As the Republican civil war kicks off, Democrats start plotting – podcast

Following the midterm elections, which jolted American politics, the Guardian convened a live panel to weigh what comes next for President Donald Trump, for Republicans who may hope to take over from him, and for Democrats already eyeing the 2028 contest. The discussion was moderated by Jonathan Freedland and recorded for the Politics Weekly America podcast, with a release date of November 6, 2026. Freedland framed the moment as the start of a Republican civil war, while Democrats begin plotting their own strategy.

Four guests joined him. David Smith, who runs the Guardian's Washington bureau, and Devika Bhat, the paper's global editor, brought the newsroom's perspective. Tara Setmayer, who helped found the Seneca project and serves as its CEO, spoke from within political circles. Oxford University scholar Adam Smith, who teaches American politics and its history, supplied historical grounding. Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist who also writes books and comments on politics, completed the lineup.

Listeners can find the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or through an RSS feed, and can download it. Nada Smiljanic, Danielle Stephens and Annie La Vespa produced it.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →