American Friction

Jan 31 2025 49 ep. 59 mins 341
American Friction Podcast artwork

Does what’s going on in American politics scare and bemuse you? Want to know what Trump is up to, without pulling your hair out? Then you need American Friction, the UK podcast about US politics – from the makers of Oh God, What Now?, The Bunker and Paper Cuts.

Every Friday, we’ll speak to leading experts and blockbuster commentators from the United States to explain the latest news and the big issues with hosts Jacob Jarvis (ex-Newsweek), Chris Jones (Podmasters) and Nikki McCann Ramirez (Politics Reporter at Rolling Stone). Out every Friday. Support us on Patreon, to get ad free and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction

 

 

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Donald Trump vs. The World — plus, are China and America heading for war?

Jan 31 2025 65 mins  
Not satisfied with picking on Canada, Greenland, and Panama already - Trump continues his bullying spree. This time it’s Colombia that’s the target – Why? And for how much longer can he get away with being so brutish? Plus, over half of Americans see China as the biggest threat to the US. How will Trump manage the relationship with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and cou

Trump’s first week review — Great for fascists, terrible for America

Jan 24 2025 68 mins  
Trump has been on a pardoning spree and an executive order bender in his first days as president. How crazy has this been, what will actually happen — and how bad is it for America? Nikki, Chris and Jarv review the first week and rope in support from Tim Dickinson, senior politics writer at Rolling Stone. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episod

Trump’s inauguration explained – Lies, executive orders and a Nazi salute

Jan 21 2025 37 mins  
Donald Trump officially became president on Monday – delivering a speech which was predictably full of lies, exaggerations and right-wing nonsense. Nikki and Jarv unpack the madness, and add the context that Trump certainly didn’t. Oh and they talk about Elon Musk doing a hand gesture which looked pretty suspect… Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get a

What can Trump do straight away?

Jan 17 2025 69 mins  
Donald Trump is about to officially become president and he’s been bragging about everything he’ll do right away. But, what can he really get done on day one? Our friend Casey Burgat, host of the Mastering the Room podcast and author of the upcoming book We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back, joins us to discuss. And, just what is America�

Why is Trump so obsessed with Greenland? – Plus: Why Zuckerberg is as bad as Musk

Jan 10 2025 57 mins  
Trump is refusing to deny that he could invade Greenland and elsewhere, while he’s also set on renaming a few places to make ‘em more American. What the hell is he on about? And, Mark Zuckerberg has been zuck-ing up to Trump lately – is he just as bad as Musk? Plus, independent investigative journalist Jacqueline Sweet was banned from X for digging into a conspiracy theory ab

Why is Donald Trump supporting Musk over MAGA?

Jan 03 2025 54 mins  
Donald Trump is backing Elon Musk in a major clash with MAGA loyalists. So why is the president-to-be siding with the Tesla boss? Plus – we all know what happened on January 6th 2021. Should we be worried about any chaos this time out? Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: patreon.com/americanfriction Follow us on

US Politics in 2024 recap: Weird bits, worst bits and what we learned

Dec 26 2024 57 mins  
American politics has been a real treat this year, hasn’t it? Lol. Well, it’s been interesting at least so the gang unpacks the key moments and lessons from a year that saw Trump elected President again. Follow us on social media: Twitter Instagram TikTok Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/americanfriction Written and presented by Chris Jones and Nikki McCann Ramírez. A

Trump's hush money fight fails – plus, why is everyone obsessed with drones?

Dec 20 2024 50 mins  
Donald Trump might yet get punished over his hush money shenanigans — what’s going on with this never-ending legal saga? Plus — drones, stars and planes have made America’s right-wing angry and confused. Why have they dived into conspiracies and what’s the truth? As far as we know it anyway… Follow us on social media: Twitter Instagram TikTok Support us on Patreon

Trump’s plan for America: “Don’t blame me!” – Plus, the Electoral College, an unsolvable problem? – with Latif Nasser

Dec 13 2024 68 mins  
• Get 20% off a year’s Patreon support in our Black Friday sale. Why not ask for it for Christmas? Donald Trump’s first TV interview since winning the election didn’t disappoint, or did, depending on your point of view. Joining Kristen Welker on NBC News’s Meet the Press, he outlined his plan for the economy, immigration, and his “concepts of a plan” for healthcare.

Why did Joe Biden pardon Hunter? – plus a New York deep dive with Brian Lehrer

Dec 06 2024 69 mins  
•Get 20% off a year’s Patreon support in our Black Friday sale. Why not ask for it for Christmas? Everyone’s in a flap about Joe Biden pardoning his son, Hunter. Is it as huge a deal as it’s made out to be? Will it really matter all that much politically? Plus, we look at Trump’s pardon records and the dodgy people set to be in his cabinet – like the Fox News host whos