The Erick Erickson Show

Latest Episodes:

S15 EP139: Hour 2 - Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Erick breaks down Donald Trump's Punchbowl News interview with Jake Sherman, where the president insists voters are angry at other Republicans and not at him, defends tariffs and the Save America Act, wants to terminate the filibuster, and warns he could be "the last Republican president." Erick lays out the Axios warning from Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen that Trump is trapped by a war, tariffs, and monuments he never should have chased, plus a Quinnipiac record-low approval and a sub-40 percent polling average, then offers his own Labor Day fix: scrap the tariffs, finish the war with Iran, and drop the gaudy gold-leaf White House makeover. Then Open Line Friday callers on New York's $30 minimum wage, the restaurant tip credit, Milton Friedman and the free market, and why Cory Mills and Max Miller have to go.

Trump's Punchbowl News interview with Jake Sherman: "they're not angry at me, they're angry at Republicans," terminating the filibuster, the Save America Act, and the "last Republican president" line
Axios (Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen) on Trump trapped by the Iran war, tariffs, and monuments, Quinnipiac's all-time-low approval, and why summer polling still inflates the Democrats before Labor Day
Erick's turnaround plan: scrap the tariffs to lower prices and lift wages, pour resources into finishing the Iran war for a quick military win, and stop the gaudy gold White House and paved-over Rose Garden remodel
Caller David in Oklahoma City, a 38-year restaurant veteran, on New York's $30 minimum wage, the tip credit fight, union wage scales, fast-food automation, and young workers priced out of starter jobs
Free markets versus "socialist light": Milton Friedman, the government taking ownership stakes in 30 companies, a Woodstock Georgia listener's housing squeeze, and why Cory Mills (Florida 7th, back Ryan Elijah) and Max Miller (Ohio 7th) must exit

S15 EP139: Hour 3 - Deal Or No Deal Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Erick makes the case for Florida voters to throw scandal-plagued Congressman Cory Mills out of Florida's 7th District, walking through the House Ethics investigation into Mills' federal weapons contracts, the assault allegations, and the restraining order, then urging support for challenger Ryan Elijah, who trails Mills by just three points in the primary. He warns Republicans that if they will not clean up their own side, the voters will do it for them, invoking the 2006 wave that swept out Tom DeLay and Denny Hastert. Then a pair of Open Line Friday standouts: Enes Kanter Freedom declaring himself a WNBA prospect under the league's own self-identification rules, and a long free-market debate with caller Alan on why the government taking equity stakes in Intel, U.S. Steel, and IBM cannot beat China.

Cory Mills (Florida 7th) under House Ethics investigation for steered weapons contracts, assault allegations, and a restraining order, and why Ryan Elijah, three points back in the primary, is the clean alternative in a perfect three-way swing district once held by John Mica and Stephanie Murphy
The 2006 lesson for Republicans: Tom DeLay, Denny Hastert, and how refusing to police your own side hands seats to the Democrats
Enes Kanter Freedom declares for the WNBA under the league's self-identification standard, Clay Travis and his "Nashville Balls" bit, and Sophie Cunningham on boys in girls' sports
Caller Alan and the government's equity stakes in 30 companies: Intel's 10 percent CHIPS Act stake, U.S. Steel and Nippon golden shares, IBM and Watson, Kelly Loeffler, moral hazard, and Erick's "you cannot out-China China" argument
Caller Michael on international law and the Iran strikes (the Geneva Convention on civilian versus military infrastructure), caller Emily on Zohran Mamdani's New York grocery stores versus food stamps, and the United Auto Workers now counting more academics than autoworkers

S15 EP138: Hour 1 - The Burrito Again Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Erick takes on the viral "$20 burrito" affordability debate that lit up the right after a Turning Point USA student's tweet, arguing that tariffs, Fannie and Freddie loan guarantees, and the Jones Act (not lazy consumers) are what really drive prices up. He walks through Trump scrapping tariffs on coffee, bananas, beef, and eggs, and tells the story of his Rev Coffee habit and Jura machine to show tariffs in real life. Then he pivots to the Georgia governor's race, contrasting Keisha Lance Bottoms' "we don't have the facts" dodge on data centers with Rick Jackson's local-control answer, and points to Meta's El Paso project and the Hyundai plant in Bryan County as proof of the economic upside.

Topics:

The "$20 burrito" affordability firestorm, Turning Point USA, and why tariffs undercut the right's own complaints
Trump reversing tariffs on coffee, bananas, beef, and eggs, plus Erick's Rev Coffee, Community Coffee, and Jura machine story
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, student loan guarantees, and the Jones Act waiver that lowered prices after the Iran war
Keisha Lance Bottoms versus Rick Jackson on data centers in the Georgia governor's race
Meta's El Paso data center, Hyundai in Bryan County, and the case for local control, property tax relief, and rural jobs

S15 EP138: Hour 2 - Ascending Socialists Must Lie Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Erick catches the Democratic Socialists contradicting themselves in their own words: Bernie Sanders on Pod Save America swears no serious Democrat wants to defund the police, abolish ICE, or open the borders, while Ro Khanna openly calls to abolish ICE, pack the Supreme Court from 9 to 13, and tax billionaires. He plays Wisconsin governor candidate Francesca Hong refusing on CNN to disavow her deleted 2021 "cancel Thanksgiving" tweet, then a Politico jump-cut interview where she suddenly calls Thanksgiving her favorite holiday. Add a Mike Bloomberg and Jones Act tariff callback, BMW hijacking customers' screens for a Spider-Man promo, and a caller-fueled deep dive on data center cooling and immigration.

Bernie Sanders (Pod Save America) versus Ro Khanna: the Democratic Socialist lie on defunding police, abolishing ICE, and open borders
Francesca Hong's deleted "cancel Thanksgiving" and "original super spreader" tweet, her CNN dodge with Kaitlan Collins, and the scripted Politico jump-cut
Mike Bloomberg, the Jones Act waiver, and a one-year tariff callback: why prices fell in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and California
BMW calls its Spider-Man screen takeover a "special surprise," not an advertisement, and Erick calls it what it is
Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan map (0 of 15 lowest-degree counties, 13 of 15 highest), colleges as "progressive madrasas," killing the student loan system, plus caller talk on closed-loop data center cooling and comprehensive immigration reform

S15 EP138: Hour 3 - Ohio's Senators Unite Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Erick tracks the fast-collapsing Max Miller scandal as both Ohio Republican senators, his father-in-law Bernie Moreno and John Husted, now publicly call on the OH-7 congressman to quit over domestic violence and child-abuse allegations, including the bizarre "bunny" standoff and a daughter's untreated broken collarbone. He lays out the brutal math: an R+5 district against a D+8 generic ballot, where Miller staying on the ballot could sink Vivek Ramaswamy's run for governor and cost John Husted his Senate seat against Sherrod Brown, and he demands Trump push Miller out the way Democrats forced Graham Platner out in Maine. Then the blockbuster: Erick confirms a CNBC report that the Army has burned through nearly all of its ATACMS and precision-strike missiles in the five-month Iran war, walks back a false Washington Post claim of a Camp David blowup between Trump and Pete Hegseth, and warns that a China-Taiwan war is coming while Congress and the defense industrial base stall.

Max Miller's OH-7 meltdown: Bernie Moreno and John Husted both say quit, the "bunny" story, the broken collarbone, and Scott Jennings and Katie Britt on CNN with Jake Tapper
The electoral math: R+5 district, D+8 generic ballot, and how Miller could cost Vivek Ramaswamy the governor's mansion and John Husted his Senate seat versus Sherrod Brown
Moderate Democrats launch a $15 million effort to stop the Democratic Socialists, compared to the 2012 GOP autopsy report, the Trump takeover, and the left writing off Elon Musk
The missile shortage: CNBC reports the Army is nearly out of ATACMS and precision-strike missiles after the Iran war, the false Washington Post Trump versus Pete Hegseth and Steven Feinberg story, and Trump crying "treason" on the leakers
China, Xi Jinping, and Taiwan readiness, plus closing headlines on the stalled Iran deal, James Talarico's chief-of-staff scandal, and Ken Paxton slipping in Texas

S15 EP137: Hour 1 - Don't Get Cocky After Michigan Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Erick breaks down Abdul El-Sayed's Democratic Socialist win in the Michigan Senate primary over Haley Stevens, his Morning Joe damage control on Israel, foreign aid, and abolishing ICE, and why the polls oversampled urban white voters and nearly blew the call. Then a blistering hour on Ohio Republican Max Miller, the abuse and drug allegations, father-in-law Senator Bernie Moreno calling him unfit, and how Democrats force their damaged candidates out while Republicans will not. Erick's warning: if Max Miller stays on the ballot, the GOP could lose the Ohio Senate and governor's races too.

Abdul El-Sayed beats Haley Stevens for the Michigan Democratic Senate nomination and will face Republican Mike Rogers, with Erick warning the GOP not to get cocky
El-Sayed on Morning Joe: calling Israel's conduct "genocide" and "apartheid," cutting military aid, abolishing ICE, and saying America's founding was flawed
The polling failure: low rated and Democratic pollsters oversampled urban white voters in Michigan (and the same risk for Francesca Hong in Wisconsin), so trust the averages, not individual polls
Ohio's Max Miller: three women allege abuse and violence, he admits past illegal drug use to Jake Tapper, and Senator Bernie Moreno calls him damaged goods who needs help
The double standard: Democrats forced out Graham Platner, Eric Swalwell, Joe Biden, and Mandela Barnes, while Trump, Mike Johnson, and Richard Hudson refuse to move Max Miller, risking Vivek Ramaswamy and John Husted in Ohio

S15 EP137: Hour 2 - We Lack the Power to Power the Future Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Erick makes the case that the United States simply does not have the electrical capacity to repatriate manufacturing or feed the AI boom, walking through Scott Lincicum's Cato piece on the 1886 Hall-Heroult aluminum cell and why a single smelter needs a permanent, enormous block of base load power that nuclear, coal, and natural gas provide and solar and wind cannot. He then turns to Ross Douthat's interview with Yale Law professor Samuel Moyn, who floats overweighting young voters and handing children's proxy votes to random 20-somethings instead of their own parents, and builds it into a sweeping monologue on college educated white progressives, the 1619 Project, and universities as "progressive madrasas." Plus the Max Miller "permission structure" play and a caller on the coming generational wealth transfer.

The power crisis: Scott Lincicum (Cato Institute), the 1886 Hall-Heroult smelting cell, why aluminum smelters can never power down, and Erick's call for nuclear, coal, and natural gas base load plus small modular reactors
How Trump's aluminum tariffs backfired by raising the cost of homes, cars, and electronics, and the case for ally-shoring to Javier Milei's Argentina and to Vietnam instead of China
The natural gas pipeline in Erick's own backyard, Sierra Club opposition, and degrowth activists using blue-state regulators to sabotage pipelines and power plants
Ross Douthat interviews Yale Law's Samuel Moyn on stripping parents of proxy votes for their children, answered with the Phil Gramm "what are my kids' names" story
The college monologue: Nikole Hannah-Jones and the 1619 Project, self-loathing white progressives, and the four schools a prominent theologian recommends (Samford, Auburn, Texas A&M, Clemson) versus Erick's alma mater Mercer

S15 EP137: Hour 3 - The $20 Burrito Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Erick tears into the right's $20 burrito panic and the affordability fight between Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro, and the Turning Point USA crowd, calling out the writers in JD Vance's orbit who blame corporate greed while refusing to admit Trump's tariffs and the Iran war (not just Joe Biden) drove up grocery, beef, and gas prices, with a Reuters poll now showing Americans blame Republicans. A caller pitches a Pacific Ocean to Lake Mead desalination mega-project with nuclear-powered AI hubs, reviving Erick's Ukraine drones and precision-missile shortage capacity argument. The hour closes with a monologue on democratic socialism as a secular religion, built on Lansing socialist William Lawrence saying non-white voters "defang the white left" and Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan coalition, and Erick's answer: churchgoers should go be their isolated neighbors' friend and bring them Jesus.

The $20 burrito debate: Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro, Mark Thiessen, and the Turning Point USA affordability fight, Erick's "learn to cook" pushback, his coming cookbook, and his own story of food assistance, formula, and the power getting shut off
Why the right keeps circling the wagons around JD Vance, and Erick's charge that tariffs and Trump's half-baked Iran war (not just Biden) raised grocery, beef, and gas prices while a Reuters poll blames Republicans
Caller Paul in Pinehurst: a Pacific Ocean to Lake Mead desalination mega-project with five nuclear-powered AI hubs run by Google, Amazon, and X, tied to Ukraine building 5 million drones and America running low on precision-strike missiles
Caller Walter in Ponca City on Saul Alinsky, the book "After the Ball," and the Marxist language war over statues and history
The secular-religion monologue: William Lawrence's "defang the white left" comment and Meet the Press apology, Abdul El-Sayed losing black, Hispanic, and non-college white voters, and Erick's call for believers to befriend isolated progressives who worship politics instead of God

S15 EP136: Hour 1 - What the Pollsters Tell Me Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Back early from vacation, Erick pulls back the curtain on what Republican pollsters, focus groupers, strategists, donors, and corporate money men are all telling him: James Talarico is leading Ken Paxton in Texas right now, and the fortune the GOP must spend to rescue Paxton could cost them Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed, Haley Stevens, and Mike Rogers set up a nervous primary night. He argues the one thing saving Republicans is a Democratic Party that has lost its mind, from Wisconsin governor hopeful Francesca Hong wanting to cancel Thanksgiving as colonialism to the socialist surge terrifying the party's own establishment. Then a signature comic monologue on the Washington Post dragging JD Vance for raising backyard chickens, complete with a they/them source in Utah and a hen named Karen.

Texas Senate reality check: James Talarico leading Ken Paxton, three nonpartisan pollsters, the Ted Cruz versus Beto O'Rourke comparison, and the "suicide plot" that could hand Democrats the Senate
Michigan primary night: Abdul El-Sayed versus Haley Stevens, Bernie Sanders and AOC versus Gretchen Whitmer, Gary Peters retiring, and Mike Rogers hunting a rematch after nearly beating Elissa Slotkin
The corruption problem on the right: Democrats now trusted more on the economy, anger at the Trump family getting rich, tariffs, and why Erick says "I told you so"
Francesca Hong, Zohran Mamdani, and the socialist meltdown: the deleted "cancel Thanksgiving" tweet, her "proximity to whiteness" CNN interview, and why the far left keeps rescuing Republicans
The Washington Post versus JD Vance's chicken coop: Tim Carman, Carolina Coops, a $100,000 donated hen house, a they/them named Danny Bowers in Utah, a chicken named Karen, plus 86 percent of new jobs going to women

S15 EP136: Hour 2 - The US is Losing to Iran Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Erick argues the United States is losing to Iran by choice, driven by an isolationist wing embedded around President Trump and Vice President JD Vance that wants a "tripartite" world carved up with Russia and China, even as war torn Ukraine out builds all of NATO with 5 million drones a year while America cannot manufacture a single Patriot missile. He then hammers Ohio Republican Max Miller to drop out over the Daily Mail's syringe and marijuana gummy photos (with Senator Bernie Moreno calling it a "seventh level of hell") and calls on Florida to primary Cory Mills. The centerpiece is a deep dive into a $5 billion foreign dark money machine: Hansjorg Wyss, Christopher Hohn, the Oak and Hewlett Foundations, Indivisible, and Oren Cass funneling left wing cash into groups on both the left and a co opted "right."

Iran "losing by choice": the isolationist right around Trump and JD Vance, Pat Buchanan's multipolarity, Catherine the Great and Putin's Soviet nostalgia, the China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba axis learning to coordinate, and Turkey, Pakistan, and Qatar quietly backing Tehran
The manufacturing collapse: war torn Ukraine building 5 million drones this year (more than all of NATO combined) versus a U.S. arsenal under 100,000, plus Erick's new piece on handing the profit motive back to the private sector to build missiles, refine oil, and desalinate water
Max Miller's scandal and Ohio's 7th District: Daily Mail syringe and 150mg gummy photos, Bernie Moreno's "seventh level of hell," the Graham Platner contrast, Trump defending Miller as "a good guy," and a call to primary Florida's Cory Mills
The $5 billion foreign back door: Hansjorg Wyss, Christopher Hohn, the Oak Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Indivisible and the No Kings protests, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, Code Pink and China, and 19 state attorneys general pushing a FARA investigation
The captured "right": how Hewlett Foundation and American Compass money reaches Oren Cass, Sohrab Ahmari, and Compact to sell social conservatism with socialist economics, plus Ireland's anti Israel jet that can no longer land in fog

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