The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

Tim Miller is still trying to process what he just witnessed on election night. The last time the host of “The Bulwark Daily” podcast was on “The Best People,” he posed a question for an internally divided Democratic Party as they looked ahead to 2028: “What’s on your red hat?” If Tuesday night was any indication, they seem to be figuring it out. Miller and Nicolle come together again to reflect on some of the most surprising and historic wins for Democrats in the 2026 midterms — victories largely brought on by a united effort against an increasingly erratic President Trump. “You're gonna do the Reflecting Pool closing speech when gas prices are $5 a gallon?” Miller asks. The two former Republicans discuss how the MAGA fallacy destroyed the Republican institution, the prospective end of Trump’s coalition and a future full of cautious — but earnest — optimism. “The Democratic Party is gonna really look like the country, both demographically but also ideologically,” Miller says. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content and early access to new episodes of "The Best People." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Heather Cox Richardson finds clarity in retrospection. “What we learn in the future will change the way we think about the past,” says the author and Boston College history professor. Reflecting on the devolution of political ideology in a post-MAGA United States, the author of the “Letters from an American” Substack series brings in lessons from American history to help contextualize the current state of the nation ahead of the midterms. She draws from an idea that Americans seem to have “lost” since Reagan’s presidency — a determination to mend the government to fit the needs of its constituents. As Election Day looms and President Trump’s priorities seem more and more out of touch with the needs of everyday Americans, Richardson encourages us to exercise the right to change our government when it no longer works to serve us: “The Constitution literally begins, ‘we the people,’ and we have the right to vote. Instead of being afraid to vote, we should make them afraid to stop us from voting.” Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content and early access to new episodes of "The Best People." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels earned their stripes in different worlds before joining forces: Sanders Townsend as a former campaign communications advisor and Counsel to the Vice President and Daniels a lifelong journalist and former president of the White House Correspondents Association. Yet, they arrive at today’s polarized political climate similarly: hardened, but hopeful. Believing that unity is the way to combat a polarized political climate, the hosts of MS NOW’s “Clock It” podcast join Nicolle to discuss all things midterms: El-Sayed's low polling with Black voters, Talarico fever in Texas, and could the senate seat in Mississippi... be in play for Democrats? All three MS NOW colleagues talk about the best version of America they’ve seen under Trump 2.0, exemplified by the Minneapolis ICE protests and the “No Kings” marches — times where we rely on community to propel us forward. “There is a world where selfishness is not the way you have to operate in your daily lives” says Daniels. “The only way to do that is to hold hands and jump together.” And Sanders Townsend agrees: “We're the people, it is literally on us,” she says. “History is gonna record that we made a difference.” Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content and early access to new episodes of "The Best People." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dana Bash has covered enough elections to know how consequential this one could be. Coming off the release of her new book, “The Elections That Changed the World,” the host of Inside Politics and co-anchor of CNN’s “State of the Union” talks to Nicolle about some of America’s most pivotal moments, reflecting on her experience covering presidencies before President Trump polarized the two-party system beyond recognition. “What makes me sad about the Trump era,” she says, “is that my son doesn’t understand that this is not the way politics used to be.” The longtime friends reminisce about a different political climate, recalling John McCain’s emotional 2008 concession speech from their different vantage points: Nicolle backstage with the campaign and Bash covering it for CNN. They also discuss the unique challenge of holding power to account in the Trump era, such as how Bash prepared for her contentious interview with RFK Jr., and look ahead to the upcoming midterms in a time where every election feels like “the most consequential” of our lifetime. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content and early access to new episodes of "The Best People." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Doc Rivers knows ball. The former NBA player and title-winning coach (Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks) believes that America is overdue for a true reckoning — and that the moment is now. “We're having more difficult conversations now than we ever had,” he tells Nicolle. Drawing parallels between basketball and the nation that built the game, Rivers likens America in the second Trump presidency to a divided team, encouraging us to fiercely participate in democracy in order to save it. “You have to try to put yourself out to make the team better as a whole,” he says. Now retired and removed from the day-to-day grind of the court, Rivers reflects on attacks on the press, a lackluster education system and threats to voting rights ahead of the midterms. But given all that, he makes it a point to stay outspoken — and hopeful. “I always think this country survives everything,” he says. “And it's going to survive this — but we gotta do it together.” Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content and early access to new episodes of "The Best People." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.