New Poll Results Show Democrats With An Edge, Topping Off Tough Week For Trump

Summary

NPR Politics Podcast: "New Poll Results Show Democrats With An Edge, Topping Off Tough Week For Trump"

Date: November 21, 2025
Hosts: Miles Parks, Domenico Montanaro, Mara Liasson

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Episode Overview

This episode covers a consequential week in U.S. politics, highlighting new polling that shows Democrats with a notable advantage over Republicans. The team breaks down the political ramifications of Congress' push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, the President's combative responses to Democratic lawmakers, a pivotal court ruling on Texas redistricting, and public sentiment about President Trump’s leadership and the broader political climate ahead of the midterms. The episode’s tone mixes deep political analysis with humor and some personal anecdotes in the “Can’t Let It Go” segment.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files (01:22–04:57)

• Trump's Shift in Position: President Trump, who previously fought the release of Epstein files, ultimately signed a bill allowing their release.
  • Domenico Montanaro: “He waved the white flag. ...He tried to pressure Republicans... then he waved the white flag. It gave an openness to allow other people to go and vote in favor of the full release.” (01:43–02:12)
• Bipartisan Action: The bill passed the House nearly unanimously, and the Senate cleared it unanimously—a rarity in current congressional politics.
  • Miles Parks: "What do you all make of the fact we can never find bipartisan agreement about anything and yet this seems to have done it?" (03:06)
  • Domenico Montanaro: "[Republicans] have cowed to Trump over the years and been willing to do what he wants, not necessarily what they morally think is the right thing to do." (03:21)
• Political Fallout for Trump: Questions arise about Trump’s motives and if this scandal will affect him politically.
  • Mara Liasson: "Usually, like you said, scandals just roll off him like water off a duck's back. So why was he so concerned about this?" (04:13)
  • Mara Liasson: "He doesn't seem as powerful as he used to." (04:47)

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2. Democrats’ Military Messaging & Trump’s Reaction (04:57–07:31)

• Democratic Video Encouraging Refusal of Illegal Orders: Democratic lawmakers with military backgrounds urged service members to refuse illegal orders.
  • Miles Parks (channeling the video): “You must refuse illegal orders.” (05:19)
• Trump’s Response: President calls the lawmakers “traitors” and reposts commentary suggesting execution—later denied by the White House as endorsement.
  • Mara Liasson: "When my kid uses the F word and then he says he's just kidding... he still use the F word and he gets punished. ...He said that they should be executed. This is not the first time..." (05:42)
  • Mara Liasson: “It’s hard to explain your way out of this at some point, even for Donald Trump.” (06:19)
• Democratic Strategy: Democrats, particularly those aligned with veterans’ groups, are targeting Trump's perceived weaknesses with the military to bait him politically.
  • Domenico Montanaro: "It's a broader strategy to bait Trump, and it seems to have worked this week." (06:48)

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3. Texas Gerrymandering Thrown Out (07:31–09:51)

• Federal Judge Blocks Texas Maps: Recent gerrymandering favoring Republicans in Texas is invalidated due to racial, not just political, motivations.
  • Mara Liasson: “The Supreme Court has said political gerrymanders are okay...But...as long as the last few vestiges of the Voting Rights Act are still standing, you're not supposed to do racial gerrymanders.” (07:51)
• Potential Boomerang Effects: New maps may create risks for Republicans in Latino districts, as Latinos are shifting away from the GOP.
  • Domenico Montanaro: "When you start to reduce the power of the seats...and when you're banking on Latinos in South Texas...We've seen those Latinos move away from the Republican Party and Trump this year." (09:17)
  • Mara Liasson adds: “That's why sometimes gerrymanders turn into what we call dummy manders. They backfire.” (09:51)

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4. New NPR Poll: Democrats Gain, Trump Falters (11:39–17:16)

• Democrats’ Big Lead in Generic Congressional Ballot: NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows Democrats up by 14 points—a rare and striking result.
  • Domenico Montanaro: “In 20 years of covering politics, I can't remember seeing a good survey...where one party is at 55 in the congressional ballot.” (11:39)
• Voters' Dissatisfaction: Both Trump and Republicans face low approval—notably, Trump registers a 39% job approval, with especially low numbers among independents.
  • Mara Liasson: "We have more Democrats sitting in seats that Trump won than Republicans sitting in seats that Harris won. And also, Republicans have an advantage, not even counting the mid cycle gerrymandering..." (12:32)
• GOP Response and Party Loyalty: Despite discontent, Republicans remain loyal—9 in 10 still back Trump. But, it’s easier for some to break with Trump as his approval dips.
  • Domenico Montanaro: "It's certainly easier to do that when a president has low approval ratings as Trump does." (13:36)
• Key Issues for Voters: The economy dominates; 57% see lowering prices as the top priority, much more than immigration.
  • Domenico Montanaro: "Trump is chaos...but he can't escape the fact that people are feeling a pinch in their pockets."(14:58)
• Democrat Enthusiasm: Democrats are disliked even among their own voters, but anger and motivation, not apathy, is fueling turnout—discontent is not translating to support for Republicans.
  • Mara Liasson: "Are they gonna stay home? Probably not. Cuz these voters are very, very angry." (14:17)
• Forecasting the Year Ahead: The poll provides a "framework" for where public opinion stands, but much can change, especially if the economy improves.
  • Domenico Montanaro: "If prices stay what they are, it's advantage Democrats. But if they come down and people feel improvements, then this lead very much could recede." (16:28)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump and the Epstein Files Release:
  • Mara Liasson: “He ran to the head of the parade and grabbed the flag because he knew he was losing...I don't know if that stuff is working anymore for him.” (02:34)
• On Political Chaos:
  • Domenico Montanaro: "Trump is chaos. That's always been his strategy. He puts out a fire hose of stuff, you know, controversial things online..." (14:58)
• On the Power Dynamics in Congress:
  • Domenico Montanaro: "Nothing says lame duck more than the out party...taking over control of the House." (08:43)
• On Motivated Voters:
  • Mara Liasson: "They are not happy with Democrats. Does that mean they're gonna vote for Republicans? No. Are they gonna stay home? Probably not. Cuz these voters are very, very angry." (14:17)
• On Gerrymanders Backfiring:
  • Mara Liasson: "That's why sometimes gerrymanders turn into what we call dummy manders. They backfire." (09:51)
• On Poll Skepticism:
  • Mara Liasson: “Sure, we're still a year away, but...if Democrats can maintain a lead of...8 to 11 points... that's setting them up for a very good midterm.” (12:32)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Epstein Files Legislation & Analysis: 01:22–04:57
• Democratic Military Orders Video & Trump Reaction: 04:57–07:31
• Texas Gerrymandering Court Ruling: 07:31–09:51
• New NPR Polling and Midterm Implications: 11:39–17:16

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"Can't Let It Go" Segment (19:03–24:04)

• Mara Liasson: Discusses a controversial new U.S. 250th anniversary commemorative coin featuring Trump—controversial both for defying tradition & possibly the law.
  • “What this to me symbolizes is not just that the rules and laws don't apply to Trump, but his motto could be heads I win, tails you lose...” (19:03)
• Miles Parks: Recalls a bizarre issue of a man on parental leave who reached out to Colorado voting officials about election machines, humorously pondering how someone investigates voting machines while caring for a newborn. (21:08)
• Domenico Montanaro: Talks about troubling new AI-powered toys that give children unfiltered, sometimes dangerous information. “We've come a long way since Teddy Ruxpin. Let me tell you.” (22:39)

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Takeaways

• Democrats are enjoying a rare political upswing, but structural factors such as gerrymandering and partisan loyalty remain battlegrounds.
• Trump's grip on GOP lawmakers is weakening, yet he still commands strong base approval.
• Voters from both parties are dissatisfied; economic pain trumps most other issues.
• Unexpected court decisions and party strategies may shift the calculus heading into the 2026 midterms.

For anyone missing the episode, this summary captures the main arguments, emotional tone, and humor the panel brought to a fast-paced, eventful week in U.S. politics.

Transcript

[Domenico Montanaro]

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[Miles Parks]

Hi, this is Sheri in Sioux City.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Iowa, and I'm cooking lots of adobe.

[Miles Parks]

Style chicken for a tailgate we'll have this weekend in Iowa City.

[Mara Liasson]

Ooh, yummy.

[Miles Parks]

When the Hawkeyes play and my family will be together for a tailgate.

[Domenico Montanaro]

This mom cannot wait.

[Miles Parks]

This podcast was recorded at 12:36pm on Friday, November 21, 2025.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Things may have changed by the time.

[Miles Parks]

You hear it, but hopefully the Hawkeyes will have won and I know we'll have enjoyed a sweet weekend of family time together.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Enjoy the show.

[Mara Liasson]

Food timestamps are the best.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Interesting a Sioux City Hawkeyes fan because, you know, Iowa is pretty far east. The University of Iowa and a lot of the more conservative portion of the state roots for Iowa State, but that's just some deep Iowa local stuff. For those of us who covered a lot of politics there, I just, I.

[Miles Parks]

Haven'T eaten lunch yet, so I feel like they should have to ask permission before they do a food timestamp. Hey there. It's the NPR Politics podcast. I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting.

[Domenico Montanaro]

I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.

[Mara Liasson]

And I'm Mara Liasson, senior national political correspondent.

[Miles Parks]

And today on the show, we are unpacking another very busy political week. I want to start with the Jeffrey Epstein case. President Trump signed a bill to allow for the release of thousands of files related to the convicted sex offender. But this is something that President Trump was fighting up until very recently. Domenico, why do you think he changed course here?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, he's going to lose. And, you know, he really waved the white flag. You know, he tried to pressure Republicans. There were four of them who continued to hold out for a very long time because they wanted to have these files full, fully released. He campaigned on saying that he would release them. The Justice Department tried to say that they didn't have enough evidence to charge people over the summer and said, you know, they're not going to release whatever other things are to protect the victims. And that was a line that the White House tried to continue to push with Republicans. And then he waved the white flag. It gave an openness to allow other people to go and vote in favor of the full release. And it passed almost unanimously in the House with only one person objecting, which really raises a lot of questions for me on, you know, what People privately believe versus what they publicly will do if they're a Republican and the President tells them not to.

[Mara Liasson]

And speaking of flag metaphors, you know, remember the President created this own monster. He campaigned on that there was a terrible scandal in those Epstein files and he was going to uncover it. And his Attorney General said she had Epstein's client list on her desk. Oops. Then she changed her mind. Nope, it wasn't there. So what he did is he ran to the head of the parade and grabbed the flag because he knew he was losing. And he tried to do a little political jujitsu by saying, I'm signing this bill and we're gonna find out about the Democrats in these files. I don't know if that stuff is working anymore for him.

[Miles Parks]

Well, Domenico, you touched on the unanimous nature, or almost unanimous nature of these files with only one vote against in the House, and the Senate cleared it unanimously. What do you all make of the fact we can never find bipartisan agreement about anything and yet this seems to have done it?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I mean, I think it showed again, how much Republicans have cowed to Trump over the years and been willing to do what he wants, not necessarily what they want morally think is the right thing to do on every occasion. I think also Trump, though, revealed himself on his relationship with Epstein and not in a very good way. I mean, if you think about what he said in the White House with what is now another wrinkle and change in story about his relationship with him, that he said he threw him out of his club for, quote, being a sick pervert. You know, that really begs the question here. Does that mean Trump is lying or that he actually knew what Epstein was doing and just didn't say anything about it to protect the girls? Neither is really good.

[Miles Parks]

Mara, does any of this matter politically for Trump? I mean, I just feel like we've been doing this for 10 years. The president has weathered every number of personal and political scandals. Why is this any different?

[Mara Liasson]

Well, I think what's interesting about it is that he pushed so hard to not let these files come out. And usually, like you said, scandals just roll off him like water off a duck's back. So why was he so concerned about this? But the other thing that's happening is that we know from the off year elections that the laws of political gravity have not been abolished. They still work for Trump. His policies are unpopular, his approval rating is down, and voters just rejected his party. So I think that it shows that he doesn't have the complete 100% rock solid hold on his base that he used to. I am not saying that MAGA is divorcing him or abandoning him, but. But he just doesn't seem as powerful as he used to.

[Miles Parks]

All right, well, let's turn to other news that the President made this week. A group of Democratic lawmakers, all with ties to the military or to national security Fields released a video where they encouraged military members to refuse orders if they thought they were illegal. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.

[Domenico Montanaro]

You can refuse illegal orders.

[Miles Parks]

You must refuse illegal orders. That led the President to post on social media that the lawmakers were, quote, traitors and engaged in, quote, seditious behavior. And he also reposted commenters who suggested that the lawmakers should be executed. Mara should note that White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said yesterday that the President was not, in fact, calling for these lawmakers to be executed. But what do you make of all this?

[Mara Liasson]

Well, he posted comments that said the lawmakers should be executed. This is a tough one. When my kid uses the F word and then he says he's just kidding or he didn't mean it, he still use the F word and he gets punished. I think that saying that a repost is different than a post is really splitting hairs too far. He said that they should be executed. This is not the first time that he said his opponents should be executed. He said that many of them have committed treason. And of course, one of the punishments for treason is execution. But I think this is a president who's under pressure and he's been responding in a pretty extreme way, even for him. You know, it's hard to explain your way out of this at some point, even for Donald Trump.

[Miles Parks]

Well, Domenico, I wanna ask about the contents of the video for a second because, you know, this is a video put out by Democrats featuring members who either served in the military or have these national security backgrounds. And it does feel like a moment with Democrats see an opening here. You know, Republicans have traditionally been the party viewed as the party looking out for the military. Do you feel like Democrats are trying to kind of seed into that?

[Domenico Montanaro]

If it's a broader strategy, it's a broader strategy to bait Trump. And it seems to have worked this week because, you know, there's always been these left leaning veterans groups that have aligned with Democrats and have tried to, you know, make these kinds of messages. But we've seen this kind of message before, you know, in the first Trump term, for example, where you had people trying to remind those in the military that they don't have to follow illegal orders that they believe to be illegal orders. In fact, they're not supposed to follow illegal legal orders. So it's an interesting choice and a time to bring it up for those veterans and Democrats to try to do this. And clearly it's another thing that's gotten under Trump's skin.

[Miles Parks]

Well, I want to turn lastly to Texas. We got some news that the state's congressional maps that have been gerrymandered recently to give Republicans even more of a favorable map there in the upcoming midterms. They've been thrown out by a federal judge. And this was the gerrymander that sort of started the great gerrymandering wars of 2025. Mara, what could this possibly mean?

[Mara Liasson]

Well, we don't know yet until the Supreme Court rules on it. There are a lot of things piling up at the court now. They've been overall favorable to Donald Trump and his efforts to expand the powers of the executive. They could decide that this gerrymander is merely political. The Supreme Court has said political gerrymanders are okay. The reason the lower court threw it out is because they said this gerrymander was racial. And as long as the last few vestiges, the Voting Rights act are still standing, you're not supposed to do racial gerrymanders. So I would just say this one, you know, let's just wait and see. I still believe that assuming this gerrymander is approved, it means that overall Republicans do have an advantage in the mid cycle gerrymandering wars. They just do. They're going to come out with more seats than Democrats are going to be able to create for themselves. Unless the Supreme Court does something surprising.

[Domenico Montanaro]

You know, Mara mentioned Trump being a potential lame duck, especially being on the wrong side of a lot of the issues currently and seeing more Republicans start to maybe cross him a little bit. Nothing says lame duck more than the out party, the party that's not in power currently then taking over control of the House. So Republicans are desperately, especially the president, desperately trying to retain control of the House with just this very razor thin three seat majority. So Trump is trying to find any anywhere possible to get more seats to have a bigger advantage for Republicans to hold onto that power. But you know, there's gonna be a lot of questions about a potential boomerang effect here because when you start to reduce the power of the seats of the people who are in Congress and make them more vulnerable to wave election, and when you're banking on Latinos in South Texas to help you out in two or three of these seats. We've seen those Latinos move away from the Republican Party and Trump this year. So I think it's a, it's a bit of a bit of a roll of the dice for Republicans to think that they can be guaranteed those votes.

[Mara Liasson]

And that's why sometimes gerrymanders turn into what we call dummy manders. They backfire.

[Miles Parks]

All right. Time for a quick break. More in just a moment. Hey, it's Ray from Car Talk. Are you tired of all the depth.

[Mara Liasson]

And thoughtful care that goes into NPR shows? Want some good old fashioned goofing around and stumbling to figure out what's going on?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, I've been taking occasional car questions.

[Mara Liasson]

Again, you can hear them by signing.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Up for NPR along with lots of other bonus content.

[Mara Liasson]

Just go to plus.npr.org this week on.

[Miles Parks]

Consider this, after ICE agents flooded into Chicago, activists came up with a resistance plan they think other cities can follow. It boils down to making immigration enforcement as inefficient as possible. Time and money, time and money. A report from Chicago. Listen this week to Consider this from NPR on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. This message comes from Kachava. Sometimes people stock their fridge with good intentions only to have their future self sacrifice. Nutrition for convenience. Keep your body and mind nourished with whole body meal shakes from kachava. It's got 25 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, greens and so much more. But it actually tastes delicious. Try one of Cachava's indulgent flavors today. Shop now through December 2nd. To get 30% off your first purchase of two or more bags, go to cachava.com and use code NPR. And we're back. And new polling from NPR says Americans are largely unhappy with how things are going in the country. President Trump gets bad marks, as does his Republican Party, but so do Democrats. Domenico, what do you see in this new NPR PBS News Marist poll?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, it was a pretty eye opening poll, I thought. This week, you know, Democrats are up 14 points in what's known as the congressional ballot task. We asked routinely, you know, if elections were held today, who would you vote for in your district, a Republican or a Democrat? 55% in this poll said a Democrat, 41% said a Republican. In Marist polls. That's the biggest lead that we've seen since 2017, since Trump's first administration. And I have to say, in 20 years of covering politics, I can't remember seeing a good survey put out a congressional ballot where one party is at 55 in the congressional ballot. Look, this could be an outlier, but there's plenty of evidence that it's not. Especially with the elections earlier this month where, you know, Democrats did well up and down the ballot and voters seem to be upset with Trump and Republicans, especially on the issue of affordability.

[Miles Parks]

14 points is a lot of points. It sounds like the makings of a blow up, but we are still a year away from midterms.

[Mara Liasson]

Sure, we're still a year away, but I do think that if Democrats can maintain a lead of anywhere from, oh, I don't know, 8 to 11 points advantage in the generic ballot, that's setting them up for a very good midterm. So things have changed and the predictive power of these polls and the generic ballot question has really dropped. Why? Because there are so fewer truly competitive seats. We have more Democrats sitting in seats that Trump won than Republicans sitting in seats that Harris won. And also, Republicans have an advantage, not even counting the mid cycle gerrymandering that's going on in states like Texas and California.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I was gonna say the gerrymandering has really led to a right leaning number of seats in the country that are, you know, seemingly a majority. And that's why Democrats need to have a bigger advantage on this question.

[Miles Parks]

Well, thinking ahead to how Republicans respond to all of this, the first thing they did after this government shutdown Dominica was to vote to force President Trump's Department of Justice to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Where does the party stand or how are they thinking about moving forward over the next year?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I mean, I think it'd be too far to say that the party's fracturing and people are breaking away from Trump. But it's certainly easier to do that when a president has low approval ratings as Trump does. I mean, our poll had him at 39% job approval, the lowest since just after January 6th. You know, it was 24% with independence. He's on the wrong side of a lot of issues. The economy, people thinking he's going too far on how the administration is conducting deportations. But I have to say, you know, I'm skeptical that there will be that much change where we see Republicans suddenly abandoning the president because he's still very popular with base Republican voters. In our survey, 9 in 10 Republicans still approve of the job he's doing.

[Mara Liasson]

And what's just a little caveat about the unpopularity of Democrats, they are unpopular, historically unpopular. But a lot of the people who say they are not happy with Democrats are Democratic voters. They're not happy with Democrats. Does that mean they're gonna vote for Republicans? No. Are they gonna stay home? Probably not. Cuz these voters are very, very angry. And we saw in the off years that they are motivated. Whether Trump is on the ballot or not, they are motivated.

[Miles Parks]

I mean, the thing I struggle with, Domenico, is just trying to figure out what matters right now, because it does feel like there's a new political controversy scandal, something big happening every single day. And I get the sense that that advantages Trump that nothing ever really seems to stick.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, yeah, I mean, Trump is chaos. You know, that's always been his strategy. That's been his playbook. You know, he puts out a fire hoses stuff, you know, controversial things online, as we saw even this week. I think the difference here is that Trump and Republicans, like Democrats and President Biden before him, can't escape the fact that people are feeling a pinch in their pockets. You know, it's arguably one of, you know, the reason why he won crossover voters in the 2024 presidential election. Still the main issue in our poll, 57% said that lowering prices needs to be Trump's top priority. Immigration was a distant second at 16%. Despite the fact that Trump continues to say, or has said repeatedly in the second term that immigration is really the most important issue. But even a plurality of Republicans were saying that lowering prices is the top priority. So they are screaming it out in the surveys and at the ballot box.

[Mara Liasson]

The economy, and particularly prices is a different kind of issue. It's easy to change the subject from a lot of issues, but not when people feel they are being pinched and prices are going up for their basic goods like food and rent and education. And it's very hard to convince people that the economy is better than they feel. And if presidents try, Biden tried, Trump is trying now try to convince them that something is different than they're feeling. They are insulted.

[Miles Parks]

Well, I do feel like a lot can change in a year, specifically. And maybe most importantly, it sounds like on the economy. How much can we really learn from a poll like this, Domenico? This far out from midterms?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I mean, I think it offers a lot of value. I mean, it offers a good framework for where we are right now, you know, what the mood of the country is, what the report reporting lines, frankly, will be heading into the next year. What is it that voters care most about? We know what people think is most important. We see this as really a critical juncture of Trump's presidency because he's inching closer to that lame duck status and certainly would be if Democrats take back the House next year. But Democrats have to worry about peaking too soon. They're not taking Republicans by surprise on the issue of affordability. There are some real warning signs for Democrats in this survey as well. As Mara said, Democrats don't really like the people in their own party. And the bottom line here is if prices stay what they are, it's advantage Democrats. But if they come down and people feel improvements, then this lead very much could recede.

[Mara Liasson]

Right? That means Trump has to deliver. He can't just convince people the economy is better than they think it is. He has to actually bring prices down.

[Miles Parks]

All right, let's take one more break and then it's time for Can't Let It Go On. Wait, wait, don't tell me famous actors.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Remember their days of obscurity. Like when Pedro Pascal remembered the stress.

[Miles Parks]

Of being a waiter, the logistical labor of meeting everyone's needs in the right manner. You know, the act one, the water, act two the drink. Listen to Wait Wait in the NPR.

[Domenico Montanaro]

App or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mara Liasson]

So I just want to check in really quick. Are you okay? Or are you suffering from sleep deprivation, a stack of bills, or political propaganda? If so, you may be stuck in the parent trap. On the It's Been a Minute podcast, we're diving headfirst into the anxieties of modern parenting and how that trickles out.

[Domenico Montanaro]

To all of us.

[Mara Liasson]

Even if you don't have children. Come find some relief. Listen to the It's Been a Minute podcast on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. With a phone and an Internet connection.

[Miles Parks]

Anyone can try to turn a creative passion into income.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Creative work is more valuable than people realize. It is going to be a hugely significant area of the economy.

[Miles Parks]

But what does it mean to monetize all this creativity? TED Radio Hour's two part series explores the creator economy. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. And it's time for Can't Let It Go. That's the part of the show where we talk about things from the week that we just cannot stop thinking about politics or otherwise. Mara, why don't you get us started?

[Mara Liasson]

My Can't Let It Go this week is a commemorative $1 coin issued by the United States Mint in honor of America's 250th birthday, which is next year. And the draft images show Trump's side profile on the front of the coin and then on the back of the coin there's the famous image of him raising his fist after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt and the words fight, fight, fight are underneath. Now what's interesting is that there's actually a law that prohibits living former presidents from being featured on a coin no sooner than two years following their death. But this one is considered a special collectible coin. So he might get around the law on that one. That law also states that there can be no head and shoulders, portrait or bust, of any person, living or dead, on the reverse of the coin. And that's why on the reverse of the coin, it's just the picture of him with the fist raised, not his profile. What this to me symbolizes is not just that the rules and laws don't apply to Trump, but his motto could be heads I win, tails you lose. And this coin is created to actually make that happen since it has a picture of him on both sides.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Yeah, I wonder if this thing is actually gonna get off the ground and if there's anyone in Congress that it raises any eyebrows for or if he's gonna get really mad at somebody at the US Mint who stands in the way of it like he did the National Archives, people who you would never normally see talking out publicly.

[Mara Liasson]

I don't think that's gonna happen because the treasurer, US Treasurer Brandon beach posted on X. No fake news here, potus. These images are real. Looking forward to sharing more soon. So I think that the Mint is on his side.

[Miles Parks]

Yeah, I, I'm a little skeptical, Domenico, of this. I don't know if this is gonna happen thing. I feel like this is like 8 years ago when we were like the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act. The Hatch act matters. It's like, ah, this one, I don't, I. We'll see. We'll see.

[Mara Liasson]

Miles, what can't you let go of this week?

[Miles Parks]

So my can't let it go this week is also a little bit political. Follow me here. Okay, so do you guys remember, you may not remember this cuz you're not like in the voting weeds the way I am, but earlier this summer there was this guy who was reaching out to a bunch of counties in Colorado asking to investigate their voting machines. He was telling these counties, many of them, that he was doing it on behalf of the White House. The White House said no, we basically like, we're not associated with this guy. But the thing I cannot let go of about this story which I had been kind of reading into again cuz I was doing a piece about threats to the midterm elections and all the things voting Officials are worried about. But when CNN reached him and asked him about this, you know, asking all these voting officials to investigate their voting equipment, his attorney told CNN that he was doing it in his free time while he was on parental leave. And I was like, parental leave from where? I don't know. I don't know. But I was just like. That just flashed me back to the idea of like having a four week old. And in some ways it made it make a little bit more sense that I was like, wow, this guy probably had slept like two hours and was like, I'm just gonna send some emails to some election officials. But the other part of it was like, man, I don't know about that. I'm curious to know how that was playing at home, that he was investigating elections equipment when there was a newborn baby around.

[Domenico Montanaro]

You know, well, you do a lot of sitting around. You know, babies sleep a lot. And, you know, who among us hasn't sent an email trying to, you know, influence how elections are run?

[Miles Parks]

Fair enough. Domenico. What can't you let go of?

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, you know, we're, we're coming close to the holidays and, you know, a little bit of stress always kind of creeps in when I start thinking about what I'm gonna buy people.

[Mara Liasson]

Oh, how nice of you.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Well, you know, it's. I don't know, it just feels like, what am I gonna get? And especially if you have relatives who have kids, you're like, what am I gonna get kids? Right. Well, now there are these AI powered toys. I don't know if you've heard about that this week. I don't know if you remember the old Teddy ruxpin from the 80s. I certainly wanted one when I was a kid. You put an audio cassette in his back and he talked to you, remember that? And it was this cute little toy and he would, like, read to you and stuff.

[Mara Liasson]

Stuff.

[Domenico Montanaro]

This is very different. And it tells kids way too many things. Things we can't even talk about on a polite podcast. It was telling researchers and including ways to go get knives and where they would be.

[Mara Liasson]

Oh, my goodness.

[Domenico Montanaro]

And other things that are not PG related, where the kids could ask any question that they wanted. And it went into excruciating detail about some of those things. And, and people said, yeah, this is not what a toy is supposed to do. We've come a long way since Teddy Ruxpin. Let me tell you.

[Miles Parks]

We gotta go back to just regular action figures. Right? There was nothing wrong with them. They work. They did the job.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Let's just go back, like, do we really need people talking to their toys and their toys telling them things? I mean, that's this is really dangerous.

[Miles Parks]

I want to be able to leave the room and know my child is not talking to the Internet. You know, I just want to be able to know that. All right. That's all for today. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Our producers are Casey Morell and Bria Suggs. Our editor is Rachel Bay. Special thanks to Krishna Kalamer and Kelsey Snell. I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting.

[Domenico Montanaro]

I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.

[Mara Liasson]

And I'm Mara Liasson, senior national political correspondent.

[Miles Parks]

And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics podcast. This message is sponsored by dsw, the birthplace of the humble brag, full of all kinds of shoes that get you at prices that get your budget. And when there are never ending options for every style, mood, occasion and budget, there is unlimited freedom to play. And that's something to brag about. So go ahead, stock up on fresh sneakers from your favorite brands or try those boots you always secretly knew you could find, the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget. DSW let them surprise you.

[Domenico Montanaro]

Wildcard is where big name interviews feel.

[Miles Parks]

Like conversations with a friend.

[Mara Liasson]

I mean, I can't believe how lucky I've been.

[Miles Parks]

You didn't say goodbye the right way.

[Mara Liasson]

McConaughey, she told me. I don't think you're Princeton material.

[Miles Parks]

I'm nothing if not open, I guess. I'm Rachel Martin. Watch or listen to Wild Card on.

[Domenico Montanaro]

The NPR app, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.