The Dan Bongino Show
The Dan Bongino Show

This Explains Everything

September 9, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

This Explains Everything — The Dan Bongino Show

The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is the emotional and argumentative spine of this episode. Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who worked near the World Trade Center that day, uses his own memory of the attack — driving into Manhattan afterward and seeing "a big empty hole in the skyline" where the towers had been — to frame a broader argument about presidential decision-making, national security, and what he sees as the stakes of the current political moment.

The 9/11 framework and presidential action

Bongino's central claim is that President Trump's national security decisions, particularly regarding Iran, are directly shaped by his experience witnessing the aftermath of 9/11. Bongino plays a clip of Trump at Ground Zero in 2001, where he described seeing "bodies all over" and called the scene "a very depressing situation." The argument is that this experience created a resolve that Bongino believes is absent in other presidents.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:10) **25 Years Since 9/11: A Personal and National Scar** - Dan Bongino opens the show reflecting on how 9/11 remains a defining, traumatic event, tying it to the murder of Charlie Kirk and the anniversary ceremonies.
  • 2 (05:53) **The Failure to Act vs. Trump's Level 10 Decisions** - Dan argues history will harshly judge presidents like Bill Clinton for inaction, while President Trump, scarred by 9/11, makes tough national security calls.
  • 3 (10:59) **Trump at Ground Zero: The Bedrock of His National Security Policy** - A clip from 2001 shows a pre-presidency Donald Trump describing the "very depressing scene" of the rubble, the bodies, and the hope of finding survivors.
  • 4 (14:48) **Trump's Sacred Vow vs. the Critics** - Dan plays Trump's 9/11 anniversary vow ("We will never forget") and then directly confronts critics of Trump's actions against Iran's nuclear program.
  • 5 (18:29) **The Iran Decision: What Was Actually Achieved** - Richard Goldberg explains to Will Chamberlain the tangible results of Trump's strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
  • 6 (23:10) **America First in Venezuela: Oil vs. Adversaries** - Dan plays a clip of Marco Rubio explaining the strategic benefit of the U.S. taking control of Venezuelan oil fields from China, Russia, and Iran.
  • 7 (26:09) **The Anti-Anti-Communist Framework** - Dan introduces the concept of the "anti-anti-communist" to explain the left's seemingly contradictory alliances with regimes like Iran.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Show Notes

In this episode, I remember the traumatic 9/11 terrorist attacks and how they shaped President Trump and his present policies.


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As Social Security fund runs dry, some Republicans say it’s time to raise taxes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/09/08/social-security-fund-runs-dry-some-republicans-say-its-time-raise-taxes/


Socialism and the Dumbest Generation

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/socialism-and-the-dumbest-generation-687024bf


Federal Workforce Down 11.2% Since Trump Took Office

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2026/09/04/federal-workforce-down-11-2-since-trump-took-office/


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