The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3600: GOP Sweating Shutdown & Trump Targets Dem Activists w/ David Dayen & Francesca Fiorentini
Date: October 10, 2025
Featured Guests: David Dayen (Executive Editor, American Prospect), Francesca Fiorentini (The Bituation Room)

Overview of the Episode

The episode centers on the ongoing government shutdown under Trump’s second term, the administration’s ramped-up efforts to target left-wing and Democratic activists, and the political and legal implications for organizations like ActBlue, Indivisible, and others. Sam is joined for the first hour by David Dayen for a simulcast with The American Prospect’s weekly roundup, and later by comedian/commentator Francesca Fiorentini, for an in-studio conversation. The discussion weaves through the practical impacts of the shutdown, the administration’s “counter-terror” campaign against left-leaning organizing, and the shifting political scene in states like Maine, plus broader meditations on protest, media, and political narrative.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Trump Administration's Crackdown on Progressive Activism

[12:50–20:38]

• Mocked White House Anti-Antifa Video: Sam, David, and Francesca riff on a Trump-era propaganda video equating leftist activists to organized terrorists, highlighting the surreal and almost parodic style of this media blitz.

  • Memorable quote: Francesca, in the parody: “They are a terrorist group and we are coming after them.” (12:59)
  • Sam: “Some of the energy of these guys is that filmed in the day room of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” (15:15)

• Policy Reality: Sam cites a Reuters report: the administration is coordinating federal agencies—including the FBI, IRS, and DOJ—to target major grassroots Democratic mobilizing entities as “domestic terror” threats.

  • Left-wing groups (ActBlue, Indivisible, Soros’s Open Society Foundations, IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace, etc.) named as possible targets, with threats to strip tax-exempt status, use RICO, and financial surveillance (17:30).

• Warning: Seriousness of right-wing projection and authoritarian escalation; concern over use of federal power to stifle legitimate political organizing and fundraising.

  • Sam: “You lead with the joke videos. But it’s getting real.” (19:40)
  • David: “Understand the importance of Democratic senators blocking Trump’s nominees...they’re going to end up deciding whether or not you go to jail because you were part of Act Blue or get shut down.” (20:38)

2. The Ongoing Government Shutdown: Tactics, Leverage & Fallout

[29:22–53:37]

• Schumer & Democrat Strategy: David Dayen outlines the evolution and infighting within Democratic circles over how hard to fight the shutdown and where the leverage lies.

  • Dem Strategy: Seeking to frame the shutdown as a healthcare/moral funding battle, but real dynamics are about executive overreach and stripping Congress of “the power of the purse.”

• Republican Calculus: Sam notes the sticking point: with ACA open enrollment looming, Republicans want to avoid public anger as subsidy notices hit voters’ mailboxes.

• The Stakes: David argues Democrats should wait for pain points—missed paychecks for federal/military workers, tangible program cuts—before agreeing to a deal, to maximize their political and policy leverage.

  • Sam: “It would be...deal making malpractice for the Democrats to do anything over the next two or three weeks.” (51:47)
  • David: “You want to get to that point on November 1st when people log in to sign up for health care and see those numbers.” (52:00)

• Shutdown’s Hidden Harm: Both note how the effects are deliberately concealed: Trump covers key programs to avoid bad press (like finding extra funds for Women, Infants & Children) but staffing in essential services (airports, etc.) is perilously thin, meaning minor absences spark chaos.

  • David: “It’s in the teens or less...that’s all it takes...we have been thinning out these systems that really protect us.” (45:47)

• Political Fragmentation: Analysis of House Republican infighting, delayed House sessions, and how growing protests (like the upcoming “No Kings” rallies) could escalate language about dissent into dangerous “terror” territory.

3. The “No Kings” Protest Wave and the Criminalization of Dissent

[53:03–58:13 & 86:45–98:39]

• Upcoming Protests: David notes that a new round of mass rallies (Oct 18) could outsize even those in early Trump years; the administration is preparing to characterize these as “terrorist” events, laying the groundwork for surveillance or prosecutions.

• Congressional Gaslighting: Clip played of House Speaker Mike Johnson pre-blaming Democrats for the shutdown and insinuating they're tied to radicalism due to these protests.

  • David: “There’s a larger situation...they’re trying to depict and associate mainstream normie sign-holding Democrats with Antifa...to round up mainly the funding sources.”

• Democratic Response & Movement Limitations:

  • Fragility of left infrastructure based on foundations/philanthropy vs. the need to build resilient mass membership (labor unions, mass orgs).
  • David: “If an enemy or a Republican government got in control of the IRS, they had a lot of ways to make life difficult if not impossible for these nonprofits and philanthropic organizations.” (59:32)

4. Electoral Politics: Generational Change & the Maine Senate Race

[63:13–73:37]

• Janet Mills Enters, Platner Surges: Analysis of Maine’s Senate primary, where 78-year-old Governor Mills enters late to challenge surging progressive Graham Platner, aided by ranked-choice voting (making consolidation easier for the outsider left).

  • David: “It makes it much easier for Platner to win...it doesn't have to be a one-on-one race for him to still take basically the not-Mills support and consolidate.” (65:41)

• Signs of Party Realignment: Growing number of primary challenges, younger, populist, affordability-focused candidates, and progressive policy language spreading, even to DCCC-backed House races.

  • Sam: “How much does this begin to really change Democratic politics?”
  • David: “This isn’t just sort of the fringe Justice Dem squad kind of groups anymore. This seems broader.” (73:37)

5. Anti-Monopoly, Corporate Power & Trump’s Corruption

[74:00–80:51]

• Antitrust Under Trump:
  • At first, there was surprising continuity in merger scrutiny, but this rapidly devolved; “pay for play” emerged, with major deals greenlit if approached by MAGA lobbyists.
  • David: “It was very clear this was the way antitrust is going to be practiced: with corruption, with individual lobbyists being paid large sums of money...to go over the heads of the antitrust division.” (76:06)
  • Fallout and pushback: whistleblowers, new lawsuits (Ticketmaster, Zillow, Redfin), pressure on Trump’s Attorney General.

6. Protest Culture and Police Behavior

[86:45–115:05]

• Portland & LA Protest Scenes: Francesca and Sam dissect why cities like Portland — with their highly costumed, sometimes clownish protests — frustrate Trump’s narrative of “anarchist terror.” Ridicule and surreal visuals neutralize propaganda.

  • Sam: “I’ve never been a big wear a costume to a protest...But the costumes are so effective...when the narrative is trying to be like, we’ve got to get federal authorities there to protect people from people like this.” (95:31)

• Police Priorities: The limits of “sanctuary city” policies; cops tend to protect ICE/CBP actions, rarely siding with protestors or resisting federal overreach.

  • Francesca: “There is no world in which the police are actually going to protect protesters...they are actually protecting ICE and CBP.” (93:32)

• Grassroots Resistance: Videos and stories from Chicago, where teachers and neighbors rally after ICE tear gases a school area; Francesca lauds strong union–community alliances.

  • Francesca: “This is that tough work. And this is why we have to be supporting mayors like Brandon Johnson...he is a product of strong unions and that city coming together.” (110:59)

• Human Cost: The suffering of families and “reckless recruitment” of new ICE agents, fueled by far-right/4chan propaganda, portend future abuses and tragedies.

7. Right-wing Populist Branding & GOP In-fighting

[119:09–122:26]

• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Populist’ Branding: Is there a genuine fracture in the GOP? Francesca and Sam agree she’s opportunistically pivoting (“she sees the lane, she’s reading the room,” Francesca at 120:14), not ideologically driven.

• Future Betting: Commentary on what happens “after Trump”—Vance, Fuentes, and the influencer class are all guessing where the next base of power will be.

8. Media Disinformation & Joe Rogan’s Contradictions

[123:37–152:39]

• Joe Rogan: Liberal Face, Reactionary Impact:

  • Rogan decries deportation scenes but falls back on simplistic (“we just need secure borders”) takes, oblivious to immigration law realities and the Democrats’ actual policy positions.
  • Sam: “Half the unauthorized in this country…didn’t cross the border…They came in with papers and just stayed. This is not about securing the border…” (124:08)
  • Francesca: “Walk a day in the shoes of an immigrant navigating the immigration system in the US…You want to see bureaucracy…” (129:38)

• Epstein Files Confusion: Rogan remains ignorant that it’s Democrats pushing to release Epstein documents, not Republicans (134:08).

• Media as Disorientation: Anecdote from “The Dollop”: Rogan once objected to his own quotes in a Maron script because “he sounds like a fucking idiot,” not realizing they were all things he actually said (139:20). The segment exposes how media figures shape public confusion—and, by extension, democracy’s peril.

9. RFK Jr., Trump, and Health/Science Quackery

[142:33–151:28]

• RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vax Myths: The crowd lampoons RFK’s assertion that circumcisions + Tylenol cause autism and highlights his pivot toward overtly anti-Semitic dog whistles.

  • Sam: “If the instance was Tylenol after circumcision, you’d see wild gender differences in autism rates…” (146:09)

• Trump’s Gullibility: Trump, off RFK Jr.’s cues, veers into conspiracy about Amish and vaccine size.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “They are a terrorist group and we are coming after them.”
  — Francesca Fiorentini, mocking the Trump propaganda video (12:59)

• “It’s a joke until it’s not. That really explains what’s gone on in this country for 10 years.”
  — Sam Seder (09:41)

• "You lead with the joke videos. But it's getting real."
  — Sam Seder (19:40)

• “There is a disinterest in letting people know there’s a shutdown. The problem is, it’s not only up to Trump.”
  — David Dayen (39:36)

• “All it takes to tip us into...problem is a handful of people.”
  — David Dayen on thin FAA staffing (45:47)

• “If you follow the first theory [of politics], why wouldn’t you bring Joe Biden back to run against Trump to run in 2028?”
  — Sam Seder (70:54)

• “There is no world in which the police are actually going to protect protesters...they are actually protecting ICE and CBP.”
  — Francesca Fiorentini (93:32)

• “Walk a day in the shoes of an immigrant…these people are the most tracked, the most followed, the most…checked in with X,Y,Z office…most of us can’t even pass a citizenship test. So, like, it’s insane to be like, ‘Oh, they’re not…’”
  — Francesca Fiorentini (129:38)

• “Joe Rogan doesn’t know what the fuck he’s saying most of the time and just babbles shit. And so when he sees it written…he’s like, ‘man, this guy sounds like a fucking moron’...That stuff you said.”
  — Dave Anthony (The Dollop), as quoted by Sam Seder (139:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Mock Anti-Antifa Video & DOJ Crackdown | 12:50–20:38 | | Shutdown Overview with David Dayen | 29:22–53:37 | | “No Kings” Protest, Criminalization | 53:03–58:13; 86:45–98:39 | | Maine Senate Race, Party Change | 63:13–73:37 | | Antitrust, Pay-to-Play under Trump | 74:00–80:51 | | Protest Culture, Police, Chicago ICE Video | 86:45–115:05 | | Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP Populism | 119:09–122:26 | | Joe Rogan, Immigration, Epstein Files | 123:37–152:39 | | RFK Jr./Trump Medical Misinformation | 142:33–151:28 |

Language, Tone, and Style

The tone is sardonic and irreverent with a signature blend of political seriousness and absurdist humor. The guests and Sam Seder freely indulge in jokes, impressions, and analogies, but always bring the analysis back to substance—whether the implications of a state-sanctioned crackdown on dissent, the brittle alliances inside both parties, or the real-world impact of authoritarian policy brew.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode interleaves sharp warnings about the criminalization of left-wing politics, the mechanics and power plays of the never-ending shutdown, and the slow-moving revolution within Democratic electoral culture. All are delivered with biting, sometimes surreal wit. Francesca and Sam’s sendup of protest culture, Joe Rogan, and anti-vax cranks provides cathartic comic relief, but the show never loses sight of the moment’s stakes for democracy, organizing, and movement politics.

For more details on any segment, consult the outlined timestamps above.