Analysis of recent political convention and staffing considerations for a second Trump administration

The Washington Roundtable: Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos discuss takeaways from the Republican National Convention, which Glasser reports had the feeling of “a very polite Midwestern cult meeting.” Plus, Donald Trump's selection of J. D. Vance as his running mate and the mounting pressure for President Biden to drop out of the race.

This week’s reading:

• “Donald Trump’s Second Coming,” by Susan B. Glasser
• “Doctors Are Increasingly Worried About Biden,” by Dhruv Khullar
• “The Rise of the New Right at the Republican National Convention,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
• “Are We Already Moving On from the Assassination Attempt on Trump?” by Jay Caspian Kang
• “The Paralysis of the Democratic Party,” by Isaac Chotiner
• “Why Donald Trump Picked J. D. Vance for Vice-President,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells
• “Bernie Sanders Wants Joe Biden to Stay in the Race,” by Isaac Chotiner
• “Trump, Unity, and MAGA Miracles at the R.N.C.,” by Antonia Hitchens

To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send in feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com with “The Political Scene” in the subject line.