John Adams famously said: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." In this era of knee-jerk partisanship and ideological posturing, Adams's warning is as important as ever. Tune in every other week as AEI's Jay Cost and Sean Trende draw on their wide-ranging base of knowledge and stubborn commitment to the evidence to understand what is happening in the world of American politics.
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Sep 30, 2026 · 1:05:33
In many ways the beginning of the musical Hamilton, is quite historically accurate. But to Sean, the precision gets loose… especially the election of 1800. So today Sean and Jay…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:04:33
The midterms are in view, and Sean and Jay try not to treat the tea leaves like gospel. Although Jay got into the limelight through election blogging, he’s realized that it’s…
Aug 27, 2026 · 1:05:59
Our founders did not want all of American governance to diverge from England. In fact, the founders were inspired by Parliament's structure, which attempted to represent the…
Aug 3, 2026 · 1:08:48
From 1933 to 1953 we only had two presidents… So we naturally ranked them. When FDR came into office the country was looking bleak, there was a steady economic decline into the…
Jul 17, 2026 · 57:48
Some kooks with sex scandals, securities fraud, and outlandish tweets are winning primaries and even congressional seats. Why are these ideological crackpots winning? And where…
Jul 7, 2026 · 1:00:03
On this week’s episode, Jay and Sean hypothesize about what Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and even Brutus would have thought about our republic in its 250th…
Jun 22, 2026 · 1:07:40
This episode of Stubborn Things comes out a week ahead of schedule, and this one’s for the historiography nerds. This week, Jay and Sean discuss the legacy of historian Gordon…
Jun 15, 2026 · 1:03:22
This week, Jay and Sean welcome Echelon Insight’s Patrick Ruffini to Stubborn Things to talk about how the GOP went from the party of Reagan to the party of Trump. Patrick…
Jun 1, 2026 · 1:05:44
The last Stubborn Things episode was so popular that we couldn’t resist doing yet another presidential tiers episode. Take a listen to hear how Sean and Jay rank the first…
May 18, 2026 · 1:03:16
Back by popular demand, this week, Sean and Jay continue their rankings of America’s presidents. After harshly grading the antebellum presidents, our Stubborn Things hosts…
May 4, 2026 · 57:56
This week, Stubborn Things is laser-focused on the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais . Our hosts discuss the history of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the…
Apr 20, 2026 · 1:02:48
Jay and Sean are joined this week by Ruy Teixeira, Nonresident Senior Fellow at AEI and longtime analyst of Democratic politics. Our hosts interview Ruy about the evolving…
Apr 7, 2026 · 1:03:21
This week, our hosts take a break from talking about the drama of 21st century American politics and turn back the clock. In this very special edition of Stubborn Things, Jay and…
Mar 27, 2026 · 54:56
Our Stubborn Things hosts this week talk voting and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a.k.a. the SAVE Act, a.k.a. the SAVE America Act, currently making its way…
Mar 10, 2026 · 1:00:22
This week, Jay and Sean tackle the results of the Senate primary in Texas. They discuss James Talarico’s victory in the Democratic primary and the religious dimension of…
Feb 26, 2026 · 56:08
AEI’s Jay Cost and Sean Trende talk about the topic on everyone’s mind this week: the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump , which struck down President…
Feb 12, 2026 · 49:23
On this week’s episode, Jay and Sean continue their focus on the Senate. In particular, they talk about the formation, history, and modern uses of the filibuster. Our hosts…
Jan 29, 2026 · 54:51
This week, Jay and Sean zoom out from the ongoing immigration enforcement debate to talk about the history and politics of immigration. In the spirit of Stubborn Things, Jay and…
Jan 20, 2026 · 52:30
This week, Jay and Sean talk the Donroe Doctrine. They address the centuries-old historical precedent of American military intervention in the Western Hemisphere and analyze how…
Jan 7, 2026 · 51:54
On Stubborn Things’ first episode of 2026, Jay and Sean talk about elections both past and future. How will President Trump’s approval rating, partisan redistricting, and other…
Dec 18, 2025 · 52:26
On this week’s episode of Stubborn Things, Jay Cost and Sean Trende recap the oral argument before the Supreme Court in Trump v. Slaughter and present an overview of the…
Dec 3, 2025 · 56:10
In the very first episode of Stubborn Things, Jay Cost and Sean Trende kick off with a deep dive into gerrymandering. This year alone, 10 states have redistricted or are in the…
Nov 24, 2025 · 2:35
The American Enterprise Institute is pleased to present a new podcast: Stubborn Things, hosted by Gerald R. Ford Nonresident Senior Fellow Jay Cost and by Nonresident Fellow Sean…
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