IHIP News: "Trump in Turmoil As Even FOX Blasts His Failing Poll Numbers, He's Drowning"

Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie Sullivan (featuring Molly Zhang)
Date: February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan dive deep into Donald Trump’s plummeting poll numbers—even noting FOX’s coverage of his decline—and the broader context of political scandal, accountability, and Democratic strategy in a turbulent election year. Their guest is Molly Zhang, noted journalist and podcast host, who provides expert insight on both Trump’s trajectory and the ongoing fallout of the Epstein scandal. The conversation is frank, funny, at times exasperated, and bracingly honest about the failures of establishment politics and hopes for grassroots change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Plummeting Polls and Media Shift

• Fox News Reports Trump’s Weak Numbers
  • The episode kicks off by noting a Washington Post poll featured on Fox News and Fox Business, reporting Trump’s approval at only 34%. (00:56)
  • Molly observes Trump is “seeing the polls, he’s losing,” and as a result, “wants to make it harder to vote.” (01:20)
  • Tone: Both hosts marvel at Fox’s sudden willingness to broadcast bad Trump news.

2. The Epstein Scandal: Scale, Cover-up, and Political Connections

Survivor Voices & Law Enforcement Failures

• Molly details her reporting for The New York Times on the Epstein files—a scandal affecting “business deals, underage girls, etc.” (02:04)
• She discusses Maria Farmer, the first survivor to go to police and the FBI. Despite clear evidence, “the authorities ignored her.” (02:29)
• Molly: “If the FBI had paid attention to any of these warnings, so many…girls would not have had their lives just completely destroyed.” (03:50)

Political Implications and Ongoing Cover-Up

• The scandal spans multiple presidencies: “These women have been failed by Biden, Trump, Clinton, and Bush.” (04:26)
• Molly draws the distinction between incompetence and intentional cover-up by the FBI, unlike the UK’s approach with Prince Andrew: “We are just…a cabinet…filled with people that are in the Epstein files, from…Howard Lutnick to Donald Trump.” (05:34)
• Jennifer discusses the pattern among Trump allies: “There’s one connective tissue with all of them. They’re all in the Epstein files.” (06:03)
• CBS’s report of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s ties to Epstein is highlighted as proof of elite protection. (06:33)

Frustration & Calls for Justice

• Both hosts emphasize the emotional weight and the sense of American institutions failing:
  • “It’s such a cover up, an ongoing cover up of such a massive scale. …Justice is so necessary here.” (08:37)
• “It’s pretty devastating when you sit back and think about it.” (09:41)

3. Cultural Moments and the Power of Pushback

• Molly draws parallels to other moments of mass action (George Floyd, Weinstein, #MeToo), asking:
  • “Are we in a moment …where the people say, it’s enough?” (09:57)
• Example: Minnesota’s pushback leading to ICE reducing its presence after a federal incursion—proof that activism can force government change. (10:32)
• "Pushback works. The American people have a lot more power than I think they think they do." (11:42)

4. Democratic Party Strategy: Leadership, Electability, and Grassroots Frustration

Harsh Critique of Party Establishment

• Jennifer lambasts establishment Democrats’ inability to give straight answers and consistent resistance:
  • “These cannot be our leaders. …They cannot be the leaders of the resistance.” (12:11)
• Angie and Molly debate whether Dems should replace leaders like Chuck Schumer (“Chuckles”) and Hakeem Jeffries:
  • “Should the Democrats revolt within the House and the Senate and try to get new leadership?” (13:17)

Qualities of Effective Politicians

• Molly argues the party needs “a talented politician…who can win and who can fight.” (15:22)
• She’s cynical about ideology:
  • “They’re politicians. They don’t believe anything most of the time. They believe whatever will get them elected.” (15:37)
• But she supports new blood, citing examples of poor candidate recruitment. (17:27)

The Role of Populism & Base Activism

• Jennifer: “I think we need politicians with conviction. …I bully Hakeem as much as I can.” (20:23)
• Molly frames electoral activism as the source of real change:
  • “If people vote and if they run, AOC wasn’t AOC until she won her congressional campaign. …If you win, then it doesn’t necessarily matter what [the establishment] thinks.” (21:22)
• She warns of leadership taking false credit:
  • “If [Schumer] flips [the Senate], he will think he did it—and then he’ll think he’s this great leader.” (22:39)

5. 2028: Who’s Next For Democrats?

• Jennifer asks for top two possible Democratic nominees (23:12); Molly is reluctant to name names.
• “I’m going to harken back to Barack Obama—this time in Barack Obama’s cycle, he was not even a member of the Senate.” (23:38)
• Both hope for a fresh face, recalling Obama’s 2008 rise from outside the establishment. (24:21)
• Molly: “Democrats have such power at this moment… If they have wants, tell those politicians what you want—you have so much more power than you think.” (24:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s slide:
  “Trump’s approval rating at 34%. Fox News put that on their screen.” — Jennifer (00:56)
• On the Epstein scandal’s scale:
  “This is the largest sex trafficking operation in American history. …Been failed by Biden, Trump, Clinton, and Bush.” — Molly (04:26)
• Institutional failure:
  “It’s pretty devastating when you sit back and think about it.” — Jennifer (09:41)
• On Democratic leadership:
  “They’re politicians. They don’t believe anything most of the time.” — Molly (15:37)
• Action and hope:
  “Pushback works. The American people have a lot more power than I think they think they do.” — Molly (11:42)
• Populist energy:
  “There may be a wave of populism that this Democratic leadership cannot control… And Dayenu, as my people say—good.” — Molly (20:54)
• Revolution from the ground up:
  “If people vote and if they run, AOC wasn’t AOC until she won her congressional campaign. …If you win, then it doesn’t necessarily matter what [the establishment] thinks.” — Molly (21:22)
• 2028 Democratic field:
  “I’m going to harken back to Barack Obama…there is a world where the candidate who is going to come in and sweep the nomination is not even in the mix yet.” — Molly (23:38)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:56 – Trump’s poll numbers on Fox News, signaling real trouble.
• 02:04 – Inside the Epstein scandal and survivor Maria Farmer’s story.
• 05:34 – Cross-party elite protection and the breadth of the Epstein files.
• 09:41 – Emotional impact of systemic cover-up.
• 10:32 – Minnesota activism successfully resisting ICE, example of effective pushback.
• 13:17 – Should Democrats revolt against current leadership?
• 15:37 – Politicians as self-interested actors; focus on electability over ideology.
• 20:54 – Democratic leadership facing a rising populist base.
• 23:38 – Who are the front-runners for the 2028 Democratic nomination?
• 24:29 – Final call for base activism and grassroots engagement.

Tone & Takeaways

True to its reputation, the episode blends biting humor, hard truth, and a sense of solidarity among frustrated progressives. The hosts and guest express anger but not hopelessness, urging listeners to keep fighting and to recognize the cumulative power of collective pushback. The failures of current leadership—across parties and institutions—are laid bare, but the potential for new leaders to rise, galvanized by grassroots impatience, is held out as a real path forward.