A quasi-daily podcast from Slate that sets out to understand the real Donald Trump. Jacob Weisberg, chairman of Slate, along with writer Virginia Heffernan, and Slate chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie will be talking to historians, psychiatrists, and other experts to help explain who this man is, and why this is happening, right now, in the United States of America.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Slate's Dahlia Lithwick about her working theory – nobody really knows what a constitutional crisis is.
30 Min
Jul 28, 2017
Jacob Weisberg chats with Bloomberg's Joshua Green about his new book Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency.
29 Min
Jul 26, 2017
Jacob Weisberg talks to Bloomberg columnist and professor of law at Harvard, Noah Feldman, about just who the President can and cannot pardon...including himself.
25 Min
Jul 24, 2017
Josh King talks to ProPublica's Robert Faturechi about the Trump administration's secretive deregulation teams and just what you can do to help ProPublica unmask more information on the deregulation front.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Brendan Nyhan, Professor of Government at Dartmouth, about the President's many lies including his most recent ones featured in The New York Times interview with Maggie Haberman, Peter Baker, and Michael S. Schmidt.
Jamelle Bouie talks to ProPublica's Alec MacGillis, author of The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell, about how the majority leader is failing to deliver for the Republicans.
Jacob Weisberg goes in-depth with Bill Browder about Donald Trump Jr's meeting with the Russians in Trump Tower.
Virginia Heffernan talks to ProPublica's Justin Elliot about his reporting surrounding Trump's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Patrick Caldwell, a health care reporter at Mother Jones, about the latest iteration of the Senate health bill and the politics surrounding it.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Bob Bauer, former White House Counsel under Barack Obama, about the potential legal implications of Donald Trump Jr's story.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Masha Gessen about why she thinks the latest developments in the Donald Trump Jr. story aren't as revelatory as people are making it out to be.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Anne Applebaum, columnist at the Washington Post, about Donald Trump Jr's meeting with the Kremlin linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
Josh King talks to Max Bergmann, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, about President Trump's trip to the G20.
Jamelle Bouie welcomes back Daniel Drezner, Professor of International Politics at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, to chat about all the player's in the North Korea game.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Ashley Parker, a White House reporter at the Washington Post, about Mike Pence shaking up his staff and why Republicans in the Senate and the House are becoming less and less afraid of Trump.
Josh King guest hosts a weekend edition of Trumpcast. He talks to Frank Rich of New York Magazine about his latest feature, “Nixon, Trump, and How a Presidency Ends.”
Jamelle Bouie talks to The Atlantic's Vann Newkirk about how the repeal of Obamacare and the rolling back of Medicaid in the Senate health bill strikes a significant blow to racial equality.
Jacob Weisberg talks to New York Times columnist David Leonhardt about "Trump Lies."
Jamelle Bouie talks to Slate's Jordan Weissmann about the latest version of the healthcare bill and how, in many ways, it's worse than the bill proposed last month by the House.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Marc Ross, a Republican operative who worked for the McCain/Palin campaign, about Senate backrooms and why he thinks Mitch McConnell is playing his cards right with the healthcare bill.
Jacob Weisberg talks to the writer Naomi Klein about how the "Trump brand" is the driving force behind the presidency.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Carolyn Fiddler, Political Editor at Daily Kos, about the Virginia gubernatorial race and why things on the Republican side were too close for comfort (to say the least).
Virginia Heffernan talks to Matthew Miller, formerly of the Department of Justice, about the Jeff Sessions hearing and just what Bob Mueller could be up to behind the scenes.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Sharon Begley of STAT News about Donald Trump's cognitive decline and whether it's just a matter of age or something else.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Greg Sargent of the Washington Post about James Comey's testimony and whether or not this will change the Republicans' approach to Donald Trump.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Maggie Haberman of The New York Times about who's being groomed for greatness in the Trump family and how they are or are not dealing with different conflicts of interest.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Steve Vladek, a professor of law at the University of Texas, about Reality Leigh Winner and what might be the most normal national security story in the history of the Trump administration.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Andrew Revkin, Senior Reporter climate reporter at ProPublica, about the consequences (or lack thereof) of Trump's withdrawl from The Paris Climate Accords.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Tim O'Brien, Executive Editor at Bloomberg View, about the many webs Jared Kushner is tangled up in around the White House and in the Russia investigation.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Jared Yates Sexton, author of the upcoming book The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore: A Story of American Rage, about last night's tweet and what it means for reality...just in general.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA 33rd District) about the President's trip abroad and what he can expect when he makes his return stateside.
Virginia Heffernan speaks with Daniel Drezner about the effects of Trump's blabbing tendencies.
Jacob Weisberg speaks with Jeffrey Toobin about the special prosecutor in the Russian investigation.
Jacob Weisberg talks to WIRED Magazine writer Garrett Graff about Bob Mueller and Jim Comey.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Politico's Josh Dawsey about the reactions within the White House to the last 36 hours.
Jacob Weisberg, Katie Roiphe, and Philip Gourevitch discuss Herman Melville's The Confidence Man and just what the book can tell us about President Trump.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Slate's Katy Waldman about why the President's "uncontrollable rage powers his ruthlessness – and his ineptitude."
Jacob Weisberg chats with Lawfare's Editor-in-Chief (and friend of James Comey's), Benjamin Wittes about how the Russia investigation proceeds from here.
Jacob Weisberg talks to the surgeon and writer Atul Gawande about the AHCA and why its passing would be a catastrophe for the very people that voted for him.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Kate Imbach about the photos Melania Trump has taken over the years and what we can takeaway from them to learn more about our First Lady.
Jacob Weisberg talks to the former chief ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, Richard Painter, about the Trump administration's lack of transparency and continuing conflicts of interest.
Virginia Heffernan is joined by Upworthy's Parker Molloy to talk about the dreaded phrase, "identity politics," and why the Trump definition of working class leaves out a very particular group of workers.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Victor Cha, the former Director for Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council under George W. Bush, about why there are no good options when it comes to North Korea.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Frank Bruni of the New York Times about his column, "Manhood in the Age of Trump."
Jacob Weisberg and Harvard Law Professor, Noah Feldman, discuss the three most pressing categories from which the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump may be drawn – corruption, abuse of power, and the violation of democratic norms.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Max Boot, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, about the missile attack carried out by the United States in Syria and what this means for President Trump's foreign policy going forward.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Gideon Rachman, of the Financial Times about Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Lili Bayer, a journalist in Central Europe for Politico and The Forward, about the story of Sebastian Gorka (Trump's Chief Counter-Terrorism Adviser) and his far right wing roots.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Emily Bazelon about the Democrats plan to filibuster Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
Jamelle Bouie talks to FiveThirtyEight's Clare Malone about infighting in the Republican party.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Bloomberg News reporter Caleb Melby about the Kushner family history and the building on 666 5th Ave. hemorrhaging money from the Kushner's.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Abby Phillip of the Washington Post about today's no-vote on the AHCA and where things go from here.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Steve Coll, the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a writer at the New Yorker, about where things stand at the State Department.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Gabriel Sherman about the space Fox News is occupying in the media as the go-to network for President Trump.
Jacob Weisberg and Jamelle Bouie are joined by Vox's Ezra Klein to talk about how Donald Trump screwed himself on healthcare and why he isn't the "deal maker" he makes himself out to be.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Lily Batchelder, NYU professor and former Chief Tax Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee, about what we can take away from Donald Trump's revealed 2005 tax returns.
Jacob Weisberg is joined by Katie Roiphe and Philip Gourevitch to discuss Philip Roth's novel The Plot Against America and what the book can tell us about the current state of affairs in America.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Professor Ibram Kendi about the racial components of Trump's policies and the history of these racist ideas.
Virginia Heffernan talks to the journalist Jake Halpern about his latest piece in this week's New Yorker, "The Underground Railroad for Refugees."
Jacob Weisberg talks to John Dean, a key figure in the Watergate scandal, about the Trump/Nixon parallels and differences. Plus, will anybody in the Trump administration step up to play the role of "John Dean?"
Jamelle Bouie is joined by Matthew Miller to talk about what we know and what we can infer about Jeff Sessions’ meetings with the Russian ambassador.
Jacob Weisberg talks with Virginia Heffernan and Will Oremus about Donald Trump's address to Congress.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Joel Simon, the executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, about how the media should respond to the President's remark that the press is the "enemy of the people."
Virginia Heffernan talks to Nicole Hemmer about the balance of power shifting towards Vice President Pence and how he's doing all the real work of the Presidency. Also, what should we think of Trump voters today?
Jacob Weisberg talks to The Atlantic's Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, about The Atlantic's coverage of President Trump and what stories to keep an eye on about the president's administration.
Virginia Heffernan talks to The New Yorker's John Cassidy about Donald Trump's press conference and the GOP response to the reports linking members of the Trump administration to the Kremlin.
Jacob Weisberg talks to the former United States Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, about the latest New York Times story reporting that Trump campaign aides had repeated contacts with Russian intelligence.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Eric Lipton, a reporter at the New York Times, about Don Jr. & Eric Trump and the unresolved conflict of interest problem.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Lawfare's Managing Editor Susan Hennessey about the Trump administration's decision to not immediately appeal the travel ban halt.
Jacob Weisberg talks to New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi about the Steve Bannon/Reince Priebus relationship and how she's approaching her first week covering the White House.
Jacob Weisberg is joined by Virginia Heffernan, Jamelle Bouie, and Dahlia Lithwick to talk about Steve Bannon, Trump's foreign policy, and how things will shake out with the courts and the Trump administration.
Jacob Weisberg is joined by Virginia Heffernan, Jamelle Bouie, and Dahlia Lithwick to talk about Steve Bannon, Trump's foreign policy, and how things will shake out with the courts and the Trump administration.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Yascha Mounk about the first two weeks of the Trump administration.
Jamelle Bouie talks to Slate's Dahlia Lithwick about Donald Trump's nomination for the Supreme Court and the bind it leaves the Democrats in.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Bill Browder, the investor and author of Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice.
Virginia Heffernan talks to David Miliband, the President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), about the effects of President Trump's executive order on refugees worldwide.
Live from the Skirball Center at New York University – A handful of New York's top editors talk about how journalists and the media at large can play a bigger role in making sure that fact prevails over fiction.
Jamelle Bouie talks to The Atlantic's Vann Newkirk about the dangers being proposed to voting rights by the Trump administration.
Jacob Weisberg talks to the press critic, Jay Rosen, about developing a strategy for journalists to cover the Trump administration.
Jacob Weisberg talks to CNN's Fareed Zakaria about Donald Trump's isolationist policies and whether Americans should be worried about the future of our democracy.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Julia Turner, Slate's Editor-in-Chief, about today's inauguration, Donald Trump's speech, and how to move forward in covering our new President.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Jo Miller, the showrunner/head writer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, about this weekend's Women's March on Washington.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Alexey Kovalev, a Russia based journalist, about covering Vladamir Putin's pressers and what the American media should keep their eyes open for when covering Trump.
Jacob Weisberg talks to David Cole, the National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, about his testimony at the Jeff Sessions confirmation hearing and what the future may hold under Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Jacob Weisberg talks to David Corn of Mother Jones about today's press conference and the dossier published by BuzzFeed which talks about Donald Trump possibly being compromised by the Russians.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Congressman Adam Schiff (Representing California's 28th Congressional District) about why he has been so vocal about the Russian hacks.
Slate's Chief Political Correspondent, Jamelle Bouie, talks to Jesse Eisinger, a Senior Reporter at ProPublica, about Donald Trump's economic team and specifically Steven Mnuchin.
Jacob Weisberg and Virginia Heffernan co-host today's show and talk to Dr. Lynne Meyer, a clinical psychologist, about narcissistic personality disorder and how it has and will continue manifest itself once President Trump is in office.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Ian Bremmer, President of the Eurasia Group and a columnist at TIME magazine, about his latest piece "The Era of American Global Leadership Is Over. Here's What Comes Next."
Jacob Weisberg talks to Garry Kasparov, the former World Chess Champion and Russian pro-democracy leader, about Vladamir Putin's meddling in our election and America's response.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Bill McKibben about Donald Trump's potential selection for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Yascha Mounk about the warning signs that signal the end of liberal democracies and how we can protect it.
Jacob Weisberg talks to Josh Barro, Senior Editor at Business Insider, about Donald Trump's Carrier deal.
Virginia Heffernan talks to Will Saletan about his latest Slate piece, "How To Manipulate Donald Trump."
Jacob Weisberg talks to Bruce Ackerman, a professor of constitutional law at Yale, about the impending destruction of The Second Reconstruction.
Guest host Virginia Heffernan talks to Asli Bâli, a professor of law and international human rights at UCLA, about what we learned from the past effects of NSEERS (National Security Entry-Exit Registration System) on Muslim communities
Jacob Weisberg talks to historian Timothy Snyder about his most recent Slate piece, "Him," and whether Hitler's rise to power can tell us anything about today.
