Erika Kirk Reveals the Final Words Her Husband Charlie Kirk Left Behind in Stop in the Name of God

But it's my privilege to bring in Erica Kirk, Turning Point USA CEO. And um uh she wrote the forward to Charlie Kirk, her husband's book, Stop in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life. Erica, great to see you. >> Likewise. Good to see you. >> It's hard to imagine a busier person than you that's been through more than you have been. And that's when I found out two weeks ago, oh, she's going to be coming by with a book tour. I thought to myself, "Oh my goodness, >> it's not it's not my book. It's my husband's." And it's it's bittersweet because these are his final words that he left not just the world, but also to me. And he used to write me a letter every single Saturday uh during the Sabbath for him. So this book now is my love letter for the rest of my life. >> So what's interesting is I remember I think it's Larry Arn of Hillsdale. >> Dr. Larry Arn. >> So here is I'm looking at Charlie when he was 22 23. I think I was invited to speak at one of your events. I go, "Yeah, I'll speak." No problem. I didn't really know what Turning Point was. And I walk in and everyone in the hotel knows who I am. And I walk in at I had to speak at 7:00 in the morning and there was probably 6,000 people there. I go, "What is go where does this what is going on here?" And he goes, "Oh, these are all college kids." And he was sitting back as if this is just the beginning. >> But it was interesting when Larry Arn spoke at at your husband's >> memorial. >> He said how he came to him and said, "This is what I want to do." And he basically said, "You got to learn more. Mhm. >> You got to study. And he took 33 >> separate courses from Hillsdale. >> He did. >> And what did that bring to him? And how did that lead to this? >> He always was on the hunt for truth and beauty and things that were eternal. That was his focus. And when he saw that, he didn't want to be a talking figure. He wanted to be a movement leader and a thought leader. And so in order to do that, you need to constantly be reading, learning, doing everything that you need to be able to make a difference in a way where it's not I'm preaching at you, I'm preaching at you. Instead, it's it was along the lines of no, I read this and this works, this doesn't work. Let me show you a different way of living. And that's what came into the I also noticed and as I mentioned this on Fox and Friends that uh Dennis Prager was somebody that he dedicated the book to. Right. What did Dennis Prager bring to Charlie Kirk? >> So Charlie listened to every single fireside chat. I I had the blessing of being able to see Dennis this past week when we were on our way to Florida. I wanted to see him. I wanted to be able to just read to him the for the the dedication of the of the book that Charlie did for him and just say, "Dennis, you will always be one of the most influential voices of our time. Thank you for taking the time to pour into my husband." >> And he's a religious scholar. >> He writes books that I don't even I mean, what I've seen even put together, man, you can't take a sentence off. No, he he is so phenomenal at breaking down the Torah and going through and writing commentaries on the Old Testament, which Charlie read all of them. He read all of them. And you cannot understand the New Testament if you do not read the Old Testament. You cannot separate the two. And so Charlie knew that if I'm going to write a book on the right, >> excuse me, on the Sabbath, I need to understand fully what this is, implement it into my life, see how it works, and then show others this is how it's done. >> Erica Kirk here, the name of the book is stop in the name of God, why honoring the Sabbath will transform your life. I have always and again I am not a religious scholar but I know people who are Orthodox Jewish Jewish Orthodox Jews and that's the ones and they're by by the way almost all of them are almost billionaires but they go don't call me on Saturday >> why I can't get back to you that's I'm off remember Joe Lieberman he's running for president I'm off I don't I don't use cars I don't do anything I didn't equivocate I didn't uh I didn't play that out to Christianity is it for both religions >> well it it is a commandment. It's part of the ten commandments. But what Charlie's trying to explain in this book is that put the legalism aside, look at this from the standpoint of if you don't honor the Sabbath, meaning the day of rest, God is asking you to just press pause and rest and be with him so that he can use you and you can be the man or the woman that he needs you to be in order to make a difference in this world. Charlie's saying, don't get caught up in the legalism of it. Instead, do what you can to say, "Okay, there's these are a few hours that I can turn my phone off, disconnect, be with the Lord, be with my family, and unplug." There are certain thing like for us, we would make sure that Friday night it was family dinner night, and then all day Saturday was family time. Charlie always prioritize prioritized myself and the children, and he would also make sure that we would get a date night in. He made sure to that I always knew that I was always always above anything else. And he made that amplified during the Sabbath. >> It's interesting because after he hosted Fox and Friends, so I texted him right away and I said, "Are you interested in doing this? I I've never seen somebody just take to it right away because you know Fox and Friends is a slice of life. It's not here. Here's the news. It is how are you how do you feel about the news? What is your opinion of the news? Is there a format better built for him that?" >> So he goes, "Brian, not a chance. Do you see my weekends?" And I a part of it was this. He goes, "Yeah, I'm not available. They're sacred. They're sacred because he could not do or operate on the level that he was without having a minute to breathe. And he wanted to also be able to show an example. He's a father. People sometimes forget. Yes, he was a movement leader, but he was a dad to a son. Even though my baby boy is very little, he did not take that lightly. He knew that I am not raising a boy. I am raising a man. And so if I'm going to be what I want my son to be or to look up to, I need to live up to that standard. I need to stop doing things that he Charlie didn't drink. Not because again being legalistic, but he could not operate the way he needed to operate >> being drunk. Like that just does not happen. [laughter] Or going out and partying with the boys. That doesn't happen. Yes, you can have fun. There's many different ways of having fun. This is not supposed to put guard rails on your quote unquote fun. It's supposed to put into perspective how you can be a true spiritual head and leader of your home so that your son can be the spiritual leader and head of his home. And we need to make strong young men that are respectful to their wives and to their children and know look there is a different way of living that will enhance your life in a way you couldn't even have imagined rather than thinking you're getting your answers from college. >> So the name of the book is stop in the name of God. Go to 45books.com to order it right now. But just a question about you. Yes. >> Where did who >> is responsible for raising someone like yourself with the values and ethics and drive that you have? Like how did you become you? >> I have an amazing family. My mother's the blessing of all. My father was amazing as well. Although my parents were divorced when I was five, I was very very close also to my grandparents. And my grandparents I was with them every Saturday. So, without me even knowing, I guess now just even thinking of this with you, that I guess was my Sabbath. I went and stayed with my grandparents um Saturday all day Saturday. Saturday night would come home to my mom on Sunday. But on Saturday night after having dinner with my grandparents, we'd watched the Lawrence Welk show. I was >> I guess I that started when I was 10 and didn't end until I was 18. So, for me, but that was my and but this is really sweet even reminiscing on this. That was I guess my form of a Sabbath. >> So you were always family oriented. >> Always. Always. Family is so important and that's and Charlie saw that too and that's why we understood how important tradition was and pouring into your family and being being so close to each other because at the end of the day when it's all said and done with your short life here, what are you leaving behind? You you don't get to take anything with you. Charlie did not have anything attached to his casket. He didn't have his books, his radio show, nothing. He came into this world the same way as he exited. And so what are you going to leave behind? You're leaving behind your legacy with your family and your children. >> So he knew he felt like he was in a rush to achieve. >> He had a vision. >> He had a vision. >> And from what you know and what you know about his childhood, what laid the groundwork for that? >> He always was so good with time. He was an unbelievable person of time management down to the millisecond. And he always knew that if I could if I could steward my time in a way that was productive and a way that was always moving towards something bigger and something greater that he was in the right jetream and that and that's how he operated. >> Was did that come from his parents or was that how he >> I think that's just how he was wired. He was ne it was never some I don't think you it's very very hard to learn how to be very good at time management. You can learn, but to master it at his level, that's a total God blessing and a gift. >> Oh yeah. He for a guy that had so much going on, he never seemed in a rush, right? He always seemed like he knew. >> He was very intentional. Okay, I have five minutes. And then he got everything out in five minutes and then he was on to the next meeting, on to the next event. Wow. He was very intentional. >> So, uh, Erica Kirk is doing a book tour for Charlie Kirk's last book, Herus Husband. It's Stop in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life. I got it yesterday. I got through half of it in like an hour. It's really great. >> It's powerful. It's uh it's excellent. So, but you don't stop and I know that when the message I know it's certain to be a bestseller. Go to 45books.com. A few more minutes with Erica Kirk in a moment. She's also going to be on the five tonight. So, if she's not busy enough, don't move. You listen to Brian Killme show. So, Charlie Kirk's words and thoughts come to life in his uh brand new book, Stop in the Name of God. Why honoring the Sabbath will transform your life. Writing the forward to that book is Erica Kirk and Cheese. And by the way, the introduction was actually written by Charlie. Um, so she is here to explain the book, what it meant, and how it was all put together. And you can get it at 45books.com. We got to make this. And it was a runaway bestseller, which I'm sure it will be. Um, so Erica, as everything you got to do, running turning point action, which is the vote, Turning Point USA, which is the college tour and the next generation, the youth, and then you have to do this thing. You have the media element to you with the the very successful podcast >> and then what about you the mom and the kids. >> How do you choose now with all the people around you who will be the the role models that you want your kids to be influenced by? >> Well, we have a phenomenal team at Turning Point USA. It's a family and Charlie handpicked every single person that's in leadership. So what the beautiful part about Turning Point USA is that everyone behind the scenes when you pull back the curtain, they're doing exactly what they were doing on 99 before 910 happened. >> And we haven't lost speed. I mean, yes, of course, we took time to mourn, but our team, >> for example, when Charlie was murdered within 7 days, we were able by the grace of God and we pushed through to put on that memorial for him. Our team does not look at this as a nineto-five. It's vision-ledd. It's movementdriven, but it's also a way for our whole team to put their pain into something that is so bigger than any of us. And we all need this organization just as much as this country does. So, it doesn't it's not a job to us. So I know here how you put it together and how hard people worked, but even you must have been astounded by the number of people that >> and it took over the whole town. >> Not even the town. >> It was more on the outside than the inside. It was a global ripple effect that no one I mean yes I knew my husband had impact >> but to that multitude and extent is the Lord >> and and only God can use someone to that capacity when you surrender yourself fully and say Lord use me how you need to >> and then you to walk out in front of 70 80,000 people people watching around the globe our network never took a break we covered that and knowing you were grieving because uh Charlie is is no longer with us. Can you bring me to that moment when you walk out? >> So, I intentionally stayed in my own green room that whole time. I listen to some of the worship music. Actually, I listened to all of it. Um but there was a moment where they were they said, "Do you want to go and stand behind stage so you can see and feel?" and said, I said, "No, I I I don't want to s I want to be able to feel that whole emotion the second I walk out on stage." Like, I want to feel the true impact of this moment. Cuz they said, "Do you want to sit out there?" And I said, "No, I just want to pray. I just want to be alone with with my thoughts and with the Lord before I step out on that stage." And it just was the most overwhelming. I mean when you hear a stadium and on when you hear them say singing hallelujah that is a slice of heaven on earth that I don't think anyone will ever be able to put into words it was unbelievably powerful >> but then you have to speak >> and then you have to speak >> and then you see the videos of my kids and him and like it is just gut-wrenching >> and you did >> you have to you have to put life is tough It is beautiful, but it is tough. And you are going to have to find a way. And anyone who has been through hell and back knows this. When you go through and and we were just talking about this off air, you have a decision to make when something like this happens in your life. Are you going to go into the corner and be in fetal position and just let it happen and and you know, cry and cry and cry? Yes, there are moments to cry. Yes. But are you going to turn that moment into something and say, you know what, God, give me grace. Please give me grace. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I know that you will put one foot in front of the other and you will help me get through this, Lord. You will help me. Again, I don't know how, but I will whatever strength you give me, strengthen strengthen the inner workings of my soul, Lord. Use me how you need to use me. Use this to make a difference. You have a decision. >> And I could see that determination uh in seeing you face to face. Stop in the name of God is out. Go to 45books.com. How interested are you in the investigation about what goes on? Like what what role does that play in everything that you think about? >> No, it's a it's a great question. We have a phenomenal team. I am in contact with our attorneys and the prosecutors basically daily being like, "Anything new? Anything new?" We we know without a shadow of a doubt with the evidence that we have that we're we're moving in the correct direction. >> I trust our team with full stop. Is it be is part of it because you know who Cash Patel is and Dan Bonino is at the head or is it Joe? >> It's not even that. When you have the truth and the facts, you don't need I mean you don't need anything else. I've seen the autopsy report. I've seen all of that. I mean I if if if you have the truth and you don't believe the truth, I don't know what to tell you. >> But yet people don't believe people don't trust anything that they're seeing. We I've been blown away by people come up to me and say, "Hey, I know you interviewed Charlie, but you know we're not getting the right story." Well, what do you mean do not get in the right? Well, you know that that didn't that gun couldn't have done this or he couldn't have been there or something happened in the middle. I had somebody come up to me and say, "Someone popped out of a manhole cover and shot him directly and that manhole covers been been covered up." I go, "I've never heard of a crazier thing." And they thought I was crazy for even questioning them. >> I mean, you must be getting this. It's >> the conspiracy thing. >> I have heard all of them. I have heard all of them. And thank God we have a trial coming up. Unfortunately, that trial is in a long time. What I want to be mindful of for people is that this was a murder. This is not something that what I don't want to have happen is for this to taint the jury pool. I don't I want my husband I want justice for my husband more than any other person on the internet any other person in this world that was my husband and the father to my kids we will make sure and we have been turning over every single stone going down every single lead so when these people say oh they haven't talked about this or done that how do you know you're not in those those meetings with the attorneys and the process prosecutors. You have no idea. And why would we share that information with the internet to to what then? Give the defense more stuff that's not true. Like it's just you at the end of the day when it's all said and done, the truth is the truth. >> And the this is book is fantastic. I really encourage everyone to get it. Stop in the name of God. Why honoring the Sabbath will transform your life. Erica Kirk, great to see you. Good luck on the five today and thanks for putting up me with with two interviews. >> Oh, no. It's good. You're the best. God bless you. >> The Malddoan Deputy Prime Minister joins us now. Deputy Prime Minister, can you hear me now? >> I hear you well, Brian. Thank you. >> Great. So, what could you How has the Ukraine war affected you in in Muldova and the people of your country? >> Well, the Republic of Muldova has been the country most severely affected by the war, other than Ukraine itself, of course. We welcome the largest number of refugees per capita over a million. We're still hosting about 100,000 which is about 4% of Muldovan population. We provided access to healthcare, education, labor market like any good neighbor and like any Christian would do. So our economy has been affected. Our security has been affected. But we have persevered and we've come out from the past few years stronger than we were before. We've invested in our security, in our energy security. and the United States has been a trusted partner in this effort and we commend the people of the United States and the Trump administration for promoting peace in Ukraine and in the Republic of Mold. >> What has Russia done to infiltrate into your election system? >> There have been uh the whole host of tools, the whole playbook was thrown at us. Uh campaign finance, illegal campaign money provided to the pro-Russian proxy parties to the tone of hundreds of millions of dollars. crypto was being used, uh, bank transfers from sanctioned Russian banks, uh, paid media, the influence of all sorts of organizations that were there to sabotage and undermine our democratic process. The effort was to use the democratic means that our democracy provides to undermine democracy itself in the Republic of Ma >> by putting pro-Russian candidates forward, right, who pretend as if they're candidates, but they're really doing Russia's work. Exactly. Uh they are playing and dancing to the tune of the Kremlin as the old saying goes who pays the one commands the music. So that was what we faced in Muldova. But our institutions persevered our society showed remarkable resilience and this is a testament to the unity and solidarity and resilience of the Muldovan people. But it's also a testament to the incredible support of the international community first and foremost the United States in building the resilience of Muldovan institutions to withstand this sort of interference. >> Talk about your alliance with the US. What are you looking for to enhance it? What what do you have now from us and and what do we get from you? >> We have an incredible partnership with the United States. Our security is stronger thanks to the support of the United States including border security. our cyber security stronger and our partners like the United States also learn from our challenges. We've had an audit done of our institutions of our cyber defenses and certain gaps have been identified for us to be able to plug those gaps but also certain things have been found out that help our partners to mitigate them so they don't have to get to you. Basically, our cooperation on security and defense is rock solid. Our cooperation on energy security has been remarkable. The investments that the United States is making in the region, including in the Republic of Muldova, makes Muldova safer, but also a reliable partner for American investments in Romania and in Ukraine for Moldova to serve as a transit country for those energy resources. So that puts us in a much stronger position to help our partners and allies and be a facilitator of those large-scale investments of the United States in the region. We're talking to the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Malddova, Mahal Papsoy, who's uh talking about our alliance now in Ukraine. President Zilinski said yesterday something that surprised me. We're not going to give up any land. Uh we refuse to give up any land towards any peace agreement. Now, I understand not giving up the Donbos, but if you're looking to add a practical approach to ending this conflict that Russia is solely responsible for, are that's a surprising stance. Is it surprise you? Well, it probably would be surprising if he said otherwise. Any leader of a sovereign country, it's a very difficult position to be. >> I hear you. >> And I must commend President Zilinski and the Ukrainian people for their courage, for their capacity to stand up to this aggression. But I would also like to wholeheartedly commend the leadership of President Trump for genuinely seeking peace. It's not an easy undertaking, but if anybody can do it, it's Donald J. Trump and the government of the United States. Strength, peace through strength. This is the the the uh objective that works because the Kremlin understands strength and everybody wants peace. >> If that's true, Mr. Deputy Prime Minister, shouldn't we give them the tomahawks? Shouldn't we give them more Patriot missiles? Shouldn't we say, Vladimir Putin, if you continue to be an obstacle towards ending this fighting that we're going to further arm up Ukraine? This is exactly what uh many people understand behind the notion of peace through strength. Uh strength is what the international community, the free world led by President Trump has and peace is what we all seek and of course uh this is a difficult undertaking and I would not dare to comment on what the Ukrainian leadership or the Ukrainian people ought to do. is definitely their sovereign choice. But it is of course clear that everybody wants peace. Especially nobody wants peace more than Ukraine. They've been most affected. Their energy infrastructure has been destroyed. Churches, hospitals, children dying on on daily basis in this needless uh aggression and of course the international community and first and foremost the United States has been there by uh Ukraine and we commend this effort and this leadership. This is the noble thing to do to seek peace and to leverage the strength the United States has in the free world towards that noble goal of peace. >> So do you think Russia when Ukraine war comes to an end will learn their lesson that 6 day war ends up being three, four, five years and they're losing 7,000 a week. Do you or do you look for that aggression to continue regardless of how the Ukraine war ends? I think it is precisely the question of how the war ends uh in light of what will follow. If and when Ukraine gets the security guarantees that it needs, this security guarantees needs to be robust enough to make sure that we avoid the scenario that we that you are talking about. Of course, we all know the dreams of of the Kremlin and Putin to restore the empire, to restore the Soviet Union, but these are sovereign nations. Ukraine, uh, Muldova, Baltic countries, and everybody else in the region who has firmly decided that it is up to the people of these nations to decide their future and nobody else's. And we commend the the Trump administration for standing up for these sovereign nations and for the pre freedom of these people to seek their future and decide their future. >> All right. Thanks so much. uh the deputy prime minister of Mdova, the Republic of Moldova, Mahay Papsoy is here and uh discussing the very vital alliance in a very vital region that is really under attack because of Russian aggression and expansion. Uh thanks so much. Great to see you uh and great to meet you, Mah. >> Thank you. All right, we are back and back in studio with us a good friend of the show uh Warren Ziders is here American country music superstar songwriter with a big announcement about a world tour coming up and uh it wasn't too long ago we were freezing last winter walking by Madison Square Garden talking about the trajectory of your career uh Warren and since then you've had a heck of a 2025 how would you characterize it? 2025 characterize it. >> I mean, I give all the glory to the good Lord. I would say it's another year of just massive blessings that and not just to me, to my fans, to my family and everything. And you know, >> it was a monumental year for me. I I I >> marked off one of my bucket lists this year to >> play the Giant Center in my hometown, Hy, Pennsylvania. Sold out my hometown Arena. We uh shot a mini documentary there. We did a live recording for it. So, we're dropping a live record here in the next month, month and a half for my fans. Never have dropped one before. So, >> um that was definitely something that was a core memory for me over this past year. >> And what about the hit songs and the duet that you just pulled off? >> Yeah. Uh Love and Letting Go. Um just had a number one on SiriusXM. Uh so, shout out to them and Pandora. Pandora loves me. Um, and then Relapse was a massive streaming hit for me, uh, after playing on my Relapse tour and then Relapse Lives Met Trail and my double album coming out this year uh, that came out and just Yeah, it's been a been a roller coaster. >> And And how do you find how have you broken it up between writing, performing, downtime? How have you worked that out? >> Uh, the tour especially. >> Yeah, I mean downtime is really no such thing. I mean, you talked to doesn't matter if you're in music, doesn't matter if you want to be successful in in any realm of life, if you're committed to it, you have a passion for it, you have a love for it, right? >> You have to eat, sleep, and breathe it. And you know, I'm 26 and this is the perfect time of my life to go ahead and commit my 20s to something like this. >> And Warren, tell everyone too that's not familiar with your story that the pandemic happens, you decide you're not going back to school. The Zoom school was losing a lot of students. We'll talk about that for generations and high school and grammar school. Some people still not back on track. You used it and you under the urging of your sister. Yeah. You just you said, "Hey, you're always playing that guitar, so why don't you put something on put something on on TikTok?" >> Yeah. >> And you had no Tik Tok account. >> Nope. >> So, you you just played what what song was it that you played? >> Uh Tennessee Whiskey. Um put the cover up and and as I'd said previously with you, posted it. Um went to bed, woke up the next morning at 3 400,000 views and just an overload of positive comments of just like, "Who are you? Where's this guy from? what music does he have? And just wanting to know more about me and it uh became a little bit of an addiction. >> And when did you realize that after the pandemic's over, this is your career? Cuz you decided to drop out of school too, right? >> Yep. So pandemic starts to to loosen up. And in through that time period, um I was already um in talks with my manager, who's still my manager to this day. He invited me to Nashville. And my story is funny because he doesn't always work this way, but my first time going to Nashville was meeting up with him and the second song I wrote in my life was my first hit, Ride the Lightning. And I played it for him and he was like, "This is great, but like we should probably write another hundred songs before we even consider releasing this." I went against his will and posted it on social media. Fans blew it up, wanted it released. It's my first uh first gold record, first platinum record, first double platinum record. So it uh it definitely laid the foundation for me. >> So why did he want you to wait? I think just like I I treat that moment in my career and and I think that it's a good way to look at him as like a mentor slash a coach maybe so to speak who's got he's older than me. He's been in town for a long time. Um so someone who knows the inner workings of maybe the industry a little bit more than I did with being green behind the ears. I think that he was just trying to go ahead and say hey like this is not a bad song but you should work you should write some more put some more time and reps in to see if something else jumps out at you. And I guess he was like we don't need to jump the gun. And I was like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like, let's go for it. [clears throat] >> Anyway, I'm doing it anyway. Here we are. >> So, when you look back at the first song that you released, it was just something, you know, this is stuff that you picked from in a Guitar Center. This is the audio equipment. Yeah. >> Would you ever release something like that today? Is there is there a sense that the audience expects more from you now? >> I think there is a little bit of that. And it's funny you bring that up. So, I don't know if I personally would be doing the recording. Uh, I mean that's I did um for that acoustic covers album and my first song I ever put out on the run. >> But um I uh I definitely am very hands-on when it comes to making my records. I'm not recording it, but I'm, you know, part producing. I'm very hands-on in that. The writing set, the writing element, obviously singing on it. Um, so I think this year going into 2026, it's been a lot of um, thinking inwardly and listening to my fans as I stated, talking with you before is paying attention and just being observant and and listening to them. >> And I think that, you know, I put out my 717 tapes record, which was a lot of accumulation of demos and it wasn't anything polished and I think they fell in love with that about me. So I think going into 2026, >> that you mean fans? Yeah, the fans were liking the organic um just raw, I guess raw and feeling uncut and unedited and and I think that that's something I'm going to try to lean into going into the writing rooms over uh over the winter here. >> Now, at this point, songwriters must be calling you >> and saying, "Listen, this sounds like you. I wrote a song for you." Are you reluctant to do that, to take a writer song, or do you feel do you feel as I got I could do this myself? >> No, no, no, no. I'm a I'm a firm believer in the best song wins. I I I just am. I I think that there's a part of me that's the artist and there's the part of me that's the business acumen side. And it's it's a fine line of doing what we do for a living. >> Now, for me, there's songs that I've put out that didn't really turn into anything, but they mean an awful lot to me because of the emotional element, what I was going through at that stage of life. But that's just the reality of the world we live in. Writing and music is all to interpretation, you know. No, there's no fine lines of I scored two goals and I played a pretty good game, >> right? >> So, when it comes to the artistic side for me, I I have to walk that balance very uh fine. And I've had other writers send me really great music and I have cut outside songs. I've cut two uh Chris Stapleton songs that he never cut. So, I'm open to it, I think. >> How does that work? Can I ask you because did you do you see these do you see it online and say anybody want these songs? Do you bid on them? No. So, the way it works in Nashville and stuff is there's the publishers that do the writing portion of your music and um there it's a catalog. So, there's like I have so much music that I've written that's might never see the light of day. And there might be my publisher in town pitching some of my songs to other artists or other people to get cuts. So, this uh one song I put out that was Chris's was like a 10, 11 year old song that he had written, never put out. And uh it was just living there and someone pitched it to me and I heard Chris sing on it and they were like we've tried to get this song cut forever but no one wanted to go ahead and cut the song because they hear Chris Stapleton on they're like what am I supposed to do with this? >> Yeah. >> So I took it I took it as a challenge and I was like you know what I'm a big Chris fan. Love his voice. Love his style. I'm going to go ahead and cut this and record this and put my own flare on it. >> And what was it? >> Uh Love on the Line and Inside Your Head were those two Chris Stapleton songs. And but when people leave a song out there, is there is it them singing it or you have to read the music and see the lyrics? >> It's um it's so he recorded a demo. So he recorded a demo for it. So they pitched me the lyrics and then they sent me with the lyrics his demo so I could listen through >> um on what it would sound like. So it's it's really we live in such a fun time. I mean, we don't even talk about AI yet, just with what's going on in music, but it's the digital age that we're living in is it's so much fun for the creative side. >> But in a way, isn't AI scaring the hell out of actors and musicians? Because they could commission AI to write a hit, write me a hit country music song, make it sound a little like Chris Templeton, a little like Warren Ziders, and then you get this result. And that's to me is scary. >> 100%. But it's you got to have I mean, yes, limitations to it and whatnot. I mean, I'll be the first one to admit it to you. It's like it's you're trusting the the public to use it the right way. And I've seen other writers and other artists use it in a uh tool tool way, I guess I would say. So, I mean, I'll be the first one to admit it. I wrote a song the other week and I used a AI platform to go ahead and was like, "Hey, I don't know how to do this on the guitar on how I want to make this sound instrument instrumentally." So, it'll go ahead and spit something out for you to if you want to change the melody up. >> Really? >> Yeah. It's it's it's super cool and it's like >> it is a fine line on what you're talking about. Obviously, I haven't recorded the song or anything like that, but it it allowed my brain to see something else. And now I can take this idea and take it to my producer and be like, "Hey, here's a rough draft of kind of what I was thinking. We wrote it this way, not changing lyrics, but I want to go ahead and change the melody up a little bit and have it be a little bit more rock or more balladesque or more in this vein. It just makes it fun. >> Yeah. Um, could you put it in there and say, "Okay, here's my song. Make it better." Or does it need specific commands? >> I feel like it needs specific commands because obviously, like you say, make it better. It's going to go ahead and try to interpret that in a million different ways. Um, I haven't tried that specific thing, but I I it's been fun to watch how some people feel one-sided about it and then other people want to embrace it because I it's uh it's an undeniable thing that's that's coming up and I want to learn the tool. >> This year you're going to have your a world tour. >> Mhm. >> So, if these dates are correct, I mean, it starts in March. >> Yep. >> So, how do you know that you're popular overseas? Are you able to see where the downloads are? Yeah. Yeah. Uh download streams, you can see all those uh all those data, all the data and all the numbers. Um I've actually been extremely massive over in Australia since I be began this thing. So, it's been a long time coming. >> Have you been there yet? >> I've been there one time for one festival and I had like the four or five:00 slot and had a massive fan base. When I tell you they were singing deep cuts, like they weren't just singing the hits, they were singing everything. Wow. I was like, "Okay, I I could really have something over here." So, we went ahead and um we got a couple shows over in Australia. It's been a long time coming. Um by that rate in March, that'll be about my fouryear mark of touring. So, uh yeah, it's been they've been wanting it. >> And where can we go find out where you're going to be located? >> Uh if you go to my Instagram, you can go find it on there. You can go to warsiders.com. You guys can go see my entire touring schedule and uh see where the world tour. >> I mean, it starts in Virginia Beach. I believe that's America. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, how appropriate. Verona, uh, New York. So, uh, then Birmingham, Alabama, and then Brandon, Missouri. So, it'll be start off local and then you end up overseas. Yes, sir. >> All right. A few more minutes with Warren Ziders when we get back. His world tour is now announced. You can go get it. You can always download all his music as you get his origin story that going to make you even like him even more. Don't move. You're listening to Brian Kilme show. So Warren Ziders came out of four years ago. No one knew you. Now everybody knows you. So at 22 you emerge. At 26 you're ready for a world tour. First off explain this song. So only Bible. I was in church a couple months back and I was going through some stuff uh at that moment just on tour and I guess you know praying as I always do but kind of looking for you know answers from the good Lord and just kind of what's going on right now in my life. And surely enough he always uh he always has a fun way of answering prayers. And I'm in church and my my pastor's wrapping up his sermon and uh it was a perfect timing of just what I was going through. And um he finishes his sermon by saying, you know, not everyone steps foot in a church. Not everyone is going to open their Bibles and some people never have access. And uh you might be the only Bible that somebody reads in this lifetime. And it was just something that hit me straight to the soul. And I wrote that down in my in my notes as I was taking notes in church. And I was like, that's a song. Like that is legitimately a song that you can write because you can be the example for others. We're all imperfect. We're all sinners. We all need God every single day. Okay. And it was just something like it really changed my perspective of where I was at as a as a 26-year-old. And surely enough, was like 2 days after I wrote that in my in my notebook. Um that's when Trump tweeted and truth about me. It was it was just the perfect timing alignment. And then that's when then led two weeks later to going to the White House. I mean, >> it was surreal. >> Cuz one of your comments you made on our feature was, "I'd love to golf with the president." >> Yeah. and he saw that. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> And we're uh hopefully working on it. I heard I hear he's he's quite >> a golfer, >> you know. I Good enough. Good enough. I'm competitive, too. So, I'll be like, "Hey, I'll bring the competitive spirit out. I was I was talking to some people. I've just been at the White House and stuff and they're like, you know, you might you might grip your clubs a little bit tighter than than normal when you have a bunch of security secret service around you." I'm like, you know, I'm used to being under pressure, man. >> And you know what I hear, too, and I've seen it, but I don't golf. but he is the ultimate host. He's making sure you have everything. He's taking care of you and making sure the clubs are right and all that stuff. So, he's always uh out there making sure. So, you got to be ready with your foresome or three or at least uh somebody to golf with. >> I'm just I'm just patiently waiting for the phone call and being like cancel your plans. You got to get on a flight and go. So, >> except for the world tour. So, tell us about the world tour. What country is you going to stop in? I know you start locally. >> Yep. We start locally here in the US. Um, very minimal stuff this year in the US just because that was a part of our plan. You know, I've been touring so much here, uh, over the last three year, three and a half years, but we start locally here. Um, I want to say on the east coast, you brought up Fija Beach. Um, then we go out west, uh, where I'll hit up Utah and some places out along the way there. I I play stage coach this year, which is going to be so much fun. >> Um, and then we go over to we're going to hit Australia for the first time on that tour. Um, then we >> Glasco, it looks like. >> Yep. Then we go over to Europe and UK for the second time and my fan base over there is absolutely phenomenal. I mean to go over there for the first time and sell out my first tour was incredible. >> So do they follow country? They follow country music. Is that a new evolution? >> Newish. Uh country is definitely growing over there. But as you and I were talking about off the air with me leaning a little bit more rock in my music and having that influence, that's something that's super popular over there. at like that kind of grunge early 2000s rock. So having that kind of um mix between my music is what has really led. >> So when you talk about getting your music out there, how do you look at traditional radio? We're on over 200 stations and we're also streaming and uh we're also on Sirius XM. Over the weekends they air us. How do artists like you uh Warren view the radio these days? You know, for me being a guy that came up through the ranks of streaming and social media numbers, you know, my first hit was a non, you know, country radio hit, so to speak. It was just streaming numbers helped me get my record deal and everything. And then on the flip side, I'm sitting here and we have my hit song, Pretty Little Poison, that's triple platinum. And that song was massively global, number one on country radio and just so many reward awards, accolades with that song. And I view country radio and I view radio as a whole as I call it the um the cherry on top. I think that it is the final um chapter when it comes to a song that helps you elevate it to that last threshold. >> Whether that's bringing in more people to your shows and stuff, but you got to have the streaming numbers in my opinion, the social numbers, the butts and seats, and then country radio brings it home. >> Call Rove, the ball is yours. How are you? Great to see you in person. >> Good to be here. Thanks for having me into the inner sanctum. >> Right. I mean, it's not usually people that can penetrate this deep. >> Yeah. The the the amount of security that surrounds this place of strap hangers, aids, assistance, you know, the the the the guy who brings you your coffee, you know, I mean, the guy who comes in and gives you the hot towel in between sessions. It's amazing how many people work keep you feeling comfortable. >> It's hard to keep people because I I have a temper and I just fire them. Uh and I they have a if they don't have a good attitude, they're gone. So, there's a lot of tension. You walked into a room full of a lot of tension. >> Actually, I walked in a room about four or five of your longtime friends and associates [laughter] who love you and enjoy working with you >> and you come on every time. So, the president's going to go out and I think you support this. You always said that as soon as you seal the border, go to the border. Yeah. >> You know, you you have a great immigration story to tell. Yeah. So, tell everyone what you mean affordability is not a hoax. >> Yeah. >> But the fact that Democrats are using it against him, he thought was a hoax. >> Well, but but he should have stayed away from it. You're right. his his language the other day was better saying they created the problem, we're solving the problem. He's got to stay away from two things. One is stay away from the language claiming the affordability thing is a hoax. Just stay away from it. Anything that could be misinterpreted is going to be misinterpreted. And second of all, do not overhype the American economy. This thing of we've got an economy that's plus+ plus when most people do not feel that way is exactly the problem that Joe Biden had. Bidenomics is working. He said, "No, we didn't feel it." So, the president, I think you're right. He's got the right tone when he says, "They created a problem. We're solving it." And then he needs to find ways to exemplify to to to make uh concrete the things that he's doing in a in a timely fashion. You're right. for example, uh I hope they're planning on on the date that that the the provision of the big beautiful bill uh pops in about uh car loans that he spends three or four or five days going out there talking about it. So >> because would it allow you to write off uh the interest on the car loan or something to >> Right. It it basically Yes. It makes it cheaper for for for people middle class people to buy a car and uh that's going to mean a lot to people. So, but but don't oversell it. Under under under promise and overd deliver is what he needs to do for the next >> I don't know if Trump could do that. Trump always >> well I know I know but that's he's got to resist it because remember this I mean Joe Biden when he said you know Bnamics is working every you know we didn't feel that and the president has to understand that people are feeling sour about the economy they know he did a the economy was better when he was in office so they're willing to give him the the the benefit of the doubt but he's got to underell and overperform >> so CBS did a poll 36% approval on the economy 32% uh approval approval on the inflation. That's and 60% said the president makes things sound better than they are. >> So what I heard is and you probably said the same report that his aid sat down with him over the last two or three days and they showed him some of these polls >> and showed him what's going on now. You got to go out and he said, "Let's do it. Let's go to Pennsylvania." Because the president wants to win, wants to be successful. Now he wants to will the pandemic way. I understand in his gut, I can do it. We can do it. It's done. Let's finish. Let's open up the schools. Let's get back to work. Well, the doctors were pushing him back on that. We can debate that. And now he's like, we're going. Look at all the things we've done. Look at all the money's coming in. Let's go. So he wants to will it away. Power of positive thinking. Remember one of the first inspirational speakers he met with was Norman Vincent Peele as a kid. He used to sit in church and Norman Vincent Peele used to speak. Yeah. >> So that's the little bit of his axiom which makes him a positive force. I like that he's getting out there. What I also hear that he does is listen to the applause lines or the lack thereof. And when he has a line that gets a big rep, he goes, "Okay, this is a policy." And when one doesn't work like warp speed which a lot of people including me think he did a great job. >> A lot of people don't >> and they think of the vaccine. So he had to drop that. Yeah. But but be careful. The people who attend rallies for him are not the voters that he needs to be concerned about next year. Those are the people who are in his camp. So he needs to be careful about the applause lines. He wants to get to make certain he knows are the applause lines of the people who don't show up at the rallies but are up for grabs in the election. I mean, got to be very careful. I mean, the problem with being a president is that that office is so overwhelming that you can get isolated and insulated. And between now and November of next year, he needs to be listening carefully to the advisers around him who are taking the the the p the pulse of the American people who are not necessarily attendees at his rail. >> I don't know what it is. When Paul Ryan decided, you know, I'm not going to do this again. I'm not going to be speaker. And and everybody I talked to even before he said that was like, they're not going to hold the majority. I go, "Guys, it's a year and a half. What do you mean you're not going to hold the majority?" I was, "What is it about?" And color me uh naive because I never ran a campaign. >> Why is it that people like, "Well, they're not going to hold the majority. They're not giving up yet." But why is it that when you have all these individual relations that have all these different characteristics, there's a sense in Washington of fate to come play on certain things. >> Well, let's be clear. Since in the modern era, since the end of World War II, there have only been two midterm elections in which the party that held the White House gained seats in the US House of Representatives, 1998 when Bill Clinton's uh approval rating was, I think, about 66% just before the election and 2002 when George W. Bush was about 63. I I happen to have been at the White House during that period of time. We we picked up seats. It was really difficult even with an approval rating in the 60s. And so when the president's approval ratings I think in real clear politics is like 42 and a half 43 in the gallup it's 36 you know that's going to be tough sledding. Now we are in a different moment. The country is deeply polarized. The parties are at near parody. The the Republicans had initially an advantage albeit not as big as they thought from redistricting mid mid decade. Some of that was wiped away by what the Democrats did in California. There may be other Democratic states that jiggle the lines in ways. >> You think they countered it or they they more they're going to win out on that in Texas? >> Well, look, in Texas, the the theory is it's going to pick up five Republican seats. Well, first of all, Henry Quayar uh the Democrat from Laredo ran ahead of Biden and ran ahead of Harris. And the fact that President Trump gave him a a pardon uh means he's going to be the Democratic nominee and he's enormously popular. And the one big thing that Republicans were using against him that he was under indictment for for corruption is now gone away. And then the other another one of those seats is Trump won it by one point >> and it's a very heavily Hispanic seat that runs from Brownsville to Corpus Christie. Now the other three are likely to be Republican. One of them is a majority Hispanic seat to the east of of of Houston. But it ain't going to be five seats. And let me tell you, in California, it may not be as many seats as the Democrats are going to have are claiming that they're going to have, but nonetheless, it probably is going to at least offset uh the Republican advantage of three pickup of three seats in >> because in California, I I I just tell you that Daryl is very popular. He'll be tough. Don't you think it's going to be a tough out? He get in San Diego especially. >> Yeah. But, you know, he didn't help himself by by spending 10 days saying, "I think I'm going to move to Texas and maybe run for one of those new seats there." Look, we're w we welcome Californians to come to Texas, but we're not interested in their politicians. We want the job creators. We want the people that are going to move their businesses and their talents to Texas. And and that didn't help him. But but yeah, he's popular. He's a fixture. He's got personal resources, a record. Yeah. So, a couple of things. The the big advantage that gives me that I don't think you could s possibly say the die has been cast is when I see what happened in New York City. Yeah. >> And when I see what happened in the the mayor's race in that almost happened in uh Minneapolis, the one that happened in Seattle. When I see that Hakee Jeff was going to be primarist, this socialist movement is real on the left and Bernie Sanders is the maestro behind it. >> Yeah. Well, take a look at the Texas the Tennessee 7th district special election we just had. This woman was a nut. I mean, I mean, you know, I mean, I hate country music in the uh capital of country music, you know. Well, you know, when are we going to get rid of the police department? You know, mocking the ICE P, you know, ICE agents and and with a video. I mean, she was a nut and she came within nine points of winning in a in a district that Donald Trump carried by 22 and uh and and Mark Green, the Republican incumbent, had won by 21. So, we got to we could Yes. The more nuts they nominate, the worse off they're going to be. And the question is how stupid are they going to be between now and the and the general election of next year in their primaries. >> More with Carl Ro because there is a divide on the right too. And I want Carl to offer analysis on that and this new thing that they did with maybe it's not so new. Carl Ro knows exactly what it's like for a another party to take an issue and try to get your eye off the ball and try to beat that issue to death. And I remember it was the 21 words and the state of the union address >> and we weren't talking about anything else for the longest time yet. There were so so many important issues. The Democrats have been successful and they're trying to do it again from the Epstein files in my view and now they're trying to do it with the double tap hit on a Venezuelan boat. More on that in a moment. Brian Kilme show. >> This meltdown inside of MAGA where you have the you take the 10 most powerful people all of whom could be massive assets to the president and they spend almost every day infighting with each other in these awful allegations. And if you watch any of the MAGA media over the weekend, just terrible, gross kind of acquis accusations against each other about their sexuality and their commitment to America, what they're what Tucker Carlson is doing, whether or not he's going to buy a place in in the Middle East. Uh, and that was the base of the party. That was the power of the party. And when you start to see those members of MAGA turn on each other and then turn on the president, it just takes away one of his uh weapons in terms of getting Republicans to fall in line. But I I I end where we began, which is until I truly see Republicans force his hand. I think it's it's rhetoric and I think it's uh yes, it's indicative that they're willing to say a couple of things, mild things against the president, but let's see if they really force him to release that video when Pete Hagth doesn't want to. and the president doesn't want to. >> So, I I got two things to talk about, but first, uh, Carl Rove, tell me about Jim Vanderhigh's reporting. He's right, by the way. All you do is read social media. The the Tucker Carlson's, the Candace Owens, uh, the Tim Dillons, I guess, uh, fighting with with the more traditional Republicans, the horrible things they're saying about Charlie Kirk and the assassination and what's true and what's not true. Um, your thoughts about what's happening on the right. Well, this is not helpful to the president's agenda, not helpful to the president, and uh it is not in keeping with, I think, the values of the Republican party or the MAGA movement. This idea that, for example, that Israel is uh inconsequential and that we ought to step away and and and the stuff that that that goes with it. Candace Owens anti-semitic. I mean, it's like I mean, it's unbelievable that the the you know, it's I I think I'm listening to Father Coughlin and it's the 1930s that he's blaming the depression on the Jews and and and then some of this other stuff is just amazing to me. Yeah. Like, and again, not to pick on her, but she's one of the most obvious ones. Her attacks on, you know, Turning Point killed Charlie Clerk, uh, and >> and they fired back. Yeah. Over the weekend. >> Yeah. And then and then that the wife of the president of France is a man. I mean it's like absurd things. And and what happened to Tucker Carlson for God's sake? I mean if you are a supporter of Israel and a Christian, you're you're engaged in heresy. He says, I mean, and and and he and he takes, you know, a a second rate so-called public historian who says, Winston Churchill is responsible for for uh World War II and Adolf Hitler's destruction of of 6 million Jews was, you know, a mismanagement problem. I mean, they just didn't have the resources to I mean, it's crazy. And you saw Douglas Murray, I think one of the most telling moments when when Douglas Murray argranged with Joe Rogan and his the comedian, I forgot his name, who came out and said genocide in in the Gaza. And Douglas Murray went with them with facts and Oxford background and this is the background. This is it. Have you been there? No, I haven't. But this is what I think. And the pictures that you have. So you saw the ultimate if anyone could see this on Joe Rogan who brought an expert with him who pretty much was against Douglas Murray, one of the smartest people we both know or for me at least. Yes. Um, and he was my lead guest over the weekend. So, there's a real concern Mark Levin fighting with these guys and I'm I'm torn because I I'm I'm great friends I think I'm really good friends with Tucker, but I just don't agree with anything he's saying. >> Yeah. Look, I I think the difference is is this is happening in the uh Congress and it's happening in conservative media. The difference between actual leaders, thought leaders in the case of the media, actual leaders in Congress and performance artists. And these are people who are looking for more clicks, more subscribers the same way. >> And yeah, and and I mean, look, when you go out there and say the the wife of the president of France is a man, when there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that that is a demented mind that is just simply trying to get more attention. >> But do you think that this lawsuit is going to result in the exposure of the statement? Remember, it bankrupt Alex Jones. >> I I I hope so. There has to be a consequence for people who know. I mean, look at think about it. She says the the entire uh space program is a myth. We did not land a man on the moon. It was all contrived and we had we had it was on a back lot in Hollywood some go five times. >> Five or six times. >> Yeah. Yeah. And but it's all phony. It's all phony. And I mean the people can get away in the podcast era and the internet era and the social media era with saying the most extraordinary things. >> I don't want to get you cut off because I want because I know we're going to have one more segment. But so what does it mean politically? that I knew what the Tea Party meant for traditional conservatives. I knew what the social social social socialists mean to typical liberal Democrats, but what does this podcast lane mean for Republicans? >> Well, first and foremost, it's a lost opportunity. We're talking about, you know, are should we release the Epstein files? And is the the the wife of the president of France a man and or a woman? and and is is is do is there an international Jewish conspiracy controlling the government of the United States rather than talking about the things that matter to the people are up for grabs in the 2026 midterm elections. That's the biggest thing. But the second thing is it shows the rot in the in the conservative movement today that these kind of people are tolerated. We cannot allow anti-semitics and cranks to become the front the the the face and the front of the of the conservative movement in America. And nobody's more anti-semitic than this guy Nick Fuentes. >> He's a Nazi who's who who proclaims his admiration for Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. He was happy when the two of them did their deal in 1939. >> And yet he's got more clicks than anybody. Crazy. Be back in a moment.