logo
episode-header-image
Jul 30
20m 11s

Heavy meddle: Trump and Brazil

The Economist
About this episode

President Donald Trump’s animus towards his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is best seen as solidarity with Jair Bolsonaro, another ousted president who clung to power. India has surpassed China as Asia’s biggest private-jet buyer, but not only because of rising numbers of super-rich. And Hong Kong’s quirky fusion cafes bloom abroad as they thin out at home.


Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Up next
Yesterday
Duty regime: America’s consumers will foot the tariff bill
As yet another tranche of Donald Trump’s tariffs takes effect, we look at why the duties might outlast him—and how American consumers will ultimately shoulder the trade war’s costs. Our correspondent visits US Space Command, which is preparing for a new age of combat in the heave ... Show More
22m 37s
Aug 6
Unsteady state: Somalia in disarray
The country had been on the rise: beating back jihadists, strengthening its federal structure and gaining international stature. That has all reversed. In Britain levels of crime have fallen—but the changing nature of criminality has meant a smaller fraction of crooks getting cau ... Show More
24m 2s
Aug 5
Consultant management: McKinsey loses its shine
The world’s biggest strategy consultant has smaller rivals nipping at its heels. As it nears 100 years old, we ask how it will navigate a tricky AI-inflected future. It is already hard enough to fiddle with travel plans to get the cheapest flight. A new thing to consider? Whether ... Show More
21m 10s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 30
Heavy meddle: Trump and Brazil
President Donald Trump’s animus towards his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is best seen as solidarity with Jair Bolsonaro, another ousted president who clung to power. India has surpassed China as Asia’s biggest private-jet buyer, but not only because of rising n ... Show More
20m 11s
Nov 2024
Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
The reality of a second, more emboldened term for President-elect Donald Trump is sinking in. Leaders from across the globe are flooding him with congratulations and trying to get his ear on issues from the Middle East to Ukraine, to wide-ranging tariffs, and of course, the clima ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 20
Hurry up and wait: Trump’s choice on Iran
The most consequential decision of Donald Trump’s presidency is now on pause for two weeks. We examine how the choice pits two sides of Mr Trump against one another. India is an advanced-manufacturing powerhouse, but can it become a hub for high-tech innovation, too? And as “Jaws ... Show More
24m 13s
Jul 19
What’s next after Trump threatens 50 percent tariffs on Brazil?
Deepening conflict between the US and Brazil over the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro. US President Trump threatens 50 percent tariffs, unacceptable blackmail, says Brazil's President Lula da Silva. So what's next? And who stands to win or lose? In this episode: Gr ... Show More
24m 47s
Feb 2025
What Trump and Musk think they can learn from Argentina’s Javier Milei
Donald Trump may have ruffled feathers with his closest neighbors in recent weeks, but he has a willing ally in South America. Argentina’s President Javier Milei has become something of a hero in the MAGA movement for his populist style and radical economic reforms. Will the love ... Show More
24m 19s
May 29
Duties bound: a Trump-tariff smackdown
The US Court of International Trade ruled that Donald Trump’s so-called fentanyl and Liberation Day tariffs constituted executive overreach. Now what? Artificial intelligence is on a wild ride through a well-known hype cycle—and is arriving at a “trough of disillusionment” (8:49) ... Show More
23m 15s
Feb 2025
Leeward: we meet South Korea’s probable president
We meet the opposition leader who is likely to be the next president. Cleaning up the domestic mess after an alleged coup would seem easy compared with his tasks on the international stage. Our correspondent reports on renewed violence in Colombia; again, or still, it is about co ... Show More
25m 4s
Jun 6
Trump and Xi break the ice
US President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping agreed to launch a new round of high-level trade talks, the European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter point and Europe is being flooded with steel diverted from the US because of high tariffs. Plus, the FT’s Aanu ... Show More
11m 48s
Jun 18
A house divided against itself: America simmers
Political assassinations. Troops on city streets. National protests. We examine the edgy mood inside America through the lens of past periods of intense, violent partisanship. Our correspondent sees two motives for the visit to Greenland by Emmanuel Macron, France’s president: on ... Show More
24m 23s
Sep 2024
Don wan: Harris keeps Trump tame
The vice-president turned in a confident if imperfect performance, leaving Donald Trump flustered. But will it change anything? A global shortfall of blood plasma is hampering the development of new medicines; we argue for some simple market forces that could plug the gap (11:40) ... Show More
23m 14s