Batya Ungar-Sargon wore a Magen David necklace as she hosted the first episode of her weekly NewsNation show “Batya!” on Sept. 20. Before the debut, she told The Journal “It’s to remind me and my viewers who I am as a Jew,”
One the show, Ungar-Sargon told guest Megyn Kelly she was one of her biggest role models. Kelly praised her, saying NewsNation “saw your genius” and said there was no limit to how far Ungar-Sargon could take the show.
Ungar-Sargon made the leap to TV after serving as opinion editor of The Forward and deputy opinion editor for Newsweek. A columnist for The Free Press, her articles have appeared in most major publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
She expanded her profile by appearing on shows like “Real Time With Bill Maher.” During a March appearance on the show she called herself a “MAGA leftist,’ which Maher said was not possible. She could be seen with her trademark necklace on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” and “Gutfeld!” on Fox News.
She is known as a defender of President Donald Trump, Israel, and her critique of continued American support for the war in Ukraine against Russia. She said her new show will feature “respectable dialogue” and “civil debate.”
In an April debate sponsored by ZeroHedge, Ungar-Sargon and Dennis Prager squared off against Dave Smith and Cenk Uygur, who claimed Israel is committing a genocide.
She said what many don’t understand about debating people with opposing opinions is that it’s crucial to speak in a way that would engage unfriendly audiences.
“You can’t just do the talking points you believe are true in the shorthand with that kind of shebang quality that those who already agree with you are most looking for,” she said. “If you go into a hostile audience and do that, the people who agree with you will be thrilled but you will achieve nothing. You will change nothing. Every time I debate anti-Zionists on their platforms with access to their audiences, the pro-Israel community is very disappointed with the clips that come out. What they want to see is a smackdown. Of course, I can do that, and sometimes I do that, if I think the audience would benefit from that. But the ability to go on an anti-Zionist show or speak to people who believe Israel doesn’t have the right to exist…you have to be able speak in the language that they recognize as a human and moral language and from there, make the argument that Israel is in the right.”
Here are some of the subjects she commented on before she got her show:
Charlie Kirk
Ungar-Sargon said it was disgusting to see people celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was murdered on September 10. She said it was noteworthy Kirk brought her on his show, despite their differences on certain issues. On the first episode of “Batya!” she noted some of those differences — she opposes a ban on abortion; was in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and believes President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Kirk as a “lion-hearted friend of Israel.” Numerous videos of Kirk’s campus events show him defending Israel or speaking out against antisemitism, including asking students if they believe Israel has a right to exist and if they believe antisemitism is real. After the attacks of October 7, Kirk appeared on the Patrick Bet-David or “PBD Podcast” and asked if there was a “stand down order” but said he did not believe Netanyahu had knowledge of the attack. On his own podcast, regarding immigration and cultural institutions, Kirk said “Jewish donors have a lot of explaining to do” claiming there was a “beast” created by secular Jews that was now coming for all Jews. In an interview on Meghan Kelly’s show, he said that someone sent a text message calling him an antisemite. And some questioned why he would have Tucker Carlson at the recent Turning Point event.
“Charlie Kirk was the number one fighter of antisemitism in America, hands down,” Ungar-Sargon said. “It’s not even close. He loved the Jewish people. He loved Israel. He hated antisemitism. This, at a time when the online audience has a big appetite for antisemitism. Charlie Kirk was a bulwark against it at a time where there was a lot of pressure to join the ranks of the other far right influencers turning on the Jews. It’s an absolute smear and canard to say otherwise. He was very frustrated at being criticized for the tiny details he diverged from Israel on. After years taking arrows for the Jewish people, the pro-Israel far right accused him of antisemitism. That hurt him to his core because of his love for the Jewish people and it hurt me to my core. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude as Jews. Most Israelis see that clearly as he was mourned in Israel.”
She also noted that many synagogues eulogized Kirk, including her own. On her show, she praised him for choosing “persuasion over force” in attempt to influence people to change their opinions.
Is Candace Owens as Popular As We Think?
Owens, who years ago mocked people who blamed Israel for everything, began her descent when she claimed her friend Ye’s (né Kanye West) infamous tweet was not antisemitic. Since losing her job at The Daily Wire, Owen has promoted the conspiracy theories blaming Israel for the JFK assassination to the attacks of 9/11 to now saying that Israel or Israel supporters were blackmailing Kirk and claimed to be doing an “investigation” into his assassination. Conspiracy theorist Ian Carroll got 10 million views for a post directly blaming Israel for Kirk’s assassination. Ungar-Sargon said their large numbers online are not only from America but include radicalized Muslims around the world who desire any story blaming Israel or Jews for anything.
Asked to comment on the rhetoric of the two, she said she was not impressed.
“They’re nothings,” Ungar-Sargon said of Owens and Carroll.
Owens had been ostracized, Ungar-Sargon said.
“When the last time you saw Candace Owens at a major event?” she asked. “She was desperate to join the Trump campaign, and they refused to let her. She’s toxic. I think there’s a very clear red line. There’s a crossover in the comedy and UFC world where there is a lot of antisemitic discourse. I don’t see it in the mainstream. Charlie was mainstream and he wouldn’t do anything very recently with Candace Owens. It’s nowhere near the mainstream of antisemitism that has infected the left. I don’t feel very worried about Candace Owens.”
People Should Not Fear Debate
The author of “Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy” and “Second Class: How The Elites Betrayed America’s Working Men and Women” said a major catalyst for her show was to have debate where people weren’t screaming at each other. She said it is a mistake to only surround oneself with people who think exactly the same thing about every issue, and said people should welcome, not fear vigorous discourse and argument. On the second episode of her show, she explained how some think the indictment of former FBI boss James Comey was justified, while others think it wasn’t. The show also featured an interview with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
Ungar-Sargon said she won’t shy away from tough questions and asked about past debates, she said the smarter the opponent, the better.
“You want that debate where your heart sort of sinks and you wonder, ‘How am I going to answer that?’ Debating people who are screaming is a waste of time and not tough. You like it when someone’s giving you a run for your money and the only people who can do that are those you respect.”
“Batya!” airs Saturdays at 1 p.m. Pacific Time on NewsNation
