American Friction
Podmasters
232 episodes
Does what’s going on in American politics scare and bemuse you? Want to know what Trump is up to, without pulling your hair out? Then you need American Friction, the UK podcast about US politics – from the makers of Oh God, What Now? and The Bunker. Every Friday and Monday, we unpack the big issues, speak to leading experts and talk with blockbuster commentators from the United States to explain the latest news and the big issues with hosts Jacob Jarvis (ex-Newsweek), Chris Jones (Podmasters) and Nikki McCann Ramirez (Politics Reporter at Rolling Stone). Support us on Patreon, to get ad free and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/AmericanFriction
Episodes page 2 of 5
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Is Trump in love with Xi Jinping?!
Trump is in China and can’t seem to tell they’re getting one over him. Is it because he’s naive or because he actually wishes his government worked a bit more like the CCP? Nikki and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon –…
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Trump vs. God! – Who's going to win that argument?!
For a President who CLAIMS he’s religious, there's a whooooole lot of blasphemy going on under Trump’s second term. Not only has he compared himself to Jesus, but he’s also been picking fights with the Pope. Is that…
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Is Trump finally facing oblivion?
Trump is hurtling towards catastrophe as his presidency goes from worse to worse. With the midterms less than six months away, what are the key issues to look out for? Our podcast best pal Casey Burgat joins Jarv and…
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Trump's secret scandal? – Insider trading explained with Kate Knibbs from Wired
Could insider trading be the next big scandal to seize America? We don’t know how widespread it is, but it seems, allegedly and reportedly, to be pretty bad. Kate Knibbs from Wired joins us to discuss. Back us on…
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Trump: Never let an assassination attempt go to waste!
Donald Trump and MAGA are using the latest assassination attempt to push forward all sorts of demands and narratives. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss the fallout and whether it really means Trump has to get a new…
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American Friction does Hot Take Time Machine – Crossover special from The Bunker!
• It’s Podmasters’ 10th birthday! Get an extra 10% off a year’s Patreon backing. In a special crossover with The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis, Chris Jones and Nikki McCann Ramirez wade knee-deep into this month’s weirdest…
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‘Trump is the most stupid leader in history’ – with Revolutions host Mike Duncan
Mike Duncan, host of the Revolutions podcast and expert on the Roman empire, joins Nikki and Jarv to discuss the decline of the American empire and how Trump is bringing on its downfall. Buy The Storm Before the Storm…
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Is the pressure getting to Trump and his minions?!
Trump has had a baffling week, with cabinet chaos and another backtrack on Iran. Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack the madness and do a latest deep dive on RFK Jr.’s wild behaviour… Back us on Patreon – we need your help…
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Inside the downfall of a president – From Biden to Trump
How will the history books look back on Joe Biden’s time as President? Will he be remembered for leading the US out of a global pandemic, or has that disastrous TV debate against Donald Trump destroyed much of his…
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Has Trump finally gone too far for everyone?!
Donald Trump can’t decide if he’s Jesus or a doctor - oh wait, he’s not Jesus, but Jesus is his friend, we think, it’s all a bit confusing. What on Earth is going on in the President's head, and has he now gone too far…
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How Fox News became Trump’s state media channel
Fox News has never exactly been objective or accurate but it at least used to pretend. So why has it morphed into Trump TV? Juliet Jeske from Decoding Fox News joins Jarv and Chris to explain. See more of Juliet’s…
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Trump vs. Himself – Is anyone more confused than the president right now?
Trump’s flip flopping, fake victories and consistent lies have left us all baffled. But is he even more confused than the rest of us? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep…
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Is Tucker Carlson the next president?
Tucker Carlson is still going, gaining traction in unexpected places with his controversial opinions while appealing to the left with his stance on Israel. What’s going on? What does he want? And who is he, really?…
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Will Donald Trump get impeached again?!
Yeah, we don’t know what to tell you – the news keeps on getting weirder. We discuss Trump’s war crime threats, the chance of him being impeached and what it means, and of course Nikki explains bimbofication in light…
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How Trump and the Epstein Files broke conspiracy world
Trumpworld and the conspiracy cranks within it are splintering. What does it mean for MAGA? Conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild joins us to discuss. Join Mike’s Patreon here:…
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Trump vs. Pete Hegseth – Battle of the Warmongers!
Trump has been trying to pass the buck for his disastrous war but his poll ratings are still tanking no matter what he does. Jarv and Nikki discuss the latest fallout. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep…
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Has Trump changed what 'America' means?
Trump loves talking about being American and saying other people or things aren’t. What does he even mean? And what should America mean, if we can be positive about it? Nikki and Jarv are joined by Beth and Sarah from…
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Why it's all going wrong for Donald Trump!
Trump is trying to backtrack on Iran as he realises he’s created a level of chaos he can’t handle or control. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss this and more in our latest episode and also answer the question of who is…
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From Ken Paxton to 'The AK Guy' – The wild state of Texas explained
Texas has been Republican for a long time. But with the emergence of a shiny new Democratic Party candidate in James Talarico and the GOP undecided on who should face him, could things be about to change? Christopher…
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Donald Trump and the dumbest war ever!
Trump is wrecking the world in the stupidest way possible. Nikki, Jarv and Chris unpack his posturing and his Iran flip-flopping. Plus they discuss UFC fighters training the FBI, the new Marjorie Taylor Greene and…
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A Democratic Tea Party? – James Talarico and the anti-establishment future
The Democratic Party has a new breed of candidates coming through who could be a new counter force in the party similar to the Republican’s Tea Party movement. Will they take over from the establishment figureheads?…
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The end of MAGA as we know it?!
The MAGA alliance is splitting apart – could it be the end of Trump’s gang? Plus, Kristi Noem aka Dog Killer in Chief has been fired! What happens now? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss. Back us on Patreon – we need your…
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Trump’s warped war logic – If you start more, you can end more!
Trump loves ending wars so much that he just keeps starting more that he can then eventually end. Or something like that… The latest began with strikes on Iran – why is he doing this? And why now? Politico's senior…
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QAnon’s Epstein conundrum, Looksmaxxing and Mogging explained!
The weird world of right-wing conspiracy theories and subcultures is stranger than ever. Jarv is joined by Annie Kelly, host of Truly, Tradly Deeply and the UK correspondent for the QAA podcast to get into it all.…
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Trump's violent, weird and lie-filled State of the Union
Trump’s State of the Union was not normal. It was longer than ever, more weird and more hate-filled than any before it, and most reports aren’t nailing that. Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss. Back us on Patreon – we need…
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The Mafia and America – How made men made the United States
The Mafia’s place in American culture can be seen as a cultural phenomenon. But how did the real mob, who inspired The Sopranos and The Godfather, come to be? And what influence have they had in shaping the United…
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Donald Trump destroys American elections forever
Trump is meddling where he can and pushing to make it harder for people to vote. Will Trump ever allow free votes in America under his watch? Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss in our latest episode. Back us on Patreon –…
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Why US athletes are turning on Trump – "We're in a pick a side moment"
Trump’s despicable shenanigans have seen more and more US athletes speak out against him. The Winter Olympics have thrown this into sharp focus, and Chris is joined by Jules Boykoff, author of What are the olympics…
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Donald Trump vs. The Culture War
Trump and his MAGA goons are trying to pretend Kid Rock is good. Why are they so set on embarrassing themselves and denying themselves from enjoying proper culture? Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss the Bad Bunny Superbowl…
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Is Joe Rogan kind of left wing? – The confusing world of podcast bros
Joe Rogan and the world of bro podcasts was a big deal in the run up to the election. Do they still matter? We unpack the impact and politics of the dude podcast world with Melina Much, a postdoctoral fellow for NYU’s…
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Trump, Epstein and the Clintons: So weird, so confusing
Trump says the Epstein files are actually fine for him but we should all ignore them anyway. Oh, and we should leave Bill Clinton alone! What is going on? Nobody knows, but we’ll try get into it anyway. Back us on…
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Trump’s destruction of America – Why Congress isn’t holding him back
Congress technically should be a check on the presidency, and holding back Trump’s worst ages. It isn’t though. Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief at The Independent, joins Jarv to discuss how Trump has wreaked havoc…
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Trump, ICE and murder – Will this ever end?
Trump’s tyrannous ICE crackdown continues unabated despite token changes in personnel. Is anything going to change? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss a dark moment in America. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to…
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Trump and dirty money – Make America Grift Again!
Donald Trump loves to bend the law and make money. So we’re looking at how he’s been doing both with legal scholar Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money, who’s a major expert in white collar crime (tracking it, not…
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Trump's wild week – The end of America as we know it?
Well, it’s hard to know how to react to that. What a week, and one it feels like we might never come back from. Nikki and Jarv unpack Trump’s latest wild and weird and ultimately tyrannical actions. Back us on Patreon…
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Trump’s nonsense foreign policy – The dumb bro doctrine
Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been described as the ‘Donroe doctrine’ – but it’s a stretch to say it’s that cohesive. To discuss how damaging he is to the world right now, as he puts American security and everyone…
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Donald Trump's hunt for revenge!
Trump is obsessed with revenge. Against anyone who’s ever crossed him and anyone who simply didn’t vote for him. Nikki, Chris and Jarv talk you through the latest victims of Trump’s bitterness and what it means for…
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America vs. China and the key A.I. battles to watch with guest Jeff Jarvis
Trump is desperate to make money from AI and the US economy is dependent on the industry, so what are the things we need to pay attention to? Friend of the podcast Jeff Jarvis, media commentator, author and co-host of…
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Project 2026: Will Trump make this year even worse?
It’s been a long year already, hasn’t it? We discuss Trump’s new conflicts, ICE killing people and how this is all just the start. Plus we look ahead at key issues and we name who we think will be the key characters in…
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Trump and Venezuela: He doesn't have a clue!
Trump’s actions around Venezuela have been dramatic. He wants to act like he’s got it under control, but does he have a plan? Nikki and Jarv discuss the aftermath of capturing Maduro, how this might roll on and what…
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Donald Trump’s nightmare before Christmas
Vanity Fair’s profiling of the Trump administration has caused a real headache for the President. Amongst the drama, electoral mastermind Susie Wiles really let loose, saying Trump had an “alcoholic’s personality” and…
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Watergate: The real truth behind America's biggest ever scandal!
The Watergate scandal might be one of the biggest political scandals of all time - but do we really know the full truth of it? Garrett M. Graff is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Watergate: A New History and…
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Trump's war with Venezuela – The background
Donald Trump has ramped up the pressure on his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro. Not only did he issue him an ultimatum to leave the country, but on Wednesday, US forces seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, raising…
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American History Special! – What if the Cuban Missile Crisis happened today?
The Cuban Missile Crisis is the closest we’ve been to nuclear war. What are the lessons we should learn from it being averted? Who were the key characters? And could Trump handle such a situation in the present day?…
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Donald Trump: The world’s sleepiest war criminal!
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth appear to have at least allowed a war crime to happen on their watch – will they face any punishment? Plus, Trump is ranting in a new, weirder way and he can’t keep his eyes open during…
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American History Special! – Why Trump 2.0 is just like the Wild West
The Wild West continues to fascinate people to this day – and still shapes America’s society. The video game Red Dead Redemption depicts the frontier era, and our guest today Tore Olsson has written extensively about…
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Trump, MAGA and Moscow – What's going on with the President and Russia?
Trump and his admin are once again showing their weird love for Russia. Why are they all so keen on Moscow? We discuss this, Trump’s latest outbursts, his weird love for Mamdani and more! Back us on Patreon – we need…
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American History Special! – Has the United States always been crazy?!
The United States of America is strange. It’s easy to blame it on Trump, but has it ever been normal? Author and journalist Kurt Andersen wrote How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History to track how the nation…
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How Epstein is driving Trump mad and breaking MAGA
Trump has been forced into letting the Epstein files be released and of course he’s totally chill about it. We’re due to get them in less than 30 days, though what we get is still unclear – and the fallout they’ll…
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Do the Democrats just hate winning?
The Democratic Party is totally rudderless and once again handed Trump whatever he wants to end the shutdown. What the hell are they doing? Jarv and Chris ask Politico’s national politics reporter Elena Schneider.…
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