Dad Saves America

Latest Episodes:

The SPLC’s Hate-Hoax Playbook Turns Normies Into Assassins May 02, 2026

Show notes

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was cut short last Saturday by yet another assassination attempt against President Trump. A Caltech-educated game developer armed with two guns charged the Secret Service checkpoint, ending in a brief shootout that injured one Secret Service agent.

This attack followed the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center over allegations of funding the very hate groups it fundraises against. A decade of radical rhetoric from celebrities, activists, and institutions like the SPLC has broken the brains of even relatively intelligent people. The same group that shaped FBI threat assessments, debanked homeschool moms, and labeled classical liberal thinkers as white supremacists was apparently running a grift the whole time.

_____________________________________

Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/the-splcs-hate-hoax-playbook-turns?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zRtD98JPKlw

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

How Gavin Newsom Ran California Into The Ground - Joel Kotkin Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

I sat down with Joel Kotkin to discuss how California’s utopian ideology and Gavin Newsom’s disastrous governance have the turned the state into a cautionary tale.

Joel breaks down how one-party rule became the norm in California, with the Democratic Party tying itself to both Silicon Valley oligarchs and public sector unions and leaving the middle class to fend for itself.

With welfare fraud scandals in the news and Newsom’s likely 2028 presidential run, Joel warns America about what’s at stake if California’s institutional and cultural failures go national.

_____________________________________

Follow Joel Kotkin on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/joelkotkin

Learn more about Joel’s work: https://joelkotkin.com/

_____________________________________

Outline:

[0:00] California’s ideology and culture

[9:43] How Republicans lost California

[21:45] Why can’t California have a sane election?

[27:41] Hollywood stopped trying to appeal to people

[34:43] Silicon Valley’s military origins

[39:38] Was Silicon Valley’s utopianism inevitable?

[43:46] The oligarchs and unions run California

[51:58] How Gavin Newsom failed up

[1:02:50] California’s fraud epidemic

[1:07:02] The feedback loop of radical politics

[1:15:49] Is there anything good about Newsom?

[1:18:53] Can we restore the political center?

[1:20:53] Is the Iran war worth the cost?

[1:24:54] Trump was necessary crazy

[1:35:26] Where’d the curious students go?

[1:42:26] Can we have freedom without religion?

[1:50:27] Community is physical, not abstract

[1:54:12] What makes Judaism different

[2:07:37] Are we in a civilizational clash with Islam?

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zFfNbw63_Jc

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

Hasan Piker: “I’m Pro-Stealing From Big Corporations” Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

Communist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker stopped by the New York Times's "The Opinions" podcast to promote shoplifting, terrorism, and Chairman Mao. Joining him was staff writer for the New Yorker Jia Tolentino, who justified stealing from Whole Foods (rebranded as “micro-looting”) and banning private schools.

Of course, the same people who espouse Marx’s “labor theory of value” often went to private schools themselves and can easily afford Whole Foods prices. The New York Times has been running cover for communism since the 1930s, but they’re barely trying to sanitize the pitch this time around.

_____________________________________

Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/hasan-piker-im-pro-stealing-from?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/g2pISPIcVzw

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

John Stossel: I Exposed Mainstream Media Fear-Mongering From the Inside Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

I sat down with libertarian reporter John Stossel to discuss his journey from pro-regulation consumer watchdog to small-government debunker of liberal economic dogma. We cover his accidental entry into journalism, his libertarian awakening, and why liberty is such a hard sell to the average person.

John is a long-time critic of media fear-mongering, creating the 1994 ABC special “Are We Scaring You to Death?” His more than 50-year career has taken him from Portland local news to ABC, Fox Business, and now his independent venture, Stossel TV.

_____________________________________

Follow John Stossel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/JohnStossel?s=20

Watch Stossel TV on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@stosseltv?si=IYpeyB-fUcmL9JNz

_____________________________________

Outline:

[0:00] How John ended up in journalism

[4:10] Has journalism changed over the years?

[7:00] Liberty isn’t intuitive for most people

[10:44] Exposing media fear-mongering

[14:30] Was the media ever really trustworthy?

[16:47] Is “corporate greed” actually dangerous?

[21:40] The great communicators of economics

[23:39] Conservative vs libertarians vs liberals

[31:34] Steel-man the other side, then debunk it

[34:38] Why government is so inefficient

[39:07] Will we ever learn the lesson of communism?

[42:03] Social media has revolutionized citizen journalism

[46:19] The challenges facing Gen Z

[48:47] Bad news makes a better story than good news

[55:38] Rethinking the libertarian view on immigration

[1:01:25] John’s conflicted views on President Trump

[1:08:12] Kids should be working

[1:14:12] John’s upbringing and religious background

[1:19:42] How John approaches his interviews

[1:21:41] The iconic mustache and marriage

[1:28:03] Fatherhood should be playful

[1:29:21] Transitioning from TV to YouTube

[1:33:01] Should we be scared of AI?

[1:36:04] Dealing with the mess of the healthcare system

[1:39:56] Dads and moms have different strengths

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dYSTrFWHyqs

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

First They Tax the Billionaires, Then the Millionaires, Then You. Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

Zohran Mamdani spent Tax Day celebrating New York City’s new tax on luxury second homes. It was sold as a fix for the city’s $5 billion budget deficit, but only covers at most 10% of the gap. At the same time, Mamdani is promising a whole new set of expensive programs that would dig the hole even deeper.

California is in the same boat, pushing a 5% wealth tax on billionaires as the state budget collapses under the weight of pension promises they never planned how to pay for. Across the country, blue state politicians are doubling down on soaking the rich even as millionaires and billionaires flee to Florida and Texas.

This is the communist spiral to hell: tax more, spend more, repeat.

_____________________________________

Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/first-they-tax-the-billionaires-then?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uWtHet5j5lQ

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

America’s Oil Dominance Is China's Worst Nightmare - Trisha Curtis Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

I sat down with energy economist and CEO of PetroNerds Trisha Curtis to learn about the oil and natural gas industries, the global energy market, and how the war in Iran affects gas prices at the pump.

Trisha breaks down how fracking revolutionized American energy production, reinforcing the petrodollar as the global reserve currency. While states like California have turned away from the energy security of fossil fuels in favor of unreliable, renewable “green energy,” the U.S. still is the top player on the global stage compared to Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran.

The Biden administration bet everything on a net-zero future of solar and wind, undermining American energy security in the process. Under the second Trump administration, the U.S. is rebuilding the energy abundance that made it a global power in the first place.

_____________________________________

Follow Trisha Curtis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trisha-curtis-petronerds/

Follow Trisha Curtis on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/TrishaJCoffee?s=20

Watch PetroNerds on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@petronerds633?si=4L6gSOePdngmeG-L

Learn more about PetroNerds: https://petronerds.com/

_____________________________________

Outline:

[0:00] Why oil and gas matter in our everyday lives

[14:25] The link between GDP and oil consumption

[21:43] Why coal is still relevant in 2026

[27:24] Is natural gas safe?

[29:56] Energy density and transportation costs

[36:42] Food production, fertilizer, and ethanol

[45:53] The reality of “drill baby drill”

[58:21] What is “fracking”?

[1:07:31] How do we know how much oil there is?

[1:16:50] What is the “petrodollar”?

[1:19:02] Oil drilling is different in Canada

[1:22:21] The different flavors of oil

[1:30:30] California’s assault on oil

[1:33:24] The petrodollar is the global reserve currency

[1:41:39] Renewable “green energy” fails on the physics

[1:55:58] The oil subsidy myth vs inflation reality

[2:01:47] Monopolies come and go in the oil industry

[2:05:47] Why don’t people notice when prices go down?

[2:11:41] The war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz

[2:22:55] Selective focus in geopolitics

[2:30:24] Can we stabilize the Middle East?

[2:36:18] Utopianism can’t solve real problems

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BNFGie73VwM

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

California Sent Us To the Moon. Now It Can’t Even Build a Train. Apr 11, 2026

Show notes

California innovation sent us to the moon in 1969. Today it spends $126 billion on high-speed rail to nowhere and loses $180 billion in welfare fraud. While Artemis II circled the moon for the first time in half a century, taking humans farther from Earth than ever before, California continued on its budget spiral to hell.

Chris Rufo’s recent reporting exposed that Gavin Newsom has presided over an “empire of fraud” across the state’s generous unemployment insurance, Medicaid, and homelessness programs. What happened to the state that elected Ronald Reagan and built Silicon Valley?

_____________________________________

Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/california-sent-us-to-the-moon-now?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Cas1ooh72Z4

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

Matt Taibbi: Russiagate Was a Lie and the Media Knew It Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

I sat down with Matt Taibbi, the reporter who broke the Twitter Files, to trace how the American press went from honest journalism to deep state propaganda.

Matt spent about a decade studying and working as a journalist in Russia, witnessing the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Vladimir Putin. When American meddling in Ukraine led to Russian military intervention in 2014, he was uniquely positioned to understand what was really going on.

This conflict set the stage for over a decade of American politics, from the rise of Donald Trump, to Russiagate, to the Hunter Biden laptop scandal and the FBI censorship plot that followed. Matt saw Soviet propaganda up close, and he’s convinced the fight for free speech in America is more urgent than ever.

_____________________________________

Stay ahead of the spin. Go to ground.news/dsa to cut through media bias and see the full picture. Use my link to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan.

_____________________________________

Follow Matt Taibbi on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/mtaibbi?s=20

Check out Racket News: https://www.racket.news/

_____________________________________

Outline:

[0:00] Matt's journalism origin story

[5:06] Why Dr. Jay Bhattacharya was censored during COVID

[13:23] What the Missouri v. Biden ruling actually means

[19:19] The government wants to control your mind

[25:39] Free speech used to unite Americans

[31:28] The unbridled arrogance of elite journalism

[43:54] Studying and working in the Soviet Union

[54:28] Russia’s financial crisis and the dot-com bubble

[1:02:19] Witnessing the rise of Vladimir Putin

[1:13:12] Taking over Hunter S. Thompson’s job at Rolling Stone

[1:16:21] Obama, NATO expansion, and the road to Ukraine

[1:20:48] The real reason Russia annexed Crimea

[1:30:20] Is American influence in Ukraine overblown?

[1:37:16] Biden family corruption in Ukraine

[1:44:31] How Matt knew Russiagate was a scam

[2:02:14] Elon’s DM and getting access to the Twitter Files

[2:12:30] No one wanted to cover the censorship crisis

[2:18:05] Figuring out what was actually in the Twitter Files

[2:25:54] How the Hunter Biden laptop story was censored

[2:39:30] Proof that government is behind social media censorship

[2:46:55] Did Trump’s reelection actually strengthen free speech?

[2:52:17] How Wilsonian liberalism overtook populist liberalism

[2:57:07] Fight for American values for the sake of your kids

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4mh_MBdjdHM

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

Swallow Your Pride. Live Not by Lies. Apr 03, 2026

Show notes

Marc Andreessen’s claim that “introspection is overrated” sparked a predictable media backlash, but the real debate isn’t about therapy culture or woke narcissism. In a world shaped by AI, social media algorithms, and increasingly rigid ideologies, we’re losing the ability to question ourselves. That’s where things get dangerous.

This Good Friday, I’m reflecting on Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s “Live Not by Lies,” the sin of pride, and why Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The symbol of the Cross is a reminder that suffering is unavoidable and that humility is the path to truth.

Resisting pride means admitting when you’re wrong, something our social media-driven culture rarely rewards. Committing yourself to truth, even when it’s inconvenient, means accepting that cost.

_____________________________________

Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Zzp8ekos36o

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.dadsavesamerica.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get full access to Dad Saves America at www.dadsavesamerica.com/subscribe

Wall Street Executive Reveals How a Market Crashes Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

I sat down with investor and economist David Bahnsen to unpack what really happened in the 2008 financial crisis. Socialists blame capitalism and Wall Street, while libertarians blame the government, especially the Federal Reserve, but David argues that all of the popular narratives are missing a key piece. He places a significant amount of the blame on what he calls the “Crisis of Responsibility,” also the title of his book on the subject.

Bankruptcy and foreclosure were once seen as shameful events, not standard parts of the American dream of homeownership. By the time of the financial crisis, signing up for a mortgage you obviously couldn’t afford had been normalized on all sides: lenders, investors, and even “average Americans” themselves.

We dig into how easy money, government backstops, and cultural decay fueled a nationwide housing bubble and, in the end, turned both the left and right against free markets and toward populism.

_____________________________________

Follow David Bahnsen on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/DavidBahnsen?s=20

Preorder a copy of “Crisis of Responsibility”: https://a.co/d/04GlVHsW

_____________________________________

Outline:

[0:00] The financial crisis broke the American economy

[10:12] What is “neoliberalism”?

[15:20] Was Ron Paul right about the financial crisis?

[20:21] The moral failing of the financial crisis

[29:07] Low interest rates and government-backed mortgages

[37:40] Wall Street really believed their own lies

[41:20] The crisis of responsibility and the cult of housing