South Park, The Smithsonian, and Trump's Culture War | Pivot

Scott-Free August continues as Kara is joined by host of The New York Times' @CannonballPodcast, Wesley Morris. Kara and Wesley discuss President Trump’s beef with the “woke” Smithsonian, The White House’s new TikTok account, and South Park’s latest Trump Administration burn. Then, Taylor Swift hits the podcast world. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #wesleymorris #trump #smithsonian #tiktok #taylorswift #southpark #kennedycenterhonors Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 21:04 Trump’s Attack on the Smithsonian 30:23 Trump’s Kennedy Center Honorees 38:21 White House Joins TikTok 43:54 South Park Does It Again 53:22 Taylor Swift: Podcaster 1:04:29 Predictions You can watch more from Wesley Morris on his YouTube show: @CannonballPodcast Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kevin Oliver Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat Video Editor: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot

Kara SwisherhostWesley Morrisguest

Aug 22, 20251h 10mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 22, 2025
Duration: 1h 10m
Channel: Pivot
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Scott-Free August continues as Kara is joined by host of The New York Times' @CannonballPodcast, Wesley Morris. Kara and Wesley discuss President Trump’s beef with the “woke” Smithsonian, The White House’s new TikTok account, and South Park’s latest Trump Administration burn. Then, Taylor Swift hits the podcast world. #pivot #podcast #karaswisher #scottgalloway #wesleymorris #trump #smithsonian #tiktok #taylorswift #southpark #kennedycenterhonors Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 21:04 Trump’s Attack on the Smithsonian 30:23 Trump’s Kennedy Center Honorees 38:21 White House Joins TikTok 43:54 South Park Does It Again 53:22 Taylor Swift: Podcaster 1:04:29 Predictions You can watch more from Wesley Morris on his YouTube show: @CannonballPodcast Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Kevin Oliver Audio Engineer: Ernie Indradat Video Editor: Jim Mackil Vox Media's Executive Producer of Podcasts: Nishat Kurwa Subscribe to Pivot on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719 Subscribe to Pivot on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4MU3RFGELZxPT9XHVwTNPR Follow us on Instagram and Threads at: https://www.instagram.com/pivotpodcastofficial Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@PIVOTPODCAST Send us your questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or at https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/pivot

SPEAKERS

Kara Swisher
host
Wesley Morris
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Kara Swisher and Wesley Morris, South Park, The Smithsonian, and Trump's Culture War | Pivot explores south Park, Trump’s Smithsonian Crusade, and Taylor Swift’s Podcast Power Kara Swisher and guest co-host Wesley Morris unpack Donald Trump’s latest cultural offensives, from threatening the Smithsonian’s slavery narratives to reshaping the Kennedy Center Honors, and how this fits a broader project of propaganda and historical “purification.” They analyze South Park’s savage new season skewering Trump, tech CEOs, and AI, and contrast that blunt satire with other cultural touchstones like Sex and the City’s revival, Spike Lee’s new film, and the state of summer movies. The conversation also dissects the White House’s use of TikTok despite past national security rhetoric, and the fragmentation of the social media landscape. Finally, they dive into Taylor Swift’s blockbuster appearance on Travis Kelce’s podcast as a masterclass in controlled authenticity and promotional power, before ending on a prediction that Adam Sandler is finally headed for an Oscar nomination.

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