Real Strategy to Exhaust You: A Late Night Message for Everyone Who’s Tired — But Still Fighting

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]Hey everyone, good evening. Hey Martha, I hope you know it's not too late. Come on in guys.

[00:00:09]Give me a second. Mary, hi there. Hey Judy, Ashley, Debbie, Farah, come on in guys.

[00:00:39]Give me a second. I apologize. Late night. Can't sleep.

[00:00:44]Uh I I don't sleep that much. I There's a lot I'm constantly in, you know, uh uh because of the time differences. Uh it's uh constantly winter fresh welcome.

[00:00:55]either I'm on the phone with people overseas or I'm so sleeping is not uh you know I'll get some sleep hopefully after you know uh we get some accountability and something back here.

[00:01:08]But look folks, first of all I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm coming to you so late at night tonight. I hope you know I'm I'm sure it's been a very long day and a lot of you must be tired. I just put the kids to bed. The house is finally quiet and even though I'm trust me I'm extremely tired I felt it was ext extremely important to take this time and speak directly to each and every one of you because you know I know many of you are tired too I know many of you are carrying a lot right now more than people see more than you say sometimes out loud you know a lot of you more than even you know how to explain sometimes and and you know I don't even want tonight to be just another show because this is this is not another show, folks.

[00:01:54]And it's not going to be another update.

[00:01:57]This is not going to be another breakdown of headlines. You know, tonight is something different. Tonight, we're going to have a real conversation from my heart to yours because, you know, I think it's time.

[00:02:10]You know what? Over the past days, weeks, months, maybe even close to since I've gotten to this platform, I've been reading your messages, your emails, your comments, your DMs, and and I want to tell you something that, you know, even though I don't respond maybe on time and I don't get a chance with the, you know, uh, glitches that Substack has, uh, but I see them and and trust me, I read them. I read them. I hear you and and you know I feel you. I feel your pain. I feel you know I feel how hurt you guys are and the hurt that you're feeling. And some of you are dealing with financial pressures. Some of you are dealing with health problems. Some of you are dealing with anxiety, depression, fear of exhaustion.

[00:03:01]Some of you are even dealing with families that have been torn apart by what has happened in this country.

[00:03:07]Parents who can't talk to their children.

[00:03:11]We all know what that feels like.

[00:03:13]Children who can't talk to their parents.

[00:03:16]Friends who no longer speak. People that you love. People who seem like they've disappeared into something you no longer recognize.

[00:03:27]And I want to say something truly to you and clearly that you know what? You might think you're crazy, but you're not. You're not crazy for feeling overwhelmed.

[00:03:38]You're not weak for feeling tired and you definitely are not alone because you are scared. You know what you are?

[00:03:49]What you are is called you're human.

[00:03:51]You're a pure human. And any human being with a heart, even a little bit of a heart, with a conscience, with eyes open to what's happening around us would feel the weight of this moment.

[00:04:07]Because what we are living through is not normal.

[00:04:10]It's not normal to wake up each and every day, each and every morning, wondering what right is going to be taken away next from us. It's not normal to watch women lose control of their own bodies.

[00:04:25]It's not normal to watch the Constitution treated like it's some kind of a suggestion.

[00:04:30]It's not normal to watch cruelty become policy.

[00:04:35]It is not normal to watch lies become the language of the power.

[00:04:40]It's not normal to watch people in positions of authority attack judges, attack the press, attack free speech, attack voting rights, attack anyone anyone who dares to stand in their way.

[00:04:56]And it definitely is not normal to watch all of this happen. While so many so many of us are feeling the pain while so many in power pretend we should just accept it.

[00:05:08]We should just adjust to it. We should just move on from it.

[00:05:14]We should maybe just shut up and lower our voices.

[00:05:20]Well, no. We shouldn't we should not lower our voices. We should not get used to this. We should not become a numb to this. But at the same time, I don't want tonight to be about fear. I don't want tonight to be about despair. I don't want tonight to be about giving more power to this darkness. Because yes, the darkness is real, but you know what? So is our strength. And yes, the pain is real, but so is our purpose. Yes, the fear is definitely real.

[00:05:54]But so is our courage.

[00:05:57]And that's why I decided to speak to you tonight. Why I wanted to come to you tonight, even late as it is, even tired as we are, even after such a long day, because I believe we need to remind each other of something very important right now.

[00:06:16]We We are still here. We are still standing.

[00:06:22]We are still speaking. We are still fighting. And as long as we keep doing that together, they have not won. They will not win.

[00:06:34]Not even close, folks.

[00:06:39]Now, I know I know what a lot of you are feeling. You wake up in the morning, you pick up your phone. I mean, I just go through it just like you. You pick up your phone and you and before you even had your coffee, there it is again.

[00:06:53]Another headline, another attack, another threat, another lie, another outrageous statement. Oh, another court case, another scheme got wrong, another reminder that people who caused so much damage are still trying to cause more.

[00:07:10]And believe me, I know it wears you down.

[00:07:14]It wears you down big time because you know why? It's designed to wear you down. That is part of their strategy.

[00:07:22]And remember, I was one of them. And that's why I keep screaming to the Democrats. I keep screaming to the Republicans. I keep screaming to anybody that could listen. That is their strategy. They want you exhausted. They want you confused. They want you angry all the time.

[00:07:40]Because when you're angry, when you're confused, the one thing you're not is you're not focused.

[00:07:46]And that is what's going on at the highest levels of our country because everybody's angry. Everybody's confused.

[00:07:54]Everybody's trying to do their thing.

[00:07:57]And the one thing is they're not focused.

[00:08:02]They want you hopeless. They want you fighting with your neighbors, fighting with your family, fighting with strangers online while the people at the top continue doing what they do behind the scenes.

[00:08:16]That is why I always tell you, what do we always say? Watch what they do, not what they say. Watch what they do, not what they say. Because what they say is meant to distract you. What they do is where the truth is.

[00:08:34]And what are they doing?

[00:08:38]Don't get me started. What are they doing? They're attacking our voting rights. They are attacking our free speech. They are attacking the press.

[00:08:47]They are attacking our judges. They are attacking our women. They are attacking immigrants. They are attacking anyone who dares to say no. And most importantly, they're attacking the truth itself, rewriting history.

[00:09:03]And when you look at all of that, when you take it all in, of course people are hurting. Of course people overwhelmed.

[00:09:09]Of course people feel like they're living under a constant pressure.

[00:09:15]But I want you to understand something tonight.

[00:09:18]I truly do. Feeling pain does not mean we are losing. Feeling exhausted does not mean that we are defeated. Feeling afraid does not mean we are weak. What it means is that we understand the stakes. It means we care. It means that we are awake.

[00:09:41]And being awake in a moment like this is not easy, folks. Because it is necessary because the worst thing we could do right now is fall asleep again like we did two years ago, a year and a half ago.

[00:09:55]That was the worst thing we could do is do what we did again and pretend that this is normal. Because the worst thing we could do is allow ourselves to become numb to what we stop reacting when basic freedoms are attacked.

[00:10:14]I don't want us to be numb. I don't want us to be grounded. I want us to be focused. That's why I come out every day and I say, "Put the blinders out. We need to focus. We need to stay strong.

[00:10:26]We need to stay peaceful but loud." I say all the time. They want us tired, but we're still standing.

[00:10:37]They want us hurt, but we're not broken.

[00:10:40]Because there's a difference between being tired and being finished. And I know a lot of us are tired. A lot of us are tired. But the one thing I could promise you is we are not finished.

[00:10:53]We're just getting started.

[00:10:58]Excuse me, folks.

[00:11:00]I have a lot built up inside of me I want to share with you tonight because uh you know I think this is you know something that we need to before you go to sleep tonight I want you to think about what I share with you tonight because waking up tomorrow's go like I said new platform new day lots of hope and we're going to make things happen tonight I want to talk to you about something real because a lot of people are suffering quietly They smile. They come out and smile in public, but they're struggling in private. They're worried about their bills. They're worried about the rent.

[00:11:39]They're worried about medical costs.

[00:11:41]They're worried about their children's future. They're worried about losing their rights.

[00:11:46]They they about the thought of what they would protect. They're worried that this country is slipping away from them. And on top of all of that, many people are grieving relationships.

[00:12:00]And I don't think we talk about that enough. We talk about, you know, constantly all this breaking news that happens, everything that's going on behind the scenes. But at the moment, this movement, this political madness, this cult mentality, the mega movement, this propaganda machine, it has torn families apart. It has caused [clears throat] serious serious damage and it's been going on for almost 10 years now. It seems like it's been yesterday but almost 10 years. It has made people uh suspicious of each other.

[00:12:34]It has turned dinner tables into battlefields. It's made children afraid to talk to their parents. It's made parents feel like they have lost their children to lies. And that is real pain.

[00:12:47]And and a lot of you I know that. A lot of you know that and feel that real pain with me because that is the real wound in this country. And I want to say to every one of you carrying that pain truly I'm sorry. I'm sorry on behalf of our country. I'm sorry you are going through that. I'm sorry that people who should have protected this country instead of fed poison. I'm sorry that the propaganda has been allowed to do what it has done to families, friendships, communities, churches, workplaces, entire towns.

[00:13:24]But I also want you to know this, that the truth still has power. Love still has power.

[00:13:34]Time still has power. But most importantly, your voice still has power. You might not be able to pull everyone back. You may not be able to fix every relationship. You may not be able to convince every person who has been pulled into this lies.

[00:13:53]But you can hold the line. You can refuse to join the lie. You can refuse to surrender to your own sanity. You can refuse to let them turn you hateful. You can refuse to let their darkness become your darkness. Because that matters, folks. Because sometimes holding the line is showing act of love. Sometimes telling the truth is an act of love.

[00:14:16]Sometimes saying I will not accept this is an act of love.

[00:14:22]Because I want you to understand love is not weakness.

[00:14:26]Love is not pretending everything is okay when it is not. Love is the reason we fight. We fight because we love our families. We fight because we love our children. We fight because we love our kids and grandkids.

[00:14:45]We fight because we love the idea that this country could still become what it promised to be. We fight because we refuse to hand the future to people whose only vision is fear, revenge, cruelty, and control.

[00:15:03]That is not our America.

[00:15:07]No, let's be honest about where we are. We are in a very, very dangerous time. And I, like I told you, I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat anything. And I'm not going to sit here and tell you everything is fine. Everything is hunky dory, beautiful. Everything's not fine.

[00:15:24]Our democracy is under attack. We are currently living under authoritarian rules. Even though a lot of people don't want to see it, don't want to accept it, don't want to believe it. Our rights are under attack every day and some of them have been taken away. The truth is under attack and it's being destroyed more and more every day. The rule of law is under attack and our constitution is being taken away every day. The basic idea that not one not one is above the law is being tested every single day. And we have watched this unfold not for weeks, not for months, but for years, folks. It has been years. We have have watched the attacks on women's rights. I talk about all the time. Just a year ago before the elections, it was the number one thing we were talking about. We live in a country right now where women in the 2026 have less right in the United States of America to their own body than in communist countries like Russia.

[00:16:26]We have watched people to try to rewrite history. Donald Trump pretending the insurrection that they have started basically came out pardon everybody and said there was no insurrection.

[00:16:36]We have watched attacks on our voting system. We talk about every day the executive powers he signs doing away you know with this redistricting using the DOJ like it's his own backyard.

[00:16:50]We've watched every day how he attempts to intimidate judges, prosecutors, witnesses, journalists. journalist every day. Every day there's a story written.

[00:17:01]They go investigate the FBI investigate journalists. Think about and anyone anyone who dares to refuse to fall in line.

[00:17:11]We have watched public servants being threatened right in front of our eyes.

[00:17:15]We have watched their lies repeated so often that people start retreating them like they're facts. We have watched cruelty become like it's entertainment.

[00:17:25]And yes, that can break your heart.

[00:17:29]Sometimes it should break your heart because if it doesn't affect you, there's something wrong with you. If you don't feel the pain, there's something wrong with you.

[00:17:41]But here is where I wanted to turn the corner tonight a little bit.

[00:17:45]Because like I said to you, today is a message of strength, power, and unity.

[00:17:49]Because heartb bro Because what you understand being a heart a heartbreak is not the end of the story.

[00:17:56]What heartbreak can actually be as fuel if you think about it because the pain can become a purpose. You could turn your fear turn your fear and make it make it into courage.

[00:18:12]take that exhaustion and get disciplined.

[00:18:17]Because if you think about it, that's how movements are built really. Not by people who never get tired. People get tired, but people are movements are built by people who get tired and keep going anyway.

[00:18:31]When we look at football games, when we look at sports, when we say we got go that extra mile, push a little extra harder, give it your all.

[00:18:43]This is them time of the where we're living in the movement we're building.

[00:18:49]Movements are built by people who cry and then wipe their face and make the next call. Movements are built by people who feel afraid but still get in their car and they show up and keep calling.

[00:19:06]Movements are built by people who know the odds are against them. They know the danger. They know the cost. And they say, "I cannot and I will not sit this one out."

[00:19:21]And this is this platform. Love remembers, you know, us, Wolfpack, you know, every one of us in this community.

[00:19:28]This is who we are.

[00:19:31]And that is why I want to tell you tonight, that is why we will win.

[00:19:37]Not because it's easy, not because the system is fair, not because the media is going to come in and save us. Not because politicians will magically become brave.

[00:19:51]We're going to win because people are waking up. We are going to win because people are starting to organize.

[00:20:00]We are going to win because the truth has a way of surviving every attempt they try to bury.

[00:20:12]We're going to win because people are being done of being lied to. We're going to win because the fear that they try to control people for a while but it can't control and build a future.

[00:20:26]And we are fighting for that future folks.

[00:20:31]So that is why we're going to win.

[00:20:44]I know I know some people hear me say these things and they say, you know, when I say we will win and they think love, you know, how can you be so sure? How can you be sure we're going to win?

[00:21:00]And I have to be honest with you.

[00:21:03]I'm sure. I'm confident. I'm sure. And I'm I'm sure because I've seen both sides of this. I have seen how these people, Donald Trump is in a circ. I've seen how they operate when they think no one is watching. I have seen the arrogance. I have seen the way they confront their deals. I have seen their intimidation. I have seen the way they treat regular people as disposable. I have seen the way they talk when cameras are off and the doors are closed. And I have also seen what scares them more than anything. And I tell you all the time, I seen the truth.

[00:21:43]And I have the receipts.

[00:21:45]See, because the biggest thing besides you is truth scares them.

[00:21:51]Exposure scares them.

[00:21:54]Accountability scares them.

[00:21:58]And most of all, independent voices scare them.

[00:22:03]Grassroots movements scare them because grassroots room movements are people who cannot be bought and that's what scares them. People who refuse to be silent, that scares them. That is why they attack. That is why they smear. That is why they divide. That is why they try to make people feel alone. Because if they can isolate you, they can weaken you.

[00:22:38]And remember, I'm not telling you these things as somebody that read books or a historian or somebody that's has some kind of idea. I'm telling you because I was one of them.

[00:22:50]I'm sharing this with you because I'm telling you what we need to do to defeat to to defeat them and we will defeat them because like I said to you because if they can isolate you they will weaken you and remember that.

[00:23:06]But if we stand together now they have a problem.

[00:23:11]Now they have a problem because if we stand together they have a problem. If we speak together they have a problem.

[00:23:19]If we organize together, they have a problem. If we vote together, they have a problem. If we refuse to be intimidated together, they have a problem. And you know what that problem is called, folks? You know what that problem is called? It's called democracy.

[00:23:40]Think about that. I just want you to think about that for one second. I want you to think about what we are already seeing.

[00:23:49]Think about people are speaking out who never spoke out before. Just think about it. Independent journalists are breaking through. Grassroots candidates are stepping forward.

[00:24:02]People are running for Congress, for Senate, for local offices, for school boards, for state legislators because they understand that the fight cannot only happen from the top down. It has to happen everywhere.

[00:24:19]Every district, every town, every community, every state, every platform, every conversation.

[00:24:31]This is not just about Washington DC.

[00:24:36]This is about whether truth can survive at the kitchen table. This is about whether democracy can survive in local elections. This is about whether people still believe their voice matters enough to use it.

[00:24:53]And I do believe that. I believe your voice matters. I believe every comment matters. I believe every share matters.

[00:25:00]Every call matters. Every volunteer matters.

[00:25:05]Every paid subscriber who helps kept independent media live matters. Every person who says, "Lev, I can't donate, but I can share." You matter.

[00:25:18]Every person that says, "Lev, I can't go to a rally, but I could still make phone calls." You matter. Every person says, "I don't have much, but I will do something."

[00:25:32]You matter.

[00:25:35]That is how we win folks.

[00:25:39]That is how we win.

[00:25:41]Not because one person is going to come in and save us. Because millions of people, they decide enough is enough.

[00:25:52]They will not be silent anymore.

[00:25:56]And yes, a lot of you know I'm running for Congress and I want you to understand what that means to me.

[00:26:03]It's not about ambition. It's not about chasing some title. It's not about wanting to be part of the same system that failed us. I'm running because I know what we're up against. I'm running because I know the people behind the curtain. I'm running because I know what happens when people who have receipts stay quiet.

[00:26:29]I'm running because I refuse to let that same corrupt forces destroy this country while good people are told, "Sit down.

[00:26:37]Wait."

[00:26:39]I'm running because this is personal to me, folks.

[00:26:43]My family's involved. My son is on the front line. I went to prison for him.

[00:26:47]I'm running because this is very personal. It's personal to me as a father, as a grandfather, as a each and every one of your friends. It's personal to me. As someone who came to this country and believed that that when America truth matters, what America could be, it is personal to me because I've seen what authoritarianism looks like.

[00:27:12]I know what it smells like.

[00:27:15]I know that language.

[00:27:18]I know those threats.

[00:27:20]I know that fear.

[00:27:23]I know the way it wraps itself in the flags, calls itself patriotism while attacking everything. Everything that makes our country free.

[00:27:35]And I am telling you tonight, we cannot allow that happen. No more. Enough is enough.

[00:27:44]We cannot. We will not. Not if we stay strong together. Not if we stay loud together. Not if we stay focused together.

[00:27:59]Because I want you to know something.

[00:28:07]There's a lot happening behind the scenes. There's a lot of alliances being built right now. There's uh lots of conversations that are taking place.

[00:28:16]There are people that are stepping up.

[00:28:19]And there are plans coming together.

[00:28:22]And just like I told you before that big news is coming. Remember what I told you I have something big news is coming.

[00:28:29]When I announced before I was able to announce my run for Congress. Well, today I want to share something and I want to tell you something again. I want to tell you again tonight that there are some also major big news coming. Big things are underway.

[00:28:46]Important things.

[00:28:48]important things. Unfortunately, I can't talk about all of them just yet.

[00:28:54]But I want you to understand one thing.

[00:28:56]I want you to understand something. I'm definitely not not done with them. Not even close. They might think they can intimidate people. They may think they can silence people.

[00:29:10]They might think they can scare people back into corners.

[00:29:14]But you know what? They don't understand this movement.

[00:29:18]Trust me, they don't understand you.

[00:29:22]They think they understand me. They don't. They don't understand people who have already been through the fire and are still standing.

[00:29:31]Because when you have already been attacked, when you have already been threatened, when you have already been knocked down, when they've taken everything they could possibly take from you, when you've been dragged through the mud and you're still here, there's a certain there's a certain freedom that comes with that.

[00:29:54]And you stop being afraid of their noise.

[00:29:57]You stop being impressed by their power.

[00:30:01]You stop waiting for their permission and you start speaking truth to power.

[00:30:08]And I've been doing it since I made my decision in 1990 n 2019 I'm sorry. When I made that decision after my arrest and after I decided I'm going to come out and I said I'm going to speak the truth to the power and that is where I am today. That is where this movement is.

[00:30:25]We are done waiting for some sort of permission for us to be able to speak because now now I know some people want everything fixed immediately. I know that it's part of human nature and I understand that everybody's like you know what I want to wake up tomorrow and I want things fixed. I want things to go back to normal and I want Trump gone and this is going to happen and things are going to be great. You know what? I wish I could tell you that that was going to happen.

[00:30:56]I wish I could tell you that one speech, I could tell you maybe one election, one article, one court case, one show, one campaign could fix everything overnight.

[00:31:06]But I'd be lying to you because that's not how this works. Democracy, folks, democracy is not saved in one moment. It is saved by what we do every single day.

[00:31:18]It is saved when people choose truth even when it lies are a lot easier. Just think about it. I always tell you telling the truth is a lot harder than spreading a lie.

[00:31:33]It is saved when people choose courage when fear is louder.

[00:31:39]It is saved when people choose community even when division is being sold to them. It is safe when people show up again and again and again. And that is what I'm asking you today. I'm asking each and everyone from you today. Not perfection.

[00:31:57]I'm asking you persistence.

[00:32:00]I don't want you to panic.

[00:32:02]I want you to have purpose.

[00:32:06]I don't want you to have despair.

[00:32:09]I want you to have discipline.

[00:32:12]And I want you to think carefully of what I'm telling you because this is not a one-day fight. This is a movement. And movements movements require stamina.

[00:32:24]They require faith. They require people who know how to breathe, regroup, and come back stronger. So yes, rest when you need to rest. Turn off the noise when you need to protect your mind. Take care of your family.

[00:32:42]Take care of your health. Take care of your spirit.

[00:32:47]But don't ever give up.

[00:32:50]Do not disappear.

[00:32:52]Do not let them convince you that because you are tired, the fight is over. Because the fight is not over. You are allowed to be tired. You are allowed to be angry. You're allowed to be frustrated.

[00:33:08]What you're not allowed is you're not allowed to surrender your country to fear.

[00:33:15]There's a quote I want you to hold on to tonight.

[00:33:20]Courage is not the absence of fear.

[00:33:24]Courage is acting in spite of fear. I want you to think about that and I'll repeat it. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is acting in spite of fear. And that is where we are to today.

[00:33:41]Nobody's watching this has to pretend they are not scared because that's a lie. I'm scared.

[00:33:49]Anybody that tells you that what they're seeing play out in front of our eyes today that they're not scared is a liar.

[00:33:56]Nobody has to pretend that they are not angry.

[00:34:00]We're all angry. We have a right to be angry.

[00:34:04]Nobody has to pretend that you're not hurting.

[00:34:07]We're all hurting. You have a right to hurt because courage is not pretending.

[00:34:13]Courage is telling the truth about how hard it is and still choosing to stand.

[00:34:21]Courage is saying, "Yes, I'm afraid, but I'm not going to be silent."

[00:34:26]Courage is saying, "Yeah, I'm tired, but I'm not done."

[00:34:31]Courage is saying, "Yes, it's dark."

[00:34:35]But you know what? I see the light. And you know what? There is light. There's light in every person who refuses to hate. There's light in every person who refuses to lie. There's light in every single person who shares the truth.

[00:34:55]That's why there's light in every person that protects their neighbor. There's light in every person who stands up for women, for immigrants, for workers, for veterans, for our children, for our democracy, for the constitution, and for what I remember when I started out. Decency, decency for us. There is a light for these people, and that light is real.

[00:35:25]And you know what? They are afraid of that light. These sick bastards, they're afraid of that light because darkness only wins when people stop turning on the lights. Just think about that for a second. If we stop turning off the turning on the lights, darkness wins. And we are not. We are turning on the lights everywhere. Think about it. every single day.

[00:35:56]And I want to say something to you about hope if you don't mind. I hope I'm not taking too much of your time because I have a lot built up in me and I wanted to share with you before I go to sleep tonight. Before you go to sleep tonight, I wanted to share this fe my strictly from the heart with you guys. Not some kind of speech or something, but something I really wanted to share with you.

[00:36:24]Hope.

[00:36:26]Hope is something that is usually misunderstood.

[00:36:32][gasps] You see, people think that hope is passive, but it's not. Hope is not uh sitting back and saying everything will work out. Hope is not pretending that danger is not real. Hope is not ignoring pain.

[00:36:49]Hope is not closing your eyes.

[00:36:52]Hope is not closing your eyes when people are hurt.

[00:36:57]Hope is opening your eyes and still believing the future belongs to us. Hope is an act of defiance.

[00:37:08]Hope says you can attack our rights, but you cannot take our will. Hope says you could flood the zone with lies, but you cannot erase the truth. Hope says you can try to divide us, but we will find each other. Hope says you could threaten democracy all you want, but you cannot own America. Folks, that is what hope is and that is what they fear because hopeless people don't organize.

[00:37:42]Just remember that hopeless people don't organize. Hopeless people don't vote.

[00:37:49]Hopeless people don't fight. Hopeless people don't build. Hopeless people don't hold power accountable.

[00:37:59]So that is what they are counting on.

[00:38:03]They need you to be hopeless.

[00:38:07]I need you to be hopeful.

[00:38:10]hopeful.

[00:38:12]Not hopeless, not blindly hopeful, folks. Powerfully hopeful. Hopeful with your eyes wide open. Hopeful with a plan. Hopeful with a voice. Hopeful with your feet on the ground. Hopeful with your hands ready to work.

[00:38:32]That is the hope that changes history.

[00:38:35]Hope.

[00:38:37]And you know what? History has something to teach us. We all look at history because history repeats itself. Has something to teach us.

[00:38:47]Every generation, if you think about it, every generation has been tested by something.

[00:38:57]Every generation has faced a moment when people wondered whether their country would survive, whether justice would prevail, whether hate would win, whether powerful people would be able to crush regular people.

[00:39:17]And every time this country stood up and moved forward, it was because ordinary people did extraordinary things.

[00:39:30]Think about that. When ordinary people started doing extraordinary things, not because they were famous, not because they had power, not because they had money, because they had conviction, they had a conscience and they had courage.

[00:39:52]They had the willingness to say, "This is wrong, and I will not be silent."

[00:39:59]Think about that. this is wrong and I will not be silent because that little things like that is what changes history.

[00:40:09]That is what they are scared of. That is what we are doing right now as this community here.

[00:40:16]Some of you might not see yourself as activists, but if you are telling the truth, you're part of this. Because some of you here may not see yourself as organizers, but if you are helping one person understand what is happening, you are part of this.

[00:40:39]Some of you may sit back and say, don't see yourself being even political.

[00:40:45]But if you care about whether your children inherit a democracy, you are part of this. Because you got to understand this movement has pulled all of us together.

[00:40:58]This movement became more than just a movement. It's become a family, a movement, the resistance.

[00:41:05]And maybe that is very hard for a lot of you. And maybe it is also the point.

[00:41:10]Maybe we are learning that democracy was never supposed to be something we watched from the sidelines.

[00:41:18]Maybe we are learning that freedom has to be protected by the people who live under it. Maybe we are learning that citizenship is not just a word anymore.

[00:41:29]Being an American citizen now I feel is a responsibility.

[00:41:37]And that's why tonight, tonight, I want to tell each and every one of you, I believe we are ready for that responsibility.

[00:41:46]I believe we are ready because I see it every day.

[00:41:52]I see it in your comments. I see it in your support. I see it in your anger, the way you channel it. I see your compassion. I see your willingness to keep going every day with me. I see your voices. I see your I see it. And I tell you, and I know some sounds, but trust me, I tell you, that gives me strength.

[00:42:15]You're my guest in that tank. You give me the strength to continue doing this.

[00:42:19]I go to sleep and I wake up with that phone watch, looking at your comments, seeing what's going on, what's happening, because this community gives me the strength. The wolf pack that we calls ourselves gives me the strength to be able to do what we're doing because this is not just a platform.

[00:42:37]This is not just a family. This is not just a community. It's not just a show.

[00:42:43]It's not some just content.

[00:42:46]This is the resistance.

[00:42:48]This is the resistance the movement are made of of people who refuse to let darkness have the final word.

[00:43:00]Now, I want to take a moment and talk about a little bit about accountability, folks, because I think that's extremely important cuz a lot of us talk about accountability. A lot of us talk about things, but then you know because of clicks, other things, people start chasing other things.

[00:43:27]But I want to let you know something that hope without accountability is not enough.

[00:43:35]I just went through a whole par of telling you about hope and I want to talk about accountability because we cannot just say and and and and I want to preference this is because those of you that have been watching for weeks I've been traveling to Washington DC.

[00:43:53]I've been speaking to leadership. I've been with speaking to Democrats, Republicans, independents, and the one thing that keeps scaring me, the one thing that I keep hearing is that, you know, maybe let's not impeach, maybe let's not do this. And folks, I keep coming to you and I say can't do it. We can't just say, let's move on.

[00:44:18]We can't just say, "Let's forget."

[00:44:21]We can't allow people who attacked our democracy to rebrand themselves and come back as wh witnesses.

[00:44:30]No, no, no.

[00:44:34]There must be accountability.

[00:44:37]Now, I want to be very clear and this is what when I sit there in Congress and I speak to them, I tell them very clearly, there's a fine line between accountability and revenge.

[00:44:49]We don't want revenge. We're not Donald Trump. We want accountability, not revenge. Accountability because there is a difference. Because revenge, revenge is personal. Accountability is constitutional.

[00:45:06]Revenge is about anger. Accountability is about justice. Revenge destroys people.

[00:45:15]Accountability restores people's thoughts in our system and that is what we need. So when I sit there and I talk and I say to you that we need to not only we need to get the right people into office because we don't need revenge but we do need accountability and that is what we need folks. We need to restore the idea that no one no one in this country is above the law.

[00:45:49]Not a president, not some billionaire, not a judge, Supreme Court judge, not a member of Congress, not a political operative, a me a media figure, not anyone.

[00:46:03]Because once a country accepts that some people are above the law, that's it, folks. There there goes your democracy.

[00:46:11]And that's why I say right now we don't live in a democracy. And I don't say it in a way to say bad. I say it because it's the truth. Cuz right now we have people above the law. Even though we say no one's above the law, but you know when Donald Trump controls uh uh so much of uh the DOJ and everything, we don't have control.

[00:46:33]And we are not going to let America become something else. That's what my pledge is.

[00:46:40]We are going to demand accountability when I get into Congress.

[00:46:45]Believe me, we're going to demand the truth. We're going to demand investigations. We're going to demand that people who try to break this country answer for what they did. And I believe that day is coming. I truly do.

[00:46:58]You could hear it in their own voices.

[00:47:00]You could hear the fear when they talk about what happens if they lose. I share it with you. You could hear the panic when people like Steve Bannon talk about consequences. I remember I I shared a whole letter. I sent it to you. I sent you the video. He said it his own voice.

[00:47:15]If we lose, some of us here, including myself, are going to prison. Now, why would you be going to prison if he did nothing wrong?

[00:47:26]You can hear it. You can hear Donald Trump say that we can't let them win because if they win, they will impeach me. They're not stupid. They know. They know accountability is not some fantasy.

[00:47:41]They know the truth is catching up. They know people are watching. They know the country is not asleep as they hope. They see the numbers. They watch TV. They see the polls. And that is why we cannot stop now. This is exactly when, as I say, we we push harder, put the pedal to the metal. This is exactly when we speak louder. This is exactly when we organize harder, smarter. This is exactly when we hold the line because when corrupt people start panicking, that is not the time to back down. That is the time to push harder and keep going, folks.

[00:48:17]But I also have to be clear with you. I also want to be very clear about the spirit of this movement. We are not them. We are not going to become what we are fighting. I talk about that every day. We're not going to allow hate to define us. Please listen to me carefully because it's very important. We are different. We're not going to let hate define us. We're not going to let cruelty infect us. We're not going to lose our humanity in the process of saving our democracy.

[00:48:54]Very important. I want you to think about those thing three things because that is what makes us different than them. We won't allow that to happen.

[00:49:06]The last one is important. We are not going to allow our humanity in this whole process allow of say losing it by saving our democracy. That matters because the goal is not only to defeat Trump. I tell you that every day. Our goal is to build something better after Trump. Our goal is to build a country where people could breathe again. A country where women's rights are protected again. A country where voting is sacred again. A country where workers are respected again. A country where our children are safe from going to school because they'll come home because they're not going to get shot up by some AK-47.

[00:49:49]a country where our immigrants are treated like human beings that are not scared to walk the streets because they're going to get grabbed and th thrown into some Alcatraz prison, some concentration camps that we watched on TVs that's happening in our country. A country where truth matters again. A country where people where public service is about service again. A country where our children, our grandchildren do not have to inherit a constant fear every day waking up to a constant fear.

[00:50:26]Folks, that's the country we are fighting for. That's the country I'm fighting for. This is not just anti-Trump country. I want to make it clear. This is a pro-democracy country, a pro-truth country. I talk about all the time. Truth, speaking truth to power, a pro-decency country, a pro- future country.

[00:50:51]That is what we need to build, folks.

[00:50:54]And building building requires more than outreach. It requires vision. It requires organization. It requires courage. It requires sacrifice.

[00:51:05]Truly does. It requires us to believe that our children deserve better and that the chaos we are living through right now and I and I and I truly believe they do.

[00:51:17]I believe our kids deserve so much better. I believe our grandkids I when I see my little granddaughter I I I I can't believe that this is the world we're living for. When I told my kids because they deserve better. We deserve better. We deserve better folks.

[00:51:35]I believe that not only our next generation deserves to look back and say when things got dangerous, they did something and they did not give up.

[00:51:46]Our parents fought for us. Like we sit now and talk proudly of our parents and grandparents.

[00:51:54]Some of us that fought in World War II, that fought to save our democracy, that fought for our rights against tyranny, dictation. That's what I want. I want them to know we stood up. I want them to know that we fought back. I want them to know that we protected what was h, you know, handed to us.

[00:52:16]I really want them to when they really look back at history, I want them to know that we did not fear to win.

[00:52:24]And you know, to those of you who feel like, what can I do? I'm just one person. I want you to hear me. I want you to listen to me very carefully.

[00:52:39]Every single movement begins with one person saying one true things.

[00:52:50]Every movement begins with one person saying one true things. And think about that.

[00:52:57]One person talks to another. One person shares a message. One person shows up.

[00:53:08]One person makes a call. One person decides to run for office. One person's decide to support.

[00:53:18]One person's decides to stop uh being silent, being bullied. And you know what happens then? All of a sudden, another person sees that and says, "Maybe I can do something too.

[00:53:35]It's as simple as that, folks.

[00:53:38]That is how it spreads.

[00:53:42]Not by waiting that somebody in a white knight, some, you know, some hero is going to come save us. But it's simple as that. If one person, each one of you doesn't think to themselves that what can I do? What can I one vote do? Think about how many elections have been decided by one vote and how our future changed or by 10 votes. Think about how many things that happened.

[00:54:11]That's why each and every vote counts.

[00:54:14]Each and every person counts. Each and every action counts. Each and every like counts. And that's why I say everybody could do something because that is how democracy spreads. That is how courage spreads. That is how courage becomes contagious. That is how a movement grows.

[00:54:35]Do under do not underestimate your role because you might not have the money or you might not be able to have the connections or you might not be able to do what everybody else. Do not let anyone tell you that your voice is too small.

[00:54:53]Nobody.

[00:54:55]That is what they want you to believe.

[00:54:58]They want you to think that you are too small. Your voice doesn't matter. But the truth is your voice may be the voice that weakens someone else up. Your voice may be the voice that breaks that camel's back. Your share may be the share that reaches someone who needed to hear it. Your comment may be the comment that makes sense to feel less alone for that person sitting alone and thinks they're by themselves and nobody else is hearing them. Your phone call may be that call that helps put that pressure that someone in power that makes that difference.

[00:55:41]Your donation may be that donation that allows the doors to be open and the independent media to stay alive but for one more day.

[00:55:53]And most importantly, your vote may be the vote that changes everything. A district, a presidency, a governorship, a local office.

[00:56:04]Your presence may be the presence they give someone else the courage Because think about it. Think about how many survivors came out. Think about what happens with Eric Swallwell. It takes that first one. That's why, you know, when we talk about my vote, what can I do? I'm one person.

[00:56:26]But when you do it, others see it and others come out. Others know they're not alone. They feel now it's not one voice.

[00:56:35]Nothing is small in the movement.

[00:56:37]Everything counts. Everyone counts. This is why I keep telling you we have to build independent power. We cannot rely only on corporate media. We cannot rely on political insiders. We cannot rely on people who have spent years years telling us to calm down while the country burns.

[00:57:05]We need independent platforms. We need independent voices. We need direct communication with the people. We need communities that cannot be controlled by the same establishment that keeps foil failing us all the time. And it's not just one side or the other side. It's all of them. It's the establishment.

[00:57:26]It's people in office for 40 years. It's people making backroom deals.

[00:57:32]That is why your support is so important. That is why your support matters so much. That is why your subscription matters so much. That is why your sharing matters so much. That is why this platform matters so much because you have to understand there's a lot of platforms out there. A lot of them regurgitate do a lot of things and I'm not here to hate or talk about anything. But when it comes to truth, it's a very hard thing to do. And a lot of people are just scared to speak truth to power. A lot of people are just scared to lose those relationships because when truth is dependent on some sort of approval, truth becomes negotiable.

[00:58:14]Think about that. Think about what I just said. When truth is dependent on something, truth becomes dependable and it becomes negotiable. And if truth becomes ne negotiable, we have problems because truth cannot be negotiable.

[00:58:34]Not in this movement, not at this time, not what we're facing right now. Because right now, we need people willing to say what is uncomfortable, the most uncomfortable thing. We need people willing to name what is happening. We need people willing to speak truth to power even when power does not like it. And that is what I am committed to doing. And I promise you tonight, folks, and this is why I'm here today. I promise you I will continue that. No matter the attacks, there's a lot you guys don't know about.

[00:59:15]The attacks, the pressure, the threats I go through every day.

[00:59:20]No matter who tries to silence me, and it doesn't matter if it's the right, doesn't matter if it's the left. I want to promise you this because this is not about right versus left.

[00:59:33]This is about truth versus lies.

[00:59:37]This is about democracy versus authoritarianism.

[00:59:43]This about decency versus cruelty.

[00:59:48]this about whether we still believe America belongs to the people.

[00:59:53]And you know, I do. I truly do.

[00:59:57]So now, as we move toward the end of tonight, and I'm a I apologize if I took too much of your time because I really had a lot of pent up that I wanted to speak to you.

[01:00:09]I want to speak a little bit from the heart, you know, because I know the darkness feels very heavy. It's a heavy feeling. And I read your when I read your comments and I and and I speak to you, you know, and I watch, you know, I see the heaviness, you know, sometimes, you know, when we break the news and I give you the insider report and I bring you the hope, I feel the the heaviness. It's very heavy. I know some nights feel like it's too much. I feel it myself after I get off telling you. I lay down with my wife in bed and many of nights I cry myself to bed thinking I mean you know is it really what we're doing to because I'm just like you. We all go through the same thing and we're all human beings. I know some of you sit alone just like I do wonder whether things will ever get better. You know, you'll sit there, you'll turn off the, you know, and you'll say like, "Oh my god, like, is this ever going to happen? Are we ever going to get better?"

[01:01:11]I know from listening and watching and reading, I know that you feel like this country that you believed in is disappearing day by day.

[01:01:22]But I want you to hear me.

[01:01:25]I want you to believe me. And I want you to trust me and listen to me.

[01:01:32]This story is far from over.

[01:01:36]Let me repeat myself. This story is far from over.

[01:01:42]This country is not finished.

[01:01:45]Democracy is not dead. The people, you, us, the people are not powerless.

[01:01:55]The stunt, the sun still rises.

[01:02:00]even when there are clouds covering it.

[01:02:04]Think about that. And I know that sounds simple. I know you might say, you know, love, yeah, the sunrise. But it's true.

[01:02:14]Just think about it. Storms don't last forever.

[01:02:19]Hurricanes come. Yes, there's damage, but then they pass. Tornadoes come, but then they pass.

[01:02:29]Darkness does not last forever.

[01:02:33]Like it's dark outside right now, but eventually the sun does rise.

[01:02:38]So darkness does not last forever.

[01:02:41]Lies do not last forever.

[01:02:45]And we're seeing that as evident as we can with the Epstein files that no matter how many decades, no matter how many lies, no havoc, how many coverups, lies do not last forever.

[01:02:58]Fear does not last forever.

[01:03:03]But you know what does last forever?

[01:03:07]Truth.

[01:03:09]Truth lasts forever.

[01:03:12]Love can last forever. Courage could last forever.

[01:03:19]And and movements built on truth, love, and courage are movements that change the world.

[01:03:28]So I want you to understand we are living through a storm right now.

[01:03:33]But we are not the storm. We are the people walking through it together. We are the people holding the light for each other.

[01:03:43]We are the people saying take my hand.

[01:03:45]Keep going. Don't slow down. Don't slow down. Don't stop now.

[01:03:50]Because that's what community is about.

[01:03:52]That's what family is about. That's what we do. Helping each other. That is what this movement is about. We're not just watching history. I tell you all the time, we are making history.

[01:04:06]So tonight, folks, tonight I want to make a promise to you.

[01:04:14]You and I want you to make a promise to yourself.

[01:04:20]I want each and everyone to do me a favor. Make a promise to yourself. Not to me, to yourself. I want you to promise yourself that you will not, and listen to me carefully. I want you to promise yourself that you will not let them steal your hope. I want you promise yourself you will not let them silence your voice.

[01:04:47]I want you to promise yourself you will not let them make you believe you are alone.

[01:04:58]I want you to promise yourself you will rest when you need to but you will not quit.

[01:05:06]Promise yourself that you will stay connected. Promise yourself that you will do your part, whatever your part is, because we need every part.

[01:05:17]We need every caller. We need all the sharers. We need all the volunteers. We need all the donors. We need the subscribers, the voters. We need organizers, truth tellers. We need fighters. We need healers. We need people who can speak loudly. We need people who work quietly. We need everybody.

[01:05:37]We need this movement because this movement is not built by one person. It's built by all of us. And when all of us move together, there is nothing more powerful than that. And you've seen it already happen. You've seen what our actions go through. You've seen when the wolf pack comes out.

[01:05:56]You've seen what happens.

[01:06:00]But you have to be careful because there's a lot of people part of this thing whole mission is that they want us divided but we will be united. They want us afraid but we will be courageous. They want us hopeless for we will be hopeful.

[01:06:21]They want to silence us but we're going to be louder.

[01:06:26]They want to exhaust it. They want us to be tired.

[01:06:30]But you going to use that exhaustion into discipline.

[01:06:34]They want us to believe that democracy is gone.

[01:06:38]But we will prove democracy is alive.

[01:06:42]They want us to believe America belongs to them.

[01:06:48]But we will remind them that America belongs to the people.

[01:06:54]And I want to say this clearly with everything I have in me. We will get our democracy back. We are going to get our country back. We are going to hold people accountable. We are going to expose the lies. We're going to protect the truth. We're going to defend free speech. We're going to defend voting rights. We're going to defend women.

[01:07:19]We're going to defend the Constitution.

[01:07:22]We're going to defend each other. And we're going to build a country worthy of our children, our gun, and our grandchildren. Not because someone will hand it to us, but because we will fight for it. We will be fight for it peacefully, powerfully, relentlessly together.

[01:07:39]Because I believe in that. I believe it in my bones. I believe it because if I've seen what happens when people wake up, I believe it because I've seen I've seen the courage when it spread. I believe it because I've seen ordinary people become or extraordinary when history demands it. I lived it. I seen it. And I believe it because I know that truth has power. I believe it because I know I love conquers hate. Love conquers hate. I believe because I know courage will always defeat fear.

[01:08:17]And I know all their lives were are going to eventually collapse.

[01:08:22]And I believe because I know American people are better than the people trying to control them. And I believe it because I believe in each and every one of you.

[01:08:34]You are stronger than you know. You are braver than you feel. You are more powerful than they want you to believe in. And you are not alone. That's what I want you to know tonight and that's why I came. You are not alone. We are together. We are not only a community.

[01:08:54]We are a movement. We are voices they they could not silence. We are the people that they underestimate. We are the ones that keep going. And one day when this chapter is finally written, when people look back and ask what happened in this movement, I want them to say one thing and one thing only.

[01:09:11]that the people stood up, the people spoke out, the people refused to give in, the people protected democracy, the people chose truth, the people chose courage, the people chose each other.

[01:09:22]And because of that, America survived.

[01:09:26]So, as hard as it feels right now, as dark as it may look, I want you to leave tonight with hope.

[01:09:33]Not easy hope.

[01:09:35]Real hope. Real real hope. The kind of hope that has been through fire. The kind of hope that has scars. The kind of hope that knows danger and still says we are going forward because we are going forward. We are not going back. We are not going silo. We're not surrendering.

[01:09:53]We're not letting them rewrite this ending. We are going to write this ending. And the ending is this. That truth wins, love wins, democracy wins, people win. So stay with me. I ask of you stay loud. Stay strong. Stay united.

[01:10:13]Stay focused. Keep sharing. Keep speaking. Keep organizing. Keep supporting. Keep believing. Keep fighting because we are closer than they want you to know. We are stronger. We are stronger than they want you to believe. And we are more united than they could afford for us to ever become.

[01:10:35]This is our movement. This is our responsibility. This is our country and together we are going to save it folks.

[01:10:45]God bless every one of you. God bless this movement. God bless everyone who refuses to give up. God bless our children and grandchildren who deserve a better future than the chaos we are living through tonight.

[01:11:02]And God bless the United States of America.

[01:11:06]Folks, enough is enough.

[01:11:10]Starting tomorrow, let's get to work.

[01:11:15]I love all of you. May peace be with you. Have a good night. God bless you.

[01:11:21]See you tomorrow.