FiveThirtyEight Politics

ABC News, 538, FiveThirtyEight, Galen Druke

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

  • 38 minutes 58 seconds
    A Valentine? In This Romantic Recession?

    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.”

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    14 February 2025, 12:26 am
  • 40 minutes 57 seconds
    How Data Became A Political Football

    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 becoming increasingly aligned with Trump.

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    10 February 2025, 8:58 pm
  • 39 minutes 46 seconds
    The View From Europe

    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 EU nations are using in response to Trump's abrasive rhetoric, and how a tariff fight might play out across the European economy.

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    6 February 2025, 9:30 pm
  • 40 minutes 17 seconds
    Will Tariffs End Trump’s Honeymoon?

    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 dive into Trump’s approval rating using 538’s new tracker and discuss how Democrats are preparing for a future counteroffensive.

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    3 February 2025, 9:28 pm
  • 43 minutes 46 seconds
    Trump’s Federal Funding Fiasco

    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 actually have to withhold funding? Matt Glassman, senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, joins the podcast to discuss impoundment, executive power and the legal battles ahead.

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    30 January 2025, 9:56 pm
  • 37 minutes 31 seconds
    What Americans Think About Trump's Plans

    President Donald Trump begins his second term as one of the least popular presidents in modern polling history. Yet, many of his policies — such as those surrounding DEI programs and immigration — are more popular than ever. What do Americans want from Trump’s second term? The crew delves into this question, exploring thermostatic public opinion, Trump’s strategy of testing the waters on key issues and the nuances of question wording.

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    27 January 2025, 9:25 pm
  • 35 minutes 41 seconds
    Will Trump's Agenda Make It Through Congress?

    The first few days of President Donald Trump’s second term have featured an avalanche of executive orders. But Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief will only take his agenda so far. His most ambitious goals must pass through Congress, where Republicans control both chambers, albeit by slim margins.

    On this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen is joined by Rachael Bade, Politico’s Capitol Hill bureau chief and senior Washington columnist. They discuss congressional Republicans’ plans for the coming months, what they’re saying behind closed doors and what, if anything, Democrats plan to do to resist Trump’s agenda.

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    23 January 2025, 8:55 pm
  • 48 minutes 20 seconds
    Trump's Second Term Begins

    The crew reacts to President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address, as well as Trump’s plans for issuing dozens of executive orders.

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    21 January 2025, 2:45 am
  • 49 minutes 2 seconds
    The Highs and Lows of Biden’s Presidency

    With just days remaining in President Joe Biden’s term, the crew reflects on the past four years and tries to determine how this administration will be remembered. What were the high points, the low points and the most notable moments? They discuss Biden’s industrial policymaking, the vaccine rollout, inflation and the tumultuous summer of 2024. And they cover the destructive wildfires currently impacting Los Angeles.

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    16 January 2025, 9:00 pm
  • 31 minutes 8 seconds
    How Serious Is Trump About Greenland?

    With one week remaining before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, the nation is orienting itself towards his policy goals. Will they include the addition of new American territory? On this episode of the podcast, the crew breaks down Trump’s recent comments about Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal. They also unpack how they are thinking about these types of comments from Trump — should they be taken literally, seriously or both? And, the crew discusses former President Jimmy Carter’s life and legacy.

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    13 January 2025, 11:50 pm
  • 24 minutes 37 seconds
    Campaign Throwback: 'The Beer Question'

    This is the third installment of the 538 Politics podcast mini-series, “Campaign Throwback.” Across three episodes, we're taking a look back at campaign tropes from past elections such as, “it’s the economy, stupid,” or “soccer moms” or that question about which candidate you’d rather share a beer with. We’ll ask where those tropes came from, whether they were actually true at the time and if they still hold up today.

    In our third installment: "the beer question." After the 2000 and 2004 elections, political observers remarked that Republican George W. Bush defeated his Democratic opponents in part because he was the candidate who voters would rather "have a beer with." The phrase quickly became a cliche for evaluating a candidate's likability or relatability. But is it really how voters choose their presidents?

    This episode originally aired in May 2024.

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    9 January 2025, 8:30 pm
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