meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
What the Hell Is Going On

WTH Is Christian Zionism? Ralph Reed Has the Gospel.

What the Hell Is Going On

AEI Podcasts

News, Government, Politics, History

4.4633 Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2026

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The so-called “pro-Israel lobby” in Washington, D.C., has long been a target for antisemites and for fringe voices on both sides of the aisle. Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, support for Israel in the United States is not a predominantly Jewish cause. Once a Democratic hallmark, its strongest base today is Evangelical Christians, whose theology and values profoundly shape their political advocacy for the Jewish people and their homeland. Yet antisemitism and hostility toward Israel persist, with October 7th exposing eroded support across the political spectrum. What ideology drives these attitudes? How can the generational divide over Israel be bridged? And what do these trends reveal about America’s values?

Ralph Reed is the founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition and is the chairman and CEO of Century Strategies, a public relations and public affairs firm. Prior to founding the Faith & Freedom Coalition, Ralph served as Executive Director of the Christian Coalition where he built one of the most effective public policy organizations. Reed also served as a senior advisor to the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney presidential campaigns and was chairman of the Southeast Region for Bush-Cheney 2004. As chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, he helped elect the first Republican Governor and third U.S. Senator since Reconstruction. Reed has worked on seven presidential campaigns and has advised 88 campaigns for U.S. Senate, Governor, and Congress across 24 states. He is the best-selling author and editor of seven books, including his latest novel, Awakening.

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This podcast is brought to you by the American Enterprise Institute.

0:03.1

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, rate, review, and share.

0:07.1

Thanks for listening. Here's our show.

0:08.7

What the hell is going on?

0:10.5

What's really going on?

0:12.0

We said, what the hell happened?

0:13.5

You don't have to know what the hell is on it.

0:15.6

They see what's going on.

0:16.7

I don't know what's going on.

0:18.0

What is going on?

0:20.0

We must find out what's going on. What is going on? We must find out what is going on.

0:26.9

Hi, I'm Danielle Pletka.

0:32.9

And I'm Mark Tiesin.

0:34.0

Welcome to our podcast.

0:35.4

What the hell is going on?

0:37.2

Mark, what the hell is going on?

0:39.2

We're talking about support for Israel and the conservative movement. And, you know, we just had a,

0:44.9

the Reagan Institute poll just came out. We just had Roger Zackheim on the, on the podcast.

0:49.2

And one of the things we learned from the Reagan Institute poll is that the strongest supporters of the

0:56.5

state of Israel and supporting Israel and arming Israel and helping it to defend itself and also

1:02.3

taking on the Iranian nuclear program are mega-Republicans, more so than Democrats, more so than

1:07.5

independence, and more so even than establishment Republicans.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from AEI Podcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of AEI Podcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.