"People are pissed." The Reporters' Roundtable. December 19, 2025
The Bill Press Pod
BP Pods
4.7 • 601 Ratings
🗓️ 19 December 2025
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Trump Unraveling? Too Many Deportations? “Affordability” Sticking. Trump’s Speeches. Why Did Susie Wiles Talk? MTG’s Strategy. Congress’ Very Bad Year. Dem’s 2026 Senate Chances. With Kirk Bado, Editor, National Journal Hotline, Jennifer Bendery, Reporter for HuffPost covering Congress, Trump and authoritarianism, Jessica Taylor, Senate and Governors Editor at The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Sam Brodey, National Political Reporter for The Boston Globe.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello friends and welcome to the Bill Press Pod Reporters Roundtable. I'm Kirk Beto, |
| 0:12.6 | editor of National Journal Hotline sitting in for Bill. Here in Washington, D.C., it's about |
| 0:18.4 | 8.30 in the morning on a rainy Friday on December 19th, |
| 0:22.8 | and we have an all-star panel to talk about a busy week in Washington. |
| 0:27.1 | It's the start of the holiday season, but the news certainly hasn't slowed down. |
| 0:30.9 | Just this week, the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, pulls back the curtain on the administration to Vanity Fair. |
| 0:36.3 | Is this her off-frame or is she flutting her strength within the administration? Trump is focusing on the administration to Vanity Fair. Is this her off frame or is she |
| 0:37.6 | flutting her strength within the administration? Trump is focusing on the economy with a prime |
| 0:42.4 | time address earlier this week in a trip to North Carolina tonight, but are voters listening? |
| 0:46.8 | The DNC said it won't release its autopsy report on the 2024 election, opting instead to focus on |
| 0:52.7 | 2026. Will this on to Cincinnati impersonation play off? |
| 0:57.5 | Congress has gone for the year after covering itself in glory yet again. What were the |
| 1:01.5 | reporters highlights? Their lowlights and everything in between? Has the lame duck period |
| 1:05.6 | already started from Mike Johnson? And we have a new cultural institution in town, the Trump |
| 1:10.6 | Kennedy Center. Will the name |
| 1:12.4 | stick and what's to stop Trump from slapping his name on every federal building in town? |
| 1:18.0 | Here to discuss these topics and more are three top journalists, Jen Bendery, reporter for the |
| 1:24.7 | Huff Post covering Congress, Trump and authoritarianism, Jessica Taylor, |
| 1:30.2 | Senate and Governor's editor at the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, and a newcomer to |
| 1:35.1 | the bill press pod, one of my friends, Sam Brody, National Political Reporter for the Boston Globe. |
| 1:41.7 | Welcome Sam. |
| 1:43.3 | Jen, let's start with you. What's up with Trump these days? Between the Rob Reiner meltdown, |
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