Sep 3, 2026 · 1h 14m
Republican senators confront the consequences of enabling Trump
Jonathan V. Last: How Much Stupid Can We Possibly Take?
The discussion tests whether Republican criticism can matter after lawmakers have helped install and sustain an administration they now question.
- 1Republican senators criticize nominees and policies while struggling to escape responsibility for enabling the administration.
- 2The Venezuela oil arrangement and Alejandro’s backchannel role raise questions about legality, danger, and opaque political influence.
- 3Warnings about Trump failed to persuade many voters, leaving Democrats to confront the possibility of another Republican victory in 2029.
Don't miss
Jonathan V. Last imagines what another Republican victory in 2029 would mean after Trump’s second term.
The brief
Jonathan V. Last joins Tim Miller to examine a recurring Republican pattern: senators criticize Trump’s nominees and policies after helping make them possible.
The hosts argue that Susan Collins’s claims of influence reveal the limits of Republican moderation when lawmakers retain little leverage over the administration.
Last traces the administration’s Venezuelan oil arrangement and Alejandro’s backchannel role, presenting the deal as both apparently illegal and politically dangerous.
Discussion of JD Vance’s religious rhetoric and Springfield’s Haitian residents broadens the case against political hypocrisy, especially when concern produces no meaningful action.
The standout turn is Last’s dark 2029 scenario: another Republican victory after Trump’s second term, suggesting voters may not have misunderstood the warnings at all.
A mailbag on persuasion closes the argument’s loop: people often rationalize what they already want, making public shaming and factual correction unreliable tools.
Featuring
Donald John Trump
Pete Hegseth
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.