(0:06) Gene Valentino’s grassroots podcast, he tells the truth, he tries to get information out

(0:11) there to make sure people make good informed decisions.

(0:14) The one we’re featuring this week is Luis Sanchez from The Cigar Shop.

(0:18) He owns a company called La Tradicion Cubana.

(0:22) The Cigar Shop, Miami, Florida, since 1995.

(0:26) This Luis is really one heck of a guy.

(0:29) He’s determined to manufacture cigars based on an unprecedented excellence in quality

(0:37) using old-fashioned Cuban methods.

(0:40) You can get this to become part of your branding experiment.

(0:44) I’m using this with my guests on The Grassroots Truthcasts.

(0:47) This could be your brand on your product, your service, anywhere in the world.

(0:52) Look for Luis Sanchez at thecubanshop.com. (0:58) Yeah, Bianca, welcome.

(1:00) Here in the Windy City over the Labor Day weekend, President Trump claims Chicago is

(1:04) the murder capital of the world right now.

(1:08) He also says that the Democrats right now in Illinois are pushing back with these lower

(1:13) crime rates that they tout all the time.

(1:15) But he says he might actually look at red states that want the National Guard help.

(1:20) Watch.

(1:21) So we’re making a determination now.

(1:23) Do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor,

(1:30) Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s

(1:38) become quite, you know, quite tough.

(1:44) So the Democrat-run Chicago over the weekend saw 60 people shot, at least nine people killed,

(1:50) dozens of shootings, yet Illinois Governor JB Pritzker doubling down, claiming that Chicago

(1:55) is violence, is under control.

(1:57) Watch this.

(1:59) The president’s absurd characterizations do not match what is happening on the ground

(2:04) here.

(2:05) He has no idea what he’s talking about.

(2:07) There is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops.

(2:13) Call it manufactured crisis.

(2:15) So President Trump, he argues that D.C. is now a crime-free zone since deploying the

(2:19) National Guard, pointing to the recent arrests, the falling weekly crime rates.

(2:23) But as President Trump waits for Chicago to ask him for federal help, the city’s mayor

(2:28) Brandon Johnson is now blaming red states for the gun violence.

(2:34) The vast majority of guns do not come from Chicago.

(2:38) They are not made in Cook County.

(2:40) They are not bought in the state of Illinois.

(2:43) These guns come from red states.

(2:48) They are coming from Indiana.

(2:51) They are coming from Mississippi.

(2:52) They are coming from Louisiana.

(2:58) Meantime, you’ve got Illinois Senator, a Democrat, Dick Durbin.

(3:01) He agreed that federal troops would actually help out in Chicago, yet he believes there

(3:07) needs to be some government collaboration here.

(3:10) Do you think it would make a difference to have some help from the National Guard in

(3:15) Chicago?

(3:16) Well, it certainly could, but the starting point is this.

(3:20) Local officials, like a governor and a mayor, can work with federal officials to be more

(3:25) effective in reducing crime.

(3:27) That’s a given.

(3:28) I accept that.

(3:28) But in the situation in Chicago, this is not a negotiation in any way whatsoever.

(3:36) So one of those states that President Trump is eyeing for the National Guard is Maryland.

(3:40) So last month, Governor Wes Moore, he invited Trump to walk the streets of Baltimore, an

(3:45) invitation Trump turned down, saying it’s not too safe here.

(3:48) Governor Moore now facing some criticism, Bianca, after being spotted over the weekend

(3:53) beaching it up, get this George Clooney’s yacht on Lake Como.

(3:57) So hypocrisy continues.

(3:59) Yeah, there’s pretty little crime out there on beautiful Lake Como.

(4:04) Must be nice.

(4:05) Thank you, John.

(4:06) Good to see you.

(4:07) Bringing in now the host of the Grassroots Truthcast podcast, Jean Valentino, and editor

(4:12) in chief of the Illinois Review, Newsmax columnist, Mark Vargas.

(4:15) Gentlemen, a pleasure to have you both.

(4:17) Well, that’s just it.

(4:19) Pritzker’s got tons of cash.

(4:21) You’ve got Wes Moore rubbing elbows with George Clooney.

(4:24) Mark, you’re in Chicago.

(4:26) I want to start with you.

(4:28) Dick Durbin, a Democrat, says, yeah, would help.

(4:30) So President Trump says, we’re going in.

(4:33) What’s the feeling like there, where you are in the state, and how do you think the locals

(4:38) will respond?

(4:41) Well, the locals have been responding, and they’ve been demanding that the National Guard

(4:44) come into Chicago because the streets aren’t safe.

(4:46) It’s a war zone.

(4:48) I mean, think about this, Bianca.

(4:49) There were more Labor Day weekend shootings in Chicago than in D.C., New York City, Baltimore,

(4:55) and Philadelphia combined.

(4:57) And yet Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson say that this is a manufactured crisis.

(5:03) Sixty-seven thousand violent criminals out on the street because of no cash bail who missed

(5:07) their court hearing, that’s not a manufactured crisis.

(5:10) Ninety percent of violent crime victims have never been identified or charged roaming the

(5:16) streets freely in Chicago.

(5:17) That’s not a manufactured crisis.

(5:19) And finally, 1,600 police officers short, and as a result, 225,000 high-priority 911

(5:26) calls like shots fired, assault in progress, that went unanswered because of a police shortage,

(5:31) that’s not a manufactured crisis.

(5:33) The residents are speaking out, and the calls are growing louder and louder each day.

(5:38) Bring in the National Guard.

(5:40) And so here we have it.

(5:41) They want it.

(5:42) They might get it.

(5:43) It looks like, according to President Trump, so it’ll backfire then on Pritzker and Mayor

(5:49) Johnson, just like eventually this crime, all of these crime issues will.

(5:55) I think the Democrats have sort of misjudged the appetite for law, Gene.

(6:03) Yeah, I couldn’t agree with Mark any more.

(6:06) I mean, it is not only backfiring.

(6:08) I think it’s a strategic move on President Trump’s part, which is unprecedented.

(6:15) Here you have the president of the United States with full authority vested in him to

(6:20) come in and help those who cannot help themselves.

(6:24) And he’s laying back low and waiting for the citizens, some 70-plus million people voted

(6:32) for him.

(6:32) Some of those citizens are now stepping up and saying, hey, who did I vote for locally?

(6:38) Who’s the mayor I elected?

(6:41) Who is the councilman and councilwoman that we elected?

(6:45) I think this is proof, Bianca, that I think the president’s going to come in.

(6:53) And I think Chicago’s not only the next stop, but not the last stop either to remedy this

(6:59) dysfunction nationwide.

(7:00) And he’s doing so with the mandate of the people, not the Democrat deep state operatives

(7:08) that don’t care what their constituents think.

(7:12) That’s what I think is masterful about Donald Trump’s approach here.

(7:17) Certainly.

(7:18) And people who live in Chicago know that there’s a budget shortfall.

(7:23) And by the end of this fiscal year, they will have spent $250 billion on illegals.

(7:28) So they know the priorities that have not been keeping people safe on their streets.

(7:33) Guys, the story that is percolating today, I want to—speaking of mayors, New York City

(7:37) Mayor Eric Adams is saying that reports that surfaced today of a possible job with the

(7:43) Trump administration are, quote, hypothetical.

(7:46) We obviously know there’s a big race happening there.

(7:49) New York Times reported that advisers to Trump discussed giving Adams a position in the administration

(7:53) to clear the field for Andrew Cuomo to challenge Zoran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race.

(7:59) Adams’ campaign says there was not a discussion.

(8:01) But Mark, it could be an interesting way to clear the field, and there is a lot of concern

(8:07) about Mamdani if he was to win in New York City.

(8:12) No, you’re absolutely right.

(8:13) And obviously, none of us are privy to those specific conversations, but I’m almost certain

(8:18) that there are conversations about we need to clear the field and find the strongest candidate.

(8:23) I believe Mayor Adams is polling dead last.

(8:26) He’s got, last numbers, a 70 percent disapproval rating, which is very, very high.

(8:31) So the strategy is clear the field and let the strongest candidate run against Mamdani.

(8:37) Otherwise, New York’s going to fall apart.

(8:39) It’s going to look like another Chicago.

(8:41) I mean, I think today Mamdani proposed a $30 minimum wage.

(8:46) He wants to defund the police.

(8:48) There’s got to be a strategy to figure out who can go head to head with him and beat him,

(8:52) because New York is going to fall apart and look a lot like Chicago.

(8:55) Yeah.

(8:55) Well, we’ll see where it goes, obviously.

(8:57) It might be early on their talks, and they don’t want to let the cat out of the bag.

(9:01) We are talking about an update on Rudy Giuliani, America’s mayor, but New York City’s mayor,

(9:05) who obviously has such an amazing legacy, injured in that car accident in New Hampshire.

(9:11) I just want to play a little bit, because he did a live stream, and he was even being

(9:16) lighthearted because he did fracture his spine.

(9:18) He’s wearing this brace.

(9:19) Here’s Rudy and his sidekick there, and spokesperson Ted Goodman.

(9:25) We’re out.

(9:26) We’re doing our show, and God was very, very good to us.

(9:30) He looked after us, and he made sure that everything worked out okay, okay, and we did

(9:36) the right thing so we can feel good about ourselves, and we can be an example for other

(9:40) people of what they should do, which is what Jesus wants you to do.

(9:44) It’s amazing to hear that, you know, the faith there.

(9:47) Giuliani, obviously, was amazing with crime, 9-11, the leadership there.

(9:52) President Trump will give him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian

(9:55) honor.

(9:56) You look at a man like that, Gene, and now you look at Mandami, I mean, how this country,

(10:00) especially New York City, has gone in a very different trajectory, and many say for the

(10:05) demise, potentially, of the people who live there.

(10:08) High taxes, high crime.

(10:10) Giuliani really was such a different, powerful figure here, and is fortunately going to be

(10:15) okay.

(10:16) We are so happy to report that.

(10:17) So glad to hear he’s going to be okay.

(10:21) But I must say, Bianca, sometimes things need to get worse before they get better.

(10:26) I hope New York wakes up and sees that they’re about to make a big mistake.

(10:31) I mentioned to you some time ago that I believe the next mayor of New York would be Curtis

(10:36) Sleewall.

(10:37) I now, as the field clears, I do believe it more so if President Trump does what he’s

(10:43) done for others, then step up and give a resounding endorsement to Curtis Sleewall.

(10:48) The timing is approaching, and frankly, the Democrat Jews, some four to five million

(10:54) of them registered to vote, could be instrumental in realizing how important this vote will

(11:02) be,

(11:03) But Rudy Giuliani has worked with all sides of the fence, I think, through thick and thin.

(11:08) I think a lot of people have a lot to learn from Rudy.

(11:12) He’s a true patriot.

(11:14) He is, and even bringing down the mob, I mean, what he did there in New York.

(11:19) Also final thoughts, I have about 20 seconds, Mark, but a mayor is so crucial to sort of

(11:24) a culture of a city.

(11:25) We thought it couldn’t get worse after Lightfoot, but it seems like Brandon Johnson has done

(11:30) no good service for the folks there.

(11:32) Final thoughts?

(11:34) Yeah, he has a 6% approval rating.

(11:36) It’s been reported that he’s been hospitalized over a dozen times for panic attacks.

(11:40) He’s ill-suited for the mayorship.

(11:42) He blames Richard Nixon and Donald Trump for Chicago’s crime crisis.

(11:46) Residents are finally waking up, and we will see the National Guard in Chicago.

(11:51) Mark Vargas, Gene Valentino, I hope you guys come back soon.

(11:53) Thank you so much.

(11:54) Good conversation today on those big, fast-moving stories.

(11:58) Thank you.

(11:58) Thank you.

(11:59) Thank you both.

(12:00) All right, still ahead, we’ll talk a little bit more about Zoran Manzano.

(12:03) The one we’re featuring this week is Luis Sanchez from The Cigar Shop.
(12:07) He owns a company called La Tradicion Cubana.

(12:11) The Cigar Shop, Miami, Florida, since 1995.

(12:15) This Luis is really one heck of a guy.

(12:18) He’s determined to manufacture cigars based on an unprecedented excellence in quality

(12:26) using old-fashioned Cuban methods.

(12:29) You can get this to become part of your branding experiment.

(12:32) I’m using this with my guests on the Grassroots Truthcasts.

(12:36) This could be your brand on your product, your service, anywhere in the world.

(12:41) Look for Luis Sanchez at thecubanshop.com.