Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Episode: December 18, 2025 — "Trump Says He Is First 'Jewish President', Saagar Weeps Over White House Changes, Piers Morgan Vs Candace Owens"
Hosts: Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this episode, Krystal and Saagar explore the increasing brazenness of corruption and ego in Donald Trump’s presidency, from his pursuit of a third term and deep ties to mega-donor Miriam Adelson, to his controversial “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House. They also discuss Candace Owens’ explosive claims about the Charlie Kirk assassination, her mass influence, and the dangers of reckless speculation in independent media. Finally, they examine the cultural ramifications of Trump’s White House renovations and the evolving landscape of right-wing media and conspiratorial thinking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, Miriam Adelson, and the Third-Term Question

[02:17–07:55, 09:14–10:47]

• Trump’s Hanukkah Party Remarks: Played audio of Trump openly acknowledging a $250 million donation from Miriam Adelson, pledging to let her speak at his event, and joking about a third term.
• Dershowitz’s Legal Theorizing: Trump referencing discussions with Alan Dershowitz (noted for defending dubious legal claims) about whether he could serve a third term—Dershowitz has even written a book draft on the topic.
• Open Donor Influence: Hosts highlight how brazen cash-for-access politics have become.
  • Saagar: “He is too—about like, yeah, she gave me a bunch of money, so I guess we should let her say hello. Just making it very clear and open the way that the cash for access game works.” [04:37]
• Escalation from Trump’s 2016 Rhetoric: Hosts reflect on Trump’s original outsider appeal—“you can’t buy me”—and contrast it to the current era of open transactions for political access and favors.
  • Krystal: “This level of rich guys just openly trying to buy the government… it's way more out in the open… if you're newer to politics, you really don't get how different this is from the first time around.” [06:37]

Notable Quote

“The level of brazen corruption is truly… the worst we've ever had in this country. There is no doubt about it… This is another level we have never seen before.”
—Saagar Enjeti [08:59]

2. Mark Levin Names Trump "First Jewish President"

[10:47–11:02]

• Mark Levin’s Endorsement: Fox News host Mark Levin is played on audio dubbing Trump “our first Jewish president,” evident of Trump’s perceived closeness to influential Jewish figures and Israel.
• Hosts React: Krystal describes this as “grotesque” and notes the extreme public nature of these relationships, again contrasting them with Trump’s early populist image.

Notable Quote

"It's just too naked, it's too out in the open and it's grotesque, honestly."
—Krystal Ball [11:02]

3. Trump’s Foreign Policy and Israel Ties

[13:40–15:54]

• Power of Donors: Miriam Adelson and Mark Levin are shown as delighted backers of Trump’s foreign policy, particularly regarding Israel and Gaza.
• Gaza Suffering: Saagar reminds listeners of the human toll in Gaza during a supposed “ceasefire,” aligning donor influence with dire foreign consequences on the ground.

4. The White House’s Transformation: Petty Plaques & the Trump Ballroom

[18:46–30:43]

• Trump’s ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’: Trump installs a series of plaques along the White House colonnade, each written in a vitriolic, self-serving style, taking petty swipes at predecessors.
• Clinic in Pettiness:
  • Example from Obama’s plaque: “Barack Hussein Obama was the first black president... one of the most divisive political leaders in American history.” [21:12]
  • On Biden: “Sleepy Joe Biden was by far the worst president in American history...” [22:53]
• Ballroom Construction: Trump’s new, massive ballroom costs $400 million (privately funded by billionaires), bypasses preservation review, and dwarfs the White House itself.
  • Saagar laments: “It’s Twitter. Twitter is sort of inherently undignified. Right. We’re talking about the White House here. And now you’re putting some Twitter-esque or True Social-esque bullshit on an official plaque at the White House.” [27:14]
• Public Backlash: Krystal says this issue resonates with Americans far more than expected; it crystallizes a sense that the President’s ego trumps historical dignity.
• NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) Sentiment: Hosts advocate for tighter regulation to prevent such unchecked alterations to national landmarks.

Notable Quote

“These kind of things. It's very visual, it's very visceral... it speaks to the fact that this is what he's spending his actual time and brain share on. And then meanwhile, he's rushing through some bullshit speech about the economy because he really doesn't give a shit.”
—Saagar Enjeti [28:15]

5. Candace Owens, Conspiracies, & Right-Wing Media

[32:55–58:18]

• Candace Owens’ Rise on Conspiracy Claims:

  • Candace uses the assassination of Charlie Kirk to build a massive true-crime style streaming audience, engaging in wild speculation about who was complicit—including allegations against Turning Point USA staff, which she cannot substantiate.
  • On Piers Morgan, she spins and backpedals—Morgan presses for evidence:

    "So you've got no evidence, but you're telling the widow that these two people may have been involved in the murder."
    —Piers Morgan [36:34]

• Ethics & Recklessness in Independent Media:

  • Saagar strongly criticizes Candace's casual approach to evidence and the wider trend of speculation-without-verification, warning about both the legal and ethical dangers.
  • Krystal and Saagar discuss the responsibility of having a large, trusting audience, and the difference between reporting and baseless theorizing.

    “Reporting is real. Standards should be real... You have a lot of trust with people out there... I will never take them down a road unless I really not just believe it, but have it confirmed.”
    —Saagar Enjeti [44:39]

  • They note parallels with left-wing media’s Russiagate fever and the broader “post-truth” tendencies across political lines.

• Audience Disillusionment:

  • Candace’s partial backtrack after meeting with Erica Kirk leaves her audience angry; audience comments indicate a sense of betrayal.
  • Krystal points to the ever-shifting right-wing media ecosystem, where trust is transactional and conspiracies mutate rapidly to suit audience cravings.

Notable Quote

“It's a consequence of some of the shifting class dynamics... Russiagate, which was definitely equally bullshit, was kind of an elite version... Lower IQ movements are gonna look a lot more like this. And so this is a consequence of some of the shifting class dynamics that are here.”
—Krystal Ball [55:15]

Memorable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On Open Corruption:

  • Saagar: “The level of brazen corruption is truly... the worst we've ever had in this country.” [08:59]

• On Trump’s “Jewish President” Label:

  • Krystal: “It's just too naked, it's too out in the open and it's grotesque.” [11:02]

• On Petty White House Changes:

  • Krystal (re: plaques): “Even if it wasn't neutral... could we at least have it be written better? Like grammatically correct, Maybe just maybe a little bit more dignified or something?” [22:29]
  • Saagar: “And now you're putting some Twitter-esque or True Social-esque bullshit on an official plaque at the White House. And it's so in his light... it sounds and reads like he literally did post it on True Social.” [27:14]

• On Candace Owens’ Storytelling:

  • Saagar: “She will just make some shit up... telling you that something came to her in a dream and therefore it must be true.” [40:22]

• On Journalism Ethics:

  • Saagar: “Reporting is real. Standards should be real... when you ruthlessly and recklessly just speculate as fact and imply... this is real life. That's where I just think it's so irresponsible.” [44:39]

• On Conspiratorial Thinking:

  • Krystal: “I also think that there's a big class element... Russiagate, which was definitely equally bullshit, was kind of an elite version... Lower IQ movements are gonna look a lot more like this.” [55:15]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Trump-Hanukkah-Third Term & Donor Influence: [02:17–10:47]
• Mark Levin & "First Jewish President": [10:47–11:02]
• Plaques & Trump’s Ballroom: [18:46–30:43]
• Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk, & Conspiracy: [32:55–58:18]

Conclusion

Krystal and Saagar deliver a searing critique of the Trump era’s unprecedented openness about political patronage, egotism, and self-dealing, as embodied in Trump’s relationship with major donors and his personalization of the White House. The episode also provides a broader media critique, focused on the ethical collapse of independent and partisan media, with the Candace Owens true-crime phenomenon as a cautionary tale for the post-truth age.

End of Summary