For people frustrated with the Trump administration or with how Democrats respond, the podcast I’ve Had It has likely shown up on their feeds. Hosted by Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan, the show makes its audience — and its targets — clear within seconds.
Welch, an interior designer, and Sullivan, an attorney, are middle-aged suburban women from Oklahoma who once appeared on Bravo reality TV. Their blunt, often profane style and scathing critiques of both Republicans and Democrats have built a large following. A recent episode opened with a shout-out to “Patriots, Gaytriots, Theytriots, Blacktriots, Browntriots” and a dismissive message for anyone who won’t support them.
Welch and Sullivan told NPR that the podcast channels a liberal base fed up with a Democratic Party they see as unwilling to fight President Trump. They criticize leaders like House and Senate Democratic heads for issuing “strongly worded letters” instead of taking bolder action. “We need more action than we need strongly worded letters,” Sullivan said.
Their backgrounds differ: Welch is a lifelong liberal and atheist who recently spent time in New York. Sullivan grew up conservative and evangelical but has become more comfortable sharing her progressive views. Both say key Democrats fail to stand up for marginalized groups, to back young progressive candidates such as New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, or to push back forcefully on Trump-era policies.
A flashpoint for them was Sen. Cory Booker’s answer when asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. Booker said his priority was ending the crisis and suggested such loaded questions undermined that urgency. Welch called the response a filibuster and a “chicken**** cowardice answer,” insisting the objective answer is yes. Moments like that demonstrate the show’s appeal: raw, unvarnished takes that many listeners find cathartic.
Episodes can be fiery. In “America’s Dumbass Dictator,” which premiered on Election Day, Sullivan lamented the “propaganda machine of MAGA” around talk that Trump might illegally stay in office. “I feel like we’ve gone from either you’re on the side of legality, the Constitution and democracy, or you’re full-blown fascist,” she said.
The hosts say their tone reflects how people actually talk — a mix of gossip, policy and insults that makes politics “more digestible.” They also note that Trump’s conversational media style influenced the broader political discourse; they deploy a similar directness while opposing him.
Their self-deprecating humor helps, Sullivan adds. Not taking themselves too seriously makes them feel like “a gal pal that you’re running around with,” she said. Clips of their salty language and barbed descriptions of Trump, Vice President Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans have gone viral, as have their withering rebukes of Democratic figures — sometimes delivered to those figures in person.
The show’s reach is broad. Welch says listeners come from all age groups, red and blue states, rural areas and big cities. Part of the novelty, she argues, is that two middle-aged women from a red state are so vocally engaged, which surprises some listeners.
I’ve Had It runs twice a week, and a shorter twice-daily news segment called IHIP News. Both sit high on podcast charts alongside established political programs, drawing hundreds of thousands of listens and views across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and other platforms.
At a time when political podcasting is often dominated by the manosphere or by attempts to find a “Joe Rogan of the Left,” Welch and Sullivan say their goal is practical: to nudge elected officials closer to voters. Welch rejects the blanket leftist impulse to “burn it all down.” Instead she advocates confronting and pressuring current politicians, pushing them as far as possible — and if that opens them to primary challenges, then perhaps they weren’t right leaders for the movement anyway.
