Podcast Summary:

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
Episode Title: Ali Velshi: Trump's reaction to Tuesday's crushing election defeat? Basically, 'Let them eat cake'
Date: November 8, 2025
Host: Ali Velshi (in for Lawrence O’Donnell)
Main Guests: Timothy Snyder, Eric Swalwell, Sister Simone Campbell, Erika Jones

Overview

This episode, hosted by Ali Velshi in Lawrence O’Donnell's absence, spotlights the seismic political and social repercussions of the recent nationwide U.S. elections, which saw resounding Democratic victories and a stinging rejection of Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s policies. Through in-depth analysis and guest conversations, the show examines themes of democratic agency, the disconnect between voters and Republican leadership, the social consequences of the ongoing government shutdown, and the collective opposition to Trump’s authoritarian tendencies — all captured with urgency, empathy, and a democratic optimism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Democrats Sweep Elections: A Turning Point for Democracy

[01:39 – 05:25]

• Ali Velshi and Nicole Wallace celebrate massive Democratic gains across states, underscoring it as a victory not just for a party, but for democracy itself.
• The national mood shift is emphasized: “Everything may have changed this week. Democratic momentum is strong and growing heading into next year’s midterm elections…” (Ali Velshi, 03:00)
• The takeaway for Democrats: unity across ideological lines propelled their wins.

“The lesson for Democrats from Tuesday night is despite those differences, they all have much more to agree about than to disagree about.” (Ali Velshi, 03:59)

• The episode connects this uprising at the ballot box to mounting, records-setting protests against Trump’s policies, highlighting a growing, widespread resistance even in areas once considered Trump strongholds.

2. Trump’s Reaction: “Let Them Eat Cake” Economic Gaslighting

[04:39 – 07:30]

• Trump’s response to voters' anxieties about rising costs is described as dismissive and dishonest.

“Donald Trump keeps lying and saying that prices and inflation are going down, and he just doesn’t want to hear about it.” (Ali Velshi, 05:05)

• Ali rebuts Trump’s claims citing hard economic data and media reports, painting the former President as increasingly detached from the struggles of everyday Americans.
• A standout insight:

“Elected to be an affordability President, Trump has governed as an authoritarian dilettante.” (Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 06:10, paraphrased by Ali)

3. Government Shutdown & Health Care: The Battle over SNAP and ACA

[07:30 – 10:48]

• Democrats shift strategy on Obamacare subsidies, proposing a one-year extension to break the government shutdown.
• Velshi points out GOP intransigence and frames the issue in populist terms:

“What we need to do here, Senator Thune, is to get poor people and children fed with SNAP, get planes to fly... Republicans could have all that instantly for the price of helping make health insurance a little more affordable.” (Ali Velshi, 08:45)

• The discussion sets the stage for the episode’s focus on the tangible impacts — on health, food, and safety — of Congressional gridlock.

4. Timothy Snyder: “Inevitability Is Not Inevitable” — Democratic Agency Reborn

[10:48 – 19:21]

• Snyder observes that the sense of “inevitability” around Trump’s rule has been broken by engaged, active citizens:

“The only way that the other side can win is if they have that sense of inevitability. …If we show that we’re not afraid, then we will start to win.” (Timothy Snyder, 10:51)

• He credits unusually high voter turnout and diverse coalitions for the change, noting that debate over 'what kind of Democrat can win' is settled — “all of them” can, if they're united.
• Snyder lauds the grassroots campaign work of winning candidates and links the election results back to mass protest movements, concluding:

“It gives us a sense that you can actually break out. …You can break out, you can tell your own story, you can do your own things and you can change the way things look and the way things feel.” (Snyder, 18:50)

5. Direct Democratic Action: From Street Protests to Ballot Victories

[12:09 – 19:21]

• Velshi and Snyder highlight records in voter turnout in cities and states — including California’s ballot measure and NYC’s judicial elections — that usually don’t draw crowds, as proof of reawakened civic engagement.
• Snyder notes that opposition efforts have shifted from being “stuck” to being “unstoppable.”
• Memorable line:

“They took it more seriously than the politicians expected them to. …People recognize that things could be much better, and they’re taking matters into their own hands at the ballot box.” (Snyder, 12:42)

6. Democratic Coalition: Pluralism and Pragmatism

[13:15 – 15:10]

• Discussion pivots to the debate within Democratic ranks (“centrist vs. progressive”), concluding the winning message is coalition over conflict.

“You win with a big coalition, but a big coalition doesn’t involve criticizing each other all the time.” (Snyder, 13:39)

7. Trump’s Oligarchic Reality & Communication Failures

[15:10 – 16:40]

• Snyder articulates a theory: Trump’s detachment isn’t just dishonesty, but an “oligarchic reality” where everyday struggles are irrelevant.

“When you’re trying to be rich, it’s not just that you’re lying. It’s that you’re in this warped place, which is different.” (Snyder, 15:37)

• The campaign success of Zoran Mamdani in NY is held up as proof that grassroots engagement can beat big-money politics.

8. Eric Swalwell: GOP in Hiding, American Workers Suffering

[22:15 – 28:15]

• Congressman Eric Swalwell decries Republican leaders’ absence and highlights the hardship faced by unpaid federal workers.

“Mike Johnson has become a missing person. …But you know who we should thank? It’s our TSA agents …These people are heroes right now because they show up and something’s more important to them than money. It’s our safety.” (Swalwell, 23:32)

• Riffs on the disconnect between government priorities (war spending, self-enrichment) and the urgent needs of regular Americans:

“And we’re building a $300 million ballroom, and the president’s going to pay himself $230 million. …Most Americans are just saying, hey, like, what about me?” (Swalwell, 25:28)

• Notes the political risk for Republicans as popular discontent with the shutdown intensifies, especially ahead of Thanksgiving travel disruptions.

9. SNAP Fight: Hunger and the Hypocrisy of GOP Policy

[28:16 – 36:01]

• Velshi delves into the fight over SNAP benefits, emphasizing the acute suffering caused by ongoing benefit cuts, especially in red counties dependent on such programs.
• He confronts the paradox of voters backing candidates who cut the programs they rely on.

“If the cost of making people pay more for health care is that some people don’t eat, that’s apparently fine with them.” (Ali Velshi, 28:57)

• Sister Simone Campbell (Catholic Charities) adds empathy and firsthand witnesses:

“People who have food on their table don’t know what it is to be a desperate family, to …not be able to feed their kids. …I don’t know who we are as a nation that we think it’s okay to cut their food. It’s wrong.” (Sister Simone, 32:24)

• She notes the impossible expectation that charities alone can fill the gap for millions of hungry Americans.

10. California’s Prop 50: Democracy in Action, Not on Autopilot

[36:07 – 43:22]

• Ali Velshi and guests discuss California’s record-breaking voter turnout for Prop 50, showing voters understood and seized their legislative agency to counter Republican gerrymandering.

“This time, voters were given a job. …You are a legislator right here, and it’s this single piece of paper is what we got. …They knew, I’m going in there, and I’m voting yes. And we heard them say it — for freedom.” (Ali Velshi, 37:00)

• Erika Jones (teacher, California Teachers Association) celebrates educators’ role in mobilizing turnout and connecting the struggle for democracy to bread-and-butter issues like class sizes and public safety.

“This was a moment where we actually turned helplessness into hopefulness.” (Erika Jones, 41:19)

• The nonpartisan spirit of the civic movement is emphasized; local issues mattered, but the overarching drive was defense of democracy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Voter Agency:
  • “Inevitability is not inevitable… If we protest, if we conceptualize clearly, if we say what we want, if we show that we’re not afraid, then we will start to win.” – Timothy Snyder [10:48]
• On Trump’s Gaslighting:
  • “Donald Trump keeps lying and saying that prices and inflation are going down…thinks he can get away with it.” – Ali Velshi [05:05]
• On Coalition-Building:
  • “You win with a big coalition…what it involves is saying your thing and listen[ing] to the person right next to you. If you do that, you can win.” – Timothy Snyder [13:39]
• On SNAP Cuts:
  • “I don’t know who we are as a nation that we think it’s okay to cut their food. It’s wrong.” – Sister Simone Campbell [32:24]
• On Educators as Democratic Mobilizers:
  • “This is personal for educators…when you’re going to sit there and not only attack our communities, attack the students we serve…we got in the fight and we got in the fight strong.” – Erika Jones [40:05]
• On Pluralism and Community:
  • “Pluralism is not about always agreeing. Pluralism is about believing there are lots of different good things and we’re going to fight for those different good things." – Timothy Snyder [14:32]
• On Government Priorities:
  • “We’re building a $300 million ballroom, and the president’s going to pay himself $230 million. …Most Americans are just saying, hey, like, what about me?” – Eric Swalwell [25:28]
• On Public Action:
  • “This is a movement happening. And I would be worried if I was Republicans, if I saw 7 million people go to the streets…” – Eric Swalwell [26:37]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:39] – Democrats sweep: framing the meaning of the election.
• [03:59] – Lesson: unity across Democratic spectrum.
• [04:39] – Trump’s response: economic gaslighting, “let them eat cake.”
• [07:30] – Shutdown & healthcare: the crux of the Congressional fight.
• [10:48] – Guest Timothy Snyder: on inevitability, protest, coalition.
• [12:09/12:42] – High turnout as proof of renewed agency.
• [13:39] – Big coalition not contradiction.
• [15:10] – Trump’s oligarchic worldview explained.
• [16:40] – Grassroots campaigns beat big money.
• [22:15] – Eric Swalwell: government shutdown’s human toll.
• [23:32] – TSA agents heroism.
• [25:28] – GOP priorities out of step with public needs.
• [28:16] – Focus on SNAP, hunger, red state dependency.
• [32:24] – Sister Simone Campbell: direct stories of need.
• [36:07] – Velshi on direct democracy: Prop 50 and agentic voting.
• [40:05] – Erika Jones: educators and personal stakes.
• [41:19] – “Turning helplessness into hopefulness.”

Conclusion

Ali Velshi, Timothy Snyder, Eric Swalwell, Sister Simone, and Erika Jones collectively paint a vivid portrait of an American democracy at an inflection point: emboldened by collective action, battered but resilient in the face of authoritarian attacks, and newly aware of the power of pluralism and grassroots mobilization. The episode ends with the sense that, while party and policy debates continue, the paramount lesson is that engaged citizens — across lines of ideology, geography, and personal interest — can effect real change at the ballot box and beyond.