WELCOME BACK.

WE'RE BACK WITH THE CO-HOSTS OF "POD SAVE AMERICA," JON LOVETT,

TOMMY VIETOR, AND JON FAVREAU.

TOMMY, LAST MONTH, I HAD A CHANCE TO INTERVIEW

THEN-PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN, AND I ASKED HIM ABOUT HIS ABILITY TO

SORT OF CHANGE THE TONE AND GET ANYTHING DONE IN WASHINGTON.

AND HE SAID THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT'S IMPACT ON THE BODY

POLITIC WILL FADE.

REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO FEEL THEY HAVE MUCH MORE ROOM TO RUN

AND COOPERATE.

DO YOU AGREE?

DO YOU THINK HIS INFLUENCE IS GOING TO FADE AND THE

REPUBLICANS WILL BE WILLING TO WORK ON ANYTHING TOGETHER WITH

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION?

>> I HOPE PRESIDENT BIDEN IS RIGHT.

I'M WORRIED IT'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.

I THINK THAT TRUMP EMBOLDENED, LIKE, THIS RACIST, NATIONALIST,

PARANOID FACTION OF THE COUNTRY, AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE

REPUBLICAN PARTY JUST KIND OF SHRUGGED AT IT.

AND I THINK TRUMP-- HE CONSTRUCTED HIS OWN REALITY.

AND IF YOU DISAGREED WITH TRUMP, YOU WERE TREATED LIKE THE ENEMY.

AND SO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BECAME THE CULT OF TRUMP.

AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF COURAGE AND A LOT OF

TRUTH-TELLING BY REPUBLICANS TO CHANGE THAT.

AND SO FAR, WHAT WE'RE SEEING FROM REPUBLICANS, LIKE TED CRUZ

AND JOSH HAULY AND KEVIN McCARTHY, IS THAT THEY ARE

SCARED OF CROSSING TRUMP.

THEY'RE SCARED OF ANGERING THAT MAGA BASE.

AND THEY'RE NOT ALL THAT INTO TRUTH-TELLING.

I'M A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THE FEVER BREAKING ANY TIME SOON.

>> Stephen: BUT ISN'T ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH A CONSTRUCTED

REALITY IS THAT IT'S A SOAP BUBBLE.

IF YOU TEST IT, IT JUST POPS IMMEDIATELY.

FOR INSTANCE, I MEAN, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE

IN-- IN "Q," AND THE THEORIES OF QANON, BUT IT TURNS OUT THE

MILITARY ISN'T SECRETLY GOING TO TURN ON ALL THE DEMOCRATS AND

ARREST THEM AND DONALD TRUMP WILL ASCEND AS GOD KING ON A

THRONE AND SAVE EVERYONE IN THE WORLD.

THAT IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT IS BREAKING THE HEART OF PEOPLE

OUT■ç THERE ONLINE TODAY.

LIKE, ISN'T THERE SOME HOPE THAT IF YOU ARE CREATING SUCH A

STRANGE AND EXTREME REALITY, THAT IT CAN'T SURVIVE ONCE THE

SUPPOSED ALL-POWERFUL PERSON AT THE TOP IS GONE?

>> I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT.

I MEAN, LISTEN, I THINK THAT-- I'M A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THOSE

QANON ADHERNTS FINDING THE NEXT CONSPIRACY AND FOLLOWING THAT,■ç

AND NOT NECESSARILY SNAPPING BACK TO REALITY LIKE WE HOPE.

I HOPE PRESIDENT BIDEN IS RIGHT.

I HOPE WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET A LOT OF STUFF DONE, BUT I

WORRY.

I WORRY A LOT.

>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE, A COUPLE OF WHOM YOU

JUST MENTIONED.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK WILL HAPPEN WITH JOSH HAWL, "OR TED

CRUZ, OR MO BROOKS, THE PEOPLE WHO SUBORNED THE SEDITION?

>> THEY'LL RUN FOR PRESIDENT.

( LAUGHTER ) THAT'S WHAT JOSH HAWLEY AND TED

CRUZ WILL DO.

>> Stephen: IS THERE ANY PRICE TO BE PAID THERE?

>> THERE'S A PRICE TO BE PAID FOR REPUBLICANS WHO ARE EITHER

IN STATES THAT ARE PURPLE OR BLUE OR REPUBLICAN HOUSE MEMBERS

WHO ARE IN DISTRICTS THAT ARE COMPETITIVE.

BUT UNTIL WE DON'T HAVE GERRYMANDERED DISTRICTS WHERE

REPUBLICANS ARE MORE AFRAID OF A PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM THE RIGHT

THAN THEY ARE OF A GENERAL ELECTION OPPONENT WHO IS A

DEMOCRAT, WE'RE GOING TO BE IN THIS SAME PLACE.

SO CAN JOE BIDEN PICK OFF A FEW REASONABLE REPUBLICANS ON A

PIECE OF LEGISLATION HERE AND THERE?

I SURE HOPE SO.

BUT THE PARTY HAS BEEN RADICALIZED.

THE BASE IS RADICALIZED.

AND THREAF BEEN RADICALIZED NOT JUST BY TED CRUZ AND JOSH HAWLEY

BUT FOX NEWS, AND RUSH LIMBAUGH.

AND AS LONG AS THAT EXISTS IN RADICALIZING THIS BASE, WE'RE

GOING TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM.

>> Stephen: WELL, YOU GUYS HAVE SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS

DOING "POD SAVE AMERICA" AND BUILDING A POD EMPIRE THROUGH

"CROOKED MEDIA."

I'M SURE THERE WERE SOME LOW POINTS WHEN YOU THOUGHT MAYBE,

YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING TO POD SAVE ANYTHING.

BUT NOW THAT PART OF YOUR GOAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY ENGAGING

THE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS TO GO OUT THERE AND CAST THEIR VOTES,

WHAT'S NEXT NOW THAT THERE'S A DEMOCRAT BACK IN OFFICE?

WHENCE GO THE POD SAVERS?

>> LOOK, I THINK WE FELT INCREDIBLY LUCKY TO BE IN THE

FIGHT WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED INCREDIBLY HARD OVER THE

LAST FOUR YEARS.

FOR ME, WHEN-- WHEN THINGS WERE DARKEST, WHEN THINGS WERE VERY

BAD, I WASN'T JUST HOPEFUL THAT THERE WOULD BE A LAST DAY TRUMP

WAS PRESIDENT.

I WAS HOPEFUL THERE WOULD BE A LAST DAY TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT,

AND WE'D ALL STILL BE PAYING ATTENTION.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, IT WOULDN'T BE JUST ABOUT

WHAT WE STOPPED BUT ACTUALLY ABOUT DOING SOME GOOD.

AND NOW WE WON THE HOUSE.

WE TOOK THE GAVEL FROM PAUL RYAN.

WE BEAT MITCH McCONNELL, TOOK THE SENATE, WON THE WHITE HOUSE.

NOW WE HAVE A CHANCE TO DO SOME GOOD IF WE KEEP PAYING ATTENTION

AND WE KEEP FIGHTING.

>> Stephen: THANKS, GUYS.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Stephen: NEW EPISODES OF "POD SAVE AMERICA" ARE RELEASED

MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS.

JON FAVREAU, JON LOVETT, AND TOMMY VIETOR, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A SPECIL PERFORMANCE OF

"TOGETHER."