To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Do Republicans know what just happened to them? Do Democrats?

#31 trending · News

On today’s episode, Charlie welcomes back commentator, author, scholar and historian,John Avlon to discuss the ramifications of the blue swing from the recent midterms, t

Nov 14
48 min

Jared Kushner's Secret Deals: Money, Mercenaries, & Middle East Power

Investigative Journalist, Matthew Cole, takes us inside his years-long investigation into Jared Kushner's relationships with powerful Gulf Arab leaders, including Saudi A

Nov 12
42 min

Why the GOP Meltdown is Going to Get Worse

What does the future hold for Donald Trump and the Republican Party after the midterm election setback? Political analyst Nicholas Grossman joins Charlie to examine the p

Nov 10
48 min

What Does a Defeated Trump Do Next?

After the midterm wave, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Timothy O’Brien, author of TrumpNation, joins Charlie to discuss how a cornered Trump may respond, why corporate Ameri

Nov 7
49 min

A Blue Tsunami Hits Red America

The day after America sent a devastating rebuke of Donald J. Trump, I break down the shocking wins in deep-red states, the rise of new Democrat leaders like James Talaric

Nov 4
42 min

Breaking Down the Races. Blue Tsunami, Blue Trickle, or ...

On Election Day, Charlie Sykes and political historian Brian Rosenwald of the University of Pennsylvania give you an hour-by-hour guide to election night. They cover when

Nov 3
1 h 11 min

A Blue Wave is Likely. But Can Trump Overturn the Results?

Three days before the midterms, Harry Litman of the Talking Feds podcast joins Charlie to discuss how far the Trump administration could go to interfere with the election

Oct 31
45 min

Federal Judges are Sounding the Alarm. Will We Listen?

Retired federal judge Jeremy Fogel of the Article III Coalition joins Charlie to discuss threats against judges, DOJ’s challenge in Alaska, the “creeping” defiance of cou

Oct 29
46 min

Is MAGA's Cruelty and Corruption Finally Backfiring?

As Trump and the Republicans make their closing arguments, New York Times columnist David French joins Charlie to discuss the backlash to the Ramaswamy ad, whether Texas

Oct 27
49 min

Could Vivek's Disgusting Ad be an Election Turning Point?

Ten days before the midterms, journalist Tara Palmeri (The Red Letter, The Tara Palmeri Show) joins me to unpack the backlash over the Ramaswamy ad targeting Amy Acton. P

Oct 24
43 min

Trump's October Gimmicks: Lousy Politics, Worse Economics

Less than two weeks before the midterms, economist Justin Wolfers (University of Michigan, Platypus Economics) joins Charlie to explain why consumer sentiment is at a rec

Oct 22
50 min

Trump vs. Everyone. MAGA Begins to Eat Its Own

Two weeks before the midterms, the host of the Fast Politics podcast, Molly Jong-Fast joins Charlie to unpack Trump’s Putin pivot, Elon Musk’s election spending, the Whit

Oct 20
51 min

Trump's Ukraine Betrayal: Is MAGA Finally Falling Apart?

Charlie Sykes sits down with political scientist and writer from The Atlantic, Tom Nichols, as they discuss midterms and possible battleground states to look out for, Tru

Oct 17
52 min

Oligarchs, Intimidation, and a Silent GOP: Kinzinger Sounds the Alarm

Three weeks before the 2026 midterms, Charlie Sykes talks with former Congressman Adam Kinzinger about where the race really stands, how the political spending of trillio

Oct 14
42 min

The Unbearable Lightness of Marco Rubio

Three weeks before the 2026 midterms, Charlie and Daniel Drezner dig into Trump’s Russia dealings, Marco Rubio’s rebrand, and what’s really driving the race for Congress.

Oct 13
48 min

David Frum: America is Playing Russian Roulette

On today’s episode, Charlie sits down with journalist, David Frum to discuss the US’s status in the world economy, how the Trump administration compares to other historic

Oct 9
54 min

After the Midterms, What is Trump Capable Of?

On today’s episode, Charlie flies solo to dive into Thom Thillis’ recent debate gone wrong with Stephanie Ruhle, Trump’s publicly funded PSA video, the importance of stay

Oct 8
38 min

How Russia Won

On today’s episode, Charlie sits down with journalist and author, David Corn about the long-standing influence of Russia on American politics, Putin’s long-game with Trum

Oct 6
48 min

Pete Hegseth: The Music Man Meets Mussolini

On today's episode, Charlie Sykes sits down with author and journalist, Jonathan Rauch to discuss a potpourri of topics, from Pete Hegseth’s recent War Department speech,

Oct 3
54 min

How Tyranny Rises. And Falls.

On today’s episode, Charlie is joined by author and historian, Timothy Snyder. Charlie and Timothy discuss the relevance of Timothy’s book, “On Tyranny,” what citizens ar

Oct 1
39 min

Chart trend

Position in the News Commentary chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#32#63AugSepOctNov

all-time peak

days in the top 10 since Feb 2025

Chart positions

Where To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Nov 15, 2026).

#119 ▲ 56 News US

#20 ▲ 9 News Commentary US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I genuinely enjoy Charlie’s show and usually find both the conversations and the guests insightful. David Frum is the exception. I stopped listening to Frum’s own podcast—one I initially liked—after repeated comments that minimized the genocide in Gaza. People can hold different views, but repeatedly glossing over mass civilian suffering crossed a line for me & I chose to walk away. Frum appears on several podcasts I otherwise enjoy, and while I already find his smug, know-it-all tone grating, today’s appearance was particularly egregious. “As you know, I’m Canadian…”—followed by patronizing remarks about Canada—was absurd. Living in the US while occasionally dipping back into Canada does not make you an authority on Canadian public sentiment. When Charlie incredulously asked whether Canadians are genuinely fearing a US “invasion” (we’re not), Frum missed the point entirely. The anxiety here is driven by punitive economic measures and political volatility—not fantasies of tanks rolling north. Yes, this has prompted a long-overdue reckoning about defence and sovereignty (as we’re seeing across Europe as well), but to flatly answer “No” to whether Canada could stand a chance if invaded was both offensive and profoundly unpatriotic. The episode then deteriorated further, with Frum making reckless assumptions—casting Lutnick as an innocent caught in the emails, implying only “poor” girls are victims of child sexual abuse/trafficking, and posturing as an Epstein expert despite massive unknowns. It was speculative, and frankly disturbing. Why this man is treated as a serious moral authority—let alone hero-worshipped—baffles me.

Nav Saint · Feb 2026

Adore Charlie and love the podcast, but can you please fix the audio. Too often it sounds like Charlie is whispering and his guest is screaming or vice versa. Having to keep adjusting the volume to hear one speaker and avoid your ear drums getting blown out by the other gets old. Levels need to be equalized in post.

Waybackward · Oct 2025

Charlie is one of the reasons I starting listening to podcasts. I was so sad to see him leave the daily Bulwark podcast and now I’m over the moon to have him bad in my podcast feed. Interviews are top notch and his ability to discuss day to day (or minute to minute at this point) topics with his guests are worth the listen! I subscribe to the substack, but I’m so happy to have him back in my ear. 5 Stars all the way!!! Thank you, Charlie!

JStephanCole · Mar 2025

Fantastic insight and nuance delivered with a dry wit and a delicate sprinkling of profanity. Perfection.

McCainJarhead · Feb 2025

I am always interested in Charlie Sykes’ commentary on current political events but the sound quality of this podcast is horrible- too loud, then too soft, unpredictably. Sounds just like it would if you were relying on your low quality laptop mic and moving a little when you speak. I’m unsubscribing because it’s just too annoying to try to listen to.

Huldena · Feb 2025

I have stopped watching Charlie because of his negativity towards a person he gives no credit to for the amazing career he has had and the lives he has saved …. Covid was a terrible time-a pandemic that was unknown and every new bit of knowledge was updated as were the recommendations. Science isnt politics….and he didn’t have the power to make the restrictions-it was the president. He was working with a pathological president and he became the scapegoat. Feeding into that scapegoating is beneath Charlie. Pleading the 5th as his lawyers wanted was to save him from the republicans who were out to get him. Go after them-they are despicable! Peter was stellar in his talk about Dr Fauci. My husband is an ID specialist and we lived the pandemic by the minute, the lack of supplies, the horrendous deaths. People died and more would have died if you put kids together in schools and people in the workplace. Yes it was a difficult time but it was a killer disease-if you weren’t affected by it, lucky you. But real People We’re Lost, parents, siblings, children and friends. Do better Charlie.

Fatigued citizen · Aug 2026

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.