Pod Save America: "Trump's A+++++ Affordability Message"
Date: December 12, 2025
Hosts: Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer
Special Guest: Congressman Adam Smith
Episode Overview
In this episode, Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer break down the increasingly precarious political standing of President Donald Trump as he ends 2025, with a focus on his so-called "affordability blitz." The conversation dissects Trump's lackluster economic messaging amid deep public disapproval, his fixation on tariffs, and his inability to connect with struggling Americans. The hosts also analyze the Democrats’ recent electoral successes, the Texas Senate primary, Trump's hardline and unpopular immigration tactics, and the shifting terrain of Republican loyalty. The episode features a detailed interview with Congressman Adam Smith, who delves into legal and ethical concerns around the Trump administration’s military and foreign policy actions in the Western Hemisphere.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Trump’s Affordability Blitz & Flailing Messaging
- Trump’s bizarre affordability rhetoric: Trump’s recent efforts to address inflation and cost-of-living are mocked, with Trump suggesting Americans don’t need more than “two or three dolls” for their children and can ration “pencils.”
- Quote: "You can give up certain products. You can give up pencils. You don't need $37 for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don't need 37 dolls." (Trump, 03:38)
- Hosts’ take: The hosts lampoon Trump’s reasoning and tone-deafness.
- Quote (05:33): "If you were trying to find the best message to lose an election, this would be it." (Favreau)
- Analysis: Trump struggles to build a compelling affordability narrative, in part because admitting there’s a problem would mean admitting fault—a step he can't psychologically take.
- Quote (06:02): “I think he is psychologically constitutionally incapable of doing that because it requires him to admit that prices are high…To admit prices are high, means to admit fault.” (Pfeiffer)
- Speechwriter anecdote: Trump’s boast about not using teleprompter speeches and his supposed award-winning speechwriters is ridiculed.
- Quote (07:02): “Are you just jealous because you never got [a speechwriting award]?” (Pfeiffer)
2. Terrible Economic Polling Numbers for Trump
- Poll numbers: Trump’s approval plunges to its lowest ever—36% overall, 31% on the economy; 67% disapprove of his economic handling.
- Roots of public dissatisfaction: Voters specifically blame Trump’s tariffs for higher prices, and recognize that he’s focused on everything except what matters most.
- Quote (09:54): “Voters are very unhappy with the economy. They're unhappy because prices are high. They think Trump is not only not lowering the prices, they fully believe he is raising them. They correctly believe that because of tariffs.” (Pfeiffer)
- Impact of 'vibes-based economy': The hosts dismantle the theory that simply talking up the economy can change negative public perceptions.
- Quote (17:36): "When voters who feel true economic pressure … are told the economy is better than they think it is, they want to flip the fucking table over in the focus group." (Favreau)
- Quote (18:59): “You could maybe alter how people feel about the macro economy, but the micro economy, how it affects your life… you can’t just talk people out of what they see at the grocery store.” (Pfeiffer)
3. Trump’s Unpopular Immigration Policy
- Extremism on display: Trump is openly using racist language and pushing for harder-line deportation policies, which are deeply unpopular.
- Quote (22:13): "We had a meeting and I say, why is it we only take people from shithole countries, right?" (Trump)
- Quote (22:55): "He and the White House and various Republican senators like Tom Cotton vigorously denied that story about him calling them shithole countries… and then he just, of course, admitted it." (Favreau)
- Political backfire: Even among voters, his immigration numbers are underwater (38% approve, 60% disapprove).
- Brutality as a liability: Viral videos of violent deportations are cited as politically and morally disastrous.
- Quote (27:11): “The deportation regime is a fucking flop politically. I mean, it's horrific, we've talked about that all year, like morally horrendous. But it is also deeply unpopular.” (Favreau)
4. Democratic Strategy and Policy Debates
- 2026 midterms outlook: Democrats are winning key races (e.g., Miami mayor) and planning targeted campaigns.
- Texas Democratic Senate primary: Jasmine Crockett vs. James Talarico is set to be a major contest.
- Quote (40:52): “I am the one that the Republicans fear… if they really wanted me as the nominee, they would be quiet and just wait and hope to crush me.” (Jasmine Crockett, CNN clip)
- Balancing issues: While hammering affordability remains crucial, the hosts caution against single-issue politics; Democrats need to fight on Trump’s unpopular deportation tactics, too.
5. Republican Fractures and Gerrymandering Defeat
- Indiana redistricting: Trump’s attempt to force more aggressive gerrymandering fails, signaling cracks in party obedience.
- Quote (48:36): “You have a bunch of local state senators from Indiana, a deeply red state, just telling Trump no. And it really should be a moment of great shame for… anyone who thinks you can't stand up to him.” (Pfeiffer)
6. Culture and Right-Wing Extremism
- Nick Fuentes on Piers Morgan: Internet extremist Fuentes admits he's a misogynist and a virgin, underscoring the grotesqueness at the center of MAGA's online influencers.
- Quote (52:07): “Have you ever had sex?” “No. Absolutely not.” (Fuentes)
- Quote (52:24): “It was very strange.” (Pfeiffer)
- Andrew Tate & Trump: Discussion of the Tate brothers’ connections to the Trump family and government intervention in their legal troubles illustrates the influence of misogynist and criminal figures.
Interview Segment: Congressman Adam Smith on Trump’s Southern Hemisphere Military Actions
(60:47 – 92:20)
Major Points
- Graphic drone video: Smith describes the classified video of the U.S. strike—showing two unarmed survivors clinging to a capsized boat before being killed—arguing there’s no legal or operational justification for it.
- Quote (61:14): “They’re clearly unarmed. They do not have any communications devices… About 40 minutes after the first strike, the second strike hits, kills them, and sinks the remainder of the boat.” (Smith)
- Critical of legality and ethics: Smith rebukes the designation of narco traffickers as “terrorists” as an unprecedented expansion of executive power, lacking Congressional authorization.
- Quote (65:02): “Trump is taking us to a place that we haven't been since the end of World War II, which is the US doesn't have principles, it just has interests. We're gonna use our power to grab as much of the world as we can, and the law doesn't really matter to me.” (Smith)
- White House secrecy: The administration’s unwillingness to release evidence or comply with basic oversight is described as both unlawful and alarming.
- Quote (77:43): “You don't get to just decide to ignore the law. And yet he is [doing that].” (Smith)
- Foreign policy vision: Smith urges a return to a principles-based, multilateral engagement—“partners and allies”—and rejects both the “dominance” mentality and Trump’s “white Christian nationalist” racism.
- Quote (83:52): “Get rid of the idea of dominance altogether… The US being engaged in the world in the right way is a positive thing. If we disengage, then brutal, aggressive autocrats… will prosper.” (Smith)
- Mass migration and racism: He calls out the administration's migration ‘deterrence’ as fundamentally racist and self-defeating.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Trump's affordability messaging:
“If you were trying to find the best message to lose an election, this would be it.”
– Jon Favreau (05:33) -
On economic "vibes"-based claims:
“When voters… are told that the economy is better than they think it is, they want to flip the fucking table over.”
– Jon Favreau (17:36) -
On diverging from a single-issue playbook:
“It's not how humans talk and humans work. The longer-term issue here is that Trump's numbers suck on all these issues...”
– Dan Pfeiffer (31:39) -
On Republican state senators crossing Trump:
"Just telling Trump no… If these folks can do it, you certainly can."
– Dan Pfeiffer (48:36) -
On Congressman Smith’s core critique:
"[Trump] wants to be unbound by norms and laws and constitutions…”
– Rep. Adam Smith (70:40) -
On the rise of right-wing extremism:
“That's the right. I guess that's the hard right. That's where the energy is.”
– Jon Favreau (52:31)
Timestamps of Key Segments
- Introduction and podcast theme overview – [02:01]
- Trump’s affordability messaging analyzed – [03:15–07:45]
- Trump’s tanking poll numbers and tariff policy – [09:51–16:10]
- Explaining why ‘vibes-based’ economy messaging fails – [16:47–19:38]
- Trump’s racist immigration rhetoric and policy backfire – [21:34–29:24]
- Democrats’ approach to immigration and affordability issues – [28:24–34:44]
- Texas Senate Democratic primary and state of play – [40:52–47:53]
- Trump’s redistricting defeat in Indiana – [48:02–50:41]
- Fuentes and MAGA extremism – [51:04–54:09]
- Trump’s pardoning spree and connection to criminals – [54:53–56:47]
- Interview: Rep. Adam Smith on military, democracy, and Trump’s worldview – [60:47–92:20]
Takeaways
- Trump is failing to convince Americans that he empathizes with their struggles or can fix the economy—tariff policies and denial are undermining him.
- Brutality in immigration enforcement and open racism have become liabilities, with viral images and stories further damaging Republican prospects.
- Democrats should stay focused on cost-of-living and economic issues but not shy away from exposing Republican cruelty, especially on immigration.
- There are clear and growing fractures in Republican loyalty to Trump, especially at the state level.
- The administration’s disregard for rule of law—both domestically and abroad—is casting a disturbing shadow over U.S. democracy and global standing.
- A new foreign policy vision, grounded in humility, alliances, and principles—not dominance and zero-sum power—is needed to counter Trump’s approach.
For listeners who missed the episode, this summary provides a comprehensive overview of the urgent issues, memorable takes, and critical strategic debates shaping the current U.S. political landscape as discussed by the Pod Save America hosts and their guest, Congressman Adam Smith.