To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes
You are not the crazy ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
June 24, 2025 • 49 mins
Charlie Sykes is joined by Iraq War veteran and Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff for a sobering conversation on the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran and the implications of Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to launch it. They unpack the erosion of guardrails around war powers, the growing risks of domestic instability, and the unnerving absence of public debate. With both urgency and reflection, they challenge listeners...
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June 19, 2025 • 58 mins
Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security advisor to Mike Pence, joins Charlie Sykes to share her firsthand experience observing immigration court and the chilling tactics now being employed by ICE. They discuss the erosion of due process, the rise of politically motivated enforcement, and the broader consequences of fear-based governance under Donald Trump. From domestic crackdowns to foreign policy brinkmanship, Troye offers a sober...
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June 17, 2025 • 61 mins
On the 10th anniversary of Trump’s infamous escalator ride, Charlie Sykes and Ryan Lizza reflect on a decade that has radically transformed American politics, media, and civic norms. From the reshaping of both political parties to the growing threat of political violence and institutional collapse, they explore how the Trump era has become the gravitational force around which everything now orbits.
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June 14, 2025 • 34 mins
Charlie Sykes welcomes Atlantic writer Tom Nichols for a fiery, wide-ranging conversation on a week that felt pulled from a dystopian novel. From a U.S. Senator being manhandled at a press conference to Trump’s military parade dreams and the radicalization of the armed forces, Nichols warns of authoritarian drift masked as political theater. They also dig into Israel’s bold strike on Iran, and whether the world is stumbling into a ...
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June 12, 2025 • 51 mins
Charlie Sykes is joined by legal analyst and Talking Feds host Harry Litman for a sobering conversation about Donald Trump's latest maneuvers to militarize immigration enforcement—and what it signals for the future of American democracy. From the potential invocation of the Insurrection Act to the silence of military leadership, the two explore how far Trump might go and whether any meaningful guardrails remain.
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June 10, 2025 • 46 mins
Charlie Sykes is joined by political scientist and author Brian Klaas for a sobering look at how modern politics has come to attract the worst kinds of personalities—and why that’s no accident. They unpack the structural rot that fuels a rise in psychopathy, narcissism, and performative extremism among elected officials, and discuss the accelerating shift from public service to influencer-style spectacle. From Trump’s latest author...
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June 8, 2025 • 28 mins
Senator Angus King joins Charlie Sykes for a sobering conversation on the erosion of constitutional norms, the rise of authoritarianism, and Congress’s failure to defend its own power. Drawing lessons from history—including Margaret Chase Smith’s defiance of McCarthyism—King warns that America’s democratic experiment is more vulnerable than most realize. From executive overreach to geopolitical isolation, this episode explores what...
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June 5, 2025 • 41 mins
Charlie Sykes and Adam Kinzinger dig into the political fallout from Elon Musk's dramatic split with Donald Trump, examining what it means for MAGA loyalty, conservative orthodoxy, and the future of Republican messaging. They explore how the culture war has overtaken fiscal policy, the strategic shifts in the war in Ukraine, and the geopolitical implications of China’s dominance in rare earth minerals. The episode also highlights t...
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June 3, 2025 • 46 mins
Economist Justin Wolfers joins Charlie Sykes to unpack the economic whiplash of Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again trade wars, explaining why the president's tariff policies are more than just political theater—they’re rewriting the rules of international trade. In a lively, metaphor-rich conversation, they explore the constitutional implications of executive overreach, the fragility of global trust, and why bad policy still sticks...
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June 1, 2025 • 44 mins
Historian Julian Zelizer joins Charlie Sykes to discuss Donald Trump’s growing hostility toward former allies—from the Federalist Society to Elon Musk—and what it signals about a second Trump term. They explore the erosion of institutional guardrails, the chilling effects on higher education, and the constitutional dangers of unchecked presidential power. Plus, how Trump’s loyalty-first mindset is reshaping the judiciary, trade pol...
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May 29, 2025 • 39 mins
Charlie Sykes is joined by veteran journalist Ron Fournier to discuss the unraveling of Donald Trump’s once-close alliances with Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu. They unpack the transactional nature of power, the scale and brazenness of political corruption, and the challenge of escaping America’s two-party stranglehold. The episode also explores whether a practical, independent political movement—like one emergin...
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May 25, 2025 • 48 mins
Garry Kasparov, Russian dissident and former world chess champion, dissects what he calls the "Putinization" of America. They explore Trump’s admiration for strongmen, the collapse of institutional resistance, and how American democracy is being reshaped by unchecked executive power, corruption, and fear. With lessons from Russia and a warning for 2026, Kasparov lays out why the next move belongs to those who still believe in liber...
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May 22, 2025 • 60 mins
Charlie Sykes and Chris Cillizza discuss the political rise and fall of Elon Musk, the self-inflicted wounds of the Democratic Party, and the continuing fallout from the Biden presidency. From Tesla’s brand implosion to the revelations in Jake Tapper’s book Original Sin, they explore how delusion, denial, and a lack of strategic foresight contributed to Trump’s reelection. if Democrats want to stop Trumpism, they need more than fea...
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May 20, 2025 • 45 mins
Charlie Sykes is joined by conservative economist Jessica Riedl for a deep dive into how the Republican Party abandoned its principles of fiscal responsibility and free market economics. They dissect the illusion of Elon Musk’s DOGE budget cuts, the incoherence of Trump’s tariffs, and the looming threat of a debt crisis Congress seems determined to ignore. Riedl explains why today's GOP is focused more on political theater than sou...
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May 17, 2025 • 57 mins
Charlie Sykes and David Frum discuss the staggering corruption and cluelessness behind Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million Qatari jet—complete with a backstory of diplomatic white elephants and Vegas-style décor. They explore how Trump’s second term is shaping up to be less about governance and more about retirement planning, international grifting, and institutional erosion.
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May 15, 2025 • 46 mins
Charlie Sykes is joined by Jim Acosta to break down Donald Trump’s latest scandal—accepting a luxury jet from Qatar—and what it says about the normalization of political corruption. From meme coins to constitutional crises, they explore how shamelessness has become a political strategy and why even Trump’s populist image may start to crack. The conversation also turns to Stephen Miller’s disturbing influence, RFK Jr.'s bizarre wate...
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May 13, 2025 • 67 mins
Charlie Sykes and Chris Cillizza discuss Donald Trump's economic U-turn with China, the murky $400 million jet from Qatar, and the crypto-fueled grift orbiting Trump's inner circle. They also discuss Biden’s awkward media tour, the troubling revelations about John Fetterman, and the stunning rise of an American pope as a global counterweight to Trumpism.
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May 11, 2025 • 62 mins
Charlie Sykes and Tom Nichols dive into what they call the “death of expertise,” confronting how America’s most influential institutions are now increasingly led by the unqualified and the absurd. They explore the geopolitical and moral implications of the first American pope, drawing parallels to John Paul II and the Cold War. Finally, they reflect on Donald Trump’s staggering corruption in plain sight, the collective numbness it’...
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May 8, 2025 • 61 mins
Katie Couric joins Charlie Sykes to unpack the psychological underpinnings of Donald Trump’s political appeal and the enablers around him. They explore the disconnect between populist rhetoric and billionaire influence, the crumbling state of local journalism, and why media coverage struggles to keep up with an administration governed by chaos. With stories of real-world consequences, they examine whether dignity, truth, or economi...
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May 6, 2025 • 53 mins
Charlie Sykes and New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser examine the unprecedented scale and brazenness of corruption in Donald Trump's second term. From billion-dollar business deals and crypto coin pay-to-play schemes to dismantling oversight institutions, they outline how the machinery of government is being turned into a personal profit engine. With watchdogs removed, norms shattered, and accountability elusive, who’s left to stop ...
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