Listener questions and Trump observations

Chuck Todd unpacks a seismic moment in Republican politics: Marjorie Taylor-Greene’s break from Donald Trump and her abrupt resignation from Congress. He traces how the split—months in the making—reveals deep fractures inside the “America First” movement, with MTG positioning herself as the true-believer successor to the Bannon wing while accusing both parties of fueling a self-serving “political industrial complex.” Chuck explains why her departure signals growing disillusionment among Trump’s base, how job displacement and economic anxiety are reshaping the electorate, and why MTG’s political instincts make her far more formidable than her critics admit. Then he turns to new confusion surrounding the administration’s Ukraine peace proposal—where even Republicans like Marco Rubio appear uneasy—and how Trump’s handling of Venezuela risks alienating Latin American partners and setting U.S. diplomacy back decades.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the year America had TWO Thanksgivings, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and recaps the weekend in college football. 

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

00:45 Marjorie Taylor-Greene splits w/Trump and resigns from congress
02:45 MTG’s break with Trump has been months in the making
04:00 MTG is an “America First” true believer
05:00 Trump isn’t as America First as his coalition
06:45 Trump isn’t governing based on the coalition he built
07:30 MTG could be a presidential candidate repping the Bannon wing
08:45 MTG calls out the “political industrial complex” in her statement
10:15 There is truth to the political industrial complex accusation
12:00 For 20 years every election just flips back and forth between parties
13:30 Job displacement is going to be a massive electoral issue
14:30 MTG is a spurned true believer
18:00 Whatever you think of her, MTG understands how congress works
18:45 MTG wants to send the message that she’s the true believer
20:30 MTG wanted to blow up the system & establishment, Trump didn’t
22:30 Trump is always bullshitting, some of his followers are finding it out
24:45 MTG didn’t want to face a Trump-backed primary challenger
28:00 Trump will be at the center of the midterms, that’s bad for the GOP
29:30 If MTG ran for senate in Georgia, she’d probably win
31:00 The MAGA coalition is cracking, Trump won’t be able to fix it

32:45 Confusion between administration and congress over Ukraine peace deal
34:15 Rubio argued the peace proposal was written by the U.S.
35:45 Rubio is clearly uncomfortable with the terms of the deal
36:15 Steve Witkoff just plays stenographer for the Kremlin
37:30 The majority of congress supports Ukraine far more than Trump
39:30 The administration has not made the Venezuela case to congress
41:00 Trump could set us back decades with Latin America w/missteps in Venezuela

46:45 Toddcast Time Machine - 1939

47:15 America had two Thanksgivings after FDR moved it

49:15 FDR changed the date for Thanksgiving to help retailers

50:00 Presidents used to choose the date for Thanksgiving

52:15 Thanksgiving date was always changed for logistical reasons

53:30 FDR moved Thanksgiving up one week & started a culture war

54:45 23 states celebrated “Franksgiving”

55:15 3 states celebrated two Thanksgivings

56:15 In 1941, Congress stepped to make official date for Thanksgiving

58:45 Ask Chuck

59:15 Thoughts on Trump falling head over heels for Zohran Mamdani?

1:06:15 Would Chuck ever run for office someday?

1:09:45 How do you track evolving policies across administrations?

1:12:30 College football recap

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