On today's podcast, Chris Cillizza and Matt discuss:

— Is Trump looking to replace Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (per Politico Playbook) just 19 days before the midterms?

— Why Wiles was the perfect non-traditional chief for Trump (mother figure, not James Baker) and why he still wants a new character for the next season

— Top potential scapegoats if Republicans lose: John Thune, Pete Hegseth, Ken Paxton, Wiles, and more

— New press secretary Katie Zacharia’s rough first briefing, and how the job has shifted under Trump

— Trump’s aggressive midterm barnstorming and repeated “pretend I’m on the ballot” line — smart base play or self-own at record-low approval?

— Trump in the twilight: aging, lame-duck status, better as outsider than governing, and the walnut-tree effect on the GOP bench

— Democrats letting a thousand flowers bloom vs. Republican top-down control and the thin post-Trump pipeline

— Mike Johnson’s decision to stay on as Speaker or Minority Leader (no matter what happens in the midterms)

— Matt’s Senate races to watch: Texas and Kansas

— And MUCH more!

Make sure to check us out again next week!Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A

– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books:

FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937

Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

On today's podcast, Chris Cillizza and Matt discuss:

— Trump’s repeated Texas and Ohio stops as a sign of a Republican base-motivation problem

— Ken Paxton’s leaked audio, and whether Senate Republicans are laying groundwork to throw him under the bus

— Who actually decides? — John Thune and the Senate Leadership Fund versus MAGA Inc. — and the scapegoat risk if Texas is abandoned

— Chuck Schumer might not be so stupid after all?

— Mike Rogers’ Canada-tariff reversal, and other Republicans distancing from Trump on tariffs and Iran

— JD Vance as a tenuous heir: charisma, shapeshifting, and the VERY ONLINE trap

— Buy-low 2028: Why Ted Cruz is a dark horse to watch

— And MUCH more!

Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A

– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books:

FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937

Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

On today’s podcast, The Washington Monthly’s Bill Scher talks with Matt about:

— Abdul El-Sayed told CNN he will win Michigan by 7 points, while recent public polls mostly show leads of 1–4

— El-Sayed reportedly reached out o Hasan Piker, asking him to lay low.

— Why Michigan, Maine, and Minnesota look softer for Democrats than Texas

— Bill’s own poll average (all non-internal polls, fixed recent window) model

— Can the polls be trusted this close to the midterms?

— The alternative reading of “missing” Republican respondents: demoralized rural voters hit by tariffs, diesel, and fertilizer costs rather than only “"shy Trump” voters

— Texas as a GOP money sinkhole: Ken Paxton’s weak fundraising and leaked complaint that he does not control his own campaign’s message

— Candidate quality across the map (Talarico, Roy Cooper, others) and whether Chuck Schumer’s recruitment record looks better people think

Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A

– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books:

FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937

Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

On this week's podcast, Matt talks with Chris Cillizza about his latest column at The Washington Sun: "I Almost Never Vote for Democrats. I’m Making an Exception This Year." https://www.washingtonsun.com/perspectives/i-almost-never-vote-for-democrats-im-making-an-exception-this-year

They also discuss whether we can believe the polls showing a blue wave next month, whether the walls really are (finally) closing in around Donald Trump, and MUCH more!

Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A

– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books:

FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937

Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

On today's podcast, The Washington Monthly's Bill Scher talks with Matt about:

— Sen. Eric Schmitt’s attempted perjury trap on Jack Smith.

— The Atlanta Hawks vs. Iowa Hawkeyes mix-up, the poster-board texts, Katie Britt’s face, and why Smith pausing made it worse for Republicans

— Why this hearing happened just weeks before the midterms — and why it’s a microcosm of Republicans placating Trump instead of addressing cost of living

— Broader diagnosis: a party that’s sloppy, shoots first, and can’t distance from an unpopular president

— Why Sen. Susan Collins is so resilient, and why Troy Jackson is underperforming in Maine.

— And MUCH more!

Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books:

FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937

Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

On this week’s podcast, Charlie Sykes and Matt discuss:

— Trump doubles down on AI, Iran, and China, while voters feel gas and grocery pains

— Are the polls real? Why Republican behavior (Trump is campaigning in Alabama and Oklahoma!) says “yes”

— Why hundreds of millions in ads and Elon’s money may matter less than you think in the midterms

— Affordability and “they’re for them, we’re for you” is the potent message that Democrats still aren’t fully exploiting

— Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies before Congress, and Charlie contrasts Smith’s courage with author Jacob Weisberg’s list of cowards (Bezos, Bush, Roberts, McConnell, Megyn Kelly, and more)

— Why tribal loyalty beats reason — and why George W. Bush fundraising for Senate Republicans — and Karl Rove’s “Nazi problem” discovery — still fall short

— Peter Thiel and the tech oligarchs got Trump wrong; now they want trust on AI?

— And MUCH more!

Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A

– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books:

FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937

Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

On today's podcast, The Washington Monthly's Bill Scher swings by to break down why 2026 is lining up as a Democratic midterm year: collapsing Trump energy in MAGA country, a sense of betrayal over prices and the Iran war, real disposable income going the wrong way, and GOP incumbents starting to inch away from the president — too late and too timid.Then, Matt talks with Rory Riley Topping, about her new book 'Draw the Line in Ohio: How One State's Fight for Fair Maps Explains Gerrymandering in America.' Get 'DRAW THE LINE IN OHO' https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Draw-the-Line-in-Ohio/Rory-Riley-Topping/9781493098033Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.Buy Matt's books: FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC