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Americano
Has Trump been taken over by Big Tech?
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Donald Trump has arrived in Britain with promises of billions in tech investment. But is this AI boom real growth — or just another bubble? Oren Cass, chief economist at American Compass and editor of The New Conservatives, joins Freddy Gray to discuss whether the Trump administration has been taken over by big tech.
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Is Trump going for Iran next?
23:45|Donald Trump’s stunning attack on Venezuela has the world wondering what his next move might be. What does it mean for Iran, Russia, and the future of the global order? Freddy Gray is joined by Owen Matthews and Paul Wood to discuss.
Does America need Venezuela’s oil?
34:40|Freddy Gray is joined by Robert Bryce, energy expert and author of Robert Bryce’s Substack, to discuss what America’s strike on Venezuela has to do with energy and oil. They examine the strategic importance of heavy crude, the role of China and Russia in the Western Hemisphere, and why electricity grids – not democracy – may be the real battlefield.
Which Latin American narco-state will Trump topple next?
24:23|Freddy Gray is joined by Joshua Trevino, Chief Transformation Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Senior Director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative at the America First Policy Institute. They discuss the complex history of so-called 'narco-states' and how they came to dominate vast parts of Latin America. Trump’s assault on Venezuela may prove to be the first of several military operations – which states could come next? And how significant has Marco Rubio been in shaping this policy priority?
What is the Donroe Doctrine's plan for Venezuela?
27:24|The US launched a military operation in Venezuela, targeting the regime in Caracas and detaining President Nicolás Maduro, who has been transferred to New York where he faces charges of narcoterrorism. Donald Trump has described the move as a decisive defence of American interests, but critics point point to the double standards when it come to Trump's ‘America First’ doctrine.Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest, joins Freddy Gray to discuss the strategic importance of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the role of socialism in the country’s collapse, and how Trump may seek to manage the risk of regional backlash and a counter-insurgency.
Why is the West ignoring Jimmy Lai?
15:27|Father Robert Sirico joins Freddy Gray to discuss the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai – the British passport holder and Hong Kong media tycoon facing life in jail for opposing the Chinese Communist Party. Sirico reflects on Lai’s rise from poverty, his Catholic faith, the collapse of freedoms in Hong Kong, and why the West has failed to mount a serious campaign for his release.
Why did Susie Wiles talk to Vanity Fair?
29:14|Freddy Gray speaks to Vanity Fair's Washington correspondent Aidan McLaughlin about their latest two-part interview with one of Trump's closest allies Susie Wiles. As chief of staff to the White House, she has given some of the most candid quotes about what really happens inside Trump's regime.
How is Trump’s counter revolution going?
41:26|US historian and classicist Victor Davis Hanson joins Americano for a wide-ranging assessment of Donald Trump’s first year back in office, from the economy and immigration to Ukraine and the future of the West.
Does Trump’s National Security Strategy make sense?
30:27|Former senior adviser to US defence secretary Pete Hegseth Dan Caldwell joins Americano to dissect the Trump administration’s sweeping new National Security Strategy — from pulling back in Europe and refocusing on the Western Hemisphere, to managing tensions with China and the fallout from recent strikes on Iran. What's behind the new reforms?
Will anyone miss the Boomers?
30:11|Christopher Caldwell joins Freddy Gray to discuss why the 'Boomer generation' – those born between 1946 and 1964 – became one of the most hated generations in recent history. Chris argues that the Boomers uniquely benefited from the resources of other generations, and were able to enjoy the benefits of leftist politics alongside the political and economic freedoms associated with the right; the apex of their power perhaps being the Clinton/Bush era. To what extent are the Boomers responsible for the decline of America? And what merits are there in judging society through age? Plus, do the digital-millennial generation – those born at the late 1980s and early 1990s – mark the next era of cultural configuration?Produced by Patrick Gibbons and James Lewis.