Well Said

Welcome to the third season of Well Said! We start this season off with a conversation about how young conservative women face unique challenges on college campuses. Karin Lips recently published the book: "You're Not Alone: The Conservative Woman's Guide to College". Join Cherise and Karin as they discuss the choices conservative students need to think through if they want to maximize their college experience. 

Join Cherise as we look back on some of our best moments from Well Said in 2023.

After October 7th there has been widespread disappointment in the way universities have chosen to respond to Hamas's horrific attacks on innocent Israeli civilians as well as the mounting evidence that anti-Semitism that has been festering on campuses for years is reaching a breaking point. From alumni, major donors, prospective employers, and the general public, universities are being called out for their inability to take a strong stance against terrorism as well as the killing of innocent Israelis. All of this combined has brought up many legal questions regarding free speech, hostile environments, harassment, political retaliation, equal protection, and discrimination. Cherise is joined by Professor David E. Bernstein of George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School to discuss these legal questions as well as tease out areas that still lack clarity.

Cherise invites Jennifer Richmond, the Co-founder and director of the Institute for Liberal Values and Author of “Letters in Black & White: A New Correspondence on Race in America,” to join her in discussing some of the major barriers to debate and political discussion we are seeing on campuses and in our society today. 

Cherise is joined by David L. Bernstein to discuss ever-relevant concepts outlined in his book “Woke Antisemitism: How Progressive Ideology Harms Jews.” As we have seen the horrific acts by Hamas on the people of Israel and we brace ourselves for what could be one of the bloodiest wars in the region, Americans have taken notice of the reactions of our universities and our college students who in some cases are actually defending the actions of Hamas and continue to advocate for more. David and Cherise will discuss the connections between far-left radical ideology, Marxist ideology, and the anti-Semitism we are seeing on college campuses today, as well as why higher education is at the center of these political agendas. 

Join Cherise as she sits down with Stevie Giorno, a recent grad from Belmont University while he discusses the roller coaster of events that took place after he posted a "Happy Fourth of July" message on social media the summer of 2020. Stevie details his experiences with death threats, viewpoint discrimination, and standing firm for his convictions. Stevie's actions inspired his peers, their parents, and many others at the university who were all too afraid to speak up for the American idea and speak out against the far-left radicals on campus. We hope Stevie's story told in this episode and in the recent book "Outcast: How the Radical Left Tried to Destroy a Young Conservative" will inspire more students to stand firm in the face of tyranny.

Cherise Trump sits down with Paula Scanlan, a recent graduate from the University of Pennsylvania who competed on U-Penn's swim team. Paula is most recently known for speaking out against biological men participating in women's sports. Inspired by fellow female athletes, Paula broke her silence in June 2023 on her experience as a teammate of Lia Thomas, formerly Will Thomas, and the efforts of her college's administration and student body to silence her and suppress her right to free speech. Cherise and Paula discuss the attempts made to silence and intimidate her as well as how she hopes to inspire females, especially athletes, to come forward, share their stories, and join her in making change to protect women everywhere.

As we approach the new school year, join Cherise as she interviews students who stood up for their beliefs and spoke out despite the consequences. It takes tremendous courage to push back when your institution attempts to censor or coerce you and we are sorely lacking current day examples of what this can look like. Hopefully these stories will inspire other students to speak out and defend their right to express their ideas. In the first episode of this series, Cherise interviews @Brandubh4 who is a 14 year old student in Ireland. Brandubh recently spoke out at a women's rally pushing back on the popular notion that gender is fluid which has made what it means to be a woman obsolete. Brandubh showed great strength and courage writing and reading aloud her poem, "I am not a Dress", challenging the dogmatic thinking of the far-left. Social: 

Join Cherise and Lathan Watts from Alliance for Defending Freedom as they discuss a huge win in the U.S. Supreme Court last month in the case 303 Creative v. Elenis. Many of you know that June was a big month in the U.S. Supreme Court for higher education and free speech. With Biden's unconstitutional tactic to buy votes by forgiving student loan debt without the approval of congress, or the Court finally calling out affirmative action practices in the universities for being down-right discriminatory. There was another great win for free speech and a big loss for government compelled speech. Here in America, an individual's right to free speech is just as protected by the First Amendment as is their right not to espouse ideas or be forced to speak things they do not believe. Cherise and Lathan delve into the bigger questions this case answers and has brought to the forefront of policy discussions regarding protected speech.

Cherise sits down with Dr. Aaron Kheriaty to discuss his experiences with censorship in the medical field as well as during his career in academia. They then dive into a discussion regarding the well-established DEI apparatchik that has enforced various forms of censorship and coercion on students, faculty, as well as citizens around the country. This insidious leviathan of administrators, bureaucrats, programs and systems, and spread across various institutions, has created what is known as the  "censorship industrial complex", and it is continuing to grow.

Join Cherise and her guest, founder of Legal Insurrection, William Jacobson as they discuss the how concepts like Critical Race Theory have taken over our educational institutions and are now being put into practice under the guise of "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" efforts. William discusses the work he has done with Legal Insurrection to expose and track the normalization of these insidious political agendas and how they are eroding the very meaning of higher education.

Join Cherise as she sits down with Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who escaped the authoritarian state when she was fourteen years old. Her journey from North Korea, through China, to South Korea, and eventually to the United States was a perilous one that you can read about in her earlier book "In Order to Live." With the memories of the regime she grew up under in North Korea still on her mind, Yeonmi Park has taken note of some of the eerily similar behaviors she has seen in the United States both on college campus and off. Her time at Columbia University encouraged her to write her most recent book "While Time Remains," where Yeonmi delivers a warning for Americans by highlighting the dangerous hypocrisies, mob tactics, groupthink, and anti-free speech sentiments in the name of social justice. 

Join Cherise as she discusses the appreciation of free speech with Jorge Andres Galicia. Jorge is a Venezuelan dissident who has been fighting since college to oppose the corrupt socialist regime currently led by Nicholas Maduro. Hear Jorge's story and his warnings to Americans not to stop fighting to protect our most fundamental rights such as free speech. Jorge knows first hand what happens to a country where these freedoms are taken for granted.

Today's guests are two Stanford University undergraduate students, Josiah Joner and Walker Stewart, who shed light on the coercion, censorship, declining standards, and wavering administrators at what is supposed to be one of the most elite academic institutions in the world. Walker and Josiah explain what happened in March where Stanford Law School students, supported by administrators and the Dean of DEI shouted down and ridiculed a sitting Circuit Judge who was invited to speak. They also dive into whether this was an inevitable result of the way Stanford has managed its DEI initiatives on campus and concerns for the future. 

Join Cherise and Lathan Watts of the Alliance for Defending Freedom as they discuss how legal action is one of the last lines of defense for our civil liberties. They will touch on some of the recent issues we've seen with law school shout-downs, the DOJ's prejudices against conservatives, and how legal questions regarding free speech often intersect with religious liberty.

Cherise takes the time to provide information on the background, history, and intent of the infamous Title IX law that we frequently hear about, but never fully understand. As she demystifies Title IX, she also explains an often overlooked concern regarding our right to speech and how this right will be completely undermined with the newly proposed rule changes coming down the pike.

Cherise sits down with Dr. Matthew Wielicki to discuss his experiences as a professor at the University of Alabama as well as a geoscientist in the academy. Dr. Wielicki describes the challenges one faces when they resist or dissent from the woke dogma that was increasingly being forced upon all professionals in the field. Students and faculty are being told to prioritize DEI mandates over scientific research putting progress and education in STEM fields in jeopardy.

Cherise kicks off the new year with Ben Weingarten, an investigative reporter who has interviewed and written about many of the silenced members within the academy. They discuss how DEI is being promulgated throughout students' education as well as the special role business schools are playing in pushing DEI and ESG initiatives.

As we wrap up 2022, enjoy the top moments from Well Said during the past year! We look forward to what 2023 has in store and can't wait for you to be there with us!

Join Cherise as she sits down with Jessica Costescu and Kyle Clare, two college students who share their experiences as conservatives on campus. You'll hear Jessica and Kyle discuss freedom of speech and their first-hand exposure to political harassment, self-censorship, and even violence that is taking place at their universities.

Welcome to Season 2 of Well Said! We are starting this season off with a recap of what's been happening on college campuses this fall semester. Jennifer and Cherise discuss the current trends and concerns with campus culture and the ultimate effects this will all have on students' futures.

Join Cherise as she sits down with Matthew Foldi to understand his education in journalism and the concerns he has with future generations as they enter the field of journalism that has increasingly incentivized expediency, quantity, and social media retweets over integrity, untold stories, and quality research.

Join Cherise and her guest, Tony Kinnett of Chalkboard Review as they explore the true purpose of education, what it should look like, and how this compares to the current environments on university and k-12 campuses. They will discuss the current trends of student indoctrination into the woke political agenda and delve into the deeper questions of why teachers and professors are willing to play these roles, understanding the greater strategy at play, and why students are conforming faster than ever before.

Join Cherise Trump as she brings back Hans von Spakovsky from the Heritage Foundation to discuss his recent article exposing a corrupt political actor, Pamela Karlan. Pamela has been able to manipulate the judicial system while collecting millions of dollars from Stanford University and its donors. Cherise and Hans break down the ways universities insulate themselves from financial and legal challenges while avoiding calls for transparency. It is high time the public holds them accountable and demands corrupt politicians like Pamela are no longer able to fly under the radar.

Join Cherise Trump and she discusses the experiences of recent University of Virginia graduate, Emma Camp. Emma spent her years on campus speaking out about the importance of free speech and was able to write what came to be a controversial op-ed in the New York Times about her concerns for the future of America's universities in light of the hostile reactions to speech she witnessed on her campus. They will discuss the growing trend of shutting down speech rather than engaging in debate and why students and administrators find this tactic so appealing.

Join Cherise and Jonathan Berry as they discuss the original goals of the separation of powers and America's culture centered around the rule of law. They will dive into some of the deepest concerns regarding the public's expectations for judicial activism that is only encouraged by our most prestigious educational institutions.

Join Cherise Trump as she brings back Dr. Jay P. Greene, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation who recently published a report "Inclusion Delusion: The Antisemitism of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Staff at Universities". Cherise and Jay dig into the differences between anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments as well as the foggy lenses university administrators see this issue through and the effects this has on the campus environment.

Join Cherise and her guest Andrew Greene, Founder and President of Students for America, a non-profit that works to connect young conservatives who major in education, medicine, business, or computer science. Cherise and Andrew discuss the importance of conservative students in these disciplines to have networks they can lean on and utilize while in school and throughout their careers.

Speech First recently released a report looking at bias reporting on college campuses "Free Speech in the Crosshairs" where we found 56% of universities solicit anonymous reports from students on one another for incidents of "bias" or other forms of speech and expression. We found that many universities define "bias" as political affiliations, or simply expressing ideas or opinions that others may find offensive...These insidious policies are found at universities across the country and are laying the groundwork for a world of peer-enforced censorship similar to the likes of what we saw in East Germany. Join Speech First's Cherise Trump and Ken Pope from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation as they delve into the implications of a society that accepts and implements policies like "Bias Reporting."

In light of recent free speech incidents at Georgetown Law and Yale Law, the Washington Examiner calls law schools “the new front lines in the free speech wars”. It begs the questions, what is being taught and what lessons are law students coming away with? Join Cherise Trump and her guest, Luke Bunting, a 3L student at Georgetown Law as they discuss what is really going on in law schools across the country.

The recent nomination and confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson once again put America's judicial system at the forefront of political conversation. But we often forget to use these moments as opportunities to review the history and purpose behind Article III of the US Constitution, the rule of law in America, and the role judicial power plays in our government. Cherise Trump is joined by Adam White, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute to discuss the sustainability of our judicial system in America, how this relates to increasing trends of judicial activism over judicial neutrality, and whether politics will ever, or should ever stay out of the courts.

Cherise has brought back Dakota Wood to discuss how America's overall political culture and rejection of its founding principles has put us in a vulnerable position with regards to our enemies and competitors on the international stage. They take a look at the future generation of leaders and discuss how certain trends we are seeing today on college campuses will translate into a type of decision making that will change the course of the country for better or for worse.

Russia's recent censorship of its independent media outlets and of social media platforms reminds us once again, how fragile the institutions of information can be. Especially when it comes to challenging the authority of the state or the big tech oligarchs. Join Cherise Trump and her guest John Bachman, host of The John Bachman Now show on Newsmax, as they discuss the world of news media, how it has changed over time, the various influences that lead to the manipulation of information and concerns about censorship in the U.S.

Join Cherise and Justine as they discuss the world of pageantry and its changes over time that were affected by the feminist movement and the rejection of transcendent beauty and feminity. They will also discuss pageantry's unique ability to empower women and use it as a platform to advocate for free speech.

Join Speech First's Cherise Trump and Ken Pope from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation as they compare the eerie similarities of today's restrictions on speech to the way of life under totalitarian and communist regimes. It is important to not only remember these terrible times in human history, but to make sure we don't forget why they were so terrible. Surveillance states, neighbors informing on one another, censorship and manipulation of information, art, and science... We often bemoan about how we have entered the times of Orwell and Huxley but these are references to fictions based on very cruel realities. So join Ken and Cherise as they break it all down and explain why the censorship and cancel-culture of today could very well lead us down a dark path that humanity is no stranger to.

Join Curis Houck and Cherise Trump as they discuss the sad attempts of the left to censor Joe Rogan and other voices who are willing to dissent and challenge mainstream ideas or present alternate viewpoints. The recent incident with Rogan's podcast on Spotify once again puts concerns of censorship and the role of technology platforms at the center of free speech conversations.

The College Fix recently launched a Cancel Culture Database which is an initiative to track cancellations on college campuses across the nation. Cherise and The Fix's Editor-in-Chief, Jennifer Kabbany, will dive into some of the trends discovered with the database as well as discuss the importance of tracking these incidents in a time where it is all too easy to forget. Cancel culture on college campuses have had some seriously damaging effects as it seeps into society and infects every walk of life. And with the level of self-censorship taking place amongst students and professors, who will be willing to stand up to the woke mob's attempts to implement their political agenda on university campuses?

Join Cherise as she and Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) discuss the disconcerting role universities play in our current culture war and how universities are becoming training grounds for far-left progressivism. It is becoming increasingly clear that what happens on campus does not stay on campus. Students are taking these toxic environments and are reproducing them in their places of work and their communities putting universities right at the frontline of the culture war.

Cherise Trump interviews Wichita State University Student, Olivia Gallegos on her recent trials and tribulations as a conservative leader on campus. They discuss the tyrannical behavior of Olivia's fellow students, as well as students across the country, and how this behavior is bolstered by the disconcerting knowledge gap within the student population when it comes to our country's fundamental principles and basic laws.

Join Cherise Trump as she and Michael Pack discuss the filmmaking industry's cancel culture driven by a desire to censor and manipulate history. In addition to delving into the cancellation of Pack's most recent documentary "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words”, they also discuss why there seems to be so few conservative voices in film and television and what steps need to be taken to address this issue.

According to Pew Research Center, Generation Z is anyone born between 1997 and 2012, this makes the youngest Zoomer 9 and the oldest 24. What has Gen Z witnessed and how has this shaped their perspectives? President Ronald Reagan is often quoted, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction…” We always like to blame the most recent generation for ruining the country, and Millenials have reaped much of the blame for the state of the country today. But we often forget to look forward to how the generation after ours is struggling with similar or new issues and what potential they may have to bring us back from this brink of extinction. Join Cherise Trump and Rikki Schlott as they take a look at the political and cultural trends, as well as the potential in the next generation of leaders.

Join Cherise Trump and Josh Holdenried as they discuss religious liberty, how it relates to such concepts of free speech, and how it is under threat today. We have seen recent trends in the left's attempts to remove faith and religion from political discourse by using forms of censorship. However, religious liberty is fundamental to who we are as Americans as it has informed and shaped most of our politics and our laws. There seems to also be a misinterpretation regarding the separation of church and state to the extent where many refuse to acknowledge the connections of religion and our politics which inevitably affect the state. Religion plays a part whether we like it or not. And today, for many, politics has become their religion. This has led many down a different path of not only trying to keep religion out of politics, but to redefine it all together.

As we approach the 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, join Cherise Trump as she sits down with Dakota Wood, a US Marine veteran of 20 years and current defense policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. They discuss the state of our military culture today, how it has changed overtime, and the ideologically charged, social justice phenomenon that is taking hold of our national security apparatus as a whole.

College campuses are spending more and more money on diversity, equity, and inclusion, (DEI), efforts and in many cases, prioritizing diversity programs over all else. What are the origin of these ideas behind identity politics and Critical Race Theory? What is the ultimate goal of these programs? Do DEI efforts actually create a better learning environment on campus or do they accomplish the opposite? Join Cherise Trump and she discusses these topics and more with Dr. Jay Greene of the Heritage Foundation and Arthur Milikh of the Claremont Institute.

We have seen a disturbing trend of compelled support and viewpoint discrimination on college campuses at the hands of groups like the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel (BDS). They take advantage of the campus environment-- an environment of impressionable young minds which are ripe for protests, activism, and the far-left agenda—And yet there seems to be a fear around discussing anti-Semitism in the public forum. Once again, our speech is being chilled and our thoughts are being manipulated because of the left's ability to pressure society into categorizing anti-Semitic sentiment as a ‘political viewpoint' via the cloak of anti-Israel and anti-Zionism. The world has a long history of this, and some very recent memories in fact; yet the parallels are ignored due to the one thing that has always allowed despots to prevail—complacency. A form of denial and inaction we are all too familiar with. Join Cherise Trump with Speech First and Erielle Davidson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, (JINSA), as they answer the question: what makes college campuses and the far left movement as a whole, ripe for anti-Semitic sentiment?

Cherise and Professor Robby George discuss the history of academic freedom and what its status is today on college campuses. Universities are meant to be truth-seeking institutions that allow for the exploration of ideas through the encouragement of intellectual curiosity. But we have continually seen professors and university staff get fired for not bowing down to the woke mob and for challenging their students to think outside of the box that is far-left progressivism. Courage is not just lacking on the side of the students who are now self-censoring more than ever, it is lacking in the faculty as well. With the prevailing bias on university campuses, will academic freedom ever truly exist?

Why does it seem the world of communication is coming down on free speech? At first social media and big tech companies like Google and Apple created a world of information flow, broad spanning communication capabilities, and expediency. The demand and the capabilities grew so quickly, we never really took the time to step back and assess whether it is truly a good thing. The immediate results are very clearly 'good'. However, there is a subtleness to the downsides that seems to have snuck up on us over time. These downsides bring us to a point where we are now debating issues that we thought had been mostly settled in America. How much freedom are we actually willing to give up? Join Cherise Trump and Rachel Bovard as they break down the complex issue of Big Tech, social media censorship, and free speech.

Join Cherise and Dr. Matthew Spalding as they explore the question of whether America has a culture, what it looks like, and how it is under attack. This is a special Independence Day episode that examines the connections of American political culture to our historic vision and explains how this is different from any other country in the world.

Recently, the British Parliament introduced an Act called The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill. This bill will impose requirements for universities and students' unions to protect freedom of speech on university campuses and face financial consequences when they violate students' free speech. Cherise and her guest Calvin Robinson, a political commentator, and education policy expert, discuss the doors a law like this will open in the UK as well as what critics are saying regarding government overreach. Additionally, they will discuss the UK's history of free speech and censorship, how universities are at the core of 'cancel culture', as well as what the US can learn from the UK's new policies and how we should be thinking about regulations such as these.

Join Cherise Trump as she dives into the history of the First Amendment with Heritage Foundation Legal Fellow, Hans von Spakovsky. Cherise and Hans discuss the foundational ideas behind free speech and expression as well as the legal questions that often arise around these issues. Furthermore, they analyze the future implications conflicts around free speech have on today's college campuses as well as the future of American culture and leadership.