The Focus Group Podcast

The Focus Group Podcast

Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/

Episodes

S5 Ep15: Nothing is True, Everything is Possible (with Anne Applebaum)

April 26, 2025 • 51 mins
Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been marked by a lot of aspiring autocratic behavior...like deporting a legal resident without due process, targeting his political enemies, to walking right up to the line of ignoring the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, it's not a given that voters will care...or even clock that what they're seeing is bad. Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum joins Sarah to discuss how voters are see...
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S5 Ep14: Trump's Luxury Beliefs (with Scott Lincicome)

April 19, 2025 • 58 mins
Trump has plunged the markets into chaos over the last couple of weeks with his tariffing, and un-tariffing, and possible re-tariffing. The Biden-to-Trump voters we've talked to were a mixed bag on this. Scott Lincicome, author of The Dispatch's economics newsletter Capitolism and Vice President of general economics at the Cato Institute, joins Sarah to listen to how the trade war is trickling down to voters and where it all m...
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S5 Ep13: America's Moral Moment (with Lauren Egan)

April 12, 2025 • 47 mins
We've heard from a lot of Democrats who want the party to be more moderate, and many who want the party to be more progressive. But they all agree that the party needs to fight harder in this moment. Lauren Egan, author of The Bulwark's newsletter, The Opposition, joins Sarah to listen to some Democrats talk about the threats they see from the Trump administration, and how they think elected Democrats should respond.

...
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S5 Ep12: Telling MAGA It's Raining (with Will Sommer)

April 5, 2025 • 59 mins
Donald Trump is facing some headwinds. His staff accidentally leaked war plans to a reporter, and the promised price cuts are nowhere to be found. We check in with Biden-Trump voters on Signal-gate, and talk to Trump's base about whether they want him running for a third term, how they feel about the economy (which may surprise you), and the state of the MAGA media ecosystem. The Bulwark's MAGA-knower Will Sommer joins Sarah t...
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S5 Ep11: The Kyrgyzstan PhD Problem (with Jen Psaki)

March 29, 2025 • 78 mins
We're checking in with 2024's non-voters, and Sarah has a (friendly) fight with our guest over whether Kamala Harris should have closed the 2024 campaign with Liz Cheney. They also talk to some of 2024's non-voters, who have some thoughts on how Democrats should be fighting back right now. Jen Psaki, host of MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki and the podcast The Blueprint with Jen Psaki, joins the show.
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S5 Ep10: It's Really Good and Really Bad (with Mark Leibovich)

March 22, 2025 • 52 mins
We're checking in on first-time Trump voters as Trump's reign of chaos continues. Some love what they're getting and think Democrats are out over their skis. Others are wondering when Trump will get around to fixing the economy. Atlantic staff writer and legendary DC chronicler Mark Leibovich joins Sarah to discuss what to make of it all.

Show notes:
Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic:
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S5 Ep9: Unresolved COVID Trauma (with Dr. Leana Wen)

March 15, 2025 • 56 mins
Five years ago this week, the COVID-19 pandemic came to the United States, and with it a level of suffering and distrust of authority (and each other) that we haven't fully reckoned with. Indeed, the pandemic was a major factor in what made Donald Trump's political comeback possible. Dr. Leana Wen, public health expert and author of the Washington Post newsletter The Checkup with Dr. Wen joins Sarah to discuss the lessons lear...
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S5 Ep8: Free World 'Family Meeting' (with Tommy Vietor)

March 8, 2025 • 42 mins
Trump shouted down Zelensky in the Oval Office last week, and many pro-Ukraine Trump voters wished it hadn't happened like that...publicly, at least. So, we wondered, what did the remaining pro-Ukraine Republicans think of America's role in the world? Pod Save America and Pod Save the World host Tommy Vietor joins Sarah to discuss the future of foreign policy in Trump 2.0.
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S5 Ep7: Raw Audio: Guys Being Dudes

March 1, 2025 • 50 mins
We're doing something a bit different this week: We're giving you nearly an hour of  audio from a recent focus group of men aged 18-29 who voted for Donald Trump in 2024. We get into everyone's media diets, what they think of Elon and Trump, and how the culture talks to young men today. You don't want to miss it.


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S5 Ep6: Will the Real POTUS Please Stand Up? (with Kara Swisher)

February 22, 2025 • 57 mins
It seems like Elon Musk is running America right now. SOME people in our focus groups don't like it all that much. Legendary tech reporter and Musk-whisperer Kara Swisher joins the show to discuss Musk's MAGA character arc and what his real motivations are with DOGE.

Show notes:



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S5 Ep5: 'I'm All For Deportations, But...' (with Adrian Carrasquillo)

February 15, 2025 • 57 mins
Plenty of the newest Donald Trump voters wanted him to fix the border, and to deport criminals. Some are excited by what they're seeing, and some are getting more than they bargained for. Bulwark immigration correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo joins Sarah to discuss voter reactions, and the latest developments in Trump's immigration regime.

By Adrian Carrasquillo:
The Border Debate Is Over. Dems Lost.
Inside Tr...
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S5 Ep4: Winners Make Policy, Losers Go Home (with Adam Jentleson)

February 8, 2025 • 60 mins
Where do Democratic voters want the party to go next? And just as importantly, how does the party need to be thinking differently? Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman and aide to Sen. Harry Reid, joins Sarah to discuss the kind of thinking hampering current Democratic elected officials and staff, and they discuss some new ways to campaign and govern as the party looks toward 2026 and 2028.

By ...
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S5 Ep3: At Least He's Doing Something (with Sam Stein)

February 1, 2025 • 53 mins
Donald Trump's approval rating is sitting around 50 percent, which is as high as he's ever been, even though he started his term by pardoning January 6 rioters, causing mass confusion across the government, and claiming that DEI caused a plane crash. The voters we talked to in our focus groups are just glad to see someone "taking action." Bulwark managing editor Sam Stein joins Sarah to talk about voters' reactions to Trump's ...
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S5 Ep2: Getting Out of Our Corners (with Amanda Carpenter)

January 25, 2025 • 52 mins
Anyone who opposes Donald Trump isn't feeling great this week. And where there was "resistance" when Trump took office in 2017, there was more resignation among the voters we talked to this week as he began his second term. Bulwark alum Amanda Carpenter of Protect Democracy joins Sarah to talk about what we should (and should not) be focused on over the next four years.


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S5 Ep1: The Caretaker Presidency (with Evan Osnos)

January 18, 2025 • 60 mins
As Joe Biden leaves office, we're taking one last look at his presidency, and what we've heard said about him since 2020. The New Yorker's Evan Osnos joins Sarah to recap his interviews with Biden over the years and discusses his legacy.

Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Show notes:
By Evan Osnos:
Joe Biden's Last Campaign
Joe Biden: The Life, the...
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S4 Ep62: It's Not Like a Newscast (with Tim Miller)

December 21, 2024 • 57 mins
The podcast-sphere was one of the most covered stories of the 2024 election, with Joe Rogan standing above all. Podcaster extraordinaires Sarah and Tim turn over why this medium is appealing to the newest Trump voters (specifically the Rogan fans), and what our new long-form world means for the future of politics.
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S4 Ep61: Hate Was Up, Prices Were Down (with Marc Caputo)

December 14, 2024 • 58 mins
We've spent plenty of time on this show discussing what Donald Trump's newest voters found wanting about Democrats in the 2024 election. This week, we're turning our attention to their affirmative case for Trump. The Bulwark's MAGA-world correspondent, Marc Caputo joins Sarah to hear them out.

show notes
The NYT's DealBook summit Sarah referenced
Harvard Kennedy School's recent election forum that Marc referen...
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S4 Ep60: An 'Unserious' Show (with Jonathan V. Last)

December 7, 2024 • 70 mins
We've got (Thanksgiving) leftover focus group sound we didn't get to last week. Sarah's best friend Jonathan V. Last makes his vengeful return to the show to work through his thoughts (and the voters' thoughts) on the 2024 election, and he and Sarah parry over just how serious this country is anymore. It gets spicy.
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S4 Ep59: "Beyoncé Ain't Paying My Bills, B*tch." (with Astead Herndon)

November 30, 2024 • 74 mins
The Focus Group Podcast is back for a post-election autopsy. We're starting with a deep dive on how Donald Trump's newest voters found Kamala Harris and the Democrats lacking. Astead Herndon, host of The New York Times podcast The Run-Up joins Sarah to write a first draft of how we got here.

show notes
The Run-Up: The Democrats' Plan to Get Skeptics on Their Side
The Run-Up: Kamala Harris on Kamala Harris
...
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S4 Ep58: How [He/She] Wins (with Ron Brownstein)

November 2, 2024 • 63 mins
The polls are close enough that this election could go either way. But whatever happens, the focus groups over the last year-plus have given some clues about what's motivating the swing voters voting for Trump, and those voting for Harris. Atlantic senior editor Ron Brownstein joins Sarah to listen to voters and what the Trump and Harris coalitions might look like.

show notes
By Ron Brownstein:
The Democratic ...
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