The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

Episode: Wrapping 2025 with Jon Favreau and Tim Miller
Release Date: December 11, 2025
Guests: Jon Favreau (Pod Save America, Crooked Media) & Tim Miller (The Bulwark)

Episode Overview

Jon Stewart hosts the final podcast episode of 2025, joined by media pundits Jon Favreau and Tim Miller for a deep, candid year-in-review. The trio unpacks 2025’s political and cultural chaos, the ongoing legacy and unique challenges of Trump’s second term, the state of both political parties, the incentives driving American politics and media, and what hope and peril may lie ahead.

Main Themes

• Processing the Relentless Pace and Toll of Modern Politics
• The Trump Era’s Emotional and Political Aftershocks
• Democratic and Republican Party Weaknesses
• The Search for Optimism and "Revolutionary Zeal"
• Challenges of Media Incentives and Social Media
• Future Leadership and Structural Concerns in U.S. Governance
• The Role of Corruption, Coherence, and Delivering Value
• The Rise of New and Dangerous Political Personalities
• Dilemmas about Changing Political Incentive Structures

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Year-in-Review Fatigue: “How Many Years Has This Year Been?”

• The panel opens by reflecting on 2025 as yet another exhausting year in politics and public life.
• Tim Miller: "Every day is a lifetime ... it's been a slog, I'll tell you that." (03:42)
• Jon Favreau: “It’s been a long year, but also a long decade ... it sort of feels like that’s the only life I know.” (03:58)

2. The Emotional Cost of “Covering” Trump

• Favreau and Miller, both from different sides of the political spectrum, express anger and exhaustion.
• Jon Favreau: “If Donald Trump exited the scene tomorrow and our politics returned to some semblance of normalcy ... I would take that trade easily... What’s propelled me this year is just sort of a rage." (06:01)
• Tim Miller on compartmentalizing: “...some days I just am like, it’s just a lunch pail, man. ... You can’t run at 11 all the time ... and then when something happens that makes me really upset, I get on here in my little hole and ... I scream.” (06:42–07:59)

3. Frustration With Both Parties

• Stewart distinguishes between Miller's and Favreau’s positions—Miller angry at “the family feud” within the GOP; Favreau at Democratic fecklessness.
• Favreau: “We all have a little stink on us here: voters, media, Democrats, Republicans. ...I can’t believe we haven’t figured this out yet and that we’re still making the same mistakes...” (10:11)
• Stewart: “My feeling is rage against fecklessness.” (09:46)
• Miller: “I get the most mad at the most normal Republicans ... They know better.” (09:08)

4. The Trump Rally: All Hits, No Heart

• Discussion on Trump’s latest rally, noting its lethargy and out-of-touch messaging.
• Favreau: "...He’s doing the ‘your kids don’t need 37 dolls’ ... we’re like two weeks out from Christmas ... And also, I just fired the architect of my new ballroom because he couldn’t build it fast enough—two dolls, maximum.” (13:59, 14:30)
• Miller: “He needs a foe. That’s the thing he’s good at ... He tested out Jerome Powell.” (13:00–13:45)

5. Authoritarian Drift, but Diminished Enthusiasm

• Stewart points out that Trump, unlike prototypical authoritarians, is not that popular in his second term.
• Tim Miller: “I think it’s his own incoherence ... the nativism and the kind of right-wing authoritarianism, I don’t know that’s going anywhere ... but Trump himself ... has lost touch with the types of people who came into his coalition late ... I think you’re seeing that in his numbers going down.” (17:28, 19:15)
• Favreau: “His political standing is ... weaker than it’s been ... but he’s also never had more power than he does right now ... as he gets weaker politically, he gets more dangerous.” (19:42, 20:04)

6. The Limitations of “Band-Aid” Politics

• Favreau: “We are in a cycle where one party takes power and then doesn’t deliver in a way that solves people’s concerns ... And that would be difficult enough if both parties were normal political parties ... but one of them wants an authoritarian takeover.” (22:21)
• “If we don’t have that larger narrative and that larger vision, then we’re going to end up right back here.” (23:55)

7. Democrats’ Need for Bolder, Deliverable Ideas

• Miller: “The last two successful political figures ... tried something new ... Could we learn something from that? Could somebody try to try something?” (24:15–24:41)
• Favreau: “Delivering on the campaign promises is just as important as the boldness of the promises you make. ... If you can’t do free buses, or freeze the rent, ... it deepens cynicism.” (39:40–41:04)

8. Structural and Generational Shifts

• Stewart: “We are in a joint custody agreement now ... these pendulum swings are much more ... especially if the Supreme Court grants the executive the ability to come in and just wipe out the entire government.” (26:50)
• The trend toward anti-institutionalism and lack of genuine reform is expected to entrench cycles of retribution and weak governance.

9. The Limits of Left Populism (And the Search for Better Leadership)

• The group muses on whether a left-wing version of a strongman would be desirable or effective, and the need for real reform instead of just “playing by the rules.”
• “What I want is a Democrat who understands that government’s role is partially to be a check against corporate power, not a lubricant for it.” — Jon Stewart (29:12)

10. Corruption, Coherence, and Delivering Value

• Stewart: “Democrats haven’t proven that people will get value for that extra money. ... They have to be more remedial ... They have to step back forward.” (77:31)
• Favreau: “Our ability to deliver on the promises we make has to be as important as the promises themselves.”
• On corruption: “The message can’t be, ‘They’re corrupt and we’re not. So elect us because we're better.’ ... that’s why you need an actual reform agenda.” (76:40–77:02)

11. Rising Figures: J.D. Vance, Tucker Carlson, RFK Jr.

• Skepticism about the GOP’s post-Trump bench (Vance, Carlson, etc.), with concern these figures might lack Trump’s “magic” but could pose their own dangers.
• Jon Stewart: “Miller’s poison has to be filtered. And Trump is the perfect vessel ... you take that away, and when people get a real taste of this shit ... I don’t know, maybe I’m being naive.” (57:36)
• On J.D. Vance: “He’s a shapeshifter ... I could see how he could kind of learn how to adapt and appeal.” — Tim Miller (56:51)
• On RFK Jr.: “The only one that possesses that sort of magic that Trump has and the kind of like I-don’t-give-a-fuck devotion ... and I would think can do the most pull-ups out of any of those motherfuckers.” — Jon Stewart (62:01)

12. Incentive Structures for Media and Politics

• Stewart: “It feels like the political system and the media ... runs on a different currency than its purported kind of ideal. ... If those two things are corrupted, and I think they are, we don’t get the results that build a healthier environment.” (65:48–65:57)
• The group wonders if the only way to break perverse incentives is someone winning despite them.
• Favreau: “You need a person ... willing to run a different way.” (67:05)

13. Social Media, AI, and Political Emotionality

• All agree the online world turbocharges outrage, catastrophizing, and loneliness, posing unprecedented challenges to democracy.
• Favreau: “If the way we interact with each other ... has fundamentally shifted, then of course our politics is going to change dramatically.” (71:05)
• Jon Stewart: The very incentive structure of social media is to make you feel “existential crisis,” as ex-influencer Dan Bongino openly admitted. (69:19)

14. Zero-Sum Politics vs. Positive-Sum Society

• The Trump worldview is described as “zero sum” (“if you win, someone else loses”), both domestically and in global affairs—a stark contrast to the argument the panel thinks Democrats should make.
• Favreau: “Politics isn’t zero sum. ... We can grow the economy in a way that benefits everyone. ... but we have to actually deliver.” (73:12–74:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jon Stewart: “I look like I sleep in a meat dehydrator, for God’s sakes.” (04:19)
• Tim Miller: “I haven’t gone full native. The Democrats have not done a good job governing a lot of places where they’re in charge...” (37:34)
• Jon Favreau: “If you can’t do free buses, if you can’t freeze the rent, ... it deepens cynicism and makes people less likely to participate in politics.” (40:47)
• Jon Stewart: “Our ignorance doesn’t make us safer. ... Discernment is the first quality you need in building a better state.” (82:35)
• Tim Miller, on MAGA-drift: “I’m way more open to ... extensive taxation of the wealthy than I was ... I’m much more open to that than I used to be.” (37:29)
• Jon Stewart, on left- and right- roguery: “Do we want someone who’s gonna go after all the MAGA people like they did Democrats, or do we want to be the party that believes in government that works and people can have faith in?” (33:27)
• On AI, technology, and risk: “Maybe we’ll have a benevolent AI president. ... And none of that will ever get weaponized by the Mercers.” (71:20, 71:30)

Timestamps – Key Segments

• 03:33–06:01: Initial reactions to the year, emotional exhaustion, and rage as motivating force.
• 09:08–10:29: The “family feud” within GOP vs. Democratic fecklessness and self-blame.
• 13:00–14:44: Trump’s rally recaps—hits vs. incoherence, “state fair” and “affordability” bits.
• 19:15–21:49: Declining popularity and increased danger as Trump loses touch with his coalition.
• 24:15–25:34: Miller and Favreau on the need for revolutionary zeal and political risk-taking.
• 32:31–35:10: Dilemmas for the next Democratic president — rules, reform, and responding to Trumpist precedents.
• 40:47–43:36: The gap between campaign promises and delivery; managing voter expectations.
• 57:23–59:48: Discussion of the next GOP wave—Vance, Miller, Carlson, and post-Trump dangers.
• 65:01–67:05: Changing incentive structures in American media and governance.
• 69:19–71:05: Impact of social media and AI on emotionality, isolation, and political behavior.
• 73:12–74:26: What’s at stake: moving beyond zero-sum, spoils-system, and corruption-based politics.
• 79:14–81:27: Dark and comic moments of the year: Trump’s MS Paint faux pas, cruelty as spectacle.
• 86:12–96:14: Light-hearted end-of-year listener questions, reflections on optimism and holiday traditions.

Final Reflections

• The episode closes with notes of cautious optimism mixed with realism about the depth of dysfunction in the American system.
• Stewart, Favreau, and Miller agree that big, structural changes and bold, deliverable policies are needed; both parties must confront the realities of mediated politics, digital incentives, and an electorate growing weary and distrustful.
• The fight for 2026 is painted as being not just about personalities, but about offering real value, coherent governance, and resisting both explicit and implicit corruption. The group hopes for a political breakthrough—someone willing to break the negative incentive cycle—while warning about the persistent allure of nativism and authoritarianism.
• The greatest danger, Stewart warns, is acceptance of dehumanization and cynicism as virtues. At bottom, all three presenters remain committed to public engagement and the hope that “fresh water” might soon enter the system.

Memorable Quote to End:
Jon Stewart:
“Our ignorance doesn’t make us safer ... discernment is the first quality you need in building a better state of understanding individuals and not groups.” (82:31)

For a full experience, listen to the episode for the hosts’ signature wit, cathartic rants, and moments of gallows humor—a much-needed recap to a brutal year in American public life.