Tommy Vietor

Vietor alleges the administration is lying about casualties and costs of the Iran war and urges oversight hearings.

“I think they're lying about the casualty count. I think the Pentagon is lying about the cost”

Pod Save America: Impeach Pete Hegseth? (Sep 29, 2026) · Listen from 36:16

Vietor says Iran is correctly betting that Trump does not want to return to war before the midterms.

“they're betting that Trump doesn't want to go back to war before the midterms. And I think they are right”

Pod Save America: Trump Honors Dead Friend, Restarts War (Jul 14, 2026) · Listen from 9:43

Vietor argued presidents are punished politically when they are perceived to have lost a war.

“if you end a war and are perceived to have lost the war, I think voters will punish you”

Pod Save America: Pool Me Twice, Shame On You (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 18:12

Vietor argued Trump has given up his leverage over Iran, making a better deal unlikely.

“Trump's leverage is just gone. He's given the sanctions relief. The threat of military action is gone”

Pod Save America: Pool Me Twice, Shame On You (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 9:43

Vietor said the best outcome is the war ending, while arguing Iran got the better of the deal.

“I mean, look, big picture, the best outcome is the war being over”

Pod Save America: LIVE(ish) from the Obama Presidential Center (Jun 19, 2026) · Listen from 46:37

Vietor says Trump calling the Iran talks boring should have been career-ending given the war's human and economic costs.

“It's just hard to wrap your head around a politician saying that, a president saying that, and it not being a career ending moment”

Pod Save America: Trump and Pod Save America Agree: JD Is Lame (Jun 2, 2026) · Listen from 16:18

Vietor expresses concern that the favorable polls may reflect response bias from Democrats being more willing to answer surveys.

“I'm worried about the potential response bias. I'm worried about Democrats answering polls”

Pod Save America: Trump Plans to Shove What Where? (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 7:56

Vietor argues Trump attacked Salazar because he cares only about his ego, not his House majority.

“He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about his majority. He just cares about himself and his own ego”

Pod Save America: Impeach Pete Hegseth? (Sep 29, 2026) · Listen from 48:20

Vietor urges Democrats to more strongly back diplomacy and oppose regime-change wars.

“I think Democrats need to be more full-throated in support of diplomatic solutions to problems, stop being afraid of their own shadow on this stuff”

Pod Save America: 80-Year-Old Man Loses War (Jun 16, 2026) · Listen from 23:21

Vietor expects the midterms to be a referendum on Trump decided by turnout, favoring the more motivated Democratic base.

“I think they're going to be a referendum on Trump and the party in charge. I also think it's a turnout election”

Pod Save America: Trump Is Falling. Are Democrats Rising? (May 5, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:10

Vietor argued Trump no longer cares about the midterms or the Republican Party and is focused on personal enrichment and legacy.

“every day I'm more convinced that Trump does not give a shit about the midterms, does not give a shit about the future of the Republican Party, does not give a shit about J.D. Vance”

Pod Save America: Strait Up War Crimes (Apr 7, 2026) · Listen from 28:15

Vietor predicts Trump's Hormuz toll plan is an empty threat for leverage that the White House will soon walk back.

“my guess is that this is an empty threat designed to create leverage from the white house and they'll probably walk the whole thing back in a couple days”

Pod Save America: Trump Honors Dead Friend, Restarts War (Jul 14, 2026) · Listen from 5:35

Vietor worried that Iran's threats would leave shipping and energy prices unsettled for a long time.

“I'm worried about this just kind of bumping along in an unsettled fashion for a while. I'm worried about ongoing high energy prices”

Pod Save America: Pool Me Twice, Shame On You (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 6:19

Vietor argues the war taught Iran it can disrupt the global economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

“And Iran now knows it can shut down the global economy at any time. by closing the Strait of Hormuz”

Pod Save America: 80-Year-Old Man Loses War (Jun 16, 2026) · Listen from 6:13

Vietor warns that Houthi involvement in the Red Sea could push oil prices to $300 a barrel.

“If the Houthis get involved and they choke off those access points too, like prices could hit $300 a barrel”

Pod Save America: AOC vs. Bezos (May 12, 2026) · Listen from 14:29

Vietor predicts Trump will most likely declare victory and withdraw, leaving Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“And then he can find a way to declare victory and slink away, which seems like the most likely option”

Pod Save America: AOC vs. Bezos (May 12, 2026) · Listen from 7:37

Vietor argues farmers are unmoved by a slight weekly dip because diesel prices remain far above recent levels.

“Farmers know that diesel prices are way up from a month ago and way, way, way up from a year ago”

Pod Save America: Trump Plans to Shove What Where? (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 30:44

Vietor argues that a single steel plant announcement for 2030 will not address Iowa farmers' anger over doubled diesel prices.

“I don't think an announcement of one potential factory by 2030 is going to deal with that”

Pod Save America: Impeach Pete Hegseth? (Sep 29, 2026) · Listen from 4:33

Vietor argues that Hassett's framing is out of touch because spending more on necessities does not indicate optimism.

“Spending more on gas and groceries does not suggest that you're optimistic about the future”

Pod Save America: Trump and Pod Save America Agree: JD Is Lame (Jun 2, 2026) · Listen from 5:53

Vietor predicted gas prices, around $4.12 nationally, will rise further and possibly dramatically before falling.

“gas prices are what like 412 today is the national average i think that goes up before it goes down and it could go up dramatically”

Pod Save America: Strait Up War Crimes (Apr 7, 2026) · Listen from 37:56

Vietor explains weaker Democratic polling in Maine and New Hampshire by noting those states lack the Latino voters driving national shifts.

“Maine and New Hampshire are like two of the whitest states in the nation, literally. So you're just not going to see that demographic shift showing up there”

Pod Save America: Choosin' Texas with Bobby Pulido (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 40:06

Vietor maintains there is no evidence Platner intentionally got a Nazi tattoo or held Nazi sympathies, though he believes Platner was not honest about it.

“I still don't think there's evidence that he intended to get a Nazi tattoo on purpose or that he had like Nazi leanings”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 29:51

Vietor reads Platner's response video as signaling he will leave the race and says he must withdraw.

“I think my takeaway from that video was that he's going to drop out of the race. I think he has to drop out of the race”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 26:29

Vietor predicts Platner's campaign will weather the sexting reports and advises less criticism of the press.

“I think Platner's campaign can weather this. They will likely weather this. I would recommend less criticism of the media for covering the story”

Pod Save America: Trump and Pod Save America Agree: JD Is Lame (Jun 2, 2026) · Listen from 49:53

Vietor said Vance had it backwards: the JCPOA shipped Iran's stockpile abroad, while the new deal keeps it in-country.

“Under the JCPOA, they shipped out 97% of their stockpile. They went to Russia where they disposed of it”

Pod Save America: Pool Me Twice, Shame On You (Jun 23, 2026) · Listen from 10:34

Vietor urged Democrats to defend the JCPOA as better than Trump's deal, citing the removal of Iran's stockpile and UN Security Council backing.

“I want Democrats to just stand up and support the JCPOA and say that it was better”

Pod Save America: LIVE(ish) from the Obama Presidential Center (Jun 19, 2026) · Listen from 50:17

Vietor argues Trump will at best get a deal similar to the JCPOA that he could have obtained without war.

“it sounds like Trump is maybe at best going to get a similar deal after launching this disastrous war that he could have gotten if he just tried to renegotiate”

Pod Save America: 80-Year-Old Man Loses War (Jun 16, 2026) · Listen from 11:09

Vietor notes Iran's highly enriched uranium was produced after Trump exited the JCPOA, making it a problem Trump created.

“all of that material was enriched after Trump pulled out of the JCPOA. So it's a problem he created and now is probably not going to solve”

Pod Save America: AOC vs. Bezos (May 12, 2026) · Listen from 14:49

Vietor argues Obama is uniquely placed to counter efforts to portray Abdul El-Sayed as dangerous or foreign.

“Obama could talk about Abdul and efforts to define Abdul as dangerous or foreign in a way that Many other politicians can't”

Pod Save America: Trump Plans to Shove What Where? (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 36:10

Vietor reports that polling he has heard about indicates McMorrow's supporters are split and will not simply move to Haley Stevens.

“I've heard from people who've seen a lot of polling that Mallory's votes are very much split. It's not an obvious boon to Haley Stevens”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 38:14

Vietor argues McMorrow's attack on El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker was a fatal error that boosted El-Sayed and aligned her with the establishment.

“I think she made sort of what turned out to be a fatal error by attacking Abdul for campaigning with this on Piker”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 36:46

Vietor cites a Reuters investigation finding the Trump family profited massively from crypto while retail investors lost money.

“They found the Trump family has made $2.3 billion in profit. And then, of course, on the other side of that, you have a million retail investors”

Pod Save America: 80-Year-Old Man Loses War (Jun 16, 2026) · Listen from 38:10

Vietor argues Hunter Biden's business dealings did more than anyone to undercut Democrats' corruption case against Trump.

“he did more to nullify the Democratic Party's position on waging this corruption mission against Trump than literally anybody else”

Pod Save America: Trump Is Falling. Are Democrats Rising? (May 5, 2026) · Listen from 1:04:22

Vietor argues the corruption message is powerful because it is true and explains why government feels broken.

“I think the corruption message is really powerful because it's true. And it also gives you a why to explain why things are so broken”

Pod Save America: Trump Is Falling. Are Democrats Rising? (May 5, 2026) · Listen from 57:29

Vietor says Paxton's leaked admission that he doesn't control his campaign is especially damaging in an anti-incumbent year.

“I don't control my campaign. It's controlled by Washington in the most anti-incumbent year ever”

Pod Save America: Trump Plans to Shove What Where? (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 40:53

Vietor argues that even a Talarico debate on Fox News would be on hostile terrain because Fox is part of the MAGA media apparatus.

“Fox News is Fox News. And they are an extension of the MAGA media machine”

Pod Save America: Choosin' Texas with Bobby Pulido (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 7:38

Vietor argues Democratic governor's races are chronically underfunded because donors see only Congress as a check on Trump.

“Democratic donors see the Senate and the House as a check on Trump. They don't think that way about governor's races”

Pod Save America: Trump Plans to Shove What Where? (Oct 6, 2026) · Listen from 16:24

Vietor argues that major Democratic donors are wrongly holding back during a potentially historic opportunity.

“it just feels like a moment when all the biggest donors in the party should be pushing all their chips in the table”

Pod Save America: Choosin' Texas with Bobby Pulido (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 31:56

Vietor argues Xi holds leverage over Trump through rare earths and trade.

“Xi's got him over a barrel with rare earths and all these trade issues”

Pod Save America: Choosin' Texas with Bobby Pulido (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 47:20

Vietor argues the Trump-Xi summit lacked any purpose or outcome and left Trump looking subservient.

“Usually a bilateral meeting between two great superpowers has a purpose or an outcome that you're preparing to get to. This one was a joke”

Pod Save America: Choosin' Texas with Bobby Pulido (Sep 27, 2026) · Listen from 46:17

Vietor blames McConnell's office for the conspiracy theories because it withheld information for weeks.

“this is 100% Mitch McConnell's office's fault. Like, their boss went into the hospital on June 14th”

Pod Save America: Trump Honors Dead Friend, Restarts War (Jul 14, 2026) · Listen from 37:29

Vietor says that although he does not usually trust Laura Loomer, he finds it plausible a White House source told her McConnell is brain dead.

“I don't normally believe her, but I do believe that someone close to the White House would tell her that”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 53:18

Vietor says the World Cup reminded Americans that the country is defined by its people rather than its politics.

“We live in a great country, and one that is defined by its people and not by its politics”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 0:20

Vietor argues Balogun's red card was unjustified and deserved at most a yellow, noting Messi was not carded for similar conduct.

“I think it was at worst the yellow card. Lionel Messi did something very similar in a different game in this World Cup, didn't get carded at all”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 5:20

Vietor argues that trusted public figures speaking out on issues like the war in Gaza makes a difference.

“when they see someone they know and they trust because they've watched you on TV for 20 years talking about the war in Gaza, for example, I think that matters”

Pod Save America: Can Soccer Save the World? (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 31:59

Vietor worries Nick Fuentes reaches many young fraternity members and that his humor obscures neo-Nazi views.

“I think that there's a lot of young kids in fraternities at SEC schools who are listening to Nick Fuentes”

Pod Save America: The Splintering MAGA Media Rage Machine (Jun 7, 2026) · Listen from 1:01:09

Vietor praises Mamdani's July 4th speech as a patriotic, optimistic message in the style of Barack Obama.

“Look, it was a very Obama message. So no surprise that I liked it”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 59:13

Vietor argues Trump should have canceled his July 4th speech given the dangerous heat instead of having supporters wait for hours.

“But what is dangerously hot outside? The thing you do is you cancel your speech”

Pod Save America: Trump Works the FIFA Refs (Jul 7, 2026) · Listen from 57:33