Raging Moderates: "How Trump Remade America in Just One Year"

Podcast: Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov
Episode Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Scott Galloway (SG) & Jessica Tarlov (JT)
Network: Vox Media Podcast Network

Episode Overview

In this incisive, centrist-leaning chat, Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov break down the transformative, and often controversial, changes wrought by Donald Trump during his first year of his second presidency ("Trump 2.0"). The co-hosts analyze Trump’s impact on American politics, U.S. institutions, and global alliances, before turning to urgent debates on AI policy, the social costs of innovation, and their personal and pop culture highlights of 2025. The tone is sharp, irreverent, and honest—characterized by Galloway’s barbed wit and Tarlov’s informed pragmatism.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Trump's Transformative Second Term: Unprecedented Pace, Enduring Impact

• U.S. Global Standing Collapses: Trump moves rapidly to implement aggressive tariffs and retract from alliances, notably straining relations with Europe.

  • SG (01:23): “Our relationship with Europe is basically in the shitter after decades of stability, new tariffs. Let’s go back to the 19th century in terms of economic policy...”

• Executive Authority on Overdrive: Trump signs a record 218 executive orders, recentralizing federal power and bypassing Congressional checks.

  • SG (13:02): “So far this year, Trump signed 218 executive orders. That’s more than any president in history.”

• Monetization and Corruption: The hosts highlight the “coin operated” and openly transactional nature of pardons and clemency in Trump’s White House, linking it to aggressive monetization of executive branch influence.

  • SG (11:58): “I’m not exaggerating. I think I could get anyone out of prison right now for half a million to 3 million bucks. Literally anyone...”

• Broken Norms & Ethics: Both note how Trump exposes the U.S. dependency on “norms vs. laws,” deeply unsettling for those who believed some lines wouldn’t be crossed.

  • JT (06:07): “It brings into stark focus how much of this country runs on norms vs. laws...and we have met our match in Donald Trump.”
  • SG (15:12): “He’s turning...the US into this...Frankenstein, but not the good Frankenstein, the really bad Frankenstein, where limbs aren’t speaking to one another.”

• Middle East Power Shifts: Major Middle East interventions, including bombing Iranian facilities and fostering new alliances, are credited to Trump’s hyper-transactional statecraft.

  • JT (07:00): “His main practical impact...reshaping the Middle East...transactions that are obviously benefiting the Trump family...bringing players to the table that would not sit at the same table under any other circumstances.”

• Idolatry of the Dollar: Galloway repeatedly returns to the cult of money as central—whether in AI policy, higher ed, or basic governance.

  • SG (09:05): “The idolatry of the dollar has gotten out of control. America’s now a giant bet on AI because AI is how we’re propping up the economy.”

2. Economic Fallout and Public Reaction

• Economic Approval Slumps: Trump’s approval ratings are eroding, especially on inflation and immigration, with pain points in cost of living and essential expenses.

  • SG (13:06): “Support for the Trump administration is cracking mostly around affordability. 57% of voters...agree that Trump was losing the battle against inflation...68% believe the economy is poor, very poor.”

• Tariffs Hit Consumers: An “effective tariff rate” of 18% is now hitting Americans, directly raising everyday costs.

• Healthcare and Entitlements: Medicaid is slashed, deficits balloon, and prospects for health coverage remain grim.

  • SG (13:19): “Stripping 1.6 million American families from Medicaid and passing the O triple B, which will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion over the next ten years...”

• Fragmenting GOP: Trump’s own party is showing cracks (Miami mayoral loss, insurrections on Capitol Hill).

  • SG (02:08): “Cracks forming inside the GOP, marked by a Trump-backed mayoral loss in Miami, open rebellion on Capitol Hill...”
  • JT (15:32): “Now it’s like everybody is their own kind of villain within the administration…you can find something a cabinet member is doing that hurts everyday Americans.”

3. AI, Big Tech, and the (Non-)Regulation Trap

• Federal Preemption & Lobbying: Trump’s recent executive order blocks state-level AI regulations, citing ‘competitiveness’—widely seen as a giveaway to major donors and the tech lobby.

  • SG (22:12): “President Trump moved...signing an executive order aimed at blocking states from regulating AI and pushing toward a single national framework.”
  • JT (23:21): “He’s racking up donations from all the owners of these big AI companies and then coming out and saying, no, no, we just need a federal standard, when we know that his federal standard would be let them do whatever they want.”

• Hypocrisy on States’ Rights: Both lampoon the GOP’s flip-flop—deferring to states on guns and abortion, demanding federal preemption for AI.

  • SG (26:32): “Gun control, let the states decide...abortion, it’s up to the states. But on AI, we should have a federal policy which will be nothing.”

• Job Loss & Social Costs: Massive AI-driven layoffs have hit tens of thousands, with Democrats floundering on real policy responses. The conversation moves to anxieties around synthetic relationships and children’s mental health.

  • JT (23:21): “All the states have introduced AI-related legislation in just 2025...broad range of issues: revenge porn, elections, AI, transparency, employment...But it all still feels like a lot of words to me.”
  • SG (26:35): “We should age gate synthetic relationships...I believe you’re going to see fewer and fewer young men out in the wild because...they’re going to be at home in different types of relationships with synthetic partners.”

• Corporate Capture: OpenAI, Meta, and other giants go on a lobbying spree, gaining outsize access and legislative sway.

  • SG (30:01): “Meta’s hired 87 lobbyists, roughly one for every six members of Congress. OpenAI has ramped up its lobbying spend nearly 70% from last year...hands down, the greatest ROI in history has been spending money on lobbying.”

4. Therapy Culture & The Quest for Meaning (Wider Social Critique)

• Therapy as Substitute for Structural Reform: Galloway rants against the “cult of therapy” and the explosion of self-improvement profiteering, arguing the real answer is fixing economic fundamentals.
  • SG (31:30): “The greatest source of therapy in history would be massive structural change...reduced economic precarity of young people. Most young people who had a relationship and a good job and housing wouldn’t need therapy.”
  • Quote from Esther Perel, via Galloway (33:10): “The rise of therapy culture has turned a tool for meaningful change into a comfort industry that’s making Americans sicker, weaker, and more divided.”

5. Social Media, Teens & Policy Innovations

• Australia's Social Media Ban: Praised as a model and long overdue (ban on under-16s using social media).

  • SG (36:28): “My biggest mistake as a parent...was letting one of my sons [have social media early]...2/3 of the anxiety in my household is a function of the phone and TikTok and snap and I really screwed up.”
  • SG citing Jonathan Haidt (38:00): “There is no reason anyone under the age of 16 should be on a social media platform...Everything got shittier in the world with the smartphones. Literally everything.”

• Calls for Collective Action: Individual bans isolate teens, only a “collective ban” works to protect mental health.

• Citing Positive Outcomes: Where collective phone bans have been implemented, “kids are happier, more focused, better socially adjusted”—JT notes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On U.S. Political Decay:
  • SG (15:12): “He’s turning...the US into...a Frankenstein, but not the good Frankenstein, the really bad Frankenstein, where limbs aren’t speaking to one another. It’s totally uncoordinated, low IQ, post-lobotomy. Just this man child Frankenstein.”
• On Pardons for Sale:
  • SG (11:58): “I’m not exaggerating. I think I could get anyone out of prison right now for half a million to 3 million bucks. Literally anyone. Unless it was like some mass murder...But other than that...just like stealing money from seniors...I could get them out.”
• On “Kardashianification” of America:
  • JT (08:36): “[Trump]...is the biggest mirror that American society has ever had. You hold it up and you see stuff within the American populace that you had hoped wasn’t there...This is the Kardashianification of America.”
• On Therapy & Economic Insecurity:
  • SG (31:30): “The greatest source of therapy in history would be massive structural change...Most young people who had a relationship and a good job and housing wouldn’t need therapy.”
  • SG quoting Esther Perel (33:10): “The rise of therapy culture has turned a tool for meaningful change into a comfort industry that’s making Americans sicker, weaker, and more divided...therapy culture is a sinkhole of misinformation, manufactured fragility, and needless suffering.”
• On Social Media & Parenting:
  • SG (36:28): “You’d think if anyone would be cognizant of these dangers, it would be me. And I have totally failed around this.”
  • SG (38:00): “Everything got shittier in the world with the smartphones. Literally everything. Division, polarization, racism, red pilling extremists [on] both sides of the aisle.” -(On age requirements for alcohol vs social media) SG (39:25): “6% of teens are clinically addicted to alcohol and drugs. 24% are addicted to social media. And yet...you can’t get a beer at a bar at the age of 20 in America. But you can have Netflix and porn sites following you around in your pocket at the age of 13.”

Memorable "Lighter" Moments & Personal Reflections

• Favorite Moments of 2025 (42:19 – 48:34):

  • JT (45:47): “Favorite moment is tough...but I thought that the World Series was incredible. Dodgers, Blue Jays—bringing us together...I was glued to the World Series, and I thought it was a nice revival for the sport.”
  • SG (47:32): “My son getting into college is like the best thing that happened to our household.”
  • SG (48:11): “The Bondi Beach hero...Ahmed Al Ahmed. I just love the fact that someone would put their—there are so many good people out there and we need heroes...and I love the fact that he’s Muslim. I think that’s so important on so many levels.”

• On Philanthropy Differences:

  • SG (48:34): “There is something about feminine...billionaires in their approach to philanthropy that is distinctly different...Melinda French Gates and Mackenzie [Scott]...immediately start giving a shit ton of money away.”

• On Aging & Existential Angst (51:45 – 54:08):

  • SG (51:45): “Oh my God. I’m getting so old, Jess. I’m getting so old. No, let me just bum you out. My friends are dying, Jess.”
  • JT (53:15): “Yeah. So my dad is dead...” (jokes about using this fact to get to merge in traffic, lightening the mood)
  • SG (53:46): “Didn’t you say your penis was too big to have a Ferrari?”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Time | |------------------------------|----------| | Trump’s Transformative Year | 01:23–15:45 | | Economic Policy & Fallout | 13:02–18:43 | | AI Regulation & Tech Lobby | 22:12–32:32 | | Therapy Culture, Social Critique | 31:30–33:44 | | Social Media, Parenting, and Bans | 36:28–40:48 | | 2025’s Positive Moments | 42:19–51:12 | | Reflections on Life & Loss | 51:45–53:15 |

Final Thoughts

Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov argue that Trump’s chaotic approach has pushed American institutions, economic policy, and ethics beyond the point of easy repair—reliance on “norms” has crumbled, replaced by transactional power and the relentless pursuit of money. While big tech and AI fill a regulatory and economic vacuum—with both parties unclear on how to manage the fallout—the hosts find hope in collective action on social media harms, positive pop culture moments, and everyday heroes. The episode ends with frank, dark humor about aging, loss, and the importance of finding meaning beyond transactional politics.

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