The Social Contract with Joe Walsh

It’s too easy to say - Trump is finished, he’s a loser, he’s a lame duck, his cultish party is finally going to stand up to him. It’s all too easy to say, and we’ve been here too many times before. Trump, as long as he’s breathing, will be the leader of the Republican Party. And to win, Democrats must not hope Trump finally fades. Democrats must BEAT him.

Mike and I dive headfirst into the madness — from finally catching the D.C. pipe bomber to wondering whether Donald Trump will reward yet another January 6th true believer with a pardon. We tear into the Cuellar pardon, Pete Hegseth’s never-ending circus at the Pentagon, and a House GOP so dysfunctional it makes my old Congress look sane. Buckle up — it’s a hell of a Friday, and you know I’m bringing the piss and vinegar.

I sat down with Army veteran and extremism investigator Kristofer Goldsmith for a urgent conversation about the rise of right-wing extremism in America. Goldsmith details his years infiltrating neo-Nazi groups, the growing influence of Christian nationalism, and the dangers emerging inside U.S. institutions—including the military and ICE. It's a great conversation about what it will take to confront fascism and why going on offense is now essential to protecting democracy.

We launched PAXIS yesterday as the answer to the cruelty and lawlessness of ICE. In our first 24 hours, we raised over $7,000 to launch this new AI-powered, know-your-rights tool for immigrants (and citizens!) facing down ICE. We did it with no media outreach, no massive PR campaign, no big donors—just me talking to you, and you responding. Why? Because Trump can’t stop hundreds of thousands or even millions of us. Be a part of PAXIS. www.paxis.app

These immigrants had done everything the right way, and gone thru the process legally, and were in line to go thru the final ceremony to become U.S. citizens, and they were grabbed and taken out of line. Because of the countries they came from. Horrible. But the only way we stop the cruel immigration enforcement going on right now is to all stand together, stay informed, and know what our rights are. This is how we defeat ICE. And the tool to do it is called PAXIS. www.paxis.app

I sat down with long time political strategist Steve Schmidt to discuss this political moment, what Democrats need to do to meet this moment, and if they meet the moment and take back the House or the Senate, what they must do once they’re back in power. Fascinating chat. Have a listen.

Two days ago, Trump unleashed the ugliest, most bigoted stuff about brown and black immigrants. About Somalian-Americans. And his entire cabinet just sat there and nodded. Yesterday, he unleashed even uglier stuff about Somalian-Americans. And the Congress people and business executives just stood there and nodded. Silence is complicity. The entire Republican Party owns his racism, bigotry, and cruelty. So every election for the foreseeable future must be about him. Period.

The Democratic Party needs to learn to back candidates who can win. And a Democrat who can win in NYC is not a Democrat who can win in Alabama. I sat down with Kyle Sweetser, who, like me, is a new Democrat and is running for the U.S. Senate from Alabama. He’s the perfect candidate for that state.

Sure, Pete Hegseth was utterly unqualified for his job. But who hired him? Same goes for Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, RFK Jr, Tulsi Gabbard and so many more. But the person to blame for each of them doing the destruction they’re each doing is Trump. This administration isn’t in trouble because of the people around Trump. It’s in trouble because of Trump.