On Thursday’s RealClearPolitics podcast, Tom Bevan, Andrew Walworth, and Carl Cannon examine how President Trump’s theatrical State of the Union is reshaping the political battlefield ahead of the midterms – including his move to put Vice President JD Vance in charge of a federal “war on fraud.” They also break down the latest on negotiations with the Iranians and a strange maritime clash where Cuban forces got into a gunfight with a boat they say came from the U.S. Plus: A new Emerson College poll shows Trump’s approval slipping, and who is leading in the early 2028 presidential field. You can listen to the show live each day at 11:00 a.m. on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** The panel assesses how President Trump’s theatrical State of the Union is reshaping the midterm landscape, including an ad a GOP group turned around in lightning speed slamming Democrats for not “standing up” for American citizens. “Democrats are barking up the wrong tree by trying to demean and dismiss some of the Americana moments of that speech by calling it a game show or ‘slop’ — that’s not the way to go about this,” Bevan said. “They need to present a coherent policy opposition and tell American voters why they’re going to do a better job of stewarding the economy than Trump.” “Democrats were maybe a little jealous that they never used the State of the Union quite like this,” Cannon added. Maybe we’ve entered a new era where the State of the Union becomes must-watch theater.” *** In the next segment, around minute 9, the group debates Trump putting Vice President Vance in charge of a federal “war on fraud.” “Al Gore did ‘reinventing government,’ and Clinton let him do it, and they saved billions of dollars – when that was considered real money in the federal government,” Cannon said. “What I worry about with Vance is: If he starts getting good press, Trump could swoop in and elbow him out of the way.” “Who’s against curbing fraud? Like, nobody,” Bevan said. “This is going to be a tough one for the Democrats if they somehow try not to get on board, or try to stand in the way, or try to take potshots at the administration. I don’t think that’s going to be a winner for them politically.” *** After that, at minute 19:30, the panel looks at ongoing negotiations with the Iranians in Geneva as a huge U.S. armada amasses near the Middle East. “We supposedly obliterated their nuclear facilities and the nuclear program. It turns out maybe that was a bit of an overstatement on Trump’s part,” commented Bevan. “Witkoff said the other day they’re pretty close to getting a nuclear weapon… So Trump is putting himself in sort of a tough spot.” *** They also look at what could be happening in Cuba, where the government is accusing a group of Americans, after a deadly shootout on the high seas, of attempting to infiltrate the country for “terrorist purposes.” Secretary Rubio says the U.S. government isn’t sure yet about what really happened. “It’s like the poor man’s Bay of Pigs,” Cannon joked. “And the CIA is 100 times dumber than it was then.” “So this is either the U.S. government’s idea of a covert op, and it’s the CIA rerun of the Bay of Pigs – or it’s just some guys who had a few too many mojitos and decided to get a boat,” Bevan added. “With ten guys? It is a bizarre story. I agree with Rubio – we don’t want to take the Cubans’ word for it.” *** After that, at minute 30, the group runs down a new poll from Emerson College showing Trump’s job approval rating down to 43% and a look at the Republican and Democratic 2028 presidential primary fields. “What’s interesting about the Emerson poll is that his disapproval jumped from 51%, I think, to 55%, which is the highest spread they’ve had,” Bevan explained. “Trump continues to struggle.” “Newsom leads the pack,” Cannon said about the 2028 polls. “What does it say about the field where Kamala Harris went on this amazing book tour to sell out venues, got massive network coverage, and then scored lower than Pete Buttigieg, who’s been invisible?” *** Don’t miss an episode of the RealClearPolitics radio show – subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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