logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
15m 48s

Swamp Notes: How can Democrats rebuild?

Financial Times
About this episode

The Democratic party is hardly monolithic. But if there’s one thing that’s kept it together over the past decade, it’s been a shared opposition to Donald Trump. Now that Trump is returning to the White House, how will the party try to win voters back? The FT’s deputy Washington bureau chief Lauren Fedor and US national editor and columnist Ed Luce join this week’s Swamp Notes podcast to discuss how the Democrats are thinking about the future. 


Mentioned in this podcast:

‘They don’t understand my life’: what the Democrats misread about America

How the Democrats can win in 2028

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here


Swamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Google closes in on Nvidia in the AI race
<p>Google’s parent company got close to a record $4tn market capitalisation, and more than $1tn has been wiped from the cryptocurrency market in the past six weeks. Plus, US consumers aren’t feeling too merry ahead of the holidays, and the UK prepares for its long-awaited Budget ... Show More
10m 50s
Yesterday
How Ireland became the weak spot in Europe’s defences
<p>Traders are piling into bets that Wednesday’s UK Budget will push the pound lower against the dollar, and the pharmaceutical industry saw some promising — and not so promising — clinical trial results. Plus, US tech stocks leapt on Monday and Ireland’s military neutrality has ... Show More
10m 26s
Nov 24
The scramble for a Ukraine peace deal
<p>US pressure on Ukraine and its allies to agree a peace deal with Russia ignites fresh concern in Europe, and the US has officially designated Venezuela’s “Cartel of the Suns” a terror group. Plus, Europe looks to increase investment rules to stand up to China, and a look at wh ... Show More
12m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Where Are the Democrats?
<p>How is the Democratic Party navigating the dominance of President Trump — and reckoning with the reality that more and more voters have been souring on its message?</p><p>The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Shane Goldmacher, Reid J. Epstein and Annie Karni discuss the state ... Show More
32m 7s
Feb 2025
Dems Face Pressure To Fight Trump
Democrats lost the Senate and the White House in November's elections. Now as a minority party, their representatives — and their voters — are trying to figure out what to do next, and how to provide a roadblock to President Trump's ambitions. This episode: political corresponden ... Show More
12m 33s
Feb 2025
Congressional Republicans OK With Shifting Power Dynamics
Congress is supposed to hold the power of the purse. So what do Republicans in Congress think about what appears to be President Trump and Elon Musk's "cut first, ask later" approach? This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political correspondent Susan Davis, and c ... Show More
14m 48s
Feb 2025
Democrats Aren't Popular. What Should They Do About It?
The Democratic Party has reached at least a 15-year low in the public’s view, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters have an unfavorable view of the party, while that’s just 45 percent for the Republican Party. And more Democrats than not ... Show More
43m 21s
Aug 8
Trump Goes Bananas
<p>Reeling from the Epstein crisis, Donald Trump turns even more erratic and destructive—launching a grand jury investigation into the make-believe crimes of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, threatening to seize control of the D.C. police, and sharing some eugenicist theories ab ... Show More
1h 25m
Aug 22
How Openly Partisan Gerrymandering Is Becoming Normalized
President Trump called on Texas Republicans to redraw their state's congressional maps to favor Republican candidates. In response, California voters will get a chance to approve a plan to redraw their state's maps to favor Democratic candidates. We look at how partisan gerrymand ... Show More
21m 2s
Sep 9
Trump's Epstein Doodle Grosser than Expected
<p>House Democrats get ahold of the infamous birthday letter Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein and release it to the public. Turns out it's more disturbing than we imagined. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy react to the doodle and talk through the week's latest, including the administration re ... Show More
1h 49m
Apr 2025
Trump's First 100 Days: Project 2025 & Its Influence
The Heritage Foundation's "blueprint" for a new Republican administration got a lot of attention during the 2024 presidential campaign. While candidate Donald Trump said he "had never read" the document, President Trump has incorporated many of its policies, and authors, into his ... Show More
15m 3s
Jan 2025
White House Walks Back Federal Funding Memo
On Monday, the White House budget office ordered a freeze on all federal funding. Yesterday, the White House walked that memo back after days of chaos and confusion. This episode: White House correspondents Deepa Shivaram and Tamara Keith and senior political editor and correspon ... Show More
13m 5s
Jan 2025
Friday Roundup: More Hearings And Trump's First Two Weeks In Office
Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead the FBI, and Tulsi Gabbard, his nominee for intelligence chief, had their hearings on Capitol Hill. Will they be confirmed? Then, a look back at President Trump's first two weeks in office. This episode: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, j ... Show More
26m 38s