On the year’s final episode of Nir & Rupar, our live weekly video show, David Nir of The Downballot and Aaron Rupar of Public Notice take stock of 2025’s bizarre dual nature, which saw Donald Trump consolidate power at the same time as the GOP got shellacked at the ballot box.

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David and Aaron discuss:

* How Trump’s prime-time rant-fest denying the affordability crisis is only likely to hurt him with voters, especially those who aren’t as tuned into politics.

* Why America’s bifurcated economy, with the rich doing very well and everyone else struggling, makes a GOP course correction even less likely.

* How the incredible streak of Democratic victories and overperformances in elections shows just how hard it is for Trump to subvert democracy, no matter how much he’d like to.

And much more!

If you missed our livestream, you can watch it by clicking above.

Nir & Rupar goes live every Friday at 2 PM ET. The easiest way to participate is by downloading the free Substack app.

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This was our last episode of the year. We’re extremely grateful to all of our viewers for tuning in and asking great questions each week, and we look forward to talking with you again in 2026. Happy holidays!

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