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Donald Trump
Trump Administration
Supreme Court
U.S. Constitution
Iran
Ukraine
Tariffs
Russia
Government Shutdown
Artificial Intelligence
Conservatism
Democracy
Affordable Care Act
Congress
Marxism
Trump
Federal Reserve
Gerrymandering
Venezuela
Democratic Party

The Politics Guys is an independent, ideologically diverse American politics and policy podcast hosted by experts: political scientists, law professors, and practicing attorneys with government experience. Our mission is to give listeners a much-needed break from conservative and liberal echo chambers through civil, rational, and evidence-based discussion of American politics and policy from multi... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1108Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EducationPoliticsNews

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Artwork for The Politics Guys

Latest Episodes

AI is advancing faster than Congress can regulate it—but leaving the industry to police itself carries enormous risks. Mike talks with former congressman and Pentagon official Brad Carson about mandatory safety testing, federal efforts to override st... more

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Mike talks about the Explain Like I'm 5 podcast. I hope you will enjoy this excellent show as much as we do.

This supporters’ exclusive midweek episode begins with a remarkable question: can a president sue his own government, negotiate with his own Justice Department, and call the result a legitimate settlement? Mike and Michael Levy unpack the judge’s rul... more

YouTube

Donald Trump says America’s elections are dangerously vulnerable—but did his primetime speech offer evidence, or lay the groundwork to contest a Republican midterm defeat? Mike and Michael Levy dissect Trump’s election-security claims, the SAVE Act, ... more

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Recent Guests

Scott Wiener
California State Senator from San Francisco
California State Senate
Episode: Scott Wiener on Housing, AI, and Democrats’ Build-or-Fail Moment
Tom Carroll
CEO of Convos, an AI-powered texting platform for campaigns
Convos
Episode: Can AI Make Campaign Texts Less Awful?
David Beckemeyer
Host of Outrage Overload, focuses on bridging polarization and translating research for a broader audience
Outrage Overload / Democracy Group
Episode: Outrage Overload: Why Politics Keeps Us Mad—and Who Benefits
Layla Zaidane
President and CEO of Future Caucus
Future Caucus
Episode: Why Young Lawmakers Are Quitting — and It’s Not Just Salary
Arthur Herman
Historian and author
Author of Founders' Fire
Episode: Founders’ Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump
Thomas Berry
Director of the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review
Cato Institute
Episode: Originalism, Executive Power, and the Roberts Court
Lamar Alexander
Former Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Senator, author of The Education of a Senator
Former Governor of Tennessee; United States Senator
Episode: Lamar Alexander: The Education of a Senator
Marty Makary
Johns Hopkins surgeon and former FDA commissioner nominee, discussed as departing FDA leadership
Johns Hopkins University
Episode: China and Iran, Alabama’s Shadow, Eileen Wang, Dr. Marty Makary
Kirby Goodell
Special guest from Texas, host of Inside Political Science
Texas, Host of Inside Political Science
Episode: DHS Funding, Comey Indictment, GOP Crack-Up?

Hosts

Trey Orndorff
Political scientist; host of The Politics Guys; affiliated with Oklahoma Christian University
Michael Baranowski
Host of The Politics Guys; political scientist; emeritus professor; law and policy expert

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 904 ratings
  • Great show, grounded in facts

    Have listened for many years. The hosts do a great job tackling the poltical issues facing the United States. Often a good debate, with an overall grounding towards objective facts and fairness

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ekmcguir
    United States5 months ago
  • BIPARTISAN????

    Merriam-Webster defines Bipartisan “involving members of two parties”, adding “specifically: marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties”

    This show promotes itself as bipartisan, but it would be better described as moderately liberal. I have been searching for a source for meaningful, civil, discussion between the two major parties. I am desperate to hear the arguments from both sides of the isle. Based on the tag line in Apple Podcasts “Bi... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Gepson
    United States6 months ago
  • Guest recommendation

    In your Jan 3 2026 episode - a good episode - one of you suggested “a series on maybe constitutional amendments you would add if we're not going to rewrite the Constitution.”

    As far as I know, you have not had Maxwell Stearns as a guest. He is the author of Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy,” and a respected professor of law and game theory at the University of Maryland law school. His book proposes just three such amendments would be suf... more

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    GaryMorehead
    United States7 months ago
  • Loved Michael

    I haven’t been listening for a

    While as it went all wonky but listened to this episode with Michael and it was great. Way better than Sam as originally planned!

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Tellin’ it like it is
    United States10 months ago
  • The uhh podcast

    Used to love this podcast, but the new hosts are hard to listen to with all the “uhh’s”. Combine that with zero pushback to easily debatable MAGA talking points, and it’s no longer worth listening to.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    1234MDB
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners value civil, evidence-based discourse and multi-perspective panels.
Guests with legal, policy, and academic expertise are frequently highlighted as strengths.
Overall production quality and thoughtful moderation are commonly praised.
Some listeners feel shifts toward a more liberal tilt; debates over perceived bias persist.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#90
Indonesia/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Scott Wiener on Housing, AI, and Democrats’ Build-or-Fail Moment
Q: What would a successful first term in Congress look like for you, and would you support eliminating the filibuster to advance policy?
Success would involve reversing harmful policies, restoring funding for health, climate, and education, and advancing a broad reform agenda; regarding the filibuster, he supports using power to push necessary changes while protecting the rule of law, suggesting practical actions beyond simply eliminating the filibuster.
Scott Wiener on Housing, AI, and Democrats’ Build-or-Fail Moment
Q: What is your assessment of the top-two primary system in California and its impact on governance and elections?
The top-two system has pros and cons; it incentivizes appealing to a broad cross-section rather than a partisan base, but can lead to races where two candidates from the same party vie for November; overall it can push candidates to address a wide audience but can create intense intra-party dynamics in some districts.
Scott Wiener on Housing, AI, and Democrats’ Build-or-Fail Moment
Q: What motivated you to pursue AI policy early on, and why did you and the governor part ways on enactment of SB 1047?
I was hearing from AI technologists about big risks and the need to get ahead of it, which led to meetings and a bill that evolved from requiring safety testing to transparency and reporting, with whistleblower protections and CalCompute; the governor vetoed the initial version but we revised and reintroduced with broader support and safeguards.
Can AI Make Campaign Texts Less Awful?
Q: What happens when a voter asks a question the campaign doesn't have information on?
The system will acknowledge the gap, offer related topics, and may direct the conversation to tangential information or prompt the campaign to add a source to the knowledge base.
Can AI Make Campaign Texts Less Awful?
Q: Can you sort of walk us through how Convos actually works in practice?
The process involves campaigns sending data to load a knowledge base, defining a motive, and then the AI handles responses, with safeguards like disclosing AI use and limiting the knowledge base to campaign-provided information.

Audience Metrics

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

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Politics Guys

What is The Politics Guys about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show features a rotating panel of political scientists, lawyers, and policy experts who dissect American politics with civility and evidence-based reasoning. Episodes emphasize constitutional nuance, governance, elections, and public policy, often pairing liberal and conservative perspectives to illuminate tradeoffs and real-world implications. Noteworthy is the consistent focus on institutional dynamics, legal frameworks, and data-driven analysis, making it a solid choice for listeners seeking balanced, thoughtful discourse beyond partisan shouting matches.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Politics Guys?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Politics Guys. 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 The Politics Guys and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Politics Guys get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Politics Guys, 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 The Politics Guys?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Politics Guys, 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 The Politics Guys have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Politics Guys 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 The Politics Guys?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Politics Guys:

1. The NPR Politics Podcast
2. State of the Union
3. The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
4. Real Time with Bill Maher
5. Politicology

How many episodes of The Politics Guys are there?

The Politics Guys launched 11 years ago and published 1108 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 The Politics Guys?

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 The Politics Guys?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Politics Guys from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Politics Guys?

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What guests have appeared on The Politics Guys?

Recent guests on The Politics Guys include:

1. Scott Wiener
2. Tom Carroll
3. David Beckemeyer
4. Layla Zaidane
5. Arthur Herman
6. Thomas Berry
7. Lamar Alexander
8. Marty Makary

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.

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