Breaking News from Pod Save America - Trump and Republicans CAUGHT in Brutal Election Battle

Episode Date: March 12, 2026

What a Day host Jane Coaston and Pod Save America's Jon Favreau break down the latest Republican infighting over Trump's signature SAVE America act, and how this can help Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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taxes and fees extra, default terms at Mintmobile.com. John, hi. Hi. You're aware of Trump's overwhelming desire to get the Save America Act passed. Sure am. It is a massive piece of federal voting legislation that is insane for many reasons. For one thing, if I recall, it would require you to use a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Correct. Correct. You know where your birth certificate is?

I had this gnawing anxiety earlier this week because I asked my audience this very question, And then I was like, I don't know. I think it's at my dad's house, maybe. I think I, yeah, I think I have it somewhere. Even passport when we went to Australia and New Zealand, I was like, I had this panic. I feel like this every time I go to another country, I'm like, where is the passport in the house? Because I remember putting it somewhere where I'm like, do not forget where this is. Yeah.

That's me. Apparently, like 21 million Americans don't have easy access to birth certificate or passport. Yeah. And they're disproportionately, non-college educated. and make under $50,000 a year, which is now Donald Trump's base. Yeah, the passport thing, I have been entertained by the light sarcasm of the pundit Matthew Iglesias being like, go with the passport thing. 100% go with the passport thing.

Because if you need a passport to vote, Elizabeth Warren will be president. Right. But obviously Donald Trump wants it for extremely normal reasons that are good for everyone. Let's hear him explain earlier this week at the GOP House Retreat in Florida. They're doing everything possible because they know, if we get this, they'll probably won't win an election for 50 years, okay, and maybe longer. And they're going to fight like hell. But boy, do they get killed because even the Democrats, you saw the numbers today, Democrats voted 86% that this stuff should be passed. the Democrats. With Republicans, you're at 98%.

But Democrats are at 86, except for the people that run the Democrat Party because they want to try and win elections illegally. The only reason you vote against voter idea is because you want to cheat. There's no other reason. They come up with reasons. They say, it's racist. That's their number one, racist. Then you have to explain it, and they're just sitting there mumbling. They can't explain it. normal. Yeah, I just want to point out that this bill is, it's classist as well. It is a big way.

It is also classist. Also, also, like, when you say we will win every election for 50 years if we pass this, like, at a certain point, like, yeah, we know that's why you want to pass this legislation. Even though, as we were just saying, I think that's wrong.

Yeah, I think that's like, I think it's just. I think it might help Democrats. Yeah. I mean, especially because he wants to throw in a bunch of bullshit. On Sunday, he posted about how he won't sign any other legislation, though later it was clarified, like, he didn't mean like Homeland Security or anything. He won't sign anything else until they do this. Also, he wants to throw in restrictions to trans rights because why not? You know, they're already having an amazing time.

So this reported in the New York Times, like, and he wants to add a couple trans bands. Yeah, you know. Just a couple. Just a few. Yeah. Because that's what we're calling for. Oh, and also a virtual end to mail-in voting, which. Again, pissed off a bunch of Republicans who were in states with lots of mail-in voting,

where they're like, actually, this seems to go fine for us. But he doesn't care. Now, this is where we get into, John, I love it when Republicans are in hell. And typically, it's my good friend House Speaker, Mike Johnson, who has been residing at the epicenter of hell for, like, years now. And that's been fun. Well, it's been fun for me. I don't know how he feels about it, but it's been fun.

for me. But now it's time for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to be in hell. Because Trump mentioned him by name during the State of the Union, saying, quote, we have to stop it, John, in reference to Trump's made-up theory that Democrats are going to steal the midterms by winning them. Because to Trump's point, the only way Democrats win anything is by stealing. And sure, whatever. But there's even more because according to new reporting from Punch Bull News, which apparently runs. Run John Thune. Yeah. That's a side note that we're not going to do. It's a conspiracy on the right. It's a conspiracy on the right. It's got a lot of traction.

There are a lot of charts. And you know if there are charts, it must be true. Trump told Speaker Mike Johnson, quote, no one gives a shit about housing in reference to a housing bill that the House and Senate have been fighting over. These were comments that Johnson relayed censoring the expletive, of course. As he has wanted to do. He told that

to House Republicans during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. So Trump is all in on the Save America Act. which is he's also very clear that you have to call it the Save America Act because if you just call it the Save Act, nobody knows what you're saving. Yeah, his branding. You throw in in America. It's true, obviously. But, you know, Trump's all in on this and obviously super Trumpy people on the Internet are all in on this and they're all very mad. I mean, they often are. Yes. They're like mad all the time. Now they're really mad at Republicans, specifically John Thune. Yeah. I'm mad at Republicans for other reasons. But like, you know, I get it. We all agree. We're all mad at Republicans. But John Thun knows he does not have the votes to do this.

And I wanted to talk to you about this because it's an interesting turn of events. Let's turn the clock back four years ago. Sure. 2022. Joe Biden is president. Yes. Joe Biden wants to pass voter legislation. Correct.

That isn't insane and doesn't guarantee Democrats win every election for 50 years and doesn't include bans on the rights of trans people that live their lives. John Lewis' footing rights. Yeah, exactly. But he faced the same issue. that John Thune faces, which is the filibuster. Could you explain just a little bit more about what the issue was back in 2022? Yeah, so you need 60 votes to pass any legislation that's not directly related to the budget,

which voting legislation is, and we, we, those of us here, Crooked and many other Democratic activists and organizers, and Democratic politicians very much wanted to get rid of the filibuster to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, because we didn't have 60 votes for that. we did have 51 votes but in order to do that you need to pass the you need to get rid of the filibuster which i have long wanted to do even before the john lewis voting rights act um we couldn't get joe mansion or kirsten cinema kirsten cinema we couldn't get either of them to get rid of the filibuster and so therefore uh the john lewis voting rights act died in the senate yeah which is bad that was bad however if we had done it they'd be passing the save america today that's the thing because uh me and

my good friend, Mitch McConnell, have been okay with a filibuster because we, and by that I mean me and my good friend Mitch McConnell, recognize that when you're in the minority, the filibuster is really cool. The filibuster is awesome, cool, our best friend. And John Thun does not want to get rid of the filibuster to try and pass the save act with a simple majority because he's aware that if you get rid of the filibuster, that means anything can happen forever with a simple majority. Correct. Um, but despite the fact that 2020 was, I believe just four years ago, like we were all alive for it. We were all alive for, we were doing this.

Yeah, we were doing this world. Yeah, literally in this world. Um, it seems as if, uh, the Republican internet and what in students terms, a quote, a paid influencer ecosystem, which I'm like, yeah, I know. They, they read their tweets. Yeah. Um, they've decided that, this is bullshit and they don't care. and they want to explode the filibuster anyway.

But actually, they want to do something very specific. And I'm going to let Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee, normal person, explain a little bit more in response to John Thune on Monday. Based, Mike Lee, here he is. Over the last few months, tens of millions of Americans have jumped on the cause of supporting the Save America Act and using the talking filibuster to advance it. I regret that some in Washington tonight are dismissing all those who feel the same. way and who have weighed in as somehow paid influencers or the product of paid influencers. This is wrong. So if you're hearing this message and you agree with these objectives, please redouble your efforts.

Make clear this is not the product of paid influencers. These are real Americans doing what Americans do best. Okay, well, I have a couple of questions. One, why is he in such a big chair? I don't think he's that small. Also, like, if you can hear this message, like, is he in a bunker somewhere? Yeah, I'm concerned. He tweets all the time.

I think he should know how video is posted the Twitter work. Like, yeah, we can hear you, regrettably. You are a ridiculous person who tweets too much. But that's less important. What is a talking filibuster? A talking filibuster is how the filibuster was originally conceived, which is you can't move on to a final vote in the legislation unless you, have 60 votes to stop debate. And originally debate was conceived as people talking on the

Senate floor and debating legislation. Now, because, you know, the 60 vote threshold existed, people were like, well, we don't really need to talk because if you don't have the 60 votes, it's not like we need to be sitting on the floor talking the whole time and debating. We're just saying that to cut off debate, you just need 60 votes. What Mike Lee is saying is, let's actually force the Democrats to stand on the floor and keep talking and talking and talking like a real filibuster until they can't talk anymore. But even that, the problem with that is, even that, we need a rule change. To get a rule change, you would need 51 votes, which, as John Thune has said, they do not have. Because even though they have a majority in the Senate who have

signed on to pass the Save America Act, there's a couple senators that really don't want it to pass and don't want to change the rules, don't want to get rid of the filibuster, and don't even want to change the rules so that you allow for a talking filibuster because a talking filibuster, which Democrats would do, they would sit on the floor and talk. It would just take up, it would close the Senate down and take up all the rest of their time. Yeah, I believe, I mean, we can always count on her in this specific way. Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has already said, Like, no, we're not doing this because, of course, you did. One, I am entertained by the idea that Democrats would not be down to just talk for a long time.

I'm like, Cory Booker released a book about doing this. Like, Democrats can talk. They've got time. They have nothing but time. Also, it's like Democrats don't care if the Senate is stuck on this vote for the, until the rest of Donald Trump's presidency. Because then they can't pass any more harmful legislation. Like, because we're in the minority. Yeah, like the dream situation is theoretically, this happens.

Democrats just are like, cool, we just talk until November. And then it's like, in shallah, Democrats take back the Senate. Problem solved. They can just keep tagging each other out. Yeah. But, you know, like if they get tired, shots get tired, he gives it to Warren. She gives it to Patty Murray. She gives it.

You just keep going. Yeah, no, Democrats can talk. Like, there's been a whole lot of complaining about how Democrats Talk too much and don't do enough stuff. But my real question here to you, John, and why I really want to talk about this is what do you think this whole Mishigas tells you about the state of the GOP right now? They are trapped by an online cohort.

I don't even think the paid influencer part is the part that's, they're just all crazy because their brains have been melted by being online too much. Right. Led by. Unlike us. Unlike us, we're fine. We know what's going. We know.

At least we have self-war. awareness. It's true. And led by Elon Musk was also leading the fight on this online. Of course. And so they genuinely don't understand how anything works and don't really want to look it up. And that has now extended to members of the Senate, like Mike Lee, Republicans in the Senate, and the president himself. Right. Me and right. Tom. Yeah. They are now advocating for a bill that would probably not only not help but hurt their electoral prospects. and they are advocating for a method to pass that bill that not only won't work, but would also probably benefit Democrats in the Senate. Yeah.

So they are pushing for something that is completely counter to their interests. And the only person who seems to understand that in the Republican Party or the only people is John Thune and the other senators who are quietly supporting him but are afraid to say anything. Yeah. That's where we are. Yeah. Tom Tell us has been like, you know, I'm really supportive of John Thune. Also, I'm leaving. Like, I'm done with all of this. That's where we are.

Yeah, that's where we are. Congratulations to the entire Republican Party. Good luck. Remember how people were yelling about how Democrats were, like, too influenced by, like, an online war of people who wanted to push the party? The groups? Yeah, the groups. Well. Some real groups.

Some real group dynamic issues. Yeah, some group dynamic. Like, I should also note here that the talking filibuster idea was inspired by a Twitter guy. who Trump obviously saw on Fox and Friends on Sunday and was like, this is an amazing idea, we got to do it. It sounds great. This is a terrible Trump imitation. It's edging it's edging towards Bernie Sanders

and I feel really bad about it. I will just also say pun to the accountability here. Like I looked into the talking filibuster during the John Lewis Voting Rights Act debate and thought maybe, I never thought that like it was the, you know, the skeleton key that could unlock the legislation. But I thought that maybe it was a method that might be able to work and the math.

And then I really dug in and I was like, no. No. It's not going to, this will not do anything. I mean, maybe we could make a bigger deal of it by like holding a spectacle where people are arguing and debating on the floor and that draws more attention to it. But like at the end of the day, we just needed mansion and cinema and we didn't have them. Yeah. I mean, actually at the end of the day, I was right.

Mitch McConnell was right. You were wrong. And John Thunes in hell. Thank you so much, John. I'm still for getting rid of the filibuster. We could talk about that. I'm still in. Another time.

Okay. All right, thank you.