Pod Save America

Elon Gets DOGE'd

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Tesla's losses mount, Elon Musk promises to step away from his work at DOGE and focus on his flailing car company. Trump and his top advisers flip-...

Trump's Justices Turn On Him

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court hits pause on Alien Enemies Act deportations—for now—and some MAGA diehards advocate for Trump to simply ignore the court. Pete ...

Sarah McBride's Challenge to Democrats

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rep. Sarah McBride has found herself the target of GOP attacks since taking office in January. They've barred her from restrooms and misgendered her i...

This Is the Fight Democrats Need To Have

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump insists he has the right to render people to a foreign prison even though the courts say otherwise, and Democrats dig in for a critical f...

Will Trump Send Americans to Foreign Prisons?

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and the president of El Salvador gloat about shipping migrants to a Salvadoran mega-prison, muse about sending American citizens there ne...

Trump's Art of the Fold

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans go into full propaganda mode to sell Trump's reversal on tariffs as the culmination of a brilliant master strategy—until Trump himself a...

Just Another Orange Monday

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Donald Trump's insane tariffs plunge America further into a trade a war, the MAGA faithful—with a few notable exceptions—fan out to defend Dear...

Michael Lewis on Bravery in Politics and Why Elon Musk Seems so "Disturbed"

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Lewis, acclaimed author of The Big Short, Moneyball and The Fifth Risk joins Lovett to discuss his most recent book, Who is Government? Lewis ...

Trump's "Liberation Day" Crashes the Stock Market

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump's drastic new tariffs wreak havoc across the global economy, sending markets tumbling and powerful countries reconsidering their alliance...

Trump “Not Joking” About 3rd Term

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump's long-promised "Liberation Day" of insane new tariffs approaches, but what's his plan for the global trade war he's promising to start? ...

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson on How Democrats Can Build Their Way Back to Power

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In their new book, Abundance, journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue that Trump's scarcity mindset is suffocating the country: America doesn...

Trump 2.0's Biggest Scandal Yet

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and his goons continue to spin the group chat screw-up as totally routine—even as evidence mounts that the story is breaking through to...

War in the Group Chat

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump's top national security officials plan a major offensive in a Signal chat—after mistakenly inviting a journalist to join—and hilarity...

A Democrat’s Tough Love for His Party

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the dumpster fire of U.S. politics shoots sparks across the globe, will the Pentagon supply safeguards or sycophants? What will MAGA authoritariani...

Trump Comes for the Judges

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With a Republican Congress bending to Trump’s every whim, the judicial branch is the last check on his power—and now he, Elon, and the MAGA regime...

A Lawless Trump and Aimless Dems

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration just took things to a chilling new level — deporting people to foreign prisons without due process. They’re using the Ali...

Trump's All Pain, No Gain Economy

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jon and Dan discuss the pros and cons of the Senate Democrats' shutdown strategy, Trump's declining poll numbers, and the absurdity of his economic po...

Trump's Crackdown on Dissent

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The price of eggs is still high, the stock market is sinking, but Donald Trump is fulfilling at least one campaign promise: using the power of the gov...

How a Political Party Can Rise from the Dead

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is looking pretty invincible right now, and it's easy to lose hope that Democrats will ever be able to regain power. But back in the '90s...

The DOGE Who Caught the Car

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The DOGE wrecking ball keeps swinging, but the Supreme Court, and even Donald Trump himself, might finally be slowing Elon down. Trump backs off his t...

The State Of the Union Is ... Long

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump makes history—by delivering the longest Joint Address ever, clocking in at an exhausting 99 minutes of blame, grievance, and sappy stun...

Trump’s Ukraine Fallout and Crypto Grift

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fallout continues from Friday's trainwreck of an Oval Office meeting between Trump, JD Vance, and Volodymyr Zelensky. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy break...

Trump and Zelensky's Disastrous Meeting

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Pod Save The World Special, Tommy and Ben discuss Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous meeting at the White ...

Will Elon Find the Epstein Files Before It's Too Late?

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration promised to release the Epstein Files, but ended up disappointing MAGA die-hards instead. Can Elon do what the DOJ couldn't? ...

Finally, a Podcaster at the Top of the FBI!

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump's FBI Director Kash Patel picks a Deputy Director even less qualified than he is: MAGA podcaster Dan Bongino. Trump and Pete Hegseth purge the P...

Bill Maher on Hating Donald Trump, the Far Left and 69ing

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Maher, the revered—and often reviled—political commentator, comedian, and host of the Club Random podcast and Real Time with Bill Maher, goes...

Is Trump's Honeymoon Over?

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and Elon Musk make their bromance official in a joint interview with Sean Hannity, but polls suggest the American people may already be s...

Trump's Shocking Cuts to Air Safety and Nuke Inspection

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump fires thousands of government workers, including people who make sure America's skies are safe and nukes are secure. Negotiators from the...

Is Elon a Drag on Trump?

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk holds a rambling Oval Office press conference and admits that he and DOGE will make mistakes as they rampage through our government, even as...

Will Trump Defy the Courts?

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Federal judges are starting to do something most elected Republicans won't: say no to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The question now is, will Trump obey...

How the Right Took Over the Media

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Smith, former media columnist at the New York Times and now the editor-in-chief of Semafor, joins Dan to talk about today's ultra-challenging news...

Trump's War on the U.S. Government

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and Elon Musk continue their all-out assault on the federal government, shuttering USAID, rooting out and firing workers linked in any wa...

Elon Musk's Nerd Coup

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Donald Trump's blessing, Elon Musk and a small crew of inexperienced software engineers take near full control of the government, moving to shut ...

Trump Heals Grieving Nation

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Finally, a president willing to blame a devastating air crash on diversity hiring and two of his predecessors! Nearly two weeks into his second term, ...

Has Anyone Seen the Democrats?

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Apparently, there's an opposition party in this country—but they've been awfully quiet lately. Meanwhile, Trump's immigration crackdown nearly spark...

Rachel Maddow on Surviving Trump 2.0

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow joins Jon to talk about Trump's breathtaking first week in office, how she decides what to cover—and what to ignore—in an an...

Trump's Indefensible Pardons

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump makes good on his promise to free the January 6 rioters—including those convicted of savage violence against police officers—calling ...

Well ... he's back.

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

And so it begins—again. In front of an audience of adoring billionaires, Donald Trump takes the oath of office, delivers a speech promising a return...

Biden’s Final Warning

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Biden bids the nation farewell from the Oval Office, delivering a stark warning about the rise of an American "oligarchy." Dan and Jon break down how ...

Will the GOP Hold Disaster Relief Hostage?

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Devastating wildfires in Los Angeles prompt a round of angry finger-pointing and disaster politics from the GOP. The most extreme reaction comes from ...

Breaking: Gavin Newsom On the LA Fires

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Governor Gavin Newsom sits down with Jon Favreau to talk about California’s response to the devastating Los Angeles fires, his invitation to Donald ...

As LA Burns, Trump Plays Politics

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump and the GOP skip the usual “thoughts and prayers” for victims of the devastating LA fires, and dive straight into blame and conspiracy theor...

Kamala Didn't Have the Courage!

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris fulfills her oath of office, certifying the election results on the four-year anniversary of the January 6th Capitol riot. Meanwhile, Re...

Introducing: Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams, Stacey speaks to Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist and ed...

What Really Happens During a Presidential Transition

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this free preview of Crooked's Friends of the Pod subscription show "Inside 2024," (subscribe here) Dan Pfeiffer, Alyssa Mastromonaco, and Caroline...

The Pundies: Worst Takes of 2024

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world's richest man trolls Republicans into a potential government shutdown right before the holidays and the curtain closes on 2024...and it can'...

AOC Loses to the Gerontocracy

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

House Democrats choose not to elevate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, arguably the party's most compelling messenger, to Ranking Member on the House Oversig...

Is Biden Quiet Quitting?

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden cedes the spotlight to Donald Trump, who's rolling like he's already taken office: meeting with world leaders, attending the annual Army-Nav...

Billionaires' Bet on Trump Pays Off

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America's corporate titans seem pretty happy about Donald Trump's election—even pitching in to his inaugural bash—and it's no big mystery why: he'...

Is Winning an Election a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card?

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump's once-daunting legal challenges continue to melt away, as Special Counsel Jack Smith plans his resignation and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg ...

Pardons, Prosecutions, and Perfume: Trump Unveils 100 Day Agenda

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump sits down for his first big interview since winning the election and unveils his plans for mass deportations, pardons for January 6th rio...

Can Biden Stop Trump’s Revenge Tour?

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The White House considers preemptive pardons for the people Donald Trump and his allies have promised to target, setting off a debate among Democrats....

Covering Trump 2.0

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tommy is joined by Eugene Daniels, Politico White House Correspondent, coauthor of the Playbook newsletter, and president of the White House Correspon...

The Old Man and the Clemency

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden pardons his son Hunter—a move he'd once promised not to make—and the backlash is immediate. Republicans are calling it a political...

Thanksgiving Mailbag: Trans Rights, Progressive Media, and Skinny Jeans

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s our annual Thanksgiving Mailbag episode! Jon, Lovett, and Tommy dive into some of your smartest, funniest, and most thought-provoking questions...

“Get These Incels to Work” (feat. Hasan Piker)

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lovett sits down with Hasan Piker, the massively popular progressive streamer, to talk through (and argue about) the hard questions about where the De...

Exclusive: The Harris Campaign On What Went Wrong

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this candid interview, the leaders of the Harris-Walz Campaign speak for the first time about the challenges they faced and why they made the decis...

Gaetz Goes Down

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Gaetz is out as Trump's attorney general pick after the mounting questions about past interactions with young women cost him the support of key s...

Matt Gaetz: Venmo Money, Venmo Problems

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The problems dogging attorney general pick Matt Gaetz don't seem to be going away, as new leaks expose a history of thousands of dollars in Venmo paym...

Joe and Mika Do the Trump Dance

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump completes his journey from outcast to cool kid, showing off his MAGA clique at a glitzy UFC fight and even getting nemeses Joe Scarboroug...

Trump's YOLO Cabinet

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump goes all in on naming his biggest political boosters to Cabinet posts, whether they're qualified or not (they're not!). Trump wants alleg...

Ezra Klein on Where Democrats Go From Here

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jon and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, host of The Ezra Klein Show, talk through what we know about how Democrats started to lose working-class ...

First Look At Trump's Second Term

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump begins staffing top roles in his second administration with loyalists and sycophants—and demands that the senators running for majority leader...

How Trump Built His Coalition

10 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The best way to understand what happened on Tuesday is to listen to what the actual voters have been saying. Dan checks back in with two strategists w...

Let the Blame Game Commence!

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Kamala Harris officially concedes after a terrible election, Democrats begin searching for lessons—and singling out others for blame. Jon, Lovett...

Making Sense of Trump's Win

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a night of resounding losses and a nationwide lurch to the right, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan begin to sift through the pieces—what we know, a...

A Strong Close—And an Iowa Poll Shocker

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a surprise appearance on  Saturday Night Live, Kamala Harris closes on optimism, unity, and lower prices—while Trump fantasizes about reporte...

Election Night Cheat Sheet (feat. Steve Kornacki)

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With just two days to go, Dan sits down with Election Night guru and NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki for a pre-election deep ...

Trump's Halloween Costume

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump dresses up like a sanitation worker as a message stunt and says he'll "protect" women "whether the women like it or not." Kamala Harris s...

Kamala’s Closing Argument (feat. AOC)

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris delivers a rousing closing speech, promising to be a president for all Americans and sharply contrasting her plans with Donald Trump's. ...

Rage at Madison Square Garden

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris offer two very different closing messages as we enter the last week before the election: Harris hits the trail with Bey...

Harris Pollster: Trump Has No Momentum

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris’s lead pollster, David Binder, sits down with Dan Pfeiffer to explain how the the campaign is looking at undecided voters, Harris’s ...

Trump's Spank America Tour

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump tries to win over the last few undecided voters by calling immigrants "garbage" and campaigning with Tucker Carlson, who says America is ...

John Kelly's Trump Bombshell

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, goes on the record about Trump praising Hitler, meeting the "definition of a fascist," and the "dist...

Trump Closes With Small Fries and Big D*cks

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Running on fumes with just two weeks to go, Trump raves about Arnold Palmer's genitalia and works the fryer at a McDonald's. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris ...

Can Dems Sweep the 2024 Elections?

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dan is joined by Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, to break down Democrats' chances of winning the White House, Senate, and Ho...

Trump Calls January 6th a "Day of Love"

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump gives a stunning answer to a Republican voter upset about Trump's behavior on January 6: "That was a day of love." Kamala Harris braves F...

Trump's Bizarre Town Hall DJ Set

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump spends 40 minutes at a Pennsylvania Q&A queueing up his favorite tunes, baffling the crowd (and everyone else). Tommy and Democratic stra...

Trump's Top General Uses the F-Word

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Fascist to the core." That's how Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under Donald Trump, describes Trump in a new book—and that was befo...

Why You Shouldn't Panic About the Polls

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to the Harris-Walz campaign and campaign manager for Barack Obama in 2008, joins Dan to talk about where the race stands...

Let the Bedwetting Begin

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With 25 days left until Election Day, the quadrennial October Freakout is upon us! Jon and Dan break down the tightening polls, the rival campaigns' s...

Why Is Trump Scared of the Media?

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump cancels on 60 Minutes as Kamala Harris and Tim Walz face tough questions and then kick off a full-scale media blitz, with appearances on ...

Billionaire Personality Disorder

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Live from Philly, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, Dan, and MSNBC's Symone Sanders Townsend discuss Trump's rally with Elon Musk, Kamala Harris's media blitz, and ...

Trump’s Hurricane of Lies

06 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Live from Ann Arbor, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan are joined by special guest host Leah Litman, co-host of Strict Scrutiny and Michigan’s own legal w...

Kamala Harris & Liz Cheney Take on Donald Trump

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

October is here... and so are the surprises. Special Counsel Jack Smith brings Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy back into the headlines, while Harri...

Hot Takes on a Low Key Debate

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jon, Lovett, Dan, and Tommy break down Tim Walz's great arguments about democracy and reproductive rights, JD Vance's distortions on Obamacare and imm...

Can Tim Walz Out-Debate JD Vance?

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Walz and JD Vance prepare for the last big moment of the campaign: Tuesday's vice presidential debate. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy handicap Walz's stre...

Kamala Pitches Populism, Trump Hawks Watches

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Harris gives another big economic speech and sits for an interview about protecting consumers and growing the middle class. Trump, meanwhile, claims I...

Is Trump God's Gift to Women?

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lovett and guest host Errin Haines break down Kamala Harris's efforts to close the gap with Donald Trump on the economy, and what might be behind Trum...

Is Trump Winning the Sun Belt?

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Six weeks out from Election Day, new polls show Harris leading nationally, but Trump still ahead in key Sun Belt states. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy dive i...

Kamala Up, Lovett Down

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another day, another round of maddening polls showing the race locked in place—with Harris ever-so-slightly ahead—even as voters agree that she be...

Harris Denounces Trump's Pet-Eating Conspiracy

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris drives a contrast message with an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists and gives a searing answer about Trump and...

Trump Blames Harris for Assassination Attempt

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump wastes no time blaming Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for the latest attempt on his life. JD Vance defends spreading lies about Haitian immi...

Trump Is Too Afraid to Debate Harris Again

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two days after getting trounced in the debate, Trump turns to a familiar playbook: claim a win, trash the moderators, and—above all—refuse to deba...

Kamala Dominates Trump at the Debate

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In what may be the last huge moment of the campaign, Kamala Harris pulls off an overwhelming win: drawing a clear contrast with Donald Trump, presenti...

All Tied up Before the Debate

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Debate day has arrived, and new polls show that the race couldn't be closer. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy offer their final thoughts before Kamala Harris an...

Trump's Happy-Go-Lucky Debate Strategy

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris prepares for Tuesday's debate while Donald Trump has "policy time" and complains about his legal woes. Live in Phoenix, Jon, Lovett, Tom...

Kamala Harris: Still the Underdog

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the final campaign sprint begins, both candidates roll out plans on the issue that matters most to undecided voters: the economy. Republican truth-...

Doug Emhoff Is Ready to Win (Fantasy Football)

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Doug Emhoff stops by the Crooked studio! The Second Gentleman talks with Jon, Lovett, and Tommy about why Kamala Harris is such "a badass," masculinit...

Pollercoaster: State of the Race with Dan Pfeiffer (Subscription Preview)

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lean into the long Labor Day weekend with a special 'Best Of' preview episode of Crooked’s subscriber-exclusive series, Pollercoaster. In this episo...