American Friction

Donald Trump can’t decide if he’s Jesus or a doctor - oh wait, he’s not Jesus, but Jesus is his friend, we think, it’s all a bit confusing. What on Earth is going on in the President's head, and has he now gone too far for even the strongest MAGA supporters? Nikk, Jarv and Chris try to work it all out! Follow us on social media:  Bluesky : https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagr...

Fox News has never exactly been objective or accurate but it at least used to pretend. So why has it morphed into Trump TV? Juliet Jeske from Decoding Fox News joins Jarv and Chris to explain.  See more of Juliet’s work: https://decodingfoxnews.substack.com/  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction...

Trump’s flip flopping, fake victories and consistent lies have left us all baffled. But is he even more confused than the rest of us? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social medi...

Tucker Carlson is still going, gaining traction in unexpected places with his controversial opinions while appealing to the left with his stance on Israel. What’s going on? What does he want? And who is he, really? Jason Zengerle, author of Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unravelling of the Conservative Mind, joins Jarv and Nikki to discuss.  Buy Hated by All the Right People...

Yeah, we don’t know what to tell you – the news keeps on getting weirder. We discuss Trump’s war crime threats, the chance of him being impeached and what it means, and of course Nikki explains bimbofication in light of the Bryon Noem story… You know what you’re in for these days, gang. Casey Burgat joins us again this week and Nikki is away but she drops by for a section that she couldn’t resist…...

Trumpworld and the conspiracy cranks within it are splintering. What does it mean for MAGA? Conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild joins us to discuss.  Join Mike’s Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/MikeRothschild  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www....

Trump has been trying to pass the buck for his disastrous war but his poll ratings are still tanking no matter what he does. Jarv and Nikki discuss the latest fallout.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social m...

Trump loves talking about being American and saying other people or things aren’t. What does he even mean? And what should America mean, if we can be positive about it? Nikki and Jarv are joined by Beth and Sarah from Pantsuit Politics to discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now...

Trump is trying to backtrack on Iran as he realises he’s created a level of chaos he can’t handle or control. Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss this and more in our latest episode and also answer the question of who is their “evil crush”. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: h...

Texas has been Republican for a long time. But with the emergence of a shiny new Democratic Party candidate in James Talarico and the GOP undecided on who should face him, could things be about to change? Christopher Hooks is a real-life Texan and journalist whose work has appeared in publications like Texas Monthly and The New York Times, and joins Chris and Nikki to talk Texan politics. Back us...

Trump is wrecking the world in the stupidest way possible. Nikki, Jarv and Chris unpack his posturing and his Iran flip-flopping. Plus they discuss UFC fighters training the FBI, the new Marjorie Taylor Greene and problematic musical ideas…  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on You...

The Democratic Party has a new breed of candidates coming through who could be a new counter force in the party similar to the Republican’s Tea Party movement. Will they take over from the establishment figureheads? Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief of The Independent, joins us to discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https:/...

The MAGA alliance is splitting apart – could it be the end of Trump’s gang? Plus, Kristi Noem aka Dog Killer in Chief has been fired! What happens now? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow...

Trump loves ending wars so much that he just keeps starting more that he can then eventually end. Or something like that… The latest began with strikes on Iran – why is he doing this? And why now? Politico's senior foreign affairs correspondent Nahal Toosi joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch We’re now on Y...

The weird world of right-wing conspiracy theories and subcultures is stranger than ever. Jarv is joined by Annie Kelly, host of Truly, Tradly Deeply and the UK correspondent for the QAA podcast to get into it all. Back us on Patreon⁠⁠ – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction⁠⁠  We’re now on Youtube: ⁠⁠https://www.yo...

Trump’s State of the Union was not normal. It was longer than ever, more weird and more hate-filled than any before it, and most reports aren’t nailing that. Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss.  Back us on Patreon⁠ – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction⁠  We’re now on Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionP...

The Mafia’s place in American culture can be seen as a cultural phenomenon. But how did the real mob, who inspired The Sopranos and The Godfather, come to be? And what influence have they had in shaping the United States? Ryan Gingeras, author of The Mafia: A Global History, joins Chris and Jarv to discuss.  Buy The Mafia: A Global History through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund Americ...

Trump is meddling where he can and pushing to make it harder for people to vote. Will Trump ever allow free votes in America under his watch? Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss in our latest episode.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictio...

Trump’s despicable shenanigans have seen more and more US athletes speak out against him. The Winter Olympics have thrown this into sharp focus, and Chris is joined by Jules Boykoff, author of What are the olympics for? and Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics to discuss this backlash and the history of protest at the games.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad...

Trump and his MAGA goons are trying to pretend Kid Rock is good. Why are they so set on embarrassing themselves and denying themselves from enjoying proper culture? Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss the Bad Bunny Superbowl fallout and ask why Trump is losing the culture war.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/ame...

Joe Rogan and the world of bro podcasts was a big deal in the run up to the election. Do they still matter? We unpack the impact and politics of the dude podcast world with Melina Much, a postdoctoral fellow for NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics and a Siegel Research Fellow for the Siegel Family Endowment. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra b...

Trump says the Epstein files are actually fine for him but we should all ignore them anyway. Oh, and we should leave Bill Clinton alone! What is going on? Nobody knows, but we’ll try get into it anyway.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@America...

Congress technically should be a check on the presidency, and holding back Trump’s worst ages. It isn’t though. Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief at The Independent, joins Jarv to discuss how Trump has wreaked havoc upon what should be an equal branch of government.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/ameri...

Trump’s tyrannous ICE crackdown continues unabated despite token changes in personnel. Is anything going to change? Nikki, Chris and Jarv discuss a dark moment in America.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on soci...

Donald Trump loves to bend the law and make money. So we’re looking at how he’s been doing both with legal scholar Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money, who’s a major expert in white collar crime (tracking it, not committing it that is…).    Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction   We’re now o...