Donald Trump

It's always dicey to talk about the political ramifications of tragedy, and the mass shooting in Orlando—the deadliest such event in recent American history—is no different. Yet there was such a rush by politicians to weigh in on the meaning of the massacre that the topic is impossible to avoid. And—as is so often the case in this strange election cycle—no one tackled this extraordinarily delicate topically with more aggression that Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, who (among other things) strongly implied that President Obama himself had a hand in the grisly outcome.

Donald Trump is a larger-than-life personality and, barring any major development, looks poised to win the Republican nomination. Our guests this week look abroad at two international figures—former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and former Haitian President Michel Martelly—and ask: could it happen here?

McKay Coppins, senior political writer at Buzzfeed News, weighs in on the Republican race for the presidential nomination (and explains what it's like to get in a flame war with Donald Trump.)

Trump’s still in full swing, Clinton’s under fire, and Biden might dive in. Let Peter Kadzis be your guide through the presidential race’s summer of disruption. Featuring pollster David Paleologos of Suffolk University, Joan Vennochi of The Boston Globe, and Politico’s Ben Schreckinger.

This week, The Scrum has Olympics fatigue. So host Peter Kadzis turns his eye to the national scene, and asks David Bernstein and WGBH contributor Mara Dolan: how on Earth are Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders doing so well in the polls in New Hampshire right now?