Three Signs Of The Trumpification Of The Economy

Summary

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Podcast Summary: What A Day

Episode: "Three Signs Of The Trumpification Of The Economy"
Host: Jane Coaston (Crooked Media)
Date: August 27, 2025

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Episode Overview

Host Jane Coaston guides listeners through the shifting dynamics of the U.S. economy under President Donald Trump, unpacking the administration's direct involvement in private industry, escalating tariffs, and the political assault on the Federal Reserve. With economic expert Scott Lincecum (Cato Institute), the episode examines these developments as signs of the "Trumpification" of the American economy—highlighting their historical echoes, economic risks, and the partisan double standards now shaping public discourse. Amidst sharp, witty commentary, Coaston and guests reveal how recent moves are reshaping the boundaries between government and market.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Government Takeovers and "State Sponsored Capitalism"

• [00:56–03:02] Coaston introduces the term "socialism" as a conservative bugaboo, juxtaposed with the Trump administration's latest moves:
  • The federal government took a 10% stake in Intel, propping up the struggling tech company.
  • The Secretaries of Commerce and Defense have acquired involvement in other companies: US Steel (via a "golden share"), Nvidia/AMD (AI chipmakers), and a mining business.
  • Notable Quote:
    • "Trump likes to do deals and really likes to puppeteer big businesses... They didn’t buy an equity stake in Intel, they took it."
      — Scott Lincecum [03:02]
• State directorship: These are not investments in the classic sense; the government leverages subsidies and strong-arm tactics to exert control.
  • Motivation: Centralized control, optics for election cycles, and political imperatives.
  • Risks: Undermining market decision-making, politicization, reduced innovation, and long-term economic harm.
  • Notable Quote:
    • "Politicians are self interested individuals... They're worried about getting reelected... and you end up with decisions that are made for political reasons."
      — Scott Lincecum [03:51]

2. Tariffs and Their Economic Ripples

• [05:10–07:21] Coaston and Lincecum explore Trump's fluctuating tariff policy:
  • Trump alternately threatens, implements, and retracts tariffs—creating business uncertainty.
  • The real pain from tariffs has so far largely been absorbed by companies (e.g., John Deere layoffs), but will soon hit consumer prices.
  • Soft data, like business surveys, already reflects higher prices and supply chain disruptions; economists warn the worst is yet to come.
  • Notable Quote:
    • "We have this stuff called soft data ... companies are reporting much higher prices and dwindling inventories ... The data [is] starting to show the effects of tariffs."
      — Scott Lincecum [06:29]

3. The Federal Reserve and Political Pressure

• [07:21–10:09] Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over unsubstantiated accusations draws focus to the administration's desire to manipulate monetary policy.
  • Trump seeks lower interest rates for short-term economic stimulation, despite inflation running above target.
  • Politicization of the Fed endangers U.S. economic credibility and safe-haven status for investment.
  • Historical echo: Coaston draws a parallel to Nixon's push to lower rates in 1971, which led to stagflation.
  • Notable Quote:
    • "Trump doesn’t care. He wants to cut, cut, cut, cut, cut because he thinks that’s going to superpower the US economy and then he’ll of course take credit for all of that."
      — Scott Lincecum [08:40]
    • "This is developing country stuff. This is not what the United States is known for."
      — Scott Lincecum [12:22]

4. The Big Picture: What Does "Economic Trumpism" Look Like?

• [11:00–12:17] Coaston asks Lincecum to sum up the current landscape:
  • Lincecum likens it to "Argentina in the 1990s," referencing Peronist-style economic intervention: expansionary monetary policy to mask debt, government overreach in markets, and import substitution.
  • The approach risks undermining decades of U.S. economic leadership.
  • Memorable Exchange:
    • Jane Coaston: "Donald Trump loves musicals. I wonder how he feels about Evita."
    • Scott Lincecum: "Don’t cry for me."
      — [12:17–12:23]

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Cabinet Meeting & Political Outtakes

5. Trump’s Televised Cabinet Meeting

• [15:00–16:05]
  • Trump holds a marathon, three-hour televised cabinet meeting.
  • RFK Jr., HHS Secretary, rails against wind turbines and their supposed threat to whales, lauding Trump as the "whale savior."
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth jokes about renaming the Department of Defense to "Department of War," an actual Trump talking point.
  • Notable Quote:
    • RFK Jr.: "They're wiping out the whale population... and you are going to save the whales on the East Coast because of this." [15:33]

6. Social Security Data Risk & Government Blunders

• [16:05–18:28]
  • Whistleblower Charles Borges exposes a security breach: government officials allegedly uploaded Social Security data for ~300 million Americans to a vulnerable cloud server.
  • Details exposed: SSNs, health and banking info, familial data.
  • Coaston's take: "It probably would have been faster to list what information isn't at risk."

7. Judiciary–Executive Showdown

• [18:28–19:48]
  • A federal judge dismisses a DOJ lawsuit attacking Maryland’s federal judges over deportation ruling pauses, rebuking the administration for smears—"these are not normal times."

8. Renewed “Neighborhood Checks” on Immigrants

• [19:48–20:13]
  • The Trump administration revives old-school, investigatory "neighborhood checks" for vetting citizenship applicants.
  • Local officers can interview neighbors and employers (including up to five years prior) to appraise "moral character" and "loyalty to the Constitution."
  • Coaston's commentary underscores the increasing surveillance and scrutiny aimed at immigrants.

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Conspiracies and Double Standards

9. Revisiting “Jade Helm” and Right-Wing Distrust—Unless It’s Trump

• [20:13–22:55]
  • Coaston recounts 2015’s Operation Jade Helm and the explosion of anti-government paranoia on the right, with fears about martial law and FEMA camps.
  • Fast forward: Under Trump, those once obsessed with federal overreach are now largely supportive of federal crackdowns and expansions of executive power when their party is in charge.
  • Memorable Quote:
    • "The don't tread on me flag these folks are such big fans of must have a tiny little asterisk on it that reads tread on them instead."
      — Jane Coaston [22:55]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Scott Lincecum [03:02]:
  "Trump likes to do deals and really likes to puppeteer big businesses... They didn’t buy an equity stake in Intel, they took it."
• Jane Coaston [12:17]:
  "Well, Donald Trump loves musicals. I wonder how he feels about Evita."
• Scott Lincecum [12:23]:
  "Don’t cry for me."
• Jane Coaston [22:55]:
  "The don't tread on me flag these folks are such big fans of must have a tiny little asterisk on it that reads tread on them instead."
• RFK Jr. [15:33]:
  "They're wiping out the whale population... and you are going to save the whales on the East Coast because of this."
• Scott Lincecum [11:15]:
  "Argentina in the 1990s."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:56] — Introduction of federal government's stake in Intel and direct interventions
• [03:02] — Expert analysis: Why control over private companies is politically expedient—and dangerous
• [05:10] — The impact of tariffs on growth, business, and consumer prices
• [07:21] — Trump’s feud with the Federal Reserve, Lisa Cook’s challenge
• [10:09] — Historical echo: Nixon's 1971 Fed pressure and stagflation
• [11:00] — What “Economic Trumpism” looks like: Argentina 1990s comparison
• [15:00] — Trump’s lengthy cabinet meeting and “whale-saving” claims
• [16:05] — Whistleblower exposes Social Security data risks
• [19:48] — Revival of “neighborhood checks” in immigration vetting
• [20:13] — Revisiting Jade Helm, the fluctuating standards of anti-government activism
• [22:55] — Coaston's summary of the current right-wing double standard

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains a brisk, conversational tone blending substantive economic critique with Coaston’s trademark wit and skepticism. Guests respond in plain language, with flashes of humor—especially in musical analogies and pop culture nods—while the underlying analysis remains sharp and data-driven.

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Conclusion

This episode lays bare three signature features of Trump-era economic policy: government intervention in key industries, an unpredictable tariff regime, and the erosion of institutional independence at the Federal Reserve. Coaston and Lincecum warn that these are not signs of “America First” pragmatism, but hallmarks of politicized, developing-world economic management—posing uncertain risks for U.S. stability and global reputation. Listeners are left with a rich account of both the serious consequences and the absurdities of the current moment in Washington.

Transcript

[Jane Coastin]

It's Wednesday, August 27th. I'm Jane Coastin and this is what a Day, the show celebrating the biggest pop culture news of the week. The Princess of Wales is blonde. Now, wait, was there other pop culture news? Nothing comes to mind. On today's show. President Donald Trump and friends hold a televised cabinet meeting longer than the runtime of the Godfather. And Doge puts American Social Security data at risk. Fun. But let's start with socialism. That's what conservatives love to cry when federal and local governments control portions of private companies. Or when a mayoral candidate champions city owned grocery stores in New York. But according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Fox News Monday, when President Donald Trump takes control of private companies like US Steel or Nvidia or intel, that is not socialism.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I'll tell you what that is.

[Scott Lincecum]

That's the best businessman in the United States of America in the Oval Office.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Doing fair things for us, the American taxpayers. I mean, look, I helped him structure.

[Jane Coastin]

The deal and he wouldn't structure a socialist deal. Yes, and a move that made independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders very happy. Really. The US government announced last week that it has taken a 10% stake in intel, propping up a company that has not had a very good time over the past few years. And that's just the most recent federal excursion into the private sector. There's the Defense Department becoming the biggest shareholder in a mining company. The deals with AI chip makers Nvidia and AMD we discuss on the show. And a golden share in US Steel. And because we all love a command economy, don't we, folks? Trump is also continuing to take aim at the independence of the Federal Reserve. On Monday, he announced his desire to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud. And. And before you ask, she has been charged with no crimes. In response, Cook announced her decision to sue over the removal attempt. On Tuesday, her lawyer said, quote, president Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to court. We go. I guess so. For more on state sponsored capitalism and the seemingly never ending Federal Reserve fight, I spoke to Scott Lensicam. He's the vice president of General Economics at the Cato Institute. Scott Lincecum, welcome back to what a day.

[Scott Lincecum]

Well, thanks for having me back. I must have done okay the first time.

[Jane Coastin]

Let's start with the government directly involving itself in running corporations. There's been a trend here. The government secured decision making at US Steel with after its takeover with by Nippon Steel earlier this summer getting a golden share. That means they can apparently do anything as far as I can tell. The government invested in Nvidia, the AI and graphics chip maker, and it bought a 10% stake in Intel, a company that was not doing very well. Yeah, you wrote about this trend this week. You're not a fan? It sounds like, one, why is the administration doing this? And two, why is this a bad idea?

[Scott Lincecum]

Honestly, why they're doing it I think is a bigger question. Trump likes to do deals and really likes to puppeteer big businesses. And I should note, I almost corrected you there. They didn't buy an equity stake in intel, they took it. They hauled the CEO into the Oval Office after accusing him of being compromised by China and then suddenly came to a deal in which their subsidies, which are grants, their money literally handed to the company to do, make chips and do whatever was converted into equity, which is kind of like debt, right? I mean, you know, you got to pay it back if you're the company in some form. So they just took it. And again, I think that's, that's about, you know, this kind of control and dominance over the company's business operations that subsidies and cajoling don't, don't really provide. Now, okay, now on your second point, what are the problems with it? I mean, the big problem is the politicization of things that are best left to markets. And what we don't want is politicians supplanting that market process with their own decisions. Because let's face it, politicians are self interested individuals. They are not necessarily worried about companies, long term health or actual economic growth. They're worried about getting reelected and probably other things too in the case of this Trump administration. And so they, you end up with decisions that are made for political reasons, like say, you know, we need to keep that Ohio mega fab facility that intel is building and maybe they'll someday finish it. Gotta keep that gravy train rolling. Cause all the jobs in Ohio that you need, that's, that's a political calculation, not a market one. And that, that's just bad. It means, you know, less growth, less innovation, all the things we want for the US economy and have, you know, because our tech sector, contrary to what you might hear, still is globally dominant in the vast majority of areas that you care about. And it would, it would really suck to lose that.

[Jane Coastin]

The tariffs have been another leg in the, you know, on the table of the Trumpification of the U.S. economy. You've been watching Trump threaten, negotiate, back off, and then double down on some tariffs for the past six months. And we talked about this. You warned that the economic growth we saw in the spring and summer might be less growthy as more tariffs actually take effect. What are you watching most closely and why?

[Scott Lincecum]

Yeah, so the, the two big things for the fall are how tariffs really start leaking into consum prices. Because so far, a lot of the pain caused by the tariffs has been borne by American companies. So it's kind of acted like a corporate tax. Now, that's not good, but it's just not a visible daily reminder like going to the grocery store and seeing prices go up. So economists expect the full brunt of the tariffs to leak into consumer prices this fall and winter. And so I think that's one thing to really keep an eye on, but the other is how tariffs are affecting companies. Because you're talking about tens of billions of dollars in new taxes that are being eaten in most cases by companies like John Deere that just laid off 300 employees in part because of additional tariff costs. You know, I think we talked about this last time. We have this stuff called soft data, and that's surveys of various business. And there's the Fed surveys and there's private surveys. So the soft data of surveys of businesses has said problems are coming. These companies are reporting much higher prices and dwindling inventories that were tariff free. They're seeing softer demand in the market. So contrary to what J.D. vance might tell you, the economists have not been proven wrong. Here you are seeing the data start to show the effects of tariffs. It's just taking a little longer than we thought. And American companies are eating more of the costs than we thought.

[Jane Coastin]

You mentioned the Fed during surveys. And the Fed is one of Trump's latest obsessions. Trump just tried firing one of the Federal Reserve's governors, Lisa Cook. Setting aside his accusations of whatever it is she did that she hasn't been charged with or accused of by anybody else. It's clear he's been angling the shuffle governor seats at the Federal Reserve. Why? And to do what?

[Scott Lincecum]

Yeah, very simply to cut interest rates. So Trump believes that the Fed is holding interest rates too high. Basically, the idea is you have lower rates, you tend to have more economic activity in things like, you know, businesses will take out loans and do more expansions and hire more and that kind of stuff. So he wants lower rates and he doesn't like that. The Fed has been quite cautious in terms of continuing to lower rates from the kind of high, higher rate environment we had because of the inflation we had a couple of years ago. He wants it lower now. Now never mind that our Inflation metrics are actually still well above the Fed's target. Never mind that. Again, we're still waiting for tariffs to show up in, in the data. Now economists will say tariffs are a one off thing, the Fed should look through that, but that's easier said than done. And so there's a decent argument that the Fed shouldn't be cutting rates right now. I would, I would call it. Reasonable minds can differ about this stuff. Trump doesn't care. He wants to cut, cut, cut, cut, cut because he thinks that's going to superpower the US Economy and then he'll of course take credit for all of that. There are, are huge risks both in some sort of cutting spree at the Fed. Higher inflation, a weaker dollar, things we don't want. And of course there are risks sacrificing the independence of the Federal Reserve generally because the Fed prides itself on being independent from politics. So it makes rate decisions not based on what, who's in office, but based on what the data say. Now some of my libertarian colleagues would, would question how, just how apolitical the Fed is. But regardless, actively trying to find reasons to fire Fed governors is a bad idea because it, it make, it doesn't, it makes things even worse. Right. It makes it even more political. So we want to avoid that. And I think that, well, if, if it happens and if it continues, you know, again, it further calls into question the United States economy is some sort of safe haven for investment, which we've been forever. And that's, we've all benefited from that in a lot of ways. And that might sadly not be the case if this continues.

[Jane Coastin]

I am aware of just one instance where there was a direct push by a president to get the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. That was Richard Nixon in 1971. One of the many things Richard Nixon got up to around that time. How did that turn out?

[Scott Lincecum]

Not great, lot of inflation. This was not like a very rigorous economic decision. And, and, and of course again the result was a decade of very, very painful inflation stagflation. So low growth, high prices, we do not want that. And you know, we're not, we're not anywhere near that level of, of economic problem yet. But growth is slowing. Prices again are higher than the Fed wants. The last thing we should be doing is kind of embarking on a very reckless monetary policy.

[Jane Coastin]

Given these three big moves. The administration directly investing in companies and demanding money from those companies too. Months of tariffs. And now this news with the Federal Reserve. Is there a picture emerging to you of what Economic Trumpism looks like.

[Scott Lincecum]

Argentina in the 1990s.

[Jane Coastin]

I mean, great, fantastic news. Yeah, I'm sure that worked out awesomely.

[Scott Lincecum]

Yeah, there is a little more than a hint of Peronism in the terms of very expansive monetary policy to kind of paper over very large debt, because we have that too. We have a lot of debt going on. We just actually increased that debt. A lot of goofy import substitution and industrial policy and the government, you know, being basically directly involved on corporate boards and the rest. So all joking aside, this is developing country stuff. This is not what the United States is known for. And what has, you know, made the US Economy the envy of the world even today. You know, the Economist had a big cover story just like six, eight months ago that was like, even now, US Economy is outperforming its peers across all sorts of metrics. It's foolish to just abandon that. But here we are.

[Jane Coastin]

Well, Donald Trump loves musicals. I wonder how he feels about Evita.

[Scott Lincecum]

Don't cry for me.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I don't.

[Jane Coastin]

U.S. economy.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Yeah.

[Jane Coastin]

Scott, once again, thanks again so much for joining me.

[Scott Lincecum]

My pleasure.

[Jane Coastin]

That was my conversation with Scott Lincecum, Vice President of General Economics at the Cato Institute. We'll link to his work in the show Notes. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by Nutrafol. You've probably seen a million ads for hair growth products and thoughts sure, like that actually works. But Nutrafol isn't like the rest of them. Nutrafol is physician formulated, clinically tested and dermatologists recommended. In fact, Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. You can feel great about what you're putting into your body since Nutrafol hair growth supplements are backed by peer reviewed studies and NSF content certified the gold standard in third party certification for supplements. See thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to nutrafol.com and enter the promo code day. Find out why Nutrafol is the best selling hair growth supplement [e-mail] spelled n u t R-A-F o l.com promo code day that's Nutrafol.com promo code day with.

[Scott Lincecum]

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[Jane Coastin]

Here's what else we're following today.

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Head of Lines.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

The country is doing well. We're respected all over the world. Like like never before, probably.

[Jane Coastin]

President Trump's Cabinet gathered for its latest round of ass kissing during Tuesday's meeting, which by the way, was apparently the President's longest televised appearance ever, coming in at over three hours. During the meeting, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Went on a long winded tirade against, well, the wind or wind turbines. Kennedy alleged that turbines endanger ocean life and pre complimented Trump for accomplishing a pretty impressive feat.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

They're wiping out the whale population, the Atlantic whale population, the big whales, the minkes, the gray whale or the humpback whales, the right whales. And you are going to save the whales on the east coast because of this.

[Jane Coastin]

Ah, yes. I remember a certain someone telling Joe Rogan that the vibrations from the turbines drive whales crazy. Right? Later, during the Cabinet, a thon Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grabbed an opportunity to pitch a new title for himself.

[Scott Lincecum]

Maybe next time we're here, my card.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Will read Department of War.

[Scott Lincecum]

We'll see.

[Jane Coastin]

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War. Just this week, he said the new moniker quote just sounded better. Does it? And speaking of things that just sound better, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was light on specifics but heavy on praise for the President. You made this country safe. You opened up the economy. You enforced the law. Now people can get up and provide for their families and go to work every day and be confident in that. Sure, they can. Just ask anyone who works at a restaurant or on a farm or on a construction site or just looks Latino. Officials at the Department of Government Efficiency, or as we so lovingly know it, Doge reportedly put Social Security data of more than 300 million Americans at risk. How? By uploading sensitive information to a cloud server earlier this summer. That's according to a whistleblower disclosure submitted to the Special Counsel's office and House and Senate oversight lawmakers Tuesday. The whistleblower, Charles Borges, worked as the chief data officer at the Social Security Administration. According to Borges, the potential sensitive information that risks being released includes Social Security numbers, health diagnoses, income banking information, familial relationships and personal biographic data. It probably would have been faster to list what information isn't at risk, the complaint says. If the data gets in the wrong hands, the government may be responsible for reissuing every American a new Social Security number at great cost. And then I'd have to memorize a new Social Security number and who has time for that? Ssa said in a statement that it takes whistleblower complaints seriously, but it wrote in part, we are not aware of any compromise to this environment and remain dedicated to protecting sensitive personal data in a cloud that probably can be hacked. Just where I want my Social Security number to be held. A federal judge dismissed a Department of justice lawsuit against Maryland's entire federal court bench Tuesday. This started back in June when the DOJ sued all 15 judges after the court temporarily paused contested deportations of migrants. In Tuesday's ruling, the Trump nominated U.S. district Judge rip the administration a new one. He noted the DOJ's attempt to cast federal judges as left wing lunatics, writing, this concerted effort by the executive to smear and impugn individual judges who rule against it is both unprecedented and unfortunate. But the decision really came down to the fact that a district court isn't the best place to settle a dispute between the judiciary and the executive. Typically, the DOJ could appeal specific decisions or they could fight the blanket rule that has paused some deportations. But as the federal judge wrote, it's no surprise that the executive chose a different and more confrontational path entirely. The judge did note that these are not normal times. Not normal times, indeed. The Trump administration is resurrecting a long abandoned practice called neighborhood checks as it vets immigrants for citizenship. CBS News first reported it Tuesday after obtaining a memo outlining the change. Basically, Citizenship and Immigration Services would conduct on the ground investigations of applicants, homes and workplaces. The checks could include interviews with neighbors and co workers to determine candidates moral character and loyalty to the Constitution. The agency might visit residences and employers going back five years prior to an application. Neighborhood checks were once required before becoming an optional part of the naturalization process in 1991. After that, the government ended up waiving them entirely. The Citizenship and Immigration Services memo went out last week and terminated the waiver. It lets individual officers decide whether to actually conduct a neighborhood check. And that's the news. One more thing. Do you remember Jade Helm?

[Narrator (Shadow Kingdom Promo)]

The US Military is planning an unprecedented training exercise this summer called Operation Jade Helm 15 across seven states. And with polls showing trust in the government near record lows, that exercise has some Americans feeling uneasy.

[Jane Coastin]

Yeah, that's an understatement. See, back in 2015, the US military organized a military exercise called Operation Jade Helm. Over eight weeks across Texas, New Mexico and a host of other states, roughly 1200 members of the US military held a series of trainings focused on helping soldiers prepare for combat environments. In response, many people on the right, from longtime conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones to Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, lost their ever loving minds. And while Jones and others ranted online about how this was clearly a means by which then President Barack Obama would seize control of states that didn't support his election through martial law, Abbott took the step of asking the Texas State Guard to keep an eye on things. Here's CBS 7 now Governor Greg Abbott.

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Is stepping in and ordering the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation. In a letter to the Texas State Guard Commander Abbott states his reasoning is to address concerns of Texas citizens and to ensure that Texas communities remain safe.

[Jane Coastin]

This all was how some portion of the American right sounded pretty much all the time during the Obama administration. Federal Emergency Management Agency concentration camps for all gun owning Americans. Obama will institute the New World Order and enslave all conservatives. The message was clear. Nothing is more terrifying than the federal government and nothing is more critical than to limit the power of the federal government. Unless of course, the President of the United States, the head of the federal government, is a Republican. Earlier this month, Mother Jones reporter Stephanie Mensimir went back to Jade Helm and the conspiracy minded right wing activists and it turns out that actually they are by and large totally fine with Trump. Nothing wrong with the President who sends the National Guard into major cities on the pretext of skyrocketing crime rates while presenting no real data to support this conclusion. Which is odd because one might think that the do not comply anti government activists who were so convinced that Obama or former President Joe Biden were trying to put them all in Guantanamo Bay would be a little nonplussed by a president who says things like this.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

You have a guy in Illinois, the governor of Illinois saying that crime has been much better in Chicago recently and Trump is a dictator and, and most people say if you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be, he can be whatever he wants or this I don't have the right to do anything I want to do. I'm the president of the United States.

[Jane Coastin]

But they aren't. It's pretty clear. The don't tread on me flag these folks are such big fans of must have a tiny little asterisk on it that reads tread on them instead. Before we go, want all of your friends and neighbors to know you begin every day screaming wake up sheeple about the Trump administration's worst kept secret that you're seeing through all of this with your third eye and also your regular eyes. Or do we have the doorstep accessory for you? Release the Epstein files. Doormats are available for pre order now in the Cricut store. You can now make sure no one steps foot in your home without a reminder of the thing Trump wants us to forget. Shop [e-mail] store. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, contemplate how D.C. has apparently become a haven for gay Trump staffers and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how the New York Times wrote about the surprisingly high number of gay men working for the Trump administration who are just fine with a president who will wield homophobia and transphobic as a weapon for absolutely no reason, like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coston and I'd like to quote a MAGA media influencer quoted in the piece who said that her straight lady Trump fan friends in D.C. quote, thought the dating scene would be really great, that MAGA would bring in a whole wave of like, you know, eligible, conservative, smart, enterprising men. But she said instead, quote, everybody's freaking gay. Indeed. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Foer. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Shauna Lee and Gina Pollack. Our senior producer is Erika Morrison and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adrienne Hill. We had help with our headlines from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

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[Narrator (Shadow Kingdom Promo)]

On New Year's Eve, 1969, three men snuck into Chip Yablonski's childhood home and gunned down his family while they slept.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

They killed them. They killed them all.

[Narrator (Shadow Kingdom Promo)]

Chip was convinced that the president of the United Mine Workers, one of the most powerful labor unions in America, was behind the murders.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

And I'm saying hang on, you son of a bitch. Cause I want you to get your just desserts.

[Narrator (Shadow Kingdom Promo)]

Listen to Shadow Kingdom wherever you get your podcasts. Friends of the Pod subscribers can listen to the full season of Shadow Kingdom right now. Join Friends of the [e-mail] friends or subscribe through the Shadow Kingdom Apple feed.