Episodes
Donald Trump has shocked Democrats and Republicans by announcing far–right congressman Matt Gaetz as his pick for the role of attorney general. As the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, he would direct the government’s legal positions on critical issues, including abortion, civil rights and first amendment cases. Gaetz has himself been investigated for sex-trafficking and sexual misconduct, although never charged. What else do we know about congressman Matt Gaetz and has his nomination...
Published 11/14/24
Donald Trump has won the presidency more comprehensively than expected. Republicans have flipped the Senate. However, the Democrats are still holding out hope that they can take control of the House of Representatives and prevent the president-elect from having legislative carte blanche. Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Washington Post reporter Marianna Sotomayor about what happens if Democrats are not victorious in the lower chamber
Published 11/08/24
Published 11/08/24
In the end it was not even that close. Jonathan Freedland is joined by Susan Glasser and Nikki McCann Ramirez to discuss what went wrong for Kamala Harris as Donald Trump wins a second presidential term – and for the first time a convicted felon is elected to the White House
Published 11/06/24
Jonathan Freedland crosses several state lines ahead of 5 November, following the candidates and their surrogates, as they try everything to pick up the votes to swing the election in their favour
Published 11/04/24
The Harris campaign is making a special effort to reach out to young voters. So how important will they be? The Guardian democracy reporter Alice Herman travels to rallies, campuses and college bars in Wisconsin to get a sense of whether young voters can swing this election
Published 10/31/24
Why is the tech billionaire owner of X spending millions on helping the Trump campaign? What does he get out of it? What’s at stake for him if Kamala Harris wins on 5 November? Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian US democracy reporter focused on misinformation, Rachel Leingang
Published 10/25/24
The Harris campaign, which has been praised for how it has managed to reach out to women, is now having to balance their attention and pitch some policies that would appeal to men. But is it too little too late? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Richard Reeves, the president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, and Gloria Oladipo, a breaking news reporter for Guardian US, about why men could decide this year’s election and why both campaigns might be taking them for granted
Published 10/18/24
The former speaker of the House of Representatives tells Jonathan Freedland why she thinks Donald Trump is a fascist, why she still hasn’t spoken to Joe Biden since helping to force him from the race, and her fears for November’s election
Published 10/15/24
It’s less than a month before the US presidential election. Donald Trump is pushing conspiracy theories over the federal response to hurricanes battering several states, and denying he gave Covid-19 test machines to Vladimir Putin during the pandemic. Joe Biden is in talks with Benjamin Netanyahu over growing tension in the Middle East. Kamala Harris rattled through a media blitz, with some criticising her campaign strategy. And Melania Trump has written about being pro-abortion and...
Published 10/11/24
Whoever gets into the White House, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, they will need the two chambers of Congress to align with their values to get a lot of what they want to achieve done. And the race for the Senate is really hotting up. This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to Jessica Taylor, Senate and governors editor for the Cook Political Report, about whether Senate Democrats can defend their narrow control over the upper chamber, and what happens if the person who wins the White House...
Published 10/04/24
Joan E Greve and Leah Wright Rigueur discuss JD Vance and Tim Walz’s clash on the debate stage in New York City on Tuesday night. Although Walz gave a solid performance, it was described as underwhelming, while Vance attempted to reset his image and get on the front foot. Will this debate have moved the needle at all? And as the situation in the Middle East escalates, where do Trump and Harris stand on foreign policy?
Published 10/02/24
Polling out this week suggests Kamala Harris could be outperforming Donald Trump in the crucial sun-belt states of Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina. So what happens if these polls are right? Can Donald Trump win the presidency without them? This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to George Chidi, politics and democracy reporter for Guardian US, about how these states could be be make or break for either candidate
Published 09/27/24
With six weeks to go before the election, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the author Sasha Abramsky about the prospect of a second January 6 attack should the former president refuse to accept the election outcome
Published 09/20/24
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met face to face for the first time on a debate stage in Philadelphia. So who won the showdown? What did we learn about what they would do in the Oval Office? And will it really change anything come election day in November?Jonathan Freedland and Nikki McCann Ramirez of Rolling Stone discuss it all
Published 09/11/24
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will meet face to face on the debate stage next Tuesday. Jonathan Freedland speaks to Paul Begala – who helped Al Gore to prepare for his 2000 debate against George W Bush – about what the 2024 candidates will be doing to prepare. What can they do to increase their chances of coming out on top, and will this debate be as election-defining as the last?
Published 09/06/24
At the end of July, the TV news anchor turned rightwing politician Kari Lake won the Republican Senate primary in Arizona. She will face Democrat Ruben Gallego in November. So how will the Trump-inspired election denier do? Where does Kari Lake fit in with today’s Republican party? And will her presence help or hinder Trump in that all-important border swing state? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Elaine Godfrey of the Atlantic to find out more about the Senate hopeful
Published 08/30/24
Late on Thursday night in Chicago, Kamala Harris accepted the nomination to be her party’s presidential candidate, ending the week’s Democratic National Convention on a high. The southern bureau chief for Guardian US, Olly Laughland, hears from senior political reporter Lauren Gambino about what she saw in that Chicago convention centre this week, and whether or not the Harris campaign can maintain this momentum until November
Published 08/23/24
Not so long ago, Donald Trump was riding high in the polls; the mood music was positive for his presidential campaign. Then Joe Biden dropped out of the race. After months of campaigning against his old foe, Trump now seems to be missing him and struggling to come up with a fresh attack against his new opponent, Kamala Harris. This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to Susan Glasser of the New Yorker about Trump’s challenges as he tries to turn things around after a less than stellar month on...
Published 08/16/24
The de facto Democratic nominee for US president has picked her running mate, and it is the Minnesota governor Tim Walz. He’s called Donald Trump and JD Vance ‘weird’, but will he be able to pull in enough support for Harris? Jonathan Freedland is joined by the political commentator Molly Jong-Fast to discuss whether Harris made and the right pick, and if the Republicans should be worried
Published 08/06/24
This week, Paul Dans, the leader of the controversial Project 2025, resigned and signalled in a company email that work on it was ‘winding down’. The project had become a manifesto of rightwing policies that would serve as a guide for the next Republican president. However, there is a significant stumbling block: Donald Trump wants nothing to do with it. Joan E Greve and Rachel Leingang discuss whether this marks the beginning of the end of Project 2025
Published 08/02/24
Kamala Harris enjoyed a brief period of excitement as Democrats rallied behind her presidential bid ahead of November’s election. Only a few days in, however, she is being asked questions over her stance on Israel and the war in Gaza. With fewer than 100 days left, Joan Greve speaks to the former adviser to Barack Obama and co-host of Pod Save The World, Ben Rhodes, about the state of play for November 2024
Published 07/26/24
Joe Biden has withdrawn from the presidential race after weeks of pressure to quit. Four months before Americans head to the polls, Biden has endorsed his vice-president Kamala Harris to be the new nominee. Jonathan Freedland is joined by politics reporter Nikki McCann Ramírez to discuss what happens next. Will Democrats rally around Harris, who has already had endorsements from fellow Democrats, and does she have what it takes to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump?
Published 07/21/24
After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump over the weekend, the Republican national convention gathered in Milwaukee this week to welcome him as the party’s presidential nominee. But not all eyes were on the former president. Standing next to him, above the chanting crowd, was his newly appointed candidate for vice-president, JD Vance. It was a surprising move for the Ohio senator and author of Hillbilly Elegy, who once described himself as a ‘never Trumper’ and his new boss as...
Published 07/17/24
On Saturday night in London, word came through that Donald Trump had been injured during one of his rallies in Pennsylvania. A shooter, who killed another person and seriously injured others, was killed by Secret Service agents. As the US comes to grips with what just happened, Jonathan Freedland and Sidney Blumenthal discuss what this tragedy means for the former president’s image with less than five months until the election
Published 07/14/24