Freddy Gray is deputy editor of The Spectator
Chicago Joe Biden has given a speech at every single Democratic National Convention since 1976. Tonight was his last and he didn’t start speaking until 10.28 p.m., local time. Far past his bed time. Why so late? Poor planning? Or a cynical attempt to push the President’s appearance past ‘prime time’ – in case he
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It is day one of the DNC. Freddy Gray meets two Labour MPs, Lucy Rigby (North Northampton) and Mike Tapp (Dover and Deal) who have been invited to the convention to inform the Democrats on how to appeal to ‘working people’.
30 min listen
Trump is tough on China, but what really motivates his hawkishness? Does he care at all about China’s human rights abuses? Or is he fundamentally a foreign policy disentangler, hoping to rein back America’s overseas commitments? How much does the China policy of a second Trump presidency depend on which advisors the president surrounds himself
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Douglas Murray joins Freddy Gray to discuss free speech in Britain following the sentences handed down after the riots, how different free speech is in America, and how Douglas himself became a victim of online hate.
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On this week’s episode of Americano, Freddy Gray sits down with journalist and Spectator author Ed West who writes the Substack Wrong Side of History and Richard Hanania who writes the Richard Hanania Newsletter to discuss Elon Musk’s interview with Donald Trump on Twitter (X), how much influence Twitter has both in the UK and
We’re told these riots are about immigration, racism, angry Islam, elite blindness and identity politics – and, to a point, that’s all true. But the disorder in British cities is also about the internet – and online videos in particular. People just can’t stop sharing ‘riot porn’, whether it be savage beatings, vicious clashes between
37 min listen
Since Kamala Harris ascended to top of the ticket, there have been reports of meltdowns in Trump world, with Republican strategists suggesting Trump is having a public breakdown. Has the era of a thoughtful, poignant Trump already disappeared? Also on the podcast, Kamala Harris’s VP pick came as a shock to many Democrats, with insiders
Talk of Donald Trump ‘meltdowns’ tends to be overblown. For eight years, we’ve been told, frequently, that he’s losing the plot, fuming at staffers, having tantrums and setting fire to his re-election hopes. Somehow, however, the Trump train keeps chugging on. This week, Republican strategists are telling Politico that Trump is having ‘a public nervous
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Freddy Gray sits down with political commentator and podcaster Dash Dobrofsky to discuss today’s news that Kamala Harris has picked Tim Walz to be her running mate. The Governor of Minnesota was joint favourite alongside Josh Shapiro. But who is Tim Walz? And can he stand up to JD Vance in the debates?
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Venezuela’s leader President Nicolas Maduro is still manoeuvring to stay in power, following disputed election results and hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to protest. The opposition maintains that the result is fraudulent. Biden is facing increased pressure to intervene. What will his next move be? Freddy Gray is joined by Eli Lake, reporter
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In the short time since Joe Biden has stepped aside for Kamala Harris’s candidacy, the Democratic party has totally switched on the gears for ‘Kamalamania’. On this episode, Freddy Gray talks to Kate Andrews about the disingenuousness of the hype, how social media drives it (and in particular, TikTok), and whether the enthusiasm for Kamala
In a society that worships the self, identity politics is a very powerful force. We see this now in Kamalamania – the dizzying speed with which the vice-president and presumptive Democratic nominee has been turned, through mass acclamation, from national embarrassment to Democratic saviour. Will Kamalamania last until the election is over? The fact that Harris’s
48 min listen
This week: Kamala takes charge. Our cover piece discusses the rise of Kamala Harris, who has only one man standing in her way to the most powerful position in the world. Her’s is certainly an unexpected ascent, given Harris’ generally poor public-speaking performances and mixed bag of radical left and right-wing politics. Does she really
On Monday, Donald J. Trump sent out an urgent campaign memo. ‘Joe Biden just dropped out of the race, and now, his replacement has just been announced,’ it said. ‘It’s me!’ How typically Donald. If Trump were worried about the sudden replacement of Biden with Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket, he’d
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Freddy Gray is joined by political consultant Alex Castellanos to discuss the candidacy of Kamala Harris as the Democrats’ nominee for President and why, at this moment, she is the biggest threat to Donald Trump – but how long will that last? This was originally recorded for Spectator TV. Produced by Natasha Feroze and Patrick Gibbons.
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What happens after Joe Biden? The President has announced that he won’t run for re-election. Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris, his Vice President, to be the new Democratic nominee. Can she convince Democratic voters, and the rest of the US? The Spectator’s Freddy Gray and Kate Andrews are joined by Tim Stanley, columnist for the
‘There are two things that are important in American politics,’ said Mark Hanna. ‘The first is money and I can’t remember what the second one is.’ Kamala Harris, who cut her political teeth in the mega-rich world of west coast Democratic politics, understands that point well. The immediate threat to Harris comes from the right
He resisted as they tried to force him away. He showed his defiance. Then, after a struggle, he gave in and was removed. That could be a description of the near-assassination of Donald Trump last weekend. Or the words might equally apply to Joe Biden’s experience since his abysmal debate performance last month. There’s a
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This week, Joe Biden has faced further calls to step down from some of the most senior characters in the Democratic party. The President is currently isolating having tested positive for Covid, but remains defiant that he has no intention of giving up yet. Natasha Feroze speaks to Kate Andrews and Freddy Gray about whether
Nobody can blame Donald Trump for a being a little reflective – given the events of the last few days. But his big speech in Milwaukee last night was, as his rather unkind critics were quick to point out, curiously ‘low-energy’. He was sombre and slow. He looked almost too sad to read out from
