Hochul's Trump Attack Backfires, Carolla Roasts Hollywood, Walz Under Fire | 5/29/26 FIRST LOOK

29 May 2026 · 11 min · 5 chapters

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In short

Dave Rubin’s “First Look” (May 29, 2026) covers three political/culture stories: Kathy Hochul’s failed attempt to mock Trump’s Knicks fandom, Adam Carolla’s Walk of Fame roast of “woke” Hollywood, and Tim Walz’s pardon of a convicted illegal immigrant.

Guest backgrounds

No guests are interviewed in the provided transcript. Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel are discussed; Kimmel is a late-night host and Carolla’s Walk of Fame presenter.

Key claims

Hochul’s Knicks jab was factually wrong (Knicks didn’t win in 1993); Carolla criticized cancel culture while staying loyal to Kimmel; Walz intervened to prevent deportation of Jai Vang.

Notable examples

Trump clips (2000s free throw, Charles Oakley courtside, 1994 Marv Albert birthday); Carolla jokes about Mark Ruffalo destroying a nearby star and “Jimmy’s got a fighting chance” in ratings; Vang convicted in 1994, ICE arrest via “Operation Metro Surge,” unanimous clemency commission vote, Walz calling him a “tax-paying citizen.”

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Hochul's Trump Attack Backfires

0:00 to 1:04

Dave discusses Governor Hochul's failed jab at Trump regarding the Knicks.

“I've tried a lot of seafood over the years, guys, and truly it's been hit or miss.”

Hochul's Trump Attack Backfires

1:08 to 1:18

Dave discusses Governor Hochul's failed jab at Trump regarding the Knicks.

“That's wildalaskan.com slash Rubin for$35 off your first order.”

Hochul's Trump Attack Backfires

1:26 to 5:21

Dave discusses Governor Hochul's failed jab at Trump regarding the Knicks.

“trying to question President Trump's Knicks fandom after the team reaches its first NBA finals in decades.”

Carolla Roasts Woke Hollywood

5:21 to 8:23

Adam Carolla critiques woke culture during his Walk of Fame ceremony.

“Now to Hollywood, where my friend comedian Adam Carolla used his Walk of Fame ceremony to take direct shocks at woke celebrities' cancel culture and liberal hypocrisy in the entertainment industry.”

Walz Under Fire for Pardoning

8:23 to 12:01

Discussion on Governor Walz's controversial pardon of an illegal immigrant.

“People are exhausted by the constant political preaching.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

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1:17Hey, everybody. I'm Dave Rubin, and this is First Look. It's Friday, May 29th, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. New York Governor Kathy Hochul embarrasses herself, trying to question President Trump's Knicks fandom after the team reaches its first NBA finals in decades. Adam Carolla takes shots at woke Hollywood during his Walk of Fame ceremony. Tim Waltz pardons an illegal immigrant convicted of armed robbery just before he was set to be deported by ICE. Let's dive in. We start in New York, where Governor Kathy Hochul attempted to dunk on President Trump over basketball and ended up completely embarrassing herself in the process.

2:03Now, this all started after the New York Knicks punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. And because President Trump recently said he plans to attend a finals game at Madison Square Garden, reporters asked Hochul whether Trump is actually a real Knicks fan. That should have been an easy political jab. Instead, it turned into a total disaster. Hochul smugly responded, I'd ask him to name the starting lineup from the 1993 championship team and see how he does. There's just one problem. The Knicks did not win a championship in 1993. Not even close. The 1993 Knicks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, who went on to win the NBA title as part of their first three-peat dynasty.

2:57The Knicks' last actual championship, 1973. So Hochul was off by 20 years and social media absolutely destroyed her. Almost immediately, clips and photos resurfaced showing Trump has in fact been a very public Knicks fan for decades. One clip from the mid 2000s showed Trump sinking a free throw at Madison Square Garden, While then head coach Isaiah Thomas and Knicks players Jamal Crawford and Penny Hardaway cheered him on. Another old video showed Knicks legend Charles Oakley literally falling into Trump's lap courtside during a game. Afterward, Trump joked with legendary TNT reporter Craig Sager saying, Oakley is great.

3:46He's a good guy. I know him, so it's okay. Then another clip surfaced from the 1994 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Rockets, showing Trump appearing during the pre-game broadcast to wish legendary announcer Marv Albert a happy birthday. In other words, Trump's Knicks fandom is actually extremely well documented. Even Donald Trump Jr. jumped into the fight online, posting, anyone who knows my father knows he probably knows more about sports than just about any human being not in the business. Then he added, Kathy's failed soundbite ain't gonna land well, just like her policies. And honestly, that's what made this whole thing so funny.

4:31This was supposed to be one of those easy viral anti-Trump moments. Instead, Hochul managed to expose that she apparently doesn't know basic Nick's history while accidentally proving Trump actually is a longtime fan. And politically, this is becoming a pattern with a lot of Democrats. They get so obsessed with trying to score cheap anti-Trump soundbites that they stop bothering to check whether what they're saying is even remotely accurate. Now, meanwhile, Trump attending the finals would actually make history. According to ESPN, he would become the first sitting U.S. president ever to attend an NBA Finals game.

5:12And honestly, the image of Trump sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden while New York Democrats melt down about it almost feels inevitable at this point. Now to Hollywood, where my friend comedian Adam Carolla used his Walk of Fame ceremony to take direct shocks at woke celebrities' cancel culture and liberal hypocrisy in the entertainment industry. And honestly, it was refreshing to watch somebody in Hollywood actually sound normal for once. Carolla officially received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week, with longtime friend Jimmy Kimmel serving as one of the presenters. Now, despite their political differences today, the two go way back, co-hosting The Man Show together, building their careers side by side, and remaining close friends, even as Hollywood and politics pulled them in very different directions.

6:03During his speech, Kimmel actually became emotional, talking about Carolla's success and how proud he was of him. But then Adam took the mic and immediately started roasting the entertainment industry. At one point, Carolla joked that if his star ended up too close to President Trump's star on the Walk of Fame, Mark Ruffalo might try to destroy it. He also took a shot at Chelsea Handler, lumping her into what he jokingly called some of the worst people in history. And then came maybe the funniest line of the event, Referring to CBS canceling Stephen Colbert, Carolla turned toward Kimmel and joked, Jimmy's got a fighting chance now in the ratings.

6:43That line absolutely killed. And honestly, the joke landed because late night television has become such an ideological echo chamber that audiences increasingly stopped watching. For years, Colbert, Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and the rest of the late night crowd basically turned their shows into nightly anti-Trump therapy sessions for liberals, and ratings across the industry collapsed. Now, what makes Carolla interesting politically is that he's become something of a bridge figure. He's not some traditional Republican operative. He's a comedian who increasingly got pushed toward conservatives because he rejected woke culture, defended free speech, criticized government overreach, and refused to participate in Hollywood's ideological purity tests.

7:30At the same time, he's remained personally loyal to friends like Jimmy Kimmel, even when conservatives were attacking him. In fact, just weeks ago, Carolla publicly defended Kimmel after MAGA activists demanded Kimmel be fired over jokes tied to the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting controversy. And that surprised some conservatives because Carolla has spent years criticizing the Biden administration, cancel culture, culture, progressive politics, and modern Hollywood activism. But honestly, that's part of what made this moment work. It wasn't fake corporate Hollywood politeness. It actually felt real.

8:09Two guys with different politics still respecting each other, while openly mocking the insanity consuming the entertainment industry. And at this point, Adam Carolla has basically become the rare Hollywood figure willing to say what millions of Americans are already thinking. People are exhausted by the constant political preaching. And finally, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is under fire after pardoning an illegal immigrant convicted of armed robbery just before he was set to be deported by ICE. And honestly, this story perfectly captures how extreme parts of the modern Democratic Party have become on immigration.

8:49The man at the center of the case is Jai Vang, an illegal immigrant from Laos who was convicted in 1994 of aiding and abetting armed robbery in Hennepin County, Minnesota. At the time of the crime, Vang was 18 years old. He served his prison sentence and remained in the United States afterward. Then earlier this year, ICE arrested him during Operation Metro Surge, a major immigration enforcement operation targeting criminal illegal aliens in the Minneapolis area. Now, according to reports, once Walls learned Vang was facing deportation, he rushed to intervene. The governor reportedly called a special session of Minnesota's Clemency Review Commission specifically to ensure Vang's pardon request could be heard before ICE removed him from the country.

9:40And the commission, joined by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, voted unanimously to pardon him. Now supporters argued Vang had stayed out of trouble after prison, started a family, built a painting business, and become a productive member of society. But what really stunned critics was Wall's rhetoric during the hearing. At one point, Wall's actually referred to Vang as a tax-paying citizen. Except, he's not a citizen. He's an illegal immigrant convicted of armed robbery. Walls then argued, I can find no reason how Minnesota will be safer or better if Mr.

10:25Vang is deported. And honestly, that statement tells you everything about where parts of the Democratic Party are right now. Because the issue isn't whether someone later became successful. The issue is why is a governor intervening to stop the deportation of a criminal illegal alien in the first place. And remember, this is the same Tim Walls who previously compared ICE agents to Trump's modern-day Gestapo, a comment so extreme that even then-acting ICE director Todd Lyons publicly rebuked him. Lyons responded, if the governor doesn't like the laws, he's free to advocate that Congress change them, but he should refrain from putting ICE officers in danger by likening them to one of the most appalling groups in history.

11:15And that's the broader issue here. Democrats increasingly talk about immigration enforcement itself as immoral, even when dealing with individuals convicted of violent crimes. Meanwhile, ICE agents trying to enforce federal law are demonized as extremists simply for doing their jobs. And politically, stories like this are exactly why immigration continues polling as one of President Trump's strongest issues heading into the midterms. Because for millions of Americans, the standard feels completely backwards. Law-abiding citizens struggle with rising crime and overwhelmed systems, while politicians bend over backwards to protect criminal illegal immigrants from deportation.

12:01And that's your first look this Friday. Quick recap, Kathy Hochul embarrasses herself trying to question President Trump's Nix fandom. Adam Carolla roasts woke Hollywood during his Walk of Fame ceremony and jokes that Jimmy Kimmel finally has a shot in the ratings. And Tim Walz pardons an illegal immigrant convicted of armed robbery just before ICE deportation proceedings. We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave Rubin. Thanks for starting your day with First Look. See you tomorrow.

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From the publisher

Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" gives a first look to the stories you need to know to start your day including Kathy Hochul embarrassing herself after trying to question President Trump's New York Knicks fandom and accidentally exposing that she didn't know basic Knicks history while old clips resurfaced proving Trump's decades-long connection to the team; Adam Carolla using his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony to roast woke Hollywood, cancel culture, Stephen Colbert, and late-night liberal activism while praising longtime friend Jimmy Kimmel; Minnesota Governor Tim Walz facing backlash after pardoning illegal immigrant Jai Vang who had been convicted of armed robbery just before ICE deportation proceedings were set to begin, reigniting the national immigration and border security debate, and much more. Join me for a LIVE Event with Governor Ron DeSantis, plus special appearances by Jillian Michaels, and Adam Carolla on June 11th! Get Tickets Here: https://daverubin.com/events WATCH the MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE segment of the show here: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here: https://daverubin.store/ ---------- #RubinReport #KathyHochul #NYKnicks #Trump #AdamCarolla #walkoffame #hollywoodwalkoffame #TimWalz #pardon #daverubin The Direct Message directly addresses political news, cultural news, and current events of the day. It's only by having rational conversations about these topics that we can help end political polarization. To hear what Dave has to say on these and a variety of other topics, watch this playlist: https://shorturl.at/LqDGj To make sure you never miss a single Rubin Report video, click here to subscribe: https://shorturl.at/Z6B5u Looking for honest conversations about current events, political news and the culture war? If so, then you're in the right place because on "The Rubin Report," Dave Rubin engages the ideas of society's most interesting thought leaders, authors, entertainers, and politicians. Dave lets his guests speak their minds and his audience to think for themselves. ****** Stay informed with The Rubin Report Blog — uncensored opinions, free-speech commentary, and thought-provoking takes on politics & culture available here: https://www.daverubin.com/read Buy Copal tequila here: https://drinkcopal.com/ Stay up to date on our Instagram: @drinkcopal Check out Dave's new "Actual Friends" Podcast with Dr. Drew Pinsky, Jillian Michaels, and Sage Steele here: https://www.youtube.com/@actualfriends Join Dave's Locals community: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Order "Don't Burn This Country" the follow-up to Dave Rubin's NY Times bestselling "Don't Burn This Book" here: https://daverubin.com/book/ Dave Rubin's book, "Don't Burn This Book" is available at: www.dontburnthisbook.com LISTEN to The Rubin Report podcast: www.rubinreport.com/podcast Subscribe to Dave's Newsletter The Rubin Recap: https://rubinrecap.beehiiv.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rubinreport Buy tickets to see Dave Rubin Live here: https://daverubin.com/events/ Rubin Report Merchandise: https://shorturl.at/1GQE5 All art on the set are original works by Caylin Rose Janet. Get a print here: https://www.caylinrosejanet.com/rubinreportart.html For advertising inquiries please email: sponsorships@rumble.com ****** Follow Dave on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RubinReport Follow The Rubin Report on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubinreport Follow Dave on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daverubin Follow Dave on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubinreport/?hl=en About Dave Rubin: http://daverubin.com/

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