The Chris Cuomo Project

Episode: The Trump Memo Blurring Protest and Terrorism
Date: October 14, 2025
Host: Chris Cuomo

Overview

In this highly charged episode, Chris Cuomo dissects the newly issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM7) from the Trump administration. The episode’s main theme centers on the potential dangers of conflating protest with terrorism, as spelled out in NSPM7, and the broader implications for free speech, political partisanship, and the role of social media. Cuomo delivers a passionate critique of the memo’s focus on left-wing groups, raising alarms about its impact on American principles and the risk of government overreach.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing NSPM7

• [00:30]
  • Cuomo opens with concern that NSPM7, issued in September, has gone almost entirely unexamined in mainstream political discourse, though it may be "the most troubling piece of propaganda" from the Trump administration to date.
• Purpose of the Memo:
  • NSPM7 redirects national security resources to target what the administration defines as "domestic terror," with particular focus on left-wing organizations.

“If you flipped the R and the D, the Republicans would be going batshit crazy. And I don’t know why the Democrats are not. This thing is about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, period. And them wanting to target left wing politics.”
— Chris Cuomo [01:51]

2. The Fine Line: Free Speech vs. Terrorism

• Cuomo warns of the dangers inherent in conflating protected speech—even inflammatory or controversial—with terroristic action.
  • Protected Speech: "There’s a difference between saying and acting." [02:01]
  • Cultural “canceling” is distinguished from state overreach.
  • The memo, in Cuomo’s view, lacks the necessary caution and nuance: "There is nothing careful about this NSPM7." [02:37]

3. Factually Flawed Policy and Political Weaponization

• The host argues that, according to FBI statistics, the greater threat of domestic terror comes from right-wing groups, notably white nationalists, not Antifa or loosely organized left entities.
  • Antifa's Ambiguity:
    • "It’s not like they have a building on the corner of 5th and Elm and there’s the antifa office. Go get ‘em. It’s more amorphous than that. It’s trickier... it’s like anarchy." [05:08]
  • Right-Wing Threats Overlooked:
    • “But it ain’t even when you look at the FBI and what they’re looking at... they’re right wing white nationalist groups. That’s what they’re looking at. Not Antifa. I don’t even know what Antifa is the way I know Proud Boys...” [04:11]
• The memo ignores empirical evidence and instead “floods the zone” with misleading narratives, making it difficult for Americans to focus on real threats.

4. Social Media’s Role in Amplifying Hostility

• [07:54 & 10:45+]
  • Cuomo is sharply critical of social media platforms, especially Elon Musk’s handling of Twitter/X.
    • Platforms curate and amplify hostile, polarizing messages, functioning as "turbochargers" for societal division.
    • Calls for some form of regulatory responsibility:

      "They have to have some kind of standard, some kind of responsibility. It can’t be that Elon Musk gets to make Twitter a repository for bullshit hysteria... and there is no recourse." [08:49]

5. Dangers of a Blunt Policy Approach

• The memo, according to Cuomo, is clumsy and openly biased against the political left.
• Examples cited in the memo focus solely on leftist perpetrators and events, omitting January 6th and right-wing violence.
  • “This memo is what happens when you want to make it simple. When you want to make everything a hammer... another blunt object that you use to bludgeon your will into a country that has a very delicate fabric.” [10:45]

6. Defining American Principles

• The memo’s definition of “foundational American principles” is contested by Cuomo:

  • “Foundational American principle[s] is fairness under law, is the administration of justice with due process that follows our constitutional safeguards. I think that’s a foundational principle. Not I gotta love the cops no matter what they do...” [14:21]

• The memo lists as concerning motivations:

  • “Anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, support for the overthrow of the United States government... hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family.” [15:12]
  • Cuomo: These are all ideas people are allowed to hold—only action plans should trigger legal concern.

7. Overreach and the Risk to Freedom

• [15:55 & 16:37+]

  • The directive risks punishing people for ideas rather than for actions.
  • The chilling effect could criminalize dissent and protest, core aspects of American democracy.
    • “We don’t punish ideas in America—It’s very, very important.” [16:37]

• On the burden of democracy:

  • “That discipline of allowing freedom to live and let live means you have to listen to things that you fucking hate... but that’s their choice, not yours. And it is their right, not yours, to decide what is said and what is not said. That is the burden that comes with the blessing of our democracy, and we are fucking with that.” [18:22]

8. Social Media, Misinformation, and Accountability

• [19:45]
  • Cuomo notes the viral spread of misinformation and how the bar for truth in social media is “what’s interesting,” rather than what’s accurate or responsible.
    • “That is the admission you should have been waiting for: It’s just what’s provocative. They don’t give a shit what it does to everything else.” [21:16]

9. Implications for Partisanship and Political Retaliation

• Both sides weaponize power for political and personal gain, often under the guise of principle.

  • “Because revenge feels good and is satisfying to angry people, and they are in the business of anger and making people angry and scared and using that. That's what a demagogue is.” [25:01]

• Cuomo sees the memo as a response to youth-driven, left-wing grassroots activism, which the administration finds threatening.

  • “And the President knows it, and that’s why he’s afraid, and that’s why he’s targeting the left, and that’s why he’s trying to accuse them of terror.” [26:54]

10. Conclusion and Call to Action

• [28:02+]
  • Cuomo calls for vigilance, independence from party dogma, and a recommitment to the core principles of democracy.
  • “Say fuck you to the parties. Our problems are real. Yes, I believe they get worse. But in that is an opportunity to become obsessed with getting to a better place. An equal desperation, an equal drive. But a very different ambition.” [28:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On partisanship:

  “If you flipped the R and the D, the Republicans would be going batshit crazy. And I don’t know why the Democrats are not.” [01:51]

• On speech:

  “There’s a difference between saying and acting... Is it wrong to say certain things that you have the right to say? Yes. Just because you have the right to say it doesn’t make it right to say it. Absolutely.” [02:01]

• On law enforcement and democracy:

  “Foundational American principle is fairness under law... Not I gotta love the cops no matter what they do, not I gotta love the government no matter what it does.” [14:21]

• On the burden and blessing of democracy:

  “That discipline of allowing freedom to live and let live means that you have to listen to things that you fucking hate.” [18:22]

• On the dangers of the memo:

  “They’re giving law enforcement a directive to go after people on the basis of their ideas. And ideas are not enough of a suggestion of actions. You need to catch them having plans. We don’t punish ideas in America. It’s very, very important.” [16:37]

• On social media and misinformation:

  “That is the admission you should have been waiting for: It’s just what’s interesting. They don’t give a shit what it does to everything else.” [21:16]

• Final call:

  “Wear your independence. Be a free agent. Say fuck you to the parties.” [28:17]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:30]: Cuomo introduces NSPM7 and lays out his concern.
• [04:11]: Threat assessment: Right vs. left-wing terrorism.
• [07:54]: Deep dive into social media’s complicity.
• [10:45]: The memo’s one-sidedness and flawed premise.
• [14:21]: Disputation of "foundational American principles."
• [15:12]: Items the memo targets as potential threats.
• [16:37]: Overreach into punishing ideas over actions.
• [18:22]: The burden and necessity of tolerating offensive speech in a democracy.
• [19:45]: Social media’s misinformation and shifting standards of truth.
• [25:01]: Demagoguery, partisanship, and political retaliation.
• [28:17]: Final call to remain independent, vigilant, and reformist.

Tone and Style

Chris Cuomo’s style is impassioned, rapid-fire, and laced with frustration at political hypocrisy and partisan blind spots. He employs plainspoken, sometimes profane language ("We are fucking with that") to emphasize the gravity of the moment and awaken his audience to the real stakes: the future of free speech and democratic norms.

Summary Takeaway

Cuomo frames NSPM7 not as a legitimate measure to combat actual domestic terror, but as a politically motivated document weaponizing state power against dissenting ideas. He raises the alarm on the dangers of punishing speech instead of action, the complicity of social media in fueling polarization, and the need for a public that prizes liberty, nuance, and independent thought over party loyalty.

“Let’s get after it.” — Chris Cuomo [28:35]