The Chris Cuomo Project

Episode: Why Trump Talks Chaos Instead of Costs
Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Chris Cuomo

Episode Overview

This solo episode delves into why former President Trump and the political class focus on chaos and external threats (like Venezuela) rather than the central issue uniting Americans across the political spectrum: the skyrocketing cost of living and affordability crisis. Chris Cuomo argues that both the political right and left are distracted from the real day-to-day struggles by spectacles and outrage, exacerbated by media and social media algorithms. He calls for unity around affordability and challenges the audience to see through strategic distractions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Affordability as the True Unifying Issue

• [00:25] Cuomo emphasizes that the most urgent concern for Americans is affordability of basic needs—health care, groceries, housing, insurance.
• “There is no other issue... that affects more Americans in a more dangerous way than cost structure going in a direction that is not only killing the American dream, but choking people from the ability to get what they need.” — Chris Cuomo [01:00]
• Both left and right are equally affected, but the political state of play largely ignores it.
• Most Americans have under $1,000 in savings and are financially vulnerable to emergencies.

Venezuela as a Political Distraction

• [03:00] Discusses Trump’s openness to military intervention in Venezuela to “secure the oil,” contrasting prior anti-intervention rhetoric.
• Cuomo’s critique: This posturing is not about serious policy, but about looking tough and muddying the waters for domestic political gain.
• “You put American boots on the ground in Venezuela to secure the oil, there will be blood, and it will be our blood.” — Chris Cuomo [04:33]
• MAGA voters originally wanted less foreign intervention, but Trump uses chaos and unpredictability as a tactic, keeping supporters unbalanced.

The Real Costs: Gas, Groceries, and Stock Market Myths

• [07:30] Trump links positive stock market moves to tariffs, but Cuomo debunks this:
  • The stock market is driven by a handful of companies, mainly due to AI, not tariffs.
  • Tariffs hurt small businesses and contribute to cost-of-living increases.
• “Consumer confidence, how people feel about their prospects in the next year, how they feel about prices...they’re all negative for good reason.” — Chris Cuomo [09:45]

Healthcare, Insurance, and Wage Stagnation

• [13:00] Reproductive rights as a negotiation chip and cost-of-living angle: Trump hints that the right should be “open” on reproductive rights in health care talks, indirectly acknowledging the centrality of cost and care issues.
• Costs are rising for health care, property insurance, childcare, and more—even for those with employer-based coverage.
• Historic disconnection: productivity has increased but wages have not followed (“the shift from rewarding labor to rewarding investors”).

The Problem with America’s Economic Choices

• [17:40] The U.S. economy shifted from a Keynesian model (“as productivity goes up, wages go up”) to rewarding shareholders and investors, not workers. Raises for workers stagnated while executive compensation and returns to capital soared.
• “Capitalism without conscience is just greed. You can make choices where it’s not all about your stock price.” — Chris Cuomo [19:20]
• Home prices and lack of supply exacerbate inequality.

Binary Politics, Outrage, and Social Media Algorithms

• [21:30] Politicians and media exploit the “zero sum” game that divides Americans into winners/losers over cultural/foreign topics and keeps cost-of-living off the agenda.
• Social media, driven by outrage algorithms, amplifies division and distracts from economic realities.
• “Social media and these algorithms are a distortion...they are perverting [our interests], making us be in outrage mode all the time.” — Chris Cuomo [23:50]
• Neither party prioritizes affordability because it’s a difficult issue, and distraction is easier and politically safer.

U.S. Foreign Actions and Accountability

• [28:00] Reflects on the impact of foreign interventionism (specifically in Venezuela), which may provide geopolitical benefits but comes at great cost and risk. Nuanced outcomes: can be good for Venezuelans but sets troubling precedents.
• “I just don’t like America going in other places and killing people and doing whatever it wants. I don’t.” — Chris Cuomo [35:00]

Why Nothing Changes: Distraction as Strategy

• [31:30] Politicians benefit from constant distraction, with new “shiny things” to grab public and media attention, while avoiding real accountability for the cost of living.
• Social media’s structure uniquely feeds division, anger, and the zero sum fight, with little room for nuance, context, or responsible debate.
• “Everything that checks those boxes—makes you powerful, able to raise money, more relevant in the media—plays against your interest [as an ordinary American].” — Chris Cuomo [34:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Cost of living. That’s what should unite us, and it’s being ignored while we fight over side issues.” — Chris Cuomo [02:40]
• “MAGA voted for less of this [foreign adventurism].” — Chris Cuomo [05:55]
• “You don’t control what happens, but you 100% control how to feel about it.” — Chris Cuomo [29:50]
• “The uniting moment is here. Venezuela is an instruction on it. The side you’re on matters less than whether you demand accountability on affordability.” — Chris Cuomo [34:15]
• “The cost of living is not a tax cut away, not a tariff away. That is real, that is deep, and that is why you keep being distracted from it.” — Chris Cuomo [32:00]
• “I am not simply nonpartisan. I am anti-partisan. The sides are killing us.” — Chris Cuomo [35:10]

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Quote | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:25 | Main theme introduced: unity through need, not outrage | | 03:00 | Venezuela as a distraction from cost-of-living | | 07:30 | Stock market myths and tariffs explained | | 13:00 | Healthcare and reproductive rights as affordability issues | | 17:40 | Historical shift in U.S. economic rewards | | 19:20 | “Capitalism without conscience is just greed” | | 21:30 | Zero sum politics driven by outrage and media algorithms | | 23:50 | Effects of social media algorithms on public focus | | 28:00 | The ethics and consequences of American intervention abroad | | 31:30 | Distraction as political strategy, difficulty of change | | 32:00 | “Cost of living is not a tax cut away...it’s real, it’s hard”| | 34:00 | Structurally, the system works against ordinary Americans | | 35:10 | “I am anti-partisan. The sides are killing us.” |

Conclusion

Chris Cuomo uses this episode to urge listeners to see through political posturing and media distractions, focusing instead on affordability and the economic pressures that truly bind Americans together. He critiques Trump’s penchant for chaos and unpredictability, details how economic policy choices of the past have fueled today’s crisis, and argues that real, difficult conversations about cost of living must replace superficial outrage. Social media, he warns, amplifies division—making it even more vital for citizens to demand accountability on what matters most.

Tone: Critical, urgent, independent-minded, and solution-focused with characteristic directness.