Pod Save America – “2026’s Biggest Questions”
Episode Date: January 11, 2026
Hosts: Jon Favreau and Alex Wagner
Guest Co-Host: Alex Wagner (Runaway Country, Crooked Media)
Overview
This episode kicks off Pod Save America’s new Sunday shows for 2026, with Jon Favreau and guest co-host Alex Wagner discussing the most pressing political questions facing America in the year ahead. Rather than making predictions, they explore pivotal issues, from Democratic strategies in Congress to Trump’s autocratic tactics, the Supreme Court’s looming decisions, the war on the media, immigration crackdowns, and the state of American democracy during its 250th year. The tone is candid, irreverent, often grim, but threaded with dark humor and camaraderie.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Democratic Control and Congressional Investigations
- Will Democrats Retake the House, and What Then?
- Alex Wagner raises the question of how, if Democrats win the House, they’ll wield investigatory powers: Which Trump official will become the first target—Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Pam Bondi?
- Discussion of the likelihood that administration officials might ignore subpoenas, leading to a potential showdown with Trump’s Justice Department.
- Notable Quote:
- Alex Wagner: "I'm interested to know which White House official becomes the subject of the first House investigation...or maybe Pam Bondi for Epstein." [07:15]
- Jon Favreau: "Do the officials comply? Or do they decide...you can send your subpoenas, and we can ignore them.” [08:07]
- They ponder whether investigations will feel like essential accountability or “just politics.”
2. The Economy as Election Decider
- How Will Midterm Voters Feel About the Economy?
- Jon Favreau highlights that economic perceptions often harden two to three months before elections, with direct implications for the midterms.
- Wagner doubts traditional models apply given continued economic hardships, insurance premium hikes, and heightened public anxiety.
- Notable Quote:
- Alex Wagner: “The economic pain has been so ongoing...it's the question of economic health and the sense that Americans cannot afford to live the lives they led even two years ago.” [13:05]
- They discuss whether promised economic levers—tariff checks, lowering interest rates, or Trump’s stimulus strategies—could shift public mood.
3. Supreme Court’s 2026 Agenda & Tariffs
- What Will the Supreme Court Rule on Trump’s Tariffs and Regulatory Powers?
- Both hosts see the Court’s pending tariffs decision as hugely consequential, discussing 1,000+ companies suing for relief and Trump’s promises of $2,000 tariff checks to voters.
- They worry over potential rulings that would let Trump fire independent agency heads, jeopardizing institutional checks.
- Notable Quote:
- Alex Wagner: “What is happening at the Supreme Court...is gonna be hugely determinative, not just for this year, but for the immediate future of our democracy.” [19:52]
- The broader threat: SCOTUS may further gut the Voting Rights Act and oversight institutions, unleashing a wave of gerrymandering and dismantling regulatory constraints.
4. Immigration, Deportations, and State Violence
- How Far Will Stephen Miller Take Trump’s Domestic War?
- Favreau and Wagner are alarmed by the escalation of mass deportations, ICE raids, and what they describe as state-sponsored violence—citing recent high-profile killings and rights rollbacks.
- They discuss the legal and illegal means the administration uses, including potential defiance of court rulings and moves to strip citizenship through “denaturalization.”
- Notable Quotes:
- Jon Favreau: "I worry just more state-sponsored violence totally. And chaos on the streets...there's a temptation to feel this is winding down, but it's not." [31:00]
- Alex Wagner: “It's a fool's errand to believe in the adverb legally with this administration. Right? They change the game all the time.” [29:09]
- Wagner introduces chilling DHS figures of 2.5 million “illegal aliens” removed in 2025 (term cited as theirs, not hers), 622,000 by formal deportation.
5. The War on Media
- How Effective Will Trump’s MAGA War on the Independent Press Be?
- Both hosts detail the takeover and gutting of legacy networks—CBS installed with Bari Weiss and Tony Dokoupil, Trump allies vying for CNN—while right-wing platforms and AI-driven slop fill the vacuum.
- Notable Quotes:
- Alex Wagner: “Destroying cbs, even if it doesn't have an immediate and practical impact...it's just not a good thing for democracy.” [38:10]
- Jon Favreau: “I worry about actual news gathering. Where does that leave us and who's gonna pay?” [40:07]
- They discuss a parallel trend toward media irrelevance and the deliberate flooding of the information space with distraction and propaganda.
6. Foundations of Democracy—Supreme Court, Gerrymandering, and Voting Rights
- Will Representative Democracy Survive 2026?
- Wagner fears the Supreme Court’s coming ruling will further devastate the Voting Rights Act, leading to an unrepresentative, more racially divided America.
- Favreau foresees blue states countering by gerrymandering their own districts even more, leaving the country “completely split.”
- Notable Quotes:
- Alex Wagner: “It's a dangerous time for people of color. It’s a dangerous time for people who believe in a more inclusive society.” [44:13]
- Jon Favreau: "You're gonna just have this country that is completely split." [45:19]
7. 2028 GOP Primary—J.D. Vance, Don Jr., and the Succession Games
- Who Will Challenge J.D. Vance for the Republican 2028 Nomination?
- Wagner and Favreau both see Vance as deeply uncharismatic; speculate potential challengers could come from outsider figures like Tucker Carlson or even Don Jr., possibly with Rubio as running mate.
- Memorable Moment:
- Alex Wagner on Vance: “He can’t order donuts, John. He’s like the least charismatic human being in America.” [46:24]
8. The Future of Abortion Access
- Will Medication Abortion Remain Legal by Year’s End?
- Wagner sounds alarms over Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as FDA head, expecting him to target mifepristone under Trump’s encouragement, which could devastate abortion access nationwide.
- Favreau adds that Trump seems politically wary of pushing too far but that polarization increases the odds of harsh policies, especially hitting blue state residents.
9. Gavin Newsom, the Democrats, and 2028
- Is Gavin Newsom Still the Frontrunner—and Will His “California-ness” Work?
- Detailed discussion of Newsom’s strengths (media skills, meme-ability, proactive engagement) but note his deep ties to California could hinder national appeal.
- Wagner cites other Democratic hopefuls: JB Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Wes Moore, Ruben Gallego.
- Notable Moment:
- Jon Favreau: “Donald Trump is a good code switcher. Barack Obama had his feet in 10 different worlds… The people who succeed in politics nationally can identify with the other part of the country.” [59:17]
10. Symbolism and Spectacle—America’s 250th Birthday
- Will Trump’s Vision Define the Semiquincentennial?
- They anticipate Trump’s militarized, jingoistic spectacle for America’s 250th birthday will inflame partisan divides and test the country’s ideals of inclusivity and democracy.
- Memorable Line:
- Jon Favreau: "They’re gonna do fireworks, military parade. This is gonna be a big thing in the summer. And they're gonna want to bait... America hating libs.” [64:46]
11. Supreme Court Succession
- Will Conservative Justices Retire if the GOP Faces Senate Loss?
- Both expect Alito and Thomas may retire at the term’s end to fast-track young hardliners onto the Court before any chance of Democratic Senate control—a deeply consequential move.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We're all gonna take turns hosting, including our longtime pal Alex Wagner right here in studio.” – Jon Favreau [03:22]
- “That's the collateral damage of all of this. The problem with the Trump administration, it's like it is the frog boiling slowly.” – Alex Wagner, on expanding ICE raids and shifting deportation criteria [29:09]
- “They enjoy the violence and the cruelty. Yes, Right. That's why you see when they kill an American citizen on videotape, the reaction is not even let's let the investigation play out. The reaction is let's smear her memory...” – Alex Wagner [32:46]
- “It is very difficult for me to imagine at the end of 2026... that this is not a whiter country than it is as we sit here today in early January.” – Alex Wagner [31:00]
- “Destroying cbs, even if it doesn't have an immediate and practical impact...it's just not a good thing for democracy. And to get away with it is... just another way of destroying the fourth estate.” – Alex Wagner [38:10]
- “You can't get pregnant and have a miscarriage in a red state. Right, right, like, that's where we're at.” – Alex Wagner, on abortion law [52:45]
- “He can’t order donuts, John. He’s like the least charismatic human being in America.” – Alex Wagner, on J.D. Vance [46:24]
- "If we start getting retirement announcements from our friends Sam Alito and/or Clarence Thomas, you'll know the Republicans are legitimately worried about losing the Senate.” – Jon Favreau [65:51]
Important Segment Timestamps
- [07:12] – Wagner’s first big question: Whom will Democrats conduct their first House investigation on?
- [12:07] – Favreau’s first question about the economy’s role in midterms.
- [16:24] – Tariffs, Supreme Court, and the possibility of Trump sending out checks to voters before midterms.
- [26:18] – The threat of mass deportations and state violence under Stephen Miller’s direction.
- [35:09] – Trump’s war on the media and the CBS takeover.
- [43:09] – Dismantling the Voting Rights Act: SCOTUS review of Section 2.
- [47:32] – The succession games for the 2028 GOP nomination.
- [50:11] – The future of abortion; will medication abortion be banned?
- [55:07] – Is Gavin Newsom still leading the Democratic field for 2028?
- [61:16] – Speculation on the physical transformation of the White House under Trump.
- [64:00] – The spectacle of America’s 250th birthday, patriotism, and its political weaponization.
- [65:51] – Much-anticipated Supreme Court retirements as a warning sign for Senate control.
Conclusion
The episode provides a bracing, often darkly funny inventory of the most urgent political fault lines of 2026, highlighting the stakes for democracy, social cohesion, and basic rights. It’s a roadmap of what the hosts will watch for—likely to be referenced in future Pod Save America episodes as events unfold.
For further detail, listen to specific timestamps for in-depth discussion on each major question.