TrumpWorld

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.