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The Campaign Moment

The Campaign Moment

The Washington Post 80 Episodes Mar 6, 2025

The Campaign Moment cuts through the noise and connects the dots of political developments with unmatched reporting, expertise and lively conversations. Co-host Aaron Blake is one of The Washington Post’s veteran political reporters and is a constant each Friday as he analyzes and distills the moments that matter. He’s joined by rotating colleagues from the Politics team and “Post Reports” co-hosts Martine Powers and Elahe Izadi.

Episodes

A message from Aaron
A message from Aaron Mar 6, 2025 31 Thank you for listening to “The Campaign Moment” throughout the 2024 election and into the start of the Trump presidency. Stay subscribed to this feed for more updates on our politics coverage in audio. And make sure you’re subscribed to “Post Reports” – that’s where you’ll find our politics roundtable conversations for now.
Ukraine and the anxiety over Trump's budget
Ukraine and the anxiety over Trump's budget Feb 28, 2025 2263 Some House Republicans are getting nervous. They’re worried that passing President Donald Trump’s budget proposal could mean cuts to popular programs like Medicaid. They’ve also gotten an earful from voters angry at Elon Musk who are packing congressional town halls. Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake unpacks the drama with congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor and congressional economi
Trump parrots Putin, GOP DOGE drama, a big new poll
Trump parrots Putin, GOP DOGE drama, a big new poll Feb 21, 2025 1964 Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Post congressional reporter Liz Goodwin and Dan Lamothe, who covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military, about the week’s political news. They dig into Trump’s sharp turn against Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also talk about new polling that shows Trump’s sweeping federal policy decis
A doomsday scenario for the constitution
A doomsday scenario for the constitution Feb 14, 2025 2074 Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with Supreme Court reporter Justin Jouvenal and Democracy reporter Colby Itkowitz about how President Donald Trump is testing the power of the courts — and trying to expand his own authority in the process. They break down the cases facing the executive branch right now, what Trump and his allies are saying about them, and why some experts say Trump’s ac
Why so few people stand up to Trump
Why so few people stand up to Trump Feb 6, 2025 1794 Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior national political correspondent Naftali Bendavid and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about President Donald Trump's proposal to “take over” Gaza, displace Palestinians and remake it as the “riviera” of the Middle East. They also dig into Trump's use of tariffs as bargaining chips and the lack of resistance to Trump policies from bo
More Trump chaos and key confirmation fights
More Trump chaos and key confirmation fights Jan 31, 2025 1959 Trump’s extraordinary news conference on the plane crash near Reagan National Airport, his administration’s freeze and unfreeze of all federal funds, and the Senate hearings for three more of his controversial Cabinet picks.Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks through another chaotic week of political news with Congress reporter Liz Goodwin and White House economics reporter Jeff Stein. The
What Trump’s executive orders and Jan. 6 pardons mean
What Trump’s executive orders and Jan. 6 pardons mean Jan 24, 2025 1784 Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with senior White House reporter Isaac Arnsdorf and national political reporter Marianne LeVine about how Trump’s executive actions are already having a tangible impact. They also talk about how Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was met with a muted response from several prominent Republicans. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edite
Hegseth and Bondi go to Washington
Hegseth and Bondi go to Washington Jan 17, 2025 1586 Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of The Campaign Moment newsletter talks with national security reporter Abby Hauslohner and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about the most heated exchanges that Trump’s picks for defense secretary and attorney general, Pete Hegseth and Pam Bondi, faced during their Senate confirmation hearings. They also talk about what to expect if the h
Trump, the unpunished felon
Trump, the unpunished felon Jan 10, 2025 1750 Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s White House editor, Naftali Bendavid, and national political reporter Maeve Reston about the politics of Trump’s sentencing in the New York hush money case. They also dig into how Trump is trying to pin the Los Angeles wildfires on Democrats and look ahead to next week’s Senate confirmation hearing for Trump’s pick for defense secretary,
How Mike Johnson won, and the politics of New Orleans
How Mike Johnson won, and the politics of New Orleans Jan 3, 2025 1552 On Friday, Republicans once again selected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to be speaker of the House — but not before there was a little bit of drama.Earlier this week, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to link the New Year’s Day vehicular attack in New Orleans to weak border policies, even though the attacker was an American citizen born in Texas. In the hours following, the mess
Biden’s legacy, Trump’s Time interview
Biden’s legacy, Trump’s Time interview Dec 13, 2024 1689 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 abilit
Will Biden issue more pardons?
Will Biden issue more pardons? Dec 6, 2024 1818 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 politi

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