weigh in. But everybody can call. I want to just ask a simple question. Can you defend that? That’s the only question I have for you as we kick off a Wednesday here in the Relief Factor studios. My number is 800-655-MIKE. Can you defend that? Can you call this show or talk to say to anybody that that’s a defensible thing to say? Yes or no? And I would like to talk to you a little bit about it. I’m not going to really argue with you. I don’t want to yell at you. Maybe you think that’s normal. Do you do that? Do you wake up every morning, doom scrolling on your phone, hoping that there’s news that President Trump died during the night? Do you do that? Again, simple question. Can you defend… what Governor Tim Walz said at the Duluth Labor Day picnic. On Monday, 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. And look, I’m not even in an argumentative mood. I’m kind of mystified, but I’m intrigued. I’m interested in whether or not you’re capable of defending that. Yes or no. Is it possible for Americans to defend what Minnesota’s governor said at a rally Monday? Yes or no. 800, and, you know, again, everybody’s welcome, but I’m especially interested in your point of view if you’re a Trump critic. PhD weight loss has changed my life, and I’ve got a little secret for you. You know Big Pharma and semaglutide and the shots in the belly. You’ve seen the story recently about the study that shows that a lot of people that are getting this are going blind. You don’t want to do this. You want a program to lose weight that’s centered around science and nutrition, a proven roadmap that has helped over 8,000 clients lose weight and keep it off. Like me, I lost 53 pounds a few years ago, and I’ve kept it off. I know what to eat and when. I know how to quiet any of the cravings I might get and finally release that unhealthy belly fat that I carried along for so long. Make the phone call that can change your life in the way it changed mine. It’s called PhD Weight Loss. PhD Weight Loss, Dr. Ashley Lucas’ program is brilliant. And how do I know? Well, 53 pounds later, here I am. 864-644-1900 is their number. Call and schedule your consultation. You can do this program from anywhere in America. Call 864-644-1900, 864-644-1900, or visit MyPhDWeightLoss.com. You know, it’s an interesting dynamic as we see a live view of Washington, D.C. right now on our Salem News Channel live cameras. Of course, we’re heard every day on AM 570, The Answer. We appreciate you listening. We appreciate you watching. And I appreciate you trying to answer my good faith question in good faith. And it is a good faith question. Can you defend a governor of Minnesota at a rally wishing death upon the president of the United States? Did you hear anybody do this with Joe Biden? Spoiler alert, nobody did. There was all kinds of concerns about his cognitive decline. There was all kinds of conversation about the terrible condition he was in and how they covered it up. There was all kinds of debate about the actual scandal of those who knew he wasn’t fit to be president because of his cognitive decline. Nobody wished him dead. Nobody on our side was pulling for the death of a president. You know, we had one lonely voice so far calling the show. Poor, hapless Ben in Arlington, Virginia. He calls a hundred times, and I don’t have the stomach to even go. He just likes to hear himself talk. But look, appreciate you loyally listening every day, Ben. I don’t know why you torture yourself, because all you ever do is call and yell at me. But I saw on the screen before I… told Alex I don’t want to spend time with Ben again today. He just called last week. But I saw on the screen the pathetic argument that he was going to make was it’s Trump’s fault. It’s Trump’s fault that Tim Walz would say such a thing. You know, because of Trump’s meanness and all, the rhetoric that Trump uses. So that means, Ben, in Arlington, if a president uses rhetoric that you think is over the top, that can turn you into a nasty, mean, ugly, vicious jerk? Really? That’s the excuse you’re going to use? Well, Trump does it, so why don’t I? Nice try, Ben. There’s just not much of an argument. There just isn’t. And I wonder if there’s anybody in this audience who can defend it. Let’s play it one more time. Cut three. Here’s Tim Waltz at the Labor Day picnic at the Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth on Monday.
SPEAKER 04 :
You get up in the morning and you doom scroll through things. And although I will say this, the last few days you woke up thinking there might be news. Just saying. Just saying. There will be news sometime. Just so you know, there will be news.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s not funny. It’s not acceptable. It’s not right. Can you defend it in any way, shape, or form? Pat is in Pennsylvania, 22 past the hour. Number one open line, surprisingly. Look, I’m waiting. And if you don’t like the president, if you don’t agree with him, I wonder if you can defend your fellow Democrat or your fellow Trump opponent, Tim Walz, in hoping that Trump dies every morning. Pat, how are you? I’m good. How are you? I’m good. I’m really mystified by this, and I wonder if anybody is going to sit around and try to defend what Governor Walz said.
SPEAKER 09 :
No, I will not defend that. Not only that, but if a Republican ever said that, the Democrats would be so unhinged, it would flip heads.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’d be the lead story every day, every hour, for weeks and weeks and weeks, that a Republican wished death upon their political opponent.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s unbelievable.
SPEAKER 09 :
Mind-boggling to me. It is. It’s absolutely crazy. And if a Republican said that about a Democrat, I think the Republicans would be like, whoa, what are you doing?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, let me give you an example, Pat. It’s not just Tim Walz. This is almost a mass psychosis. That nasty, vile Stephen Colbert, the fired Stephen Colbert, but mysteriously they gave him a year to say goodbye. Here he was last night in front of his audience. Listen to Colbert and listen to the audience.
SPEAKER 06 :
When I came back in the office, I was shocked to learn that this weekend, the biggest story was frenzied social media rumors speculating whether Donald Trump had died. For the record, Donald Trump is very much alive, okay? And no…
SPEAKER 14 :
Now, he knows the audience reaction he’s going to get. That’s why he said it. So he’s really the one doing it. So Stephen Colbert thinks it’s funny. And Stephen Colbert, for what it’s worth, he had some kind of terrible personal tragedy in his life. I think it was his father or maybe siblings. I think they were killed in either a plane crash or a car crash. I don’t know. But of all people, you’d think a guy who experienced personal tragedy Anguish would have a little empathy. Nope, not with Trump. You think it’s funny to wish death upon Trump. Does Tim Walz not know what would happen to this country if the unthinkable occurred and Trump died? Honestly. Honestly. I’m just blown away by this, and I’m going to tell you something. I’m a little shocked that my phones aren’t blowing up right now. It’s almost like you think it’s normal. I mean, I don’t want to castigate you. I appreciate this audience more than you know. In fact, I’m going to share a personal story with you about something that happened on the cruise ship a week before last. But it is kind of astounding to me that my phones aren’t jammed. Number one, maybe it’s because no one can defend it. That’s probably a good thing. But again, I want to remind you, everybody’s welcome to call the show. You tell me how anyone could defend a sitting governor or a talk show host like Stephen Colbert. Imagine me on the air joking about wishing death upon Joe Biden. That wouldn’t work. That wouldn’t be sustainable. Surely smart people would come and say, Mike, You’ve lost your mind. We don’t know what happened to you, but whatever it is, it’s very bad, and you’re not going to continue. Who could blame him? Oswald’s in Philadelphia. Oswald, what do you think? Can anybody defend Tim Walz?
SPEAKER 10 :
Nobody can defend that, Mike. The situation is the Democrats have a leadership problem. This is the kind of people in their leadership position in the Democratic Party. It’s a disgrace.
SPEAKER 11 :
Tim was the one that went up and said Tesla stock is going down. This is the kind of character the man has.
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s terrible. Disgrace is the right word, Oswald. You’re completely right on the money. Tracy just found it for me. Stephen Colbert’s tragedy was his father, James Colbert Jr., and his two older brothers, Peter and Paul, were killed in a plane crash. Eastern Airlines Flight 212 on, ironically, September 11th, 1974, when Stephen was just 10 years old. I’m sure he’s had to live with that his whole life. And I don’t mean to get personal with him, but honestly, with somebody who’s had such loss, you think it’s okay to To wish for the death of your president? 800-655-MIKE. Every single day it’s a joy to remind you that portions of our show are sponsored by MyPillow. As you know, our friend Mike Lindell, big legal victory last week. He’s been in a ton of hot water, as you know, because he believes in election integrity. Of course, due to his friendship with President Trump. Well, last week there was a $5 million vote. judgment against Mike that was overturned by the courts. Good news for MyPillow. So you keep praying for MyPillow, and you keep supporting this great American company. The premium MyPillow, limited time, great price, $18.98. If you go to MyPillow.com, this pillow is a godsend. Look, I bring the MyPillow products with me when I’m on the road. Here at the hotel in Washington State, I’ve got the MySlippers with me, those unbelievable slippers, because I pat around in the hotel room. I don’t know what’s on that rug. I bring the MyPillow with me. I roll it up into the suitcase. I’ve even got my MyPillow loungewear. Tons of great products. If you haven’t been to the site in a while, go check it out. Go to MyPillow.com. Look for the Mike Gallagher specials. Click on that box. And with anything you order, enter the promo code MikeG. You’re going to save big. The slippers, the doggy beds, and the Giza dream sheets. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. Or call 800-928-6034. 800-928-6034. Like we love to sing.
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SPEAKER 12 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior, Mike Gallagher, broadcasting across hundreds of radio stations nationwide and seen on your trusted conservative TV network, Salem News Channel. Here’s Mike.
SPEAKER 14 :
Do you think you’ve got to go to journalism school to learn how to write an article that says Trump denies he’s dead? I’m hoping the folks at Politico just have a sense of humor. Maybe that’s what it is. Maybe they’re just being funny. Trump denies he’s dead. Welcome to Politico’s West Wing Playbook. Your guide to Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the federal government, the key decisions, the critical characters, and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. Trump denies he’s dead. This was during an exchange between Fox News Channel’s Peter Doocy and President Trump, where Trump seemed, you know, we all think he’s plugged into social media and he’s watching everything and listening to everything. He’s a little bit like, you know, like the Wizard of Oz. He’s everywhere. He’s ubiquitous. But that doesn’t seem to be the case because yesterday President Trump seemed genuinely surprised that there was speculation that he was dead.
SPEAKER 13 :
But about a big viral social media trend over the weekend. How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead? You see that? No. People didn’t see it for a couple days. 1.3 million user engagements as of Saturday morning about your demise.
SPEAKER 07 :
Really? I didn’t see that. You know, I have heard. It’s sort of crazy. But last week, I did numerous news conferences, all successful. They went very well. Like, this is going very well. And then I didn’t do any for two days. And they said, there must be something wrong with him. Biden wouldn’t do them for months. You wouldn’t see him. And nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him. And we know he wasn’t in the greatest of shape. No, I heard that. I get reports. Now, you knew I did an interview that lasted for about an hour and a half with somebody, and everybody saw that was on one of your competitors.
SPEAKER 14 :
I mean, he looks fine. He held the press conference yesterday about SpaceX going to Alabama. He’s good. He doesn’t look any different. Doesn’t sound any different. The Daily Beast this morning, oh, his voice is a little bit raspy. You know they’re hoping he dies, right? Nothing else has stopped him, including an assassin’s bullet. And they want the guy dead. This was the Stephen Colbert show last night on CBS.
SPEAKER 06 :
When I came back in the office, I was shocked to learn that this weekend, the biggest story was frenzied social media rumors speculating whether Donald Trump had died. For the record, Donald Trump is very much alive, okay? And no…
SPEAKER 14 :
Now, he knew they were going to do that. That’s why he said it. He wanted a moment where the audience could be groaning in disappointment that Trump is still alive. Here’s the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, at a Labor Day picnic on Monday.
SPEAKER 04 :
You get up in the morning and you doom scroll through things, and although I will say this, the last few days you woke up thinking there might be news. Just saying. Just saying. There will be news sometime. Just so you know, there will be news.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yep, there’s hope, right, Tim Waltz? There will be news, and you just can’t wait. Guess what, Governor? There’s going to be news about you someday. There’s going to be news about me someday. There’s going to be news about all of us dying The only difference between Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, or Stephen Colbert, the highly compensated CBS host, is that we don’t wish death upon anybody. Our side doesn’t do that. Don’t you love how they claim that we’re the cruel ones? Don’t you just love how they say, oh, Trump’s the mean one? What political opponent has Trump ever wished death upon? I had a guy, Ben in Arlington today, said, well, it’s Trump’s meanness. His meanness has just sparked this level of rhetoric. When has Trump ever wished death upon a political adversary? And, of course, you know the answer to that. Never. Never. There’s something wrong with these people. They’re broken. These are completely broken people that are irrational, that are nasty and angry, mean. It’s the old Mark Davis from Dallas adage, Trump derangement makes nice people mean and turns smart people into dummies. It is not smart to reject a law enforcement surge in a crime-plagued city. There’s nothing normal about that. There’s nothing rational about that. This Brandon Johnson in Chicago is ranting like a total lunatic. There’s nothing rational about his opposition. Check out the latest rant. You know what the violence in Chicago is caused by?
SPEAKER 08 :
Red states. Chicago will continue to have a violence problem as long as red states continue to have a gun problem. Shootings will continue as long as this presidential administration continues to put politics over people.
SPEAKER 14 :
Chicago will have a violence problem as long as red states have a gun problem. Look, I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news for you, Mayor Johnson. Red states don’t have a gun problem. Red states have no problem. Red states are doing just fine with their guns. People who live in red states are able to defend themselves, unlike the scared residents of Chicago or New York. We’re carrying a gun. Send you off to Rikers Island. Oh, no, no, no. There’s not a red state gun problem. There’s a violence problem in your city. And you are inexplicably opposing the solution. Do you want to know what Muriel Bowser is now saying in Washington, D.C., about the Trump surge? This is amazing. She wants the troops there… Are you ready for this? Indefinitely… indefinitely. This is from the New York Post. Mayor Muriel Bowser opened the door for federal agents to continue policing the district indefinitely. Bowser issued an order yesterday requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with their federal counterparts to the maximum extent allowable by law within the district. She’s touting Trump’s decision. This is a normal Democrat. I don’t care what her motivation is. Good for her. But for J.B. Pritzker, how about the lieutenant governor of Illinois? You’ve got to meet Julianna Stratton. This will be the sound bite of the day for you. And I’ll play it for you in just a moment because she’s got a plan for illegals in the state of Illinois. Look, these places are doomed. Here in New York City, this Zoran Mamdani poised to win the mayoral race in November, city’s going to be doomed. People are never going to step foot in New York again. The New York Police Department is going to exit en masse. He’s desperately trying to assuage terrified New York cops that, oh, I didn’t really mean it when I said defund the police. I didn’t really mean it. Oh, yes, you did. And now you’re just trying to get elected. So, look, get ready for the lieutenant governor of Illinois. You want to talk about a whack-a-doodle, prepare yourself for the wisdom of Juliana Stratton. We’ll share that with you here in just a moment as we welcome you aboard. It is a Wednesday. I’m over at the Barrett Media Summit, big conference of broadcasters and podcasters and talk show hosts. I’ll be on a panel later today with Eric Erickson. Sid Rosenberg and… Gosh, I’m drawing a blank. Is it Rosenberg or Rosenthal? I can’t believe I’m… I know it’s Sid. I know he’s real bombastic. And he’s quite a character. But I’ll be there with Sid. Anybody help me, please. Anybody. Sid Rosenberg. Eric Erickson, Sid, and Mark Simone, who’s a terrific mainstay of talk radio in New York City. We’re going to be on a panel. Sid Rosenberg, of course. I don’t know why I thought it got Rosenthal in my head. Sid Rosenberg. We’re going to have a great time today at the Barrett Media Summit. You can get details if you want to join us in person. It’s over on West 55th Street. I think my panel is around 4 o’clock this afternoon. Check it out at the Barrett Media website. But that’s where we are. We’re in New York for another day or two. In the meantime, you and I are together here on the Mike Gallagher Show in the Relief Factor Studios. 800-655-MIKE. 800-655-6453.
SPEAKER 12 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior, Mike Gallagher, broadcasting across hundreds of radio stations nationwide and seen on your trusted conservative TV network, Salem News Channel. Here’s Mike.
SPEAKER 14 :
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a black and white issue as the prominent Democrats opposing crime and America screaming at them, what in the heck, what in the actual heck is wrong with you? Incidentally, yesterday, China’s Xi hosted Putin and Kim Jong-il or whatever for a massive military parade. It’s like the supervillains, all of America’s adversaries gathered. And CNN was like raving about it, like it was a real, real impressive display. It was almost like… It was almost like they were gaslighting. By the way, just a quick personal note. And I don’t want to scare anybody or worry anybody. I’ve been having chest pains for like a day or two. I would be so mad if I have a massive heart attack. I don’t think it’s heart. It’s just my chest. It feels kind of tight and feels sort of hurts a little bit. I got little pangs in my chest. And I’ve had it for about, oh, I’d say about 24 to 36 hours. I noticed it when I was going to bed last night. And I thought, well, I’ll wake up. I’ll feel better. That would be really ridiculous if I were. I really have worked so hard on taking off the weight. I’m working with Dr. Mixon with the Longevity Medical Clinic in Seattle. It would be my luck. I will drop dead of a heart attack. Now, if it happens, I kind of hope it happens when I’m on the air. Because, you know, that’ll at least, it’ll probably go viral, me slumping over. It’s weird. It’s like right here in the middle of the breastbone here or whatever, the breastplate or whatever you call it, but right in the middle here, and it just feels kind of tight and sort of hurts. It kind of hurts. Should I go somewhere? Now, everybody knows I’m a hypochondriac, so it’s probably, you know, it can’t be gas. Gas wouldn’t be up here, would it? This will be just my… Everything’s going great. Show’s zooming along. Ratings are great. Revenue’s great. We’re doing our best. Eric’s on vacation. And that would be really awful if I keeled over while Eric was out of the country on his exotic vacation with his lovely wife, Gina. At least, Lord, let Eric come back so he can help carry me out of the building. Anyway, I digress. I guarantee it’s nothing. Don’t call and tell me to just, Christian, you got the paddles ready? Do we have a defibrillator in this building? Look, I would finally get, Tracy’s very optimistic here, and Tracy always looks at the glass half full. If I drop dead of a massive heart attack while on the air live, I would finally get the followers I wanted on X. Probably get up to 100,000. I’m at 70, what are we at now, 78,000, 76,000? Maybe I’ll keel over at the Barrett Media Summit this afternoon. I’m going to be on stage with a couple of other talk show hosts. They’re calling us the Titans of Talk. I don’t know if I’m a talk titan, but I know Sid Rosenberg and Eric Erickson and Mark Simone are big time, big New York City-based hosts, and I’ll be on a panel with them. Later this afternoon, that’s going to be at the, I think it’s called the Ailey Theater on West 51st Street. A-I-L-E-Y. Tickets are available at the Barrett Media site. And Barrett’s doing great work. There’s a lot of, you know, Talkers Magazine is kind of the Bible of the talk radio industry. And Barrett, though, is also doing a great job of covering the spoken word format. There are a bunch of good people there. And Garrett Seawright is going to be the moderator of this panel that I’ll be on later today. If I make it, who knows? You know, I mean, I don’t take vitamin C for heart health. I take vitamin C. I take so many supplements. It takes me 30 minutes to get through the supplements every morning. Maybe the supplements are killing me. No, I’m not. Here’s North Carolina. I’m a nurse. Call 911. We’re not going to call 911. It’s not bad. It’s just kind of a tightness. We’re going to get distracted here. I do not want to get distracted. I do want to talk about President Trump deploying the National Guard to Chicago. He says it’s coming. Here was the president yesterday. And again, we’re back to this black and white issue. An amazing showdown between common sense… and rational people who don’t want crime. Chicago residents want law and order, don’t they? People in Washington, D.C. want law and order, don’t they? People here in New York City want law and order, don’t they? President Trump wants law and order, doesn’t he? Here he was yesterday.
SPEAKER 03 :
Take your mind off on Chicago, though?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when we’re going in. When you lose, look, I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing. I have an obligation. When we lose, when 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets. So let me tell you a little story about a place called D.C., District of Columbia, right here where we are. It’s now a safe zone. We have no crime. It’s in such great shape. You can go and actually walk with your children, your wife, your husband. You can walk right down the middle of the street. You’re not going to be shot, Peter. You’re safe.
SPEAKER 14 :
How do you object to that? What did he say that you could say? And Pritzker is enraged at those comments. Johnson, the mayor, is enraged at those comments. The Chicago Teachers Union president, Stacey Davis Gates, is enraged in Chicago. I want you to hear what the Teachers Union president in Chicago believes is the response to all the violence, the shootings, the carjackings, the mayhem going on right now in Chicago. I give you the president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
SPEAKER 01 :
What do you say to those who are incredibly concerned about crime in your city when we saw 50 people shot seven fatally just over the weekend? And the argument can be made then that there needs to be some federal assistance in order to make both you and your students and those families safer.
SPEAKER 02 :
And I would agree federal assistance is needed. So restore the Medicaid cuts. Make sure that young people have SNAP benefits. Rebuild and fund our Department of Education. You can give that million dollars a day to people who need support and housing and care.
SPEAKER 14 :
You did hear that, right? You know that wasn’t edited? I promise you that we didn’t edit her answer to the MSNBC host’s question. What do you say to people who are worried about the crime and the violence in Chicago? Give us more SNAP benefits. Give us Medicare for all. That is so unbelievable to me. Christian, sometimes there’s a clip like that that I want to hear again. Can you play that one more time?
SPEAKER 01 :
What do you say to those who are incredibly concerned about crime in your city when we saw 50 people shot seven fatally just over the weekend? And the argument can be made then that there needs to be some federal assistance in order to make both you and your students and those families safer.
SPEAKER 02 :
And I would agree federal assistance is needed. So restore the Medicaid cuts. Make sure that young people have SNAP benefits. Rebuild and fund our Department of Education. You can give that million dollars a day to people who need support and housing and care.
SPEAKER 14 :
Now, I got to believe that Stacey Davis Gates is a respected person. pillar of the community. She’s the president of the Chicago Teachers Union. She is not a school board member in, you know, Pumpkin Town, South Carolina. She’s the president of the Teachers Union. You heard the question. That was the answer. Lord God Almighty in heaven above. This is the Democrat mantra. And look, Trump’s managed to do it. Trump has brought the answer. And their response is, no, we want the crime. We want the mayhem. We want the violence. We want the death. We want the despair. It’s the nuttiest thing I think I’ve ever seen. We’re the Relief Factor Studios. Wednesday, welcome aboard. And please, thank you very much. I shouldn’t have said anything. People are calling. People are wanting… Nice guy Brad in South Carolina wants to pray. Thank you. I appreciate… I’m sure I’m fine. I’m not even worried. Look, I may go by the… Maybe I’ll go to the urgent care place up the street when the show is over and have them just do… They can do like a little EKG, right? Make sure that the old ticker is working. I guarantee you I’ve got gas or something up here. I don’t know what’s going on, but a little bit of chest pain and not to be alarmed. Other than that, I feel great. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? Don’t worry. But look, if I keel over, you keep watching. This could be a big hour. This is a good day to follow me on X at Gallagher Show. How many followers are we up to? Like 77, is it?
SPEAKER 1 :
75,000?
SPEAKER 14 :
Look, we might get to 80,000 followers today in anticipation of Mike Gallagher keeling over once and for all. You might be able to see and hear it live. Could happen within the next half hour at Gallagher Show on X. Hey, can I start with a little reminder of how grateful you and I are to get to do this together? Of course. I want to tell a personal story that I’ve meant to tell you, but we’ve had so much stuff happening every day. Since I got back from the cruise, I’ve been wanting to share a story with you about a guy who came up to me on the cruise ship. Now, a couple weeks ago, we were on the Patriots Alaska cruise. Larry Elder and I were the co-hosts. We were joined by Chris DeGaulle, who was a last-minute replacement because Joe Piscopo had some health issues and some family issues that he had to attend to. And so Chris parachuted in, did a fabulous job. Jennifer Horn, who’s a wonderful, wonderful lady, morning host at KRLA in Los Angeles and a dear friend of mine. And my buddy, of course, Joey Hudson, my son and daughter-in-law were able to come. So we just had an incredible time, hundreds of listeners. And one night, as is often the case, a couple came up to me. And they said how much they loved the show and they loved the Eminem experience. They sent their best to you. And this was kind of a New York-sounding guy. Kind of, you know, looked like he was in his late 60s maybe. And I noticed as we’re talking, he had a gold chain around his neck under his shirt. And he turns to his wife as we’re talking and he says, Honey, help me get this off. Take this chain off. And she unclasps the gold chain around his neck and tethered to the chain… is a little sheriff’s deputy badge. He explained to me that he was a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy. And on his gold chain that he wore around his neck for years, he told me, was a little 14-carat gold badge. sheriff’s deputy badge with a little diamond in it commemorating his retirement from the Los Angeles Sheriff Department. He took it off the chain and he handed it to him and he goes, I want you to have this. He said, I’m aware of the work that you do for law enforcement. I’m aware of your respect for law enforcement, the National Guard. And I looked at him and I said, no, I can’t. I can’t take this. Are you kidding me? He said, no, no. It would mean a lot to me for you to have that. And I went back to my stateroom that afternoon and I look, I admit, I kid with you about, you know, a cruise and you’re kind of trapped and you’re cornered and there’s nowhere to go.
SPEAKER 03 :
You can’t leave. Right.
SPEAKER 14 :
There’s no place to hide. And I thought, how How blessed are we that we can make that kind of a connection? And he told me that. He said, look, you connect with me in a way I feel like you’re family. I feel like you’re my friend. I feel like you’re my advocate because you advocate for law enforcement, and I want you to have this. And I’m going to treasure this for the rest of my life. Again, I just didn’t want to keep it. I thought, I cannot take this. I mean, it’s like a little 14-carat goal with an end.
SPEAKER 03 :
And it’s a weird situation because someone does something that is so kind, it’s almost by definition too kind. So you want to kind of give them a chance to rethink and say, this is really sweet of you, but why don’t you just keep it? It’s so special to you. But if they really want you to have it, you reach a point where it’s kind of rude to continue to resist. So you take it and embrace it and cherish it. And that’s why.
SPEAKER 14 :
And be so and have profound gratitude over what you and I get to do for a living. I want to figure out a way to memorialize it in like a like a shadow box or something. I’m going to try to take it, you know, because I want to keep that and I want to display it on a wall or something.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, or put it on my desk or put it on a little frame or somehow, and maybe like in one of those floating shadow boxes somehow, because it’s tiny. It’s not very big, but to watch him, and I’m thinking, what’s he doing taking the chain off? And it was very spontaneous. Yeah, so it was really, really remarkable.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I don’t think you did this to do this, what you’ve now done, but two things that you’ve done that are great. Number one, I’ll take 30 seconds and a quick addendum. When Lisa and I and our friends and her sister went to Toto and Men at Work and Christopher Cross at Toyota Music Factory, we learned that we are the official talk show of the Irving Police Department. Happened. Half the guys there is like, oh, it was… And they spoke well of not just of me, but of you and of this segment. So there’s that. Now, take your story and my little addendum to that. And appreciation for law enforcement. So this is where I’m going. Appreciation for these people. You and I, we do radio shows for a living. And we love what we do. And people hold what we do in high regard. We are incredibly blessed and incredibly flattered. I don’t think we’re going to get shot on the way to work. I don’t think… Well, I am in New York. I was going to say, good point. If you have another ATM story, you might take a bullet. But generally speaking, these people who could die every day when they put on the uniform, holding law enforcement in high regard and appreciating the men and women of law enforcement is one of the greatest things a citizen can do. Contrast that with what we have now with these governors… These mayors, Mike, these people say, we want you to rise up in opposition of people who wear the uniform of law enforcement or the uniform of the National Guard to assist law enforcement. These people who look to make your streets and your life safer, we hold them in abysmal regard. We’re going to throw things at them. We might dox them or threaten them or worse. That is one of the lowest instincts, and there is an entire political party in America guiding people toward those dark instincts.
SPEAKER 14 :
I’ve got an even darker instinct that I want to share, and I’m sure you’ve seen it of Tim Walz in just a moment. Just played it. But let’s stipulate that you’re, first of all, you’re completely correct. There is one Democrat who’s resisting the tide. Muriel Bowser is now welcoming the National Guard presence, in her word, indefinitely. Indefinitely. So, you know, a lot of people were hoping, well, maybe this will be just a short stroll here. No, no. She’s saying indefinitely the crime has plummeted in Washington, D.C., thanks to President Trump’s decision to send in the troops. And she’s a Democrat, and she’s telling Brandon Johnson, essentially, pardon my language early in the morning, but she’s telling Brandon Johnson to go to hell. She’s telling Brandon Johnson, you’re all wet. I don’t care what you guys are saying. Hey, J.B. Pritzker, you can strut around and you can, now look at what Trump has gotten them to do. First, he got them to, first he got them, oh, here’s his weapon. He got them to defend illegals. I mean, they are on board with defending illegal immigrants. Then he got them to defend criminals and crime. Just ask J.B. Pritzker or Brandon Johnson or any of the rest of them. Then yesterday, the president shared dramatic video of a U.S. military strike that blew apart a Venezuelan drug boat in the southern Caribbean, killing nearly a dozen Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists. They’re the worst of the worst. We’ve got young people. Okay, now the Democrats.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right on cue.
SPEAKER 14 :
Now he got them defending the Venezuelan drug lords. They’re upset about that. I mean, it’s the trifecta. Holy crap. So this is what he gets them to do. And they’re not smart enough to get out of the way of themselves.
SPEAKER 03 :
No. And you know what would be smart? And this is funny because how do you… I happen to know, I still know a lot of people in D.C., the Muriel Bowser appreciation for, acceptance of, first tolerance of, and now outright appreciation for… Embracing. Embracing. …is… crazy popular in dc she has done herself a huge favor for every trump hating activist usually an old crusty boomer living in georgetown old white crusty boomer living in georgetown there are regular folks of various races just going to work in dc and appreciating safer streets So, Mike, here we are, the conservative media guys. We’re going to offer free advice to key Democrats on how to improve their poll numbers and improve their stature. To J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson in Chicago, go along with it. Welcome the National Guard, and their political stock will rise. I want safer streets. I would love if they did that.
SPEAKER 14 :
I have no interest in helping them in any way, shape, or form, so I hope they keep going down this path. But the point is, just like Muriel Bowser’s position in D.C. is popular with constituents and residents, it would be equally as popular in Chicago. It would be equally popular in New York. It would be popular in Baltimore. Go down the list, but they cannot help themselves. They’ve got to oppose it because it’s Donald Trump.
