Pod Save America – “That’ll Leave a Denmark” (Jan 20, 2026)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of Pod Save America delivers a sharp, satirical, and often exasperated breakdown of Donald Trump’s first anniversary back in the White House. The hosts—Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor—examine Trump’s escalating international antics (especially toward Scandinavia and Greenland), new tariffs, controversial pardons, political fallout at home (notably the ICE crackdown in Minneapolis), and the growing fractures—and opportunities—in American politics as the 2026 midterms approach. The episode also features an in-depth interview with Jason Zengerly on the rise of Tucker Carlson and what it means for conservative media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Trump–Scandinavia Meltdown: Greenland, Tariffs, and “Peace” (01:53–18:42)

• Trump’s Year One: Escalating Foreign Fiascos
  • Trump marks his one-year return to the presidency by threatening military action against both Minneapolis and Greenland, imposing new tariffs on European allies, and tying foreign policy to personal vendettas, particularly over the Nobel Prize snub and Greenland acquisition (03:06–07:27).
  • “The logic of 'I’m not going to avoid killing people unless you give me a prize for it' is just such a sixth grader...” – Tommy Vietor (06:46)
  • Protests erupt in Europe and even at an NBA game in London in response to the Greenland debacle (05:02).
• Absurdity and Danger in Trump’s Demands
  • Hosts mock and analyze Trump’s claims that Denmark has no real claim to Greenland and point out the precedent for treaties (1916, 2004) acknowledging Danish sovereignty (08:33).
  • Discussion of European leaders’ tepid and dithering response; critique of Western allies’ reluctance to confront Trump directly—“They've sort of internalized a certain lesson of how you deal with Trump...” – Jon Lovett (10:09).
• Tariff Reality Check & Congressional Response
  • Tariffs justified by emergency powers: 96% of tariffs are paid by Americans, not foreigners. Congressional Republicans are more split on this than other issues, with even Ted Cruz on board for territorial expansion—highlighted by an ironic “blast from the past” clip of Cruz in 2016 warning Trump might nuke Denmark (15:01–16:21).
  • “He's creating the emergency, he’s the emergency.” – Jon Lovett (12:42)
• Trivializing World Affairs
  • Trump launches the “Board of Peace”—an ersatz, self-centered UN-like entity with a billion-dollar membership fee, loophole power plays (like inviting Putin), and ostensible peacebuilding aims that now ignore Gaza (20:03–23:39).
  • “Is Trump trying to start his own U.N. here? … But this just replaces it with Trump running the show.” – Tommy Vietor (21:05–22:37)

2. Corruption on Display: Pardons & GOP Enabling (24:09–29:07)

• Transactional & Repeated Pardons
  • Trump’s recent string of pardons involve outright quid-pro-quo donations, recidivist offenders, and clemency for relatives of loyalists—exposing the broken pardon system and the lack of legislative or judicial guardrails (24:09–28:13).
  • “We have now shown that this country cannot handle a pardon power. We gotta knock that thing off.” – Jon Lovett (26:50)
• Enabling Structure: Congress & Supreme Court
  • Hosts excoriate Republicans and Supreme Court for the culture of impunity: “The real people who are really at fault here are the founders... the Constitution is pretty clear that the pardon power is basically just unlimited.” – Dan Pfeiffer (28:13)

3. The Minneapolis Crackdown: ICE Raids, Insurrection Act, Escalating State Violence (31:56–55:07)

• Federal Authoritarianism & ICE Abuse
  • Up to 1,500 paratroopers and 200 National Guardsmen are on alert for deployment to Minnesota, as ICE agents run rampant—detaining, harassing, and teargassing innocent civilians and enforcing mass arrests, many of which are documented as targeting legal residents and citizens due to racial profiling (31:56–38:20).
  • “It’s just total impunity...I know the name Mark Rich because it was [a] defining scandal 25 years ago. It’s 25 years later. We know the name Mark Rich. Any one of these pardons is…more clearly a quid pro quo. We’ll forget these, we’ll move on in a couple days. That’s how far we’ve gone.” – Jon Lovett (25:04)
  • A family teargassed in their car—details of the ICE escalation, callousness, and subsequent lying and blame-shifting from DHS/Kristi Noem (33:25–39:19).
• A System Incentivizing Abuse
  • ICE agents motivated by quotas, not crime; turns to mass harassment and violence—statistics reveal most arrests target people with no criminal convictions (35:14–36:26).
  • DOJ investigating both Governor Waltz and Minneapolis’s Mayor for “interfering,” part of a broader pattern of using federal power to stifle dissent and criminalize political opposition (41:44–45:05).
• Bottomless Hypocrisy & Unraveling Social Fabric
  • Trump’s selectivity on “law and order” and the normalization of open lies, violence, and impunity; hosts stress increased danger and the risk of political violence spiraling out of control (46:08–52:52).
  • “As situations become more chaotic and more dangerous…what matters is no longer in our collective hands—it’s in the luck and happenstance and mindset of a few random people…And that is incredibly dangerous.” – Jon Lovett (48:07)
• Significant polling pressure
  • Trump’s team, recognizing growing backlash to ICE’s conduct and the political blowback, privately discuss “recalibrating their approach” (52:15).

4. 2026 Polling, The Democratic Brand, and the Midterm Outlook (59:47–66:15)

• Democrats’ Midterm Opportunities and Brand Crisis
  • Despite Trump’s low approval ratings and wild behavior, Democrats only hold a modest lead in generic polling (4–5 points). Large swings among highly motivated voters suggest potential for a wave—if the party can unify its message and capitalize on the moment (59:47–61:30).
  • Hosts debate whether negative party image comes from Democratic voters themselves or reflects a broader malaise; argue that midterms will be a referendum on Trump as much as the Democratic brand (62:08).
  • “My general response to these polls is that they're bad for Trump and bad for Democrats.” – Jon Lovett (60:46)
  • Discussion over the lack of unified Democratic messaging or vision, especially on issues like immigration and ICE, and how Democrats can’t simply ride anti-Trump sentiment forever (63:36–65:05).

5. 2028 Drama: Democratic Contenders’ Early Fights (69:05–76:40)

• Shapiro vs. Harris—Icy Veepstakes
  • Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s new book recounts friction with Kamala Harris during the 2024 VP selection process—a spat over vetting, loyalty, and even (absurdly) alleged ties to Israeli intelligence. Both sides publicly dismiss each other's accounts as “blatant lies” (69:36–74:40).
  • The hosts, rather than decry the drama, express appreciation for the candor: “I hope more politicians do the real beef airing out in the books. It is better, it is more fun...” – Jon Lovett (75:59).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s tantrums:
  • “The logic of 'I’m not going to avoid killing people unless you give me a prize for it' is just such a sixth grader...” – Tommy Vietor (06:46)
• On ICE in Minneapolis:
  • “They're grabbing people and not technically arresting them and then letting them go... They're being harassed and grabbed and intimidated and then thrown out of a car a few hours later.” – Jon Lovett (35:14)
  • “This would turn me into John Wick. I mean, that is like a radicalizing…” – Tommy Vietor (38:20)
• On Congressional impotence:
  • “Congress can’t by law stop the President from conducting a lawless invasion of Greenland does point to a deeper set of issues we're not willing to grapple with.” – Jon Lovett (18:46)
• On bipartisan foreign policy drift:
  • “We have now shown that this country cannot handle a pardon power. We gotta knock that thing off.” – Jon Lovett (26:50)
• On violence begetting violence:
  • “As situations become more chaotic and more dangerous…what matters is no longer in our collective hands...all of a sudden things can escalate because of one or two or three or five actors. And that is what makes it so dangerous.” – Jon Lovett (48:07)
• On 2026 polling:
  • “My general response to these polls is that they're bad for Trump and bad for Democrats.” – Jon Lovett (60:46)
• On Democratic messaging:
  • “I have no fucking idea what Democrats believe...not even on the technical policy, but like on a philosophical matter, like what the core Democratic vision is for the future.” – Jon Lovett (64:03)
• On Shapiro/Harris veepstakes:
  • “I hope more politicians do the real beef airing out in the books. It is better, it is more fun…” – Jon Lovett (75:59)

Interview: Jason Zengerly on Tucker Carlson and the Future of the Conservative Media (80:20–END)

Tucker as Mirror of Conservatism (80:20–92:03)

• Zengerly, author of “Hated by All the Right People,” argues that Tucker Carlson’s career arc—from bow-tied CNN host and magazine journalist, through Fox News kingmaker, to MAGA-adjacent right-wing media mogul—reflects deeper, structural changes in the conservative movement and its media landscape.
• “He’s a remarkably entertaining figure...Say what you will about Trump, but that is one of his superpowers…For the last ten years or so [Tucker's radar for the audience] has been operating on the highest level.” – Jason Zengerly (81:27)
• Jon Stewart’s infamous takedown of Carlson on Crossfire (2004) marked a turning point; the subsequent resentment and sense of betrayal fueled Tucker’s journey toward outcast and, ultimately, right-wing populist icon (88:00–89:53).

The Incentives of Extremism: From Fox to Full Fringe (94:31–111:02)

• Zengerly describes how, now unmoored from network restraints, Tucker courts outrage and audience growth by platforming neofascist figures like Nick Fuentes.
• “I think Tucker realized you can’t be successful in that world unless you have the groypers and the neo-Nazis on your side…he had Fuentes on his show and did this softball interview...an olive branch to try to defuse the feud because he was worried he was going to lose these people.” – Jason Zengerly (101:12–103:40)
• The growing bond between Carlson and J.D. Vance is flagged as particularly significant and potentially dangerous for the Republican party’s direction.

Will Tucker Run for President? (107:45)

• Zengerly argues Carlson is no longer just a media personality but a political actor and kingmaker with “a very tight symbiotic” relationship with the likely future of Trumpism.
• “He wants power...He believes what he’s saying...and he believes them in some ways more deeply than a lot of people in Donald Trump’s world.” – Jason Zengerly (110:01)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• Trump-Scandinavia Escalation: 03:06–18:42
• Corrupt Pardons & Congressional Enabling: 24:09–29:07
• Minnesota/ICE Crackdown: 31:56–55:07
• Polling & 2026 Midterm Outlook: 59:47–66:15
• 2028 Democratic Fractures: 69:05–76:40
• Jason Zengerly Interview – Tucker Carlson: 80:20–111:57

Overall Tone & Style

The tone is quintessential Pod Save America: irreverent, frustrated, darkly comedic, but anchored in an earnest concern for the fate of American democracy. The hosts deftly mix policy analysis with sharp humor, exasperated sarcasm, and biting critique.

Takeaways for Non-Listeners

This episode encapsulates both the bleak absurdity and urgent stakes of the Trump era’s second act—where U.S. foreign policy becomes a personal sitcom plot, institutions fail to provide any check, the opposition struggles for traction, and the right’s internal radicalization accelerates. The in-depth interview with Jason Zengerly further illuminates how these trends mutate through a media ecosystem ever more loyal to spectacle and outrage than to facts or accountability.