Rephonic
Artwork for Letters from an American

Letters from an American

Heather Cox Richardson
Donald J. Trump
Donald Trump
Iran
United States
NATO
Strait Of Hormuz
Civil War
Department Of Justice
Russia
Gerrymandering
World War II
Trump
Abraham Lincoln
Iran War
American History
Oil Prices
JCPOA
Republican Party
Fourteenth Amendment
Washington, United States

Heather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

PublishesDailyEpisodes896Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsHistoryNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Letters from an American

Latest Episodes

September 28, 2026

Trump posted a video ad on television with the words “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” The backlash was immediate, Social media users and lawyers alike asked why the US government was paying for a poilitical ad, The government pa... more

September 26, 2026

Last night, the White House would not allow reporters from CNN on Air Force One as part of the press pool, With bad news plaguing the administration, Trump has reasons for wanting to control the press, A key prosecutor in the case... more

September 25, 2026

September 25 is Dolly Parton Day and also National Lobster Day, National Lobster Day honors the cultural and economic history of the lobster industry, Lobsters have been vital to Maine’s coastal communities, but were once scorned ... more

Early today, US District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the request of media outlets to stop Trump’s order banning members of their organizations from the White House, Kelly ordered the credentials of 78 journalists restored immediately but the White Ho... more

Key Facts

Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Politics Chat
Politics ChatHeather Cox Richardson
The Rachel Maddow Show
The Rachel Maddow ShowRachel Maddow, MS NOW
Pod Save America
Pod Save AmericaPod Save America

Recent Guests

Dario Amodel
Chief executive officer of Anthropic
Anthropic
Episode: Asking the U.S. Government to Regulate AI
Jon Ossoff
U.S. Senator (Democrat, Georgia)
United States Senate
Episode: Trump’s Lies
Jay Clayton
Trump's nominee to oversee the US intelligence community as Director of National Intelligence
U.S. government (nominee)
Episode: Trump’s Lies
Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
State of California
Episode: Live with Heather Cox Richardson
Doug Jones
Former U.S. Senator from Alabama
United States Senate
Episode: September 14, 2025
Liza Donnelly
Writer and cartoonist, known for her work in humor and political commentary.
Cartoonist for The New Yorker
Episode: Chatting with Liza Donnelly
Alex Padilla
Senator from California and highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety.
U.S. Senate
Episode: June 12, 2025
J.B. Pritzker
Governor of Illinois and Democratic leader
Illinois State Government
Episode: April 28, 2025
Antony Blinken
Former Secretary of State
Episode: March 1, 2025

Host

Heather Cox Richardson
Host of Letters from an American; historian and author providing historical context and analysis of current events.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 8.3k ratings
  • It’s important to define things

    This podcast is good, and it’s about the United States of America, or USA. Each day, I listen to it as soon as possible, or ASAP. I hope the federal government isn’t monitoring my activities through the central intelligence agency or federal Bureau of investigation, or CIA or FBI, respectively

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Billybill1984
    United States24 days ago
  • Thank you❣️

    Great work

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    From Munich, Germany
    Germanya month ago
  • Left me in tears

    Your composition to tribute Dolly is the best I’ve heard and brought me to tears on my evening walk. Thank you.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    geniusstyle
    United Statesa month ago
  • Daily dose of sanity, and of remembering how we got here.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    CainerWolf
    a month ago
  • The plane boss, the plane

    Never mind the fact that he snuck out of the decoy plane in a catering truck. What about the fact that he made a show of moving from the new plane gifted by Qatar to an older plane before that? Not only did he leave others in harms way to protect himself, he also wanted to protect his precious gilded aircraft.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    knotmea
    United States2 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Positive and highly favorable toward the host's clarity, grounding, and insight into current events.
Feedback highlights the host's ability to connect past and present, with praise for accessible, well-researched storytelling.
Some listeners criticize production/audio quality or pacing, but overwhelmingly appreciate the factual, historical lens.
Listeners value the historical perspective as a counterpoint to quick spins and sensational coverage.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#157
United States/Top Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
#9
United States/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#33
United States/News
Apple Podcasts
#34
Canada/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#88
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#101
Canada/News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

October 31, 2025
Q: If we come to November 1st, and these contingency funds haven't been released, will you call on your Democratic colleagues to reopen the government?
Ngoos stated that this is a fair characterization of the situation and highlighted the lawlessness of the Trump administration regarding the release of SNAP funds for families.
Live with Heather Cox Richardson
Q: What should the American people be doing to support the Democratic Project right now?
The antidote to cynicism and fear is active participation and expression of individual agency.
March 1, 2025
Q: Was the idea of spreading democracy without colonialism a deliberate strategy of the Biden administration?
Yes, the administration aimed to promote self-determination while working with various countries, not strictly democracies.
March 1, 2025
Q: What did the Biden administration and the State Department under the Biden administration change in our foreign policy and why does it matter?
Blinken outlines significant shifts towards rebuilding alliances and promoting democratic values globally.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Letters from an American

What is Letters from an American about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Historically grounded takes on today's political moment, with a focus on how past governance, constitutional debates, and long-running social struggles shape current events and policy choices. Episodes consistently thread through themes like democracy, rights, education, and foreign policy, using archival context to illuminate why today's decisions unfold the way they do. A distinctive angle is the historian-narrator's emphasis on long arcs and precedents, offering listeners a rigorous, data-informed critique of contemporary rhetoric and political strategy.

What stands out is a calm, scholarship-driven cadence that treats current events as episodes in a broader historical narrative, making complex interconnections accessible to a politicall... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Letters from an American?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Letters from an American. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Letters from an American and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Letters from an American get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Letters from an American, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Letters from an American?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Letters from an American, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Letters from an American have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Letters from an American has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Letters from an American?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Letters from an American:

1. Politics Chat
2. The Bulwark Daily
3. The Rachel Maddow Show
4. The Best People with Nicolle Wallace
5. Pod Save America

How many episodes of Letters from an American are there?

Letters from an American launched 3 years ago and published 896 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Letters from an American?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Letters from an American?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Letters from an American from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Letters from an American?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Letters from an American. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Letters from an American?

Recent guests on Letters from an American include:

1. Dario Amodel
2. Jon Ossoff
3. Jay Clayton
4. Gavin Newsom
5. Doug Jones
6. Liza Donnelly
7. Alex Padilla
8. J.B. Pritzker

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days