The Campaign Moment

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“Leaner” may not be meaner for Trump’s ground strategy, debating debates and more May 17, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national political reporter Michael Scherer join Martine Powers this week. There is a lot to dig into about the debates agreed to this week by President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Also on the must-chat list: the latest from the hush money trial in New York, new reporting by Michael and Post colleagues on the Trump campaign’s “leaner” ground strategy and the implications of some of the latest polling.

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

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

Trump in court and off the campaign trail, Biden's Israel balancing act and more May 10, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and “Post Reports” host Elahe Izadi sit down with national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf this week. They talk about how Stormy Daniels’s testimony this week could affect former president Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial and voters’ perception of him, new questions around the latest move by the judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case, why the House pushed back against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s efforts to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, and the political effect of President Biden’s threat to Israel that he’ll stop the shipment of U.S. weapons if the country goes forward with a plan to invade the city of Rafah in Gaza.

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

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.

Why would Kristi Noem write about killing a dog? And more … May 03, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and “Post Reports” host Martine Powers sit down with White House reporter Cleve Wootson this week. They talk about how President Biden responded this week to the campus protests over the war in Gaza and what that could mean for his support, whether voters are paying attention yet to former president Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York related to a hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, and what a story South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem reveals in her new book about killing a dog could mean for her prospects to be Trump’s running mate.

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

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

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

Campus outrage and the GOP’s reckoning with Marjorie Taylor Greene Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi and national politics reporter Colby Itkowitz sit down to talk about Tuesday’s congressional primaries, the latest presidential polling, and the potential effect on the presidential campaign from the protests on college campuses.

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Allison Michaels.

The danger for Trump in his hush money trial Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

When it comes to the four criminal trials of Donald Trump, the Manhattan case has often been described as “the runt of the litter.” That’s because the particular charges against Trump aren’t as weighty, in that they don’t deal with a vast effort to undermine democracy or jeopardizing national security like the other charges against the former president.

But as the trial has gotten underway, we’ve been reintroduced to the cast of characters in the case. And I think it's possible that the details of the Manhattan case could remind people what they disliked about Trump during his presidency. The complex legal issues aside, it’s by far the most scandalous and salacious case, involving a porn star and secret hush money payments.

Senior National Investigations Editor Rosalind Helderman talks with The Campaign Moment co-host Aaron Blake about what we’ve seen in the first days of the hush money trial and how it might impact Trump’s 2024 campaign.

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

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.

A race that could flip the Senate, and Biden on Israel Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

Elahe Izadi talks with Aaron Blake and Liz Goodwin about Week 1 of Trump’s first criminal trial, how Israel is dividing Democrats in Congress, and whether GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy to approve aid to Ukraine could cost him his job.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake – who also writes The Post’s newsletter of the same name – talks about former president Donald Trump’s first criminal trial in New York with Elahe Izadi and congressional reporter Liz Goodwin.

They also chat about how foreign policy is dividing both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. President Biden’s approach on Israel continues to be top of mind for many Democrats following Israel’s strike inside Iran on Thursday. And far-right Republicans are threatening to remove GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson after he put forward a plan to send aid to Ukraine this week.

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

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It's 1864 in Arizona, and time for Trump's first criminal trial in N.Y. Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, the author of The Post’s newsletter The Campaign Moment, chats with Martine Powers and our Arizona-based democracy reporter, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, about the Arizona abortion ruling threatening to upend the 2024 election. The Arizona Supreme Court this week ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 can go into effect in the state. It’s a big test for Donald Trump, who has taken credit for overturning Roe v. Wade but said that Arizona went too far and that state lawmakers would quickly “bring it back into reason.”

Yvonne, Martine and Aaron also chat about an awkward moment for RFK Jr.’s campaign, and how the N.Y. hush money trial could play for Trump in swing states like Arizona.

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

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman.

MAGA's local strategy, Biden's abortion ad and Trump trial tensions Apr 05, 2024

Show notes

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, the author of The Post’s newsletter by the same name, chats with Martine Powers and national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about the tension between U.S. District Court Judge Aileen M. Cannon and special counsel Jack Smith. They’re at odds over the Trump team’s claim that the Presidential Records Act applies to classified documents the former president brought to his private residence in Florida. They also discuss Biden’s new abortion ad and dig into what actually happens if Trump continues to violate gag orders. Finally, Isaac gets into the details of his new book, which reveals how MAGA Republicans see an opportunity to change the party from the local level up.

Find out more about Isaac’s new book, “Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement's Ground War to End Democracy” here.

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

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Allison Michaels.

Ronna McDaniel drama, the RFK factor and Trump 'running for his freedom' Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and investigative political reporter Josh Dawsey join Martine Powers this week. They talk about how election denial is becoming more central to the RNC, what to make of this week’s NBC/Ronna McDaniel drama, the latest on efforts by a group trying to recruit a third-party candidate, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. factor and why Josh says former president Donald Trump is “running for his freedom.”

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

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.

Introducing, "The Campaign Moment" Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

Aaron Blake, senior political reporter at The Washington Post, is covering his tenth election cycle. And he has some things to say about it. Join him each week as he speaks with other colleagues covering the 2024 campaign along with the co-hosts of the "Post Reports" podcast, Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi.

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