Aloha in the Dark: Tulsi Gabbard on Grief, Faith & Resolve

Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain

Citizen Cain Productions

News, News Commentary, Society & Culture

3.9 • 692 Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this unguarded episode of Citizen McCain, Meghan and Miranda process the assassination of Charlie Kirk and what it means for the country and the culture. They’re joined by U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for a candid conversation about grief, faith, and why choosing strength and love over hate is not weakness but resolve. Journalist Salena Zito adds on-the-ground perspective about media blind spots, public safety, and how leaders, and everyday Americans, should think about security without surrendering open debate. Listener call-ins push the discussion further: mental health and accountability, the future of campus events and “open-air” conversations, and how to keep civic dialogue accessible and safe. It’s a heavy episode... honest, questioning, and determined to find a way forward. Note: This episode contains discussion of political violence and may be difficult for some listeners.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Megan McCain has entered the chat.
0:07.0	Megan McCain has entered the chat. Good morning and welcome to Citizen McCain. This is a little bit of an early show. I don't think you hear that train honking outside. I apologize. There's a little bit of an early show. I don't think you can hear that train honking outside. I apologize.
0:38.3	There's a little bit of an early show. This, I have had the luxury and the dread of having more time to process the horrific, brutal slaughter assassination of our friend Charlie Kirk. I am almost grateful that I didn't have my show
0:57.3	the next day or the next morning because, quite frankly, I like so many other people have been
1:02.2	in deep grief and confusion and trying to sort through what this means not only for
1:07.9	conservatives, but for the United States of America at large.
1:12.1	We are at a time of extreme violence that has switched to political violence,
1:16.7	which is not something we've seen since the 1960s.
1:20.3	When I am in times of crisis, of fear, of questioning my reality, I always lean on my friends and loved ones. And
1:32.0	one of my dearest friends just happens to me one of the most powerful women in America.
1:37.6	Her name is Tulsi Gabbard and she's currently the director of the National Intelligence Agency.
1:42.9	She's also a dear friend of Charlie Kirk. I don't believe
1:46.1	she's quite on yet, right? She just needs one minute. She'll be right here. But I think we should
1:51.1	show some photos really quickly of actually, yeah, we have some photos of Tulsi and Charlie. Tulsi
1:57.2	was often on the road with him and went to college campuses with him.
2:01.6	I specifically remember one time when she went to U of A and there was a massive turnout for both of them.
2:06.9	So you can see her sitting in outdoor tents, much like he did to have a conversation with people that disagreed with them on college campuses.
2:14.6	There's them at Turning Point. Is she here?
2:21.5	And had been on the road with him and known him personally many times.
2:25.3	Tulsi, thank you for taking time to come on my little show this morning.
2:27.4	I love you.
2:37.5	And I was just saying I like so many tens, if not hundreds of millions of Americans, as having a really hard time processing all of this.
	...

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