Democrats Point Fingers as Trump Assembles Cabinet

Summary

Podcast Summary: Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov Episode: Democrats Point Fingers as Trump Assembles Cabinet Host/Author: Vox Media Podcast Network

In this episode of Raging Moderates, Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov delve into the aftermath of the recent election, dissecting the Democrats' response to their defeat and President Trump's strategic assembly of his cabinet. The discussion extends to media coverage, the evolving political landscape, and potential paths forward for the Democratic Party.

1. Election Aftermath: Democrats’ Blame Game

Galloway opens the conversation by highlighting the Democrats' tendency to assign blame for their electoral losses. He remarks, “When the Democrat has a shot, there's election interference anywhere. When the Republican is winning, it's democracy at work” (02:45). Tarlov echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that the defeat wasn’t the most significant loss in history but still a substantial setback: “I feel like this was not the Biggest shellacking that ever existed. It was a loss, and it was really bad because it was to Donald Trump” (04:43).

The hosts discuss the narrow margins in key states like Wisconsin, suggesting that the coalition Trump assembled might lead to significant political realignments. Tarlov notes, “If you watch YouTube, listen to podcasts and go on Reddit, then you're voting for Trump” (07:35), pointing to the fragmented media consumption patterns influencing voter behavior.

2. Trump’s Cabinet Appointments

Transitioning to Trump’s cabinet selections, Galloway and Tarlov scrutinize his choices, such as Susie Wiles as the first female White House Chief of Staff and Tom Homan as the Border Czar. Tarlov praises Wiles, stating, “Susie Wiles did an incredible job... so hats off to you, Susie” (28:00). However, she expresses concern over Homan’s anti-immigrant views, highlighting the potential backlash his appointment could generate among Latino communities: “This is fueling a lot of the anger within Latino families” (31:18).

Galloway questions the practicality of Homan’s aggressive deportation strategies, comparing it to historical atrocities: “Anything that reeks of putting people in any ring, fence, geographic area for deportation is going to feel eerily similar to a concentration camp” (33:59). The conversation underscores the controversial nature of Trump’s appointments and their implications for domestic policies.

3. Media Coverage and Public Perception

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the media’s role in shaping public perception of Trump’s presidency. Galloway references Conor Friedersdorf’s argument from The Atlantic about treating Trump as a normal president, to which Tarlov agrees: “I would like to treat him normally, which doesn't mean not covering the things that he is doing. But it cannot be a daily meltdown” (46:57).

They critique the liberal media’s approach, suggesting that constant outrage has lost its effectiveness: “We fall absolutely into their talking point when our go to is to immediately accuse the other side of being racist and misogynists” (38:27). The hosts advocate for a more balanced coverage that focuses on substantive issues rather than daily sensationalism.

4. Future of the Democratic Party: Realignment and Messaging

Tarlov and Galloway explore potential strategies for the Democratic Party to regain footing. Tarlov proposes a shift towards economic-focused policies, stating, “The economy is the grounding of everything, of every issue that we talk about” (40:53). She suggests initiatives like reducing barriers to decent jobs and fostering national pride to reinvigorate the American Dream.

Galloway adds innovative ideas, such as adopting Portugal’s model of no federal income taxes for individuals aged 20 to 30, to attract and retain young talent: “Read the tea leaves in this election. No taxes, no federal income taxes between the ages of 20 and 30” (41:34). Both hosts emphasize the importance of addressing economic insecurity to resonate with younger voters and those struggling financially.

5. Positive Takeaways and Looking Ahead

Despite the challenging analysis, Galloway highlights some positive developments, such as historic victories for LGBTQ candidates: “There was actually several historic victories amongst LGBTQ candidates this election, including the first transgender candidate elected to Congress” (48:16). This serves as a reminder that progress is being made in certain areas even amidst broader electoral losses.

The hosts also discuss the upcoming legislative races, expressing skepticism about a complete Republican sweep but acknowledging the political shifts underway. Galloway muses, “I think a lot of Republicans will find their backbone in terms of not just being a blank check for him” (48:16), suggesting that internal party dynamics might lead to significant changes in future elections.

6. Final Thoughts: Media Strategy and Moving Forward

In their closing remarks, Galloway and Tarlov advocate for a media strategy that moves beyond constant critique and instead focuses on substantive governance issues. Tarlov remarks, “The public will not have it” (46:57), emphasizing that the audience is fatigued by incessant negativity.

Galloway concurs, encouraging the Democratic Party to balance being right with being effective: “Something I've struggled with my whole career is the difference between being right and being effective” (48:16). Both hosts conclude on an optimistic note, acknowledging the need for strategic realignment and a focus on economic empowerment to navigate the evolving political terrain.

Notable Quotes:

• Scott Galloway (02:45): “When the Democrat has a shot, there's election interference anywhere. When the Republican is winning, it's democracy at work.”
• Jessica Tarlov (04:43): “It was a loss, and it was really bad because it was to Donald Trump.”
• Jessica Tarlov (28:00): “Susie Wiles did an incredible job... so hats off to you, Susie.”
• Scott Galloway (33:59): “Anything that reeks of putting people in any ring, fence, geographic area for deportation is going to feel eerily similar to a concentration camp.”
• Scott Galloway (02:45): “The media should treat him like a normal president.”
• Jessica Tarlov (40:53): “The economy is the grounding of everything, of every issue that we talk about.”
• Scott Galloway (48:16): “I think it's more about being effective than being right.”

Conclusion

Raging Moderates delivers a comprehensive analysis of the current political climate, scrutinizing both Democratic strategies and Trump’s cabinet appointments. Galloway and Tarlov offer insightful critiques and forward-thinking solutions, emphasizing the need for economic focus and effective media strategies. Their discussion underscores the complexities of modern politics and the imperative for the Democratic Party to adapt and evolve in response to changing voter dynamics.

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For more insightful discussions, be sure to follow Raging Moderates on your preferred podcast platform every Tuesday.

Transcript

[Scott Galloway]

Welcome to Raging Moderates. I'm Scott Galloway.

[Jess Katarlove]

And I'm Jess Katarlove.

[Scott Galloway]

Jess, how are you?

[Jess Katarlove]

I'm okay. Yeah, I'm here. How are you?

[Scott Galloway]

I would describe my condition as stable.

[Jess Katarlove]

Okay.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I'm still processing, but I'm out of my pajamas. I actually went outside today. Yeah, it got above 60, so it's like that's the equivalent of Ibiza for London. And I went and had lunch. I was social. I didn't order alcohol. I haven't been watching Netflix nonstop. Some of my stocks are down today, so it's back to kind of regular times.

[Jess Katarlove]

Why are stocks going down? Are we not Trump High anymore or.

[Scott Galloway]

Well, they went up three or four days in a row, but I think they've taken a bit of a. Well, at least my stocks are down today. I don't know what's going on, but in general, it just feels like slowly but surely. Just amazes me that you always overestimate the impact of everything in the moment. One of my learnings in life is nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems. And I think you always estimate the ripple effects of things that seem big in the moment and underestimate the knock on effects or second order effects of things that don't seem that big at the time.

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah, the long tail on despair, maybe that will be coming. Or.

[Scott Galloway]

I like that.

[Jess Katarlove]

The Long Tale of Despair.

[Scott Galloway]

That's my biography. You just titled my biography the Long Tale of Despair.

[Jess Katarlove]

All right. I want a writer credit though, when it comes out, but I think that probably is happening for people because they don't want to do 2016 again, like, however you felt about it, we can all agree that it was a colossal overreaction or underreaction, depending on what camp you were in. And I think people these days want to seem really cool and together. Like, let's be real, guys. The sun will shine tomorrow. I will get out of my stretchy pants and I will have lunch and won't have a cocktail like Scott Galloway. But you're lunch cocktail will probably come in like three months when the deportation force starts and the long tale of despair finds.

[Scott Galloway]

Deportation force.

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah, I mean, they do know branding, right? Like, these are great marketers over there and Trump hq.

[Scott Galloway]

Okay, in today's episode of Raging Moderates, we're discussing Democrats start the blame game. Trump's cabinet starts to take shape and how we think the media should handle political coverage moving forward. And we try to end on a positive note. So Harris conceded last week. Oh, this is my favorite stat. Did you see that bar graph of mentions of election interference on Twitter and how it was just enormous. And then about the moment it became clear he was going to win, they just stopped.

[Jess Katarlove]

It disappeared.

[Scott Galloway]

They just stopped. So when the Democrat has a shot, there's election interference anywhere. When the Republican is winning, it's democracy at work. Anyways, sorry, I couldn't help.

[Jess Katarlove]

That works. Plus the algorithm.

[Scott Galloway]

Crazy, right? So, anyways, they began pointing fingers. Democrats behind the scenes. Some blame Biden for running it all, saying he should have stepped aside sooner. Others argue Harris should have been tougher on issues including attacking Trump's billionaire ties. Jess, where do you think? I think it's more productive, actually, to talk about why he won than why she lost. But anyways, we're not here to be productive. We're here to be entertaining. Where do you think the real blame lies here? What do you think happened?

[Jess Katarlove]

Well, too many things happened for the way that people are doing the blame game. Like picking a lane is not smart here. There are, you know, in Texas, their highways have like six lanes on each side. That's basically the road to loss here. And I think the road to winning for Trump as well, since we should do this evenly. And I like your framing about how he won as well, because that shows the Democrats weakness in all of this. And I'm really in two minds about it, because on the one hand, what looked like a monster landslide on election night is not that once all the votes are counted, and this was part of the fake results or the blue pilling of it, where people were like, well, where did those 15 million votes go? Because Biden, on election night, Kamala, had 15 million less votes than Biden had gotten, but they hadn't counted the west coast and some states go more slowly, et cetera. And now it's looking like it'll be a little bit less than it was in 2020. But his win is going to be about 1.5% in the popular vote, which puts his margin at number 50among all 55 presidential elections. And his electoral college win will be number 43amongst all 60 presidential elections. Now, I'm not saying that to minimize what Donald Trump pulled off, because putting together.

[Scott Galloway]

Oh, you are a little bit. You're minimizing a little bit.

[Jess Katarlove]

I am trying to be a realist in the sea of hyperbole about this. And I think it is important that people who care about this election, who dedicated their time, who got out there and knocked on doors and made phone calls, et cetera, understand that this was not the Biggest shellacking that ever existed. It was a loss, and it was really bad because it was to Donald Trump. But that's a big part of it.

[Scott Galloway]

I think we got the absolute shit kicked out of us. And this election isn't the popular vote, it's the electoral vote. But the bottom line is they went 100% where it mattered. And we were all. I don't know about you, but all my friends were texting me from the ground in Scranton, Pennsylvania, saying we're ten to one knocking on doors. You know what? Technology did not work. Knocking on doors.

[Jess Katarlove]

Yep.

[Scott Galloway]

And in an age of polarization, in this type of divisiveness where everyone's in their own bubble, I don't ever think you're going to see 45, 55 or 60, 40 like you did with LBJ. I don't think there's any getting around it. The Democrats are trying to say, well, slow your roll. It wasn't as big a victory as you think. They fucking destroyed us, Jess.

[Jess Katarlove]

I said I'm in two minds, and you're only picking on one of my minds.

[Scott Galloway]

Sorry, I interrupted you. Go ahead, go ahead. No, give us the other mind. Give us the other mind.

[Jess Katarlove]

That's correct. Obviously, I mean, sweeping all the battlegrounds. I mean, that was the number one model out of Nate Silver's probability model. And the number two model that happened the second most times was Kamala Harris wins all seven states. And that's what happens when you have a margin of error race. I was just saying, like in Wisconsin, for instance, she got more votes than Joe Biden did in 2020, and the margin was like 30,000 votes. My point is that that is a. That could have been winnable. We're not talking about he won 300,000 more votes in Wisconsin or something like that, but now, I mean, we almost won Wisconsin. Well, Wisconsin matters a lot. Every four years to people. It should matter more in general. On the shellacking front. I think this coalition that he put together, if it holds, will cause one of the biggest political realignments certainly that we've seen in modern history. And that there appears, besides having more of a working class economic message, which, frankly, I think Biden and Harris had a decent amount of. I mean, they're walking picket lines, Right. They're talking about raising the minimum wage, they're giving the Teamsters their pensions, et cetera. And Trump's up their list like, I should cut taxes for my pals. I don't know how you put that back together. And I was digging into Because I, we definitely have to talk about the men. The men are not all right, as you're always saying, but the women weren't all right either. The young women. I'm not just talking about, you know, Gen X women in the suburbs who were like, you know what, maybe I had an abortion referendum that I could vote yes on, and then I'm going to vote for Trump. Talking about Gen Z women won seven points in his direction. So, yes, the spread was still massive between them. But young people, I think, because of how they are consuming information and the data on that is wild, that, like if you read newspapers or watch linear TV, you are voting for Harris. If you watch YouTube, listen to podcasts and go on Reddit, then you're voting for Trump. And the level of misinformation that it was like they did. The Washington Post did a blind test of all the policies. The most popular ones were Kamala Harris's policy. And then there was also a survey that looked at what Republicans and Democrats think about reality, like where the economy is, where crime is, and we live in two absolutely diametrically opposed worlds, one of which accurately reflects the numbers out there. That's the Harris supporters in this. And then one that reflects a different reality that I don't want to say isn't real, but it's a, a lived experience that doesn't coincide with the facts on the ground, I guess is the polite way of saying it. But I give it to you, Shellacker.

[Scott Galloway]

So look, you brought up a couple different special interest groups which are worth talking about. Unions. The sister soldier moment that I think they should have had and that I've been talking about, and I get a decent amount of pushback, is that unions are now a failed construction and to continue to cater to 9% of the workforce, or 3 1/2% of the population, because they do give a lot of money. And quite frankly, in this campaign, they were threatening, they were flirting with the other side. I just don't think it's. I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze. Now, minimum wage needs to come up substantially and this falls into the special interest group. There should be one union, in my view, in the US it should be the US Federal government that pays people, raises minimum wage such that if you work 40 hours a week, you're not in poverty. It's pretty simple. And that would be like 20 bucks in some states, 25 in others. And if the minimum wage had just kept pace with productivity or inflation, it would be there. Because in my view, the majority of unions are disorganized, inefficient, and there's also a decent DNA of corruption. The head of UAW seems like a bright guy, serves his constituents well. The former CEO or president of UAW is in prison and the former CEO before him is also in prison. So I just think they were stupid not to continue to pander. Two unions. I'm a hammer ideological. Everything I see is a nail in the sense that I genuinely believe everything came down to almost everything here came down to one thing. And that is a 30 year old man or woman isn't doing as well as his or her parents were at the age of 30. And that has disproportionately impacted young men. And if you look at the age group that swung the most violently, it was young people who swung 11 points towards Trump versus 2020. And then the second group that swung most violently was 45 to 64. And the thing that kind of drove me a little bit nuts was Stephanie Rule, who I adore had a guy on her program. I forget his name. He's a talented guy and he gave this very impassioned speech for America doesn't want to face the hard reality that they're just not comfortable with the browning of America and they weren't comfortable with a black president. And quite frankly, I just don't think that's true. That not only is inaccurate, but it continues to promote a trope that hurts us. And that is Democrats continue to see everything through the lens of identity, specifically race, which is implicitly accusing the other side of bigotry. And the other side will say in what I believe with some credibility, that folks, you guys are the guys. You guys are the folks obsessed with race, not us. Your thoughts?

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah, I think the racial realignment, especially with the Latino population, we should be specific that the only group where a majority went for Trump were Cubans. So breaking it down, you know, is important. Instead of talking about this as a monolith or it might have been 53% of Venezuelans, but 66%, 67% I think of Cubans did, which makes a lot of sense, kind of looking at people's past, where they came from and where they live. But I think honestly the answer to this question, and the Republicans are going to have work to do as well in 2028 when they don't have Trump running, because the Republican brand itself is not a good one. It's not as bad right now as the Democratic brand, but we need to really get rid of all of the labels on this and the success stories that have come out of the Democratic side in this election, like Colorado, which is the only state that moved to the left in full. And Jared Polis, the governor, gave an interview about it and said, well, you know what I did? I built affordable housing and I cut taxes and I balanced budgets. And I told people, you know what, you're actually in charge of your family, not the government. Right. Like, if you want your kids to play unsupervised on your cul de sac, that's none of my business. And anyone who's narcing on you, I don't really care. Right. Or Pat Ryan, the congressman from upstate New York won, I think by 13 points. And he just ran on common sense. And he's like, I campaigned with AOC when it made sense to campaign with aoc, and I leaned into the moderate wing of the party when I needed to do that. And I almost feel like we should become like a blind taste test election system in this country. Like what Dan Osborne was doing in Nebraska where the guy was getting within two points of a two term sitting senator, running as an independent, where he just said, this is who I am and this is what I believe in. And you put that into whatever box you might need to. But like, just check my name and I'm going to deliver on these things. Last week I talked about that prison guard who was interviewed and said, I think the Democratic Party doesn't respect me. They don't like me very much. And there was a focus group over the weekend, CNN did, and a woman was asked to describe Trump and the GOP and Harris and the Democrats as well. And she called the GOP crazy and the Democrats preachy. And when they asked for her preference, she sounded broken having to say this, but she said, crazy doesn't look down on me, preachy does. And I think that all of these people just took a flyer on the guy who, yes, is positioned as a successful businessman in the economy, as a top concern. So you think that that's going to work out, but someone that they genuinely don't believe actually cares that much about them as an individual, like how they live, who they love, what they practice. They're like Donald Trump. He just exists, right? And he doesn't align with anything. He likes some Republicans, he hates other Republicans. Like, he's not a party guy. And you saw it like in Nevada, this was crazy to Jackie Rosen, the Democrat was able to hang on and she won her race. There are 70,000 people who showed up and voted for Donald Trump and didn't bother with the bottom of the ballot because what, what do they care? They're just voting for the guy who managed to convince us, like Kamala broke it. Trump will fix it. There's no party attached to that. It's a one man brand.

[Scott Galloway]

Okay, let's take a quick break. Stay with us. So I wonder if I don't think that, for example, he's going to get through these tariffs because something I keep thinking about is I think he's a lame duck president. After about 90 days, he's going to be a lame duck president. And around economic issues, I think, and it's going to be such a close call. And it's basically a divided government and everyone's like, well, they got a majority. They'll do whatever they want. I'm not as certain about that because I think especially when it comes to tariffs, there's a lot of Republicans that understand economics and I think they'll decide it would win in their district. To talk about a populist argument of this is nothing but a tax increase. And I'm not down with this. And he doesn't have the same power to ruin careers, especially post 2026. You really had to kiss the ring here because people Republicans saw accurately, quite frankly, that he could ruin their careers. I think he's not going to have nearly, nearly the power. One question I would have for you is as both of us are Jews, do you think that her stance on Israel, Gaza played a role? Do you think she should have taken a more supportive position on Israel? People including Jackie Rosen, Elisa Slotkin and Josh Stein all outperformed her. Do you think she should have been more assertive around support of Israel or more supportive around her support of Palestinians?

[Jess Katarlove]

This is where if we're doing the blame game, I actually have some shade that I would like to throw at the Biden camp because now all of this internal polling that they had is leaking out and they knew that we were losing Muslim voters that like Dearborn, could have gone for Trump before October 7th. Right. Like that. This isn't something that just popped up. And when you look at a majority Muslim district like that, that ends up going for Donald Trump, who has said things like I'm going to turn Gaza into a parking lot, you have to think that that's bigger than what one person, even if they are running for president, is saying at their campaign speeches. Right. Like that. That is something that was almost preordained in a different kind of way. But yeah, I think that she's probably looking at it now and thinking we like her and Biden should have been tougher out of the gate about the college campus protests. I think that's one of these notches in the disorder belt, as it were, where people just feel like what is going on in this country, right. That there are kids being blocked from going to the cafeteria or to their libraries or being beaten up in the worst case scenario. And you look at these other open Zionists that outperformed her. I mean, Jackie Rosen, I mean, she was the president of her synagogue, which is probably the hardest job you could possibly have. If you know Jews.

[Scott Galloway]

I can't even imagine.

[Jess Katarlove]

No, like the Senate is nothing, right. Dealing with those characters. And all the high profile Jews were just fine and they never waffled on this. Of course they supported the First Amendment, but they were 24 hours a day. Bring them home. We support a two state solution and they did really well. And we should note that Jewish voters came out for Kamala. So 71%, I think, is the tally as of now. So we'll see where it shakes out. But she's got a.

[Scott Galloway]

Compare to 2020, it's about the same.

[Jess Katarlove]

He got like 70%. So there was no mass exodus. And I think that that is a lot of that is driven by Jewish women, which were the second most supportive group for her behind black women. But American Judaism is now intertwined with a lot of general liberal values. Right. Like, it's not just about what do you think is going to happen in the Middle east in the next four years. It has to do with supporting education, a woman's right to choose, that people have a better quality of life. Cutting taxes for middle class people, raising taxes on those that can afford it. I mean, that's all part of, as a, as a Jew myself, that's part of my identity. And people voted accordingly. I think they also saw Trump as someone that talks out of both sides of their mouth. Right. And that today he sounds really good for us, but what does he sound like tomorrow? And what will he do to our life at home here in the US that's going to make it. So whatever's offset by what's happening in Israel isn't necessarily worth it. So, yeah, I think she could have leaned into that more. I don't know if it would have made up the difference. The, you know, 50,000 votes, 60, 70, I think in Pennsylvania, but I would have liked it. I mean, we talked about this as a moral issue of our time. Right. Almost akin to being pro life and saying if we end up Losing elections because of this, because of our pro life stance, so be it. Because it's that important. And supporting Israel at this moment, I think is a bit of a pro life stance. And that doesn't mean disregarding the Palestinians who have needlessly passed away and the children. It's horrific. But I would have liked that. What about you?

[Scott Galloway]

I think voters would rather disagree with you on an issue. As long as you seem resolute.

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

And that is to be, in my view, to be supportive of Israel. Full throated support of Israel. And this is the problem. They were. Biden and Harris actually were more supportive of Israel. Anytime anyone gave Biden shit for Israel, I'm like, who's been more supportive? Who else sent two carrier strike forces to the Mediterranean to tell Iran to sit the fuck down? Who else did that? But they couldn't get credit for it because they kept conditioning everything with. I don't like the way they're prosecuting the war. And if you look at Reagan, I think of him, people would read his issues and where he stood and the majority of Americans disagreed with him, but the majority of Americans voted for him because he seemed very resolute. And the ultimate example of that was Bush W never seemed to waver over what is arguably the greatest geopolitical catastrophe since our entry into a war in South Vietnam or in Southeast Asia. Vietnam. He seemed very resolute about Iraq. Probably the stupidest war we've ever fought. Americans want someone who's resolute. So I believe supporting Israel would have been the best move. Quite frankly, the second best move probably would have been going all in and saying, we need a ceasefire now. We are putting huge pressure on them. This is not humanitarian, really. Gone been very pro Palestinian. The worst thing they could have done is what they did. And that is they came across as mealy mouthed. They came across as, yeah, but. And I just think that made them look weak. And what's interesting is the stuff I've seen, the exit polling I've seen around Muslim Americans, a surprising number of them in Michigan went Trump. And the interview I saw, the guy said, I'd rather be stabbed in the face than stabbed in the back. And then the other point that you, I don't know, that you inspired. I love Maureen Dowd and every time I mention her name, I can't get over the number. The amount of hate mail I get. I think she's such a talented woman and she's actually quite lovely, personally.

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah, I mean, she is incredibly talented. But the Maureen Dowd anger Goes back to the 90s and what she wrote about Hillary.

[Scott Galloway]

But yeah, she's polarizing, there's no doubt about it. But I, I just, I love her writing. And she wrote this interesting article basically saying woke is broke. And it wasn't her article, but there was a comment in there that I thought was so incredibly intelligent. I wish I had the person's name. But they basically said this was a vote against hypocrisy. And that is. Democrats believe in free speech until a center right conservative person shows up on campus. They believe in rule of law until people start brazenly and openly stealing from stores in Democratic cities or trespassing on campuses. They believe in COVID lockdowns until there's a Black Lives Matter march. They believe in science until someone born with a penis wants to play in women's sports. You want to talk about a layup for the Republican Party?

[Jess Katarlove]

I know.

[Scott Galloway]

To let people born with a penis have testosterone flow over their bone structure and muscle structure and then compete in women's sports. I mean, have we gone fucking insane? And then, I mean, there was just so many kind of layups. Anyways, this point was saying we just come across as hypocrites. And it really struck me. I thought, wow, that was a really prescient point that this individual was making. But I don't think that it was that she lost Jews. I think she lost a lot of voters because she came across as trying to dance between the raindrops. And I hate to say it, but a guy who says, turn the place into a parking lot. Yeah, you go, that's not a very thoughtful position. But I appreciate his balls and his willingness to say, this is how I feel. I'm not morally struggling with this. I have moral clarity on it. And I'm not saying that's the way people should vote. There's a nuanced view here. There are. This is a complicated situation, but I think that even more Muslim Americans than anticipated. Yeah, people want a president who's resolute, not necessarily a president who is. Right.

[Jess Katarlove]

Well, that, that speaks to this feeling that's been communicated across all minority groups, which is the belief that actually everybody is racist. That black voters are saying, Latino voters are saying. It's not as if we think democr Democrats aren't racist. It's just packaged up instead of told to our face, like you said, the stab in the front versus stab in the back. And one thing that I've been thinking about a lot is this pervasive feeling of betrayal that core Democratic Voters have been feeling, and it's been pent up for years going back to COVID policy. Like, you can't be with your loved ones as they're dying. Your kids can't be in school. We need to shut everything down. Inflation is transitory. Oh, the border isn't open. Oh, Joe Biden is fine until he's not fine. And I feel part of the problem for sure because I definitely sat on TV saying like, he can do this job. And I think generally he could with the support of his cabinet once the debate happens. It was obviously the right thing for him to not be running anymore. But taken together with how people were feeling that we were repeatedly asking them to not believe their lying eyes. Right. What they had seen on the subway to the grocery store. Sarah Longwell from the Bulwark has this great line. She was being interviewed and said over and over in focus groups. People didn't know what authoritarian meant, but they could tell you exactly how much their eggs cost. Right. Like the disconnect between the messaging on that. But over the weekend, it leaked out that, you know, this wasn't exactly Nancy Pelosi and Obama's plan that they wanted Biden out and there was supposed to be a primary and as kind of like an F U to them. Biden endorsed Kamala and sent us on this journey. And I think net net, you know, she did run as good of a campaign, I guess, as as was possible considering the timeframe and also certain issues that she had, like not being able to answer questions directly like on the View, which James Carville says it's, you know, the moment this ended, essentially when Sunny Hostin was like, how will you be different than Biden? She couldn't do it.

[Scott Galloway]

Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we'll talk about how Trump's cabinet is taking shape. Stay with us. Welcome back. Trump's transition efforts are in full swing. At his Mar A Lago residence, he made his first major appointment, selecting Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, making her the first woman in history to hold this position. Trump also announced that Tom Homan will oversee the nation's borders and offered Rep. Elise Stefanik the role of US Ambassador to the UN he's expected to announce Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy. And he's rolled out Cabinet positions from Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, who held top foreign policy roles in his previous administration. What are your thoughts on his pick so far?

[Jess Katarlove]

Well, I think it's cool that Susie Wiles is The first female chief of staff in American history. I'm not one who says that she deserves to be on the COVID of Vogue just because that's what the Democratic version would get of this. But I do think that moves towards parody should be celebrated. And Susie Wiles did an incredible job. Right. She got someone like Donald Trump who had high unfavorables, who people think is a misogynist and a racist and all of these things, elected president. So hats off to you, Susie. And I think that she'll run a tight ship and it feels like there will be order, even if it's an order that I do not enjoy. Nikki Haley, you know, was it worth it? Right. Whatever you just went through over the last year and a half or two years, to be publicly embarrassed once again with the first thing he does, basically saying, you're not going to get anywhere near my new house or my administration is embarrassing. And Mike Pompeo, people had kind of normie Republicans had hoped that he would play a big role in this administration because he sees the world as kind of a traditional neocon, I guess, who has understood the MAGA vibe. But very pro Ukraine, you know, very pro Israel, you know, thinking about Secretary of State, will that end up being a Rick Grenell or Tennessee Senator Bill Haggerty who came out of Bush world but is very maga. He was Trump's ambassador to Japan, but he's very pro Ukraine, which is good. That was top line. But Stefanik to the UN is interesting to me because she. One of her big issues is that if the UN continues to be so anti Semitic, maybe we shouldn't be there at all. And I feel like that's probably one of the reasons that he put her in that role.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, that definitely sparks are going to fly at the UN And I can't figure out. I'm of two minds around the UN and that is. It's so important and such took so much effort to get everyone together. And I think it's important that people get together and talk even. But what I've seen come out of the UN recently for me has been just such blatant antisemitism. I think, why are we participating and. Or funding this place or not funding it, depending on who you're speaking to. She's an interesting one. I feel as if his picks are sort of more performative than anything, because if I know Trump, 90% of them will be gone within 18 months. I mean, he just, he just churns through people like there's no tomorrow. I Don't I know nothing about his chief of staff. She's. She's probably in terms of a ratio to people who are important in history who are the least well known. She's right up there right now. Nobody knows who she is. And it sounds to me like she just schooled the Democratic apparatus on how to run a campaign. And, you know, people said, oh, they weren't disciplined or whatever. My sense is he was a lot more disciplined this time. And even the decision not to debate, again, while we were outraged by it, the decision not to have to put that many resources around a ground game. Oh, aren't they idiots? Well, no, it ends up she was a lot smarter than we were. So it'll be. I'll be very curious, you know, what happens there. I also heard rumblings that it might be Steve Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary.

[Jess Katarlove]

Oh, I didn't. I hadn't heard that. If he comes back. Yeah, that would feel orderly to me.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. And I think people, generally speaking, think pretty well of him.

[Jess Katarlove]

The Tom Homan thing, though, we gotta double click on that or whatever the right term is. It's interesting to me. So Tom Homan, who was ahead of ice, has some of the most anti immigrant views of anyone I have listened to give interviews. And he was made border Czar. They didn't try to get him to be Homeland Security because that requires confirmation. And that right away sent up the bat signal. Right. That this is a workaround to get the guy in who talks about the deportation force all the time. And if you haven't seen Tom Holman, who, by the way, is associated with the Heritage foundation and Project 2025, check out his 60 Minutes interview where he's being asked about family separation, which is usually something that people don't want to happen. Right. And this is also fueling a lot of the anger within Latino families. You see a lot of content online of young women who are mad at their brothers and mothers, mad at their sons and their husbands, in some cases saying, like, you just voted to deport X member of our family. Mother, aunt, uncle, whatever it is. But Tom Holman is asked about family separation. And he said, of course, I'm not for family separation. And the interviewer, I forget who it was, says, well, then what's the plan? And he said, they can all go. So you are now talking about a landscape in which people who are naturalized American citizens may be forced out of the country with their family members. And of course, the talking point today is we're starting with the bad guys, right? The bad hombres, it will be the criminals, you know, the people who are violating our laws. Not the original sin of crossing the border, but actually have committed a crime here. But that was what they said in 2016 as well. And that is not how it turned out. It just moved into deporting people who are here illegally, writ large. And I'm very concerned about Tom Hoban.

[Scott Galloway]

Do you think? And granted, I don't want to. I don't want to in any way diminish the prospect that he'll do what he actually says he's going to do. But when you talk about the logistics here, potentially the blow to the economy, the cost, the idea that anything that reeks of putting people in any ring, fence, geographic area for deportation is going to feel eerily similar to a concentration camp or take us back to, at least at a minimum, the very dark spot stain in our history. And that was when we interned Japanese Americans who were good citizens.

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah.

[Scott Galloway]

And his lack of focus, especially on things that are this logistically complicated, do you think it might not just be easier for him to make it even more difficult to get into the country, maybe do away with asylum or reform the asylum system as opposed to actually knocking on doors and taking Grandma Louisa away, whose kids are citizens here? And again, I don't want to in any way reduce the threat of him doing. I didn't think the Republicans would actually ever go after Roe. And my podcast co host Kara said, yeah, they will. These people are, you know, they are that. So I'm not suggesting we don't take what he says seriously. I just wonder if logistically it's so complicated, so expensive, so ugly, that it might not actually happen. You think this guy Homan will actually execute a plan that involves, you know, I mean, convicted felons or whatever who get deported back to their home country? I would imagine the majority of Americans aren't worried about that or are going to rise up around it, but when the mother of their, you know, their home health worker who has kids here all of a sudden gets a knock at the door and is told to report to a center in somewhere outside of Philadelphia, I don't know, that could, to me, that could get very scary very fast. What are your thoughts?

[Jess Katarlove]

Yeah, well, that really shakes the foundation of what the country is about. Right. Which I don't think protecting someone who committed a crime here is. And that's why you did get broad based support for Trump in this. And it was interesting looking at the Fox News voter analysis, which is our huge Poll, we talked to like 120,000 people about this. Still, a majority of people wanted to find a pathway to citizenship for those who are here and are working and are valuable members of society. That's actually how Americans feel about this. But one of, if not the smartest thing that Republicans ever did about the border was busing migrants to cities like mine and making this a national problem and not just a localized problem along the border. And, you know, Eric Adams has already, you know, first thing, maybe he wants a pardon when that, when that comes. But, you know, immediately congratulating Trump and saying that the debit card program for people who are here undocumented is going away, right away. And there have been across a number of different issue areas. You see an immediate impact of the Trump effect. Like Qatar has said, Hamas has to get out of here. Like, you have 20, 20 minutes to get out of here. Whatever the amount of time under pressure from Biden, I understand that, but it came right after the election. And that will be to your point about people are not following the complicated story. They're not following the diplomacy of it. They're looking at who said a thing and then it had a direct reaction. And Donald Trump said a thing and it had a direct reaction. And that's how I think, honestly, a presidency that was pretty mediocre. His ends up being lionized in a lot of people's eyes because he is a person that scares the shit out of so many people because he is so frantic and frenzied. I mean, he was being interviewed by the Wall street editorial board and they asked him about his foreign policy. I said, how are you going to pull this off? And he said, well, people know that I'm crazy. That's things that like an Assad says, right? Or Kim Jong Un. And I think that's what people even voting for him thought. They thought this guy is crazy and so he might be able to pull this off. Crazy versus preachy. So I just can't believe we miss the boat on dealing with immigration to this level, that we're having a conversation now about whether Homan and his deportation force will be able to pull this stuff off. I mean, if we had just acknowledged a real problem and talked to people like normal human beings and accepted a little bit of blame, even you don't need to take the whole shebang. But just say, I understand that this is a problem. There's a border town, majority Latino, 97% support for Trump. And they were talking about it on the View. Alyssa Farah Griffin says Why do you think that happened? And Sunny Hostin says racism. And she goes, it's the border. This is not racism. It's not misogyny.

[Scott Galloway]

We fall absolutely into their talking point when our go to is to immediately accuse the other side of being racist and misogynists. It's just, it is the worst thing we can do. The Democratic Party has decided that they're kind of the self appointed cop for social justice and no one appointed them. I'm curious, what do you think of the idea. I'm trying to think of how we move forward. What do you think of the idea of the US being a platform? And it really is for two things. First and foremost to defend Americans, defend our shores, but two, to provide economic security for Americans and their families. And that's not to say we shouldn't have laws around civil rights and equality. And there's still important issues we need to discuss. But to move back, the Democratic Party should embrace an active foreign policy. Stick to that. I think that's the right idea. But really try and embrace this notion that we are going to be the party that provides more economic opportunity for young people and be the adults in the room. Talk about the deficit, talk about vocational programming, talk about national service, talk about a tax policy that doesn't run the credit card of our younger people to pull prosperity forward for older people who now control 40% of government spending, which is not a real investment. It's true spending. It's on things like R and D or education. How do you think the Democratic Party realigns in terms of a message moving forward?

[Jess Katarlove]

Well, I would love that because the economy is the grounding of everything, of every issue that we talk about. And there is very little way for people to feel good about their lives if they don't feel like their economic future and the economic future of those that they care about is in good hands or is going to see brighter days. And I think that that's great. That is, you know, at core of what Bernie Sanders has been saying forever, but said in that little manifesto that he put out after the loss. I think he's always too quick to, to pick on the party apparatus and that people haven't been buying what Bernie is selling for a long time and he always kind of skips past that, at least on a national level. But I think, yeah, if we had an easy to understand slogan like we'll make you richer, it's the economy, that would be great.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah. You know what I love? I don't know if you've Heard about this, but Portugal, I think this is a great idea. Portugal is becoming sort of. It's done really well on the whole, but they recognized that they're essentially becoming a place for rich expats, hedge fund managers that want to avoid taxes and tourism and seniors because they have very generous social service programs. I think 60% of employment there is civil servants. And anyone who's really talented and young has one thing in common. They leave, they go to school in another country and they don't come back. So they have announced a. I think, I don't know how long it's going to last, but anyone between the ages of 20 and 30, zero taxes.

[Jess Katarlove]

Amazing.

[Scott Galloway]

What do you think of that idea? Because it wouldn't cost that much because people 20 to 30 don't make that much money. But say we need to level up young people. Take. Read the tea leaves in this election. No taxes, no federal income taxes between the ages of 20 and 30.

[Jess Katarlove]

I think it's great. I think, I mean, lowering also the barriers to getting decent jobs like this was actually one of the impacts of Josh Shapiro on Kamala, because he has a policy in Pennsylvania that you don't need a college degree to get a government job, which you shouldn't need. There are all sorts of people that are very qualified for those things. So, yeah, thinking outside the box about how to get people to stay and to be happy should definitely be a priority. But I also think, and it's connected to this, like, how do you make people love their home again, love their country again? Like, I went abroad for school and I wanted to come home because I love where I'm from and I love the people in my orbit that made growing up fantastic. That had great impact on me. And that's part of the issue. It's a wonderful thing about the European Union. And I wish that the UK was obviously still part of it, but with the mobility options, that you could just go off and go to school in Germany or you could go to school in France or whatever, they had to work harder to make sure that people come back and invest in where they're from. And there's. There are so many people, especially young people, who just. They don't get how great America is. Like, Bill Gates always talks about this. Like, what are you guys talking about? That this isn't the greatest nation in the world that has delivered the best results at home and abroad. And that kind of project, reinvigorating the American dream, I think could be a great piece of what the Democrats build going forward. And to hopefully help them win elections, but just to make us feel better about where we're from and what we're all about.

[Scott Galloway]

So we're still, we're still watching the final uncalled legislative races to see if Republicans will retain control of the House of Representatives, which would, if that happens, complete an electoral sweep. What's going on? How does it look to you?

[Jess Katarlove]

Less sunny than it did, which is kind of the theme for this election. And came in, you know, big smiles, oh, what a beautiful sunny day. And left depressed. It would take a bit of an electoral miracle for us to be able to hold their much closer. And for the races that are outstanding, you need stuff like, you know, needs to win 73% of the outstanding ballots and things like that. Not completely impossible, but very unlikely. I'm kind of taking solace in the fact that when they had control of all three branches of government, when Trump first came in, that they only got tax cuts passed and didn't get anything else done. They, I mean, they voted to reveal Obamacare and millions of times, but that never happened. So I think it'll be much of the same. And to your, that's to your lame duck point, right, that the hope is that he can't actually accomplish all that much. And this Tom Holman thing, appointing people for non confirmable spots, I think is going to be his approach. That's how RFK Jr. Will get in. That's how Elon Musk gets in. That's how Tom Homan gets in.

[Scott Galloway]

So before we wrap up here, how do you think the media, as a member of the media, should approach covering Trump this time around? Conor Friedersdorf made the case in the Atlantic that the media should treat him like a normal president, especially since an opposition that claims to defend democracy can't just ignore the legitimacy of someone who's once or clearly. Jess, what's your take on that?

[Jess Katarlove]

I think that's generally right. I think outrage and meltdown has failed us and that we have also revealed ourselves to actually not fear him that much. My colleagues on the Five always say to me, well, what are people going to do now? You've called him Hitler and you have to have tea and crumpets with him because you need to show him around the office.

[Scott Galloway]

And Biden talking about Vice President Band.

[Jess Katarlove]

The answer, well, he repented earlier than we did. But I think that people stopped believing us that he was fascist, that he was authoritarian. And they just said, well, he's going to fix the economy or I'm, I'm going to be better off than I was before. So, yeah, I would like to treat him normally, which doesn't mean not covering the things that he is doing. But it cannot be a daily meltdown. The public will not have it. And I think that links to the way that they are consuming information. Like, I was took a step back and I thought, oh, the liberal media is so powerful. We have all these ways to reach people. But then you look at the kind of content at least younger people are taking in with these podcasts. Most of the time when they end up getting a political message, it's not because they listen to a political podcast. It's because they listen to a wellness podcast that started talking about something RFK Jr. Likes. I mean, Joe Rogan is not a political podcast. And until we can get a good foothold in that kind of space, I think that we have lost that battle. And then if the mainstream media, whatever that means these days, is only saying that this is. We haven't seen this since the 1930s, we're never going to win an election again. What do you think?

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, I think that's. That feels right, but just I feel the need to. I feel we are literally like Debbie Downer and like Disaster Debbie here. I do want to highlight that there was actually several historic victories amongst LGBTQ candidates this election, including the first transgender candidate elected to Congress, a black gay man elected to the Georgia legislature. There were some bright spots here, and I think it's important to keep in mind. I'm also already I'm wondering if this will be really healthy for the Democratic Party to get back to the good work of just helping, being, instead of trying to be righteous all the time, be effective. Something I've struggled with my whole career is the difference between being right and being effective and focus on things like the economy and struggling young people. And that I'd like to think this is just setting us up. Americans like reversion to the mean. They like a balance. In a weird way, I'd like to see Republicans get control of the House because I think it's more symbolic than effective. I think he'll be a lame duck president. I think a lot of Republicans will find their backbone in terms of not just being a blank check for him. That might be naive and that this is going to set up. If we get our act and our messaging together. I think it's. It sets up incredibly well for 2026, which will start getting pelted with ads in about, I don't know, six or eight months.

[Jess Katarlove]

I think it happened while we were recording.

[Scott Galloway]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It's already happening.

[Jess Katarlove]

All right, Jeff, ultimate positive point. And you made fun of me at the start of the podcast. Yeah, we didn't lose by that much.

[Scott Galloway]

All right? Defined by that much white woman. That much. That much. Anyways, that's all for this episode. Thank you for listening to Raging Moderates. Our producers are Caroline Chagrin and David Toledo. Our technical director is Drew Burroughs. You can find Raging Moderates on its own feed every Tuesday. That's right. Raging Moderates on its own feed. We've been accused of being more raging than moderate, but love us, don't judge us. Please follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jess Katarlove]

See you soon.