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EA on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story: The Damage Abroad of “Wannabe Autocrat” Donald Trump
EA-Times Radio VideoCast: The World Faces Trump 2.0
The Spectacle of Carnage: Preparing for Trump 2.0
EA-Irish Examiner Podcast: Anticipating Trump 2.0
UPDATE 1625 GMT:
In a 42-minute discussion on Tuesday evening, I spoke with Pakistan’s PTV World about Trump’s inaugural speech, executive orders, and the serious consequences.
I dive deep into the spectacle of a convicted felon claiming he was chosen by God to Make America Great Again. I talk about the suspension of rights and rule of law, affecting migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, LGBT members, women, and other minorities. And I also look at the disfunction ahead for US foreign policy.
The other panelist is journalist Faiz Rehman. The host is Maryam Zia.
UPDATE 0939 GMT:
I joined BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show on Tuesday afternoon to detail the effects of some of Donald Trump’s executive orders, including on migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and transgender Americans
Along the way, I deal with the fact-free rambling of Trumpist spokesperson Jennifer Ewing.
Listen from 9:55
Noting that migrant crossings of the US-Mexico border dropped 75% between January 2024 and January 2025, I address the question, “Isn’t this what Americans want?”
The question is the specifics of Trump’s proposal with the threatening of the deportation of all 12 to 13 million undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers in the US, many of whom have lived in the country for years.
Not only is he threatening the deportations, he suspended refugee resettlement, cut the ability of asylum seekers to come in from certain Latin American countries, and shut down the app through which migrants and asylum seekers on the Mexican border sought legal entry.
I push back Ewing’s misinformation and deal with Vine’s reassertion, “This is what people voted for.”
People vote for someone to represent them over their concerns. The representative they vote for has to abide by the laws of the land. The person they put in has to abide by the Constitution and due process of law.
If you frame this as trying to deport millions of people without giving them due process of law, in effect scuttling the American system — the man who represents the US system should abide by it.
Turning to Trump’s attack on those with transgender identity, I note:
He has in effect banned an entire section of Americans. They lose certain financial rights, they lose employment rights, they lose the right to serve in the US military, they lose access to certain public spaces.
This is something that affect the daily lives of those who just want to live with their chosen gender identity.
I close by reviewing Trump’s damaging orders over climate change, including withdrawing the US from international organizations.
UPDATE 0923 GMT:
The University of Essex’s Natasha Lindstaedt and I joined BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday morning to analyze Trump’s executive orders, including on migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
Listen from 2:26.23
I explain why Trump has the power to issue the orders, without the need for Congressional authorization, and why the Republican-majority Senate and House are unlikely to do anything about the measures.
This is a man bent on revenge who will try to make Congress and US agencies submit to his will.
I also review the possibility that Trump may be shifting his position on Russia’s 35-month invasion of Ukraine.
See also Ukraine War, Day 1,064: India Begins Blocking Payments for Russia’s Oil
UPDATE, JAN 22:
Alongside right-wing commentator Cal Thomas, I joined BBC Radio Ulster on Tuesday morning to set out the first wave of Donald Trump’s assault on millions of people and on the US system.
Listen from 40:41
After a few minutes of Thomas’s rhetoric, I set out:
It’s best to get to the substance of what has happened and how it affects people.
Donald Trump, far from being optimistic and bringing Americans together, is threatening the deportation of up to 12 million people. He has made moves to stop asylum, which is an international right. He has suspended the Refugee Resettlement Program for people to get shelter from repression.
He has effectively slashed efforts to deal with climate change. He has pulled out the US from the World Health Organization.
I deal with the response from the host, which I repeatedly faced throughout two days, “But people voted for him”.
Following a lengthy anti-migrant diatribe from Thomas, I set out the facts:
We hear this rhetoric about evil migrants which is unsupported. Children have been separated from their families, not by the cartels but by the Trump Administration.
What you saw yesterday was a return to this. We need to address immigration by dealing with the facts, not by stigmatizing 12 million people.
If you want to talk about the American Dream, we need to talk about migrants. We need to talk about transgender people, who had their rights curtailed yesterday. We need to talk about women whose rights were limited. We need to talk about those in the Federal Government whose livelihoods are being threatened — not because they did anything wrong, but Donald Trump is seeking retribution over efforts to hold him legally accountable.
UPDATE 0951 GMT:
Against the backdrop of the “Inaugural Parade” in a Washington arena, I joined Tony Livesey on BBC 5 Live on Monday night to talk through Trump’s rhetoric and executive orders.
Listen from 26:14
I do a deep-dive analysis on issues such as migrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees.
It will cost billions and billions of dollars just to deport 1 million migrants and asylum seekers.
But that doesn’t matter to Trump. What he does is hold up the prospect that you can get rid of all of them.
They become the punching bag: if he can’t improve the economy, cannot pass his legislation, or make people feel better about their lives, he has a group to blame.
UPDATE 0931 GMT:
I joined Gina London of the Sunday Independent on RTE Radio 1 for an immediate analysis of Trump’s inaugural speech.
Listen from 1:35.06
Here is a speech which tried to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion; which tried to ban transgender people; which effectively called migrants and asylum seekers the enemies within.
And then overseas, what was called “Manifest Destiny” was an implicit justification to take Greenland from Denmark and an open threat to seize the Panama Canal, which is part of Panama.
Along the way, I take apart the falsehoods of Trumpist activist Erol Morkoc, including the declaration that the Chinese military controls the Panama Canal.
UPDATE 0814 GMT:
Just after Donald Trump’s inaugural speech, I joined Poland’s TVP World to discuss the lack of specific content about foreign policy — but also the warnings in his general statements.
This speech was not primarily about foreign policy, or even about domestic policy. It was about “Me, Me, Me” — Donald Trump.
He is creating the persona, “I was saved by God to Make America Great Again”. And who are the enemies? Migrants and asylum seekers, “terrorists” who lurk out there; those who promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; and of course transgender people.
This is a really dark speech.
Watch from 1:14.02:
ORIGINAL ENTRY, JAN 20: I joined international outlets before and during the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US President to analyze the spectacle of a convicted felon re-entering the White House — and to assess the damage he will wreak on his first day in office.
Listen to Pat Kenny Show on Dublin NewsTalk
I joined Patti Shields of Democrats Abroad Ireland and Lorcan Nyhan of The Communications Clinic for an 18-minute discussion of the spectacle, disfunction, and damage of a 2nd Trump term.
This is a reality TV President, as well as a convicted felon, a convicted fraudster, a convicted defamer in a sexual assault case — lest we forget — who has built himself on image and illusion.
I explain how Trump’s executive orders today set the foundation for deportations of migrants and asylum seekers, curbing their rights and due process of law.
These people are going to be his punching bag.
Even if you can’t deport millions of them immediately, he will maintain that they are the reason why the economy isn’t doing well or why society is divided.
Listen to BBC London from 1:11.51
I joined Aaron Paul on Monday morning for a 15-minute examination of Donald Trump’s pledge to “act like a dictator on Day 1”, threatening millions of people with executive orders on migrants, asylum seekers, fossil fuels, tariffs, and rollbacks of rights.
But I begin with the question of how Trump will approach the UK Government.
Trump tends to admire leaders who are autocrats who have flattered him — Vladimir Putin of Russia, Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Mohammed bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia, Kim Jong-un of North Korea.
He does not like leaders who question him or his policies, assailing the leaders of NATO countries, of European Union countries.
And I explain how quickly Trump’s tactics may run into trouble, but become even more dangerous.
It’s very different carrying out attack and insult politics when you are in power rather than opposition.
If he can’t show improvements, he will attack migrants, asylum seekers, women, LGBT people — and the US system itself.
Trump Commutes Sentence of Stewart Rhodes, Founder of Oath Keepers Militia: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/us/politics/stewart-rhodes-trump-jan-6-oath-keepers.html
“Stewart Rhodes had been sentenced to 18 years in prison after being charged with sedition.”