In the latest episode of "The Ben Shapiro Show," host Ben Shapiro dives into the intensity of the coming 2024 presidential race, pitting former President Donald Trump against incumbent Joe Biden. He scrutinizes the landscape of American politics through various lenses, evaluating the strengths of Trump's unwavering base against internal campaign memos from the Biden team. As Shapiro dissects the political strategies and public perceptions of both figures, the discussion touches on key points such as Biden's demeanor and Trump's poll standings, offering listeners a dissection of early campaign narratives.
Beyond the presidential showdown, the episode also delves into discussions about domestic affairs with a hard look at crime and policy in iconic American cities. Shapiro unpacks the increased security efforts in New York's subways and the shifting political climate in San Francisco, where voters are leaning towards more stringent laws on crime and welfare. The global stage isn't left untouched, with Shapiro commenting on the stagnant progress in Israel-Hamas negotiations and John Kerry's appeals to Russia on climate issues amid the Ukraine crisis, painting a broad picture of the complexities and intersections between politics, security, and environmental diplomacy.
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The presidential race for 2024 has narrowed down to a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Shapiro presents Trump as maintaining a lead in the polls, and suggests that Trump's voter base remains strong and steady. In contrast, a Biden campaign memo portrays Trump negatively and Biden as a candidate ready to win, yet Shapiro criticizes this optimism as "wishful thinking" due to Biden’s underperformance in polls.
Ben Shapiro discusses the visible signs of President Biden's aging and questions his vigor in comparison to Donald Trump. Some Democrats, like Joy Reid, defend Biden, claiming his aged appearance is due to hard work. Shapiro questions whether Biden's mental agility is compromised, referencing his reliance on note cards, and contrasts this with his campaign's assertion of focus and dedication.
Shapiro mockingly anticipates that Biden will struggle during the upcoming State of the Union address, predicting incoherence and the potential for gaffes. He finds humor in the possibility of Biden repeating past mistakes, portraying the speech as a suspenseful opportunity for Biden to stumble.
Governor Kathy Hochul has deployed 750 National Guard troops and increased police presence to combat rising crime in the New York City subway system. Shapiro contextualizes this decision against the backdrop of previous New York Times criticisms of using National Guard for security purposes, highlighting a significant policy shift.
Shapiro notes a shift among San Francisco voters who now support measures aimed at increasing law enforcement authority and requiring drug screening for welfare recipients. These policy changes reflect a broader sentiment moving away from the city’s traditionally progressive stance on such issues.
The deadlock between Israel and Hamas persists, with Hamas rejecting favorable prisoner exchange terms and a proposed six-week ceasefire. Shapiro suggests that Hamas may seek to use continued Palestinian casualties to pressure Israel and for leverage in negotiations. American officials had hoped for a pre-Ramadan agreement but were thwarted by Hamas' reluctance to compromise.
John Kerry is urging Russia to act in good faith by addressing their climate impact, suggesting that environmental efforts could help change the global narrative around Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Kerry highlights Russia's potential to make significant changes to its emissions and environmental policies.
1-Page Summary
The host Ben Shapiro provides an overview of the current status of the presidential race as the candidacy narrows down to Donald Trump and Joe Biden, setting up a rematch in the wake of Nikki Haley's exit from the race.
Shapiro states that Donald Trump enjoys a commanding position in the polls, leading the Real Clear Politics polling average since mid-September. Out of the 30 most recent polls, Trump has led in 24, tied in two, and Joe Biden has led in only four. This polling suggests that independents would likely support Trump if the election were held today. Additionally, a New York Times poll shows that 97% of Trump's 2020 voters are still with him, while only 85% of Biden's are, indicating Trump’s base is more solidified.
Discussing a strategy memo from Joe Biden's campaign, Shapiro reflects on how it characterizes Donald Trump as a wounded, dangerous, and unpopular candidate with significant liabilities. The memo suggests that Biden has a strong record of accomplishment, claims that he and Harris are well-prepared and well-positioned to win, with a strong showing on Super Tuesday and a large war chest to their advantage.
Shapiro, however, criticizes the memo's optimism, suggesting ...
2024 presidential race between Biden and Trump
Shapiro discusses concerns around Biden's age and physical presence, as well as defenses by some Democrats claiming his appearance of age is a result of hard work.
President Biden's campaign and supporters maintain that despite concerns about his age, he remains dedicated and capable.
While Shapiro paints Biden as a "deeply unattractive candidate," Joy Reid defends Biden's appearance, suggesting that the visible signs of aging are due to his rigorous work for the American people.
Shapiro contrasts Donald Trump's vigor with Biden's perceived lack of energy and brings up concerns within the Democratic Party about Biden's advancing age. He implies that Democrats might choose to overlook the aging issue, referencing Scarborough's defense of Biden as part of this trend of ignoring the potential problems.
Shapiro speculates on whether Biden will be able to participate in debates and brings up an inci ...
Biden's aging and frailty as a candidate and whether Democrats can ignore it
Shapiro anticipates President Biden's upcoming State of the Union with a critical and mocking tone, predicting difficulties for Biden during the speech.
Shapiro sarcastically suggests that President Biden's coherence is limited to the moments when "his oatmeal reaches the bowl," hinting at a perceived lack of focus in other situations. He anticipates that the State of the Union will be "fascinating" and sarcastically expects President Biden to say a "bunch of dumb stuff," indicating he believes that Biden might struggle during the address.
Further mocking Biden's past performances, Shapiro refers to Biden's repeated mention of a "moon shot" to cure cancer, implying that viewers can expect repetition and a lack of coherence in the upcoming speech. Shapiro likens the tension surrounding whether President Biden will experience difficulties to watchin ...
Expectation that Biden will struggle through the State of the Union
As New York grapples with crime on its subway system, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced significant measures.
In response to the challenges faced by the transit system in New York City, Governor Kathy Hochul has put forth a robust plan to enhance security on the subway lines. The plan includes the deployment of 750 National Guard soldiers to the city's transit stations, supplemented by an additional 250 New York State and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) police officers. These added forces are part of a five-point plan which also involves random bag checks at these stations by the new deployment of officers.
Ben Shapiro discusses this move by highlighting the contrast it presents with past sentiments expressed by the New York Times. Shapiro points out that the Times had previously criticized the idea of deploying the National Guard, such as during the 2020 riots when Senator Tom Cotton suggested their use, which resulted in backl ...
Crime on the New York City subways and efforts to deploy National Guard and surveillance
In a significant shift, San Francisco voters are backing policies that depart from the city's traditionally progressive approaches to issues such as crime, homelessness, and welfare.
San Francisco voters have shown support for policies that strengthen law enforcement and enforce drug screenings for welfare recipients. Mayor London Breed has proposed measures to increase police officers' powers, allowing them to ...
San Francisco voters moving away from progressive policies on crime, homelessness, and drug testing welfare recipients
There's a continuing deadlock in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding a ceasefire and the release of hostages despite efforts to reach a favorable agreement for both parties.
Shapiro highlights that Hamas may be intentionally thwarting talks to maintain political leverage through the suffering of Palestinians. He believes that Hamas is using the elevated number of Palestinian casualties to gain sympathy from the Western world, thereby increasing the pressure on Israel. He mentions that Hamas prefers to withhold hostages to continue using them as leverage and suggests that they may be mistreating them, noting that some hostages may already be deceased. Further, there are six American citizens still being held by Hamas.
Negotiators had suggested a six-week ceasefire that would begin with the release of vulnerable individuals and a number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for five Israeli soldiers. Israel agreed to release an average of ten Palestinians for every Israeli civilian freed and even accepted the release of 15 prisoners convicted of serious terrorism in exchange for the soldiers. Despite these substantial concessions, Hamas rejected these terms. Shapiro speculates that Hamas turned down this offer because they wish to see more Palestinian casualties, which they expect would increase the pressure on President Biden to influence Israel.
Although there is no direct mention of the Houthis’ continued attacks on ships in the provided content, these situations often accompany ongoing tensions in the Middle East where militant groups may escalate their activities amidst negotiations, as can be observed in other contexts of geopolitical strife.
Efforts to reach an agreement before the onset of Ramadan have stalled. American officials had hoped to secure the release of so ...
Continued impasse in Israel-Hamas talks over hostage release and ceasefire
John Kerry, who sees Russia as capable of enacting significant environmental changes, is calling upon the country to show good faith by reducing their emissions. He suggests that such efforts not only could have a meaningful impact on the climate but might also ser ...
John Kerry calling on Russia to improve climate record in good faith regarding Ukraine invasion
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