Let Them Eat Cheesecake

Episode of Pod Save America · October 27, 2026 · 59 min

Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor discuss Obama's Cheesecake Factory jab, anti-Muslim attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, DOJ's Alaska lawsuit, Epstein, and Trump's Bill Maher post.

Summary

With the 2026 midterms a week away, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor opened with Barack Obama's Michigan rally line that Donald Trump had made the White House look like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," and the conservative backlash that followed. The hosts argued the outrage was manufactured, noting Trump's own wounded response, and contrasted it with Trump's rally remarks boasting the country was "making a freaking fortune" despite high gas prices and praising Nicki Minaj's body. Vietor argued late-campaign comments matter disproportionately to late deciders.

The longest segment covered Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, including calling him a jihadist at a rally for Republican Mike Rogers. Vietor said the rhetoric endangered El-Sayed's safety and explained the 2011–2013 Egyptian context behind the Muslim Brotherhood-related attacks. Lovett argued that Michigan Jews have a moral obligation to support El-Sayed because hateful politics ultimately endangers Jews. The hosts also discussed Rogers's evasive Meet the Press interview, Obama's defense of El-Sayed, and Haley Stevens's lukewarm CNN comments.

The hosts then covered Trump's $1 million reward for reporting voter fraud, the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate race if a second Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot costs Senator Dan Sullivan the election, a new indictment of James Comey, and Democrats' emphasis on the Epstein files. Vietor called the "Epstein election" framing overstated but useful shorthand for a rigged system, while Lovett said Trump had alienated conspiratorially minded supporters. The episode closed with mockery of Trump's 1,300-word Truth Social post attacking Bill Maher.

Chapters

1:30
Intro and Crooked Con plans
The hosts preview the episode and describe their panels at the upcoming Crooked Con.
3:31
Obama's Cheesecake Factory line
The hosts discuss Obama's joke about Trump's gold White House decor and the manufactured conservative backlash.
12:56
Trump's closing rallies, Nicki Minaj, and gas prices
The hosts react to Trump praising Nicki Minaj's body and boasting about money while gas prices stay high.
22:12
Anti-Muslim attacks on Abdul El-Sayed
The hosts condemn Trump calling El-Sayed a jihadist and examine the Muslim Brotherhood guilt-by-association claims.
31:11
Mike Rogers on Meet the Press
Rogers evades Kristen Welker's questions about whether he is a MAGA Republican.
34:10
Obama defends El-Sayed
The hosts discuss Obama's birther comparison and how El-Sayed should confront the attacks.
37:32
Haley Stevens's lukewarm support
The hosts criticize Stevens's CNN interview and urge Democrats not to skip the Senate race.
41:28
Trump's voter fraud bounty
The hosts discuss Trump's $1 million reward for reporting voter fraud as vigilante voter suppression.
45:16
DOJ's Alaska Senate lawsuit
The hosts mock the DOJ lawsuit seeking to block certification if a second Dan Sullivan costs the senator his seat.
48:24
Comey family news
The hosts cover Maureen Comey's reinstatement and a third indictment of James Comey.
50:34
Epstein files as a midterm issue
The hosts discuss a House Democratic report and $30 million in Epstein-related ads.
53:47
Trump's Bill Maher Truth Social tirade
The hosts read from and mock Trump's record-length post attacking Bill Maher.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Jon Favreau
Favreau argues Obama was mocking the deliberately gaudy Cheesecake Factory aesthetic, not the restaurant's customers.
“the people who've designed the Cheesecake Factory have said in interviews, is purposely over the top and gaudy”
Listen from 9:31 · Cheesecake Factory White House comparison
Linked moment · 17:53Skip to 17:53 using a listen link in the info box.
Tommy Vietor
Vietor argues that comments made in the final weeks of a campaign matter far more to late-deciding voters than earlier ones.
“I think things that happen are like exponentially more important than things that happen two months out”
Listen from 17:53 · Gas prices and inflation
Tommy Vietor
Vietor speculates that Iran and the Houthis tried to drive up oil prices ahead of the midterms.
“I think the Iranians and the Houthis kind of made a play to spike oil prices before the midterms”
Listen from 19:22 · Gas prices and inflation
Tommy Vietor
Vietor argues Trump's rhetoric about El-Sayed is racist and puts El-Sayed's safety at risk.
“it's racist, it's bigoted, but I also think it's like genuinely putting Abdul's safety and life at risk”
Listen from 24:22 · Islamophobia in United States politics
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues Michigan Jews have a moral obligation to vote for El-Sayed to protect themselves from rising hatred.
“Jews in Michigan have a moral obligation to support Abdul. They should do it to protect themselves from anti-Semitism and rising hatred in America”
Listen from 25:19 · Antisemitism
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues that a politics of othering that targets Muslims, trans people, and immigrants will eventually target Jews.
“If you think that that doesn't end with Jews, you are out of your fucking minds”
Listen from 26:08 · Antisemitism
Tommy Vietor
Vietor argues that both El-Sayed's letter and Rogers's past remarks about Egypt were reasonable in the context of the time.
“So both of them are being like eminently reasonable given the context and the politics of the time”
Listen from 27:42 · Egyptian revolution of 2011
Jon Favreau
Favreau argues the Muslim Brotherhood attacks on El-Sayed rely on vague connections that give cover to anti-Muslim bias.
“And so you throw out little crumbs, right, of like, well, there is this connection”
Listen from 30:09 · Muslim Brotherhood
Tommy Vietor
Vietor argues, drawing on the Obama campaign's response to birtherism, that El-Sayed must confront the attacks directly.
“I think Abdul has to speak directly to these attacks. I think Republicans have made the election about Abdul”
Listen from 35:36 · 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues Rogers's fear-mongering serves two goals at once, while El-Sayed must make two separate cases.
“Abdul has a bit of a harder job because it requires kind of making two different cases”
Listen from 37:03 · 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues Haley Stevens's lukewarm comments only feed a perception of Democratic disunity and serve no strategic purpose.
“So there's no strategic benefit to doing this in the week before the campaign”
Listen from 39:10 · 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan
Jon Favreau
Favreau warns Democrats against leaving the Michigan Senate line blank, because control of the Senate could hinge on that seat.
“There's a very possible outcome where we come one Michigan Senate seat short of losing the Senate”
Listen from 41:04 · 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan
Jon Favreau
Favreau suggests that record early Latino turnout in Texas indicates the intimidation efforts are not working.
“Latino turnout is breaking some records in Texas already. So I do not think this is necessarily working so”
Listen from 44:09 · Voter fraud reward offer
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues the DOJ's Alaska lawsuit is baseless because efforts to remove the second Dan Sullivan from the ballot already failed.
“If they would like to get their wrong Dan Sullivan removed, they had their chance to do that. It didn't work”
Listen from 47:25 · 2026 United States Senate election in Alaska
Tommy Vietor
Vietor says calling the midterms the Epstein election is overstated, while arguing that the issue is useful shorthand for elite protection.
“mentioning Jeffrey Epstein is useful because it's shorthand for how rigged the system is and how elites get protected in Donald Trump's America”
Listen from 51:33 · Jeffrey Epstein
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues Trump lost conspiratorially minded supporters by failing to deliver on his promises about the Epstein files.
“he was going to expose it and he just played them for fools”
Listen from 52:59 · Jeffrey Epstein

People

In the conversation

Jon FavreauCo-host of Pod Save America and former speechwriter for President Barack Obama
Jon LovettCo-host of Pod Save America; diarization split of the same speaker during the economics segment
Tommy VietorCo-host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World who conducted the Josh Turek interview

Discussed

Abdul El-SayedDemocratic Senate nominee in Michigan
Dan SullivanFounder of Strategic Coach
James ComeyFormer FBI director cited as another target of unusual federal prosecution
Bill MaherComedian and talk show host
Nicki MinajRapper praised by Trump at a rally
Ted CruzU.S. senator who called the Druski sketch beneath contempt
Scott BessentU.S. Treasury Secretary who criticized Sanders' AI panel
Mohamed MorsiFormer democratically elected president of Egypt
Jon HustedRepublican senator from Ohio mentioned by Trump at a rally
Dave PortnoyBarstool Sports founder known for pizza reviews
Jeffrey EpsteinFinancier and convicted sex offender
Mary PeltolaDemocratic Senate candidate in Alaska
Dan BonginoCommentator and former FBI deputy director

Topics

Nate Silver Predicts a ‘Momentous’ Midterm
The Ezra Klein Show · Oct 27, 2026 · 55 min
Ezra Klein and forecaster Nate Silver assess the 2026 midterms a week out, including Democrats' Senate chances, polling reliability, redistricting and Trump's weakening position.
Vance Bombs at Brutal Town Hall
Pod Save America · Oct 20, 2026 · 1 h 34 min
Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor discuss Trump's Ukraine moves, White House scandals, key Senate races, and JD Vance's CBS town hall, then interview Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.
Have Republicans Already Blown the Midterms?
Pod Save America · Oct 18, 2026 · 1 h 11 min
Dan Pfeiffer and Cook Political Report's Amy Walter assess the 2026 midterm landscape two weeks out, covering Senate and House races, polling, Trump, and redistricting.
Trump Plans to Shove What Where?
Pod Save America · Oct 6, 2026 · 1 h 21 min
Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor assess Democrats' red-state polling surge before the 2026 midterms, and Vietor interviews Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa.
What Does Abdul El-Sayed Believe?
The Ezra Klein Show · Sep 25, 2026 · 1 h 34 min
Ezra Klein interviews Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed about his immigrant upbringing, Medicare for All, Islamophobic attacks, and U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestinians.
The Search for an Exciting Moderate
Pod Save America · Jul 26, 2026 · 1 h 15 min
Jon Favreau and Matt Yglesias debate how a moderate, center-left Democrat could gain attention, win the 2028 presidential primary, and appeal to swing voters.

From the publisher

Campaigning in Michigan, Barack Obama says Donald Trump's White House renovations look like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory" — touching off many rounds of fake conservative outrage. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss Trump's reaction to the comparison and other news from the campaign trail, including Trump's public praise for Nicki Minaj's ass, Obama's response the anti-Muslim rhetoric targeting Abdul El-Sayed, and Mike Rogers's evasive performance on Meet the Press. Then the guys turn to the Department of Justice's preemptive attempt to invalidate the results of the Alaska Senate race, Democrats making the midterm election a referendum on the administration's handling of the Epstein files, and Trump's record-breaking Truth Social post — a 1,300-word tirade against Bill Maher. Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends , on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel. You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Politics·News Commentary