Breaking News from Pod Save America - Was This Trump's Most Insane Speech Ever?

Episode Date: September 10, 2026

Trump promises Americans $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms, then delivers one of his wildest speeches yet at the Republican Midterm Convention. Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett break down the latest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Great news. The federal EV rebate is back. Eligible customers get up to $5,000 with the federal EVAP rebate on select 2027 volt and 2026 Equinox EV models. Visit your local Chevrolet dealer today for more details. All right, love it. Republicans kicked off their midterm convention in Dallas last night with a Trump speech that lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. What? A hour and 40 minutes. Hour and 45 minutes.

Fuck. Somewhere around the 60 minute mark, he got to the actual news of the speech. Let's take a look. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic, tremendous economic success, like in history, we've never had anything like what's happening. But because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000. So I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot.

I'm on the ballot. I'm on it. Just one more time. Just one more time. That's good news. J.D. Vance was on Fox after already suggesting that maybe wealthy people wouldn't qualify and that they'd pay for the approximately $1.3 trillion post-election bribe checks with a tariff revenue, which is less than $300 billion. No word on why the Republican Congress chose not to issue these checks or any of the other dividend

checks Trump promised over the last two years. But I'm sure they'll get around to it if they win the election, right? Yeah, no, I'm excited because I'm, well, I'm still waiting for my $2,000 doge dividend check. I've already been pried. It's in the mail. It's a little bit double counting on the tariff checks because I've already been promised my tariff check. Yep, yep.

It's just, well, the post office is having some issues these days, so. Well, yeah, they get all their people focused on whether the ballots are from illegals. Right, right. And then on top of that, it's a bit confusing, right? Because why, does the economy suddenly become bad if Democrats win, right? Like, does that happen on day one? Like, what kind of precipice are we going off of if we managed to take the House? Doesn't survive many follow-up questions.

No. Because like you said, yeah, if so, if Democrats win, He could say, well, then I couldn't pass the dividend checks. Well, if only you had a Republican Congress, which you do now. The JD vans, the JD vans cleanup is just a great example. I really was. Real 2028 preview. Yeah, and I was watching him do that sort of dance, which is basically he said the, I know what he said,

which was a clear promise to bribe Americans if they vote for Republicans. But really what he meant was, we're going to have a policy of. of helping people because of the benefits of the tariffs of the economic policy. Actually, he meant something much smaller and meaningless by this kind of promise. And I was just thinking like, boy, did you read your own book about Catholicism? Did you like, what is this? I just saw you do a long interview about your faith and the importance of values and doing God's work and the virtues of living a modest and honest life.

Oh, are you going to get us into bloodlabel again? Nope. Clip it, clip it. No, I think it's, I mean, clearly from Trump's perspective, this is in the category of no one has more contempt for Trump's voters than Donald Trump. And so what he is hoping here, or betting on, is that voters who are not paying very close attention to the election just see headlines that say, Trump says vote Republican and get $5,000. That's all. Yeah. And he just, and then no one will scratch the surface on that, ask any more questions, and then he'll just be able to fool people again. So that's the bet. And you know what? I'm sure there will be a small set of voters who have kind of will hear this through the ether and say, yeah, I didn't really care, but I heard I was get $5,000. You know, it's like, I don't think that's impossible. Yeah, but just in case you're wondering, there's no chance in hell that that will ever happen. He's lying. He's lying. Republican Congress hasn't done it over the last two years. He hasn't pushed it for over the last two years.

The reason is because Republican senators don't want to do it. Also, because I think he knows, his economic team knows, Republicans know that since inflation just came in hot again, a $1.3 trillion dollar dividend payment would increase inflation even more. And also, he just doesn't want to give people $5,000. He just wants to brag about the economy. There was some article saying, like, oh, you know, he can't possibly do this given the fragility of the bond market. He's just making it the fuck up. Yeah, no, he's really, he's deep in the weeds on the bond markets and the yields there. Yeah, he's really worried about that.

With the convention being in Dallas, Trump also spent some time on the Texas Senate race, where poll show Ken Paxton narrowly trailing James Telerico, see if you think this will help. He may not dress right, he may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I've ever seen. But you know what he is? He's the greatest Attorney General in America, and he deserves to be your next senator. He was also somebody that hated eating meat, but he ran a campaign to beat meat. He called it beat meat. I don't know what the hell he meant by the... These people are going to tell me what the hell is he wants to beat meat.

But it was bad for his image, so he started eating meat. And he recently... It's getting worse. I'm getting myself in trouble. That's just good stuff. Very funny. Imagine being Ken Paxton is like you you finally get the president to come campaign for you in Texas And he once again tells everyone that you're ugly before moving on to a masturbation joke

Yeah the the the the like he's landed on this riff he's been doing it a lot right like it can pass him You mean a bad dresser not much to look at not a great speaker but great attorney general and it's He's a deeply unlikable and unpopular person in Texas who's also not doing very much campaigning And so really it's like Trump's is like just I know he sucks, but we just got, it's really just like just vote for the fucking guy. Yeah, it's also funny because like he's pretty ugly, he dresses horrible, he's a real loser, but greatest attorney general, and you can tell because he famously led a pedophile off without, without, he wanted a pedophile to serve a day in prison.

Yeah, it reminds me of the old Roger Ailes joke, which is sure, like he's contributed to the kind of right-wing propaganda that like fundamentally, uh, wreck the way we communicate with each other as citizens, but privately, disgusting. Yeah, this is that flipped around. Yeah, same thing. So I don't know how much that's going to help Ken Paxton, though the meat-beating riff was quite good. Hey, it's John. Last year, 2,500 people joined us at CricketCon for conversations with some of the smartest organizers, least annoying politicians, and most interesting voices in politics about how to fix this mess. We're doing it again, November 5th through the 7th, in Washington, D.C.

to even more podcast panels and workshops. Plus, there will be drinks, which we'll need after the midterms, no matter which way they go. Get your tickets at cricketcon.com, where we'll also announce the lineup. If you're a friends of the pod subscriber, a limited number of discounted tickets are still available.

Get them before they run out. See you at CricketCon. Speaking of beating your meat, check out this convention cameo. Thousands of years, that socialism and communism, it's never going to work. It's not going to work this.

It's a long time. Was that a Carville quote that we were about to hear with, I think that was Carvel saying how he won't be in a party with Asa Miker, but we got the photo of Hansa Piker in the mirror. I do like that they blurred out the Speedo. Yeah, it's a little too risque. It's like when James Ashton, where, yeah, when Ashcroft put the, put the, the, the, the curtain over the boobs because he didn't want to be in front of naked, naked Lady Justice.

Remember that? Remember that era of controversy when James Ashcroft? covered up the tits on the statue of justice. And we're like, yeah, what an error that was. Is that supposed to make people afraid of Hassan Piker? I thought he was supposed to be like an America-hating terrorist guy, but he's, there he is. I think they're afraid of something. I think there's something.

Remember when they put that people were very, I think people are mad when they feel something complicated about a figure they're meant to despise. And I think the people selecting these images are of a complicated relationship with the connection between attraction and anger. Well, it's sort of, I mean, it's kind of mirrors what they're doing or what they're trying to do with a duel. And you've seen this a couple times in the Michigan Senate race, which is like scary socialist America hater.

And then they show his like, cringy millennial videos that he's made. And he's like, he's just a dork. And it's like, well, which. I don't know that both of those messages are going to land with people, and in fact, one may cancel out the other. Right. Like, is he a swiftie or is it mas? Right. You know, so he's just side. Can't be both. Yeah, he's not swiftly. Yeah, I guess. So it's unclear if South Carolina Senator Tim Scott delivered his speech right after that Hassan speedo shot. But something certainly got him excited before he spoke. So let's watch.

And it is what it means to be American. Hear me, Dallas. Not on our watch. We will do with me. Visit BetMGM Casino and check out the newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly, 19 plus to wager. Ontario only.

Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, Peace contact connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor. Free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. I feel like he took the whole Trumpism as just like wrestling, like a little too literally. That was very uncomfortable. Yeah, I was like, okay, Senator Scott, that was fantastic.

I love what you're doing out there. But we're just going to just go back to one, do it again. But this time, just throw it away. Just take all those emotions and I kind of feel them. All right, but like, let's just do it. Let's do a take where we know you're feeling those emotions, but we're not as explicitly demonstrating them. Also, if you are going to do that, you can't have a mild-mannered cowboy standing beside.

Because it really is a stark contrast to have the kind of an emotional kind of smiling man behind you while you're doing this because that person also needs to hype. If you're going to do this out, you got to have a hype man behind you that's really into what you're doing. He looked like he was very close to, like he needed a shirt to rip off. Yeah, he was gonna Hulk Hogan. Yeah, he was gonna Hulk Hogan.

They should have given him a shirt that would have torn away pretty easily. Yeah, he's, I don't know, just incredible stuff. And look, like, we're so used to it now, right? But like, a Republican senator saying, like, they hate you, they hate your culture. They wanna destroy America. It's like, hey man, just like, healthcare.

He's supposed to be like the god-fearing nice guy in the Senate. Right, right. It's like, just pay the fucking road, you know? What is this? It's about taxes and revenues and trying to figure out how to allocate a budget and get people some social services. What the fuck are you talking about?

Just screaming. Now we're beating meat. Beaten meat. Honestly, this whole fucking convention is one sort of meat beaten session. I know. We got half naked Hassan up there. Yeah. We're beating meat.

Now, if you're looking for a more subdued. unexpected piece of oratory. We have special convention guest John Fetterman, who recorded a video introducing his fellow Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick. Big room of Republicans in Dallas. Yes, I'm Senator John Fetterman, Pennsylvania. Yes, I'm a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today?

Because, well, I'm a common sense Democrat. I'm always going to stand with America. I'm always going to reject the extremes and social, and that anti-American way of life. I have this opportunity to introduce this great American, a great senator, and yes, he's in a different party, but I'm proud to count him as my great friend. So for everybody in Dallas, I'm here to introduce Dave McCormick. Compelling stuff.

Now, after the video played, Federman's office released a statement that said, in part, quote, I'm a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party, and should the Senate flipping November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on. What do you think? Great. That's why I think. Do all the videos you want if you're going to say that. If that's true. Yes. Fetterman is not up in this election. I am sure there will be a debate and ultimately a primary against him in 2028. Safe bet. And that would be a good chance to like have it out. Let it all out. Yeah. Like your Tim Scott. But we got like the. There's been a lot of like there's been leaks around how little he wants to do the job of Senator day to day meetings he hasn't been going to ways in which most of them most of them and and I that's not what I would want on my senator

but a vote for a Democratic majority I would rather have a senator who shows up just to vote for the Democratic leader and then blows off every fucking meeting with the the most like I mean just just room after room filled with sick children and elderly, waiting for their senator who does not show. Because he is doing a Laura Ingram hit. Do I like it? No. Will I accept it to have a vote for it to keep a Democratic majority that can prevent Donald Trump's allies from rubber stamping his agenda? Absolutely. Yeah, again, you want, would you rather Eileen Cannon on the court for four decades?

Right. Replace, somehow find a worse and younger vital, like a, a 28-year-old Alito with fucking abs. Like, that's what you want. So, like, it's frustrating, but politics is frustrating. And I think constantly telling John Federman he's not a Democrat, I don't think is particularly productive, right? And also, some of these guys that you yell about, you can say, well, they're not, everyone's yelling each other on Twitter,

and they're not checking Twitter. He's online. He's online. And you know what? You know what it's doing to his head? It does to all of our heads when we're too much in our mentions. Yeah, a head that's been through a lot already. That's right.

And so I guess I just, like, I have the same frustrations, but I sometimes think we, we perform the anger at the people we're mad at for the people we agree with in a way that's not particularly helpful. I honestly, you see it in Michigan, too. Like, you'll see a lot of people posting things like, if you're, if you're not going to support Abdul, then you're not really a Democrat. Well, if you're a person in Michigan who's maybe considering not voting for Abdul, even though I believe you should and I think it's wrong. Someone's saying that you're not a Democrat when you believe yourself to be. one is not a persuasive argument. You're really performing for the other people who want to be mad with you. What is the most helpful thing to say to someone who's on the fence? Well, it's to listen to what their reasons are and try to argue why, even if you have these concerns, here's how Abdul's addressed them. Here's why it's so important that you see it the way we're seeing it. And the same with Federman, like try to persuade. I just ask like, what are you trying to achieve? Yeah. Like what is your, what's the goal? Are you trying to convince someone, persuade someone? Or what do you, what's the, what's the purpose?

Right. And, and- And when it comes to an election down the road, let's go. Right. Of course. Because that has an outcome. Right. You can affect that outcome. Right. Like we went through this with, with Joe Manchin for a while. And boy, would we rather have Joe Manchin in the Senate right now, someone who voted for the Inflation Reduction Act and a host of other Democratic priorities. And, you know, it's, it sucks, but that's life. And on the other hand, Kirsten Cinema wouldn't rather have her. her than have Ruben Gallego. Of course. Big upgrade. Absolutely.

Jim Justice, not an upgrade, downgrade from Joe Manchin. Just the way life is. All right, everyone. Please subscribe to our channel, Pod Save America. Just hit the subscribe button. It's free. Then you go on YouTube, you get all this great content, and you get less content that is, you know,

maga slop. If we reach, how many subscribers do you have in this channel? 1.2. If we get to 2 million subscribers, We will mail every subscriber a $5,000 check. I thought you're gonna say a picture of Dan and Espido. Yeah, we'll get you that picture of Dan and Speedo once I'm done with it. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Do you wish you could just hit skip on the worst parts of your life? You know the same way you can skip an ad? I get it. I'm Siaya and I live in Ice Cove. I've made some questionable decisions that didn't end up the way I planned. And today I'm still figuring it out. Somehow things usually get worse before they get better. Apparently, that's how I roll. So bundle up and come along for the bumpy ride. Stream a new episode of North of North Tuesdays on CBC Gem.