Leave Identity Politics Behind w/ Jimmy Failla

Summary

Kennedy Saves the World – "Leave Identity Politics Behind w/ Jimmy Failla"

Podcast: Kennedy Saves the World, FOX News Podcasts
Host: Kennedy
Guest: Jimmy Failla
Date: August 18, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kennedy and comedian/political commentator Jimmy Failla take a humorous yet pointed look at the current state of American politics—particularly the struggles of the Democratic Party with "identity politics" and their reliance on anti-Trump sentiment as a unifying factor. The conversation also covers the potential 2028 presidential candidates, both Democratic and Republican, and uses witty anecdotes to critique the disconnect between political elites and regular Americans.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Left's "Trump Obsession" and Identity Politics

• Democratic Strategy Weakness:
  • Kennedy opens by noting the Democrat's fixation on opposing Trump, questioning their strategy for the post-Trump political landscape. (00:10)
  • Jimmy points out that Democrats “became a victim of their own political success” by making elections all about being "not Trump," especially in local New York politics. (00:55)
  • Key officials like Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and De Blasio cited as running primarily on anti-Trump platforms rather than on substantive deliverables. (01:19)
• Critique of Identity Politics:
  • Jimmy contends that the Democratic Party is increasingly represented by “woke white people who think they know better from minority communities,” and this is alienating genuine minority support. (01:30)
  • Both argue that identity politics has lost traction: "The public has rejected that,” Jimmy asserts. (03:57)

2. Candidate Criticism, Hypocrisy, and the Case of "Mom Donnie"

• Rising Democratic Figures:
  • Kennedy and Jimmy discuss the possibility of “Mom Donnie” (Zohran Mamdani), a progressive New York City politician, being floated as a 2028 candidate because of his youth and progressive credentials (01:47).
  • They humorously speculate about his capacity as a candidate, referencing a potential “birth certificate controversy.” (02:03)
• Hypocrisy on Progressive Values:
  • The pair highlight Mamdani’s rent-stabilized apartment as a case of hypocrisy: “If you are the champion of the little guy... move your out of that apartment the second you find out about it.” — Kennedy (02:49)
  • Jimmy jokes that “rent-stabilized” is the best pickup line in Manhattan: “If you say to a woman, 'rent-stabilized,' you’re probably getting laid.” (03:20)
  • Memorable real estate joke: Kennedy references When Harry Met Sally— combining obituaries with real estate listings as a quintessential New York experience. (03:36)

3. Deliverables vs. Grandstanding in Politics

• Republican Gains Among Minorities:
  • Jimmy observes minority groups “are swinging Republican because the Republicans are at least focusing on deliverables.” (04:08)
• Policy Over Stunts:
  • Kennedy critiques progressive politicians who prefer stunts (“I’m gonna tax the rich people!”) over sustainable policy, noting the implications of shrinking tax bases and inevitable service cuts like policing. (04:25)
  • Jimmy sarcastically describes current Democratic messaging in New York: trying to convince people “their biggest problem is Trump” in neighborhoods where crime and economic issues are more pressing. (05:04)

4. Social Decay and Urban Policy

• Safe Injection Sites and Urban Decline:
  • Kennedy brings up a sensational New York Post story about sexual activity in public safe injection sites, using it as an emblem of lawlessness and mismanagement. (05:40)
  • Jimmy reacts with biting humor about public decency: “For people around the country, okay, this is outdoor sidewalk sex. Daytime in broad daylight for 15 minutes…” (05:57)
  • Kennedy quips about the "romance" of the city, maintaining a satirical tone. (06:16)

5. GOP 2028 Ticket Speculation

• Trump’s Silence on VP Pick:
  • They analyze Donald Trump’s ambiguous support for J.D. Vance versus Marco Rubio, with Jimmy likening Rubio to a “utility player” who does every job (“the Jose Oquendo of politics”). (06:55)
• Factional Competition:
  • Kennedy remarks that Trump’s vacillation keeps contenders “hungry," referencing Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice style of internal competition. (07:17)
• Potential Candidates:
  • Jimmy suggests that Sean Duffy could be a strong candidate, citing his reality TV experience, large Latino family, and cabinet post. (07:50, 08:05)
  • He predicts that a Latino president is “probably two election cycles max” away, stressing that all outreach be “not on the basis of identity, on the basis of qualification.” (08:26)
  • Ultimately, Jimmy puts his money on Rubio as the presidential nominee (08:52), speculates about an “all Catholic ticket” with Duffy as VP, and jokes about Rubio’s ears: “Right now he can only fly for 50ft at a time with those ears. He’s going to need to be able to fly 100 yards with those ears to land the presidency.” (09:49)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rent-Stabilized Apartments & NYC Real Estate:

  "If you say to a woman, 'rent-stabilized,' you’re probably getting laid. Okay. Cause it’s that scarce of a commodity."
  — Jimmy Failla (03:20)

• On the Death Knell of Identity Politics:

  "He is emblematic of like the old problem they had, which is still more identity politics. The public has rejected that."
  — Jimmy Failla (03:57)

• On Democratic Messaging:

  "If you show up to Queens right now, this summer, your biggest problem is not Trump, it's the Mets. Okay. Your second biggest problem are all of the migrant hookers and street gangs in AOC's district. That's real."
  — Jimmy Failla (05:04)

• On Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” Approach:

  "I think he likes the idea. This kind of harkens back to the Celebrity Apprentice days of that internal competition. And I think he likes that."
  — Jimmy Failla (07:17)

• On Latino Candidates:

  “We’re probably two election cycles max from a Latino president... you’d be wrong not to cater to someone, but not on the basis of identity, on the basis of qualification.”
  — Jimmy Failla (08:26)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Democrats’ Trump Focus & Identity Politics: 00:10 – 04:08
• Hypocrisy & New York Politics: 01:47 – 03:57
• Deliverables vs. Stunts in Campaigns: 04:08 – 05:22
• Safe Injection Sites & Urban Decay Satire: 05:40 – 06:55
• GOP 2028 Ticket, Trump’s VP Choices: 06:55 – 10:07

---

Tone & Style

The conversation is sharp, irreverent, and brimming with Kennedy's trademark “spit-out-your-coffee” wit, balanced by Jimmy Failla’s incisive comic observations. Both maintain a blend of satirical outrage and earnest political critique, poking fun at sacred cows in both parties while underscoring the importance of moving beyond simplistic identity politics and focusing on real solutions.

---

Summary Created By:
Podcast Summarizer (Kennedy Saves the World, August 18, 2025)

Transcript

[Jimmy Pala]

Foreign.

[Kennedy]

Hello and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. So, Jimmy, as I look at the meltdown on the left, whenever President Trump says or does anything, it's like, oh, tariffs are ruining the country. They're so mad at him. And all they have is opposition to Trump. It's this intense anger led by people like Eric Swalwell. But the problem is he's not gonna be president.

[Jimmy Pala]

No.

[Kennedy]

After 2028. So what do they do?

[Jimmy Pala]

I mean, in a perfect world, I think you start reaching out to honey Boo Boo now. You gotta get somebody Americans connect with. No, this is the biggest problem.

[Kennedy]

I mean, this is the party that was like, you know what? Kamala is a great choice.

[Jimmy Pala]

Wow.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. These are serious times.

[Jimmy Pala]

Well, honestly, what really happened to them is they became kind of a victim of their own political success. And that there was a time where you could win a lot of different offices by just being like, I'm not Trump. And they nationalized a lot of local politics. I mean, look at New York. Last week, mom Donnie was going on a five borough anti Trump tour.

[Kennedy]

I mean, really should be a four borough.

[Jimmy Pala]

Yeah, I know. Cause Staten Island. Staten Island, Hell no.

[Kennedy]

They are not with him.

[Jimmy Pala]

But the point is, like in the previous era of Manhattan politics, Letitia James ran on that. Alvin Bragg ran on that. De Blasio to an extent ran on that. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Letitia James, like, I'm gonna lock him up.

[Jimmy Pala]

Yes. And what happened is, and this is these are the only people still on board with the Democratic Party. It's a lot of woke white people who think they know better from minority communities than they do. And that's who supporting mom Donnie. So the answer for the Democrats in terms of what do they really do is if they wanted to be viable in 2028, it can't be any of.

[Kennedy]

These people, I guarantee you. And I don't know if Mamdani will be old enough because I think he's 32 or 33. If he is, he will just be old enough. If he wins in New York City, they will start talking about him as the 2028 Democratic candidate.

[Jimmy Pala]

And then we'll have another.

[Kennedy]

Mark my words.

[Jimmy Pala]

Then we'll have another birth certificate controversy on our hands. It'll be great. They go all the way back to the beginning.

[Kennedy]

They don't care.

[Jimmy Pala]

Well, listen, like all people who support gay rights, he had his wedding in Uganda. That's still my favorite thing in the world.

[Kennedy]

You can't have an NYPD if you don't have queer liberation.

[Jimmy Pala]

I'm like, how so I'm going to.

[Kennedy]

Celebrate my union in Uganda. We where they kill the gays, liberating them from this earth.

[Jimmy Pala]

Two gay men get married. They don't play here comes the bride, they play Here comes the cops. That's the wedding. Everybody's like, I gotta go, baby. You know what I mean? That whole thing, think back a week last Monday. It was like August 11th. We were on America's Newsroom. We were talking about him having a rent stabilized apartment. Like that is disqualifying.

[Kennedy]

Absolutely.

[Jimmy Pala]

If you are the champion of the little guy.

[Kennedy]

If you are going to freeze all rent because it's too. The rent is too damn, too damn hot in New York City. But you're one of the few people who can actually afford one of the apartments on the the free market. Then move your out of that apartment the second you find out about it. He's had political aspirations from the moment he moved in seven years ago down about it. And he tried to say like, I.

[Jimmy Pala]

Didn'T know his Ren still is weird. Go. Go figure.

[Kennedy]

So either you're lying or you don't read.

[Jimmy Pala]

Can I tell you something?

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

The words rents, everyone knows. Everyone knows. If rents stabilized, that's like actually probably the number one pickup line in Manhattan is if you say to a woman, rents stabilize, you're probably getting laid. Okay. Cause it's that scarce of a commodity.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. It was like when Harry met Sally. Harry's like, they should just combine the obituaries in the real estate section. So, you know, it's like you talk about, you know, Gladys Hepburn had a wonderful life and was a concert pianist and she had a three bedroom loft in the Flatiron district.

[Jimmy Pala]

Let's go.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Showing is Monday from 2 to 5.

[Jimmy Pala]

That's hilarious.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

And that would work. But again, like somebody like him, you know, he is emblematic of like the old problem they had, which is still more identity politics. The public has rejected that.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

They don't care. It's the same with the woman. Remember we talked last week about the woman bashing Trump voters. They're doing this with no regard for the fact that minority groups are swinging Republican because the Republicans are at least focusing on deliverables.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

If you're Mom, Donnie, and you're just gonna run on I' Trump and I'm.

[Kennedy]

Gonna tax the rich people. And he, he does stuff like little stunty things like that. And it's like, well, what happens if you don't have as many rich people? So what happens if you don't have that tax base. And you have to start cutting something, what do you start to cut? And a guy like that will cut the police first. And then what happens? Like, if you know you're not getting charged, if you know there's going to be no bail and there's also no cops, it's a free. I almost said the.

[Jimmy Pala]

Okay, I know, but I get it. But imagine as people who spend time around this city, going to five boroughs or four, as we said, because of Staten island now, and showing up and trying to tell them their biggest problem is Trump.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

You know, when you look at the state of disrepair so many neighborhoods are in right now. Like, if you show up to Queens right now, this summer, your biggest problem is not Trump, it's the Mets. Okay. Your second biggest problem are all of the migrant hookers and street gangs in AOC's district. That's real. And then Trump has nothing to do with that.

[Kennedy]

Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy Saves the world right after this.

[Jimmy Pala]

This is Jason Chaffetz from the Jason in the House podcast. Join me every Monday to dive deeper into the latest political headlines and chat with remarkable guests. Listen and follow [e-mail] or wherever you download podcasts.

[Kennedy]

The safe injection sites. They had a story in the New York Post about the safe injection sites.

[Jimmy Pala]

Oh, man. And the people having sex.

[Kennedy]

Some dude just plowing. Another dude. The guy taking. It's like, well, I need the money to buy more drugs. So I guess we're doing this.

[Jimmy Pala]

Not only are they doing this, I.

[Kennedy]

Don'T even think they were dating.

[Jimmy Pala]

For people around the country, okay, this is outdoor sidewalk sex. Daytime in broad daylight for 15 minutes. 15 minutes. I'm like, dude, squeeze your cheeks and finish them off already in 15 minutes.

[Kennedy]

Come on. Having said that, it was very romantic. There was some very tender foreplay. They spooned afterward. It meant something. It's a romance is back in the city. Okay, so obviously the Democrats are in disarray. They know it. They still have a big progressive problem, bigger than they did before because of mom Donnie. So what about the Republicans? Because for the past few weeks, Trump has not been saying, yeah, J.D. vance, he's the one who's gonna carry the mantle into the next. He. He's been pretty mum on Vance, and there is speculation that he's a little hotter on Rubio.

[Jimmy Pala]

He's given Rubio a lot of jobs. Yeah, that's. That does matter. Rubio is the Jose A. Kendo of politics. There was a utility player for the Mets and the Cardinals that caught Pitch, played left field, sold beer. He did everything. And that is Rubio. I think he likes the idea. This kind of harkens back to the Celebrity Apprentice days of that internal competition. And I think he likes that.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, because it keeps Someone like J.D. vance hungry.

[Jimmy Pala]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Because if he thinks, you know, he's the guy. Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

He's.

[Kennedy]

What's he going to do?

[Jimmy Pala]

That guy puts his feet up and hangs out.

[Kennedy]

Exactly.

[Jimmy Pala]

Doesn't want that.

[Kennedy]

Makes love to a couch. Allegedly.

[Jimmy Pala]

J.D. vance, our. Our first. He'd be our first president who was bisectional. Good night, everybody.

[Kennedy]

Come on, Jim. Well done. So who do you think the nominee is going to be in 20? Because I'm going to ask you this periodically because I think it's going to change as our politics do and trends and what people are reacting to when they respond to polls.

[Jimmy Pala]

I'll give you one that he's not going to appreciate, but I would not underestimate somebody like Sean Duffy. And I'll tell you why I love Sean Duffy. I love him to death. He's just such a home run human being. Like on air, off the air. Like before he went back to the cabinet.

[Kennedy]

Jim, he'll give you a tour in NASA. Okay. It's like you don't have to, you don't have to shine his buckle.

[Jimmy Pala]

I really like, I loved shop with him and two things. He's a Congress, he was a congressman. He's now a cabinet secretary.

[Kennedy]

He was also an original reality TV.

[Jimmy Pala]

Star and he has a lovely Latina wife and they have nine kids.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Pala]

And it's such a significant portion of the electorate, like we're probably two election cycles max from a Latino president because it's such a growing portion of the electorate and they're so significant in swinging the outcomes of elections. You'd be wrong not to cater to someone, but not on the basis of identity, on the basis of qualification. And if they take that association along with, I mean, he can't say no. That's why I would put my money on Rubio. In all honesty, Rubio or Duffy more than anybody.

[Kennedy]

Interesting.

[Jimmy Pala]

Yeah. Just because of their tie to the Latino vote. I think that it's a merit based.

[Kennedy]

Tie, but I do think that Rubio, he's leaning in a little bit more energetically than Vance Vance. You know what he does that I think is really funny? Whenever Trump's speaking, he looks out in the crowd like he's a bouncer ready to fight someone because he's always like, yeah, come on.

[Jimmy Pala]

I grew up in Appalachia you know.

[Kennedy]

It'S the funniest thing. Normally people just sit there and stare at the back of Trump's head, but Vance is like, yeah, yeah, looking for.

[Jimmy Pala]

It because you could tell on Friday nights he used to get high and go watch fights in the Kroger parking lot.

[Kennedy]

You know, stuff like that.

[Jimmy Pala]

But I, I not, none of it would surprise me. But that being said, I think it's coming out of the cabinet 100%.

[Kennedy]

All right, so it's going to be Rubio. Duffy's going to be his VP. We're going have an all Catholic ticket in 2028. That's what you're saying right now?

[Jimmy Pala]

I don't know. And I guess aesthetically, okay, my concern for Rubio is like, I feel like people would like him more if his ears were bigger. And I don't know if he could enlarge them between now and then. Right, right now he can only fly for 50ft at a time with those ears. He's going to need to be able to fly 100 yards with those ears to land the presidency.

[Kennedy]

Well, you know, with Hope and Trump, anything is possible. Thanks, Jim.

[Jimmy Pala]

You're the best.

[Kennedy]

This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Jimmy Pala. I'm Kennedy Listen ad free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts 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.

[Jimmy Pala]

Listen to the all new Bret Baier podcast featuring Common Ground in depth talks with lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle, along with all your Brett be favorites like his all Star panel and much more. Available [e-mail] or wherever you get your podcasts.