Sep 8, 2026 · 1h 41m
Hanson and Kelly debate MAGA’s next chapter
Lindsay Clancy Wants a PARDON, Plus Violent Leftists as Charlie Kirk Anniversary Approaches, and the Future of MAGA, with Victor Davis Hanson | Ep. 1393
The episode links a high-profile criminal case to broader arguments about political violence, cultural conflict, Republican strategy, and economic frustration.
- 1The Lindsay Clancy mistrial exposes competing claims about mental illness, accountability, deterrence, and the limits of a pardon request.
- 2Victor Davis Hanson argues that Trump transformed the Republican Party while J.D. Vance could help define its succession and direction.
- 3The conversation treats inflation, immigration, universities, Iran, and political violence as tests of conservative credibility before the midterms.
Don't miss
Hanson and Kelly debate whether the Clancy pardon request was legally viable or shifted into an appeal for Trump’s influence.
The brief
Megyn Kelly opens with the Lindsay Clancy mistrial and pardon request, questioning the defense’s legal theory, the insanity argument, and what accountability should require.
Victor Davis Hanson joins the discussion, arguing that therapeutic responses to horrific violence can weaken deterrence while ideological movements increasingly normalize attacks on opponents.
The conversation widens to abortion, gender ideology, immigration, national identity, Iran, and the competing interventionist and non-interventionist currents inside the Republican Party.
Hanson casts Donald Trump as the figure who remade the GOP and considers whether J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, or Ron DeSantis could shape what follows.
They close on inflation, midterm vulnerability, Charlie Kirk’s counter-revolution, and universities accused of replacing teaching with ideological activism.
What was said on this episode
31 statements · 8 positive · 21 negative · 2 neutral
The president cannot pardon a state crime.
“President Trump can't pardon that.”
Listen at 2:03
Mental illness alone does not excuse criminal behavior.
“Mental illness does not excuse you from criminal behavior.”
Listen at 11:19
Legal insanity requires meeting an extremely high standard.
“It has to rise to the level of legal insanity, which is a nearly impossible standard.”
Listen at 11:23
Corey Walsh’s child might have survived without Clancy case coverage.
“I think he would be alive.”
Listen at 16:33
Perceived deterrence is the primary factor preventing people from committing bad acts.
“If people believe there's no deterrence. That's really the only thing that stops people from doing bad things”
Listen at 25:26
Normalizing child-killing can encourage depressed parents to commit similar acts without expecting punishment.
“if you channel that this is acceptable, then anybody who feels that the burdens of child rearing or they get depressed one day, then there's a message that they can do some dastardly, horrific act and not pay the price for it.”
Listen at 25:36
Clancy supporters portray child-rearing as exclusively the mother’s domain.
“child rearing is entirely in the domain and child procreation of the mother.”
Listen at 26:45
Coverage of Clancy’s case may make child-killing seem like a coping option to struggling mothers.
“Mothers out there who are struggling, who before wouldn't have even considered this, have now added it to the menu of coping.”
Listen at 30:31
Society permits abortion of fully formed viable fetuses late in pregnancy.
“that same society allows you to kill a fully formed, viable baby. At the last moment”
Listen at 37:17
Transgender shooters are overrepresented among mass shooters.
“the percentage of trans shooters in mass shootings. It's way overrepresented.”
Listen at 41:38
Gender transition is not a real phenomenon.
“there's no such thing as trans. That's not a thing. You can't transition your gender.”
Listen at 42:01
Forty-five percent of Canada’s population is foreign-born or has foreign-born parents.
“45% of the Canadian population was either not born in the United States or their parents were not born.”
Listen at 47:20
Canada’s centennial initiative seeks 100 million people through immigration within 15–20 years.
“they want to get 100 million people in the next 15 years or 20 years through immigration”
Listen at 47:29
The Republican Party will not return to its pre-Trump form.
“I don't see us going back to the old Republican Party”
Listen at 56:02
J.D. Vance is the leading prospective Republican successor to Trump.
“it's going to be Vance is the head runner.”
Listen at 58:23
J.D. Vance’s vice presidency strengthens the president’s political power.
“this is one of the few vice presidencies. that is a force multiplier of the president.”
Listen at 59:09
Iran will probably launch an October-surprise attack shortly before the election.
“they're going to try an October surprise probably a week before the election”
Listen at 1:04:25
A successful Iranian popular demonstration could rapidly transform the country.
“if there should be another demonstration, but this time successful. And I remember when the Berlin Wall fell, two years it took the Soviet Union and six months for most of Eastern Europe. That could change everything.”
Listen at 1:04:43
Economic pressure can force Iran into poverty.
“you can squeeze them into poverty, and that's what we're doing.”
Listen at 1:07:21
Only six Latin American or Caribbean countries remain anti-American and nondemocratic.
“And now there's only six.”
Listen at 1:07:49
The president’s party has lost seats in 39 of the last 41 midterm elections.
“39 out of the last 41 midterms, the end party loses seats.”
Listen at 1:10:11
Republicans will face a difficult midterm election contest.
“they're going to be in a tough fight for the midterms.”
Listen at 1:10:27
China’s GDP is $10 trillion smaller than the United States’ despite four times the population.
“China has four times the population. It's $10 trillion smaller still. We're $31 trillion. They're $21 trillion.”
Listen at 1:16:47
The government cannot reverse the roughly 20% price increase already embedded in prices.
“there's no way we can undo 20%.”
Listen at 1:18:41
Republicans should have promised to halve inflation rather than reverse price increases.
“What they should have said, we're going to half inflation.”
Listen at 1:18:57
Crime is currently at a historical low.
“crime is at a historical low”
Listen at 1:20:08
The university Hanson works at no longer resembles the institution he attended.
“The university that I work at is... bears no resemblance whatsoever with the universe that I went there to get a PhD.”
Listen at 1:24:06
Stanford admitted white males at an 8% rate over the last four years.
“They only let 8% white males in the last four years”
Listen at 1:33:52
Public confidence in higher education has fallen from 65% to 34%.
“34% of the people now have confidence in higher education. It used to be 65.”
Listen at 1:36:32
Attending elite universities no longer provides meaningful value.
“Going to Harvard or Yale or Princeton or Stanford doesn't mean anything anymore.”
Listen at 1:36:42
Mark Carney’s anti-American policies will harm Canada economically.
“It's going to be bad, bad, bad economically.”
Listen at 1:40:16
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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