TrumpWorld

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.