I've Had It — “America’s Dumbass Dictator”

Podcast Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Guest: Mehdi Hassan, Editor-in-Chief of ZO
Original Air Date: November 4, 2025

Overview

In this sharply comedic and deeply critical episode, Jennifer and Angie (aka “Pumps”) air their grievances about American politics in the Trump 3.0 era. They rail against the normalization of fascism, the erosion of empathy and civil rights, and the rise of bigotry in politics and everyday life. Special guest Mehdi Hassan provides incisive commentary on American political amnesia, media normalization of Trump’s behaviors, and the failure of Democratic leadership to rise to the moment. The hosts, along with Mehdi, dissect the role of white evangelicalism, discuss the normalization of cruelty, and call out the establishment's lack of resistance—serving up truth with biting humor and unflinching honesty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. There Shouldn’t Be “Two Sides” to Cruelty (00:28–04:33)

• Angie’s Grievance: Fed up with the “both-sides” narrative in politics. Some issues aren’t debatable—such as withholding food from vulnerable people or taking away rights:

  “When you’re talking about not sending food to vulnerable people...there are no two sides to that. When you take people’s rights away...that is not a two sides thing.” — Angie (01:26)

• Jennifer's Take: The two-sides framing has been co-opted to normalize anti-democratic stances, particularly since Trump’s rise:

  "Pre Trump, there weren’t two sides to upholding the Constitution… it’s really disturbing to wake up and realize you live in a country where something that used to be off-limits as being two sides now is openly and brazenly and braggadociously two sides, right?" — Jennifer (02:33)

2. Trump Makes People Worse (08:32–13:23)

• Jennifer: Trump’s impact on personal relationships and public figures:

  “Almost everybody that I know that voted for Trump was a moderate piece of shit before and now they’re a heaping pile of dog shit as a human being now…his ability to make people worse human beings is undefeated.” — Jennifer (09:45)

• Angie: The erosion of empathy—using a family member’s lack of compassion for immigrants as an example:

  “People that I always believed had a little bit of empathy...have none. I mean, zero. ...We’ve gone full blown crazy train.” — Angie (09:45)

• On Evangelicals: Both hosts discuss the hypocrisy and mean-spiritedness they’ve observed among evangelical Christians, highlighting Jennifer’s atheist upbringing and how her mother displayed more empathy than surrounding Christians (13:23–16:09).

3. Listener Interactions & Stereotypes about Progressives (16:17–20:36)

• Kylie shares reviews:

  • A 1-star review mocking the hosts for needing an “exorcist.”
  • A 5-star review from a listener who wrongly assumed the hosts were Republicans because of their looks, then realized their progressive values.

• Jennifer: Comments on being stereotyped based on location and appearance, emphasizing liberal resilience in red states:

  “Some of the best liberals I know are people that are tucked into the reddest areas imaginable.” — Jennifer (19:23)

• Angie: The difficulty of being liberal in “Magaville”—it’s like “you have to have an oxygen tank to get started.” (20:18)

4. News Tidbits & Social Commentary (20:39–28:10)

• Marriage-ending Cake Incident: Jennifer relates emotionally to a viral news story about a woman divorcing after her husband ate her special piece of cake, connecting it to daily accumulative emotional neglect in relationships (21:13–23:13).
• China Regulating Influencers: Discussion on how a similar policy requiring credentials would decimate the Trump regime and online “life coach” culture in the U.S. (23:33–25:12).

5. Trumpism, Propaganda, and Billionaire Complicity (28:11–41:21)

• On Trump as the “Poor, Stupid Person’s Idea of a Smart, Rich Man”:

  “He is a poor, stupid person’s idea of a smart, rich man.” — Jennifer (26:36)

• Country Club Republicans: Prioritize low taxes over morality or democracy.
• Jennifer and Angie decry the normalization of Trump’s dementia-like behavior and the media's inability to “call it out as abnormal”:

  “This is not normal. That is the four-word sentence of our era: This is not normal.” — Mehdi Hassan (32:35)

6. Mehdi Hassan Interview — Media, Democrats, and the State of America (32:04–61:40)

Timestamps:

• Media Fails (32:35–38:25):

  • Media normalization, forgetting the Capitol riot, child separations, COVID mismanagement.

  “Americans are like goldfish. We can’t remember what happened last week, let alone last month or last year.” — Mehdi Hassan (36:53)

• Democratic Leadership Critique (41:21–53:00):

  • Dems are absent or ineffective at messaging (Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand).

  "No one genuinely believes they are the right men for this task...Democrats don’t have the spine." — Mehdi Hassan (42:50)

  • Calls for more passionate leaders and communicators (e.g., Jamie Raskin).

• Religious Hypocrisy and Political Evangelism (41:56–48:11):

  • Both Jennifer and Mehdi discuss the GOP’s “ownership” of religion, despite their behavior being antithetical to Christian values.

  "They are the people of faith when they are doing the most un-Jesus thing possible." — Mehdi Hassan (44:56)

• Islamophobia and Dem Establishment Insularity (48:11–59:41):

  • Islamophobia’s role in resistance to candidates like Mamdani.
  • Lack of Democratic solidarity; party ignores grassroots and dynamic candidates.

  “The energy they know is on one side of the party…what we're seeing on the right is very astroturfed. ... It is a very specific subset of right wing politicized Christians and white Christians.” — Mehdi Hassan (48:11)

• Podcasts vs. Mainstream Media as Political Platforms:

  • “Podcasts are setting a different scene…they think that if you swear a bit and go on some podcasts, that is connecting with the debate—and it’s not.” — Mehdi Hassan (56:26)

7. The Culture of Bigotry, Radicalization, and "Racist Genie" (70:51–77:40)

• Angie & Mehdi: Discuss how racism and bigotry have become normalized and emboldened:

  “Donald Trump brought out the worst in people...he basically allowed the worst people to crawl out from under rocks where they had been pushed...the racist genie is out of the bottle.” — Mehdi Hassan (70:51)

• Trump’s Legacy on Social Fabric: His cultural, rather than just political, influence will last for decades.

• Weaponization of “Antifa” and Right-Wing Extremism:

  • Mehdi exposes the myth of Antifa as a villainous organization and contrasts it with the real dangers of right-wing extremists like the Oath Keepers (76:32–77:40).

  “People don’t walk around with an Antifa membership badge…good luck with that.” — Mehdi Hassan (76:36)

8. “Had It or Hit It” Segment: Quick-Fire Pop Culture & Political Takes (74:38–80:29)

• Jerry Seinfeld: “Had it. …you’re a worse human being now.” — Mehdi Hassan (74:38)
• Domestic Air Travel: “I don’t know why it hasn’t radicalized Americans onto the streets. …It is horrifically bad.” — Mehdi Hassan (75:05)
• Antifa: “If you’re anti-fascist, then obviously I would hit it…But if it’s just kind of amorphous, weird group…It just doesn’t exist.” — Mehdi Hassan (76:32)
• The Louvre Heist: “Come on, it was super entertaining…Anyone who watches a good crime caper cannot not enjoy that news story.” — Mehdi Hassan (79:07)
• United States of America: “No, hit it. I’m not going to give up on the US yet… I actually believe in what America stands for. …As much as these MAGA people want to pretend that America is a white, Christian country, that is not what the founders intended.” — Mehdi Hassan (80:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He devolves people. …They go back to like, the reset settings of racism and misogyny.” — Angie (12:15)
• “The propaganda machine of FOX with the assist to an authoritarian regime…made it possible to where…what should not be two sides is.” — Jennifer (06:17)
• “A good leader can help people evolve past that. A selfish, maniacal, diabolical leader like Trump accentuates all of that.” — Jennifer (15:21)
• “It is messaging genius. Evil genius messaging.” — Mehdi Hassan (78:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Two Sides Narrative: 00:28–04:33
• Trump’s Impact on People: 08:32–13:23
• Listener Reviews & Regional Stereotypes: 16:17–20:36
• Cultural Tidbits & News: 20:39–28:10
• Mehdi Hassan Interview Begins: 32:04
• Media Normalization of Trump: 32:35–38:25
• Democratic Leadership Failures: 41:21–53:00
• Religion, Faith, and Politics: 41:56–48:11
• Islamophobia and the Left: 48:11–61:40
• Bigotry and Social Regression: 70:51–77:40
• Lightning Round Had It or Hit It: 74:38–80:29
• Closing Takes on America: 80:35–82:11

Tone & Final Thoughts

The tone of the episode is raw, witty, and acerbically honest. The hosts and Mehdi Hassan blend humor with profound frustration and righteous anger, calling out political cowardice, media complicity, and the steady decline of empathy and truth in public discourse. They urge solidarity, bold resistance, and a refusal to normalize authoritarianism:

“I’m not going to give up on the US yet… I will fight to keep America democratic and free as long as I can.” — Mehdi Hassan (80:35)

They close by emphasizing the importance of community and resilience for liberals, especially in red-state America, and issue a passionate call for engagement, accountability, and hope.