The Campaign Moment

On Sunday afternoon, President Biden released a statement announcing that he would stand down from seeking reelection in the 2024 presidential race. The statement came after weeks of mounting pressure from members of his party, many of whom expressed concern over his health and speculated whether he would be able to beat former president Donald Trump. 

We're sharing this special edition of Post Reports today. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with White House reporter Tyler Pager about this monumental decision by the president and whether it puts Democrats in a better position to beat Trump. 

The show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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Democrats flipped the typical convention script this week, dominating the news during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. 

Following the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally Saturday, the GOP aimed to send a message of unity to the party faithful. In his acceptance speech, Trump initially seemed somber, telling the crowd, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.” They chanted back, “Yes, you are.” But he quickly regained his normal campaign posture, hammering Democrats over immigration and the economy. Meanwhile, new reporting from The Post shows that Biden is hearing concerns about his fitness to lead the ticket from senior Democratic figures like former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former president Barack Obama.

Martine Powers and Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and writer of The Campaign Moment newsletter, speak with Dan Balz, the chief correspondent covering national politics, the presidency and Congress at The Post.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland. It was edited by Reena Flores and Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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This week was supposed to be all about the GOP as delegates rally in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. However, Democratic infighting has taken center stage.

While an effort is brewing to secure President Biden’s spot on the ticket weeks before the Democrats’ convention, congressional leaders within his own party have told Biden his candidacy could imperil down-ballot Democrats. 

Meanwhile, the president seems committed to pushing forward despite ominous polling. Can Biden’s endorsement of liberal ideas garner support from within the party and woo voters? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks through all of this with senior congressional correspondent and columnist Paul Kane.

Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland and Laura Benshoff. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake is hopping on the mic solo before getting ready for Wednesday night’s speeches to run through the themes emerging midway through the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Speeches have been turning more ominous and he expects that will continue. 

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. 

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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake sits down with The Campaign Moment producer Laura Benshoff for a special play-by-play episode of the most important moments of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee so far and what’s next for the GOP. They break down the moment when Donald Trump walked out onto the convention floor in his first major appearance since the assassination attempt. They also talk through the divisive rhetoric heard in several of the speeches Monday night and discuss the Republican Party’s efforts to reach new voters. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass. 

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This week, amid calls for political unity and growing questions over presidential security, Trump faces one of the most consequential weeks in his campaign yet – the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he will officially accept the Republican nomination for president. 

Post Reports co-host Martine Powers speaks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and political investigations and enterprise reporter Josh Dawsey from the convention. They explore the weight of the ongoing investigation into the attempted assassination, its larger implications and what to expect from the convention this week. Also, they discuss the dropped charges in a legal challenge regarding Trump’s handling of classified documents, and the announcement of Trump’s running mate: Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland, and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Ali Bianco.

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This week, Biden vowed in his high-stakes press conference on Thursday night to remain in the race, but it’s unclear if his message satisfied voters. 

His speech followed new polling this week that suggests that more than half of Democrats want Biden to drop out of the race. It also found that the overall race hasn’t changed much, and that Trump and Biden are locked in a dead heat. 

Post Reports co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about how Democratic voters and politicians feel about Biden, and why Trump has been so quiet during a tumultuous moment in his opponent’s campaign. They also dig into what to expect at next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

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As calls ring out for President Biden to step aside, the campaign hunkers down.

The president went on a media blitz over the weekend to quell the unrest among Democrats, appearing in a rare television interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday. By Monday morning, Biden had sent a letter to congressional Democrats defiantly declaring his intentions to stay in the race and had called into MSNBC’s Morning Joe to sound off on “elites” in the party.

But with nine House Democrats now publicly and privately calling for Biden to step down, are the president’s efforts actually working? 

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake sits down with White House reporter Matt Viser to game out the campaign’s political calculations. What are the forces weighing on Biden’s decision-making? And if Biden backs down, is Vice President Harris really the heir apparent? 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.

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The Campaign Moment is The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.

We’re bringing you an episode early in the week to share details from inside President Biden’s campaign as the Democratic Party reckons with the fallout from his stumbling performance at the first presidential debate. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's “The Campaign Moment” newsletter, and Tyler Pager, a White House reporter who’s been traveling with Biden around the country, sit down with co-host Martine Powers. They reveal the behind-the-scenes details of Biden’s preparation before the debate, his Friday campaign rally to reinvigorate the president’s image, and his team’s willingness to engage in discussions about replacing him ahead of the Democratic convention.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. Additional production by Ali Bianco. It was edited by Allison Michaels and Mary Jo Murphy.  

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Welcome to this special debate edition of The Campaign Moment.

We’re in your feed first thing today after Post Reports co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake went into the studio shortly after the debate ended. Aaron says it’s one of the most significant moments of the campaign so far. He and Martine talk through Biden and Trump’s performances, which had Biden noticeably stumbling at times and Trump basing many answers around falsehoods that were left unchallenged by the CNN moderators. Aaron explains the tough questions in front of Democrats now and what this could mean for a buoyed Trump campaign. 

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.

Host Elahe Izadi chats with reporters Amy Gardner and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, who are on the Democracy team at The Post. They discuss the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the ongoing political and legal fallout from those attempts. They also talk about the recent charges filed against fake electors in Arizona, including notable names like Rudy Giuliani and Boris Epshteyn, and why some election officials are making deep fakes of themselves to educate voters.

Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Griff Witte. 

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Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.

In a district that overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2020, Ohio voters almost elected a Democratic congressman this week. But are such special election results representative? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Toluse Olorunnipa, White House bureau chief for The Post, sit down with host Elahe Izadi. They also discuss Hunter Biden’s conviction on felony gun charges, how family matters impact presidential campaigns, and polling that shows voters are checked out when it comes to major campaign stories.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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In an election year where so much feels familiar, Donald Trump's choice for running mate is one of the biggest remaining wild cards. 

Sources familiar with the process confirmed late last week that so far eight people have made the shortlist and are answering questions from the campaign about their qualifications. They are Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.); as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum; Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.); and Ben Carson, Trump’s former secretary of housing and urban development.

The list includes both familiar and dark-horse candidates. National political reporter Marianne Levine talks with “Post Reports” host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, about the twists and turns in a decision that will ultimately fall to one person: Donald Trump.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Ted Muldoon. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.

This week, we hear directly from some undecided voters about how Donald Trump’s criminal conviction lands with them. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Isaac Arnsdorf, who covers Trump and the MAGA movement for The Post, sit down with co-host Martine Powers. They also discuss Stephen K. Bannon’s upcoming stint in prison, as well as President Biden’s executive order curtailing asylum and its implications for the campaign.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.

This week is a special episode dedicated to the questions raised by having a presidential candidate and former U.S. president who is now a felon. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Ashley Parker, his colleague on the politics team, sit down with Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi. 

They talk about the politics of Donald Trump’s guilty verdict, how Republicans and Democrats are reacting to it, and the politicization of the rule of law. 

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, is out sick this week, so national political reporter Michael Scherer and White House reporter Tyler Pager join Martine Powers this week. 

They talk about how the Biden campaign may need more popular Democratic candidates down ballot to boost turnout in key battleground states, Donald Trump’s claims that President Biden was prepared to “take me out” when the Department of Justice raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022, and the controversy swirling around political-flag-flying at Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s homes.

Today’s show was produced by Ted Muldoon and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and national political reporter Michael Scherer join Martine Powers this week. There is a lot to dig into about the debates agreed to this week by President Biden and former president Donald Trump. Also on the must-chat list: the latest from the hush money trial in New York, new reporting by Michael and Post colleagues on the Trump campaign’s “leaner” ground strategy and the implications of some of the latest polling. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and “Post Reports” host Elahe Izadi sit down with national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf this week. They talk about how Stormy Daniels’s testimony this week could affect former president Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial and voters’ perception of him, new questions around the latest move by the judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case, why the House pushed back against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s efforts to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, and the political effect of President Biden’s threat to Israel that he’ll stop the shipment of U.S. weapons if the country goes forward with a plan to invade the city of Rafah in Gaza.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and “Post Reports” host Martine Powers sit down with White House reporter Cleve Wootson this week. They talk about how President Biden responded this week to the campus protests over the war in Gaza and what that could mean for his support, whether voters are paying attention yet to former president Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York related to a hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, and what a story South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem reveals in her new book about killing a dog could mean for her prospects to be Trump’s running mate.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy. 

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi and national politics reporter Colby Itkowitz sit down to talk about Tuesday’s congressional primaries, the latest presidential polling, and the potential effect on the presidential campaign from the protests on college campuses.

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Allison Michaels. 

When it comes to the four criminal trials of Donald Trump, the Manhattan case has often been described as “the runt of the litter.” That’s because the particular charges against Trump aren’t as weighty, in that they don’t deal with a vast effort to undermine democracy or jeopardizing national security like the other charges against the former president.

But as the trial has gotten underway, we’ve been reintroduced to the cast of characters in the case. And I think it's possible that the details of the Manhattan case could remind people what they disliked about Trump during his presidency. The complex legal issues aside, it’s by far the most scandalous and salacious case, involving a porn star and secret hush money payments.

Senior National Investigations Editor Rosalind Helderman talks with The Campaign Moment co-host Aaron Blake about what we’ve seen in the first days of the hush money trial and how it might impact Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.

Elahe Izadi talks with Aaron Blake and Liz Goodwin about Week 1 of Trump’s first criminal trial, how Israel is dividing Democrats in Congress, and whether GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy to approve aid to Ukraine could cost him his job.

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Senior political reporter Aaron Blake – who also writes The Post’s newsletter of the same name – talks about former president Donald Trump’s first criminal trial in New York with Elahe Izadi and congressional reporter Liz Goodwin. 

They also chat about how foreign policy is dividing both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. President Biden’s approach on Israel continues to be top of mind for many Democrats following Israel’s strike inside Iran on Thursday. And far-right Republicans are threatening to remove GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson after he put forward a plan to send aid to Ukraine this week. 

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Lucy Perkins. 

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Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, the author of The Post’s newsletter The Campaign Moment, chats with Martine Powers and our Arizona-based democracy reporter, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, about the Arizona abortion ruling threatening to upend the 2024 election. The Arizona Supreme Court this week ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 can go into effect in the state. It’s a big test for Donald Trump, who has taken credit for overturning Roe v. Wade but said that Arizona went too far and that state lawmakers would quickly “bring it back into reason.”

Yvonne, Martine and Aaron also chat about an awkward moment for RFK Jr.’s campaign, and how the N.Y. hush money trial could play for Trump in swing states like Arizona. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Maggie Penman.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, the author of The Post’s newsletter by the same name, chats with Martine Powers and national political reporter Isaac Arnsdorf about the tension between U.S. District Court Judge Aileen M. Cannon and special counsel Jack Smith. They’re at odds over the Trump team’s claim that the Presidential Records Act applies to classified documents the former president brought to his private residence in Florida. They also discuss Biden’s new abortion ad and dig into what actually happens if Trump continues to violate gag orders. Finally, Isaac gets into the details of his new book, which reveals how MAGA Republicans see an opportunity to change the party from the local level up.

Find out more about Isaac’s new book, “Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement's Ground War to End Democracy” here. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Allison Michaels.

Welcome to The Campaign Moment, The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments during the 2024 campaign. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post’s new newsletter by the same name, and investigative political reporter Josh Dawsey join Martine Powers this week. They talk about how election denial is becoming more central to the RNC, what to make of this week’s NBC/Ronna McDaniel drama, the latest on efforts by a group trying to recruit a third-party candidate, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. factor and why Josh says former president Donald Trump is “running for his freedom.”

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.