Impolitic with John Heilemann

Latest Episodes:

Lis Smith: MAGA & The Manosphere Turn On Trump Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes Democratic media strategist and crisis communications wizard Lis Smith—who has worked for candidates ranging from Barack Obama and Pete Buttigieg to Andrew Cuomo and Eliot Spitzer—to discuss the ongoing MAGA meltdown over the Jeffrey Epstein files. Lis explains why the Epstein scandal is different (in severity and in kind) than any of the prior imbroglios that Donald Trump has weathered; how his efforts to douse the story have only inflamed it further; the mounting sense of betrayal among his supporters in the manosphere; and which 2028 Democratic hopefuls are best-equipped to thrive in that arena.

Will Leitch: Games People Play Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes Will Leitch—New York Magazine columnist, MLB.com national correspondent, and author of the acclaimed new novel “Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride”—back to the show to discuss the mix of sports, culture, and politics that mingle on his journalistic playground. A year out from the next World Cup, Leitch weighs in on the Trump administration’s capacity to play host to players and fans from countless countries it regularly condemns; what the Thunder-Pacers NBA final says about the future of pro hoops; and why “Sinners” is the movie of year so far and Ryan Coogler is a flat-out genius. Leitch also discusses Lionsgate’s plans to turn his latest foray into fiction into a major motion picture, and why Jack Lemon would make the perfect Lloyd McNeil (if he weren’t dead, that is).

Nicolle Wallace: Why MAGA Went Ballistic Over Epstein & The Bear Heals All Wounds Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes his bestie Nicolle Wallace, host of MSNBC’s Deadline White House, back to the show to discuss the intra-MAGA fallout from Donald Trump and Pam Bondi’s Trump failure to release the long-rumored list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients; Nicolle’s new podcast, The Best People, and why its approach to politics is so different from than her daily TV show; and their shared enrapturement with the fourth season of The Bear.

Andrew Sullivan: Trump as King, State Terror Tactics & The Anti-Trans Backlash Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes Andrew Sullivan—former editor of The New Republic, first-wave blogger, current Substacker, pioneering gay marriage advocate, #BritishGayCatholicConservative public intellectual, and controversy magnet for nearly 40 years—to discuss the Trump 2.0 era and Sullivan’s recent New York Times op-ed, “How the Gay Rights Movement Radicalized and Lost its Way.” Sullivan argues that Trump is less an aspiring dictator than a wannabe monarch; that, even so, his enthusiasm for state terror tactics is ominously authoritarian; and that the gay rights movement has gone astray with its embrace of the trans agenda. Sullivan also explains his adoration of Pet Shop Boys, and why “Being Boring” is their greatest song.

Ben Kweller: Love, Loss, Grief, Hope & The Healing Power of Music Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

In a special July 4th weekend episode, John welcomes the country rock/indie folk/Americana musician Ben Kweller to talk about his remarkable new record, “Cover The Mirrors,” and the journey of love, loss, and recovery that inspired it. A musical prodigy who burst on the rock scene nearly 30 years ago as a teenaged phenom, Kweller explains the role that music played in the wake of the death of his 16-year-old son Dorian in a freak car accident in 2023, carrying Ben from shock and grief through acceptance and back to something approximating the kind of joy that's long characterized his work—and resulting in a transcendent record that’s at once profoundly sad, sublimely beautiful, and deeply hopeful.

Angus King & Jason Crow: Casus Belli & Caveat Emptor re Iran Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes Independent Senator Angus King of Maine and Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado to discuss the strategic and political fallout from America’s bombing of Iran. In back-to-back conversations, King and Crow—both members of the intelligence and armed services committees on their respective sides of Capitol Hill—contend that they have more questions than answers regarding the impact of U.S. air strikes on Iran’s nuclear program; raise red flags concerning the Trump administration’s politicization of intelligence; and critique the White House’s intention to curtail the sharing of classified material on matters of war and peace with Congress. King also offers his assessment of the Supreme Court’s ruling on nationwide injunctions and birthright citizenship, and Crow weighs in on Zohran Mamdani and the implications of his primary victory in New York City for the Democratic Party writ large.

Ron Chernow: Forever the Twain Shall Meet Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

John is joined by National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winning author Ron Chernow to discuss his new, best-selling biography, “Mark Twain.” Chernow explains why Twain, whom he argues was America’s original political pundit, exerts a powerful and enduring hold on America’s imagination; why his insights and humor remain not just relevant today but timeless; and how Twain, in the course of his life, became “de-southernized.” Ron also reflects on how Percival Everett’s award-winning novel “James” is less a corrective to than an expansion of Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” which, despite its copious use of the n-word, stands as perhaps the greatest of all anti-slavery novels.

Tim Miller: Why Iran is Making J.D. Squirm & MAGA Media Melt Down Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes The Bulwark’s Tim Miller back to the pod to discuss the split in Donald Trump’s base over his military gambit in Iran, the New York Democratic mayoral race, and more. Tim digs into why the stars of MAGA media are at each other’s throats over Trump's Middle East moves; how the political fallout could impact the GOP nomination contest in 2028; and why all this is already proving torturous for J.D. Vance. Tim also explains why, despite the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., we mustn’t forget the deportees still stuck in a Venezuelan gulag—and how he set in motion the events that led to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani weeping on camera last week.

Jeremy Bash: Point of No Return Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

John is joined by former C.I.A. and Pentagon chief of staff Jeremy Bash to discuss the decision facing Donald Trump about going to war with Iran. Bash explains the history of the Iranian nuclear program and where it likely stands today; what Israel’s dramatic new efforts to destroy it have and haven’t achieved; the intelligence, domestic political debate, and other factors Trump is weighing as he considers intervening; and the best and worst case scenarios if he does. Jeremy also offers view of the sidelining of Tulsi Gabbard after her bizarre bid to sway Trump by means of a slickly produced social media video.

Tom Nichols: L.A. Was a Dress Rehearsal Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

John welcomes U.S. Naval War College professor emeritus and Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols back to the pod to discuss the implications of Donald Trump’s militarization of law enforcement in Los Angeles and an array of related topics. Nichols argues that Trump’s mobilization of the National Guard and the Marines to deal with protests of his deportation policies in L.A. is a dry run, on favorable political turf, to acclimate Americans to the sight of troops in their cities and gauge public blowback; that his partisan speech at Fort Bragg—and the silence of the generals in reaction to it—was an “obscenity;" and that these events, along with his military parade in Washington, demonstrate that Trump sees the U.S. Armed Forces as his personal “toy soldiers.” Nichols also weighs in on Israel-Iran, Russia-Ukraine, and how Trump has effectively turned the U.S. into a bystander in both conflicts.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Impolitic with John Heilemann

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected