RealClearPolitics Podcast

Andrew, Tom, and Carl discuss Tuesday’s primary results in New Jersey, Montana, Iowa, and New Mexico and the fallout from Attorney General Merrick Garland’s five-hour testimony yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee. Then, they talk about today’s article in The Wall Street Journal headlined “Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping.” Reporters say it's based on interviews with more than 45 people over several months. They also discuss reports that the list of potential running mates for Donald Trump is getting shorter. Next, Tom Bevan talks to RCP Senior Elections Analyst Sean Trende about the long-term implications of the Trump conviction. And finally, Andrew Walworth talks to Bree Davies and Paul Karolyi of City Cast Denver, hosts of “Lauren Boebert Can’t Lose,” a limited series podcast they created that focuses on the life and political career of the Colorado Congresswoman.

Andrew, Tom, and Carl discuss new polling by Morning Consult and whether the verdict in the Trump trial will affect voters in November. They also talk about today’s Time Magazine cover story on Joe Biden and the reports of why Sally Buzbee, the top editor of the Washington Post, abruptly stepped down. Then, Andrew Walworth talks to A. B. Stoddard, columnist at the Bulwark news site, about the Democratic Party’s strategy to reach low-information voters. And last but not least, RCP White House Correspondent Phil Wegmann talks to Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) about his bid for leadership of the Senate GOP.

Andrew, Tom, and Carl discuss the most recent polling showing voters’ reaction to Donald Trump’s conviction and the politics surrounding Hunter Biden’s federal trial on gun possession charges, which started today with jury selection. They also discuss Dr. Anthony Fauci’s appearance before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Fauci was the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years before retiring. Next, RCP White House Correspondent Phil Wegmann talks to Michael Kripchak, the Democrat running in the special election in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. The election will be held on June 11th and the winner will serve the remainder of the term. The seat has been vacant since January when former representative Bill Johnson, a Republican, resigned to become the president of Youngstown State University. Then finally, Carl Cannon talks to historian Tevi Troy about the importance of party platforms in the run up to this summer’s political conventions.

Andrew, Tom, and Carl discuss Donald Trump’s statement today regarding his conviction on all 34 counts of falsifying business records and what it means for the GOP and the Democratic Party going forward. They also talk about how the Trump conviction will play with independent voters and how it may affect down-ballot races including former Maryland GOP Governor Larry Hogan’s bid for the Senate. Then, Andrew Walworth talks to RCP White House Correspondent Phil Wegmann about today’s reaction on the Trump verdict from President Biden. And then, Carl Cannon talks to Democratic political strategist Maria Cardona about her friend and CNN political commentator Alice Stewart, who died suddenly last week. Stewart was a Republican consultant who had worked on several presidential campaigns. She was 58 years old.

Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and Carl Cannon discuss today’s historic courtroom decision in the New York Hush Money trial where former President Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first-degree. This makes him the first American president ever to become a convicted felon. They also talk about a new NPR/PBS/Marist poll taken before the decision that shows voters’ attitudes toward a Trump conviction in the New York Hush Money case. Then, they discuss whether the Trump conviction affects the GOP Vice Presidential race. They also talk about Nikki Haley’s decision to write “Finish Them” on Israeli artillery shells during her trip to Israel over Memorial Day, Senator Fetterman’s commencement address to Yeshiva University graduates, and the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's support for pro-Palestine protesters on U.S. college campuses telling them in a post on X that they were "on the right side of history." Next, Carl Cannon talks to Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution about the gender gap in today’s politics and whether women will make the difference in this fall’s election. And finally, Tom Bevan talks to RCP Senior Elections Analyst Sean Trende about the current state of the presidential polls and Trump’s chances for victory in November.

Andrew, Tom, and Carl discuss new polling of Virginia voters that shows Biden and Trump in a tie and the Biden campaign’s plans for responding to the verdict in Trump’s New York hush money trial. They also talk about today’s RCP front page article by Mark Penn on the four key things that could alter the outcome of the 2024 presidential race. Then wrapping it up - Andrew Walworth interviews Nellie Bowles, columnist for The Free Press and author of the new book “Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History”.

Andrew Walworth and Tom Bevan, along with Emily Jashinsky of the Federalist  discuss today’s Biden campaign’s press event featuring actor Robert DeNiro, in front of the NY courthouse where Donald Trump’s trial is being held. They also talk about Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appearance at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday and a new Politico article about Democratic insiders “freak out” over Biden’s chances in November, and how the politics of housing will affect November’s election. RCP contributor Charlie Stone, host of the RCP video series “The Unknowns,” interviews Libertarian Presidential Candidate Chase Oliver.  And Andrew Walworth talks with author and historian Mark Moyar about his new book, “Masters of Corruption: How the Federal Bureaucracy Sabotaged The Trump Presidency.”

In this Memorial Day special edition, Andrew Walworth presents an extended interview with World War II veteran and author Bill Swanson. Swanson served in the US Marines from 1944 to 1946. He enlisted at the age of 18 and served as a rifleman in the Third Divisions’ Ninth regiment. He fought at Bougainville, Guadalcanal, Guam, and Iwo Jima. He wrote a book about his time in the war, which remained in a drawer for thirty years. Then In 2022, this remarkable book was published, with the title: The View from my Foxhole: A Marine Private’s World War II Combat Experience, from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima. Bill Swanson passed away on March 20th, 2023 at the age of 98, and on this day we remember him and all who served. In the first part of the program, John Sorensen and John Waters of RealClear Defense talk with his son, Jim Swanson about growing up in the Swanson household and the origins of the book. Then John Waters interviews Bill Swanson.

Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and RCP Senior Elections Analyst Sean Trende discuss last night’s Trump rally in The Bronx and a new ad released by the Biden campaign at black voters. They also chat about some remarks made by Trump to a TV reporter after the rally about how he views Nikki Haley and whether he revealed his top three choices for a potential running mate. They also go over yesterday’s 6-3 Supreme Court decision regarding redistricting in South Carolina and the controversy surrounding Justice Alito’s flying of flags associated with MAGA and the January 6th attack on the capitol at his home and vacation residence. Then rounding it out, they have a special Memorial Day segment - Carl Cannon interviews historian Mark Salter (who worked as speechwriter and chief of staff for John McCain) about true veteran heroes of the past.

Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan, and White House correspondent Phil Wegmann discuss the strategy behind Donald Trump’s rally in the Bronx tonight and Nikki Haley’s statement yesterday that she would be voting for Trump. They also talk about new polls that show ticket splitting may be more common in 2024 than in previous elections and Florida Senator Rick Scott’s announcement that he will join the race for leadership of Senate Republicans after Mitch McConnell steps down. Next, they discuss today’s report by the New York Times that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pressing to relax restrictions on the use of US weapons by Ukraine, to allow them to target missile and artillery launch sites within Russia itself. Also, they take a look at today’s House testimony by three university presidents about their handling of student protestors. Then finally, Andrew Walworth talks with Anne Rathbone Bradley, professor of economics at the Institute for World Politics and vice president of Academic Affairs at The Fund for American Studies about the growing bipartisan consensus over implementing tariffs and whether the era of global free trade is really coming to an end.