Is Donald Trump Creating the Conditions for Another World War?

Is Donald Trump Creating the Conditions for Another World War?

Author: The New Yorker January 9, 2026 Duration: 43:54
The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump’s use of force in Venezuela, his desire to take over Greenland, and the historical echoes of the Administration’s new imperialist projects. The panel also considers Trump’s brand of “narcissistic unilateralism” and the increased risks of global conflict when foreign policy is based on one man’s whims. “Donald Trump wants to write his name into history,” the staff writer Susan B. Glasser says. “He wants every single person in the world to have to exchange their map for one of the United States that looks different, that looks bigger, and that everybody for all eternity will say, ‘Donald Trump did this.’ ”  This week’s reading: “Why Donald Trump Wants Greenland (and Everything Else),” by Susan B. Glasser “Minneapolis Grieves, Again,” by E. Tammy Kim “Mr. Mamdani’s (New) Neighborhood,” by Molly Fischer “The Aggressive Ambitions of Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ ” by Robin Wright  “What Will Become of Venezuela’s Political Prisoners?,” by Stephania Taladrid “J. D. Vance’s Notable Absence on Venezuela,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells “The Dramatic Arraignment of Nicolás Maduro,” by Cristian Farias “The Former Trump Skeptics Getting Behind His War in Venezuela,” by Isaac Chotiner “Jack Smith’s Closing Argument,” by Ruth Marcus “Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Big Breakup,” by Charles Bethea  The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.  Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.

Each week, The Political Scene | The New Yorker brings the magazine’s signature depth and clarity directly to your ears. This isn’t just a recap of headlines; it’s a sustained conversation with the people who spend their days investigating the forces shaping our world. You’ll hear from the publication’s own writers and editors, whose reporting and analysis provide essential context for understanding today’s complex political landscape. The rhythm of the week structures these discussions: Mondays feature editor David Remnick in thoughtful conversations and narratives about unfolding events. Then, on Wednesdays, senior editor Tyler Foggatt selects one consequential story and explores it thoroughly through interviews with both New Yorker staff and leading outside voices. Fridays round out the week with contributions from the magazine’s staff writers, offering their distinct perspectives. Tuning into this podcast means getting behind the scenes of the journalism itself, listening as sharp minds dissect power, policy, and the human stories at the heart of it all. It’s for anyone who wants to move beyond the noise and find a more nuanced, informed take on American politics and global affairs.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Political Scene | The New Yorker
Podcast Episodes
Special Episode: War in Iran [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:59
The foreign-affairs journalist Ishaan Tharoor joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the fallout from the United States’ joint military operation with Israel in Iran. They talk about the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah…
How the Epstein Files Are Forcing a Reckoning with Power [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:05
The New Yorker staff writer Joshua Rothman joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the political and cultural fallout from the release of millions of documents from the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. They talk about…
How Tucker Carlson Became the Prophet of MAGA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:42
Tucker Carlson has long been a standard-bearer for far-right views, such as the racist conspiracy theory known as the “great replacement.” He recently did a chatty interview with the white supremacist Nick Fuentes, an ad…
The MAGA Agenda Is Sinking in Popularity. What Might Donald Trump Do? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:08
The Washington Roundtable discusses the upcoming State of the Union address and the public’s shift against Donald Trump on two of his signature issues: the economy and immigration. What pitch might Trump make for himself…
What Donald Trump and “Everyone” Knew About Jeffrey Epstein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:18
In January, the Justice Department released over three million documents, including many redacted e-mails, related to Jeffrey Epstein. “Should we share the Julie Brown text with Alan [Dershowitz],” Epstein wrote in one n…
What Happens When a Megalomaniac Begins to Fail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:53
The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump’s recent “explosion of the ego” and tendency toward megalomania, and they consider how the evolution of autocratic regimes in history can help us to predict how the rest o…
Can Anthropic Control What It's Building? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:56
The New Yorker staff writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss his reporting on Anthropic, the artificial-intelligence company behind the large language model Claude. They talk about Lewis-Kraus’s visits t…
Ben Shapiro Is Waging Battle Inside the MAGA Movement [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:04
Ben Shapiro, the host of his eponymous podcast and the co-founder of the conservative website the Daily Wire, has lambasted the left and the Democratic Party for decades. Recently, though, Shapiro has taken to criticizin…
How to Protect the 2026 Elections from Donald Trump [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:12
The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump’s threats to “nationalize” elections in fifteen states, the recent F.B.I. raid to seize 2020 voting records at an election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, and the ways…