Timcast IRL – Episode #1432: HE'S DONE IT w/ Auron MacIntyre

Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Tim Pool (Timcast Media)
Main Guest: Auron MacIntyre (host on BlazeTV, columnist, author of "Total State")

Episode Overview

On this episode of Timcast IRL, Tim Pool and guests dive deeply into breaking news and major cultural and political trends. The show opens with the headline story: Donald Trump’s new Greenland deal—a diplomatic coup rolling back his earlier aggressive stance. The panel explores the tactic, implications for U.S. foreign policy, domestic political rivalries, and the hyperpolarization reshaping America. The conversation ranges from electoral manipulation and state vs. federal power, to gun rights debates, a viral incident at a Minnesota Speedway, the future of governance in an AI age, and even classic video game nostalgia.

Key Discussion Points

1. Trump's Greenland Deal: The "Big Ask" Diplomacy (01:23–08:52)

• Headline: Trump secures a deal for U.S. indefinite access to parts of Greenland, gaining mineral rights and strategic presence, while Denmark retains sovereignty. The move is framed as a containment of Russian and Chinese influence.
• Panel reaction: Trump’s "shock and retreat" negotiation style is dissected, with consensus that he positions himself for outsized gains by initially taking provocative stands.
• Auron MacIntyre’s take (08:05):
  “No matter how many times Trump uses this exact strategy...he anchors the position...makes sure that you are looking well beyond what he’s actually looking for. And then he dials it back. He lets everybody be a winner. Everybody can relax.”
• Domestic impact: Deal reverses tariff threats, causes a stock market surge.
• Geopolitical anxieties: Some, including panelist Ian, express concern about future presidents being able to hold together Trump’s "strongman deals."

2. Polarization, Redistricting, and Loss of Election Integrity (10:50–19:42)

• Redistricting frustration: The panel laments extreme partisan gerrymandering in states like New York and Maryland, which is eliminating competitive districts and cementing one-party rule.
• Loss of “swing” districts: Warning that such sorting of voters and elimination of toss-ups will increase polarization and reduce moderating influences.
• Tim Pool (14:23):
  “We’ve talked about this. A year ago, the geographic hyperpolarization… people in New York moved to Florida… it was obvious… [it] weakens the conservative voter base [and]… politicians no longer have to try to earn at least some of the conservative vote and be a little moderate.”
• The "Great Sort" (17:34–19:08):
  Auron explains Americans are now moving to regions where their values are shared, creating more insular, ideologically-pure communities.

3. State vs. Federal Power: Virginia's Preemptive Strike (19:42–25:07)

• New Virginia law: The state passes a bill to require gubernatorial approval before the National Guard can be federalized, preempting possible federal intervention (e.g., Trump invoking the Insurrection Act).
• Panel alarm: Sees this as an escalation, a flashpoint for state-federal confrontation.
• Auron MacIntyre (23:14):
  “It’s amazing that the blue states have suddenly discovered that they love John C. Calhoun… they don’t have principles. They care about victory. That’s why I’m so tired of establishment conservatives talking about their principles… Politics has become existential.”

4. Are Elections "Dead"? The End of Swing Voters (12:03–19:42)

• Census, not contest: Tate Brown describes elections as almost merely census-taking, with the actual result preordained by district composition rather than voter persuasion.
• Auron (13:49):
  “Democracy is largely dead. I don’t think we’re going to get an actual mandate from the people anymore. I think it’s all about pushing and pulling numbers, manipulating zones, controlling… machine voting.”

5. Culture War, "Great Sort," and Weaponization of Law (28:02–53:50)

• Weaponizing principles: Heated debate about the right way to respond to left-wing protesters who are armed or block law enforcement.
• Second Amendment debate (29:53–37:30): Situation in Minnesota where a leftist openly carried a rifle to intimidate ICE. Raises questions about intent, law, principles, and hypocrisy.
• Tim Pool (37:13):
  ”The laws are intended for a duly faithful people … who agree with each other… If you bestow your rights to those who won’t return them in kind and are trying to destroy you, you lose.”
• Game theory and escalation: Auron advocates a tit-for-tat approach—reciprocal enforcement—so that one side cannot indefinitely abuse or disregard the strategic equilibrium.

6. Culture, Technology, & the Future of Governance (64:28–74:19)

• AI and corporate fascism: Auron outlines the thesis of his book "Total State"—technical and corporate systems are swallowing state functions, resulting in a future akin to China’s managed "corporate fascism."
  • “All your countries, no matter what they call themselves, are slowly merging on this one institution, which is going to be corporate fascism… the state operating like a corporation.” (64:54)
• Loss of humanity: Both Tim and Auron warn of a dehumanized future where AI and large systems shape or subsume individuals into “cells” of a managed multi-organism.
• Return to real community: The answer, Auron says, is to “find ways to ground themselves back into human interaction and reality” to stave off ever-greater abstraction and inhumanity.

7. Notable Cultural, Internet, and Music Tangents (75:07–114:44)

• Australian anthem controversy: The song "Down Under" by Men at Work becomes a flashpoint as its author objects to use by anti-immigration protesters. The discussion humorously dissects the lyrics for (mock) racism/xenophobia and reflects on shifting cultural standards.
• Classic video games nostalgia: Panel reminisces about DOS classics, Nintendo, emulators, and the creativity of early gaming, paralleling shifts in music industry post-digitalization.
• Changing music economy: Phil Labonte notes how internet/Digital has decimated traditional music careers, with All That Remains’ breakout album coinciding with the rise of Spotify.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Negotiation (08:05, Auron MacIntyre):
  “People really do have to calm down with the whole rhetorical stuff. We’ve seen this so many times over… and people just end up embarrassing themselves when they take every bit of it seriously.”
• On Escalation and Lawfare (49:12, Auron):
  “The only way you ever keep equilibrium inside a system… is to have a reciprocal strategy. If you have one side say, ‘okay, we’re sending people to prison for 30 years,’ and you don’t push back… they will just continue that strategy of defecting infinitely…”
• On AI and Governance (65:16, Auron):
  “Corporate fascism is the only way to operate government at large scale…The state operating like a corporation. We’re all moving to the China model.”
• On Escaping Dehumanization (97:27, Auron):
  “I think politics is only going to get more crazy…less human. You need to find ways to remind yourself that you’re doing this to interact with human beings… your life is about relationships, with others and with God.”
• On America’s current binary (51:06, Tim):
  “Right now… there are two political moral philosophies. Both say the other is the bad guy. And you know what? We are correct. And they say the exact same thing.”

Important Timestamps

• 01:23 – Breaking news: Trump’s Greenland deal announcement.
• 07:36 – Analysis of Trump’s "big ask" strategy.
• 12:03 – Redistricting and the death of competitive elections.
• 17:34 – Introduction of the “Great Sort”—geographic and ideological sorting of Americans.
• 19:42 – Virginia’s state vs federal power move.
• 23:14 – On the existential nature of politics; left’s willingness to play for keeps.
• 29:53 – Discussion of Second Amendment and armed leftists.
• 37:13 – Are rights weapons used by your enemies?
• 49:12 – Game theory, escalation, the prisoner’s dilemma applied to US politics.
• 64:54 – Rise of “corporate fascism” and the state as corporation.
• 97:27 – Auron’s central takeaway: ground yourself in human relationships to resist abstraction.
• 75:07 – Humor segment: dissecting the “Down Under” song lyrics.
• 100:17 – Tim reads Super Chats; comedic wrap-up and classic gaming tangent.

Tone & Style

The discussion throughout is lively, at times tense, and deeply irreverent in Timcast’s trademark fashion. The banter includes jokes, shifting between serious critique and comedic asides, with language equal parts analytical and colloquial.

Conclusion

Main message:
The episode’s sprawling conversation comes to a sharp consensus: America is at an inflection point, defined by hyperpolarization, the weaponization of law, structural changes to democracy, and the inexorable advance of technological systems poised to further alienate and control. The panel is wary of what comes next—but Auron MacIntyre’s parting advice is to double down on community, family, organic relationships, and grounded living if you want to preserve the human in an increasingly post-human politics.

For more:

• Find Auron MacIntyre’s show on BlazeTV and his book "Total State" (second printing soon).
• Connect with the hosts and panelists on their respective platforms for ongoing discussion.

This summary provides a comprehensive, accessible account of Timcast IRL Episode #1432 for those who haven’t listened—capturing the episode’s themes, arguments, humor, and cultural touchstones.