Decoding America is a weekly podcast from The Guardian in which hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine Trump's America. Each episode goes beyond the headlines to look at the week's most consequential stories and the underreported developments that reveal what is really happening. The show aims to add context and depth to coverage of US politics and society.
Episodes
Who is Stephen Miller, the new gateway man to Trump
Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad examine the Democrats’ failed impeachment attempt against the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and ask: could we see another bid soon? The other Donald Trump appointee making headlines is the president’s new chief of staff, Stephen Miller. Known as the architect of Trump’s tough immigration policies, the appointment is seen as a clear sign the president has n
US midterm elections 2026: is this the end of Trump? - podcast
The Democrats have had a resounding win, taking control of the Senate and the House of Representatives in a historic midterms result. Hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine what went wrong for the Republicans and why voters turned out in droves to deliver the blue wave so many predicted. But perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Donald Trump accepting the result and vowing to wo
Obama v Trump
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy talk about Barack Obama’s war of words with Donald Trump, after the former president spoke at a campaign rally in Ohio and compared Trump’s White House changes to the Cheesecake Factory. But how effective is Obama on the Democratic party campaign trail? What are the risks around personal attac
Katie Zacharia and Trump’s women problem
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad look at how Katie Zacharia broke the record for shortest tenure as White House press secretary. They then examine the pattern of how women in the Trump administration are treated when they’re perceived to have made mistakes – versus how men seem to survive their missteps. They also look at how
Everything you need to know about the midterms
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy take a special look at the midterms which are coming up in early November. All 435 House seats are up in this election as representatives only serve fixed two-year terms. In the Senate, 35 of 100 seats are up for grabs too as senators serve six-year terms. There are many predictions of a blue
What next after Christa Pike’s botched execution?
A warning for this episode - it covers details of a murder and an execution that some might find distressing. In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad examine what happened when the state of Tennessee tried to execute prisoner Christa Pike. They also look at the controversy over taxpayer-funded ads promoting US president Donald Trump
Decoding America: Trump’s war on the media
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy dive into what’s driving Donald Trump’s ban on journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico - and the significance of the response from major TV networks. They also cover the US president at the UNGA and why Trump’s decision making on international conflicts could be explained by the price
Decoding America: Why won't Donald Trump regulate AI?
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad look at whether there is any appetite across the political spectrum to put guardrails on artificial intelligence as around the world existential fears mount that the technology is developing too quickly. They also explain what the latest supreme court ruling on the Trump administration’
Decoding America: How Trump is powering the global right
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look across the water to Germany, where the rightwing political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has had a landslide state election win. As some commentators draw parallels to the Maga movement, they examine how Donald Trump is influencing global leaders and movements. Also in th
Decoding America: Could datacentres lose Trump the midterms?
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast Decoding America, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad explore why datacentres in the US have provoked such anger – and whether that could harm Republicans in the midterms given Donald Trump is such a supporter of the growing industry. They also look at why the US and Canada are fighting over tariffs. The Canadian prime minister,
Decoding America: Why Maga vaccine scepticism might be catching
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at what the reported food shortages and mental health crisis on the USS Lincoln say about whether the US military is stretched too thin as the war on Iran drags on. They also look at Donald Trump’s vaccine executive order and why experts are fearful it could spread vaccine hesitancy to Au
Decoding America: are the Democrats having their own Maga moment?
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad take a look at how the Michigan Senate primaries could decide the future of the Democrats. This is a race that has revealed the civil war raging inside the party, as some seek to take it further to the left, with candidates such as Abdul El-Sayed. But will this schism be the Democrats’
Decoding America: has Trump turned on Netanyahu?
In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad discuss Donald Trump’s closed-door meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. They also examine the president’s escalating attacks on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History as well as his performance at the White House correspondent’s dinner
Decoding America: making the US military macho again
Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at why Donald Trump chose to make a prime-time address about the US electoral system: was he trying to destabilise and undermine confidence before the midterms, and will it work? Also: why is the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ordering annual testosterone deficiency screening for soldiers in the military aged 30 and older?
Decoding America: Behind the scenes of Trump’s red card call
Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at the reported details emerging about Trump’s Fifa World Cup intervention and whether it will change the ‘beautiful game’. They also discuss the growing calls for Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out of the race
Decoding America: Is Trump making JD Vance the fall guy of his war?
Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy are back after a short break and in this episode they examine the on-again, off-again talks to end the Iran war and why Donald Trump says it’s now all up to his deputy to deliver an outcome. Jonathan looks at the latest Kennedy to run for public office and asks: are Americans tired of political dynasties? And will Trump get his reflection pool finished in time f
Decoding America: Trump is throwing a party for himself. Will Americans RSVP?
Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy ask where it all went wrong for the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations as artists pull out of a scheduled concert series and celebrations. Also: the California governor primary race, why it matters and which candidate has a character based on him in Armando Iannucci’s The Thick of It
Decoding America: the Republicans turning on Trump
Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at whether the Iran war, a new $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund and Donald Trump’s intervention in Republican primaries is turning his own party against him. They also look at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert going off air, and whether it signals the end of American political satire. You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysuppor
Decoding America: Who really writes Trump’s Truth Social posts?
Host Reged Ahmad and the Guardian’s US site editor Jonathan Yerushalmy examine Republican Thomas Massie’s loss in the Kentucky primary after a vicious attack campaign fulled by Donald Trump. They also look at the president’s penchant for posting directly to social media and the woman who pens the posts
Decoding America: Trump takes tech bros to China
On the eve of Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine how the US president’s approach to relations with Xi Jinping has changed since he first ran for office, and what both leaders expect to get from the meeting. They also look at the tech CEOs travelling with Trump, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook, and why trade will be such a focus of
Decoding America: The US says war with Iran is over - is it?
When is a war not a war? When politics is involved. Co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at the White House’s insistence that Operation Epic Fury is over – even as the blockade of the strait of Hormuz continues. Also in this episode, a supreme court decision that could ricochet around the country when it comes to how free and fair the midterm elections might be. And there was no short
Decoding America: Is the US’s political violence the worst it has ever been?
In the wake of the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, Donald Trump and the White House machine have come out fighting – blaming the press and the Democratic party for increased violence against politicians. Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy examine where the stark divide between Democrats and Republicans might have started. Meanwhile, Usha Vance has launched a new podcast – but
Decoding America: Is Trump having regrets as ceasefire deadline looms?
Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy talk about Donald Trump’s erratic social media posts, as commentators try to understand the US president’s strategy on peace talks with Iran. Meanwhile, as Trump floods the zone, is there space for Americans to talk about policy changes that matter? And finally, are the Democrats managing to cut through it all, and if so, who is doing it best Decoding America is
Decoding America: Trump v the Pope
In this episode of Decoding America, Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look at Donald Trump’s war of words with the Pope, that AI image and the blowback it has received - especially when seen through the administration’s painting of the war through a religious lens. They also also examine how the new blockade of the strait of Hormuz will work in practice, the US making such a contradictory move
Decoding America: Trump lashes out at Australia
Decoding America is a new weekly podcast from Guardian Australia hosted by Reged Ahmad with Jonathan Yerushalmy, one of our editors on the international desk. It will peel back the surface of Trump’s America, decoding the undercurrents of United States’ democracy. In this first episode we look at Trump’s growing frustrations and threats to take out Iran in “one night” in a surreal weekend of conde
