‘The world as we knew it is gone’

– UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s response to Trump’s tariffs

President Donald Trump recently announced a 90-day pause for his monumental ‘liberation day’ tariffs while at the same time escalating a dangerous trade war with China.

Trump’s announcement came just weeks after import taxes on all goods entering the US were introduced, in the biggest upheaval of international trade in decades. And beyond the chaos and endless news cycle of the last few days, Trump’s key advisers are introducing a broader set of fringe economic ideas that they believe will transform politics and economics at home, as well as the foundations of US power abroad.

In May 2025, Helen Thompson, expert on the long history of globalisation and author of the acclaimed book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century came to Intelligence Squared to make sense of the seismic shifts we are witnessing in the global economy and how they will impact us here in the UK.

She was joined on stage by BBC broadcaster Jonny Dymond for this event in our Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook series in partnership with Guinness Global Investors.

This recording is part of The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook series of events made in partnership with Guinness Global Investors, an independent British fund manager that helps both individuals and institutions harness the future drivers of growth to achieve their investment goals.

To find out more visit: https://www.guinnessgi.com/

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