The World According to Trump | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

The World According to Trump | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

From GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics by Hoover Institution

January 14, 2026 · 52 min · Episode 173

About this episode

The episode discusses the Trump administration's foreign policy, particularly regarding Iran and other regimes, alongside a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve chair and geopolitical implications of land acquisitions.

As Iran’s theocracy teeters on the brink, the question turns to what the Trump administration’s abiding interest in other bad regimes (Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia) and its appetite for land acquisitions (greenbacks for Greenland?) say about the American president’s worldview. GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster discuss policy options for Iran now that protests have turned tragic; the relative silence from the same campus leftists who fervently protested the war in Gaza; Nixonian echoes in Trump’s foreign policy; plus Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s emergence as a geopolitical jack-of-all-trades. In the second segment, John weighs in on the significance of the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell; H.R. contends America’s designs on Greenland are no laughing matter; and Sir Niall previews what to expect from Trump’s appearance at the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos. Finally, GoodFellows’ resident “Deadhead” bids a fond farewell to the late Bob Weir, guitarist and cofounder of the Grateful Dead. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts —…

People in this episode

Guests: Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, H.R. McMaster

Topics covered

  • Trump administration
  • foreign policy
  • Iran protests
  • geopolitical analysis
  • Federal Reserve investigation
  • Greenland acquisition
  • World Economic Forum

Keywords

  • Trump
  • Iran
  • foreign policy
  • Federal Reserve
  • Greenland
  • geopolitics
  • Nixon
  • Marco Rubio
  • Bob Weir

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hoover Institution

Books & works: Grateful Dead

Places: Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Greenland

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