Introduction

This week on Politix, Matt and Brian discuss:

* The biggest political takeaways from Joe Biden’s State of the Union address;

* Whether the press corps will do any soul searching after getting bamboozled by Republican special counsel Robert Hur;

* Can Politix convince Merrick Garland to resign?

Then, paid subscribers get a deep analysis of Trump’s apparent (and abrupt) decision to place Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block, after years of insisting he’d never cut them. What precipitated the reversal? Does it have anything to do with his simultaneous reversals on the right-wing Bud Light boycott and the fate of TikTok, the Chinese-owned social-media company? Did he sell his position on entitlements to right-wing billionaires because he’s desperate for campaign and legal-expense money? And what can Democrats do to drive. If you’re interested in the answers to these questions, upgrade to paid, and enjoy the whole episode!

Further reading:

* Brian on how Trump’s Social Security/Medicare flip flop brings the nexus between his policy agenda and personal corruption into focus.

* Matt on how Trump’s position on TikTok was correct, until he abandoned it corruptly.

* What does Project 2025 have to say about Medicare?