The Campaign Moment

Latest Episodes:

Biden’s legacy, Trump’s Time interview Dec 13, 2024

Show notes

Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter, sits down with senior congressional correspondent Paul Kane and White House reporter Matt Viser to talk about what Biden is trying to do with his last few weeks in office. They also talk about Time magazine’s person of the year interview with Trump and what two GOP Senate appointments could mean for Trump’s ability to get his agenda through Congress.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Justin Gerrish.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Will Biden issue more pardons? Dec 06, 2024

Show notes

On Capitol Hill, Hegseth is facing renewed scrutiny over allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct, which he denies. So this week, the veteran and former Fox News host spent time with lawmakers, publicly and privately making the case for his leadership of the Defense Department. But some Republican senators are skeptical, and Trump is reportedly lining up other options.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down the latest Cabinet controversies with White House editor Naftali Bendavid and Washington Post Live anchor Leigh Ann Caldwell. Plus, they discuss the extraordinary breadth of Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter and the possibility that Biden will issue more preemptive pardons to critics of the incoming president.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Justin Gerrish.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Gaetz out, Oz in, and your lingering election questions Nov 22, 2024

Show notes

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell, who co-authors the Early Brief politics newsletter for The Post, about why Gaetz’s bid for attorney general lasted just eight days. Aaron breaks down why Trump’s electoral mandate is actually weaker than he claims. Plus, answers to listeners’ and readers’ lingering questions about the 2024 election.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Justin Gerrish.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

The allegations haunting Gaetz and Hegseth Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

When Trump floated the name of Matt Gaetz for attorney general, some Republicans balked. The former Florida congressman has been investigated by both the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee over allegations of drug use and sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Trump’s announced choice to lead the Defense Department, Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth, also faces new scrutiny after it was revealed that he paid a woman after she accused him of sexual assault. Hegseth denies the assault allegation.

Host Aaron Blake and national political reporter Michael Scherer break down the various controversies around Gaetz and Hegseth and weigh whether Republicans will ultimately oppose their confirmations.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Will Republicans give Trump the Cabinet he wants? Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

There’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to head up the Justice Department. Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. Trump has chosen some eyebrow-raising names to staff his Cabinet. But are there any Republicans in the Senate that would choose to block them?

Congress reporter Liz Goodwin joins hosts Aaron Blake and Elahe Izadi to dig into Trump’s Cabinet appointments, their chances in the Senate, and whether Trump could bypass the upper chamber entirely with the use of recess appointments.

Today's episode was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Rena Flores, Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

What Americans really think of Trump’s promises Nov 12, 2024

Show notes

President-elect Donald Trump has a lengthy to-do list for his second term in the White House. Among other controversial proposals, it includes conducting large-scale deportations of immigrants in the U.S. without legal status, hiking tariffs on imports, firing career civil servants and granting clemency to people convicted of seditious conspiracy over the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

And while Americans elected Trump, they might not like what comes next.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake breaks down, along with producer Laura Benshoff, what the polls tell us about how popular – or unpopular – Trump’s proposals are.

Today’s episode was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks to Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Lucy Perkins.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Democrats play the blame game Nov 08, 2024

Show notes

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers, senior political reporter Aaron Blake and White House reporter Cleve Wootson break down the questions many Democrats are asking right now about why Harris lost: Should Biden have dropped out earlier? Did Harris run a bad campaign? Does America hate women?

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

How Trump did it -- and what's next Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and senior national political correspondent Ashley Parker about how Donald Trump won over a broad swath of voters to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. Plus, how Democrats are reacting to their election losses and what this defeat means for the party’s future.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Post Reports: Trump's historic win Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

If you don’t already listen to Post Reports, we’re bringing you our first rundown of the election results, with some initial thoughts from Aaron Blake.

Very early Wednesday morning, former president Donald Trump stepped on stage in south Florida and claimed victory. Sounding surprised about how the election had gone, the former president promised to “fix everything” and praised his supporters, saying this was “the greatest political movement of all time.”

This morning on Post Reports, we’re walking you through what happened overnight. Later today we’ll be back with another episode diving deeper into the results, and what the second Trump presidency might look like.

This morning’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy with help from Peter Bresnan and Elana Gordon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski with help from Maggie Penman and Monica Campbell. Thank you to Aaron Blake, Dan Balz and Mo Rodman.

Post Reports: Mapping how Harris or Trump might win Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

It’s Election Day; today, what voting sounds like across the country — and a primer on what we could expect tonight as the results start to come in, and which down-ballot races to pay attention to. Aaron Blake, host of The Campaign Moment, makes an appearance on the “Post Reports” podcast.

After an unprecedented campaign season, Election Day in America is finally here. Today, host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter and host of “The Campaign Moment” podcast Aaron Blake about what to pay attention to as results start to come in this evening, including downballot races and potential scenarios for each candidate's path to victory.

Plus: Election anxiety is real! Here’s how to manage stress throughout the day.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected