The Ben Domenech Podcast

One of the most talked about faces in politics today isn't a politician, but instead, tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk's loud approach to changing policy and elections has come with somewhat of a cost, forcing Republicans to reevaluate their relationship with the controversial yet influential figure. In the world of politics, money talks. But when donors do the talking, what do American voters hear? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A week after Liberation Day, the global market has felt the aftershock of President Trump's tariffs. As Americans witness massive changes here at home, the White House says conversations with foreign leaders are also in the works that could reshape our trade partnerships and our economy. How will President Trump's second administration usher in a new era of geopolitics? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The accidental leak of a National Security Signal chat to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg has ignited fierce debate and conversation in Washington. While Goldberg is known for his long-standing opposition to President Trump, there is a real question of just how such pertinent information got into the wrong hands. Ben breaks down why it was so surprising that NSA Michael Waltz was the one in the wrong here, what this means for regular DC communication on apps like this, and why this was the first major wake-up call for a White House that had been scandal-free for the first two months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer surprised Democrats by defending the vote to avoid a government shutdown. Now, he is receiving major pushback from his party and is even canceling his book tour on Antisemitism. Does Senator Schumer's weakened grip on leadership signal a shift toward younger, more radical Democrats, setting the stage for a significant transformation within the party? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a looming government shutdown, Ben ponders how it could prove the validity of DOGE cuts. He notes that only 'essential' employees continue to work during a government shutdown while the rest are furloughed, and whether people will notice the shift in productivity, if there is any. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben reacts to President Trump's first address to the joint session of Congress, since his return to the White House. While he notes that the Democrats are currently without a real leader and lacking a cohesive response to the President's address, there is still a real question of whether the Republicans are indeed overstepping their mandate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben comments on how the press and Democrats have zeroed in on Elon Musk’s actions at DOGE as a proxy to attack President Donald Trump. But will Democrats' attacks on Elon backfire, as some polls show a majority of Americans believe there is widespread waste, fraud and abuse in government? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Almost a full month into the second Trump administration, the pace has shocked the political world. Ben breaks down the firings and upcoming legislative agenda, from the flurry of executive orders to the Elon Musk-fueled disruption of government bureaucracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is USAID so controversial? @BDomenech breaks down the complexities of the issue everyone now suddenly has an opinion on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As media layoffs and organizational pivots begin following President Trump's return to the White House, Ben delivers a monologue going into detail on how this happened, and how it may shape the industry going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Days into the second Trump Administration and the President is hitting the ground running. Ben gives his thoughts on a memorable inaugural weekend, highlighting the remarkable odds President Trump overcame to return to the Oval Office. He also looks ahead to the 2026 midterms, forecasting what the slim Republican majority will be able to accomplish in Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben breaks down the confirmation hearing of Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, and how he was able to survive major blows from the Democrats and the media. Plus, he argues how Pete's fight for survival helped other nominees and could be the determining factor in President-elect Trump getting his entire cabinet confirmed. Ben also shares why he thinks Republicans should let Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) speak at every confirmation hearing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his new book, All the President's Money: Investigating the Secret Foreign Schemes That Made the Biden Family Rich, House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) details the work that his committee has done to show how the Biden family profited off of their political power at the expense of the American taxpayer. Plus, Chairman Comer previews some of the big-ticket items Congress has on the agenda for the second Trump Administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we ring in the New Year, Life Editor of The Spectator World, Ross Andersen weighs in on the most popular movies and television series from 2024. While noting some of the biggest hits of the year were Twisters and Shogun, they analyze why highly anticipated sequels such as Joker 2 and Moana 2 didn't quite hit the mark. Plus, they discuss their all-time favorite Christmas movies and look ahead to 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this encore episode, Ben recalls one of the most monumental weeks in American political history in mid-July. It was a week that included former President Trump narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, accepting a Presidential nomination, and selecting a Vice-Presidential nominee all within around 52 hours. Plus, the wagons were circling President Biden as a key ally of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) publicly called for the President to step aside, as the 46th President of the United States would eventually do so, just 2 days after the original release of this podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben argues why Congress' worst decisions are made when they're on tight deadlines to keep the government funded. With multiple Republican members of Congress leaving to serve in the Trump administration, Speaker Mike Johnson will now have to manage an even narrower majority. In the long term, that involves passing President-elect Trump's agenda, but in the short term that means convincing Congress to agree upon a 1547-page spending bill to keep the government funded before they go home for holiday break. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After months of controversy striking at the heart of New York City's crime crisis, Marine Veteran Daniel Penny had his manslaughter charge dismissed and was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide for the death of Jordan Neely. Nick Ohnell Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Rafael Mangual, has written extensively about urban crime and jail violence to broader matters of criminal and civil justice reform. Ben and Rafael break down the investigation, the trial, and what the result means for a city torn over the political circumstances of the moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author David Harsanyi discusses his new book The Rise of BlueAnon: How the Democrats Became a Party of Conspiracy Theorists. David and Ben make their way from numerous examples, from COVID-19 to the coverup of President Biden's health, his eventual pardon of his son Hunter, and the Russian collusion hoax, to show that despite the constant mainstream media clamoring, it turns out that Democrats were the actual conspiracy theorists all along. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thanksgiving eve, Ben revisits a conversation where he draws on the history of Thanksgiving, from the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to President George Washington's creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, to explain why despite America's modern struggles, we still have a lot to be thankful for in our unique American experiment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President-elect Trump rolls out his cabinet, receiving both criticism and praise, Ben notes how the idea that the President-elect is simply picking who he sees on TV and who has been loyal is a flawed argument. Ben examines what cabinet picks really mean for the 2nd Trump Administration and reflects on President Biden's nominations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices