John Heilemann: The Year Is Ending a Lot Better than It Started

Only six months ago, the wheels felt like they were coming off of America, and our democracy experiment. But since the Epstein case broke wide open, the wheels started to come off Trump instead. And he's not just lost his way in politics but in the broader culture too—with his despicable words about Rob Reiner, his trying to get Jimmy Kimmel fired, and his pedophile cover-up. At the same time, we are likely stuck with his family grift, which will last for generations. Over on the Democratic side, the left has the momentum but there is room for a McCain-style reform candidate. Meanwhile, JD may be too repellant to win the presidency and the expectations for Mamdani are likely unrealistic. Plus, some love for Oasis, Geese, and Cameron Winter—and some hope that people are longing for something tangible in their music again. People need a rock star.

John Heilemann joins Tim Miller for the year-end pod.

show notes:

• John's "Impolitic" podcast
• John's columns at Puck
• Tim's 2025 Music Year in Review
• Filmmaker Charles Curran's recut of the Melania trailer with Miss Piggy
• Shane Gillis on how we got Trump
• Tim's playlist