Pivot – Episode Summary
Podcast: Pivot (New York Magazine)
Hosts: Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway
Date: November 12, 2025
Episode: Shutdown Ending, Trump’s Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa
Special Guest: Curtis Sliwa (Founder of the Guardian Angels, Radio Host, former NYC Mayoral Candidate)
Recording: Live at King’s Theater, Brooklyn
Episode Overview
This episode, recorded live in Brooklyn with a vibrant audience, is a wide-ranging, sharp, and characteristically candid conversation about power, politics, animals, masculinity, New York City’s future, American democracy’s current struggles, Trump’s latest batch of pardons, AI anxieties, and much more. The show features a rich interview with Curtis Sliwa, offers trenchant commentary on current U.S. political crises, and highlights the hosts’ unique blend of humor, brutal honesty, and affection for New York.
Key Segments & Discussion Points
1. Curtis Sliwa Interview (00:36–24:25)
Money, Power, and Personal Principles
- Curtis Sliwa recounts immense pressure—including alleged $10 million bribe offers from billionaires—for him to drop out of the NYC mayoral race.
- “I said, any more attempts to bribe me out of the race, I’ll be wired up like a Christmas tree. And the DA, Alvin Bragg, will be listening to your conversations. That ended all the conversation.” (03:06, Curtis)
- On not succumbing: “I came into this world with nothing. I leave with nothing. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We need selfless servants, not self serving servants. This is what people deserve.” (04:42, Curtis)
- Reflections on campaign threats and armed security after rebuffing the offers.
- “If they can’t bribe you, they’ll try to kill you … Threatened her [my wife], threatened me. For the first time, we had to have armed security…” (03:37, Curtis)
On Masculinity, Cats, and Purpose
- Discussion about being a male “cat person” and societal expectations.
- “People think if you’re a man with cats, you’ve gone soft … what’s wrong with being a cat person? I love cats. You got a problem with that?” (05:42, Curtis)
- Advocacy for animal welfare:
- “If I’d been elected … I would have filled up every nook, corner and cranny of Gracie Mansion with every animal we could rescue … I believe in no kill shelters.” (07:27, Curtis)
- Guardian Angels, purpose & masculinity:
- On young men: “Being a man means you don’t have a weapon … A real man should be protecting the poor, the infirm, the elderly, the children. People who can’t defend themselves. … It was the humanitarian thing to do for people they didn’t even know.” (09:36–11:13, Curtis)
NYC Politics, Populism, and Building a Coalition
- Sliwa’s Republican label and his real base:
- “They don’t treat me like a Republican. I’m more of a populist. I represent working class people, especially in the outer boroughs. … I was proudest to run on the first ever independent line created by my wife: Protect Animals.” (11:41, Curtis)
- On his upbringing: “Always question authority. Never accept what they say. And free speech is the answer to hate speech. More free speech.” (13:32, Curtis)
- Reaction to billionaire influence in NYC elections:
- Candid opinions about billionaires threatening to leave NYC, and their “back channel” politics.
- “You know what we have in Italian for that? Ugats. Oh, God. Bupkis.” (17:44, Curtis)
On Crime, the NYPD, and Policing Reform
- Personal history of conflict with the NYPD; critique and nuance on police reform:
- “I got arrested 81 times when I formed the Guardian Angels … But I also know the police department is different now … It’s a minority, majority police department now.” (18:49, Curtis)
- Critique of removing civil immunity: “You need a responsive police department ... stop and frisk was totally excessive.” (18:49–21:02, Curtis)
- Stance on mask-wearing for police and protestors: “Take the masks away. I say let’s take all the masks away. You have a right to demonstrate. You have a right to be a law enforcement official. You should be identified.” (22:00, Curtis)
- On Andrew Cuomo:
- “That snake will slither back under his rock in the Hamptons … he was slapping fannies and killing grannies and he should never see the light of day.” (22:34, Curtis)
2. Government Shutdown & Congressional Political Drama (25:32–34:34)
- Analysis of the government shutdown deal and Democratic strategy (or lack thereof):
- Scott: “Sometimes it’s darkest before it’s pitch black. This is fucking pitch black … We have done nothing but put the American people through 40 days of real trauma for Dick. Literally nothing.” (26:24, Scott)
- Kara relays different strategic theories, including whether Democrats engineered a “trap” for Republicans with the timing and promises attached to the shutdown deal. (28:14, Kara)
- Scott emphasizes the ongoing “preference for strong and wrong versus weak and right,” referencing Bill Clinton. (30:05, Scott)
- Both hosts express exasperation at what they see as Democratic cowardice and missed opportunity.
- “Stop the gymnastics. This was a huge failure on our part. AOC, I will give you $100,000 in the next 48 hours if you announce your primary. Schumer, enough already.” (31:57, Scott)
3. Trump’s Pardons & Justice System Corruption (34:34–37:23)
- Kara breaks the news of Trump granting preemptive and controversial pardons, including Rudy Giuliani.
- “If they let out Ghislaine Maxwell, I don’t—me and Curtis are going down to Texas, man. That’s all I have to say. She’s a monster.” (37:23, Kara)
- Scott contextualizes the corruption and the tragedy of resources being reallocated from deserving clemency cases to “an orgy of corruption.”
- “What bothers me more is it’s distracting attention and resources from the tens of thousands of people who he’s not letting out who are worthy of a real thoughtful examination around clemency.” (35:32, Scott)
4. Panel Segment: Did Women Ruin the Workplace? (38:55–46:56)
- Discussion of The New York Times' controversial opinion piece headline.
- Kara lambasts the op-ed: “As a piece of content … they just cannot stop talking about woke. They were as reductive as it gets … As a woman, you face all kinds of fucking nonsense every day of the week.” (39:47–43:02, Kara)
- Scott shares his own observations on workplace diversity: “The companies I’ve started … 27 of the 35 people who’ve become millionaires … were either LGBTQ or women. … It wasn’t intentional, it was about giving flexibility and opportunity.” (40:26, Scott)
- On equality: “Equality of opportunity does not always equal equality of outcomes.” (41:43, Scott)
- Insightful observations about marriage stress, childcare, and men’s mental health: “The best thing we could do for young men right now would be universal childcare.” (42:16, Scott)
- Mutual pushback against “binary” framing of gender workplace issues.
- “To set it up as this woman-man thing to me is like, wildly offensive … It doesn't make a better workplace.” (44:43, Kara)
- Scott: “The greatest alliance in history is the alliance between men and women, and I would argue specifically liberal men and liberal women. But we keep couching it as though men are against this and women are for it … That’s just not true.” (45:53, Scott)
5. LGBTQ Rights & Same-Sex Marriage (46:56–48:52)
- Supreme Court refuses Kim Davis petition—affirming marriage equality.
- Kara: “In the coverage of the media, it’s not gay marriage, it’s marriage. So like let’s just… it’s the law of the land.” (46:56, Kara)
- Personal anecdotes about family, divorce, and marriage—touching, funny banter.
6. On Role Models, Masculinity, and Mentoring Young Men (49:17–54:02)
- Scott on male mentorship:
- “The single point of failure for when a boy comes off the tracks is when he loses a male role model.” (49:36, Scott)
- Strong call to action: “If we want better men, we need to be better men. Apply to be a big brother.” (51:47, Scott)
- Kara on role models:
- Names her sons, brothers, nephew, and Scott himself as role models for masculinity (52:10–52:42).
- Warm exchange acknowledging Scott’s positive influence on Kara’s kids.
- Reflections on masculinity/femininity as cultural codes, not biology:
- Scott: “These are wonderful attributes—masculinity and femininity—that can be adopted, are not sequestered to anyone born as male or female. … There’s no such thing as toxic masculinity. There’s cruelty, there’s criminal behavior, and there’s abuse.” (52:42–54:02)
7. Audience Q&A Highlights (55:31–69:53)
- Best Marriage Advice:
- Kara: “Kindness … Active listening.”
- Scott: “Put away the scorecard. Decide what kind of husband you want to be and live to that … Always express sexual desire and affection … Never let a woman be cold or hungry. Pashminas and power bars at all times.” (57:23–58:35, Scott)
- Parenting Questions:
- Kara: “I try to make them feel like the choices they’re making are good choices. And I support them. I don’t run them down. I don’t tell them they’re stupid.” (60:09, Kara)
- Scott’s regrets about not having a daughter, economic anxiety around parenting in NYC, and declining birthrates among young people due to economic pressures. (61:19–63:18, Scott)
- On AI: Threats and Opportunities
- Kara (relaying Geoff Hinton): “We’ve got to build an AI that has a maternal sense … We have to train the AI to think of us as the baby and they will do anything to take care of us.” (64:06–67:06)
- Scott: “Every technology in history has ultimately created growth in the economy and more jobs than it’s destroyed. … The biggest fear I have about AI is loneliness … Loneliness and sequestering young people from society is our biggest risk of AI.” (67:06–69:53)
Notable Quotes
-
Curtis Sliwa
- “If you can’t bribe them, they’ll try to kill them. Oh well, that’s been tried before by the goddessing Gambinos.” (03:37)
- “Came into this world with nothing. I leave with nothing. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We need selfless servants.” (04:42)
- “A real man doesn’t need a gun. A real man should be protecting … those who can’t defend themselves.” (09:36)
- “The only thing different between politics and organized crime, which I battled in my life, is at the end of the day, you don’t have dead bodies. Other than that, it’s the same.” (15:14)
-
Scott Galloway
- “Sometimes it’s darkest before it’s pitch black. This is fucking pitch black.” (26:24)
- “Stop the gymnastics. This was a huge failure on our part. AOC, I will give you $100,000 in the next 48 hours if you announce your primary. Schumer, enough already.” (31:57)
- “The best thing we could do for young men right now would be universal childcare.” (42:16)
- “If we want better men, we need to be better men.” (51:47)
- “Every technology in history has ultimately created growth in the economy and more jobs than it’s destroyed … [but] loneliness and sequestering young people from society is our biggest risk of AI.” (67:06–69:53)
-
Kara Swisher
- “To set it up as this woman man thing to me is like, wildly offensive … It doesn’t make a better workplace.” (44:43)
- “I try to make them feel like the choices they’re making are good choices. And I support them. I don’t run them down. I don’t tell them they’re stupid.” (60:09)
- “Me and Curtis are going down to Texas, man. That’s all I have to say. She’s a monster. [About Ghislaine Maxwell]” (37:23)
Memorable Moments
- Curtis Sliwa’s old school populism and open disdain for billionaire political meddling.
- Sliwa describing how attempts at bribery turned to threats, and how he and his wife stood firm.
- Honest and funny panel banter about pets, gender, parenting, sexuality, and more.
- Scott’s palpable anger at Democratic strategy around the shutdown and his rallying cry for primarying Chuck Schumer.
- Joint audience Q&A blending comedy, hard truths, and genuine warmth.
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Curtis Sliwa interview: 00:36–24:25
- Government shutdown analysis: 25:32–34:34
- Trump pardons discussion: 34:34–37:23
- Workplace gender op-ed debate: 38:55–46:56
- LGBTQ rights & Marriage Equality: 46:56–48:52
- Masculinity, mentorship & family: 49:17–54:02
- Audience Q&A (highlights): 55:31–69:53
- AI segment: 63:39–69:53
Final Thoughts
This live Pivot episode is a potent, timely, and entertaining look at politics, masculinity, NYC life, and the anxiety-laced future of tech, featuring incisive takes, biting humor, and the ever-present determination to call out power and nonsense where they see it. For lovers of New York and clear-eyed critique, it’s a must-listen.
