Aug 29, 2025 · 39m · american-optimist
Senator Exposes America’s Biggest Censorship Scandal · Joe Lonsdale
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In this episode of American Optimist, host Joe Lonsdale interviews U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri to discuss his landmark lawsuit Missouri v. Biden, the fight against government-directed tech censorship, and strategies for restoring American institutional integrity. Schmitt outlines his legislative agenda for modernizing defense technology, countering Chinese influence, revitalizing domestic manufacturing, and defending constitutional principles to ensure long-term national prosperity.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Joe holds 29.7% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Joe as informed peer 5.0 Guest teaching 3.5 Guest disagreement 0.4 Joe pushing back 0.4
speaking balance: gold is Joe, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 19:48 Schmitt rejects passive conservative stances on redistricting and the census
Schmitt forcefully argues that conservatives have been 'soft' and must aggressively use constitutional mechanisms like redistricting and challenging census counts of illegal immigrants rather than ceding ground.
Hardest push from Joe ▶ 18:37 Joe presses for aggressive structural threats in the SenateJoe challenges standard conservative passivity, insisting that the only way to deter Democrats from packing the Supreme Court or creating states is to actively threaten reciprocal escalation.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 8:37 Schmitt lays out the discovery timeline of federal censorship collusionSchmitt delivers a comprehensive, fact-dense account of how the FBI, CISA, and university coalitions collaborated with social media executives to suppress reporting prior to the 2020 election.
Joe holds their own ▶ 35:32 Joe outlines the national regulatory battle over 1,200 state AI billsJoe demonstrates deep industry expertise by detailing how 1,200 proposed state laws and blue-state regulatory bodies threaten American technological leadership against China.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Joe as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Joe pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode Highlights: Censorship, Free Speech, and AI | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Joe introduces Senator Schmitt with detailed background on Missouri v. Biden, his Senate committees, and personal history. Schmitt shares his working-class upbringing and how his son's medical condition motivated him to enter public service, setting a collaborative and warm tone. | |
| Restoring Institutional Integrity and The Last Line of Defense | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Joe asks about institutional decay and the playbook for beating left-wing lawfare in the courts. Schmitt explains his legal strategy, noting how nationwide injunctions were challenged and how Article Two executive authorities are being upheld at the Supreme Court level. | |
| Exposing Government and Big Tech Collusion in Missouri v. Biden | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Schmitt details the specific discoveries in Missouri v. Biden, explaining the coordinated meetings between the FBI, CISA, and tech platforms over the Hunter Biden laptop and COVID policies. Joe validates and adds context regarding university non-profits and his own experience being throttled. | |
| Legal Victories, Free Speech Triumph, and Cultural Shift | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Schmitt explains the procedural outcome of the Supreme Court punt on standing and highlights Dr. Jay Bhattacharya's elevation to NIH director. Both agree that the cultural tide is shifting among younger demographics towards free speech. | |
| The Evolution of Speech Attitudes and Political Correctness | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Joe brings in historical framing about the Marxist origins of political correctness from Peter Thiel, and prompts Schmitt on aggressive counter-strategies like constitutional amendments or redistricting. Schmitt elaborates on aggressive constitutional maneuvers red states can utilize within existing rules. | |
| Suing Communist China and Reclaiming Public Safety in Cities | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Schmitt describes winning a twenty-four billion dollar judgment against China over COVID coverups and his initiative to surge FBI agents to St. Louis to combat urban crime. Joe reinforces the conservative imperative to restore law and order in major cities. | |
| American Realism Foreign Policy and Rooting Out Corporate DEI | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Schmitt describes his work on the Armed Services and Judiciary committees, championing American realism in foreign policy and investigating corporate DEI hiring practices. Joe shares observations from corporate defense contractors like Lockheed engaging in ideological training. | |
| Bipartisan Defense Tech Hubs and Overhauling Procurement | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Schmitt introduces his defense tech hub legislation aimed at breaking legacy procurement bottlenecks. Joe demonstrates significant insider domain expertise in defense tech startups, referencing Project Maven, Anduril, and modernizing military procurement. | |
| Revitalizing Heartland Manufacturing, AI Governance, and China | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Schmitt connects globalization and immigration to the decline of heartland manufacturing, while Joe articulates the nationwide danger of state-level AI regulations stifling American technological dominance against China. Schmitt agrees on the civilizational importance of winning the tech race. | |
| Optimism for America's Future, Regulatory Rollbacks, and Conclusion | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Schmitt shares reasons for optimism, including the end of Chevron deference, regulatory rescissions, and opening global markets to American agriculture. Joe commends Schmitt for his legislative work and wraps up the discussion. |
Statements from this episode (18)
Schmitt: Biden's censorship enterprise is the greatest First Amendment affront
“And a censorship enterprise that they created that was so vast. It's the biggest affront to the first event we've ever seen.”
Schmitt: Missouri AG won Supreme Court student loan and COVID-19 cases
“We wanted the Supreme Court on student loan debt forgiveness on COVID stuff. We brought the Missouri versus Biden lawsuit.”
Sen. Schmitt: Trump administration court wins stem from clear Article II executive authorities
“As those cases have made their way through the courts, by and large, president Trump has been Successful because what he's trying to do are clear article two authorities, right? Of course, the chief executive can make these kinds of decisions.”
Schmitt: FBI knew Hunter Biden laptop was real in November 2019
“The FBI authenticated and knew the laptop for Hunter Biden with all the crazy stuff in it could have, by the way, implicated Joe Biden in some bad stuff. They knew it was real in 2019, in November of 2019. The FBI starts having monthly, then weekly meetings wi…”
Schmitt: Biden administration censorship efforts began on day three
“We discover in the discovery that the censorship operation began on day three of their administration. They started taking down RFK Jr. They started taking down Tucker Carlson. A lot of these people who had opinions they didn't like were being shadow banned or…”
Lonsdale: My Twitter account was throttled before Musk's acquisition
“When my friends bought Twitter with Elon they actually, my account was also a throttle.”
Schmitt: 18 to 24 Year Olds Vote Republican More Than Past Generations
“And I also think you'd look at younger voters right now, especially, you know, 18 to 24 year olds who live through these dark, crazy times. They're, I mean, they're the most conservative, or they vote Republican more than any generation previous to them, becau…”
Lonsdale: The Left Supported Free Speech for Power, Then Abandoned It
“It seems like the left in the U.S., their values are based more on power, so it turned out free speech was useful for them for their power and their messages in the 19 sixties and seventies, and that was their platform, and then by the time it was no longer us…”
Schmitt Backs Constitutional Amendment Fixing Supreme Court at Nine Justices
“I support a constitutional amendment that would enshrine it at nine. I think that makes the most sense.”
Schmitt: California Has Excess Representatives Because Illegal Immigrants Are Counted
“There's no reason in the world why we should accept the idea that illegal immigrants are counted in the census. California has way too many representatives than it should have because we count illegal immigrants.”
Schmitt: Missouri holds a $24B legal judgment against China
“Missouri has currently a twenty four billion dollar judgment against communist China that is, you know, can, you can seize assets.”
Schmitt: FBI will deploy largest per-capita agent presence to St. Louis
“So in the FBI is going to have the largest per capita permanent infusion of permanent FBI agents in St. Louis, anywhere in the country.”
Schmitt: Legal cases and penalties are coming for corporate DEI discrimination
“I think it's coming. Like it should come. And I think they need some scalps on this thing to make sure that this stops”
Schmitt: Coca-Cola held training sessions on being 'less white'
“Coca-Cola, for example, was having sessions about how people had to explain how they wanted to be less white.”
Schmitt: Drone technology becomes outdated within six months
“Drone technology is outdated, like in six months.”
Lonsdale: Google dropping Project Maven triggered founding of Anduril and Epirus
“Maven came up and they gave it up. And then, you know, that was like the alarm bell that led to the founding of Andrel and Epros and Saronic and these big companies we were building now”