The Find Out Podcast

Episode: Trump Gets Owned by Newsom and Putin
Date: August 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into recent political chaos during Trump’s second term, centering around his controversial meeting with Vladimir Putin, the state of US democracy and elections, and a surprising political pivot by California Governor Gavin Newsom. The hosts—Tim, Chris, Zach, Luke, and others—offer their usual irreverent, left-leaning, and humor-filled breakdown of the MAGA world, the threats to American democracy, and the birth of new forms of political resistance on the left.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Alaska Summit with Putin: An Embarrassing Debacle

[00:00–08:00]

• Air Show Spectacle: Trump stages a costly military airshow in Alaska for Putin, estimated at $2 million, highlighting misplaced priorities while domestic programs suffer cuts (SNAP, Medicaid).
• Soldiers & Red Carpet: U.S. soldiers roll out the red carpet for Putin, whom the hosts repeatedly call a war criminal. Trump applauds and acts awkwardly during the arrival.
• Opaque Meeting: Press briefings are canceled; Trump officials seem shaken after the meeting. Speculation abounds about secretive, one-sided concessions to Russia.
  • "I don't understand why he's so obsessed with trying to create a deal that benefits Russia ... nothing is going to work unless both sides get something out of this." — Chris [01:59]
• Putin Manipulates Trump: The hosts agree Putin’s praise and manipulation easily flatter Trump, drawing on his need for validation.
  • "Putin knows ... how easy Trump is to manipulate." — Zach [02:51]
• Ukraine Absent, Stakes High: All co-hosts agree: No peace deal is viable unless Ukraine consents, and Trump seems oblivious—while Putin demands Ukraine cede even more than what Russia has already taken.
  • "Ukraine is never going to give up. They're never going to cede some shit deal just to end this conflict.” — Chris [03:25]
  • "What kind of message does that send? ... That you can invade and everything's fine and you'll get what you want?" — Tim [04:39]
• USSR Nostalgia: Putin's crew wear Soviet insignia, signaling revanchist ambitions.
• Memorable Moment: On the tarmac, a reporter asks Putin when he’ll stop killing civilians. Putin feigns confusion and walks away, despite understanding English.
  • "He put his hand to his ear and then he just walked off. Like, he clearly heard … He speaks English." — Tim [07:08]

2. Trump’s Renewed Attack on US Elections

[08:07–16:20]

• Election Denialism Redux: Even Fox News pans Trump’s Putin summit. Trump pivots to attacking mail-in voting, proposing an executive order to ban it—despite (a) lacking authority and (b) having benefitted from mail-in ballots himself.
  • "He wants the ability to seize voting machines ... there's no evidence, let me repeat that, no evidence of any wrongdoing." — Tim [08:07]
  • "This will not be an actual thing. ... It's just a stupid PR stunt to further push this narrative that 2020 was stolen." — Chris [09:45]
• Legal Reality: The hosts emphasize elections are state-run; Trump’s order is toothless. Recent defamation settlements reinforce that the claims about Dominion voting machines were lies.

Layers Beneath the Rhetoric

• Authoritarian Creep: Zach connects Trump's tactics to militarization, voting intimidation, and the withdrawal of the National Guard—framing it all as normalization of force and voter suppression.
  • "Everything ... is voter intimidation ... If he convinces even a few million people ... that mail-in voting is illegitimate, that could be enough to swing an election.” — Zach [10:07]
• Mail-In Ballots Misunderstood: Historically, older, predominantly Republican voters used mail-in voting most. Trump’s crusade may backfire even among his own base.
  • "Before COVID, mail-in ballots were mostly reserved for elderly voters ... It's not very clear that this is actually going to help him very much." — Tim [13:13]
• Distracting & Demoralizing: The hosts agree Trump's outbursts aim to instill uncertainty and discourage turnout.
  • "All of this is meant to make people think that their votes don't count. So they don't vote. That's it." — Tim [14:34]

3. The Newsom Pivot: Fighting Fire with Fire

[17:20–24:48]

• Newsom Turns Trumpian: Governor Gavin Newsom launches an aggressive, Trump-style social media barrage, plus a controversial proposal to pause California’s independent redistricting commission and allow Democrats to redistrict in response to Republican gerrymanders elsewhere (e.g., Texas).
  • "He pretty much hired Donald Trump's people to write these things for him. It's, it's a one-to-one dude.” — Chris [18:40]
  • "His tweets are so fucking good. They're unhinged. All caps, like, everyone's low IQ scumbags." — Luke [18:18]
• Strategic Genius: Newsom’s embrace of “fighter” tactics inspires the left, and the hosts encourage other Democrats to emulate this energy.
  • "People want a fighter ... Gavin is showing everybody how you do this.” — Tim [19:02]
• Online Persona: Newsom’s social media director, Camille Zapata, gets special mention for masterminding the viral trolling of MAGA Republicans.
  • "One woman came in and was like, all right, let me fucking show you guys how it's done!” — Zach [20:15]
• The Limits of the Pivot: Some hosts express skepticism about Newsom’s progressive bonafides, especially on trans and homeless issues—debating whether performative combativeness is matched by genuine progressive values.

4. Culture War Fatigue and Strategic Framing

[24:48–33:10]

• Trans Rights Debates: The group debates whether ignoring right-wing culture war attacks (esp. on trans athletes) is strategic, or if acknowledging then pivoting is better.
  • "If you don't acknowledge it ... you end up where Kamala Harris did, and just got fucked." — Chris [27:53]
• Strategic Advice: They argue Newsom succeeds by “energy matching” and “ratcheting up” the attack rather than playing defense or completely changing subjects.
  • "We need to be able to go toe to toe on an issue and then ratchet it up. And that's why Newsom is being successful." — Chris [32:13]
  • "You have to convince them that this person is a loser, not that they're an asshole. … They love assholes." — Zach & Luke [33:30–33:43]
• Politics as Performance: Trump’s strength, they argue, has always been projecting dominance and reducing opponents to “losers” (e.g., “Little Marco,” “Please clap, Jeb”)—not superior policy.

5. The Path Forward: What Do Progressives Really Want Now?

[34:54–48:06]

• Hope & Change is Dead: Nostalgic center-left appeals are passé; listeners are urged to suggest new slogans expressing today’s angrier, more combative left energy.
  • "Hope and change is dead. I want somebody that is a fucking flamethrower coming out and just mowing everything in front of them down." — Tim [37:39]
• Justice and Rule-Breaking: Hosts support bending and breaking established rules (e.g., filibuster abolition, DC and Puerto Rico statehood, challenging the Electoral College) to fight for democracy and majority rule.
  • "Breaking the rules, power grabs ... that is how we save democracy. By saying the fascists, they don't get to play our game. We are going to run them over." — Zach [41:40]
• D.C. Statehood Justification: Trump seizing control in DC makes the best case for why the District needs self-rule, a governor, and Congressional representation.
  • "If you don't want military intervention in our streets, you start with making D.C. a state." — Tim [42:18]
• Executive Overreach as Tactic: The left should, the hosts suggest, learn from how Trump used unconstitutional executive orders for political messaging and air cover, even if they fail in court.

6. The Long Game: What’s Next for Democrats?

[46:09–48:06]

• Strategy for 2028: While aggressive tactics suit this moment, Chris warns that by the next presidential cycle, “restore sanity” may again be appealing.
  • "By the time 2028 runs around, this would be a losing strategy. ... I think the whole restore some sanity to the situation will become a very successful model three years from now." — Chris [46:09]
• Potential for Progressive Realignment: Chris and Luke envision a future where the left pivots further toward progressive, working-class-centric policies after weathering the Trump era.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• "He loves when people just compliment him and say he's the most beautiful person on the planet." — Zach [02:22]
• "Ukraine needs a long-term path to sovereignty that can't be broken... because that's already happened to them multiple times." — Chris [06:09]
• "It will not stand. ... It's just a stupid PR stunt." — Chris on Trump’s EO banning mail-in voting [09:45]
• "All of this is meant to make people think that their votes don't count. So they don't vote. That's it." — Tim [14:34]
• "His tweets are so fucking good. They're unhinged. All caps, like everyone's low IQ scumbags." — Luke on Newsom [18:18]
• "You have to convince them that this person is a loser, not that they're an asshole … They love assholes." — Zach & Luke [33:30–33:43]
• "Hope and change is dead. I want somebody that is a fucking flamethrower." — Tim [37:39]
• "Breaking the rules ... that is how we save democracy. ... We are going to run them over." — Zach [41:40]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Trump-Putin Meeting & Aftermath: 00:00–08:07
• Election Denial, Voting Machines, Mail-In Ballots: 08:07–16:20
• Newsom’s Trumpian Turn & Gerrymandering: 17:20–24:48
• Trans Rights, Culture War, & Messaging: 24:48–33:10
• Fighting for Democracy (D.C. Statehood, Rule-breaking): 34:54–44:14
• Democratic Strategy Now & Next: 46:09–48:06

Final Thoughts

The hosts close with their “Getting Worked By” segment (49:00–51:00), this time targeting Mitch McConnell for having set much of the country’s current reactionary trajectory.

Overall Tone: Fiercely irreverent, loudly leftist, deeply anti-MAGA, and driven by both outrage and gallows humor.

For New Listeners:

This episode offers a comprehensive, no-BS leftist view on America’s current political chaos, the dangers of Trumpist authoritarianism, the evolving strategies of Democratic resistance, and the importance of fighting fire with fire—at least for now.