Friday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Richard Porter joins Carl Cannon, Tom Bevan, and Andrew Walworth to discuss major speeches yesterday from President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and how the withdrawal of Graham Platner and the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham are impacting Senate contests in Maine and South Carolina. Plus, reactions to a NY Post story revealing a sex scandal involving Sen. Ruben Gallego, the huge Canadian wildfires blanketing the Eastern U.S. in smoke, and the weekly “You Cannot Not Be Serious?!” roundup of goofy headlines. Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.

00:00 – Opening: Downplaying Trump’s Speech? Richard Porter joins Walworth, Cannon, and Bevan to discuss the president’s speech last night, warning that China and the “deep state” are committing election fraud. Watch: Trump Says “Deep State” Covered Up Chinese Interference in 2020 Election “He has proved there are vulnerabilities, and they need to be addressed,” Porter said about Trump’s concerns. “He’s not the person who can lead this conversation anymore… He needs to get past this,” Cannon said. “You’re president, sir. We have a stagnant economy; there’s a war. Maybe you should address those problems.” *** 14:21 – Rubio’s Takedown of Communism The panel praises Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech arguing that communism is an inherently destructive ideology, not merely a well-intentioned theory that fails in practice, and political violence from the left is a growing problem. Watch: Marco Rubio: Radical Left Terrorism Is a Revolt Against Civilization, God, And Beauty “I thought it was one of the best speeches Rubio has given — and he’s given a lot of them,” Bevan said. Walworth adds: “Communism inevitably leads to violence because you put all this power in the state.” *** 21:27 – Are Dems Missing Graham Platner? The group reacts to Maine Democrats hosting a debate for the rush primary to find a replacement for Senate candidate Graham Platner, finding the eight-candidate field largely unimpressive. Democrats have until July 27 to pick someone. Watch: Full Video: Maine Democrats Host Forum For Candidates To Replace Graham Platner “It was obvious why they split this into two parts, but the first four weren’t really much better,” Bevan said. “I don’t want to be demeaning toward them, but they weren’t serious candidates… It was all about Trump! Platner would at least talk about some other things.” *** 28:11 – Replacing Lindsey Graham An early Emerson College poll shows a wide-open Republican primary to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, with Ralph Norman narrowly leading a largely undecided vote. The panel says this is “a real opportunity for Trump to pick the next senator from South Carolina.” Emerson College Polling: South Carolina 2026 Poll: No Clear Leader to Replace Late Sen. Graham on Ballot: South Carolina 2026 Poll: No Clear Leader to Replace Late Sen. Graham on Ballot “This race is wide open,” Bevan said. “You’ve got six candidates within 10 points, and at least one in five voters undecided, with less than a month to go.” “Nancy Mace could make the runoff!” Cannon noted. *** 31:44 – NYP Piece on Gallego The panel discusses a New York Post report alleging that, after his divorce, Sen. Ruben Gallego had two consensual relationships with staffers from other congressional offices. Although such relationships may not violate congressional rules, the practice still raises ethical and political concerns. “I would add that he was divorced from his first wife 10 days before she gave birth,” Walworth said. New York Post: Swalwell Pal Sen. Ruben Gallego Had Sexual Relationships With Two House Staffers “There are certain things nobody ever thinks to ban because they think no decent person would do them,” Cannon said. “When the power imbalance is so great, there’s a presumption that there’s pressure. It’s classic sexual harassment.” *** 36:33 – Should We Sanction Canada? The group responds to lawmakers who are suggesting imposing sanctions on Canada over the wildfires blanketing the Northeastern U.S. in smoke this week, and those who say the real problem is climate change. They reject both reactions as political grandstanding and emphasize the complex long-term failure in forest management practices. “I give them another 24 hours, and then we’re going to have to invade and put these fires out ourselves,” Bevan joked. “It felt like you were five feet away from a bonfire, just inhaling the smoke.” *** 41:31 – “You Cannot Be Serious?!” The episode ends with RCP’s weekly You Cannot Be Serious roundup of absurd headlines.