The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

Meghan McCain: 'Trump Didn't Break My Brain. What's Your Excuse?'

Oct 16, 2024

Meghan McCain, a political commentator and former host on ABC's The View, shares her insights on the shifting GOP landscape and media biases. She discusses the challenges of being a non-MAGA conservative and her hopes for the 2024 election. McCain reflects on personal grievances related to political trauma and emphasizes the importance of humor in leadership. She critiques both parties' economic policies and highlights the need for financial responsibility among political leaders while advocating for a more nuanced dialogue in today's polarized climate.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Navigating Political Identities

01:36 • 18min

Personal Grievances and Political Reflections

19:14 • 8min

Navigating Conservative Values and Leadership Concerns

27:15 • 13min

Fractured Ideals: A Conservative Perspective

39:52 • 5min

Understanding the Complexities of the Israel-Palestine Debate

44:41 • 2min

Media Bias and Journalistic Integrity

46:19 • 17min

Arizona's Republican Transformation

01:03:37 • 6min

Evolving Views on LGBTQ+ Rights and Community Dynamics

01:09:07 • 2min

Navigating Political Discourse in the Digital Age

01:11:12 • 6min

Today's guest is Meghan McCain, political commentator, former co-host of ABC's The View, and host of the podcast Citizen McCain.

Reason's Billy Binion talks with her about the changing GOP, bias in corporate media, the 2024 election, and what it's like to be a non-MAGA, nonpopulist member of today's Republican Party.

0:00- Introduction
0:21- Ad: St. John's College
1:36- Libertarians vs. the McCains
3:33- Being a non-MAGA, non-populist conservative
6:56- Obama lecturing black male voters
9:38- Kamala Harris' terrible press strategy
11:07- Meghan McCain does not have TDS
19:14- John McCain also didn't have TDS
25:34- Who wins 2024? Trump or Harris?
27:15- McCain's Republican Party
30:22- Bipartisan Write-A-Check politics
34:10- The gerontocracy & Biden's disastrous debate performance
39:52- The Democratic Party has big problems too
44:14- The CBS Ta-Nehisi Coates/Tony Dokoupil meltdown
51:06- Corporate legacy media is collapsing
55:14- Recovering from The View
1:02:47- Kari Lake traded her principles for failure
1:08:00- Being an early public supporter of gay marriage
1:12:24- 'America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter To Freedom'
1:13:53- 'Nepo babies' contain multitudes!

Today's sponsors:

St. John's College. Explore 3,000 years of human thought on campuses in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in Annapolis, Maryland. From the Greek philosophers who are the wellspring of democratic ideals to America's Founding Fathers to contemporary critics who question everything: Each is welcome at St. John's College. In-person and online master's degree courses are offered, too.
The Reason Speakeasy. The Reason Speakeasy is a monthly unscripted discussion in midtown New York City that doubles as a live taping of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie. The next one is on Thursday, October 24, and features the Stony Brook sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, whose new book is We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. Tickets are $15 and include beer, wine, soft drinks, and light food. For more information and to buy tickets, go here. To watch or listen to past Speakeasys, go here.

Video Editor: Ian Keyser

The post Meghan McCain: 'Trump Didn't Break My Brain. What's Your Excuse?' appeared first on Reason.com.