I started my weekly chat with Matt Lewis by asking him about the fact that a) the United States’ national debt has now crested $40 trillion and b) the national debt now exceeds America’s GDP for the first time since the Covid pandemic.
Which is a BIG deal! Or, more accurately, should be a big deal.
But as Matt wryly noted: “It’s death to ratings and to clicks and to views.”
He’s right. Why? Because:
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People struggle to conceptualize what $40 trillion even is
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People don’t do a good job of grasping negative consequences that may come in the future
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People are very focused on their day-to-day economic challenges
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We LOVE salaciousness and drama — like the 36-year-old executive assistant to President Trump who leaves letters telling him how much he means to her laying around
I get it! But, look. The debt is a HUGE issue. The interest payments alone — not to mention who owns our debt! (PLEASE read this on the debt from the Pete Peterson Foundation.)
Matt and I DID spend some time at the start of the pod — which we are calling “So Where Are We Now?!?!” — talking debt. But we also talked about Natalie Harp. And a bunch of other stuff including:
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Can Democrats win by being anti-Trump—or do candidates such as Alex Vindman and George Conway show the limits of that strategy?
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Is Florida a red state now, or could Democrat David Jolly make the governor’s race competitive?
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Did Darlene Graham’s uncomfortable debate moment just scramble South Carolina’s Republican Senate primary?
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Why did a Democratic Socialist beat Alex Vindman in Florida—and what does it say about the party’s direction?
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Michael Cohen interviewed Donald Trump. Is this the ultimate political shapeshifter at work?
Watch or listen to the whole conversation above!
