Pod Save America – "Terminally Online: Live from Crooked Con" (Subscription Preview)

Date: November 28, 2025
Participants: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor, Elijah Cohn (+ audience & producer Caroline Reston)

Episode Overview

This lively, in-person recording of Pod Save America’s subscriber-exclusive show "Terminally Online," captured at Crooked Con, sees the hosts tackle the question: Who are the most 'terminally online' politicians of 2025? Through a signature blend of inside-joke ribbing, political insight, and off-the-cuff banter, hosts and audience alike dig into contemporary political internet culture — spotlighting the politicians who dominate (and sometimes embarrass themselves on) online platforms.

A segment of this episode revolves around a "blind ranking" game, which becomes the framework for a hilarious deep-dive into politicians' online behaviors. The episode closes with a wry, informal straw poll of Crooked Con attendees on their favorite 2028 presidential hopefuls — complete with self-aware jokes about their own polling process.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Blind Ranking Game (01:12–02:30)

• Elijah Cohen introduces the segment: The group will blindly rank the five most "online" politicians of 2025, slotting each into a spot (1–5) without knowing who comes next.
• Clarifications ensue about consensus-style ranking and game rules.
• The hosts joke about the meta-nature of picking on each other for their knowledge (or lack thereof) regarding online culture.

2. Blind Ranking: The Top 5 Most Online Politicians

Donald J. Trump Discussion (02:35–04:54)

• Trump: "The old man may have lost a couple miles per hour, but he’s still got his fastball, throwing out all-caps Truths, posting AI videos, dumping shit on Harry Sisson…" (Elijah Cohn, 02:35).
• The group debates Trump’s “terminally online” status, docking points for his isolation on Truth Social versus wider engagement.
  • Jon Lovett: "He’s almost like...remembering in The Office when they gave Creed a Word document to write into? That’s basically what he’s doing now.” (03:59)
  • Consensus: Trump goes in slot 3.

Zoran Mamdani Discussion (05:01–07:00)

• Recognized for adept digital campaigning but ultimately “too well adjusted” and “not defensive enough” to be truly terminally online.
  • Jon Lovett: "He instinctively is not defensive, which is a fundamentally not online thing." (06:14)
• Consensus: Mamdani lands at 4.

Nancy Mace & the Charleston Airport Saga (07:00–09:49)

• Nancy Mace described as "deeply online in a way that's kind of uncomfortable" due to her obsessive posting about the Charleston Airport police incident. Multiple SC politicians, including Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham, publicly chided her.
  • Tommy Vietor: "It's real main character energy." (09:39)
  • Jon Lovett: "She as a person kind of seems to capture the essence of the personality disorder of the internet." (09:26)
• Consensus: Mace is #2.

Gavin Newsom (09:53–10:36)

• Discussion of how Newsom’s online activity feels mostly staff-driven and less personally invested.
  • Dan Pfeiffer: "I think it's fair to say that Gavin is less online than Zoran." (10:15)
  • Newsom gets slotted into the only spot left, 5.

J.D. Vance – Uncontested #1 (10:43–11:22)

• Everyone immediately agrees J.D. Vance takes first place, as "America’s number one reply guy."
  • Tommy Vietor: "Unless it's an actual Nazi talking shit about his wife and kids, in which case, zip it." (11:05)
• Reference to Vance’s infamous social media spats and high engagement in toxic online discourse.

Final Blind Ranking:

1. J.D. Vance
2. Nancy Mace
3. Donald J. Trump
4. Zoran Mamdani
5. Gavin Newsom
   (11:22)

3. Honorable Mentions – More Terminally Online Politicians (15:18–18:16)

• Graham Platner: Embodying the arc from Reddit deep-dive poster to public office.
  • Jon Lovett: "He's an inspirational story of what you can do after being too online." (05:26)
  • Jon Lovett: "Reddit is the place where you go and it’s like, is this right? I don’t know, but it came up first from a person and was expressed with confidence..." (15:38)
• Mike Lee: "Posting even harder" after being fooled or called out; “addled but incorrect energy” in his posts. (16:38)
• Valentina Gomez: Missouri/Texas figure known for outrageous, provocative content and “acted out snuff films" (17:43).
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC): Once the “online darling,” still capable of "breaking the Internet" when she chooses. (18:28)

4. Crooked Con Straw Poll: 2028 Presidential Hopefuls (18:42–26:22)

Initial Results (low voter turnout humor) (19:19–20:00)

• Results:
  • 7%: Anderson Clayton, AOC
  • 15%: Wes Moore, Gavin Newsom
  • 22%: Andy Beshear
  • 31%: Pete Buttigieg
• Elijah Cohn: "There were 13 votes." (19:50)
• Plenty of tongue-in-cheek ribbing about the reliability of their “sample size.”

Live Audience Polling (21:01–25:50)

• Attendees tossed out hopefuls such as Chris Murphy, Andy Beshear, AOC (with or without Jon Ossoff), Gretchen Whitmer, Cory Booker, and J.B. Pritzker.
• Lovett waxed poetic about dining hedonistically with Pritzker:
  • Jon Lovett: "All I want is to go for an insane meal with JB Pritzker, and at the end of it, for him to be like, you did eat a lot." (23:19)
• Anecdotes about Pritzker’s legendary Chicago steakhouse crawl and gambling in Vegas, with much laughter and playful envy.

Final Audience Vote – Crooked Con Winner (25:50–26:17)

• A mock-hand count quickly escalates into a crowd chant for host Dan Pfeiffer.
• Elijah Cohn: "The winner of the crooked con 2020-25 straw poll is Dan Pfeiffer." (26:07)
• The crowd’s chant: "Yes, we Dan!" (26:17)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• Elijah Cohn: “The old man may have lost a couple miles per hour, but he’s still got his fastball, throwing out all caps Truths, posting AI videos, dumping shit on Harry Sisson…” (02:35)
• Jon Lovett: "He's almost like...remembering in The Office when they gave Creed a Word document to write into? That’s basically what he’s doing now.” (03:59)
• Tommy Vietor: "Are we docking points for only posting on his dumb little tiny corner of the Internet?" (02:58)
• Jon Lovett: "She as a person kind of seems to capture the essence of the personality disorder of the internet." (09:26)
• Tommy Vietor: "It's real main character energy." (09:39)
• Jon Favreau: "If you're the vice president of the United States, and you call Jon Favreau a dipshit on a social media platform, you're automatically number one." (11:14)
• Jon Lovett: "Reddit is the place where you go and it’s like, is this right? I don’t know, but it came up first from a person and was expressed with confidence..." (15:38)
• Jon Lovett: "All I want is to go for an insane meal with JB Pritzker, and at the end of it, for him to be like, you did eat a lot." (23:19)
• Elijah Cohn: "The winner of the crooked con 2020-25 straw poll is Dan Pfeiffer." (26:07)
• Crowd chant: "Yes, we Dan!" (26:17)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:12]: Start of Terminally Online show and game rules
• [02:35–04:54]: Trump debate/analysis
• [05:01–07:00]: Zoran Mamdani discussion
• [07:00–09:49]: Nancy Mace and the Charleston Airport saga
• [09:53–10:36]: Gavin Newsom placement
• [10:43–11:22]: J.D. Vance and final ranking
• [15:18–18:16]: Honorable mentions
• [18:42–26:22]: Crooked Con straw poll (initial joke, live polling, big finish)
• [26:07]: Crowd declares Dan Pfeiffer winner – “Yes, we Dan”

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode radiates the hosts’ irreverent, in-the-know wit, with playful bullying, self-effacing humor, and a delight in the quirks of political internet culture. Listeners are treated to equal parts insightful political commentary and affectionate lampooning of both politicians and the hosts themselves, with plenty of inside jokes, audience interplay, and moments of organic comedic brilliance.

Summary Flow

Beginning with a quick primer and lighthearted game, the conversation veers into a ranking of politicians’ internet presences, skewering both right- and left-wing figures for their digital personas. The episode then opens into broader commentary on online political culture (with a few deep-cut references) before closing on a parody-laden, audience-driven poll — culminating in the crowd humorously crowning Dan Pfeiffer as their top candidate, reinforcing the fun, community vibe of the live show.

For anyone new: This episode captures Pod Save America at its most relaxed and self-aware, mixing genuine media commentary with lively, communal humor.