Things Steve Schmidt Has Said on Podcasts

“The party isn't going to be chastened, the Republican Party. It's going to be crazier. Mike Johnson will be gone. Jim Jordan will be the likely minority leader. So it will be harder, it will be extreme, it will be denser, it will be smaller.” — Steve Schmidt on Mike Johnson, The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Said by political strategist Steve Schmidt in a conversation with Katie Couric, 19 days before the November 2026 midterms. Asked how Trump and congressional Republicans would react if Democrats win, he predicted the House Republican conference would move further right after losing seats.

The Warning with Steve Schmidt · 2026-10-19 Permalink → Listen →

The Warning with Steve Schmidt Around 32:07 into the episode

Steve Schmidt

…love to see Tommy Tuberville get voted out, but I don't know where Doug Jones standing in the state is. He's someone who's been around the electoral block And so, like, if he's not ahead in the race, you know, we're very close to being in an even race, he's probably not going to make it. Got it.

Katie Couric

…Democratic Senate. But how do you think that will impact both Trump in the White House, his agenda, and Republicans on Capitol Hill? Do you think they're going to be running for cover and his coattails are going to look a lot less appealing? I'm curious what you think the dynamics are going to be.

Steve Schmidt

So I'm going to give you an astronomical analogy, right? So a star, a white star, a dwarf giant, right, when it starts to collapse, as it gets smaller, right, it gets heavier and it gets denser. And this is like a political party. So the party isn't going to be chastened, the Republican Party. It's going to be crazier. Mike Johnson will be gone. Jim Jordan will be the likely minority leader. So it will be harder, it will be extreme, it will be denser, it will be smaller, it will be like that star. It will be more detached from reality, it will be more devoted to Trump, and it will be more demagogic. Full on. The 2028 candidates will all say, my God, having seen 26, but knowing they can't survive Trump's rebuke in a Republican primary. The Republican race will be late starting because they'll all have to buy the fiction that Trump can run for a third term and nobody can give Trump offense by starting to campaign before the pretending ends. There are going to be investigations. There's going to be cries of victimization and…

Katie Couric

Steve, just quickly, can retribution hurt the Democrats? I was talking to somebody about the difference between retribution and accountability, right? And do the Democrats need to tread carefully on making sure that all of these people are held accountable?

Steve Schmidt

Well, I think that you have to be... Democrats are going to take power. All power is coercive, right? Power is about imposing something on someone to do something they would otherwise not want to do, compelling them to do something. The exercise of power can be for the good or for the bad. It's a…

Katie Couric

I'm not laughing. I just love how no bullshit you are, Steve.

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

“I think Pritzker has been impressive over the last two years. I think that Gavin Newsom, you know, certainly is somebody who has a lot of political skill and has been in the fight.” — Steve Schmidt on JB Pritzker, The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt on The Warning, talking with former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee about who might run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

The Warning with Steve Schmidt · 2026-08-06 Permalink → Listen →

The Warning with Steve Schmidt Around 20:36 into the episode

Speaker 2

I think Pritzker has been impressive over the last two years.

Speaker 1

Uh.

Speaker 2

I think that Gavin Newsom, you know, certainly is somebody who has a lot of lot of political uh, a lot of political skill has been has been in the fight. Who are who are some of the other people that when when you look out and and you you see his prospective candidates not not looking for an endorsement, you know that that share. You know, what I would say is Carbal's position, my position, which is run. I hope Ramammanuel will run. I think that's an important voice in the in the in the party. I hope Jason Crowe uh, the Colorado congressman uh will run.

Speaker 1

Uh.

Speaker 2

I'd like to see a really a really big field anybody else out there that that you look at and say, I'd like to see them as a candidate, see what they got.

Speaker 3

Well. I would encourage anybody who has a and credibility to run this year because it's an open field to run, right, So if you're an open field runner. There's a lot to run on, and I think that that you have candidates that who may be you know, in the two or three percent polling right now, It…

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

“But this US Senate race in Georgia, the best run in the country, is something very very special. And what we're seeing is a young American Leader emerge and he has the antidote.” — Steve Schmidt on Jon Ossoff, The Warning with Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt, a former Republican strategist, on his podcast The Warning, discussing Sen. Ossoff's re-election campaign in Georgia and the Democrats' 2026 midterm prospects.

The Warning with Steve Schmidt · 2026-08-17 Permalink → Listen →

The Warning with Steve Schmidt Around 04:23 into the episode

Speaker 2

…back against President Trump in twenty twenty. As you recall, he told him his election claims were detached from reality. If you were faced with a similar situation, something that you did not think actually met the standard, the legal standard in your mind, would you stand up to the president?

Speaker 3

…x ra Y. He does not do that. He has never done that, he will never do that. And so if there's something that he wants to do but he needs to know that there's a challenge or that we can't do it, of course I will tell him. It happens all the time with all of his leaders, and that's what he expects.

Speaker 1

But he definitely thinks you are a moron if you believe that. Here's John Osoff in the state of Georgia, the US senator running for reelection. And there is something worth mentioning. There are two senators per state. And when it comes to Georgia, if you were to judge the two senators as a team, Warnock and us Off, they're the Dodgers and the Yankees put together combined with the rest of the league. What an extraordinary duo the state of Georgia has. Both men are fit and ready for serious national leadership. But this US Senate race in Georgia, the best run in the country, is something very very special. And what we're seeing is a young American Leader emerge and he has the antidote.

Speaker 4

Now, remember he promised to lower prices on day one. You remember that? And I want the President's remaining supporters to hear this, because it was all a lie. Under Donald J. Trump, it costs more than ever to stock your fridge, to power your home, to make a cup of coffee, to buy school supplies…

Speaker 1

He is carrying the vaccine, and it will be a tragedy and a travesty if he does not run for president of the United States. There are some other Democrats who are a breadth of fresh air, like the Kentucky governor Andy Basher. They are a break from the past. They are a bridge to the future, a future…

Speaker 4

When Eva's old enough to ask me why I let this happen, I'm determined to answer truthfully. But I didn't. I'll tell her how the same year she turned five, Georgia stood up all together, all at once and said enough is enough. I'll tell her how we overcame every doubt and dirty trick, not just to…

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

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