Trump Keeps Losing, Stagflation, and RFK Jr.’s Senate Meltdown

Transcript

Rich (0:00)

Foreign.

Tim (0:16)

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Find out podcast. We've made it to episode 40. There is so much crazy to talk about today. It is kind of insane. Uh, but as we were going live, we did just hear that the Supreme Court has essentially ruled in favor of the Trump administration in racially profiling people in la, which is not exactly a wonderful ruling. So. But we also did hear this morning that on his civil case, the judgment that Eugene Carroll got against him is going to stand. So there is some good and there's some bad today, and I think that's pretty much how the fall is probably going to go. A little good, not so bad.

Jake (0:56)

Do you think he's going to pay Eugene Carroll in Trump coin or. Or does it have to be cash? I think, because I think he made.

Luke (1:02)

Like, 5 million of those Trump phones.

Jake (1:05)

Just the phones.

Luke (1:06)

It's such a fucking, like, loser thing, too, because just in the money that he's grifted so far, this presidency, he could pay, but he's choosing not to.

Jake (1:14)

And he's, He's. I think he's never been known for, though.

Tim (1:17)

He doesn't pay people, he doesn't pay anybody. So it's just in his, in his DNA to say, screw you. I mean, there's the reason why everybody in New York City hates his guts. It's. Everybody has a story about a friend of a friend who did work for some area of Trump's world and never got paid or got paid half, because that's what he would do.

Rich (1:37)

How does he get away with it? Like, imagine if one of us tried to do that.

Tim (1:40)

It was just never work because he was going after people that he knew he could screw over, like contractors and stuff like that. He would basically say, I have, I have lawyers on. On retainer, so go ahead, file a lawsuit. And, you know, a lot of people just think, oh, you could just, like, you know, sue them, but it takes a lawyer. And, like, if you're a contractor or whatever, you don't probably have cash for that retainer, and that's only in the hopes that you get the money back. So he knew he could just do it.

Jake (2:08)

The battle of attrition. It's like you just do whatever you want. I mean, it's what he's doing in government. Do whatever you want. And then people have to figure out how to. How to challenge you and stop you and, and beat you. And if they give up or if they run out of money, then you win. And.

Summary

The Find Out Podcast

Episode 40: Trump Keeps Losing, Stagflation, and RFK Jr.’s Senate Meltdown
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Host/Panel: Tim, Rich, Jake, Luke

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the ongoing political chaos of Trump’s second term, with a sharp focus on the recent Supreme Court decision allowing racial profiling in LA, Trump becoming more emboldened post-court victories, worsening jobs and economic numbers, looming stagflation, chaos amongst the farming community due to tariffs, and a detailed summary of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s disastrous Senate testimony. The hosts break down the challenges of countering MAGA propaganda, lament the erosion of normal political and journalistic norms, and riff on the wildest current events with their trademark blend of humor, exasperation, and leftist realism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Legal Rollercoaster & Supreme Court’s Racial Profiling Ruling

[00:16–01:37]

SCOTUS Decision: As the show begins, Tim reports that the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration on racial profiling in LA, calling it a “not exactly wonderful ruling.”
E. Jean Carroll Civil Case: The court upheld the judgment in columnist E. Jean Carroll’s civil case against Trump; the judgment stands.
Cynicism About Trump Paying Damages:
- Jake (01:02): “Do you think he’ll pay E. Jean Carroll in Trump coin or does it have to be cash?”
- Luke (01:06): “It’s such a fucking loser thing… he could pay, but he’s choosing not to.”
Trump’s Habit of Not Paying Contractors: Explored through anecdotes about Trump’s decades of screwing over ordinary workers and contractors.
- Tim (01:17): “He doesn’t pay people… it’s just in his DNA to say, screw you.”

2. The Norms Are Dead: Why Should Democrats "Play Nice"?

[03:07–04:56]

The hosts debate the futility of expecting Democrats to “restore norms” when the GOP no longer abides by them.
- Luke (07:07): “Stop fucking around because clearly their side of the politics doesn’t give a single solitary fuck about following the rules.”
- Tim (03:41): “There are no more norms to break. They’ve all been broken.”
Consensus: The next Democratic presidential candidate needs an unapologetically aggressive agenda and must pursue real accountability for Trump's lawbreaking.

3. Trump Distraction Tactics & Media Analysis

[05:01–11:49]

The Blue Pill US Open Photo: Amused speculation about a viral image of Trump at the US Open, possibly “chomping” on a blue pill.
Fresh Conspiracies: The team jokes about Trump being outed as an “FBI informant” in the Epstein case, lampooning the absurdity of recent right-wing talking points.
Media Critique:
- The failure of mainstream journalism to label Trump’s lies as lies.
  - Jake (06:28): “There are so many times now that that has been proven and they still won’t just say: Donald Trump lied about this.”
- The mainstream press’ anxiety about appearing biased has led to an overcorrection—now accommodating right-wing narratives and figures like Bari Weiss (Tim, 08:50).
- Nostalgia for when journalism provided a “sane person’s take”—a role now largely missing and filled instead by social media and left-wing content creators.
  - Jake (10:18): “What we do have is the fucking voice of sanity… that has been completely erased from all mass media outlets… now you have to dig deep into Politico’s opinion section to find someone who just says ‘yeah, this is super fucked up and they’re all corrupt by the way’.”

4. Trump’s “Whitewashing Domestic Abuse” and Response to Economic Crises

[12:13–17:52]

Trump Downplays Domestic Violence: Trump’s recent comment that some crimes are just “little fights with the wife” is called out.
- Luke (12:41): “You mean he’s just whitewashing domestic abuse?”
Job Numbers Worsen:
- Tim (13:21): “We got a really bad jobs number on Friday…mountain of terrible, terrible economic news.”
- The panel attribute the economic downturn to Trump’s tariffs, with Axios even backing the analysis.
Contrast With Biden Era:
- Jake (16:33): “Joe Biden delivered an average of 215,000 jobs per month… all the way up through January this year. No job losses every single fucking month of his tenure for four years.”
- Recognition that up until mid-2023, wage growth began outpacing inflation: “He literally gave us a soft landing.”

5. Stagflation & Economic Discontent: Who Gets Hurt and Who Gets the Blame?

[17:52–25:10 & 39:56–44:33]

Describing Stagflation:
- Jake (39:56): “Stagflation is prices are going up… and there’s stagnant economic growth. The last time we had stagflation was in the 70s.”
Tariffs as an Economic Time Bomb:
- Tariffs, plus possible interest rate cuts, could mean rising prices without renewed growth—classic stagflation.
- Worries about the impact on housing, auto loans—essential consumer goods with prices propped up by tariffs.
Farmers Hit Hard:
- Arkansas farmers, who overwhelmingly supported Trump, are now “begging” for help due to tariff devastation.
  - Rich (24:13): “One of them said: ‘Trump keeps saying that he loves farmers and I need him to show me that love now.’”
- Hosts insist these voters may simply need to “hit rock bottom” before they stop voting red, but acknowledge it’s rare for such voters to then flip blue.
Tariffs’ International Fallout:
- Rich (27:08): “It’s consolidating our enemies—like, what a surprise—threatening India with 50% tariffs. They’re going to China and saying: we hate each other, but let’s figure this out.”
- America’s trade wars are pushing major global economies together and risking U.S. standing.

6. Why Can’t Democrats Reach Working Class Voters?

[29:55–32:31]

The hosts ask themselves: Is there any hope of persuading suffering Trump voters?
- Consensus: Not likely.
  - Luke (30:25): “You gotta let them hit rock bottom.”
  - Jake (30:55): “They’ll just stay home [instead of voting blue].”
- Social wedge issues (“abortion, the gay stuff”) have less pull than economic pain, but ultimately, the hosts see “logic” as ineffective against committed MAGAs.

7. Foreign Adventurism: Venezuela Provocation & Department of War

[32:01–36:41]

U.S. recently sank a Venezuelan vessel, with little evidence for “drug-running” claims.
- Vance’s response: “I don’t give a fuck about that” (32:56), which the hosts say appeals to MAGA and even some centrists.
- Jake expresses concern about the U.S. "playing world police" again, contradicting Trump’s “America First” rhetoric.
Trump’s push to rename the Department of Defense as the “Department of War”—a move estimated to cost $1 billion and be purely symbolic.

8. RFK Jr.’s Senate Meltdown: Anti-Science Lies & Vaccine Debacles

[44:33–56:43]

RFK’s Testimony:
- The hosts detail the bizarre “Health and Human Services Secretary” RFK Jr. Senate testimony, with him screaming, lying, and stating outlandish things (e.g., Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for the vaccine, the same one RFK asserts "killed more people than Covid.")
- Tim (46:51): “Explain to me how Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for the vaccine that you called the deadliest in history that killed more people than Covid.”
Florida Surgeon General’s Anti-Science Policies:
- Scrutinized for eliminating school vaccine mandates “without conducting any analysis.”
The Vaccine Misinformation Plague:
- The panel explodes at the idiocy of anti-vax talking points, especially misrepresenting VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), focusing on anecdotes and statistical ignorance.
  - Rich (51:55): “VAERS is Yelp for vaccine adverse reactions. That’s all it is.”
  - Jake (54:17): “Maybe Statistics 0.001—the way I explain fractions to my 8 year old is what all Republican voters need explained to them.”
- RFK Jr. blames Tylenol for autism, dismissed as “zero evidence.”
- Exasperation at the public’s inability (and sometimes experts’ unwillingness) to translate medical science to the layperson.

9. The Right-Wing Media Ecosystem & Why Leftists Must “Build Our Own”

[20:35–21:54 & 61:10–61:56]

The right effectively communicates its message via an ecosystem stretching from Fox News to online gaming streamers.
The left lacks equivalent infrastructure, which the Find Out Podcast team is trying to build.
- Tim (61:10): “Somebody has to do it because otherwise we’re never going to get those people back.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Trump’s strategy: Jake (02:08): “It’s what he’s doing in government: do whatever you want, and then people have to figure out how to stop you…if they give up or if they run out of money, then you win.”
On media failure: Jake (10:18): “We [have] the fucking voice of sanity…that has been completely erased from all mass media outlets.”
On Democrats playing by outdated rules: Luke (07:07): “Stop fucking around because clearly their side…doesn’t give a single solitary fuck about following the rules.”
On inflation and jobs: Jake (16:33): “Joe Biden delivered an average of 215,000 jobs per month… no job losses every single fucking month… the reason inflation wasn’t as destructive… was because we were mostly employed.”
On farming pain and tariffs: Rich (24:13): “Trump keeps saying that he loves farmers and I need him to show me that love now.”
On the futility of converting MAGA voters: Luke (30:25): “You gotta let them hit rock bottom.”
On VAERS/vaccine data chicanery: Rich (51:55): “VAERS is Yelp for vaccine adverse reactions. That’s all it is. Anybody who doesn’t like the vaccine…can go in and say, ‘I got 20 new ears and six new legs because of the vaccine.’”
On right-wing media power: Tim (20:35): “We have to combat an entire network that goes from TV down to streaming…and we don’t have it.”
On science deniers: Jake (54:17): “Statistics 0.001 is what all Republican voters need explained to them—crime data, vaccine data, the age of the earth.”

Important Timestamps

[00:16–01:37] — Supreme Court ruling on racial profiling; E. Jean Carroll judgment stands; Trump’s history of not paying creditors.
[03:07–04:56] — Debate over breaking “norms” and what Democrats need to do moving forward.
[05:01–11:49] — Trump’s media manipulation, blue pill story, and the failure of mainstream media to hold Trump’s administration accountable.
[13:21–17:52] — The bad jobs report, Trump’s economic blame games, the legacy of Biden’s positive jobs numbers.
[17:52–25:10] — Stagflation, tariffs’ economic impact, and how farming and rural communities are being hurt.
[29:55–32:31] — Hosts analyze whether struggling Trump voters can be won over (consensus: very unlikely, best hope is apathy).
[32:01–36:41] — Venezuela boat sinking, “Department of War” naming controversy, media antics.
[44:33–56:43] — RFK Jr.’s Senate meltdown, vaccine policy misinformation, public health skepticism.
[61:10–61:56] — The urgent need for independent left-wing media infrastructure.

Tone & Style

Irreverent, direct, heavy use of expletives and sarcasm.
Cathartic, with a sense of shared frustration and weariness at political regression and institutional breakdown.
Humor repeatedly used to blunt the absurdity and anger the hosts feel over current events.

Final Note

The episode closes with the hosts promoting their merchandise (union made, made in America), previewing a special episode featuring a progressive Senate candidate from Maine, and reiterating their mission: creating the left’s answer to the relentless, nationwide right-wing media machine.