FiveThirtyEight Politics

FiveThirtyEight Politics

The 538 team covers the latest in politics, tracking the issues and "game-changers" every week.

Episodes

March 5, 2025 32 mins
Galen speaks with Nathaniel Rakich and Mary Radcliffe in this late night reaction to President Trump's address to Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Congress has kept relatively quiet during the first month of President Donald Trump's second term, but in the coming weeks it will be thrust into the spotlight. Amidst intraparty Republican debate over tax and spending cuts, Trump will deliver an address to Congress on Tuesday night. Legislators will also be tasked with funding the government by March 14 or face a shutdown. In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen spe...
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February 27, 2025 38 mins
It has been a difficult month for Americans afraid of flying. On Jan. 29, an American Airlines jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, killing 67 people. It was the first major U.S. commercial airline crash in more than 15 years and in the weeks since, there has been coverage of more plane crashes, accidents and near misses across the country. If headlines like these give you anxiety, you are not alone. Ac...
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The Democratic Party has reached at least a 15-year low in the public’s view, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters have an unfavorable view of the party, while that’s just 45 percent for the Republican Party. And more Democrats than not have an unfavorable opinion of their own members of Congress. Some Democrats say the party isn't doing enough to counter President Donald Trump, but when i...
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February 18, 2025 39 mins
In honor of Presidents’ Day, in this installment of the 538 Politics podcast Galen speaks with constitutional law professor Peter Shane about presidential power and its limits during President Trump's second term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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February 13, 2025 38 mins
On this Valentine’s Day installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen is joined by Daniel Cox and Kelsey Eyre Hammond of the Survey Center on American Life. They discuss the troubled state of American dating life and how the country fell into a “romantic recession.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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February 10, 2025 40 mins
In this post-Super Bowl edition of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew kicks things off with some prop bets and a look at the rapid rise of sports gambling. Then they dig into the offlining of key government datasets under President Donald Trump and why it matters for more than just data nerds. Finally, they analyze the high rate of Republican turnover in a Congress that’s becoming increasingly aligned with Trump. Learn more about y...
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February 6, 2025 39 mins
In the post-war world order, the United States and Europe have been among the closest of allies. What happens if President Donald Trump upends that equation? Jeanna Smialek, Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times, joins the show to break down the view from Europe. They take a look at how European leaders are reacting to the early days of Trump’s second term, the strategies EU nations are using in response to Trump's abrasive ...
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February 3, 2025 40 mins
After months of promising to impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners, President Donald Trump has made good on his word. On Friday, he announced 10 percent tariffs on China and 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, though the latter has been delayed by a month. Today on the 538 Politics podcast, the crew breaks down these tariff orders and how Americans feel about them. They also dive into Trump’s approval rating using 538’s new ...
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January 30, 2025 43 mins
This week, the Trump administration oversaw a federal funding fiasco. The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo attacking DEI programs and putting trillions in government funding at risk. States sued, and the administration backtracked —rescinding the memo but keeping the underlying order intact. As this unfolds, we ask: How much power does Trump’s administration actually have to withhold funding? Matt Glassman, senior fell...
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January 27, 2025 37 mins
President Donald Trump begins his second term as one of the least popular presidents in modern polling history. Yet, many of his policies — such as those surrounding DEI programs and immigration — are more popular than ever. What do Americans want from Trump’s second term? The crew delves into this question, exploring thermostatic public opinion, Trump’s strategy of testing the waters on key issues and the nuances of question wordi...
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The first few days of President Donald Trump’s second term have featured an avalanche of executive orders. But Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief will only take his agenda so far. His most ambitious goals must pass through Congress, where Republicans control both chambers, albeit by slim margins. On this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen is joined by Rachael Bade, Politico’s Capitol Hill bureau chief and senior Wa...
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January 20, 2025 48 mins
The crew reacts to President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address, as well as Trump’s plans for issuing dozens of executive orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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January 16, 2025 49 mins
With just days remaining in President Joe Biden’s term, the crew reflects on the past four years and tries to determine how this administration will be remembered. What were the high points, the low points and the most notable moments? They discuss Biden’s industrial policymaking, the vaccine rollout, inflation and the tumultuous summer of 2024. And they cover the destructive wildfires currently impacting Los Angeles. Learn more ab...
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January 13, 2025 31 mins
With one week remaining before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, the nation is orienting itself towards his policy goals. Will they include the addition of new American territory? On this episode of the podcast, the crew breaks down Trump’s recent comments about Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal. They also unpack how they are thinking about these types of comments from Trump — should they be taken literally, serious...
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January 9, 2025 24 mins
This is the third installment of the 538 Politics podcast mini-series, “Campaign Throwback.” Across three episodes, we're taking a look back at campaign tropes from past elections such as, “it’s the economy, stupid,” or “soccer moms” or that question about which candidate you’d rather share a beer with. We’ll ask where those tropes came from, whether they were actually true at the time and if they still hold up today. In our third ...
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What’s on the horizon for American politics in 2025? In this episode of the 538 Politics podcast, the team dives into what lies ahead. They start with Washington, analyzing President-elect Donald Trump’s first 100 days and the challenges Republicans face with their slim congressional majority. Next, they explore how public opinion on critical issues like the economy and immigration could evolve with Trump back in office. Finally, t...
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December 30, 2024 29 mins
This is the second installment of the 538 Politics podcast mini-series, “Campaign Throwback.” Across three episodes, we're taking a look back at campaign tropes from past elections such as, “it’s the economy, stupid,” or “soccer moms” or that question about which candidate you’d rather share a beer with. We’ll ask where those tropes came from, whether they were actually true at the time and if they still hold up today. In our secon...
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December 23, 2024 25 mins
This is the first installment of the 538 Politics podcast mini-series, “Campaign Throwback.” Across three episodes, we're taking a look back at campaign tropes from past elections such as, “it’s the economy, stupid,” or “soccer moms” or that question about which candidate you’d rather share a beer with. We’ll ask where those tropes came from, whether they were actually true at the time and if they still hold up today. Our first ins...
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December 19, 2024 42 mins
What would you save to remember 2024 in politics? In the second part of our end-of-year series on the 538 Politics podcast, the crew builds a time capsule to capture the political essence of the year. From a Dean Phillips bumper sticker to President-elect Donald Trump’s 16-page indictment and the 538 polling average, they debate what deserves to be preserved. Plus, a discussion on the looming government shutdown. Learn more about y...
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