Trump’s Political Instincts ‘Are Clearly Fading’
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What is the opening premise of the episode and who are the hosts?
I'm John Caramonica, a critic at the New York Times. And I'm Joe Cascarelli, a culture reporter at The Times. Together we host Popcast, a weekly pop culture chat show where we speak to the biggest musicians, actors, internet celebrities, and more. We've had Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, and Ann Hathaway. We've also hosted live performances with Andre 3000 and Erica Badu. Plus, we end every conversation with a snack. Catch new episodes of Popcast every week on YouTube. And anywhere You get your podcasts.
I'm Michelle Cottle. I cover national politics for New York Times Opinion. And this week I am here with my delightful colleagues, the columnists David French and Michelle Goldberg. Friends, it is great to see you. Great to see you. Hey Michelle and Michelle. Yeah, we're gonna keep you on your toes today, David. Uh I'm j I'm just so relieved that the AI apocalypse has not come for us yet, 'cause I would not have wanted to miss this gathering. So A little presumptuous, don't you think?
Well yeah, that's true. It could strike during our podcast. We'll be on the
front lines. I'm gonna ask for hazard pay. But we are gonna talk about this unnerving week in AI-related news. But first, as our reality seems more and more like science fiction, our president seems less and less tethered to it, which I feel like requires some unpacking. Um, recently, President Trump and his team have been spending an awful lot of time on social media. Media, firing off AI-generated pictures and videos of the president and truly bonkers self-aggrandizing situations. I think we've had Trump as the Green Lantern, Trump beating Hulk Hogan in arm wrestling, those kinds of things. And then, of course, the president just makes up stuff about his world historic accomplishments pretty much all the time.
So So David. How would you describe Trump's connection to reality at this point? You've been watching him closely for a decade. What's going on?
Well, let's back up just a minute. Uh I my my grandmother, my beloved grandmother, who's like a third parent to me, she had a saying that when somebody gets older, they don't really change. They just become more so. In other words, whatever is sort of their disposition, kind, they become kinder, cantankerous, they become more ornery. And you've just seen this progression with Trump. He is just becoming more of what. he's been for a long time. And at some point you you become more, you become so much more. You almost tip over into sort of alternate realities. And this is one thing that is just I will never cease to amaze me is that the the independent standard by which he is judged. If anyone else in politics was doing any of this, you would really start to wonder, are they okay?
I mean, is this person okay? Right. Yeah, right. You know, if you watched your uncle do it, and a lot of people have like that crazy uncle or that crazy aunt who's out there believing all the AI. Eye stuff that they see, chasing every rumor that they see on social media. And you realize that's the guy in the Oval Office. That's sort of genuinely who he is. He is, he is drawn to fake stories. He is drawn to anything that's going to sort of puff him up as a great man. And that's just getting worse and worse and worse. And so I what we're looking at is just Donald Trump becoming Donald Trump. He's just becoming more and more and more kind of of what he's always been.
Michelle. Yeah, I'm actually not sure how much of a difference this is from the Donald Trump of either the first term or four years ago, right? I mean, sometimes people write to me and they say, why isn't the New York Times focusing on Donald Trump's decline the way we they focus so intently on Joe Biden's? Um, and I think there's a couple of different answers to that. I mean, one is just that there's only so much room and kind of s you know, scandal expands to fit the space available. Um but at the same time, I don't know that I see like a market untethering. I think it's just, you know, maybe you're the way you put it is right, kind of more so. But The AI memes are not new.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the opening premise of the episode and who are the hosts?
0:00–4:39
2
How do the panelists describe the recent wave of AI‑generated Trump memes and media stunts?
4:39–9:09
3
In what ways do the guests say Trump’s connection to reality has changed over the past decade?
9:09–15:57
4
Why do the commentators believe Trump’s political instincts are fading ahead of the midterms?
15:57–20:06
5
What are the perceived promises and perils of AI according to the discussion?
20:06–26:55
6
How might the AI debate shape Democratic and Republican strategies in the upcoming midterms?
26:55–34:04
7
Which books and cultural references do the hosts recommend for understanding the current tech‑political climate?
34:04–37:34
8
How do the hosts wrap up the conversation and what final thoughts do they leave listeners with?
37:34–37:38
Speakers
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