Is JD Vance campaigning for the midterms … or 2028? – podcast

A Guardian podcast examines whether Vice President JD Vance is courting voters with the midterm elections in mind or with an eye on 2028. According to the program, Vance has been borrowing from Donald Trump's approach: he goes after Democrats, tries his hand at humor, and curses more often than he used to, according to The Guardian.

In the Politics Weekly America episode, released Friday, October 16, 2026, host Jonathan Freedland asks Arwa Mahdawi why Vance is investing such effort in winning people over. The discussion treats his jokes, attacks and profanity as signs of a determined effort to reach the public.

Tickets are on sale for a Guardian evening with Freedland once the midterms have passed. His video commentary now has a home on a recently launched Politics Weekly YouTube channel. Separately, the Guardian's Today in Focus program has an episode on a Trump administration investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar. Listeners can send questions and feedback to the show by email.

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