Freddy Gray is joined with Michael Auslin who is an academic and historian at the Hoover Institute and author of the Substack 'THE PATOWMACK PACKET'. They discuss China's response to Trump's tariffs, whether China is serious about threats of war and how concerned Trump is about China's relationship with Russia.
Donald Trump announced last night he is suspending military aid to Ukraine until Zelensky is ‘ready for peace’. Following this, the Vice President JD Vance sparked further international outrage in a Fox News interview referring to Britain as ‘some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years’. JD Vance has since come out saying that he was not referring to the UK or France in that interview - although critics can’t work out who else he could have been talking about. Freddy Gray is j...
In a wide-ranging conversation at the White House yesterday evening, Donald Trump was in the mood to talk about everything under the sun – from the speedy success his second administration has had putting fear into the hearts of bureaucrats and Eurocrats, to why he believes there is a path to a balanced budget. He spoke to The Spectator's Ben Domenech for the first magazine interview of his second term, following a major day of international politics with his meeting with prime minister Keir Sta...
Freddy is joined by The Spectator World ’s deputy US editor, Kate Andrews, and The Telegraph columnist, Tim Stanley, to talk about Keir Starmer’s much-anticipated meeting with Donald Trump in Washington. Across the board, it has been read as a success – at least domestically, that is. The victories include movement on the Ukraine backstop, some positive discussions around the UK avoiding tariffs, and a second state visit is on the horizon as well. The biggest win, though, was the number of compl...
Robert Bryce, an energy expert and author of The Question of Power, discusses the state of global energy, electric vehicles, and government policies both in the UK and America. Freddy and Robert look at how government subsidies and mandates have driven automakers toward unprofitable EV production, what is energy humanism, and how foreign interference has shaped climate policies over the past decade.
Curtis Yarvin, is a political theorist and writer known for his critiques of liberal democracy. Under the pseudonym 'Mencius Moldbug' he developed ideas that have influenced the New Right and post liberal political movements. Curtis Yarvin spoke to The Spectator's Angus Colwell about why Britain is in decline, how far Europe should go to protect itself against Putin, whether Churchill-bashing is fair, and what would be his top three book recommendations.
Donald Trump attacked the Ukrainian President overnight, describing him as a 'dictator' and saying he's done a 'terrible job.' In return, Zelensky has accused Trump of 'living in a disinformation space.' The West has invested a huge amount of capital in the fight against Russia – and failed to secure peace. Is Trump using these offensive and odious methods in order to secure an end to the conflict? Is he the only person with the power to do so? Freddy Gray discusses with The Spectator's Russia c...
Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of think-tank American Compass, sits down with Freddy Gray at the ARC conference in London. They react to the announcement by President Trump over the weekend of reciprocal tariffs: the decision by the US to match import duties levied by other countries. What's the strategy behind Trump's decision? And what could the consequences be for American companies and for global trade? They also discuss the broad political consensus behind free trade in the US since...
The fallout continues from US vice-president J.D. Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference. Criticising Europe over what he sees as the retreat of free speech, he singled out the case of Adam Smith-Connor in the UK as something that worries him about the direction that Britain is heading in. Smith-Connor was arrested in 2022 and prosecuted for breaching an abortion buffer-zone in Bournemouth. Freddy Gray speaks to Paul Coleman at the ARC conference in London. Paul is executive director o...
Political commentator, and author of Troubled , Rob Henderson joins Freddy Gray from the ARC conference in London. They discuss the political reaction to the news that Elon Musk has allegedly had his 13th child – are there signs of a new, more permissive conservatism? They also discuss Trump’s administration so far – particularly his flurry of executive orders – with critics decrying them as the tactics of a populist, yet supporters approving of the speed of activity. What’s the psychology under...
Professor John Mearsheimer comes back on the Americano show with Freddy Gray to discuss how seriously we should take Trump's foreign policy. They cover the President's plans to rebuild Gaza, why Netanyahu and Trump won't agree on what to do with Iran and whether Trump can strike a deal with Putin.
Angus Hanton, author of Vassal State: How America Runs Britain , joins Freddy Gray to talk about the economic relationship between Britain and America. As the world adjusts to the new US administration, every day seems to bring news of new potential tariffs. Is the UK a prime target for Trump? What could the impact of tariffs be? And what are the long-term questions facing British politicians about both the economic and political relationship with the US? Produced by Megan McElroy and Patrick Gi...
When Netanyahu visited the White House, Donald Trump said in a press conference that the US could take over the Gaza Strip and suggested the permanent resettlement of its 1.8 million residents to neighbouring Arab countries. It has sparked global condemnation raising questions about where the Gaza citizens could be resettled to, and how this could impact the hostage negotiations. To discuss this and the conflict more widely, Freddy Gray is joined by former Israel spokesperson Eylon Levy....
The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews and Social Democratic Party leader William Clouston join Freddy Gray to try and make sense of Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. He has since threatened the European Union, and has warned the UK. Is this a negotiation tactic or something more? What political philosophy underpins the decision? And what will the impact be? Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Megan McElroy.
The first phase of Trump’s presidency has been a whirlwind of news. The President signed a succession of executive orders, which overwhelmed and confused the Democratic Party with the amount of ‘energy in the executive’. But there are signs of life, particularly in opposition to Trump’s attempts to freeze federal grants and loans. What’s going on? Are the Democrats finding their feet? To discuss, Freddy is joined by Damon Linker, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylv...
This week, a Chinese-made AI model called DeepSeek shot to the top of the Apple Store downloads – it stunned investors and sunk some tech stock. DeepSeek claims it was built at a fraction of the cost of American leading models. Chip-making giant Nvidia shed almost £482bn of its market value as a result. What is DeepSeek, and what does it have to do with US-China relations? Freddy Gray is joined by Joe Weisenthal to explain exactly what’s happened with the AI platform DeepSeek, why it has sparked...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** Colombia has agreed to accept military aircraft carrying deported migrants from the US – avoiding a trade war between the two countries. Donald Trump had threatened sanctions on Colombia to punish it for initially refusing military flights following a rapid immigration crackdown. What are the challenges of deportation flights, and what's Trump's vision for Latin America? Freddy...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** Cryptocurrency became a key feature of the American election and the Trump universe. Not only did Trump and Melania launch their own coins, but the President has also appointed venture capitalist David Sacks to be the AI and Crypto 'czar'. Freddy Gray is joined by podcaster and owner of Bedford FC Peter McCormack to discuss whether Trump can decentralise finance, why voters are...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. All the former leaders of the free world were there to watch Trump take the oath - again - but how was this inauguration different to the last? And what signs were there of how Trump intends to govern? Guest hosting for Americano , The Spectator’s Kate Andrews speaks to Freddy Gray, who is on the ground ...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** The LA wildfires have been mostly extinguished, but there is growing concern that more fires could be imminent as strong winds are expected this week. Many believe that the destruction has shone a light on the broader mismanagement of California, run by the Democrat Gavin Newsom – who has proposed billions in new funding for 'Los Angeles 2.0'. Freddy Gray speaks to energy speci...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** Freddy Gray is joined by Amy Wax who is a professor at Penn University to discuss education in America. Recently the Florida Governor Ron De Santis has been embracing a return to ‘classical education' which emphasises liberal arts and western teachings. Amy Wax speaks to Freddy about how education in America has been taken over by ‘woke’ ideologies, what simple teaching techniq...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** Freddy Gray is joined by Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times to discuss what Donald Trump’s revisionist America could mean for the world order. Trump is a sworn enemy of what he calls ‘globalism’, which raises questions about whether America will remain the world’s most powerful country in 2025 and beyond. Gideon has described five ways in which Trump's America First strategy...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** Douglas Murray, Spectator columnist, joins Americano host and Spectator deputy editor Freddy Gray. This week, Home Office Minister Jess Phillips rejected Oldham Council’s request for a government-led inquiry into the horrific scandal of grooming gangs in dozens of UK cities. Her decision has led to real backlash – with X owner Elon Musk calling for safeguarding minister Jess Ph...
** Americano is nominated in the Political Podcast Awards 2025. Vote for it to win the People's Choice category here ** The former US President has died age 100 surrounded by his family in Plains. Known as the longest-lived US President in history, The Spectator's political correspondent James Heale and Freddy Gray discuss Jimmy Carter's legacy both in and out of office, how he compares to Joe Biden as one-term Presidents, and the way Jimmy Carter's Christianity shaped his politics....
2024 has been another year of extraordinary events in American politics. From Trump’s attempted assassination, the general election, the death of peanut the squirrel, Biden’s resignation and international wars shaping foreign policy. To discuss this year, and what impact it could have on 2025, Freddy Gray is joined by the historian Victor Davis Hanson of the Hoover Institute.
Springfield Ohio became a talking point in this year's Presidential election after Donald Trump referred to Haitian migrants 'eating the cats and dogs'. Steven Edginton, GB News US Correspondent has been to Springfield Ohio to speak to some of the migrants there, investigate some reports that migrants are fleeing America in fear of a Trump presidency, and find our from locals about how Springfield has changed since the arrival of around 15,000 Haitian migrants.
Freddy Gray is joined by an Americano favourite, Jacob Heilbrunn, to reflect on 2024 in American politics. They discuss why Trump appears to be the de facto President, whether a good Democratic candidate could have beaten Trump and what the future cabinet could bring in 2025.
Over the weekend, the rebels from the Syrian opposition claimed Damascus and president Assad had fled to Russia. Keir Starmer has welcomed the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s barbaric regime in Syria and called for civilians to be protected after rebel forces took control of Damascus. Freddy Gray speaks to Michael Weiss, an editor at The Insider, and Owen Matthews, writer and historian. They discuss how this story could develop on the international stage, whether this is the reinvention of the Ara...
Freddy Gray is joined by journalist Dean Kissick, a writer and author, to discuss the contemporary art sector and how it has come to be overrun by superficial forms of political gesturing.
Freddy speaks to Robert Bryce – author of an authoritative susbstack on energy – about Trump's energy plans for his second term. The President elect's Cabinet picks have been raising eyebrows, including the appointment of Chris Wright as Secretary of Energy. He is an 'unapologetic energy humanist' according to Robert and this is a statement of intent when it comes to energy production and driving energy costs down. But what exactly is an energy humanist? And will Chris Wright be able to 'drill b...
