Episodes

  • S5 Ep5: 'I'm All For Deportations, But...' (with Adrian Carrasquillo)

    S5 Ep5: 'I'm All For Deportations, But...' (with Adrian Carrasquillo)
    Feb 15 2025
    Plenty 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 developments in Trump's immigration regime.

    By Adrian Carrasquillo:
    The Border Debate Is Over. Dems Lost.
    Inside Trump World’s Plans To Gloss Up Mass Deportations
    Trump’s Deportation Dragnet Widens and Puerto Ricans Are Getting Caught in It
    Trump Wants to ‘End’ Sanctuary Cities. This Mayor Has a Different Idea.
    Trump Turns Schools Into an Immigration Battleground
    Show more Show less
    58 mins
  • S5 Ep4: Winners Make Policy, Losers Go Home (with Adam Jentleson)

    S5 Ep4: Winners Make Policy, Losers Go Home (with Adam Jentleson)
    Feb 8 2025
    Where 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 officials and staff, and they discuss some new ways to campaign and govern as the party looks toward 2026 and 2028.

    By Adam Jentleson:

    • New York Times Guest Essay: When Will Democrats Learn to Say No?
    • Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • S5 Ep3: At Least He's Doing Something (with Sam Stein)

    S5 Ep3: At Least He's Doing Something (with Sam Stein)
    Feb 1 2025
    Donald 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 glad to see someone "taking action." Bulwark managing editor Sam Stein joins Sarah to talk about voters' reactions to Trump's flurry of executive orders (including the January 6 pardons), and how long Trump's "honeymoon" may last.
    Show more Show less
    54 mins
  • S5 Ep2: Getting Out of Our Corners (with Amanda Carpenter)

    S5 Ep2: Getting Out of Our Corners (with Amanda Carpenter)
    Jan 25 2025
    Anyone 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 about what we should (and should not) be focused on over the next four years.
    Show more Show less
    52 mins
  • S5 Ep1: The Caretaker Presidency (with Evan Osnos)

    S5 Ep1: The Caretaker Presidency (with Evan Osnos)
    Jan 18 2025
    As Joe Biden leaves office, we're taking one last look at his presidency, and what we've heard said about him since 2020. The New Yorker's Evan Osnos joins Sarah to recap his interviews with Biden over the years and discusses his legacy.

    Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/

    Show notes:
    By Evan Osnos:
    Joe Biden's Last Campaign
    Joe Biden: The Life, the Presidency, and What Matters Now
    Wildland: The Making of America's Fury
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • S4 Ep62: It's Not Like a Newscast (with Tim Miller)

    S4 Ep62: It's Not Like a Newscast (with Tim Miller)
    Dec 21 2024
    The podcast-sphere was one of the most covered stories of the 2024 election, with Joe Rogan standing above all. Podcaster extraordinaires Sarah and Tim turn over why this medium is appealing to the newest Trump voters (specifically the Rogan fans), and what our new long-form world means for the future of politics.
    Show more Show less
    57 mins
  • S4 Ep61: Hate Was Up, Prices Were Down (with Marc Caputo)

    S4 Ep61: Hate Was Up, Prices Were Down (with Marc Caputo)
    Dec 14 2024
    We've spent plenty of time on this show discussing what Donald Trump's newest voters found wanting about Democrats in the 2024 election. This week, we're turning our attention to their affirmative case for Trump. The Bulwark's MAGA-world correspondent, Marc Caputo joins Sarah to hear them out.

    show notes
    The NYT's DealBook summit Sarah referenced
    Harvard Kennedy School's recent election forum that Marc referenced
    Show more Show less
    58 mins
  • S4 Ep60: An 'Unserious' Show (with Jonathan V. Last)

    S4 Ep60: An 'Unserious' Show (with Jonathan V. Last)
    Dec 7 2024
    We've got (Thanksgiving) leftover focus group sound we didn't get to last week. Sarah's best friend Jonathan V. Last makes his vengeful return to the show to work through his thoughts (and the voters' thoughts) on the 2024 election, and he and Sarah parry over just how serious this country is anymore. It gets spicy.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 10 mins