Americast – Trump vs Comey (and the City of Portland)

Podcast: Americast | Host: BBC News (Sarah Smith, Anthony Zurcher)
Air Date: September 29, 2025

Overview

This episode of Americast tackles two explosive moves by President Donald Trump: the indictment of former FBI director James Comey—long one of his adversaries—and the controversial deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. Through spirited analysis and on-the-ground insights, hosts Sarah Smith and Anthony Zurcher explore the legal, political, and social implications of these events, examining both the “revenge” and “law and order” narratives Trump has pursued in his second term. Listeners hear directly from local officials, Trump himself, and even James Comey, as the Americast team unpicks what these episodes reveal about the state of American democracy and the chilling effects of partisan justice.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Character of Trump’s Second Term

• Sarah kicks off with a challenge: describe Trump's second term in one word.
  Anthony: "Disruptive, chaotic, aggressive, destabilizing. Take your pick." (01:15)
• Sarah adds "revenge or retribution," highlighting a theme that runs through recent events (01:23).

2. Portland: National Guard Deployment

Background and Trump’s Justification

• Trump surprisingly deploys National Guard troops to Portland, citing unrest and the need to protect ICE (immigration enforcement) facilities from “antifa and other domestic terrorists” (02:51).
• The legality is immediately questioned:
  Sarah: "He can't, can he? Unless the governor invites them in, the legality is that he's not allowed to send his troops there..." (03:38).
• The supposed evidence for intervention is characterized as “thin gruel”:
  Anthony: "The White House came out with a sheet...no details on this, but assaulted or threatened or doxed..." (04:20).

Political Motives and Historical Context

• Anthony: "I think you have to view it in the larger context that Portland...has been a hotbed of protests going back decades." (04:50)
• Trump’s previous frustration at being unable to send the National Guard to Portland in 2020 is a motivating factor (05:18).

Media Narratives and Reality

• Social media paints “war-ravaged Portland,” but residents share images of peaceful urban life, creating a sharp contrast to Trump’s rhetoric (06:04).
• Anthony: "If you see the videos on the streets now, it does not look war torn by any definition of that." (06:32)

Political Risks and Democratic Response

• Two Democratic senators from Oregon urge residents to “stay calm,” worrying that escalation could play into Trump’s hands (07:30).
• Growing concern exists that heavy troop presence near elections could be aimed at suppressing Democratic turnout (08:04).
  Sarah: “They think there's a wider agenda...hop[ing] that that might suppress Democratic turnout. Is that fanciful?” (08:36)
  Anthony: "Probably a little of both." (08:52)

Local Leadership Reacts

• Mayor Keith Wilson: "The number of necessary troops is 0...We do not need any intervention. This is not a military target." (09:41)
• Recycled images from 2020 protests are fueling the current crisis narrative (10:17).

Trump’s Media Influence

• Trump appears highly reactive to cable news coverage:
  Donald Trump: "I watched today...Portland is unbelievable. The destruction of the city. Well, I'm going to look at it now because I didn't know that was still going on." (11:43)

Obsession with Antifa

• Trump labels protestors “paid terrorists,” and Anthony unpacks the mythos of Antifa as a leaderless, amorphous boogeyman for the right (13:06).
• The Trump administration leverages these narratives to justify broader action against left-leaning groups and their funders (14:24).

Investigating "Left-Wing Funding"

• Trump “signed an order directing his government to investigate the funding, the left wing funding of domestic terrorist groups…” (15:22).
• This is seen as laying the legal groundwork for prosecution, potentially targeting prominent donors and activists.

Listener Question: National Guard Deployments

• Yvonne from London asks: Do National Guard troops ever leave once deployed? (16:29)
  Anthony: "It all depends on the law...The law seems to indicate that it's the state governor…who deploys the National Guard...so we have to see how lawsuits play out." (17:18)
• Washington, D.C. is treated differently as a federal territory (17:18).

3. Comey’s Indictment: Revenge and the Chilling Effect

Comey's History and Trump's Grievance

• Anthony: “Comey is a Republican...appointed by Barack Obama in 2013...But...he reopen[ed] the investigation to Hillary Clinton about a week before Election Day [2016]...and that kind of changed the dynamics of that election.” (19:15-20:08)
• Despite that likely benefitting Trump, he blames Comey for later launching investigations into Trump’s Russia ties (20:28).

Summoning Retribution

• Trump lists Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff as targets for prosecution. Shortly thereafter, his new appointee to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Lindsay Halligan, secures an indictment against Comey (23:01).
• The indictment is on vague grounds—alleging Comey lied to Congress about FBI leaks to media. Sarah: "Anybody who's pored over the indictment...doesn't even really know exactly what it is that Comey's been charged with." (23:45)

Comey's Direct Response

• James Comey (video statement):
  “Fear is the tool of a tyrant...I’m not afraid, and I hope you’re not either...My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I'm innocent. So let's have a trial and keep the faith.” (25:09)
• Sarah: “He says he's got confidence that he's innocent and that therefore he won't be convicted. But it seems to me...the process can be the punishment.” (25:58)
• The case is expected to have a chilling effect on potential whistleblowers and critics of the Trump administration.

Pattern of Retribution

• Past Trump critics face raids and prosecutions—the firewall between DOJ and the presidency is described as “gone.” (27:08-28:58)
• Sarah: “...they seem perfectly happy to do the same thing themselves without fearing charges of hypocrisy.” (28:58)
• Anthony: “There are key differences to what happened the past four years and what's happening now...the pretense, any kind of a veneer of independence has been stripped away. This is a Justice Department...operating at the behest of this president.” (29:21-30:35)

“Who’s Next?”

• Asked about future targets:
  Donald Trump: "It's not a list, but I think there'll be others. I mean, they're corrupt. These were corrupt radical left Democrats because Comey essentially was a. He's worse than a Democrat..." (30:55)

Historical Comparison

• The episode draws a parallel with Nixon-era abuses, observing that Trump is "coming right out and saying it" versus the secretive tapes that ended Nixon’s presidency (32:38).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Anthony on Trump's leadership style:
  "I think there was kind of a hair trigger on his part. Well, there's problems in Portland. Bang, let's send our National Guard troops." (05:55)

• Sarah on Trump's hunger for retribution:
  "This is the first time somebody’s actually been officially indicted, charged with criminal offenses, that’s been on his list." (18:36)

• Mayor Keith Wilson’s rebuke:
  “The number of necessary troops is 0 in Portland and any other American city. And let me repeat that. This is an American city. We do not need any intervention.” (09:41)

• James Comey addresses the nation:
  "Fear is the tool of a tyrant...But I'm not afraid, and I hope you're not either...My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but...I'm innocent. So let's have a trial and keep the faith." (25:09)

• Sarah on process as punishment:
  "The process can be the punishment. This is going to take years...This will have a chilling effect...on all sorts of people who might be thinking I ought to stand up for democracy..." (25:58)

• Trump on future prosecutions:
  "It's not a list, but I think there'll be others. I mean, they're corrupt. These were corrupt radical left Democrats…" (30:55)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:15 – Describing Trump’s second term in a word
• 02:51 – Announcement and analysis of National Guard deployment to Portland
• 06:04 – Media vs. reality in “war-ravaged” Portland
• 09:41 – Mayor Keith Wilson’s statement
• 11:43 – Trump responds to Portland crisis based on TV coverage
• 13:06 – What is Antifa? Myths and political use
• 15:22 – Trump orders investigation into funding for “domestic terrorist groups”
• 16:29 – Listener question about National Guard deployments
• 19:15 – Recap of James Comey’s significance
• 23:01 – Trump presses for Comey’s indictment
• 25:09 – James Comey’s video response
• 27:08 – Pattern of prosecutions against Trump’s critics
• 30:55 – Trump on “who’s next” for retribution
• 32:38 – Comparing Trump’s open use of DOJ to Nixon’s secret abuses

Conclusion & Upcoming Topics

The episode closes as Sarah and Anthony hint at looming political crises: a possible government shutdown, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s White House visit, and a mysterious Pentagon meeting, promising further analysis in upcoming episodes.

Tone:
The hosts are analytical but engaged, mixing serious constitutional and moral questions with wry asides, and a palpable sense of alarm at the breakneck changes defining American politics.

For listeners:
This episode is a must for those looking to grasp the stakes of Trump’s evolving approach to power—revealing how political retribution and narratives of law and order are directly shaping the country’s democratic norms.