Joe Trippi

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So give some folks some time.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Yeah, a little time.

Speaker 3 (00:03):
Hi everyone all, I'm sure three people who have entered
the chat at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Sam is not alex if like he is Sam.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
I am Sam. I'm Sam.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
I'm the executive producer at Lincoln Square, and i am
I've got a big some big shoes to fill. Al
Shashlow's out today, So I'm coming into Pepper Joe trippy
with your questions.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Yeah. No, he's been on the road this week and
you've been having a hard time corralling the two of
us to not be on the right to say same time,
to be able to do this. So thanks Sam for
filling in.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah, I am.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
I'm excited to be here. We got a ton of questions.
I'm just gonna check out the.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
See if we're If.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
We're on and people are in, looks looks like it,
So Joe. Before we start these questions, I just want
to get a sense of what's the story of this week.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
I mean, it's so fucking much that's happened all week.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
The memorial that turned into a you know, a Nazi rally,
the you know James comy Uh, It's just one thing
after another.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
What's what's your.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Well and Kimmel, I think happened this week.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Or I was Yeah, he was reinstated this week this week?

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, so uh, I do think it's it's sort of
the Kimmel Komy combined story of of Trump sort of
creating these you know, going after enemies, but in a
strange way, creating a bigger story that that I think

(01:47):
is hurting. I mean, it's showing weakness, et cetera. So
I think Komy is really fascinating when I know we
have some questions about about that one.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
Yeah, let me let's start there. And this is from Dally,
which is a cool name. By the way, I can't
believe I'm rooting for James Comy after everything.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
I'm with you there.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
His statement was was something I don't know any any
one of us would have hoped to have written. But
there doesn't seem to be anything there there is in
this indictment.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Am I wrong? Joe?

Speaker 3 (02:17):
No?

Speaker 1 (02:18):
I mean, what's fascinating. Look to go after Comy, who
he should be a fanboy of. Since Comy's you know,
releasing of you know, basically going after Hill or you know,
releasing the stuff on Hillary. You know, that whole thing

(02:39):
which obviously had a major impact at the end of
that race and has to be part of the credit
for how Trump won the first time, which again goes
down to Dolly's well, I can't believe I'm rooting for
this guy after he did that. But yeah, so here's
a guy that Trump should be, you know, a fan
boy of uh actually who who has been critical of

(03:05):
Trump And therefore, guess what, folks, you know, the Trump's
going after him, just basically going for deeper and deeper
into killing the the independence of the d o J,
which is now just a you know, private legal firm
to go after uh you know, you know, to to

(03:29):
do lawfare. I mean, what he was accusing the Biden
administration of doing, he's now doing absolutely out in the open.
So uh no, you're not wrong. All of us should be, uh.
I think in the end, standing for the rule of law,
standing against what the d o J has become. Uh yeah,

(03:49):
means that that means standing with with with Komy. But
that's also why the Kimmel going after kim Al going
after Kmie. I think the pattern here is what's going
to hurt Trump with independent voters, and frankly, I think
some Republican voters who still still do believe in the

(04:12):
roll bland, that think it's wrong for the president to
be going after his enemies.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, you know, I can't help but think of I
should have loaded it. But there was a video of
an ICE agent in the courthouse hallway throwing down a
woman sobbing as her husband was taken away. And you know,
Mia May on our new show Protecting Served last night
with Michael Fanon said, you know, this woman is someone

(04:38):
who doesn't know she'll ever see her husband again, and
she's weeping, and so I feel like there's a connection
here between and bear with me, between.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Comy Kimmel and that poor woman who was thrown down.
We're all suspects, now everyone.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Is yeah, no, that's right, and without cause. I mean,
look the prosecute, I mean, the the d o J
who prosecutors put in charge of this was canned because
he didn't think there was a case. Trump, by the way, yeah,
it was can't I have Trump appointee? Uh was canned

(05:15):
because he didn't think there was a case. Then Trump says, Comy,
why is not anything happening? He you know, blah blah blah.
And the next thing you know, he's the prosecutor's fired.
They bring in someone who's never been a prosecutor in
entire life. She's now got like six days of experience
as a prosecutor, and on day five of it in
dights Comby. So uh, you know, it's it's this is

(05:39):
everybody's a suspect and and there is no due process,
there's no proof. You know, look at what the with
the FED. What they're doing there going after a FED.
You know, it's you know, on on again. You know,
mortgage supposedly to actuations of mortgage fraud when it when

(06:03):
nothing's been proven, there's no facts that back it up.
In fact, there's counter veiling facts where one of the
mortgages mortgages was clearly a vacation home, not a principal listed.
I mean, all of this stuff at Kimmel COMI now
that that woman like you again, from the very beginning,

(06:25):
they've been picking up people on the street with no
due process and shipping them to foreign goolags, even though
the court said no, you can't stop doing that. I mean,
it's so yeah, it's it's but I think the force
of all of that Sam is waking up more and

(06:45):
more I mean, look, ninety percent of Democrats were there
from day one, right, maybe ninety five, But now you
have sixty sixty five percent of Independence, where Trump only
has a twenty three to twenty seven percent approval rating.
Not in the thirties, not in the forties. We're talking

(07:05):
with independence way down. I think all of it's starting
to add up. And the more desperate he gets to
distract to one feed is base and distract any focus
on Epstein or anything else, the worse it gets for him.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
I agree, and I think the worst it's going to
get for us. He's like occasion at this point, and
it does feel like that gap.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Go ahead, go ahead, No.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
That's why I think. Look, the erosion in his support
started right after the Epstein scandal really blew up, I mean,
the cover up blew up, and it started to he
started a road with Independence and some Republicans, and that
really started to take his favorables and approval ratings down.

(07:54):
And what happened immediately after, I was sort of astonished
at how fast sort of what I would call collapse
among Independence was happening. And it was mid that collapse
that he picked up the phone and called Texas and said,
I need five more districts. It was amid that collapse

(08:14):
where he really started to put call up the National
Guard and put them deeper and deeper into more American cities,
and the ICE things started to really explode again in
terms of going after people. And I think all that
is preparation to have ICE agents outside polling booths in

(08:39):
twenty twenty six to say that we're only here looking
for illegals, but basically scaring people from going to the polls,
you know, And so no, I think this, You're right.
What's happened as this collapse of support is going on,
and the more Americans become visible in their protests and

(09:01):
and they're saying no more. The faster, the more desperate
he's getting in, the faster his speed up of the
grab for authoritarianism. Thinks maybe they weren't planning on doing
until next year or even after twenty twenty six, after
they won the House, they're doing now and it's all out.

(09:23):
It's we're now in a race. I think, when he's
in a race to grab power before the American people say.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
Uh, I agree, And I think, you know, the immigrants
and brown people who happened to be citizens are not
getting due process. And I think we're seeing that due
process that road at the top now and so they're
soon they'll meet in the middle. And I think that,
you know, like you said, Democrats, we've been there the
whole time. We were like, oh, we get you understand

(09:52):
what's happening.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
I'll tell you something that somebody else would me to
end up having to root for by the end of
the week is John Bolton. I mean they're now, they're
now clearly saying that he's you know that he's the
next one that Trump wants them to charge and could
be charged as early as uh as next week. And

(10:14):
what I'm saying is again now there's like, you know,
like I don't think I've agreed with him, just uh,
but you know, it's clear they're going they would such
an indictment would be for one reason and one reason only.
He's been speaking out against Trump and what and the
authoritarian grab that that Trump is going after and becoming

(10:37):
a big enemy of Trump. Both he and Komy, you know,
we're you know, we're part of the Trump getting there.
Uh And now uh, they're they're in a lot of ways,
who's comes after that, Like you said, everybody is is
susceptible now to being picked up to be indicted. And

(11:00):
even if the cases are thrown out, the legal bills
and the uh, you know, the cost to the reputation,
et cetera, they're just they don't all out. This is
all out grab for authority to take absolute power and
and by the way, to silence anybody who might speak out.

(11:21):
And that's why I think the Kimmel Kimmel coming back
and the way he has spoken each night, unafraid, that's
where the American people need to be now, where every
time a Komy stands up to this guy and says,
let's have a trial, Yeah, that's we we need to
stand with those people and be visible in our support.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
Yeah, I agree, I totally agree. It's this is a
there's a quickening, and I think.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
All you know, this is a lot better because Alex
usually kind of fights with me and stuff. But this
is your your agreement. I like, I like it.

Speaker 2 (11:58):
Here, yes, man, Well, let's get to the next question.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
It is.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
I think, you know, all these questions are sort of
part and parcel of the same story. Are Republicans really
ready to shut down the government because they don't want
to release the Epstein pile.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
So what is the shutdown about?

Speaker 1 (12:20):
Well, I mean, the fact is they've never been able
to keep They have the president, see, they have the Senate,
they have the House, and they've never been able to
deliver the votes for their for continuing their budget. I mean,
whether it's some Republicans who who don't think we should

(12:43):
cut medicaid because their constituents in those battleground districts, or
don't want rural hospitals shut down because of their spending.
Probably the cuts for the tax cuts for the rich
and cuts for everybody for everybody else, putting it on
the working class and the poor. Uh snap, uh, lunch

(13:04):
at school, lunches for children, ending healthcare for or really
pricing healthcare out of the reach of millions of Americans.
So they have a problem. They can't. They haven't been
able to get there even though they have it all,
they can't. So, look, they have the they don't have
the votes on their own. Why the hell should Democrats

(13:27):
vote to let them do they do this? And and
of course the other side of this is they uh
you know, they'll say that we're you know, Democrats are
shutting it down. Well, we can't keep look none. Part
of the whole argument for why Democrats shouldn't do this

(13:48):
is there's a fear that Donald Trump, if you shut
down the government, that they will then basically make all
fire all the people who are and make it a
permanent thing. It's not that it basically use it to
really destroy and wreck the government, something they've already done. Yeah,

(14:11):
they're already doing this.

Speaker 3 (14:12):
So so the third question as well, like you know,
and you're getting to that point already, what what do
the Dems do?

Speaker 2 (14:20):
How do we deal with this?

Speaker 1 (14:22):
Oh? I don't think we should do any I mean
I think we should stand firm. We will not vote
for the cut to continue this government that is cutting healthcare, Medicaid,
that we you know, basically taxing the American people through tariffs.

(14:43):
I mean Trump keeps bragging, right, this is being We've
raised three hundred and fifty billion dollars or whatever in tariffs. Okay, Yeah,
it's the American people who are paying a tax on
the people that are buying those products because the tariffs
are not getting going to be paid by the foreign countries.
They're paid by US or the or the company that

(15:05):
brings them in. So my point is why we can't
keep voting to enable that, you know. And by the way,
we've said the leadership said, well, we'll meet with Trump.
Let's uh, they had some significant things they wanted to

(15:27):
put in there or or or at least come to
terms with. And of course Trump said no, I'm not
meeting with you. Well, the day he did that. It's his.
This It's always been his. I mean, let's face it,
the Senate, in the House, Republicans are going to do
it exactly what Donald Trump wants, and that's to shut
down the government so he can fire people permanently or

(15:51):
attempt yeah, you know, or attempt to right, it's the
it's the Democrats that then and the American people. That's
the one thing I fought. I would say, I said,
I wrote a piece I think, or maybe I just
did it in my head that's hard to a while
back where I said that that this moment would come

(16:14):
and then what Democrats should do is not wait to
vote against it, but rally the American people to in
a protest against this budget for the day, you know,
around the day of the vote. So, I mean that
was too far gone now, I mean this when I
wrote that was a month ago or so, and I

(16:35):
really wanted to say that no, when they we have
to say we want we do not stand for this,
we will not vote for this, we don't want our
representatives to vote for it. And you must come to
the table and negotiate for the work for people, not

(16:55):
for Donald Trump. And if the Republicans don't come to
the table to negotiate for the people instead of Donald Trump,
then it's all on them. And I still think that's
the case, that that's the case I would make as Democrats.
We don't agree with this, with what's in there, with
spending priorities, how you've got this thing set and you

(17:16):
either negotiate with us on behalf of the American people,
or you stand with Donald Trump and the tariffs and
the healthcare and the Medicaid cuts and all that because
we won't go along. You should be negotiating with us
on behalf of the American people, both sides, Republicans Democrats
negotiating on behalf of the American people, not Republicans standing

(17:39):
with Trump and not talk in his No, I won't
meet with you, and we're just going to do it
my way or the highway, and by the way, we're
indicting Komi and any of my enemies, and we're picking
you off the street with no probable cause, with no process. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
Yeah, I think the Dems have gotten and this is
I think you made this point a while ago and
it really stuck with me. But the Dems have been
caught flat footed on so many issues because they say
this is, uh, we're in an authoritarian system and this
budget bill is the end of us, and then they
vote for it if it's you know, if we're in

(18:20):
such a catastrophe, then you better fucking act like it,
you know.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
And and just I mean, the the shutting it down
will it will create a lot of pain. There will
be a lot of problems. So I'm not I'm not sugarcoating.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
That I don't envy their position.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yeah, but I just think there will be a tremendous
uh pressure on Trump in the administration to get to
get something done. I mean to get I mean even
the Republicans in their districts. And I think, you know,
all this is about we're now in a world where

(18:57):
it's you know, it's getting people's getting people to focus
that there's something going on here is matters, and if
it takes a government shut down to do that. And
I don't let's have it all out. Let's have the
big fight about what that government shut down is about
and why, and let the chips fall where they may.
And the American people want to go along with this

(19:19):
authoritarian crap, then maybe that's the country we were in.
But I don't think so.

Speaker 2 (19:26):
No.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
And I think if you know, if a bill is
immoral or amoral or catastrophic, then you have a moral responsibility.

Speaker 2 (19:33):
To not vote for it.

Speaker 3 (19:35):
Yeah, And it doesn't matter the consequences of that. You
can't vote for something just because the Republicans are going
to vote for it anyway.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yeah. And well that's the other thing. The one thing
we've learned is when we got okay, so we passed,
it doesn't matter. They've taken the money money that we
was passed to do something else and put it, you know,
and Doe has gone in and dismantled and tired apartments
or sent to the Secretary of Education and to destroy

(20:02):
that department. They're doing this regardless of how what money
the Congress appropriates, which is unconstitutional. But they keep doing it,
and the court kicks the can down the road and
there'll be appeals and everything else. No, it's time to
I think now, you can't do what we did. What
Schumer did you know, did months and months ago, and

(20:26):
look at what we got. You know that one may
have been I mean, I know he took Schumer took
a lot of crap for the for caving that one.
You know, I get he's still he's still the institutional
guy who still thinks like we can do we can
make a deal. Well, guess what, learn the lesson. It's

(20:48):
not going to happen. So don't do it again.

Speaker 3 (20:51):
No, and and not only is it not gonna happen,
it's gonna get worse every every time.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
There's no back and forth with this.

Speaker 1 (20:57):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (20:59):
I mean, that's the.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
Big last and there's I have one more question and
then one question I have for you. But this two
one hundred and eighteen signatures on the Epscene files petition
looks like they've got it.

Speaker 1 (21:11):
Yeap?

Speaker 3 (21:13):
What And to be fair, I haven't followed this story.
I mean I followed the Epstein file story, but I'm
not I don't.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
I'm not down. I don't. I haven't looked at the
math yet. So what happens next?

Speaker 1 (21:24):
Well, no, it's it's basically simple to it's called a discard. God,
now I'm now I'm having the brain fart. It's a
it's a petition. God, it's a discard petition or something
like that. I can't remember. I'm sorry. But what it
does a discharge petition, right, right, that's what it is.

(21:48):
Uh discharge petition you need, which basically the leadership the
speaker decides what comes to the floor and what doesn't
come to the floor. There is an end around around
the speaker. It's called a discharge petition. It takes a
majority of the House members signing a discharge petition to
bring a bill to the floor that the leadership has

(22:10):
not brought to the floor. Yeah, won't let it happen.
You need two hundred and eighteen. There was a special
election victory that gets to two hundred and eighteen signers
that discharge petition. I believe Jamie Raskin and others have
said will be turned in and when it is, that

(22:32):
means that Speaker Johnson must bring the Epstein file vote
to release them to the floor. You would suspect that
if two hundred and eighteen people have signed that discharge
position petition to bring it to the floor. Those are
two hundred and eighteen people who intend to are likely

(22:53):
to vote for it. That would be a majority, which
would mean the Congress will have passed a law to
release the Epstein files. That then, of course means it
will go to the Senate, right, I believe, And so

(23:14):
that'll I mean, but at each step it's what are
you covering up? Okay, we now have two hundred and
eighteen members of the House bipartisan release the files. It's
a petition that why is Johnson not just bringing that
vote without that petition? But he isn't. Then you go
over to the Senate side. I think similar things will

(23:35):
happen over there if the Senate's required, which I think
it is. And then of course I guess maybe the
real question is does Trump have to sign that or not?
I mean, it's going to be at each step though,
it raises the fire of why not what is going on?

(23:56):
Why the cover up? After two hundred and eighteen members
of the House of Representatives, which has a Republican majority,
right and Massey and a lot of Republicans have signed
on to this thing, why are we having to go
through discharge petitions to get it to actually just have
a debate and a vote, and of course the vote

(24:16):
could go the other way, but let's we you know,
let's debate it, let's talk about it, let's air it out,
and then let's have a vote. And if Congress votes
is not to release those files, at least we had
the American people we're part of seeing that debate and
participating and actually could pressure you know, their call their

(24:38):
members and things like that right now because Johnson hasn't
been willing to bring it up. The discharge position petition
is now what's necessary, and I think the votes are there,
so I think we'll see shortly the next step, which
I think will be taking it to the floor.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
And you know, for what it's worth. I mean, you know,
we have co with Emil, we have Charlie Kirk, we
have all these stories that are sort of burying that Epstein,
and at least at bare minimum, this brings Epstein back
into the news cycle.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
Well, and that's what I was going to say. Though
Trump will do everything now that we have the petition
enough signatures, he may not. He may actually want the
government shut down. Yeah, and for that to drowned out
whatever is happening around the discharge petition and Epstein and

(25:30):
any vote, I mean, obviously that would become more important
of vote than bringing to the floor the I mean
the Epstein files in terms of you know, creating the
taking the attention off Epstein and moving it to a
government shutdown may may be something that Donald Trump really wants.

Speaker 3 (25:52):
I mean, you know, I've been saying this for a
couple of months, but the you know, Trump is a
master distractor. But the distractions are becoming more and more consequential, right,
more and more so when they're.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
Piling up because part of the and I keep putting
this in the frame of Alligator Alcatraz, but you have
thirty one percent of Republicans saying they don't think Ice
picking up people and shaving their heads and shipping them
to Salvador with no due process. They don't think that's
mean enough. We're tough enough that Ice isn't isn't being

(26:28):
strong enough in deporting these people. When you have thirty
one percent of Republicans who believe that, and that's the
core base of MAGA, it explains why Alligator Alcatraz happens,
because it's that, you know, yeah, and if they escape,
alligators are going to eat them. Who do they think
that that was meant to feed that thirty one percent

(26:52):
that they don't think? This is all of this indicting Komi,
all of it. Not enough, not enough retribution, not enough
enough revenge. And the more he tries to feed that
core base, the more independence and yes, some Republicans are
starting to go, whoa, wait a minute, this is all

(27:15):
many bridges too far, and so he now, and that's
why Epstein's a threat, all of it, and I think
you're right. The more desperate, the more he tries to
speed these attacks up to a race to get there
before enough Americans stand up. It's not enough. We can't

(27:38):
wait till November twenty twenty six. I mean, that's got
to be a massive wave, and we have to build
it now in the streets peacefully, the discharge petitions, I
mean everything, just all of it, going straight at this
and working against it loudly and peacefully. Now, all of that.

Speaker 3 (28:00):
It was walking my dog down the street today and
I thought, why the fuck aren't we sitting here in
these streets right now?

Speaker 2 (28:06):
I know, because I had to come talk to you
for the show. You know, in any case, I think we've.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
Got no King's coming up on October eighteenth. Yes, that's
a very important day for people to show up. If
you went last time and you brought two friends, go
this time and bring four friends. I mean, it's really
important to get I keep saying this over and over
again on every one of these things that I'm on.

(28:37):
Find one more friend, one more coworker, one family member,
Get them engaged, get them to understand now is the moment.
Understand what the threat is, and understand that they're not
the only ones worried about this. There's millions of us,
and if we stand together visibly, will it will crush

(28:58):
this authoritarian grab. It will because the courts, the Republican
members in these districts that don't want their careers to end,
will start to be more worried about us than they
are about Donald Trump.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
That's I mean, that's a good, really great place to wrap.
And I you know, I want to say to everyone
in Chat, I've been keeping an eye on the.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
Chat and everyone's worried.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
SaaS writer says Sam agree we should be in the
streets now. I would I want you guys in the
audience to when you protest, be peaceful. But I would
love for you to send pictures. Yeah, what you're experiencing.
I want to see it in you know, you can
drop it in the Lincoln Square Chat. You can always
email me picks. I'd love to run them on some

(29:43):
of these live shows that we do. I think is
important that as we build this Lincoln Square community that
it feels like a community that we're sharing. We're sharing
our efforts, we're sharing our intentions, and we're sharing what
we see with each other, because this is the unity
that is gonna defeat Trump. About absolutely, Joe, I really

(30:07):
appreciate you. We have next week. We'll be talking about
heg Seth and all the generals in Washington.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
We didn't get to that.

Speaker 3 (30:15):
Yeah, we'll be talking about the shutdown. We'll be talking
about the Epstein files again. Well it's and then also
the X, Y and Z that haven't happened yet that
will blow all.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
Of our minds.

Speaker 1 (30:27):
Yeah, and Alex might actually be back, but we'll see.

Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yeah, yeah, we'll see. Well. I appreciate you humoring me today, Joe.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
Well, thanks, thanks Sam, Thanks thanks for for watching.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
See you next time,