Amanda Carpenter: Trump’s Stale, Ceaseless, Clout-Chasing SOTU

John welcomes former Republican Senate staffer Amanda Carpenter, who currently works for the non-profit Protect Democracy, to discuss the first State of the Union address of Donald Trump's second term — the interminable length and apparent aimlessness of which, she argues, obscured the ways it was designed to further lay the groundwork for Trump to interfere with the 2026 and 2028 elections. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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Amanda Carpenter: Trump’s Stale, Ceaseless, Clout-Chasing SOTU is an episode from Hell & High Water with John Heilemann by Audacy | Puck.

This episode is 57:58 long.

This episode was published on Feb 25, 2026.

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