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Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview.
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Jenna Ellis: And protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you. And God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
Mark Mitchell: This is Jenna Ellis in the Morning America. Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess.
Catherine Hanaway: And I'm fixing it.
President Trump's primetime address on Venezuela got mixed reaction last night
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is, Thursday rather December 18th. And that was the opening statement from President Donald Trump in the White House last night during his address to the nation, which got a little bit of mixed reaction last night. Matt Walsh from the Daily Wire posted that was perhaps the most pointless primetime presidential address ever delivered in American history. And it was possibly because, a lot of broadcasters were expecting President Trump to make an announcement on Venezuela that did not come after talking, from the tarmac earlier in the day yesterday about how his claim was that Venezuela had stolen U.S. oil, land and other assets. And so this perhaps looming war was at least in the minds of a lot of these, leftist broadcasters and, and also some on the right, that this was going to be, the reason for this primetime address, which, which isn't a normal thing. It's, it's obviously when there's something major going on that the president needs to communicate to the American people. And so Michael Knowles from the Daily Wire had a very different take. He posted, ah, he, Trump pulled a war in Venezuela fake out to make the network's broadcast his all his first year wins in primetime, all in front of cozy Christmas decorations at the White House. Simply the best media manipulator to ever hold office. And there's a little bit of truth to that I think as well. basically if you missed the about 20 minute speech which seemed to be President Trump on about time and a half in, if you listen to podcasts and you, and you speed it up that way, he definitely did not even take a breath the entire time, but just kind of rapid fire promoted his achievements over the first year in office and signaled to the American people what was going to come from the Trump agenda in the next year. And really in my opinion, this was kind of the ah, starting gun going off for the midterms next year. but still the situation in Venezuela, really is looming kind of in the background.
Scott Uehlinger : President Trump claims Venezuelan President Maduro stole US oil assets
And so we. Let's welcome in Scott Uehlinger who's a former intelligence agent and that comment from President Trump, claiming that Venezuelan President Maduro, had stolen the US Oil land and other assets. is there truth to that? And how does this fit into the overall situation between the United States and Venezuela?
Scott Uehlinger: Yes, there actually is a lot of truth to that, Jenna. in 1999 or so when the Bolivarian Revolution was launched by Maduro's predecessor Chavez, they basically confiscated huge basically oil concessions that American companies had already paid for. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips had already established these and compensated the Venezuelan government and they were confiscated. And in fact, international courts over the years have found out that absolutely, that they have standing and that ordered Venezuel to pay back, to pay monies back to those companies because things had been nationalized and American, basically concessions, had been stolen and of course Venezuela ignored it. And just as importantly though, in the last, since the year 1999, 2000, no President ever did anything about that much as. No, as we learned under Trump that there were presidents who we supported early, 2000s whatever, did nothing about a lot of things, whether it was illegal immigration, fentanyl overdoses or now this. And so this is the first time somebody's actually doing something about it. But it is a wrong that should be righted amongst many other problems that Venezuela poses for the United States.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And so this is ah, really a fascinating development. I think that a lot of people thought that President Trump was going to declare a war in Venezuela. And even Tucker Carlsen signaling that apparently sources of his, from Congress, had suggested that that was going to be the substance of the presidential address last night. What do you make of that? And the fact that you know, that was a very different direction, than. Than what Trump, is this just some people on the right, like some of the warmongers trying to push him in that direction? Or do you see this as maybe kind of a soft launch?
Scott Uehlinger: I think maybe more. It's maybe more attributable to basically Trump's superior manipulation skills. as a CIA officer for like 25 years, I've seen foreign, nations, foreign leaders just run circles around the stupid Americans because we're so absolutely predictable. So what sometimes everyone forgets, and even I forget sometimes, is how brilliant Trump is and how unpredictable he is. It's not a coincidence that his unpredictability heralds like, a return to us, basically respect and, basically the stopping of conflicts, etc. When someone is unpredictable, you just don't know what they're going to do that is of immeasurable value to the United States. For the first time in my lifetime, the United States is not predictable. And that heralds peace throughout the world because they just don't know where the Americans are coming from. And so in this case, I think it was, you know, Trump himself probably floated the ideas about Venezuela, but decided to go in another direction because luckily also Trump looks at social media and he sees that, you know, frankly, these foreign policy developments make good copy for media and things like that. But the average American, and the average American, I, get the impression is not feeling that Trump is really spending a lot of time addressing their needs. We're worried about settling conflicts outside of the United States. And that's wonderful. But people say, well, what about me? What about the fact that there are too many H1Bs in America and my son can, who did really well in high school, is not able to get a job and things like that? These are the affordability issue that, the Vice President was recently like one town over from me, like two days ago talking about this. And it's in response to social media. And so I think this is, this, address that Trump gave was also a response to social media. Him talking about how, you know, talking about the successes and what is in the future and that economic prosperity is there. We just have to be a little bit more patient.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And I think you're absolutely right as Scott yelling or that a lot of this was Trump directly addressing, some of the, the claims and contrast messaging, from what his administration has done to what the Democrats failed to do under the Biden administration with inflation going up. He talked directly about, the Democrats messaging in terms of affordability, but also did talk about what he's done for the border. And this does tie into, you know, a lot of the combating of drug trafficking, the, nar, you know, some of those, issues that directly do deal with other countries but then affect the people at home. how. How do you think that the American people, or how effective do you think that this administration has been between tying and connecting the dots from what he's doing in terms of foreign policy to how it actually does affect everyday voters.
Scott Uehlinger: I think that they do a pretty good job. You know, I think sometimes we set the bar, too high for the Trump administration. I mean, what has already happened is, he has been able to do things that are incredible. But the problem is, is that the disaster of Biden and Obama has pulled the country down so far. That superhuman effort is required to get us back to where we were. And Trump is capable of that. But he's only halfway or less through the job. And so we have to give him a little bit more, a little bit more credit and a little bit more patience, because certainly there's no doubt in my mind that the man is doing absolutely all he can do. And so, I think that this, you know, this address, by tricking abc, and the mainstream media, perhaps he got access to more people who, tuned him in for that 20 minutes. And I think that was geared a lot of ways toward those people, the people who normally wouldn't have watched, if he had announced it as talking about economics, no one would have covered it. Those people would have not seen the address. But now they did see the address. And those are the kinds of people he wants to reach out to, like a lot of the minorities and such who voted for him in the last election because they're sick and tired of how things were going. And those people were voting in response to their concern over domestic issues. And so he was talking about mostly domestic issues, last night and how he intends on working to addressing the affordability crisis and addressing inflation and stuff. So, I think it was a very smart move on his part. Definitely.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And I agree with you, and I think it was a really smart move, to get viewers, as you mentioned, that may have not otherwise tuned in, because he chose the slot that preempted the season finale of Survivor. And I saw a lot, accounts that I never see on social media of, you know, probably a lot of leftists who were tuning into that as saying, oh, and instead I'm listening to President Trump. And so, that was a little bit savvy.
Dan Bongino announced his resignation as FBI Deputy Director yesterday
But in just the last few minutes I have with you, Scott Ewlinger, I wanted to ask you as well about, Dan Bongino announced, yesterday, as well as the FBI Deputy Director, and he posted this on X. I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose and most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America and all those who defend her. so Bongino is leaving. I think this didn't come as a huge shock, to those of us who have been following him, knowing that, you know, he didn't really want to make this a career position. But the, the speculation is that the swamp is just too deep to drain. And there were, you know, frustrations within the bureau that he just wants to get back to his show. But, you know, which I'm really looking forward to. But overall, what do you make of the departure? about one year in, from Dan Bongino, I think.
Scott Uehlinger: I think, you know, I think he tried again, absolutely the best he could. and, you know, and I, and I really, respect the fact, you know, the fact he's in Washington, which is this town that I also greatly dislike, and his family was in Florida. I really appreciate that kind of isolation because I wouldn't want to do that myself with my family. And so. So I think he did the best he could. But there is a little something. There is a little thing in the back of my mind that troubles me, and that is like, a little bit of that speculation may be true, that, like, I mean, he did a lot, he accomplished things, but perhaps he didn't accomplish as much as he wanted to because of the prevalence of the swamp. And that is something that I have seen and that I am concerned about myself. And, I know a lot of other higher, ranking, better, ah, qualified CIA officers who have never gotten a call, We've never gotten a call about anything in the government, despite the fact I was a Trump delegate, et cetera, which is a little bit odd. And how can you reform, how can you reform agencies if you are not prepared to a. Get rid of a lot of people and bring in people you can trust? So that's where something like the FBI or the CIA I'm still very concerned about, because I haven't seen any kind of personnel movement in the CIA at all. And I've seen some in the FBI, but is it enough? And I get the feeling that it is not enough. And so it just shows you that Trump needs to make good on promises made earlier to bring many more people from outside the stupid Capitol Beltway, from Mississippi, from Pennsylvania, from Colorado, bring more Americans into Washington to try to fight swamp, because the swamp is fighting for its survival and we don't want it to win.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. I could not Agree more. And I know that Bongino and Cash Patel have gotten rid of a lot of people in the FBI, you know, not as much in the, in the CIA. And, and that that's interesting, you know, of course, under other leadership. But is it enough? Probably not. And I really laud Dan Bongino for not just staying in the corruption but wanting to get back to family life, normalcy. And really the big takeaway for me is that, you know, people should not look at DC and working for government and Trump as the, the be all and end all of, you know, celebrity status and all of this. It's actually, you know, home and hearth and family is where it's at, genuinely. So Scott Youlinger, really appreciate it. We'll be right back with more here on Jenna Ellis in the morning. MARY.
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China suing Missouri for $24 billion over COVID outbreak
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, a five year long court battle in Missouri, resulted in a March 7, 2025 judgment of $24 billion against China for its actions early in the pandemic. You'll recall that former AG Eric Schmidt, now Senator Eric Schmidt, had initiated that lawsuit. It was then carried by then, ah, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is now the co deputy director of the FBI and now the Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has announced that China has filed suit in Wuhan to attack Missouri after we held them accountable for unleashing COVID 19. She posted on X they owe Missourians, $24 billion and are now saying Missouri is, quote, unquote, deeply endangering the sovereignty of, and has belittled the social evaluation of, the Wuhan Institute of Virology. So the attorney General joins me now. Good morning. And, what is the status of this lawsuit? And I find it really fascinating that China, is filing this in Wuhan, as opposed to attempting in a United States court to overturn, the verdict. They're, they're just going after Missouri with, With asking for, a lot more money.
Catherine Hanaway: Good morning, Jenna. Thanks so much for having me on. Yeah, it's quite an interesting tale. As you mentioned, Eric Schmidt originally filed this lawsuit which was asking China to pay for the damage that it had done to Missourians by the spread of COVID and by withholding ppe. Andrew Bailey did a fantastic job of winning the lawsuit. And I think what's triggered China's lawsuit is the fact that I've been pressing hard now to collect on that $24 billion. This isn't going to be a hollow judgment. We're going to start seizing Chinese assets in the United States. I think the Chinese filed their lawsuit in Wuhan because they knew that they couldn't go anywhere in a US Court. We have this case so, tightly, first of all, one, it was well played, it was well pursued by Andrew Bailey. And now we have the State Department actually serving subpoen for us so that we can start seizing some of these.
Jenna Ellis: Assets, which is incredible and should, absolutely be. What, what's happening in terms of accountability, for China, for, COVID 19 for, what they knew. And, and part of that, that lawsuit, alleged, rightly, that they, hoarded that PPE knowing that this was going to be unleashed on the world. and then what was selling, as a former trade advisor, and now current trade Advis Navarro had said at the time, that then they were trying to sell it back to, the world at a premium. I mean, so many different ways that China, absolutely, did not have. Have good actions in terms of what happened with COVID And so, what is their argument here for going after Missouri and, and how will this work out in terms of the process since they filed it in a Wuhan court?
Catherine Hanaway: Yeah, it's a really interesting question because what they are, you know, alleging that Missouri has done is that we have interfered with their economy and damaged the country's reputation, damaged the virology, clinic in Wuhan's reputation? no, we've just spoken the truth. Now, if the truth damaged the reputation, that doesn't give you reason for legal action. Defending in Wuhan is going to be very difficult, perhaps even impossible, but quite, you know, it's quite a different situation. The state of Missouri doesn't have any assets in China. Even if they were able to, you know, just kind of have a sham show kind of trial and enter a judgment against the state of Missouri, there's nothing for them to take from us in China, as opposed to China has all these investments in the United States that we are going to be able to seize. And, you know, kind of in a lighthearted fashion, a lot of people have recommended to me that we go seize the pandas. I don't think we'll do that. I'm not sure what we do with the pandas, but there's farmland, there's companies, there's lots of assets that the Chinese have in the United States that we'll be going after.
Jenna Ellis: Well, the pandas are cute. So, I mean, I'm a fan of going to seize the. Seize the pandas. They could look great in your office. But, but it makes sense that, you know, that this would be sort of a hollow judgment. And maybe it's more of a pr, saving face then for China to suggest that, you know, since they're. They're initiating this lawsuit, and even if, they won in the court there, they could just simply use, that as a PR move. While the state of Missouri, through the United States process, is still enforcing, recovering those assets in the United States. I mean, is that more, what this appears to be from your perspective, Jenna?
Catherine Hanaway: That's so well put. I think that's precisely what it is. And in addition to filing the lawsuit, they've been using all kinds of Internet bots to attack me and my reputation. And we can tell that it's bots because, they're spelling my name wrong. They're calling me. He just. It's very evident, some of the spellings are almost kind of humorous. So, it's. But the Chinese, you know, they are a big and powerful nation that wants to do everything they can to hold America and Americans back. And it's time that we push back with every tool at our disposal, and that's why we're going to keep pursuing these assets.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And so has China, even attempted to vacate the judgment or overturn the judgment in the United States. now that you actually have, this judgment or has this been just their only form of response is this PR lawsuit in Wuhan.
Catherine Hanaway: So primarily it's been this PR lawsuit. Although what's starting to happen now is, you know, some of these assets that have Chinese investment in them also have other investments. and the co investors are starting to come in and meet with me, meet with our office to try and persuade us not to go after particular assets. So, China's reacting in the ways that give us a lot of evidence that they understand that this judgment is real and enforceable.
Jenna Ellis: Well, and this was one of, I think is the only lawsuit currently, that is having some kind of accountability for China. And this is why, you know, I was a, a huge fan of Eric Schmidt and Andrew Bailey and. And now you for going after China. And this is a great template for other states. to your knowledge, have other states in, in the US at least, least even considered going after China and having a similar judgment because under, a similar theory in terms of it being well played. these are allegations that certainly other states could pursue China for. And the American people definitely want accountability for China.
Catherine Hanaway: Yeah, I don't know of any other states. And Jenna, thank you for highlighting what a great job Senator Schmidt and the co Deputy Director Bailey of the FBI did in first filing this suit, then winning this suit. we're really lucky. You know, we keep having such great attorneys general in Missouri that they keep getting promoted. Senator Hawley started as Attorney General in Missouri, same with Schmidt. And now Andrew Bailey. And I can't help but wonder with Dan Bongino, leaving if, if Andrew Bailey doesn't become the sole Deputy Director of the FBI. I think he's got a very bright future.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I was actually hoping he would, he would become the US Attorney General. Maybe that's in his future. But I'm really thankful that the State of Missouri is leading the way on this and is at least getting some kind of accountability, for China. And so, you can go to AGC Hanaway for Attorney General Catherine Hanaway for updates, on this and on the, the lawsuit. And also Eric Schmidt posted a really great thread that you also, had reposted, talking about kind of the history of what happened has happened over the last five years in terms of this lawsuit. And he also has a great chapter in his book the Last Line of Defense, how to Beat the Left in Court. speaking about Schmidt versus the, People's Republic of China. And so in just the last couple of minutes, I have with you, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and I so appreciate you, coming this morning.
Jenna Ellis: Missouri lawsuit against China over Covid is important
Is there any, that maybe hasn't been highlighted, by the media about this lawsuit that you think is important for especially, conservatives to understand why China does need to be held accountable and what Missouri, has been doing?
Catherine Hanaway: Well, it's just so important because, look, this was, this was an attack on our sovereignty, and this was the Chinese government very specifically putting the help of Chinese ahead of the health of people in the United States. And so not only did they not give us the facts about the disease, not only did they hoard the ppe, they were actually shipping to the United States defective ppe. And so I think the bigger lesson that we all need to take from this is that when China is attacking us in these kinds of ways, and it isn't just Covid all of the time, constantly China is stealing our intellectual property, that we, when the Chinese are attacking us, we've got to hit back in all the ways that we can. And that's the genius of Senator Schmidt's, original action here. He saw a way to use the law and the courts to hit back in a peaceful way, but a very effective way.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. Well, we have to take a break here. And Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, really appreciate it. And you're, absolutely right. And I again just applaud the state, the of Missouri for, leading the way with these actions. And, I remember, I mean, I was working, you know, alongside for the Trump campaign, but alongside, the administration when all of this was happening. And, with, Peter Navarro, as well, talking about this and how China, was not only hoarding but selling back the United States, very undergraded and damaged ppe. And just the entire way that China treated Covid, not to say that, you know, the United States and Dr. Fauci and others don't also deserve accountability, but, the way that China handled this entire mess absolutely deserves accountability. So, looking forward to updates on this, and we will be right back with more here on Jenna Ellis in the Morning.
The annual Turning Point USA America Fest kicks off today in Phoenix
welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, the biggest conservative movement in the country according to Turning Point USA kicks off today. Their annual America Fest, or AM Fest conference, will be held today through the 21st at the Phoenix Convention Center. And this is the first year's event that will be held, without Charlie Kirk being there. And this has been, a widely publicized event, and, you know, for years I was invited to it. It's a little too close to Christmas, which is why I never attended. But Charlie was always so kind, to invite me every year. And, I love the Turning Point events. But they posted on their [email protected] and obviously at Turning Point, that this year's event will be unlike any other. A powerful celebration of faith, freedom, and the legacy of our founder, Charlie Kirk. They go into a little bit of his, background, his testament to faith and courage, and, saying that at Amfest 2025, we will gather to honor Charlie's legacy, to continue the mission he began, and to celebrate the country that he loved.
Mark Mitchell: Turning Point USA's annual conference kicks off Saturday
So let's welcome in Mark, Mitchell, who is the COO of Rasmussen Reports, and he is there, ah, at amfest. And, how are things going there with today? it's early. And so, it's the kickoff day. But, I think a lot of people, around the country are really pulling for Turning Point USA to have this a great event. And then others are, I think, a little skeptical that after this event, Turning Point may, not be, as influential of an organization as it was under Charlie's leadership. So what are you seeing?
Mark Mitchell: Well, you know, I'm on my way to the airplane. I'll be there tonight. I'm going to have a panel Saturday morning. And, I really appreciate that they like public opinion and think it's valid and important. And especially since this is an organization focused on what's going on with the youth specifically. And I think there's a lot going on with the youth. And so we'll be having a good conversation about that. I also. I think this is going to be the biggest Turning Point infest that they've had. I think they're expecting close to 20,000 people or something ridiculous like that. It's been sold out, I think, since October. And, I also applaud the decision. I mean, obviously.
Scott Uehlinger: Right.
Mark Mitchell: But I applaud the decision to make it a reflection on Charlie's life, because I think there's also going to be a subtext of some division and friction within the conservative movement and some discussion about what the path forward looks like. And I think that's going to be interesting and healthy. we'll have to see how it plays out. but there's. There are a lot of personalities there, too. I mean, I went to the one last year and was at the party where Laura Loomer ambushed Milo and, we'll see. I don't know. Maybe it'll get messy.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, well, you know, with with how many people they invite and the the, the clashes that tend to happen, you know, among people on the right, some, of it is healthy because obviously, you know, we all come with maybe different ways of implementing conservative policy and there's some healthy clash. But I think you're right that, you know, some of it is a little too divisive. But the question of the path forward, especially heading in, to midterms and then right off the heels of that presidential address to the nation last night, which really was, you know, a midterms kickoff speech, it was Trump highlighting, you know, his accomplishments and what he wants to do for the next year. And that agenda, the focus that you mentioned, Mark, on the youth, I mean this, this whole topic of affordability, has really been the key from the Democrats. Trump addressed some of that last night. I have no doubt that some of these speakers at Amfest will as well. where do you see that message actually being helpful to conservatives when we're talking about an economy that really, still isn't back up and genuinely affordable, after a year under Donald Trump?
Mark Mitchell: Well, I like some aspects of the speech. I know that Donald Trump has been listening to wider ranging voices. there was an article about some of the advice I gave the White House as well. And I could see some of that language talking more about jobs, promising more focus on the housing crisis, specifically calling out the problem with the American dream. And I think there's a problem, there's this trap in D.C. and I, think he's fallen into, into the trap a little bit, which is when people say that economy is the issue, it's really easy to get down there and look at it from a business as usual Washington D.C. policy think tank, slash cabinet, head approach, right? And it's like, well, they say prices are unaffordable, so we need to focus on lowering prices. And then we're going to talk about the things that are lowering prices. But if you really dig, and if you look at all the polling we've been covering, it's actually an existential problem with America. People are giving up on free market capitalism. the tracking questions like are you better off than you were four years ago are the lowest. They've been trust in institutions the lowest. It's been economic outlook and optimism super low. And then you get also polling like when you Ask people if Trump's doing enough of what he promised, too much of what he's promised, or not enough. People say not enough by almost 2 to 1. And especially younger voters, half of 18 to 29 say that Donald Trump hasn't done enough of what he promised. And then when you ask them, well, do you agree or disagree? Donald Trump understands the problems I'm m facing on a daily basis. The 18 to 30 year old voter, only 35% of them agree with that statement. So there's an aspect also of systematic untrust. People think the economy's fair, they don't trust the federal government. And when Donald Trump gets in and very specifically makes it like, okay, well now we have an MFN for pharmaceutical prices and your drug prices are going to be lower. Well, some people are going to care about that and it might move the needle a little bit, but pharmaceutical expenditures are less than 10% of overall health care. And health care insurance is almost the size of a rent payment for people who have to buy their own private insurance. And now the subsidies are probably going to get nuked. I don't know what's going to happen there. So there's these bigger issues. And so again, I think he had a lot of good stuff in his speech, but at the end of the day, it was a very short, very specific victory lap on things that they've done already, which I think a lot of people would look at and maybe 10 years ago would have said, wow, that's great. We never expected that was possible. But a lot of people are saying, well, it's not enough. This just isn't going to solve our problems. And so if you look at his numbers, I don't think they're that bad. He's been hovering around negative 5 net approval. I never thought that there was going to be a major issue with people completely turning on Trump. maybe the younger voters, you're starting to see that online. But the issue is always about, well, how do you get Republicans over the hump next year when history tells us they're almost certainly going to lose it statistically? And I just don't think last night was enough. And my advice was, well, what is the Republican plan? Involve them. What does the path forward look like? Don't talk to us about what you've done already because people think Congress has done nothing. So how can you convince America that if they keep voting for Republicans, there is a path back to this America that's been stolen from everybody. And I'm not really seeing that strategy or Intent, Some, of it, maybe, but in my opinion, probably not enough.
Jenna Ellis: M. Yeah, And I think that's, that's a good overview of kind of a general consensus, about the speech last night and sort of the path forward that a lot of, a lot of people, especially young people, don't just want to hear about past accomplishments. and they, they don't just want to hear kind of some vague generalities of, you know, we'll make America great again. Okay, well, fantastic. Well, that's, that's what we voted for. That's what we've been supporting for the last 10 years. But how exactly are we going to do that? Because, at least most of us remember Trump's first term and how the economy was booming and we want to get back to kind of that sense of winning. And so it rang a little bit hollow to me personally, especially, you know, having, having been around the first Trump administration to then kind of see him come out and project all of these wins when it's not really backed up by legislation. But how can Trump actually do that in a meaningful way, to follow up on this address that will resonate, especially with the younger voters?
Mark Mitchell: Yeah, I, I mean, I hate to be that guy and I hate to be an accelerationist, but I think he needs to attack the system. And he had a lot of really strong rhetoric on the campaign speech and he's gotten in and there's been very little, in my opinion, that appears to be an attack on the system. And my hypothesis is that older conservatives are going to vote for Trump like Republicans, or really for any Republican. Right. They're going to get those high propensity older Republican voters. They'll probably get more if we get a Trump like person who isn't attacking Rob Reiner on Truth Social. But the problem is, is that these politically malleable kids under 40 who again, are really, they just have a bunch of grievances. This isn't ideological at all. They want to exact vengeance to a certain extent against the system that's failed them.
When a Republican gets a 60% job approval rating with under 40 voters
And when Trump was doing that, he was really popular with them. 60%. That's.
Mark Mitchell: I just probably talked about this three times on your show, but when a Republican gets a 60% job approval rating with under 40 voters, everything in Washington D.C. should have come to a screeching halt. And they should have figured out exactly what was happening. And what was happening was we were brutally, deporting Venezuelan violent gang members. We were, giving tears everywhere to federal employees, just firing them. And Making them answer, you know, tough emails and then threatening audits, of the DOD finances and going into Fort Knox. And it was, it was brutal. I mean, there was criminal defense attorneys were trending in Washington D.C. suicide hotline searches were up in Washington D.C. i'm not kidding. People were literally searching expatriation in Washington D.C. and the youth loved it. And I mean, I think just a lot of people would look at the system we have and say it's worked for some people, but not for everybody. And that's the root cause that reflects this collapse in all these polling metrics that we have. And it's not the bad guy he says it is. It's not just Joe Biden. And yes, Joe Biden was bad, but it is the Republican and Democrat uniparty complex. It's corporatism. It's this plutocracy we have. And the people with power, the people with money who can influence politicians are just increasingly, increasingly capturing wealth and power. And so I hate to sound like Bernie Sanders, but Bernie Sanders is going to be increasingly popular because he's the one, the one person who talks about this and he's 100% right. The system has failed younger voters and I'm surprised that they're as actually open as they have been to voting for a Republican. It's actually kind of astounding considering that the advantage Democrats have had on college campuses and in, you know, media. The fact that these people voted for Trump and like the job he was doing is just astounding. And then now 35% of them, only 35% of them say that Trump understands their problem. And they're right.
Mark Mitchell: He's, he's never had to go to Shoprite and buy $400 grocery bill. He's never had to buy private insurance off the exchange and it's like 900 bucks a month or compete with illegal aliens on trying to get, you know, a cheap rental or competing with literally the rest of the world for a high paying job in the tech industry.
Jenna Ellis: And what I find really fascinating about that kind of, of disconnect, Mark, is that one of the hallmarks of Trump's, presidency and just the overall Trump era, is his ability to remain relevant and empathize with the everyday man. You know, it was something, especially in his first term, it was like, you know, oh, this billionaire who has never had to do all things that you just mentioned really understands and gets it. And I do see a difference in tone and in rhetoric from Trump that's been very palpable from his first administration where it was so much of the, you know, the we and are and, you know, he was working for you. Like, I'm, the, you know, they're, they're trying to get to you, but they're, they'll have to come through me. And, and a lot of this, empathy that now, this second, second term has been a lot of emphasis on a kind of revenge of his opponents. I mean, you mentioned the Rob Reiner True Social post. I think that's why that was just so frustrating. I think to a lot of people to see that. And it really didn't go over well for a lot of reasons. but then even Fox News is reporting today that Trump. This is their headline. Trump gets fresh digs at Biden. Obama with new plaques added to the White House Presidential Walk of Fame. It's like, nobody voted for that. Nobody cares about that. Like, dude, you won. Get over it and move forward. You don't have to go back and keep proving it. And I think that has been a real big misstep in his second administration.
Mark Mitchell: Yeah, one of the. I got hundreds of dms from really upset MAGA people the week after the November off cycle elections when Donald Trump was talking about affordability hoaxes and defending colleges and, oh, we definitely need H1BS from everywhere because we don't have a talent in America. There was so much frustration. I was getting pictures of people burning their MAGA hats and everybody was puking. And most, they were almost all people who never voted Republican. They were people who, like, what is he doing? And somebody said, I'm just sick of this mean slop. And that's kind of exactly what it feels like. And I think that this is the problem is that he's kind of always had an excuse. Like in 2016, he got a lot done. But yes, the Deep State was against him. They tried to impeach him multiple times. He didn't have the majority. And everybody knew that the Republicans were a bunch of rhino sellouts. But now here we are after 10 years of Trump and he's in charge, or at least the most in charge he's going to get ever. And I think there's a substance for all, I really do. There isn't a daily war room covering all the prongs of their attack against the Deep State and our corporate oligarchy. They just, they aren't doing that. They haven't been doing that. And I think when it felt like they were, it's because they literally just had Elon, like an attack Dog. And now they don't. And so it's kind of revealed that they, they need to communicate less. I mean, if, if, Trump was delivering on brutal government reform and restoring the American dream, I think people would know it. Like, I think we know what this would look like. It's like, no, Microsoft, we're suing you for $10 billion very publicly because you gave all these jobs to India. Right. Like, that's what it would look like. It would be Teddy Roosevelt from the bully pulpit calling these people out, and instead they come to the White House. Right. And so if he was doing these things, I think he would get away with these sort of out of touch true social posts. But now I'm just seeing, like, what is he doing? How is he this out of touch? Why is he railing against this system? We know this already. This has already been litigated. Why are we still talking about Biden and not arresting him? What happened to the laptop? Where's the laptop from hell? we got over half of America thinking that Joe Biden was personally profiting from Chinese Communists through his son Hunter's deals. Like, this is years ago. The American people knew this. We had half the country ready to impeach Joe Biden in February of 2020. So, like, the idea that we're still attacking Biden now and expecting to score points on it is just wild.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah.
Mark Mitchell says he talked to President Trump about economic populism
So well said. And, you know, as you mentioned, you had the opportunity to actually sit down with President, Trump and give him some of this advice. what was your, perspective or perception on, how receptive he was to hearing this message that, you know, you and I have been talking about for months now?
Mark Mitchell: Well, I mean, people can read the story. They wrote about it in the Washington Post this week. I actually was surprised at how good the story was because we have a path. Washington Post, I can tell you that Philip Bump and all these fake fact checkers and, oh, it's horrible, but they actually did a really, in my opinion, even handed job. And I love that they invited me down there. Not for, I mean, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but the American people don't have a lobbyist. And people like me, Rich Barris, like other independent pollsters, are about as close as it gets, because we're not bought off. Right? We're actually just giving data and, like, no, this is what the American people want. And Susie and JD Brought me in and they were very receptive. And Trump gave me a lot of time and I talked about all these Things and laid it out, and he seemed thoughtful about a lot of it. but I felt this reticence to acknowledge that the economy was different than how it's been framed so far, which is people that are happy that home values are up and people are happy that, the stock market is high. And, I said, well, no looking at median first time homebuyer age is 40 for the first time. People are having a hard time. And he listened to that. But, like, I don't know, I just don't think it's clicking. I think when he's. I think he's reaching for excuses to claim victory, and it feels like George W. Bush, mission accomplished, and that's a problem. And I get it. I. The throne is comfortable there. You know, it takes, I think it takes somebody to want that fight. And I don't think they've even determined who the fight is against is what, really, what. It's all I talked about. I said, sir, like, you know, you had this optics of the fight, fight, fight moment at Butler, but, like, who are we fighting? What are we fighting? We're fighting Marjorie Taylor Green and Rob Reiner and Thomas Massie, John Thune, like, how about we gotta fight for Americans? And these are.
Jenna Ellis: There was a lot of criticism. There was a lot of criticism, Mark, during, even the primary, that Trump wanted to win again, just to win, but didn't really have an appetite necessarily to govern and be president again. And I think that there's some truth to that, because I just don't see that, that there's a lot of appetite for governing. I mean, you know, even just with putting these plaques up on, you know, if he's so focused on that, and yet there's not a lot of, a lot of actual concrete wins other than the one big beautiful bill that he pointed to last night. You know, kind of where, where are we going and what will the next three years look like? And as you mentioned, the American people don't have a lobbyist. And you know, Charlie Kirk was a lot of that in, at least in having the President's ear. And we don't have that anymore. So, you know, wrap us up. Last, last 30 seconds.
Mark Mitchell: Yeah, I mean, that's 100% right. We all saw the Charlie Kirk plan for economic populism geared towards the youth. It's been floating around the Internet since August. And as far as I know, he's one of the few people that was talking to Donald Trump who was under the age of 40. And I think that was a very important connection after he died. I mean it definitely felt like there was a different language and feeling coming out of the White House. And as far as I know that's the only plan that's been put together. Put together. And is it as far reaching as it needs to be? Like no, probably not. But if they just did that, if they, if they did that. Yeah, brutally reverse H1B like get rid of everybody.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. You know there's some really easy wins that constantly Congress could have and if Trump would just, you know, focus on that, I think we could go into 2026 in a lot better shape. But Mark Mitchell, thanks so much. You can reach me and my team. Jennaafr.net PreBorn's whole mission is to rescue.
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Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview.
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Jenna Ellis: And protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God our creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you. And God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
Mark Mitchell: This is Jenna Ellis in the Morning America. Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess.
Catherine Hanaway: And I'm fixing it.
President Trump's primetime address on Venezuela got mixed reaction last night
Jenna Ellis: Good morning. It is, Thursday rather December 18th. And that was the opening statement from President Donald Trump in the White House last night during his address to the nation, which got a little bit of mixed reaction last night. Matt Walsh from the Daily Wire posted that was perhaps the most pointless primetime presidential address ever delivered in American history. And it was possibly because, a lot of broadcasters were expecting President Trump to make an announcement on Venezuela that did not come after talking, from the tarmac earlier in the day yesterday about how his claim was that Venezuela had stolen U.S. oil, land and other assets. And so this perhaps looming war was at least in the minds of a lot of these, leftist broadcasters and, and also some on the right, that this was going to be, the reason for this primetime address, which, which isn't a normal thing. It's, it's obviously when there's something major going on that the president needs to communicate to the American people. And so Michael Knowles from the Daily Wire had a very different take. He posted, ah, he, Trump pulled a war in Venezuela fake out to make the network's broadcast his all his first year wins in primetime, all in front of cozy Christmas decorations at the White House. Simply the best media manipulator to ever hold office. And there's a little bit of truth to that I think as well. basically if you missed the about 20 minute speech which seemed to be President Trump on about time and a half in, if you listen to podcasts and you, and you speed it up that way, he definitely did not even take a breath the entire time, but just kind of rapid fire promoted his achievements over the first year in office and signaled to the American people what was going to come from the Trump agenda in the next year. And really in my opinion, this was kind of the ah, starting gun going off for the midterms next year. but still the situation in Venezuela, really is looming kind of in the background.
Scott Uehlinger : President Trump claims Venezuelan President Maduro stole US oil assets
And so we. Let's welcome in Scott Uehlinger who's a former intelligence agent and that comment from President Trump, claiming that Venezuelan President Maduro, had stolen the US Oil land and other assets. is there truth to that? And how does this fit into the overall situation between the United States and Venezuela?
Scott Uehlinger: Yes, there actually is a lot of truth to that, Jenna. in 1999 or so when the Bolivarian Revolution was launched by Maduro's predecessor Chavez, they basically confiscated huge basically oil concessions that American companies had already paid for. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips had already established these and compensated the Venezuelan government and they were confiscated. And in fact, international courts over the years have found out that absolutely, that they have standing and that ordered Venezuel to pay back, to pay monies back to those companies because things had been nationalized and American, basically concessions, had been stolen and of course Venezuela ignored it. And just as importantly though, in the last, since the year 1999, 2000, no President ever did anything about that much as. No, as we learned under Trump that there were presidents who we supported early, 2000s whatever, did nothing about a lot of things, whether it was illegal immigration, fentanyl overdoses or now this. And so this is the first time somebody's actually doing something about it. But it is a wrong that should be righted amongst many other problems that Venezuela poses for the United States.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And so this is ah, really a fascinating development. I think that a lot of people thought that President Trump was going to declare a war in Venezuela. And even Tucker Carlsen signaling that apparently sources of his, from Congress, had suggested that that was going to be the substance of the presidential address last night. What do you make of that? And the fact that you know, that was a very different direction, than. Than what Trump, is this just some people on the right, like some of the warmongers trying to push him in that direction? Or do you see this as maybe kind of a soft launch?
Scott Uehlinger: I think maybe more. It's maybe more attributable to basically Trump's superior manipulation skills. as a CIA officer for like 25 years, I've seen foreign, nations, foreign leaders just run circles around the stupid Americans because we're so absolutely predictable. So what sometimes everyone forgets, and even I forget sometimes, is how brilliant Trump is and how unpredictable he is. It's not a coincidence that his unpredictability heralds like, a return to us, basically respect and, basically the stopping of conflicts, etc. When someone is unpredictable, you just don't know what they're going to do that is of immeasurable value to the United States. For the first time in my lifetime, the United States is not predictable. And that heralds peace throughout the world because they just don't know where the Americans are coming from. And so in this case, I think it was, you know, Trump himself probably floated the ideas about Venezuela, but decided to go in another direction because luckily also Trump looks at social media and he sees that, you know, frankly, these foreign policy developments make good copy for media and things like that. But the average American, and the average American, I, get the impression is not feeling that Trump is really spending a lot of time addressing their needs. We're worried about settling conflicts outside of the United States. And that's wonderful. But people say, well, what about me? What about the fact that there are too many H1Bs in America and my son can, who did really well in high school, is not able to get a job and things like that? These are the affordability issue that, the Vice President was recently like one town over from me, like two days ago talking about this. And it's in response to social media. And so I think this is, this, address that Trump gave was also a response to social media. Him talking about how, you know, talking about the successes and what is in the future and that economic prosperity is there. We just have to be a little bit more patient.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And I think you're absolutely right as Scott yelling or that a lot of this was Trump directly addressing, some of the, the claims and contrast messaging, from what his administration has done to what the Democrats failed to do under the Biden administration with inflation going up. He talked directly about, the Democrats messaging in terms of affordability, but also did talk about what he's done for the border. And this does tie into, you know, a lot of the combating of drug trafficking, the, nar, you know, some of those, issues that directly do deal with other countries but then affect the people at home. how. How do you think that the American people, or how effective do you think that this administration has been between tying and connecting the dots from what he's doing in terms of foreign policy to how it actually does affect everyday voters.
Scott Uehlinger: I think that they do a pretty good job. You know, I think sometimes we set the bar, too high for the Trump administration. I mean, what has already happened is, he has been able to do things that are incredible. But the problem is, is that the disaster of Biden and Obama has pulled the country down so far. That superhuman effort is required to get us back to where we were. And Trump is capable of that. But he's only halfway or less through the job. And so we have to give him a little bit more, a little bit more credit and a little bit more patience, because certainly there's no doubt in my mind that the man is doing absolutely all he can do. And so, I think that this, you know, this address, by tricking abc, and the mainstream media, perhaps he got access to more people who, tuned him in for that 20 minutes. And I think that was geared a lot of ways toward those people, the people who normally wouldn't have watched, if he had announced it as talking about economics, no one would have covered it. Those people would have not seen the address. But now they did see the address. And those are the kinds of people he wants to reach out to, like a lot of the minorities and such who voted for him in the last election because they're sick and tired of how things were going. And those people were voting in response to their concern over domestic issues. And so he was talking about mostly domestic issues, last night and how he intends on working to addressing the affordability crisis and addressing inflation and stuff. So, I think it was a very smart move on his part. Definitely.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And I agree with you, and I think it was a really smart move, to get viewers, as you mentioned, that may have not otherwise tuned in, because he chose the slot that preempted the season finale of Survivor. And I saw a lot, accounts that I never see on social media of, you know, probably a lot of leftists who were tuning into that as saying, oh, and instead I'm listening to President Trump. And so, that was a little bit savvy.
Dan Bongino announced his resignation as FBI Deputy Director yesterday
But in just the last few minutes I have with you, Scott Ewlinger, I wanted to ask you as well about, Dan Bongino announced, yesterday, as well as the FBI Deputy Director, and he posted this on X. I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose and most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America and all those who defend her. so Bongino is leaving. I think this didn't come as a huge shock, to those of us who have been following him, knowing that, you know, he didn't really want to make this a career position. But the, the speculation is that the swamp is just too deep to drain. And there were, you know, frustrations within the bureau that he just wants to get back to his show. But, you know, which I'm really looking forward to. But overall, what do you make of the departure? about one year in, from Dan Bongino, I think.
Scott Uehlinger: I think, you know, I think he tried again, absolutely the best he could. and, you know, and I, and I really, respect the fact, you know, the fact he's in Washington, which is this town that I also greatly dislike, and his family was in Florida. I really appreciate that kind of isolation because I wouldn't want to do that myself with my family. And so. So I think he did the best he could. But there is a little something. There is a little thing in the back of my mind that troubles me, and that is like, a little bit of that speculation may be true, that, like, I mean, he did a lot, he accomplished things, but perhaps he didn't accomplish as much as he wanted to because of the prevalence of the swamp. And that is something that I have seen and that I am concerned about myself. And, I know a lot of other higher, ranking, better, ah, qualified CIA officers who have never gotten a call, We've never gotten a call about anything in the government, despite the fact I was a Trump delegate, et cetera, which is a little bit odd. And how can you reform, how can you reform agencies if you are not prepared to a. Get rid of a lot of people and bring in people you can trust? So that's where something like the FBI or the CIA I'm still very concerned about, because I haven't seen any kind of personnel movement in the CIA at all. And I've seen some in the FBI, but is it enough? And I get the feeling that it is not enough. And so it just shows you that Trump needs to make good on promises made earlier to bring many more people from outside the stupid Capitol Beltway, from Mississippi, from Pennsylvania, from Colorado, bring more Americans into Washington to try to fight swamp, because the swamp is fighting for its survival and we don't want it to win.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. I could not Agree more. And I know that Bongino and Cash Patel have gotten rid of a lot of people in the FBI, you know, not as much in the, in the CIA. And, and that that's interesting, you know, of course, under other leadership. But is it enough? Probably not. And I really laud Dan Bongino for not just staying in the corruption but wanting to get back to family life, normalcy. And really the big takeaway for me is that, you know, people should not look at DC and working for government and Trump as the, the be all and end all of, you know, celebrity status and all of this. It's actually, you know, home and hearth and family is where it's at, genuinely. So Scott Youlinger, really appreciate it. We'll be right back with more here on Jenna Ellis in the morning. MARY.
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China suing Missouri for $24 billion over COVID outbreak
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, a five year long court battle in Missouri, resulted in a March 7, 2025 judgment of $24 billion against China for its actions early in the pandemic. You'll recall that former AG Eric Schmidt, now Senator Eric Schmidt, had initiated that lawsuit. It was then carried by then, ah, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is now the co deputy director of the FBI and now the Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has announced that China has filed suit in Wuhan to attack Missouri after we held them accountable for unleashing COVID 19. She posted on X they owe Missourians, $24 billion and are now saying Missouri is, quote, unquote, deeply endangering the sovereignty of, and has belittled the social evaluation of, the Wuhan Institute of Virology. So the attorney General joins me now. Good morning. And, what is the status of this lawsuit? And I find it really fascinating that China, is filing this in Wuhan, as opposed to attempting in a United States court to overturn, the verdict. They're, they're just going after Missouri with, With asking for, a lot more money.
Catherine Hanaway: Good morning, Jenna. Thanks so much for having me on. Yeah, it's quite an interesting tale. As you mentioned, Eric Schmidt originally filed this lawsuit which was asking China to pay for the damage that it had done to Missourians by the spread of COVID and by withholding ppe. Andrew Bailey did a fantastic job of winning the lawsuit. And I think what's triggered China's lawsuit is the fact that I've been pressing hard now to collect on that $24 billion. This isn't going to be a hollow judgment. We're going to start seizing Chinese assets in the United States. I think the Chinese filed their lawsuit in Wuhan because they knew that they couldn't go anywhere in a US Court. We have this case so, tightly, first of all, one, it was well played, it was well pursued by Andrew Bailey. And now we have the State Department actually serving subpoen for us so that we can start seizing some of these.
Jenna Ellis: Assets, which is incredible and should, absolutely be. What, what's happening in terms of accountability, for China, for, COVID 19 for, what they knew. And, and part of that, that lawsuit, alleged, rightly, that they, hoarded that PPE knowing that this was going to be unleashed on the world. and then what was selling, as a former trade advisor, and now current trade Advis Navarro had said at the time, that then they were trying to sell it back to, the world at a premium. I mean, so many different ways that China, absolutely, did not have. Have good actions in terms of what happened with COVID And so, what is their argument here for going after Missouri and, and how will this work out in terms of the process since they filed it in a Wuhan court?
Catherine Hanaway: Yeah, it's a really interesting question because what they are, you know, alleging that Missouri has done is that we have interfered with their economy and damaged the country's reputation, damaged the virology, clinic in Wuhan's reputation? no, we've just spoken the truth. Now, if the truth damaged the reputation, that doesn't give you reason for legal action. Defending in Wuhan is going to be very difficult, perhaps even impossible, but quite, you know, it's quite a different situation. The state of Missouri doesn't have any assets in China. Even if they were able to, you know, just kind of have a sham show kind of trial and enter a judgment against the state of Missouri, there's nothing for them to take from us in China, as opposed to China has all these investments in the United States that we are going to be able to seize. And, you know, kind of in a lighthearted fashion, a lot of people have recommended to me that we go seize the pandas. I don't think we'll do that. I'm not sure what we do with the pandas, but there's farmland, there's companies, there's lots of assets that the Chinese have in the United States that we'll be going after.
Jenna Ellis: Well, the pandas are cute. So, I mean, I'm a fan of going to seize the. Seize the pandas. They could look great in your office. But, but it makes sense that, you know, that this would be sort of a hollow judgment. And maybe it's more of a pr, saving face then for China to suggest that, you know, since they're. They're initiating this lawsuit, and even if, they won in the court there, they could just simply use, that as a PR move. While the state of Missouri, through the United States process, is still enforcing, recovering those assets in the United States. I mean, is that more, what this appears to be from your perspective, Jenna?
Catherine Hanaway: That's so well put. I think that's precisely what it is. And in addition to filing the lawsuit, they've been using all kinds of Internet bots to attack me and my reputation. And we can tell that it's bots because, they're spelling my name wrong. They're calling me. He just. It's very evident, some of the spellings are almost kind of humorous. So, it's. But the Chinese, you know, they are a big and powerful nation that wants to do everything they can to hold America and Americans back. And it's time that we push back with every tool at our disposal, and that's why we're going to keep pursuing these assets.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. And so has China, even attempted to vacate the judgment or overturn the judgment in the United States. now that you actually have, this judgment or has this been just their only form of response is this PR lawsuit in Wuhan.
Catherine Hanaway: So primarily it's been this PR lawsuit. Although what's starting to happen now is, you know, some of these assets that have Chinese investment in them also have other investments. and the co investors are starting to come in and meet with me, meet with our office to try and persuade us not to go after particular assets. So, China's reacting in the ways that give us a lot of evidence that they understand that this judgment is real and enforceable.
Jenna Ellis: Well, and this was one of, I think is the only lawsuit currently, that is having some kind of accountability for China. And this is why, you know, I was a, a huge fan of Eric Schmidt and Andrew Bailey and. And now you for going after China. And this is a great template for other states. to your knowledge, have other states in, in the US at least, least even considered going after China and having a similar judgment because under, a similar theory in terms of it being well played. these are allegations that certainly other states could pursue China for. And the American people definitely want accountability for China.
Catherine Hanaway: Yeah, I don't know of any other states. And Jenna, thank you for highlighting what a great job Senator Schmidt and the co Deputy Director Bailey of the FBI did in first filing this suit, then winning this suit. we're really lucky. You know, we keep having such great attorneys general in Missouri that they keep getting promoted. Senator Hawley started as Attorney General in Missouri, same with Schmidt. And now Andrew Bailey. And I can't help but wonder with Dan Bongino, leaving if, if Andrew Bailey doesn't become the sole Deputy Director of the FBI. I think he's got a very bright future.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I was actually hoping he would, he would become the US Attorney General. Maybe that's in his future. But I'm really thankful that the State of Missouri is leading the way on this and is at least getting some kind of accountability, for China. And so, you can go to AGC Hanaway for Attorney General Catherine Hanaway for updates, on this and on the, the lawsuit. And also Eric Schmidt posted a really great thread that you also, had reposted, talking about kind of the history of what happened has happened over the last five years in terms of this lawsuit. And he also has a great chapter in his book the Last Line of Defense, how to Beat the Left in Court. speaking about Schmidt versus the, People's Republic of China. And so in just the last couple of minutes, I have with you, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and I so appreciate you, coming this morning.
Jenna Ellis: Missouri lawsuit against China over Covid is important
Is there any, that maybe hasn't been highlighted, by the media about this lawsuit that you think is important for especially, conservatives to understand why China does need to be held accountable and what Missouri, has been doing?
Catherine Hanaway: Well, it's just so important because, look, this was, this was an attack on our sovereignty, and this was the Chinese government very specifically putting the help of Chinese ahead of the health of people in the United States. And so not only did they not give us the facts about the disease, not only did they hoard the ppe, they were actually shipping to the United States defective ppe. And so I think the bigger lesson that we all need to take from this is that when China is attacking us in these kinds of ways, and it isn't just Covid all of the time, constantly China is stealing our intellectual property, that we, when the Chinese are attacking us, we've got to hit back in all the ways that we can. And that's the genius of Senator Schmidt's, original action here. He saw a way to use the law and the courts to hit back in a peaceful way, but a very effective way.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. Well, we have to take a break here. And Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, really appreciate it. And you're, absolutely right. And I again just applaud the state, the of Missouri for, leading the way with these actions. And, I remember, I mean, I was working, you know, alongside for the Trump campaign, but alongside, the administration when all of this was happening. And, with, Peter Navarro, as well, talking about this and how China, was not only hoarding but selling back the United States, very undergraded and damaged ppe. And just the entire way that China treated Covid, not to say that, you know, the United States and Dr. Fauci and others don't also deserve accountability, but, the way that China handled this entire mess absolutely deserves accountability. So, looking forward to updates on this, and we will be right back with more here on Jenna Ellis in the Morning.
The annual Turning Point USA America Fest kicks off today in Phoenix
welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Jenna Ellis: Welcome back. Well, the biggest conservative movement in the country according to Turning Point USA kicks off today. Their annual America Fest, or AM Fest conference, will be held today through the 21st at the Phoenix Convention Center. And this is the first year's event that will be held, without Charlie Kirk being there. And this has been, a widely publicized event, and, you know, for years I was invited to it. It's a little too close to Christmas, which is why I never attended. But Charlie was always so kind, to invite me every year. And, I love the Turning Point events. But they posted on their [email protected] and obviously at Turning Point, that this year's event will be unlike any other. A powerful celebration of faith, freedom, and the legacy of our founder, Charlie Kirk. They go into a little bit of his, background, his testament to faith and courage, and, saying that at Amfest 2025, we will gather to honor Charlie's legacy, to continue the mission he began, and to celebrate the country that he loved.
Mark Mitchell: Turning Point USA's annual conference kicks off Saturday
So let's welcome in Mark, Mitchell, who is the COO of Rasmussen Reports, and he is there, ah, at amfest. And, how are things going there with today? it's early. And so, it's the kickoff day. But, I think a lot of people, around the country are really pulling for Turning Point USA to have this a great event. And then others are, I think, a little skeptical that after this event, Turning Point may, not be, as influential of an organization as it was under Charlie's leadership. So what are you seeing?
Mark Mitchell: Well, you know, I'm on my way to the airplane. I'll be there tonight. I'm going to have a panel Saturday morning. And, I really appreciate that they like public opinion and think it's valid and important. And especially since this is an organization focused on what's going on with the youth specifically. And I think there's a lot going on with the youth. And so we'll be having a good conversation about that. I also. I think this is going to be the biggest Turning Point infest that they've had. I think they're expecting close to 20,000 people or something ridiculous like that. It's been sold out, I think, since October. And, I also applaud the decision. I mean, obviously.
Scott Uehlinger: Right.
Mark Mitchell: But I applaud the decision to make it a reflection on Charlie's life, because I think there's also going to be a subtext of some division and friction within the conservative movement and some discussion about what the path forward looks like. And I think that's going to be interesting and healthy. we'll have to see how it plays out. but there's. There are a lot of personalities there, too. I mean, I went to the one last year and was at the party where Laura Loomer ambushed Milo and, we'll see. I don't know. Maybe it'll get messy.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah, well, you know, with with how many people they invite and the the, the clashes that tend to happen, you know, among people on the right, some, of it is healthy because obviously, you know, we all come with maybe different ways of implementing conservative policy and there's some healthy clash. But I think you're right that, you know, some of it is a little too divisive. But the question of the path forward, especially heading in, to midterms and then right off the heels of that presidential address to the nation last night, which really was, you know, a midterms kickoff speech, it was Trump highlighting, you know, his accomplishments and what he wants to do for the next year. And that agenda, the focus that you mentioned, Mark, on the youth, I mean this, this whole topic of affordability, has really been the key from the Democrats. Trump addressed some of that last night. I have no doubt that some of these speakers at Amfest will as well. where do you see that message actually being helpful to conservatives when we're talking about an economy that really, still isn't back up and genuinely affordable, after a year under Donald Trump?
Mark Mitchell: Well, I like some aspects of the speech. I know that Donald Trump has been listening to wider ranging voices. there was an article about some of the advice I gave the White House as well. And I could see some of that language talking more about jobs, promising more focus on the housing crisis, specifically calling out the problem with the American dream. And I think there's a problem, there's this trap in D.C. and I, think he's fallen into, into the trap a little bit, which is when people say that economy is the issue, it's really easy to get down there and look at it from a business as usual Washington D.C. policy think tank, slash cabinet, head approach, right? And it's like, well, they say prices are unaffordable, so we need to focus on lowering prices. And then we're going to talk about the things that are lowering prices. But if you really dig, and if you look at all the polling we've been covering, it's actually an existential problem with America. People are giving up on free market capitalism. the tracking questions like are you better off than you were four years ago are the lowest. They've been trust in institutions the lowest. It's been economic outlook and optimism super low. And then you get also polling like when you Ask people if Trump's doing enough of what he promised, too much of what he's promised, or not enough. People say not enough by almost 2 to 1. And especially younger voters, half of 18 to 29 say that Donald Trump hasn't done enough of what he promised. And then when you ask them, well, do you agree or disagree? Donald Trump understands the problems I'm m facing on a daily basis. The 18 to 30 year old voter, only 35% of them agree with that statement. So there's an aspect also of systematic untrust. People think the economy's fair, they don't trust the federal government. And when Donald Trump gets in and very specifically makes it like, okay, well now we have an MFN for pharmaceutical prices and your drug prices are going to be lower. Well, some people are going to care about that and it might move the needle a little bit, but pharmaceutical expenditures are less than 10% of overall health care. And health care insurance is almost the size of a rent payment for people who have to buy their own private insurance. And now the subsidies are probably going to get nuked. I don't know what's going to happen there. So there's these bigger issues. And so again, I think he had a lot of good stuff in his speech, but at the end of the day, it was a very short, very specific victory lap on things that they've done already, which I think a lot of people would look at and maybe 10 years ago would have said, wow, that's great. We never expected that was possible. But a lot of people are saying, well, it's not enough. This just isn't going to solve our problems. And so if you look at his numbers, I don't think they're that bad. He's been hovering around negative 5 net approval. I never thought that there was going to be a major issue with people completely turning on Trump. maybe the younger voters, you're starting to see that online. But the issue is always about, well, how do you get Republicans over the hump next year when history tells us they're almost certainly going to lose it statistically? And I just don't think last night was enough. And my advice was, well, what is the Republican plan? Involve them. What does the path forward look like? Don't talk to us about what you've done already because people think Congress has done nothing. So how can you convince America that if they keep voting for Republicans, there is a path back to this America that's been stolen from everybody. And I'm not really seeing that strategy or Intent, Some, of it, maybe, but in my opinion, probably not enough.
Jenna Ellis: M. Yeah, And I think that's, that's a good overview of kind of a general consensus, about the speech last night and sort of the path forward that a lot of, a lot of people, especially young people, don't just want to hear about past accomplishments. and they, they don't just want to hear kind of some vague generalities of, you know, we'll make America great again. Okay, well, fantastic. Well, that's, that's what we voted for. That's what we've been supporting for the last 10 years. But how exactly are we going to do that? Because, at least most of us remember Trump's first term and how the economy was booming and we want to get back to kind of that sense of winning. And so it rang a little bit hollow to me personally, especially, you know, having, having been around the first Trump administration to then kind of see him come out and project all of these wins when it's not really backed up by legislation. But how can Trump actually do that in a meaningful way, to follow up on this address that will resonate, especially with the younger voters?
Mark Mitchell: Yeah, I, I mean, I hate to be that guy and I hate to be an accelerationist, but I think he needs to attack the system. And he had a lot of really strong rhetoric on the campaign speech and he's gotten in and there's been very little, in my opinion, that appears to be an attack on the system. And my hypothesis is that older conservatives are going to vote for Trump like Republicans, or really for any Republican. Right. They're going to get those high propensity older Republican voters. They'll probably get more if we get a Trump like person who isn't attacking Rob Reiner on Truth Social. But the problem is, is that these politically malleable kids under 40 who again, are really, they just have a bunch of grievances. This isn't ideological at all. They want to exact vengeance to a certain extent against the system that's failed them.
When a Republican gets a 60% job approval rating with under 40 voters
And when Trump was doing that, he was really popular with them. 60%. That's.
Mark Mitchell: I just probably talked about this three times on your show, but when a Republican gets a 60% job approval rating with under 40 voters, everything in Washington D.C. should have come to a screeching halt. And they should have figured out exactly what was happening. And what was happening was we were brutally, deporting Venezuelan violent gang members. We were, giving tears everywhere to federal employees, just firing them. And Making them answer, you know, tough emails and then threatening audits, of the DOD finances and going into Fort Knox. And it was, it was brutal. I mean, there was criminal defense attorneys were trending in Washington D.C. suicide hotline searches were up in Washington D.C. i'm not kidding. People were literally searching expatriation in Washington D.C. and the youth loved it. And I mean, I think just a lot of people would look at the system we have and say it's worked for some people, but not for everybody. And that's the root cause that reflects this collapse in all these polling metrics that we have. And it's not the bad guy he says it is. It's not just Joe Biden. And yes, Joe Biden was bad, but it is the Republican and Democrat uniparty complex. It's corporatism. It's this plutocracy we have. And the people with power, the people with money who can influence politicians are just increasingly, increasingly capturing wealth and power. And so I hate to sound like Bernie Sanders, but Bernie Sanders is going to be increasingly popular because he's the one, the one person who talks about this and he's 100% right. The system has failed younger voters and I'm surprised that they're as actually open as they have been to voting for a Republican. It's actually kind of astounding considering that the advantage Democrats have had on college campuses and in, you know, media. The fact that these people voted for Trump and like the job he was doing is just astounding. And then now 35% of them, only 35% of them say that Trump understands their problem. And they're right.
Mark Mitchell: He's, he's never had to go to Shoprite and buy $400 grocery bill. He's never had to buy private insurance off the exchange and it's like 900 bucks a month or compete with illegal aliens on trying to get, you know, a cheap rental or competing with literally the rest of the world for a high paying job in the tech industry.
Jenna Ellis: And what I find really fascinating about that kind of, of disconnect, Mark, is that one of the hallmarks of Trump's, presidency and just the overall Trump era, is his ability to remain relevant and empathize with the everyday man. You know, it was something, especially in his first term, it was like, you know, oh, this billionaire who has never had to do all things that you just mentioned really understands and gets it. And I do see a difference in tone and in rhetoric from Trump that's been very palpable from his first administration where it was so much of the, you know, the we and are and, you know, he was working for you. Like, I'm, the, you know, they're, they're trying to get to you, but they're, they'll have to come through me. And, and a lot of this, empathy that now, this second, second term has been a lot of emphasis on a kind of revenge of his opponents. I mean, you mentioned the Rob Reiner True Social post. I think that's why that was just so frustrating. I think to a lot of people to see that. And it really didn't go over well for a lot of reasons. but then even Fox News is reporting today that Trump. This is their headline. Trump gets fresh digs at Biden. Obama with new plaques added to the White House Presidential Walk of Fame. It's like, nobody voted for that. Nobody cares about that. Like, dude, you won. Get over it and move forward. You don't have to go back and keep proving it. And I think that has been a real big misstep in his second administration.
Mark Mitchell: Yeah, one of the. I got hundreds of dms from really upset MAGA people the week after the November off cycle elections when Donald Trump was talking about affordability hoaxes and defending colleges and, oh, we definitely need H1BS from everywhere because we don't have a talent in America. There was so much frustration. I was getting pictures of people burning their MAGA hats and everybody was puking. And most, they were almost all people who never voted Republican. They were people who, like, what is he doing? And somebody said, I'm just sick of this mean slop. And that's kind of exactly what it feels like. And I think that this is the problem is that he's kind of always had an excuse. Like in 2016, he got a lot done. But yes, the Deep State was against him. They tried to impeach him multiple times. He didn't have the majority. And everybody knew that the Republicans were a bunch of rhino sellouts. But now here we are after 10 years of Trump and he's in charge, or at least the most in charge he's going to get ever. And I think there's a substance for all, I really do. There isn't a daily war room covering all the prongs of their attack against the Deep State and our corporate oligarchy. They just, they aren't doing that. They haven't been doing that. And I think when it felt like they were, it's because they literally just had Elon, like an attack Dog. And now they don't. And so it's kind of revealed that they, they need to communicate less. I mean, if, if, Trump was delivering on brutal government reform and restoring the American dream, I think people would know it. Like, I think we know what this would look like. It's like, no, Microsoft, we're suing you for $10 billion very publicly because you gave all these jobs to India. Right. Like, that's what it would look like. It would be Teddy Roosevelt from the bully pulpit calling these people out, and instead they come to the White House. Right. And so if he was doing these things, I think he would get away with these sort of out of touch true social posts. But now I'm just seeing, like, what is he doing? How is he this out of touch? Why is he railing against this system? We know this already. This has already been litigated. Why are we still talking about Biden and not arresting him? What happened to the laptop? Where's the laptop from hell? we got over half of America thinking that Joe Biden was personally profiting from Chinese Communists through his son Hunter's deals. Like, this is years ago. The American people knew this. We had half the country ready to impeach Joe Biden in February of 2020. So, like, the idea that we're still attacking Biden now and expecting to score points on it is just wild.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah.
Mark Mitchell says he talked to President Trump about economic populism
So well said. And, you know, as you mentioned, you had the opportunity to actually sit down with President, Trump and give him some of this advice. what was your, perspective or perception on, how receptive he was to hearing this message that, you know, you and I have been talking about for months now?
Mark Mitchell: Well, I mean, people can read the story. They wrote about it in the Washington Post this week. I actually was surprised at how good the story was because we have a path. Washington Post, I can tell you that Philip Bump and all these fake fact checkers and, oh, it's horrible, but they actually did a really, in my opinion, even handed job. And I love that they invited me down there. Not for, I mean, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but the American people don't have a lobbyist. And people like me, Rich Barris, like other independent pollsters, are about as close as it gets, because we're not bought off. Right? We're actually just giving data and, like, no, this is what the American people want. And Susie and JD Brought me in and they were very receptive. And Trump gave me a lot of time and I talked about all these Things and laid it out, and he seemed thoughtful about a lot of it. but I felt this reticence to acknowledge that the economy was different than how it's been framed so far, which is people that are happy that home values are up and people are happy that, the stock market is high. And, I said, well, no looking at median first time homebuyer age is 40 for the first time. People are having a hard time. And he listened to that. But, like, I don't know, I just don't think it's clicking. I think when he's. I think he's reaching for excuses to claim victory, and it feels like George W. Bush, mission accomplished, and that's a problem. And I get it. I. The throne is comfortable there. You know, it takes, I think it takes somebody to want that fight. And I don't think they've even determined who the fight is against is what, really, what. It's all I talked about. I said, sir, like, you know, you had this optics of the fight, fight, fight moment at Butler, but, like, who are we fighting? What are we fighting? We're fighting Marjorie Taylor Green and Rob Reiner and Thomas Massie, John Thune, like, how about we gotta fight for Americans? And these are.
Jenna Ellis: There was a lot of criticism. There was a lot of criticism, Mark, during, even the primary, that Trump wanted to win again, just to win, but didn't really have an appetite necessarily to govern and be president again. And I think that there's some truth to that, because I just don't see that, that there's a lot of appetite for governing. I mean, you know, even just with putting these plaques up on, you know, if he's so focused on that, and yet there's not a lot of, a lot of actual concrete wins other than the one big beautiful bill that he pointed to last night. You know, kind of where, where are we going and what will the next three years look like? And as you mentioned, the American people don't have a lobbyist. And you know, Charlie Kirk was a lot of that in, at least in having the President's ear. And we don't have that anymore. So, you know, wrap us up. Last, last 30 seconds.
Mark Mitchell: Yeah, I mean, that's 100% right. We all saw the Charlie Kirk plan for economic populism geared towards the youth. It's been floating around the Internet since August. And as far as I know, he's one of the few people that was talking to Donald Trump who was under the age of 40. And I think that was a very important connection after he died. I mean it definitely felt like there was a different language and feeling coming out of the White House. And as far as I know that's the only plan that's been put together. Put together. And is it as far reaching as it needs to be? Like no, probably not. But if they just did that, if they, if they did that. Yeah, brutally reverse H1B like get rid of everybody.
Jenna Ellis: Yeah. You know there's some really easy wins that constantly Congress could have and if Trump would just, you know, focus on that, I think we could go into 2026 in a lot better shape. But Mark Mitchell, thanks so much. You can reach me and my team. Jennaafr.net PreBorn's whole mission is to rescue.
Jenna Ellis: Babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year PreBorn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate go to preborn.com afr.
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