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Trump's Petro-Fascist Sugar Daddies - Pod Save America | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Trump's Petro-Fascist Sugar Daddies

Fri May 16 2025

On his tour of the Middle East, Trump lavishes praise on dictators—as they deposit bribes in his pocket. Republicans, in between defending Trump's jet grift, finalize more details of their "big beautiful bill," which, in addition to gutting Medicaid, now aims to cut food assistance, funding for Planned Parenthood, and Biden's clean energy tax credits. The Supreme Court hears arguments on two important, intertwined questions: whether Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship is constitutional (it's not), and whether federal judges below the Supreme Court can issue nationwide injunctions. Jon and Dan react to the Solicitor General's clueless argument before the justices and new polling on Trump's "inoculation" against corruption attacks, and offer Democrats some advice on how to talk about the GOP's tax cuts. Then Jon sits down with long-time friend of the pod Beto O'Rourke to talk about Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Beto's future in the Lone Star State.

Summary

Pod Save America – Episode: "Trump's Petro-Fascist Sugar Daddies" (May 16, 2025)

Hosted by Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, and featuring a special guest appearance by Beto O'Rourke, this episode delves deep into the intricate web of Donald Trump's relationships with Middle Eastern autocrats, the latest developments surrounding his proposed tax legislation, and the ongoing constitutional challenges posed by his administration. Additionally, the episode features an insightful conversation with Beto O'Rourke about the political landscape in Texas and broader Democratic strategies.

1. Trump’s Alliances with Middle Eastern Autocrats

The episode opens with a critical examination of President Donald Trump's continued flirtation with Middle Eastern dictatorships, particularly focusing on his relationships with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Jon Favreau expresses concern over Trump's unabashed praise for these regimes despite their documented human rights abuses and funding of terrorist activities.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Favreau [04:15]: “Saudi Arabia and the emir is fantastic. And we're going to another country in a little while. Uae. A fantastic man, fantastic leader.”
Dan Pfeiffer [05:19]: “Trump just does not even have the pretense of pretending like we care about the things we've always cared about. What he celebrates, what he... He celebrates authoritarians.”

Discussion Highlights:

Favreau criticizes Trump for showering autocrats with praise and benefits, undermining American values.
Pfeiffer underscores Trump's transactional and kleptocratic tendencies, highlighting a preference for strength over democratic principles.

2. Supreme Court’s Review of Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

The hosts discuss the Supreme Court’s recent oral arguments regarding Trump’s attempt to revoke birthright citizenship—an action directly contravening the 14th Amendment.

Notable Quotes:

Dan Pfeiffer [43:16]: “What do states do with a newborn?... The federal officials will have to figure that out.”
Beto O'Rourke [43:28]: “Is that how that's going to work? Again, we don't know.”

Discussion Highlights:

The practicality and constitutional challenges of ending birthright citizenship are examined.
Concerns are raised about the potential chaos and administrative hurdles if such an executive order were to be upheld.

3. Republican Tax Legislation and Internal Divisions

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the contentious "big, beautiful bill" proposed by Republicans, which aims to provide substantial tax cuts to the wealthy while slashing essential social services.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Favreau [26:38]: “The Donald Trump Jr. And Eric Trump Jr. Memorial Tax Act.”
Dan Pfeiffer [28:25]: “The whole thing speaks to the utter incoherence of the Republican policy agenda in the era of Donald Trump.”

Discussion Highlights:

Favreau vehemently criticizes the bill for favoring the ultra-wealthy, resulting in massive deficits and cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.
Pfeiffer discusses the fractured nature of the Republican Party, highlighting the lack of a coherent policy agenda and the dominance of Trump-centric politics.
The internal Republican conflict is explored, with some members threatening to derail the bill due to its fiscal irresponsibility.

4. Democratic Strategy and the Corruption Message

The conversation shifts to the Democratic Party's struggle to effectively convey anti-corruption messages to voters. Dan Pfeiffer emphasizes the importance of Democrats adopting a robust reform agenda to regain credibility and position themselves as true outsiders challenging a corrupt system.

Notable Quotes:

Dan Pfeiffer [18:28]: “We have to regain some of the reformer personality and credentials we had when Obama was president.”
Jon Favreau [21:24]: “I totally agree with the need for a reform agenda... telling a story about Donald Trump as corrupt...”

Discussion Highlights:

Pfeiffer critiques the Democratic Party for not prioritizing anti-corruption measures and maintaining ties with corporate interests.
Favreau suggests that Democrats need to craft a compelling narrative around Trump’s corruption and their own commitment to transparency and reform.
The hosts discuss the challenges of message testing in isolation versus within a broader, more cohesive narrative framework.

5. Conversation with Beto O'Rourke: Texas Politics and Democratic Outreach

In a special segment, Beto O'Rourke shares his experiences and strategies in Texas politics, emphasizing grassroots organizing and the importance of meeting voters where they are.

Notable Quotes:

Beto O'Rourke [52:03]: “We're registering likely Democrats where we can find them, typically on college campuses... we become these voting sherpas for people in Texas.”
O'Rourke [57:17]: “There's no Democrat on the ballot making the other side of the party on issues that we should absolutely fucking own every single day.”

Discussion Highlights:

O'Rourke outlines the "Powered by People" initiative, focusing on voter registration and education in Texas's challenging political environment.
He recounts personal interactions with constituents facing the impacts of Trump’s policies, such as food assistance cuts and school funding reductions.
The conversation highlights the need for Democrats to expand their presence beyond traditional battleground states and engage deeply in states like Texas.

6. Supreme Court Decision and Its Implications

Returning to the Supreme Court topic, the hosts speculate on potential outcomes and their broader implications for executive power and judicial intervention.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Favreau [46:08]: “You're trying to balance out the threat of a rogue president with the threat of a rogue judge.”
Dan Pfeiffer [47:27]: “There are issues of imminent concern that have to be addressed right away...”

Discussion Highlights:

The balance between presidential authority and judicial oversight is scrutinized.
Concerns are raised about the feasibility and consequences of nationwide injunctions, regardless of political affiliation.

7. Conclusion: Democratic Urgency and the Path Forward

The episode concludes with a rallying call for Democrats to intensify their efforts in fighting corruption, engaging voters, and rebuilding their party’s credibility.

Notable Quotes:

Beto O'Rourke [76:38]: “We have to do everything we can right now in this moment. We can move him and we can move the politics of this country, but it's going to take everybody doing everything they can.”
Jon Favreau [81:23]: “The Democratic Party to step up. And, and this is where we're completely failing the country right now.”

Discussion Highlights:

O'Rourke emphasizes the critical need for Democrats to connect with voters on a personal level, listen to their concerns, and present authentic solutions.
The importance of storytelling and genuine engagement over scripted messages is highlighted as a strategy to resonate with a broader electorate.
Favreau and Pfeiffer reiterate the urgency for Democrats to adopt a more proactive and reform-oriented approach to regain political power and uphold democratic values.

Key Takeaways

Trump’s Corruption and Autocratic Tendencies: Trump's favoritism towards Middle Eastern dictators undermines American democratic values and fosters a transactional political environment.
Tax Legislation Crisis: Republican internal divisions and the proposed tax cuts for the wealthy spotlight the party's lack of coherent policy direction, potentially exacerbating national deficits and social inequities.
Democratic Strategy Needs Overhaul: To effectively combat Trump and restore integrity, Democrats must adopt a robust anti-corruption agenda, enhance grassroots engagement, and craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse voter bases.
Supreme Court’s Pivotal Role: The court’s decisions on executive orders and nationwide injunctions will have profound implications for the balance of power between the presidency and the judiciary.
Grassroots Mobilization in Texas: Beto O'Rourke’s experiences underscore the necessity of on-the-ground organizing and authentic voter engagement in pivotal but often overlooked states.

This episode of Pod Save America offers a comprehensive analysis of the current political turmoil, highlighting the intersections of corruption, policy failures, and the urgent need for strategic reform within the Democratic Party to counteract the challenges posed by Donald Trump's administration.

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Transcript

Jon Favreau (0:00)

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Beto O'Rourke (2:00)

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Dan Pfeiffer (18:28)

It seems pretty consistent with other research now, and I've not read the whole memo, but it seems consistent with other research I've seen and research we saw in 2020 in the run up to the general election when one of the findings from a lot of the from the Democratic National Committee actually was that the corruption message was not our most effective attack on Trump. And in some ways that's about Trump in the sense that he's this rich guy. People think maybe he can't be bought or he's so corrupt they're willing to like accept a level of corruption with him that they may not with other politicians. And some people will read this, focus this memo and other similar research and say, well, that means we should not talk about corruption. And I think that's a huge mistake. I think that is sort of one dimensional thinking. It is checkers, not chess. Because ultimately the reason why we have to make this case is because the politics is no longer operates on the left right access. We talked about this before. It operates on the insider outsider access. They change status quo access, change status quo access. And the problem for Democrats is we are still seen as the defenders of the broken status quo even with Trump in office. Which is why as Trump's numbers go down, ours don't go up. And so we have to do something to make ourselves be credible agents of change. And one way to do that is to run against corruption now if we want to be credible messengers for corruption. Because I actually think what this memo and others show is not the it says more about the messenger than the message itself and that we are not seen as strong enough to Stand up. And we're not seen as outsiders or reformer enough to be credible messengers on corruption. And that is a very fair critique of our party. When Biden was in office, we did nothing, we did very little on corruption. We defended instead of banning members of Congress trading stocks. We're not unable to do a lot on dark money in politics because the voting rights bill collapsed or all of those things. And we should be. I think one of the things the Democratic Party should do is have a reform agenda, starting with banning members of Congress from trading stocks, but a whole host of other things that gets right at the corruption and influence happening in Trump's administration. And this is the path we used back in 2006. But I think we absolutely have to do this because if we don't, if all we do is just vomit up like anti inflation tariff talking points for the next two years, we may do fine in this next election. But that's not gonna be because our message was great, just because we just happen to be the other guy when people are pissed at the people, at the incumbents. But if we want to strengthen the brand of the party to the point where we can actually build the governing majority, we have to regain some of the reformer personality and credentials we had when Obama was president. One simple thing the party could do, stop taking PAC and lobbyist money, corporate PAC and lobbyist money. Just stop doing that right now. That was the policy of the party from the day Barack Obama became the nominee until he left office. And we have backslid on that in very bad ways.

Dan Pfeiffer (28:25)

I mean, it is. The whole thing speaks to the utter incoherence of the Republican policy agenda in the era of Donald Trump. Like there is not a consistent view, like under, I'm going to oversimplify here, but under Reagan, there was a simple principle to support. Reagan was to agree to lower taxes, smaller government and a bunch of other stuff. But that was the economic principles that extended for a long time. Then you get to the Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan Republicans and we are going to cut Social Security, Medicare and gut Medicaid. That was our principle. They don't really stand for anything right now. It's sort of a very dissonant, incoherent group of coalition really coming together. And so you have these super far right, essentially Tea Partiers, the Freedom Caucus, who want no government. If a Democrat was president, they would want to burst through the debt ceiling default. They're not, they're nihilists. And then you have a group of sort of Republican leadership, corporate types who want as big a tax cuts as possible for the rich. Like that is. That is where they are. It's sort of the corporatist wings. And then you have people with very specific political concerns worried about losing their own seats. Right. And so all of these things, they're not all rowing in the same way. This is not. And sometimes you'd be in a situation like we were trying to pass the Affordable Care Act. The general view was everyone in the Democratic Party believed in some form of universal health care. We had disagreements about how we got there, but the priority was shared here. There is no agreement about what we're trying to accomplish. Are we trying to cut taxes? Yes, we're trying to cut tax. Primarily for rich people or working class people? Rich people probably, but some people feel differently. Is our goal to cut Medicaid or not cut Medicaid? Are we trying to reduce the deficit or only increase it by $2 trillion so we can give the tax cuts to the rich? When the entire organizing principle of the party is one man's personality, it makes legislating on big policy agenda very hard, especially when that man has no coherent policy views because there's no shared set of principles that you're going for.

Dan Pfeiffer (32:59)

Yeah. I mean, ultimately, the goal here is to convince not just these individual members but the Republican leadership and Trump that the bill is currently constructed is akin to handing a majority to Hakeem Jeffries. And so they have to feel the political pressure. And to do that, you have to make your voice heard. And there are a few ways to do that. And I know some of these sound kind of trite in this sort of era of cynicism we're in. But calling a member of Congress, especially if you were in that district, matters because at the you and I have worked on the Hill. The end of every week, the member, the senior staff, the chief of staff, they get a list of they get a report on call and email traffic, how many calls they got, how much more it is than usual, what it was about and what the sentiment was. So if you blow up their phones, it is the best way to have them know that people are upset about this, even if they think it's not their core base or it's a bunch of Democrats. It's just it tells them, like these members are not doing polling right now. The only way they get to see what public opinion is is through that call report. So call second thing is go to protests, right? Go to if go to protests. If there's a town hall, your members, Republican members, crazy enough to have a town hall, go to that one. If they are not having town halls and they're like Tim Walls or you know, Ro Khanna or Bernie Benno or if they're Democrats coming here, it's Chris Murphy, Maxwell Frost, all these people, if they're coming to your to your to a district to do it, go to their tunnel, let people see that. And then the other thing and I wrote a message box a few days ago about this where to listing all these different things you can do. But one of the most important ones is we say this all the time. I say this all the time is talk to the people in your life about it. Most people have no idea, not a clue that the Republicans in Congress want to kick people off of health care to pay for a tax cut for rich people. And they're only going to know that if you tell them. And I included in this message box newsletter from Tuesday a very handy communications guide that I got from our friends at Navigator Research about how to talk about it in a way that's most persuasive based on all the research. So if you want to check that out, you can go check out one of my latest Mr. Box newsletters about this.

Beto O'Rourke (51:26)

We're still running this group called Powered by People in Texas that you and your viewers and many others have been so helpful in supporting. Basically, we're registering likely Democrats where we can find them, typically on college campuses. And something that we've innovated around that I'm really excited about is after we register people, we stay in touch with them. So we'll say, you know, can I get your cell phone number? I'm going to help you through the voter ID process, which is incredibly complicated in the state of Texas. I'm going to give you a heads up when early voting starts. I know you care about women making their own choices about their own bodies or raising the minimum wage or these other issues that we just talked about. I'm going to tell you who the candidates are that reflect your values when they're on the ballot. So it's really labor intensive. We become these voting sherpas for people in Texas. That is. It's a state that's harder to vote in and harder to register in than any other. So that's a long term power building project. We're doing that. And then in meeting the moment and the urgency of this crisis that we're in as a country, I'm holding these town halls all over Texas. We just had one in Amarillo. We're about to have one in East Dallas County, Wichita Falls. Mansfield did one with Tim Walls in Fort Bend, just outside of Houston. And I've got to tell you, on a personal level, it just feels so good to be with people and to know you're not alone and to realize other people are seeing and feeling exactly what you're seeing and feeling. And it may be even better to listen and learn from people who are going through things that I'll never experience. But the ways in which this administration is hitting them or hurting them, something you can make up. I'm in Amarillo and this woman comes up to me at the end of the town hall and she said, I'm a 30 year owner of a toy store here in Amarillo. I think it's called Unique Toys. We were struck by lightning, place burned down and I'm trying to rebuild this place. And I'm now also negotiating. Is it 145% tariffs? Is it 30% tariffs? I would love to buy American made toys. They don't exist. 90% of the production in the world comes out of China. And you know, I'm going to have to close this shop. I'm going to have to look for another line of business. I'm going to have to fire my employees. And I don't know if she's a Republican or a Democrat. This is a county that voted for Trump 80% in the last election. But it takes these stories out of the headlines or the aggregate data. And now I've met this woman who's going through this hell because of this president and then I can go share her story to other people so they don't feel as alone and they realize there are other people out there like me. Not just in Austin or Dallas or New York or la, but in Amarillo, Texas too.

Beto O'Rourke (54:37)

I need to do something. Yeah, I'm gonna Go fucking crazy if I stay at home, if I'm just reading the news or scrolling through Twitter or trying to do this at distance. So I, so I know just personally I'm gonna feel better. And I've learned that, you know, when we went to the Wichita Falls town hall in wichita county again, 72% for Trump in the last election, what's wild is the look of surprise on people's faces. Not to see me, but to see, you know, 449 of their neighbors, many of them complete strangers. Again, we never screen for partisanship. We don't know who voted for whom in the last election and their ability to hear and listen to one another and out of that to go take action. I'll give you an example. We're in Wichita Falls and somebody stands up and says, I'm going to hold a protest tomorrow, Sunday in Sanger, Texas. Anybody live near Sanger, you join me tomorrow. There are going to be more people at that protest in Amarillo. A woman said, you know, I live in a neighboring town, Canyon, Texas, my 12 year old daughter with disabilities, when they cut the Individuals with Disabilities act, which Trump is going to do when they slash Title 1 funding, when you add to that the vouchers that Governor Abbott has imposed that take millions, almost a billion dollars out of our public schools, what's going to happen to my kid? She's going to get warehoused somewhere like we used to do with people with disabilities before. Who's going to fight with me? And so I said, can you tell me when the Canyon Independent School District Board of Trustees meets next Monday at 7:00pm okay, everyone, if you live anywhere near Canyon, Texas, you have, this lady's back Monday. And so I need to follow up with her to see how that, that school board meeting went. But there's real power in people coming together. It's not as some fear, you know, an empty gesture or virtue signaling or God, I feel great after doing that. But did it really change anything? It absolutely does. It gives us encouragement, it gives us faith, it stokes the optimism and hope that we need to then take action to go register people to vote or run for office or support that candidate or for, for my fellow Texans who've had their hearts broken one election cycle after another to hold off despair and actually take a chance and vote in this next one in, in 2026. So there's, there's real good that comes out of this. I'm going to just keep doing it because it's, it's better than, than nothing and it's better than waiting for somebody else to step up.

Beto O'Rourke (57:17)

Something that's so interesting to me about going to these places that Democrats have almost always, well, at least for the last 30, 40 years, written off like Wichita county is, you, you hear some of what you would expect. A veteran stands up and says, well, Beto, can you tell me how cutting 83,000 positions at the VA, most of those positions held by veterans, by the way, how that's going to help me with my service connected disability claim or my, you know, six month wait time to see a behavioral health specialist? That's an important question. A woman who stands up and asks about cuts to Medicaid in a state that is the, the least insured already in the union. But then what perhaps you don't expect is the young mother to stand up and say, what are you doing about due process and the fact that they just sent this guy to this hellhole torture chamber prison in El Salvador and he had an order to protect him from deportation. They did it anyhow. And then she goes on to make the point, look, they come for these people that we don't want to stand next to right now. Do you want to stand next to the alleged terrorist, gang member, thug with the tattoos on his neck? But if you don't stand next to him and stand up for the Constitution, rule of law and due process, well, they're going to come for the next vulnerable population after that. And then pretty soon it's going to be us. And she was saying this prior to all of us learning that we're now actually deporting US citizen children, some of whom have stage 4 cancer and are leaving this country without their medications. So, you know, our temptation sometimes to write whole sections of the country off or to write people off based on who they voted for last time and is so dead wrong. And the only way you, you really learn that is by showing up and meeting people where they are. And, and I think what's missing right now from leadership in opposition to Trump and leadership that wants to replace him with something better is more of this, more showing up for people and, and showing up everywhere, fighting on every front, every one of the 254 counties, every one of the 50 states. We were just in Tuscaloosa with Doug Jones, the students at University of Alabama. Many were pissed that Trump was imposing himself on their graduation, he announced he was going to give the commencement address, though he had not been invited. Typical Trump. He's going to overshadow and try to outshine their achievement and their day of celebration. So they invited a few of us to come down and speak. And what I thought was so cool about it is no one from the DNC gave them marching orders. No one said, you should do this. Their state is not supposed to matter.

Beto O'Rourke (61:52)

Absolutely. You probably know this story too, of prior to that. Andrew Young and Dr. King are meeting with Johnson. This is the end of 64. And they're like, great job on civil rights, Mr. President. Now we'd like to vote. And Johnson at the end of the meeting says, I'd love to help you, but I just don't have the power. And King turns to Young as they're leaving, and he says, we got to go out there and get this guy some power. And I just love that conception of America government, of, by and for the people. The power always, when it really works, flows up. And so, yes, Trump has a concentration of political power in his hands. Elon Musk and the other oligarchs, concentration of economic power. You know, the billionaire masters of algorithm and influence, they've got some cultural power in their hands. But, you know, this great Lincoln line, public sentiment is everything. That's what, that's what Lewis was shaping and catalyzing in, in 1965 and countless others before and after him. My faith is in the American people and, and that we are going to come through. And though it's just anecdote that that meeting in, in Tuscaloosa with those students, it was so damn inspiring. Like, I needed to see that. The country needs to see that. And then one, one last example, John. You remember in 18, when Trump was imposing this family separation policy and, and people were just spontaneously rising up against it. It's unjust, it's immoral. How in the hell can this be happening in our name? And those protests culminated in one that we were a part of in Tornio, Texas. It's this small town in, in the lower valley of El Paso County. And this government contractor had constructed this tent city that was housing all of these separated kids. And we put out the call, many of us, you know, days before, and a thousand people show up. Folks drove down from Alaska, people flew in from Massachusetts, and folks came in from other parts of Texas. And we wanted to make sure those kids knew that we knew they were there. And, and we also wanted to bear witness and testify to the rest of the country. Hey, this is happening, and we got to do something about it. That's on June 18, June 20. Trump rescinds family separation. He could be moved, and he will be moved by public sentiment. So, yeah, the constitutional crisis, the undermining of the rule of law, it has never been more dire, certainly in our lives. But my faith is in the American people rising up and stopping this, certainly, I hope, in 2026, but we should not wait until that year. We have to do everything we can right now in this moment. We can move him and we can move the politics of this country, but it's going to take everybody doing everything they can. Yeah.

Beto O'Rourke (66:09)

Yeah. So. So this is, this is the great opportunity for the Democratic Party to step up. And, and this is where we're completely failing the country right now. So three of the last seven or eight town halls I've had have all been in Ronnie Jackson's district. He's a far right congressman in Texas. So I mentioned. Doctor, doctor I've dealt with Dr. Amarillo, Denton and Wichita Falls. You know, in, in Amarillo, they're talking about the fact that they had to turn around 13 trucks, 18 wheelers full of food for their food bank because Trump cut the USDA supplemental that was passed under Biden, people are going to go hungry. In Amarillo, they're shutting down three of the public schools in the Amarillo ISD because of cuts to Title 1. And what's happening at, at the state level up in Dalhart, Texas, further north, they care about their local schools, they care about unions because it's a big rail hub, and they care about immigration, and they want more immigrants because they're an agricultural community. And no matter what they pay there, to anybody born in Dalhart, Texas, they're not taking the jobs. If we cannot figure out immigration better than what Trump is doing right now, that town will wither and die on the vine. There is no Democrat, no Democrat on the ballot making the other side of the argument on issues that we should absolutely fucking own every single day. And so if we continue to concentrate the presidential election in seven battleground states and leave Alabama and Texas to their own devices, if in Texas we only focus on the top of the ticket against John Cornyn or Ken Paxton, which is important, but neglect the state House races or the US Congressional races like the one against Ronnie Jackson, we're going to keep getting this. And we can never blame the people in Amarillo for either voting for Ronny Jackson because he has no opponent, or just not voting at all because they don't really have a choice. And so I, I recognize, John, that, that just saying this, that the proposition is extraordinarily expensive and it will force us to use muscles that, that we have not employed since, you know, Lyndon Johnson was, was crisscrossing the state. But, but if, if we don't become a truly national party and, and a party that can talk and listen to people, I think more importantly in rural Texas as well as, as urban Texas, then we will be consigned to irrelevancy. And, and we will up this moment. And, and this, this is, you know, in that litany that Johnson described, you know, as it was in Lexington, Concord, all the way up to Selma. So it is today, in 2025. And, and we have got to come through, because if we don't, I, I think you really do lose the last best hope of earth. I, I think this thing is gone. And the, the outright corruption and criminality and total disregard for the law that we're seeing from Donald Trump himself and from those around him leads me to believe that they think this thing is already gone, that they're not going to face accountability or voters or free and fair elections. And I don't think that that's the wrong logic for them to employ, given where we are and given how feckless so far and weak the opposition has been. So I sure hope that those who have the positions of power within our party, the money, the titles, the influence will follow the lead of those students in Tuscaloosa, of the people that we're listening to in Amarillo, and get after it and fight and dispense with this false choice of do we need to be more progressive or more centrist and moderate? It's just, are we going to fight or are we going to surrender? And if we fail to fight, this thing's over.

Beto O'Rourke (70:53)

Yeah. You know, I just don't know, just to be honest in my ignorance, just how much those policy positions and your place on the political spectrum really matter for some of the reasons you set up earlier, the lack of information that many voters have, not because they're dumb or uninterested, but because we don't have common facts that we share. They're delivered on three broadcast news channels or one daily newspaper or the evening paper, if you lived in a town like El Paso 40 years ago that had both. And so folks are getting information, you know, culturally or anecdotally or incidentally, if they're getting it at all. And I further agree with your point that people are complex. They voted for Obama and they voted for Trump, and they're not inconsistent. It's not hypocritical for them. Each man was speaking to them in that moment where they really needed to see that change that Obama was promising, that change that Trump was heralding. And to further make my point, look at the shit that Trump is doing. Like what poll test would return the results? Like you need to advocate invading Greenland or taking on, you know, Canada as a 51st state. Or your HHS secretary after two kids have died of measles in a country that hadn't lost a child to that virus in 20 years, is saying you shouldn't take medical advice from him or just take more vitamin A or just, or just tough it out. Deeply unpopular stuff. That, that woman who owns the, the toy store in Amarillo, she's absolutely getting screwed by this guy and is, and his total ineptitude. What he does have, what he does have is what seems and appears and is sold to people as the courage of his convictions. No one's cooking this stuff up for him. The shit that's coming out of his mouth is the shit that was generated in his brain. And, and there's something in today's overly controlled, sanitized corporate politics that's just really exciting about someone who speaks their mind. It just almost never, ever happens. Like we can name the people on, on one hand, I think Bernie Sanders is that way. I think AOC has that going for her. I mean, there's some people who really, who really stand out. And so I guess from everything I just said, have the courage of your convictions. I think strength appeals people to people far more than policy precision or your, or your ten point plan or just how far you've moderated your views to anticipate where they're going to be in November of 2026. You know, when I was running for senate in, in 2018 and we got so close to Ted Cruz and perhaps more importantly helped 12 insurgent Democrats defeat 12 incumbent Republicans in the state House. Colin Allred defeats Pete Sessions, Lizzie Panel Fletcher wins in Southeast Texas. It was transformative for the state that was not one on policy. They were like, this guy fucking shows up everywhere. He's working his ass off. He listens to me, whether I'm wearing a Trump hat or a Hillary hat. He just does not care. He's going to fight for me. He knows where I live. He understands what's happening here in Sweetwater or Roscoe or Dallas for that matter. Nobody's written off, nobody's taken for granted. So, you know, of course I'm biased based on experience, but I think that is the path forward. So whatever you believe, whatever you feel, let it show, let it come through in real, honest to God human terms. And I guarantee you you're going to have a Better chance of connecting with that voter than using the, you know, message tested approved line that came out of D.C. or Austin for that matter. You know, people want to connect with people. So be a person.

Beto O'Rourke (74:40)

You know, the. So plenty of exceptions to this, and Bernie's a great exceptionist. He's just getting out there and he's being with people. Tim Walls, getting out there, being with people. Aoc, lots of Chris Murphy. I just saw Ro Khanna, a lot of really, really great leaders right now, you know, to, to show the other side of the party, you know, Chuck Schumer saying, well, we just got to wait till this guy's approval numbers go below 40. We did it before and we're going to do it again. So we, we'll kind of rope a dope him. We'll vote for this cr, which essentially gave, you know, Trump and Musk a free hand with our tax dollars to do whatever they wished with them. At this moment of constitutional crisis, that certainly cannot be the answer. And unfortunately, I think it appears. And who knows what's in their heads? There are too many Democrats who are waiting and watching to find out, you know, which way the wind is going to blow. Like, what. What is the message of this moment? And I can sympathize with those Democrats who don't want to hold a town hall because they're, they're asking themselves, well, what. What do I say? What's the answer? What's the silver bullet? People want the message, and I don't know what it is. You can be forgiven for not knowing what it is. I mean, this is ahistorical, unprecedented. We've never seen this before. But all the more reason for you to be with the people that you purportedly serve and represent and listen to them. They're going to have the answer. They're going to have the message. I guarantee you. Listen to them. Not the consultants, not the pollsters, not the data scientists. Those folks are important, too, but really more at the margins than anywhere else. So. And that's what I'm hearing from folks. You know, one of the questions I get, no matter where I travel in the state or outside of the state, is, where is the Democratic Party? Where are people? What the hell are you guys going to do? Who's fighting for me right now? You know, it's. You know this because you're an expert in messaging. The message is, we fight for you. But the trick is you can't say that you have to show that.

Beto O'Rourke (77:26)

Just to be clear, Biden should not have run again. And to be even more clear, he failed this country in the most important job that he had, in fact, the entire rationale for his presidency the first time and the rationale he tried to sell us on for his attempt to run for reelection. Only I can stop Donald Trump and he failed to do that. And it's not just you and me, but our kids and grandkids and the generations that follow that might have to pay the price for this. We might very well lose the greatest country that this world has ever known. And, and it might be in part because of the decision that Biden and those around him made to run for, for reelection instead of having an open primary where the, the greatest talent that the Democratic Party can muster could be on that stage, to have a competition of ideas and track record and vision and really excite not just Democrats but the people of this country who did want change. I mean, if anything was clear coming out of 2024, they wanted change. And to literally run the oldest guy who many people accurately, to your point, said, I just don't think he is capable of doing this. And I know that I saw the congresswoman and the congressman on CNN saying he's running circles around us in the briefing rooms behind closed doors. It just, it doesn't add up with what I'm seeing with my own lying eyes. I, I think that credibility problem is going to persist up until when Democrats say we up and we made a terrible mistake and it didn't just hurt our ability to win election in a political campaign. It deeply and gravely and perhaps we'll see irrevocably harmed this country. And so, you know, you and Many others got out there and told the truth. And I don't think you did it in. In a crass or brazen or mean way. I think you said, hey, maybe we should have this conversation. And, and we're absolutely trashed for doing it. You know, others, I think, saw that were concerned, but worried that, you know, Biden's already out there. He's going, am I going to hurt him and his chances and our ability to defeat Trump if I further weaken him? I was definitely hearing stuff like that. I. I supported, you know, folks who were behind the uncommitted movement in Michigan, not because I wanted to hurt Biden or Kamala Harris, but because I. I was. I just couldn't stand what was happening in Gaza. I didn't like America's complicity in that. I knew President Biden had the power to do something. And here were people speaking of the civil rights and voting rights movement who were peacefully, democratically, nonviolently protesting to get the president's attention, to give him the power to do the right thing. And, and when I spoke on behalf of those who were doing that in Michigan, and in the same breath saying, you know, I want to defeat Donald Trump, and if Biden is our nominee, we should vote for him, you know, the, the attacks were, you know, you're undermining the president, you're weakening him in front of this election. Why don't you just shut up and stand with him? And if we're the world's greatest democracy, you never shut up and stand with anybody when they're wrong. And, and you always have to speak the truth. So grateful to you and others who did do that. I wish more of us had done more at that time, but the last thing that we can do is fail to learn from that and not be honest about Chuck Schumer right now, not be honest about other Democratic leaders who are failing us in this moment. The time to be polite and kind and respectful is over. You know, Democrats, it seems, care far too much about being right and being polite than being in power. Republicans under Trump care about power and nothing else. Not the Constitution, not the rule of law, not being nice to one another. We don't have to be so immoral or illegal or corrupt, but I think we have to be far more ruthless and real about power or we'll never have it again.

Beto O'Rourke (82:59)

Absolutely. You know, I spent a lot of time on the border in, well, for forever I lived there. But going to other border communities like Eagle Pass in Maverick county, this is where Abbott has put these border buoys that are in the river that have razor wire. It's just like medieval torture death device that has led to far too many migrants losing their lives. You know, mothers and young children, that's obviously the wrong way to do it. But when I listen to people in Maverick county, they're like, where's the president? Where. Where is the party? Like, Beto, would you be okay if at 2am 20 people are walking through your. Your backyard, you don't know who they are or where they came from or what they might do to you and your family. Is that cool with you? No, I wouldn't like that either. It sounds like you have a real problem here. Well, then where the hell are you guys? Quit telling us that everything is okay or that we're managing this through the asylum process, or we just need to get comprehensive immigration reform done. So vote for me in the next election until we have a majority. And they know that we had a majority in both houses and a Democrat in the White House in 2009 and the same in 2021. And I don't begrudge Obama or Biden for the priorities they chose instead of immigration. They were both very, very, very important. But that's not lost on the voter. You guys talk a good game. You never fix this shit. So I may not like walls and family separation and kids in cages and all the other crazy shit that Trump does, but if he's the only guy offering change and taking us seriously and showing up and visiting the border, okay, I guess I'm going to vote for him. So should not be a surprise to us that we lost so many voters in Maverick county and the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso, Texas, my hometown, you know, El Paso, Texas, which saw a Trump inspired shooter come and murder 23 people and said he was coming to repel the invasion of Hispanics who were taking over our country. Trump still won more voters in 2024 than he did in 2020 or 2016. So you're absolutely right. We got to listen to people and we can't tell them not to trust their lying eyes on price increases on a border that is out of control or. One of the things I learned as somebody who often talks about democracy is, you know, I know what I'm talking about when I talk about democracy. It's the right to vote and to freely and fairly choose a person who represents you and my love of this country and 249 years of history and are we really going to blow it? But for someone for whom this country has not been working it, you know, they're making $7.25 an hour or they're a young person who has heard us talk about school shooting.

Summary

Pod Save America – Episode: "Trump's Petro-Fascist Sugar Daddies" (May 16, 2025)

1. Trump’s Alliances with Middle Eastern Autocrats

Notable Quotes:

Jon Favreau [04:15]: “Saudi Arabia and the emir is fantastic. And we're going to another country in a little while. Uae. A fantastic man, fantastic leader.”
Dan Pfeiffer [05:19]: “Trump just does not even have the pretense of pretending like we care about the things we've always cared about. What he celebrates, what he... He celebrates authoritarians.”

Discussion Highlights:

Favreau criticizes Trump for showering autocrats with praise and benefits, undermining American values.
Pfeiffer underscores Trump's transactional and kleptocratic tendencies, highlighting a preference for strength over democratic principles.

2. Supreme Court’s Review of Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

The hosts discuss the Supreme Court’s recent oral arguments regarding Trump’s attempt to revoke birthright citizenship—an action directly contravening the 14th Amendment.

Notable Quotes:

Dan Pfeiffer [43:16]: “What do states do with a newborn?... The federal officials will have to figure that out.”
Beto O'Rourke [43:28]: “Is that how that's going to work? Again, we don't know.”

Discussion Highlights:

The practicality and constitutional challenges of ending birthright citizenship are examined.
Concerns are raised about the potential chaos and administrative hurdles if such an executive order were to be upheld.

3. Republican Tax Legislation and Internal Divisions

Notable Quotes:

Jon Favreau [26:38]: “The Donald Trump Jr. And Eric Trump Jr. Memorial Tax Act.”
Dan Pfeiffer [28:25]: “The whole thing speaks to the utter incoherence of the Republican policy agenda in the era of Donald Trump.”

Discussion Highlights:

Favreau vehemently criticizes the bill for favoring the ultra-wealthy, resulting in massive deficits and cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.
Pfeiffer discusses the fractured nature of the Republican Party, highlighting the lack of a coherent policy agenda and the dominance of Trump-centric politics.
The internal Republican conflict is explored, with some members threatening to derail the bill due to its fiscal irresponsibility.

4. Democratic Strategy and the Corruption Message

Notable Quotes:

Dan Pfeiffer [18:28]: “We have to regain some of the reformer personality and credentials we had when Obama was president.”
Jon Favreau [21:24]: “I totally agree with the need for a reform agenda... telling a story about Donald Trump as corrupt...”

Discussion Highlights:

Pfeiffer critiques the Democratic Party for not prioritizing anti-corruption measures and maintaining ties with corporate interests.
Favreau suggests that Democrats need to craft a compelling narrative around Trump’s corruption and their own commitment to transparency and reform.
The hosts discuss the challenges of message testing in isolation versus within a broader, more cohesive narrative framework.

5. Conversation with Beto O'Rourke: Texas Politics and Democratic Outreach

In a special segment, Beto O'Rourke shares his experiences and strategies in Texas politics, emphasizing grassroots organizing and the importance of meeting voters where they are.

Notable Quotes:

Beto O'Rourke [52:03]: “We're registering likely Democrats where we can find them, typically on college campuses... we become these voting sherpas for people in Texas.”
O'Rourke [57:17]: “There's no Democrat on the ballot making the other side of the party on issues that we should absolutely fucking own every single day.”

Discussion Highlights:

O'Rourke outlines the "Powered by People" initiative, focusing on voter registration and education in Texas's challenging political environment.
He recounts personal interactions with constituents facing the impacts of Trump’s policies, such as food assistance cuts and school funding reductions.
The conversation highlights the need for Democrats to expand their presence beyond traditional battleground states and engage deeply in states like Texas.

6. Supreme Court Decision and Its Implications

Returning to the Supreme Court topic, the hosts speculate on potential outcomes and their broader implications for executive power and judicial intervention.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Favreau [46:08]: “You're trying to balance out the threat of a rogue president with the threat of a rogue judge.”
Dan Pfeiffer [47:27]: “There are issues of imminent concern that have to be addressed right away...”

Discussion Highlights:

The balance between presidential authority and judicial oversight is scrutinized.
Concerns are raised about the feasibility and consequences of nationwide injunctions, regardless of political affiliation.

7. Conclusion: Democratic Urgency and the Path Forward

The episode concludes with a rallying call for Democrats to intensify their efforts in fighting corruption, engaging voters, and rebuilding their party’s credibility.

Notable Quotes:

Beto O'Rourke [76:38]: “We have to do everything we can right now in this moment. We can move him and we can move the politics of this country, but it's going to take everybody doing everything they can.”
Jon Favreau [81:23]: “The Democratic Party to step up. And, and this is where we're completely failing the country right now.”

Discussion Highlights:

O'Rourke emphasizes the critical need for Democrats to connect with voters on a personal level, listen to their concerns, and present authentic solutions.
The importance of storytelling and genuine engagement over scripted messages is highlighted as a strategy to resonate with a broader electorate.
Favreau and Pfeiffer reiterate the urgency for Democrats to adopt a more proactive and reform-oriented approach to regain political power and uphold democratic values.

Key Takeaways

Trump’s Corruption and Autocratic Tendencies: Trump's favoritism towards Middle Eastern dictators undermines American democratic values and fosters a transactional political environment.
Tax Legislation Crisis: Republican internal divisions and the proposed tax cuts for the wealthy spotlight the party's lack of coherent policy direction, potentially exacerbating national deficits and social inequities.
Democratic Strategy Needs Overhaul: To effectively combat Trump and restore integrity, Democrats must adopt a robust anti-corruption agenda, enhance grassroots engagement, and craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse voter bases.
Supreme Court’s Pivotal Role: The court’s decisions on executive orders and nationwide injunctions will have profound implications for the balance of power between the presidency and the judiciary.
Grassroots Mobilization in Texas: Beto O'Rourke’s experiences underscore the necessity of on-the-ground organizing and authentic voter engagement in pivotal but often overlooked states.