Beyond Politics

Republican strategist Matt Wylie looks at the new midterm fundraising numbers and says it out loud: "We're getting our butt kicked out there." This week on Political Rehab: Trump's primetime election bombshell, JD Vance's explosive Joe Rogan interview, the DSA platform that has Fox News thrilled, the GOP civil war over ICE, and the fundraising numbers turning Texas, Georgia,...

The conversation explores one central question: What should ordinary people do when a government begins crossing moral lines? Matt Robison sits down with Gal Beckerman of The Atlantic to discuss his powerful new book How to Be a Dissident—drawing lessons from Václav Havel, Alexei Navalny, Hannah Arendt, Nelson Mandela, the Civil Rights Movement, Soviet dissidents, and more. This isn't a conver...

Lindsey Graham's death has instantly reshaped the fight for the U.S. Senate. In this emergency live discussion, Matt Robison is joined by Republican strategist Matt Wylie and Blue Amp Media's Cliff Schecter to break down what happens next in South Carolina, how the appointment process works, whether Republicans could suddenly have another competitive Senate race on their hands, and why the...

Trump declares the Iran ceasefire "over" as the Pentagon runs out of money. Mitch McConnell hasn't been seen in weeks, and Kentucky's governor wants proof of life. Republicans in Congress accidentally funded Planned Parenthood. And in this week's Battlefield segment, the Senate map just got a lot bigger for Democrats — six competitive races, Trump down 30 points with independ...

2026 is the first American election where AI is shaping every link in the chain of political power — from what campaigns put in front of voters, to how voters filter what they're told, to who tech companies are trying to elect. Matt Robison sits down with Katie Harbath — 25-year veteran of the tech-politics intersection, former Facebook elections lead, and author of the upcoming book Disruptin...

Trump made $2 billion while his own crypto investors lost their shirts — and that's just the opening story. This week on Political Rehab, Republican strategist Matt Wylie calls his own party's Trump-branded midterm convention plan "a hostage video with balloons," the Supreme Court hands Trump sweeping new power to fire independent regulators, Clarence Thomas drops a 91-page disse...

After Zohran Mamdani's endorsed slate swept three New York primaries, headlines screamed that the Democratic establishment is in crisis. Fox News is thrilled. Trump's calling it a "communist" surge. And today, as Colorado votes in primaries being framed as the next test of a Democratic civil war, Matt makes the case that everyone — right-wing media, mainstream media, and panicked...

Donald Trump just blew up his own party. This week on Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Republican strategist Matt Wylie break down Trump's stunning decision to derail his own housing bill just before its signing ceremony, the explosive shouting match inside the Senate Republican lunch, a major court defeat for Trump's voting agenda, and the new strategy Republicans may be pursuing ahead o...

Senate Democrats are already war-gaming scenarios involving ballot seizures, armed federal agents at polling places, voter intimidation, and election interference ahead of the 2026 midterms. But constitutional law professor and former federal prosecutor Kim Wehle says those preparations may not be enough. In this conversation, Matt Robison and Kim Wehle examine the real risks facing the 2026 elect...

Did Donald Trump just have his worst week of his second term? This week on Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down Trump's controversial Iran deal, the bizarre FISA standoff that left Congressional Republicans openly confused, a strange and meandering G7 summit performance, Trump's latest public-relations disasters at home, and the increasingly active 2028 presidential shad...

Ten years ago, a faction of Republicans set out to stop Donald Trump. They were right about nearly everything. And they failed. This week, Matt Robison is joined by writer and former Never Trump ghostwriter Melissa Amour for an inside look at why the movement failed, what she learned working behind the scenes, and what happens next as the Baby Boomer generation that shaped modern American politics...

Donald Trump says he loves inflation. Seriously. This week on Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down one of the strangest weeks of Trump's presidency as rising prices, a growing conflict with Iran, election conspiracy theories, media battles, and Trump's expanding sports empire all collide. The bigger question: is Trump betting against reality—and expecting voters to go al...

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is here — on American soil for the first time since 1994.And the U.S. Men’s National Team may be on the verge of something historic. In this episode, Matt Robison sits down with acclaimed soccer journalist and author Leander Schaerlaeckens (The Guardian, The Ringer) to explore why this World Cup matters far beyond sports. From Christian Pulisic and America’s “golden generat...

Trump's inner circle is shrinking, Republicans are showing signs of independence, and Democrats may be in a stronger position than most people realize heading into the 2026 midterms. In this episode of Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down the week's biggest political stories:🔹 Trump appoints Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence despite no intelligence...

Donald Trump promised lower prices and a stronger economy. Instead, Americans facing a devastating economic shock in the coming months. Matt Robison speaks with Anne Kim and Ira Shapiro, co-editors of Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This, about the long-term consequences of Trump's second term, the damage to institutions, the rule of law, government competence, medical research, and demo...

Trump’s Iran strategy is spiraling, Republicans are openly panicking, Senate confirmations are collapsing, and Donald Trump increasingly appears trapped inside an alternate reality built by loyalty, flattery, and political fear. In this episode of Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down:Trump’s chaotic Iran negotiationswhy Republicans fear the economic fallout is only beginningthe...

What is Donald Trump really hiding in the Epstein files? Investigative journalist and author Greg Olear joins Matt Robison for a deep dive into the underreported connections between Jeffrey Epstein, Russian organized crime, intelligence agencies, dark money networks, and Donald Trump. Most people think the Epstein story is simply about sex trafficking. Greg argues it was much bigger than that: a s...

Why did Democrats really lose in 2024 — and why are they still struggling to reconnect with working-class voters? Political commentator and Substack writer Matt Robison joins Howard Monroe for a candid deep dive into the Democratic Party’s “autopsy,” the growing backlash to “woke” politics, trans sports controversies, immigration, media ecosystems, and the long-term branding crisis facing Democrat...

Trump’s corruption scandals are exploding, Republicans are panicking, gas prices are surging, Congress is rebelling over Iran, and even conservative insiders are warning this could become a political disaster for the GOP.In this episode of Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down:Trump’s $1.7 billion settlement slush fundThe hidden theory behind the payout schemeJeff Bezos and the c...

Is the global authoritarian wave finally starting to crack? Join Matt Robison and veteran international journalist Dan Perry — former Associated Press lead editor for Europe and the Middle East — for a major live conversation examining whether strongman politics around the world is finally colliding with reality. From Putin’s mounting problems in Ukraine… to Netanyahu’s growing political peril… to...

Did Donald Trump just make the biggest political gaffe of his career? This week on Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down Trump’s stunning “NOT EVEN A LITTLE” comment about Americans’ financial struggles — and why it may become the defining ad clip of the 2026 midterms. Plus: a five-alarm economy, Trump’s late-night meltdown spiral, the dangerous China summit, growing momentum for...

Trump’s latest “victory” may actually be a political trap. In this livestream, Matt Robison and Cliff Schecter break down the Supreme Court redistricting rulings, the growing GOP backlash problem, Trump’s dangerous Xi meeting strategy, Bill Cassidy’s political collapse, and why the 2026 election environment may be far worse for Republicans than the headlines suggest. PLUS:Why Democrats may still b...

Donald Trump keeps testing the limits — and more importantly, acting like there may not be any. This week on Political Rehab, Matt Robison and Matt Wylie break down the most important political stories hiding beneath the headlines: Trump-backed Republicans crushing dissent inside the GOP, ICE abuse reports and escalating mass deportation tactics, Mike Johnson’s collapsing House coalition, Kash Pat...

America’s biggest long-term problem isn’t what you think—and almost everything you’ve heard about it is wrong. In this livestream, I’m joined by budget expert Jessica Riedl (Brookings Institution) to break down what’s *actually* driving America’s debt, why the standard political talking points are misleading, and the uncomfortable math that no one in Washington wants to admit. We cut through the m...

Everything is escalating — the media war, political revenge, the economy, even political violence — and Trump is pouring gasoline on all of it. In this episode of Political Rehab, we break down how multiple crises are converging at once — and why even Republican insiders are starting to warn it’s backfiring. From the bizarre Comey prosecution to rising gas prices, from the war with Iran to a Supre...