logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
29m 17s

Can You Buy The White Hou$e?

BBC News
About this episode

In the days after Kamala Harris announced her presidential bid, the Democrats raised more than $100 million. Now, Donald Trump's team have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, challenging whether she can take over Joe Biden's campaign funds.

Where does all this money come from? And what's it used for? This week we're joined by Sarah Bryner from OpenSecrets, an organisation dedicated to tracking the money in US politics to find out why presidential candidates are spending more than ever before on their campaigns, and what motivates people to donate to their cause.

HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUEST: Sarah Bryner, Director of Research & Strategy at OpenSecrets

GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 * Email Americast@bbc.co.uk * Or use #Americast

US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155

This episode was made by George Dabby with Rufus Gray and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Up next
Aug 22
Is Donald Trump losing his Latino base?
One of the biggest stories of last year’s presidential election was Donald Trump’s success with Latino voters which led him to win crucial swing states in the battle for the White House.While the Democrats still won the popular vote nationwide, there was no question that Trump’s ... Show More
27m 51s
Aug 20
Americanswers! Has Donald Trump really stopped six (or seven) wars?
Fresh off the back of Monday’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S could offer Ukraine some form of security guarantee in the event of a peace deal with Russia. While the details of any security guarantee are yet to be confirmed, it has prompt ... Show More
34m 38s
Aug 18
What did Trump offer Zelensky after their Oval Office meeting?
Straight off the back of the Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House as he pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine.The last time they met in the Oval Office, it ended in an argument in front of the world's media. It was a frien ... Show More
29m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Donations, Diversity and Dirty campaigns: The presidential campaign heats up
Kamala Harris has received the backing of Nancy Pelosi, George Clooney and Beyonce to name but three. She's found a million new small figure donors and got the female power of Silicon Valley behind her. Meanwhile, Trump is having to think about how the campaign has changed overni ... Show More
32m 5s
Nov 2024
How election day unfolded in the US
A divided US electorate made their choice at the polls yesterday, after candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump spent a combined $3.5bn in their race for the White House. Plus, Germany’s government is in talks on next year’s budget amid fears the coalition could collapse.   Men ... Show More
11m 2s
Feb 2025
119. Tommy Vietor: How Democrats can fight Trump
How did Barack Obama become President? What was Hillary Clinton's huge mistake in 2016? How corrupt really is American politics today? Pod Save America host and former Barack Obama speechwriter, Tommy Veitor, joins Rory and Alastair to answer all these questions and more. TRIP Pl ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 2024
Are the Democrats really inciting violence against Donald Trump?
Donald Trump has blamed Kamala Harris and Joe Biden's rhetoric for the latest assassination attempt, calling them 'Marxist communists'. So how is the rhetoric changing in American politics? And is political violence on the edge of tipping over again?Later, Keir Starmer is cosying ... Show More
28m 6s
Sep 2024
Will the assassination attempts decide the election?
How to make sense of not one but two assassination attempts in as many months on a former president? Donald Trump says it's all down to the language that Kamala Harris and the Democrats are using. JD Vance has just called her 'the most fraudulent person to run for president'. Is ... Show More
33 m
Sep 2024
US Election: Spending on TV advertising
The campaign teams supporting Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the race to the White House are expected to spend a total of more than $10 billion.A journalist with the CBS network, Larry Magid, explains why most of the money will be spent on political advertising on television. ... Show More
17m 37s
Mar 2025
127. Donald Trump vs American Freedom: Who Wins? (Moises Naim)
Is this the end of democracy in the USA? Following the election of Trump, could democracy in America die? How did Moises Naim come up with his three p’s; Populism, Polarisation, and Post-truth? Alastair and Rory are joined by Moises Naim, journalist and former Venezuelan minister ... Show More
48m 4s
Jan 2025
54. How to Buy a President: Trump’s $500 Million Oligarchy
Will the Democrats land punches on Trump’s cabinet picks? Who will take the mantle for Republicans in 2028? How has Trump used the LA fires as a chance to attack the Democrats? Join Katty and Anthony as they answer all of these questions and more. Become a Founding MemberSupport ... Show More
55m 9s
Oct 2024
The 'boys vs. girls' election
The 2024 election. It’s a contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. But increasingly, it also looks like it’s girls versus boys.  Playbook’s Rachael Bade caught up with Sarah Longwell, Executive Director of Republican Voters Against Trump, Publisher of The Bulwark, and Host ... Show More
48m 57s
Apr 2025
74. The Trump Exodus: Why Are People Leaving The United States?
How devastating is the MAGA 'brain drain' for the United States? Is Trump ‘Brexiting’ America from the world? Is Donald Trump really joking about his third term as president? And, Anthony reveals his role in the next season of 'Industry’. Join Katty and Anthony as they answer all ... Show More
44m 17s