Podcast Summary: Next Up with Mark Halperin Episode Title: Trump’s Crucial State of the Union, the Key Difference Between 2016 and 2026, and AI and China Challenges
Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Mark Halperin
Notable Guests:

• Jaime Moore, Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs
• Beverly Hallberg, President of District Media Group
• Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital

Episode Theme

This episode centers on the deep, durable divides in American politics—specifically the legacy and ongoing impact of Donald Trump’s presidency—while also tackling urgent and complex issues shaping the nation’s future: artificial intelligence (AI) and competition with China, especially regarding electric and autonomous vehicles. Through reported analysis and wide-ranging expert discussion, Halperin seeks to unravel why the U.S. remains bitterly split and to spotlight under-addressed policy threats and opportunities.

Table of Contents

1. The Enduring Division: Trump’s America (Monologue)
   • 2016 vs. 2024: Two Turning Points
   • After Trump: Ongoing Divisions
   • Bridging the Divide: Empathy & Understanding
2. Panel: AI Threats, Opportunities, and Political Paralysis
   • AI as an Economic and Social Challenge
   • Money, Lobbying, and Regulation
   • Educating Leaders and the Public
3. Deep Dive: America, China, and the Electric/Autonomous Vehicle Race with Alex Roy
   • The U.S. Falls Behind on Electric Vehicles
   • Autonomous Vehicles: Promise and Perception
   • Why the Messaging—and Public Policy—Is Failing

1. The Enduring Division: Trump’s America ([01:02 - 26:40])

Monologue Highlights

2016 vs. 2024: Two Turning Points

• Halperin reflects on the unique political cataclysm of Trump's elections:
  • On election night 2016 (with Stephen Colbert), he called Trump’s win “the most cataclysmic event the country’s ever seen, outside of the Civil War, World War II, and including 9/11.” ([08:50])
    • “Cataclysmic doesn’t necessarily mean negative. … It just means a big change. It means a shock to the system.” ([08:54])
  • In 2024, on Tucker Carlson’s show, Halperin predicted a “greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country” if Trump won a second time. ([13:28])
    • “I think it will be the cause of the greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country. … Tens of millions of people will question their connection to the nation, their connection to other human beings, their vision of the future, and their children’s future.” ([13:28])
    • “Are you being 100 serious?” – “100 serious.” ([14:03])

After Trump: Ongoing Divisions

• Even after years of Trump’s presidency and re-election, Halperin notes, the nation is still “a house seriously divided” ([15:57]):
  • “Blue America … cannot understand why he’s supported now. … For them, Donald Trump’s the worst possible person to be president.”
  • “His approval rating is down, but he’s still supported by more than 45% of the country, probably around 45. Maybe that’s not nothing.”
• Halperin describes the persistent inability of the Democratic Party to respond with introspection; rather, after 2016, “The reaction was, no, let’s move further to the left … all of this opened the door for Donald Trump to come back.” ([10:07])

Bridging the Divide: Empathy & Understanding

• Halperin repeatedly urges empathy and mutual understanding:
  • “Both sides need to do a better job. … If you support the president and you’re listening to the show, try to have some understanding for why [Democrats] are so upset. Don’t just mock it.” ([18:41])
  • “We still lack any understanding. … There’s lots to come together around—we got to do it.” ([21:38])

Memorable Quotes

• “Every mental health professional I talk to, no matter their political orientation, says, yeah, business is booming. Lots of people need mental health help now.” ([19:52])
• “Try to understand the other side. Try to think about why there’s triumph in red America and discombobulation in blue America.” ([20:32])

2. Panel: AI Threats, Opportunities, and Political Paralysis ([27:45 - 44:48])

Panelists:

• Beverly Hallberg (Republican strategist, District Media Group)
• Jaime Moore (Democratic strategist, Cornerstone Government Affairs)

AI as an Economic and Social Challenge

• Discussion opens with the scale and uncertainty surrounding AI.
  • Halperin: “Some outfit writes a paper about how AI is going to destroy the economy and the stock market takes a crash. I don’t think anybody thinks the Trump administration is going to lead us through this.” ([28:09])
• Moore: “A lot of the AI conversation right now is because people just don’t know what the future holds for AI. … The President has an opportunity to bring [tech leaders] together and have a serious conversation.” ([28:46])
• Hallberg: “Even the smartest people seem to be a little bit worried … this isn’t about what we’ve seen before with technology, where blue-collar workers were the ones thrown off the assembly line. We’re talking about white-collar workers not having a job.” ([29:47])
• Moore (on benefits and cultural shifts): “There are some wonderful benefits to AI, particularly in health care … but the thing you’re talking about, Mark, is the cultural shift this is going to have on our global economy.” ([31:53])

Money, Lobbying, and Regulation

• Halperin addresses the lack of financial balance in the regulatory debate:
  • “There’s no one going to spend money on the other side. … Tens of millions [will be] supporting an extreme … which is no state regulation of AI, limited federal regulation. What’s the check on that?” ([34:14])
• Hallberg: “I am a free market person, so I do think that the market addresses a lot of the concerns. … However, I know that there are security and safety concerns with this as well. … I do think innovation shouldn’t be stifled.” ([35:22])
• Moore: “These are the biggest companies in the entire world who have more money than God … they want the least amount of regulation as possible, both on the federal and state level.” ([37:07])

Educating Leaders and the Public

• Halperin: “Even the smartest people I know … constantly ask me questions or say, I don’t know the answer to that. … So what’s the solution?” ([38:38])
• Hallberg: “Become educated, hold more hearings, figure out what it is. … The parental controls are not good enough on these devices or on these systems.” ([40:08])
• Moore: “If I were a governor advising the governor, I will get these people on the phone as often as possible and asking these questions as much as possible, because the only way you can really get educated on this, if you’re asking the experts. And right now they’re the only experts.” ([41:13])

Optimist/Pessimist — Panel Wrap-up

• Moore on optimism: “Healthcare aspect … hospitals are using AI in wonderful ways to target cancer and heart disease.” ([43:22])
• Hallberg: “The ability to have a personal editor … helps other people too with collecting information, making sure grammar is correct. … It makes simple tasks easier so we can accomplish more.” ([43:48])
• Moore on worry: “What are we trying to do? Are we just trying to do these big technology pushes because it’s cool … I’m not sure what the real goal behind it is.” ([44:17])

3. Deep Dive: America, China, and the Electric/Autonomous Vehicle Race ([47:18 - 73:40])

Guest: Alex Roy

The U.S. Falls Behind on Electric Vehicles

• Halperin: “Where do we stand as consumers, where industry stands and our competition with China? … All important topics that I cannot solve except with the help of one patriotic American. Alex Roy...” ([47:19])
• Roy, on U.S. exports: “The United States does not export many electric vehicles because we can’t build at scale at price points that make sense in foreign markets. … That market is dominated by China, the export EV market.” ([51:24])
• Roy, on China’s lead: “Tesla is the only American carmaker that’s positioned today to compete with the Chinese and automotive markets anywhere on earth.” ([52:34])
• Halperin: “What are the implications of the Chinese dominating electric car manufacturing?”
  Roy: “It’s a catastrophe for the American automotive industry ... they’re not architected to manufacture EVs at scale today at cost points and retail price points that can compete with the Chinese.” ([53:22])

Why Is China Winning?

• Roy: “The Chinese government has subsidized the Chinese automakers, created conditions which make it really advantageous to them and devastating for anyone else. … Unless the United States was to come up with a … Marshall Plan for American car makers, [we can’t compete].” ([56:43])

Autonomous Vehicles: Promise and Perception

• On autonomous vehicles in the US:
  • Roy: “The United States is the technology leader here. … Waymo and Tesla [are] at the forefront.” ([62:39])
  • Halperin: “Every time one’s involved in an accident, people get freaked out, but the data is quite clear—yes, there are accidents … but they’re so much safer.” ([62:39])
  • Roy: “For every incident, there is development on the back end to mitigate and eliminate that incident happening again. … Autonomous vehicles … are already orders of magnitude better than the majority of human drivers.” ([66:00])
• Roy on job impact: “The best analog would be elevators. … The total number employed by the elevator industry is higher today than it was at peak operator.” ([67:33])

Why the Messaging—and Public Policy—Is Failing

• Roy: “The industry has done such a terrible job being consistent and clear with its language that it’s really up to consumers to figure it out. … Consumers have brought their biases to the technology and it’s become politicized before it’s even fully deployed.” ([72:07])
• Halperin: “They should spend a couple million dollars trying to explain all this to people because both electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles are the future, and too many Americans see them as some sort of scary monsters as opposed to the future.” ([72:56])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On 2016 being “cataclysmic”:
  Mark Halperin: “Out of the Civil War, World War II, and including 9/11, this may be the most cataclysmic event the country’s ever seen.” ([08:50])
• On the mental health crisis of Trump’s America:
  Mark Halperin: “It will be the cause of the greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country.” ([13:28]) Tucker Carlson: “Are you being 100 serious?”
  Halperin: “100 serious.” ([14:03])
• On the future of U.S. EV sector:
  Alex Roy: “It’s a catastrophe for the American automotive industry.” ([53:22])
• On autonomous vehicles and safety:
  Halperin: “The Waymo is not tired. It’s not distracted. It knows the road perfectly because it’s basing it on data, not on, you know, eyesight.” ([65:00])
• On communication failure:
  Alex Roy: “The industry has done such a terrible job being consistent and clear with its language that it’s really up to consumers to figure it out.” ([72:07])

Key Takeaways

• America remains deeply divided over Trump; the host urges both empathy and bridge-building, warning that the mental and social consequences of this schism remain profound.
• AI is causing both optimism and anxiety—potentially revolutionizing healthcare but threatening millions of knowledge-economy jobs; the government isn’t prepared and special interests are shaping the regulatory conversation.
• The U.S. is losing the global EV race to China, largely due to lack of strategic industrial policy and investment; major policy action would be needed to catch up.
• Autonomous vehicles are much closer to safe, wide deployment than most realize, but the public is wary—due to industry messaging failures and political polarization.

For Further Viewing/Listening

• Alex Roy: Accessible at @AlexRoy144 on X, Substack, and other platforms ([73:19])
• Contact the Show: Listeners are invited to share feedback with Mark Halperin at nextup@halpernmail.com