The Banter Roundtable Podcast

In this week’s extra special edition of The Banter Podcast: After downplaying COVID-19 all year, Donald Trump has been hospitalized after being infected. Not only that, the virus appears to be taking out the entire White House. Ben has sympathy, while Mike says it's not possible to wish Trump well while also thinking he's a threat to American democracy. Trump's personal physician gives an inaccura...

Welcome to an extra special election edition of The Banter Podcast! In this episode: Mike and Ben give a post-debate postmortem of the worst debate in presidential history. Trump's performance was so horrible, he made the debate itself horrible. We ask whether Biden was able to withstand Trump's unprecedented onslaught of rudeness, and assess his attacks on Trump’s COVID-19 record. Also, Trump see...

The latest episode of The Banter Podcast is now out! In the show today: The U.S. hits 200,000 coronavirus deaths. Trump tells us loud and clear he won't leave office quietly if he loses. The Justice Department is working to reelect the president. Plus, should Democrats try to make D.C. and Puerto Rico statehood a reality? Listen by clicking the play button above! Read the latest for Banter Members...

In this extra special edition of The Banter Podcast, Ben and Mike discuss the Democrats' nuclear options for stalling or stopping Trump's forthcoming nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mike predicts Trump's nominee and how the nomination will go down. The guys argue about whether Joe Biden would attempt to pack the court — an option Democrats are actively exploring. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell...

Welcome to this week’s mega episode of The Banter Podcast! In today’s show: Mike gives an apocalyptic account of the wildfires in the Bay Area. Ben worries about a Trump October surprise. We look back on Trump saying on September 11, 2001 that, thanks to the terrorist attack, he had the tallest building in Lower Manhattan. (You'll never believe the problem with his claim, other than its tastelessn...

Welcome to this week’s extra special episode of The Banter Podcast! In the show today: Mike and Ben debate a Trumper's claim that the president was "sent by God." An explosive piece in The Atlantic reports that Trump called American soldiers "losers" and "suckers." Trump denies a medical claim about him that nobody made. COVID-19 is still raging, but the country has apparently decided it's over? A...

In this week’s extra special episode of The Banter Podcast: Biden destroys Trump's "Sleepy Joe" narrative at the Democratic National Convention. Barack Obama warns democracy is at stake in November. What does Steve Bannon's arrest on a $35 million yacht have to do with Bill Barr firing the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan? Also, don't give money to this scammy "Democratic" super PAC you've probably seen...

The latest MUST listen to episode of The Banter Podcast is now out!! Here’s the rundown: In five seconds, Mike and Ben debunk the racist myth that Kamala Harris is ineligible to be Vice President. Trump tweets to "suburban housewives" that Cory Booker will bring poor black people to their neighborhoods if Joe Biden becomes president. The election-related chicanery in the postal service continues....

Welcome to this week’s pulsating episode of The Banter Podcast! In this episode: Team Trump is sabotaging the post office to steal the election, Republicans are working to get Kanye West on state ballots, and Tulane University cancels an author who wrote a book condemning his family's KKK past (yes, you read that right.) Also, conservative "intellectual" Dinesh D'Souza says only Trump knows how to...

In this week’s hilarious episode of The Banter Podcast with hosts Ben Cohen and Mike Luciano: Trump floats delaying the election and promotes a quack doctor who advises against having sex with demons. (That sentence is not clickbait, we swear.) Herman Cain dies of COVID-19 after attending Trump's Tulsa rally. Senate Republicans are in no hurry to provide coronavirus relief. Plus, someone - maybe i...

In a very special episode of The Banter Podcast, Bob Cesca of the Bob Cesca Show joins Ben and Mike to discuss the week in Trump World. From the silly PersonWomanManCameraTVgate to the fascistic deployment of jackbooted federal thugs to Portland, Chicago, Kansas City, and Albuquerque, we ask Bob whether this is Trump's knee-jerk attempt to turn around his bad poll numbers, or is he laying the grou...

In this week’s must listen episode of The Banter Podcast: Mike says Ruth Bader Ginsburg's next health scare is more likely to kill him than her, and Ben proposes an unusual solution. Federal goon squads are abducting people off the streets of Portland. COVID-19 is out of control thanks to Trump and his governor pals like Brian Kemp, who's suing his own state's largest city over a mask mandate. Plu...

In this week’s powerful episode of The Banter Podcast, Ben and Mike discuss Tucker Carlson's smearing of Senator Tammy Duckworth being another example of chickenhawk conservatism. Also, Republicans yawn as Trump does nothing about Russian bounties on U.S. soldiers, plus, the Supreme Court hands Trump a defeat on his tax returns, but gives religious organizations three huge gifts in separate decisi...

In this week’s mega episode of The Banter Podcast: The president gives a divisive speech on what's supposed to be a unifying day as COVID-19 cases skyrocket in states that voted for him. Trump and the buffoons at Fox News attack people who actually know things . Meanwhile his poll numbers are in the toilet. Also, Mike and Ben talk about how the stock market is not the economy, with Elon Musk's Tes...

by Ben Cohen The tagline for Tucker Carlson’s show is perhaps the greatest example of Fox News’s war on reality: “Tucker Carlson  Tonight' is the sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness and group think. We ask the questions that you would ask - and demand answers.” Given Carlson is a pompous, smug, liar who uses his considerable skills as a political commentator to reinforce group think amongst...

In this week’s blockbuster episode of The Banter Podcast, Ben and Mike discuss Trump's poll numbers going down the proverbial toilet. Is it on purpose? COVID-19 cases are spiking across the U.S. after we predicted the country would screw up the reopening. John Bolton writes a tell all that we sum up so you don't have to give that warmongering mustache royalties. Also, Florida Karens are – unsurpri...

In this week’s mega episode of The Banter Podcast: We're going to screw up the coronavirus reopenings, aren't we? Meanwhile, Team Trump not so subtly planned a rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth (now moved to Florida after the outrage), and wants MAGAhats to sign a waiver in case they get COVID-19. Ben and Mike agree that Confederate monuments should be taken down, but what about Winston Churchill in th...

In the latest episode of The Banter Podcast, Ben and Mike discuss Trump’s attack on protestors and their basic rights. Mike has had it with conservatives blaming civil unrest on identity politics, as well as protestors who aren't wearing masks. Ben is over Tucker Carlson's disgusting White Supremacist rhetoric. The guys discuss Trump's threat to deploy the military to cities across America, while...

In the latest episode of The Banter Podcast, Ben and Mike discuss the white lady's racist meltdown in Central Park against a black birdwatcher, and how it could have ended in tragedy just as in George Floyd's case. Mike feels bad for people actually named Karen who aren't bothering anyone. Plus, Trump looks to crack down on social media by issuing an outrageous executive order. Also, the guys talk...

The latest episode of The Banter Podcast is now out! In today’s show: Mike guarantees a certain Republican senator will lose this November. Ben talks about how he'd vote for a dead Joe Biden over Trump. Plus, the guys debate whether they'd rather have Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin be president over Trump. Also, they explain the consequences of Trump's insanely reckless comments to a nation of 320 mi...

As promised, the bonus episode of The Banter Podcast is now out (we had a lot to discuss over the weekend and ended up running out of time). In this episode: Trump is back on the hydroxychloroquine train because he's a moron. He claims he's been taking it, but Mike isn't so sure. Ben explains why the armed protestors who swarmed Michigan's capitol building are terrorists. Plus, the guys discuss th...

The latest episode of The Banter Podcast is now out!: Ben and Mike discuss Trump’s wailing about "Obamagate," but nobody knows what Trump is talking about, including Trump. Joe Biden's campaign finally goes on the attack, plus the latest developments on Tara Reade's accusation against Biden. Also, Mike and Ben have finally had it with liberals Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald, who take aim at the D...

Hey everyone! Episode 9 of The Banter Podcast is now out. In the show, Mike and Ben tee off on "pro-life" Republicans willing to sacrifice thousands for Trump's reelec–errr, the economy! They discuss Elon Musk throwing a tantrum because Tesla's Fremont factory must remain closed, the insane realm of coronavirus conspiracy theories, and whether Joe Biden is doing enough to capitalize on Trump's ter...

In this special episode of The Banter Podcast, Ben and Mike disagree (and agree) on Tara Reade’s accusations against Joe Biden. Plus, in the main event they talk to ProPublica’s Jessica Huseman about how states are shockingly unprepared to handle an uptick in mail-in ballots during a pandemic. She also gives the lowdown on “voter purges,” and whether the country’s voting machines are safe from gli...

Happy Sunday everyone! Episode #7 of The Banter Podcast is now out, and you can listen to it directly from this email (just click the play button above). In this episode, Ben Cohen and Mike Luciano discuss Trump's ludicrous suggestion that injecting disinfectants cures coronavirus, cover the Democrats' bad habit of recycling the same dinosaur advisers, and the loathsome Mitch McConnell calling mor...