Podcast Summary: The Find Out Podcast

Episode Title: Is Donald Trump Really a Fascist?
Date: December 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and unfiltered pre-Christmas episode, the Find Out Podcast team (Tim, Erica, Zach, and Luke) tackle the hot-button question: Is Donald Trump really a fascist? They dive into recent news—including the killing of a major CBS News story on Trump’s immigration policies—discuss the radical right's growing control of mainstream media, the erosion of minority rights, and the dangers of white nationalist rhetoric under Trump’s second term. The conversation oscillates between outrage and dark humor as the hosts warn about rising authoritarianism, debate America’s susceptibility to fascism, and reflect on media, culture, and resistance in Trump’s America.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. CBS News Controversy and Bari Weiss ([00:50] – [10:41])

• Bari Weiss, newly appointed head of CBS News and former Free Press founder, kills a 60 Minutes story about Venezuelans deported by Trump to a notorious prison.
• The move is seen as unprecedented and a major sign of right-wing influence over mainstream media.
• Zach criticizes Bari Weiss:

  "She likes to argue and she thinks that contrarianism and intelligence are the same thing..." [02:54]

• Discussion on how major networks are being acquired or controlled by right-wing billionaires, eroding the diversity of voices.
• Zach’s analysis of media consolidation:

  "Their goal is to make it so that… everyone who’s not a right-wing billionaire is completely fucking powerless. They are squelching voices, they are squelching truth. They are destroying journalism." [06:48]

Timestamps:

• [00:50] Holiday schedule and CBS story intro
• [05:59] “No comment” in journalism and the death of the story
• [06:48] Media consolidation as a political weapon

2. Media Power and Long-term Consequences ([10:41] – [14:49])

• Hosts discuss the risks for Democrats should the right fully capture TV, streaming, and entertainment.
• Worry that anti-left and anti-minority sentiment will seep into cultural content.
• Debate about the business logic: Why pursue a business model (e.g., right-wing Netflix) that alienates most viewers?
• Tim:

  "Culture is one of the best ways to actually affect someone’s... belief system." [09:05]

• Erica points out the deep reach of right-wing organizations in youth spaces:

  "Look at fucking Turning Point. They have chapters in high schools." [10:41]

3. Is Trumpism Fascism? Incrementalism and the Overton Window ([11:49] – [19:16])

• Zach reframes the threat:

  "I don’t think you should think about this in terms of Democrat vs. Republican. I think... this is the Democratic Party versus fascism." [11:49]

• Tim and others argue the U.S. already exhibits fascist-like policies (deportations, concentration camps, anti-minority laws), while Luke is skeptical the public would ever allow true fascism to root itself, citing America’s diversity and built-in checks.
• The group discusses the classic cautionary poem “First They Came…” and the dangers of incremental loss of rights, especially to minorities.

Notable Quotes:

• Zach: "That type of incrementalism is how fascism works. And it is. First, it’s the immigrants. It’s... always the LGBTQ community first…" [17:49]

Timestamps:

• [11:49] Framing the stakes as fascism, not partisanship
• [17:49] The nature of incremental loss of rights

4. Public Apathy and the Breaking Point ([19:16] – [24:56])

• Unpacking the reluctance of “average Americans” (mainly whites or those privileged) to care until their own rights are threatened.
• Frustration at the complacency of those not directly affected by Trump-era policies.
• Debate about whether the Trump coalition truly wants a “white ethnostate” or just policies that prioritize whites.
• Tim:

  "They want a white ethnostate. They do." [22:09]

• Luke pushes back, arguing rhetoric can be extreme but reality is complicated and the group considers how far the right can really “go” before hitting resistance.

5. Policy Examples: Rights Revoked and Policy Shifts ([24:56] – [28:07])

• Examination of where tangible rights have been lost:
  • Women’s reproductive rights
  • LGBTQ+ protections (“Don’t Say Gay” in Florida, legal immigrants deported)
  • Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs
• Tim:

  "They do not want minorities, people of color, competing with white people and going to college. That’s exactly what [ending DEI] is for." [24:04]

6. White Nationalist Rhetoric in Power and Government ([25:00] – [28:07])

• Zach brings up Vice President J.D. Vance’s Turning Point USA remarks:

  "You don’t have to apologize for being white in America anymore." [25:00]

• Discussion of open white nationalist messaging and policy moves, e.g., limiting religious denominations in the military and the spread of conspiracy theories.

7. Has Trumpism Hit Peak Influence? Backlash and the Limits of Right-Wing Growth ([28:07] – [32:50])

• The group debates whether the Trumpist movement has reached its limits, with Luke confident that structures like regular elections will eventually curb the right’s power, while Zach warns that media consolidation can keep radicalizing the Overton Window.
• Both worry and hope about voter turnout, policy backlash, and the resilience of American democracy.
• Tim:

  “Both things are true...it could be that they’re at that [saturation] point, but some of that’s also because people have started to fight and they’re starting to get a different narrative.” [28:54]

• Zach:

  “There’s still plenty of room for that Overton window to keep rolling, and for more people… to view [extreme] policies as acceptable.” [31:44]

8. Mockery, Masculinity, and Right-Wing Influencers Defeated ([34:12] – [40:29])

• Comic relief: Jake Paul and Andrew Tate get humiliated in boxing matches, to the group’s joy.
• Discussion about how symbols of “masculinity” among right-wingers can be punctured by public mockery.
• Erica on Jake Paul:

  "I saw somebody that called Jake Paul a conservative’s idea of what a DEI hire is and that made me fucking piss myself." [36:36]

• Zach:

  "...mockery is probably the most powerful weapon we have against these guys." [37:54]

9. The Right Eats Its Own (Ben Shapiro, Neo-Nazis, and Turning Point USA) ([40:29] – [43:12])

• Ben Shapiro is marginalized at Turning Point USA for criticizing neo-Nazis, illustrating how the “mainstream” of the right is moving further toward open fascism and anti-Semitism.
• Zach:

  "That side that is platforming Nazis is winning. Ben Shapiro is losing… the leopard is eating his face." [41:27]

• Tim notes the irony in Shapiro’s predicament:

  "...you have been like platforming these idiots forever. Like, stop." [42:14]

Notable Quotes & Highlights

• Zach, on Fascism:
  "We’re not facing like a Jimmy Carter–Reagan thing—we’re facing a Weimar Republic becomes Nazi Germany thing." [11:49]
• Erica, on Public Apathy:
  "They are never going to care until somebody comes after them or their family." [20:38]
• Tim, on the Goal of Right-Wing Media:
  "They want to push everybody else down and lift up white people..." [23:49]
• Zach, on White Nationalist Rhetoric:
  "White nationalism is not a harmless ideology. It is not simply promoting whiteness, defending whiteness. It is exclusive. It is inherently genocidal." [27:17]
• Luke, on Limits to Authoritarianism:
  "I think they’ve made a product that… has reached its market saturation point." [28:07]
• Erica, on Redemption via Mockery:
  "Eat a bag of shit." [38:40]
• Zach, on Right-Wing Splits:
  "That side that is platforming Nazis is winning. Ben Shapiro is losing." [41:27]
• Tim (about Shapiro):
  "It’s too late, buddy. Like you’ve made all your money off these people and now you don’t like what you’ve created." [42:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | CBS News story, Bari Weiss, & media consolidation | 00:50–10:41 | | Is the Trump movement fascist? (Incrementalism) | 11:49–19:16 | | Public apathy and the “average American” response | 19:16–24:56 | | Policy changes: rights revoked and DEI attacks | 24:56–28:07 | | White nationalist rhetoric in government | 25:00–28:07 | | Debate: Has Trumpism peaked? | 28:07–32:50 | | Mockery of right-wing influencers (Paul, Tate) | 34:12–40:29 | | The right eats its own (Shapiro, Nazis, TPUSA) | 40:29–43:12 |

Tone and Style

The conversation is direct, profane, and deeply irreverent, blending gallows humor, pop culture references, and strong language. Amid alarm and criticism of Trump-era political trends, the hosts frequently poke fun at right-wing personalities and mock far-right masculinity, emphasizing the power of ridicule as a tool against extremism. Passionate disagreement, skepticism, and critical debate mark the discussion, keeping it honest and far from an echo chamber.

Useful for Newcomers

If you haven’t listened, this episode summarizes the left’s gravest concerns about Trump’s America and the shifting media landscape, while fiercely interrogating whether institutional and societal bulwarks can withstand fascist creep. Key takeaways include a sophisticated reading of incremental authoritarianism, the dangers of right-wing media consolidation, the limits and dangers of public apathy, and the importance of cultural resistance—including mockery.

Endnote

The hosts close out on a lighter note trading jokes about Christmas, podcast merch, and their hopes for increased resistance and smart, honest media in the year ahead.

Next up: A year-in-review episode and Zach’s spin-off: "On Offense" (Valor Media Network).

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