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The US political podcast for non-Americans
Race to the White House covers everything you need to know about the 2016 US elections and dives deep into the people, policy and political manoeuvres that will decide who becomes the 45th President of the United States of America. Each week, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Emma Lancaster will dissect the news of the week and the issues that matter. As the clock ticks down to November 8, they will be joined by experts in US politics, history and culture to look at how this high-stakes race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will impact America, Australia and the rest of the world. The Race to the White House podcast is a collaboration between the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, 2ser 107.3 and The Conversation.

Latest Episodes

Race to the White House special – Trump's inauguration, and what's next for US foreign policy

Race to the White House special – Trump’s inauguration, and what’s next for US foreign policy

In a special Race to the White House episode, Brendon O'Connor and Tom Switzer talk with Emma Lancaster about President Donald Trump's inaugural address, what we can expect from a Trump administration on the home front, and how US foreign policy could change over the next four years. The Race to the White House podcast is a collaboration between the United States Studies Centre at the University of…

2 Hosts: Tom Switzer and Brendon O'Connor

Race to the White House – President-elect Donald J Trump

Race to the White House – President-elect Donald J Trump

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Emma Lancaster digest the news that Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States of America. They discuss Trump’s path to victory, what a Trump presidency might look like and who will be on Team Trump as the campaign transitions from mobilising the vote into governing the nation. They also consider whether the new…

2 Hosts: Brendon O'Connor and Tom Switzer

Race to the White House – secrets and emails

Race to the White House - Episode 8 The Conversation, CC BY-ND31.7 MB (download)

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Anthony Dockrill discuss how the re-emergence of the email scandal has come to hurt Hillary Clinton in the final week of the campaign. Has Clinton's love of secrecy not only created this problem but also reinforced a perception among many voters that she can't be trusted? Also on the agenda: what a possible Clinton presidency may…

2 Hosts: Brendon O'Connor and Tom Switzer

Race to the White House – How gender, race and class are shaping the election

Race to the White House - Episode 7 The Conversation, CC BY-ND36.7 MB (download)

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor and Anthony Dockrill are joined by Cedric Johnson, Sekile Nzinga-Johnson and Thomas Adams as they discuss how gender, race and class are shaping the voting patterns in this election. Will female voters desert Donald Trump, leaving him with a comprised largely of "white trash" men, as they have repeatedly been repeatedly labelled by some elements…

3 Hosts: Brendon O'Connor, Cedric Johnson, and Thomas Jessen Adams

Race to the White House – opinion polls, Clinton's campaign, and the third debate

Race to the White House - Episode #6 The Conversation88 MB (download)

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Emma Lancaster are joined by Simon Jackman to track the history of public opinion polls and how they have come to shape the American political landscape. Polls have been labelled the "pulse of democracy". But is measuring public opinion good for democracy or destroying it? Our experts also strategise about what red and blue states…

3 Hosts: Brendon O'Connor, Simon Jackman, and Tom Switzer

Race to the White House – the vicious debate, the future of the GOP, and Clinton's emails

Race to the White House - Episode #5 The Conversation, CC BY-SA78.2 MB (download)

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Emma Lancaster are joined by Nicole Hemmer to examine the second presidential debate, in which Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton faced off in a bruising town-hall-style debate in St Louis. Many have labelled it as the most vicious debate in America’s political history. But did this exchange alter the trajectory for the race to the…

3 Hosts: Tom Switzer, Brendon O'Connor, and Nicole Hemmer

Race to the White House – the vice-presidential debate, and Donald Trump's tax troubles

Race to the White House – Episode #4 The Conversation, CC BY-ND33.8 MB (download)

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Emma Lancaster look at the first and only 2016 vice-presidential debate. Although it was anticipated by social media to be a "vanilla thrilla", the debate turned out to be spicier than expected and both Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence delivered some knockout one-liners. But despite their efforts, do vice-presidential…

2 Hosts: Brendon O'Connor and Tom Switzer

Race to the White House – who won and who lost the first presidential debate? Does it matter?

Race to the White House - episode #3 The Conversation, CC BY-ND27.7 MB (download)

The two most unpopular, untrustworthy and polarising presidential candidates in living memory debated each other this week, and some might say Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton lived up to those expectations. Who won? Who lost? Does it matter? And what should we expect in the next six weeks leading up to the November 8 presidential election? This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom…

3 Hosts: Tom Switzer, Brendon O'Connor, and Jennifer L. Hochschild

Race to the White House – foreign policy disputes, first presidential debate, and Trump Jnr's tweet

Race to the White House – Episode Two The Conversation, CC BY-ND27.6 MB (download)

This week on Race to the White House, Brendon O’Connor, Tom Switzer and Emma Lancaster are joined by Gorana Grgic to discuss the very real foreign policy disputes between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Is Trump a realist, conscious of the costs and limits of the use of force? Or is he more a hardline nationalist in foreign affairs? And is Clinton likely to distinguish her foreign policy from Barack…

3 Hosts: Tom Switzer, Brendon O'Connor, and Gorana Grgić

Race to the White House – the state of the US presidential race and populist politicians

Race to the White House – Episode One The Conversation, CC BY-ND27.7 MB (download)

In the first podcast of our series, Race to the White House, Brendon O'Connor and Tom Switzer talk with Emma Lancaster about the current state of the US presidential race. Who is leading in the polls? Which states will matter in November? How can either candidate carve out a path to the 270 Electoral College votes required to win? Also on the agenda: should we consider Republican nominee Donald Trump…

2 Hosts: Tom Switzer and Brendon O'Connor