The Smerconish Podcast

Michael talks trade and tariffs with former Louisiana Lt. Governor and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who also served as President Biden's senior advisor for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation. He compares trade relationships with other countries under Biden versus today, and the impact of U.S. jobs and the economy. And, they discuss today's Smerconish.com poll question on whether what President Trump is doing with tariffs now is a permanent part of his trade policy, or, a negotiating tactic. Original air date 8 April 2025.

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com asks: Are President Trump's tariffs a permanent fixture of his trade policy or primarily a negotiating tactic? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

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Michael offers a commentary on what's happening in the financial markets as a result of President Trump enacting reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners around the world. This leads to ask you Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Will the Dow Jones Industrial Average close higher or lower this Friday than it did last Friday (38,314.86)? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

The New York Times reporter Charles Homans joins Michael to discuss his new piece "The Strange, Post-Partisan Popularity of the Unabomber'"; a piece that takes a deep dive into the life and death of Ted Kaczynski, infamously known as the "Unabomber". In this interview Homans unpacks the shocking uptick in Ted Kaczynski's popularity. Original air date 4 April 2025.

The stock market has taken a massive hit since President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs against foreign trading partners on "Liberation Day". Michael offers a commentary on this, leading to Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Has President Trump just triggered a recession? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

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Michael offers an insightful commentary on yesterday's reciprocal tariffs announcement at the White House, focusing on Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: If Trump's tariffs boost American manufacturing, will they outweigh the downsides, such as higher prices and strained international relations? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.

2WAY Editor-in-Chief Mark Halperin appeared in the "New Media" seat in the White House Briefing Room, and asked the first question of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at yesterday's press briefing. He gives us the behind-the-scenes scoop of his day in Washington (but doesn't answer ALL the details of what Michael is looking for), plus, hear his analysis on today's top political headlines. Then, hear some audience reactions to today's Smerconish.com daily poll question, which asks "Just for sh*ts and giggles, who would win this race in 2028: Barack Obama vs Donald Trump?" Original air date 2 April 2025.

If you were to match up sports all stars - in their prime - against each other, who would win? Lebron James vs Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson vs Mohammed Ali, Serena Williams vs Billie Jean King....who wins? Michael ponders this with an out-of-the-box poll question today at Smerconish.com, based on the talk of President Trump trying to run for a third term as President (currently prohibited under the Constitution, of course): Just for sh*ts and giggles, who would win this race in 2028: Barack Obama vs Donald Trump? Listen here to Michael's take, then vote at Smerconish.com, and please leave a rating and review of this podcast! The Daily Poll Question is a thought-provoking query each day at Smerconish.com on a political, social, or other human interest issue. Entirely non-scientific, it always begins a great conversation. Michael talks about it in this podcast each weekday.