David Axelrod is a veteran of politics and journalism and the former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama. He currently serves as director of the University of Chicago's non-partisan Institute of Politics and as the host of The Axe Files, a podcast jointly produced by CNN and his institute. Axelrod, a former political writer for the Chicago Tribune and media strategist behind 150 state, local and national campaigns, also is the author of The New York Times best-selling memoir, "Believer: My Forty Years in Politics."
Known For
Credits
Cast Credits
CNN Town Hall (2023)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
- Episode 2024-10-23: CNN Presidential Town Hall Post Analysis (Oct 23, 2024)
Pod Save America (2018)
Guest starring as Guest Host
- Episode 2024-08-14: The "Let Trump Be Trump" Strategy (Aug 14, 2024)
Cuomo Prime Time (2018)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(4 episodes)
- Episode 2020-11-10: Episode 172 (Nov 10, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-26: Episode 165 (Oct 26, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-14: Episode 158 (Oct 14, 2020)
- Episode 2020-09-17: Episode 142 (Sep 17, 2020)
The Axe Files with David Axelrod (2017)
Starring as Host
(30 episodes)
- Episode 2019-11-09: Cindy McCain (Nov 9, 2019)
- Episode 2019-10-12: Harry Reid (Oct 12, 2019)
- Episode 2019-09-14: Eric Holder (Sep 14, 2019)
- Episode 2019-08-24: The Iowa Caucuses (Aug 24, 2019)
- Episode 2019-07-13: Mayor Pete Buttigieg (Jul 13, 2019)
- Episode 2019-06-08: Robert Gates (Jun 8, 2019)
- Episode 2019-05-11: Cory Booker (May 11, 2019)
- Episode 2019-04-13: Beto O'Rourke (Apr 13, 2019)
- Episode 2019-03-16: Jeb Bush (Mar 16, 2019)
- Episode 2019-03-02: Elizabeth Warren (Mar 2, 2019)
- Episode 2019-01-19: John Kerry (Jan 19, 2019)
- Episode 2018-12-08: Rahm Emanuel (Dec 8, 2018)
- Episode 2018-11-17: Sonia Sotomayor (Nov 17, 2018)
- Episode 2018-11-03: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Nov 3, 2018)
- Episode 2018-09-15: Deval Patrick (Sep 15, 2018)
- Episode 2018-08-18: Dean Baquet and Marty Baron (Aug 18, 2018)
- Episode 2018-07-21: Mitch Landrieu (Jul 21, 2018)
- Episode 2018-06-23: Marco Rubio (Jun 23, 2018)
- Episode 2018-05-26: Sally Yates (May 26, 2018)
- Episode 2018-03-31: Charles Barkley (Mar 31, 2018)
- Episode 2018-03-03: Jeff Flake (Mar 3, 2018)
- Episode 2018-02-03: Whoopi Goldberg (Feb 3, 2018)
- Episode 2018-01-13: Condoleeza Rice (Jan 13, 2018)
- Episode 2017-12-02: Tom Hanks (Dec 2, 2017)
- Episode 2017-11-25: Steve Kerr (Nov 25, 2017)
- Episode 2017-10-14: Nancy Pelosi (Oct 14, 2017)
- Episode 2017-09-30: James Baker (Sep 30, 2017)
- Episode 2017-07-14: John Lewis (Jul 14, 2017)
- Episode 2017-05-13: Jerry Brown (May 13, 2017)
- Episode 2017-04-01: John McCain (Apr 1, 2017)
Chelsea (2016)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(3 episodes)
- Episode 1x41: Zelda Williams Defies the Trolls (Aug 18, 2016)
- Episode 1x38: Putting Compton Back on the Map (Aug 11, 2016)
- Episode 1x35: Chelsea Does the DNC (Aug 4, 2016)
America's Choice (2016)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(5 episodes)
- Episode 2020-08-27: Thursday August 27, 2020 (Aug 27, 2020)
- Episode 2020-08-20: Thursday August 20, 2020 (Aug 20, 2020)
- Episode 2020-08-19: Wednesday August 19, 2020 (Aug 19, 2020)
- Episode 2020-08-18: Tuesday August 18, 2020 (Aug 18, 2020)
- Episode 2020-08-17: Monday August 17, 2020 (Aug 17, 2020)
CNN Tonight (2014)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(8 episodes)
- Episode 2020-10-28: Episode 185 (Oct 28, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-05: Episode 170 (Oct 5, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-02: Episode 169 (Oct 2, 2020)
- Episode 2020 Special: Saturday September 19, 2020 (Sep 19, 2020)
- Episode 2020-09-09: Episode 153 (Sep 9, 2020)
- Episode 2020-07-20: Episode 125 (Jul 20, 2020)
- Episode 2020-07-15: Episode 122 (Jul 15, 2020)
- Episode 2018-08-22: Wednesday August 22, 2018 (Aug 22, 2018)
Debate Night in America (2012)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(2 episodes)
- Episode 2020-10-22: Post Debate Analysis (Oct 22, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-22: Debate Preview (Oct 22, 2020)
Erin Burnett OutFront (2011)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(2 episodes)
- Episode 2020-10-27: Episode 205 (Oct 27, 2020)
- Episode 2020-08-13: Episode 154 (Aug 13, 2020)
State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash (2009)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(3 episodes)
- Episode 2025-05-18: Sec. Scott Bessent, Rep. Jim Clyburn (May 18, 2025)
- Episode 2024-11-03: Sen. John Fetterman, Sen. Tim Scott (Nov 3, 2024)
- Episode 2024-01-14: Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Bernie Sanders, David Axelrod, Larry Hogan (Jan 14, 2024)
Election Night in America (2008)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(6 episodes)
- Episode 2022-11-11: November 11, 2022, 7pm (Nov 11, 2022)
- Episode 2022-11-11: November 11, 2022, 4pm (Nov 11, 2022)
- Episode 2022-11-10: November 10, 2022, 7pm (Nov 10, 2022)
- Episode 2022-11-10: November 10, 2022, 4pm (Nov 10, 2022)
- Episode 2022-11-09: November 9, 2022, 7pm (Nov 9, 2022)
- Episode 2020-11-06: Friday November 06, 2020 11pm (Nov 6, 2020)
Anderson Cooper 360° (2003)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(28 episodes)
- Episode 2025-03-04: The Presidential Address to Congress (Mar 4, 2025)
- Episode 2024-10-23: CNN Presidential Town Hall Pre-Show (Oct 23, 2024)
- Episode 2022-03-01: Episode 41 (Mar 1, 2022)
- Episode 2021 Special: AC360: Address to Congress Preview (Apr 28, 2021)
- Episode 2020-12-08: Episode 182 (Dec 8, 2020)
- Episode 2020-11-09: Episode 163 (Nov 9, 2020)
- Episode 2020 Special: Monday November 02, 2020 (Nov 2, 2020)
- Episode 2020-11-02: Episode 162 (Nov 2, 2020)
- Episode 2020 Special: Saturday October 31, 2020 (Oct 31, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-29: Episode 160 (Oct 29, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-23: Episode 156 (Oct 23, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-16: Episode 152 (Oct 16, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-08: Episode 146 (Oct 8, 2020)
- Episode 2020-10-06: Episode 145 (Oct 6, 2020)
- Episode 2020 Special: Sunday September 27, 2020 (Sep 27, 2020)
- Episode 2020-09-11: Episode 130 (Sep 11, 2020)
- Episode 2020-09-03: Episode 126 (Sep 3, 2020)
- Episode 2020-09-01: Episode 124 (Sep 1, 2020)
- Episode 2020 Special: Sunday August 16, 2020 (Aug 16, 2020)
- Episode 2020-08-13: Episode 119 (Aug 13, 2020)
- Episode 2020-07-24: Episode 107 (Jul 24, 2020)
- Episode 2020-07-14: Episode 102 (Jul 14, 2020)
- Episode 2020-07-02: Episode 95 (Jul 2, 2020)
- Episode 2020-06-22: Episode 088 (Jun 22, 2020)
- Episode 2020-06-03: Episode 077 (Jun 3, 2020)
- Episode 2020-04-13: Episode 053 (Apr 13, 2020)
- Episode 2018-09-05: Wednesday September 05, 2018 (Sep 5, 2018)
- Episode 2018-09-04: Tuesday September 04, 2018 (Sep 4, 2018)
Real Time with Bill Maher (2003)
Guest starring as David Axelrod
(2 episodes)
- Episode 22x17: John Waters, David Axelrod, Ken Buck (May 31, 2024)
- Episode 13x08: Lawrence Wright; David Axelrod, Matt Taibbi And Genevieve Wood; John Ridley (Mar 6, 2015)