In this episode, Mike Gallagher returns from his week off with a wealth of stories and insights. The conversation kicks off with Bill Maher’s surprising comments about a dinner with Donald Trump, where Maher highlights the more human, personable side of the former president. This revelation shakes the left-wing media, which typically portrays Trump in less flattering terms. Gallagher and callers discuss the potential shift in public perception of Trump, as well as the challenges of maintaining a balanced view amid media biases. Gallagher also shares his recent travel nightmare that gained national attention. A mishap involving a Delta
SPEAKER 09 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior, Mike Gallagher, from your trusted conservative TV network, Salem News Channel, and broadcasting across hundreds of radio stations nationwide. Here’s Mike.
SPEAKER 11 :
Holy cow, do we have a lot to catch up on on a Monday, April the 14th. It is Holy Week. I know that for people all over the world, we’re going to remember the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is spring. There’s a time for optimism, concern, renewal, exuberance. And when a big mouth talk show host takes a week off to go on vacation, believe me, I got so much to get off my chest today. I can’t wait to catch up. And yes, there was a travel story from hell. Maybe you saw it on Fox News last night or read about it online or whatever. My little escapade returning from Mexico made national news. Not just me, I mean, but they used me in talking about it on this platform, on their platforms. And so I’ve been hearing from people all weekend long who saw me on the news and said, Mike, you’re famous. I’m like, well, I kind of do have a talk show. There are people that sort of know me already, but nonetheless, it was quite the experience. on a Delta Airlines flight from Mexico to Atlanta last week. I’ll bring you up to date on that a little bit later this hour. But, you know, first things first, the normalization of Donald Trump. Bill Maher is now public enemy number one for the left. He did something horrific. Bill Maher did something horrifying. Bill Maher… committed an unforgivable offense. Bill Maher was invited to the White House to visit Trump. And Bill Maher reported accurately how the visit went. And Bill Maher was actually surprised at what came about. Let me play a little bit of Mars’ monologue from his Friday night show on, and I don’t even know what it’s called anymore. Is it HBO? Is it Max? Is it HBO Max? Is it Max HBO? When they change names like this, I don’t know how to properly brand it. I think it’s HBO. If somebody knows, you can call or text 800-655-MIKE, because I don’t know what the heck to call this place. I think it’s Max. I’m pretty sure they changed the name to Max. Whatever, it’s on cable. You know the drill. Bill Maher has a very popular show that airs on Friday night. And the left typically loves this guy. Well, they don’t love him anymore. Not after he said this.
SPEAKER 04 :
Just for starters, he laughs. I’d never seen him laugh in public, but he does, including it himself. And it’s not fake. Believe me, as a comedian of 40 years, I know a fake laugh when I hear it. And I thank you for that. Okay, example. In the Oval Office, he was showing me the portraits of presidents, and he pointed to Reagan and said, in all seriousness, you know the best thing about him? His hair. I said, well, there was also that whole bringing down communism thing, waiting for the button next to the diet coke button to get pushed and I go through the trap door. But no, he laughed, he got it. I said to him at one point, Mr. President, you know the dog, that’s unusual in the White House. He said, well, a lot of the presidents, they had a dog for political reasons. I said, no, people love dogs, that’s what that is. Oh yeah, okay, that’s true. I’m telling you what happened. At one point, we were walking through his amazing, it is an amazing tour of the whole house. And I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about, but it must have been something with the 2020 election, because I know he used the word lost. And I distinctly remember saying, wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that. He didn’t get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public. Look, I get it. It doesn’t matter who he is at a private dinner with a comedian. It matters who he is on the world stage. I’m just taking as a positive that this person exists because everything I’ve ever not liked about him was, I swear to God, absent, at least on this night with this guy. Bob, Kid Rock, told me the night before, he said, if you want to get a word in edgewise, you’re going to have to cut him off. He’ll just go on. Not at all. I’ve had so many conversations with prominent people who are much less connected. People who don’t look you in the eye. People who don’t really listen because they just want to get to their next thing. People whose response to things you say just doesn’t track like, what? None of that with him. And he mostly steered the conversation to, what do you think about this? I know. Your mind is blown. So is mine.
SPEAKER 11 :
Oh, you should have seen the fury from the Keith Olbermanns of the world. Oh, my gosh. They’ve lost their marbles at Bill Maher. How dare you talk about the Nazi the way you did? You mean he’s a nice guy? He’s warm? Do you realize, and I want to ask you a very direct question. I want to throw my phone lines open, and I’ve missed you. It feels like a long week, especially with the way my trip ended in Montgomery, Alabama, with the stranding. I’ll tell you that story a little bit later in the hour. But I want to start with this. Something has changed. Something is different. Remember this year, this time during the first year of Trump’s first administration, they were screeching about impeaching him? Have you noticed you don’t even hear about impeachment? Do you realize that so much has happened in his first 90 or so days? He has caught them flat-footed or something. But it’s different this time. They’re giving him a level of respect, whether they like it or not, that didn’t happen during his first term. When Bill Maher stands there and jeopardizes his entire career by saying what many of us have been saying for years, that this is a decent guy. He’s not a monster. He’s not Adolf Hitler. And he genuinely cares about America and wants to make it great again. When Bill Maher says that, you know the tide has turned. You’re still going to have the wild-eyed crazies who are going to gripe and moan about everything he does. But things are different this time. And I really believe we ought to seize that moment. We ought to recognize it. We ought to acknowledge it. And we should at least remember that things could be a lot worse. I want to see, as I open up our phone lines here in the Relief Factor studios at 800-655-MIKE, and I hope you’ll call or text, however you get here, please join me. Do you recognize the change that America is experiencing? Trump is getting a degree of support and a measure of respect that he never got during the entire first term of his presidency. It’s different this time. Way different. And I want to make sure that we acknowledge it. Now, do you agree with my take or not? Let’s find out. 800-655-MIKE, 800-655-6453. Come on, flood the zone. I want your phone calls front and center. Again, because it’s been too long. It’s been a long week. Thanks to Joey Hudson for doing another magnificent job of guest hosting. But we’re back in the saddle again for a Monday. Join us, 800-655-MIKE. Ph.D. 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.
SPEAKER 08 :
Mike Gallagher.
SPEAKER 11 :
Gosh, it’s good to be back to work. Love seeing the texts pour in on the MyPillow text line. Hope you make it a MyPillow Monday, incidentally. Great prices on pillows, slippers, bed sheets, and more. I didn’t have my sheets with me, and I hated it. I felt like I was sleeping. Even if it was a nice hotel, sandpaper. Sandpaper, I tell you. Here’s Wisconsin. Ralph, I honestly think, Mike, it has more to do with Donald J. Trump keeping the Democrats off balance. He’s doing so much, they can’t focus on anything. Also, everything Trump is doing is insanely supported by the public. He’s right. Florida, you can definitely notice a difference, Mike. It should be acknowledged and noticed all around to show that the far-left idiots just want suppression. But finally, a point that we must make, because it’s not all kumbaya. Don’t let your guard down. Texas writes, I agree with your take. Something is different this time around. However, if we don’t continue to fight for our country, and if we get complacent, the Democrats will, when they get back in charge, everything can be reversed. It’s a good point. Don’t forget, as you listen to us on your favorite radio station, to watch the show as well, because Salem News Channel is now seen on Pluto TV, Samsung Plus TV, and everywhere streaming TV can be found. Here’s Ray in Garrison, New York. Excuse me, Roy. Roy, do you think something’s different this time around with Trump?
SPEAKER 06 :
I don’t know if it’s necessarily different. I just think it’s more of what you just said, the fact that the Democrats are not in power. They’ve kind of been tamed a little bit. And I think once they do gain control of either the Senate or the House again, I think it’ll be the same old thing, same old they will try to be on top of Trump. like they were in his first term.
SPEAKER 11 :
What do you make of Bill Maher’s willingness to tell his audience that Trump is essentially a great guy in person? What did you make of that?
SPEAKER 06 :
So I actually watched that, and I was a bit surprised to hear that coming out of Bill Maher’s mouth. And I just thought he was being honest, you know. I think there’s… I don’t want to say there’s two Trumps, but there’s a public persona Trump, and then there’s a private Trump. And he witnessed the private Trump, and it was counter to everything that, you know, the narrative that they put out there about the man.
SPEAKER 11 :
And I’ve shared that over the years in the meetings that I’ve had with President Trump, and I’ve probably been one-on-one with him, I don’t know, half a dozen times, maybe seven or eight times. He is so likable and so friendly and funny and warm. And if his critics could see him in that setting, which is I think what Bill Maher was saying a little bit, if the people who hate him could see him in the light that I saw him, there wouldn’t be such vitriol, perhaps. There wouldn’t be such rage. There wouldn’t be such craziness. But let’s face it. Here’s the inherent truth to what Bill Maher reported. Forget what I said. I’m on board with Trump. I voted for him three times. What Maher is saying is the private Trump is the real Trump. When you’re in front of the cameras and the microphones and you’re at the podium, it’s performative. You’ve got a public persona. And it’s fascinating to me how people can be different in person from what they are on the air. Rush Limbaugh is a great example. I had the privilege of working down the hall from Rush for a few years in New York City. Rush was not a bombastic person. Rush was not an over-the-top guy filled with bravado. Rush was quiet and shy and reserved and kind of self-deprecating and hard on himself. There was a very big difference. Now, some broadcasters are like that. I’m not somebody prone to a lot of confrontation, despite what I do for a living, but I’m pretty much what you see and hear is what you get. But it is true with Trump. In person, he does come across quite differently. Mark’s in Winter Park, Florida. Hey, Mark, welcome aboard. Happy Monday.
SPEAKER 05 :
Hey, happy Monday. Thanks. Just to kind of answer what you were saying about the opinion, I think the big difference is it’s shocking that that’s news, that someone that believes a little different than Trump thinks that he’s a good guy, and that’s shocking news. It’s sad that we’ve gotten to that point. But I think it’s funny that Bill Maher is starting to sound more of a middle-of-the-road conservative when he’s talking about it because that’s what we’ve been doing for years is You know, I may not agree with Biden, but I can still say, hey, I want him to succeed and be the best for our country. And that’s what the Democrats just can’t obtain. They don’t want to do that. They don’t want to say, hey, we want Trump to do a good job. May not like the guy, but still want him to do a job because his success is all of our success. And, again, it’s just sad that it’s taken someone like Bill Maher, who’s super liberal, to turn that tide, which is good for us.
SPEAKER 11 :
And make no mistake, he’s not going to join the Trump fan club anytime soon. He’s not a fan of Donald Trump. But what’s going to happen is normal people, even left of center or even progressives, are going to say, wait a minute, maybe Trump isn’t such a bad guy. Maybe we ought to give him a shot. Maybe we ought to look at some of these policies. Maybe they’re not… So bad. All right, I’ve got to tell you about the airline experience because it made national news. I promise I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it, but I do want to bring you up to date on it next. Spring is here, and my pillow is ready to meet the moment with the Spring Sheet Sale. Got to be careful with the way I say that. The Spring Sheet Sale. Say that three times fast. You know the Giza Dream Sheets that I’ve been telling you about? These and the percale sheets, holy cow, check out this offer. Just in time for spring, you can get your very own set of Queen Giza Dream bed sheets from MyPillow. You’ll save 50% or more. You can get the queen size. Queen-sized Giza Dream or percale bedsheets for as low as $29.98 with the promo code MikeG. That’s an extraordinary offer. And when you go to the website, check out the pillows, the slippers, the doggy beds, the loungewear. and more. MyPillow.com. Look for the Mike Gallagher Special Square. Click on that box, and then with anything you order, enter the promo code MikeG. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG. MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG, or call 800-928-6034. 800-928-6034. Sing along with me. For the best night’s sleep in the whole wide world, visit MyPillow.com. Promo code MikeG.
SPEAKER 08 :
Mike Gallagher.
SPEAKER 11 :
Portions of our show are sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, and there’s a very good reason for that. I am so grateful for the work AFP is doing to make sure that the Trump tax cuts do not expire. Let’s welcome to our program Ashley Klingensmith. who’s Regional Vice President for Americans for Prosperity. Ashley, I know we’re going to talk about Tax Day around the corner, but first, you’ve got Pennsylvania roots. I mean, you worked for the majority whip of the Senate of PA. You joined the Pennsylvania chapter for AFP back in 2014. What Governor Josh Shapiro experienced is unimaginable, unthinkable, horrific. An arsonist attempting to kill Governor Shapiro and his family. I’ve got to believe… Pennsylvanians, it’s all they must be talking about.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, absolutely. There is no space, no room in public debate for anything that looks remotely like what we saw last night in Harrisburg. And our entire team is praying for the family, thinking about them. And, you know, we experienced entirely too much violence, unfortunately, here in the Commonwealth. The past few months and pray this is the end of it and that cooler heads prevail. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, it’s horrifying because and I, you know, people are going to get mad at me for trying to politicize something like this because you’re right. There’s no space for this. There’s no room for this anywhere. But if the media reports are true, this guy is not exactly a Trump supporter. And if that’s – in fact, he had some grief, some beef about his home supposedly being repossessed. But the fact is, many on the left – have tried to normalize violence. They’ve made a hero out of this, you know, this monster coward who allegedly assassinated the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. I saw a big prominent former Washington Post columnist talk about him being moralistic and, you know, he’s a fighter and was standing up to, I mean, and we know what happened in the summer of love. The left seems to kind of to embrace acts of violence. Believe me, if this was a guy wearing a MAGA hat and tried to burn down the governor’s mansion, that’s all we’d be hearing about in the media.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, on either side there again, there is just no space, no room to give any of this air. And you’ve got to call it out and you’ve got to commit as a society, as a commonwealth to doing better. And I think that we are just we are just so grateful that there is no injuries and that everyone’s OK. And again, it is time to take a hard pivot away from this unfortunate situation. display of action. It’s just not how we do things in America. It’s not how we we do business. And it’s certainly not how we scale our displeasure or opposition to any kind of given politician or policy.
SPEAKER 11 :
Absolutely. Well, we’re all praying for Governor Shapiro, his family and the everybody in the Commonwealth. Let’s talk about protect prosperity dot com. is a site that everybody needs to be aware of today. I want everybody to remember protectprosperity.com because House Republicans just adopted the Senate’s framework to extend Trump’s tax cuts, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. And Ashley, you guys at AFP are front and center in making sure that these tax cuts don’t expire. Can you walk us through what AFP is doing and how our audience can help?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, absolutely. So we launched Protect Prosperity national campaign back in January, on January 13th. But we’ve been working on this legislation since 2017, since this was passed. And tomorrow is a real inflection point for grassroots to rally with a unified… voice in calling on congress to make these a priority the extension of these tax cuts a priority on tax day look it is it is painful every year uh and and it tomorrow is is no exception but it could be even worse in 2026 if these are not extended we’re talking about a four trillion dollar tax hike over the next decade. So we want to meet people where they are. Our heartbeat at Americans for Prosperity is grassroots. So tomorrow on tax day, 60 events happening across 30 states nationwide. Some of those will be in congressional districts where members have taken the great votes. They’re supporting extending these tax cuts. So we’re going to give them some air cover, some reinforcement. And then conversely, we’re going to be on the ground in over two dozen congressional districts where members have failed to offer their support to this important legislation. Hold their feet to the fire, hold them accountable and ensure they feel some heat. So you’re going to see some great things, LED trucks traversing cities like Atlanta and more. And it’s going to be a great day.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is what you guys do better than anybody. This is why we really appreciate Americans for Prosperity. Because, look, if this is successful, lawmakers will head into the midterms with great economic growth, consumer confidence, a lot of momentum. And you can be a part of this effort as you’re hearing Ashley Klingensmith, Regional Vice President for Americans for Prosperity, go to protect. Prosperity.com to take action because that’s what you’re all about. AFP is all about grassroots, and there is a very tangible way that everybody in our audience can get involved.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s exactly right. And I want to tell you, we are on the ground knocking doors right now in 19 critical congressional districts. We’ll be out tomorrow for sure. But we are connecting members. And listen, there’s 535 between the Senate and the House that we’ve got to impact, right? And so we need the audience’s help. Again, that website, protectprosperity.com, has some great resources there. You can share your story about how you’ve benefited from this legislation. Also, interactive map where you can see how this legislation impacted your state specifically with respect to businesses, jobs, and just kind of take home pay. But I’ll tell you, this is a real impact for real people. I just visited… Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Amazing, amazing stuff. We’re on a hard break here, but great work, Ashley Klingensmith. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Everybody needs to go to protectprosperity.com, protectprosperity.com. Ashley, keep fighting the good fight. We appreciate you joining us here on the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
I wonder if the governor of Pennsylvania has condemned the acts of violence against Tesla owners, for example. That seems to be okay to the left. Now they want to go around vandalizing and damaging Teslas. How about the poll that just came out? Have you heard about the poll that shows which percentage of Democrats are okay with With assassination? Have you seen this poll? I mean, I’m going to try to find it for you here in just a moment. There are, of course, protests going on around America. Nothing wrong with peaceful protests. You don’t like Trump? Take a sandwich board, write a fancy slogan, and march around and do whatever you want to do. But how about… people advocating acts of violence against Donald Trump. I’m going to share a statistic with you about what percentage of Democrats find assassinating Trump acceptable. I hate politicizing this stuff. I really do. When they tried to do it, Look, they did it with January 6th. They’ve hit us over the head over January 6th, and they’ll do it for the rest of their lives. They’re never going to let go. We didn’t do that to them over the Bernie Sanders supporter who tried to murder Republican congressmen on the baseball field. You want to know why? Because we don’t think that way. We don’t think it’s acceptable to hurt our political opponents. But many on the left do. Not all. But many. Did Josh Shapiro condemn the monster who pumped Brian Thompson full of bullets when the guy was walking to a conference in New York City right in broad daylight? I’m glad he said it yesterday that none of this violence should be tolerated, right or left. But Democrats should be saying this all along. All along. Scott’s in West Virginia, 25 past the hour. Hey, Scott, happy Monday. Welcome to the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hi, thanks. Yeah. Oh, it’s been said a lot, but I don’t hear it on the radio much, and I don’t always hear your program, so I might be missing it. But the shooting in New York with Wiggy and the – Scott Thompson, yep.
SPEAKER 11 :
The UnitedHealthcare CEO, right?
SPEAKER 07 :
What keeps being brought up is the matter of number of deaths, number of unfortunate situations where people who’ve been hospitalized and have had their treatment turned down.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right, they’ve had their claims denied. Correct. That’s the justification, apparently, for assassinating the UnitedHealthcare CEO is people don’t like that their claims get turned down.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, if it’s a matter of… And it’s unclear, in a sense.
SPEAKER 11 :
What’s unclear?
SPEAKER 07 :
Because the… Well, if you have policy and it’s supposed to cover… whatever it covers, if there’s a gray area where, you know, say… Scott, I’ve got to move you along here.
SPEAKER 11 :
The bottom line is the reason people are saying, Louise, you was justified was because people get their health care claims turned down.
SPEAKER 07 :
Not that they get them turned down, that they donate as a result of coverage being withdrawn.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, it’s the same thing. I mean, they’re mad at the health care industry, right? They’re mad at the insurers because they’re not getting the proper coverage, and they want the insurance company to cover it, and they don’t. And so they think, okay, well, let’s kill the UnitedHealthcare CEO because we’re angry about it.
SPEAKER 07 :
No, they’re not saying that they weren’t covered. They’re saying that they were covered, but they were turned down.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s what I just said, Scott. I appreciate it. Sorry, I don’t know what that was. I think it might have been a troll, perhaps. But thank you, Scott. Nice to talk to you. The troll was coming back, and sometimes he sneaks in, I think. Maybe not. Who knows? Look, it’s sometimes daunting to call a show and get to your point. But, hey, welcome back to me. Can I go back to Mexico through Montgomery, Alabama? Hey, Montgomery, I’m coming back. One open line, 800-655-MIKE. Can we talk for just five more minutes about the politicization of violence in America and what your take on it is? Join us, please. 800-655-MIKE.
SPEAKER 09 :
Mike Gallagher. Every day, Mike visits with Mark Davis, morning host on 660 AM, The Answer in Dallas. Here’s today’s M&M experience.
SPEAKER 11 :
I don’t know, what’s the big weekend show or something? I don’t really know the show very well, but it’s like one of those panel things they have on Fox. And the host, I think it was Joey Jones or one of them said, travel nightmare from hell, 300 passengers stranded in the Montgomery, Alabama airport. And then they played my clip. of me talking about and kind of laying out well we were on the plane for seven hours they ran out of food we went we were escorted by the montgomery alabama police department into the airport for six hours i mean it was it was really really bad can you imagine sitting on a plane for seven hours on the on the tarmac i would have been clawing the walls and the windows and for those don’t know mike was coming back from mexico said he threw atlanta tampa
SPEAKER 10 :
weather in atlanta meant a diversion to montgomery alabama so far so good but but then they got to montgomery alabama and and and there was no customs there was no way to take you off the storm thing ran way long the crew timed out they they ran out of fuel the gas the the fuel truck guy that was my fuel truck reference he vanished off the face of the earth he just went home so these guys were stranded well into the wee hours in montgomery alabama and it took you how long to get home
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, at the end of the day, I mean, it was probably 23 hours for a three and a half hour flight because I had to spend the night in Atlanta because they couldn’t get me from Atlanta to Tampa then because that flight got sold out because all the flights got sold out because of the weather. But I will say this, you know, kind of a happy ending within two hours of me landing finally in Tampa. I missed a call on the voicemail from a Delta representative. Mr. Gallagher, we are so sorry for what happened. We are fully refunding your flight. And I happened to use miles on this particular one as a lot of miles. And not only that, but they paid the tax. You don’t have to pay taxes when you use miles. They refunded me the taxes. And then I kind of wrote him back. I’m not trying to get greedy here, but I said… I appreciate the refund, but can you do me a little better?
SPEAKER 10 :
Now, did you refund the entire round trip or just the coming home leg? The whole round trip. So you got a free first-class trip to Mexico City for your trouble.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s right. Every penny of it was refunded immediately, by the way, which I love because when it’s their mistake, they can refund you in the blink of an eye. If it’s some other reason, it might take about a month to get a refund. But nonetheless, I don’t want to whine. They put all the money back in. They put it all back in. I don’t know. Am I greedy to say I think I want a little more?
SPEAKER 10 :
I don’t know. I mean, another Delta story. We were in Boston, and I got to cool our heels in the Boston airport for six hours, and they wound up giving us some miles that probably were worth a couple hundred bucks. You know, it was a Sunday. We didn’t have plans. But I thought about what if you had a plan? What if you had a wedding? What if you had some business appointment? I don’t know the degree to which they need to make your life whole again, especially after something as disruptive and weird as this. You guys were in hell. This was a 20-episode episode.
SPEAKER 11 :
It was rough. It was the worst travel experience I’ve ever had. So, look, Delta has things called global upgrade certificates and domestic upgrade certificates. Neat. And when you’re a stat, you know, like a tier, whether it’s diamond, medallion or platinum or whatever, you get some every year. So I’ve just requested, hey, why don’t you give me some global certificate upgrades? You know, next time I want to go overseas, I’ll get an upgrade certificate. Maybe they’ll consider that. But, you know, look, there’s this weird place where I’m also saying they refunded the trip. What are they supposed to do?
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, they think there’s no way to know this. Do you think you were treated with a little more responsiveness because you were a platinum diamond grand poobah?
SPEAKER 11 :
Maybe. Yeah, probably.
SPEAKER 10 :
I wonder how they do that.
SPEAKER 11 :
If it’s me, I might not get that. Well, you know, this made some national news. I mean, it was on NBC, and the Daily Mail did a story about it. They showed my picture in their article of me, you know, glum-faced. Oh, no. Did you see that? No, what? Oh, yeah, they showed my picture on the cover of the article where I took a selfie all glum and tired-looking. Oh, you did?
SPEAKER 10 :
You then posted? Okay, got it.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, I had posted it on X, but then they lifted it from X and they put it in their story on the Daily Mail. And they quoted me. The political commentator, Mike Gallagher, was one of the passengers stranded on the boat. I mean, my phone was blowing up. People saying, oh, look, you’re famous. I saw you on the news. I thought, well, you don’t want to be famous for this.
SPEAKER 10 :
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
SPEAKER 11 :
It was rough.
SPEAKER 10 :
But anyway… 60 seconds. Let’s not bury the lead. Okay. Because I’ve done Cancun. Everybody’s done Cabo. Everybody’s done Puerto Vallarta. Mexico City itself, I haven’t. But I hear it is vibrant and fascinating in its own way. Big thumbs up for actual Mexico City.
SPEAKER 11 :
Had a great time. I want to talk for just a moment about how… hard it is for us to really get away. And I don’t know if you have the same concern I do, but I thought if I miss this last week’s news cycle with the tariffs and the stock market and all the head spinning stuff that happened, if you miss a week of that and you come back to work like today, Monday, April 14th, you’re in a hole as a talk show host. So I found myself being i still was working i mean i was plugged in the whole time and and you kind of have to be these days you can’t ever get away and and you know my family my one of my kids said dad unplug take a week put your feet up i can’t do that because i’ll be you can’t because then i will be not i’ll be hobbled when i come back because there’ll be stuff that the world will know that i don’t know
SPEAKER 10 :
And you can’t just come back on Saturday, Sunday, and sort of retroactively get caught up. You need to at least, with a perfunctory, put a toe in the pool. This is what I do. It’s maybe no more than 10 or 15 minutes a day so that it doesn’t disrupt whatever Lisa and I are doing. But I do every day have to take a little bit of a temperature. What’s going on? What are people saying? How’s the reaction? Because stories live and breathe and graduate through time. Well, there’s nuances.
SPEAKER 11 :
You get it? yeah i mean there’s the the tariffs thing look i don’t i’m not an economist i don’t know about tariffs i’m just watching the stock market tank and then the stock market soars and then the stock market i mean i’m trying to keep up with that and understand it uh but we did some sightseeing i was really interested i’ve been reading about some of the great artists of the mexican era free you know the story remember the movie frida and i went and saw her studio and her house took a tour of uh some of the famous artists from that era there’s some beautiful architecture saw a show you know me broadway mice i was going to ask did you go to the mexico city equivalent of broadway are you kidding i did i ever one of my favorite little shows on broadway ever was a show called waitress and you remember the the musical was based on the movie uh i think it was carrie russell carrie russell was in the movie with andy griffith i want to say he was he was joe the owner of the diner it’s a delightful musical well they’ve got a mexican version that’s every word is in spanish now understand i’ve seen waitress about a hundred times so you know what’s going on oh i knew the whole dialogue i thought i don’t understand a word of what they’re saying but i know what they’re saying and it was a spectacular production this cast was so talented and they were so good I mean, the vocals were great. The set was just like Broadway. It was a great thing. So, anyway, I had a great time to get away. But here we are back to work, back to the grind. I’m so glad. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 10 :
No one’s going to say. Indeed, so here we are. So now give me. Let’s start with Bill Maher.
SPEAKER 11 :
Let’s start with Bill Maher. Let’s do. I mean, they’re so mad at him on the left right now. They can’t believe he had the temerity to accurately characterize his dinner at the White House. And you know why? You know what they hate more than anything? the normalization of Donald Trump. He’s a nice guy. He’s gracious. He laughs. He listens. Maher said, I could have never had the kind of meeting with Trump that I had with Obama or Kamala or Biden. Exactly. And he’s right. I mean, look, you and I have been in the presence of Trump before. I’ve been in the Oval Office. I’ve talked to him one-on-one. What Bill Maher said is completely correct. He is gracious. He does listen. He is funny. He is warm. He is real. He is normal.
SPEAKER 10 :
He’s more of a genuine, authentic person than almost any politician of either party.
SPEAKER 11 :
Bingo. And they can’t stand that because they lose the narrative then. And they are losing the narrative, Mark. Whether they like it or not, they got nothing. I mean, even acts of violence, this horrific, horrific arson attack on the governor of Pennsylvania’s home in Shapiro. Have you read about the guy that did this? Not much. What’s his deal? Oh, you want to know why you don’t know much about him? No. If the reports are correct, the guy attended 39 Kamala Harris rallies. Okay. The guy’s got a picture on social media, F. Trump. And a picture of him giving Trump the middle finger.
SPEAKER 10 :
So what’s his gripe with Shapiro?
SPEAKER 11 :
His home was repossessed. He had some ax to grind with the state of Pennsylvania. But look, if he’d have been a MAGA, if he’d have been a red hat wearing MAGA supporter. Oh, that’d be the end. And that, but isn’t it fascinating? Here we go with the media coverage. You were, and I haven’t a hundred percent verified the 39 Kamala rallies that was on the internet and you never know. But, but I did see the picture of the guy with an F Trump. He’s not a Trump supporter. And that’s why the story goes away. Look at the guy that almost killed Trump and Butler. What do you know about him? Nothing.
SPEAKER 10 :
Precious little.
SPEAKER 11 :
He went away. That story went away. I mean, if a MAGA supporter had tried to kill Kamala, we’d still be talking about that guy in the legacy media. It’s preposterous how one-sided they are. Meanwhile, quickly back to Trump and the White House. Did you see Gretchen Whitmer?
SPEAKER 10 :
No, I didn’t see her face because she had a big binder up in front of her face. I’m not here. You can’t see me. I’m not here. Mark. Was she really trying to hide from the cameras in the Oval Office? Probably not. Photographs capture, by definition, a hiccup of time. I don’t know. And I have a feeling if you’ve got something and you hold it up for a moment. I mean, obviously knew she was there, obviously. And why was she there? Well, she didn’t want to be there. Well, so Governor of Michigan, a state filled with labor leaders and autoworkers who pretty well like Trump’s tariffs. That’s right. They’re thrilled with Trump’s tariffs. So she’s triangulating there and trying to glean some benefit from that. She’s stuck. But yeah, that was awkward for her.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Conversation starter for tomorrow because I know we’re almost out of time and I got so much to get off my chest. Like our boss, Phil Boyce, always likes to say he loves it when a talk show host has a show to get off their chest. And I’ve been practicing in the hotel room in Mexico City. How about the debate over real ID? Have you followed it?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I have only to know that it’s a little star on my license. You either got to have it or you don’t. in order to… If you present your driver’s license at the airport, you’ve got to have a real ID driver’s license or you don’t get on the plane, right? Whoops. Hello? Mike? What was that?
SPEAKER 01 :
Can you hear me?
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s very strange. Let me see if we can get Mike back. When Mike says we’ll package it and we will… Defense for tomorrow. He’s not kidding around. Hello, guys. 30-second window here. Anyway, real ID. Oh, there you go. You’re back? What in the world was that? You vanished. So I had said that I clearly wanted to go fast before both of us are vaporized. Right. I don’t. Right. Right.
SPEAKER 11 :
This is not harmless. This isn’t protecting us against terrorism. What it does is gather all your information, hands it to the government. It’s forcing you to carry your papers, quote unquote. And once carrying those papers, it’s accepted by the government. It’s digitized. The next thing that’s going to happen is we’re going to have everything digitized, digital ID. It’s my driver’s license.
SPEAKER 10 :
I’m telling you this seems like slippery slope nonsense. I don’t know that it seems like there’s a filament in our cat. Remember cash. There’s a filament woven into the cash so they can track where you are. Listen, there are plenty of things. There are plenty of things that are real about government and surveillance and China. And, you know, there are plenty of things that are real. I’m not sure. I don’t know if I’m twisted off about the real ID.
SPEAKER 11 :
Let’s revisit it and let’s talk about it with the audience because, again, the concern is that real ID will inevitably lead to a digital ID.
SPEAKER 10 :
How? I mean, people have been twisted off about the – don’t we all pretty well have a national ID anyway or social security number?
SPEAKER 11 :
It reminds me of sort of the argument we got with the Patriot Act. You remember that years ago. It was the same concerns. But, look, do we want to give up some of our liberties?
SPEAKER 10 :
But all I want to know, and let’s do it. Let’s do some homework and come back and we’ll do a deeper dive tomorrow. All I want to know is what really about the Real ID driver’s license, its own self, what is it that the government knows about me that they didn’t know before? So they wouldn’t already know. Good point. All right. Happy Monday.
SPEAKER 09 :
I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you. Take care.
SPEAKER 10 :
Bienvenidos. Mike has returned.
SPEAKER 09 :
Download the podcast and hear all of Mike and Mark’s conversations at MikeOnline.com for the M&M experience.
