The Focus Group

Mar 29 2025 64 ep. 18 mins 104

The Focus Group Podcast artwork

Sarah Longwell has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of guests take you behind the glass to hear real focus group participants. Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. An ad-free edition is exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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The Kyrgyzstan PhD Problem (with Jen Psaki)

Mar 29 2025 39 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comWe'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, ho

It's Really Good and Really Bad (with Mark Leibovich)

Mar 22 2025 25 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comWe'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 Sara

Unresolved COVID Trauma (with Dr. Leana Wen)

Mar 15 2025 24 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comFive 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, publ

Free World ‘Family Meeting’ (with Tommy Vietor)

Mar 08 2025 17 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comPresident Trump shouted down President 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 do the remaining pro-Ukraine Republicans think of America’s role in the world?Pod Save America and Pod S

Raw Audio: Guys Being Dudes

Mar 01 2025 15 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comWe’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�

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

Feb 22 2025 16 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comIt 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:Pivot with Kara Swisher &

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

Feb 15 2025 23 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comPlenty 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 develop

Winners Make Policy, Losers Go Home (with Adam Jentleson)

Feb 08 2025 15 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comWhere 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 of

At Least He's Doing Something (with Sam Stein)

Feb 01 2025 6 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comDonald 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

Getting Out of Our Corners (with Amanda Carpenter)

Jan 25 2025 9 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comAnyone 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 abo