Kibbe on Liberty: Ep 366 | 2025 in Review: Has Donald Trump Delivered?

Date: December 31, 2025
Host: Matt Kibbe
Guests: Various (including libertarian legislators, policy experts, journalists, and family advocate)
Podcast: Kibbe on Liberty (Blaze Podcast Network)

Episode Overview

In this special year-end episode, Matt Kibbe gathers a spectrum of libertarian thinkers, policymakers, and activists to critically assess President Trump’s turbulent 2025—a “review in real-time” of his second and most unconventional White House term. Discussions span executive overreach, big shifts in economic and foreign policy, the fate of libertarian principles within the Trump coalition, and unexpected policy alliances. The guests bring both optimism and sharp critique, exploring whether Trump’s promises and chaos yielded lasting reform or just more uncertainty.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Libertarianism in Trump’s America

• Political Realignment & Opportunities
  • The “white pill” moment: Many see a surge in public skepticism about government power and a new opportunity for libertarians if they engage.

    “I’m white pilled by this resistance rising up that is questioning government power. And I feel like if the libertarians aren’t part of that, we have missed one of the biggest opportunities I’ve seen.” (00:04)

  • Left and right unify in distrust of elites, paralleling past movements like the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.
• Authoritarian vs. Libertarian
  • Guests stress the spectrum of authoritarianism—left and right—and urge small-l libertarians to capitalize on growing popular distrust.
  • Optimism is tempered with the reminder that populist energies can be confusing and easily misdirected.

2. The “Doge” Department, Executive Orders, and Systemic Waste

• Executive Power and Bureaucratic War
  • Trump’s “Doge” department (born of Obama-era reforms) is spotlighted for rooting out government waste, but guests warn that even waste uncovered is dwarfed by systemic trillion-dollar issues.
  • Trump’s method is primarily “reversing executive orders, not legislating,” which many see as technically savvy but ultimately limited.

    “What he’s doing is… pretty amazing, though, because a lot of what he’s doing is actually just turning back other executive orders. He’s not really legislating in that way… which is the problem with executive orders.” (08:00)

• Media Outrage and Public Shock
  • Example abuses (e.g., dubious research funding, animal testing in China) resonate because they're tangible, but are “small potatoes” compared to entitlements like Medicare.

3. Trump 2.0: Lessons Learned & New Tactics

• A More Focused, Experienced President

  • Unlike in 2016, Trump and his team (“Susie Wiles is brilliant… these first two weeks have been amazing,” 11:30) come in prepared to confront bureaucratic resistance and hand-select loyalists skeptical of government.
  • Notably, some traditional libertarian or anti-establishment figures (e.g., Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr.) are working with Trump in unprecedented ways to tackle deep state overreach.

• Coalition and its Fragility

  • Trump’s coalition now includes libertarians, tech/crypto “Doge” wing, Maha (Make America Free Again), and RFK supporters, each with sometimes conflicting priorities.

    “There’s something called MAFA—Make America Free Again… there was an explicitly libertarian piece of the Trump puzzle this time.” (13:30)

  • The guests worry about holding this diverse coalition together as longer-term challenges mount.

4. Trumpian Transparency, Oligarchy, and Blunt Rhetoric

• “Honest Liar” and Public Crudeness

  • Trump’s unfiltered, brash style—a kind of “cowboy American”—is defended as refreshing honesty amidst a sea of polished but “fake” establishment politicians.

    “He’s like what the Europeans have always thought we were, even when we had the genteel presidents… I sort of love the fact that a sitting president will drop the F bomb in a press conference.” (16:00)

  • The paradox: this chaos reveals government workings to the public, but also brings volatility.

• Elon Musk and Oligarch Transparency

  • The episode discusses the upside of having “military contractor billionaires” like Elon Musk acting openly, in contrast to established defense contractors acting in secret.

5. Pro-Trump Libertarians: Loyalty, Conflict, and Overton Window

• Massie, Rand Paul, & the Liberty Wing
  • Tensions around Trump’s attempts to “primary” (politically target) liberty stalwarts like Thomas Massie highlight a fundamental rift: Trump expects loyalty; liberty Republicans prize principles.

    “But I think going after Thomas Massie is a big mistake… Massey and Paul… are the people that have been holding the line to ensure the Overton window doesn’t shift too far.” (37:00)

  • The podcast urges cooperation between Trump and principled libertarians for the sake of lasting reforms.

6. Trade, Tariffs, and Constitutional Authority

• Tariffs: The Political & Economic Debate

  • Trump’s entrenched protectionism is dissected with skepticism by economists and legislators.

    “I think his Achilles’ heel is if he actually creates a trade war, he will destroy his presidency… they know how much stuff costs in their cart. And if that keeps going up, this is how presidents lose.” (36:00)

  • A case is made for “entrepreneurial mindset” and the dynamic nature of the U.S. economy being its true export—not manufacturing jobs per se.

• Executive Power: The IEEPA Controversy

  • Trump’s novel use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to rewrite the entire tariff schedule (not just target specific industries or nations) is criticized as an overreach and constitutional risk.

    “No president had ever claimed the power to rewrite the entire US Tariff schedule. So Trump gets to his second administration and… says, ‘I’m going to declare the trade imbalance of the United States as an international emergency… and use IEEPA to put a tariff on every single country on Earth.’” (93:00)

  • Legal challenges have ensued, with courts ruling against Trump’s expansive interpretation, but the administration continues to escalate, creating regulatory chaos.

7. Congress, Budgets, and the (Lack of) Cuts

• Congressional Responsibility & Republican Hypocrisy
  • Guests bemoan Congress’s failure to “walk the talk” on cuts, noting that after public grandstanding about “Doge-found” waste, Congress simply reauthorized the same spending.

    “You are the ones. You wrote these bills, you voted for these bills, and now you’re clapping that he’s making fun of the money that you spent. It was pretty wild.” (60:00)

  • Many Republicans are exposed as perpetuating the very largesse they decry on social media.

8. Checks and Balances: Emergency Powers, Agency Control, and Future Risks

• The Perils of Expansive Presidential Authority
  • Several guests warn against celebrating the expansion of executive power—even when “your” guy wields it—because “the other team” will eventually inherit those tools.

    “What if AOC wins? You think she might do a climate emergency?... there is this Constitution thing. There is this separation of powers.” (76:00)

  • Regulatory reform is celebrated but with the caveat that future administrations may use these precedents to centralize even more power.

9. Foreign Policy, Venezuela, and Mission Drift

• Regime Change and Military Escalation

  • Trump’s tough talk and military moves in Venezuela are questioned as a break from his anti-interventionist campaign themes.

    “Don’t do it, Mr. President. U. S led regime change in Venezuela would worsen the problems Trump promised to fix.” (120:00)

  • The episode identifies three policy drivers at play: neoconservative pressure, the (inflated) drug crisis narrative, and “American greatness”/power projection.

• Dangerous Precedent Without Congressional Authorization

  • Use of executive authority for military action without even tenuous AUMF cover is flagged as an unprecedented Rubicon-crossing.

10. Personal Stories, Pardons, and Human Impact

• Criminal Justice / Prison Reform
  • The liberation of a guest’s loved one through a presidential pardon provides a human context.

    “People who have loved ones in prison — they’re doing time, too.” (110:00)

  • Reminds listeners that policy decisions, from sentencing to executive overreach, echo in personal tragedy and relief.

11. Final Words: Consistency, Foresight, and the Libertarian Future

• The Fundamental Questions
  • Should power be more centralized or divided?
  • What checks and balances are necessary for liberty?
  • Are any executive powers so tempting that we’d still want them when wielded by our adversaries?
• A Call for Principle Over Team Loyalty
  • Throughout: “Trust but verify” is the recurring advice—never assign blind faith to any leader, movement, or party.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Trump’s directness:

  “He’s an honest liar… he just says it. That is a level of honesty that most Americans have not heard from a politician in a long time.” —Guest citing Dave Chappelle, (18:00)

• On tariffs and trade:

  “Maybe history rhymes, I don’t know. But I'd like for people—that like all the Trumpists and the advocates for tariffs—are acknowledging the pain, but somehow there’s magic at the end of the tunnel from their perspective.” —Matt Kibbe, (49:00)

• On coalition and loyalty:

  “If you’re going to use your political capital as president to demand that Republicans do something, why not demand they do the radical thing?” —Matt Kibbe, (44:00)

• On Congress’s complicity:

  “It was almost like a dystopian future. Was like, wait, you guys are standing up and clapping because he’s making fun of what you spent money on. Yes, like, you are the ones. You wrote these bills, you voted for these bills…” —Rep. Thomas Massie, (61:00)

• On executive power and its risks:

  “Any kind of no rational, limited government, conservative or libertarian, should be for emergency powers. And yet you have all these people seem to just say, ‘Oh, well, whatever, it’s Donald Trump and he’s going to be strong…’ But there’s this Constitution thing.” —Rep. Thomas Massie, (77:00)

• On the dangers of empowering the executive:

  “If you look at these powers that Trump is claiming, would you want AOC to have those powers?” —Litigation guest, (155:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Libertarian optimism & coalition building: 00:04–08:00
• Doge department and bureaucratic waste: 08:00–13:00
• Trump 2.0 strategy, team, and learnings: 11:30–18:00
• The Trump “vibe” & public rhetoric: 16:00–23:00
• Loyalty/infighting among liberty legislators: 37:00–46:00
• Trade/tariff deep dive and constitutional debate: 49:00–95:00
• Congress’s budget hypocrisy: 60:00–65:00
• Checks, balances, and emergency powers: 76:00–78:00
• Personal story of presidential pardon: 110:00–112:00
• Foreign policy, Venezuela, codifying executive war powers: 120:00–131:00
• Risks of centralized administrative state: 150:00–156:00

Takeaway / Summary

This episode is a lively group “midterm report card” on President Trump’s second term, seen through a libertarian lens. It critiques the administration’s bold steps—some praiseworthy, many deeply troubling for believers in limited government, constitutional restraint, and peaceful trade. The consensus: True reform is hard won, fleeting coalitions are shaky, and the lust for power, unchecked, remains liberty’s gravest threat—no matter the party. The episode closes by urging steadfast consistency, skepticism toward all centralized authority, and a refusal to be subsumed by tribal politics.

For more information and new content, listeners are directed to freethepeople.org.