💬 The real reason Dan Bongino is leaving the FBI? And Patricia Heaton in studio

Dan Bongino set to leave FBI, Patricia Heaton in studio for a sit-down interview, and my favorite Hanukkah gift ever

We did the last live episode of The Rubin Report on Thursday, finishing up a busy week and an epic year. I made a whirlwind trip to D.C. for the White House Hanukkah party (more on that below), but first wanted to weigh in on the news that Dan Bongino will be leaving his post as deputy director of the FBI next month.

I’ve known Dan a long time, both on and off-camera, and I can tell you that there are few straighter shooters in this world than Dan Bongino. I know he took a lot of heat in his year at the FBI — much of it from Republicans. But you’ve got to trust that he was there to right a ship that had gone way off course.

We talked by phone just one time while he was deputy director there, and at the time, he told me that he couldn't share a lot of what was happening behind the scenes, but said they were cleaning things up here, getting the FBI on course. Not the type of stuff that drives headlines, but necessary work after the corrupt Biden administration. And if you know anything about Dan’s background, you know there’s no one better than him to clean things up. Looking forward to hearing about what he can share once he returns to doing his radio show and podcast sometime next year.

I’m sure we’ll see all sorts of mainstream media hit pieces about why Dan is leaving the FBI. But the real reason couldn’t be any more simple. As Trump put it, he wants to get back to doing his show. The guy misses doing the show and being a voice for the American people. And that’s it. And it was great to have him in the FBI — it will also be great to have him back on Rumble doing a show on a regular basis.

If you didn’t catch Ben Shapiro’s speech Thursday night at Turning Point USA’s annual conference, you should check it out. Or at least look at this short clip from it. Ben sums up better than anyone the damage Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and others have been doing to the MAGA movement with their exploitation of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Lots more below, folks. Patricia Heaton, the worst Democrat in America right now, Dave in D.C., my favorite Christmas movie of all-time — and the bread lines have already begun in Moran Zamboni’s NYC?

Ilhan Omar is easily the worst Democrat right now, Rubin Recap readers say

Ilhan Omar came out on top, but notice that Gavin Newsom was not all that far behind in second place. Now, the results of this poll don’t come out until I send this email, but it seems like Omar knew she was going to win it, picking up right where she left off last week. In case you missed it, we covered her appearance on Wolf Blitzer’s CNN show this week, where she continued her wildly anti-American tirade. Apparently, she’s made up a story that her son was pulled over by ICE agents, even though ICE has no record of doing so. You need to watch the clip because not only does she look like a complete liar, Wolf Blitzer looks like a total idiot, particularly given the strange follow-up question he asked.

The comments came flooding in this week — far more than we usually get. JB Pritzker finished a distant fourth in the polling, but we heard from many of you who warned about how dangerous he is. Since we got so many comments this week, I’m highlighting three that I think get right to the point with the two clowns who finished first and second in this poll.

To close out the year, I want you to think about the entirety of the Trump administration so far. Eleven months. Who’s your top Trump peep of 2025. Get your vote in ⬇️

Tweet of the week

• Rubin Report viewers, not surprisingly, had Christmas on their minds this week. During this week’s community Q&A, Glenn asked, “What was your favorite Christmas gift you got as a kid and your favorite in your adult years?” The answer to that is the photo at the top of this email — a Clyde Drexler-signed basketball my dad got me for Hanukkah through one of his work colleagues when I was in tenth grade. Clyde the Glide, as you likely know, was my favorite NBA player when I was a kid, and the basketball he signed was used in a Portland Trailblazers practice. Good question, Glenn.

• Hunting Man asked, “What Christmas movie do you plan on watching with the fam over the break?” Look, that’s a complicated question since we’ve got 3-year-olds in the house. We might try Home Alone on them over the next few days. David’s favorite is A Christmas Story, which he watches every year on Christmas Day. It just sort of plays in the background all day. My favorite Christmas movie of all time is 1989’s Christmas Vacation. Peak Chevy Chase. John Hughes wrote and directed. You just can’t beat it. Classic Christmas comedy. We do have a few other favorites that we might try to squeeze in, also.

• Well, if you didn’t buy your Copal yet, it’s too late now to receive it by Christmas. But if you get an order in right away, you can likely have it for your New Year’s Eve celebration. Copal is the award-winning reposado and the official tequila of free speech, I like to say. Cheers! 🥃

• The Rubin Report merch store has plenty of Christmas-themed Rubin Report gear. Peruse it all right here.

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Until next week … — Dave