Hello everyone and welcome to the Focus Group podcast.

I'm Sarah Longwell, publisher of the bulwark.

And this week, we're talking about America's role in the world under Trump 2.0 and what voters think about it.

Now, for me, watching Ukrainian president Zelensky

sit in the Oval Office with President Trump and Vice President Vance and get lectured about

not saying thank you enough, while these guys sort of simultaneously expressed a sort of

gentle solidarity with Putin was extremely stomach churning.

But I have listened to enough Trump voters over the years and focus groups expressed kind of a dwindling support for Ukraine to know that my gut isn't a reliable indicator of how many Republicans would view that acrimonious exchange.

And look, where we are now is a logical extension of a long slide on foreign policy for the GOP since Trump came around.

For a party that not long ago believed in the importance of soft power and standing with our Democratic allies,

Republicans today are increasingly hostile to those allies while displaying a

strange new openness to treating our enemies gently. So today, we're going to focus on Republicans

who supported Trump, voted for Trump, but also say they somewhat or very strongly support U.S. aid to Ukraine because I wanted to explore this kind of old familiar strain of Republicans who typically like to support our Democratic allies and figure out what they're thinking.

So my guest today is my fellow Kenyan alum Tommy Vitor, co-host of Pod Save America and host of Pod Save the World.

Tommy, what's up?

Great to be here. Great to have you in L.A.

I know. I am here on a half-personal, half-professional visit, but I got to drop by the studios.

And in fact, normally I say thanks for coming on the show, but instead, thanks for letting me use

your studio. Honestly, it was great to see these groups because it brought me down to Earth, but also just great to see you.

Yeah, it's great to see you, too.

Guys, we were kids together, me and Tom.

We knew each other in our 20s.

...