The Playbook Podcast

After an election cycle that included an unprecedented switch at the top of a major party’s ticket, multiple assassination attempts against former president Donald Trump and razor-thin poll margins, Election Day is finally here. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade chats with national politics reporter Natalie Allison and Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels to see what they’re hearing from both candidates on the campaign trail.

Most Republicans, or at least smart Republicans, had hoped that Donald Trump would wrap up his campaign with a disciplined message, focused on the economy and immigration. But if you read the headlines over the weekend, they told a different story. Meanwhile, Harris's team is projecting confidence after calling itself the underdog for weeks. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade breaks down what she's watching on the last day on the campaign trail.

Four days remain in the election, and everyone is trying to predict how the presidential race will play out. You can learn a lot about the strength of a campaign from the number of donations it has received … or can you? Data reporter Jessica Piper joins Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels to break down some of the surprising trends she has seen among donors to the Harris and Trump campaigns.

Wisconsin is the red-headed stepchild of swing states. More focus typically falls on Pennsylvania or Michigan, but Republicans and Democrats are flocking to the badger state in the final days before the 2024 election in hopes of winning its 10 electoral votes. National politics reporter Lisa Kashinsky tells Playbook Deputy Editor Zack Stanton that both campaigns are feeling optimistic, but largely agree on one thing: the race is going to be close. Plus, new polls show a slight Harris lead in two key swing states, and the Elon Musk-funded canvassing scheme is in very hot water. All that, and the rest of the news you need to know today.

Last night, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her closing message from the Ellipse to a crowd of roughly 75,000 people. In the speech, she highlighted her policy aspirations, commitment to fighting for reproductive rights and pledged an ethos of unity. But shortly after she left the stage, President Joe Biden made headlines for potentially disparaging Trump voters as "garbage" in a video appearance with Latino supporters. He was reacting to comments Tony Hinchcliffe made at Trump's Sunday night Madison Square Garden rally that Puerto Rico was a "floating island of garbage." Playbook co-authors Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade dive in to how effective Harris and Trump's closing messages were and whether Biden's flub will overshadow Harris’ message.

In 2020, it took days to announce Joe Biden as president-elect. This election cycle, officials are hopeful that the process will be much faster in several states due to improvements in preprocessing absentee and mail-in ballots. But, pivotal battleground states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin still lack faster preprocessing measures. Deputy national editor Zach Montellaro joins Playbook co-author Rachael Bade to explain what to expect after election day.

Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden won’t be remembered for the things the former President had to say, but for the racist and sexist rhetoric of other speakers who took the stage. The Trump campaign even issued a rare statement distancing itself from the speakers, concerned that the event will undermine recent attempts to focus messaging on the economy and immigration. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade digs in. Playbook co-author Rachael Bade digs in.

We’re 11 days out from the end of the election, so naturally, Kamala Harris is campaigning in … Texas? Today, the VP will travel to Houston to deliver a message aimed squarely at voters in other states: That Texas’ abortion ban is a result of Donald Trump’s court appointments, and that if he returns to the White House, those restrictions will only spread. Politics reporter Megan Messerly walks Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels through what we can expect from one of Harris’ marquee end-of-the-campaign events.

The internal machinations of Donald Trump’s campaign have dominated headlines this past week, although not in a way they might want. There are accounts of infighting, power struggles and chaos. And there's usually one of two reasons for those kind of stories: finger-pointing when things aren’t going well, or maneuvering because things are going so well that rivals want to elbow each other out of the way. So which is it? Playbook co-authors Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade discuss.

With less than two weeks out from the presidential election, a rift is opening inside Donald Trump's inner circle. Howard Lutnick, the Wall Street CEO leading Trump’s transition operation, is facing accusations from some insiders that he is double-dealing his role on the campaign with personal business interests. Economic policy reporter Jasper Goodman chats with Playbook co-author Eugene Daniels about how this all could play out.