The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Raging Moderates: Trump’s “Affordability” Agenda—A Masterclass in Backward Economics

Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Scott Galloway & Jessica Tarlov

Episode Overview

This episode of "Raging Moderates" sees Scott Galloway and co-host Jessica Tarlov deliver a centrist, data-driven breakdown of the week’s major political stories. The main focus: Donald Trump’s attempt to reclaim the increasingly critical “affordability” political message, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s focus on America’s masculinity crisis—and how both play out in the current climate. They also touch on the media spectacle around Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s social media follows and trendier cosmetic “Mar-a-Lago face” plastic surgery, all with their signature irreverence and sharp analysis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s “Affordability” Pivot – Political Gamemanship or Policy?

(08:13–21:00)

• Context: Trump is reversing course on the affordability issue after Democrats gained ground by hammering cost of living concerns. He’s now touting rebate checks tied to tariffs, price-fixing investigations into meat, cheaper drugs, and even “50-year mortgages.”
• Galloway: Critiques these policies as “backward economics,” arguing that tariffs are inflationary, redistribution through rebate checks is administratively wasteful, and none of it addresses the systemic economic issues facing Americans.
  • “I'm going to raise the prices of your fruits and vegetables, your housing, your lumber, your Toyotas...and then I will run it through this administrative complexity...and then I'll distribute checks to you.” (16:01)
  • Tariffs and rebate checks fail basic economic logic and just increase deficits instead of helping people afford everyday goods.
• Tarlov: Adds these proposals are “bullshit” because revenue projections don’t match payout promises ($600 billion needed vs. $300 billion generated), suggesting Trump’s policies are more marketing than substance.
  • “It’s a marketing tool that he's using...Remember, he was the one that was signing all the [stimulus] checks...so [people] just thinks Donald Trump gave them money.” (11:40)
  • Points out that real-world experience of high prices (groceries, gas, etc.) makes it hard for such political messaging to stick.

Notable Quote

“This idea that you could just wake up and say, oh, I'm going to own the affordability message...he can't keep himself on message.”
—Jessica Tarlov (14:48)

2. Election Dynamics, Vibe Voting, and Foreign Influence

(03:33–07:57)

• Galloway & Tarlov: Dissect recent mayoral elections, discussing the impact of third-party candidates (e.g., Curtis Sliwa and Cuomo in NYC), and the phenomenon of “vibe voting”—the sense that image and perceived momentum (helped by odds ads) are trumping policy.
  • “It just creates momentum...when you see someone is up by that much...it really favors the candidate that is portrayed as the person winning.” (05:10)
• The hosts highlight reports of foreign money (from the Middle East and China) influencing betting odds and ads, leading to concerns about election interference via perception manipulation.
  • “Do you really think the Chinese have a huge interest in the mayoral campaign? ... All the money coming...on these what I'll call...brand campaigns...it just strikes me...what they're up to.” (06:59)
• Tarlov connects this to a broader theme since 2016: adversaries exploiting and inflaming American social divisions.

3. The Realities of Economic Stimulus and Intergenerational Theft

(23:23–30:25)

• Galloway: Gives a mini-masterclass on why broad, un-targeted government stimulus (like COVID relief checks) functions more as a wealth transfer to older, established asset owners—raising asset and home prices, punishing the young and newcomers with higher entry costs.
  • “The greatest intergenerational theft in history was the stimulus for Covid...all you’re doing is entrenching the incumbents.” (23:23)
• Means-testing is critical: Most recipients with cash reserves didn’t spend their stimulus checks, so the full benefit went largely unutilized by those who needed it least.
• Galloway’s personal story: Declined CARES Act money for his startup, highlighting widespread misallocation and fraud.
  • “There was so much money...Shake Shack was taking tens of millions for their individual restaurants...these stimulus programs...were essentially nothing but an excuse to transfer money from the young to the old.” (30:19)

Notable Quote

“If feedback immediately you check back and you get defensive, it's probably because there's some truth there and you just need to take a beat and absorb it.”
—Scott Galloway (45:53)

4. Masculinity Crisis & How Democrats Should Respond

(35:07–50:25)

• Newsom’s Stand: Governor Gavin Newsom is publicly calling on Democrats to address the “masculinity crisis”—citing troubling rises in male suicides, dropout rates, and diminishing economic status for young men.
  • “Suicide rates, the dropout rates, the suspension rates are off the charts. You're going to see graduation almost two to one women in four year colleges in a few years. This is a crisis.” (35:43, Newsom audio clip)
• Galloway: Acknowledges that talking openly about boys’ and men’s issues comes with political risk, but endorses Newsom’s approach—framing solutions around prosperity and opportunity for all, not zero-sum gender dynamics.
  • “I'm very focused on economic security and on men being providers in a capitalist society...But [critics say] a lot of these men, if they achieve economic security, if they don't find other means of purpose...they end up on my couch.” (39:01–40:15)
• Tarlov: Praises Newsom for laying out the roadmap to connect economic opportunity to well-being for all, regardless of gender identity, highlighting real progress in millennial fathers’ family engagement, the importance of universal childcare, and the need to update cultural perceptions of family roles.
  • “Your provider protector, procreator model, you said these are qualities that can be applied to women as well. It really wasn't about...pushing women down so that men can get up. It was, how can we all rise together?” (50:00)

Memorable Moment

• Galloway gets “name-checked” by Newsom on CNN, which leads to comic self-awareness:
  • “To have to listen to me host a podcast where I cut to an interview where I get name check is literally shavings of shit on a shit salad.” (36:32)

Notable Quote

“The only color that matters to people is green.”
—Scott Galloway (citing post-election analysis) (37:06)

5. The Culture Corner: Talarico’s “Horniness” & The "Mar-a-Lago Face"

(54:25–59:03)

• James Talarico story: Texas Senate candidate—an avowed Christian progressive—gets “scandalized” in the press for following OnlyFans models and adult film stars on social media.
  • Hosts dismiss concerns: “Because he's like a normal dude and we've been craving normal dudes.” (55:40)
  • “James, we support you. Come back on and show us your friends.” (58:06)
  • Both agree this “scandal” is so unserious it actually helps his relatability.
• Mar-a-Lago Face: Surge in Trump-world cosmetic surgery requests (“Botox maximalism”); Galloway and Tarlov riff on “over the top” aesthetics and share openly about their own cosmetic adventures.
  • Galloway drops a trademark quip: “My plastic surgeon suggested a scrotum lift. He said it was low hanging fruit. I couldn’t resist.” (58:51)

Notable Quotes

• “It’s as if I keep thinking, okay, maybe I keep layering on stuff for senior year in high school, but it feels like there should be a financial literacy course. My kids can do integers and calculus, but they don’t understand the interest rate on their credit card.”
  —Scott Galloway (17:00)

• “The feedback that really hurts is the feedback that is accurate, that it kind of cuts to your soul.”
  —Scott Galloway (45:53)

• “He can't keep himself on message...this idea that you could just wake up and say, oh, I'm going to own the affordability message. Affordability is many things, right? It's just a proxy for whatever cost of living issue is top of mind for you.”
  —Jessica Tarlov (14:48)

Timeline of Significant Segments

• 02:00: Banter, election recap—Curtis Sliwa, the NYC mayoral race, vibe voting, foreign-influenced betting odds
• 08:13: Main segment—Trump’s “affordability” pivot, economic messaging, and rebate checks
• 16:01: Galloway’s breakdown—Why tariff-rebate economics don’t work
• 23:23: The real economics of stimulus and Covid relief—who really benefits?
• 30:25: Personal story—CARES Act money, startup ethics, and how pandemic relief was misallocated
• 35:07: Newsom’s masculinity policy spotlight—recording and analysis
• 50:25: Gender and economic opportunity—universal childcare, rising family models, and lasting solutions
• 54:25–59:03: Pop culture closer—James Talarico’s Instagram “scandal” and the rise of the Mar-a-Lago Face

Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is smart, irreverent, data-driven, and laced with self-deprecating humor. Both hosts balance sharp policy analysis with lived experience, never shying from criticizing either party or their own assumptions. Galloway’s emphasis on economic security and literacy recurs throughout, while Tarlov’s insights ground discussions in the practicalities of family, elections, and real-world progress.

This summary distills the substantive insights, memorable quotes, and dynamic tone that make this Raging Moderates episode relevant and lively for listeners seeking clear, centrist political analysis.