What happens when the “sideshow characters” of national politics are suddenly thrust onto the main stage? And in a post-Donald Trump Washington, where are they now?

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Ben Terris has spent years covering politics via the people on the fringe: operatives who aren’t well known but are key to understanding how Washington works.

When a former reality TV show host became president, suddenly some of those political oddballs were running things. Terris’s book, “The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind,” details the stories of people such as Sean McElwee, the pollster-turned-political-gambler who fell out of favor in Democratic circles, and Ian Walters, a longtime conservative communications director who broke with his closest friends after they staunchly backed Trump.

In today’s episode, Terris recounts the characters he met covering the Trump administration and how they’ve changed the face of power in Washington.

A hitchhiker's guide to Washington’s new abnormal 28:45 Share

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A hitchhiker's guide to Washington’s new abnormal