Podcast / See How They Run / Jul 20, 2024

What’s Next for Trump and Biden After This Wild Week?

On this episode of See How They Run, D.D. Guttenplan and John Nichols on seven unprecedented days in US political history.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Trump’s Attacks on Voting, and on Iran / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

After Senate Democrats block the SAVE act, Trump is likely to declare a national security emergency – claiming China could interfere in the midterms – as a basis for restricting voting. David Cole comments; he’s former legal director of the ACLU.

Also: Congress must challenge Trump’s war on Iran and assert its constitutional duty to take up War Powers resolutions and assert its primacy over matters of war and peace. John Nichols explains.  

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Trump on Stage at the RNC

Former US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Thursday, July 18, 2024.

(Hannah Beier / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What a week. In just the past seven days, an assassin’s bullet almost killed Donald Trump, Joe Biden got Covid, Democrats continued to melt down over whether to replace Biden at the top of their ticket, and Republicans gathered in Milwaukee to crown Trump as their party’s nominee. It’s been an overwhelming, unprecedented period in our political history. But it’s this podcast’s job to try to make sense of this chaos for you. So today on See How They Run, Nation editor D.D. Guttenplan and national affairs correspondent John Nichols do just that.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth. 

The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more. 

But this journalism is possible only with your support.

This March, The Nation needs to raise $50,000 to ensure that we have the resources for reporting and analysis that sets the record straight and empowers people of conscience to organize. Will you donate today?

D.D. Guttenplan

D.D. Guttenplan is a special correspondent for The Nation and the former host of The Nation Podcast. He served as editor of the magazine from 2019 to 2025 and, prior to that, as an editor at large and London correspondent. His books include American Radical: The Life and Times of I.F. Stone, The Nation: A Biography, and The Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority.

More from The Nation

US President Donald J. Trump sits at a table monitoring military operations during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

Trump’s Attacks on Voting, and on Iran Trump’s Attacks on Voting, and on Iran

David Cole talks about fighting a coming executive order restricting voting in the midterms, and John Nichols explains a congressional War Powers resolution on Iran.

Jon Wiener

Donald Trump departs after speaking during a House Republican retreat at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 6, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Venezuela in American Politics—Plus, VA Housing for Homeless Vets Venezuela in American Politics—Plus, VA Housing for Homeless Vets

On Start Making Sense: John Nichols on the lack of support for Trump’s attack on Venezuela, and Mark Rosenbaum on the court victory that should end homelessness for disabled vets....

Jon Wiener

People participate in a “No Kings” national day of protest in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 18, 2025.

A Year of Resistance—in the Streets, in Elections, and in the Courts A Year of Resistance—in the Streets, in Elections, and in the Courts

On Start Making Sense: Harold Meyerson and David Cole review the year 2025, when a remarkable resistance movement challenged an unprecedented attack on democracy.

Jon Wiener

LAPD officers and National Guard soldiers stand outside a downtown LA jail in June 2025.

How LA Defeated Trump! Plus, Bob Dylan’s Xmas How LA Defeated Trump! Plus, Bob Dylan’s Xmas

On Start Making Sense: Bill Gallegos on the withdrawal of the National Guard and marines from LA last summer, and Sean Wilentz on Dylan’s choice of songs for his Christmas album.

Jon Wiener

The Living Legacy of Norman Podhoretz

The Living Legacy of Norman Podhoretz The Living Legacy of Norman Podhoretz

On The Time of Monsters: David Klion and Ronnie Grinberg on a founding father of neo-conservatism.

Jeet Heer

What Explains Epstein’s Friends? Plus, Crossword Politics

What Explains Epstein’s Friends? Plus, Crossword Politics What Explains Epstein’s Friends? Plus, Crossword Politics

On Start Making Sense: Katha Pollitt talks about why none of Epstein’s friends cared about his victims, and Natan Last reveals the hidden politics of the crossword puzzle.

Jon Wiener

x