Trump Just Made The Midterms Even Harder for Republicans

October 1, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In a Senate hearing that was supposed to be a triumphant takedown of special counsel Jack Smith, Republican Senator Eric Schmitt instead delivered one of the most embarrassing moments in recent congressional memory—confusing the University of Iowa Hawkeyes with the Atlanta Hawks and accusing Smith of perjury based on a staffer's sports team mix-up. Meanwhile, Donald Trump spent the week rebranding artificial intelligence as "Sai" in front of the industry's top CEOs, standing at a physically bizarre angle that left commentators wondering how he was staying upright, while his administration's unpopular data center policies are handing Democrats a rare cross-partisan issue weeks before the midterms.

The "Sai" Rebrand and Trump's AI Priorities

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What you'll learn

1 (00:20) **Opening: Trump Rebrands AI to "Sai"** - The hosts react to a clip of Trump announcing he's changing the name of AI to "Sai" during a meeting with tech CEOs.
2 (03:06) **Data Center Backlash: Bipartisan Issue, Trump Sides with Billionaires** - The hosts discuss how data centers are becoming a major political liability, with Trump defending them while voters across the spectrum hate them.
3 (05:34) **Texas Politics: Data Centers as a Wedge Issue** - The hosts share an anecdote from Texas where data centers are driving rock-ribbed Republican voters to consider voting Democrat.
4 (09:32) **Trump on the Economy: Admitting He's "Done a Very Bad Job" Explaining** - The hosts react to a clip where Trump admits he has failed to explain how well the economy is doing, despite high prices.
5 (12:10) **Senate Judiciary Hearing: Eric Schmidt's Epic Fail** - The hosts set up what they call the "single most embarrassing thing" they've ever witnessed in the Senate: a hearing on Jack Smith where Senator Eric Schmidt attempted a gotcha that backfired spectacularly.
6 (16:54) **Katie Britt's Reaction and the Shameless Media Echo Chamber** - The hosts show Alabama Senator Katie Britt's mortified face during Schmidt's meltdown, contrasting it with the right-wing media's spin.
7 (22:18) **Ted Cruz's Logic Fail on Trump Investigations** - The hosts briefly mock Ted Cruz for questioning why only Republicans were investigated for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Ted Cruz

Show Notes

Trump’s latest comments could spell trouble for Republicans ahead of the midterms, while a Republican Senator’s attack on Jack Smith goes spectacularly wrong. Tommy Vietor and Brian Tyler Cohen break down the latest.

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