Political Strategist Steve Schmidt Joins THE CIRCUS As Guest Co-Host

 NEW YORK – May 4, 2018 – With Congress in recess and the mid-term elections six months away, THE CIRCUS fans out across America to visit the states that President Donald Trump carried in the 2016 election, and where his political future will be determined.

On “Trump Country,” the next episode of THE CIRCUS, this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME, celebrated Republican political strategist Steve Schmidt joins John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Alex Wagner as a guest host this week. From the industrial heartland to the Mountain West, and from the far North to the deep South, the team assesses Trump's impact on the national political climate, campaigns and candidates from both parties.

In Salt Lake City, Heilemann conducts an exclusive interview with Mitt Romney as the former Republican presidential nominee pursues a seat in the U.S. Senate — and throws the first stone to open the 2018 USA Curling Arena National Championships. Wagner and Schmidt trek to the Mexican border to discuss immigration and other issues with Senator Ted Cruz’s challenger and rising Democratic star Beto O’Rourke. And, after trips to Wisconsin and Georgia, McKinnon covers the NRA's annual convention in Dallas, where Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are slated to appear.

For a preview of this week’s episode, go to https://youtu.be/FlwhrPkMfDI

THE CIRCUS features John Heilemann, co-author of the New York Times best-sellers Game Change and Double Down, noted campaign strategist Mark McKinnon and Alex Wagner, an Emmy^®-nominated television journalist, author, correspondent for CBS News and contributing editor at The Atlantic. THE CIRCUS is produced by Left/Right, a part of Red Arrow Entertainment Group, for SHOWTIME. Heilemann, McKinnon, Wagner, Banks Tarver and Ken Druckerman serve as executive producers. To learn more about THE CIRCUS, go to: SHO.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and join the conversation using #TheCircus.

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