The Joy Reid Show | “Jasmine’s Running! And Trump Is Crashing Out”

Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Joy-Ann Reid
Guests: Jasmine Crockett, Charles Booker

Episode Overview

This lively episode of The Joy Reid Show spotlights two headline topics: Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s high-profile campaign for the U.S. Senate, and what Joy describes as Donald Trump’s “crashing out”—politically, rhetorically, and regarding his erratic policy stances. The episode blends sharp political analysis, pointed interviews, and real-time news reaction, with a special emphasis on the growing challenges and shifting demographics in southern politics. Joy is joined by Jasmine Crockett for a spirited conversation about Texas, race, and the possibility of flipping red seats blue, followed by a conversation with Kentucky’s Charles Booker about building viable progressive campaigns in the deep South. The show also tackles Trump’s outbursts and press hostility, media landscape shifts, and more.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Democratic Gains in the South

• Miami Flips Blue ([02:41] – [05:45])

  • Joy celebrates the election of Eileen Higgins, the first non-Latino Democratic mayor in Miami since the 1990s.
  • Trump’s candidate was soundly defeated in a city he won in 2024, which Joy sees as a “huge deal and a huge sign” of Democrats’ momentum.
  • Major campaign issue: "affordability"—Higgins ran on combatting Miami’s sky-high living costs, mirroring issues across big cities.
  • Quote:
    “Miami has not had a Democratic mayor for like decades... Miami is one of the most expensive cities in the United States right now.” — Joy Reid [04:31]

• Georgia Special Election ([05:45] – [06:55])

  • Democrat Eric Guider flips a Northeast Georgia House seat.
  • These wins, along with a near-upset in Tennessee 7, signal Republican vulnerability, especially regarding Trump’s policies.

2. Trump’s ‘Crashing Out’: Abuses, Hypocrisy, and Hot Mic Moments

• Foreign Policy Hypocrisy ([07:00] – [11:49])

  • Joy examines Trump’s contradictory stance on “zero tolerance” for drug traffickers, citing his pardon of Honduras’ convicted former president while saber-rattling over Venezuela.
  • Joy criticizes journalists for normalizing Trump’s war talk and calls out underlying racism/misogyny when Trump gets defensive.
  • Quote:
    “If there’s a president who he doesn’t like... they go to war with them. He’s now threatening the president of Colombia also. He’s next.” — Joy Reid [11:15]

• Limits to Trump's Power ([11:49] – [13:54])

  • Hot mic reveals Trump complaining about the inability to appoint prosecutors.
  • Joy: Even he knows his power isn't unlimited, but the press and public often act as if it is.

• Attacks on Women Journalists ([13:54] – [19:30])

  • Joy spotlights Trump's open hostility towards journalists, especially Black women.
  • Suggests press corps needs to back each other up during Trump’s abuse:
    “The next person, the people standing behind the journalist who's getting abused, couldn't you say, Mr. President, I think that that was uncalled for. I too have the same question...” — Joy Reid [18:52]

3. Jasmine Crockett’s Senate Run: Can Democrats Flip Texas?

• Texas’ Changing Demographics ([22:36] – [34:18])
  • In-depth breakdown of Texas’s racial and voting composition, gerrymandering, and obstacles to Democratic statewide victories.
  • Contrasts with California and New York, which have successfully elected Black women statewide.
  • Beto O’Rourke’s near-win (just under 2 percent from Ted Cruz in 2018) cited as evidence that Texas isn't a blowout red state.

Guest Segment: Rep. Jasmine Crockett Joins Live

([35:06] – [73:17])
Key Themes:

• Path to Victory:

  • Jasmine argues data and turnout are on her side, given Texas’s diversity.
  • Quote:
    “The key is to drive [turnout] up in a state where 61% of the people are people of color, that's it. This ain't Iowa, y’all.” — Jasmine Crockett [36:04]

• Attacks from All Sides:

  • Crockett notes both right and left have targeted her, driven by fear that she could actually win. Her polling and favorability are strong, she claims.

• The Black Woman Electability Question:

  • Joy raises concerns that Texas can’t elect a Black woman statewide. Jasmine pushes back, referencing Obama’s improbable win and noting she polls best with Latinos, Black voters, and non-graduates—the very groups Dems have struggled with.
  • Quote:
    “If these amazing people had it figured out, I don't know why we ain't got it done in the last 30 years... or we can try to do something different.” — Jasmine Crockett [37:18]
  • “I don't believe that my ancestors want me to think on that level.” — Jasmine Crockett [43:06]

• Building a Winning Coalition:

  • Crockett stresses her national profile and grassroots organizing, arguing she can unify and mobilize unlikely voters.
  • Her campaign is rooted in material issues: jobs, healthcare, housing, and Supreme Court reform.
  • Quote:
    “We gotta change the Senate map. I'm tired of people believing like... it can't be a Black woman.” — Jasmine Crockett [41:00]

• Republican “Pied Piper” Theory:

  • Joy asks if Republicans are propping up Crockett thinking she’ll be easier to beat. Jasmine rejects the idea, noting the attacks she’s faced.
  • Quote:
    “If that's your goal is to get me to the general, then why would you hold it until I got into the primary... Instead, you're like, let’s get her.” — Jasmine Crockett [51:31]

• Latino Voters: Turning Out & Winning Over

  • Joy and Jasmine discuss the challenge of mobilizing Latino voters in Texas, referencing fresh Pew data showing many are unimpressed with Trump’s economic and immigration policies.
  • Quote:
    “When you start to talk about the economy ... there are people that still get paid the very minimum in Texas... healthcare is actually a really big thing.” — Jasmine Crockett [59:41]

• APAC Money & Israel Votes

  • Joy presses Jasmine about progressive concerns, including APAC funding and votes on foreign aid bills.
  • Jasmine: “I am not taking APAC money” and clarifies her Yes vote encompassed aid for multiple countries, not just Israel. ([63:38])

• Racism, Attacks on Colleagues

  • Jasmine responds powerfully to Trump’s latest racist tirade against Ilhan Omar, affirming community and solidarity.
  • Quote:
    “It was giving Klan rally...You cannot leave us hanging out there by ourselves and allow them to talk noise because you see what he did there.” — Jasmine Crockett [69:30–71:00]

4. Media Shakeups & Press Freedom Under Threat

([75:14] – [91:42])

• CBS News, Israel Discourse, and Editorial Shifts
  • Joy details Ta-Nehisi Coates' contentious CBS interview about Israel/Palestine ([77:30]).
  • CBS internal conflict: Executives say the segment wasn't up to standards; parent company (under new management) sides with the anchor.
  • Barry Weiss—pro-Israel editor—now in charge of CBS News editorial via a Skydance-Paramount sale. She’s shifting CBS rightward and promising to “fix CNN” if they buy it.
  • “They're about to Barry Weiss... the Tiffany Network, where Walter Cronkite used to work...” — Joy Reid [89:10]
• Government Watchlists & Anti-Immigrant Moves
  • Joy highlights DOJ and FBI plans for new domestic extremism watchlists, and Trump’s proposed social media scrutiny for foreign visitors. ([91:42])

5. Charles Booker: Flipping Kentucky Blue?

([102:12] – [117:19])

• Can a Progressive Win in Mitch McConnell’s Backyard?
  • Charles Booker joins to outline his campaign to replace McConnell and his pitch for “40 for 40”—$40,000 minimum salaries for full-time workers.
  • Emphasizes movement-building across race, class, and region.
• Lessons from the Past:
  • Contrasts his approach with Democratic failures in 2022.
  • Booker touts deep community ties as the path to building enough trust to win.
  • Quote:
    “Anyone that offers themselves up to protect our country should be protected... but the issue was that we are tired of status quo politicians who don’t understand us, who don’t come from the struggle.” — Charles Booker [107:08]
• His Vision:
  • “I'm not taking corporate PAC money. I'm not accepting money from groups like APAC. This is in tribute to community, the power of family.” ([115:49])
  • Cites Kentucky’s Bashir family as proof Democrats can deliver and win.
  • Hopeful for coalition across left-behind conservatives and progressives.

6. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Trump on Jasmine Crockett ([23:27])

  “How about this new one? They have their new star, Crockett. How about her? She's the new star of the Democrat Party, Jasmine Crockett. They're in big trouble. But you have this woman, Crockett—she's a very low IQ person. I watched her speak the other day. She's definitely a low IQ person.”
  (Repeated several times by Trump, highlighting his contempt—used as a rallying cry by Joy and Jasmine.)

• Crockett’s ‘Mic Drop’ ([49:15])
  “A Black man was told no, he couldn’t, and he said yes, we can ... So if we can have both of those things happen ... I don’t think that is so far out of left field that a Black woman can win.”

• Jasmine on Press Attacks and Racism ([69:44])
  “We have to take these moments and have to be in defense of... how they’re acting towards a sitting member of Congress who is a Black woman... literally a number of us are risking our lives.”

• Charles Booker on Fighting for Possibility ([104:56])
  “There is a movement growing... of regular people who are fed up and understand that change won't happen unless we do it.”

7. Fun/Heartwarming Segments

• Moment of Joy: Obamaclause ([117:52])

  • Joy plays a clip of Barack Obama reading to children, marveling at the contrast with current leadership:
    “Oh, my God. Don't y’all miss having a decent, kind, nice guy president?... Even when I disagreed with Barack... he's a decent man, he's a good person.”

• Melania Tries Reading to Kids ([98:05])

  • Joy pokes gentle fun at Melania’s lack of warmth during a holiday photo op.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:41] Miami flips blue; significance for Democrats.
• [05:45] Georgia special election; Trump’s unpopularity in the South.
• [08:07] Trump on Honduras and Venezuela—foreign policy hypocrisy.
• [11:49] Trump’s hot mic admission of powerlessness.
• [13:54] Trump’s abuse of women journalists; Joy’s call for solidarity among the press.
• [22:36] Texas’s demographic and electoral analysis.
• [35:06] Jasmine Crockett interview begins.
• [51:31] GOP “Pied Piper” theory and Jasmine’s polling.
• [59:41] Engaging Latino voters in Texas.
• [63:38] Jasmine’s positions on APAC money and foreign aid votes.
• [69:44] Jasmine responds to Trump’s attacks on Ilhan Omar.
• [75:14] CBS, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and editorial shifts in media.
• [91:42] DOJ/FBI domestic extremism moves and new visitor screening.
• [102:12] Charles Booker interview begins.

Tone and Style

Joy’s signature style is forthright, passionate, at times biting, and always grounded in both facts and principle. She lifts up voices—especially women and people of color—who have to endure both political and personal attacks. Crockett’s tone is confident, unapologetically ambitious, impatient with “business as usual,” and committed to data-backed arguments. Booker is folksy, earnest, and movement-oriented.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a sweeping, raw-but-hopeful lens on American politics at a crossroads. Joy highlights the cracks in Republican Southern dominance, energizing guests like Jasmine Crockett and Charles Booker who represent a new generation of unapologetic Black progressives. The conversation prescribes coalition-building, data-driven strategy, and a refusal to surrender to pessimism, while warning about the perilous state of democracy and the press. Listeners come away with both timely analysis and a sense of the stakes—optimism is radical, but possible, if people organize and support bold leadership.

For further info:

• Jasmine Crockett: jasmineforus.com
• Charles Booker: charlesbooker.org

(Selected quotes, timestamps, context, and segment structure provided for complete recall even if you did not hear the show.)