Summary
Overview
Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer analyze the final stretch before the midterm elections, discussing surprisingly positive polling for Democrats, Trump's bizarre closing arguments, and the Ohio Senate race controversy. They also speak with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms about her Georgia gubernatorial campaign against a self-funded billionaire opponent.
Polling Surge and Republican Defensive Spending
Democrats are seeing unexpectedly strong numbers in the final polls before the midterms, with the New York Times/Siena poll showing an 11-point lead on the generic ballot and Trump's approval at just 36%. The momentum has Republicans scrambling to defend traditionally safe seats, now pouring money into Mississippi and South Carolina. Trump's super PAC is dumping another $25 million into House races as the party fights to hold territory they never expected to defend.
- New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrats leading generic ballot by 11 points (52-41) with Trump at 36% approval
- Republicans now investing in Mississippi Senate race where Trump will campaign on Monday
- Trump's super PAC adding $25 million to House races in final stretch
- Trump's approval has fallen to mid-30s, lower than his previously believed 'floor'
- Democratic Party brand has recovered and is now more trusted than Republicans on every issue including immigration
" The wall has broken, the enemy is inside the fort, we are now fighting hand to hand "
" The floor is much lower than we thought. He's now in the mid-30s and there's not real evidence that it's stopping here. He could continue to go down. "
Trump's Bizarre Rally Performances
In his closing argument to voters, Trump delivered a series of rambling speeches focused on praising men's appearances and proposing to rename oceans. At a South Carolina rally, he repeatedly commented on the attractiveness of male politicians and suggested renaming the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as 'the American Ocean,' calling it one of his best performances despite the obvious incoherence.
- Trump declared he could 'fall in love' with Tim Scott 'as much as I can fall in love with a man'
- Proposed renaming Atlantic and Pacific oceans as 'the American Ocean'
- Claimed he should have won both Nobel and Pulitzer prizes
- Asked himself 'Baby, how good was that tonight?' and insisted he doesn't ramble
" As much as I can fall in love with a man, which isn't that much, I fall in love with him, and his name happens to be Tim Scott. "
" I only like two oceans, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. We're going to call it the American Ocean. "
📚 6 more sections below
Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes
Get this summary + all future Pod Save America episodes in your inbox
100% Free • Unsubscribe Anytime
Sign up now and we'll send you the complete summary of this episode, plus get notified when new Pod Save America episodes are released—delivered straight to your inbox within minutes.