FiveThirtyEight Politics

Mar 05 2025 200 ep. 44 mins 12.9k
FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast artwork

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

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Reaction Podcast: Trump Goes Long

Mar 05 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

Is The Era Of ‘Macho Man’ Politics Here?

Mar 03 2025 42 mins  
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

No, It's Not Getting More Dangerous To Fly

Feb 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

Democrats Aren't Popular. What Should They Do About It?

Feb 24 2025 44 mins  
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 doi

Trump's Theory Of Presidential Power

Feb 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

A Valentine? In This Romantic Recession?

Feb 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

How Data Became A Political Football

Feb 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 becomin

The View From Europe

Feb 06 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

Will Tariffs End Trump’s Honeymoon?

Feb 03 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

Trump’s Federal Funding Fiasco

Jan 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 actual