Chuck Todd Reacts to Special Elections + John Fetterman on Donald Trump & 2028 Presidential Run

15 snips

Apr 2, 2025

In this discussion, John Fetterman, the junior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, unpacks the recent special elections and their implications for the Democratic Party. He reflects on Trump’s influence on voter turnout and the challenges the party faces, including the ‘Signalgate’ scandal. The conversation shifts to questions of leadership within the party and the overwhelming role of billionaires in politics. Fetterman also teases his potential presidential aspirations for 2028, making it a thought-provoking dialogue on current and future political landscapes.

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INSIGHT

Voter Enthusiasm and Trump

Democratic voters currently appear more enthusiastic than Republicans, mirroring patterns from 2017 and 2018.
This suggests that some Trump voters only vote when Trump is on the ballot.

INSIGHT

Potential Blame on DeSantis

The White House may blame Ron DeSantis for Republican underperformance in Florida.
Chuck Todd suggests this is due to local issues like DeSantis's handling of the University of West Florida board.

INSIGHT

Wisconsin Results and Musk

While Democrats needed the Wisconsin Supreme Court win, the margin was surprising.
Republicans might blame Elon Musk's involvement for this, as Democratic ads heavily featured him.

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On the debut episode of the newly relaunched Chuck ToddCast, Chuck sits down with Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman.

But first, Chuck reacts to the special election results for US Congress in Florida that saw Republicans Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine beat out Democrats Gay Valimont and Josh Weil for the seats vacated by Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz. He also discusses the hotly contested Wisconsin Supreme Court race, where liberal judge Susan Crawford won her race against Brad Schimel, who had millions of dollars of support from Elon Musk.

Then, he and Sen. Fetterman discuss a wide range of important issues, beginning with his message to Democrats who are alarmed by the actions of Donald Trump’s administration. He shares his reaction to the “Signalgate” scandal and his assessment of what went wrong for Democrats in the 2024 election. Fetterman gives his take on Elon Musk and Doge performing massive cuts across the federal government, as well as the looming tariffs that President Trump is threatening to impose on America’s top trading partners. They also try to make sense of the administration’s 180-degree turn on longstanding U.S. foreign policy and the president’s fixation on Greenland. Finally, they discuss the current lack of a true leader for the Democratic Party, the role of billionaires in politics, and whether Senator Fetterman is considering a run for president in 2028.

Timeline:

0:00 Introduction

2:30 Special elections in Florida

8:42 Wisconsin Supreme Court race

14:48 Start of John Fetterman interview

18:00 Aaron Rodgers to the Steelers?

19:00 Message to Democrats that are freaking out

23:44 Reaction to “Signalgate”

27:10 What happened in 2024?

30:44 Elon Musk and DOGE

35:22 America’s 180-degree turn on foreign policy

40:38 President Trump’s fixation on Greenland

44:28 Fetterman’s Mar-A-Lago visit

46:45 Who’s the leader of the Democratic party?

51:04 Influence of billionaires in politics

54:08 Will Fetterman run for president in 2028?

56:09 Do Democrats need to move to the center?

1:01:09 Chuck’s final thoughts on the interview with John Fetterman