The Warning with Steve Schmidt Trump Literally Selling Off America's Democracy | A Conversation with Ryan Lizza
Oct 29, 2025
Ryan Lizza, a veteran political journalist, joins Steve Schmidt to delve into the troubling intertwining of money and politics during Trump's presidency. They discuss how campaign finance and corporate interests have corrupted governance, contributing to a culture where America's democracy seems for sale. The conversation highlights the consequences of Trump's actions on everyday Americans and the urgent need for restoring dignity to the White House in the face of ongoing political corruption.
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Campaign Rules Unintentionally Empowered Corporations
- Steve Schmidt argues campaign finance reforms like McCain-Feingold unintentionally enabled today's corporate political influence and Citizens United outcome.
- He connects big tech and corporate donations to Trump’s effective dismantling of White House norms and oversight.
Corruption Makes Reform An Urgent Priority
- Schmidt frames the corruption and scale of Trump's actions as making political reform an urgent national priority.
- He cites concrete harms like trade decisions that betrayed U.S. farmers as evidence of transactional governance for money.
Cattlemen Betrayed By Trade Decisions
- Schmidt uses American cattlemen as a specific example of voters betrayed by Trump's trade choices that favored foreign producers.
- He portrays these policy betrayals as transactional acts that harm domestic livelihoods for money or deals.