Richard Chew is joined by Joe Walsh, former Illinois congressman and former Republican, who discussed his journey from Tea Party Republican to recently becoming a Democrat. Asked what motivated him emotionally, Walsh said shame.

"I've had to live with this publicly," he told WCPT. "Look, people like me helped put Trump in the White House, the first time. People like me helped lead to Trump. And once he won that first time, and I listened to him and watched him every day in the White House, and I'm on the radio all over the country, I'm on Fox News every day, I'd go to bed every night and I'd feel dirty, I'd feel bad because the cruelty and the dishonesty that would come out of his mouth. And I knew that I exhibited some of that and I knew I helped put him there. So, really, it was that it was just a gut check of just shame."  

Walsh highlighted the need for a united front against Trumpism, emphasizing the importance of respectful dialogue and inclusivity within the Democratic Party. Walsh criticized the current Republican Party for being anti-democratic and anti-rule of law, urging a broad coalition to preserve democracy. He also stressed the need for the Democratic Party to reconnect with regular Americans, particularly those who felt overlooked by the party.  

About Joe Walsh:
Joe is a former Republican congressman from Illinois elected to Congress in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Following his service in Congress, Walsh became one of the most popular conservative talk radio hosts in the country, syndicated in major markets throughout the U.S. In August of 2019 Joe became a candidate for president of the United States, waging a Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump. He is the author of F*CK SILENCE: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is, released in February of 2020. Joe is currently the director of The Social Contract and host of the podcast “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh,” where he provides insight into political news of the day and holds conversations with people to model how to have respectful conversations with those you disagree with.

Joe comes from the MAGA base and spends a lot of time engaging, respectfully, with that base. In the fall of 2024 Joe was an outspoken member of the Republicans for Harris movement and campaigned around the country for the Harris/Walz ticket. In 2025 he launched a Substack called “The Social Contract With Joe Walsh” for more in-depth analysis and insights and information for supporting democracy and the rule of law. Joe can be seen regularly on CNN, MSNBC and the BBC and has been written up in major publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast and Raw Story, to name just a few.

Catch "Chew's Views with Richard Chew” weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/chews-views).

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