Can You Buy The White Hou$e?
Americast
BBC
4.3 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 26 July 2024
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the days after Kamala Harris announced her presidential bid, the Democrats raised more than $100 million. Now, Donald Trump's team have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, challenging whether she can take over Joe Biden's campaign funds.
Where does all this money come from? And what's it used for? This week we're joined by Sarah Bryner from OpenSecrets, an organisation dedicated to tracking the money in US politics to find out why presidential candidates are spending more than ever before on their campaigns, and what motivates people to donate to their cause.
HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Marianna Spring, Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent * Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
GUEST: Sarah Bryner, Director of Research & Strategy at OpenSecrets
GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 * Email Americast@bbc.co.uk * Or use #Americast
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s new BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
This episode was made by George Dabby with Rufus Gray and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:04.6 | Hello everyone, how do you burn a whole ton of money without quite knowing what that money is going to do? |
| 0:09.6 | Today's episode is all about election campaign finances it is of course hugely |
| 0:14.8 | important the Democrats reportedly getting a hundred and fifty million |
| 0:19.3 | dollars in the past few days in other words the days since Kamala Harris became pretty much |
| 0:26.0 | obviously their leader and their nominee for the presidency so the question |
| 0:31.0 | can you buy the White House? |
| 0:33.9 | Sarah talked to Steve Israel, the great Steve Israel, |
| 0:37.4 | a great friend of our podcast, former congressman, |
| 0:40.1 | about money just a few days ago. And in fact, as we've been talking I've just seen a news update |
| 0:45.5 | a hundred and fifty million dollars has come into one of the |
| 0:49.1 | super PACs associated with the Biden Harris campaign just in the the 24 hours since Joe Biden stepped aside that's amazing isn't that amazing and by the way all this money was was frozen and I talked to so many donors Sarah so many who said I was ready to do a million 10 million 50 million but I wasn't going to do it because I didn't see a path for Joe Biden and that money has |
| 1:10.4 | overnight been uncorked it's like a bottle of champagne that is |
| 1:14.9 | spraying everywhere. So money makes a world go around. Money certainly makes |
| 1:20.0 | American political campaigns go around. It is a fuel that powers American politics. |
| 1:25.6 | Are you ready to do 10 million? Welcome to AmeriCast. |
| 1:29.6 | AmeriCast. AmeriCast from BBC News. America. American. |
| 1:33.0 | Americaast from BBC News. |
| 1:35.0 | Let me start off with two herbs. |
| 1:37.0 | Made in America. |
| 1:39.0 | I'm not running for state here. |
| 1:40.0 | I'm running for president. |
... |
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