Ep. 1148 - Why Americans Have Election Trust Issues

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode argues that distrust in U.S. elections is rooted in years of partisan and media gaslighting, not just Trump-era rhetoric. It reviews legal challenges to 2020 results, criticizes Democratic officials and media for selectively defining legitimacy, and pivots to culture-war coverage of Jen Psaki, Janet Yellen, COVID relief, and Elliot Page, portraying them as examples of elite hypocrisy and ideological overreach.

Main Topics: Election distrust and the 2020 vote count (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro argues that skepticism about the election is understandable given rapid procedural changes, mail-in voting expansion, prior Democratic election-framing, and media insistence on absolute certainty rather than acknowledging limited irregularities. Trump legal strategy and court challenges (Priority: 5/5): The segment reviews Trump campaign efforts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, and other states, emphasizing that allegations of fraud need to be proven in court and that broad remedies like overturning results are unlikely. Media and Democratic 'gaslighting' (Priority: 5/5): The episode repeatedly accuses the media and Democrats of rewriting history on Trump legitimacy, Obama’s presidency, and election integrity, arguing that this fuels public cynicism and partisan mistrust. Obama, Susan Rice, and institutional rhetoric (Priority: 4/5): Shapiro claims Obama-era figures and commentators such as Susan Rice and Stephen Colbert are being treated as moral authorities despite, in his view, having misled the public on constitutional and political issues. Biden team, Jen Saki, and media fact-checking (Priority: 4/5): The host criticizes media defenses of Jen Saki’s old Russia-related photo and portrays mainstream coverage as partisan spin rather than neutral fact-checking. COVID relief and congressional gridlock (Priority: 4/5): The show argues Democrats are obstructing targeted relief while prioritizing symbolic votes like marijuana legalization and other unrelated legislation, while Republicans push a narrower bipartisan package. Transgender identity and cultural conflict (Priority: 4/5): The final segment disputes the idea that gender can be changed by declaration, criticizing media language around Elliot Page and arguing that the left is imposing non-scientific social norms.

Key Arguments: Distrust in election results is a logical reaction to years of partisan escalation, shifting rules, and media double standards, not merely irrational denial. Democrats previously questioned election legitimacy themselves, so outrage at Republican skepticism is hypocritical. Trump campaign claims may show irregularities or violations, but proving sufficient fraud to overturn results requires evidence in court, not press conferences. Mainstream media routinely “fact-check” with political framing, especially when defending Democratic figures like Jen Saki or Obama-era officials. Susan Rice and other Democratic insiders are portrayed as hypocritical when they warn about democracy after years of aggressive partisan hardball. The Biden team is framed as staffed by recycled Obama-era figures who represent continuity of the same political culture the host criticizes. The COVID relief debate is presented as evidence that Democrats block practical aid while pursuing symbolic or ideological legislation. The culture-war battle over trans identity is described as an attempt to force public adoption of claims that conflict with biological reality.

Data Points: Voter turnout: About 158 million voters - Used to note that some voter fraud would be expected in such a large election even if not outcome-determinative. Michigan vote differential: About 150,000 votes - Cited as too large a margin for alleged irregularities to overturn the outcome. Pennsylvania vote differential: About 82,000 votes - Used to argue fraud claims would not likely change the result. Wisconsin vote differential: About 20,000 votes - Referenced in discussion of election challenges and Barr’s statement. Georgia vote differential: About 13,000 votes - Used as another example of the margin Trump would need to overcome. Gallup poll: About 40% of Democrats - Cited as believing Democrats would have cheated if they could have. Obamacare Senate-seat context: 60th Senate seat - Referenced through the Norm Coleman/Al Franken example as politically consequential irregularity. Wisconsin absentee ballots challenged: 221,000 ballots - Trump campaign petition sought to invalidate these ballots. Arizona ballots sought for inspection: 200 ballots - Judge allowed limited review in Kelly Ward’s challenge. Arizona total votes targeted: Nearly 1.7 million votes - Described as the scale of the attempted invalidation in Arizona. Iowa recount margin: 6 votes out of 394,000 - Highlighted as one of the closest congressional outcomes. Iowa percentage margin: .002 percentage points - Used to emphasize how narrow the recount result was. New York race margin: Roughly a dozen votes - Referenced in the unresolved NY House race. Ballots in dispute in New York: About 1,000 ballots - Included provisional and uncounted ballots. PPP funds approved: $521 billion - Initial Paycheck Protection Program funding amount. PPP funds distributed: About $380 billion - Amount said to have gone out the door. Wisconsin absentee vote challenge cited by court: 221,000 absentee ballots - Court was unlikely to invalidate all of them despite alleged irregularities. Electoral college certification date: December 14 - Mentioned as the date electors would deem Biden president-elect if results stand. Age in one headline context: 42 - Used in the New York Times description of Jen Saki. Security guide length: 164 pages - Referenced in USCCA promotional copy.

Pivotal Quotes: "The point here is that you have spent years on end suggesting that you're willing to break any rule, you're willing to do anything in pursuit of Donald Trump." — Ben Shapiro: Used to explain why conservatives distrust Democratic claims of electoral purity. "There is no other area of life in which people simply declare themselves to be a thing, and everybody goes, oh, okay." — Ben Shapiro: Part of the critique of media acceptance of trans identity language. "The clown games are over." — Susan Rice: Quoted from Rice’s op-ed and used by Shapiro to underscore what he sees as Democratic hypocrisy.

Implications: The episode frames politics as a legitimacy crisis driven by partisan media, weak trust in institutions, and culture-war mandates. It suggests legal disputes will be settled in court, while public confidence and social cohesion may continue to erode.