Americast Podcast: “The Americast Awards 2025… on 5 Live!”

BBC News — December 15, 2025

Overview

This special episode of Americast swaps its usual political analysis for the inaugural “Americast Awards” — a tongue-in-cheek ceremony recognizing the most disruptive, surprising, and downright bonkers political figures, moments, and memes of the defining year in US politics. The award categories prompt lively debate and sharp analysis from the regular Americast team: Sarah Smith, Justin Webb, Marianna Spring, and host Matt Chorley. Drawing on their deep reporting and on-the-ground experience, the Americasters dissect everything from Elon Musk’s social media antics to the reverberating shock of Charlie Kirk's assassination, blending serious insight with trademark wit.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Format & Categories

[02:58] Matt Chorley: Outlines the rules — each panelist pitches a nominee in several categories; Matt selects the winner based on the most persuasive pitch.
Categories include:

• Biggest Disruptor
• Biggest Surprise/Unexpected Moment
• Employee of the Year
• Most Bonkers Moment
• Listeners’ Choice: Most Significant Moment

2. Biggest Disruptor of the Year

[03:17] Mariana: Nominee: Elon Musk

• Musk’s on-again, off-again relationship with Donald Trump played out on X (Twitter), from best friends to public spats over taxes, tariffs, and even comments about Jeffrey Epstein.
• Musk’s influence on digital discourse and political narratives, coupled with his temporary targeting of UK politics, cements his status as a chaos agent.

“Elon Musk’s ability to kind of stay within Donald Trump’s orbit somehow... and also dictate opinion on matters particularly on X and social media and within the alternative media sphere has continued to be very effective.”
(Mariana, [04:19])

[05:27] Sarah: Nominee: Donald Trump

• Trump’s presidency has redefined and normalized radical governance: mass immigration raids, leveraging the criminal justice system against adversaries, and bending corporate and academic America to his will.
• The scale of his disruption sets a new precedent for power in the White House.

“He is the most disruptive president of the United States ever... taking more power into the White House than any president has ever seen before. He is normalizing a really, really radical agenda in a way that the Democrats don’t know how to respond to.”
(Sarah, [05:41])

[06:51] Justin: Nominee: Gavin Newsom

• The California governor shocked the political establishment via his podcast engaging far-right guests, and successfully changed state law to counter GOP gerrymandering, scoring a rare direct win over Trump.

“He had this incredible victory against Donald Trump... got the law changed temporarily in California... a one in the eye for Donald Trump.”
(Justin, [08:42])

Winner: Sarah’s pick – Donald Trump

3. Biggest Surprise/Unexpected Moment

[09:33] Justin: The ‘Lost Letter’ in the Oval Office

• On Inauguration night, Trump, prompted by Fox’s Pete Doocy, discovered Biden’s traditional letter in the desk—a scene that perfectly encapsulated the offbeat Trump era.

“Trump says, ‘Oh, Pete, that’s a good thought. Where do they normally keep them? Let’s have a look...’”
(Justin, [10:32])

[11:37] Mariana: Mandami–Trump Bromance

• Mere months after adversarial exchanges, Trump warmly hosted NYC Mayor Mamdani, playfully acknowledging their ideological differences. Social media was ablaze with memes, especially after Trump copied Mamdani’s fashion.

“You thought these people are going to be sort of arch nemeses, and suddenly they’re kind of BFFs. And who does that benefit? Probably Donald Trump.”
(Mariana, [12:30])

[13:18] Sarah: Assassination of Charlie Kirk

• Kirk, a pivotal right-wing influencer, was shot while speaking at a Utah university—sending shockwaves through the political world and fueling a rhetoric shift on political violence.

“It was absolutely shocking—that level of political violence... I think it’s caused a reaction on the right, who can now say it’s the left that drive political violence in America.”
(Sarah, [14:13])

Winner: Justin’s ‘Lost Letter’ story

4. Employee of the Year

[15:03] Sarah: Melania Trump

• Impeccable in public, Melania commands the one thing that shakes Donald Trump: his own anxiety about her approval. Highlights include her viral Christmas readings and the infamous inauguration hats.

“She has been absolutely immaculate in every appearance... Donald Trump looks subservient. He is the only person... you can see him slightly nervously glancing at.”
(Sarah, [15:03])

[16:59] Mariana: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

• For relentless loyalty to Trump and executing controversial health policies (e.g., anti-MRNA vaccines), RFK Jr. earns Mariana’s nod as the “predictable” social media leader, even surviving humiliation rituals.

“Of all the people, he’s... not fallen out with Donald Trump... if he was going to give someone a gold star, it might be Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.”
(Mariana, [18:16])

[19:04] Justin: Elbridge Colby

• The undersecretary at the new Trump “Department of War”, Colby is the intellectual force behind the administration’s assertive anti-China posture, representing the new breed of unapologetic American realpolitik.

“He is the kind of intellectual underpinning... for an employee in the Trump administration who is a serious thinker about the world, I’d go for him.”
(Justin, [20:40])

Winner: Justin’s pick – Elbridge Colby

5. Most Bonkers Moment

[21:06] Mariana: Gaza Riviera AI Video

• Trump’s team released a surreal AI-generated promo showing Gaza as a holiday resort amid ongoing conflict—blatant “rage bait” that shocked, amused, and angered viewers.

“That video... triggered a real conversation... it obviously very much set the tone for the entire social media strategy... rage bait, which is also one of the words of the year.”
(Mariana, [21:06])

[22:11] Sarah: Foreign Gifts to Trump

• Spectacle of ostentatious gifts, notably a golden crown from South Korea that juxtaposed with domestic protests over his “kingly” behavior, and a literal gold bar from Switzerland.

“He was handed that just days after... a video of him in a fighter jet wearing a gold crown, dumping brown liquid on protesters...”
(Sarah, [22:11])

[23:06] Justin: Release of George Santos

• Pardoned by Trump after a career of spectacular lies, Santos’s reinvention as a Washington socialite says everything about the triumph of spectacle over substance.

“You don’t have to have ever told a single thing about yourself that is true in your life, and you can still be... a respectable figure in the modern era because of social media.”
(Justin, [23:13])

Winner: Mariana’s Gaza Riviera video (“Don’t roll your eye. I mean, do you want a point or not?” – Matt Chorley, [24:21])

6. Listeners’ Choice: Most Significant Moment

Listeners flooded in with their own picks, but the standout was the Oval Office meeting between Trump and President Zelenskyy:

[25:13] Matt, summarizing Andrew’s message:

“It has to be when Zelensky turned up in his usual battle attire and met Trump and Vance for the first time as well. Bullied live on television. Surely nobody was expecting that.”

Sarah and others highlight its symbolism — revealing the Trump administration’s cold-blooded realpolitik toward Ukraine.

“It wasn’t just an extraordinary moment though. I thought it told us a huge amount because it told us how Donald Trump and the White House feel about Ukraine... you’re a minnow up against this enormous Russia. Why do you think you can stand up to him? Just give up.”
(Sarah, [26:18])

Winner: The Oval Office "bullying" of Zelenskyy (and social-media-memed Vance)

7. Retrospective & Wildcards

[29:14] Sarah:

• Highlights Trump forcing Netanyahu to publicly apologize to Qatar over Israeli actions, plus memorable quotes like NATO’s Mark Rutte:

“Sometimes Daddy has to use bad language.” ([29:52])

[29:52] Mariana:

• Returns to the Kirk assassination as a social media inflection point, sparking fresh debate around freedom of expression, violence, and the government’s evolving stance on online speech.

[33:20+] Sarah, Mariana, Justin:

• Discuss proposals for visitors to the US to submit years of social media handles (likely to fizzle, but anxiety is real).

[34:01] Justin:

• Non-political tectonics: Nvidia’s rise to $5 trillion cap, symbolizing tech’s grip on US economic story, and how stock market surges coexist with everyday economic hardship.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He is the most disruptive president of the United States ever... He is normalizing a really, really radical agenda.”
  (Sarah, [05:41])

• “You don’t have to have ever told a single thing about yourself that is true in your life, and you can still be... a respectable figure in the modern era because of social media.”
  (Justin, [23:13])

• “Sometimes Daddy has to use bad language.” (Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, via Sarah, [29:52])

Important Timestamps

• [02:58] Introduction of Americast Awards & categories
• [03:17–09:23] Biggest Disruptor of the Year pitches
• [09:33–14:37] Biggest Surprise/Unexpected Moment
• [15:03–20:49] Employee of the Year
• [21:06–24:21] Most Bonkers Moment
• [24:53–26:18] Listeners’ Choice: Zelenskyy moment
• [26:18–29:14] Deep dive into Ukraine/Trump dynamic
• [29:52–31:47] Effects of the Kirk assassination
• [34:01–35:35] Nvidia/tech and the real American economy

Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is both irreverent and incisive, blending amusement (awards for hats, bonkers AI videos) with deep unease at the radical turn of American politics and its impact on global affairs. By focusing on the “awards” for 2025, the podcast offers a snapshot of America at a crossroads, where disruption, spectacle, and unpredictability rule—and where even the bonkers is never just for laughs.