How Trump Made 2025 Worse Than 2020

How Trump Made 2025 Worse Than 2020

Author: CLNS Media Network December 30, 2025 Duration: 59:55
Co-hots Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman return for the final Muckrake episode of 2025, and the vibes are… kinda emotionally stable. They look back on a year that somehow felt darker than 2020, then pivot straight into the current circus: Trump raging at the media, posturing about the Epstein files, hosting Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago, and then parroting Putin’s lines like the Oval Office has a Kremlin teleprompter. From there, the conversation goes where 2025 always seems to go: Into the flashing dashboard lights of institutional collapse, Trump’s visible decline, and the unnerving signals that J.D. Vance is already laying 2028 groundwork with Turning Point backing. And if that wasn’t bleak enough, they close with an absolutely cursed focus group of Gen Z Republicans that reads like a “content brain” case study, complete with casual extremism, conspiracy marination, and the kind of political illiteracy that would be funny if it wasn’t actively setting things on fire. Support the show by signing up to our Patreon and get access to the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast

Hosted by political analysts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman, The Muckrake Political Podcast operates on a simple premise: the daily headlines are just the surface layer. Produced by the CLNS Media Network, this podcast actively resists the repetitive spin cycle that defines so much political coverage. Instead, each episode is an exercise in excavation, where Sexton and Hauselman pick apart a current event to uncover its roots and ramifications. They consistently reach for historical parallels and viewpoints often sidelined by mainstream discourse, arguing that understanding the past is crucial for navigating the present. The goal isn't just to inform, but to impose a framework for thinking critically about power, rhetoric, and policy as they unfold in real time. For listeners fatigued by shallow takes, this show offers a substantive alternative, replacing noise with nuance. The conversation you'll hear is analytical yet accessible, designed for anyone who feels the news moves too fast to comprehend. It’s a deliberate attempt to find signal in the noise, providing context that makes chaotic political developments feel more intelligible. Tune in for a discussion that treats politics as the complex, consequential force it is, beyond the day's predictable talking points.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Muckrake Political Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Mailbag: Are Democrats Built For What’s Coming? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:40
Support the show by signing up to our Patreon and get access to the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. It’s a full ma…
Ring's Lost Pet Ad: Fetching a Surveillance State [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:08
Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman rip into Ring's Super Bowl ad, which manipulates the raw emotion of reuniting with a lost dog to sell a feature that quietly turns neighborhood doorbell cameras into a shared surveil…
Bezos Eats The Washington Post [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:07
It is Super Bowl weekend and neither the co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton or Nick Hauselman can pretend to care about the game. Jared is in full "They Live" mode and he is not being polite about it. The conversation quickly t…
The Most Shocking Revelations About The Epstein Files [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:16
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman kick off by diving into the latest drop of Epstein Files. They break down how Trump's name is mentioned 38,000+ times, with some really nasty tips the feds posted for a hot…
Fake Shakeups, Same Crackdowns [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:48
The Weekender, our weekly show for Patreon members, opens with fallout from Alex Pretti’s murder and the sudden sidelining of Bovino, with Tom Homan stepping in and the administration pretending this is accountability in…
The Killing of Alex Pretti Was No Accident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:58
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman are furious, and they’re not trying to hide it. They dig into the killing of Alex Preti, a VA nurse who rushed in to help someone who’d been pepper sprayed, got tackled, dis…
Salad Politics: Filing for Guardianship of Grandpa Trump [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:27
Nick Hauselman is flying solo while Jared Yates Sexton is out, so he grabs his buddy Brian Kaplan for a relaxed Weekender that starts as a casual lunch in LA and somehow turns into a full-blown political autopsy. Between…
A Nobel Tantrum From Trump [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:03
Jared Yates Sexton is on the road without the studio setup, but he and Nick Hauselman still sound sharper than the people allegedly running the country. Nick reads a wildly unhinged letter Trump reportedly sent to Norway…
ICE Is On The Offensive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:47
You’re hearing a preview of the Weekender. Get the full episode, bonus shows, and access to our community by subscribing here: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman dig into T…
Powell To The People [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:22
Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman take on the Department of Justice opening an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a move they argue has nothing to do with accountability and everything to do with…