The Rest Is Politics

Podbit · The Rest Is Politics

549. Mamdani’s Wrecking Ball and the Rise of Anti-Migrant Vigilantes

Explore episode Jul 1, 2026

Where this was said

Democratic Leadership Crisis and the Israel Realignment

At 17:40 · chapter starts 16:15

Alastair Campbell frames the Democratic Party's structural problem as a leadership vacuum: without a clear presidential candidate, Schumer and Jeffries are the recognised faces — but both are seen as negatives by the base, pushing campaigns to become hyperlocal. The base is also angry: these are the people who let Trump win despite him being a convicted felon. Rory Stewart then introduces the most startling data point of the episode: Pew surveys show negative views of Israel among Democrats surged from 53% in 2022 to 80% in 2026, driven entirely by Gaza. For the first time in decades, Americans overall are more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli. Yet Schumer and Jeffries remain AIPAC-funded — a growing contradiction that the midterms are likely to expose. Rory adds that Trump is doing what Mamdani does in reverse: mobilising his own base to topple sitting incumbents, as seen in the Kentucky race where Thomas Massie lost to a pro-Israel Trump candidate.

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