Pod Save America: "Trump’s War on Blue America"

Date: October 7, 2025
Hosts: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor
Guest (interview): Ben Smith (Editor-in-Chief of Semaphore)

Overview

This episode dives deep into the Trump administration’s escalating federal crackdowns on Democratic ("blue") cities, specifically targeting Chicago and Portland using militarized immigration raids and National Guard deployments. The hosts examine the legal, political, and human impact of these actions, critique the administration’s motives, discuss public reaction and polling, and analyze the media ecosystem in the Trump era. Additionally, the episode touches on an upcoming California ballot initiative (Prop 50) designed to counter Republican gerrymandering, and features an insightful interview with journalist Ben Smith about media shakeups and Trump’s information bubble.

Main Topics and Key Points

1. Trump’s Militarized Crackdown on “Blue America”

Chicago: Operation Midway Blitz

• What Happened:
  • Armed federal agents, Black Hawk helicopters, and military-style raids conducted on South Side apartment buildings, involving flashbang grenades and mass detentions—including legal residents and U.S. citizens, children, and city officials—without warrants or legal representation.
  • Tear gas used outside schools and against civilians/journalists.
  • Scenes filmed for social media, used by politicians like Kristi Noem for political messaging.
• Federal/Military Escalation:
  • Trump deployed 300 IL National Guard troops (against the governor’s wishes), plus 200 TX Guard troops to Chicago.
  • State and city officials, including Governor Pritzker, are suing to stop federal deployments.
• Trump’s Stance:
  • [04:39] Donald Trump: “We’re going to make Chicago really great again, and we’re going to stop this crime. Then we’re going to go do another one, and we’re going to go city by city. We’re going to have safe cities...I believe they’re afraid. They’re scared for their lives.”

Hosts’ Analysis and Reactions

• Political Strategy of Chaos:
  • Tommy Vietor: "He wants these images on TV of what looks like violent and chaotic. And so he sends ICE into these communities in the most inflammatory way possible to try to make that happen." [06:39]
  • Use of military tactics meant for warzones now deployed in American cities is “clearly a strategy” to activate a siege mentality and agitate political divisions.
• Propaganda and Disinformation:
  • Jon Lovett: “They’ve released no information about that. They can’t be trusted. They said a bunch of people who were innocent were gang members when they shipped them off to El Salvador. So we can’t take their word for it.” [07:45]

Human Rights and Legal Overreach

• Dehumanization and Militarization:
  • Forces detaining even children naked, ICE agents reportedly saying “fuck them kids.”
  • Deployment of military equipment and tactics (e.g., MRAPs), previously reserved for the War on Terror, now on U.S. streets.
• Impunity and Quotas:
  • Jon Favreau: "They are trying to meet Stephen Miller's quota of 3,000 arrests per day and I guess a million deportations a year." [09:42]

Public Opinion and Politics

• Polling Shows Backlash:
  • 58% of voters disapprove of National Guard deployments; only 39% support sending military to cities (including 70% of independents disapprove). [28:54]
• Political Risk/Bubble:
  • Images of children and protests seem more damaging than helpful for Trump.
  • Despite this, administration continues, showing willingness to govern by force, not popularity.

2. Portland: Legal Resistance and “Civil War by Administration”

Escalation and Judicial Response

• Federal National Guard Deployments:

  • Trump attempted to send Guard troops to Portland in response to minor protests (e.g., fewer than 20 people outside a single ICE facility since June).
  • Oregon’s governor and the city sued; Judge (Trump appointee Karen Immergut) temporarily blocked the deployment, finding Trump’s claims “simply untethered to the facts” and likely unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment. [15:00]
  • Trump tried to circumvent the ruling via out-of-state deployments; Judge called this “not clever” and blocked all such troop orders.

• Presidential Rhetoric:

  • [15:46] Donald Trump: "Portland's been on fire for years... it's a burning hellhole. And then you have a judge that lost her way...pretend that there’s no problem."

Hosts’ Reactions

• Legal Analysis:
  • Jon Lovett: “The judge also said, ‘This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law.’... The ruling, by the way, it’s a beautiful piece of logic and it’s actually pretty conservative.” [18:13]
  • Tommy Vietor: "[Sending troops from one state to another] is basically an administration-orchestrated civil war." [16:31]
• Fascist Rhetoric:
  • Highlights escalation in Stephen Miller’s statements, branding judges as “legal insurrectionists” and accusing Democrats of “left wing terrorism.”
  • Jon Favreau: “He is trying to set the predicate for much more extreme action.” [22:51]

3. The Insurrection Act & Limits of Federal Power

• Legal Ambiguity and Danger:
  • Discussion of what the Insurrection Act allows (troops performing law enforcement vs. federal property defense) and the real but not unlimited dangers—there is no true “martial law” loophole for the President.
  • Jon Lovett: “There is no martial law in this country. Even if there’s military in our streets, you still have your constitutional rights.” [25:19]
• Administrative Overreach:
  • Hosts argue the administration is already acting as if under the Insurrection Act, justifying extreme actions with a siege mentality—more to galvanize the MAGA base than sway the broader public.

4. Political Fallout and Shutdown Negotiations

Shutdown and ACA Negotiations

• State of Play:
  • Federal government remains shut down, little progress in Congress; Trump sending mixed messages about willingness to negotiate on ACA subsidies.
• Trump’s Stream-of-Consciousness Leadership:
  • [39:41] Donald Trump: “If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal...I want to see great health care. I’m a Republican, but I want to see health care much more so than the Democrats.”
• Democratic Strategy:
  • Senate Dems holding the line on ACA subsidies; uncertainty over how long they can maintain unity.
• Public Perception:
  • CBS poll: Slight edge for Dems, but most blame is shared and issue salience is low (“they all suck”). Issues like inflation and economy still top of mind, more than crime or immigration, which Trump tries to foreground.

5. Prop 50: Ballot Measure in California to Counter Gerrymandering

Context and Stakes

• What Prop 50 Does:
  • Governor Newsom’s initiative to suspend California’s nonpartisan maps, letting Dems partially counteract Republican gerrymandering in other states (e.g., Texas, Missouri).
  • Early polls show support (54% yes), but off-year conditions mean turnout and organizing are everything.
  • Ballots are out; early in-person voting starts Oct 25.
• Campaign Strategy:
  • Heavy emphasis on relational organizing; hosts urge listeners to tell friends in California to vote Yes.
  • Tommy Vietor: “Everyone vote YES on Prop 50, get your ballots and do it soon.” [51:12]

6. Media Interview: Ben Smith on Bari Weiss, CBS, and Trump’s Media Bubble

[65:04–86:48]

CBS News Shakeup

• Barry Weiss as New Editor-in-Chief:
  • Paramount (CBS parent) acquired The Free Press for $150m, installs Bari Weiss despite lack of TV news experience. Owners reportedly share Weiss's right-leaning, pro-Israel, anti-"woke" views.
  • Likely a move to curry Trump’s favor as CBS seeks regulatory approval for future mergers/acquisitions.
  • Ben Smith: "This is the Titanic, like, well, after it has hit the iceberg in a place that has been in a kind of state of real crisis and decline for many, many years." [66:46]
• Staff Mood and Prospects:
  • Morale low, CBS News viewed as "95% of the headaches" for its parent company.
  • Questions if this will shore up business or simply accelerate CBS’s decline.

Trump’s Information Bubble

• How Trump Now Consumes Information:
  • No longer immerses himself in Twitter or mainstream coverage; relies on Truth Social "bubble", pro-Trump TV (Fox, OAN, Newsmax), and a tight inner circle filtering what he sees.
  • One aide, Natalie Harp, is his “gatekeeper” with an iPad.
  • Ben Smith: "He is trapped in an information bubble." [80:05]
• Potential Consequences:
  • Increasingly out-of-touch with public mood and actual reality; prone to conspiracy theories and memes.
  • Tommy Vietor: "God help us all. I mean... he tweeted this video... about med beds... AI renders his own voice for a made up technology." [78:22]

Media Climate and Power Dynamics

• Conservative Corporate Control:
  • Both Smith and the hosts worry major media companies are increasingly controlled by right-leaning or Trump-fearing executives (David Ellison at Paramount, Elon Musk at Twitter, TikTok deal).
  • The focus is no longer ideological journalism, but on not angering the government or losing business.
• Talent Leverage:
  • When ABC/Disney caved to right-wing pressure, it was A-list entertainers (not journalists) who forced a reversal on the Jimmy Kimmel suspension. [84:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Federal Raids

  • Jon Favreau: “This is also the war on terror coming home to roost because...there’s all this leftover military equipment...ICE has a Black Hawk helicopter in Chicago for some reason. What are we doing here?” [09:27]
  • Tommy Vietor: “They drive a tank through the wall and pull out Andre the Hairdresser from the other side. It's like, come on, guys, this is bull.” [10:45]

• On Political Strategy

  • Jon Lovett: “They do have a siege mentality now...Stephen Miller's whole, like, there’s a country under siege. Our side is under siege. And so they respond with siege-like tactics...” [11:05]

• On Portland Court Ruling

  • Jon Favreau: “This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law...I should note here that this radical left Marxist Judge Karen Immergut was appointed...by Donald Trump.” [15:03]
  • Lovett: “Sending one state's National Guard to another...is basically an administration-orchestrated civil war.” [16:31]

• On Media Bubble

  • Ben Smith (on CBS): “I don’t know if you are a regular viewer of the CBS Evening News. If you are, you are very unusual for our age group.” [66:46]
  • Ben Smith (on Trump): “He is trapped in an information bubble. In his case, Truth Social, where he sometimes goes on these sprees of retrofitting really weird memes...” [80:05]

• On Democrats’ Political Weakness

  • Jon Lovett: “If we cave, we are giving in to the idea that we are weak. If we hold the line, there's an issue where we can prove our bona fides...Let’s prove to people we can fight and win.” [44:56]

• On Prop 50/Gerrymandering

  • Jon Favreau: “It is...off-year election...so you have to remember, the ballot’s coming, I gotta fill it out. What is Prop 50? Tell your friends if you live in California. I think it’s really, really important.” [51:42]
  • Tommy Vietor: “The real like X factor is there's a lawsuit in court right now challenging Texas's plan...but we need to do this in California. So everyone vote yes on Prop 50, get your ballots and do it soon.” [51:12]

Timestamps by Segment

• [02:13] – [12:05]: Chicago crackdowns, Operation Midway Blitz, constitutional, moral, and human rights concerns
• [13:59] – [22:51]: Portland crackdown, court battles, legal arguments, escalation, Stephen Miller’s rhetoric
• [24:01] – [31:33]: Insurrection Act, limits of power, legal risks, political analysis and polling
• [39:30] – [49:16]: Shutdown, negotiations on ACA, polling, strategic debate for Dems
• [49:43] – [57:54]: Prop 50 (California), gerrymandering, organizing, plus discussion of affordable housing and Newsom’s record
• [65:04] – [86:48]: Ben Smith interview: media shakeups, Bari Weiss at CBS, Trump’s info bubble, ABC/Kimmel, the corporate rightward slide of media

Takeaway for Listeners

This episode exposes an alarming shift toward hostile, force-based governance in Trump's America, especially targeting Democratic cities. The hosts unmask the misinformation and cynical spectacle fueling these actions and sift through the fallout—legal, political, and human. Listeners are encouraged to fight back at every level, from informed voting on local ballot measures to demanding independent, accountable journalism, and confronting the ways the new media environment empowers reactionary forces and silences dissent.

To Get Involved:

• If in California, vote YES on Prop 50 and tell your friends ([51:12]–[53:32]).
• Support independent media and stay engaged; defenders of democracy need every tool available in this climate.

For more information and direct action links, visit votesaveamerica.com/Prop50.