Overview of Who is Enabling Trump? Amanda & (Our Next Pres?) Rep. Ro Khanna Name the Culprits and the Plan
This episode of We Can Do Hard Things (Treat Media; host Glennon Doyle & Amanda Doyle) shifts the conversation from obsessing over Donald Trump himself to naming and holding accountable the institutions and people enabling him — especially members of Congress, major donors, and the billionaire/dark‑money networks. Representative Ro Khanna (D‑CA) is the guest. He lays out what’s broken in Democratic leadership, concrete policy and oversight tools that Congress should be using, his own legislative work, and a plan to guard against election interference ahead of the midterms.
Key topics covered
- Why the focus must move from Trump the individual to the enablers (Congress, donors, billionaire class, special‑interest groups).
- Failures of Congressional leadership and the Democratic Party to take substantive risks and use constitutional powers.
- Specific legislative and oversight initiatives championed by Rep. Ro Khanna (taxing billionaires, Epstein transparency, war‑powers limits, anti‑corruption).
- Concerns about a coordinated plan by the Trump administration to manufacture a national‑security pretext to restrict voting (draft executive orders, SAVE Act, selective intelligence releases).
- Practical midterm defense tactics: election observers, support for local election officials, legal/legislative preparedness.
- Rapid post‑recording developments: House Judiciary launched a probe into Jared Kushner’s foreign entanglements and Affinity Partners.
Main takeaways
- Focusing solely on Trump lets his enablers hide. Congress — which holds the “power of the purse,” investigative authority, and impeachment — is failing in its duty to check abuses of executive power.
- The Democratic Party’s problem is less messaging and more lack of substantive, risk‑taking policy leadership (e.g., taxing billionaires, Medicare for All, free childcare/college).
- Leadership accountability matters: Khanna argues Senate Leader Chuck Schumer should step aside as minority leader; he supports Hakeem Jeffries remaining House Democratic leader while demanding bolder action from leadership overall.
- Election interference is not speculative. Khanna and Amanda outline a plausible playbook (manufactured claims of foreign interference, selective intelligence release, federal pretexts to change voting procedures) and urge advance planning and mobilization.
- Real oversight and lawmaking — not performative statements — win change (examples: Epstein Transparency Act, bipartisan war‑powers efforts, Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act).
Notable policy proposals, bills, and actions discussed
- Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act (co‑authored with Senator Bernie Sanders) — tax wealthy individuals to rebalance economic power.
- Epstein Transparency Act (Khanna’s oversight work, bipartisan push to demand files) — forced release of administration records; continued push for more documents.
- Bipartisan War Powers resolution(s) — to constrain unauthorized military action in the Middle East.
- Anti‑corruption and transparency agenda: investigations into Jared Kushner’s foreign funding and Affinity Partners; demands for financial disclosures and probes into conflicts of interest.
- Institutional reforms Khanna advocates: getting dark money and super PAC money out of primaries, supporting candidates who refuse special‑interest PAC donations (Khanna co‑founded the No‑Pack Caucus; he’s among a small number of members who reject PAC money).
Election‑interference “playbook” highlighted (what to watch for)
- Draft executive orders and legislative efforts (e.g., SAVE Act) designed to create pretexts for changing voting methods, requiring re‑registration, restricting mail‑in ballots, inserting federal control over verification, and deploying federal agents to polling sites.
- Use of selectively released intelligence or manufactured “foreign interference” claims (e.g., from reviews of ballots or voting systems) to justify emergency action.
- Placement of election‑denier allies into election‑security roles (named examples in the episode) to operationalize interference.
- Khanna’s recommended countermeasures: prepare legal/legislative responses now, flood states with election observers, reinforce and support local election officials (including courageous local Republicans), and coordinate with independent groups.
Notable quotes / soundbites
- “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” — Maya Angelou (used by Amanda to frame the argument).
- Amanda: “We can only accept action. We will only accept that you do your job and put out the damn fire.”
- Khanna: “Courage is the new charisma.” (on leadership that takes risk)
- Khanna: “We need to be both flight attendants and pilots” — explain the threat publicly and inspire confidence about how to land safely.
- Khanna on party renewal: the Democratic Party needs a substance‑first, risk‑taking agenda (economic bill of rights, bold domestic and moral foreign policy).
Rapid developments and oversight wins mentioned
- Within 48 hours of the conversation, House Judiciary Committee Democrats opened a sweeping probe into Jared Kushner’s finances, Affinity Partners, and foreign communications — demonstrating that congressional pressure can yield action.
- Khanna notes ongoing efforts to subpoena and potentially hold figures like Pam Bondi accountable (contingent on compliance and legal process).
Practical actions suggested for listeners
- Demand concrete action from your representatives — not just rhetoric. Ask: What bills are you supporting? Are you using oversight powers?
- Support candidates who refuse dark‑money PAC influence (look for those rejecting PAC donations).
- Volunteer or support local election‑protection efforts: election observers, local media support, training for poll workers.
- Pressure Democratic leaders to adopt substantive policy platforms (taxes on billionaires, healthcare, childcare, education) and to oppose special‑interest meddling (AIPAC/dark money).
- Stay informed about oversight probes (e.g., Kushner) and hold elected officials to their promises of accountability.
Why this episode matters
Amanda reframes political strategy: obsessing over the personality of a dangerous president wastes attention and allows systemic enablers to act with impunity. Rep. Ro Khanna offers concrete examples of how Congress can and should use its constitutional tools, and lays out an action‑oriented, risk‑embracing progressive vision to both defend democracy now and transform the systems that produced Trump. The episode mixes policy detail, practical organizing advice, and a call for moral leadership and courage.
Recommended follow‑ups (from the episode)
- Track the House Judiciary probe into Jared Kushner and requests for Affinity Partners documents.
- Watch for War Powers votes and pressure your members to go on record.
- Follow Rep. Ro Khanna’s legislative work (Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act, Epstein transparency, war‑powers resolutions) and the No‑Pack Caucus efforts to reduce PAC influence.