IHIP News – Episode Summary

Podcast: IHIP News
Episode: "Trump Admits He's Going to Lose The Midterms As It all Comes Crashing Down"
Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jennifer and Pumps offer a candid, comedic, and often fierce critique of both Republican and Democratic leadership as the U.S. approaches the midterms. They discuss the evolving landscape of progressive politics, frustrations with corporate influence, and Donald Trump's defeatist statements about the midterms. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of Democratic evolution, the importance of grassroots motivation, and blunt calls for leadership accountability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gavin Newsom: Assets and Shortcomings

• Fighting Trump with Digital Strategy: Jennifer highlights how Gavin Newsom’s team created a clever AI video mocking Trump allies, showing their prowess in digital political sparring (00:06).
  • Memorable reimagining of “cuffing season” by showing MAGA figures handcuffed, which Jennifer calls “excellent” for its messaging and digital savvy.
• Newsom’s Stance on Taxing Billionaires: Critique of Newsom's refusal to support a billionaire tax, despite its broad bipartisan support.
  • “And recently he kind of cleaned up some AIPAC stuff. But then he also face-planted on taxing billionaires, which, like, over 80%...we need to do everything we can to beat these fascists.” — Jennifer (00:06)
• Call for Political Evolution: Both hosts insist that Democratic leaders need to evolve alongside their base; referencing progressive leaders like Zoran Momdani for their focus on affordability and working-class issues.
  • “I want all of our candidates to be better and I want them to evolve the way the base has evolved...” — Jennifer (01:48)

2. Money in Politics and the Fight Against Corporate Influence

• Corporate Donations: Open critique of Democrats’ reliance on corporate money post-Citizens United, which Jennifer argues has hurt the party’s connection with working-class voters (04:13).
  • Story of Zoran Momdani: Despite billionaire threats, none left New York after his win, and luxury real estate sales went up, debunking establishment fears around taxing the wealthy (02:47 - 04:13).
  • “The billionaires banded together and spent tens of millions of dollars against him. And I just am wondering if as we head into the midterms, can the strategy not be where we make it so toxic...that the more you take in, that’s the more you talk about, and it becomes brand damaging for these corporations...” — Jennifer (04:13)

3. Trump’s Pre-emptive Excuses: “Landslide” Delusions and Midterm Fear

• Trump’s Statements: Hosts dissect a clip where Trump frames the expected midterm loss as an inevitability, spinning it as a statistical trend even for presidents with supposed “landslide” wins (08:24).
  • “But for whatever reason, and nobody’s been able to give me an answer. When you win the presidency, you seem to lose the midterms.” — Trump (08:24)
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Jennifer: “This is good news, Pumps. I think they’re prepping for the blue tsunami… they’re not going to be able to rig the midterms…” (09:27)
  • Pumps: "Is he gonna make it to the midterms? He looks horrible. He’s kind of slobbery mouth slurry, like, yeah, I cannot believe we lost to him.” (09:49)

4. Democratic Failures and Accountability

• Post-Insurrection Inertia: Jennifer lambasts the Biden administration for failing to act decisively after January 6th, specifically calling out lack of action on Clarence Thomas and the slow pace of investigations (10:32).
  • “Joe Biden had one job. After you saw an insurrection…What did they do about that? Jenny Thomas, her husband still sits on the Supreme Court. They did nothing about that…” — Jennifer (10:32)
  • Critique of Merrick Garland’s appointment as Attorney General: “That appointment was the biggest failure of any president in my lifetime.” — Jennifer (11:54)
• The Trap of Corporate Politics: Repeatedly, the hosts argue that Democratic attempts to placate both corporate donors and moderate Republicans only dilute their messaging and demotivate the base.
  • Reference to Kamala Harris and the persistent racism/sexism in voter perceptions (16:16).

5. Need for Progressive Strategy, Fresh Faces, and Base Motivation

• Progressive Campaign Staff: Praise for teams behind Zoran Momdani and governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey, arguing for new blood and a move away from Clinton/Obama-era consultants (16:16).
  • "Let’s get all new blood in there.” — Pumps (15:37)
• Emphasizing Working Class and Diversity: Advocating for Democratic focus on energizing their diverse base instead of chasing moderate Republicans.
  • “You’ve got to motivate them to get out and vote. And they’re never going to believe in you if you say, I’m adamantly against taxing billionaires.” — Jennifer (18:46)
• Evolution, Not Purity: Hosts push for guidance and pressure to make candidates better, not just criticize them.
  • “I want to make these candidates better because you have to be somewhat insane to want to run for president…” — Jennifer (16:16)

6. Willingness to Hold Candidates Accountable

• Jennifer makes it clear she won't support Newsom in a primary if he doesn’t shift on key issues—including billionaire taxes, LGBTQ+ rights, and corporate money (20:26 - 21:24).
  • “If this affordability stuff and corporate beholdenship isn’t cleaned up...I won’t vote for him in a primary, period. Because that is the formula that keeps Democrats conservative, and that’s the formula that keeps Democrats from moving forward.” — Jennifer (20:26)

7. Humor, Humanity, and Recurring Themes

• Light Moments: Banter over Pumps’ mispronunciation of “advocate” vs. “abdicate” (21:53).
• Closing Thoughts: Ever-present mix of irreverence and urgency—balancing outrage at leaders’ failures with hope for grassroots power.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:06 | Jennifer | “A plus plus plus plus plus to quote Kings and his disillusioned thoughts about his economy on fighting Trump.” | | 02:47 | Pumps | “Every single one of those people has been committing crimes on a daily, if not hourly basis. So good for Gavin Newsom…” | | 04:13 | Jennifer | “The billionaires banded together and spent tens of millions of dollars against him…” | | 08:24 | Trump | “But for whatever reason, and nobody’s been able to give me an answer. When you win the presidency, you seem to lose the midterms...” | | 09:49 | Pumps | “Is he gonna make it to the midterms? He looks horrible. He’s kind of slobbery mouth slurry, like, yeah, I cannot believe we lost to him.”| | 10:32 | Jennifer | “What did they do about that? … They did nothing about this man. Nothing about this man.” | | 15:37 | Pumps | “I summarily fire people. Let’s get all new blood in there.” | | 18:49 | Jennifer | “Even the billionaires have a whole, like, group where they say, we’re giving away 99 of our wealth. … So when even you have billionaires that don’t agree with you, Gavin, evolve on this. Evolve.” | | 20:26 | Jennifer | “If this affordability stuff and corporate beholdenship isn’t cleaned up...I won’t vote for him in a primary, period.” |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Discussion of Gavin Newsom vs. Trump: 00:06 – 02:47
• Money in politics debate and Zoran Momdani's campaign: 02:47 – 04:13
• Democrats’ corporate influence and strategy: 04:13 – 08:24
• Trump's remarks and hosts' analysis: 08:24 – 09:49
• Biden administration failures post-January 6th: 10:32 – 16:16
• Progressive strategy and new Democratic leadership: 16:16 – 20:00
• Litmus tests for Newsom and focus on authentic base: 20:26 – 21:46

Final Thoughts

Jennifer and Pumps deliver a fiery, no-holds-barred critique of both the MAGA right and establishment Democrats, calling for accountability, genuine representation of working-class voters, and an end to corporate capture. They blend humor with urgency, making the case for progressive evolution and grassroots empowerment as the only pathway to meaningful change and electoral victory.