Talk to us about this.

So remember, I'm a co-founder, my friend, because you're also a, a co-founder, and they call you the sage, not me, for a reason, because you also called this with me.

When I first got with you about doing this, you said, "It's happening to my friends, too," back when we first got together in 2022.

So, and, and as you remember, you and I were on the Senate committee last February, and we name che- checked each of these banks that are debanking people, and even the Senate didn't believe us, although Senator Kennedy said that, you know, he needed to get these people in.

And so what we said is true.

The big banks using two crazy theories.

One was reputational risk, where they're actually putting their quote unquote stakeholders together ahead of their customers, and then the Bank Secrecy Act, which as you and I have talked many times, the Bank Secrecy Act has nothing to do with your secrets.

That's why we started Old Glory Bank.

Talk to us about this.

this.So remember, I'm a co-founder, my friend, because you're also a, a co-founder, and they call you the sage, not me, for a reason, because you also called this with me.

When I first got with you about doing this, you said, "It's happening to my friends, too," back when we first got together in 2022.

So, and, and, and as you remember, you and I were on the Senate committee last February, and we name check- checked each of these banks that are de-banking people, and even the Senate didn't believe us, although Senator Kennedy said that, you know, he needed to get these people in.

And so what we said is true.

The big banks, using two crazy theories, one was reputational risk, where they're actually putting their, quote-unquote, "stakeholders" together their, a- ahead of their customers, and then the Bank Secrecy Act, which as you and I have talked many times, the Bank Secrecy Act has nothing to do with your secrets.

It has to do with the government's direction that banks spy on their customers, and, and we do it the right way, not the wrong way like many of the big banks.

That's why we started Old Glory Bank.

How did O- Old Glory start? What was the impetus for it? You know, w- kind of what is your guys' strategy, the type of customers you look for, all that, all that good stuff.

Well, unlike yourself, I'm actually not a legacy banker.

I'm a lawyer.

I had a little success as a lawyer.

I was a securities lawyer for 30 years, having...

I was a partner at a big firm, and then I started my own firm.

My wife's also a lawyer, and we were winding down.

Um, but as far as the, the bankers that are with you at Old Glory Bank, have you, have you made it a point to hire non-traditional people, or do you have a lot of people that are just kind of a lot of career bankers with you? Like, like, what, how, what are the type of people that you've put a, kind of around you there at the bank?

You know, w- why did you pick a SPAC as the route instead of some other kind of go public transaction?

Yeah, that's a good question, Mike, uh, 'cause y- this is your business and you know how hard it is.

So when we launched Old Glory Bank, we always wanted to be a bank for Main Street, and we've said that for years, and thankfully we've had a little success doing it.

So today we have 6,600 stockholders because we did a Reg A.

And, uh, so in addition to a Reg D, we also did a Reg A, which brought in 6,000 stockholders.

We have about 600 accre- credited through our Reg D that we've done.

And you will probably know better than I do, but I don't think there's been many target s- you know, in SPACs that have had 6,000-plus stockholders.

So I'm- I'm curious, uh, for Old Glory Bank and your, your customers.

Please remind folks what makes Old Glory Bank critical to freedom, especially around America 250.

Yeah, thanks.

We're in keeping with your theme about independence from big pharma, big government, [laughs] big cellular.

We're the one who's declaring independence from the big banks, and our founders started in 2023 because we were tired of seeing folks debanked.

We were tired of the big banks sharing your data with the government, sharing whether you bought a Bible or a firearm around J6.

You've all heard about and you've reported about Project Arctic Frost.

So our great founders, John Rich, Dr. Ben Carson, Larry Elder, Sean Spicer, we got together and, and our solution's very straightforward, and it's been hard to do, but, but we had to solve this.

What is Old Glory Bank doing to participate in America 250?

So, so let's talk about Old Glory Bank and why, uh, why we need it, why you started it, uh, what its objective is.

Yeah, thank you for that.

And by the way, I'm a big fan of, of Greg Jarrett, but I, I respectfully have to disagree with that last segment you played.

There actually is no crime ag- for a bank to de-bank someone if you don't wanna do their business.

And, and I have, uh, you know, as you know, last year we were there.

I testified in front of the Senate.

I've never wanted a law that required a bank to take someone's business.

Are you serious?

So let's talk about Old Glory Bank and why we need it, why you started it, what its objective is.

Yeah, thank you for that.

And by the way, I'm a big fan of Greg Jarrett, but I respectfully have to disagree with that last segment you played.

There actually is no crime for a bank to debank someone if you don't want to do their business.

And I have – as you know, last year we were there.

I testified in front of the Senate.

I've never wanted a law – that required a bank to take someone's business.

Are you serious? Yeah.

We've been covering this story for a long time uh even when kid rock first made his appearance in the oval office talking about you know ticket masters high gouging on the tickets and what the end users end up paying um but now we fast forward to now give us an update on what just uh transcribed

yeah who would have thought back in 2010 that what could have gone wrong when the obama doj approved the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation.

So under one company, you had a company that could promote tours, control venues, and control tickets.

Who would have thought that something could go wrong? And so fans, of course, as you reported, complained about ticket prices and junk fees.

The venues complained about getting boxed out of the best tours if they didn't use Ticketmaster.

And artists complained that they would not get to the best venues if Live Nation didn't promote the tour.

So we had one unifying moment back in 2022, as you recall, when Taylor Swift's heiress tour, the Ticketmaster computer went down.

It's almost impossible for the smaller guy or just a new company to come in, a venue, to be able to make it in this very highly competitive market.

So what should folks do?

Yeah, I'm with you on that.

I think there's a massive blue-collar revival going on.

Like, when we grew up or, you know, the last generation, everyone said, go to college, learn the code, and you'll be taken care of.

Well, there is a paradigm, and you were talking about the markets being down today, especially NASDAQ.

Over the last five days, the software index lost $500 billion in market cap, and it's down... 2% today, 14% over the last five days, 18% for the year, I think my memory is right.

And the reason why is because people are realizing that those white-collar jobs are at risk.

What are your thoughts?

Talk a little bit about how important it is when the OCC weighs in and starts raising some concerns.

Yeah, exactly right, John.

That was part of why we started as a market solution to be the bank for America who wouldn't cancel people.

And we didn't, listen, God called us.

Thankfully, it's worked out well for us.

We serve customers in all 50 states.

But what drives me so crazy, and listen, as you've heard, no one beats on the regulators more than I do, because I think that they're over-regulate banks, especially smaller startup banks like us who are fighting for America.

What do you think?

Talk a little bit about how important it is when the OCC weighs in and starts raising some concerns.

Yeah, exactly right, John.

That was part of why we started as a market solution to be the bank for America who wouldn't cancel people.

And we didn't, listen, God called us.

Thankfully, it's worked out well for us.

We serve customers in all 50 states.

But what drives me so crazy, and listen, as you've heard, no one beats on the regulators more than I do because I think that they're over-regulate banks, especially smaller startup banks like us who are fighting for America.

What do you think?

Operation Arctic Frost? They use

this name to chill Republicans.

400 subpoenas came from the FBI to 92 Republican organizations, including the great turning point.

They sent it to 20 banks, the RNC, and every one of the big banks.

And I will tell you, the same big banks, they took the TARP money after 2008 because the big bank cartel is corrupt.

They turn the data over of hardworking Americans and conservatives.

It's Arctic Frost.

Kamala Harris gets smug and their Department of Justice subpoenaed 90.

Where do you put it right now, Mike?

I put it at B plus, maybe an A minus, much better than you and I did at school, Jake, by the way.

And here's what people are not talking about that is so important.

Everyone wants to talk about affordability, which is important.

We'll get to that in a second.

But let's remember the trailing 12 GDP growth is 4.5%.

We haven't seen that since Trump won.

100%.