Explore every episode of the podcast TrumpWorld

In his new book Michael Lewis, bestselling author of The Big Short and Moneyball, reveals the inside story of Elon Musk’s DOGE and Donald Trump’s assault on the US government.

In Blockers, Lewis tells the stories of the civil servants who tried to stop Musk’s cost-cutting crusade and paid the price.

What happens when the people protecting the government become the enemy? What is actually left of America’s administrative state? And what comes next?

With weeks to go until the 2026 US midterm elections, both the House and the Senate hang in the balance. As Donald Trump barnstorms the country from Texas to Alaska, the polls increasingly seem to be in favour of the Democrats.

In this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana sits down with political data analyst Lakshya Jain, co-founder of forecasting platform Split Ticket. Jain’s latest modeling gives Democrats an 89% chance of retaking the House and a 65% probability of capturing the Senate. But could the forecasting be underestimating the Republican vote?

Former CIA analyst turned bestselling author David McCloskey joins Anushka Asthana, where they explore the widening cracks in transatlantic intelligence sharing. Drawing on six years at Langley drafting the President’s Daily Brief across the Middle East, McCloskey’s new spy thriller, ‘London Station’, imagines the CIA and MI6 turning their covert apparatuses against one another.

Following the withdrawal of US bombers from RAF Fairford and security tensions over Iran, they discuss whether the "Special Relationship" can survive a second Trump administration. From Five Eyes burden-sharing complaints to Donald Trump’s war in Iran, can intelligence partnerships withstand growing political distrust between the UK and the US?

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei speaks to Naomi Klein about her new book, End Times Fascism, and her argument that Donald Trump, Big Tech and the religious right are converging around a shared vision of the future.

They discuss Trump’s embrace of AI, the tech industry’s warnings about its dangers, the growing influence of apocalyptic thinking among some of his allies, and whether the backlash against AI and data centres could become a political problem for Trump ahead of the midterms.

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana discuss Donald Trump’s speech to the UN General Assembly.[Subscribe to our Substack newsletter: https://channel4news.substack.com/subscribe]During his 37 minute speech there were familiar rants against the media, Cuba and Iran, who he threatened with “annihilation”.This time though, not only did he stay mainly on script - but he also seemed ‘lower energy’ than usual, according to Matt Frei.

Donald Trump claims that warnings across the globe about AI could wipe out humanity are the latest “hoax” to fool the world. 

Just days after AI leaders across the world - led by the bosses of Anthropic and OpenAI, as well as Elon Musk – united in a call to slow down AI development, Trump has hit back against calls for regulation, saying that the only guardrail we needed was a "smart president".  

In this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana speak to Channel 4 News’ Science and Technology Editor, Siobhan Kennedy to ask how worried we should really be about the development of AI, and what any regulation to slow it down could actually look like.

Does the Republican Party have an Islamophobia problem? Muslims in the US say they are facing levels of Islamophobia worse than directly after 9/11 - and blame Republican politicians for driving anti-Islam sentiment. 

Texas is home to the Anti-Sharia caucus, and its governor wants to ban foot washing stations in its airports. And as the Republican convention kicks off in Dallas, TrumpWorld looks at the Islamophobia emanating from the state, and asks how a fringe issue has become rife in the Republican party. 

In this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana are joined by Mobashra Tazamal, who researches Islamophobia at Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative. 

The US has launched fresh strikes on Iran - just as senior American military commanders are warning Donald Trump’s so-called secretary of war Pete Hegseth that the conflict is becoming unsustainable.

US forces have hit Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran attempted to target commercial shipping and US forces in the region. Trump has warned Tehran that any retaliation will trigger even larger strikes.

So where does this war go next? And as Hegseth faces warnings from his own generals, a depleted military and growing chaos at the Pentagon, does the Trump administration actually have a strategy for ending the conflict?

In another bid to force Iran to succumb to his will, Donald Trump has launched Operation Economic Outcast against Iran - but is it America who is becoming the international pariah? 

Trump has already infuriated many of America’s traditional allies with his tariff policy, not least its biggest neighbour and trading partner Canada. 

Those not so quiet Canadians are making a habit out of standing up to the bully in the White House. Today they retaliated by matching Trump’s massive tariffs. 

So who will support America if they end up taking on China after Beijing promised to protect itself by ‘all means necessary’ if the White House enforces its  “economic onslaught” against those who trade with Iran? 

Last time Donald Trump picked a trade fight with Xi Jin Ping, China won. Is recent history about to repeat itself?

To discuss,  I’m joined by Soumaya Keynes who’s a Financial Times columnist and co-author of How to Win a Trade War. 

And Leslie Vinjamuri who’s President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Hasan Piker is one of the biggest political streamers in the world, and an increasingly influential voice on the American left as the Democrats try to figure out a way to take the fight to Donald Trump in the mid-term elections. But Piker is also one of the left’s most controversial voices - frequently criticised for his aggressive commentary and even banned from the UK with the government worried his presence ‘may not be conducive to the public good’. On this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei speak to Piker about the war in Gaza, how a “socialist Trump” could “change the trajectory” of “America’s decline” and whether he regrets any of his past inflammatory comments.

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are facing a major confrontation over Gaza after Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point peace plan, raising fresh questions over whether the US president can use his influence to force Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire.

Why is Netanyahu defying Trump? Can the Gaza peace process still be salvaged? And with anti-Israeli sentiment rising among young Americans on the right and left, is this a moment of crisis for Israel’s relationship with the US? 

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei is joined by Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin, who has spent decades mediating between Israeli officials and Hamas, and Jerusalem-based journalist Noga Tarnopolsky.

From late-night Truth Social posts and all-caps rants to rally speeches packed with humour, anger and spectacle, Donald Trump has built a style that has dominated the American, and perhaps world, political landscape for the past decade. 

But is he a one-off, or has he changed politics forever? And, with the rise of left wing populists like Zohran Mamdani, do the Democrats think they have found an answer to Trump’s dominance? 

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei is joined by Daniel Kreiss, professor of political communication at the University of North Carolina as well as the Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross, who worked in President Obama’s communications team.

Is Donald Trump still the election asset he once was?

With the Midterm election campaign well underway, Republican candidates are grappling with an unpopular president who has left them with a rising cost of living, tariffs and the seemingly never ending war in Iran.

Meanwhile the Democrats are beset by internal divisions, questions over leadership, and growing concerns about whether they have the money and the message to capitalise on Trump's vulnerabilities.

On this week’s episode of Trumpworld, Matt Frei is joined by Democratic political strategist Simon Rosenberg and Sarah Chamberlain, strategist and president of Republican Main Street Partnership.

They discuss if Trump is becoming an election liability for the Republicans and: are the Democrats suffering from an identity crisis?

The “special relationship” is facing its greatest test in years - Andy Burnham had barely unpacked in Number 10 before taking an hour-long call from President Trump to discuss football, Manchester, Nato and Trump’s favourite topic - oil. 

Now, as the fallout from America's strikes on Iran grows, big questions remain for the new prime minister - how far should the UK go in backing Trump? What happens if the White House pushes for something that crosses Britain's legal or political red lines? And can Burnham really build a successful relationship with one of the world’s most erratic leaders? 

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana was joined by Ed Owen, director of Think Labour and Evelyn Farkas who served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Obama and is now the director of the McCain Institute. 

Donald Trump's Iran strategy is unravelling. Days after declaring a ceasefire, the agreement appears to have collapsed. Trump has scrapped plans for a 20% toll on ships using the Strait of Hormuz in favour of major Gulf investment deals, while warning that even tougher military action could still be to come.

So why did the ceasefire fail? Has Iran emerged politically stronger despite months of conflict? And is the Strait of Hormuz still Tehran's most powerful bargaining chip, or is it becoming a liability?

On this episode of Trumpworld, Anushka Asthana is joined by Nate Swanson from the Atlantic Council and British-Iranian author Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini to examine what's really driving the conflict, whether diplomacy is finished, and what Donald Trump's next move could be.

An unprecedented FIFA decision, a direct intervention from Donald Trump, and a World Cup controversy that has left football divided.

Trump says he personally asked FIFA to review Folarin Balogun's red card suspension. FIFA overturned the automatic ban, prompting protests from Belgium, criticism from UEFA, and fresh questions about President Gianni Infantino's relationship with the White House.

This week on TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana speaks to Financial Times journalist and author of World Cut Fever Simon Kuper, who is in the US covering his 10th World Cup, about what happened behind the scenes, hydration breaks, whether politics is reshaping world football, and what Trump's involvement means for the 2026 World Cup.

Donald Trump reported earning more than $2.2 billion last year, with huge sums linked to cryptocurrency, licensing deals and his growing business empire. At the same time, fresh questions are being asked about thousands of stock trades, government ethics and where the line between public office and private profit should be drawn.

This week on TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana ask whether America has entered a new era, one where presidential power and personal wealth are becoming increasingly intertwined.

They also examine a landmark week at the Supreme Court, where rulings expanded presidential authority while preserving birthright citizenship, and discuss whether Trump's growing power could reshape the presidency long after he leaves office. They also speak to Justin Florence, co-founder of Protect Democracy and former Special Counsel in the Obama White House, to explain what these developments mean for American democracy.

Trump's polling numbers have plummeted since his return to office - with the Iran war and soaring cost of living hurting the most. Now some say he's the most unpopular president ever - but is that really true? 

When you step outside of the Washington bubble, a different story emerges. 

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana worked with pollsters Public First to hear what voters in the key Georgia swing state think about the state of their country under president Trump ahead of the mid-term elections. She also spoke to Seb Wride, the head of opinion research at Public First.

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.

A leaked copy of Donald Trump’s deal with Iran appears to show the president facilitating a $300 billion fund for the Islamic Republic, but Trump has denied that the US will be putting even “10 cents” into the fund as he spoke to reporters at the G7 summit in Evian. 

Either way, he has faced a fierce backlash from hawkish Republicans, with Senator Lindsey Graham comparing the deal to a marshall plan for Germany “with the Nazis still in charge”. 

So, what is exactly in the memorandum of understanding and what’s next for Iran, America and the rest of the world watching on?

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.

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu had a very tense and fraught conversation on the phone - that much is clear, but did the US president really tell the Israeli prime minister that nobody likes him or his country and call him ‘f***ing crazy’ as Axios reported?

On this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana explore the fallout from this explosive call and ask what it means for the war in Iran and Israel’s long term relationship with America. 

Matt Frei also speaks to Israeli journalist and chief political commentator on Channel 12 Amit Segal who was briefed by senior sources in Netanyahu’s government who dispute the claims made in the Axios report.

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’s approval ratings have hit a new low amid anger over the Iran war and soaring gas prices - raising fresh fears for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

In this episode of TrumpWorld Anushka Asthana speaks to former US congressman Beto O'Rourke, who also ran to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2020 and he warns that the mid-terms “will decide the future of the country” and that if Trump wins “it;s game over”.

Channel 4 News’ Kiran Moodley also joined Anushka to discuss what chances Democrats have and if there’s any sign about who could be their next leader.

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.

The first ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz as part of Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom”, a US-led operation to escort commercial ships after Iran’s blockade disrupted global oil supplies and stranded hundreds of vessels. 

Tehran has warned it will treat any unauthorised military presence in the strait as a hostile act, and America says there has been some ‘low level kinetic’ activity in the Strait - despite reports of renewed backchannel diplomacy.

So is this a masterstroke from Trump - break Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait while devastating Tehran’s economy with his own blockade? Or is this whole endeavour doomed to fail? 

On this episode of TrumpWorld Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana are joined by analyst Trita Parsi who is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

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 has extended the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, but only for around 3-5 days the White House told Fox News. 

At the same time, Trump has maintained the naval blockade while unleashing fresh threats against Iran, as Tehran signals it will not back down.

So, is there any hope for the peace negotiations? Or are we on the brink of a fresh round of military action? 

On this episode of TrumpWorld Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana are joined by former Pentagon official and Middle East expert Jasmine El-Gamal. 

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.

It’s the morning after the night before - when - just 90 minutes before his deadline for Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz or “a whole civilisation will be destroyed”, President Trump announced a two week ceasefire.

Iran has signed on and both sides have claimed victory.

In this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei discusses what we don’t know about the ceasefire and the control of the Strait of Hormuz with the Brookings Institution’s Suzanne Maloney, a leading voice on US policy on Iran, who’s advised both Democratic and Republican administrations.

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.

As Israel and Iran exchange fresh attacks, President Donald Trump says a 15-point peace plan has been sent to Tehran via Pakistan and claims negotiations are underway. Iran publicly rejected Trump's proposal and said the US is negotiating with itself, but did respond with demands of its own.

In this episode of TrumpWorld Matt Frei, in Jerusalem, and Anushka Asthana, in Washington, try to make sense of the contradictions. Is there really a diplomatic off-ramp - or is the US trying to calm markets while escalating militarily? And what does Trump actually want from Iran after weeks of war and rising tensions across the Middle East?

They’re joined by Matthew Miller, former US State Department spokesperson under Joe Biden, to unpack the strategy, the politics in Washington, and the global stakes. From Trump’s shifting messaging to Israel’s role and the pressure on Gulf states, we ask the key question: is this the start of peace talks - or the next phase of the war?

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.

The Trump administration is sending a blizzard of mixed messages about the war in Iran; yesterday Trump insisted it was “pretty much” over - today U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that today would be the “most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”

Behind the scenes, global markets are jolting, oil prices are surging and the White House appears to be scrambling to contain the political and economic fallout.

This is a conflict Trump never fully explained, a war of choice launched with no clear end point and no obvious definition of victory. Now voters are feeling the impact at the petrol pump and allies are trying to decipher whether the President is winding down the war, or simply reacting to the panic he helped unleash.

What does all this reveal about Trump’s strategy, the pressure he is under at home, and the risks he is willing to take in the Gulf?

On today’s TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei are joined by Dana W. White, who was the Pentagon’s chief spokeswoman during Trump’s first term, to break down the military messaging, the political calculations and the reality behind the White House’s shifting story.

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?

Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address in American history, a two hour speech packed with dramatic claims, partisan attacks and a full political show of force. With approval ratings falling and Republicans increasingly anxious about the midterms, Trump used the moment to sell an economic turnaround and portray a country “winning again,” even as many of his assertions strained credibility.

From repeated standing ovations by Republicans to a fiery confrontation with Democratic representatives over immigration and the killings in Minnesota, this was a speech designed to energise his base and provoke his opponents. But did it persuade the voters he needs? And what does it reveal about the future of the Republican Party, potential 2028 contenders and America’s standing on the world stage?

On today’s TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana is joined by Republican commentator and strategist Tara Setmayer, who is a long-standing opponent of Donald Trump, to discuss all of this and more.

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.

The latest release of the Epstein files has triggered political and cultural shockwaves on both sides of the Atlantic. Millions of documents, new surveillance footage verified by Channel 4 News, and a growing list of players including some of the world’s most powerful people have raised urgent questions about influence, accountability, and why so many continued to orbit Jeffrey Epstein long after he became a convicted sex offender.
In this episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei break down the new revelations, including looking at the email trails that undermine public denials by figures like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
We also hear from survivors who fought for the release of the files and who say that, despite the headlines, true accountability still feels like a distant dream.

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.

Minneapolis has become the centre of a crisis that is reshaping American politics. After the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse described by friends as gentle and decent, the Trump administration has been forced into an unexpected shift.

The video of his final moments has ignited protests across the city, unnerved Republican lawmakers facing the midterms, and exposed the scale of ICE’s new power under Trump.

In today’s episode of TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana reports from a frozen and fearful Minneapolis, where families have been hiding indoors and local police say they are being prevented from doing their jobs. And from London, Matt Frei breaks down how ICE grew into the most heavily funded enforcement agency in US history and why agents now seemingly act with near total impunity.

We ask what Trump’s domestic revolution really looks like on the ground, why Pretti’s death became a turning point, and how the White House are responding to the crisis.

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.

Could Donald Trump order a strike that eliminates Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? With tensions between Washington and Tehran escalating and protests sweeping Iran, with thousands now killed, the idea of dramatic military action has moved from the fringes into serious debate.

To help unpack the legal, strategic, and real-world implications of this scenario, we’re joined by Robert Malley, President Biden’s former Special Envoy for Iran. A key figure in U.S. diplomacy on Tehran and a veteran negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal, Malley brings deep insight into the limits of force, the power of diplomacy, and how U.S. policymakers think about confronting Iran’s leadership.

Was Venezuela just the beginning? Is Donald Trump reshaping the global order, one country at a time? What happens to NATO if Greenland is next? And what would that mean in Ukraine? With the UK and France now promising boots on the ground if there’s a ceasefire, would the United States come to their defence if needed?

From Nicolás Maduro in a beige jumpsuit to threats against NATO allies, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana break down a week of jaw-dropping headlines that have upended the global rules based order. They discuss Trump’s ‘takeover’ of Venezuela, the rise of Marco Rubio as a key power broker in Latin America, and the shock return of the Monroe Doctrine as a guiding force in US strategy.

In a year where President Donald Trump arguably made more enemies than friends, we look back at who ended up on his naughty list, with Trump’s 12 “beefs” of Christmas. From escalating wars with MAGA over the Epstein files, to clashes with Europe over tariffs, Venezuela, migrants, the media, universities, and Elon Musk.

Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana are together in London to look back at a turbulent year in TrumpWorld. They ask what these feuds reveal about how power works inside the administration, and whether the fractures in Trump’s coalition are starting to show.

Also in this episode, Matt and Anushka unpack one of the most revealing portraits yet of Donald Trump’s White House, prompted by a striking Vanity Fair profile of his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. We examine how Wiles became Trump’s most trusted power broker, why she can say things to him no one else can, and what her comments reveal about internal tensions over tariffs, deportations, Elon Musk, and USAID.

Has Donald Trump finally hit his peak? With fractures inside MAGA, an increasingly hostile rhetoric towards Europe, a new security strategy that has unsettled America’s closest allies and a new affordability crisis gripping the US - he may have done just that.

This week on TrumpWorld, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei take you inside a White House facing pressure both at home and abroad. Trump’s criticism of Europe has sparked anxiety among key allies, while a growing rebellion inside MAGA is beginning to shape the political mood in Washington.

They examine the gap between Trump’s self-declared economic success and the reality of rising grocery bills, as well as Congress’s latest showdown with the president.

And in an extended interview with Democrat and Former White House Chief of Staff, John Podesta gives his view on where this presidency is heading and what it means for America’s place in the world.

President Donald Trump has intensified his anti-immigration stance, pausing all immigration applications from 19 countries. On Tuesday he singled out Somali communities in remarks that have drawn widespread criticism from across the world.

In this podcast, Anushka Asthana and Matt Frei break down what he said, why his crackdown on immigration has escalated over recent days, and why this rhetoric is driving deep anxiety among many Americans. We explore the political context, human consequences, and the broader implications for immigrant communities across the country.

After three years of war, could a Ukraine peace plan really be within reach? In this episode of TrumpWorld, we break down President Trump’s controversial 28-point peace proposal and the shockwaves it’s sending through Kyiv, Europe and Moscow. We look closely at the security guarantees being floated, but at what cost for Ukraine? And will the new revelations from Witkoff’s Ukraine leaks jeopardise progress?

Matt Frei also speaks with Fiona Hill, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former senior director for European and Russian affairs on the U.S. National Security Council during Trump’s first term. She explains why, in her view, this peace plan is still entirely beholden to Putin’s demands.

Is Donald Trump preparing to take the U.S. to war with Venezuela? What is his gunboat diplomacy really aiming to accomplish and what could it mean for Maduro’s presidency? And as tensions hit a boiling point, a few days ago, America’s largest aircraft carrier was ominously sent to the region.In today’s episode, Matt Frei speaks with America’s former U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams to break down the motives, the risks, and the potential fallout.

A new tranche of Epstein emails have been released, exposing more details about one of the most notorious scandals in modern politics - and putting fresh pressure on Donald Trump. All this in the week that Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion for ‘defamatory’ statements, plunging the BBC into an existential crisis. 

On this week’s episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana explore how the revelations are reverberating through Washington and Westminster, unpack what the Epstein revelations could mean for Trump, and discuss his relationship with the media. And we speak to former Washington Post editor Martin Baron about what this moment reveals about the future of journalism, and accountability in the age of Trump.

The White House has responded to this release of emails by House Democrats.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says: “The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.

"The ‘unnamed victim’ referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and “couldn’t have been friendlier” to her in their limited interactions.

"The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre.

"These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”

Zohran Mamdani has just been elected the Mayor of New York in a victory hailed as a political earthquake.

But what does the socialist democrat’s win mean for Donald Trump, and why does it matter so much to him?

In this episode of TrumpWorld, Matt Frei and Anushka Asthana unpack the implications of Mamdani’s triumph with Dr. Christina Greer, political scientist and proud New Yorker.