The Chuck ToddCast

Author and writer for The New Yorker, Jason Zengerle joins the Chuck ToddCast for a deep dive into his book “Hated By All The Right People” about Tucker Carlson’s rise—and why he’s become the clearest avatar for the unraveling of modern American conservatism. The conversation traces how Carlson’s personal history, elite upbringing paired with outsider grievance, and long-running resentments toward figures like Bill Kristol helped shape a worldview centered on anger, masculinity, and cultural backlash. Though he styles himself as anti-establishment, Tucker remains very much a Washington insider, increasingly influential even after leaving Fox News and emerging as the true heir to Rush Limbaugh, with real political impact on figures like J.D. Vance.
Chuck and Zengerle also explore how Trump subsumed conservatism, why Tucker may be the figure best positioned to keep Trumpism alive after Trump, and how white male grievance now sits at the core of conservative cultural politics. From the Iraq War’s role in Carlson’s ideological shift to his calculated positioning on Israel, media, and elite power, the episode asks what “real America” conservatism even means anymore—and whether there’s any path back for Never Trumpers, institutional Republicans, or business leaders who’ve bent the knee to a movement that no longer resembles the party they once knew.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Jason Zengerle joins the Chuck ToddCast
01:30 Why Tucker Carlson is the avatar for unraveling of conservatism
03:00 Tucker was abandoned by his mother, how did that affect his journey?
03:45 That abandonment shaped his worldview about women
05:00 Tucker’s anger at Bill Kristol is a big part of his evolution
07:00 Kristol has become the stand in for media elites in Tucker’s mind
08:00 Tucker tried to be a younger, cooler version of George Will
09:00 Carlson is very much a DC insider, but portrays himself as outsider
10:30 Tucker wasn’t a rich kid, but was raised like one
12:30 Tucker & Trump similarly hung with the elite, but felt like outsiders
13:15 Tucker trashed Trump in texts while praising him on the air
14:00 Tucker was more willing to criticize Trump than other Fox hosts
15:30 Tucker wasn’t viewed as a top-tier personality at Fox for years
16:15 Fox News is bigger than the on-air personalities
17:15 Leaving Fox didn’t diminish Tucker’s standing, more influential now
19:00 Tucker is the true heir to Rush Limbaugh
19:45 Tucker was influential in getting J.D. Vance elected in Ohio
20:45 Vance & Tucker are very ideologically aligned
22:00 White male grievance is central to conservative cultural politics
23:45 Tucker believes what he says & has a larger project for America
24:45 Tucker is more Pat Buchanon than Rush Limbaugh
25:30 Iraq war was very influential in changing Tucker’s ideology
26:45 Tucker needled Jewish Neocon Republicans by criticizing Israel
28:30 Tuckers sees party energy is anti-Israel & getting ahead of it
30:15 What is the definition of conservatism in “real America”?
31:15 Conservatism has been subsumed by Trump
32:30 Will conservatism snap back to its prior form after Trump is gone?
35:00 Tucker seems like the figure that could keep Trump’s politics alive
36:45 Tucker says he’s not mad at the Murdochs but he is
38:00 Tucker didn’t agree to be interviewed for the book, why?
40:45 Tucker likes to bash the media, but he’s one of their favorite sources
42:00 Tucker left D.C. after protestors showed up to his house
43:15 Who are the “camps” that will fight for control after Trump?
44:15 Ted Cruz & Rand Paul are the only two non “blood & soil” prominent R’s
45:30 Trump is the least “MAGA” person in the MAGA movement
47:15 Where do the Nikki Haley, John Kasich type voters go?
48:15 Business leaders have bent the knee to Trump
49:15 Who in conservative media world was most willing to talk?
50:30 Tucker doesn’t spend much time talking to people his disagrees with
52:00 Tucker wants to go back to a male & white dominated society
53:15 The Never Trumpers won’t be taking back the party
54:30 What Jason is working on at The New Yorker
57:30 Marco Rubio’s evolution has been fascinating
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck digs into the political fallout surrounding Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and a Trump White House that remains intensely reactive to public opinion. While Noem keeps her job—for now—new polling paints a bleak picture for both her and the administration, with Trump’s economic numbers underwater, disapproval near all-time highs, and even his own base increasingly uneasy with ICE’s aggressive tactics. Chuck unpacks why Noem’s performative politics may make her expendable, why Miller is untouchable as Trump’s “bizarro Dick Cheney,” and how Trump’s inner circle is once again showing signs of instability as voters question whether the president is focused on the issues that actually matter.
The conversation then zooms out to a broader diagnosis of America’s democratic dysfunction, drawing on Chuck’s recent campus speech about why this moment feels uniquely unstable. From razor-thin modern elections and the collapse of congressional responsibility to unsettling parallels with 19th-century politics, Chuck argues that the presidency has become overly powerful because Congress has failed to govern. Fixing what’s broken, he warns, won’t come from political elites—it will require engaged citizens, serious institutional reform, and possibly constitutional amendments to rebuild a government voters have been loudly signaling they no longer trust.
Then, author and writer for The New Yorker, Jason Zengerle joins the Chuck ToddCast for a deep dive into his book “Hated By All The Right People” about Tucker Carlson’s rise—and why he’s become the clearest avatar for the unraveling of modern American conservatism. The conversation traces how Carlson’s personal history, elite upbringing paired with outsider grievance, and long-running resentments toward figures like Bill Kristol helped shape a worldview centered on anger, masculinity, and cultural backlash. Though he styles himself as anti-establishment, Tucker remains very much a Washington insider, increasingly influential even after leaving Fox News and emerging as the true heir to Rush Limbaugh, with real political impact on figures like J.D. Vance.
Chuck and Zengerle also explore how Trump subsumed conservatism, why Tucker may be the figure best positioned to keep Trumpism alive after Trump, and how white male grievance now sits at the core of conservative cultural politics. From the Iraq War’s role in Carlson’s ideological shift to his calculated positioning on Israel, media, and elite power, the episode asks what “real America” conservatism even means anymore—and whether there’s any path back for Never Trumpers, institutional Republicans, or business leaders who’ve bent the knee to a movement that no longer resembles the party they once knew.
Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and expands on his Hall of Fame rant in light of Bill Belichick not getting in on the first ballot.
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
07:00 Kristi Noem still has her job, but Trump is reactive to public opinion
08:15 Noem’s profile feels like someone Trump is willing to dump
09:15 Trump will never fire Stephen Miller
10:00 Miller understands how to work government like a bizarro Dick Cheney
11:30 Does Miller have a conservative vision, or is he just a reactionary?
13:00 Trump may use Kristi Noem as a heat shield
14:00 Noem’s theatrics have created terrible optics
16:15 New Fox News poll has terrible numbers for Trump
18:15 Numbers in the poll could spell doom for Kristi Noem
19:15 Only 61% of Republicans say country is better off today
20:00 Trump’s numbers on the economy are underwater
21:45 Trump’s disapproval near all-time highs
22:45 Voters don’t think Trump is spending enough time on the economy
24:30 Trump’s job rating higher than almost all the individual issues
25:45 59% think ICE has been too aggressive
28:00 Even parts of Trump’s base think ICE has been too aggressive
29:00 Support for abolishing ICE has doubled since 2018
30:00 Trump’s inner circle never stays around for long
31:00 If Fox runs the poll extensively on air, Noem is in trouble
32:45 Chuck’s campus speech on where we are now & how to get out of it
33:45 We may have grown up in a more stable outlier era of American history
35:30 The cold war kept both parties sober & more mainstream
36:45 Six of our 21st century presidential elections decided by 5pts or less
37:15 Politics today is more similar to the 19th century
38:00 We’re too occupied with the presidency due to congress failing
39:00 Congress is more occupied with keeping power than legislating
40:30 We aren’t getting out of this until congress becomes functional
41:00 We will need constitutional amendments to fix the democracy
42:30 The citizens will need to fix this, can’t depend on congress
43:15 Voters gave a primal scream that they wanted a better government
50:30 Jason Zengerle joins the Chuck ToddCast
52:00 Why Tucker Carlson is the avatar for unraveling of conservatism
53:30 Tucker was abandoned by his mother, how did that affect his journey?
54:15 That abandonment shaped his worldview about women
55:30 Tucker’s anger at Bill Kristol is a big part of his evolution
57:30 Kristol has become the stand in for media elites in Tucker’s mind
58:30 Tucker tried to be a younger, cooler version of George Will
59:30 Carlson is very much a DC insider, but portrays himself as outsider
1:01:00 Tucker wasn’t a rich kid, but was raised like one
1:03:00 Tucker & Trump similarly hung with the elite, but felt like outsiders
1:03:45 Tucker trashed Trump in texts while praising him on the air
1:04:30 Tucker was more willing to criticize Trump than other Fox hosts
1:06:00 Tucker wasn’t viewed as a top-tier personality at Fox for years
1:06:45 Fox News is bigger than the on-air personalities
1:07:45 Leaving Fox didn’t diminish Tucker’s standing, more influential now
1:09:30 Tucker is the true heir to Rush Limbaugh
1:10:15 Tucker was influential in getting J.D. Vance elected in Ohio
1:11:15 Vance & Tucker are very ideologically aligned
1:12:30 White male grievance is central to conservative cultural politics
1:14:15 Tucker believes what he says & has a larger project for America
1:15:15 Tucker is more Pat Buchanan than Rush Limbaugh
1:16:00 Iraq war was very influential in changing Tucker’s ideology
1:17:15 Tucker needled Jewish Neocon Republicans by criticizing Israel
1:19:00 Tuckers sees party energy is anti-Israel & getting ahead of it
1:20:45 What is the definition of conservatism in “real America”?
1:21:45 Conservatism has been subsumed by Trump
1:23:00 Will conservatism snap back to its prior form after Trump is gone?
1:25:30 Tucker seems like the figure that could keep Trump’s politics alive
1:27:15 Tucker says he’s not mad at the Murdochs but he is
1:28:30 Tucker didn’t agree to be interviewed for the book, why?
1:31:15 Tucker likes to bash the media, but he’s one of their favorite sources
1:32:30 Tucker left D.C. after protestors showed up to his house
1:33:45 Who are the “camps” that will fight for control after Trump?
1:34:45 Ted Cruz & Rand Paul are the only two non “blood & soil” prominent R’s
1:36:00 Trump is the least “MAGA” person in the MAGA movement
1:37:45 Where do the Nikki Haley, John Kasich type voters go?
1:38:45 Business leaders have bent the knee to Trump
1:39:45 Who in conservative media world was most willing to talk?
1:41:00 Tucker doesn’t spend much time talking to people he disagrees with
1:42:30 Tucker wants to go back to a male & white dominated society
1:43:45 The Never Trumpers won’t be taking back the party
1:45:00 What Jason is working on at The New Yorker
1:48:00 Marco Rubio’s evolution has been fascinating
1:53:00 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Jason Zengerle
1:53:30 Ask Chuck
1:53:45 Who in real life is Veep’s Mike McClintock based on?
1:56:30 Impact of Native American voters on elections?
1:59:45 What signs will the GOP show if they think they’ll lose the senate?
2:03:00 The viral blue/yellow dress feels like a metaphor for politics
2:05:15 Any connection between income inequality and growing isolationism?
2:11:00 Why is Nathan’s Famous allowed to be bought by a Chinese company?
2:13:30 Hall of Fame rant
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck digs into the political fallout surrounding Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and a Trump White House that remains intensely reactive to public opinion. While Noem keeps her job—for now—new polling paints a bleak picture for both her and the administration, with Trump’s economic numbers underwater, disapproval near all-time highs, and even his own base increasingly uneasy with ICE’s aggressive tactics. Chuck unpacks why Noem’s performative politics may make her expendable, why Miller is untouchable as Trump’s “bizarro Dick Cheney,” and how Trump’s inner circle is once again showing signs of instability as voters question whether the president is focused on the issues that actually matter.
The conversation then zooms out to a broader diagnosis of America’s democratic dysfunction, drawing on Chuck’s recent campus speech about why this moment feels uniquely unstable. From razor-thin modern elections and the collapse of congressional responsibility to unsettling parallels with 19th-century politics, Chuck argues that the presidency has become overly powerful because Congress has failed to govern. Fixing what’s broken, he warns, won’t come from political elites—it will require engaged citizens, serious institutional reform, and possibly constitutional amendments to rebuild a government voters have been loudly signaling they no longer trust.
Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and expands on his Hall of Fame rant in light of Bill Belichick not getting in on the first ballot.
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Timeline:
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
03:00 Kristi Noem still has her job, but Trump is reactive to public opinion
04:15 Noem’s profile feels like someone Trump is willing to dump
05:15 Trump will never fire Stephen Miller
06:00 Miller understands how to work government like a bizarro Dick Cheney
07:30 Does Miller have a conservative vision, or is he just a reactionary?
09:00 Trump may use Kristi Noem as a heat shield
10:00 Noem’s theatrics have created terrible optics
12:15 New Fox News poll has terrible numbers for Trump
14:15 Numbers in the poll could spell doom for Kristi Noem
15:15 Only 61% of Republicans say country is better off today
16:00 Trump’s numbers on the economy are underwater
17:45 Trump’s disapproval near all-time highs
18:45 Voters don’t think Trump is spending enough time on the economy
20:30 Trump’s job rating higher than almost all the individual issues
21:45 59% think ICE has been too aggressive
24:00 Even parts of Trump’s base think ICE has been too aggressive
25:00 Support for abolishing ICE has doubled since 2018
26:00 Trump’s inner circle never stays around for long
27:00 If Fox runs the poll extensively on air, Noem is in trouble
28:45 Chuck’s campus speech on where we are now & how to get out of it
29:45 We may have grown up in a more stable outlier era of American history
31:30 The cold war kept both parties sober & more mainstream
32:45 Six of our 21st century presidential elections decided by 5pts or less
33:15 Politics today is more similar to the 19th century
34:00 We’re too occupied with the presidency due to congress failing
35:00 Congress is more occupied with keeping power than legislating
36:30 We aren’t getting out of this until congress becomes functional
37:00 We will need constitutional amendments to fix the democracy
38:30 The citizens will need to fix this, can’t depend on congress
39:15 Voters gave a primal scream that they wanted a better government
46:30 Ask Chuck
46:45 Who in real life is Veep’s Mike McClintock based on?
49:30 Impact of Native American voters on elections?
52:45 What signs will the GOP show if they think they’ll lose the senate?
56:00 The viral blue/yellow dress feels like a metaphor for politics
58:15 Any connection between income inequality and growing isolationism?
1:04:00 Why is Nathan’s Famous allowed to be bought by a Chinese company?
1:06:30 Hall of Fame rant
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck breaks down the mounting political fallout from a string of fatal and controversial shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, including the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti—an incident that has sparked protests, outrage, and deep questions about federal law-enforcement use of force. Bystander video and independent analysis have sharply contradicted official claims that Pretti posed a threat, amplifying criticism from local officials and national figures alike while the Trump administration has scrambled to contain the damage by removing the Border Patrol commander and sending veteran immigration official Tom Homan to Minneapolis to calm tensions.
As Republicans in Congress publicly wrestle with how to respond—and some distance themselves from the administration’s actions—Chuck explores how Trump’s repeated emphasis on which voters supported him personally, rather than addressing the substance of the crisis, is complicating the situation politically. With Minneapolis emerging as a political disaster for Trump, the episode also looks at how Trump’s handling of Kristi Noem and broader GOP infighting could create openings for Democrats, especially as concern grows over civil liberties, federal overreach, and the credibility of government narratives in the face of widespread skepticism and media scrutiny.
Then, historian Heather Ann Thompson discusses her new book “Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings and the Rebirth” that revisits the 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting and explains why it remains a chilling precursor to the racialized fear and political rage shaping America today. Thompson walks through who Goetz was, how he shot four unarmed Black teenagers, and how—without video evidence—the media constructed a vigilante narrative that erased the victims and fueled public support for Goetz despite his own recorded confession. She situates the case in a New York City gripped by crime, austerity, and racial anxiety, arguing that fear was real but deliberately misdirected by sensationalist media, tabloid culture, and political leaders who framed young Black men as the threat while stripping away public resources.
The conversation traces how Reagan-era policies, talk radio, and the tabloidification of news helped turn crime into profitable outrage, laying the groundwork for stop-and-frisk, the Central Park Five, and ultimately the politics Donald Trump would later master. Thompson connects the Goetz case to today’s wealth inequality, media groupthink, and deep political divides over racialized violence, showing how these stories are not aberrations but part of a long continuum. The episode is a sobering examination of how fear, race, and media narratives can warp justice—and how understanding that history is essential to understanding where America is now.
Finally, Chuck updates his ToddCast Top 5 governor’s seats most likely to flip in 2026, weighs in on the massive looming cuts to the staff at the Washington Post and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
01:00 Trump attends Iowa event with “affordability message”
01:45 Trump begins to try to walk back from chaos in Minneapolis
02:30 Greg Bovino removed from border patrol role in Minneapolis
03:15 Trump keeps highlighting that Renee Good’s parents voted for him
04:15 Trump sent Tom Homan to Minneapolis to try & calm things down
05:30 Republicans in congress speak out after killing of Alex Pretti
06:30 Trump signals support for Kristi Noem, but could change his mind
07:30 Resentment from Senate R’s over some cabinet secretaries
09:15 Political infighting could become contagious but Trump will back Miller
11:00 Trump is playing political cleanup, but not firing Noem is a mistake
13:00 Not firing Noem would be a political gift for Democrats
14:00 Trump’s trade policy is creating trade deals for other countries, not us
14:45 Minneapolis creates permission slip for Republicans to distance themselves
15:15 Trump’s stop in Iowa was supposed to be a pivot
16:15 Consumer confidence shows the public behaving like it’s a recession
17:00 Consumer confidence lowest since 2014, worse than during pandemic
18:00 Public doubts the job market & job security
20:00 Trump claims inflation is over, that’s not what the public is feeling
21:15 Iowa ranks 50th in nation for economic growth, worst since the 80’s
22:00 Tariffs have devastated Iowa farmers
23:30 If Iowa goes blue, Democrats will win the house and senate
24:15 Trump’s policies have hurt Iowa more than other states
25:00 Trump’s economic message isn’t resonating
26:00 Trump really messed up his gun politics
27:30 Trump will throw anybody under the bus to protect himself
37:00 Heather Ann Thompson joins the Chuck ToddCast
38:30 Bernie Goetz was an early analog for the white rage we see today
39:30 Who was Bernie Goetz & what is the history of the story?
40:00 NYC felt like a city in crisis during the 80’s
41:00 Goetz shoots four unarmed black teenagers
42:00 There was no footage of the shooting & media shaped the event
43:00 Goetz was celebrated by white New Yorkers as a vigilante
43:45 Goetz gave lengthy video confession & still acquitted on most chargers
45:00 The victims have been completely written out of the story
46:00 Victims were denied compensation by the city’s crime victim fund
47:00 The shooting destroyed the victim’s lives even though they survived
48:45 New York felt like a city on the brink in the 1980’s
49:30 New Yorkers were living in fear of many parts of the city due to crime
50:45 Media clearly made the “threat” young black men
51:30 By 1984, trash was piling up and areas of NYC were underpoliced
52:30 The fear was warranted, but was misdirected by Rupert Murdoch, others
54:30 The Reagan administration doubled down on austerity
55:45 Eventually NYC experienced a renaissance, the “Guiliani miracle”
56:45 Austerity was sold on the idea of the “underserving” & criminal underbelly
57:45 Stop & frisk and other policies pushed underclass further away from Manhattan
58:30 Trump was a beneficiary of these politics & rode them to the White House
59:15 Trump is a creature of the 80’s since that era was best for him
1:00:30 Trump understood the power of television, fear & race baiting
1:01:15 Trump sells what the Reagan revolution sold, targeted working class whites
1:02:00 Impact of the Goetz story on the Central Park 5 story
1:03:30 The tabloidification of the national media was born out of 80’s NYC
1:04:30 Talk radio was central in turning crime into high rating media content
1:05:15 Subway shootings were rare, but everyone feared them
1:06:30 Reagan’s policies stripped away resources that led to working class crises
1:07:15 Reagan gutted multiple public programs
1:08:15 Under Reagan, the tax burden was shifted away from the wealthy
1:09:00 Similarities between the early 1900’s and early 2000’s
1:10:15 America is in a wealth inequality crisis & target of misinformation campaign
1:11:30 Media groupthink was a contributing factor to Bernie Goetz’s acquittal
1:12:15 Goetz case peeled back the veneer hiding overt racism
1:13:15 Media sands the edges of stories to avoid controversy over coverage
1:14:00 Sensationalist, conservative media has become very successful
1:15:30 Alternative press covered the Goetz story much differently
1:16:15 Bronx jury awarded one of the victims $43 million
1:17:00 Goetz shooting was an unhinged story, but shows how we got here
1:19:00 There are political dividing lines over racialized shootings
1:20:15 Society meant to aspire to wealth, but live with suspicion & fear on streets
1:21:00 What’s the thread between the urban stories that you’ve told?
1:22:00 There was a massive cover up at Attica
1:22:45 If it wasn’t Goetz, it would have been another similar incident
1:24:00 How long after an event do you think is the sweet spot for telling story?
1:26:15 As a society, we don’t have patience for context
1:26:45 Checking personal bias when reporting a historical event
1:29:30 What Heather is working on next
1:34:30 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Heather Ann Thompson
1:35:15 ToddCast Top 5 governor’s seats most likely to flip
1:36:30 #1 Kansas
1:38:15 #2 Iowa
1:40:30 #3 Michigan
1:42:45 #4 Arizona #5 Nevada
1:45:00 The Washington Post announces major cuts to staff
1:45:45 Hard to understand what Bezos’s vision is for the Post
1:47:30 How can you be a local paper & not cover the community?
1:48:45 Post is losing $100m/year but Bezos’s burns tons of cash
1:49:15 Amazon set $75 million on fire for the Melania documentary
1:51:00 If Bezos wanted the Post to succeed he could have invested in it
1:53:15 Bezos should sell the Post rather than gutting it
1:55:15 The Post editorial page has been diminished under Bezos
1:57:00 Hopefully Bezos changes course
1:58:00 Ask Chuck
1:58:15 How long will this dark period of American history last?
2:04:30 At what point does a blatant lie from a politician qualify as fraud?
2:07:00 Chance that an Ossoff win could catapult him to nomination?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck breaks down the mounting political fallout from a string of fatal and controversial shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, including the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti—an incident that has sparked protests, outrage, and deep questions about federal law-enforcement use of force. Bystander video and independent analysis have sharply contradicted official claims that Pretti posed a threat, amplifying criticism from local officials and national figures alike while the Trump administration has scrambled to contain the damage by removing the Border Patrol commander and sending veteran immigration official Tom Homan to Minneapolis to calm tensions.
As Republicans in Congress publicly wrestle with how to respond—and some distance themselves from the administration’s actions—Chuck explores how Trump’s repeated emphasis on which voters supported him personally, rather than addressing the substance of the crisis, is complicating the situation politically. With Minneapolis emerging as a political disaster for Trump, the episode also looks at how Trump’s handling of Kristi Noem and broader GOP infighting could create openings for Democrats, especially as concern grows over civil liberties, federal overreach, and the credibility of government narratives in the face of widespread skepticism and media scrutiny.
Finally, Chuck updates his ToddCast Top 5 governor’s seats most likely to flip in 2026, weighs in on the massive looming cuts to the staff at the Washington Post and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
01:00 Trump attends Iowa event with “affordability message”
01:45 Trump begins to try to walk back from chaos in Minneapolis
02:30 Greg Bovino removed from border patrol role in Minneapolis
03:15 Trump keeps highlighting that Renee Good’s parents voted for him
04:15 Trump sent Tom Homan to Minneapolis to try & calm things down
05:30 Republicans in congress speak out after killing of Alex Pretti
06:30 Trump signals support for Kristi Noem, but could change his mind
07:30 Resentment from Senate R’s over some cabinet secretaries
09:15 Political infighting could become contagious but Trump will back Miller
11:00 Trump is playing political cleanup, but not firing Noem is a mistake
13:00 Not firing Noem would be a political gift for Democrats
14:00 Trump’s trade policy is creating trade deals for other countries, not us
14:45 Minneapolis creates permission slip for Republicans to distance themselves
15:15 Trump’s stop in Iowa was supposed to be a pivot
16:15 Consumer confidence shows the public behaving like it’s a recession
17:00 Consumer confidence lowest since 2014, worse than during pandemic
18:00 Public doubts the job market & job security
20:00 Trump claims inflation is over, that’s not what the public is feeling
21:15 Iowa ranks 50th in nation for economic growth, worst since the 80’s
22:00 Tariffs have devastated Iowa farmers
23:30 If Iowa goes blue, Democrats will win the house and senate
24:15 Trump’s policies have hurt Iowa more than other states
25:00 Trump’s economic message isn’t resonating
26:00 Trump really messed up his gun politics
27:30 Trump will throw anybody under the bus to protect himself
34:45 ToddCast Top 5 governor’s seats most likely to flip
36:00 #1 Kansas
37:45 #2 Iowa
40:00 #3 Michigan
42:15 #4 Arizona #5 Nevada
44:30 The Washington Post announces major cuts to staff
45:15 Hard to understand what Bezos’s vision is for the Post
47:00 How can you be a local paper & not cover the community?
48:15 Post is losing $100m/year but Bezos’s burns tons of cash
48:45 Amazon set $75 million on fire for the Melania documentary
50:30 If Bezos wanted the Post to succeed he could have invested in it
52:45 Bezos should sell the Post rather than gutting it
54:45 The Post editorial page has been diminished under Bezos
56:30 Hopefully Bezos changes course
57:30 Ask Chuck
57:45 How long will this dark period of American history last?
1:04:00 At what point does a blatant lie from a politician qualify as fraud?
1:06:30 Chance that an Ossoff win could catapult him to nomination?
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