Why Voters Delivered the Blue Tsunami, the Shocking Dem Margins, and the WORST New Senators, w/ RCP

What this episode is about

Voters delivered a decisive rejection of Republican direction, demanding independence from party leaders and stronger checks on presidential power, signaling a need for Republicans to rebuild without relying on Trump. The piece argues that many newly elected Democrats lean left, potentially reshaping the political landscape with a more progressive influence.

Key takeaways

• Post-Trump GOP fragmentation is real: voters want an ethical center, not a puppet theater on policy.
• MAGA’s relevance hinges on Trump; without his ballot, the movement risks becoming a shadow of itself.
• Voters demand independent checks: Congress failed as a check-and-balance, signaling a needed systemic reset.
• Foreign policy fatigue: tariffs and war rhetoric alienated working-class Republicans; prioritizing defense over adventurism.
• Americans crave policy focus on domestic pain: jobs, prices, and real consequences trump flashy executive orders.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Megan Kelly (Guest) · 1 h 1 min speaking
• Tom Beavenon (Guest) · 10 min speaking
• Carl Cannon (Guest) · 12 min speaking
• Andrew Walworth (Guest) · 8 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 10:00: Donald Trump, Republican Party, MAGA, Megan Kelly
2. 10:00 – 20:00: Republican Party, Iran War, Israel, Donald Trump
3. 20:00 – 30:00: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Mississippi, Iran War
4. 30:00 – 40:00: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Iran War, Iran
5. 40:00 – 50:00: Republican Party, Democratic Party, J.D. Vance, Florida
6. 50:00 – 1:00:00: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Barack Obama, South Carolina
7. 1:00:00 – 1:10:00: Alina Habba, Governor Kristi Noem, Washington, Elon Musk
8. 1:10:00 – 1:20:00: Iran War, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Iran
9. 1:20:00 – 1:30:00: Mississippi, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Cindy Hyde-Smith
10. 1:30:00 – 1:40:00: Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Party, James Talarico
11. 1:40:00 – 1:41:30: Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy

Notable quotes from "Why Voters Delivered the Blue Tsunami, the Shocking Dem Margins, and the WORST New Senators, w/ RCP"

• The choice now for Republicans is to reflect, rebuild, and reinvent in the image of no man.

  about Republican Party · at 0:17

• Trump sent out a post this morning reminding us that he is still our president. Eh, in name, he is. And let's not kid ourselves. There's a lot he can do on.

  about Donald Trump · at 1:49

• The nonsense of this past year came to a fruition. Came to fruition last night.

  about Iran War · at 10:08

• Our voters showed up and the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel.

  about J.D. Vance · at 12:16

• Into this war. For that, President Trump is responsible. But there was a role without question. Marco Rubio admitted that right after we invaded that we did it for Israel. No, you said it. You were called an anti-semite.

  about Israel · at 14:23

• But really, it was the pain they were feeling domestically as a result of it.

  about Michigan · at 19:09

• And the outstanding vote is reportedly favoring him, the Democrat. So, it looks very much at this hour like we are about to have our first black senator from the state of…

  about Mississippi · at 23:48

• Joining me now are pals from Real Clear Politics. It comes on right before this show does on SiriusXM channel 111. Tom Beavenon, co-founder and president of RCP, Carl Cannon, the Washington.

  about The Megyn Kelly Show · at 25:45

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political figure / subject of discussion · 15 mentions · first at 0:46
  Central figure blamed by hosts/guests for GOP losses, Iran war decision, and candidate selection; his actions and rhetoric drive much of the episode's analysis.
• Megan Kelly — Person · Host · 5 mentions · first at 0:00
  Program host who frames the episode, offers analysis and editorial perspective on election results and political implications.
  Hey everyone, I'm Megan Kelly. Welcome to the Megan Kelly show. Wow, what a night. It was a blue tsunami after all.
• J.D. Vance — Person · Referenced Republican political commentator / former senator · 10 mentions · first at 10:38
  Quoted for post-election analysis diagnosing reasons Trump 2024 voters defected (war, cost of living, America First, Israel ties); his analysis shapes discussion of GOP failures.
• Carl Cannon — Person · Guest / Washington bureau chief (RealClearPolitics) · 4 mentions · first at 25:54
  RCP Washington bureau chief contributing analysis on leadership, competence, and voter reaction to Iran war and other issues.
  989898. That's MK to989898 today. Guys, welcome back. U Carl, I'll start with you. What do you make of my assessment of last night's results?
• Cindy Hyde-Smith — Person · Incumbent Republican senator (Mississippi) · 3 mentions · first at 23:40
  Incumbent in tight Mississippi Senate race; criticized for gaffe ('pick another protein') used by opponent ad; exemplifies GOP vulnerability.
  96% of the ballots are counted. The Democrat Scott Cologne leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde Smith by 43 votes and the outstanding vote is reportedly favoring him, the…
• Tom Bevan — Person · Guest / RCP co-founder and president · 2 mentions · first at 25:45
  RealClearPolitics co-founder offering election analysis and commentary on implications for national politics and party futures.
  Joining me now are pals from Real Clear Politics. It comes on right before this show does on SiriusXM channel 111. Tom Beavenon, co-founder and president of RCP, Carl Cannon, the Washington.
• Scott Colom — Person · Referenced Democratic candidate (Mississippi) · 1 mention · first at 1:24:51
  Democratic Senate candidate in Mississippi who unexpectedly led/incumbent-troubled race and exemplified blue gains in deep red state; noted for retail campaigning and effective ad ('Pick another protein').
  That. Wait now. And look at this. But look, so he got on line at a Trump rally. Scott Cologne did and he decided to go talk to Trump supporters about the issues that were…
• Alina Habba — Person · Referenced lawyer / controversy subject · 5 mentions · first at 45:08
  Raised in discussion about alleged high-paid private work and possible payoff/pardon connections; cited as part of broader corruption/grift critique.
  I just think this Alina Haba, who's literally accomplished nothing other than representing Trump in that one case that she lost on his business by Tish James to ruin his company. I'm.
• Ron DeSantis — Person · Referenced GOP figure / potential 2028 contender · 4 mentions · first at 42:45
  Discussed as likely to position himself for the presidential race and as a governor with a state-level model Republicans can point to; contrasted with Trump.
  Donald Trump left the Republican party a dumpster fire in all these states except this one state that I run. He almost made it a dumpster fire here, but because of me, I was…
• Lindsey Graham — Person · Referenced Republican candidate (South Carolina) · 4 mentions · first at 55:16
  Candidate identity clarification; standardize spelling
  Matt Walsh tweet on this that I really thought was spoton. This is what he wrote. South Carolina flipped to the Dems because Trump endorsed a Republican candidate who had no…
• Barack Obama — Person · Referenced former President · 4 mentions · first at 57:16
  Used as a historical comparison for party swings — referencing 2008 victory and subsequent 2010 midterm losses (Tea Party reaction to Obamacare).
  To tell you that, I lived that one very closely that Barack Obama win and then what happened in 2010 and it was Obamacare. He was such a prick. He changed he created a new entitlement that did not for the first time ever.
• Abdul El-Sayed — Person · Newly elected Democratic senator (referenced) · 4 mentions · first at 1:30:25
  Called out for an acerbic, smug victory speech; hosts express concern about his temperament and tone as a new senator.
  See, you chose hate and Michigan chose hope.
• Dan Sullivan — Person · Referenced incumbent senator (Alaska) · 3 mentions · first at 22:15
  Incumbent in tight Alaska Senate race mentioned as threatened by Mary Peltola and illustrative of razor-thin margins in several races.
  Close, boy, do we mean it. In Alaska, the absurd Democrat Mary Pelah currently leads incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan 48.2% to 49, sorry, to 47.9. 48.2 to 47.9 with an…
• Andrew Walworth — Person · Guest / RCP chief content officer · 3 mentions · first at 25:56
  Provides content/political analysis as part of RCP panel discussing election outcomes and dynamics.
  Beavenon, co-founder and president of RCP, Carl Cannon, the Washington bureau chief, and Andrew Walworth, who is RCP's chief content officer.
• James Talarico — Person · Referenced newly elected Senator (referred as Terarico / Terico) · 3 mentions · first at 54:07
  Potentially a real or fictional figure; repair confirms intended identity
  Experience, when you extend an open hand rather than a closed fist, you'll be surprised by who takes that hand. He embodied a new kind of politics. A politics rooted in a deep…
• Mary Peltola — Person · Referenced Alaska candidate · 2 mentions · first at 22:10
  Democratic/Independent-aligned candidate who led Dan Sullivan in Alaska, illustrating tight/flip possibilities in Senate map.
  Call. And when we say they are too close, boy, do we mean it. In Alaska, the absurd Democrat Mary Pelah currently leads incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan 48.2% to 49…
• John Cornyn — Person · Referenced Republican senator (Texas) · 2 mentions · first at 1:20:04
  Mentioned as an example of a Republican incumbent whom Trump refused to endorse due to perceived disloyalty; candidate selection discussion.
  When I got elected to Congress in 2012, the first thing I did, I sold all my stocks. I've never traded a stock in elected office. Not one time. You have some of these guys, they get to.
• Governor Kristi Noem — Person · Referenced Republican official (DHS) · 4 mentions · first at 1:02:48
  Correct canonical form for DHS official; disambiguate from Christie
  Yeah. the way that they handled it, with her ads and all that stuff, Ice Barbie and the pictures of her, it was just ridiculous. and turn public opinion against the administration on an issue that they had.
• Marco Rubio — Person · referenced Republican senator/potential 2028 actor · 3 mentions · first at 14:27
  Mentioned as a potential presidential-stage figure and as someone who admitted role in support for Israel when discussing the Iran war.
  Into this war. For that, President Trump is responsible. But there was a role without question. Marco Rubio admitted that right after we invaded that we did it for Israel. No, you said it. You were called an anti-semite.
• Elon Musk — Person · Referenced tech CEO · 3 mentions · first at 1:00:56
  Referenced as someone Democrats/Republicans might target in oversight and mentioned re: data centers / space data centers tweet.
  I think he would be very difficult to pin down on anything. One thing he tweeted out today was data centers in space are looking pretty good right now.
• Nikki Haley — Person · Referenced potential GOP presidential candidate · 2 mentions · first at 43:26
  Mentioned in passing as part of early 2028 field discussion and as someone who has been on TV in the post-election environment.
  Sanders has now done the same. Tom doesn't like it. He gets triggered when I mentioned Nikki Haley, but she was on TV this morning, too. So, the field is taking shape. And I guess the big question is what is Marco Rubio going to do?
• Ken Paxton — Person · Referenced Texas AG / candidate controversy · 2 mentions · first at 1:19:29
  Mentioned in context of controversial candidate dynamics in Texas and Trump endorsements; used to discuss party interference and candidate quality.
  Darlene Graham, Michael Watley, who got his ass kicked, the head of the RNC. I don't think he really picked Paxton.
• Joe Biden — Person · Referenced current President · 1 mention · first at 1:17:21
  Mentioned in context of past administrations and policy comparisons (e.g., references to prior promises, economic messaging).
  Biden famously, I think in 2024, throughout that campaign, gas lit the American people about it and Trump was doing the same thing. It's things.
• Peggy Flanagan — Person · newly elected senator referenced · 1 mention · first at 1:30:46
  Public figure relevant to discussion
  Radical to me and I don't I'm not sure where that guy's going to go with it, but I would say Penny Peggy Flanigan is probably my least favorite newly elected senator. The…
• Haley Stevens — Person · referenced former candidate · 3 mentions · first at 54:35
  Mentioned as a primary loser and as someone criticized for her stance/endorsement and career implications.
  I thought that performance by Abdul Alad that nasty victory speech. So, Michigan has a sore loser in the primary, Haley Stevens. Now, has a sore winner, the poor sport winner. So he's being You're right.
• Mike Rogers — Person · referenced Republican politician · 3 mentions · first at 54:37
  Mentioned in reference to Haley Stevens' endorsement of him and her career consequences after the loss.
  May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.
• Jeffrey Epstein — Person · referenced scandal figure · 1 mention · first at 7:13
  Referenced in discussion about elite circles, cover-ups, and voter anger at perceived protection of powerful figures.
  If you don't care about Ebstein then tell us I don't give a about Jeffrey Epste. Move on while you're running. Don't through your surrogates and the all the people that you are.
• Rachel Campos-Duffy — Person · referenced commentator · 1 mention · first at 12:27
  Referenced approvingly for advocating a diplomatic resolution to the Iran conflict; cited in JD Vance's post as sound political advice.
  Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy on Fox for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the…
• Tish James — Person · Referenced public official (Letitia 'Tish' James) · 1 mention · first at 1:04:59
  Mentioned in relation to Trump legal matters and allegations about payoffs/pardons in discussion of ethics and corruption.
  I just think this Alina Haba, who's literally accomplished nothing other than representing Trump in that one case that she lost on his business by Tish James to ruin his company. I'm.
• Kimberly Guilfoyle — Person · Referenced Trump ally · 1 mention · first at 1:06:27
  Mentioned among potential targets for oversight/investigation tied to administration/association with Trump; raised in context of ethics scrutiny.
  Disclosing that she was getting her pocket, lined. That's my guess. We'll find out. I actually am looking forward to seeing her go before Congress and be questioned about this. I think my old pal Kimberly Gilfoil might get dragged.
• Sean Trende — Person · referenced analyst · 1 mention · first at 1:14:18
  Cited for a cautionary note about electoral fluidity (Poll Vault Substack); described as senior elections advisor.
  His poll vault today. He says voters for better for worse have goldfish memories and this election provides relatively little news about what 2028 will look like. the election is over, but elections aren't. I thought.
• Bill and Hillary Clinton — Person · Referenced former President · 1 mention · first at 1:15:07
  Mentioned as historical example when discussing large electoral swings and party recoveries after big electoral wins/losses.
  To tell you that, I lived that one very closely that Barack Obama win and then what happened in 2010 and it was Obamacare. He was such a prick. He changed he created a new entitlement that did not for the first time ever.
• Amy Acton — Person · Referenced Democratic winner (Ohio) · 1 mention · first at 1:39:37
  Referenced as 'Amazing Amy' who won in Ohio; host reacted to her victory speech and persona.
  Going to vote to trans the children which is not loving. I got one more for you which is Amy Actton. Amazing Amy won her race against Vav and thank God she will now have the designated driver that she locked down the Chardonnay.
• Corey Lewandowski — Person · referenced Trump associate · 2 mentions · first at 1:02:53
  Identifies a public figure tying to campaign dynamics
  Going to get at I don't think a lot of people are going to cry to see Christy and Cory Luwendowski dragged in there. I think Alina Haba's got to go to talk about her $50…
• Glenn Greenwald — Person · referenced journalist/commentator · 2 mentions · first at 1:36:12
  Mentioned for commentary about Terarico and Texas; cited in on-air discussion.
  Last night on our broadcast, Glenn Greenwald was recounting that Piers Morgan asked Glenn, about Telerico, is Texas really going to elect a gay vegan as its senator?
• Congressman Thomas Massie — Person · referenced Republican critic · 1 mention · first at 4:10
  Mentioned as a vocal critic of war decisions who was politically punished (voted out) for opposing administration actions.
  They, most Republicans sat by and said nothing as Thomas Massie was voted out of the US House was a vocal critic of these decisions. MTG was bullied out as well by Trump who was a.
• Marjorie Taylor Green — Person · referenced Republican critic · 1 mention · first at 4:15
  Mentioned (as MTG) alongside Thomas Massie as critics who faced consequences for opposing the administration's actions.
  By and said nothing as Thomas Massie was voted out of the US House was a vocal critic of these decisions. MTG was bullied out as well by Trump who was a vocal critic of…
• Rudolf Diesel — Person · historical inventor referenced · 1 mention · first at 19:20
  Historical figure relevant to diesel engine topic
  Of Rudolph Diesel, which was all about Rudolph Diesel, who invented the diesel engine, and Doug told us how many pieces of the world economy, and that includes ours, are linked…
• Pete Ricketts — Person · referenced Republican · 1 mention · first at 24:16
  Mentioned as one Republican who held in Nebraska; used to illustrate Senate map outcomes.
  So, we are very likely potentially looking at a 56 seat majority for the Dems in the Senate in an election year in which the Senate map favored the GOP.
• Newt Gingrich — Person · Referenced historical political figure · 1 mention · first at 1:15:10
  Mentioned (as 'N Gingrich') alongside Bill Clinton as part of a comment on past political swings and governing dynamics.
  Barack Obama, right? He wins by seven points nationally, beats John McCain 365 to 173 in the electoral college. He brings in this huge wave of Democratic lawmakers in the House and.

Books & papers

• Rudolph Diesel Case Book — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 19:18
  Mentioned when discussing how diesel price spikes affect agriculture and the economy; referenced via guest author who appeared previously on the show.
  It was the gas prices, the diesel prices. Remember when Doug came on after he wrote his book, The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel, which was all about Rudolph Diesel, who invented the diesel engine, and Doug told us how many.

Companies & orgs

• RealClearPolitics — Company · Guest organization / source of analysis · 1 mention · first at 25:45
  Three RCP staff (Bevan, Cannon, Walworth) joined to analyze results; RCP polling and aggregation referenced repeatedly.
  Joining me now are pals from Real Clear Politics. It comes on right before this show does on SiriusXM channel 111. Tom Beavenon, co-founder and president of RCP, Carl Cannon, the Washington.
• Fox News — Company · Media outlet discussed · 8 mentions · first at 15:06
  Mentioned as having reduced coverage of Trump after Iran war; platform where guests and Trump remarks aired; part of media ecosystem impacting audience behavior.
  Just before I give it to you, Tom, this is what the exit polls as the person who did the exit polls for years for Fox on the air. One of my teammates just sent me video of 2006 midterm elections. I was there with Brit.
• ICE — Company · Policy actor discussed · 3 mentions · first at 1:07:38
  U.S. immigration enforcement agency discussed in context of controversial enforcement actions that hurt Republican candidates and influenced voter sentiment in key regions.
  Coverage in South Texas. And it's one of the reasons clearly that this vote changed down there. And there were interviews that we didn't see in Washington or in New York where…
• Department of Homeland Security — Organization · referenced federal agency · 2 mentions · first at 1:07:22
  Canonical government agency; fix type
  Yeah, fair enough. I mean there were Republican candidates out there who were moving away from the president on the war. it didn't seem to help them.
• SiriusXM — Company · broadcaster · 1 mention · first at 25:49
  Platform that airs The Megyn Kelly Show (noted in episode context).
  Joining me now are pals from Real Clear Politics. It comes on right before this show does on SiriusXM channel 111. Tom Beavenon, co-founder and president of RCP, Carl Cannon, the Washington bureau chief, and Andrew Walworth, who.
• Twitter — Company · Referenced social platform · 1 mention · first at 1:06:57
  Mentioned as the platform (X/Twitter) where JD Vance and others posted analysis; used in discussion of communications.
  JD Vance just took to X this morning and in a long post which is worth your time.
• Supreme Court — Company · Referenced institution (court) · 1 mention · first at 1:30:14
  Appears in discussion about packing the court as a potential agenda item for newly elected Democrats.
  This guy. I like him. He seems I don't know what his policies are. Maybe I'll reverse myself because he wants to pack the Supreme Court, but so far I like him, which is not a…
• New York Times — Company · Referenced media outlet · 1 mention · first at 1:19:58
  Referenced as a major national media outlet in context of who covers or critiques political actors and narratives.
  Trying it. And that's that's the kind of thing. But Trump was last was who was he saying that to Tom? Was it the New York Times or Brett Bear?

Concepts & topics

• Republican Party — Concept · Core topic · 40 mentions · first at 0:08
  Episode examines why Republicans suffered major losses, internal factionalism (MAGA, neocons, establishment), and need to rebuild.
• Democratic Party — Concept · Core topic / counterparty · 36 mentions · first at 2:23
  The party that gained large midterm victories; discussed as beneficiaries and their ideological mix (DSA, radicals) and potential governing implications.
  The Democrats who were elected last night, many of them are DSA types who are more radical than the previous Democrats.
• MAGA — Concept · Faction / movement discussed · 3 mentions · first at 4:39
  Movement associated with Trump; discussed as diminished without Trump on ballot and implicated in GOP's inability to unify post-election.
  What is left right now of MAGA of core MAGA? It is a shadow of its former self because what Cororaga has basically told us and Donald Trump put words to that today is it is irrelevant unless Trump.
• Jeffrey Epstein — Concept · Referenced scandal / symbol · 1 mention · first at 7:10
  Used as shorthand for elite corruption/cover-up grievances that voters cared about and that Republicans were accused of mishandling rhetorically.
  Office say Epstein who cares about Epste. You're still talking about what? Stop gaslighting us.
• Super Intelligence — Concept · Referenced buzzword / policy framing · 2 mentions · first at 29:35
  Mentioned as an example of Trump's rhetorical style (labeling AI 'super intelligence') and tied to discussions about AI/data centers and voter backlash.
  Talking about the competence issue, this is a guy who spends all this time. If you don't if you don't call artificial intelligence super intelligence, your reporters can't…
• Muslim Brotherhood — Concept · Referenced ideological group · 1 mention · first at 1:30:38
  Mentioned in passing when discussing concerns or accusations around candidates (used to illustrate worries about alleged radical influences).
  I'm not really worried about the Muslim Brotherhood stuff, but I he does seem radical to me and I don't I'm not sure where that guy's going to go with it, but I would say Penny Peggy Flanigan is.

Places & events

• Iran War — Event · Core topic / catalyst · 13 mentions · first at 4:21
  Characterized as a primary reason voters defected from Republicans to Democrats; repeatedly cited as a top voting issue and trigger for economic effects (fuel prices).
• Iran — Place · Geopolitical focus · 11 mentions · first at 4:21
  Location of military action and the source of voter backlash; central to foreign-policy discussion and electoral consequences.
  Trump launched an unnecessary war in Iran, in the Middle East. The very thing he promised us that he would not do.
• Mississippi — Place · Case study / surprising flip potential · 11 mentions · first at 22:01
  State highlighted for potential Democratic Senate pickup (Scott Colom), illustrating the breadth of Democratic gains into deep-red territory.
• Michigan — Place · state discussed for election results and voter sentiment · 8 mentions · first at 3:32
  State of interest; canonical form
• Israel — Place · Foreign policy element · 4 mentions · first at 12:12
  Discussed in relation to the Iran war, GOP voters' attitudes about U.S.-Israel relations, and JD Vance's fourth reason (change relationship to Israel) for defections.
• Texas — Place · Case study · 3 mentions · first at 54:03
  State where Democrats won notable races (James Talarico) and where shifts among Latinos/young voters were emphasized; used to illustrate changing demographics and big swings.
  Here's another one from Patrick Rafini pollster at Echelon Insights, and he writes the following. That Latino men shifted 57 points in favor of the Democrats. Latinos in…
• Florida — Place · Key battleground / example state · 7 mentions · first at 11:02
  Used multiple times as an example of Republican strength under Governor Ron DeSantis and as the lone large state remaining under GOP control in context of results.
  Either term limited or got voted out of the 10 largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control of their state, the state of Florida.
• South Carolina — Place · Case study / flipped seat · 5 mentions · first at 53:41
  State where a Senate seat flipped due in part to candidate quality and Trump's endorsement choices; used to illustrate GOP missteps.
  Matt Walsh tweet on this that I really thought was spoton. This is what he wrote. South Carolina flipped to the Dems because Trump endorsed a Republican candidate who had no…
• Blue Tsunami — Event · Descriptive label · 1 mention · first at 0:01
  Phrase used by host to describe large Democratic wave in the midterms; frames the episode's interpretation of results.
  Hey everyone, I'm Megan Kelly. Welcome to the Megan Kelly show. Wow, what a night. It was a blue tsunami after all.
• Iowa — Place · Example of local economic pain and polling impact · 6 mentions · first at 3:34
  Cited multiple times as a state hurt by tariffs and diesel/gas price increases after the Iran war; used to explain voter backlash.
  Michigan and in states that depend on agriculture like Iowa and they had their say about those consequences last night. Not to mention people in agriculture who have been…
• Washington — Place · Setting / political context · 6 mentions · first at 25:54
  Referenced repeatedly as the center of federal politics, discussion of congressional behavior and governance originating there.
  Number of times and we talked about candidate quality. Just a different way to look at it is I mean if you look at how bad they lost in Texas and how you know she lost by what…
• Minnesota — Place · state with key Democratic victory · 4 mentions · first at 31:06
  State of interest; canonical form
  Minister irritated him. And then these tariffs all across that northern tier, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota. These are states where people What is he doing? We don't hate Canada. We like Canadians.
• Alaska — Place · contested Senate race location · 2 mentions · first at 22:01
  State location with corrected evidence
  Alaska and Mississippi are too close to call. And when we say they are too close, boy, do we mean it. In Alaska, the absurd Democrat Mary Pelah currently leads incumbent…
• Ohio — Place · location/state referenced · 2 mentions · first at 1:39:52
  State referenced with proper capitalization
  Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Hello, OHIO.
• Ukraine — Place · foreign policy example · 2 mentions · first at 29:24
  Mentioned in discussion comparing foreign policy reactions (Ukraine vs. Iran) and competence perceptions of leadership.
  I grant that point, but let's apply it to Ukraine. Those are people who are being attacked. They're fighting for their country. When I'm talking about the competence issue, this is a guy who spends all this time. If.
• Mexico — Place · Referenced location in immigration discussion · 2 mentions · first at 29:42
  Mentioned in anecdote about deportation and people sent back to Mexico after long residence in the U.S.; used to illustrate ICE/deportation controversies.
  Reporters can't cover me. He's now he's going to be the style editor of AP. If you don't call Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of America, you're out of the pool. now I'm going to rename…
• Kennedy Center — Place · Symbolic issue · 1 mention · first at 28:02
  Capitalization and canonical form; dataset convention
  Priorities and you think I mean what let's take one issue because it's a minor issue it's a symbol it's a symbolic issue I it matters to me not to everybody but to me I'll…
• South Texas — Place · regional example · 1 mention · first at 1:09:51
  Region referenced in context
  But there were other cases that didn't get as much attention in Washington, but in Texas did. There was a guy there who was killed on his way to work. It turned, we've never…
• Canada — Place · neighboring country referenced · 2 mentions · first at 30:51
  Geopolitical reference in discourse
  Hurt farmers and you have this trifecta in the farm belt where he loses all those states, the this needless trolling of Canada that started before he was even inaugurated the…
• Kansas — Place · Referenced state with election result · 2 mentions · first at 55:04
  Mentioned among states where Democrats won Senate or competitive races; part of national map discussion.
  Returned to the office of US senator and he won by a margin of 4.8. Kansas Hamilton the pastor won by 4.8. Kansas haven't sent a Dem to the Senate inund 100 years. South…
• Venezuela — Place · Referenced in corruption/pardon anecdote · 2 mentions · first at 1:03:10
  Mentioned as the origin of an individual connected to alleged pardon-selling scheme discussed in the episode.
  Appears to have be a popup as of Monday, but now suddenly needs a $10 million general counsel so that their Venezuelan leader can get a pardon from Donald Trump. Of course, the…
• New York, New York — Place · Referenced media/political center · 2 mentions · first at 1:09:59
  Mentioned as part of the media/political landscape and where coverage originates; also referenced in anecdotes.
  The reasons clearly that this vote changed down there. And there were interviews that we didn't see in Washington or in New York where people on local television there when ICE…
• Nebraska — Place · Referenced state in Senate map · 1 mention · first at 24:14
  Mentioned as the only state where the Republican incumbent held in a difficult Senate map described in the episode.
  We could have a 56 seat majority for the Dems. Nebraska is the only state in which the Republican hung on. Pete Rickettts who is a good guy. I know him.
• Puerto Rico — Place · Referenced in corruption/bribery anecdote · 1 mention · first at 1:04:24
  Referenced in a description of an alleged bribery case tied to a pardon discussion; used to illustrate corruption claims.
  Brought by the public integrity section that Trump dismantled was that he had paid he bribed a governor in Puerto Rico. So they busted he plead guilty to a misdemeanor. Then…
• Strait of Hormuz — Place · geopolitical reference · 1 mention · first at 1:13:26
  Referenced when discussing fertilizer supply issues and broader Middle East impacts on agriculture/fuel linked to the Iran war.
  Agriculture like Iowa and they had their say about those consequences last night. Not to mention people in agriculture who have been suffering thanks to the fertilizer problems…
• Alabama — Place · Referenced example of expected red states · 1 mention · first at 23:30
  Listed with other deep red states as part of the discussion of surprising Democratic performance.
  Hours ago. Democrats aren't going to win a Senate seat in Mississippi. What? What are you talking about? When you think about the deep red states, you think Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi.
• Oklahoma — Place · Referenced example of expected red states · 1 mention · first at 23:30
  Mentioned in the discussion of states normally considered deeply red; used as comparison for surprising Democratic wins.
  Hours ago. Democrats aren't going to win a Senate seat in Mississippi. What? What are you talking about? When you think about the deep red states, you think Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi.
• North Korea — Place · Referenced potential foreign trip · 1 mention · first at 1:15:41
  Mentioned as an example of a foreign trip a president in a weakened domestic position might undertake to shift focus to foreign policy.
  When they've sort of faced this kind of thing. They go overseas. They work overseas. So he may be going to North Korea soon. Something like that. I mean watch for something he…
• Athens — Place · Humorous reference · 1 mention · first at 1:06:49
  Used in a joking aside about someone 'studying the history of Athens' — part of casual banter, not substantive.
  Did you really think she was going to be, as Tim put it, studying the history of Athens? could you just relax?

Media & podcasts

• The Megyn Kelly Show — Media · Broadcast / podcast · 3 mentions · first at 0:00
  Source program for the episode; host Megyn Kelly frames topics, invites RCP guests, and delivers commentary and interviews.
• American News Minute — Media · Referenced newsletter/product · 2 mentions · first at 0:00
  Mentioned in show context as a weekly email people can sign up for (host's product/promotion).
  Sign up for my 'American News Minute' weekly email.

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  Hey everyone, I'm Megan Kelly. Welcome to the Megan Kelly show. Wow, what a night. It was a blue tsunami after all.
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Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Hey everyone, I'm Megan Kelly. Welcome to the Megan Kelly show. Wow, what a night. It was a blue tsunami after all. And this morning, the Republican party is in ruins. And maybe it needed to be. The choice now for Republicans is to reflect, rebuild, and reinvent in the image of no man. They're going to have to do it on their own. They're going to have to learn how to win without daddy on the ballot and to to find their ethical center and not just be puppets of Trump's, not to have their entire political world revolve around Donald Trump. That is one of the things that the voters told them last night. We're sick of the fact that you don't act like an independent branch of government. You happen to be the first branch and we expect you to act as one of the separate powers as the founders envisioned. This was one of the things they said in the exit polling that they did not believe Congress was doing an

1:09 adequate job acting as a check on presidential power. The whole system is designed to have three different branches, each of whom can check the other in their own way. the electorate that turned out, whether you were young or old, black or white, Hispanic, Asian, male or female, Republican or Democrat or independent, told the Republicans they were disgusted with them. They were disgusted. It wasn't like, "You're mildly annoying. We're not really in your camp anymore." It was, "Fuck off. You have betrayed us." So, all bets are off now.

1:49 Trump sent out a post this morning reminding us that he is still our president. Eh, in name, he is. And let's not kid ourselves. There's a lot he can do on the foreign policy front that position. Domestically, his agenda is now over. That piece of his presidency, the domestic piece of it, is effectively over. He has absolutely no one who is going to work with him in the US Congress unless he becomes a Democrat, unless he starts legislating like a Democrat. The Democrats who were elected last night, many of them are DSA types who are more radical than the previous Democrats.

2:32 I don't know how much of an appetite there's going to be to work with Donald Trump. He will either bend to their will or there will be no legislation that goes forward. they're not going to bend to his. They actually did just win in a mandate in a landslide election. Um, so Donald Trump has been hobbled by the events that happened last night and the Republican party has as well and they did deserve it. I'm sorry that President Trump did a lot with his pen and his phone via executive order, many of which we applauded him for, many of those things. But the truth is that the American people are hurting, have remained hurting, and were not helped by this president or his policies. And instead of him focusing like a laser on doing something to actually help them, and let's be honest, at two years into it now, we see those tariffs are not on the list of things that help them. To the contrary, they appear to have really

3:32 hurt people in border states like Michigan and in states that depend on agriculture like Iowa and they had their say about those consequences last night. Not to mention people in agriculture who have been suffering thanks to the fertilizer problems coming out of the straight of Hormuz and so on. These are presidential decisions that he made and the Republicans did not stand up to him. They were not they did not vote in favor of reigning in his war powers. There's a question about whether that would have been constitutional at all given the way the Constitution structures power, but they didn't even try.

4:06 Um they, you know, most Republicans sat by and said nothing as Thomas Massie was voted out of the US House was a vocal critic of these decisions. MTG was bullied out as well by Trump who was a vocal critic of decisions like the Iran war and that just the drum beat for war in general. And now the Republican party is going to have to get really honest with itself because Trump's power to primary you and threaten you has been eliminated. What is left right now of MAGA of core MAGA? It is a shadow of its former self because what Cororaga has basically told us and Donald Trump put words to that today is it is irrelevant unless Trump is on the ballot and Trump will never be on the ballot again. Never on the ballot again. So if that's true and that's what Donald Trump says, okay, Donald Trump is the one who says MAGA does what he wants it to do and that had he been on the ballot there would have been a different

5:08 result. But without him on the ballot, MAGA can't win. Then that means the Republican party is in pieces. That the Republican party and the Republicans who are not considered MAGA are no longer beholden to any one group. Because guess what? They don't have your back. But just forget it. Forget about yesterday's factions. Forget about old establishment. Forget about MAGA. Forget about neocon. Forget about non-interventionist. You got to rebuild, my friends. Start from scratch. Figure out what worked in the past and start cobbling together something ethical that bears some resemblance to a party with a moral center that understands the mood of the country and we really mean it is anti-war and anti-m east wars. in particular.

6:05 Most people who are Republican voters want a robust, strong military, and we want to be ready to use it defensively if necessary. But we don't want a bunch of about how Iran is two weeks away from getting a nuclear weapon months after you bombed their three main nuclear facilities into oblivion. We don't want it. We don't want to be lied to. We don't want to risk American blood and treasure on another Middle East field. We want legislators who are focused on the problems of the most suffering Americans of the workingclass Americans who time after time try to vote in leaders who will actually help them who will not be focused on AI data centers and how many jobs they can eliminate thanks to bots in favor of AI bots.

6:59 They don't want to elect somebody who promises them that they understand the objection to these elite globalist government concentric circles of power that cover up for pedophiles etc. like Ebstein and then when they get into office say Epstein who cares about Epste. You're still talking about what? Stop gaslighting us. If you don't care about Ebstein then tell us I don't give a about Jeffrey Epste. Move on while you're running. Don't through your surrogates and the all the people that you are going to elevate into power tell us you do care and then make us feel like when we actually want you to care when we vote for you. We put you in office and then you turn around and say I don't. That promise that that that rhetoric was untrue. My rhetoric about no more wars was untrue.

7:49 What I had on every arena around the arena, Trump will fix it was untrue. Stop going on camera and celebrating how much money, quote, we are making when you know the average person cannot take a damn vacation. The Red Baron guy speaks for way more Americans than Donald Trump does right now. The guy who missed the kids going to bed by an hour, couldn't pay his mortgage, had to be back on the job at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. That guy doesn't give a how much money you're making or the tech bros are making, the crypto millionaires, the AI companies, the trillionaires, they don't care.

8:36 They need actual help. And they're so desperate for it, they just voted back into power. The very party that caused their problems. See, we all have short memories because we go about leading our own lives. We focus on our jobs. We focus on the minutia. We focus on the bills that are piling up on our on our desks. Trust me, it's been a while since I've been in that position, but I remember it. I remember the sick feeling you get in your stomach when the bills come and you cannot pay them and you see your credit card bill mounting because that's the only place you can go to actually pay your utility bills. And you know where this is going to lead.

9:17 I I I've seen it happen to my mom, my poor sister, God rest her, my nana, and when I was a young woman to me. And these people don't want to hear Trump talking about how much money we're making off of tariffs or whatever scheme he's got going when they see none of it and don't think he's focused on it. When he does deviate off of that kind of economic messaging, which is not reassuring, he's talking about the reflecting pool or the ballroom or the pipes or, you know, one of his other vanity projects like the arch.

9:54 It there's a tonedeafness to it. That led to anger. Anger. That's the message we got from the voters yesterday. The nonsense of this past year came to a fruition. Came to fruition last night. Trump launched an unnecessary war in Iran, in the Middle East. The very thing he promised us that he would not do. When that happened, he lost control of his party. some large faction of his party turned on him and made that clear last night. And you don't have to take my word for it. Take the word of his own vice president. JD Vance just took to X this morning and in a long post which is worth your time.

10:44 Said the following. One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was composition. Whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And he goes on and on and on sort of setting that up and then says, "Our voters actually did show up. They showed up last night." In Florida, for example, the electorate was nine points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly, there were places we could have done better on turnout, but the main problem was not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump fans in 24 voted for Dems in 26. There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn't sharp enough down the stretch. I'm sure that's true. But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.

11:34 Another pollster, one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we would lose the generic B ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. Trump 2024 voters were planning to vote for Democrats. He asked them, th those voters who had abandoned us, what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers accounting for nearly all of the responses were, one, end the war. Two, focus on the cost of living and inflation. Three, put America first.

12:12 Four, change our relationship to Israel. Our voters showed up and the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy on Fox for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. She's also a great person. He writes, "In the next [snorts] few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for example. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you. The reason we lost is the war.

13:02 The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay, agree or disagree, that's at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there. I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, "I told you so." You're right. You did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be.

13:39 Let's take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country. [sighs] What happened this past year in response to Trump's behavior in the Middle East, you know as well as I do. The people who objected to it, Republicans, right-leaning independents who objected to it, were promptly attacked by the president and others as anti-semites. President Trump didn't use that word, but Mark Levvin certainly did. Anti-semmites, neo-Nazis, because you can't you can't criticize Israel or its role in getting us into this war, in goating President Trump into this war. For that, President Trump is responsible. But there was a role without question. Marco Rubio admitted that right after we invaded that we did it for Israel. No, you said it. You were called an anti-semite.

14:38 You got trolled by bots unleashed on you by people registered as foreign agents for Israel here in the United States. Americans attacking other Americans for their honestly held opinions about a new Middle East war on behalf of Israel. That's what happened. And guess what happened from that point to this one? The Republican audience for all news Trump disappeared. Fox News's ratings have been in the dumpster. The right leaning podcast world had audiences disappear. In the wake of that, no one had any interest or appetite in anything related to Donald Trump. It was a harbinger of things to come.

15:28 Then they showed up and voted last night and said the same to him. We We're no longer interested in the Trump show. were over the antics, the grift, the making money off of the backs of the American people who just wanted you to help them, not you. Not yourself, not make your 1 billion go to 12. to surround yourself with a field of grifters who who want to make money off of the presidency as opposed to serve be actual public servants in a humble role that was never meant to make someone a million or billionaire. It's incredibly disheartening and it's such a missed opportunity. It's it's such a missed opportunity by this president who had the world a at his feet in his hands who had so many of us believing in him. I'm a registered independent. I'm more rightle leaning, I think, than your average independent because when we ever when we hear how the independents feel, I'm always like, "Oh, wow. How are they so easily

16:38 swayed?" But I'm not a Republican. I've been a registered Democrat. I've been a registered Republican. And for the past 20 years, I've been a registered independent. And that's where I will always be because I will never put back on a team jersey for either one of these parties in whom I do not believe. But the Republicans have an opportunity here. You know how like the new woke speak in schools? If your kid is having a problem, it's they never have a problem. There's a real opportunity here. There's an opportunity for growth.

17:09 And I do believe that this is finally the chance for the Republican party to not throw away MAGA core ideals which are good, which are important, and which Trump should be credited for thrusting upon the American people who refuse to listen to him, upon the political class, which refused to listen to people like the working class suffering. But they need to take the good, discard the bad, and come up with a new way forward. And they they're going to have to find their own new charismatic, honest, ethical leader. You can't ride the Trump coattails anymore.

17:49 They're non-existent. He cannot save you. He would have This would not have gone differently had Trump been on the ballot because he effectively was. This was a referendum on him and his policies. So, it's a lie. It's not true. It's Trump's spin to say it would have been a landslide for Republicans had he been on the ballot. That's just not true. Everyone knows he can't handle the truth about losing. He's allergic to that word. Of course, he's blaming everyone other than himself. So far, he's blamed um Fox News. He's blamed the Republican candidates themselves.

18:20 Um he has not taken any of the blame himself, even though he spent the past three months telling everybody, "Pretend I'm on the ballot." Now that they have, he he ignores and forgets that advice. But the the bottom line is that a message was sent and there is a chance to rebuild this party. It's happened over and over and over again where a party gets crushed, absolutely devastated in one election and as short as two years later, they come back with a roar. But denying what last night was really about, the economic suffering was number one by far. By far the Iran war was huge. 74% of the people said it was a major or the critical factor in their vote. And why? Yes, because they objected to Trump launching a new war.

19:09 But really, it was the pain they were feeling domestically as a result of it. It was the gas prices, the diesel prices. Remember when Doug came on after he wrote his book, The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel, which was all about Rudolph Diesel, who invented the diesel engine, and and Doug told us how many pieces of the world economy, and that includes ours, are linked to diesel fuel, to diesel engines, planes, trains, automobiles, the the major trucks on the roads, the major rigs on the ocean, the tractors, you name it, they all run on diesel.

19:46 which has been over $7 a gallon. People cannot afford it and they saw it go up exponentially after the Iran war. So yeah, I don't there's nobody who's independently in favor of the Iran war other than the most ardently neocon of the neocons. But regular folks who are like, I don't know what we're doing in Iran. I I don't have the time to think about it. do have the time to think about the fuel costs and they know that that caused them. So, what we need now is honesty. Radical honesty. Radical. And what radical honesty means is you tell the truth all the time and there's no filter.

20:27 I don't know about you, but that's where I am. That's where I've been for a long time. And I did lose some of my audience as a result of my opinions and my forecasts on this issue, which I feel have been validated. But that's okay. That's fine. Pe people have the right to make the call on whose opinions they want to hear and who who they trust to tell them what's real and who they don't. We've we've settled now with our audience and we're in a very good place and I'm very grateful to all of you for it. But the Republican party is not not in a great place. Um however, as I said, it's an opportunity.

21:04 Here's the current count. In the House, the Democrats have won 228 seats so far. They only needed 218 to come back to power, compared to just 139 for the GOP. 68 seats have yet to be called uh by the Associated Press. But Cook Political says the Dems are on pace to pick up around 30 seats. NBC News is projecting the Dems end up with 258, which would be the highest number for the Democrats this century. If that projection comes true, the Democrats would have an 81 seat majority in the House, 258 seats to the Republicans, 177 258 to 177.

21:46 In the Senate, it was far worse than virtually anyone predicted. Uh the current count is 54 seats for the Democrats. They had 47 before. 54 seats for the Democrats, 44 for the Republicans who had 53. Alaska and Mississippi are too close to call. And when we say they are too close, boy, do we mean it. In Alaska, the absurd absurd Democrat Mary Pelah currently leads incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan 48.2% to 49, sorry, to 47.9. 48.2 to 47.9 with an estimated 74% of the votes counted. In terms of raw votes, listen to this. Pelah leads by just 626 votes.

22:35 626, which is far fewer than the 3,583 votes for decoy Dan Sullivan. The fake Dan Sullivan has 3,500 votes. Call it 3600 because it's 3580 something. 3600 votes. and she is leading the real Dan Sullivan by some 600 votes. This is it's working. Pelah's campaign plan is working. Siphoning off those votes that would have put the real Dan Sullivan potentially over the top. We'll see how it pans out in Mississippi, which almost nobody paid any attention to. That was such a long shot Lucy with the football fool's gold type discussion even 24 hours ago. Democrats aren't going to win a Senate seat in Mississippi. What? What are you talking about? When you think about the deep red states, you think Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi.

23:36 Think again. 96% of the ballots are counted. The Democrat Scott Cologne leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde Smith by 43 votes and the outstanding vote is reportedly favoring him, the Democrat. So, it looks very much at this hour like we are about to have our first black senator from the state of Mississippi and it will be a Democrat to whom no one paid any attention. Um, we could have a 56 seat majority for the Dems. Nebraska is the only state in which the Republican hung on. Pete Rickettts who is a good guy. I know him.

24:22 So, we are are very likely potentially looking at a 56 seat majority for the Dems in the Senate in in an election year in which the Senate map favored the GOP. It doesn't get easier for the Republicans in 2018. It actually looked like it was going to be harder for them then. Like that was the year the Dems would have some some real pickup opportunities as more vulnerable seeds come on the market. the the Democrats may not need to abolish the filibuster right now. They they don't need to do that because they don't control the White House. So, they're not going to be pushing a lot of legislation through that has any chance of passing. But if they run in 28 and actually have a real shot of getting the White House, they may not need to eliminate the filibuster. [snorts] They may very well pick up another four seats and have a filibuster proof 60 vote majority in the US Senate and then my friends all bets

25:28 are off. Even if they just keep these 56 seats and win the White House, all bets are off. But the American electorate is sending a message and everybody, the Democrats and the Republicans damn well better listen. Joining me now are pals from Real Clear Politics. It comes on right before this show does on SiriusXM channel 111. Tom Beavenon, co-founder and president of RCP, Carl Cannon, the Washington bureau chief, and Andrew Walworth, who is RCP's chief content officer. Don't miss a moment. Subscribe to this show on YouTube and follow me on Insta, Facebook, and X. Good news, Birch Gold has extended the Veterans Day silver offer through November 11th. So act now to get a free 1oz silver coin for every $10,000 purchased. This silver coin features the American flag and the Gadson flag. And as a reminder that you saw the writing on the wall and did something about it. You realized we cannot afford the interest payments on

26:28 our national debt. You realized inflation is still a challenge and it's time to diversify into gold and silver. Text MK to the number 989898 today and speak with a birch gold precious metals specialist. They will help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into an IRA in gold and silver and then you will receive a free 1oz silver commemorative coin for every $10,000 you spend. But this offer ends on November 11th. Diversify into gold and silver and get free silver. Text MK to the number 989898. That's MK to989898 today. Guys, welcome back. U Carl, I'll start with you. What do you make of my assessment of last night's results?

27:11 Well, I there was a the Iran war didn't help. I think there were a lot of other issues, but and and you pointed out, you know, Donald Trump didn't give people the impression he cared about them. He gave the impression that he cared about himself and his own portfolio and his family's portfolio. There was an exit poll. I they're calling them voter polls now, I guess, Megan, because they do them for people.

27:32 I refused. Yeah. people who voted early who said you know uh do you think Donald Trump has in you know his his priorities or the countries it like two to one his priorities and you think I mean what let's take one issue because it's a minor issue it's a symbol it's a symbolic issue I it matters to me not to everybody but to me I I I'll throw this out to you I'm curious what you think when what who have you ever heard of in their whole life in or out of politics who's who would say I'm talking about the Kennedy center now was I you need to rename this building after me. I know it's named after a martyed president but you need to rename it after me and if you don't I'll close it down and maybe destroy it to me that and he did that on all kinds of issues around where do you have heard of a person who does this kind of thing. He he projected himself to a man who had who had become as mad as a hatter. And I think and and you

28:25 know and I'll say one thing about the Iran war because you and I don't see eye to eye on that. But I I'll say one thing in in not a rebuttal to what you said, but in addition to what you said, the the the I think the big problem with the Iran war is that it didn't work. And and it it it gave off this, you know, once a president gets the stink of incompetence about him. That's a hard thing to shake and and it reminded people when he ran for president.

28:49 I But I have to say, Carl, wait, one thing. You're right. I agree. I I'll let you finish your point, but I just say it it's it's yes, I agree with what you're saying, but many of us knew that would happen. Many of us who ran cover for presidents launching Middle East wars for 20 years over at Fox News understood they never work out. We always underestimate the way fighters in that region approach war and predicted from the beginning, it's not going to go well. It will be a quagmire. These are not resolvable quickly.

29:22 I grant that point, but but you know, let's apply it to Ukraine. Those are people who are being attacked. They're fighting for their country. When I'm talking about the competence issue, this is a guy who spends all this time. If you don't if you don't call artificial intelligence super intelligence, your reporters can't cover me. He's now he's going to be the style editor of AP. If you don't call uh Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of America, you're out of the pool. Uh now I'm going to rename late inter. He acted like a guy whose ego had become it was always big but it was controlling him and he and I think the Iran war the incompetence is what I'm talking about now that the the you know they ran out of munitions and then they fired people who said that it reminded people when he ran for president he said I will the the Ukraine Russia war would never have happened if I'm president I I don't know what he's talking about with that

30:10 there's no evidence for that but but and I will end it in one day in fact I'll end it before I even inaugurated and I think the the failure in in Iraq reminded people this guy has no idea what he's doing in foreign policy. He's Yeah. In Iran, he sent over um you know, real estate pals to negotiate who don't speak the language of No. And I just what I think is that people swing certainly certainly independent voters simply thought this guy's no longer up to the job if he ever was. I think he lost and and the Iran war may have been the trigger there, but there are other things too. these tariffs that that that hurt farmers and you have this trifecta in the farm belt where he loses all those states, the this needless trolling of Canada that started before he was even inaugurated the second time. I'm going to make them the 51st state. He was doing it because their their prime minister irritated him. And then these

31:03 tariffs all across that northern tier, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota. These are states where people like, "What is he doing? We don't hate Canada. We like Canadians."

31:14 I mean, so I think it was just a case by case year of leadership and Iran war is is one very important but one important point there.

31:25 Just before I give it to you, Tom, um this is what the exit polls as the person who did the exit polls for years for Fox on the air. One of my teammates just sent me video of of um 2006 midterm elections. I was there with Brit anchoring and I was doing the governor's races for Fox and talking about in part some of the exit polling there, but I would do that for Fox for many years before I came became an anchor. Um, they show the following. Thinking about your vote for Congress, how important to you was the cost of living crucial or a major factor? 89%. 89%. I mean, virtually everyone said that the cost of living was a crucial or major factor. Um the war in Iran, 74% it was the number two issue in terms of importance to voters uh said it was crucial or a major factor the war in Iran. There's just no question these two things were huge absolutely huge for the electorate last night and that's why one of the reasons

32:22 why JD Vance is saying these are the takeaways we lost because of the war. What we need to do is come up with a a commitment to end it. Focus on the cost of living and inflation. put America first and four, change our relationship to Israel. I'm sorry, there's no more ignoring this issue. The Republican party is going to have to deal with it right in its face. The Democrat party's been already shifting on on this front for a long time. The Republicans have said, "No, no, no, no. We're ardently pro- Israel. We're not going to talk about the discontent around this war in Iran. You know, Trump launched it. We're going to back the president." Okay, then then enjoy losing. Keep You can keep losing. you lose the remaining seats you have.

33:05 Yeah, I think that's right. I mean, look, this is the we have the the horseshoe populist movement that's going on now, right? And we saw that with Trump and Bernie Sanders in 2015. I think it's even more pronounced now where voters want whatever the party is. It doesn't even really matter. They want their elected leaders focused on them and fixing what's going on here. Stuff has gotten too expensive, whether it's health care, education, gas, food, whatever, people are paying way more. They're they're struggling and there's a lot of anxiety out there. And so when we're focused on whether it's whether it's you know the golf course in Washington or you know bombing Iran um you know voters ended up I think coming to the conclusion that I mean Trump lost a lot of folks who voted for him and you go look at the swings from 2024 to now for the Republican party. They lost every single demographic. Doesn't matter which one

34:05 you looked at. They they swung to the Democrats in some cases hugely. We talked about we talked about Latinos that absolutely hurt

34:13 particularly in Texas but other places. But uh Republicans lost men men in this election by three points. That was a 17 point swing from 2024. They only won white voters which was 70% of the electorate by four points. That was a 13point swing.

34:29 So and among young voters a 32 point swing from in some states in Texas it was like 50. So it's a you know Terica won by 50 points. And then you go look, you mentioned the exit polls. Yes, those were the top two issues. But uh which party do you say is better handle better able to handle? The economy, Democrats, plus seven. Foreign policy, Democrats plus seven. Healthcare, Democrats, plus 20. Uh immigration, that was the only issue that Republicans won on. It was plus two, 4341. Government corruption, Democrats plus seven. Artificial intelligence, Democrats plus three. transgender issue, which you know, Republicans continued to spend a lot of time on. Democrats plus 11, Democrats plus 11 on who's better able to handle policies about transgender people. So,

35:20 look, I think Republicans, you know, and Trump, he took his eye off the ball for the last two years. And I think uh despite the fact that he flew around the country to tell everybody how great we're the hottest economy in the world and blah blah blah, people had already tuned him out and they don't believe what he was saying to them because it wasn't reflective of what they were living on a day-to-day basis. I was reading the Carl Cannon piece on RCP this morning and he pointed out Andy, I'll give this one to you, that threearters of the electorate, I mean 3/4 said they were either angry or dissatisfied at this administration's policies. Those are bad words to have the electorate showing up feeling in their hearts. And as JD Vance points out, a lot of them were Republicans who pulled the lever for Democrats whom that for whom that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago.

36:12 Angry and dissatisfied. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a bad numbers for sure. I think when I think of that JD Vance uh X post, which uh really it bears reading, the thing that he didn't talk about was corruption uh which I would have put on that list as well, right? Um,

36:30 and that would be awkward. Yeah, that would be awkward. But that that certainly is where, you know, um, I'm surprised the that the exit polls have got it only at plus seven for the, uh, for the Democrats on that issue because I think that's a that's a a huge problem for this administration. I don't know how they fix that. I don't know how Vance runs away from that. That seems to be baked in the cake. Um, so I think um the corruption issue uh hurt them a lot more than they uh than uh than Vance would would allow at this point. Um, but you know the other points and and and I think I I think going back to what you were saying I think everything you said makes sense to me

37:11 but everything we knew that didn't we all know that the economy was number the number one issue and the and that the president should be concentrating on that. We we knew that the war was in popular Tom Tom's been obsessed. You guys are honest.

37:30 Um so you guys are honest. Look, but the but the second thing the Iran war has that has been the boogeyman that shall not be mentioned almost since it was launched. You know there the the Republican audience didn't want to hear it. They were angry he did it and they they were upset by it and they kind of went into hiding over it until last night in which case they came out and they pulled the lever for Democrats to send a message over it. You know, it's like the president was so aggressive toward anyone who criticized the decision that I do think he scared a bunch of Republicans into being silent and last night they weren't.

38:12 Yeah, fair enough. I I I mean there were Republican candidates out there who were moving uh away from the president on the war. Um uh it didn't seem to help them. I mean that's that's the uh so

38:25 too little too late. Too little too late. And I think it's um um I mean it's hard to point to any one factor. This was such a blowout for the Democrats. Uh it's kind of like the whole thing as my mother would say. It's your whole attitude uh when when she's complaining about us. Uh and I think she that's about it. your whole attitude was just a total blowout for the uh

38:47 you know for for and it was what Peggy Nunan was asking for. Yeah, I guess it it definitely was it definitely was a perfect storm because and and I agree with you Megan. I mean I think the

39:01 look the president the die was cast the minute he started bombing Iran, right? Because he he

39:08 he demoralized the Republican base because that was one of his core promises. is it's a reason a lot of people voted for him in the first place. Said only stupid people get into wars in the Middle East and now he's being a stupid person. And then the follow on effect from that was gas prices shot up, right? He had just at the State of the Union, he had just been bragging about gas prices being under $2 a gallon in Iowa and you know it was a disaster under Biden and like four days later he bombs Iran and then gas is like $4 over $4 a gallon all the way through the election. So, and and that obviously led in Fed right directly into voter concerns about the, you know, affordability, inflation, all that stuff. Um, and his ratings suffered because of that. And to your point, and this is the thing I was harping on for 6 months, you know, he never they never focused on they did an event here or

39:54 there where they got some decent press, but they they never focused on uh you know, telling people, look, I'm I'm we are laser focused on your concerns. And we're doing everything we can every single day to try and bring them down. You know, Biden famously, I think in in 2024, uh, throughout that campaign, gas lit the American people about it and Trump was doing the same thing. It's things are, you know, we're the hottest economy in the world and everyone's be like us and it just people weren't believing it and and um they paid a significant price because of it. And now you're looking at a situation where as you said 56 Senate seats uh including you know the South is now transformed at least for the next few years and Republicans are going to look at 2028 and you know try and figure out how to get the next two years is going to be a mess for Republicans.

40:48 They're going to be fighting uh each other. They're going to be fighting Democrats. They're going to be under investigation the administration. I mean it's just going to be an absolute mess. Meanwhile, we were talking about this on our show. I think that the DSA's takeaway from this is, hey, we can win anywhere. We can win in Michigan. We can win in Texas. Like, all you centrist Democrats, go sit in the corner and shut up. You know, don't don't

41:13 they almost won in Florida. Yeah, we're off and running. I mean, and and we're headed toward 2028. So, I think Democrats uh it's going to be a rough couple years for Republicans and they got to get it sorted out or they're going to lose in 2028. And then, you know, if they have the if Democrats have the presidency, the Senate, and the House, I mean, it is it's Katie bar the door.

41:31 Mhm. Mhm. Let me play you what Governor Dantis said um on Fox News about these results 13B.

41:40 Let's just be clear uh about what happened last night. Uh this is close to an extinction level event for Republicans in many parts of the country as we have seen probably in the last h 100red years. In January uh when everyone in office leaves uh who were either term limited or got voted out of the 10 largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control of their state, the state of Florida. Yeah,

42:14 and that does matter, Carl. That actually does matter. The the the conventional wisdom is that a governor can potentially you can do things that can potentially affect the national vote in say a senatorial election or a house election by two to three points just based on how the voting procedures are set up, the redistricting goes, like the state policies are the ones that will draw those lines. And so it does matter absolutely that they have Democrats in the state houses in almost all those 10 states.

42:45 Sounds like Ronnie D is running for president again to me. When he started that when he starts it, he goes, "Let me let me be clear." I thought he was saying I'm running because that's what that was the clearest message.

42:57 Yeah, he didn't have to say it. But but Megan, so here what he's saying is that Donald Trump left the Republican party a dumpster fire in all these states except this one state that I run. He almost made it a dumpster fire here, but because of me, I was able to stave off the the wave. That that's what he's saying, but and it has the virtue of I think it's true. So, so JD Vance, he laid down his gauntlet. Uh Rhonda Sanders has now done the same. Um Tom doesn't like it. He gets triggered when I mentioned Nikki Haley, but she was on TV this morning, too. So, the field is taking shape. And I I guess the the the big question is what is Marco Rubio going to do?

43:36 Megan, they were torturing us. We've all been show earlier today because I'm I'm on three hours sleep and Carl brought up Nikki Haley and Gavin Newsome in the same show and I literally almost like had a breakdown.

43:46 Carl, I know he he's got a mean streak in him, Tom. No, but we've all been saying, right, that the the mid that the presidential election begins as soon as the midterms are over. And man, I mean, I don't think even all of us understood it. It would literally be like the morning the morning after. But why not? Given the Republican party sitting there in ashes, why wouldn't you come in, especially if you're Ronda Santis, and say, "Hey, I'm a Boy Scout. I'm squeaky clean. I actually do have a model of winning down in Florida that's worked out pretty well." And the other thing he said, um, this was when he gave an interview to Stephen A uh, yesterday that aired was he hit uh, speaking to your point, Andrew, on the grift, he's he hit on that as well. Listen here to SA 13C.

44:30 Unlike JD Vance, he is in a position to speak to at all. When I got elected to Congress in 2012, the first thing I did, I sold all my stocks. I've never traded a stock in elected office. Not one time. You have some of these guys, they get to Congress, they've never has shown any financial acumen. All of a sudden, they're Warren Buffett just timing it right and they're making 50 grand, 60 grand here. How are we not banning the congressional stock trading? Put it in a trust. Put in a 401k. do some of those things. It's ridiculous. You look at the amount of money these people are making who are uh in the administration. Uh Trump was criticizing Alina Haba. She's working for DOJ and she gets a $10 million a year contract and then the guy that gave it to her got a presidential pardon somehow. So I think we have to be the party that's saying you know what our founding fathers believed you could have the best

45:24 constitution in the world the declaration of independence if the people in office don't display some civic virtue about public service is a sacrifice it's not to use the public office for private gain

45:40 yeah you just got to imagine that only he's on a dis with the uh with JD Vance and uh Marco Ruby or whoever else in a in a in the primary debate. That that's that's how he's going to run. And I think he's definitely going to run. I think the thing to watch is who moves out of Florida. Uh Dantis or Rubio so that they can run together? That would be the question.

46:02 Oh yeah. Well, the problem the pro the problem De Sanders has obviously he's not the greatest retail politician, but he's a neocon, Tom, and like this is why he was backed by the the most neocon faction of the Republican party last time around. Now, unless he comes out and moderates that, I think his candidacy is dead in the water before it starts. He's going to have to say something akin to what JD Vance said on those four points. He's going to have to because let me tell you something. You cannot win uh the the a national election. Never mind. You cannot win the Republican nomination as a neocon. Now, I think even the most neoconi Republicans in their heart of hearts, while they may be rooting for a neocon will understand that there's there is not the national will to elect such a person to the presidency. So, I mean,

46:52 so you're saying Nikki, maybe they'll do something incredibly stupid. Is that what you're telling me?

46:55 Yes. Get over Nikki Haley. You have nothing to do, Carl. Do not worry. You know, can we stick with the grip? Wait a minute. Before we

47:02 Hold on a second. Let me know. I just want to say one more one more thing. Isolationist R. I just want to say one more thing about Ronda Santis. I think Ronda Santis will moderate. I think he will. [clears throat]

47:12 I I I think it's going to be fairly easy for him to do that and to say, "Look, this was a mistake that we made. We shouldn't have done it." Um I think that's going to be easy for for a lot of these Republicans. And you know, remember when Ronda Santis ran the first time? I mean, I think he had the wrong theory of the case when he when he went up against President Trump, but you know, remember how they used to make fun of him for like wearing cowboy boots and he had lifts in his shoes and stuff like it's not so not not not so funny now.

47:39 He's been a very good governor and he's run a good state and now he's he's like the last man standing. I mean, given what happened last night and the way that this whole thing went down.

47:48 Yeah. And the other thing is you got to remember when we say this will never happen again or I mean it it can't happen. two years ago if I said to you that there would be DS uh socialists uh senators uh three of them really um you would said Marxist you might have said no so politics is weird in America right now I'm not I'm not sure it's it's a hard time to make predictions

48:11 what about the history of it Carl I mean you've you've covered a lot of these elections like there there have been big swings within a couple of years after a big change election like this I mean it it's happened in recent history. This it would not be unprecedented for the Republicans to reflect, rebuild, and rebrand between now and 28 and actually come back, stop the bleeding in the Senate, even in a year that's actually going to be tough for them if you look at the map, and retake the White House. I don't know about that House when having 30 seats to spare is pretty tough to overcome.

48:46 Trump lost 40 the first time in his in 2018. So th this happens, Megan, you're right. I having said that this does feel differently doesn't it? This feels like you know because it it happened in the governor's houses and it happens in places where it shouldn't have happened like Mississippi. But I think

49:03 I think this this graft the corruption the cronyism that that the Senate is talking about and that that you were talking about in your opening statement I think it may be very important as important in foreign policy. Rahm Emanuel was on I think Stephanie Rule yesterday and he said something very interesting because he sees this on their side and he said that he said the Republicans are going to lose today but it won't we whether the Democrats win or not we won't know till 2027 and what he said is and she said we we have to have an agenda and she said what would be first and he said an ethics bill and he he sounded like he said very similar to what Ronda Santis said and I thought this is what both sort of centrist people or thoughtful people in both parties think which is the public believes that politics in the Trump era has become an insiders game where people are making obscene amounts of money and

49:54 they want it stopped and I think that I think that that's the most important message going forward if they if we if we can put Iraq if we can put Iran behind us and you know hope hopefully this won't be where it is

50:06 stop the war tonight and stop the grift stand by wait quick break uh commercial break and then we'll be right back with the guys they stay with us for the Hey, thanks for watching today's full episode. If you're new here, throw us a subscribe. See what you think. Stay in touch. There's plenty more goodness where this one came from. As always, we really do value your feedback, so email me, too. Megan megnancell.com or just leave a comment down below. I do read them. I meander over and I scroll through and I find them very entertaining and really appreciate the feedback. But in any event, join the community by becoming a subscriber so you miss nothing. We value your support.

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52:11 Just a couple of numbers here. Um, voter trends men 18 to 29, so young men. Uh, the shift from 2024 was a 38 point shift in favor of the Democrats. They were they voted 61% for the Democrats last night. Uh 37% for the Republicans. Anyway, a 38 point shift in young men toward the Dems. All all young people 18 to 29, a 32point shift. Um and here's another one from Patrick Rafini pollster at Echelon Insights, and he writes the following. That Latino men shifted 57 points in favor of the Democrats. Latinos in general shifted 47 uh percentage points over to the Democrats. People not making a lot of money. Um between 50,000 and 99,000 31 point shift. High school or less 31 point shift. Uh under 50,000 26 point shift. No college 18point shift. The uh rural or small town voters 26 point shift. all in favor of Democrats, 18 to 29 year olds of all genders.

53:30 48 point shift. I mean, it's just the the numbers are just absolutely dispositive. That's what happened. Some of the margins that you should be aware of of the wins that the Democrats amassed in North Carolina. North Carolina is supposed to be a red state. Uh the Democrat won by almost 20 points, 20 percentage point, 19.6. In Georgia, again, not so long ago, this was a red state. John Oaf won by 18 percentage points. New Hampshire, um, Papus, the first openly gay US senator, 14.3. Guess there was Kirstston Cinema who is ambiguous. Um, Texas, Talico won by over 12 percentage points. 12.3 Taller Rico.

54:10 In Minnesota, Flanigan 10.1. Remember that poll came out showing her 11 points up over Tafoya? We were all like, that's got to be There's no way that nutcase is 11 points up over the reasonable, likables. Michelle Toya wrong. It was correct. Maine the cousin stuper won by 7.7 percentage points over Susan Collins. The stalwart fell. Uh in Michigan, Elsa Ed won by over seven points. So much for Haley Stevens and her lastm minute endorsement of Mike Rogers. It did not work out for her. Uh and by the way, at a time when Democrats are winning everywhere, she could have had a resurgence. She could have had a revitalization. and she could have come back and run for something else if she just kept her mouth shut and not decided to side with Mike Rogers. Now she her career is in tatters and she's stuck with that that husband who's like a disability lawyer. I hope he's making good money. Uh Ohio shared Brown

55:02 returned to the office of US senator and he won by a margin of 4.8. Kansas Hamilton the pastor won by 4.8. Kansas haven't sent a Dem to the Senate inund 100 years. South Carolina. Annie Andrews, doctor, beat Darling Graham by 4.4 percentage points. That's South Carolina. I realize Darlene Graham had absolutely no qualifications, but to lose by 4.4 points in South Carolina for any Republican, especially with a last name Graham is stunning. Iowa, Turk won 4.1. Mississippi tracking even, as I said at the top of the show, and Alaska, we don't know yet either. Tracking even.

55:39 Um, wait a minute. There's one other thing. Uh, hold on a second. I want to make sure I'm not forgetting. Oh, and listen to this. Okay, listen to this. This is tweeted out by Bailis Wagner reporting from Iowa. In an illustration of the force of the blue wave that hit Iowa, Eric Armstrong, a Democrat nominee who had suspended his campaign in September, comfortably won his race in a redleaning state house district. According to the Associated Press, most Iowa Democrats expected to lose the district after Armstrong said he was quote stepping down because personal health issues required quote my full attention and care. When asked about the win, he said, "I'm going to do my best to represent the district, but I still have health issues. That's what I'm really struggling with."

56:34 [gasps] They could not lose. I had given up the campaign. I'm suspect. I'm out. They're like, "In you go, Mr. Armstrong." I mean, all of this is just it's shocking. It's too shocking to even be depressing, frankly, as somebody who would rather see the Republicans in power. I just feel like this is great information to have. This is great. It This is This was the mood in the electorate, by the way. This is the mood in the electorate electorate two months ago. Better to know. Better to know

57:03 and regroup. C. Can I make a a point before we took the break, you were talking about sort of, you know, the pendulum swings and Republicans can recover and, you know, recent history. I mean, the most recent history is 2008. Barack Obama, right? He wins by seven points nationally, beats John McCain 365 to 173 in the electoral college. He brings in this huge wave of of Democratic lawmakers in the House and the Senate. And then not even a year later or I guess a year later they Democrats lose the Virginia and New Jersey governor's races. The following January, right, Scott Brown gets elected to fill Ted Kennedy's seat, which was a massive upset. And then that November,

57:48 he was the 60th [clears throat] vote. And then that November in 2010, you know, Democrats lose 63 seats in the House and six Senate seats. So in a matter of 24 months they went from this huge wave to you know getting wiped out. So absolutely I think what this proved too is that we we see ourselves as an evenly divided country and we have been that to a certain extent for for a number of cycles but there is some fluidity in the electorate and you can win over you know Hispanic voters for example young voters they're they're moving around independents and so if Republicans get their act together and if Democrats go to Washington and all they do is investigate and and they don't really do anything to you know improve the lives of people. You could very well see in even though their majorities are are pretty substantial, you could very well see a swing back in the Republicans's direction in two years

58:39 along with potentially even a a Republican winning the White House. Part of the problem I I like this and I I hope that this is possible. But I have to tell you that,

58:50 you know, I lived that one very very closely that that Barack Obama win and then what happened in 2010 and it was Obamacare. He he was such a prick. He changed he created a new entitlement that did not for the first time ever majority support.

59:06 You like your doctor, you can keep him. It was the lie of the but it did for the first time ever he shoved an entitlement down the throats of the American people without majority support for it and did it with the most arrogant, smug off kind of attitude you'd ever seen from a president over something as personal as your healthc care and then lied. It became the lie of the year. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. And we hosted Democrat after Democrat on my show on Fox News who had lost their plans and lost their doctors and couldn't find more affordable coverage and were very angry with Barack Obama. The Tea Party was born. People were literally spitting mad. Literally, spit was coming out. They were so angry, screaming at him. Elections have consequences, John, as he said when he had the senators gathered around. He was shoving Obamacare on us. A fate from

59:53 which we still have not recovered. So that was something huge he did. You know, he would defend it saying, "I swung for the fences. That was a mandate I was given when I was elected and so on." But he paid a massive electoral price. I just don't know that the Democrats can get in quite that amount of trouble between now. Megan, don't. But am I underestimating?

1:00:11 Don't underestimate. If you think these parties are are incapable of humility and so if you think Democrats aren't going to go to Washington after what happened last night and think that they've been given a mandate by the American people to do all this crazy I you know I it it just it happens. It happens to both parties. It happens every time.

1:00:29 Who are the first to be called to testify? Who who are the first? Like Robert Garcia, who's reportedly going to be the head of the oversight committee now, tweeted out last night, lawyer up in all caps. Give me your top three. Well, they're going to

1:00:41 who are likely to get dragged in, we were talking about this in our show by an ethical investigation.

1:00:45 They might do a [clears throat] sort of a warm-up to presidential impeach impeachment by getting Pete Hegath in there and trying to impeach him. Uh all these cabinet members, I mean, family members, Elon Musk, I mean, you know, if you they're going to go after him. Ridiculous. Yeah. I mean, they're going to try and nationalize his companies. I mean,

1:01:04 he's currently trying to cure paralysis and blindness. They want him in. He's literally making progress in curing both of those things. They're like, "Lock him up."

1:01:16 That's Yes. To my point. Okay. Wait, but I don't Elon, that's not going to go anywhere because Elon is Elon. He's an odd communicator. I think he would be very difficult to pin down on anything. One thing he tweeted out today was data centers in space are looking pretty good right now. I saw that.

1:01:39 I think that's right. I think people would be fine with the data centers. But like that was actually one of the issues on which everybody united. I think there were 40 what was the number? It was in my packet. 40 data center like um 41 ballot um issues put out there for voters to vote on last night. Like are you in favor of ballot centers coming to your city? And in every single way we have results in for like 30 of them so far. And in 29 out of the 30, the answer was no. I do not want an AI data center in my town. I mean, left and right, they all united.

1:02:16 They don't want it. It was yet another thing. Trump got behind. AI is great. You have to love it. To your point, Carl, you have to call it super intelligence, which makes no sense because that's already a term that is applied to AI once it goes on steroids and has independent thinking. So, you can't like it's like the how the people in the trans world tried to co-opt the word they. That already has a meaning. It means multiple people. You cannot borrow it and use it for your new gender. Anyway, they are against it. So, this is a long meandering. I'm doing the weave. We were talking about Elon Musk, Pete Hagsth, Elon Musk, Christy Gnome for sure is going to get at I don't think a lot of people are going to cry to see Christy and Cory Luwendowski dragged in there. I think Alina Haba's got to go to talk about her $50 million bribe. Oh, I mean salary that she legitimately is earning as general counsel to some company that

1:03:05 appears to have be a popup as of Monday, but now suddenly needs a $10 million general counsel so that their Venezuelan leader can get a pardon from Donald Trump. Of course, the Trump children, Jared Kushner, you guys add to my list who else is going to get dragged in there.

1:03:22 Well, I think they're going to do hearings on whether this administration was selling pardons. And Trump himself seemed surprised by the Lina Haba revelation and he he seemed offended by it. So maybe he doesn't know about it, but somebody knows about it because there's like this little industry that's cropped up. So my guess is that's one of the first things they'll go after because that's a bipartisan thing that always pulls poorly. Uh usually it's governors, but selling pardons, you can go to prison for it. So that might be where they start.

1:03:52 Yeah. And but he will pardon everyone his family in his administration. Why not

1:03:56 pardon the people who sold pardons? Well, yeah. Okay. No, I mean he's going to pardon pardon her.

1:04:02 Well, he may not pardon her, but he'll he'll pardon his family and he'll pardon uh his uh immediate cabinet, right? I mean, why would

1:04:09 Elon Musk you know, you know what's I mean, he's not the first to have done that. So,

1:04:15 you're a lawyer. What what this this Venezuelan guy that the original charge brought by the public integrity section that Trump dismantled um was that he had paid he bribed a a governor in Puerto Rico. So they they busted he plead guilty to a misdemeanor. Then the guy thought, "Well, I I didn't even want that misdemeanor. So to prove that I don't bribe public officials, I'm going to pay for a pardon." I it seemed it was sort of a cell phone I if if all

1:04:46 self goal Yeah. If what they're alleging is true, it was too cute by half, right? Because he's like, I'm not paying for a pardon. I just think this Alina Haba, who's literally accomplished nothing other than representing Trump in that one case that she lost on his business um by Tish James to ruin his company. Uh, I I'm just going to pay her $10 million a year in salary to be the general counsel of some new company that my daughter's going to be running and she'll get enough bonuses that in four years she will get $50 million. I practice law for 10 years at at the very highest levels in this country. There isn't a firm in America, and I'm talking about the best firms, the the absolute best, that pays its lawyers $10 million a year with the experience packet that Alina Haba has.

1:05:38 If you were the biggest rain maker, like you you brought in all the big clients, you might get something like that at a big firm after years of experience, you'd have plenty of gray hairs or none on your head. You would not be Alina Haba. It was obviously a payoff. That's my opinion. Um, and I don't blame him for being angry with her. People are like, "Oh, he's mad because he wanted a piece because he said it should be donated to my presidential library." I actually don't think that's true. I think Trump was genuinely angry that she pulled a fast one on him by by getting all this all these riches and then she probably quietly convinced him to give this guy a pardon on the merits without disclosing that she was getting her pocket, you know, uh, lined. That's my guess. We'll find out. I actually am looking forward to seeing her go before Congress and be questioned about this. I think my old pal Kimberly Gilfoil might

1:06:29 get dragged. I'm going to say that was the next one. [clears throat] It's a target-rich environment, but Kimberly Gilfoil, it's got to be at the top of anyone's list, right?

1:06:38 That one I feel like I'm on the Tim Dylan team on that. Like, what did you expect was gonna happen? Like, come on. Like, did you really think she was going to be, as Tim put it, studying the history of Athens? Like, could you just relax? Um, Christine Gnome sent out a tweet. Did you guys see she sent out a tweet saying something like, "I agree with Larry Cudlo. We we did we were too good on on immigration and Trump's first year." Something to that effect. we, you know, we were just too perfect in our de I mean

1:07:11 so that there's been a lot around her and Cory Luwendowski suggesting that there may be ethical problems with those two and I don't just mean their weird obvious affair. I mean like possible like unethical behavior as the two of them were running DHS. So that's another thing that's target rich. Go ahead.

1:07:28 I was just going to say [clears throat] that was another data point I mentioned the Republicans won on immigration. It was the only issue on which they were favored over Democrats but it was only by three points. But there was also a question asked about do you approve or disapprove of how ICE has handled itself and it was 6040 against. So you know again it's another example of where policy-wise Republicans were winning on immigration. It was the execution under Christy Gnome.

1:07:54 Not not word Tom. What? Sorry. Yeah. Um they kept killing people. Yeah. the way that they handled it, uh, you know, with her her ads and all that stuff, you know, Ice Barbie and the pictures of her, you know, I mean, it was just ridiculous. and turn public turn public opinion against the administration on an issue that they had broad public support for.

1:08:19 You know, you know, Megan, um I will say in defense of Christine Nome uh and the glam and the photo ops and all that, I have it on reliable authority that President Trump asked her to do that he wanted those photo ops. He wanted her out there. He wanted her to be like the face of it. So I mean if he does get subpoenaed and called in there we'll hear

1:08:42 that won't help then that's another example need him for a job anymore Trump you know taking taking an issue on which he has majority support and

1:08:51 and you know fumbling it you know you this this ICE issue though it was huge up in Minnesota it probably Michelle Toora probably know anything she could she ran a great campaign but that issue I

1:09:04 she did and she's so liable yeah I I agree with that. We had her on our show. We we all liked her a lot. She's she she was she had a message that would have been a winning message in almost any other year. And she ran against a very far-left candidate, as you know, one who was tainted by scandal. But that issue when those two people were up there were killed. And I I you know, Megan, I don't want to relitigate it. We could I don't say the ICE people deliberately did anything went out to kill these people, but yeah, these two people and the Twin Cities were just completely galvanized by it.

1:09:34 But there were other cases that didn't get as much attention in Washington, but in Texas did. There was a guy there who was killed on his way to work. It turned, you know, we've never gotten the full story. Homeland Security's never released any kind of investigation. They had a warrant. They think it was for somebody else. They pinned him in a van, shot him through his van. This got huge coverage in South Texas. And it's one of the reasons clearly that this vote changed down there. And there were interviews that we didn't see in Washington or or in New York where where people on local television there when ICE would come get somebody and there'd be a woman came out and say they came and got my brother. He was on his way to work. We've been here 30 years. He has two we have two he has two kids in the army and they just grabbed him and deported him to Mexico and he hasn't lived in Mexico, you know, since he was,

1:10:18 you know, 13 years old. I mean these kind of horror stories and people began to think even who Trump had said when he was asked who you going to deport everybody. But people really thought he would go after sort of two classes first. One, criminals, people with criminal records or who who had criminal records before or committed crimes here. And two,

1:10:39 the worst first, right? Or the people who'd come in during the B administration, the 10 million people were told, oh, here's your piece of paper. Come, you know, on August 33rd, 200, you know, 38 and you get a hearing. But they were going after people who had been in this country, who'd started business, who were going to churches and and maybe they should have been here maybe illegally. I But but this really hurt Trump in in in

1:11:05 Well, the other piece of that story, Carl, is the media the media played it up. You remember they put that little boy with the the bunny or whatever his his little lovey was on the air

1:11:14 out of Minnesota. And it turned out, you know, his dad had left him behind. His dad made a run for it when he saw ICE was trying to arrest the dad, but they put him on. It was like and then the dad said, "I'll take him with me." And they were like, "They deported the sweet boy." And it was like, "But the dad said that the mother wouldn't answer the door." Like the ice was left in this, but like of course the ma the media of course is always trying to help the Dems. I want to tell you this. Um, as I mentioned, Trump, like talk about Trump, coverage of Trump, etc. has become toxic in the last year. I watch conservative media very closely and if you watched Fox News, they too started covering him less and less and less. His name got mentioned far less frequently than it ever had before ever since that Iran war launched. And what's happened this morning, just now, Trump was speaking. He um was going on and on and

1:12:10 on and well I'll play you what he was saying in one second but only Fox News took the speech. Not a single cable network took the president's remarks and even Fox cut away. Um and no one is taking the remarks now. Here's just a bit of what we heard him say. I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term and probably that's uh probably it's true but at the same time if I had it to do again I'd have to do it again because long term uh it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon.

1:12:46 Do you feel like it was worth it to I do. Yeah. I mean well you have no choice. I mean I thought the oil would go up a lot more and I did it on that basis. You have no choice. You have to do it. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon or everything that you see here someday might not exist. And uh may maybe this but this building might be the only one that does. So yeah, I I think that uh look, I mean I'll get along probably with the Democrats unless they want to be destructive, but they have the power of the veto. So if we don't like what they're doing or they'll they've already called and they want to talk about things and that's fine. But yeah, people [clears throat] the Iran thing we had to do

1:13:25 and we continue to do it. Uh we have tremendous oil flowing out of the Haros right now.

1:13:31 Okay, that was the substantive piece of it. Every other piece of it was all about the ballroom. The ballroom. The ballroom. The ballroom and more ballroom. Which is why nobody took it and Fox left it. And that was the one substantive piece where he was asked about JD Vance's post and said, quote, "I think it's largely true about Iran, but said he wouldn't change anything." But this is the problem. I mean, this is actually going to be a problem for Trump from this point forward because all of our attention is going to be on other people. Andrew, Trump's worst nightmare.

1:14:04 Yeah. He can't stand that. That that he can't stand more than anything. But it's it's going to start as of today. Hey, I want to give uh can if I can just a quick shout out to Sean Trendy who's our

1:14:16 um senior elections advisor. He's got a great uh Substack. It's called Poll Vault, which people should check. This is just a little cautionary note from his uh

1:14:25 his his uh poll vault today. He says voters for better for worse have goldfish memories and this election provides relatively little news about what 2028 will look like. the election is over, but elections aren't. I thought that was sort of interesting. Uh just cautionary note as we sit here and talk about what this all means and stuff. It a lot of things can change and he he points to past elections. He points to I guess 74 and 76 uh as two elections uh that sort of prove that point um to him at least. Anyway, um but yeah, I think uh it's going to be interesting to see whether Trump can change at all. Uh and can he work with Democrats? I mean, can he do what new uh you know, what Bill Clinton and N Gingrich did um in '9496, which sort of an interesting uh parallel. Uh but I got to say, I don't think it's possible. I don't think that Trump at this point can change at all. I think this is what we're going to see

1:15:23 for the next two years. And I think um he's a lame duck. He's got the veto. Um and uh we'll see. The one the one thing that will be interesting is you know presidents are in charge of foreign policy. Um and presidents in the past when they've sort of faced this kind of thing. They they go overseas. They work overseas. So he may be going to North Korea soon. Something like that. I mean watch for something

1:15:47 he drive he may drive Megan really crazy and start another war somewhere else. Yeah. Right. Yeah. That would drive me crazy. Our military should be used defensively. Um, okay. But could I just say here's a question for you.

1:16:01 Yeah. I was just gonna say, you know, Iran is the longer it stays unresolved, the more of a problem it's going to be for Republicans and and for 2028. As I said, I mean, if if we're still dealing with Iran in, you know, this time next year when right before the primaries are about to start in January of 2028,

1:16:22 I mean, h how's that going to look for Republicans, you know, for JD Vance or Marco Rubio and whoever else is on that stage

1:16:30 when they're talking about it? I mean, it's going to be a disaster. So, Trump has to I I think he has to try and wrap this up as as soon as possible and and get things back to back to normal. But that's the nightmare that we're in, Tom, because I agree. I will say in defense of Trump, he has tried. He He does want to wrap it up. He's not an electoral dummy. He He saw this coming. He knew it would hurt Republicans at the polls. He didn't want that. But these are tough mfers over there. You know, they just they're not reasonable people. They don't respond to the same incentives or threats. And so that's what's scary to people like me who who didn't want this to start to begin with and we didn't want it to go on is is now there are a lot of people advising Trump the only way to end it is to escalate it which is like extremely dangerous. Go ahead.

1:17:21 I was just going to do my Joe Biden and say he should have known that in the first place

1:17:29 right. Shouldn't he have known all that stuff in the first place? Yes. Or he or or he could listen to Haley Stevens. [sighs and gasps] They're gonna suck it to us. Beware. Beware. This is why you don't start these wars.

1:17:44 But anyway, back to back back to the candidate issues. I do want to ask you this.

1:17:47 Um, Darling Graham, now this was this was unnecessary. Do we agree? Why? Like South Carolina was winnable. I don't know about Texas given, you know, given that it was a 12 and a half point win by Terico. I don't I think he probably would have beaten Cornin too, but South Carolina guys that that was unnecessary. And I do wonder whether there will be any sort of reflection by, you know, President Trump for that. I'm trying to look there is um stand by. There was a Matt Walsh tweet on this that I really thought was spoton. This is what he wrote. South Carolina flipped to the Dems because Trump endorsed a Republican candidate who had no qualifications, no experience, no political skills, no resume at all, and whose only pitch to the voters was, "I'm the sister of Lindsey Graham." Just a staggeringly idiotic strategy that failed exactly as any reasonable person knew that it would. Um, I think that's exactly right

1:18:49 in the case of Darlene Graham. And I do think the president does bear some responsibility directly in terms of candidate selection, whether it was Darlene Graham, Michael Watley, who got his ass kicked, the head of the RNC. Um, I don't think he really picked Paxton. Paxton seems to have been a a base pick that Trump kind of at the last minute was like, "Okay, fine. I endorse him." But certainly quality of candidates played some role last night. Am I wrong? Well, Andy has been saying this all along and but this this shellacking was so thorough. We think that was less of a factor this morning we than we thought before. But but Megan, take Texas for example. Yeah, Paxton won I think he won that primary by 28 points over Corner.

1:19:34 Uh and and Trump endorsed him only after it was pretty clear he was going to win. But what what a president like LBJ would have done or somebody who was running the party, I mean, and you don't have to be that heavy-handed, a normal president would have called Paxton early in the game and said, "No, you can't run." And thrown his support publicly to Cornin and and dissuaded Paxton from even trying it. And and that's that's the kind of thing. But but Trump was last was who was he saying that to Tom? Was it the New York Times or Brett Bear?

1:20:02 Yeah, he was saying it to Brett Bear on Fox News last night. I had no choice. Um Cornin didn't do everything I wanted him to do. I I had no choice. That's a phrase he used. He He's a prisoner of his own ego. And and what what a real leader has to do is subliminate his ego sometimes and say, "Okay, Cornin's pissed me off a couple times, but he's our best chance." And and Paxton shouldn't have even been allowed to run is what I'm saying. And Trump could have stopped.

1:20:25 We actually have that, Carl. We have that. Let's listen to Trump last night on talking to Fox about John Cornin South 13.

1:20:32 And I just wasn't a fan of Cornin, you know. I just wasn't a fan. I found him to be a disloyal guy. Uh he was not uh a fan of mine. When you know to be honest, when it wasn't fashionable, he wasn't there. And you know could say that about a lot of people. Could say that about you. Uh when it wasn't fashionable to be with Trump, he wasn't there. When it was fashionable, he kissed my ass. All right. But uh you know, I remember the I remember the other days and I just felt I couldn't endorse him. the door. So my ego took a stray there.

1:21:13 Typical. You know that thing about Darling Graham. Say something about Darling Graham because I Carl was right. Like I I I was I thought she was a terrible candidate and I said that on the show number of times and we talked about candidate quality. Just a different way to look at it is I mean if you look at how bad they lost in Texas and how you know she lost by what six points, five points in uh South Carolina, maybe she overperformed uh other Republicans. I mean maybe she wasn't such a terrible candidate. Maybe

1:21:41 maybe she did better than a lot of other uh candidates did. So I don't think South Carolina took the incoming that Texas did postcoid. I think the electorate is changing in Texas.

1:21:50 In South Carolina was an 18-point Trump win, not a 13-point Trump win. So she had a five-point cushion that she couldn't overcome. The other thing about it though, Megan, is that

1:21:58 I'm trying to give a little grace here. No one's no one's allowing me. Not having it. No grace.

1:22:02 The other problem with this, and again, this goes back to Trump, is is by doing that and by putting his thumb on the scale for Graham the way he did, he pissed off Ralph Norman.

1:22:12 And Ralph Norman up until the very end of this campaign was telling people to vote their conscience. He wasn't helping her in any way. So, he divided the Republican party in an already shitty Republican, you know, environment for Republicans. I mean, he just did everything he could to to cause them to lose that race. And

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1:23:27 That's homeserve.commks for 50% off. Savings compared to renewal price void in California and in Florida. We've all heard those radio ads about owing money to the IRS. They try to scare you and push you into calling it a fear. But tax relief advocates, they take a different approach. If you owe the IRS $5,000, $50,000, or even $500,000, TRA has real solutions to fix your tax problem, don't lose hope. TRA can often reduce or even eliminate what you owe. Their focus is taxes and helping people and businesses resolve IRS problems.

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1:24:55 He's a black man. Cindy Hidesmith is a white woman for what it's worth. And they are currently 65 votes apart. 65 with the Democrat in the lead, but they're counting provisional ballots. Again, the the speculation is that those should be better for him. So, this guy really might pull this out. So, Cindy Hyde Smith, I had heard this uh just before the election. She stepped in it at one of their debates when they were talking about the price of meat

1:25:31 and she said, "Pick another protein." and he turned that into a very effective political ad against her uh here in Saut 8. Watch this.

1:25:43 Gone price of beef continuing to go up. You know, you have so many proteins to choose from.

1:25:48 Pick another protein. I'd rather pick another senator instead. Pick another protein. She done lost her damn mind. I'd rather pick another senator.

1:26:01 Pick another protein. What the Pick another stage. Brilliant. There he was at the end. So good, right? I mean,

1:26:13 it's very very no AI in that ad too, should add. No, it's a low it's a low low budget thing because he didn't have much money. Do do you think maybe that we you were talking about Trump's role in in Paxton? What did they spend in Texas? $250 million. Maybe they could have spent like three million of it helping their Republican senator in Mississippi. I bet they wish they they'd have done that.

1:26:37 Um I think that if I'm not I could be wrong about this, Megan, but I think Scott Column was up for a judgeship and she blocked it and I think they decided to run for the Senate.

1:26:49 That sounds right. I remember reading that. Wait now. And look at this. But look, so so he got on line at a Trump rally. Scott Cologne did and he decided to go talk to Trump supporters about the issues that were important to them. And this guy, I'm this guy is a threat on the national level because he's got retail skills coming out of his ears. Look how natural and at ease he is talking with Trump supporters in Mississippi um here in SAT 7.

1:27:22 How you doing, sir? Can I introduce myself? Bill Cal. I'm Scott Cologne. Bill, good to meet you. Thank you for your service.

1:27:27 Thank you. Absolutely. What matters to you as a veteran right now. [singing] See second amendment, right?

1:27:32 Second amendment. I'm big on that. Kind of iffy on the AI. I'm from Mississippi, Tennessee.

1:27:37 Indiana. Indiana. I come from Indiana. Let me ask you what matters to y'all as voters. What What are your top issues for me? Gas prices.

1:27:42 Gas prices. How do you feel about the war I ran? Get out of it. Pull out. We don't need to be there. It's not our problem.

1:27:49 Let me ask you, what do you think about the tariffs? Are you a fan or not? Not really.

1:27:52 Not really. How do you feel about flot cameras? I'm not a fan of them because I worry about privacy. What's your top issues?

1:27:59 Uh mostly just uh prices of everything. Prices. Gas price. Yeah. Economy. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I'm running on question.

1:28:08 Yeah. Absolutely. Have you taken any money from Apex? Absolutely not. You mind me asking you what matters to you as a voter right now?

1:28:14 Um honestly. Well, honesty. Honesty. Impressive. I'm going to tell my man Gavin about this guy. He means he's going to need a running mate.

1:28:25 I don't know. It seemed to me like he was identifying with a lot of the problems, but he wasn't saying what he was going to do about him. So, that's um

1:28:32 Well, that's what politicians do. I mean, it's a good ad, but you know, I don't know. The ad was good. He's a look, he's a he's a happy warrior. That's how you that you know, in a in an environment where there's a lot of anger, you know, he managed to channel that. I will add, Megan, just just for posterity, in that in that race, the independent candidate, Tai Pinkkins, has 20,000 votes.

1:28:57 The Ralph Bader of Mississippi. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Spoiler alert. Spoiler. Here's here's what happened just this morning. Somebody I think this was this morning or as opposed to last night, I'm not sure, but whatever. It's recent. Um he uh Scott Col was at talking to his supporters probably telling them you know stay tuned and watch what happened.

1:29:21 Scott uh Senator Heid Smith all but declared victory last night. We want to get

1:29:34 praise. Bless our heart. I MEAN THIS he's good guys. So look on the list of like

1:29:48 this is an interesting question I think on the list of senators who are newly elected to the US Congress to the US Senate as Democrats. The one who you can't stand the most and the one that you are are most optimistic about. I'm gonna put him as my most optimistic. He hasn't officially won, but if he wins, I'm I'm happy with that this guy. I like him. He seems I don't know what his policies are. Maybe I'll reverse myself because he wants to pack the Supreme Court, but so far I like him, which is not a surprise because he's coming out of Mississippi. So, this guy's got to keep it real. He can't go too far, you know, to the left. The ones that concern me the most, I am concerned about El Sayed for sure. He does strike me as very angry, as like he's got an angry streak in him and like really smug.

1:30:38 I'm not really worried about the Muslim Brotherhood stuff, but I I he does seem radical to me and I don't I'm not sure where that guy's going to go with it, but I would say Penny Peggy Flanigan is probably my least favorite newly elected senator. The nutcase with the when your six-year-old tells you that they're trans, believe them. She's a fruit cake or a nutcake. Whichever one is crazier, that's what she is. That's where I am on the newly elected. Would you guys like to take that on this question?

1:31:08 Well, I one I I'll give one positive one. I I I I thought that I know what's coming. I know what's coming.

1:31:14 I thought that performance by Abdul Alad that nasty victory speech. So, Michigan has a sore loser in the primary, Haley Stevens. Now, has a sore winner, the poor sport winner. So he's being

1:31:28 You're right. Yeah, he's my least favorite. The the the guy I'm interested in is obviously

1:31:34 Call him, but we don't know if he's going to win. So how about Josh Turk? When he was campaigning,

1:31:38 he he he he's in a wheelchair. He hauled himself up some stairs to some house by his arms, dragging his wheelchair behind him to knock on a door. And I thought, "All right, that's the kind of commitment in a public servant I have to respect."

1:31:52 I I thought Carl for sure was going to say Adam Hamilton in Kansas. I mean, he's a guy who, [clears throat]

1:31:59 you know, wasn't talking about Adam sink of me talking about him. So, yeah, we are actually,

1:32:05 but so, you know, pastor, independent, runs as a Democrat, says he's not going to vote for Chuck Schumer. So, you know, he also has to keep it real and we'll see how independent he is when he gets to the Senate. So, he's he's a guy who I'm interested in watching, you know, hopefully in a positive way. I agree with Carl Elsiad's speech last night where he was like, "Oh, we hope the Michigan never sees the likes of Mike Rogers again and then he took a shot at JD and then he took a shot at Trump and then he, you know, took another shot at Apac." I mean, the guy he does he he he is he was smug during the campaign and you can only imagine how much more smug he's going to be now that he's got six years in the Senate.

1:32:41 Tom thinks he's going to be even more insufferable. I do actually, but I think I I agree with Tom. Let's play a little bit of that. We have it in s one.

1:32:50 My name is Abdul Rahman Muhammad. All right. And I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator elect from the great state of Michigan.

1:33:10 So Mike, ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT. I KNOW YOU got a house in Florida and two yachts.

1:33:21 See, you chose hate and Michigan chose hope. May we never have to see the likes of you in this state again.

1:33:33 To the super PACs and special interests who tried to beat us, we are coming for your SYSTEM OF POLITICS.

1:33:40 To Apac who spent $42 million against us. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice.

1:33:49 WE CAN DEFEAT the cynicism of a politics that prays on our earnestness, underells our intelligence, and exploits our disagreements. Tonight, Michigan, we beat a machine.

1:34:04 That last part was good, and the the rest of it was so ungracious. You know, the unwritten rule in politics is no matter how ugly the campaign, and we've seen some ugly ones, you still get up there at the end and and your grace, you show grace and you're magnanimous. Go ahead.

1:34:19 I said on our show, you know, uh [clears throat] he he didn't he should have taken the high road, but he he wasn't tall enough to find it. You know,

1:34:28 he's short. He is short, which is funny coming from me because I'm 5'9, but I think he's about six inches shorter than I am. So, I I can make short jokes. 5'9 is the height of the average American.

1:34:38 That's right. I'm perfectly average. Well, as long as we're talking about our our people who you're not looking forward to. Troy Jackson, I will say I'm not looking forward to at all

1:34:50 because let's hope he can control his gas issues when he makes it to the Senate.

1:34:54 I just I just don't look don't want to listen to that for six years. Um but and I'm interested.

1:35:01 Do I want to see his cousin who he'sing? Yeah. I don't want to see the cousin, wife, whatever she is. Why are all the Democrats marrying their family members?

1:35:09 Second cousin. Come on. But, you know, we talk about keeping it real. I wonder about Taller Rico in Texas, whether he will track to the center at all given the the essential redness of that state, which still exists. Um, so I'm sort of interested in what what he does. I think he's a smart guy. I think he ran a pretty smart campaign obviously and uh won by a lot. Um, so will he over interpret the mandate, uh, given the, you know, his his margin of victory down there? Uh, that will be interesting to see. Something I'll be watching. But, you know, he, like I say, I think he's a smart guy. We'll be interested to see what he does.

1:35:47 The early signs are good. And there's one more. I'm sorry. Go ahead. The early signs, Carl, it's been like six hours. I mean,

1:35:53 that's what I'm talking about. Tell her. No, in terms of in terms of he was Tom

1:35:57 he's got like 16 years of like radical leftist beliefs that he walked away from during the during the general election undul. He was gracious. That's all we have to gracious. So fair only one yesterday. I'm just saying the early signs. I met

1:36:10 last night. Last night on our broadcast, Glenn Greenwald was recounting that Piers Morgan asked Glenn, you know, about about Telerico, is Texas really going to elect a gay vegan as its senator? Glenn Glenn was pointing out he's actually not gay, which we all challenged Glenn on. And um

1:36:30 Glenn is not a vegan. Same challenge. Glenn is gay. And I said, Glenn, are you getting any gayar at all on on Terico? does not think he's gay. But I I say the jury is still out. Um I wanted to play you one more Abdul Sat here. Sat 3

1:36:49 Jabi. There is this delicious irony in the fact that you're constitutionally obligated to swear me in IN JANUARY.

1:37:10 ALL RIGHT. SO, you know what that means? Wolverine one, Buckeye Zero. That's so obnoxious. You know what JD Vance will do it? He'll do it with class. He'll be super kind. He'll be welcoming. He'll smile at you. He'll He'll welcome your family. That's how it's done. What a prick. He just seems like a prick to me. I think it's good news for the sort of the bro candidates out there, though that you can be this much of a prick and and win by seven points. I mean,

1:37:42 Andy really grasping at straws on the good news. Yeah, he's the eternal optimist. Finds the silver lining everywhere.

1:37:50 It's good news for the great news for pricks, right? Pricks and burpers. Uh the the gassy Democrats for the future. Here's Terarico. I'm just going to say a little gay. Watch.

1:38:05 Hate can't teach a child to read. Hate can't build a future. But what hate can't do, love can. Love can turn a campaign into a movement. Love can heal what's broken in America. In my experience, when you extend an open hand rather than a closed fist, you'll be surprised by who takes that hand. He embodied a new kind of politics. A politics rooted in a deep love for our state, for our country, and most importantly for all of our neighbors.

1:38:51 It was all about love. Love, love, love, love, love. He said it like 10 other times. Is that the most Barack Obama-esque thing ever? You know, like he says a bunch of words and it's hope and change and you know, we're going to heal the planet and all this stuff and like but like what are you actually going to do? Like love is not going to write a bill that's going to help like what is your plan other than just run around and and talk about love? I mean it sounded like a it sounded like a sermon at his church as opposed to, you know, a political speech. A certain a certain male gesture comes to mind when I hear a politician wax poetic about love love love like please. All right. I mean we all know what politics is actually like and what he's going to do when he gets to the US Senate. He's going to vote to trans the children which is not loving. I got one more for you which is Amy Actton. Amazing Amy won

1:39:41 her race against Vav and thank God she will now have the designated driver that she

1:39:45 locked down the Chardonnay. Sat five. Let's Let's see how she took the news. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Hello, OHIO. Most importantly, thank you, Ohio. It became a movement and I am so grateful to every one of you and I'm going to be asking more of you yet. Together, we are going to build an Ohio where no matter where you were born, you belong. You can build the life of your dreams and you can be whoever you want to be. Maybe even governor.

1:40:39 The bank's got to be like, "How did I lose to that? How did that happen?" Oh my god. You're not kidding about lock up the Chardonnay. She can't get through one speech. Sorry. I maybe she has a speech impediment and I've just been too tough on her, but she's either an alcoholic or has a speech impediment. I I hope it's the latter. Good luck, Ohio.

1:41:01 Did Didn't we all have that ant at Thanksgiving that that kind of reminds me of a little bit?

1:41:06 If I had to spend time running against VC Ramosami, I would drink, too. I think I'm going to go do it right now, guys. Thank you. Thank you all. A pleasure.

1:41:18 All right. Talk to you soon and we'll see all of you tomorrow as well. Let me know what your thoughts are about the election. Megan at megan kelly.com.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Why Voters Delivered the Blue Tsunami, the Shocking Dem Margins, and the WORST New Senators, w/ RCP"?

Megan Kelly (Guest), Tom Beavenon (Guest), Carl Cannon (Guest), Andrew Walworth (Guest).

What is "Why Voters Delivered the Blue Tsunami, the Shocking Dem Margins, and the WORST New Senators, w/ RCP" about?

Voters delivered a decisive rejection of Republican direction, demanding independence from party leaders and stronger checks on presidential power, signaling a need for Republicans to rebuild without relying on Trump. The piece argues that many newly elected Democrats lean left, potentially reshaping the political landscape with a more progressive influence.

What is mentioned in this Megyn Kelly episode?

104 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Republican Party, Donald Trump, Megan Kelly, Democratic Party, Iran War, The Megyn Kelly Show. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Why Voters Delivered the Blue Tsunami, the Shocking Dem Margins, and the WORST New Senators, w/ RCP"?

The episode runs 1 h 42 min; the transcript is about 18,283 words in 223 timestamped sections.

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