Trump Celebrates High Gas Prices

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[01:49] Welcome to Pod Save America, I'm Jon Favreau. I'm Dan Pfeiffer. On today's show, we'll talk about Trump's declaration that we've won the war in Iran, [02:00] New Ayatollah's promise to keep fighting and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed as oil hits $100 a barrel again. [02:07] But don't worry. [02:08] Trump also said high oil prices are a good thing. We'll talk about his famed political instincts and how it's all playing with the voters he needs, especially young men. Then the White House warns Republicans not to talk about mass deportations as they run for re-election. [02:23] The doge bags are finally being held accountable, maybe. And... [02:27] Why little Marco is wearing shoes... [02:30] That are too big. [02:34] That was enjoyable. That was enjoyable. I can't wait for that story. [02:38] Please consider becoming a subscriber if you haven't already so that you don't miss out on any crooked content. Friend of the Pod subscribers get our new extra episode of Pod Save America called Pod Save America Only Friends. [02:50] We've got a new episode in the feed right now. Tommy and I did an episode on Wednesday, so check that out and go subscribe. You also get access to all of our excellent Substack newsletters like Pod Save America Open Tabs. [03:02] and ad-free episodes of all your favorite Crooked Pods. [03:06] You also get to feel good about supporting one of the few media outlets left, [03:10] That Barry Weiss isn't in charge of. So... [03:13] Head to crooket.com slash friends and subscribe today. [03:16] All right, let's talk about how Trump's Iran war is going. 2,000 people are now dead, mostly civilians.

[03:24] Hundreds of children, including over 100 little girls, who our government has now determined a U.S. missile strike killed, [03:31] when it hit their elementary school. Seven American troops are dead. 140 have been wounded, eight severely wounded, many with brain injuries. Our government says that the first week of this war has cost us $11.3 billion, with a B, more than a third of what it would have cost to prevent 22 million Americans from seeing their premiums double by extending the Obamacare subsidies. Instead, we spent it on this war. [04:01] For the $11 billion we've spent, Iran's leadership is still largely intact and not at risk of imminent collapse. This is per Reuters. On that note, we got the first public statement from the new, younger, more extreme Ayatollah, who vowed to take revenge on Israel and America. [04:17] This is a day after the FBI issued an urgent warning to local law enforcement that, quote, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack on California using drones fired from a ship off the coast. And Trump said that he's been briefed on the existence of terrorist sleeper cells in America. But, quote, we know where most of them are. [04:37] I think... [04:39] *sniff* [04:40] Naturally, the president's public remarks this week have reflected the seriousness of the crisis at hand. [04:46] Operation Epic Fury! Is that a great name? Well, it's only good if you win, you know, you can only do it.

[04:55] And we've won. Let me say it. We've won. [04:59] You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the bet. In the first hour, it was over. [05:04] Won the best first hour. [05:07] First hour, he's now using the name of the military operation that has led to a gigantic war in the Middle East. [05:16] The biggest U.S. deployment since the Iraq War. [05:19] Seven Americans are dead. [05:21] Hundreds wounded. [05:23] Thousands of people dead in the Middle East. And he's using it as an applause line at a rally. [05:30] You tired of all the winning yet, Dan? [05:32] I would admittedly say that I have pretty low expectations for Donald Trump on any issue. [05:38] particularly one as complicated as the as the Middle East. But I have to say, even I, [05:43] and blown away [05:44] by what a gigantic clusterfuck this is. [05:47] Just at every single level, at every point. [05:52] They have screwed this up. The military is obviously doing what it's supposed to be doing. They are [05:57] They are executing the mission, obviously not flawlessly given the missile that hit the girls' school. But it's just the messaging around it is terrible. There seems to be no strategy. We are two weeks in, and there's still no definition of victory. [06:13] Trump can't describe what's happening in any coherent way. And it seems to be spiraling out of control in a way that has... [06:20] going to have really serious short, medium term implications for the world. [06:25] and Americans, American safety, security, and our economy, and potentially dramatic long-term problems.

[06:32] consequences for [06:33] the world order, the shape of the Middle East. [06:36] our allies both in the region and in the world. I mean, it's just an absolute mess. And the thing about it is, it's one of the worst own goals in history. [06:47] There was no argument for this. There was no strategic imperative, no threat. We just... [06:52] Trump just stumbled ass backward into something that could become World War Three. [06:57] Yeah. When you listen to some administration officials like Marco Rubio and, you know, the White House has been putting this out as well. They say the objectives now are to destroy Iran's Navy, which they have almost done to seriously degrade their ballistic missile capabilities. So destroy the missiles, destroy the factories that make the missiles. I guess they have made good progress in doing that. [07:27] And then the other objective is making sure they can never, ever build or seek a nuclear weapon again. They have not done anything else on that front. And that's an impossible test. Like, what does that even mean? Because you can't do that with airstrikes alone. You'd need ground troops. We don't have ground troops so far. Obviously, that would be a terrible idea. But the enriched uranium is still there. And so that hasn't been achieved. [07:57] never an official goal, though Donald Trump talked about it all the time. And now there's reporting saying the Israelis think it's a goal.

[08:04] Benjamin Netanyahu wants regime change for sure. And now the Americans are saying, well, it'd just be a it'd be a bonus. [08:12] be a bonus. But either way, it doesn't seem like it's close to happening because we've got the Ayatollah vowing revenge and the Strait of Hormuz continue to be closed and attacks from Iran continuing to happen. There's an Axios story about all this, like what Trump's thinking, because [08:29] The way we know what Trump's thinking now is he goes to events like this and says crazy shit. And then I guess he just takes the call of any reporter who dials him up. He talked to Axios and someone told Axios. Sorry, maybe this wasn't Trump, but someone told Axios, a source who spoke to Trump on Tuesday evening, described the president as, quote, enthusiastic about continuing the war for at least three to four weeks before making a decision. [08:56] Three to four more weeks? [08:59] We're going to continue this into mid-April. What's going to happen in that time period if this has been a clusterfuck after fucking a couple weeks now? Think about what it's going to do to the oil markets. There's an estimate out today that if the straight is closed through April, oil will reach $140 a barrel. [09:17] This is the greatest shock to our oil supply in the history of the world. [09:22] with a global economy that was already fragile. [09:25] I mean, it's an absolute disaster. And there's just no like market. You say Marco Rubio has articulated some set of goals. [09:33] But he those aren't doesn't even really go. That's just slightly more coherent than the verbal applesauce that Trump is putting out every day.

[09:40] And he's the person who's supposed to know, like there is a world we've seen this in other things with Trump where what he says makes no sense. But then there are people behind him who are saying things that it's not a worldview we would agree with, not one that we think would even be effective, but it is a. [09:53] It's like a plan of some kind, and here there is. [09:57] None. [09:58] What did you make of the New York Times story headlined, how Trump and his advisors miscalculated Iran's response to war? Because there's like, I wanted to laugh and then I wanted to scream when I realized that it was all... [10:13] reality uh even though it sounds so fucking buffoonish the whole piece this is one of those things that i do think is scarier if you've actually worked in a white house and you know how it works [10:23] And like they obviously seem very stupid. These are unserious people who don't even take their jobs that seriously. They you know, there's a we've been war gaming and thinking out what a war with a ring would look like since the day the Ayatollah took over in 1979. [10:39] And, you know, [10:40] There's a reason it hasn't happened in all this time. It's because... [10:44] These are the consequences. They can control the straight of four moves. If that closes down, like everyone, like every game, every war gaming of this has shown this be the case, but they did it anyway. They ignored all of that so-called expert advice to go forward. And there's a part in there to me that I think is the most scary. [11:00] It is it says in there that a lot of aides think this is going very poorly, but they were afraid to tell Trump. [11:05] Because he keeps saying it's going great. And if you can't tell bad news to the president, then the president is going to operate from a false set of facts going forward. And that's an even bigger problem when that president lives in a hermetically sealed right wing news bubble that tells him what he wants to hear. So he has no information that actually would allow him to make a decision that would move this in a better direction because he thinks it's in a good direction.

[11:29] Yeah, it's incredibly unsettling, scary that we're living through this. And also the fact that even if Trump wanted to stop the war today, even if he said, okay, we're declaring victory and we've bombed everything we can bomb and all that shit. [11:49] Iran's not going to stop. [11:50] The regime is in place. They're going to stop firing missiles all over the Middle East. They're going to stop trying to incite terror attacks, have their proxies incite terror attacks all over the world. It's just the idea that... [12:04] The war stops when Donald Trump says it stops is just so fucking stupid and flies in the face of all history. [12:11] Also, they have the reports are the Iranians are minding the strait. [12:15] And once you put minds in the straight, [12:18] It's not countries that decide where they go through this rate. It's companies who have borrowed money. [12:23] tens of millions of dollars to buy these tankers. [12:26] And what guarantees do they have that they're there? [12:30] Their tankers are not going to run into mines like it is like it is. So even if we were to stop tomorrow, are we going to trust the Iranians to go tell us where all the mines were and go pick them up? Of course not. [12:41] No, it seems like they have laid at least 10 mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports. They're also just firing tankers. They've had a couple tankers who are going through the strait anyway.

[13:11] don't know what's going on there. He just announced again before we started recording that the Navy will be sort of accompanying tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. I don't know why that's like a magical solve, especially if they are laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz because they can lay mines without Navy ships. Iran can. They can do it with smaller ships. So I don't really know that that's going to solve it. [13:37] You mentioned, you know, oil prices hit $100 a barrel again. [13:41] And the IRGC, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, has threatened to push prices up to $200 per barrel, which would cause gas prices to exceed $5 a gallon. So that's something to look forward to. But, you know, Trump was asked about this complete fucking mess in the Strait of Hormuz the other night. And here's what he said. [14:01] Straits are in great shape. We've knocked out all of their boats. I think we're in very good. We're in very good shape. The Straits are in great shape. So that's what people are saying. The Straits are in great shape. Guess there's a couple now. President followed up those comments with a post. [14:21] Was the post to correct himself? Was the post to offer more information? No, here's what the post said. The United States is the largest oil producer in the world by far. [14:31] So when oil prices go up, [14:33] We make a lot of money. Never thought of it that way, Dan. Are you impressed with Trump's cunning political jujitsu there? Actually, higher prices are good.

[14:45] Saying for... [14:46] months that Trump needed a message on affordability. But now he has one price. It high prices are good. And just, you know, it is worth just like stepping back and, you know, [14:55] like I hate to say this, but dissecting that truth because it does speak to his, like how his brain works, which is if prices go up, who makes more money? [15:06] Oil companies. [15:08] And how do they make more money? Because prices have gone up on American consumers. So if big oil is getting rich, that is a win for our country in his mind. If companies make money, [15:17] And the American consumer has to pay [15:20] more and higher prices to so those companies can make money, then that's a win. It's so I don't even know if he really believes that. Like I part of it is this. He just he sees everything through his own interests in the country. He now equates the country to him. And so if the country makes money, if some people are making money, then he can point to that. Then everything's wonderful because it's sort of like what he does with the tariff things like we [15:50] The money's pouring in from the tariffs. It's like even though, you know, Americans are paying the extra tariffs, just like Americans are paying the higher gas prices. But as long as money's coming into companies, America's great. Things are going things are going well. His country's going well. He did a good job because America's rich now. But at least with the tariffs, the money does go to the U.S. government. [16:09] Here the tariffs just go to the Exxon guy or the higher prices go to the Exxon guy. Like what? I mean, I think that obviously we think the tariffs are stupid, but you can at least point to like an increase in revenue for the federal government.

[16:20] Here the government gets no money. [16:22] In fact, we're getting less money than we should because we've given all these tax breaks and subsidies to big oil anyway, and the big oil companies get rich. And so I think you are correct that what is happening here is like a heavy dose of cope to try to explain away the terrible situation and say, oh, no, no, no, don't worry. $140 barrel oil in the middle of a rapidly escalating global crisis in the Middle East is fine. Look how it's good. Like, I think that's the main thing happening. But there is, I think, something about this mentality, which is if American companies get rich – [16:49] That's good for America. And that is that doesn't work if the people who are making if the way the companies get rich is by charging more money to American consumers who are already struggling with high prices. [16:59] And they also don't have a lot of tools in the toolbox left to do anything about this. They announced a release of, like, the largest release ever from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. [17:11] And... [17:12] Oil still went up to $100 a barrel. So it's like, I don't really know how... I mean, I guess they can start doing, you know... [17:19] Maybe they'll do export controls on oil to keep the oil here, and that's like a short-term solution, but that's long-term. That's even worse for us. So, like, there's nothing really to do here except, I don't know, just continue to tell ships to sack up and take a chance going through the Strait of Hormuz, which is basically what Trump and Brian Kilmeade, the Fox and Friends host, were doing. He's like, you just got to – these ships got to have some balls and just go through the Strait of Hormuz. And if you get blown up, you get blown up. They can't get all of us, right? That's right. [17:49] If there are 10 mines and 12 ships go through, at least at least two of them are making it.

[17:54] I have to say, we talked about this a little bit yesterday, but we kind of skipped over the FBI bulletin about California and the drones. Now, the White House has since said that this was unverified intelligence. Of course, we can believe everything the White House says, and Gavin Newsom said that he had heard about it, and everyone's on high alert. It seems like this was intelligence from February, that the Iranians aspired to do this. [18:24] that would, you know, require somehow getting a ship out to the west coast of [18:28] California and then the drones and who knows. But I do think that one got a lot of Americans' attention. I think that that might have broken through. It broke through to the... [18:38] The the the school mom group chat in my house. Yes, I had some questions for Tommy and Ben from a lot of people. They needed good responses. And then and then they didn't trust me to do it. So she wanted me to screenshot their text and send it to them. [18:52] Just like as proof that things were okay. [18:55] I mean, I also saw in that What's Resonating newsletter that posts about and stories about that FBI warning were like one of the most shared. [19:06] Yeah. Stories yesterday, by far. Because I just think that, you know, we Americans right now don't like the idea of this war. They don't like the idea of spending a lot of money on this war. They don't like the idea of high oil prices. They certainly don't like the idea of like American troops risking their lives and potentially dying in this war. So I already have. But.

[19:25] If there start being credible threats to the homeland and, you know, terror attacks, God forbid, like that's when things are shit's really going to hit the fan. And, you know, the fact that Trump was talking about sleeper cells and terror sleeper cells and, oh, we've got an eye on most of them, I think, is fucking terrifying. We're sitting here and just today there was a shooter at Old Dominion University in Virginia. [19:55] and had been in jail already for some ISIS-inspired activities back, I think, as far as 2017, got out of jail in 2024. There was also just an attack on a synagogue in Michigan, and early reports say it is a naturalized Lebanese-American who was, I guess, just last night, posting pictures of relatives who died in the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which is just fucking horrific that now we are seeing... [20:24] potentially attacks or attempted attacks play out across the United States. And I don't know. I just have a real fear that this is just the beginning of that. [20:34] No, I mean, that is the it's it's not just that the war is happening. It's the way in which Tommy, I talked about this on YouTube yesterday, but it's also the way they're messaging the war. [20:45] It's the video game footage, the triumphalism, the... [20:50] The snuff porn videos of things blowing up that they keep tweeting out as if it's like a joke. And that seems designed to radicalize people against the United States, whether they're in Iran or elsewhere.

[21:02] Yes, that is certainly the scariest effect. I've been thinking about this a lot because it's really bothered me, the video game shit, and they keep doing it. Some of them are sports-related, and they'll show NFL clips, and every touchdown, they'll cut it with a missile that hit, actual footage of a missile that hit. They did it with baseball, too, baseball highlights, and they just keep doing this shit. [21:32] meant to numb us [21:35] to the real consequences and risks of war. And this idea that like, oh, it's all fun. It's no big deal. You're scrolling through your feed. You're seeing a million different things anyway. And when you see stuff about war, it's just one more thing and it's a game and we're winning it and everything's awesome and America's fucking great and let's keep going. And I realized that like, [21:55] Every government uses propaganda to sell war, but this is like, feels like it's propaganda for the sake of propaganda, just to like not even sell a war, but just to convey a message that everyone should go about their business and not think this is a big deal and not worry about all the scary headlines that you're reading or all the people who are upset about this. Just like, we're great. We're fucking awesome. [22:17] Good luck. I think you are correct. That's the net effect of what they're doing. [22:25] I think that gives them way too much credit for a strategy here. I think it's just a bunch of fucking incel gripers who got social media jobs at the White House just doing shit to...

[22:32] like get like kudos in their local discords. I get you. I think it's so stupid. It serves no actual purpose. And I think even the, the, [22:43] I mean, because of the way the media works now and because of the fact this is happening in a random place where there is essentially almost no Western media at all and they can shut the Internet down in a second – [22:53] Like this already could just be happening without us ever seeing, [22:56] anything, right? It's just [22:58] I think they put out these videos because they're unserious, terrible people. Like, that's what it is. Like, they don't... [23:04] There's just no... But it has been... It has been their digital strategy... [23:09] since [23:10] their campaign in 2024 that they have carried into the white house and they've done it around deportations and yeah it is a bunch of incel gripers like those those are the people who are now staffing the government at some of the highest levels but their view on like communication if you want to call it a few like it doesn't have to be like a strategy that was on a whiteboard anywhere but the way they do this is just pump out shit troll people everything's fucking lol nothing [23:40] Per se. And it's just it's fucking it's nihilism and it's really scary. [23:55] This show is brought to you by AG1. Spring is a season of change, but it doesn't have to throw off your foundation. As the days get longer and your schedule shifts, your health routine shouldn't get more complicated. AG1 helps you shake off the winter slump and embrace the new season. Easy-to-use travel packs means your routine goes wherever your spring adventures take you. Use that extra daylight to kickstart your morning with a boost of B vitamins and superfoods for sustained all-day energy. Formulated with 75 high-quality ingredients, including five clinically

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[26:21] work. Right now, go to quince.com slash crooked for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to build your wardrobe and love it. And you will now available in Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to quince.com slash crooked for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com slash crooked. [26:40] Despite all these efforts, the war still isn't popular with most Americans, including some prominent podcasters who support for Trump in 2024. [26:50] Probably helped him make inroads with younger Gen Z men. The most prominent, of course, is Joe Rogan, who has been on something of a tear about Iran. Let's listen. It's terrifying, and it's exactly the opposite of what we were told leading into this administration, that it's going to be America first. [27:07] Right. No more unnecessary foreign wars. It's going to be bad. I mean, if oil prices spike, we're fucked. Yeah. You know, and the Republicans are really fucked. Yeah. He's 80. [27:18] He doesn't have much to lose. Right. Last time. That's the scary thing about old leaders. You know, you're making decisions for babies and children and the future of the world, and you've only got 10, maybe 10 years left on Earth. [27:33] . [27:34] I mean, the last part is... [27:36] Quite. [27:38] like telling of our times in a pretty powerful way it is it also just made me think uh you know you know who wasn't 80 who's still not 80 um kamala harris she was she was a candidate in the last election uh she has uh hopefully many many years to live and make decisions on behalf of uh you know the family in her life and everyone else and other children and i can pretty much guarantee that

[28:03] with [28:04] all with every ounce of fiber in my body that we would not be at war with Iran if she was president of the United States. [28:11] Yeah, I, as you know, don't like to like scream at people who scream like I told you so at people who voted for Trump. I think it's a shitty way to like win people over. And so, you know, welcome Joe Rogan. Right. To to seeing the light on this one. I just hope that I'm going to be another presidential election in 2028. [28:41] from 2024 and the lies that were told in 2024 and the people who told them. And it wasn't just Donald Trump. It was, you know, his vice president, who is probably going to be the front runner for the Republican nomination. Many of the other people around him in the White House, many of the other Republicans who are running for Congress and running for president. So, you know, I do think that all the people who are disappointed in Trump, who supported Trump, think next time around, the next election, that what they're hearing from Republicans, [29:11] Republicans like Donald Trump might not be on the level. [29:14] And that every Republican has stood by Trump as he's done this. You know, with the exception of Rand Paul and Thomas Massey, every single one of them is totally fine with this war. [29:21] So our pal Peter Hamby at Puck has a new piece with reactions from young men, including Trump voters who participated in one of John Delavolpe's focus groups on the war. Talked to John a couple of times in the show. Spoiler alert.

[29:36] These young men [29:37] Not fans. Not fans of the war. What did you make of these groups? And how big of a problem do you think this is for Republicans as we... [29:44] Look ahead to the midterms. [29:46] You know, as we've looked at the polling over the last year, the group that has abandoned Trump the fastest are young men. [29:51] And I think it's primarily been driven by affordability and the fact that Trump ran on lowering prices and then has just found truly diabolical ways to keep raising them. [30:00] like if you thought the terrorists were bad, wait till you go to the gas pump this week. But I think there is this level of consistency. If you listen to the focus groups, [30:09] in 2024 there was this very real concern obviously it was based on bad information [30:14] But there's very real concern that [30:17] Kamala Harris would get us into wars and Donald Trump would keep us out of wars. Donald Trump said he was against forever wars all the time. [30:27] People's views on this were complicated by U.S. support for Ukraine. And I think this fear also unfounded and based on bad information that somehow we were going to get involved in Ukraine because of our support for Ukraine. There was U.S. support for Israel and what was happening in Gaza all was pushing to this. And Donald Trump was saying. [30:42] No forever wars, no forever wars, no forever wars. Now, [30:45] He was also saying he was going to blow the shit out of bad guys all the time. But and so you're even, you know, when Peter talks about this piece is that he would like go to colleges and talk to young men. They would be worried in 2024 about being drafted. [30:56] I mean, that was the thing that got brought up during the campaign, that Kamala Harris would bring the draft back and draft you. [31:02] And you're hearing that again. Like there is this... [31:05] Like it is a consistent viewpoint and Donald Trump has broken,

[31:09] a core promise. I mean, there are three reasons why people voted for Donald Trump, who were like, we're actually legitimately on the fence. [31:15] Prices, prices, [31:16] immigration and by immigration, I mean the border and, uh, [31:20] More. [31:21] And he's raised prices. [31:23] He has run a immigration strategy that went so far beyond anything he promised and is not what people want. [31:29] And now he has gone and started multiple wars and now has this embroiled in... [31:33] the greatest conflict we've been in in a decade. [31:36] Yeah, and I do think it speaks to the need for, and I know, you know, Ben and Tommy talked about this this week on Pod Save the World, and I've been talking about it for a while, but like the need for Democrats clearly to become Democrats. [31:51] an anti-war party, or at least back to a war as a last resort, military force as a last resort party, because it is clear that the impression that a lot of these young men and other voters had about Kamala Harris and the potential that she might get us into war or start a draft is based on, you know, a lot of lies and misinformation pushed by Trump and his supporters, for sure. It's also true that if you inspected all of Kamala Harris's positions closely, [32:21] you would probably come to the conclusion that, yeah, she's not going to start World War III, nor is she going to bring back the draft, right? That's pretty obvious. But... [32:29] In the years that Joe Biden was president and Kamala Harris was vice president, and even in her campaign, did it seem like there was an emphasis on keeping America out of wars or in keeping America out of foreign wars?

[32:44] I would say probably not. [32:45] particularly with the way that, like you said, Biden behaved in Gaza. And also the... [32:54] I would argue necessary support for Ukraine against Putin's invasion. But also it was something that was, it wasn't just happening that like, oh, well, you know, we're going to help defend Europe and we're going to do this. It was like touted all the time talked about because it was, you know, we connected this fight against Russia and Ukraine's fight against Russia to sort of like the global fight against authoritarianism. And again, [33:19] Lots of good reasons to make that connection and to offer that support. But I do think as Democrats run again in 2026, especially 2028, you've got to be pretty clear about our stance on war and the use of force and not do the thing that every fucking Democratic nominee does, particularly Democratic nominees who don't have military background, who don't have foreign policy experience, and just say a lot of words to show how tough they are. [33:49] And we somehow equate strength with talking tough about [33:53] Yeah. [33:55] That is the most important point, which is in the post-Vietnam era, and you sort of really – [34:02] I think it's a very important thing to do with the American people who are not going to be able to do with the American people.

[34:16] Democrats became seen as weak. [34:18] And we have tried to solve that problem by being pro war, by being bellicose. That is how we stumbled into the Iraq war. It's why so many Democrats thought that they should vote for it. I mean, the problem was was worsened in the 90s when early 90s, when a bunch of Democrats voted against the first Gulf War. And it ended like in 30 days. And George W. Bush, H.W. Bush went to a 90 percent approval rating. [34:42] And so then we're like, we're not going to make that mistake again. When what takes actual strength, [34:48] Is this to oppose one? [34:50] That was ultimately why Obama succeeded in 2008, because he was the candidate who was seen as strong enough, who had the courage to stand up against war. And if you think... [35:01] that we are in these messes as a party because we have conflated [35:06] being tough with being pro-war. And that is not how the American people see it. They want someone who is strong enough and smart enough to get us out of wars, to keep us from getting in these sort of fights. [35:17] And the media and punditry contributes to this. Oh, every, they're so fucking pro-war. Because inevitably, every campaign, there's like a million stories at some point in the campaign about how this Democratic candidate must pass the commander-in-chief test. And then, you know, dutifully, the Democratic presidential candidate will say things like,

[35:47] blob who's advising that candidate tells them to put in their speeches and no more. [35:52] No more. Like, and I get why some candidates feel the need to do it because they don't have the background. They don't have the experience. They don't have the military experience. A lot of this is gendered as well, which is why Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton helped deal with it too. But like... [36:05] It is an artificial facade of bellicose militarism that no one's buying, first of all, and only makes you look more hawkish. [36:19] When people don't want that. So that was what the young men thought in that focus group. Marjorie Taylor Greene also tweeted on Thursday. We've been talking about people like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly who were against this war. Marjorie Taylor Greene, certainly one of these MAGA folks. She tweeted on Thursday that she's been talking to other, quote, America first conservatives. [36:40] She's not MAGA anymore. She's America first. There's a split time. Tomato, tomato. [36:44] Yeah, and they all agree that the party has been hijacked by neocons and boomers and that, quote, an entire generation of elected leaders, their donors and controlling interests on both sides have to be, quote, removed by outside pressure. [37:00] What's Marge got going on there? Just as a point of fact, I'm pretty sure Trump's a member of the silent generation. [37:06] yeah that's true he's older than the problem is that the boomers is he not a boomer like he's silent i think he and biden were both silent generation wow [37:15] I [37:16] Yeah, those are the people really like we don't even think about the generation, but they're the ones pulling the strings in Washington these days.

[37:22] on the day that jim clabber and nazi is running for re-election at age 86 yeah it's just a spring chicken spring chicken no it's just as uh i can't i don't even get into that it's bad how about that that's my take it's bad yeah it's a good take here's the thing that i think this war is showing us more anything else is that [37:45] MAGA doesn't really exist as a lot of people think about it. I think we've talked about how, you know, Trump is the symptom of a larger problem in American politics, and that is true. And we've talked about this idea of Trumpism as a. [37:58] sort of a movement or a philosophy that would extend past Trump. And then, you know, all these discussions, Trump's going to ask people, who do you think is a better leader for MAGA? [38:04] JD Vance or Marco Rubio? [38:06] MAGA is fake. [38:08] It's a call to personality. If you look at it in this, like there are definitely elite leaders in, [38:14] mostly in the podcast space who are like true believers of some of the shit, like the people Marjorie Taylor Greene is talking about. But in the polling, when they look at MAGA or self-identified MAGA Republicans, [38:23] And, you know, [38:24] non-macbook Republicans, the ones who are more pro-war, [38:28] are the MAGA Republicans, and because they're more pro-Trump. And so whatever Trump is for, they're for. [38:33] So what is going to happen when Trump fades into the background and there is this, you know, a 2020 Republican nomination is not a battle for who's going to lead Trump's movement. Trump's movement dies with him. [38:45] It's what the rest of the Republican Party looks like after Trump. [38:48] Right. And like, I'm not saying it's going to look good because of the, you know, decade of radicalization of people into.

[38:55] this sort of depraved, nihilistic, neglomaniacal politics. But it's not America first. [39:00] It's not nationalism. It's not. It's like race based grievance politics. Then take it where you want from there. [39:07] Yeah, I mean, I think that there I think you could see an America first movement that is very nationalistic, xenophobic. [39:15] And populist, again, it doesn't look great, but you could see it stand in contrast with the hawks that are left in the party, the deficit hawks that are left in the party. There's not a lot of them, right? There's going to be some segments of the party that really are driven by more populists. [39:33] Racial grievance is going to be an immigration. There's going to be others that are maybe driven by, you know, more economic concerns, even though they're not going to end up embracing any decent economic policies. But like, I do think it is a I think the point is it's going to be a war for the soul of the party. Yes, not not not a war for the whole for the to lead the Trump movement, because that's not a real thing. [39:55] Right. And I don't think it's going to be a battle between like the never Trumpers and the rest of the party. I think they're I think that they're out for good. I think it's going to be the different warring factions of MAGA that we're seeing right now. It's just it doesn't stand for any like if Trump came out tomorrow for Obamacare. [40:12] they'd all be pro Obamacare. Like that's the thing that is here. And so it doesn't really mean anything. Like it is just a, the voters serve, [40:20] the Republican base voters serve Trump whatever Trump wants. They don't serve a bunch of ideas that –

[40:26] Trump [40:27] then because come to represent for them. Like you see this with abortion, right? Like this is, was the, you know, obviously, you know, [40:34] Dobbs happen, but... [40:35] Trump, [40:37] you know, has not said anything about abortion for, [40:40] years now since the election and no one and then you don't hear anything from the evangelicals about it because that's not what Trump wants. [40:45] But if Trump board a picket as his top issue tomorrow, that would be the top issue again. It's just I just think it's important to understand the difference between a an America first movement that Trump's the head of. [40:55] in a movement that is about Donald Trump that is sometimes called America first and may have some America firsters in it. [41:10] Pots of America is brought to you by Built. It's 2026, and if you're still paying rent without Built, it's time for a change. Built is the loyalty program for renters that reward you for your biggest monthly expense, rent. With Built, every rent payment earns you points that can be used towards flights, hotels, lift rides, Amazon.com purchases, and so much more. And here's something to get excited about. Now, Built members can earn points on mortgage payments for the first time. That means you can get rewarded wherever you live and unlock exclusive benefits for more than 45,000 restaurants, fitness studios, pharmacies, and other neighborhood partners. [41:40] There's a lot of great options. I've been checking out. They got fitness classes. They have a built travel portal. If you want to take a trip, you can just buy stuff on Amazon. They have Lyft rides. They have gift cards at over 120 brands. So tons of different ways to spend your built rewards. It's simple. Paying rent is better with built. And now owning a home can be better with built to earn rewards and get something back wherever you live. Join the loyalty program for renters at joinbuilt.com slash crooked. That's J O I N B I L T dot com slash crooked.

[42:10] our URL so they know we sent you. [42:13] This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. March is a time to celebrate women's strength, but also to acknowledge the heavy emotional load they often carry. Between endless responsibilities and caring for others, your own needs can easily be overlooked. Therapy can provide a dedicated space to reclaim your time and receive the care you truly deserve. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the U.S. BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. A short questionnaire helps [42:39] and their 12 plus years of experience and industry leading match of film rate means they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match, switch to a different therapist at any time from their tailored recs. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform. [42:51] having served over 6 million people globally. And it works with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews. Your emotional well-being matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash PSA. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P, betterhelp.com slash PSA. [43:15] Well, Donald Trump's still here, and Republicans are about to face their last midterm with Donald Trump as president, and they are clearly aware. [43:24] that their prospects aren't looking so hot, which is why this week's House Republican retreat in Florida gave us headlines like this one from Axios. Quote, White House tells House Republicans to stop talking about mass deportations. [43:35] What? Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson valiantly trying out the new line on Tuesday.

[43:41] We got a little hiccup with some of the Hispanic and Latino voters for certain because some of the immigration enforcement was viewed to be overzealous, and everybody can describe it differently, but here's the good news. [43:51] We're in a course correction mode right now. We're going to have a new Secretary of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullen, is going to do a great job in that role. I'm sure that he'll do it. Just a hiccup. Just a flesh wound. [44:06] You know, and it could be some people have described it as overzealous, and it could be described different ways. You pick your adjective. I'm not saying it's overzealous in case Donald Trump is watching this right now. I'm not saying that. Some may have said that. [44:21] Also, just like what – [44:23] An annoying doofus he is. [44:25] It's just like he is... It's just so... He's describing... [44:31] mass deportation and the massive political problem the Republicans have because of it [44:36] in this weird sing-songy Ned Flanders voice. It's just so bad. It is very Ned Flanders. [44:42] Just a hiccup. Just a hiccup with some Latino voters over the fact that we have a paramilitary force hunting them down in their neighborhoods, regardless of whether they're citizens or not. So James Blair, who is the this is the White House's top political guy, he's deputy chief of staff. They always trot him out to try to say what the message should be. And then everyone else in the White House just ignores the advice that says to Republicans.

[45:12] elections, he's like, Donald Trump's now going to focus on affordability. We know that. It's really important in the next day. Donald Trump's like, affordability is a hoax. So he also told House Republicans, he was the one who said, stop talking about mass deportations. He told them to turn the midterms into a choice election by reminding voters about Democrats, Biden era positions on crime, cashless bail and open borders. That was the quote. Would that be your advice, too? [45:42] point out that the strategy is doomed to fail for one [45:45] very, very bitter pill for Donald Trump and James Blair to swallow, which is Joe Biden isn't president. Well, not only is Joe Biden not president. [45:55] 60% of voters in a recent NPR Marist poll believe that things were better when Joe Biden was president. [46:03] That includes 68% of independence. And so your message cannot be... [46:08] Watch out for Biden's old policies when they even if they didn't like Biden's old policies, they think your policies suck more. Majorities think that their life is worse off because of Donald Trump's policies. And so in at a time of war with hundred dollar a barrel oil, do you think cashless bail is going to tip the elections for you? [46:28] Like truly, these guys are so far up their own asses that it's like hard to see straight. [46:33] There, someone from Fox called up the White House after that Axios story and asked about the mass deportations policy. And the White House said there's no change whatsoever in the White House's deportation or immigration policies. So they're still pursuing mass deportation, but they just can't talk about it. Can't talk about mass deportation. The war that you're seeing is actually over. It's going great. It's going great.

[47:03] refund. The higher gas prices you're paying are actually great because we're all making money. Oil companies are making money and everything's great. And I don't know. What else is there? Everything's wonderful. Everything's wonderful. Check out this ballroom. Look at that. It's great. Yes. And don't worry. The president is spending at least three to four times as much time as he is on the war in the economy on decorating the ballroom he's building. [47:28] Because his true passion is interior design. I don't know what I would tell them the message is. Like, I mean, I guess. And then the other thing, you know, they're like, oh, you got to talk about the prescription drug thing, which like he didn't do anything on prescription drugs. That's like anything of significance at all. But he did some like fake website and a couple of things here and there that might help some people who don't have insurance. If they go on the website and get some discounts on prescription drugs. It's very it's I looked into it. It's it's very, very little. But this is their big thing. [47:58] and they've done the polling on this and they're telling all the candidates, go out there and talk about what Trump has done on prescription drugs. That is the key. Okay. No. You know, that's almost – it is eerie how similar it is to some of the things we read about Biden's plans. And honestly, I don't know what I would tell them either other than to go fuck themselves. But the – that would be my advice, James Blair. But – [48:22] if they were going to do anything to be helpful, is they would kind of do what Biden actually did, which was just... [48:28] be quiet for the last six months. Biden wasn't out there campaigning for anyone. He wasn't trying to make the election about him.

[48:33] Up until he gave that democracy speech at the very end, he just kind of let the candidates run. He showed a lot of discipline, even though he was unhappy. Yeah. [48:42] I don't think Trump will be showing that discipline. [48:44] I also think if you told Mike Johnson to go fuck himself, it would fly in the face of his Covenant Eyes app. So I think that's going to be somewhere. His son is just getting an alert on his phone. Something I thought about that message wouldn't be received as well. So basically, the president basically had one piece of advice for Republicans in Congress. It's become more of an all consuming demand, which is to pass the Save America Act. [49:11] A bill that would require, as we've talked about, every American to present their passport or birth certificate in person at a local elections office in order to register to vote. Trump is also demanding that the bill include a nationwide ban on most mail-in voting and a ban on trans participation in sports and gender affirming care for minors. Because why not? He said that he won't sign any legislation until the bill is passed. [49:41] nuking the filibuster, which Republicans also don't have the votes for, as John Foon continues telling everyone who will listen. They did just get one convert, however. Texas's John Cornyn, who's locked in a primary runoff with Ken Paxton, who said he'd only consider dropping out of the race if the Save Act passes. So because of that, Cornyn wrote an op-ed in the New York Post this week explaining that he now does support ending the filibuster to pass the Save America Act.

[50:11] still don't have the votes. But Cornyn is having a hard time answering questions about his change of heart after many, many years in politics defending the filibuster. Let's take a listen. [50:41] Go away. [50:43] Yeah, I think we're through. Still seems like there's absolutely no way this thing is getting passed, but am I missing something? There's some secret trick they got up their sleeve? [50:53] I don't you're not missing anything. You should be clear. Trump's made this so much harder. It was almost impossible anyway, if they could just pass the house's past version of the original Save Act. Instead, Trump has decided to add all these provisions, including a ban, as you said, like these completely extraneous things around trans sports participation and gender affirming care, but also mail balloting like Susan Collins, who insanely supports the. [51:17] Save Act has said that she is very concerned about a bill telling the [51:22] states how to handle their absentee ballot programs, which... [51:25] The Constitution may also have a thing or two to say about that. So it seems hard for them to... [51:31] past the old version. The new version seems like an impossibility. I've been trying to think like, just to like take a [51:39] like a dive on the dark side, like how could they actually...

[51:42] Do it, because they can lose... [51:44] three Republicans, right? So you assume, even if she supports the bill, is Susan Collins really going to nuke the filibuster? [51:51] To pass the SAVE Act? [51:52] No. No. [51:53] Lisa Murkowski. [51:55] No. [51:56] Mitch McConnell's still kicking around. That's three right there. [52:01] Antilles has said he's not going to do it. Antilles. And then you also, Kennedy has said that. So it seems... [52:06] They just don't have the votes. Yeah, it doesn't seem like it is possible for them to... [52:11] do it, even if Trump has pulled off with at least House Republicans in the past, like what seemed to be impossible votes. But usually that's getting conservatives to vote for something more moderate. [52:21] like and i more moderate i'm saying with all kinds of air quotes because not not particularly moderate um [52:27] But it's getting... [52:30] There are no moderates here, but getting the less Trumpy Republicans to come over the Trumpy side is something he's had less success with. It seems very, very hard as we sit here today, so I say that. [52:38] It seems like where this is headed is it fails. They have the vote. They try there. All they speak and yell and scream and all the right wing influencers freak out and all that shit. It doesn't go anywhere, dies. And then Trump announces he's doing an executive order that is the Save America Act. [53:08] it'll be challenged in court and thrown out and that'll be that.

[53:12] And maybe it'll be a pretext for when they lose the midterms for them to all scream about how Democrats cheated and if we had passed the Save America Act and if the courts hadn't, you know, the Supreme Court hadn't betrayed Donald Trump, then Republicans would have won the midterms. And so now we're going to see some voting machines. I don't know. But like you can you can see where this is headed. Yeah, that's fair. I think that's a good that that's a good articulation of what's likely to happen. [53:37] Yeah, that'll be a real fucking shit show. One other story to file under Republicans acting fucking nuts. On Monday... [53:44] Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles tweeted, quote, Muslims don't belong in American society, [53:51] Pluralism is a lie. [53:52] This came after Florida Congressman Randy Fine tweeted in February, quote, If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one. [54:04] Then just on Thursday, after a popular right-wing troll account posted a tweet juxtaposing a picture of the Twin Towers exploding with Zoran Mamdani hosting an Iftar celebration, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville. [54:19] Retweeted it with the comment, quote, the enemy... [54:22] is inside the gates, referring to Mamdani. Maybe even more disturbing than those three, when reporters asked a bunch of Republicans in Congress this week for their reaction to Ogle's tweet about how Muslims don't belong in American society, a lot of them just refused to condemn it. The number three ranked Republican in the House, Tom Emmer, was asked... [54:41] Six times.

[54:43] by a reporter, whether he thinks Muslims belong in American society. Six times in a row. Each time he refused to say yes, just would not say yes. [54:51] I don't know. I'm at a complete loss for this one. It's disgusting. [54:58] If anyone said that about any other religion... [55:02] Judaism, Christianity, it would be a fucking national uproar. This has nothing to do with, you know, sort of Islamic inspired terrorists or any kind of extreme. It's nothing to do with any of that, even though some of them in their backtracking try to make it. It's just people who are Muslim in this country. They do not want here. [55:32] denaturalized and deported. You have other ones just calling for just [55:36] people who practice Islam in this country to be deported. It's fucking, it's disgusting. [55:43] And I like what I don't even know what like what should Democrats say about it? I feel like I've seen a lot of tweets from a lot of Democrats saying that it's disgusting. I really don't know what else there is to do, but it's it's something people should realize is happening out there. [55:59] yeah I mean I had the exact same reaction which is it's so horrifying it's it is an effort [56:05] to make [56:06] anti-Muslim bigotry. [56:08] Socially acceptable, certainly within the Republican Party, if not in America, you know, as you as you said, if for if you were to substitute any other religion there, there would be a fierce uproar. And I think Democrats who have called it out are good to do it. I always wrestle with this, which is these.

[56:22] People are disgusting trolls and they want our outrage. [56:26] And are we giving them what they want to, [56:29] Bye. [56:30] addressing it. You know, I just like, I really like, it should be called out. Like it absolutely should be called out and no one should be afraid to call it out. This is not a situation where like, Oh, we, you know, this might be politically precarious. No, you should call. I think this is terrible, but it's not just disgusting. Disgusting. [56:43] But morally, I think it's also terrible politics. I think people look at that and think that most Americans think that's disgusting. Like, why would you even say that? Like, why would you be so divisive? Like, what? [56:53] Why would you be so hateful? Like, I don't think that, I don't think it's good politics. That's why I think it's the right thing to call it out. I think what to do here is, [56:59] is [57:01] You're never going to get Andy Ogles, Tommy Tuberville, Randy Fine to be less horrible. They're not going to have an epiphany one day and not be... [57:09] these disgusting people they show themselves to be. The thing to do is to deliver information. [57:15] fierce [57:16] powerful political punishment on the people who are enabling this in the Republican party. Tom Emmer, the number three Republican. I mean, Mike Johnson lets us go every single day, right? They can call this out. They could, they could, [57:28] They could speak up for their constituents. There are Muslims who live in every country. [57:33] district, almost every district and certainly every state in this country, none of them call out, is the way to do is to make them pay a huge political price for this, to channel our anger and our outrage. [57:45] not for certainly into protecting and thinking about and caring for, [57:50] Muslims who are being targeted here, but into efforts to just beat the living shit out of these Republicans in the election. I think Mamdani had maybe the best response. He, he quote tweeted Tuberville and said, let there be as much outrage from politicians in Washington when kids go hungry as there is when I break bread with New Yorkers. Yeah. Which is just, you know, bringing the whole thing back onto, onto his terms, right. And not having to deal with that, but it is, it's fucked, man.

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[59:56] at checkout. [59:59] All right, a couple things before we go. Elon Musk's doge is back in the headlines, thanks to a lawsuit filed last year to reverse cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities. [1:00:11] Apparently, Elon's Doge Bros fed every NEH grant into ChatGPT and asked it, does the following relate at all to DEI? Respond factually in less than 120 characters. Begin with yes or no. That was the prompt. The result was the cancellation of $100 million in already appropriated funding. Congress already appropriated it. [1:00:41] of the Doge Bros are having to answer for under oath as part of the lawsuit. Here's part of a video that 404 Media put together with some of the highlights from former Doge staffer Justin Fox. [1:00:53] How do you interpret DEI? [1:01:02] There was the EO explicitly laid out. The details, I don't remember it off the top of my head. I'm asking for your understanding of it. Yeah, my understanding was exactly what was written in the EO. I don't remember what was in the EO. So right now, do you have an understanding of what DEI is? Yeah. Okay, so what's your understanding as you sit here today in this deposition? [1:01:23] Why is a documentary about Holocaust survivors... DEI?

[1:01:30] It's the gender-based... story that's... inherently discriminatory to focus on this specific group. It's inherently discriminatory to focus on what specific group? [1:01:47] The gender-based. So, females. [1:01:53] during the Holocaust. And you believe that's inherently discriminatory? [1:01:58] I'm just saying that's what it's focused on. But this is related to DEI. Oh my god. I hadn't seen that clip. No, this is the first time. First time. [1:02:08] What? The Holocaust is a... [1:02:14] These people are fucking stupid. Elon Musk is fucking stupid. The fucking people he hired are stupid. And everyone during the whole Doge thing that was like, these kids are brilliant. And they blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And just give them a chance. No, they're all fucking stupid. They should have been anywhere near the government. And fuck them. Just some of the worst, dumbest people were given the most important jobs. And with incredible consequences. Oh, because you can code? Oh, good for fucking you. Where's that code getting you now? [1:02:44] replace you with fucking clod [1:02:48] Exactly. Yeah. ChatGPT my ass right there. It's just... [1:02:53] We are laughing at this, and we should, because these clowns should be ridiculed out of polite society, but... [1:03:00] USAID programs gutted children died. People got sick. People lost their jobs. I know because of a bunch of fucking goobers,

[1:03:10] who had no idea what they're doing, who worked for the world's biggest scooper, who had no idea what he was doing, got in there. Back to the Groyper incels. Yes, exactly. Put in a bunch of poorly worded prompts into a old version of ChatGPT and fired a bunch of people and cut off a bunch of programs. [1:03:26] I just fucking you cannot run against Silicon Valley hard enough in the next race. Yeah, there's a story today about a bunch of tech venture capitalists who want to raise a half a billion dollars to shape California politics. [1:03:39] Saw that. Saw that. Yeah. I was just arguing with Chamath on Twitter. Although, I will say I didn't... [1:03:45] Here's the thing, Dan. He tweeted about the new Washington state millionaires tax. The income tax. They've all been bitching about the wealth tax. This is just an income tax that hits millionaires. That's it. [1:03:58] And... [1:03:59] I just quote tweeted it and said, this billionaire, you know, this billionaire has a problem with millionaires paying a little bit more. It's something very like anodyne. And he just like responded with this long fucking thing. And it's just a complete asshole. And you know what I did? I didn't respond. [1:04:17] You know what, John? I feel like it was two weeks ago we had what some of our listeners thought was a mild intervention on my part. I think it was more of an inquisition about your mental health. But you've grown in those two weeks. If it's not a senior administration official, I'm going to let it go, which is I did. Does he not have enough followers for you to get your jollies out of it? Is there a level which is no longer thrilling? Yeah, who cares what Jamal does?

[1:04:47] lords now like this is the politics there are so bad for them and i do think that like people in this country are so angry and have fucking had it with like elon musk and the tech bros and all these fucking assholes that like you know i like i said i do not think you can run hard enough against that um that whole crew if you're a democrat or a republican for that matter running in 2028 and you're gonna get a chance to because the between the crypto industry and the ai industry there's gonna be hundreds of millions of dollars spent [1:05:15] in super PAC funding. And even in Democratic primaries, we're seeing the crypto... [1:05:20] Packs have come in against Juliana Stratton, who's lieutenant governor running in Illinois. As soon as she got near the top of the polls, they dropped $5 million in ads on her. So there's a real like this is the real thing. And also, this is a different topic, but these people are also so fucking bad at politics. [1:05:36] because like all these AI people who are in there being like arrogant assholes who are, uh, insert themselves in politics, uh, [1:05:45] They do not seem to recognize... [1:05:47] Because even though they're making a ton of money, you know, it's like Sam Altman sweeping in with the ChatGPT. [1:05:51] contract with the Pentagon is that they have to get their data centers built [1:05:56] in local communities. [1:05:59] And if your brain is in the shit because you're being run by an arrogant asshole who is keeping up to the least popular president in recent memory. [1:06:07] then it's going to be really hard to get local communities to approve the [1:06:12] Your data centers. [1:06:13] It's like these people are really, they are

[1:06:17] They're... [1:06:18] bad at politics. They're being advised by greedy people. [1:06:22] People who are bad at politics like it's just they're all fucking clowns. [1:06:26] Yeah, agreed. That's not the only Doge story we have. The Washington Post also just reported that a whistleblower has come forward alleging that a different Doge staffer at the Social Security Administration copied two highly sensitive databases so he could use them at his new job with a private employer. The guy in question apparently asked the whistleblower for help in transferring one of the databases off of a thumb drive to his personal computer so that he could, quote, sanitize the data and said that he expected to receive a presidential pardon, of course, if his work was found to be unpaid. [1:06:55] Illegal. [1:06:57] One of the databases was called the master death file included records for more than 500 million living and dead Americans, including Social Security numbers, places and dates of birth, citizenship, race and ethnicity and parents names. [1:07:13] Doesn't that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside? [1:07:16] Should be one of the biggest stories in America because it would be one of the biggest data breaches in the history of the federal government. [1:07:23] Yeah, and at the end of the story, they're like... [1:07:26] And no one knows, was there one copy made of it? No copies? A dozen copies? A hundred copies? No one can say. [1:07:33] I'm sure DOJ is looking into it, right? I guess right now there's an inspector general internal investigation at the Social Security Administration. That's how we found out about this story in the Washington Post because they had to notify Congress that they were doing this investigation.

[1:07:47] Inspector General Investigation, but like, I don't know. [1:07:50] Seems a little crimey to me. Seems like there could be some crimes here. When you bring up a prospective presidential pardon in the discussion involving how to get something onto a jump drive, you're probably committing a crime. [1:08:01] Yeah, and when the stuff on the Jump Drive is the most private information for every American. [1:08:08] I can't wait to see what dipshit startup this guy went to go work for. It's like... Probably OpenAI. [1:08:16] Like, you could think it could be something like that, but it's probably something just so ridiculous, like... Yeah. I don't know, like... [1:08:23] uber for bowling lanes or something fuck uh finally [1:08:30] Finally. [1:08:31] This is a light one. A story about how our wartime president has been extremely focused on... [1:08:36] On footwear. And not just his, either. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has, quote, fallen in love with shoes from a company called Florsheim, which he keeps gifting to, quote, agency heads, lawmakers, White House advisors, and VIPs. So, what? [1:08:53] Trump has apparently been checking out people's shoes during cabinet meetings and then guessing their shoe size in front of everyone, which hilariously led to Marco Rubio saying he's an 11 and a half, which he's not. Because shortly after the article was released, various photos of Rubio and a pair of obviously oversized dress shoes went viral.

[1:09:19] so and jd vance has told the story as well that like trump said to marco and jd in some meeting like hey you both have shitty shoes i got these new shoes that i love what are your shoe sizes and so they give him the shoe sizes and jd vance says he's a 13 it's like fuck fucking bigfoot over there and then uh and then marco says 11 and a half after jd vance says 13 and donald trump says [1:09:49] Bye. [1:09:50] So Rubio inflates his shoe size. Trump gives these shoes to everyone as a gift. And then they're all stuck wearing their shoes around. [1:10:01] In Marco's case, the don't fit him. [1:10:06] It's so funny. I mean, just such small dick energy for Marco Rubio. He's like... Little Marco. Trump nailed that nickname. Yes. Nailed it. Marco Rubio measures his shoe size from the base. So it's like... [1:10:21] Ha ha ha. [1:10:23] But could you just imagine like he wore them to Davos like the man is on his feet like 18 hours a day wearing shoes that do not fit because he's afraid to admit to the president United States that his shoe size is smaller than he thinks he did want to be more than a size and a half smaller than J.D. Vance. [1:10:42] who was also probably lying about his feet as well um how many pairs of socks do you think he's trying to put on i was just gonna say that well also the the internet sort of did its thing and sort of they did like a zapruder like uh collection of like various marker rubio pictures photos so there's one where he clearly looks ridiculous there's some others where you can still see a little space in the shoes and then they have pictures from before he got the shoes when he

[1:11:12] You can just see the evolution and suddenly Rubio is just walking around, tripping over his feet in big dumb shoes that Donald Trump gave him. Oh, also, by the way, Business Insider helpfully pointed this out, that Florsheim's parent company has sued for a refund on Trump's tariffs. Fucking perfect. Perfect. [1:11:30] Well, enjoy your shoes, everyone. Why is Trump... [1:11:34] It really does speak to something that's going on with Trump in these... It's very like aging dictator, declining empire vibes where he's just like... It's very in line with the... [1:11:47] caring about the ballroom and the decorations and the Kennedy Center and the armrests. And it's like, you know, he's just sitting around these meetings, probably like they're talking to him about fucking missile launches. About the street of Hormuz. Yeah, oil prices or, you know, any number of other important things. And he's sitting there looking under the table and he's like, what shoe size are you? I don't like those shoes. I got to send you some Florsheim shoes for $145 a pair. And will it be your size? Who knows? Who knows? [1:12:17] You better tell me a big size. You better tell me a big size or I'm going to think you have a small dick. [1:12:23] Do you think we would not be in war with the Ram right now if Marco Rubio had shoes that fit? [1:12:27] it's unclear unclear oh boy well that's our show for today dan we're gonna end on that note it's a good note everyone's wearing the shoes that fit them uh love it we'll be back in the feed on sunday with a conversation with pennsylvania governor josh shapiro maybe he'll find out how big his shoes

[1:12:57] Save America ad-free and get access to exclusive podcasts, go to crooked.com slash friends to subscribe on Supercast, Substack, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts. Also, please consider leaving us a review that helps boost this episode and everything we do here at Crooked. Pod Save America is a Crooked Media production. [1:13:12] Our producer is Saul Rubin. Our associate producer is Farah Safari. [1:13:16] Austin Fisher is our senior producer. Reed Cherlin is our executive editor. Adrian Hill is our head of news and politics. The show is mixed and edited by Andrew Chadwick. Jordan Cantor is our sound engineer with audio support from Kyle Seglin and Charlotte Landis. Matt DeGroat is our head of production. Naomi Sengel is our executive assistant. Thanks to our digital team, Elijah Cohn, Haley Jones, Ben Hefcoat, Mia Kelman, Carol Pellaviv, David Tolles, and Ryan Young. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [1:13:46] you [1:13:49] . [1:13:54] Thank you.