{"id":251,"date":"2026-05-04T19:05:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/the-axe-files-with-david-axelrod\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T19:05:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T19:05:44","slug":"the-axe-files-with-david-axelrod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/the-axe-files-with-david-axelrod\/","title":{"rendered":"The Axe Files with David Axelrod"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Ep. 605 \u2014 Ambassador Rahm Emanuel<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

This week marks a significant moment for The Axe Files: our final episode. We hope you have found these conversations to be as eye-opening and inspiring as we have, and we\u2019ll miss sharing stories with you each week. For the final episode, David talked with his friend, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who is finishing up his time abroad. Known for his brash, direct demeanor, some questioned his place as a diplomat in a country known for order and politeness. However, Amb. Emanuel had no probl…<\/span>Show more<\/span>em putting his own spin on the job and grew to love Japan, as well. He joined David to talk about his time in Japan, China and the importance of America\u2019s relationships in the Indo-Pacific region; his thought on the situation in the Middle East; where the 2024 presidential election lands in history; and what comes next once he returns home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dec 19, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 604 \u2014 Scott Jennings<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

Scott Jennings is well known as a conservative firebrand on CNN. From working for George W. Bush to being mentioned as a possible press secretary for Donald Trump, Scott has a deep background in Republican politics, yet he considers himself a journalist at heart. Scott joined David to talk about his early days in radio news, his childhood in rural Kentucky,\u00a0his formative relationship with Sen. Mitch McConnell, his role at CNN and what he sees as the need for conservative voices in mainstream media, and the friendship Scott and David share.<\/p>\n

Dec 12, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 603 \u2014 Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has made waves\u2014and won elections\u2014by questioning who gets to be an expert on the needs of everyday Americans. She grew up in Texas and attended Reed College before settling in rural Washington and opening an auto repair shop with her husband. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez joined David to talk about her upbringing as the homeschooled daughter of conservative Evangelical parents, her disdain for \u201cstaffer bros\u201d with limited lived experience, the value of being immersed in her community, and what Democrats can learn about the importance of respect in winning\u2014and keeping\u2014voters.<\/p>\n

Dec 5, 2024<\/p>\n

The Best of The Axe Files: Jon Meacham<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

This Thanksgiving, we\u2019re revisiting a conversation with historian and writer Jon Meacham on his book, \u201cAnd There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.\u201d The book dives deep into Lincoln and the why behind the actions of America\u2019s 16th president, from personal to political. Jon joined David to talk about Lincoln\u2019s anti-slavery roots, what Lincoln can teach us about the current political moment, the moral decisions we face as a country, and what qualities make a great American president.<\/p>\n

Nov 28, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 602 \u2014 Chris LaCivita<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris LaCivita, GOP campaign pro and mastermind behind some of the party\u2019s most ruthless yet effective political ads, says he focuses on a simple mandate\u2014getting his boss elected. In the weeks following his successful stint as co-manager of Donald Trump\u2019s 2024 campaign, the former Marine joined David to talk about his upbringing in the Pittsburgh area; how his military experience informs his campaign work; what made Trump\u2019s 2024 campaign different from 2016 and 2020; and his take on the impact of trans rights, abortion, and Joe Biden on the 2024 presidential race.<\/p>\n

Nov 21, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 601 \u2014 John Anzalone<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

Democratic pollster John Anzalone wants voters to know that pollsters are not prognosticators. Instead, they use their findings to help craft strategy and messaging, and John has some advice for the Democratic Party after the 2024 election. He joined David to talk about the over saturation of lower quality polling, the need for Democrats to retool their economic message and focus on the American Dream, what hurt Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 presidential campaign, and what Democrats can learn from their deep bench of future leaders.<\/p>\n

Nov 14, 2024<\/p>\n

The Axe Files: The 600th Episode<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

This week, The Axe Files reaches a milestone: 600 episodes. For this anniversary show, CNN\u2019s Anderson Cooper sat down with David to talk about the origins of The Axe Files, some of the most memorable moments from the podcast, what David has learned about people and politics through the show, and what David will be watching for on election night.<\/p>\n

Oct 31, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 599 \u2014 Charlamagne tha God<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlamagne tha God\u2014born Lenard McKelvey\u2014got his start in radio by chance, but once he started, he was hooked. He now co-hosts The Breakfast Club, a nationally syndicated morning show reaching millions of listeners each month. He talked to David about growing up in a small town in South Carolina, addressing his mental health and how it changed his relationship to his father, working his way up in radio to his current role and what makes The Breakfast Club work, and his thinking on the 2024 presidential election and his frustration with the narrative around Black voters.<\/p>\n

Oct 24, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 598 \u2014 John King<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

CNN\u2019s John King loves being an anchor, but looking back on the past few presidential elections, he felt he was missing something from inside his Washington, D.C. bubble. So, he decided to get back on the road, traveling from state to state and talking to people on the ground in the lead up to the 2024 election with his All Over the Map project. John joined David to talk about how Donald Trump is using immigration to try to build support in the suburbs, if abortion on the ballot will lead to ticket splitting, Washington\u2019s disconnect from the rest of the country, and where the 2024 election stands today.\u00a0(For more from All Over the Map, click here.)<\/p>\n

Oct 17, 2024<\/p>\n

Ep. 597 \u2014 Ilana Dayan<\/a>
\n The Axe Files with David Axelrod<\/a><\/p>\n

Ilana Dayan, a prominent Israeli journalist, spoke with David last fall, just days after the October 7 massacre in Israel perpetrated by Hamas. One year later, David checked in with Ilana to talk about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s staying power, reporting on Gaza, recognizing the US\u2019s political calculations in its dealings with Israel, the need for both war and diplomacy in the Middle East, and what happens next between Israel and Iran.<\/p>\n

Oct 10, 2024<\/p>\n

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Ep. 605 \u2014 Ambassador Rahm Emanuel The Axe Files with David Axelrod This week marks a significant moment for The Axe Files: our final episode. We hope you have found these conversations to be as eye-opening and inspiring as we have, and we\u2019ll miss sharing stories with you each week. For the final episode, David […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswiresonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}