TrumpWorld

If Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer in Downing Street, as is expected, how will he approach the US UK relationship with Donald Trump in the White House? A growing number of leaders around the world have concluded that they have to stand up to Donald Trump, even if he threatens tariffs - including recently Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. On this episode of TrumpWorld Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei discuss the so-called special relationship and look at whether Trump is gearing up to throw his vice president under the bus if the Iran deal turns sour.

In the past week in Trump’s world, the US president stormed out of an NBC interview, appeared to have been caught napping at the New York Knicks game and in the Middle East, Israel and Iran exchanged missiles in a move that further threatened the fragile ceasefire. President Trump has tried to assert a sense of control over events in the Middle East, telling reporters that he “calls the shots” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have to accept any deal he strikes. But, as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire, is that really true? On this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei discuss whether the US president has control in the Middle East and at home.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have entered an unstable holding pattern, with fresh American strikes on Iranian missile sites and patrol boats near the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran reportedly shooting down a US drone, fuelling renewed uncertainty across the region.In this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Lindsey Hilsum examine the latest escalation, from President Trump’s shifting negotiating tactics to his revived Abraham Accords pitch, and what this strategic brinkmanship means for Iran’s leverage, Lebanon’s fragility, and the wider Middle East.Anushka also speaks to Dina Esfandiary, Middle East lead at Bloomberg Economics, about why Tehran may be less hungry for a diplomatic breakthrough than Washington hopes, and the deep structural obstacles that still stand in the way of progress.

Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for the first US presidential visit to China in nearly a decade - but it’s his comments on Iran that are dominating headlines.Asked whether Americans’ financial struggles were influencing his negotiations with Iran, Trump gave a strikingly blunt answer: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody.” The comments have sparked fresh questions about his priorities as tensions in the Middle East continue to rattle global markets.In this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana discuss Trump’s high-stakes China trip, the pressure surrounding Iran negotiations, and what the President’s remarks reveal about how he sees power, diplomacy and America’s role in the world.

Another assassination attempt on Donald Trump, relations between the president and Keir Starmer have hit rock bottom and the spectre of Jeffrey Epstein hanging over the White House and Buckingham Palace. King Charles III’s state visit to America is happening at one of the most turbulent periods to hit the so-called “special relationship”, and now the leaked footage obtained by the Financial Times appears to show the UK ambassador to the US Christian Turner saying that the only country to have a special relationship with the US is “probably Israel”. A Government spokesperson says: "These were private, informal comments made to a group of UK sixth-form students visiting the US in early February. They are certainly not any reflection of the UK government’s position.”So, will the state visit stay on track or could it all unravel? And does Israel really have a more "special relationship" with America than Israel? In the latest episode of TrumpWorld Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana pick apart all the latest news from DC and the Palace and analyse exclusive polling about what Americans feel about the monarchy, the special relationship and Trump himself where almost a fifth of people polled said they supported Trump running for a third term.

Donald Trump says his war with Iran is “close to over” and there’s reports of more peace talks coming soon, but this isn’t the first time the US president has said an end to the war is imminent - so what’s actually going on? This comes off the back of a week where the president has picked a fight with the Pope, he then went on the attack against Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for cancelling a defence agreement with Israel and to top it off his other European ally, Viktor Orban of Hungary, was ousted after 16 years of power. So, is this the week it all went wrong from Trump? Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana discuss.

Donald Trump says the United States could be “out of Iran pretty quickly”, with the option of returning for “spot hits”, even as he escalates his criticism of Nato allies and questions America’s future in the alliance. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is amplifying that message despite having backed legal safeguards preventing a US exit from Nato only two years earlier.In this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana examine why this rupture feels different, how Trump’s frustration over the Iran war is driving the rhetoric, and what diplomats in London and Washington are saying privately about the strain. They also speak to lawyer and political scientist Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America and former State Department official under Hillary Clinton.

In week three of the Iran war, Donald Trump faces the consequences of a campaign he believed he could control. As Israel strikes the South Pars gas field and Tehran vows retaliation across the Gulf, the regional balance is shifting in real time. With turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz, a spiraling energy shock, and a widening conflict stretching into Lebanon, TrumpWorld asks one central question: What did Donald Trump think would happen, and does he now regret it?Matt Frei reports from Jerusalem where Israel insists everything is going to plan after the killings of senior Iranian officials, and Anushka Asthana joins from Washington DC, where the administration is scrambling to contain the fallout. We speak to Professor Robert Pape of the University of Chicago about the ‘escalation trap’, the logic that pulls presidents into wars they cannot easily end.

As the war between Iran, Israel and the United States enters its fifth day, Donald Trump is facing mounting pressure as his MAGA base tears itself apart over his decision to launch another conflict in the Middle East despite his promises to end America’s “forever wars”. Trump has now hit out at influential MAGA voices like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly after they condemned the war and suggested Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Nethanyahu was the real driving force behind the decision to attack. But with Trump’s ratings hitting rock bottom, polls showing little support for a prolonged war in the Middle East and mid-term elections looming, could domestic pressure on Trump help bring the war to a swift conclusion? If not, then what else could bring this bloody conflict to an end?

Cuba is in crisis. As severe fuel shortages disrupt daily life across the island, US President Donald Trump has declared Cuba is "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to US national security. The US president has cutting off the flow of Venezuelan oil to the island and threated to slap tariffs on any nation supplying Cuba with fuel.With no diesel to power collection trucks, rubbish is piling up across Havana. Extended blackouts are hitting homes, schools and hospitals, deepening what many describe as the country’s most serious humanitarian emergency in years.President Trump has urged Cuban leaders to “make a deal,” escalating pressure as conditions worsen. So how far will Washington push Havana, and what could come next?In today’s episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei discuss the roots of Cuba’s fuel crisis, the impact of US policy, and the political calculations driving events in Washington and Havana. We also hear from journalist Jon Lee Anderson, a writer for The New Yorker - with decades of reporting on Cuba he offers rare insight into the island’s history, its leadership and its struggle to navigate this latest crisis.

It’s been a bruising week in TrumpWorld. Donald Trump is battling a fresh wave of Epstein headlines, walking back his ICE crackdown, and softening once-hard threats on Greenland and tariffs. Meanwhile, the cost-of-living crisis is still squeezing Americans, and unease is growing among his base: is this still ‘America First’ or is it becoming ‘America Fights’, as US military power looms over Iran?If a week is a long time in TrumpWorld, what could the next nine months bring? With the midterm elections on November 3 fast approaching, the stakes are high. Can Democrats finally land a blow?In this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana speaks to staunch anti-Trump political analyst and strategist Dr Rachel Bitecofer - author of Hit ’Em Where It Hurts - to look ahead to the midterms, and what the road to November could mean for America.

Was Greenland ever just a punchline? Is Donald Trump now reshaping the Western alliance itself, one shock move at a time? He’s finally ruled out taking Greenland by force - but he wants to own it - and won’t take no for an answer. What happens if Europe refuses to bend? And is the damage already done to the transatlantic order as we know it? From an unprecedented showdown at Davos to record-breaking executive orders that have rewritten America’s map, Anushka Asthana and Chuck Todd break down a week that has left Washington, London Brussels and now the snowy mountains of Switzerland reeling. They examine Trump’s fixation on Greenland, the new 'Donroe' Doctrine taking hold inside the White House, and the rising influence of Stephen Miller as the architect of Trump’s most aggressive foreign policy gambits.