Farmers are among Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters. But they have been getting a raw deal from the man they helped re-elect in 2024. First came the trade war that eroded access to key export markets. Then came the Iran war, and rising fuel and fertiliser costs. Meanwhile, Congressional wranglings over food stamps are delaying the new Farm Bill. So what, if anything, would cause rural voters to abandon President Trump?

Guests and hosts:

• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief and executive editor
• Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent
• Alice Fulwood, Wall Street correspondent; co-host Money Talks
• Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union

Topics covered:

• Farm Bill / SNAP
• Agricultural trade and tariffs
• Iran War & fuel / fertiliser costs
• Rural politics

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

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It’s a little over six months to go until the midterm elections. The Economist’s model predicts that Republicans will probably lose the House, and maybe the Senate, breaking the president’s trifecta. When he lost the presidential election in 2020 Donald Trump wanted to overturn the result. Could he try to interfere again?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief and executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Secretary of State
• Richard Hasen, professor at University of California, Los Angeles School of Law

Topics covered:

• Election interference
• Past elections that were stolen
• How states are responding

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Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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“America doesn’t have to constantly police every region of the world,” J.D. Vance said on the 2024 campaign trail. A war with Iran seemed to him a particularly bad idea. Donald Trump attacked Tehran anyway. How much influence does J.D. Vance, and his ideas, have over Donald Trump’s presidency?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor
• Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Oren Cass, founder of American Compass
• Joel K.Goldstein, scholar of the vice presidency

Topics covered:

• J.D. Vance’s ideology
• The history of the vice presidency

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.