The 4 Best Political Podcasts of the Week
A list of the top political podcasts of the week in honor of Barack Obama's final full week as President of the United States.
Donald Trump will be taking office on January 20, and the United States will leave behind Barack Obama’s eight years as President of the United States. No matter your political leanings, it’s vitally important to be well informed about the state of the nation and the mechanisms that run it. Trump might have blown off intel hearings because he’s “like, a smart person,” but that doesn’t mean everyone else needs to be in the dark about how the nation is being run and what can be expected of the next four years once Trump takes a seat in the Oval Office.
So, to keep yourself fully updated on the way the world of American politics is currently working — as it’s turned upside down and topsy turvy — here are four of the top episodes of top podcasts from this past week about politics and what to expect from the upcoming Donald Trump presidency.
4. Slate’s Trumpcast — “A Question of Intelligence”
This somewhat-daily podcast has Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Slate, Jacob Weisberg, sitting down with historians, psychiatrists, and other experts to figure out the mystery that is President-elect Donald Trump. This week focused on a simple but important question: Is Donald Trump an intelligent person?
3. Code Switch — “Obama’s Legacy: Callouts and Fallouts”
Journalists of color gather together to discuss issues of race and color in everyday life. There’s a different topic every week, but this week had its reporters discussing President Barack Obama’s legacy — both the ups and the downs.
2. Pod Save America “‘Repeal and go f*ck yourself.’ Our first episode!”
Four former aids to President Obama — Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor — meet up with a gaggle of journalists, comedians, politicians, and everything else in between to discuss politics, the press, and the possible challenges of a Trump presidency.
1. NPR Politics Podcast — “Trump’s Press Conference, Tillerson’s Hearing”
NPR’s reporters and specialists take on the important political events every few days in this podcast, which began with this most recent election cycle as a way to follow the helter-skelter race that ended with Trump’s election. The conversation is open and honest, and some of the most complicated, confusing parts of the U.S. political system are explained in layman’s terms. This week, the team took on Trump’s first press conference in months and Rex Tillerson’s Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of state.
