The Almost Presidents Podcast

Tonight at 8 EST, 5 Republican candidates for president take to the debate stage for the third 2024 Republican Presidential Debate. Qualifying candidates include: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott. We talk you through the likely topics of the debate: the conflict and funding for the conflict in Israel and Gaza, Teflon Don's dominant lead among voters, th...

After years of bloody, sectional foreplay, the American Civil War begins with a bang. The bloodiest conflict ever fought on American soil wreaks havoc across the fractured country in multiple theaters of the war. But for all the blood and treasure expended in the Civil War, as well as the legacy of it that is still felt in the modern era, the conflict forged many of the men who would have a major...

It's almost Halloween, and while the Haunted House of Representatives has been celebrating all month by ghosting the House Speakership, we've brewed up a festive, fun, and spooky episode of The Almost Presidents Podcast: Halloween Edition. Joining us are new and returning guests to talk presidential horror films and suggest Halloween costumes from across the political spectrum. (2:45-01:01...

Just like every great superhero has an origin story, so too does every great politician (though perhaps with less action, Kryptonite, and/or a childhood vow to become a one man war on crime made in Crime Alley after Thomas and Martha Wayne were gunned down in a mindless act of violence). The origin story of Almost President Samuel Tilden is the story of the cultivation of a political mind that wou...

Tonight 7 Republican Presidential candidates take to the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and we're here to get you ready for the sh*t show! We talk about: -Trump's decision to skip the debate and visit striking auto workers in Michigan -Where the candidates stand in regards to the polls -What happened to all the passengers aboard the Vivek Vehicle? -If Ron DeSantis&...

So far on Season 2 of The Almost Presidents Podcast, we've done our best to situate you in the historical time period within which Almost President Samuel Tilden would emerge as the Democratic candidate for President in the Election of 1876. But just who was Samuel Tilden? On this episode, Ryan and Kevin discuss the boyhood of Sam Tilden, a bright but sickly boy born into a politically active...

8 Almost Presidents from the Republican Party took to the debate stage last night to make a case for why they should be in the White House in 2024. Ryan and Kevin discuss: -how the candidates came off -who did well vs. who underperformed -the issues and how they were discussed -the importance (or lack thereof) of the debate amongst the Republican electorate -the significance of Trump's absence...

Tonight 8 Republican presidential candidates take to the debate stage for the first time in the 2024 Presidential Election Cycle! Florida Man Ron DeSantis is joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson, and Doug Burgam. Noticeably absent from the stage: Donald Trump. The Almost Presidents Podcast has you covered with a short program where we discus...

Congress reconvenes in December 1865. Immediately it becomes apparent that the same ideological differences that divided a nation are going to lead to fractures within Congress. The session starts with Congress rejecting many of its members, most of whom were Democrats and former Confederate legislators or military leaders. This leads to Republican dominance in both Houses of Congress. But just be...

CanvasRebel , an online publication that writes about artists, business leaders, podcasters, and other creatives, wrote an article about The Almost Presidents Podcast! If you're interested in a look behind the curtain at the origin story of the podcast, how each episode is created, and more (including why we walked away from 80 pages of unrecorded script produced over the course of a year), cl...

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan and Kevin explore: -Congressman Ron DeSantis, the 2017 Congressional Baseball Shooting, and DeSantis's gloomy outlook on legacy media -Book Bans: the fight for what America's Public Schoolchildren can/can't read in their classrooms and school libraries. Joining us in conversation is literacy advocate and former Board of Education President of her lo...

In our ongoing series on Almost President Samuel Tilden, we talk about Andrew Johnson who set the stage for our Almost President by setting the stage for Reconstruction. In this episode we track President Johnson’s ever-changing views on slavery and his (unfortunately) unchanging views on white supremacy. We also talk about Johnson’s…interesting relationship to alcohol. And (very unfortunately) we...

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan and Kevin explore: -Ron DeSantis's time in the NAVY as a JAG officer with a focus on his time stationed at Guantanamo Bay (TRIGGER WARNING: Descriptions of torture and violence contained in this segment) -The state of the 2024 Presidential Field -Discuss recent DeSantis related headlines with Brian Eskow of "Searching For Political Identity With Brian...

Ryan and Kevin celebrate The Almost Presidents Podcast turning 1 year old with a special bonus episode! We'd like to thank all of our listeners, whether you've been with us since the beginning or are a brand new listener, and we look forward to another year as we continue this journey to shed a light on America's Almost Presidents! * 0:40-23:35 - Opening political banter, including cur...

Welcome to Season 2 of The Almost Presidents Podcast, a podcast about American politics told through the lens of the loser! * Season 2 of the podcast will be about Almost President Samuel Tilden and the Disastrous Election of 1876. On this episode, co-hosts Ryan and Kevin start things out at the end of the American Civil War. After Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern...

Season 2 of the Almost Presidents Podcast comes out June 1st! For our next installment in history as told by the loser: Almost President Samuel Tilden and the Disastrous Election of 1876! It's a series you won't want to miss. Subscribe to The Almost Presidents Podcast so you can listen the moment it comes out!

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan and Kevin explore: -the prospective origins of Ron DeSantis's "woke culture warrior" ideology through the lens of right wing ideologue Christopher Rufo -catch you up with all the latest news surrounding who's running in the 2024 Presidential Race so far for both parties -and chat with Tim and Andrew from America! The Conversation about how Ron...

On this episode of the podcast, co-hosts Ryan and Kevin reflect on the first season of the podcast by discussing: -Starting a podcast about almost presidents -Doing a retrospective on the life and legacy of Robert F. Kennedy -Drawing out many of the "what if's" surrounding what might have happened had Bobby Kennedy's life not been cut short by an assassin -Attempting to envision...

We're here because why wouldn't we be here at this moment in American politics?! Former President Donald Trump was indicted Thursday March 30 by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for his alleged role in covering up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, with whom he had an affair. We break down the ins and outs of the indictment and its unprecedented nature and potent...

Ron DeSantis's year spent teaching in Georgia is a part of his career you rarely hear about. Why is that? Donald Trump brought it to the nation's attention when he accused DeSantis of "grooming high school girls" and partying with students while a teacher at a private boarding school. Is there any truth to these allegations? And what can DeSantis's former students tell us about Mr. DeSantis? * Fol...

In this final episode of Season 1 of The Almost Presidents Podcast, co-hosts Ryan and Kevin finish telling the story of Robert F. Kennedy's run for President in 1968 and its tragic conclusion.  * After winning the Indiana Primary in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, the RFK campaign moves on to primaries in Nebraska and Oregon. Facing off against Eugene McCarthy and Vice...

While you might think of Kevin as mainly as the co-host of a political-history podcast, he also holds a degree in Physics.  That's why he was invited onto Miss Beatty the Science Lady to discuss Blackholes with co-hosts Kathy and Kasey. Join them for a fun and engaging conversation where they break down just what a black hole is and have a few laughs at the same time.  * Be sure to subsc...

Co hosts Ryan and Kevin talk about Bobby Kennedy's historic run for President in the 1968 Presidential Election in part 1 of an epic 2 part finale. After kickstarting his campaign in uproarious fashion in Kansas, Bobby faces down Democratic opponent for the nomination, Eugene McCarthy. Then, when current President LBJ withdraws from the race, both candidates have to rethink their campaign rhetoric...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been making a major splash in the waters of Republican politics in recent years and is even expected to run for President in 2024. But just WHO is Ron DeSantis, and why does he pose such a threat to former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination? In this series of the podcast, we plan to explore just those questions by not just talking about the 2024...

Co-hosts Ryan and Kevin return to America and the Presidential Election shaping up there in 1968. An unpopular war abroad leads to an increasingly unpopular president at home. This leads directly to Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy entering the presidential race where he will have to face down the embittered incumbent, Lyndon Baines Johnson. McCarthy proves in the New Hampshire primary that a De...