Kamala Up, Lovett Down

Another day, another round of maddening polls showing the race locked in place—with Harris ever-so-slightly ahead—even as voters agree that she beat Trump handily in the debate. Jon and Dan go through the latest numbers, preview the Harris campaign's reproductive rights event with Oprah Winfrey, and attempt to process the revelations about North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's, um, online interests. Then, Tommy, Jon, and Dan debrief Lovett on his (spoiler alert!) brief but iconic run on Survivor.

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Kamala Harris drives a contrast message with an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists and gives a searing answer about Trump and Vance's lies about Haitian immigrants. Dan and guest host Addisu Demissie discuss Harris's off-the-cuff performance, how she can keep her momentum up post-debate, and Donald Trump's snoozer of a town hall in Michigan. Then they break down the latest polls and the overall state of the race with less than 50 days to go before the election.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Donald Trump wastes no time blaming Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for the latest attempt on his life. JD Vance defends spreading lies about Haitian immigrants as a way to draw attention to border policy. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss how Democrats can respond to the blame game, and whether or not to make the pet-eating smears a campaign issue. Plus, Kamala Harris does more interviews, and the Trump family plunges into the crypto business.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Two days after getting trounced in the debate, Trump turns to a familiar playbook: claim a win, trash the moderators, and—above all—refuse to debate again. The only hitch? All those Trump advisors and endorsers talking to the press about how poorly he did. Jon and Dan discuss Trump's attempt at spin, Harris's post-debate agenda, and the MAGA freakout over Taylor Swift's endorsement.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

In what may be the last huge moment of the campaign, Kamala Harris pulls off an overwhelming win: drawing a clear contrast with Donald Trump, presenting herself as a change candidate, and luring her opponent into getting angry, defensive, and confused. Jon, Lovett, Dan, and Tommy react to Harris's best moments, Trump's tantrums, the crazy pet-eating story, and Taylor Swift's big post-debate endorsement.

Debate day has arrived, and new polls show that the race couldn't be closer. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy offer their final thoughts before Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's first, and potentially only, face-off. Harris lays out her strategy for dealing with Trump in a new radio interview, updates her website with policy proposals, and releases an ad to troll Trump. Meanwhile, Trump plays the hits with new threats to arrest his political opponents and incite violence. Then, Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks joins Tommy in studio to talk about why people need to pay close attention to the Maryland Senate race, and about getting to know Kamala Harris over the years.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Kamala Harris prepares for Tuesday's debate while Donald Trump has "policy time" and complains about his legal woes. Live in Phoenix, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, Dan, and guest host Jane Coaston discuss the upcoming debate, some surprising Republican endorsements for Harris, and the GOP's continued turn to weird. Then, Rep. Ruben Gallego talks with Dan about his crucial Senate race against Kari Lake and what Democrats need to do to win Arizona in November. Plus, a Kari Lake-themed game.

As the final campaign sprint begins, both candidates roll out plans on the issue that matters most to undecided voters: the economy. Republican truth-teller Liz Cheney throws her support behind Kamala Harris, while other Republicans quietly cross their fingers for a Trump defeat—even as Harris and Walz remain, in their campaign manager’s words, “clear underdogs.” Then, CNN’s Dana Bash joins the show to talk about the debate that changed everything and what to expect in next week’s big face-off.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Doug Emhoff stops by the Crooked studio! The Second Gentleman talks with Jon, Lovett, and Tommy about why Kamala Harris is such "a badass," masculinity and winning over young men, and his role fighting the rise of antisemitism. Plus: the hug with Tim Walz that his friends are still giving him shit about, Kamala's kitchen skills, and why he still makes time for fantasy football.

Lean into the long Labor Day weekend with a special 'Best Of' preview episode of Crooked’s subscriber-exclusive series, Pollercoaster. In this episode, enjoy highlights featuring Dan Pfeiffer and expert guests as they share their insights on latest polls and the state of the Presidential elections. 

Don’t miss out on future episodes – be sure to sign up for Friends of the Pod at crooked.com/friends. 

More on Pollercoaster: Does every new poll make you want to crawl under your desk and get into the fetal position? Do you hate the polls but can’t quit them? Well, we have a podcast that’s just for you (and us!). Pollercoaster is Crooked’s new home for exclusive in-depth analysis across the biggest national polls, latest voter trends, and closest races up and down the ballot. Join former White House Communications Director and Pod Save America host Dan Pfeiffer and a series of expert guests to break down the polls, unpack what they actually mean, and whether or not it’s time to hit the panic button. New episodes of Pollercoaster drop twice monthly for Friends of the Pod subscribers.