Trump's New Press Secretary Is a Total Disaster. We Can't Wait for More

Kara and Scott unpack Elon Musk's role in Ukraine's Starshield disruption, his quarter-billion-dollar midterm spending spree, and the fight against Russian bots. Then, they discuss the new White House press secretary’s painfully awkward debut, with insight from someone who's been there, briefly: Anthony Scaramucci. Plus, Trump’s reversal on livestreaming an execution, a bizarre espionage scandal at OpenAI, and Apple’s latest play for the smart home. Kara and Scott are going on tour! Get your tickets at https://www.PivotTour.com Subscribe to Pivot! https://www.youtube.com/@pivot?sub_confirmation=1 00:00 Intro 8:16 Elon, Starshield, and Ukraine 11:48 Elon’s Midterm Spending 14:29 Drone and Bot Warfare 25:04 Trump's New Press Secretary 30:40 Execution Livestream Reversal 40:19 OpenAI's Espionage Scandal 44:48 Apple's New HomeView 54:13 Predictions #elonmusk #starlink #starshield #ukraine #ukrainewar #ukrainenews #ukrainerussiawar #zelensky #midtermelections #2026election #campaignfinance #bots #botfarms #russianbots #trumpnews #donaldtrump #presidentrump #presssecretary #katiezacharia #attorney #lawdegree #barexam #china #petehegseth #pentagon #execution #livestream #hillaryclinton #secretaryclinton #openai #spies #espionage #apple #applehomeview #appledevices Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Todd Wiseman 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 email pivot@voxmedia.com About Pivot With great power, comes great scrutiny. Every Tuesday and Friday, journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else. Episodes blend breaking news analysis with bold predictions, sharp debate, and the occasional argument between the two hosts. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Scott GallowayhostKara SwisherhostAnthony Scaramuccicameo

Oct 16, 20261h 5mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 16, 2026
Duration: 1h 5m
Channel: Pivot
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Kara and Scott unpack Elon Musk's role in Ukraine's Starshield disruption, his quarter-billion-dollar midterm spending spree, and the fight against Russian bots. Then, they discuss the new White House press secretary’s painfully awkward debut, with insight from someone who's been there, briefly: Anthony Scaramucci. Plus, Trump’s reversal on livestreaming an execution, a bizarre espionage scandal at OpenAI, and Apple’s latest play for the smart home. Kara and Scott are going on tour! Get your tickets at https://www.PivotTour.com Subscribe to Pivot! https://www.youtube.com/@pivot?sub_confirmation=1 00:00 Intro 8:16 Elon, Starshield, and Ukraine 11:48 Elon’s Midterm Spending 14:29 Drone and Bot Warfare 25:04 Trump's New Press Secretary 30:40 Execution Livestream Reversal 40:19 OpenAI's Espionage Scandal 44:48 Apple's New HomeView 54:13 Predictions #elonmusk #starlink #starshield #ukraine #ukrainewar #ukrainenews #ukrainerussiawar #zelensky #midtermelections #2026election #campaignfinance #bots #botfarms #russianbots #trumpnews #donaldtrump #presidentrump #presssecretary #katiezacharia #attorney #lawdegree #barexam #china #petehegseth #pentagon #execution #livestream #hillaryclinton #secretaryclinton #openai #spies #espionage #apple #applehomeview #appledevices Producers: Lara Naaman Zoë Marcus Taylor Griffin Todd Wiseman 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 email pivot@voxmedia.com About Pivot With great power, comes great scrutiny. Every Tuesday and Friday, journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else. Episodes blend breaking news analysis with bold predictions, sharp debate, and the occasional argument between the two hosts. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

SPEAKERS

Scott Galloway
host
Professor of marketing at NYU Stern and co-host of Pivot.
Kara Swisher
host
Technology journalist and co-host of Pivot.
Anthony Scaramucci
cameo
Former White House communications director and political commentator.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Pivot, featuring Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher, Trump's New Press Secretary Is a Total Disaster. We Can't Wait for More explores musk’s geopolitical power, Trump’s chaos, and tech’s security reckoning Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway argue that Starshield/Starlink disruptions around Ukraine reflect a dangerous merger of private tech power and U.S. geopolitical decision-making.

RELATED EPISODES