Latest / World Ablaze with George Fontes / Hormuz Blockade, Trump Jesus, Swalwell Resigns, and Mamdani Tax

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Hormuz Blockade, Trump Jesus, Swalwell Resigns, and Mamdani Tax · World Ablaze with George Fontes

0:00
Welcome back, World of Blazers.
0:06
This recording is being recorded Thursday, the 16th of April, 2026.
0:12
This week was a strange one.
0:15
It was definitely packed full of a lot of questionable things.
0:20
So we do definitely have a fairly stacked episode today.
0:24
Anyway, we're going to discuss Trump's military genius.
0:31
Yes, and I mean the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,
0:36
which basically was Trump saying,
0:39
you know what, Iran?
0:40
I see your blockade, and I'm going to raise that blockade
0:43
with a blockade by issuing a blockade
0:46
by having my Navy enforce a blockade
0:49
that I issued against your blockade
0:51
by blockading your blockade
0:52
and enforcing that blockade
0:54
with my military so that they can blockage or blockade.
1:00
That's what happened, I think.
1:02
It's all confusing, but somehow it's working.
1:05
So we're going to go over that.
1:07
In some convoluted way, it's actually working.
1:12
So we'll discuss that.
1:14
And then we have to discuss more Trump shenanigans.
1:19
Apparently, we have discussed Trump Jesus.
1:26
And Trump is also fighting with the Pope.
1:32
Okay.
1:33
And moving on to shenanigans and staying in the United States
1:38
and discussing some domestic politics here.
1:41
Eric Swalwell has resigned.
1:43
Seems like he was forced to resign due to sexual allegations,
1:48
sexual misconduct allegations, I believe is what it really was.
1:51
Regardless, the bigger story here to me is it looks like the Democratic Party has turned against him.
1:58
They were actually calling for him to step down.
2:00
So we're going to dive into that a bit.
2:03
And then, and then we got to check in on Mamdani, mayor of New York City.
2:10
apparently he is going to,
2:15
or is taxing people who own a second home that is valued at $5 million or
2:22
more.
2:22
It's an additional tax,
2:24
a luxury tax.
2:26
So it's going to penalize people who already own a home and already pay
2:32
property tax.
2:34
That's not enough.
2:35
There's going to be a tax on top of a tax.
2:37
so we're going to discuss that Marxist play by ma'am donnie um which apparently kathy holkle is
2:46
looking at going you know what we might want to just enforce that across the entire state because
2:51
why not socialist democrats stick together even though holkle has never admitted to being a
2:58
socialist democrat pretty much par for the course though if she makes that decision right i don't
3:04
know anyway so that's what's going on uh before we move on before i move on uh for everybody out
3:10
there who is listening to me on good pods uh as your podcast aggregator and platform that you
3:17
prefer to listen to podcasts uh we're holding we're holding at number two just got another
3:22
email this morning so number two in the ranks number two in geopolitics against all podcasts
3:29
meaning not just independents, but all podcasts, big and small, which is good.
3:34
And also, if I am being matched against independent only, I'm number one.
3:41
Yes, World of Bays with George Fonz is number two against all podcasts, big or small,
3:45
and number one against all independent podcasts in the geopolitics category in good pods.
3:51
In fact, I'm going to switch the screen so you can see that I'm not just making this up.
3:54
There you go.
3:55
So look at the cursor.
3:57
There you go.
3:57
top 14 geopolitics podcast all time.
4:00
Number two.
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And I'm behind this guy here.
4:05
Dan Saner.
4:07
Saner?
4:08
Saner?
4:09
I'm sure I mispronounced that.
4:11
It's a podcast.
4:12
His name called me back.
4:14
We got to take this guy out.
4:16
Come on, everybody.
4:17
Listen, if you listen to me on good pods,
4:19
do what you can get this show to number one.
4:23
And I think the only way we're going to do that
4:25
is if you share good pods as well as a show
4:27
with others. So like if you take a link from GoodPod and say, hey, check this show out,
4:31
my show specifically, we can push this up to number one. So anyway, I want to thank everybody
4:38
for that. That's great feedback. It's good to know that you're out there listening and supporting
4:43
the show. So I'm going to take my wins where I can get them because we all know podcasting is
4:48
saturated and convoluted. And I mean, yeah. So we're moving up. We're moving up. Okay.
4:57
So with that out of the way,
5:00
with that out of the way,
5:01
let's just dive into it.
5:02
I mean, we're going to talk about the sponsors
5:03
and all that, but listen,
5:05
go to my World of Blaze podcast website,
5:09
www.worldofblazepodcast.com.
5:15
Go to the sponsors tab,
5:16
check out the sponsors, support them all.
5:17
They're all great.
5:18
Supporting them supports the show.
5:20
And I'm in a realignment right now,
5:22
so that's what I'm going to say
5:23
about all those sponsors at the moment.
5:25
But let's move on.
5:27
Let's move on to the Strait of Hormuz.
5:30
So let me go ahead and open this stuff up for you.
5:33
And let's start here with the U.S. blockade.
5:36
We're going to discuss the strategy and objectives.
5:40
So on April 13, 2026, following the collapse of negotiations in Islam is bad.
5:47
So if you don't know, I don't know how you don't know.
5:51
The negotiations didn't work out between the U.S. and Iran.
5:55
And I mean, huge surprise, right?
5:57
We already knew that wasn't going to happen.
5:59
Iran's never going to give up its goal of trying to pursue a nuclear weapon.
6:02
And the U.S. is not going to ever not have a presence in the Middle East, which is what the Iranian government or the regime wanted.
6:12
So we already knew that wasn't going to happen.
6:14
But anyway, after that negotiation breakdown, President Trump initiated a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.
6:23
and maritime commerce.
6:25
So not just the ports.
6:26
In doing so, he also shut down all maritime commerce.
6:31
So the strategy marks a pivot from direct kinetic military strikes,
6:35
meaning physical fighting, missiles, punching, stabbing, shooting, all that.
6:41
No physical fighting.
6:42
So no kinetic military action.
6:45
No kinetic military strikes.
6:47
He instead shifted to a policy of maximum economic coercion.
6:53
So here's the strategy and objectives.
6:57
A blockade is a distant or a semi-distant blockade
7:01
conducted in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea
7:04
rather than within the narrow Strait of Hormuz,
7:07
which is important because that Strait of Hormuz
7:08
is a literal choke point.
7:10
It's about 21 to 25 miles wide.
7:13
And it gives Iran a strategic advantage
7:17
in being able to enforce its policies
7:22
in that particular area.
7:25
As in, they can destroy your ships more easily.
7:28
They can stop your ships.
7:29
They basically control that area.
7:32
So this enforcement moves away from that.
7:37
Okay?
7:38
So where U.S. ships would be less vulnerable
7:40
to coastal defenses, swarm boats.
7:43
And here's the goals.
7:46
So first goal here, force a grand bargain.
7:50
So this is all designed to compel Iran to come back to the table.
7:54
Through the maximum pressures of shutting down commerce,
7:58
which in turn takes away money from Iran,
8:03
President Trump is hoping to achieve breaking down the Iranian regime
8:09
to the point that they have to come back to the table to negotiate
8:12
because as of now, their money supply is being cut off.
8:16
And so the second point, which I kind of just brought up in the first point, is neutralizing the revenue.
8:22
So specifically targeting oil exports.
8:25
Why is that important?
8:27
Well, oil exports fund 45% of Iran's government budget.
8:33
That's a big chunk, 45%.
8:35
All of the government budget comes from oil.
8:38
Well, not all, but 45% anyway.
8:40
That's a lot.
8:41
That is huge, right?
8:42
Or huge, as Trump would say.
8:44
And then there's the strategy of counter extortion because Iran was imposing a toll.
8:52
That toll was going to vary based on the goods and services.
8:56
But if we're just talking oil, Iran was going to impose $1 a barrel minimum when it came to oil tankers.
9:04
So these very large vessels, they can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil.
9:10
So that 2 million barrels is, well, $2 million in tolls and fees to the Iranian government.
9:16
But Iran wasn't going to just stop with oil.
9:18
So if you're going ahead and transporting fertilizer, nuts, fruits, whatever it is,
9:26
they were going to impose a different toll on those goods and services.
9:31
It was unclear how much those amounts would be.
9:33
But regardless, it seemed that the objective was to really stick it to anybody who was trying to get oil
9:39
and charge them $2 million per vessel.
9:44
So the financial impact here,
9:46
since that's one of the goals here, is huge.
9:49
It's costing Iran $13 billion per month.
9:56
Okay, so the longer this whole thing happens,
9:59
the longer this blockade stretches out
10:01
and the United States of America is able to impose or enforce it,
10:05
every month is going to cost Iran $13 billion.
10:10
All right?
10:11
So this is the strategy.
10:15
These are the objectives.
10:17
And it seems to be working.
10:20
I know a lot of people didn't think it was going to work,
10:22
but it absolutely is.
10:24
Let me see if I can bring up a graphic here
10:26
to kind of like summarize everything I just talked about.
10:29
Here we go.
10:30
I'll pull this up and show this to you.
10:33
So here's a visual of what I just talked about.
10:36
So here's the economic bias, 2026 U.S. blockade.
10:39
You can see the distance blockade,
10:40
which I just talked about,
10:41
which minimizes vulnerability.
10:43
And you can see right here in this graphic,
10:45
here's the Gulf of Oman.
10:46
Here's the operations centered in Gulf of Oman
10:49
to avoid coastal defense.
10:51
And here's the Strait of Hormuz.
10:53
So you can see how this pinch or this choke point here
10:55
is easily controlled by the Iranians.
10:59
And the objective was,
11:02
Well, all due to a 20-year nuclear enrichment moratorium,
11:07
meaning that the longer this blockade goes on
11:10
and the U.S. is able to control the money
11:14
that Iran actually gets out of this,
11:17
they're hoping to bring Iran back to the table
11:20
to accept this 20-year moratorium.
11:23
And I'm sure there's definitely other things there outside of that.
11:26
And again, they're losing 13 billion monthly revenue losses, right?
11:31
$13 billion a month they're losing in revenue.
11:34
So, and that, again, that revenue is 45% of the Iranian government's budget.
11:40
And here's another thing that I didn't get to quite yet, the pressure on China.
11:45
So the pressure on China is a 50% tariff, or at least threats to impose 50% in tariffs
11:53
on China.
11:54
And it also leverages trade penalties to stop Beijing from purchasing 91% of Iran's crude
12:00
oil.
12:00
and that's a very important thing.
12:02
China is Iran's biggest customer.
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They buy 91%, well, up to 91% of all of Iran's crude.
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I mean, we could argue China is propping up Iran.
12:14
They are funding the Iranian government.
12:18
And so where does this leave us?
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Well, this leaves us in a bit of a stalemate
12:24
that's affecting not just Iran, but the entire world
12:27
because we know a lot of other people
12:29
depend on oil from the Strait of Hormuz or from that Persian Gulf area.
12:35
And with this blockade, it can be seen as a way to keep the Strait open, to allow vessels
12:44
to go in and purchase, but they cannot do so by getting it from Iranian ports, apparently,
12:52
because those Iranian ports are also being blocked so if anyone going to buy oil they going to have to get it from the Gulf nations the other Gulf nations there Or honestly they got Russia which we didn want
13:08
that to happen. There was actually
13:12
sanctions against Russia, which apparently have been lifted
13:16
for the sake of helping the world's oil supply, I guess.
13:19
Whatever. But the other play here is that
13:23
well, the U.S. is open for business, right?
13:25
Or North America in general, you can get your oil from Canada.
13:28
And the unintended effect here has been Canada has increased revenue
13:33
in oil sales due to these blockades.
13:36
The U.S. has as well.
13:38
And don't forget that Mexico also distributes or exports oil.
13:44
So this opens up the market to other sources,
13:47
which leads me to another argument here that a lot of people
13:50
or a counter argument that a lot of people are making.
13:53
Like, well, you know, you're not just hurting people at the pump.
13:56
It's not just the oil.
13:57
There's other goods.
13:59
Iran also provides a huge amount of fertilizer to other nations.
14:03
And there's many nations who need this fertilizer so they can grow crops and agriculture.
14:07
Right.
14:08
So that's also, that also could be had from other sources as well.
14:12
Again, like the U.S., which we produce a ton of fertilizer.
14:15
It's just an example.
14:16
Not saying that the world has to come to the U.S. for that, but there are many other places
14:19
they can get it.
14:20
So realistically, this blockade is hurting Iran, but it doesn't have to really hurt other nations.
14:26
There's other places you can get your goods and services, your oil, your fertilizer, etc.
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The reason they don't, well, time and money at the moment, it is a huge pivot.
14:35
It is a readjustment.
14:36
I understand that.
14:38
I think the world understands that.
14:40
But regardless, sure, it's inconvenient.
14:43
It's inconvenient, but it's not shutting down the world's ability to get what they need.
14:50
so there is that
14:53
not saying that's a solution
14:54
necessarily or long term solution
14:56
but it could be depending on how this whole thing
14:59
is handled by President Trump here
15:00
so
15:02
let's talk about
15:05
let's talk about the
15:08
operational successes here
15:10
and the pressures that are being put on
15:12
China due to this blockade
15:14
because that is the other part of this
15:17
again
15:18
China buys about 90%, 91% of Iran's oil.
15:23
They get it for cheap.
15:23
They get a good deal.
15:25
And so this pressures China to find alternate sources, which it can.
15:31
I mean, don't forget, China has a relationship with Russia.
15:34
Russia also exports a ton of oil.
15:36
But it's going to cost them an additional $10 to $12 per barrel.
15:40
And of course, that is a financial hit that I'm sure that China wasn't looking for.
15:46
This also stalls.
15:47
stalls China's exports as ships are loaded and they need fuel,
15:51
fuel which is created by, well, processing oil, right?
15:57
So this is impacting not just the price at the pump,
16:01
as everybody wants to talk about,
16:03
but also the cost of goods and services that rely on that oil for transport.
16:11
Let's get to the operational successes and the pressure being put on China here.
16:17
So in the first 48 hours of the enforcement,
16:20
President Trump's naval blockade has proven physically effective
16:24
at halting maritime exports from Iranian ports,
16:28
though its long-term success in achieving a diplomatic grand bargain
16:32
is still uncertain.
16:34
So the operational success enforcement here,
16:38
according to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM,
16:40
they reported that no vessels breached the blockade
16:43
during the initial 48-hour period.
16:45
Now, I know there's people saying, well, China went right through and the U.S. did nothing about it.
16:52
Ha ha ha, U.S. Ha ha, look at you. You couldn't do anything.
16:56
Well, that wasn't the whole story.
17:02
Interdictions. U.S. destroyers intercepted tankers departing to the port of Shabahar.
17:09
I believe I said that correctly. If I didn't, apologies.
17:13
so in at least nine vessels
17:16
including the sanctioned Chinese tanker
17:18
MV Rich Stari
17:20
were forced to
17:22
make U-turns and return
17:24
to the Iranian waters
17:26
after receiving radio instructions
17:28
from the US Navy
17:29
hmm so
17:32
while it seems that these
17:33
sanctioned ships
17:36
even this Chinese ship
17:38
here was able to get through they weren't able
17:40
to get out US Navy
17:42
turned them right back around.
17:44
And of course, you're probably going,
17:46
yeah, right, well, it was reported.
17:51
In fact, oh, here you go.
17:54
Aside from traffic being down,
17:56
as reported by the U.S. Naval Institute,
18:00
the Wall Street Journal reported that
18:03
Chinese tankers had to make a U-turn
18:08
in Strait of Hormuz after they tried to exit.
18:11
Oh, there you go.
18:13
So it wasn't just talking points, narratives.
18:18
It wasn't people making this up.
18:19
Yeah, this actually happened.
18:21
And you know what the Chinese government did?
18:23
Nothing.
18:25
Everybody was looking for the big retaliation moment.
18:28
Didn't happen.
18:30
China's ship gets through.
18:31
China's ship doesn't get out.
18:33
China doesn't want to pick a fight with the U.S.
18:36
It's been said that Chinese Navy is not comparable to that of the U.S. Navy.
18:41
and they don't really own the oceans, not in the way that the U.S. does.
18:46
So regardless of how anybody feels about this,
18:50
and even though everybody wanted the big bad USA to take one in the chin,
18:54
unfortunately, that hasn't happened for you.
18:58
For me, I'm good with it.
19:00
But regardless, yeah, China's boats or boat was forced to turn around.
19:06
So, aside from that, the economic impact or the strategic pressure here on China, the blockade's primary leverage point is, again, China, which purchases 80 to 91%, as I just discussed earlier, of Iran's crude exports.
19:24
So Beijing is now forced to choose between confronting the U.S. Navy, as I just discussed, or paying the additional $10 to $12 per barrel for replacement crude.
19:34
Or, here's the third option, pressuring Iran to reach a deal, which they actually have.
19:40
It's been reported that China has reached out to Tehran and said, hey, you need to stop it with this bullshit.
19:47
Come back to the table and open up the strait.
19:50
And so that has happened.
19:51
And in fact, I think I have that report here.
19:54
Here's from the South China Morning Post.
19:57
Right here.
19:58
China's Wang Yi calls on Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
20:03
And this just happened.
20:06
I think that was today.
20:08
Yep.
20:08
Published April 16th, 2026.
20:10
So there you go.
20:12
There you go.
20:14
So the operational success is actually a success.
20:19
the intended success of the operation is actually successful.
20:26
I know, I know this is weird and strange,
20:28
and I'm being kind of funny about it
20:30
because everybody was saying Trump was crazy.
20:32
It's like, ooh, you blockaded a blockade with a blockade.
20:35
Oh, well, it's working.
20:38
It's working.
20:39
Sorry, it's working.
20:42
Does it suck for the world that's relying on the oil from the Gulf?
20:45
Yeah, but the U.S. is militarily enforcing
20:49
this blockade, which is allowing
20:51
ships to pass through and get what they
20:53
need. They just can't get it from
20:55
Iran. So anybody trying to
20:57
exit from ports of Iran is
20:59
not, well, they're being
21:01
told to turn around.
21:02
But you can get it from other
21:05
Gulf nations. So there is that.
21:08
I hope
21:09
that helps a little bit.
21:11
Regardless.
21:13
Regardless. So outside of the operational
21:15
success here,
21:16
let's discuss the
21:19
Chinese vessel that was forced to turn around.
21:21
Let's dive into that a little bit.
21:24
So the U.S. Navy blockade forces the Chinese vessel
21:28
that we just discussed earlier here,
21:30
the MV Rich Stari, to turn around.
21:32
So the Rich Stari served as the first major test
21:35
of U.S. resolve following the implementation
21:39
of the naval blockade on April 13th of 2026.
21:43
While initial reports varied,
21:44
U.S. CENTCOM, or U.S. Central Command,
21:47
confirmed the Chinese-owned tanker
21:48
was forced to make a U-turn
21:50
and return to Iranian territorial waters
21:54
after receiving radio instructions from the U.S. Navy.
21:56
So here's key details regarding the interdiction,
22:01
which include vessel deception.
22:04
So the tanker owned by the sanctioned
22:07
Shanghai Shipping Company
22:09
or Shanghai Zanrum,
22:12
I can't pronounce that.
22:14
Anyway, the sanctioned ship
22:17
attempted to evade detection by spoofing its AIS position for 11 days while flying the flag of
22:26
Malawi. So the turnaround, while despite carrying 250,000 barrels of methanol, the vessel aborted
22:37
its attempt to enter the Gulf of Oman and anchored off Iran's Qesham Island. So the border
22:44
enforcement. Well, the rich story was one of six to nine merchant vessels that complied with U.S.
22:50
orders to retreat during the first two days of the blockade. Additionally, U.S. destroyers
22:55
intercepted two tankers at the port of Shabahar. The authorized exemptions, well, the U.S. continued
23:03
to permit passage of vessels such as the VLCC Alicia that were determined to be headed to Iraq
23:10
to load non-Iranian cargo.
23:14
So strategically,
23:15
the successful interdiction
23:18
demonstrated the U.S. Navy's capability
23:20
to neutralize the Shadow Fleet.
23:23
And it's called the Shadow Fleet
23:24
because these are specifically vessels
23:25
that are trying to subvert
23:28
or hide their identity or their intent,
23:31
whose flag they're actually flying under.
23:34
And so this highlights the Navy's ability
23:37
to neutralize that Shadow Fleet
23:38
despite their use of false flags
23:40
and disable transponders.
23:42
This high-stakes cat-and-mouse game
23:44
provided Beijing with an intelligence opportunity
23:47
to gauge the precise operational boundaries
23:49
of U.S. enforcement
23:51
and the potential risk
23:52
of direct military confrontation.
23:57
So again,
23:58
as crazy as this play was or sounded,
24:04
as much as everybody thought Trump was a dumbass,
24:08
we're just going,
24:09
yeah, well, you blockaded me, so I'm going to block you.
24:13
Yeah, pretty much.
24:16
Pretty much a non-kinetic action
24:19
enforcing a blockade which shuts down commerce
24:23
by shutting down traffic,
24:25
by not allowing those who are getting goods and services
24:30
from Iranian ports to exit the Persian Gulf.
24:34
That's the play.
24:35
That's the play that's working.
24:36
It's working to the tune of $13 billion a month in revenue that Iran's taken a hit on.
24:43
That money, they need to fund 45% of their government budget.
24:49
So yeah, I would say the blockade of blocking the blockade of the blockade that Iran issued,
24:56
but Trump countered by blocking.
24:58
And it gets convoluted.
25:00
But anyway, that whole thing is working.
25:03
And so for as much as we want to give Trump credit, here's the segue here.
25:10
Here's a segue.
25:14
Trump can't help himself.
25:16
He just can't take this win.
25:17
He can't take this win.
25:19
No.
25:20
He can't take this win because Trump had to depict himself.
25:33
That's Jesus.
25:38
There you go.
25:39
That's it.
25:40
Yep.
25:41
Yeah, that's the picture.
25:42
That's the picture right there.
25:43
Trump dressed in robes,
25:45
which resemble every picture
25:47
just about you've ever seen of Jesus
25:49
with the white robe and the red sash and whatnot.
25:54
And here Trump depicted as someone healing the sick for the world He got the hands with the power angels in the background over him the bald eagle flying across
26:06
military
26:07
airplanes,
26:09
Statue of Liberty in the background.
26:11
That's right, Trump Jesus.
26:17
Okay.
26:18
Yeah. Well, that didn't go over well.
26:21
Apparently that pissed a lot of people off.
26:23
pissed off a lot of Catholics.
26:27
And
26:28
Trump issued an apology. He tried to say,
26:31
I had no idea this is what it looked like
26:33
to everybody. I thought I looked like
26:35
a doctor, you know, like in the Red Cross.
26:38
Because all
26:39
Red Cross people wear outfits
26:41
that resemble the garments
26:43
of Jesus, right? Okay, Trump.
26:45
Sure. Sure thing there, Donnie.
26:48
So Donnie fucked up,
26:50
tried to retract,
26:52
took it down apparently, but you know
26:54
hey, the internet's forever, people were quick to take
26:56
those screenshots, which is how I got the
26:58
image I showed you earlier because
27:00
because the White House
27:05
was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
27:07
Trumpy, Trumpy boy
27:08
you talk a lot of shit, you've done a lot of crazy things
27:11
but hey, hey, you're not
27:13
Jesus, you're not Jesus
27:15
what are we doing here
27:16
what are we doing here
27:17
and aside from that
27:22
What else is Trump doing?
27:23
Well, the Trump also decided to,
27:26
the Trump, the Trump,
27:28
Trumper, the Trump, the guy, Trump,
27:31
decided he was going to fight with the Pope.
27:33
Yeah, here, let me show you that.
27:36
So Pope, the Pope Leo here
27:38
was taking shots from President Donald Trump.
27:43
I'm going to read it to you.
27:44
I'm going to read it to you.
27:45
So for those who aren't watching the video,
27:46
I'm doing the best to describe all the stuff.
27:49
I'm going to read this.
27:50
I don't know what you call this, a truth?
27:52
Some post, whatever, truth social.
27:56
Here we go.
27:57
Get ready for it.
27:58
Get ready for it.
27:59
From Trump Jesus to taking shots at Pope Leo.
28:03
So Trump says,
28:04
Pope Leo is weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.
28:10
He talks about fear of the Trump administration,
28:12
but doesn't mention the fear that the Catholic Church
28:14
and all other Christian organizations had during COVID
28:16
when they were arresting priests, ministers,
28:19
and everybody else for holding church services.
28:22
even when going outside and being 10 and even 20 feet apart.
28:26
I like his brother Louis much better than I like him because Louis is all MAGA.
28:31
He gets it and Leo doesn't.
28:34
I don't want a pope who thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons.
28:38
I don't want a pope who thinks it's terrible that America attacked Venezuela,
28:42
a country that was sending massive amounts of drugs into the United States
28:45
and even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers,
28:49
and killers into our country.
28:50
and I don't want a pope who criticizes the president of the United States
28:54
because I'm doing exactly what I was elected in a landslide to do,
29:00
setting record low numbers in crime and creating the greatest stock market in history.
29:05
Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise.
29:11
He wasn't on any list to be pope and was only put there by the church because he was an American.
29:16
and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.
29:22
If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican.
29:26
Unfortunately, Leo's week on crime, week on nuclear weapons does not sit well with me,
29:31
nor does the fact that he meets with Obama sympathizers like David Axelrod,
29:39
a loser from the left who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested.
29:46
Leo should get his act together as Pope,
29:48
use common sense,
29:50
stop catering to the radical left,
29:51
and focus on being a great Pope,
29:53
not a politician.
29:54
It's hurting him very badly,
29:56
and more importantly,
29:57
it's hurting the Catholic Church.
29:59
President Donald J. Trump.
30:05
Well, that didn't help.
30:06
That didn't help.
30:07
Let's just say that.
30:11
What do you do, just laugh, I guess?
30:14
so Trump's attacking the Pope
30:16
who is like the
30:18
President of the United States
30:19
I mean he is the spiritual
30:22
figurehead of
30:24
the Catholic Church not just a Catholic
30:26
Church the Catholic Church
30:28
around the entire world
30:30
so Catholics are not happy
30:34
with Donald Trump
30:35
seems like Donnie's going
30:38
scorched earth here
30:39
but I don't think he cares
30:42
I mean
30:43
he's not serving again.
30:46
This is his last term.
30:47
I think he's just trying to get shit done
30:49
and doesn't care what people have to say.
30:51
But let's just be honest.
30:52
Some of what Trump said was correct.
30:56
I get that the Pope would criticize war and violence
30:59
as basically all religions do.
31:02
Well, should anyway.
31:04
And the Catholic Church has criticized many wars in the past
31:08
because it's violent and it's a crime against humanity
31:11
regardless of the conflict, who started it, whatever.
31:15
So I understand the Pope's position.
31:19
Criticizing Donald Trump's politics, though,
31:23
that's another matter.
31:26
And all I got to say is if the Pope can dish it,
31:28
then he should be able to take it.
31:31
But again, maybe Trump took it a bit too far.
31:35
And depicting himself as Jesus, well,
31:38
that definitely doesn't help matters.
31:40
So who does this hurt?
31:41
Well, politically, Trump can care less.
31:44
Again, this is last term.
31:46
But what it does hurt is the Republican Party.
31:49
It hurts the chances for a Republican president in 2028.
31:54
This also is going to force Republicans to distance themselves from Trump
31:59
if he continues down this highway or this road of not just crazy rhetoric,
32:07
because he was always crazy.
32:09
I loved his unfiltered approach.
32:11
But this is not going to help the Republican Party whatsoever.
32:15
It's not going to help MAGA.
32:17
So you're going to see Republicans,
32:19
you're going to see people in MAGA start to distance themselves
32:21
from Trump altogether,
32:24
just so that they have a chance to be reelected in the midterm
32:28
and also a shot at the presidency,
32:31
as far as the Republican Party is concerned.
32:34
So for all the good Trump might be doing,
32:37
he can't help himself.
32:39
He has to put his foot in his mouth,
32:40
or he has to depict himself as Jesus Christ.
32:45
Blasphemy for sure.
32:47
But regardless, it's Trump.
32:51
So let's not take this serious.
32:52
I know we're all offended.
32:55
Let's just get through it.
32:57
Let's hope that this blockade at the Strait of Hormuz
33:00
going on right now ends up bringing Iran back to the table.
33:05
Let's hope that they agree to the 20-year moratorium
33:08
on nuclear weapons and pursuing it.
33:11
And look, it doesn't even matter
33:13
because if the U.S. doesn't get it done
33:18
and keep the straight open,
33:21
we have France to the rescue.
33:25
Yes, because we got this from war radar
33:30
and this is confirmed.
33:32
Yeah, it's real.
33:33
So France and the U.K. led by Emmanuel Macron
33:38
are preparing a post-war
33:40
mission to reopen the Strait
33:42
of Hormuz. Oh, thank you
33:44
Macron. Really?
33:46
Really? You're preparing a mission
33:48
to go reopen the Strait
33:50
of Hormuz after all the dust settles
33:52
and after the blockade issued to blockade
33:54
the blockade by President Trump?
33:56
Oh, you're going to get in there and do that for us all, huh?
33:58
You're going to save the world? Yeah?
34:00
Yeah? Who's going to do this?
34:02
You and the UK? Doesn't the UK just have
34:04
like one boat, ship?
34:06
Whatever?
34:08
Are we for real?
34:09
I come to the rescue to clean up after all the work's done.
34:15
Thank you, Emmanuel Macron.
34:16
And yeah, this is real.
34:18
This wasn't just something on X.
34:19
So here you go.
34:19
Ground news.
34:20
Europe has post-war plans to free up Hormuz without the U.S.
34:24
And this was from the Wall Street Journal.
34:25
And you can see as I scroll, there's 27 articles related to this.
34:29
So yeah, Emmanuel Macron had the balls to say,
34:32
I'm going to go in after the U.S. does all the work,
34:35
after the U.S. brings a Ron to heel,
34:38
After the U.S. manages the Strait of Hormuz,
34:42
we're going to go in there and we're going to make sure it stays open.
34:45
That's right.
34:46
We're going to do it.
34:47
We're going to play the hero.
34:51
Isn't this the same Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer
34:54
who said they didn't want anything to do with this?
34:56
This isn't their war.
34:57
They're not going to get involved.
35:00
But apparently they will.
35:04
They will and try to take the credit after all the work.
35:08
has been done by the United States for America.
35:10
In regards of how you believe or feel about this conflict, war, etc.,
35:15
that is the situation.
35:19
The U.S. goes in.
35:20
The U.S. gets it done.
35:23
And Macron wants to play cleanup and say,
35:26
look what I did.
35:27
I participated.
35:29
I'm doing my part.
35:30
I'm keeping it open.
35:32
I'm going to make sure that this thing stays open.
35:38
All right.
35:39
Good luck there, buddy.
35:41
Okay.
35:42
Before we move on to other business,
35:44
and before I discuss Eric Swalwell and Mamdani,
35:51
I think I need a beer.
35:52
I think I need a beer.
35:53
Yeah, that whole Straddle Hormuz thing,
35:55
you know, the blocking the blockade by issuing a blockade,
35:59
a block blockade by blockading a blockade,
36:01
and then Emmanuel Macron saying he's going to play cleanup,
36:05
and then we had Trump Jesus and fighting the Pope,
36:07
in.
36:10
Yeah.
36:11
Let me see what I got.
36:15
All right.
36:16
All right.
36:16
Here we go.
36:16
Here we go.
36:18
Tecate.
36:19
It's going to be a Tecate.
36:19
You know, I haven't had one of these in a long time.
36:21
I'm not endorsed by them.
36:23
But it's nice and cold too.
36:25
Head on ice.
36:27
I need this.
36:28
That was a lot.
36:29
So let me go ahead and reset a bit and then we're going to dive into Eric's wall.
36:32
Oh, and before we do that, I know what you're saying.
36:36
I know what you're saying.
36:37
all you guys out there. Look at the gringo with the
36:39
American hat on, all proud
36:41
to be American, talking about Trump and his
36:43
operational success, but you're drinking a Mexican
36:45
beer.
36:46
Actually, I got you. I got you, buddy.
36:49
I got you. This is for you.
36:51
So Tecate is actually owned by
36:53
Heineken.
36:55
Yeah.
36:58
That's right.
36:59
Tecate beer made in Mexico is
37:01
owned by a Dutch company.
37:02
They purchased it in 2010
37:04
and it's managed in the U.S. by Heineken
37:07
USA, which good luck.
37:10
Oh, you don't believe me?
37:10
Okay, cool.
37:11
Let's go ahead to Heineken's website.
37:16
Look at that.
37:18
Our brands.
37:19
See that?
37:20
Our brands.
37:21
Heineken.
37:22
Those Eke Staccati Red Stripe Amstelite.
37:25
There's the pictures.
37:28
So, yeah.
37:31
I'm celebrating success with a Dutch beer.
37:33
anyway
37:37
there we go that's what we needed
37:39
alright let me take a sip of this cheers to everybody
37:41
listening listen and I haven't done this in a while but for
37:43
all those who
37:44
are off of work don't want to go to work at work
37:48
don't want to be at work have a day off
37:49
you're out there fishing camping whatever cheers
37:51
to you here's a beer
37:52
cheers
37:54
oh man
37:59
I haven't had a Takati in a while that's actually
38:01
pretty good
38:03
Yeah, that's tasty.
38:06
Not bad.
38:08
Okay.
38:11
Now on to Eric Swalwell.
38:14
So let's get to it.
38:17
Let's go over the summary of the allegations here.
38:20
In April, 2026, representative Eric Swalwell withdrew from the California gubernatorial race and resigned from Congress.
38:28
following a series of escalating allegations involving sexual assault and misconduct.
38:34
So let's go over those allegations.
38:38
Okay, so first, a former staffer, primary accuser,
38:42
an aide who worked for Swalwell for nearly two years,
38:46
alleged he sexually assaulted her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent.
38:51
This was in 2019 and in April of 2024 She also claimed he requested oral sex during work hours while she was performing her official duties Her claims are reportedly corroborated by medical records and text messages
39:08
Okay, we also have Lana Druiz publicly accused Swalwell of spiking her drink, drugging, and raping her at a West Hollywood hotel in July 2018, stating he choked her unconscious.
39:25
we have
39:27
Ali Samarco
39:29
a Democratic influencer who identified
39:31
herself as a recipient of
39:33
unsolicited explicit
39:35
photo from Swalwell
39:37
so it probably sent her like a dick pic or something
39:39
I don't know
39:40
CNN reports okay so there are three additional
39:43
women who detailed
39:45
misconduct including unsolicited
39:48
nude photos and messages
39:49
one reported
39:51
non-consensual
39:53
sexual
39:54
contact occurring while she was intoxicated.
39:59
So far, it seems like Swalwell's MO is getting ladies drunk,
40:04
inebriated with, I don't know, different methods,
40:08
maybe spiking drinks, whatever,
40:10
and then just laying hands and trying to do things.
40:15
Okay, so there's also the DHS investigation.
40:19
Separate from the sexual misconduct claims,
40:21
the Department of Homeland Security investigated Swalwell
40:23
for illegally employing a Brazilian nanny.
40:26
I didn't hear this one.
40:27
Huh.
40:29
Okay, after her work authorization expired in 2022.
40:33
Hmm.
40:34
Yeah, I didn't hear about that one.
40:36
So Eric Swalwell, of course, is denying everything.
40:41
And amid all the sexual misconduct charges,
40:44
I mean, this is the guy that also was dating Chinese spy,
40:52
fang fang like the guy was banging fang fang fang bang remember that whole thing yeah chinese spy
40:58
it was dating this lady i think it was like for two years or whatever um you can fact check me
41:03
but i believe it's like a two-year period what what not a chinese spy who allegedly or apparently
41:08
was getting secrets from swallwalt either directly or indirectly i don't know we we have no idea what
41:15
what happened with that investigation um what decisions were made as to pursue him or not
41:21
after all the questioning.
41:23
But regardless,
41:24
let's hear Eric Swalwell
41:26
apologize and deny everything.
41:28
In fact, he's not even apologizing.
41:29
He's just denying
41:30
all these allegations.
41:32
Here we go.
41:33
Let me go ahead
41:34
and blow this up for y'all.
41:36
Swalwell, in his own words,
41:38
as far as the recent allegations.
41:41
A lot has been said about me today
41:42
through anonymous allegations.
41:44
And I thought it was important
41:45
that you see and hear from me directly.
41:48
These allegations of sexual assault
41:50
are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened. And I
41:57
will fight them with everything that I have. They also come on the eve of an election where I have
42:03
been the frontrunner candidate for governor in California. I do not suggest to you in any way
42:08
that I'm perfect or that I'm a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past.
42:14
But those mistakes are between me and my wife. And to her, I apologize deeply for putting her
42:19
in this position. I also apologize to you if in any way you have doubted your support for me,
42:26
but I think you know who I am. For over 20 years, I have served the public as a city councilman,
42:34
as a member of Congress, and as a prosecutor who went to court on behalf of victims, particularly
42:40
on behalf of sexual assault victims. That's who I am and have always been.
42:45
this weekend i'm going to spend time with my family and friends and i appreciate those who
42:52
have reached out to me to show support and i look forward to updating you very soon
42:57
okay so that was issued by eric swalwell himself and uh he put that out there on instagram
43:08
so do we believe him i mean 20 years a servant a public servant acting as if everybody knows who
43:18
he is well the reality is the um democratic party's been covering up for him for some time
43:24
i mean again we had the bang the fang fang bang whatever spy thing that happened uh and then you
43:32
know as i just read earlier when we were uh going over the allegations i mean we have stuff going to
43:36
2018.
43:39
So yeah, I guess people do know who you are.
43:43
And then, you know, here's another video I have.
43:46
Now there's no sound on this, but this is, there's a video of him in a hotel room, which,
43:51
which looks like it's with a, while they're saying this recording is with him and under
43:56
aged girl.
43:59
If you're not watching this on YouTube, go ahead or just look it up.
44:03
In fact, all you got to do is just look up Eric Swalwell hotel video or whatever, and
44:08
it should pop up.
44:09
But for everybody watching, let's go ahead and play this.
44:13
I'm going to blow it up.
44:14
And it goes pretty quick, but I want you to see this.
44:16
So here's Swalwell.
44:18
Here's the girl with the phone.
44:19
He grabs her, kisses her, tries to pull her back a bit.
44:25
And this is a married man.
44:28
I mean, this is Eric Swalwell, married, a guy that we're supposed to trust, 20 years
44:31
of servant.
44:31
You know me.
44:32
You know me.
44:33
I'm good.
44:33
guys, right? Right. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I'm honest. I'm the guy. I've made some mistakes.
44:40
I would never, I would never. Yeah, sure. And so there's more videos like that that are coming out.
44:51
And aside from him denying everything,
44:54
I go back to the fang fang thing, right?
45:00
The whole fang fang thing, because he first came, came into the public eye in terms of
45:09
controversy when he got caught dating that spy and he denied it all.
45:13
He denied it all.
45:14
But if he didn't do anything, then why is this happening?
45:19
it's reported that representative eric swalwell sends cease and desist letter to fbi director over
45:27
old investigation files fbi director cash patel is reportedly seeking to release files related to
45:35
the democratic lawmakers previous association with a suspected chinese intelligence operative
45:42
that's right so he did nothing but he wants the files to not be released he wants them sealed he
45:49
He doesn't want them to get out.
45:50
The alleged fang, fang, bang, fang, bang, spy collusion thing.
45:58
Yeah.
45:58
Never did anything, but he doesn't want the files to come up.
46:01
If he didn't do anything, Eric,
46:02
then why are you sending a cease and desist to Cash Patel?
46:05
That makes no sense whatsoever.
46:09
And so how does this impact the California race?
46:15
Because he claims he was a front runner.
46:19
He actually wasn't, but regardless.
46:21
So let's go ahead and discuss how this affects
46:25
the California gubernatorial realignment post-Swalwell.
46:31
So the withdrawal of Representative Eric Swalwell
46:33
from the California gubernatorial race
46:35
has significantly reshaped the political landscape
46:38
in California as he was previously a top polling candidate.
46:43
And yeah, he was a top polling candidate,
46:44
but I still don't think he was going to get it.
46:46
but his exit leaves a vacuum for both supporters and institutional backing, as in donors.
46:55
So primary Democratic beneficiaries.
46:58
So the people who benefit from this, as analysts point out, would be Tom Steyer and Katie Porter.
47:04
They move up in gaining more support in their race for governor of California.
47:09
Tom Steyer is a billionaire, climate advocate, with significant self-funding.
47:15
Steyer has already begun absorbing endorsements from former Swalwell allies,
47:19
such as he was representative Jared Huffman and several state assembly members.
47:23
Katie Porter, a former law professor,
47:26
Porter appeals to a similar demographic as Swalwell,
47:30
specifically liberal, progressive, and older white voters.
47:34
She is also expected to benefit from a backlash among female voters
47:38
for following the sexual assault allegations against Swalwell.
47:44
So here's the impact on the broader field.
47:49
Financial surges.
47:50
So San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan saw an immediate $12 million surge
47:55
in financial support from Silicon Valley donors following Swalwell's downfall.
48:00
So other candidates are starting to receive funding as people
48:04
who are trying to back the Democrat Party shift their support
48:08
towards other candidates.
48:09
there's also veteran candidates
48:12
so there's figures like
48:15
Antonio Villaragosa
48:17
apologies if I didn't pronounce your name correctly
48:21
and Xavier Becerra
48:23
who are looking to capitalize on the field's disarray
48:27
with Villaragosa
48:29
already launching new advertisements
48:31
focused on the cost of living
48:33
so the strategic goals of the Democratic Party here
48:36
now I'm going to read the summary
48:38
I may or may not agree with all of it, but this is what AI helped me with when it came to this summary here.
48:44
So the push by the Democratic leadership for Swalwell's immediate exit was a strategic move to prevent a lockout in California's jungle primary.
48:51
The party feared that a fractured field of eight Democrats would split the liberal vote so thinly that two Republicans, Stephen Hilton and Chad Bianco, could secure the top two spots and move on the general election alone by forcing a quick withdrawal.
49:09
The party hopes to consolidate Democratic voters behind a single viable candidate like Steyer or Porter.
49:16
There's some truth to that.
49:17
I mean, sure, too many Democratic candidates would have thinned it out.
49:22
But I think what would have happened, which always happens,
49:25
is it always tends to be concentrated and directed towards backing one horse,
49:31
so to say, or so to speak, one candidate.
49:35
And so eventually it was going to get pared down.
49:37
And I think what happened here with Swalwell is I think it got to the point
49:42
where they were just tired of backing him and covering up for him.
49:47
He's had allegations and misconduct going back for years,
49:50
and he can claim for 20 years he was the good guy.
49:52
He was squeaky clean, but it's not the case.
49:54
I mean, just Google Swalwell misconduct.
50:04
I mean, just go ahead and Google Swalwell's past misdeeds.
50:08
I mean, there's going to be plenty that come up.
50:10
He's trying to bury it, but it's not going to happen.
50:12
And so what this does is it actually, to a point in degree, let me go ahead and switch screens here.
50:21
And this is from Emerson College Polling.
50:24
And this is California's 2026 poll right here as it relates to the gubernatorial primary election tracking.
50:31
And you'll see all these colors.
50:33
So we got various colors looking at 2025, September, October 2025, December 2025, February 2026, March 2026, and April 2026.
50:42
So we're going to concentrate on April here.
50:46
So what this did is, sure, this thinned things out.
50:49
It shifted the support for the Democrats towards Steyer and Porter.
50:54
But even then, Porter is gaining at 10%, but so is Becerra.
50:59
So it's pretty tight between those two.
51:01
But Steyer has moved up to a 14% support according to the polls.
51:06
But what this did do, it did open the door for support in the Republican Party.
51:12
More to the point, the two Republican candidates.
51:15
So we got Hilton over here who is surging at, as of April 2026, 17% support, which is more than any candidate on the board.
51:25
And Bianco is at 14%, which is tied with Steyer.
51:28
And so what could happen here is if Becerra drops out or ends up being out, and so does Mahan, that support is expected to shift over to either Porter or Steyr.
51:44
It looks like the horse they should be backing here is Steyr, as Steyr already has more support.
51:50
But regardless, the support for Becerra and Mahan, they're estimating will be absorbed by Steyr and Porter.
51:56
Now that may put him in a position to be ahead of the current.
52:00
Republican or the leading Republican candidates here,
52:03
Hilton and Bianco.
52:05
I don't think Bianco and Hilton should yet combine,
52:11
or what I mean by that, sorry, let me rephrase that.
52:14
I don't think either one of them should drop out yet.
52:16
Yeah, it still splits the Republican vote, right?
52:20
It still splits that Republican support,
52:21
but having the two on the board right now
52:23
also disrupts the support that Steyer or Porter will get.
52:28
I think this will also force the split on the Democrat side,
52:32
depending on how you oppose Bianco or Hilton based on their positions.
52:38
Down the road, we're going to see how this plays out.
52:40
But this whole thing, as of now, as of now,
52:46
Swalwell dropping out, Swalwell resigning, being forced to resign,
52:50
has the unintended consequence to the Democrats or the Democratic Party
52:56
of possibly flipping the governorship
53:01
to Republican in California,
53:04
which the play here to get Swalwell out
53:10
looks like it could absolutely backfire
53:12
on the Democratic Party.
53:16
So why would they do this?
53:19
Maybe it was that Swalwell is too hot.
53:22
They could no longer cover up for him
53:23
after all the years of allegations,
53:25
misconduct and misdeeds.
53:27
Yeah, I think that is part of it for sure.
53:29
They probably felt it was safer
53:31
to put more support
53:33
towards Steyer or Porter.
53:35
But I think here's the bigger play.
53:37
I think the bigger play is the Democratic
53:38
Party is getting themselves ready for
53:41
2028 for the presidential race.
53:43
See, by doing this,
53:45
by they themselves eating
53:47
their own,
53:48
by standing up and telling Swalwell,
53:51
you're out, we're not supporting you, your career's done,
53:53
I think they're able to say,
53:56
look, we're the party of moral superiority
53:59
because Trump is still in hot water
54:02
in regard to the whole Epstein files
54:05
and the Epstein case.
54:06
Actually, his whole administration
54:08
has been scrutinized over it.
54:10
Pam Bondi was fired over it.
54:12
Cash Patel has been questioned
54:14
and scrutinized over it.
54:16
Dan Bongino stepped down and claimed
54:17
there was nothing there
54:18
and Epstein hung himself.
54:19
Yeah, whatever, Danny.
54:20
and so that is the one thing
54:24
that is the one thing
54:25
like Iran look
54:26
I don't think that would have been
54:28
as big of a sticking point
54:30
at all for Trump administration
54:32
or even the future of the Republican Party
54:34
so much as the Epstein files
54:36
that is all the Democrats have
54:39
that is all the Democratic Party has
54:41
that is it
54:42
so by saying look what we did
54:45
we were able to hold
54:46
our own people accountable
54:48
We were forcing them to resign.
54:50
We took them away and cleared them off the board because they were no longer representative of the values of the Democratic Party.
55:00
We are the party of moral superiority.
55:05
Why would you elect a Democrat to be president?
55:08
Why would you elect a Republican to be president?
55:11
Why? Why would you do that?
55:12
They are morally bankrupt.
55:14
They're corrupt.
55:15
But not us. Not the Democratic Party.
55:20
We took down one of our own for the same type of allegations, sexual misconduct and rape of minors.
55:32
We are the party of morality.
55:35
And that is the actual real play the Democratic Party is making right now
55:41
and standing up to and against Walwell and forcing him to resign.
55:48
That is what they're really doing.
55:50
They're making a play for 2020.
55:52
And Republicans, Republican Party, you need to be paying attention to this.
55:57
You need to get your heads out of your ass.
55:59
and come up for air and realize that you may very well have been outplayed here
56:08
by the Democratic Party.
56:11
I be watching for your counter and so will the rest of America All right everybody from California to New York It been a while I haven discussed them in a bit
56:22
Let's check in on old Zoran Mamdani.
56:26
He's doing good for New York, right?
56:28
Yeah, yeah, everybody wanted him.
56:30
Everybody got him.
56:32
And here comes your Marxist socialist plays.
56:36
here's a video of proud Zoran Mondani discussing
56:41
what he's going to be doing in terms of revenue.
56:47
When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich.
56:52
Well, today we're taxing the rich.
56:55
I'm thrilled to announce we've secured a pied-a-terre tax,
56:57
the first in New York's history.
56:59
This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million
57:02
whose owners do not live full-time in the city.
57:05
Like for this penthouse, which hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought for $238 million.
57:11
This pier-de-terre tax is specifically designed for the richest of the rich, those who store
57:15
their wealth in New York City real estate, but who don't actually live here.
57:18
But even so, they're able to reap the huge financial rewards of owning property in, dare
57:22
I say, the greatest city in the world.
57:24
And most of the time, these units are sitting empty, since again, they don't actually live
57:28
here.
57:29
This is a fundamentally unfair system that hurts working New Yorkers.
57:32
Now, it's coming to an end.
57:34
tax will raise at least $500 million directly for the city. It'll help fund things like free
57:40
childcare, cleaner streets, and safer neighborhoods. As mayor, I believe everyone has a role to play
57:45
in contributing to our city, and some a little bit more than others. Happy Tax Day, New York.
57:50
um questions how does someone owning a expensive property in new york chooses not to live their
58:05
full-time hurt new yorkers explain that logic to me like really what's the logic there like
58:13
how's it hurting new yorkers number one uh number two he wants to impose a tax
58:20
on people who are able to own a second property,
58:24
specifically targeting people who aren't occupying it full-time.
58:28
Now, just because they're not there full-time
58:30
doesn't mean they don't go there.
58:32
I mean, people don't just buy real estate
58:33
if they're not going to use it in some fashion.
58:36
Now, if they're renting them out,
58:38
then they have to pay income tax, right?
58:42
Okay, well, there is that, Mom Donnie.
58:44
And then, just for owning the property,
58:47
they're already paying
58:49
property taxes.
58:51
That's right. They're paying property taxes.
58:54
So you want to
58:55
put
58:55
and impose
58:59
a tax
59:00
on top of a tax we're already
59:03
paying because you
59:05
say that because they're not living in
59:07
these exorbitant
59:09
properties, these
59:10
properties valued over $5 million
59:13
full-time that they're hurting New Yorkers
59:15
somehow.
59:17
even though they're contributing to the city's bottom line by paying property taxes already,
59:22
that if they choose to rent out or lease their buildings or their domiciles to other people,
59:33
like other CEOs, for example, other people in their network, they pay income tax on that.
59:40
But that's not enough.
59:41
you want to go after the rich because you hate the rich.
59:48
Explain how this is benefiting the average New Yorker.
59:53
How is somebody,
59:56
how is the ownership of a multi-multi-million dollar property
1:00:00
by somebody just for the sake of like just owning the property?
1:00:06
How does that hurt New Yorkers, ma'am, Donnie?
1:00:10
How is it that you believe that you can put a tax on top of a tax you're already collecting?
1:00:18
How is that?
1:00:19
I mean, let's talk about that.
1:00:23
Let's talk about that.
1:00:24
In fact, you know, I want to move up.
1:00:26
Let talk about New York City property taxes So New York City property taxes are already pretty high Here the New York City property tax rates for 25 fiscal year They categorized by a
1:00:40
property class. Class one is residential, which are one to three units. Those are already taxed
1:00:47
at 19%, actually over 19%. That's what the property tax rate is. Class twos, which would be
1:00:54
Apartments and co-ops are taxed at 12% or over 12%.
1:00:58
And then rates for Class 3 and Class 4 are 11% and 10%.
1:01:05
Okay?
1:01:07
Now, you may be asking, well, why are these other ones lower?
1:01:11
Well, those are properties that people make money on.
1:01:15
Actually, like they rent out, lease, etc.
1:01:17
So they're already getting income tax on top of property tax.
1:01:22
So they get a little bit of a break on it.
1:01:23
But regardless, these property taxes are pretty high.
1:01:27
People are already paying tax on their properties that they bought.
1:01:33
The values are assessed against the market values,
1:01:38
or at least the last or most recent assessment of the property.
1:01:42
And that's not enough because New York City can't manage their money.
1:01:50
You see, they got a deficit,
1:01:51
and they're trying to make it up
1:01:53
by taxing those
1:01:55
who own expensive real estate.
1:01:59
Hate to break it to you,
1:02:00
but fucking every bit of real estate in New York
1:02:02
is fucking expensive.
1:02:03
Well, New York City anyway.
1:02:05
Like, there's not too many things there,
1:02:07
or, well, I don't think there's anything affordable.
1:02:10
So,
1:02:11
what's going on here?
1:02:13
You know what's even crazier?
1:02:17
Ron DeSantis posted this earlier,
1:02:20
and apparently,
1:02:21
it looks like even the New York governor,
1:02:25
Kathy Holcomb is buying into the bullshit too.
1:02:27
She'll go,
1:02:27
Hey,
1:02:27
good idea.
1:02:28
Mom,
1:02:28
Donnie on your side.
1:02:29
It looks like socialism works.
1:02:31
It's going to propose a tax on second homes with 5 million or more.
1:02:35
And I think,
1:02:36
I think this,
1:02:37
I think she,
1:02:39
she's going to go beyond the New York city.
1:02:41
I think this might be applied to all of New York.
1:02:44
I may be wrong on that.
1:02:45
It looks like,
1:02:45
it looks like she's backing mom.
1:02:47
Donnie's play here.
1:02:52
Mamdani hates you.
1:02:53
Mamdani wants to destroy America.
1:02:56
I know you don't want to believe that,
1:02:57
but this is going to drive people with money out of your city.
1:03:00
You see people with money actually spend money.
1:03:02
You can cry about the taxes they pay all the time,
1:03:04
but what about the taxes they pay on what they spend?
1:03:08
These big spenders that make these large purchases
1:03:13
pay taxes on these purchases.
1:03:16
These properties that have these crazy assessed values of $5 million or more, or in this case, the example Mom Donnie made, I think, what did you say, $238 million property?
1:03:27
They're paying property taxes on that valuation.
1:03:30
You are already getting money from them.
1:03:32
It's almost like you're just penalizing them for being rich or having the ability to own these things.
1:03:37
And you're calling it a luxury tax that they got to pay every fucking year?
1:03:42
Really?
1:03:43
So does this affect your parents, Mom Donnie?
1:03:45
I thought you were raised in a rich, well-to-do family as well.
1:03:49
Or is it good to exclude them?
1:03:51
How is that going to work?
1:03:54
I mean, really, does any of this make sense?
1:03:58
How would you feel?
1:03:59
How would you feel?
1:04:00
Look, I'm not that guy that's in the position to buy a $238 million property.
1:04:03
But let's just dream a bit, right?
1:04:05
Dreamers, right?
1:04:06
As they say, the American dream.
1:04:08
But let's just say you were able to.
1:04:10
How would you feel that you worked your ass off to get where you were?
1:04:12
now let's talk about those people who became rich through hard work i'm not talking about people who
1:04:17
just were rich because they were born rich let's say you're one of those people worked your ass off
1:04:22
and it finally worked out you're like wow now i'm making some money now i got more money than i can
1:04:27
spend hell i i've been living in a shoebox for like 30 years of my life for 20 years of my life
1:04:34
i want to know what it feels like to have some badass property and you do that you choose to do
1:04:40
so in New York. And then you got
1:04:42
old Mayor Mamdani
1:04:44
knocking on your door and saying oh yeah look what you did Good for you Yeah from the bottom and now we here right Started from the bottom now we here Yeah well I here too and pay up Yeah
1:04:57
Oh, you pay property taxes.
1:04:58
Yeah, but because you're rich
1:05:00
and you're able to buy this property,
1:05:02
I need a little more of your money.
1:05:06
How would you feel? How would you feel?
1:05:08
Seriously.
1:05:09
You'd probably move the fuck out.
1:05:12
Probably say,
1:05:13
fuck this racket.
1:05:15
That's like old school
1:05:17
fucking mafia strong arm
1:05:19
bullshit that Mom Donnie's pulling.
1:05:21
Is this really the guy that you
1:05:23
want to represent in New York City?
1:05:25
Sure, the people who don't make much,
1:05:27
they're all like, yeah, yeah,
1:05:29
fuck the red, stick it to them.
1:05:31
Yeah, they don't deserve to have any money.
1:05:33
Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure, sure.
1:05:37
Some of these people worked their ass off to get
1:05:39
what they were.
1:05:41
They had an idea, they had a dream,
1:05:43
I mean, I know, I know.
1:05:45
Bezos is very disconnected now,
1:05:47
but when he first started out,
1:05:48
the guy was selling fucking books online,
1:05:51
at fairs, at conventions,
1:05:56
on a fucking plastic folding table.
1:05:59
Yeah, it worked out for him,
1:06:00
but the guy spent years before he got there.
1:06:04
And the same could happen for anybody.
1:06:07
It's always possible.
1:06:09
This is just a direct attack on the American dream.
1:06:11
I know everybody hates the rich because they got more than we have.
1:06:15
Okay, whatever.
1:06:16
That's life, man.
1:06:18
That's how shit works out.
1:06:19
Unfortunately, it sucks.
1:06:20
Yes.
1:06:21
But to penalize these people just because they spend money?
1:06:25
Like you're already getting property tax.
1:06:27
You're getting tax on everything they buy, every restaurant they go to,
1:06:31
every bottle of champagne, every fucking super sports car they buy,
1:06:35
helicopter, fucking private plane, whatever.
1:06:39
They're taxed on all of that.
1:06:41
all their consumption, all their spending, plus the properties.
1:06:45
You only get so many exemptions on your income that you can write off.
1:06:49
But these things, you don't write that off.
1:06:54
Well, possibly, maybe.
1:06:57
Okay, there is a way to do some of that.
1:06:58
But the reality is, those taxes are being fed into the system, into the city.
1:07:04
and so
1:07:08
yeah
1:07:10
Mom Donnie is just a
1:07:13
socialist Marxist piece of shit
1:07:15
there I said it
1:07:16
I don't regret what I said
1:07:18
I said it
1:07:19
Mom Donnie
1:07:20
you're a socialist Marxist piece of shit
1:07:22
I said it
1:07:23
that's my opinion
1:07:24
my opinion
1:07:25
I'm not saying it as fact
1:07:26
but in my opinion
1:07:27
you're a socialist Marxist
1:07:31
piece of shit
1:07:32
and with that being said
1:07:35
I'm going to end the show
1:07:36
let me grab my beer here
1:07:37
cheers to everybody who was able to
1:07:39
hang on and listen to all that
1:07:41
the world's been a dumpster fire
1:07:45
and we're trying to get through it
1:07:47
but for all those who support
1:07:49
the show and listen to the show
1:07:51
again help me get to number one
1:07:53
in geopolitics on good pods
1:07:54
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1:07:57
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1:07:59
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1:08:01
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1:08:04
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1:08:10
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1:08:11
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1:08:17
And remember,
1:08:18
as I always say,
1:08:20
read beyond the headline.
1:08:22
Dive deeper.
1:08:23
Do more.
1:08:24
Don't be that guy.
1:08:25
Don't be that guy.
1:08:26
Don't be that guy.
1:08:27
Go beyond the headline.
1:08:29
With that being said,
1:08:31
Have yourself a great day.
1:08:33
Devils hide behind redemption.
1:08:36
Honesty is a one-way gate to hell.
1:09:01
Bye.