MAGA coalition check-in: From Christian conservative women to young men

0:00Katie Simpson:Hi, Steve Patterson here, host of The Debaters, Canada's comedy competition judged by live audience applause by audience members such as you. This week we're asking, should everything in life be enjoyed in moderation? We have two comedians who are ready to self-control with the punches. I probably should have kept that one to myself. Anyway, you can find this week's episode of The Debaters wherever you get your podcasts. And don't be afraid to binge listen because we are good for you. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, Katie. Hi, welcome back. It's so nice to see you in person. Thank you. So happy to be here.

0:36Katie Simpson:I missed you. You're not Paul. I know, but, you know, I'm just filling in. My man Louis, great to have you on board with us. And Louis Bluene, of course, you are our colleague. You are a Washington correspondent on the French for Radio Canada. And you've got an honorary mug. I have my mug, yes. I really feel like I belong. I'm happy to be here. When you have the mug, you are officially part of the team. That's what I feel. So it's great. Paul is away this week. He is in Haiti. He's covering the UN Secretary General. So we'll chat about his reporting when he gets back. But Louis, in the meantime, it's so nice to have you here.

1:09It's great to join me, guys, before I leave for the summer. You know, it's a good time here.

1:13Katie Simpson:Nice chat. Leave for the summer. Well, part of it. It's good to be a correspondent for Radio Canada. Yeah, it's a great life. It's amazing. But it is really great to be back. I'm so happy to be here in person. I miss this studio. What a nice space we have. And I spent three weeks in Jerusalem waiting to see if the U.S. and Iran would sign a deal. And, of course, the day I get home, they sign a deal. And, of course, the details are not made public yet. Everybody is trying to spin this as a win, especially Donald Trump. Yeah. Now, he started this war with Iran over three months ago, and the polls are suggesting that it is costing him politically.

1:53perhaps even alienating parts of his very, very important MAGA base. Republicans need that base heading into the midterm elections if they are going to maintain control of both the House and the Senate.

2:06Katie Simpson:And you two have been out talking with some pretty interesting parts of Donald Trump's coalition, from conservative women to the folks who showed up for Trump's birthday party UFC fight. Quite the night. I'm really looking forward to hearing all about that. But we are going to certainly get to the UFC fight at the White House. And this week we're asking, how is Trump's MAGA coalition feeling ahead of the midterms? I'm Willie Lowry. I'm Louis Bluwein. And I'm Katie Simpson. We are Washington Correspondents two blocks from the White House.

2:44Katie Simpson:Okay, Katie. While I was in Jerusalem, you went to San Antonio, Texas for this Turning Point USA event. What is the Women's Summit and why did you want to go? So for Canadians who might not know what Turning Point USA is, it is a political advocacy group. It is deeply conservative, deeply Christian. It was founded by Charlie Kirk after his assassination last September. It was taken over by his wife, Erica Kirk. They hold a number of events over the course of the year, but this was specifically targeted at women, the Women's Leadership Summit. And it drew mostly college-aged students from across the United States who are largely Christian, are very in tune with their faith.

3:28Their faith guides a lot of their decision-making process based on the conversations I had with them. And we wanted to get a sense of, given all the controversy in Washington, has it had any sort of impact on this key voting base? Republicans need these voters showing up at the midterm elections. They're part of the coalition that helped reelect Donald Trump. If these women do not show up in numbers like they did in the general election, in the presidential election, it's going to be trouble for Republicans. So we wanted to get a sense of how they're feeling. That's what we went for. But we ended up uncovering a story about women and how far they are willing to go in order to seek a more Christian, more conservative America.

4:13And that includes giving up their right to vote. So the way this all broke down is we got permission to attend. You have to get accreditation. And then they announced the speaker's list. I'm looking at the speakers list and there is one influencer, a Christian social media influencer. She's sort of in the trad wife realm, which means traditional wife. There's a whole sort of online ecosystem around that. Her name is Savannah Stone and she was given a main stage address. And part of what she advocates for is that she thinks that women shouldn't vote. She thinks it would be better for society if women did not vote.

4:52And her argument is that when women vote, largely, they tend to vote for liberal candidates. And she doesn't like liberal candidates. She wants a more Christian, conservative America. So she endorses this thing called a one vote per household system.

5:05Katie Simpson:I'm going to start this off really strong. I don't think women should vote anyways. If somebody asked me, if the government was like, OK, if we could have a more conservative country, if all women gave up their vote, I would gladly give up my right to vote to have a more conservative country. She thinks that, you know, it should be the head of household who votes. In her case, it would be the husband, the man, and going to cast a ballot instead of everyone who is an adult getting the opportunity. Back to a century ago. We asked her if we could do an interview with her to sort of talk about this.

5:37And she said yes. So when I was talking to women at this summit, you spend three days there sort of canvassing people saying, hey, you know, how are you feeling about this? What do you think about voting in the midterms? And then I would say at the end of every single interview, I said, we're going to be interviewing this influencer and she believes that women shouldn't vote. And I explained in the context of it's in pursuit of a more Christian conservative America. And I expected most of the women would say I disagree with that because, you know, it is a fundamental right for women to vote that was hard fought and obtained back in 1920.

6:14Katie Simpson:I would almost be scared to even ask that question. Well, the vast majority of people did tell me they want to keep their right to vote. However, we spoke with three women of varying ages who thought it was a good idea. I actually do agree with her. I would as well give up my vote if they took out rid of things like abortion. And I think that getting rid of the right to vote, even though hopefully that would never happen, I would like to, like, I think with my mindset, I would want to put my vote in. but the majority of women are liberal, and I think getting rid of that would actually help women more.

6:50Katie Simpson:My perspective as a Christian woman is that my husband and I are one flesh. I vote the same way he does, so honestly, I would be okay with giving up my right to vote, because I know that he would represent me well. If my husband's the head of the household, I am the neck, and we work very cohesively together, So I would imagine if he was voting on behalf of our household, I would be fine with that. Do you think your daughter should have the right to vote? I'd be OK if she didn't, because I also know she's going to marry a biblical man that they would also be in line. Wow. I'm thinking in my relationship, I would be more like, I don't know, like the like your off hand.

7:32Katie Simpson:You're not the neck. And I'm not the head. Maybe the off hand. And basically my wife is the rest of the body. But there's influential religious figures who advocate for that stuff. I think it's a P-TECH said the Secretary of War pastor, right, Katie? I mean, this is... So to put this more into context, mostly white women were in the audience. There were some people of color there. All three women that spoke to us there are white women. But I think that when you go into spaces like this and you're hearing these perspectives, particularly for a Canadian audience, I think it is a reminder that, you know, there are portions of the United States that are really motivated and driven and decisions are guided by people's faith.

8:17It guides politics. This is part of the American population and they show up at the polls. And you were saying you were there to get a sense if they still support Donald Trump and, you know, looking at the midterms. What do you hear? What we found largely is that, yes, they plan to vote. They plan to show up just like they did in the 2024 presidential election. They plan to support Republican conservative candidates. Perhaps their minds were not made up if the primary races, which again was who will be the candidate for the party if they've not been determined yet. But largely, they're motivated by the Make America Healthy Again movement, MAHA, as it's known down here.

8:58RFK Jr., who's the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Some of the changes he's made to health policy in the United States, they're motivated by, you know, are there toxins in my food? Questions about vaccines, which have been deeply controversial in America. A lot of the people at this summit were very interested in that, very supportive of that. The other issue that kept coming up repeatedly was around social conservative issues, transgender rights, the number of times transgender rights and the fight against transgender rights came up. What is the number one motivating factor for you when you decide who you're going to vote for?

9:36I don't want a party that's going to tell my son he can cut off his penis. Yes. It came up in almost every single interview I did. People do not want to see the transgender rights movement obtain more rights. And Donald Trump goes at it very often. He goes at it all the time. Some speeches and press conferences. And it's resonated there. But we did find some friction. So of all the people we spoke with, the vast majority say, yep, they're going to show up. Yep, they're going to vote for Republicans. And they're happy to do so. But there was one key voice of dissent. It was that same influencer, the influencer who said that she doesn't think women should vote.

10:14She voted for Trump in the 2024 election. And now in 2026, in the midterms, she's turned on Trump. Are you planning on voting in the midterms? The people that voted for Trump are just very fed up. Both my husband and I are really disappointed. He made it seem like everything was going to become more affordable. Now the economy is worse. You know, he promised no more wars in the Middle East and we are in a war. So it's disappointing. So a voice of dissent there from the controversial influencer who spoke on the main stage. So it does signal that within this coalition, there are some voices speaking out against Trump over the war in Iran, over the cost of living, saying that she's not going to show up.

10:59but largely we did still find a lot of support for Donald Trump and this story that we were absolutely not expecting to tell.

11:08Katie Simpson:And let's talk a little bit about that story. For those watching on YouTube, you maybe saw Louis and my reaction to some of the clips we just heard. Not surprisingly, we're not the only people to have kind of reacted with some shock and surprised by those clips. It's been picked up by a lot of outlets. Talk to us about that. It's gone into the American political ecosystem online in a way I've never seen any content I've ever been a part of go. Like, over the course of my career, I've been involved in, like, many viral moments. Like, you know, Toronto City Hall, when Rob Ford said some things about...

11:47Famous quotes. What did he say again?

11:49Katie Simpson:Oh, and the last thing was Olivia Gondack. It says that I wanted to eat her pussy. I've never said that in my life, I would never do that. I'm half remarried, I've got more than enough to eat at home. Thank you very much. What can you do at the right here? What can you do at the right here? I... Mayor Ford, speaking as Mayor Ford does very plainly, as he said in council yesterday, he effed up, and now using language that I don't think we can broadcast that on TV, but we just broadcast that on TV. Another unbelievable day here at Toronto City Council as Mayor Ford speaks to the media. That was a time, but that was before social media is in the iteration it's in now.

12:30And so these major political accounts, particularly online and social media, picked up our reporting. And it's millions and millions and millions of views with thousands and thousands and thousands of comments. And it sparked debate. You pick the platform and it's there and it's gone viral in this way. Because, again, I think that, you know, it is 2026. There are concerns about the Trump administration and what the core base is looking for. Again, the vast majority of people we spoke with said they the women there, they want to keep the right to vote. But to hear three women come forward to say, I back this idea because they are supportive of a more Christian conservative America.

13:18it's a reminder of the makeup of the American population voting base.

13:22Katie Simpson:It really is. And I think Louis referred to it. I mean, yes, this is fringe, but this is also, you know, tangentially connected to people of prominence, right? As you referenced, Pete Hexess-Pastor, I believe, a big proponent of this. Yeah, we're saying, you know, we would like to see that change. It won't happen tomorrow. But, you know, if we look down the road, that's the ultimate goal. Like, this is, yes, surprising, shocking, for sure.

13:55Katie Simpson:Hey, I'm Aili, a producer on Bookends with Matea Roach. It's one of Canada's favorite podcasts about books. So sometimes as producers, we get kind of fixated on writers who have like the wildest personal stories, which is why we chased Nuseba Yunus for six whole months. So Nuseiba wrote this really raunchy book about ISIS brides. It was inspired by her own experience as a teenager who came face to face with a future Al Qaeda operative. Now you can hear that conversation on bookends with Matea Roach wherever you get your podcasts. So women, obviously a key part of Trump's coalition, Louis, but so are young men.

14:36Katie Simpson:And there were a lot of them, I believe, at the White House this weekend for just a small birthday celebration that you were invited to with President Trump. Very small. And a few, I don't know, tens of thousands. Just a few tens of thousands of people. But you were both covering this story. Louis, let's get your impression of this UFC event. First of all, the fights were... Yes. Oh, no. I mean, it was quite something. And it was for the president's 80th birthday, of course, 258th anniversary of the United States. But I really feel it was like a peak Donald Trump MAGA moment at the White House, what happened there, you know, making, celebrating his birthday that way.

15:20And also the 250th in a way that resembles him, you know, it was a bit about him, you know. And the whole thing was quite surreal, honestly, like cage fights on the South Lawn, you know. Where people are beaten until they can't, like, fight anymore. Exactly. But that is what UFC is. Like, that is what it is. That's what it is. But also, like, just a commercial event on federal lands. Fighters coming out of the White House to get in the octagon. They came out of the White House? Out of the White House. The president was given a golden chain by one of the fighters. You know, a fighter also took up the mic after his fight to say that Michelle Obama is a man, which is not true, of course.

16:00But the crowd went on cheering. There was combat planes flying over. So, you know, I was trying to think, OK, what is this? And I think it's really an event at the image of this administration, what they like to project, right? You know, it's power, it's strength, it's project testosterone, glorifying, you know, the warrior culture.

16:21Katie Simpson:Machismo. It's just projecting, I think, force at a moment where the president is on the water in the polls, you know, and I think that there's a big symbolism there for him. I think, you know, he was also happy to announce this deal, tentative deal in Iran that particular day. Why? Because there was a lot of young people in the crowd. You know, I think it was mainly maybe 80 percent of young men in the crowd for this particular event to tell them that there was a deal. Why? Because young men who supported him massively in the last election, they kind of, you know, turned away of him because of the war.

16:56We saw it in the polls in the last few months. We heard it at the conservative conference we went to in Texas, too. So on site, I questioned a few of them. I asked them, what do you think? They were around. They said, yeah, you know, some of them told me we're just happy it might be over. And, you know, it took place at the beginning, you know, in the first place. About the event itself, yes, tens of thousands of people. It was in the Ellipse Park just south of the White House. It's the same spot where Donald Trump gave the speech on January 6th. Yes, it is. That's a good ticket. Well, for Canadians who might not be familiar with Washington, if you remember where Donald Trump was out giving the speech, that's the same spot.

17:33You're right in the heart of the city. Big screens there. A lot of people told me they were there for the sport itself. You know, they were there for the sporting event. Some said they were happy to be there also to celebrate the president's birthday. But, you know, the feeling I got is that a lot of people were there for the sport. They said it's a big moment for UFC. They say that started, you know, on the margin, on the fringe a few years ago and now right in front of the White House. A lot of people were very happy about that. But there was like mixed views. Some said, yeah, it's probably the only time this will happen.

18:01You know, some were very cognizant of that fact. But some said, yeah, it was a bit over the top too. So let's listen to a few clips of people I spoke to.

18:08Katie Simpson:This crowd has been very supportive of the president. And, you know, it's a little unusual. It's a first for sure. But it's definitely an amazing event. And the president pulled it off right, just like he's doing everything else. Looking at everything, the bull rides, the octagon ring and all these attractions. make me feel like we're part of characters from The Simpsons. Because you can't believe it. We can't believe it. We're not just really happening. It's kind of bringing back something kind of cool. Very American, maybe. So some people are very happy about it. Bad news for us. There was a Canadian fighter in there, Eamon Zabi, who lost.

18:45He lost. He was fighting an American that was very symbolic. You know, if you have won in front of the White House, but he lost. Yeah.

18:50Katie Simpson:But as part of this process, you know, I'm not a big UFC fan, but I am a big proponent of Canadian excellence. And you got to meet arguably the greatest fighter in the history of fighting who just so happens to be Georges St-Pierre. Yes. From Canada, from Quebec, the pride of the South Shore. And he was on the corner of Eman's Abbey that night. And we talked about the event, but I asked him, you know, some people say, you know, it's not enough decorum being held on the... He says, you know, he defended the sports. He said, you know, it's an important sport, very ancient sport. And he also said that Donald Trump has a long connection with UFC because when it was all beginning, he landed the Taj Mahal in, I think, his casino facility.

19:35Exactly. And for first events to be there. So, you know, he was very supportive of the event and he thought it was a big moment. And it was hypocritical for, you know, to ask athletes not to go there because of the political side of it. because he said in an athlete's career like that. So he was defending the event. So it was an interesting conversation. So it was kind of an over-the-top night. I know, Katie, I think you thought that was all very usual. I'm just curious to hear what's your read on it. I know. So we all come back to the newsroom. We all worked very late on Sunday night, and we come back to the newsroom.

20:06And I think my initial thought was, okay, we went to this thing, and nothing I saw, nothing I heard surprised me. And the more I think about it, Because some of our colleagues who were covering it as well were like, this is this is one of the craziest things I've ever seen. And I kept thinking, why am I not looking at this in the same way? And you know what I realized it was? I've actually been thinking about this quite intensely because I'm like, is there something broken in me? Like, is there something wrong in me? And no, as someone who for the last I've been in Washington for six and a half years now, it is my job to watch the president, whether it's Joe Biden, Donald Trump, whoever the president is, as well as other political leaders, is my job to cover their speeches start to finish.

20:54And Donald Trump is in front of the cameras more often than any other president in history. I think we can just safely say that. And I watch his comments start to finish. And what I saw on Sunday night, to me, largely is if you take the kinds of things that Donald Trump says, the kinds of changes he's enacted, all of those kinds of things. And if you were to transform it into sort of an event to be held at the White House lawn, it's so fitting for everything we are constantly hearing and seeing, the themes, the event itself, the projection of masculinity, the fighting, all of that kind of stuff.