In short
Stephen A. Smith discusses his political identity and whether he could run for president in 2028, arguing he’s a “liberal” on social issues but not aligned with today’s Democratic Party. He criticizes progressive Democrats, says Democrats lack a clear 2028 front-runner, and argues for compromise and center politics.
Guest backgrounds
Stephen A. Smith is a longtime sports media personality with a mass communications background (Winston-Salem State University) and prior journalism roles (Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro News and Record, Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He also describes past interviews with political figures, including John McCain (ESPN2, 2005). The host is David Rubin (Rubin Report).
Key claims
Smith says black voters have felt excluded from the GOP since McCain-era optics; he argues Democrats also aren’t “innocent” on issues affecting Black communities. He opposes progressive culture-war focus (e.g., transgender topics for minors) and emphasizes compromise. He claims Democrats won’t stand up at Trump’s State of the Union “American citizens first” moment, and he argues Trump’s rhetoric is often “chaos” and “vengeance,” though he respects some Republicans (e.g., Marco Rubio).
Notable examples
“hot sauce/computers” messaging clip; Trump “American citizens first” State of the Union stand-up moment; Munich AOC Taiwan/troops question; Newsom California problems (crime/homelessness/debt); Mark Ruffalo “tax the rich” childcare/housing/transit clip; Smithsonian/culture-war access dispute.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOStephen A. Smith's Broadcasting Journey
0:48 to 2:52
Discussion about Smith's broadcasting career and style.
“So, you know, when people ask me to come, I'm like, okay.”
Political Identity and Democratic Views
2:52 to 8:12
Smith discusses his political identity and views on Democrats.
“You know, Last time I had you in here, it was proper sit down about your career and everything else.”
Critique of Current Political Climate
8:12 to 14:00
Smith critiques the current political landscape and party dynamics.
“But I will say this, I am in no way identifying myself with today's Democratic Party.”
Critique of Democratic Policies and Leadership
14:00 to 18:34
Discussion on the failures and criticisms of Democratic leadership, focusing on Kamala Harris and the 2024 election.
“The Clintons and the role that they played in that.”
Assessing the Democratic Nomination Landscape
19:30 to 23:18
Analysis of potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 election and their weaknesses.
“And this is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side.”
AOC and Political Accountability
23:19 to 28:00
Discussion on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's performance and her potential in politics.
“And then you have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AOC.”
Debating the Democratic Response
28:00 to 38:35
Explore the dynamics of political responses from both parties and the implications of standing up for American citizens.
“And it's hard to know what he is at this point.”
Understanding Political Authenticity
38:40 to 42:07
Dive into the complexities of political authenticity and the challenges of maintaining a consistent public persona.
“All right, let's do one more on Newsom because I think what people obviously would just do respond to you is that they know what you think.”
The Need for Bipartisan Solutions in Government
42:07 to 43:41
Stephen A. Smith discusses the benefits of collaboration between parties in politics.
“I don't have time at all to entertain those kind of games.”
The Challenges of Taxing the Rich
43:41 to 46:01
Discussion on tax policies and the responsibilities of the wealthy in government.
“clip but you may have seen this is mark ruffalo one of the avengers the not best hulk ever right talking about some of his policies.”
Show all 15 chapters
Leadership and Governance: A Call for Competence
46:01 to 48:06
Exploration of the qualities needed in effective leadership and governance.
“These folks that are rich, they manage a budget, They manage a payroll.”
The Impact of Immigration Policies on Citizens
48:06 to 53:13
Examining how immigration policies affect American citizens and public services.
“As opposed to, oh, it just disappears once you're no longer in office and the power belongs in somebody else's hands.”
The Polarization of American Politics
53:13 to 56:00
Analyzing how political polarization affects public perception and government action.
“And I can't remember the year, but I remember when George W.”
Addressing Political Polarization
56:00 to 57:26
Learn about the impact of extreme progressive politics on the Democratic party and the urgency for engagement in political discourse.
“You're going to have a problem with that no matter who you are or where you're from.”
Casual Conversation on Basketball
57:26 to 57:55
Enjoy a light-hearted exchange about basketball skills and practice habits.
“Well, I'm glad you moved down here to the free state of Florida.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Hey, Chicagoland! The Wayfair Store is in your neighborhood at Edens Plaza in Wilmette. Finally, you can feel the fabric, sit on the sectionals, and even open the refrigerators. Plus, our in-store designers will help you bring it all together with free one-on-one design support for any project on any budget. Yep, we said free. Oh, and did we mention the cafe? So what are you waiting for? Come see all that's in store. Visit the Wayfair Store today at Edens Plaza in Wilmette. Wayfair, every style, every home All right, Sass, Stephen A. Smith. You want an intro? What do I say about you at this point?
0:43You're on every show all the time, everywhere, telling people what you're doing. I don't volunteer. They ask me. I'm just trying to be a nice guy. You know, I got love for y 'all. So, you know, when people ask me to come, I'm like, okay. You know, they wouldn't ask me to come unless they thought I could be of help. So I'm here. Do you find that people start talking like you when they're talking to you because of the inflection that you talk with? I think that it's people recognizing that I got away with it, you know, so they wish they could have gotten away with it all of these years, that kind of thing.
1:14It's all the fun, though. It's all good. Did you, I think I asked you this once, but did you, when you started broadcasting, was it really intentional to speak a certain way? No. It really was just coming out as it was. I had a background in mass communications at Winston-Salem State University and HBCU in North Carolina. I get into the business as an intern first with the Winston-Salem Journal, then with the Greensboro News and Record, then with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and then back in Greensboro. So you go into the business and ultimately you want to be a writer and what have you because you're thinking that, you know, when it comes to television, you're reading a prompt and all of that stuff.
1:48You don't understand all the stuff that goes with it. And I just knew that I didn't have that formal training. so being a reporter getting intel information i knew that was going to be a strength that i had to lean on um and then subsequently you list you you know you get in front of the microphone for television or radio and since you don't have that training you're like okay my information will carry me the things that i have to say will carry me and it won't be held against me that i'm devoid of that midwestern accent where you can't tell where you're from you'll know where i'm from the way that I speak and it is what it is.
2:24And let's see where that goes. And for some reason, folks gravitated to me because I was unapologetic and I wasn't scared to say what I thought was correct. And I would go from there and it has stayed with me in my career ever since. So I mostly would love to spend the hour talking about those awesome kicks, which I will not ask you on it. That's right. You got them. That's right. Don't worry about it. They're pretty freaking awesome. And it sounds like I cannot get them. Unfortunately, they're pretty freaking cool. But I thought we'd do something a little different. You know, Last time I had you in here, it was proper sit down about your career and everything else.
2:55But you've been in the news a lot lately. Yeah, man. They're saying, them, you know, those people, they are saying that you might run for president as a Democrat. So, well, I guess let's do it this way. Why a Democrat? And then we'll dive into the other stuff. Well, first of all, I've never considered myself conservative when it came to social issues, anything outside of fiscal issues. You know, I've always considered myself a liberal. I'm pro-choice instead of pro-life, even though I'm not one who believes in abortion. I don't believe in telling a woman what to do with her body. You know, pro-LGBTQ +, not to say that there are people, there are people on the conservative side that don't feel that way.
3:39But for years, the Democratic Party has been more identified with that than the right. Then when you take into account, you know, free market capitalism, national security, these things are very, very important to me. But in the same breath, when I think about the desolate and the disenfranchise and I think about some of the policies that have been pushed forth, at least verbally, you know, throughout the years, throughout the decades, whether, you know, it lends itself towards civil rights, legislation, voting rights, legislation, those kind of things, Fair Housing Act, all of those different kind of things.
4:11I just looked at it from the standpoint that in my household, it seemed to be more identified with the Republicans and with the Democrats rather than the Republicans. As you move on and you grow, you learn more and more about what role Republicans played in this and how that was pretty much died down. But I think if I'm being totally honest, David, I think the biggest thing is that and I said this in all honesty to be as transparent as I possibly could be. I had the pleasure of interviewing the late, great John McCain. God rest his soul. I had a show, quite frankly, on ESPN2 at the time back in 2005.
4:43And I interviewed him before he obviously went up against Barack Obama for the presidency. And I remember when ultimately we had kept in touch periodically throughout the next couple of years. And I remember when he had some debate against Obama. And I just said to him one time when I ran into him at Reagan National Airport, I said, there's nothing about the GOP. that says we as black people are invited. I'm not accusing you of that, meaning him or anybody specifically, but from an optics perspective, it just doesn't look like we're a part of that party. And I think that that lends itself towards Democrats for the most part throughout the years viewing themselves as those that lean left as opposed to lean right because we never felt like we were a part of that party.
5:35And I think that's why I thought it resonated big time when Trump had said to a lot of folks within the African-American community in 2016, when he said, what do you have to lose? That's what he was saying, because that was his way of saying, you guys have been giving them your vote for decades, and it's the truth. We have been. So it seems to me that your attachments to the Democrat Party are of a Democrat Party, maybe of 20 or 30 or 40. Absolutely. Because everything that you talk about and the way that I actually love that you still describe yourself as a liberal, because I do consider my, I'm a real liberal.
6:09It just has nothing to do with the Democrat Party now. So when you talk about the gay rights, let's say, or abortion, when you've been kicked back to the state, Republicans aren't really screwing about it. You don't hear them trying to reverse gay marriage or something. Or the fact that Trump has really shifted the party when it comes to, let's say, minorities. It still seems to me you are more of a Republican. And I'm not trying to just throw it in a bucket, but you're just trying to understand the thought process. Listen, at the end of the day, it's fair is fair. If you see what I say and what I believe and how I conduct myself, I have no problem with people saying that.
6:43Patrick B. David has become a really good friend of mine, and he and I talk all the time. And he always says, excuse me, he always says, you are the most conservative Democrat I've ever seen. They used to be. They used to exist. Yes, we see. We are Democrats, yeah. You don't know what to do. Excuse me. He says, I'm the most conservative Democrat he has seen. but I don't view it that way I view to me if I was in office I would be focusing on the desolate and the disenfranchised more than I see the Republican Party doing it's I I agree and I believe in free market capitalism from a principled perspective but in the same breath I do believe there are people out here who need a helping hand who need assistance I do believe in entitlement programs for the disenfranchised, for the poor amongst us.
7:34I do believe in helping to uplift the little man and the little woman and giving folks a chance at the American dream. And I don't think that the GOP comes across nearly as much as saying that and thinking that way. I think what they do is they say, this is our system and there's a way to capitalize it. Go for it, y 'all, as opposed to being sensitive to the fact that there's a segment of our populace that has had an advantage that has had a step up and a step forward. And as a result of that, you've got to scale things back to some degree to give the smaller person an opportunity, a fighting chance to have their piece of the American dream.
8:10And I don't think that the GOP comes across as a party that's ultra sensitive to that. But I will say this, I am in no way identifying myself with today's Democratic Party. When I'm talking about Democrats, I'm talking about me being a moderate. I'm talking about the Democrats that existed in the 80s and the 90s, the Clinton Democrats and stuff like that. I'm not talking about this strong progressive left, you know, with some of the nonsense that they've spewed and the positions that they've taken. Oh, no. If I were to ever run for office, I wouldn't listen to them at all. I wouldn't take that nonsense from them one bit.
8:47Do you think there's a way to do that, like a genuine way to do that, just seeing that the energy of the progressives seems to have taken over the party as opposed to Bobby Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, all the people that moved over? I'm glad you asked that question. So let's say, for example, you know, when you had folks within the Democratic Party on the progressive side talking about transgender, obviously that wasn't, quote unquote, their focal point. But it was something that the GOP was able to market in a fashion that would favor them. But the bottom line is this. What the hell are you doing talking about less than one percent of the population like it's a very, very serious issue when 13 percent point six percent of the population, which was the black community, has been giving you more than 80 percent of his vote since the 1960s.
9:32How dare you do that? How dare you come at us with that stuff? How dare you be somebody that will go on stage and talk about a vote for us is against, you know, a vote for Trump is a vote against us? Well, wait a minute. We don't have a right to care about the economy. We don't have a right to care about our borders. We don't have a right to care about safety in the streets. We don't have a right to care about the things. If we've decided to vote based on that premise, it's really not on that premise. it's really a vote against women it's like come on now you can't because that's emotional blackmail and that's not taking into account the potpourri of issues that affect us as a community so i would be against stuff like that and i would fight against that and i think that what the left being pulled even further left by a small cadre of individuals that describe themselves as the progressive left no because what you're gonna do you're gonna vote for the right where you going you're the progressive left where you at you all the way you're all the way over here what you're gonna do go all the way over there i'm standing right here you're gonna bypass me and go all the way over here because you didn't get what you want you better fly straight and get your pro you get yourself right you i'm not capitulating to something like that we're gonna do what's reasonable and what's in the best interest of the country that's my mentality whether it's as a pundit or ultimately as an elected official if some miracle happened and i decided to do that down the line.
10:50That is how I think. I think about looking out for everybody. And I think about the important word that we throw out the window, like it's not a part of the dictionary. And that's compromise. Nobody gets everything they want. I don't know who that person is. I don't care if it's in business. I don't care if it's in education. I don't care what I'll give is in politics, anything. No one gets everything. At some point in time, you got to be willing to sacrifice and say, okay, this person has a point. I don't vibe with that. But that doesn't mean they don't have a right to. And it doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to appease them in some way.
11:24Quid pro quo, do it for me, I do it for you. Let's work together to understand what a reasonable conclusion may be. We don't have that in our politics today. And I think the State of the Union address showed that yet again last night. All right. So we'll get to a couple of the clips on the State of the Union. But since you brought it up, the way, so it seems to me most of what you're saying that keeps you more on the Democrat side is related to how the Republicans perhaps in the past treated the Black community. It's an absence of trust from the standpoint that I don't see anything you're doing that targets favorably the black community.
12:02Can I show you something that they are doing? Sure. Connor, let's jump ahead a little bit to that compilation that we have of how Democrats over the last few years have been talking to black people. What's something that you always carry with you? Hot sauce. Really? Yeah. Really? Are you getting information right now? Hot sauce. Hot sauce in my bag swag? Hot sauce. Really? Yes. Now listen, I want you to know people are going to see this and say, okay, she's pandering to black people. Okay. Is it working? Yeah. You got more questions. I tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black.
12:42Young black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word computer is. They don't know. They don't know these things. I'm not trying to impress you. I'm just trying to impress upon you. I'm like you. I'm no better than you. You know, I'm a 960 SAT guy and I'm not trying to offend anyone. You know, I mean, that is hard to watch. Yeah. Do you know what a computer is? I think so. You have one? I think I have a few of them. Well, look at this guy. I think I have a few of them. But listen. But hot sauce, computers, you ain't black. I mean, what is that message? You're talking about individuals.
13:21Yeah. I'm not even talking about that. You can even be talking about a party. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about philosophical beliefs that I may have that fall in line with some of the things that I know that they push through. Don't talk to me. Like, I don't get caught up in what they say acting as if I trust them. It's just like when they bring up the word racist when they're talking about, you know, Republicans. You know what I always say? So I'm supposed to believe you're not. You think I'm Robert Burr? Wasn't he representing the KKK as a Democrat out of West Virginia? I mean, you look at Biden and what he pushed forward as it pertains to the crime bill in the 1990s.
14:04The Clintons and the role that they played in that. the incarceration of folks, you know, from a discrepancy standpoint as it pertains to how it affected blacks compared to everybody else. You know, there's an abundance of things that we can look at the Democratic Party and raise our eyebrows about. You have black men complaining about Kamala Harris, you know, during the 2024 election because of the inordinate amount of black men that was put in jail under her watch as she was the attorney general. But you also have Democrats coming to her defense and saying that wasn't accurate. I get all of that.
14:32My point is this. They ain't innocent on the other side. And I don't get caught up in that. I get caught up in, okay, philosophically, from a policy perspective, what kind of things are you pushing forward that I might favor? So what do you want Trump to do? If Trump was listening to this or if he's watching your show tonight, what's a program that you would want? Well, let me say this about Donald Trump. To me, I don't even get in his policies. Like for example, 2028 election. I'm not ruling out the possibility that if I don't run, that I wouldn't vote for a guy like Marco Rubio. I respect Marco Rubio.
15:06This man is a former senator. He's the president secretary of state. He's a national security advisor. He's an adult in the room. I look at J.D. Vance and I see somebody that aspires to be Trump-ish, you know, engaging in populism as opposed to actually getting the work done. When Trump congratulated Marco Rubio on the job that he did Tuesday night, He barely wanted to stand up and acknowledge the cheers. He ain't got time for all of that. I can relate. I'm like that. He got time for all of that. Got a job to do. I understand. I'm really glad you brought that up. This fawning and this fawning over Trump by everybody.
15:43I mean, other than Mark Lula, everybody that you see talking, it drives me crazy. It's little stuff like this, but it's a big thing. Every single person that speaks on behalf of Trump. The first word I just want to thank the great president that we have in a great leadership. It's all in this fawning. It's like it's a requirement before you say hello. You're just looking at them and say, who are you? Are you really about doing the job or are you really about appeasing and pleasing him so you can keep your job? What the hell is going on? I don't have time for all of that. So what I'm saying to you is when I look at a guy like Donald Trump, my issue with him, not respectful, doesn't have the proper decorum, the statesmanship that I'd like from the presidency, because I believe he provokes chaos instead of galvanizing folks to come together.
16:25That's my belief about him. And it's very hard for me to say that because I had a good relationship with him before he was running for president. That's why you don't hear me calling him some of the names that some of these people on the left call him. I knew him before that. And I know a whole bunch of people from my community that knew Donald Trump before he ran for president. We never had an issue with that man. We didn't have an issue with that man at all. He runs for president now and and he seems to be addicted to to to get back all the damn time. That's why I call his second term a vengeance tour, because everything is about the get back.
16:57Everything is about validating what he was proclaiming and what has happened to him. So at some point in time, you got to move forward. And in the process of saying all of that, as a black man, I don't like the fact that you're trying to tell people what books we should have access to. I don't like the fact that you're trying to dictate to us what we should study, what we should learn, what we should know and want to know about our history. There are iniquities that took place in this country. It's happened to black people. It happened to gays and others in the LGBTQ community. It's happened to you wouldn't go up to the Jewish community and try to tell them about what they should be studying about their own history and what they should know, what they should have access to.
17:33Stuff like that. I'm confused. Are you saying Trump is telling? I'm saying when you have issues like the like the Smithsonian Museum issue or whatever, you bring up stuff like that. I have a problem with it because I'm looking at an absence of sensitivity to stuff that doesn't concern you. In the end, you as a white man shouldn't be telling black people what we should be studying about our history or what we should have access to and stuff like that. These culture wars that are taking place, I'm uncomfortable with him with that stuff. And I don't view him as somebody that really, really prioritized appeasing the black community by showing us what you're bringing to the table for us.
18:11I think any benefits that may occur is a byproduct of him doing what he wants to do for his base of people as opposed to my community. And I have a problem with that. That's where I'm coming from. Starting something new isn't just hard. It's terrifying. You've probably had that moment before launching something, asking yourself, what if this fails? What if no one buys? The doubt is real, guys. But taking the leap can be one of the best decisions you ever make, especially when you have the right tools behind you. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all e-commerce in the U.S.
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19:19It's time to turn those what-ifs into cha-chings with Shopify today. Sign up for your$1 per month trial at shopify.com slash Rubin. That's shopify.com slash Rubin. So, all right. So, all of that leads you to potentially, let's say, being more in the Democrat camp, which if you were going to run, if somebody was going to run for president, that's the place to go, because check out these numbers from CNN. They're all running. And this is just a downright clown car at this point on the Democratic side. I mean, just take a look here. Top choices for the 2028 DemPrez nominee. You have a leader, but it's not really a clear leader.
19:53It's within the margin. You have Newsom at 19 percent. Then you have former Vice President Kamala Harris at 18 percent. Quite a weak number for her, given that, of course, she was the nominee last time around. Pete Buttigieg, who, of course, has run before 13 percent. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 12 percent. This is just a total clown car. It is a total mess. There is no clear front runner at this particular point on the Democratic side. So when I watch that, to me, that makes way that makes more of a rationale for why if you were ever going to run or if anyone is thinking about running, you run as a Democrat because they've got nobody.
20:29those ideas are thin like it's just an easy group to punch through i agree putting aside whether i agree with you or not on the other stuff i don't want to get lost in all that sure we can do that some other time right but that makes sense like wow it's a pretty freaking field if you were doing if there's an espn version of this it's like man that's a shitty team listen here's the deal you know i've told people this on many many occasions i'm not an efficient not on the issues there's a lot more that i have to learn i can be corrected at the drop of a hat i'm quite sure. I'm a conscientious observer.
21:01I'm an American citizen. I'm a voter. Who cares? I've been very blessed and successful to have the career that I have, and I ain't about to give up this money and what I've achieved to run for the presidency of the United States. That is where I come in. But it is tempting when I see those as the candidates, because I don't believe any of them have a chance of winning. We can go down the list. Gavin Newsom, here you are, and we saw what you just said, whether people believe it or not, or, you know, because you got folks on the left trying to defend them, fine. Crime, homelessness, affordability, environment, debt in California, please, you got to convince me, oh, so you want us to let you run the country, but we see what's happened in California.
21:51Good luck with that. Kamala Harris, that's where you come from. You didn't even want to run for the governor's seat in California. You should have been able to win that one. You didn't want that. Okay. We saw what happened during the election. You had 107 days. Biden put you at a disadvantage. That's all true. But your interview on The View sealed your fate. When they asked you, is there anything that you would do differently than Biden? You're like, no, I can't think of anything. Nobody's letting that go. And back to Gavin Newsom. Everybody talked about. You need to move to the center to some degree.
22:22Look at it that way. What do you do two weeks later? You're on scene on TV talking about when it comes to transgender, transitioning from male to female, even if they're children, you really have no problem with that, with them doing such a thing without parental consent. I've said this to numerous people who would listen. If my child is underage, you can't come to my child to tell my child to walk down the street to the store without my permission. How in God's name do you think you can do something that's serious without parental consent? Right, we used to not let them go to a PG-13 group. Are you kidding me?
22:57That is just utterly ridiculous. That kind of soundbite is going to be held against them. So I think that those two right there, they hurt themselves immensely. And I don't think the Democrats wanted Kamala Harris. And I think that that has a lot to do, you know, as you saw her writing her book, she didn't feel like she was completely supported. So how are you going to suddenly get the support for 2028 if you couldn't get into 2024? That ain't going to work. Pete Buttigieg, as I said on Real Time with Bill Maher, he doesn't move us. Yeah. He just doesn't move us. It's just that simple. All right.
23:25And then you have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AOC. I respect her. I respect her passion. I respect what she tries to do for her constituency in the Bronx, New York. That clip of her in Munich was one of the most embarrassing videos we may have seen. Would and should the U.S. actually commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move? You know, I think that this is such a, you know, I think that this is a, this is, of course, a very longstanding policy of the United States. And I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point. And we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.
24:33Listen, when Mitch McConnell, the former Senate majority leader, froze, ladies and gentlemen, we were wondering whether or not he had a stroke. We know he's old. We know there are health issues. That is a vibrant young lady. That is AOC. Yeah. OK. That was not a health issue. You were not prepared. You did not know what you were talking about. and the world saw it. Now, if they had walked up to you on center stage, you know, if they had walked up to you while you walk in the streets of the Bronx and just stuck a camera and a microphone in your face and you were caught off guard, that would be different.
25:09No, you flew across the world. You flew across the ocean to attend this conference. To a conference specializing in that. Specializing in that. And that was your answer. You can't get around that and the Republicans are going to have a field day playing that at every turn. Do I believe she has a shot to win the Senate seat over Chuck Schumer down the line? Yes. But her as a world figure? Nah. They're going to hold that against her forever. What is it that you respect about her? Because I've heard you say that before. People do this with Newsom a lot too. Like, he's wrong on everything, but I respect him.
Read the full transcript
25:42What we're saying is, most of the time, most of the time, everybody ain't into the weeds like somebody like you are. That's why when you talk to somebody like you and others, you got to know what you're talking about or admit that you don't. You see what I'm saying? Which I, you know, you, Megyn Kelly, a bunch of others. I respect everybody because it's like, yo, you got to know your stuff. And if you don't know, admit you know, don't walk around lying and trying to hide like, you know, something you don't know. So I get that part. But when we talk about respect to somebody, what we're saying is you're listening to policies.
26:08You're listening to people spew their rhetoric about whatever their beliefs are, whatever their ideology is, et cetera. and you see the passion and the fervor and the fight that they have within themselves to go after the opposite side, trying to derail what we may perceive as them striving to do in the best interests of our community. That's all we mean by that, okay? When you get into the weeds of policy and what have you, yeah, it could be a bit challenging because sometimes what they're saying may not make any sense when you really, really go through it. Right, so you're saying She's playing in a game and she's playing.
26:42Well, I don't know that she doesn't know. I know she didn't know that day. But other issues, other times I've seen her speaking on Capitol Hill, she didn't seem ignorant and oblivious to the issues. She had her position and she would try to push it and she would attack the opposition. But she didn't seem lost like she did in Munich. I've never seen her like that before. That's the first time I ever saw her and she looked completely lost. Now, I'm not watching a whole bunch of clips and footages of her. So I'm just speaking based off of the experience of me, what I've seen. But she's never looked like that.
27:15So I want to throw to a clip. You know which one this is already. This is the moment to me at State of the Union when Trump basically said, hey, if you're in this room and you are for America, stand up and for American citizens. And of course, watch what happened. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.
27:55So not only did not one Democrat stand up, I think maybe Fetterman stood up. And it's hard to know what he is at this point. He wore a suit. Thank God. Thank God. His hoodies aren't as fancy. He's usually not in a sweatsuit this good. He's usually not one this good. Definitely not shoes that good. That's right. But okay, so nobody stands up. Yeah. 73 Dems don't show up to the thing. And this again gets me to the first question, which is if someone like you who is a moderate, again, putting aside some of the issues, if you were actually running, putting aside who the competition would be, to me it's obviously a Republican because you would have stood up.
28:29Would you not have stood up if you were... I absolutely would have stood up. And here's the thing. Elizabeth Warren stood up when he talked about, you know, insider trading issues within the United States government with elected officials and how that needed to be eradicated. She stood up to support that. Why wouldn't you stand up to support what he said? And you have to anticipate. He's playing them like a fiddle. He knows they're not going to stand up. He knows how bad it's going to make them look. I would have called this bluff And I would have stood up and I would have said you're damn right Because the bottom line is You got to remember he's the key words that came out of his mouth He said American citizens So there are plenty of people Who are American citizens Who are of the same ethnic Consent As the immigrants And migrants are You have people who are Hispanics You have people who Wherever they're from It could be Venezuela, it could be Guatemala, it could be Mexico, it could be anywhere.
29:29You understand? Who are American citizens? So when he said American citizens and American citizens first, first of all, that's the right thing because it should be American citizens first, number one. And number two, you know, for people on the left, some of them, not most, not all, but some of them coming out and saying that what he said was racist. Well, how? How? Exactly. Because you're looking out for America. And we got to be we got to be mindful of what we mean when we say that. When people are coming into this country undocumented and they're crossing our borders illegally. It costs us money.
30:07You're using the emergency room as your own medical health care plan, you know, jobs and stuff like that. And how it could potentially have a detrimental effect. And you know where I'm from. I believe when white folks catch a cold, black folks catch pneumonia. It's always worse for us. So anything that works to the detriment of our country is going to work doubly worse for the black community. And I look at it from that standpoint. How could you. So I'm looking at it and I'm saying I can't I can't buy with that kind of thinking. Sure, you could stand up. Sure, you could sit up there and applaud his position on that or just stand up and don't applaud just to let him know.
30:43I don't agree with you, but I agree with what you just said. You there are ways to handle it. But the Democrats don't seem to have a plan because they're all over the place. You got some people that showed up to the State of the Union. You got others that had their own protests going on, their own, you know, whatever it is that you want to call it. And they're not on the same page. They're a house divided. And say what you will about the GOP, but they're not a house divided. And the Democrats are. Where I would come in, where I would be a problem, is that in the end, when you talk about populism, it's about your impact with the voter.
31:18And no matter what these politicians want to say They ultimately gravitate to those that have the impact with the voters On their side of the aisle that is And if I were able to pull that off If anybody was able to pull that off Then you're going to fall in line If you're committed to making them do so And that's exactly what I would do Because I'm not telling you that I'm not going to vote for you Or with you on various issues I'm just saying you don't get everything you want and you're not pushing me for the left. We're going to come back to the center and get some degree of normalcy back into our country's politics.
31:58That's the way it's going to be. It would basically be you and Fetterman with the hoodies going into the insane asylum and saying you guys aren't running this place anymore. I'm significantly different than Fetterman. Yeah. Because I believe that, you know, my passion, the manner in which I articulate my thoughts and the feistiness that I would have with me. See, Fetterman don't want to fight. He's a good man, cares about this country, is committed to doing his job, and he's a reasonable, normal person. And I get that part. But he ain't trying to fight, had his health issues or whatever. I'm in the best shape I've been in in 30 years.
32:32You know, I'm 58 going on 38, if not 28. I feel great. I'm energized I'm hyped and most importantly the fight don't bother me it's something that I'm accustomed to every day I debate every day for a living it's what I do so my attitude is you want some come get some if that's how it would be now again I don't have any desire to give up my money so that's not happening and I'm not don't plan on me running for office but I'm just telling you If there was a way for me to be on that debate stage and I didn't have to give up my money to be on that debate stage, my brother, you look out. So part of what you're doing here is a little bit of just like a media play, right?
33:16Like you're not, like are you really considering this? The point that I'm trying to make to you is what I'm saying, Mr. Rubin, is this. Come up with a way for me to keep my money. And I'm like, I'll show up. I have no... What I mean by that is that I can't... Yeah, I got you. I'm not allowed to do it. FCC, you know, the whole fairness thing. They just had this thing with Stephen Colbert and James Tolerico with Texas and all this stuff. Fair, airtime, equitable, airtime, that kind of stuff. I get pulled off the air immediately because of that and I wouldn't get a check until I'm out of the race.
33:55That's not happening. I'm not doing that. But if you said to me, hey, hey, you could show up on the debate stage, you understand, and still do your job. Wait a minute now. I'm telling you, I would look into the camera and announce to you that I'm running for the Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States of America. I wouldn't hesitate. You know, it sort of reminds me a little bit of Vivek in a way, because I don't think he really thought he was going to be president, but I thought he wanted to get on the debate stage. And that's where we're different. because I'm on Chris Cuomo show on News Nation last Wednesday, I believe.
34:33And Bill O 'Leary is on there with me. And Bill O 'Leary is like, you should run for exactly that reason. He says, you're not going to win, but you could create this change. You call out the charlatans to use his word. And I said to him, that ain't my mentality. If I do it, it's because I believe I'm going to win. I'm coming to win. I'm not going to step on a debate stage to lose. I don't do that. I'm not trying to. Oh, let me have an effect with the full intention of walking away and bowing out. You know, I'm not going to be somebody that, you know, you lose, but you can't accept losing like some people who remain nameless.
35:10Okay. I'm not going to do that. If I lost, I lost, but I'm telling you, if I were to decide to do it, it's because I'm coming to win the candidates that you showed me. I believe I can take them I'm not disrespecting them at all I would love to see you on the big stage But their record is their record I don't have a record So my point is what you gonna do Show clips of me yelling on first date Or a sports center That's all you got I mean you gonna pull up my SAT scores Please don't do that Because it was hard It was worse than Gavin Newsom's And all that stuff Because I wasn't studying I was running the streets Probably did skip cry a couple times I was trying to survive In all seriousness this, what is it that you're going to do?
35:51You have a record as the governor. You have a record as the former vice president or who was a former senator, who was a former attorney general. You have a record as a former transportation secretary. You have a record as a representative out of New York City for the United States, for the House of Representatives. I don't have that. There's plenty of things for me to point to. What you going to point to other than my attitude or some bogus headlines they try to put in and they're about to create negativity about me and all of this stuff. You're not going to do a damn thing. All you're going to have to do is come at me and you're going to have to come at me and show that I have no business thinking that I can play in this lane.
36:30And I'm saying to you, you're absolutely right. I probably don't have any business playing in this lane, but what does that say that I'm a candidate because y 'all must be God awful if I'm sitting up here on this stage with you. That would be my battle cry. Y 'all thirsted because of y 'all's incompetence and the fact that y 'all ain't get it done. That would be the difference. You know, I either hate to tell you this or I love to tell you this, but that's what Trump was saying back in the 80s. You idiots are going to force someone like me to run. When he used to go on Donahue and Oprah and all those shows, it's going to be your fault.
37:04But let's back up. That doesn't mean he was wrong. Did you just say you're in your best physical shape at 58? Because I beat you in the free throw contest last night. No, you didn't. No, you didn't. There's video. Yeah, I saw this video. Good. I remember that. I don't remember you winning. I remember us tying because I was surprised that you made a few. But listen, it's your backyard. You practice every day. I shoot once or twice a year. Go ahead. You want a cookie? But you didn't beat me. A cookie would be nice. But anyway, so the point is we can extend it to three point today, right? Okay. If I have time, man, I'm sitting here with you talking.
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38:43All right, let's do one more on Newsom because I think what people obviously would just do respond to you is that they know what you think. You're not bullshitting them and it's free and it's real. I want to show you this clip from NPR with Newsom. And I think it gets to the heart of what is just so awful about him. I want to understand who you are politically because I'm trying to understand your overall strategy here. On one hand, you are bringing people like the late Charlie Kirk, like Steve Bannon onto your podcast. On the other hand, you're trolling President Trump on X. You mock his riding style.
39:15You mock his body. You are selling mega-branded knee pads. How do you square those playground insults with the listening sessions that you're having with these conservatives on the podcast? Because I think you can be both and. But what if you're confusing people as to what you sincerely believe? Like, why not present just one Gavin Newsom, one consistent tone across all platforms? I am. What's the consistent tone? I'm who I am. I'm consistently me. I'm interested in other people. I'm interested in what makes them work. I don't want to I don't talk down or pass people I believe all of us want to be protected connected and respective all of us need to be loved and and and need to love To me, that's universal But you don't think you're talking down to president trump on your ex account?
40:02I'm putting well, I'm putting a mirror up to president trump and i'm fighting fire with fire and i'm punching a bully back in the In the mouth I mean, I just always say he's a lizard person because you just don't know what he is He's a chameleon. You don't know what he believes on anything everything he touches seems to work for him, but not for the people that govern him. I mean, in some sense, that's like the polar opposite of everything you've said. Well, I won't say this. About why you would care. I won't say this. He does have a point when he brings up the fact that he considers himself a multifaceted person.
40:34We're not one dimensional. You can get in front. I've seen you sitting here talking to me, but I've also seen you on other shows when you've been interviewed by Pierce and others. And that's not the person that I saw talking to me. You know, moments call for different elements of your personality to come oozing out. So I do agree with him and understand that part. The fact that when he's communicating about a president that calls him new scum instead of by his name, when he's a sitting governor in the United States, that can wile you up. That can agitate you. I do understand those things. But in the end, you should, if you're Gavin Newsom, pay attention to people saying they don't trust your authenticity.
41:18They don't trust that you're real. They trust that you do what's politically expedient in a moment and they don't feel they can trust you. That's a big, big deal that you want to overcome. I know for me, for better or worse, you can trust me to be me, you know, for better or worse. Some people hate me. Some people love me. And when I give a damn, I'll be sure to let you know because it is what it is. You know, my mother taught me this a long time ago. It's a hell of a lot easier for you to live with your truth. For others to force others to live with your truth than it is for you to live with your own lies.
41:53You only got time for that. It's too much energy. And she was always right about that. And I've always held on to that because me being true, I've always said I'm one of the most emotionally honest people you will meet. What you see is what it is. I don't have time at all to entertain those kind of games. And do I believe that that would bode well for me in politics? Sure, I believe. And I've never tried to govern. I've never tried to be an elected official. I don't know this stuff, man. You know, I told somebody the other day and they said that was a great idea. I said, you know what I would want to do if I was if I was in office?
42:30I'd want to have two people for every single cabinet position, a Democrat and a Republican, figure it out and come to me with the best idea. Oh, God, you want to grow the government. No, no, no. What I mean, I'm just talking about I'm just talking about, hey, no one gets everything. Stop this nonsense and stop being one party ruling a binary system because it's a fact. I believe it trickles down to the streets and cause chaos amongst all of us because you're saying I got one or two choices and it's neither side has it all has all the answers. So whatever side you side with riles up the other side and gets people against one another.
43:06And then and them damn people on Capitol Hill don't have to live with it. We do. The perfect example was the shutdown. So you you you're getting paid. You still got your health care, but people being furloughed and people being laid off and they're not getting checks. but you are and you're the ones that can't negotiate a deal had that been me we ain't going away there ain't no christmas vacation that's like the lowest ain't no time if they're shutting it down they gotta shut down their own paycheck that's right exactly you we're gonna suffer together you're not doing that to people i'm saying you need somebody like that that gets down in the muck and mire of it all and handle things that way let's uh i want to show to this clip but you may have seen this is mark ruffalo one of the avengers the not best hulk ever right talking about some of his policies.
43:50That we should tax billionaires and corporations to fund childcare, housing, and transit. Working people shouldn't be the ones always stuck with the bill. This Wednesday, February 25th, thousands of folks are going to Albany to send Kathy Hochul one clear message. Tax the rich for a New York that we can all afford. They can handle it. Trust me. Stephen, I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't know. The 1 % pay 46 % in taxes. is you live in New York, you live in LA, and now you live here in Florida. Florida, no state income tax. We're about to get rid of property taxes. We don't have to talk about the obvious tax crazy situations in those two states.
44:28Are you doing okay down here? I'm loving it. How have we managed to do it? You made it to my house. You didn't get assaulted? I don't know. All I know is that I moved down to Florida about a year and a half ago, and it's the best move that I've made in quite a long time in my life. I am in heaven. The weather, I moved down here for two reasons, weather and no state income taxes. And I was unapologetic for it. You know, I still have to, you know, go back and forth between New York and LA because of obligations, but make no mistake about it. I'm very, very happy here in Florida. I believe that it's been a great state.
45:05It's been very, very, very good to me. I almost want to sound like Sammy Sosa. Very, very good to me. I mean, I'm loving it, you know, so it doesn't it doesn't bother me at all. But when you hear stuff like that, it's like, listen, people are entitled to their own passions. And there is this innate belief almost that the rich are getting away hand over foot because of loopholes that have never been closed and stuff like that. I get that part. But in the end, you know what? As a nation, we're over thirty eight trillion dollars in debt. somewhere along the way, clearly there's been mismanagement.
45:41And when you're constantly going to the American people and you're saying, singing the same old song and dance every four years, we're not buying it anymore. Tax to rich, tax to rich, tax to rich. Somewhere along the way, would you mind handling the budget? Would you mind doing your job? The fact is that hasn't been done. And it's real easy to point the finger. These folks that are rich, they manage a budget, They manage a payroll. You understand? They hire folks, et cetera. They know a thing or two about curbing spending. They know a thing or two about handling a budget. And so, you know, and you look at it from that standpoint and you say, wow, you're blaming them when in fact it's really, really you because you can't do what they do every day.
46:27Maybe you should go to them to get some lessons. It's a spending issue, not an income. Yes. You know, so you don't want to give them more of your money. No, absolutely. Like your money. Absolutely not. I mean, I pay enough in taxes. I pay enough in taxes. I've been paying. I've been paying both loaner dollars in taxes for years. I'm not even saying it should be less. I'm saying as somewhere along the way, you should show me that you know what you're doing. If you're insisting on taking more of my money, why is our deficit? What it is? Why can't you manage a budget? Why don't you tell us where the money is being allocated to?
47:02We can't have a situation where in California everybody's raving or going crazy about how there was supposed to be some rail that was just a railroad that were built billions of dollars in debt. And we don't see evidence that it's been built. I mean, stuff like that can't happen. We can't have a mom, Donnie, taking over as mayor of New York and talking about taxing the rich, taxing the rich, taxing the rich. But then saying if Hoku doesn't do this, if she doesn't sign up on doing this, I'm going to have to raise your property taxes, which will ultimately trickle down to the middle class and lower debt.
47:34The fact is that goes against what you said. Suddenly you get in the office and you realize what the deficit was. Me personally, I was always an Andrew Cuomo guy in that regard, because say what you will. He was a three term governor. He was in route to a fourth term until the scandal derailed him. Now, my attitude is I'm getting tired of these scandals that pop up. And then the second you're out of office, they go away. If you really, really committed a crime, shouldn't your ass be suffering? Shouldn't you be in jail? Shouldn't something be happening to you even after you step away? As opposed to, oh, it just disappears once you're no longer in office and the power belongs in somebody else's hands.
48:12This was going to be a four-term governor. And when I interviewed him, he said something that just resonated, the simplest statement, but it resonated with me. He said I don't know how to do many things in life I really don't I wasn't a good athlete I wasn't this I wasn't this I wasn't that He said but I know How to run a government I know how to do that that's my Thing that's my gift that was What Andrew Cuomo said and I'm looking At all of these folks respect To all of them bright smart Passionate etc but he Was the only one that could Say that and so when you look At the situation that you're in in New York City what's going to be required with our police forces.
48:51You understand? With safety in the streets, with transportation, with everything. You needed somebody that actually knows how to run a government. And Mom Donnie is learning on the job. New York can't afford that. And so I think that's what we're seeing right now. And it's problematic. So let's stick with two New York clips from Mom Donnie. So you probably saw this with the snowstorm. And I'm curious to get your take on this. Yeah.
49:28From the videos that I've seen, it looks like a snowball fight. I think that there were two officers who were facing lacerations on their face.
49:39Look, I've seen the videos of this snowball fight. I think that it was a snowball fight. A snowball fight or assaulting cops? I think it's a combination of both. They're law enforcement. They're not engaging in a snowball fight with you. They don't want to be bothered. If they're law enforcement, and that's not something that they were entertaining, then assault would be the way to go. Now, obviously, if you just hit them with some soft snowball or whatever the case may be, I mean, you didn't harm them or anything. That's entirely different. So there's different levels of assault. But nevertheless...
50:11Well, you're not harmed until you're harmed. But nevertheless, exactly. The act is the act itself. and the law enforcement wasn't capitulating to that kind of situation, then we have to take that into consideration. And if they felt it was assault, then damn it, it was assault, plain and simple. But once again, this is something that comes back to bite Momdani because he wasn't considered the strongest supporter of the NYPD as he was running for office. When you listen to some of his rhetoric in the past, some of the things that he had said about the police didn't seem to be that keen on being supportive about them.
50:43I don't recall whether or not he was talking about defunding police, But I believe. Oh, yeah. I believe he did say there. I believe he did say that. So because that's a reality, you know, when you see that kind of stuff, it sort of seems dismissive about concerns for law enforcement. And that is not a good position for him to be in, particularly when they're not getting raises or anything like that, because you don't have the money to take care of them. Nor did you appear inclined to do so, even if you did. So all of those things definitely work against him. and that's the kind of thing that can turn officers against you and with all the problems that New Yorkers have the last thing we need is a you know apathetic or indifferent police department.
51:26Which they've already as you probably know they've already had to lower the standards to get people in the physical standards because people don't want to do it because you don't want to be subjected correct. Did you see this this AOC Mamdani video in Spanish? Hola Mi español No, no, no te preocupes, alcalde. Si su hijo o hija está cumpliendo 3 o 4 años en el 2026, usted puede registrarlos gratis en el programa Kinder 3 o Prekinder de la Ciudad de Nueva York. Pero debe registrarse el 27 de febrero, que es la fecha límite. Cualquier padre de la familia de la Ciudad de Nueva York, sin importar su ocupación, ingreso o estatus migratorio es elegible para registrar a sus hijos.
52:15Okay, so they're talking about child care for all, meaning illegals. So they are talking about illegals number one. Now we live in Miami. We're in Miami right now. I hear more Spanish than English outside of this studio basically all day long. So I don't have a problem with Spanish or Spanish speakers. However, speaking in another language while encouraging people who are not legal citizens to get city services, that seems a bit much for me. Am I just old and stodgy? OK, I can't knock that. What I would tell you is that if you're trying to cater to that particular audience, speaking their language doesn't hurt.
52:46So that's not a crime. You know, they're voted. There are folks in the Hispanic community that are voting. And when you talk in their language, it makes them a bit more receptive to you or receptive to you in terms of wanting to listen to what you have to say. And what parent doesn't want, you know, free preschool for three, four years, et cetera, et cetera. But I always harken back, and it's very important that I bring this up, because I remember when some people asked me, when you became so moderate, somewhat of a centrist, per se, when did that happen for you? And I can't remember the year, but I remember when George W.
53:17Bush and Dick Cheney were in office. And I never forget, as long as I live, a reporter was talking to Dick Cheney, former vice president of the United States Congress, so he was talking to him about the polls were showing blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He looked at the report and said, so? And I was eating my cereal. I was like, what? Because I had never seen a vice president do that before. He said, so? And then he said, you didn't elect us to follow your lead. You elected us to lead, to do what we believe is in the best interest of this country. And that's exactly what we're doing. And then the reporter elaborated a little bit about something with Planned Parenthood and stuff like that.
53:59And she tried to accuse him of being against that. He said, I'm not against that at all. I'm against you asking the government to pay for it. And all of a sudden it opened my eyes and reminded me what all of this is really, really about. Most people in this country have a live and let live attitude. Live your life, et cetera, et cetera. So what's the uproar about? The uproar about is about the fact that you're going into the pockets of the American people and asking them to subsidize it. And when you do that, now you've got them up in the tizzy. because you're saying this is where your taxpayer dollars is going to.
54:37And when that happens, all of a sudden that gives everybody the right to speak up and say, wait a damn minute here. How is that possible? I know of a young lady that's a friend of mine that got in a car accident in L.A. and literally needed to be treated, et cetera. And her bill was very, very exorbitant when she got treated at the emergency room and stuff like that. She was trying to get on the phone, get some assistance, et cetera, et cetera. They literally told her, if you were a migrant, it would be easier to take care of you. But the problem is, is that you're an American citizen, so you have to wait in line.
55:15Yeah. Now, think about that. Suddenly you go, oh, I don't have a wallet. You're an American citizen. Yeah. And you're being told you have to wait in line in the United States of America in favor of somebody who's not an American citizen, who crossed the border illegally that is going to be treated better because it's a sanctuary city that is LA and a sanctuary state that is California. How do you think that's going to vibe with most Americans? I don't care what city you in. I don't care what state you in. Basically, what nation you're from, if you are a native of that country and you're being told you have to wait because they're favoring somebody who's not a native who crossed the border illegally.
56:01You're going to have a problem with that no matter who you are or where you're from. So understanding those kinds of things is what I'm talking about when I'm talking about common sense. You can't have stuff like that happening and think that there's not going to be major, major noise and friction and polarization in the country when you let something like that happen. There is no way that that's going to fly. I think most Democrats know that. The problem is they've surrendered to the extreme progressive left because they're fearful that they will lose their power positions if they don't. I think that's what the problem is more so than anything else.
56:40And that's what's going on in our nation's capital. If that's a reclamation project you can handle, I wish you a hell of a lot of luck. I don't know if anybody can handle it. But we got to try. We got to try. We can't sit oddly by and do it. There are a lot better things you can do with your time than doing what you're doing with this podcast, but it's important because you know that you're making a difference. You got millions of followers, millions of listeners listening to you spew what you spew because they know you know what you're talking about and they know you care. And the same is going to be with me and the same is going to be applicable to everybody else.
57:10We all got to do our part, whatever that part is. What we can't do is sit oddly by, mind our own business and say, hey, we ain't getting involved in any capacity because the fact is whether we like it or not, we're all involved because all of our lives are being affected whether we like it or not. Well, I'm glad you moved down here to the free state of Florida. And how many threes are you going to hit out of 10? I don't know, man. I haven't shot, Dave. I haven't shot. The last time I shot was when I was here. You know, this is the kind of You set it up this way. You practice every day. You're shooting after every show.
57:47But I touch a basketball once a year, then you're going to hold me. You're going to hold it against me. Plus, we give you tequila and we spin you around. There you go. There you go.
From the publisher
Dave Rubin of "The Rubin Report" talks to Stephen A. Smith about his potential plans to run for president as a Democrat in the 2028 election; why Democrats like Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Kathy Hochul, Hillary Clinton and others continue to pander to black voters by insulting them and their intelligence; why he is so unimpressed by the potential Democrat nominees for the 2028 election and why he is confident that he could beat Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; why so many people think that Gavin Newsom is a shapeshifting and inauthentic politician and if he trusts him; why liberal celebrity activists like Mark Ruffalo keep thinking that if we only tax the rich or pass a billionaire wealth tax governments will be able to solve all the problems of society; why he thinks Zohran Mamdani is doomed to fail and why his response to the snowball attack on NYPD officers is a bad sign for New York City police officers; and much more.
Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here:
https://daverubin.store/
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