330: Trump & Hegseth Blew It with Leon Panetta
October 2, 2025
1 hr 15 min
330
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Episode 330 · October 2, 2025
330: Trump & Hegseth Blew It with Leon Panetta
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Politicon Episodes Around October 2, 2025
Episode 331 of 376 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
330: Trump & Hegseth Blew It with Leon Panetta
Summary
<div>James and Al welcome former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta to discuss the budget crisis, Hegseth’s approach to Pentagon leadership, the outrageous attacks on our generals, and the shaky status of the rule of law in the Trump era. Then, they cover the races in NJ, VA, and NYC, looking at the strategies that can deliver victory, why Mamdani could be an inspiring and uniting figure if he wins, and the CA ballot initiatives that could help the Democrats gain control of Congress. They also give their take on the government shutdown and what comes next for the country. <br /><br />Email your questions to James and Al at <a href="mailto:POLITICSWARROOM@GMAIL.COM">politicswarroom@gmail.com</a> or tweet them to<a href="http://www.twitter.com/@politicon"> @politicon</a>. Make sure to include your city– we love to hear where you’re from!<br /><br /><strong>Watch Politics War Room & James Carville Explains on </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PoliticsWarRoomOfficial"><strong>YouTube @PoliticsWarRoomOfficial</strong></a> <br /><br /><strong>More from James and Al:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Get </strong><a href="https://politicon.attn.tv/p/z6Z/landing-page"><strong>text updates</strong></a><strong> from Politics War Room and Politicon.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Watch Politics War Room & James Carville Explains on </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PoliticsWarRoomOfficial"><strong>YouTube @PoliticsWarRoomOfficial</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>James Carville & Al Hunt have launched the </strong><a href="http://www.politicswarroom.com/"><strong>Politics War Room Substack</strong></a><br /><br />Get updates and some great behind-the-scenes content from the documentary <strong>CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID</strong> by following James on X <a href="https://x.com/JamesCarville?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@jamescarville</a> and his new TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@realjamescarville">@realjamescarville</a><br /><br /><strong>Check Out Andrew Zucker’s New Politicon Podcast: </strong><a href="https://www.politicon.com/podcast-title/the-golden-age/"><strong>The Golden Age</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>Get More From This Week’s Guest: </strong><br /><br /><strong>Former Secretary of Defense & Director of the CIA Leon Panetta: </strong><a href="http://defense.gov/">Defense.gov</a> | <a href="https://www.csis.org/people/leon-panetta">CSIS</a> | <a href="https://www.scu.edu/cas/political-science/beyond-the-classroom/panetta-institute-for-public-policy/">Panetta Institute for Public Policy</a> | <a href="https://icce.sfsu.edu/panetta-lecture-series">SFSU ICCE</a><br /><br /><strong>Please Support Our Sponsor:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Quince:</strong><br />Upgrade your fall fashion and get 365-day returns and free shipping on high-quality, stylish, and affordable clothing you’ll wear for years to come when you go to <a href="http://quince.com/warroom">quince.com/warroom</a><br /><br /><br /></div>