Podcast Summary: IHIP News

Episode: Trump Hits Record Low Approval Ratings and Pushes Third Term, Fascism is Here
Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Date: October 24, 2025

Main Theme

Jennifer and Angie tackle the alarming direction of U.S. politics under Donald Trump’s current administration: his record-setting low approval ratings, rhetoric around a potential third term (in open defiance of the 22nd Amendment), the rise of Christian nationalism, and what they see as America’s decisive slide into authoritarianism. With their trademark humor and unapologetically progressive voice, the hosts deconstruct propaganda tactics, systemic abuses, and the actions (and inactions) of players like Steve Bannon, Kristi Noem, and Speaker Mike Johnson.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Steve Bannon on Trump’s Third Term Ambitions

[00:05 – 01:32]

• Hosts play a Steve Bannon clip where he predicts Trump “will be President in 2028” and speaks of Trump as “an instrument of divine providence.”
• Bannon openly dismisses concerns about the 22nd Amendment, hinting at “many different alternatives” and vowing, “At the appropriate time, we'll lay out what the plan is.”
• Quote [00:52, Steve Bannon]:
  “We need him for at least one more term, right? And he'll get that in '28... He's a vehicle of divine providence.”
• Jennifer contextualizes this as a clear admission of the Christian nationalist project—using religion as a mass-mobilizing weapon, with Trump as a useful, if cynical, figurehead.
• The hosts link this rhetoric to historical backlash against FDR’s four terms and Barack Obama’s presidency, arguing the right weaponizes Christianity and race to secure anti-democratic ends.

2. Dismissal of Constitutional Norms

[05:08 – 05:57]

• Angie lambasts Trump’s disregard for the Constitution and suggests new “military domestic response teams” are being created to quell dissent should he overstay his legal term.
• She sharply contrasts Bannon’s talk of “divine intervention” with what she believes is Trump’s uniquely “immoral, blatantly corrupt” approach.
• Quote [05:47, Podcast Host 2]:
  “Never in the history of the United States has anybody been so blatantly corrupt as Donald Trump. And that's why he's getting shit done, because he breaks the law.”

3. Historic Low Approval Ratings — And Regime Defiance

[05:57 – 07:22]

• Harry Enton segment details Trump's record-low economic approval:
  • CNBC: -13 net approval; Quinnipiac: -19 net approval.
• Quote [06:44, Harry Enton]:
  “The bottom line is: Donald Trump is at the lowest point ever in either of his terms.”
• Jennifer notes how this administration, unlike any prior, brazenly disregards polling evidence of unpopularity, relying instead on propaganda and self-promotion.

4. Propaganda, Cult of Personality, and “WWE” Politics

[07:22 – 09:11]

• Jennifer highlights bizarre self-aggrandizement in ICE recruitment ads and major department heads emulating Trump’s ego-centric style, notably South Dakota’s Kristi Noem.
• There's open mockery of the administration’s claims that all protestors (e.g., the “No Kings” march) are “paid” rather than motivated by principle.
• Steve Bannon clip: Quote [09:11, Steve Bannon]:
  “These people are not representative of our country... many of them are total low lives.”

5. Host Response: Why Insults Don’t Sting (But the Truth Does)

[09:40 – 11:52]

• Jennifer reflects on how being called a “lowlife” is meaningless, but the right is uniquely sensitive when accurately accused of racism, fascism, or corruption.
• She is disturbed by the projection that progressives are only motivated by money to support justice or marginalized groups, seeing it as a window into the regime’s amoral worldview.
• Quote [10:48, Podcast Host 1]:
  “[That we would] have to be paid to stand up for those marginalized...is much more of an indictment on this depraved regime than anything they do.”

6. Authoritarian Mindset: “Never Leaving” and Open Corruption

[13:31 – 15:00]

• Angie insists that the regime's relentless power-grabbing and disregard for opinion polling is a sign they have no intention of ever relinquishing office, and are simply “making as much fucking money as he can.”
• Jennifer expands, “They're going to rip up the Constitution,” citing specific examples of corruption, ostentatious spending (Noem’s jets), and delusional self-perception among billionaires.

7. Gaslighting and Disenfranchisement: The Grijavla Incident

[15:00 – 17:18]

• The hosts recount Democratic Rep. Grijavla being blocked from Capitol Hill, while Speaker “Moses Mike Grinder Johnson,” allegedly compromised by personal secrets, refuses to swear her in then blames her for not “getting to work.”
• Jennifer frames this as classic abuser gaslighting and accuses Johnson—and the wider regime—of pathologically lying and subordinating all values to propping up Trump’s rule.

8. Concluding Notes

[17:18 – End]

• Jennifer closes with a call for courage among Americans, arguing that all this could end if more people stood up.
• Brief plug for their book, "Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Steve Bannon [00:52]: “He’s a vehicle of divine providence. He's an instrument… we need him for at least one more term, right? And he'll get that in 28.”
• Podcast Host 2 [05:47]: “Never in the history of the United States has anybody been so blatantly corrupt as Donald Trump.”
• Harry Enton [06:44]: “The bottom line is: Donald Trump is at the lowest point ever in either of his terms.”
• Steve Bannon [09:11]: “Many of them are total low lives.”
• Podcast Host 1 [10:48]: “That we would have to be paid to stand up for those marginalized...is much more of an indictment on this depraved regime than anything they do.”
• Podcast Host 1 [13:31]: “Authoritarian regimes do not have good economies. The best indicator of a healthy economy are countries that have the best governments.”

(Approximate) Key Timestamps

• [00:05 – 01:32]: Bannon outlines third-term plot and religious justification.
• [05:08 – 05:57]: Hosts reflect on Trump’s total constitutional disregard.
• [05:57 – 07:22]: Harry Enton’s poll breakdown—record-low Trump approval.
• [07:22 – 09:11]: Discussion of administrative propaganda, “WWE” politics.
• [09:11 – 09:40]: Bannon insults protestors as “low lives.”
• [09:40 – 11:52]: Host reactions: insults, projection, and transactional worldview.
• [13:31 – 15:00]: Delusion of immunity and billionaire complicity.
• [15:00 – 17:18]: Grijavla blocked from Capitol; Speaker Johnson’s gaslighting.
• [17:18 – end]: Closing call for courage, book plug.

Tone

The podcast blends dark humor and righteous outrage with direct, often profane language. The hosts are unapologetic in their progressive positions, framing the current era as a crisis for democracy and basic decency (“Christian nationalists... breaking this thing,” “[they] are pathologically, impulsively, compulsively [lying]...”). Sarcasm and biting, vivid metaphors (e.g., “Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches”) carry their message of both warning and resistance.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking an in-depth, colorful distillation of this episode’s warnings and wit—whether or not they’ve yet heard it.