Happy Hour: Caroline Sunshine's Journey from Disney to The White House

Summary

Kennedy Saves the World — "Happy Hour: Caroline Sunshine's Journey from Disney to The White House"

Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Kennedy
Guest: Caroline Sunshine

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Main Theme & Episode Overview

This episode offers a candid conversation between Kennedy and Caroline Sunshine focusing on Sunshine's unique trajectory from Disney Channel star to political communications in the Trump White House. With Kennedy’s trademark humor, their chat delves into the quirks of social drinking (or not), the serious and absurd sides of political and entertainment careers, family dynamics, and the nuanced lessons Sunshine gained from acting and government service. The tone is light, witty, and deeply personal, peppered with both laughter and thoughtful analysis on American culture and politics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Mocktails, Drinking, and Social Rituals

• Mocktail Toast: Kennedy concocts a cranberry-green tea mocktail in honor of Sunshine's non-drinking lifestyle.

• Caroline explains that abstaining from alcohol has always been her choice and likens it to dietary choices (vegetarianism), highlighting the odd social praise she receives for it.

  • Caroline: "I've never drank and I've never been drunk. And I'm very curious as to the kind of drunk I would be." [02:06]

• Social norms of drinking/fake celebration discussed—Kennedy notes much of drinking is performative in social contexts rather than emotional relief.

  • Kennedy: "Half of doing dry January is just convincing your brain you're having something celebratory." [01:12]

War Generals, Riz, and Family Football Feuds

• The conversation turns to Caroline's hypothetical "drunk history teacher" persona, with deep dives into admiration for Generals Patton and Eisenhower.

  • Caroline: "Patton had, he had Riz, as they say. I think he had total riz... Patton was the general that Rommel feared most and vice versa." [03:21]

• Family Football Allegiances:

  • Caroline’s family are die-hard Notre Dame fans—humorous anecdotes about wedding scheduling to avoid conflicts with games.
  • Kennedy and Caroline banter about college football rivalries (USC, UCLA, Notre Dame), and the unique culture that surrounds fandom.
  • Sweet story of Caroline’s mother achieving her dream job in Notre Dame’s football department, despite never attending as a student.
    • Kennedy: "She's like, Rudy. She's an Administrative Rudy." [07:09]

From Disney to the White House: Sunshine’s Career Pivot

• Applying for the Internship: Sunshine relates how she followed her intuition to apply for a White House internship, comparing it to gut instinct being a kind of evolutionary "algorithm".

  • Caroline: "Most of the big decisions I've made in life...were made on intuition." [09:35]
  • Kennedy: "If you hone your gut vibe, it will tell you if something is to be avoided or...pursued." [09:51]

• Internship Misadventures:

  • Hilariously honest tale of going to a job interview with Press Secretary Sarah Sanders with “headlights”—using two maxi pads as makeshift pasties under a vintage Jackie O suit.

    • Kennedy: "With two maxi pads on your boobies." [16:30]
    • Caroline: "That's how I got my job." [16:33]

  • Near-fainting during the opioid summit; ingenuity in hiding the pads during a chest exam; highlights the nerves and unpredictability of high-stakes settings.

Speaking for Others vs. Finding Her Own Voice

• Caroline reflects on being a White House spokesperson:
  • She compares the role to acting, often reciting “lines” crafted by others.
  • Talks about the challenge of setting aside her own nuance and contrarian views for the sake of official messaging.
    • Caroline: "I became more interested in...wanting to speak not for other people, but to speak for myself." [19:51]
  • Emphasizes growth in listening to her evolving intuition and personal convictions.

The Lens of Entertainment in Politics

• Sunshine analyzes how her showbiz background shapes her perspective:
  • Political figures are like “central casting”—Pelosi as the ultimate “villain” character, Trump as both “insider” and “outsider”.
    • Caroline: "Nancy Pelosi is a central casting villain. She is a character no matter what you think of her." [22:55]
  • Kennedy and Caroline agree on Pelosi’s effectiveness, regardless of ideology.
    • Caroline: "I'll give her credit for like, running the dang show...Nancy kept them all in line." [24:07]

Wealth Gaps, Socialism, and the Next Generation

• The Rich European’s Dinner Table Question:

  • A wealthy guest identifies America’s biggest problem as the widening gap between rich and poor.
    • Caroline: "The growing gap between the haves and have nots is getting too big." [26:15]
  • Kennedy and Sunshine critique this as both insightful (historically, in Europe gap leads to revolution) and hypocritical (“Give away your yacht, then!”).

• Rise of Socialism and AOC’s Political Future:

  • Sunshine expresses concern over socialism’s appeal, especially among young Americans, and floats the idea that AOC could be a future Democratic nominee.
    • Caroline: "I think AOC has a decent chance at being the Democrat nominee." [27:48]
  • Kennedy doubts AOC’s ability to sustain policy arguments and connect with men—a key voting bloc.

• Capitalism, College, and the American Dream:

  • Both criticize the narrative that college is the only path to success, highlighting the burden of student debt and over-valued degrees.
    • Kennedy: "You're making the bad choice to go to a college you can't afford." [31:14]
  • Encourage more young people to meaningfully participate in capitalism for broader social stability.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Half of doing dry January is just convincing your brain you're having something celebratory." — Kennedy [01:12]
• "Patton had, he had Riz, as they say. I think he had total riz." — Caroline Sunshine [03:21]
• "She’s like, Rudy. She’s an Administrative Rudy." — Kennedy [07:09]
• "Most of the big decisions I've made in life...were made on intuition." — Caroline Sunshine [09:35]
• "With two maxi pads on your boobies." — Kennedy [16:30]
• "That's how I got my job." — Caroline Sunshine [16:33]
• "I became more interested in...wanting to speak not for other people, but to speak for myself." — Caroline Sunshine [19:51]
• "Nancy Pelosi is a central casting villain." — Caroline Sunshine [22:55]
• "The growing gap between the haves and have nots is getting too big." — Caroline Sunshine [26:15]
• "I think AOC has a decent chance at being the Democrat nominee." — Caroline Sunshine [27:48]
• "You're making the bad choice to go to a college you can't afford." — Kennedy [31:14]

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Mocktail ritual & drinking choices — [00:33–02:37]
• Patton, Eisenhower & college football family stories — [02:37–08:39]
• Disney-to-White House career leap & intuition — [08:55–11:53]
• The maxi pad interview story — [13:19–16:33]
• Speaking for others vs. self — [19:50–21:51]
• Pelosi as 'central casting' and politics-as-entertainment — [22:54–24:07]
• Dinner table discussion on wealth gap & revolution — [24:33–27:48]
• Rise of socialism, AOC, and generational economics — [27:48–31:54]

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is a lively, engaging reflection on personal growth, the overlap between entertainment and politics, and the wild backstage stories that have shaped Caroline Sunshine’s worldview. Both host and guest challenge conventional wisdom—about drinking, career choice, and politics—with sharp humor and sincere introspection. Listeners are left with a sense of the unpredictable adventure of following your intuition, the importance of defining your own voice, and a satirical skepticism of both political and pop culture orthodoxies.

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Transcript

[Caroline Sunshine]

Foreign.

[Kennedy]

Hello and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. It's Happy Hour. Caroline Sunshine is here. Are you any relation to Ken Sunshine?

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, why does everyone ask me that?

[Kennedy]

He was a very famous. I don't know if he still is, but he was a very famous publicist. Yes, I think. I think he, at some point repped Leonardo DiCaprio or Leo, as he's called.

[Caroline Sunshine]

That could have been helpful, what I was doing in life.

[Kennedy]

But no, this is a mocktail because you requested a mocktail, and I'm doing partially parched January until next weekend, which is fine. It's been great. It's been lovely. My sleep has improved so much.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Great.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

So can we.

[Kennedy]

This is cranberry.

[Caroline Sunshine]

What is this?

[Kennedy]

And green tea.

[Caroline Sunshine]

What are we toasting to?

[Kennedy]

To your sunshine.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Cheers.

[Kennedy]

Cheers. Cheers to Happy Hour.

[Caroline Sunshine]

That's good.

[Kennedy]

Oh, I'm refreshing. I'm appreciating that very much right now.

[Caroline Sunshine]

So what is in this?

[Kennedy]

This is cranberry and green tea and ice and frozen strawberry.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Love that.

[Kennedy]

To keep it cold. But, like, half of doing dry January is just convincing your brain to. You're having something celebratory.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Like, if you.

[Kennedy]

If you drink socially and around other people, then it's really just your brain going, oh, we're having something fun. It's time to be fun now. But if you're drinking to, like, squash feelings, like, mocktails aren't gonna do it.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Okay. So it's funny because I. I don't drink. And, like, I've never. I've never drank. That's just like, oh, good for you. Okay. This is what's funny.

[Kennedy]

I'm 78 years old, by the way.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Exactly. But it's not just. It's not just green tea. But it's so true. Everyone will say the same thing when I say, okay. You know, I don't. And they go, oh, my gosh, good for you. And I'm like, okay. But the way I see it, it's like, no different than being vegetarian or pescatarian, where I'm like, would you ever say to a vegetarian, like, good for you? You know, like, no. No.

[Kennedy]

I would be like, don't you miss? Did you ever drink?

[Caroline Sunshine]

So I've never. I've never drank and I've never been. I've never been drunk. And I'm very curious as to the kind of drunk I would be.

[Kennedy]

Probably chatty and huggy.

[Caroline Sunshine]

That's what I was chatting.

[Kennedy]

I can't imagine that you would be, like, angry. Like, I have no space in my life And I, you know, obviously, like, you're an adult. You've been around people who drink. I don't have space for belligerent people who get fights and they drink. Yeah. Or mean drunks. Like, if, if you are a mean drunk, I do not want to be around you ever. Yeah, like probably in sober life either.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, I think that's right. I'm trying to think. I feel like part of me would be like, like a history teacher.

[Kennedy]

Do you watch drunk history?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Like, yes. And I could see myself being like, listen, listen. Like Patton tactically was the best general and everyone knows it. But Eisenhower got the job because he.

[Kennedy]

Had administrative capabilities and Eisenhower have the greatest title ever.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. But I could see myself like on the napkin sketching out ally commander.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I think I get really into.

[Kennedy]

So you're more Eisenhower. So I'm sleeping with a West Pointer.

[Caroline Sunshine]

And good for you.

[Kennedy]

I, I, I have to go home and ask him who he likes better.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I like Patton. That's just my style. You can kind of tell from what I wear and stuff. Like Patton had, he had Riz, as they say. I think he had total riz. I think you know Rommel, right? The German general. Yeah. Rommel said that Patton, they had almost a bromance going. Patton was the general that Rommel feared most and vice versa.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

And they saw themselves as like tactical equals. And I think Eisenhower was phenomenal. I just think he resembles more of what you see at the top ranks of the military today, where like to be that guy. You're there for your administrative abilities. You're there because of your people skills. You're there because you kind of know how to do politicking.

[Kennedy]

But Patton had steel.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. And he had some, what was it, some like pearl plated revolvers on his side at all times. And very like, I'm gonna be with my men. And like, very quotable like.

[Kennedy]

And his speech at West Point is one of the most memorable. It's something that all cadets like look at and study and internalize. It's, it's pretty amazing. Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I think like if you.

[Kennedy]

And it doesn't take anything away from Eisenhower. Eisenhower fans, we don't need your hate mail.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Okay?

[Kennedy]

Just relax. So you are now working for Vivek and his gubernatorial campaign.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yes, so I was. Vivek remains a really good friend of mine. I worked on his presidential campaign.

[Kennedy]

Oh, wonderful.

[Caroline Sunshine]

But now he's running for governor of Ohio. Do you have any connection to Ohio?

[Kennedy]

I do, I have, my older daughter is at school in Ohio.

[Caroline Sunshine]

The Ohio state.

[Kennedy]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not the Ohio State. Nothing but love and thoughts and prayers for the Ohio State University.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I'm a Notre Dame fan, so I don't have thoughts and prayers for them.

[Kennedy]

No. No. You have disdain? Mostly.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, mostly. So when they lost.

[Kennedy]

When they lost, were you pretty excited?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yes, and for other reasons, too. I had somebody who was dating someone on the team who wasn't all that great of a person, so all of a sudden we were all like, the biggest Indiana fans ever. No, it wasn't Indiana that they played. I don't follow college football as much as my family does. My family are die hard Notre Dame plans. So when they get drunk, they just get into.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, they did use to Indiana earlier in the year.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, no, it's. And. And now Miami is going on to the championship. We don't know about Oregon yet.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Right. Okay. So are you a big. So do you follow college football?

[Kennedy]

I love college football.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Oh, my gosh. You're like, my mom. My mom loves college football. Like, on.

[Kennedy]

I think it's my favorite sport.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. And I was always like. I mean, I was kind of the artsy black sheep of my family. My family, like, just are die hard college football fans. Like my brother Johnny, when he married his wife, Abby was like, she had to memorize the. The captains of Notre Dame before they could get married. He wanted to get married in college football season. He was like, we can't. We can't get married in college football season. And then it's funny because when you talk to college football fans, like, I think that's bizarre. I'm like, what do you mean you can't get married in college? You can't make a lifelong commitment in.

[Kennedy]

The middle of Saturday because you don't know what time the game's gonna be on.

[Caroline Sunshine]

That's exactly what that is.

[Kennedy]

You don't want a distracted future spouse, you know, someone like, checking their apple watch, like, oh, yeah, that's. I totally understand that. I have massive respect for it.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. Every college football fan talks.

[Kennedy]

So did everyone in your family go to Notre Dame?

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, no. My aunt went to Notre Dame. My. Nobody else in my family did, but my mom didn't get into Notre Dame and wanted to. But then I think life can be so cool sometimes. She got her dream job, like, at the end of her career, working at Notre Dame in their football department.

[Kennedy]

That's amazing.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Which is awesome. You know, she's like, you can't write any better than that.

[Kennedy]

She's like, Rudy. She's an Administrative Rudy.

[Caroline Sunshine]

She's an administrative Rudy. I'm going to tell her that.

[Kennedy]

That's. That's amazing. That makes me so happy. There's something very complete in circle of life about that.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. It was really co. Like, they just. They were. You know how Notre Dame fans are. Notre Dame fans are. It's like you grow.

[Kennedy]

Not doing much in the playoffs, apparently.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Touchy subject. I do like Marcus Freeman, their coach. I like him so much. I feel like he's really revived the.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. I have no resentment toward Notre Dame. You know why I like Notre Dame?

[Caroline Sunshine]

He's a patent type. I would follow him into battle. You know what I mean? Yes. Like, yeah.

[Kennedy]

You know why I like Notre Dame? Because USC hates them.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

That's why I like Notre Dame because I went to ucla.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Okay. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So I love anyone that makes USC mad.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, that's. But now they're not playing. They took that away from us. I was gonna be. What. Gonna be BYU and my. It's the non drinking crowd and the Catholics. Right? Aren't they. They took USC off the stage and.

[Kennedy]

It'Ll be an early night. I know. That's. That's so dumb. Like, it's. Stop manipulating college football. Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, they never get it. They never seem. They screw it up, no matter what. I feel like. But I mean, I was a Notre Dame fan growing up in Southern California, and it was when USC was in their prime era. I mean, this was like the Carol. This was the Bush push era. This was like all that. And our neighbors across the street were die hard SC fans and we were die hard Notre Dame fans. And, like, we would TV each other's houses and like. Oh. It was just. It was a lot.

[Kennedy]

And then you learned that all the USC kids got in because their parents paid to have them.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Row Crew, University of Spoiled Children. I'm probably gonna lose some fans, but that's okay.

[Kennedy]

Can't spell sucks without usc. That's what this is. So you interned for President Trump in 2018.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

How did you get that internship and how did it affect your worldview?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Mm. Okay. So I applied to be an intern through the White House website. Like the Black Hole website, where you're like, I don't know if anyone's gonna read this. And I was working in entertainment at.

[Kennedy]

The time, and I was just after Disney.

[Caroline Sunshine]

This was kind of like. Right as Disney was ending. Exactly. Yes. And I applied through the website to be an intern and I was like, we'll see how this goes. I was following an intuition and I always when people ask like, how did you go from entertainment? Intuition to me has become more and more important to me the older I get. It's funny, I feel like most of the big decisions I've made in life that ended up being really consequential, more so than I probably realized, and things like that were made on intuition, you know, And I really believe in intuition, the older I get.

[Kennedy]

I agree completely. Like you have to have a feeling about something and really. Because if you hone your gut vibe, it will tell you if something is to be avoided or. Or if it is something to be pursued on.

[Caroline Sunshine]

On things big and small.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Caroline Sunshine]

You know, and even if I'm a.

[Kennedy]

Big believer in intuition.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Like it has to be informed. You have to use your rational side and look at data and all that stuff. But I definitely prefer a final decision being made with intuition as opposed to just like an algorithm even.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. Because it is an algorithm. It is an algorithm in a way.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

If you think about it, I think the animal instinct has been around for thousands of years. How we're here, it's trained on. If you look at how animals behave. Animals can sense danger. They can sense. I do think it is your own built in algorithm and data set in a way. But I do believe in trusting it 100%. Especially when it feels like there's not a reason to maybe, I guess, you know, like, maybe logic is saying everything else, or everybody else is swimming this way, but your intuition is saying swim that way. I would say follow the intuition, but so I become a White House intern. I get the internship. Awesome. And then like a month into my internship, they're like, hey, we have an opening. I was interning in the White House press office with Sarah Sanders. And they were like, hey, we have a job opening. Would you want to come work here? And I was like, uh, yeah, you know, like I. That sounds great. And they're like, great, you have an interview tomorrow at 9am with Sarah Sanders. I was like, okay. So at the time I was interning in dc, Right. Which is an expensive city to intern in. So I was living at this place called Thompson Marquood hall, which all my friends would make fun of. They called it the convent because it was this all girls boarding house essentially, where you couldn't bring boys past the first floor, no drinking, curfew at, you know, 10pm like all of that there.

[Kennedy]

Was just, that was a plot line in Emily Saves Paris when they were in Rome and Luke is staying essentially in a convent. And they had an 11pm curfew.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I haven't seen the new season. Luke's back. Oh, my gosh. I love that. I love the fashion.

[Kennedy]

Luke's the wild haired blonde guy from the ad agency. Yes.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Right. Yes.

[Kennedy]

That's Gabrielle.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Gabrielle.

[Kennedy]

Thank you.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yes, Gabrielle. Anyways, so I'm like living in this convent, right? Which is just hilarious. But it was the most affordable thing you could get in the city because it's so hard when you're an intern. Like, you're only there for three months. So who's gonna give you a three month lease? And then anybody that does, it's kind of predatory. They're like, they know that they can charge. Yeah, yeah. An arm and a leg. So I'm living in this Thompson Marquood hall convent. Shout out to Thompson Markwood. Yes. And I'm like, okay, I got this. Yeah, cheers to you. And so I'm like, okay. Oh my gosh. I have this big job interview, you know, 9:00am, Sarah Sanders in her office. Okay. So of course I wanted to look good, you know, And I'm kind of into vintage clothing. I like vintage stores. I love. I like going and touching the fabrics. I would love to learn how to tailor and sew. Like, I just love that whole. I have so much respect for the way clothing was made. And I had this really cool. And of course, I'm a former Disney kid, right. So I'm thinking of life in terms of moments. Like, what do you wear to the big job interview?

[Kennedy]

Like Legally Blonde.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Right, Exactly. Yes. And so I had.

[Kennedy]

So I guess it would be politically blonde.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, politically blonde. Are they making a third one or something? Right.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Okay. So I had this light blue powder blue suit that looked very like Jackie Kennedy. And I thought, oh, that's. This is so perfect. I'm so excited. It was like, very modest. I mean, it's like, you know, buttoned up all the way to here. It's very 60s looking. And it was made of like very thick wool material. So that morning, I don't remember why I was rushing, but I was. The place was all the way across town from the White House, was totally rushing. I think I was so nervous because I was like, it's a job interview in the West Wing of the White House. And like, yeah, I'd been on movie sets and tv. TV sets. And sure, like, performed in front of millions of viewers. But that's not. For whatever reason, mentally, to me, was not the same as like, this is a job interview in the West Wing. The White House. Wow. So I didn't Eat anything. That morning was rushing. I just was so a ball of nerves. And so I'm getting ready to go into the interview, and I realize that I forgot to put a bra on that day. And I didn't think it was going to be a problem because the material on the light blue suit. I almost wish I had a picture to show you. Was so thick that I just didn't think about it. Well, I don't know what I'm allowed to say on your show, and Whatever you want.

[Kennedy]

You can say whatever you want. If it's bad, they'll. They'll bleed.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Okay. It was. It was drawing attention to some ripples.

[Kennedy]

You had headlights.

[Caroline Sunshine]

We had some headlights. It was a cold day in D.C. and we had some headlights. And I was like, but that's like this era.

[Kennedy]

I mean, maybe that was 2018, right?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. So.

[Kennedy]

So, yeah, but like, 2025 was, like the year of the nipple. So that would have been like, oh, my God, she's so fashion forward.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Oh, I would.

[Kennedy]

She's so chic with her nipples. Yay.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I think maybe a different administration, too. I don't know. But I was like, little Miss Modest, right? I mean, again, I'm living in this convent. I'm wanting to dress like Jackie O to my big White House job interview. And there's some headlights, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I cannot go sit across from Sarah Sanders in the West Wing with my ripples out.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

And so I'm like, shoot, you know, I gotta think of something. And I go in my bag. I'm like, what can I do? You know? And I looked down at the bottom of my bag, and I had. I can't believe I'm saying that. I had two pasties. I had. No, even worse, I had two unused female pads. So I go into the bathroom, and, like, if you've worked in the entertainment industry, you're just. You do whatever you gotta do to make it work. You tape, you shape, you just get it together.

[Kennedy]

Socks. Like, I thought, yeah, whatever.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I'm like, what would Patton do? He would be like, is that gonna stop you?

[Kennedy]

Men, Give me the coat.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, give me the coattets. We're going to Omaha. Exactly. So I put these pads, which work phenomenal. I would 100% recommend. So I tape these pads onto my chest, and I go into my job interview in the White House, and there's no headlights. But to this day, she'll know. Now, I interviewed for my job with Sarah Sanders.

[Kennedy]

With two maxi pads on your boobies.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yes. Exactly. And that's how I got my job. And then later that day, I was still interning. Right. And so you had your big interview, but then you went back to.

[Kennedy]

But you didn't even have the excuse of being hungover.

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, that's what I'm saying. I mean, for somebody who doesn't drink, some of my life stories, you might. You might question it. Right? So later that day, you go back to your regular intern tasks, and they were having a opioid summit at the White House where they were inviting a lot of families who had lost loved ones to fentanyl.

[Kennedy]

God, that's heartbreaking.

[Caroline Sunshine]

And opioids. Heartbreaking. And a really well done event. Well, remember how I said I hadn't eaten anything that morning?

[Kennedy]

Oh, no.

[Caroline Sunshine]

So now it's like four o'. Clock.

[Kennedy]

Did you pass out?

[Caroline Sunshine]

I haven't eaten anything all day. I'm sitting, doing my intern duties, and I just feel it. You know that feeling where you're like, oh, no.

[Kennedy]

All of a sudden the lights go white.

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, no, no. So I feel it, and I'm like, oh, my God, you are not about to pass out at an opioid summit. Like, the optics. I mean, dark sense of humor. If you've ever had someone in your family pass or seen can be a slump, it can be falling over. And I thought, there's no way that I'm about to pass out of this opioid somewhere and make it look like that. So I flagged the White House medical unit staffer, and I'm like, hey, I think I'm about to pass out. And they go, okay, no problem. They take me away quietly in the back, and they sit me down. They give you some Gatorade, right? And they go, you know what? The doctor just wants to examine you just quick to make sure that you're. Make sure you're all good. They have a tremendous medical staff there. Like, they're always looking out for people. And so I'm like, okay, no problem. So they take me to see the White House doctor. And he goes, so you passed. You felt you were gonna pass out? I said, yeah, I did. And I, you know, I just. He goes, have you had anything to eat today? I said, of course. No, blah, blah. He goes, okay, I just want to, you know, do a basic exam really quick. I just want to check your chest, see how you're breathing. All that. And the way my little fabulous Jackie O outfit was, you needed to unbutton it for them to do that because it was too thick for the, like, stethoscope to go through. And I'm like, I've still got two pads taped to my chest. And I'm like, out of all the days that, like, are you kidding me? I'm gonna get a psychiatric transit.

[Kennedy]

And Sophie goes, you're gonna be on a 5150 hole.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Like, how am I gonna get out of this? How. How am I going to, like, get this off without them seeing? Like, why does this check up? Too bad. So he turns his back for, like, a second. And I. Kennedy ripped those two things down, shoved him in my skirt, and then was like, oh, yeah, can you. Thank you so much, doctor.

[Kennedy]

That's amazing. And then the doctor's like, it's awfully cold in here, huh?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. And that's how.

[Kennedy]

Do you need some cocoa?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, maybe I do need a drink. Yeah, that's. That's how I got myself.

[Kennedy]

If you had been like, bomb the night before and woke up like, holy sh. T, it's 8:30. I'm eating Sarah Sanders in 30 minutes.

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, I was.

[Kennedy]

Never mind the bra. Get me in the cute blue dress.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Oh, my God. And I'm like, such an. I can be such an overthinker and so anxious in life. Like, and that was 100% what I was driving. I was like, oh, my gosh, I have this huge job interview.

[Kennedy]

You know, you're gonna get the job.

[Caroline Sunshine]

And I got the job. Yeah. And I got the job.

[Kennedy]

Are you working now in the administration?

[Caroline Sunshine]

No, I don't work in the administration. I loved working in government, but. And then ultimately I loved speaking for other people. But you kind of evolve as a person and you learn that you. It's harder to speak for yourself. But I became more interested in wanting to speak not for other people, but to speak for myself. I learned as a spokesperson sometimes there would be things where, like, I don't know how familiar people are with being a spokesperson, but, like, it's a lot like acting where I'd come from, where, like, you know, there's kind of a script it's kind of put in front of you that's kind of pre decided, and your job is to, like, kind of go out and, like, say the lines, you know, which is great. But every once in a while I would find myself going, oh, that's not really how I, you know, I would maybe phrase that or, like, well, I think there's a little more nuance to that. Or, you know, I feel a little bit differently about that. But whether you. How you feel is irrelevant. Your job is to be, to speak on behalf of someone else, you need to check that at the door. And so the more I did the spokesperson job, the more I was like, you know what, as much as I love this, I don't know if I'm as good of a personality fit for it, because that side of my personality that wanted sometimes to focus on nuance, or I'm a contrarian by my nature, I feel like if everyone's going this way, I'm usually going that way. Or if everyone's seeing it this way, horrible trait, I usually see it the other way. And that part of my personality started to become more apparent to me when I was in that job. I started to feel I loved what I did and I felt it was an honor to speak on behalf of the President and on behalf of a movement that I really agree with. But I started to feel you'd start to feel kind of restrictive. And I thought, ooh, that's not the job, that's the problem. That's me, you know, evolving. And so again, listening to your intuition, you know, you listen to that. Even though sometimes I think it's, it would be the easier thing to go like, no, I just need to press that.

[Kennedy]

I just said, do this job, take this track.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Absolutely, absolutely. Not that there's, again, there's not anything wrong with that job. It's, it's, it was just me, how I was feeling as a person going, oh, you know what? I don't know if I want to speak on behalf of.

[Kennedy]

So where are you now?

[Caroline Sunshine]

So now I'm finding my own voice and it's fun and it's hard. And I'm just looking at us about like my worldview and how that changed. Like so much of my worldview was shaped prior to going into the Trump White House and then absolutely being at the Trump White House. And you know, you just, you look at the country that you live in and you want what's best for it. And I think the, the thing I'm most concerned about is I was with this European businessman having, you know, big dinner with everyone. And he was the kind of guy that like, you know, you're sitting at this big dinner table and there's the yacht out front and the helicopter to the side and it's like an aristocrat, right?

[Kennedy]

So you're in Nancy Pelosi's house, right.

[Caroline Sunshine]

With the ice cream in the thirty thousand dollar fridge. Right, the compound. So down to earth. She's an interesting, it's funny, like, tangent, but like when you work in entertainment. And then you go into politics. I still look at everything in politics through the lens of entertainment.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Like everyone's been cast.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Everyone's been cast. And the President always says that too, right? He'll say, essentially, you know, central casting, right? Like, Nancy Pelosi is a central casting villain. She is a character no matter what you think of her. Like, I saw this clip of her the other day. What was it? She goes, well, I would say good morning, but it isn't. Or whatever. There's just. She's just a perfectly cast villain in my head. Like the eyebrows and the. Just staying way too long and holding on to power until you're in.

[Kennedy]

Now she's like, yeah, sure, yeah, people shouldn't have stocks. It's like, yeah, now she's only got a few months left in office. Yeah. $450 million later, it's all Paul. It's not me. I don't tell Paul nothing.

[Caroline Sunshine]

It's all in the eyes. It's all in the brows, you know, And I'll give her credit, though, this is where I say, okay, not being a spokesperson, speaking for myself, right. I'll give it to Nancy Pelosi. I don't agree with that woman on anything, but I'll give her credit for like, running the dang show.

[Kennedy]

She did.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I feel like Nancy was a patent.

[Kennedy]

Everyone wanted Nancy Pelosi on their side. Whether or not. It doesn't matter if you agree with her. If you just look at the system that she put in place.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, she was running the joint. She was. She was feared. Nancy kept them all in line.

[Kennedy]

Don't go anywhere. More Kennedy Saves the World right after this. This is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52 episode podcast series the Life of Jesus.

[Caroline Sunshine]

A listening experience that will provide comfort and understanding of the greatest story ever told. Listen and follow [e-mail] or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Kennedy]

So what happened with the guy with the helicopter and the yacht?

[Caroline Sunshine]

So you know that list that came out? No, I'm kidding. It's gonna get cut.

[Kennedy]

No, his name was Prince Andrew formerly.

[Caroline Sunshine]

You would think that this does have alcohol in it.

[Kennedy]

Formerly known as crimps.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Anyways, this, this guy. Not like that at all, but anyways, obviously a very wealthy gentleman. Wealth in a way that probably is like unrelatable. I feel like, you know, like, like President Trump's wealth, I think can be unrelatable sometimes. I mean, he's a Manhattan billionaire who has his name on buildings and has his own plane and all of that. And I think what so many people saw in President Trump was like this insider, outsider. How is it that this guy who's been a Manhattan billionaire can go talk to somebody who welds pipe in Ohio and you feel like he's right at identifying that and he can hang. And so this gentleman was same way. And he had everybody go around the table and he said, I just want to know because he's European. I want to know, what do you think the biggest problem facing the US Is? And everyone kind of went around. It's a fun question. I don't know. What do you think? I'll tell you. So everyone kind of goes around, they say, China, political polarization, you know, media, AI. That was kind of the standard answer. Okay, so I'll tell you his answer, but, like, I do want to hear your answer. What do you think biggest problem facing the US Unfunded debt. Yeah, okay, That's a good one. Like, so his answer was the growing gap between the haves and and have nots is getting too big.

[Kennedy]

Just give your away. Right?

[Caroline Sunshine]

Right.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. It's like, if that's really the biggest problem, then go ahead, give poor people the yacht.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Go to California.

[Kennedy]

And same with Sia Weaver, mom, Donnie's housing person. It's like, tell your mom with her $1.6 million beautiful mansion to just give it to a bunch of hobos.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Isn't that interesting?

[Kennedy]

The unhoused would love to live there.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Totally.

[Kennedy]

Make a commune. Make a collective.

[Caroline Sunshine]

You go, girl.

[Kennedy]

Bull artists. I've sworn a lot on this podcast, and that is unlike.

[Caroline Sunshine]

I know I've told, like, think there is something in this. I feel like I've been very candid.

[Kennedy]

Shut up with the gap. Especially as a rich person. It's like, it was so interesting. What a disingenuous answer.

[Caroline Sunshine]

It was interesting, but I. I saw his perspective a little differently because I thought, so he's European, and so he like, I love history. That's what I'm saying. I think if I do get drunk, I think I just start going off on history tangents. That's that. That is what happens. So I was like, you know what? From a European perspective, he is kind of aware of what happens when. When the gap and whether you're contributing to it gets too big. That usually leads to revolution, you know, And I think, you know, we're in New York City right now, and I look at. We just took out the biggest socialists in the world down in Venezuela, but we also just elected one in New York City and, like, why are we doing that as a country? And I'm very worried about the rise of socialism in the US and wanting to stop that before it gets further. And, like, my hot take is I. I think AOC has a decent chance at being the Democrat nominee.

[Kennedy]

I don't think so. I don't think that she will. She will wilt when she's challenged on the debate stage by a bunch of other people. Like, she's got some good lines when people write them for her, but she is flimsy on policy. And she doesn't. She's not good long form defending her positions, I think, on foreign policy. And she hates men. That's been very clear. And that's gonna come back to bite her in the ass. Because anyone who's gonna be president has to be able to speak to men because they are so disaffected. They are so sick of being shut out of academia and the workplace and even politics that if anyone. And she has talked about toxic masculinity. And she will have such a problem with men. She'll do great with suburban women and the kind of people who very misguidedly voted for Mamdani. But it's not going to be enough to be president. And New York was a very interesting place because our candidates were horrible. Like, Mamdani was running against, like, a walking hemorrhoid. And Curtis Sliwa, like a guy who lives with 25 cats and wears a beret everywhere.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Like, no one was going to lie.

[Kennedy]

To either of them.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah, Yeah. I just. I think, you know, it's interesting. When I was in college, I wrote this bizarre paper about how I thought AOC was, when she was first running, was like, the first person to use social media the way that I had seen everyone in Hollywood use it. I was like, wow, this person's really, like, ahead of their. Ahead of their time. I watched. So she was using. Using social media the same way like Taylor Swift does, where they build this, like, very real relationship.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Caroline Sunshine]

With people. And I worry that. I worry she has more of a chance than people think. And that, okay, when I study history, it seems like the best antidote to socialism is you look at the 10 years that come before it. And that's usually indicative of how socialism rises. So if people perceive. Perceive that society has become too. Let them eat cake. Right. Too decadent, too corrupt, they're more likely to lean towards, you know, revolution. And I feel like the best antidote.

[Kennedy]

To that is the Florida Cubans.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yeah. But get more people Meaningfully participating in capitalism.

[Kennedy]

I agree completely.

[Caroline Sunshine]

You know, I saw this stat the other day that was like the top 10% of Americans.

[Kennedy]

Once people have ownership in anything, it completely changes their view of how the entire system.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Yes. And when you can't be an owner in that system or you feel like it's for other people but not for you, people like mom Donnie, their voices become so attractive. Like, I think if we had more people meaningfully participating in capitalism, especially like 35 and under mom Donnie would be considered a fringe.

[Kennedy]

Well, you know what they have to do? They have to stop going to college right away. Yeah, I agree. That can be the worst thing for people because you're wasting those productive years where you have so much energy.

[Caroline Sunshine]

College has become such a bad investment and you're willing like the risk on it.

[Kennedy]

I mean, I was, you know, I was on the 5 the other day with Kat Tymp and she was talking about how hard it is for millennials to own homes. And it's like so many of them chose to go to private schools when they had no money to pay for it. Like, where do you think that money is going to come from? It's going to come from you. Like, you have to pay those loans back. Oh, it's the only stop saying that. 18 year olds can make decisions about lopping off body parts, but they're too dumb to read contracts. You can't have it both ways. We have to decide how we believe in people in this country because we are sending a very mixed message. And it's like this is your responsibility. Like, you are signing on the bottom line. You are making the bad choice to go to a college you can't afford.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Well and for too long. I think we've also told people like, college is like, that's how you achieve the American dream. Like you have to go to college. That's how you get a better life for yourself. And, and isn't it like the, the loans themselves, I think I remember having are the only loans that stay with you, like past death. Like if you die, other debt can get wiped. But student loans.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Caroline Sunshine]

Stick around. Read the contract like it's such a.

[Kennedy]

Gonna run for office. Good for you. Cheers to that. Thank you, Caroline Sunshine. And on back, we leave the world a better place.

[Caroline Sunshine]

We inherited a mess.

[Kennedy]

We're leaving it with you. This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Caroline Sunshine. I'm Kennedy. Listen ad free. With a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcast and Amazon prime, members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News podcast network.