Advertise on podcast: To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Investigative Journalist, Matthew Cole, takes us inside his years-long investigation into Jared Kushner's relationships with powerful Gulf Arab leaders, including Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ). Drawing on his reporting, Matthew examines allegations of secret financial arrangements, foreign government money, covert operations, and the influence of personal business interests on US foreign policy during Donald Trump's first administration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the future hold for Donald Trump and the Republican Party after the midterm election setback? Political analyst Nicholas Grossman joins Charlie to examine the political consequences of Trump's approach to governing, why his administration appears more likely to double down than change course, and what this could mean for the Republican Party heading into 2028. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the midterm wave, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Timothy O’Brien, author of TrumpNation, joins Charlie to discuss how a cornered Trump may respond, why corporate America and Silicon Valley are bracing for subpoenas, why the big Republican spending didn’t work, how moderate Democrats powered the win, and what it means for the 2028 race. Note: This episode was recorded minutes before President Trump named Stephen Miller as his new Chief of Staff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The day after America sent a devastating rebuke of Donald J. Trump, I break down the shocking wins in deep-red states, the rise of new Democrat leaders like James Talarico, Jon Ossoff, and Annie Andrews, and the question facing Republicans: will they keep falling in line behind Trump, or finally have the backbone to stand up to him? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Election Day, Charlie Sykes and political historian Brian Rosenwald of the University of Pennsylvania give you an hour-by-hour guide to election night. They cover when the polls close, the Senate and governor’s races that could signal a wave, how to read the results as they come in at different points of the night, and Rosenwald’s final predictions for the House, Senate and Governorships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three days before the midterms, Harry Litman of the Talking Feds podcast joins Charlie to discuss how far the Trump administration could go to interfere with the election, the court battles over certification, record early voting, the pundit fixation on Alaska, and the races to watch from Texas to Kansas to Georgia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Retired federal judge Jeremy Fogel of the Article III Coalition joins Charlie to discuss threats against judges, DOJ’s challenge in Alaska, the “creeping” defiance of court orders, Supreme Court term limits and court packing, and what happens to the republic when one of the three branches is under attack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Trump and the Republicans make their closing arguments, New York Times columnist David French joins Charlie to discuss the backlash to the Ramaswamy ad, whether Texas is really in play, the DOJ’s Alaska lawsuit, Pete Hegseth’s reported Senate ambitions, and how corruption could shape the vote. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ten days before the midterms, journalist Tara Palmeri (The Red Letter, The Tara Palmeri Show) joins me to unpack the backlash over the Ramaswamy ad targeting Amy Acton. Plus, GOP insiders are bracing for a wipeout, their search for fall guys and the art of the grift continues with Jared Kushner’s Middle East slush fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Less than two weeks before the midterms, economist Justin Wolfers (University of Michigan, Platypus Economics) joins Charlie to explain why consumer sentiment is at a record low, how tariffs and immigration crackdowns eroded trust in Trump’s economy, and why October giveaways may not work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two weeks before the midterms, the host of the Fast Politics podcast, Molly Jong-Fast joins Charlie to unpack Trump’s Putin pivot, Elon Musk’s election spending, the White House infighting, and the post-election chaos that lies ahead. Plus: what Democrats do with power, and the rising stars to watch for 2028. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Sykes sits down with political scientist and writer from The Atlantic, Tom Nichols, as they discuss midterms and possible battleground states to look out for, Trump's latest actions in Ukraine, and the motives of the current administration before election day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three weeks before the 2026 midterms, Charlie Sykes talks with former Congressman Adam Kinzinger about where the race really stands, how the political spending of trillionaires like Musk is dangerous, and Trump’s latest moves on Ukraine. They also ask why so few Republicans will speak out against clear violations of the Constitution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three weeks before the 2026 midterms, Charlie and Daniel Drezner dig into Trump’s Russia dealings, Marco Rubio’s rebrand, and what’s really driving the race for Congress. Is the blue wave real, or are Democrats headed for another heartbreak? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Charlie sits down with journalist, David Frum to discuss the US’s status in the world economy, how the Trump administration compares to other historically corrupt administrations and the new rules of American politics approaching the midterms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.