Trump’s 4th Threesome

Episode of Pod Save America · July 2, 2026 · 1 h 16 min

Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer discuss Trump's America 250 celebrations and corruption, the birthright citizenship backlash, Colorado's progressive primary wins, and new Senate polls.

Summary

Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer recorded ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. They mocked Donald Trump's appearance at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, where he conversed with an AI Roosevelt and joked about awarding the Medal of Honor to himself and his sons as a "threesome." Pfeiffer argued the Trump-organized America 250 events were not breaking through because Trump had made them about himself. The hosts criticized a reported "250 pardons for 250 years" plan and Trump's financial disclosure showing at least $2.2 billion in income, much from World Liberty Financial crypto ventures; Pfeiffer said corruption was largely priced in but tied to affordability, while Favreau said Democrats needed to pin it on the Republican Congress.

They then discussed the MAGA reaction to the Supreme Court striking down Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, including Stephen Miller reportedly considering restrictions on pregnant foreign visitors. Pfeiffer compared the "birth tourism" narrative to the 2018 migrant caravan and Reagan's "welfare queens," and Favreau cited even restrictionist estimates showing it was rare.

On Colorado's primaries, the hosts discussed Melat Kiros defeating Diana DeGette, Manny Rutinel winning the 8th district primary by running to the center, and Phil Weiser beating Michael Bennet for governor. Both argued anti-establishment anger, and Israel and Gaza as a litmus test, mattered more than simple ideology. They also discussed Steve Bannon's praise of DSA campaigns and reports that Kamala Harris was preparing a possible 2028 run, with Pfeiffer saying she would need a sharp break from Biden's Gaza policy.

Finally they analyzed New York Times/Siena Senate polls showing Democrats roughly tied in Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, Texas and Maine and leading in North Carolina. Pfeiffer called the polls a reality check on the difficult map, citing unfavorable generic ballots in older, whiter states. Favreau argued Democrats had failed to connect congressional Republicans to Trump. On Maine, Pfeiffer questioned an ad attacking Susan Collins on stock trading and urged messaging that a Collins vote was a vote for Trump's Senate, while both judged Graham Platner damaged but not fatally.

Chapters

1:41
Intro and holiday plans
Favreau and Pfeiffer open the show and banter about Fourth of July plans and Favreau's trip to Maine.
Linked moment · 3:11Skip to 3:11 using a listen link in the info box.
3:11
Trump's July 4th and AI Teddy Roosevelt
The hosts react to Trump's Roosevelt library appearance, his 'threesome' Medal of Honor remark, and his record fireworks plans.
8:40
Is America 250 breaking through?
Pfeiffer argues Trump's semiquincentennial events aren't reaching ordinary Americans because he has made them about himself.
11:44
Mass pardons and Trump's $2 billion
They discuss the '250 pardons' idea, Trump's financial disclosure, the World Liberty Financial crypto losses, and weak jobs numbers.
22:07
Birthright citizenship backlash
The hosts criticize MAGA reaction to the Supreme Court ruling and proposals to bar pregnant foreign visitors.
28:08
Colorado progressive primary wins
They analyze Kiros over DeGette, Rutinel in the 8th district, and Weiser over Bennet as expressions of anti-establishment anger.
41:52
Bannon, Harris and the 2028 primary
They discuss Steve Bannon's comments on DSA candidates and reports Kamala Harris is laying groundwork for 2028.
49:17
New York Times/Siena Senate polls
The hosts assess polls showing Democrats effectively tied in key Senate races and unfavorable generic ballots in red states.
57:00
Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and North Carolina
Pfeiffer explains demographic headwinds in Ohio and Iowa and why North Carolina is performing well for Democrats.
1:04:22
Texas and Ken Paxton
They note Paxton's problems are hurting him despite many voters not having heard much of the primary attacks.
1:05:59
Maine: Platner vs. Collins
The hosts critique an anti-Collins ad and dig into polling on Platner's damage and Collins's strengths before closing the show.

Key points

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

Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer argues Trump's America 250 events are failing to reach people because he is making them about himself.
“He's trying to make it about himself and that was doomed to fail”
Listen from 9:01 · United States Semiquincentennial
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer dismisses reported polling favoring a mass pardon, saying no such poll could show it to be popular.
“There is no poll that suggests a mass pardon of frankly anyone like pardons can be good”
Listen from 13:44 · Political corruption in the United States
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer characterizes Trump's crypto earnings as a scheme that exploited his most loyal supporters.
“that is a very specific Ponzi scheme run against his most loyal supporters”
Listen from 15:12 · World Liberty Financial
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer argues Trump's corruption is already priced into public opinion but hurts him as an affordability issue.
“I think the corruption stuff is already priced into the baseline here in two ways”
Listen from 16:41 · Political corruption in the United States
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer compares the pregnant-tourist scare to the 2018 migrant caravan narrative Republicans used before the midterms.
“And the 2026 version of that is a bunch of pregnant with tourists”
Listen from 24:40 · Birthright citizenship in the United States
Jon Favreau
Favreau notes that even the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies estimates birth tourism at only about 20,000 cases a year.
“But even they say that this is they put birth tourism at roughly 20,000 cases a year”
Listen from 25:29 · Birthright citizenship in the United States
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer likens using rare birth-tourism cases to attack birthright citizenship to Reagan's welfare queen rhetoric.
“This is Ronald Reagan and the welfare queens all over again”
Listen from 26:17 · Birthright citizenship in the United States
Jon Favreau
Favreau argues most Americans would reject a system in which the administration decides who is a citizen.
“your citizenship is determined not by your birth, not by where your parents are from, but by Donald Trump and Stephen Miller”
Listen from 26:45 · Birthright citizenship in the United States
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer says Kiros's win over DeGette reflects intra-party anger at the Democratic establishment.
“it speaks to the very real anger that exists within the party towards the democratic establishment, the status quo, and the system”
Listen from 31:20 · 2026 Colorado Democratic primaries
Jon Favreau
Favreau argues voter anger at the establishment for failing working people and Trump outweighs anger at moderation.
“probably even more powerful than anger at Democrats for being too centrist or too moderate”
Listen from 34:15 · 2026 Colorado Democratic primaries
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer says Israel and Gaza is the issue with the widest gap between the Democratic establishment and primary voters.
“it does represent the issue where there's the greatest distance between the party establishment and the voter”
Listen from 35:23 · Gaza war
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer argues Kamala Harris cannot win a 2028 nomination without breaking sharply from Biden's Gaza policy.
“there is no path for her to the nomination that does not involve a massive pivot away from Biden's Israel and Gaza policy”
Listen from 44:13 · 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Jon Favreau
Favreau says Harris would need to genuinely take responsibility for her past handling of Gaza.
“Like I was wrong or I made a mistake or I came to this too late”
Listen from 46:11 · 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer calls the New York Times/Siena polls a reality check on how difficult the Senate map is for Democrats.
“These polls are a somewhat painful reality check of just how tough the Senate map is”
Listen from 50:16 · 2026 United States midterm elections
Jon Favreau
Favreau argues Democrats have convinced voters Trump is failing but not tied congressional Republicans to him.
“We have not done a good job persuading people that the Republicans in Congress are the primary reason that Trump has been able to make their lives worse”
Listen from 53:12 · 2026 United States midterm elections
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer says Sherrod Brown has succeeded in distinguishing himself from the national Democratic brand yet still trails.
“If the goal is to not be a typical Democrat, Sherrod Brown is fucking nailed it”
Listen from 59:52 · 2026 United States Senate election in Ohio
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer notes that many voters who have left Trump are not midterm voters, which hurts Democrats in Ohio.
“a lot of the voters who have left Trump don't vote in midterms”
Listen from 1:02:04 · 2026 United States Senate election in Ohio
Jon Favreau
Favreau argues growing, diversifying states like North Carolina and Texas are Democrats' long-term targets.
“North Carolina and Texas are states that not just this cycle, but many cycles into the future, Democrats just have to win at some point”
Listen from 1:03:07 · 2026 United States midterm elections
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer suggests the failure of massive Cornyn spending to inform voters about Paxton may discredit linear TV advertising.
“it may be the factory that ends linear political television advertising forever”
Listen from 1:04:52 · 2026 United States Senate election in Texas
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer argues anti-Collins ads should focus on her ties to Trump rather than corruption, since voters rate her character highly.
“there should never be an ad run that is not Susan Collins standing in the Oval Office holding that MAGA hat”
Listen from 1:08:46 · 2026 United States Senate election in Maine
Jon Favreau
Favreau says revelations about Platner have hurt him but the polling does not show the damage is fatal.
“I don't think anything in this poll shows that like what's happened is fatal”
Listen from 1:14:06 · 2026 United States Senate election in Maine
Dan Pfeiffer
Pfeiffer says his bigger worry is that voters see Platner as more extreme than Collins.
“The thing that I worry more than the character and stuff and the moral stuff is that Platner is seen as more extreme than Susan Collins”
Listen from 1:14:41 · 2026 United States Senate election in Maine

People

In the conversation

Jon FavreauCo-host of Pod Save America and former speechwriter for President Barack Obama
Dan PfeifferCo-host of Pod Save America, author of the Message Box newsletter, and former White House communications director

Discussed

Theodore RooseveltFormer US president who urged intervention
Stephen MillerWhite House deputy chief of staff and architect of the administration's immigration agenda
Matt WalshDaily Wire commentator who explained the MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ acronym
Sean DavisCEO and co-founder of The Federalist
John RobertsChief Justice of the United States
Diana DeGetteColorado congresswoman facing a DSA primary challenge
Manny RutinelColorado state representative who won the 8th district Democratic primary
Phil WeiserColorado attorney general who won the Democratic gubernatorial primary
Michael BennetU.S. senator from Colorado who lost the gubernatorial primary
Steve BannonAmerican political strategist who recorded conversations with Epstein
Kamala HarrisFormer Vice President mentioned as a potential California endorser
Susan CollinsRepublican senator who noted Congress holds the power of the purse
Graham PlatnerPresumptive Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine
Sherrod BrownDemocratic Senate candidate in Ohio and former senator
Roy CooperFormer North Carolina governor running for Senate
Ken PaxtonTexas Attorney General and Republican Senate nominee
James TalaricoDemocratic Senate nominee in Texas
Janet MillsGovernor of Maine who suspended her Senate campaign
Nate CohnNew York Times election analyst

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From the publisher

Trump kicks off his Fourth of July celebration at the Theodore Roosevelt Library, where he muses about giving his two sons and himself the Medal of Honor — describing doing so as a "threesome." Jon and Dan react to Trump's plans for Independence Day, including a Guinness World Records fireworks display, a marathon speech in 107-degree heat, and a plan for "250 pardons for 250 years." Then, the guys discuss the administration's desire to ban pregnant tourists from entering the country, Tuesday's progressive primary wins in Colorado, and the new New York Times/Siena poll that shows Democrats effectively tied in the states needed to retake the Senate. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 29, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Politics·News Commentary