Host Pushes Back on Backlash After Trump Dinner (Full Transcript)

A TV host says the real question isn’t dining with Trump but whether his criticism changed, then discusses Kid Rock, Bad Bunny, and halftime-show culture.
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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: First of all, the people who stopped watching my show because I had dinner with them are idiots in my view. They just are. They're just completely emotional because they're always asking the wrong question, which is like, how dare you have dinner with Donald Trump? The question should always have been, what did I say after I had dinner with Donald Trump? Now, if after I had dinner with Donald Trump, I came back to this show and was seduced by that dinner and stopped tearing him a new one every week, every time I thought he did something wrong, then you would have a case. That didn't happen.

[00:00:35] Speaker 2: It did not happen. As somebody who watches the show every week, that did not happen. We sort of saw both examples with that Super Bowl halftime show, where Kid Rock, who you had that dinner with, was doing his own show, and then Bad Bunny's doing his show. Which one did you watch and what did you make of that cultural moment for America?

[00:00:52] Speaker 1: It's so funny. People were asking me the week before. Which one are you going to watch? I said, I'm going to watch the real one, the regular one. Like I do every year and I'm going to honor it the same way by going to the bathroom. Did you? Of course. You have to go to the bathroom at some point. But I watched it. I liked it. You know what? I didn't understand it. But like I said tonight in the show, I don't understand when Mick Jagger sings either. I don't understand any rock star. Nobody's really understandable. I didn't understand Kendrick Lamar very well either. I mean, that's okay. It's just a feeling. And you know, I said to, you know, I don't think he'd mind if I said this, but I did text with Kid Rock about it, because I wanted to watch his too, so I taped it. And you know, I liked the song he sang. I said it was a good song. The content of it was not my cup of tea, but you know, I think he writes a great song. I'm a big fan of his music. I said, but you know, the whole thing, his whole show was very about Christian, it was a very big Christian. I said, wouldn't it have been a little more Christian to let Mr. Bunny have his moment? You know? You said that to him. Yes.

[00:02:01] Speaker 2: And what did he say?

[00:02:04] Speaker 1: He didn't, we didn't, I just said next time we talk, we should talk about whether it would have been a little more Christian to let Mr. Bunny have his moment.

ai AI Insights
Arow Summary
A TV host argues that viewers who stopped watching his show because he had dinner with Donald Trump are reacting emotionally and asking the wrong question; what matters is whether his criticism of Trump changed afterward, which he says it did not. The interviewer agrees, noting the host continued to criticize Trump. They discuss a Super Bowl halftime cultural moment involving a Kid Rock-related alternative show versus the mainstream halftime performance by Bad Bunny (and references to Kendrick Lamar). The host says he watched the regular halftime show, enjoyed it as a feeling even if he couldn’t clearly understand the lyrics, and also taped Kid Rock’s show, praising Kid Rock’s songwriting while disagreeing with the message. He texted Kid Rock suggesting it might have been “more Christian” to let Bad Bunny have his moment; Kid Rock did not respond directly, and they plan to discuss it later.
Arow Title
Host Defends Trump Dinner, Weighs In on Halftime Show Debate
Arow Keywords
dinner with Donald Trump Remove
viewer backlash Remove
media criticism Remove
political commentary Remove
Super Bowl halftime show Remove
Kid Rock Remove
Bad Bunny Remove
Kendrick Lamar Remove
music lyrics Remove
Christian messaging Remove
cultural moment Remove
celebrity politics Remove
Arow Key Takeaways
  • Backlash focused on the host dining with Trump, but he argues the key issue is whether his on-air criticism changed afterward.
  • The interviewer corroborates that the host’s critical stance toward Trump remained consistent.
  • The host chose to watch the mainstream halftime show, treating it as an annual ritual and reacting to it more as a vibe than as intelligible lyrics.
  • He acknowledges not understanding many performers’ lyrics, comparing contemporary acts to classic rock icons.
  • He praised Kid Rock’s musical ability while distancing himself from the song’s message.
  • He challenged Kid Rock’s framing of a Christian-themed show by suggesting it would have been more Christian to allow Bad Bunny’s moment.
  • No direct response from Kid Rock yet; the topic is left for a future conversation.
Arow Sentiments
Neutral: The tone is assertive and defensive from the host about backlash, with some humor and measured commentary on music and culture; overall it balances criticism, praise, and reflection without strong positivity or negativity.
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