Room Temp

The blue wave hit, MAGA got washed away, and Janesh showed up in a robe to celebrate. On this election-week episode of Room Temp, Janesh and Markos break down Democrats' stunning midterm victories, from Texas and South Carolina to Kansas and beyond, as Republicans scramble to explain what the hell just happened. Elon Musk spent a fortune, Trump is blaming everyone but himself, and JD Vance is alre...

Less than a week until the midterms, and Republicans are busy defending the Cheesecake Factory. Janesh and Markos unpack explosive allegations about Jared Kushner's secretive financial dealings with Gulf states, wonder why the media isn't treating his phone like Hunter Biden's laptop, and revisit Barack Obama's brutal comparison of Trump's White House to a Cheesecake Factory run by Saddam Hussein....

Two weeks until the midterms, and apparently everyone has decided to make things weird. Janesh and Markos dig into Republicans' increasingly desperate dirty tricks, from a Josh Hawley staffer's viral confrontation with Abdul El-Sayed to a truly ugly family attack ad in Ohio and a bizarre anti-trans mailing in Texas. Meanwhile, Democrats are finding time for their favorite pre-election tradition: f...

Janesh returns from Italy with some thoughts on fascism, only to discover that Russia's internet is having a worse week than America's. He and Markos dig into Ukraine's attacks on Russian data centers, Elon Musk's increasingly questionable priorities, and the spectacularly bizarre conspiracy theory surrounding James Talarico's eight-day absence. Plus, Trump's new press secretary makes a memorable...

Republicans are staring at ugly polls and have finally identified the problem: apparently they just need better messaging. Janesh and Markos dig into the increasingly desperate advice conservatives are giving Trump, why you can’t PR your way out of people struggling to afford groceries and gas, and the small problem that their proposed solution is usually just more Trump. Plus, gay whales enter th...

Turns out empathy is a lot easier when the problem shows up in your own backyard. Janesh and Markos dig into conservatives discovering consequences in real time, why “socialism” suddenly isn’t scaring people like it used to, and whether there’s a difference between meeting Trump and actually letting him run the conversation. Plus, data centers become an unlikely political awakening, MAGA buyer’s r...

Trump started a war he can’t seem to finish, the fallout is hitting everything from global shipping to the gas pump, and Republicans are discovering that being stuck with him might be almost as bad as trying to escape him. Janesh and Markos dig into Trump’s Middle East mess, the GOP’s MAGA problem, and what Democrats should actually do with power. Plus, MAGA buyer’s remorse hits Facebook, Newt Gin...

One in five Trump voters now regrets their vote, but apparently admitting you got conned is the hardest part. Janesh and Markos dig into MAGA buyer's remorse, Democrats' chronic inability to just say the damn thing, and why culture-war politics hit differently when nobody can afford groceries. Plus: Cory Booker gets some unsolicited campaign advice, the beef saga takes a turn toward horse, and thi...

Trump is renaming lakes while screwing with ballots, Canada is staging an economic intervention, and data centers have accomplished the impossible: pissing off basically everyone. Janesh and Markos dig into a country on a political bender, Democrats’ chance to finally stop playing nice, and one MAGA voter discovering that the social safety net is pretty useful when you’re the one who needs it.

Natalie Harp is never far from Trump, Republicans are finally learning that pearl-clutching isn’t a strategy, and “America First” ranchers are getting served mystery beef with a side of buyer’s remorse. From presidential grocery circulars to a viral farmer revolt, this week’s news has officially outrun the satire.

Janesh and Markos take on Flock’s “we’ll surveil you a little less” reforms, whether Woke 2.0 can keep the progressive ideas and lose the lecture, and one Arkansas MAGA voter’s slow realization that Trump may have sold him a bill of goods. Turns out privacy, groceries, rent, and healthcare are pretty good politics. Who knew?

Janesh and Markos have a few questions: Why is the surveillance state tracking your car? Why are Democrats afraid of the “govern” button? And when the flock did JD Vance become a socialist? Privacy is dead, words have lost all meaning, and the cameras caught the whole thing.

Janesh and Markos are back to roast Andrew Tate's arrest outfit, dig into the billion-dollar manosphere machine, ask why Trump supporters keep inventing promises he never made, and laugh through another week where reality refused to cooperate with the MAGA narrative.

Janesh and Markos are back to unpack Elon Musk's spectacular fall from real-life Tony Stark to terminally online billionaire, why the ultra-rich can't stop chasing validation, and another Social Media Star who somehow thinks food stamps and chemtrails belong in the same conversation.

Janesh and Markos are back to break down America's World Cup moment, Zohran Mamdani's messaging advantage, the internet's saddest MAGA dating story, and why fixing real problems has become the most radical idea in politics.

Janesh and Markos are back to unpack Lindsey Graham's bizarre political legacy, the people eager to replace him, and another week of internet delusion—from DEI panic at 30,000 feet to imaginary Trump promises and Facebook generals convinced they've solved foreign policy. When reality becomes optional, everything starts making sense ... at least to these people.

Janesh and Markos are back to break down Mitch McConnell's latest health rumors, Trump's magical Walmart sale, a World Cup curse, crypto bros losing their shirts, and the MAGA voters slowly discovering that the guy who promised to fix everything is mostly fixing his own bank account.

Janesh and Markos are back to explain crypto like normal people, roast billionaires for feeding cows beer, wonder what the hell Bill Gates is doing, and figure out why Trump supporters keep getting scammed by the guy they keep trusting.

After a few weeks away, Janesh and Markos are back—just in time to discuss how a Reflecting Pool became a national controversy. Dead ducklings. Algae blooms. No-bid contracts. A rally nobody wants to perform at. Somehow, all of it makes perfect sense in Trump's America.

Before we take a short break, we're revisiting the best moments from the first 15 episodes of Room Temp—the weirdest headlines, the dumbest takes, the wildest MAGA posts, and the clips that made us laugh the hardest.

Trump’s back at Walter Reed, billionaires are hoarding wealth like cartoon villains, and normal people can’t afford gas anymore. Janesh and Markos break down Trump’s latest health drama, why America keeps rewarding the worst rich people alive, and how even MAGA voters are starting to realize the economy isn’t magically fixing itself. Plus: Obama nostalgia, luxury brands panicking, and Spencer Prat...

Gas prices are up, Trump’s approval is collapsing, and somehow the White House ballroom obsession is getting worse. Janesh and Markos break down Trump looking weak in China, the Iran fallout hammering the economy, and why even parts of the MAGA base are finally starting to crack. Plus: weird architecture rants, angry Trump voters begging for help online, and America slowly turning into a casino-th...

Prices are rising, things are getting worse—and Trump says he doesn’t care. Janesh and Markos break down the moment it finally clicks: the economy, the chaos, and a president more focused on memes, grudges, and himself than anything affecting real people. Plus: Truth Social spirals, voter regret, and why even his own supporters are starting to crack.

Democrats are on track to win big… and nobody feels good about it. Janesh and Markos break down what’s actually wrong: weak messaging, internal fights, consultant brain, and a party that can’t decide what it stands for. Plus: gerrymandering wars, boomer politicians who won’t leave, and why voters are frustrated—even when they agree.

Something major happens ... and within minutes, nobody agrees on what’s real. Janesh and Markos break down the instant conspiracies, Trump’s bizarre response, the ballroom obsession, and why everything now feels like political theater. Plus: culture wars, billionaire frustration, and a country that’s just … tired.