To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes
You are not the crazy ones.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 45 minutes
- Episodes
- 87
- Years Active
- 2025
Chris Cillizza: Can we walk and chew gum at the same time?
Charlie Sykes and Chris Cillizza discuss the political rise and fall of Elon Musk, the self-inflicted wounds of the Democratic Party, and the continuing fallout from the Biden presidency. From Tesla’…
01:00:19 |
Thu 22 May 2025
Jessica Reidl: The GOP's Coming Debt Bomb
Charlie Sykes is joined by conservative economist Jessica Riedl for a deep dive into how the Republican Party abandoned its principles of fiscal responsibility and free market economics. They dissect…
00:45:22 |
Tue 20 May 2025
David Frum: The Grift, the Gaudiness, and the Guardrails
Charlie Sykes and David Frum discuss the staggering corruption and cluelessness behind Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million Qatari jet—complete with a backstory of diplomatic white elephants a…
00:57:26 |
Sat 17 May 2025
Jim Acosta: Focus Like a Laser Beam on Trump's Corruption
Charlie Sykes is joined by Jim Acosta to break down Donald Trump’s latest scandal—accepting a luxury jet from Qatar—and what it says about the normalization of political corruption. From meme coins t…
00:46:06 |
Thu 15 May 2025
Chris Cillizza: Planes, Ploys, and Popes
Charlie Sykes and Chris Cillizza discuss Donald Trump's economic U-turn with China, the murky $400 million jet from Qatar, and the crypto-fueled grift orbiting Trump's inner circle. They also discuss…
01:07:01 |
Tue 13 May 2025
Tom Nichols: The Anti-Expert Era
Charlie Sykes and Tom Nichols dive into what they call the “death of expertise,” confronting how America’s most influential institutions are now increasingly led by the unqualified and the absurd. Th…
01:02:07 |
Sun 11 May 2025
Katie Couric: Dolls, Alcatraz, and Narcissism
Katie Couric joins Charlie Sykes to unpack the psychological underpinnings of Donald Trump’s political appeal and the enablers around him. They explore the disconnect between populist rhetoric and bi…
01:01:47 |
Thu 08 May 2025
Susan Glasser: The Grift Presidency
Charlie Sykes and New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser examine the unprecedented scale and brazenness of corruption in Donald Trump's second term. From billion-dollar business deals and crypto coin pay…
00:53:36 |
Tue 06 May 2025
Olivia Troye: Military Parades and Doll Rationing
Charlie Sykes is joined by former White House Homeland Security advisor Olivia Troye to unpack the surreal and sobering first 100 days of Trump’s return to power—from authoritarian impulses and econo…
00:53:27 |
Sun 04 May 2025
Nicholas Grossman: Tariffs, Tyranny, and Tipping Points
Charlie Sykes is joined by Nicholas Grossman, editor of Arc Digital and political science professor, to dissect the first 100 days of Trump's second term—from the international backlash to his Canada…
00:53:01 |
Thu 01 May 2025
Ryan Lizza: 100 Days of Trump 2.0
Charlie Sykes is joined by journalist Ryan Lizza to unpack the first 100 days of Trump's second term and why much of the political media is failing to meet the moment. They discuss Lizza’s dramatic e…
00:58:11 |
Tue 29 Apr 2025
Adam Kinzinger: Trump's Weakness Abroad, Corruption at Home
Charlie Sykes and Adam Kinzinger unpack Donald Trump's public humiliation by Vladimir Putin, his surrender on Ukraine, and the dangerous implications for America's standing in the world. They also di…
00:41:22 |
Sun 27 Apr 2025
Kinzinger-Sykes: Trump Arrests a Judge
The FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. Charlie Sykes and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger gave their reaction.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio…
00:10:17 |
Fri 25 Apr 2025
Paul Rieckhoff: Rise of the Fake Tough Guys
Charlie Sykes is joined by Paul Rieckhoff to break down the chaos engulfing the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—from classified leaks on Signal to a spiraling internal purge. They explo…
00:42:14 |
Thu 24 Apr 2025
Ben Wittes: This is the Fight That Matters
Charlie Sykes is joined by Lawfare’s Ben Wittes to unpack a whirlwind week in Trumpworld—from the Supreme Court’s late-night rebuke of secret deportations to Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon meltdown. They di…
00:53:46 |
Tue 22 Apr 2025
Tom Nichols: The Sum of All Fears — Easter Edition
On this Easter Sunday, Charlie Sykes is joined by Atlantic writer Tom Nichols to unpack the dizzying pace of democratic erosion in Trump's second term. From threats to the IRS, FCC, and Fed, to the e…
01:00:28 |
Sun 20 Apr 2025
Julian Zelizer: The Rule of Law Meets the Trump Doctrine
Charlie Sykes is joined by historian Julian Zelizer to examine the Trump administration's defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court, the mounting fallout from a chaotic trade war, and the troubling implicat…
00:44:24 |
Thu 17 Apr 2025
Tim O’Brien: When the Law No Longer Matters
Charlie Sykes is joined by Tim O’Brien of Bloomberg Opinion to unpack the chaos of Trump's tariff war, his public humiliation by Vladimir Putin, and his escalating disregard for the rule of law. They…
00:46:32 |
Tue 15 Apr 2025
Amy McGarth & Denver Riggleman: Tariffs, Tyranny and Truth in the Barrel
Charlie Sykes is joined by Amy McGrath and Denver Riggleman for a candid conversation about national security, military norms, and the authoritarian threats posed by a second Trump term. They dive in…
00:55:56 |
Sun 13 Apr 2025
Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes: "Fight" and the Price of Gaslighting
Charlie Sykes talks with Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, authors of Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House, to unpack their explosive behind-the-scenes reporting on the 2024 election. T…
00:49:19 |
Thu 10 Apr 2025
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