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PivotStephen Miller’s Promotion Throws More Gasoline on the Fire
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At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
TMZ goes to Washington as Miller’s rise fuels political backlash
- Harvey Levin explains why TMZ expanded to Washington after earlier corporate fears about political retaliation, saying he wanted to break from what he views as cookie-cutter D.C. journalism by using conversational reporting that reveals politicians’ human side.
- Levin describes knowing Donald Trump for decades and being “dumbfounded” by what he sees as a radical change once Trump ran for office, suggesting it may be an act while still believing Trump’s current behavior has harmful motives and consequences.
- Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss Stephen Miller replacing Susie Wiles, arguing it signals Trump doubling down and increases the danger of governance without guardrails as norms fail to constrain executive behavior.
- The conversation shifts to Democrats’ next steps, with Galloway insisting investigations and subpoenas must be paired with a strong economic policy agenda aimed at jobs, housing, and healthcare to hold swing voters.
- They also debate tech’s post-election exposure—especially backlash to data centers and the AI buildout—plus Musk’s political and business setbacks, culminating in a call for campaign finance reform and concerns about unelected billionaire power.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasHarvey Levin describes a stark contrast between the Trump he knew and the Trump in politics.
He says he knew Trump for 20 years as a “laissez-faire guy” who didn’t care that he was gay and treated people in his building well, and he believes either Trump changed when he ran for office or is putting on an “act,” while still ascribing bad motives to what Trump is doing now.
Levin frames TMZ’s D.C. move as both a business and editorial break from establishment political media.
He says Warner Brothers killed prior attempts because they feared angering members of Congress who could influence regulations the company needed, and he wanted to “zag” from what he calls the cookie-cutter, incestuous feel of D.C. press culture.
TMZ’s political coverage strategy is built around authenticity and unscripted interaction.
He credits their success to “conversations” instead of pre-scripted interviews, describing his team as young, “ragtag,” and able to draw out a human side of politicians that generated millions of views regardless of party.
Levin argues audience participation can rapidly turn outrage into a scalable reporting model.
He says he launched TMZ DC in a week after interviewing a TSA agent who was suffering during the shutdown and calling on viewers to send photos of lawmakers vacationing; the flood of images (including Lindsey Graham at Disney World) helped create impact.
He predicts the center of gravity in media has shifted decisively to social and YouTube formats.
Levin says television is “legacy” and even websites are now “legacy,” and he’s prioritizing social—especially YouTube—where TMZ is launching a monthly documentary in what he calls a rawer “YouTube style,” while continuing TV as long as it lasts.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesThey don't do interviews with people. They have conversations with people, and there's a huge difference.
— Harvey Levin
When I w- when I looked at that, I thought, "Traditional media is gone."
— Harvey Levin
Trump has always been a bit of Chernobyl. Anyone who gets too close to him doesn't survive. And he's now Chernobyl where the reactor has blown.
— Scott Galloway
No 80-year-old should run the country. No 72-year-old should be overseeing cops that have to retire at 55. Enough already.
— Scott Galloway
No individual should have that, and, and he is not elected, he is unaccountable.
— Kara Swisher
SPEAKERS
Scott Galloway
hostProfessor of marketing at NYU Stern and co-host of Pivot.
Kara Swisher
hostTechnology journalist and co-host of Pivot.
Harvey Levin
guestExecutive producer and founder of TMZ.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
