Claim OwnershipThe Focus Group Podcast
Subscribed: 1,454Played: 41,395
Subscribe
© Bulwark Media
Description
Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say.
https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/
102 Episodes
Reverse
Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been marked by a lot of aspiring autocratic behavior...like deporting a legal resident without due process, targeting his political enemies, to walking right up to the line of ignoring the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, it's not a given that voters will care...or even clock that what they're seeing is bad. Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum joins Sarah to discuss how voters are seeing Trump, and how he's comparing to autocratic regimes around the world.
show notes
Anne on Substack
By Anne Applebaum:
Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
America’s Future Is Hungary
Trump has plunged the markets into chaos over the last couple of weeks with his tariffing, and un-tariffing, and possible re-tariffing. The Biden-to-Trump voters we've talked to were a mixed bag on this. Scott Lincicome, author of The Dispatch's economics newsletter Capitolism and Vice President of general economics at the Cato Institute, joins Sarah to listen to how the trade war is trickling down to voters and where it all might go from here.
show notes
By Scott Lincicome:
Capitolism Newsletter
This show is #sponsored by OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co #oneskinpod
We've heard from a lot of Democrats who want the party to be more moderate, and many who want the party to be more progressive. But they all agree that the party needs to fight harder in this moment. Lauren Egan, author of The Bulwark's newsletter, The Opposition, joins Sarah to listen to some Democrats talk about the threats they see from the Trump administration, and how they think elected Democrats should respond.
By Lauren Egan:
Chuck Schumer Is Facing a Biden Moment
Where Have All the Pussyhats Gone?
Some Weird Alliances Are Breaking Out Among Democrats
This show is #sponsored by OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
1Donald Trump is facing some headwinds. His staff accidentally leaked war plans to a reporter, and the promised price cuts are nowhere to be found. We check in with Biden-Trump voters on Signal-gate, and talk to Trump's base about whether they want him running for a third term, how they feel about the economy (which may surprise you), and the state of the MAGA media ecosystem. The Bulwark's MAGA-knower Will Sommer joins Sarah to sift through it all.
show notes
By Will Sommer:
When ‘Owning The Libs’ > The Constitution
A Crack in Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire
We're checking in with 2024's non-voters, and Sarah has a (friendly) fight with our guest over whether Kamala Harris should have closed the 2024 campaign with Liz Cheney. They also talk to some of 2024's non-voters, who have some thoughts on how Democrats should be fighting back right now. Jen Psaki, host of MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki and the podcast The Blueprint with Jen Psaki, joins the show.
We're checking in on first-time Trump voters as Trump's reign of chaos continues. Some love what they're getting and think Democrats are out over their skis. Others are wondering when Trump will get around to fixing the economy. Atlantic staff writer and legendary DC chronicler Mark Leibovich joins Sarah to discuss what to make of it all.
Show notes:
Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic:
Greenland’s Prime Minister Wants the Nightmare to End
Books by Mark Leibovich:
Thank You for Your Servitude
This Town
Five years ago this week, the COVID-19 pandemic came to the United States, and with it a level of suffering and distrust of authority (and each other) that we haven't fully reckoned with. Indeed, the pandemic was a major factor in what made Donald Trump's political comeback possible. Dr. Leana Wen, public health expert and author of the Washington Post newsletter The Checkup with Dr. Wen joins Sarah to discuss the lessons learned from the pandemic, how it changed Americans, and its implications for the future of public health.
Show notes:
The Checkup with Dr. Wen
This show is #sponsored by OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Trump shouted down Zelensky in the Oval Office last week, and many pro-Ukraine Trump voters wished it hadn't happened like that...publicly, at least. So, we wondered, what did the remaining pro-Ukraine Republicans think of America's role in the world? Pod Save America and Pod Save the World host Tommy Vietor joins Sarah to discuss the future of foreign policy in Trump 2.0.
We're doing something a bit different this week: We're giving you nearly an hour of audio from a recent focus group of men aged 18-29 who voted for Donald Trump in 2024. We get into everyone's media diets, what they think of Elon and Trump, and how the culture talks to young men today. You don't want to miss it.
It seems like Elon Musk is running America right now. SOME people in our focus groups don't like it all that much. Legendary tech reporter and Musk-whisperer Kara Swisher joins the show to discuss Musk's MAGA character arc and what his real motivations are with DOGE.
Show notes:
Pivot with Kara Swisher & Scott Galloway
On with Kara Swisher
Burn Book: A Tech Love Story
Plenty of the newest Donald Trump voters wanted him to fix the border, and to deport criminals. Some are excited by what they're seeing, and some are getting more than they bargained for. Bulwark immigration correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo joins Sarah to discuss voter reactions, and the latest developments in Trump's immigration regime.
By Adrian Carrasquillo:
The Border Debate Is Over. Dems Lost.
Inside Trump World’s Plans To Gloss Up Mass Deportations
Trump’s Deportation Dragnet Widens and Puerto Ricans Are Getting Caught in It
Trump Wants to ‘End’ Sanctuary Cities. This Mayor Has a Different Idea.
Trump Turns Schools Into an Immigration Battleground
Where do Democratic voters want the party to go next? And just as importantly, how does the party need to be thinking differently? Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman and aide to Sen. Harry Reid, joins Sarah to discuss the kind of thinking hampering current Democratic elected officials and staff, and they discuss some new ways to campaign and govern as the party looks toward 2026 and 2028.
By Adam Jentleson:
New York Times Guest Essay: When Will Democrats Learn to Say No?
Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy
Donald Trump's approval rating is sitting around 50 percent, which is as high as he's ever been, even though he started his term by pardoning January 6 rioters, causing mass confusion across the government, and claiming that DEI caused a plane crash. The voters we talked to in our focus groups are just glad to see someone "taking action." Bulwark managing editor Sam Stein joins Sarah to talk about voters' reactions to Trump's flurry of executive orders (including the January 6 pardons), and how long Trump's "honeymoon" may last.
Anyone who opposes Donald Trump isn't feeling great this week. And where there was "resistance" when Trump took office in 2017, there was more resignation among the voters we talked to this week as he began his second term. Bulwark alum Amanda Carpenter of Protect Democracy joins Sarah to talk about what we should (and should not) be focused on over the next four years.
As Joe Biden leaves office, we're taking one last look at his presidency, and what we've heard said about him since 2020. The New Yorker's Evan Osnos joins Sarah to recap his interviews with Biden over the years and discusses his legacy.
Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/
Show notes:
By Evan Osnos:
Joe Biden's Last Campaign
Joe Biden: The Life, the Presidency, and What Matters Now
Wildland: The Making of America's Fury
The podcast-sphere was one of the most covered stories of the 2024 election, with Joe Rogan standing above all. Podcaster extraordinaires Sarah and Tim turn over why this medium is appealing to the newest Trump voters (specifically the Rogan fans), and what our new long-form world means for the future of politics.
We've spent plenty of time on this show discussing what Donald Trump's newest voters found wanting about Democrats in the 2024 election. This week, we're turning our attention to their affirmative case for Trump. The Bulwark's MAGA-world correspondent, Marc Caputo joins Sarah to hear them out.
show notes
The NYT's DealBook summit Sarah referenced
Harvard Kennedy School's recent election forum that Marc referenced
We've got (Thanksgiving) leftover focus group sound we didn't get to last week. Sarah's best friend Jonathan V. Last makes his vengeful return to the show to work through his thoughts (and the voters' thoughts) on the 2024 election, and he and Sarah parry over just how serious this country is anymore. It gets spicy.
The Focus Group Podcast is back for a post-election autopsy. We're starting with a deep dive on how Donald Trump's newest voters found Kamala Harris and the Democrats lacking. Astead Herndon, host of The New York Times podcast The Run-Up joins Sarah to write a first draft of how we got here.
show notes
The Run-Up: The Democrats' Plan to Get Skeptics on Their Side
The Run-Up: Kamala Harris on Kamala Harris
The Bulwark's Bleak Friday Sale
The polls are close enough that this election could go either way. But whatever happens, the focus groups over the last year-plus have given some clues about what's motivating the swing voters voting for Trump, and those voting for Harris. Atlantic senior editor Ron Brownstein joins Sarah to listen to voters and what the Trump and Harris coalitions might look like.
show notes
By Ron Brownstein:
The Democratic Theory of Winning With Less
The Improbable Coalition That Is Harris’s Best Hope
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
Why not ask your group participants why they don't not go to sources like your guest rather than rely on partisans and media spin? Are they too dumb to think of that, too stupid to absorb the knowledge? It sounds as though a lot of them are too brainwashed to know Trump is a liar and has run many businesses into the ground or maybe too dumb to care. I think you insult them by not challenging them and not asking why they believe what they believe. I guess you're scared they'd not join the groups.
Anne noted: Not one person said we have the right to legal representation. Those whose security clearance or protection was ended by Trump had ethical problems. WHAT were they, according to your geniuses ? You know that the accusations are nonsense, but feel no compunction about letting them go. You dig up clips. Your panelists never think to look for the truth, huh? Why? You strike me as a self indulgent, and privileged dilettante. I wonder what your focus group fools think of you?
Anne takes your groups seriously. I do not. These are stupid* people. You choose not to challenge them or offer them the truth and ask them to consider it. Why? My guess is because they would not take part if they knew you would challenge them. 15 years ago, what were YOU saying about Obama's birth? Why not ask them who the Bill of Rights applies to, and if they believe POTUS can violate it at will? *BTW stupid just means lacking in knowledge or common sense, and it can be cured. Can they?
Oy. Jennifer. You reminded me, from the start, why it is so tough to listen to you... right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right? What did I learn? Nothing new. The same rationalizations for opting out by some, choosing apathy by others. If you could not identify the utter unsuitability of Trump to lead this country, even after seeing him at it for 4 years, you got what you created space for: the MuskTrump presidency. A government bought by and for the ultra wealthy. Thanks.
I must agree with Swisher. Not much knowledge is displayed in these groups, although she tempers her critiques, perhaps to be polite, as the tape rolls on.
This episode was so hard to listen to. These fellas clearly "did their research" in the MAGA echo chamber in addition to being too naive about life.
Sara, in your episode with Sam Stein you remarked that talking about transgenders (and gays?) to small kids is inappropriate. You are completely wrong: from knowing some transgenders and gays (one of my sons is gay) and talking to them I LEARNED that most already know that they are different than their friends, or that they are not really of the gender by which they are addressed already at a very young age - by as young as three years old!!!
I know this isn't the way focus groups work, but I just wanted to jump into the podcast to press these people to articulate just exactly how they would enumerate "Trump policies" and "Republican principles". All I heard was "this is your brain on Fox", aped talking point after aped talking point.
I'm curious - is there any kind of sociological study that shows the overlap between GOP voters and irrational/conspiratorial thought? just seems that when a Democrat loses an election, Democratic voters are not anywhere near as predestined to default to this argument of a rigged election.