Trump Spirals After Disastrous Fox News Poll Numbers; Big Ugly Bill Backfiring

Summary

IHIP News Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Trump Spirals After Disastrous Fox News Poll Numbers; Big Ugly Bill Backfiring
Host/Authors: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Release Date: June 30, 2025

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Introduction to the Big Ugly Bill

In this episode of IHIP News, hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan delve into the contentious legislative landscape shaped by the recently introduced "Big Ugly Bill." The hosts critique the bill's origins, implications, and the public's reception, particularly among conservative audiences.

Ben opens the discussion by denouncing the bill:
"Nobody's asking for this. Nobody is asking for this type of change. This is completely antithetical to everything convicted felon ran on." ([00:04])

He further explains that the bill, crafted by conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025, aims to consolidate power under Trump, detrimental to the working class while favoring the wealthy. This aligns with his view that the bill "delivers zero promises" and lacks coherent content.

Public Opinion and Polling Data

The hosts examine polling data to assess public sentiment towards the Big Ugly Bill.

Ben presents a Fox News poll indicating that 59% of respondents oppose the bill, while only 38% support it:
"And I think that 38%, I would say that's probably the percentage of the country that's MAGA, 30 to 38% somewhere in there." ([00:54])

Alex expresses surprise at the low approval among Fox News viewers, who are typically more inclined to support Trump:
"So it’s so for it to be that unpopular with Fox viewers strikes me is stunning." ([01:05])

They review additional polls from Pew (29% support), KFF (35%), Quinnipiac (27%), and Washington Post (23%), all showing significant opposition across the board compared to Fox News' 38% approval. Ben emphasizes the limited support beyond dedicated Trump followers:
"Those are abysmal underwater numbers. Double digit underwater numbers." ([01:21])

Impact on Upcoming Midterms

The conversation shifts to the implications of the bill on the upcoming midterm elections in 2026. Alex notes a proposal to delay Medicaid cuts until after the midterms:
"I did see that the Medicaid cuts wouldn't come till after the midterms that the Republican, you know, they're trying to make that in the bill..." ([02:11])

Ben speculates on the motivations behind such legislative maneuvers, suggesting that elected officials are prioritizing loyalty to Trump over constituent interests:
"They know their constituents don't want it, but they're so beholden to Donald Trump and so scared of a primary..." ([02:46])

Consequences of the Big Ugly Bill

The hosts outline the multifaceted repercussions of the bill, including increased electric bills, exacerbated national debt, and significant job losses in the construction sector.

Ben highlights the personal impact on individuals, referencing a relative affected by IRS purges:
"Her husband got fired from the IRS because of Elon Musk, not because she did anything wrong... lost her insurance, lost her pension..." ([04:25])

The discussion underscores the disconnect between the bill's provisions and the well-being of ordinary Americans, with Ben criticizing the Republican emphasis on benefiting billionaires and corporations:
"They champion for billionaires over and over again and they champion for corporations over and over again to their own detriment." ([05:25])

Misinformation and Media Influence

Alex critiques Trump's misinformation regarding the bill's economic benefits, using examples of false claims about reduced costs:
"Trump puts out a tweet or whatever you call it, a lie social, and he says... We've decreased costs by 400%... Now they're paying you to take eggs." ([06:38])

Ben discusses the deep-seated indoctrination within the Republican base, likening their unwavering support to a cult mentality:
"They're deeply indoctrinated to want to own the libs and think that Democrats are... tribe." ([07:34])

Sponsor Segment: Zocdoc

The hosts briefly pause to promote their sponsor, Zocdoc, highlighting its benefits in finding healthcare providers efficiently. This segment includes personal anecdotes and endorsements from both Ben and Alex.

Job Cuts and Economic Impact

Returning to the main discussion, Ben reports on the Senate's bill potentially eliminating 1.75 million construction jobs:
"The Senate's big bill would be the biggest, biggest job killing bill in our country's history. They estimate that it threatens up to 1.75 million construction jobs." ([10:09])

Alex elaborates on the broader economic fallout, including job losses in healthcare and increased living costs:
"They're going to lose their health care, they're going to lose their jobs, their electricity is going to be more, their costs are going to be more." ([10:43])

The Loyalty of Triple Trumpers

A significant portion of the episode examines the unwavering loyalty of "Triple Trumpers"—individuals deeply committed to Trump regardless of the negative consequences.

Ben asserts that this group is beyond persuasion:
"These people that are triple Trumpers are beyond help... They are deeply indoctrinated to always vote Republican." ([11:37])

Alex speculates on whether financial losses might influence their voting behavior but remains skeptical:
"I do think the love of money might move them. I. No, it would not move them to vote for, you know, like a Kamala Harris or Hillary Clinton." ([11:54])

Conclusion and Forward Look

The episode concludes with reflections on the entrenched partisan divide and the upcoming midterms' potential impact.

Ben expresses doubt that even significant political events will sway Triple Trumpers:
"The overwhelming majority, they voted Republican their whole lives. They'll continue to do it." ([12:34])

Alex echoes the sentiment, acknowledging the uncertainty and anticipation surrounding the midterm elections:
"Guess we're getting ready to find out. Midterms are going to be interesting." ([12:38])

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Key Takeaways:

• The "Big Ugly Bill" faces substantial opposition, with low approval outside of staunch Trump supporters.
• Republican strategies appear to prioritize loyalty to Trump over addressing constituents' needs, risking backlash in upcoming midterms.
• The bill's provisions threaten significant job losses and economic hardships for many Americans.
• Persistent misinformation and media influence maintain the loyalty of the Republican base, particularly Triple Trumpers, making political shifts challenging.
• The hosts remain cautiously pessimistic about the effectiveness of upcoming elections in addressing these deep-seated issues.

Notable Quotes:

• "Nobody's asking for this type of change. This is completely antithetical to everything convicted felon ran on." — Ben ([00:04])
• "If your parents lost Money in their 401k, they're triple Trumpers. ... They will not vote because their bigotry is bigger than their purpose." — Ben ([10:44])
• "The overwhelming majority, they voted Republican their whole lives. They'll continue to do it." — Ben ([12:34])

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This episode of IHIP News provides a critical examination of current Republican legislative efforts, the steadfast loyalty of Trump-aligned voters, and the looming challenges facing progressive movements in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Transcript

[Alex]

Foreign.

[Ben]

What's important to remember about this hideous big ugly bill, or what we like to call here at IHIP News, the big heaping pile of dog, is that nobody's asking for this. Nobody is asking for this type of change. This is completely antithetical to everything convicted felon ran on. It's it. It delivers zero promises. He doesn't even know what's in it. This stuff is written by conservative think tanks like the HA Heritage foundation and the authors of Project 2025 to consolidate power for a moron like Trump and deflease the money of working class Americans and transfer it to the wealthy. And here is a poll from Fox. Put this up. The one big beautiful bill, 59% oppose and 38% favor. And that is FOX News. And I think that 38%, I would say that's probably the percentage of the country that's MAGA, 30 to 38% somewhere in there.

[Alex]

Well, and Fox viewers specifically are far more, you know, MAGA than most people that you find out in the world. So I, it's so for it to be that unpopular with Fox viewers strikes me is stunning.

[Ben]

All right, and then there's here's another poll on this budget bill. Pop this up. Americans on Trump's spending and tax cut bill. Pew poll 29 support. KFF polling 35 report, Quinnipiac 27%, Washington Post 23%. And Fox News, you see it there, 38%. These are abysmal underwater numbers. Double digit underwater numbers. Again, nobody is asking for this. And so when you see the staggered 20% or the 30%, that is just the cult, that is only the cult that follows this. And if tomorrow or if right now Trump said, you know what, I just read the bill, it's a bad idea, I want to cancel it. That same percentage would just follow him to whatever he said because they don't have free thought.

[Alex]

Absolutely. And you know, you and I have discussed this numerous times, but I think it's worth hitting again. So we've got the midterms coming up in 26. I did see that the Medicaid cuts wouldn't come till after the midterms that the Republican, you know, they're trying to make that in the bill, but at.

[Ben]

What point hold up, they're delaying the cuts to go into effect until after the midterms.

[Alex]

Part of one of the proposals that's been, I don't know if it will be adopted, but that has been put up today.

[Ben]

That's interesting.

[Alex]

Yeah, well of course, because okay, so that goes into My theory of these people voting on it, these elected officials, they know it's bad.

[Ben]

Of course they do.

[Alex]

They know their constituents don't want it, but they're so beholden to Donald Trump and so scared of a primary, I assume because they couldn't get a job doing anything else, that they're going to vote for it against their constituency. At what point does the constituency turn on them and do, or, or by the time the midterms roll around, we've all forgotten about it. I mean, I'm just fascinated by that question.

[Ben]

I don't know. I mean, you know, I think that when you get inside the Republican thing, I mean, you can look at your parents, they follow Fox News, right? They follow what the personalities at Fox say. Immediately after January six, they were kind of hard on Trump Fox. So then you see the Fox people kind of hard on Trump and then they start pro Trump again and then they just jump right back on board. And so whatever it is or however it's spun, the people that are inside the right wing media ecosystem, they follow what the thought leaders or unthought leaders in that group say. And there's just, I mean, I, I would like to say that if they lost their health care that they would be angry about it, but my brother has a guy that works for him whose wife got fired from the IRS because of Elon Musk, not because she did anything wrong, but like it was a huge pur. Purge and lost her insurance, lost her pension, all sorts of stuff, lost her income. Still Trumpers. So I, I don't, I don't know what, how to get an indoctrinated group of people that tend to be morally flawed as a default setting to champion for causes that are bigger than them.

[Alex]

Yeah, I mean, it's, it's a great question, very fascinating. And it's a calculated risk by these elected officials. It really is.

[Ben]

I think that it's, here's, here's where I get it. If there was a blue tsunami midterms and then we get a real progressive in office, I would say get as much done as possible.

[Alex]

Right?

[Ben]

Put the accelerator to the floorboard, you know, try to impeach Supreme Court justices, get term limits put on their, their stuff, I mean, I would go, go, go as hard as I could. What, why, what, why wouldn't they do that? That's exactly what they're doing right now. They have the Senate, they have the House, they have the executive branch. And so they're saying, let's break as much of it as we Possibly can. This guy's 79. Dumber than a box of hot dogs. Let's get as much of this stuff crammed through as possible. So from that regard, I don't like what they're doing, but I get it because this is their one opportunity. These guys have had a hard on for Social Security, a hard on for Medicare for decades since Reagan. They don't want anybody getting anything. They think they should get it all. All right, next up we have the Republican bill is going to increase your electric bill, put this up, we're exploding the national debt, but at least your energy bill will go up in 10 million. People will, will lose their health care. So who can really say if it's bad or not? And so prices of electricity and energy are going to increase under this bill. And I don't. It's really crazy, like living in this country and seeing a cult of people that like champion for big oil, like Drill baby, drill, that like that. None of this benefits them. It only benefits very few people. And they champion for billionaires over and over and over again. And they champion for corporations over and over again to their own detriment. It's really a bizarre split screen to live in this country and know what scientists say, what they've studied and see the peer reviewed data and see that that is reinforced by other people in the scientific community around the world. And then there's like Fox and all their followers. Right, right. It's just, it's wild.

[Alex]

Well, tell you what else is wild to me is Trump puts out a tweet or whatever you call it, a lie social, and he says, you know, your costs are going down. We've decreased costs by 400%. You know, eggs, now they're paying you to take eggs kind of stuff. And people go to the grocery store and they're paying more money. This is going to be a tangible increase in people's electricity bill. Will that make that, will that make it tangible to them? Like he's lying. So if he sends out a true social that says your energy costs are down and they're up 20% and people are actively paying that additional sum, will it click in their brain that these two things are related? I mean, it goes back to my fascination with all this and maybe it's because of the deep dark bottom of my black heart. I'm an optimist that at some point you have to get it if it hits you in the checkbook. But I, I'm fascinated by all this.

[Ben]

Like, I just, I think that these people are so deeply in the cult. They're deeply indoctrinated to want to own the libs and think that Democrats are, you know, demons and you know, these people are from blue states and there's tribalism and otherizing at its height now. Yes, this moves independence. This 100% moves independence. The whole around find out stage that we as progressives want so desperately to happen. I don't think we're going to get it. These people always vote Republican, will always vote for public Republican will die on the hill, die in debt, fighting for South African born Elon Musk to not pay taxes. But independence, I think that these issues definitely move. Okay, before we move on, I want you guys to support our show by supporting our sponsor. Recently I had this itch on like my side right here under my armpit, driving me crazy. I played tennis all the time and it was just dry. And so I got on this app called Zocdoc and I found a dermatologist and it checked my insurance, made sure there was an appointment that I could go because I work all the time. And I got this cream, totally cleared up. Tennis game back to normal. Cannot recommend Zocdoc enough.

[Alex]

What I have really found helpful with Zocdoc with a child in a new city is he is able to find a primary health care provider that is peer reviewed and he knows the location. I mean all of these things. It just takes the hassle out of finding a specialist and or a primary care provider.

[Ben]

Listeners. Doc Doc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in network doctors and stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to Zocdoc.com ihip to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's Z Zocdoc.comiiP okay, next up we have Trump's bill is going to cut 1.75 million construction jobs. So here is a report. The trade union that represents America's 3 million construction workers just said the Senate's big bill would be the biggest, biggest job killing bill in our country's history. They estimate that it threatens up to 1.75 million construction jobs.

[Alex]

And you know, here's the thing. They're not alone. It's not just construction jobs. It is so many jobs and health care. And then the even the more insidious unsaid things like consolidating power in the executive branch, taking it from the judiciary. But, and I know you're sick of me hearing about but this goes to are these triple trumpers. They're going to lose their health care, they're going to lose their jobs, their electricity is going to be more, their costs are going to be more. At, at any point, do they realize it or, you know, Fox News says it's patriotic to pay more.

[Ben]

You would know more than me.

[Alex]

I just, I don't know. I think it.

[Ben]

If your parents lost Money in their 401k, they're triple Trumpers. Go to church every time the doors open, house full of guns, all the stuff that all the triple Trumpers have. If they lost money in their 401k, are they going to go vote for a guy like Zoran Mamdani who is a Muslim that fights for everyone? No, they'll never do it. They'll never do it ever. These people that are triple Trumpers are beyond help. And I know you love your parents and every. A lot of people have these issues, but they will not. They will not vote because their bigotry is bigger than their purpose. And that's what triple Trumpers have in common. They'll never vote for a Kamala Harris. They'd never vote for Barack Obama. They just won't do it.

[Alex]

See, I do think the love of money might move them. I. No, it would not move them to vote for, you know, like a Kamala Harris or Hillary Clinton. But would it change how they thought and maybe make him not vote? That would be probably the best I could have.

[Ben]

People saw a violent insurrection at the Capitol, a violent insurrection and voted for the man that caused it. Again, this is a cult. It is a C U L T. And they get their information from Fox and others. And I just, I just think that the racist default setting of so many Americans are always. Is going to override any sense of, you know what? I'm done with this party. I think you see a few people that have done that. The overwhelming majority, they voted Republican their whole lives. They'll continue to do it.

[Alex]

It's really sad.

[Ben]

Independents, I think will move, but not triple Trumpers.

[Alex]

Guess we're getting ready to find out. Midterms are going to be interesting.

[Ben]

All right, we'll see you all later.

[Alex]

Sam.