Ruthless Podcast Summary

Episode Title: New Low: Democrats Will Try Anything to Stop Trump
Release Date: August 29, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan (absent this week), John Ashbrook
Theme: Next-generation conservative talk with “lighter analysis” on news, politics, culture, and the “lows” of Democratic party tactics, mixed with humor and notable guest interviews.

Overview

This “Fun Time Friday” episode of Ruthless brings a high-energy, satirical analysis of current political news. The hosts dissect recent Democratic Party missteps (including a botched fight song and their approach to crime), media absurdities, and the finger-pointing at Republicans, especially Donald Trump. They also spotlight how the Trump administration is handling current challenges, especially on crime and domestic policy, and feature substantial interviews with Ambassador Monica Crowley (Chief of Protocol) and Secretary Brooke Rollins (Agriculture). The episode mixes biting commentary, memorable quotes, and audience interaction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Democratic Party’s Recent “Theatrical” Missteps

• DNC’s Fight Song Flop
  • The hosts ridicule a hastily presented DNC fight song, calling it “cringe, absolute worst of the worst of the theater kids.”
    • Ashbrook: “It’s not like Democrats are like, oh, I appreciate Phantom of the Opera...they want to be the most cringe.” (03:08)
  • Lyrics lack a tune; confusion and awkwardness ensued at the event.
    • Smug: “There is no tune.” (04:58)
    • Josh: “I desperately want to know who it is that wrote this piece of poetry.” (05:27)
• Grassroots Disconnect
  • Mockery of elite DNC donor events at luxury resorts.
    • Josh: “$20 million plan...40 beta males sitting in the audience that...we don’t know.” (10:54)
    • Smug: “Hollywood folks have, like, wised up to that shit...I’m not gonna do it for free.” (11:36)

2. Media Critique and Left-Leaning Journalism

• Extended jabs at journalists Dave Weigel and Ben Smith for their liberal sympathies.
  • Holmes: “He’s had a pretty successful journalistic career, but now he’s working at Semaphore for your boy Ben Smith.” (00:00, repeated at 08:04)
  • Smug: “Another person who should be in jail. Honestly, Rico. Semaphore.” (08:11)
• Criticism of mainstream media groupthink via “JournoList” and coordinated Democrat narratives.
  • Ashbrook: “If you’re ever wondering why mainstream media seems to right [sic] everything Democrats say...what Josh just described is your reason.” (07:41)

3. Pro-Crime Messaging and Border Debates

• Mocked Democrats for defending criminal figures and prioritizing controversial causes.
  • The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia (alleged human trafficker).
    • Smug: “You can get this group of people to get dressed, make signs, and sing a song for a human trafficker.” (13:17)
    • Holmes: “It seems to me...you’re not gonna hitch your wagon to the most amount of liability that you can. And that’s where Democrats are right now. They’re pro crime.” (14:09)

4. Listener Interaction: Mental Health and Gun Control

• Emotional audience engagement regarding recent high-profile shootings and mental illness.
  • Need for more mental health facilities and recognition of societal/parental failures.
    • LC333 (comment read by Ashbrook): “Even if you seek help voluntarily, there’s no room in the very few available.” (19:25)
    • Holmes: “There are not enough facilities and enough treatment for folks to go around.” (19:53)
  • Critique of the left’s focus on gun control at the expense of institutional reform.

5. Trump Administration: Energy, Crime Policy, and Cabinet Unity

• Crime
  • D.C. crime drop highlighted as the result of federal action.
    • Holmes: “This 20 day period of this federal surge and last year represents an 87% reduction in carjackings in Washington D.C.” (52:43)
    • Smug: “Turns out when you say crime is illegal and you try to enforce the laws, carjackings go down by 87%.” (53:02)
• Cabinet Harmony
  • Praised the Trump team for unity and effectiveness.
    • Holmes: “It seems like everybody’s kind of rowing the boat in one direction. You can agree or disagree...but it seems like from a personal level.” (50:48)

6. Republican Convention as a Contrast to Democrats

• Trump proposes a Republican convention to outshine the DNC’s media spectacle.
  • Ashbrook: “Nobody puts on a show like our great president. He is the P.T. Barnum of our time.” (38:27)
  • Hosts emphasize the contrast: “Every time [Democrats] present themselves in public as a group, it is the most objectionable thing you’ve ever heard.” (37:11)

7. Media Clickbait and Cultural Hot Takes

• Satirical take on the Washington Post writing about Taylor Swift’s engagement as a sign of political/media decline.
  • Josh: “The editorial board wrote an editorial entitled why Taylor Swift’s Love Story Defies the Gravity of Spectacle.” (45:01)
  • Smug: “How is it that after Jen Rubin left, their editorial board got even more ridiculous?” (46:41)
• Jokes about cloning, clickbait history, and sensational media cycles.
  • Ashbrook: “Time magazine...in the 1990s headlined again and again stories about cloning...That was the original clickbait.” (47:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Democrat Messaging:

  • Ashbrook (re: DNC song): “It wasn’t Woody Guthrie.” (05:53)
  • Holmes: “Marketing is only part of what it is that we’ve done over the years. But marketing, it seems to me, you’re not gonna hitch your wagon to the most amount of liability that you can.” (14:09)

• On Media Absurdities:

  • Josh: “The Washington Post. Democracy dies in darkness. Editorial board: Why Taylor Swift’s love story defies the gravity of spectacle.” (46:04)

• On Crime:

  • Holmes: “When you improve the lives of the people who vote for you, it makes a difference. People think you’re doing a good job. It’s not that hard.” (53:49)

• On Cabinet Dynamic:

  • Smug: “That wide shot...This cabinet’s just like a murderer’s row. You’ve got, like, Burgum right next to Rubio, you’ve got Pete Hegseth right there.” (50:41)

Guest Interviews

1. Ambassador Monica Crowley (Chief of Protocol)

[Timestamps: 31:11–35:28]

• Discusses high-profile diplomatic events, including organizing unprecedented simultaneous visits by multiple world leaders.
• Responsible for America 250 celebrations, FIFA World Cup, and LA Olympics planning.
• Monica Crowley (33:32): “I do believe it was unprecedented to have this many world leaders all come to the White House on the same day...and be in the Oval Office...”

2. Secretary Brooke Rollins (Agriculture)

[Timestamps: 60:01–66:17]

• Describes early action on food price inflation and aggressive reform at USDA.
• Detailed her efforts to “move most of the USDA headquarters out of Washington D.C. and back to the people” (63:02).
• Rollins (64:39): “The invasive DEI woke culture had basically submerged or subsumed every part of the government. It’s a hundred times worse than that.”
• Stresses the Trump administration’s “swing for the fences” ethos and lack of risk aversion.

Important Timestamps

• DNC Fight Song Coverage: 03:08–05:53
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia Song/Pro-Crime Analysis: 12:31–16:46
• Audience Comments on Mental Health & Guns: 19:25–28:16
• Monica Crowley Interview: 31:11–35:28
• Republican Convention Discussion: 37:11–41:21
• Washington Post & Taylor Swift Editorial: 44:16–48:31
• D.C. Crime Drop and Federal Surge: 52:06–53:10
• Brooke Rollins Interview: 60:01–66:17

Tone & Style

• The hosts combine irreverence, sharp satire, and serious points, often seamlessly transitioning between humor and more weighty topics.
• Language is direct, colloquial, and at times repeatedly uses “dude,” “bro,” and strong language for comedic/lampooning effect.

Conclusion

A dynamic and wide-ranging episode: The Ruthless fellas use sharp wit and biting critique to expose what they see as “new lows” for Democrats and mainstream media, while championing Trump-era policies, administrative unity, and engaging seriously with issues like mental health and violent crime. The episode is anchored by two substantive interviews showcasing prominent women in the Trump administration, and peppered throughout with quotable lines and memorable, if sometimes caustic, analogies.

Final Sign-Off
Comfortably Smug (67:15): “Absolute banger of an episode, gentlemen...Until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs. We’ll see you Tuesday. Stay ruthless.”