Hey folks,
The internet lit up this week over video of FBI Director Kash Patel celebrating with the U.S. Olympic hockey team — beers in hand, locker room energy, President Trump on speakerphone. On one level, it’s a feel-good, rah-rah Team USA moment. On another, it raises a bigger question: what does leadership look like right now?
Here’s the thing — optics matter. Especially when you’re the head of the FBI. When people are worried about affordability, public safety, and the state of our politics, they don’t want to see top officials looking like they’re at spring break. Even if the trip was scheduled. Even if the security coordination was legitimate. The perception piece is unavoidable.
But this also says something about the moment we’re in politically. Everything becomes tribal instantly. If you like Trump, you probably think this is patriotic and overblown. If you don’t, you see it as unserious at best and inappropriate at worst. That divide isn’t going away.
The deeper issue for both parties isn’t a locker-room video. It’s trust. Voters are frustrated. They’re worried about costs, about stability, about whether the people in charge are focused on their lives. When leaders — Republican or Democrat — seem disconnected from that reality, it reinforces the cynicism that’s already baked into the system.
And heading into 2026 and 2028, that trust gap is going to matter a lot more than one viral clip.
We’ve got to get back to substance.
—Mike
