Surviving Trump: Your Essential Guide to His Second Term
Navigating the chaos of today’s politics can be overwhelming —this show helps make sense of it all. In about 30 minutes each week, host Bella Goode breaks down the players, policies, and threats facing democracy — in plain language and straight talk. Your crash course in today’s politics
Episodes
America is splitting in two directions—one where violence is excused and even celebrated, and one where democracy still depends on ballots, laws, and peaceful protest. In this third episode of our political violence series, Bella Goode unpacks the asymmetry of how left and right treat violence, Stephen Miller’s calls to weaponize the Justice Department against dissent, and the dangerous rise of “national divorce” rhet...
Charlie Kirk wasn’t a president, senator, or governor—he was a conservative activist who built Turning Point USA into a cultural force. In life, he embodied America’s culture wars. In death, he became a flashpoint. In this second installment of our political violence series, Bella Goode examines Kirk’s assassination in Utah, the radicalization of his killer Tyler Robinson, and Donald Trump’s choice to weaponize the tr...
Political violence in America is no longer rare—it’s part of our daily reality. In this first episode of a three-part series, Bella Goode unpacks how threats have escalated into murders, bombings, and mob attacks since January 6. What was once shocking is now normalized, fueled by rhetoric, selective outrage, and hypocrisy. The cost is staggering: families destroyed, institutions weakened, and democracy itself pushed ...
When catastrophic floods hit Texas in July 2025, FEMA should have been the nation’s lifeline. Instead, survivors were met with unanswered calls, delayed rescues, and a gutted response system. In this episode, Bella Goode uncovers how Trump’s FEMA failed during one of the deadliest floods in state history and why the crisis revealed something far bigger: a federal disaster system being hollowed out, politicized, and po...
FEMA was once America’s safety net. Under Trump, it’s being hollowed out. In this episode, Bella Goode reveals how leadership purges, political interference, and slashed resilience programs are dismantling the nation’s disaster response system—right as climate chaos hits harder than ever. What happens when help no longer comes?
Key Takeaways To Listen For
- How Trump’s second term triggered a full-scale leadershi...
How did FEMA become the backbone of disaster response and when did it start to break? In this episode, Bella Goode lays the foundation for understanding FEMA’s original mission, its evolution after 9/11 and Katrina, and what made it a model for emergency management. From hurricane shelters to high-speed logistics, FEMA once set the standard. But under Trump’s first term, cracks began to form. This episode unpacks how ...
NOAA is more than a weather agency; it is America’s environmental safety net. Under Trump’s second term, that net is being torn apart, and the agency is now under direct political assault. In this episode, Bella Goode investigates how Trump’s second term has turned NOAA into a loyalty-driven operation, stripping away scientists, silencing climate research, and handing public data to private interests under Project 202...
What happens when the system built to warn us begins to fail? In this episode, Bella Goode unpacks NOAA's vital role in weather forecasting, public safety, and climate readiness and response. Once considered the global gold standard, NOAA has saved lives through precision, speed, and scientific leadership. But when politics, budget cuts, and coordination breakdowns take hold, even world-class systems falter. This...
What happens when corruption isn't hidden, but flaunted? In this final episode of the corruption series, Bella Goode uncovers how Trump dismantled guardrails, exploited legal loopholes, and normalized presidential profiteering. From crypto conflicts to collapsing oversight, this isn’t just about scandal—it’s a systematic threat to democracy. Stay with us as we trace the erosion of accountability and what must be ...
In this episode, Bella Goode traces how Donald Trump didn’t just dip into corruption—he turned the presidency into a personal business empire. By comparing his actions to past scandals like Watergate and Teapot Dome, we see just how far Trump has pushed the boundaries of ethics, law, and public trust. From meme coins and luxury jets to regulatory rollbacks and foreign gifts, this episode breaks down the machinery of s...
From Enron to Watergate to Clarence Thomas, corruption isn’t just history — it’s here, and it’s thriving. In this episode, Bella Goode examines how unchecked power rigs the system, silences accountability, and erodes democracy from within. From Ponzi schemes to political purges, learn how corruption works, who enables it, and why dismantling watchdogs threatens us all.
Key Takeaways To Listen For
- How Enron, Mad...
Crypto didn’t just reinvent money—it unlocked a volatile new battleground for speculation, scams, and power grabs. In part two of her Confronting Crypto series, Bella Goode dives deep into the emotional chaos and political consequences of crypto gone mainstream. From meme coins and NFTs to stablecoins and ETFs, this episode unpacks how digital currencies became tools of influence, manipulation, and even political thea...
Cryptocurrency is more than hype—it’s transforming how money, power, and corruption move in America. In this episode, Bella Goode kicks off her Confronting Crypto series with a crash course on how Bitcoin and Ethereum really work, and why they matter to democracy. From blockchain to smart contracts, discover what’s behind the jargon, the promise, and the peril of digital money in the 21st century.
Key Takeaways To...
This final chapter of Bella Goode’s six-part exposé on Project 2025 reveals a powerful truth: once Americans understand the plan, they reject it. Bella breaks down the latest polling—and why awareness is our strongest weapon. She also lays out 10 urgent actions Democrats must take now to stop the takeover before it becomes permanent. Plus, a striking moment in Congress, as Rep. Rosa DeLauro confronts architect Russell...
Project 2025 is no longer an abstract playbook. It is a blueprint that decides exactly who prospers and who pays. Through three vivid “day-in-the-life” stories, Bella Goode reveals how dismantling income redistribution, gutting protections, and super-charging executive power would touch every household — from SNAP recipients to Fortune-500 CEOs. Listen in to discover what happens when the government stops safeguarding...
Who is behind the most dangerous authoritarian push in modern U.S. politics? In Part Two of this exposé, Bella Goode uncovers how Russell Vought and Stephen Miller—two unelected power brokers—are already executing Project 2025. From dismantling agencies to planning military crackdowns and weaponizing the law, their agenda is no longer theoretical. Tune in to learn what they’ve already done, what’s coming next, and wha...
Who’s really behind the most dangerous government overhaul in American history? In this episode, Bella Goode pulls back the curtain on the two unelected men—Russell Vought and Stephen Miller—who are quietly constructing the legal and bureaucratic foundation of authoritarian rule in the United States. They’re not candidates. They’re not influencers. But they’re already reshaping your rights, your government, and the fu...
Where did Project 2025 really come from, and who’s behind its push for authoritarian power? In this episode, Bella Goode takes listeners inside the origin story of the most coordinated political blueprint in modern history. From right-wing think tanks and MAGA insiders to billionaires funding extremism and global inspiration from autocrats abroad, Project 2025 isn’t just Trump’s plan—it’s a full-scale ideological oper...
What is Project 2025, and why are experts calling it a roadmap to authoritarianism? In this episode, Bella Goode unpacks the 4 strategic pillars of Trump’s plan to seize lasting control of the federal government. What’s at stake isn’t just policy, it’s the survival of democracy as we know it. Tune in to learn what they’re planning and why it matters more than ever.
Key Takeaways To Listen For
- Pillar One: How Pr...
Episode Summary
Welcome to Surviving Trump. I’m Bella Goode.
This is the first episode in a new five-part series on Project 2025 — a sweeping plan already reshaping the U.S. government from the inside out. Drafted by the Heritage Foundation and backed by more than 100 right-wing organizations, Project 2025 is not a theory. It’s a 900-page blueprint for dismantling the federal system as we know it — eliminating...
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