How did Barack Obama become President? What was Hillary Clinton's huge mistake in 2016? How corrupt really is American politics today? Pod Save America host and former Barack Obama speechwriter, Tommy Veitor, joins Rory and Alastair to answer all these questions and more. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive our exclusive newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. 00:00 Introducing Tommy Veitor 02:21 Working for Obama 03:51 Hillary Clinton as a ruthless operator 05:05 Barack Obama’s skill as a politician 08:04 Was the surge in Afghanistan a mistake? 11:10 Can you be frank with a US president or do you feel over-awed by them? 12:10 Did Obama fail in foreign policy? 17:02 Why did Donald Trump rise? 19:20 Did Hillary’s campaign fail? 20:40 Why did Harris lose in 2024? 24:35 What’s happened to Tim Walz? 25:49 What are Trump’s strengths? 27:38 Is Trump a fascist? 32:00 Will Democrats win the mid-terms 38:18 Was this the podcast election 46:37 Why foreigners don’t understand why Trump is so corrupt 48:34 Debrief #trump #politics #uspolitics #congress #uspresident #donaldtrump