Amanpour – "The Trumps in the UK"

CNN Podcasts | Host: Christiane Amanpour
Date: September 17, 2025

Overview

This episode of Amanpour covers President Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK, exploring the intersection of royal pageantry, transatlantic politics, and the complex realities underlying the U.S.-UK "special relationship." The program features Royal correspondent Max Foster for on-the-ground insight; former U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland, for the Trump policy perspective; and former UK Ambassador to the U.S. Sir Peter Westmark, analyzing diplomacy from the British side. The episode also spotlights the newly signed US-UK technology pact and includes an interview with World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, discussing the web’s evolution and the impact of artificial intelligence.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Royal Welcome: Tradition Meets Strategy

[01:30–10:10]

• Pageantry at Windsor:
  President Trump receives unprecedented royal honors at Windsor Castle: "national anthems, military parades, aerial fly past, and a state banquet...the President and the First Lady were greeted earlier by the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales..." (Amanpour, 01:48).
• Purpose of the Spectacle:
  According to Max Foster, "That’s their job today, to show him a good time and frankly, to ingratiate him and show him that he is the most special visitor there’s ever been to this castle" (Foster, 03:49).
  • Military and American symbols deeply integrated into rituals.
  • Royal collection tour highlighted complex Anglo-American history, including colonialism and independence.
• Absence of Public Interface:
  Trump’s visit is largely shielded from the British public. Protests made headlines in London, underscoring his divisiveness in the UK.
  "They didn’t meet with or interface at all with the British public. There were protests in London...apart from making sure he had a good time...it’s also about deals." (Amanpour, 04:44)
• Monarchy and Stability:
  Tina Brown's New York Times piece is quoted, reinforcing the modern monarch’s role as a stabilizing global figure: "King Charles really stands out as a force for stability, a force for history, a force...for really experience in the world." (Amanpour, 06:06)

Notable Quotes

• "With Trump, with British royals, there's a particular deference. And in all the moments...he's allowing Charles to take the lead all the time and he never does that with any other leader in the world." (Foster, 07:02)

2. Political Stakes: US-UK Trade, Tech Pacts, and Populism

[05:30–10:10, 11:17–26:08]

• UK Political Goals:
  New Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks wins — especially a US-UK trade deal, tech investments, and a strong NATO or Ukraine stance.
  "What Keir Starmer needs is a win. And this is part of the warm up...the monarchy [is] a tool really, for the Foreign Office." (Foster, 05:30)
• Brexit and MAGA Influence:
  Trump’s ideological kinship with Brexit and Nigel Farage is discussed. Gordon Sondland asserts, "He feels a special affection and kinship not just for the UK but for the British people and particularly for the monarchy." (Sondland, 11:17)
• Rise of Nationalist Politics:
  Nigel Farage’s Reform Party leads some polls; American populism is influencing British politics. Amanpour queries the “transportation of American policies over here in terms of populism and nationalism." (Amanpour, 12:29)
• Transatlantic Tech Pact:
  The episode notes a major $42bn US tech investment in Britain's AI infrastructure but trade friction persists, especially over steel tariffs.

Notable Quotes

• "President Trump has only been in office for what, nine months? ...the amount of progress that's been made...has been extraordinary. These things normally take years." (Sondland, 15:26)

3. Security & Global Affairs: Ukraine, Russia, and US Leverage

[16:52–26:08, 27:24–39:25]

• Ukraine War:
  Amanpour presses Sondland about Trump’s perceived softness on Putin, lack of follow-through on sanctions, and Europe’s pressing security fears.
  Sondland contends Trump wants Europe to carry more of the burden: "He’s trying to free up military resources to deal with the China problem...and what he's trying to do is transition the role of tip of the spear to Europe and let Europe take the lead [in Ukraine]." (Sondland, 17:45)
• US-Attitude to Allies:
  Trump, Sondland argues, is more strategically aloof, "toggling" between engagement and restraint to ensure the US isn't solely responsible for global crises.
• Concerns from Allies:
  Sir Peter Westmark notes deep anxieties among European partners: "Every time there’s been an opportunity...which Trump has set for Putin to behave better, it passes and there is no sanction and nothing happens." (Westmark, 28:13)

Notable Quotes

• "Trump knows exactly who invaded whom. There’s no question about that. What he’s trying to do is deal with a peer nuclear power and not drag the United States into...a nuclear conflagration." (Sondland, 20:11)
• "He likes the attention, and he likes the European leaders to take him seriously. And one of the reasons why we are...well placed to have a good relationship is that he likes the idea that he’s not just the opposite number of an elected prime minister, he’s also the opposite number of a king, a king who has been there...for centuries." (Westmark, 37:28)

4. The King’s Role: Subtle Influence or Just Ceremony?

[30:34–34:05]

• Behind the Scenes Diplomacy:
  Amanpour and Westmark examine whether King Charles can subtly nudge Trump on critical issues like Ukraine and the environment:
  • "He may well be able to nudge the President in a different direction...help him to see some of these really important international security issues in a slightly different light. Will the King want to do that as well as the Prime Minister?...I do know that he is not a shrinking violet." (Westmark, 31:08)
  • The King likely to focus on areas where he could have some persuasive impact; expected to be cautious on climate, despite strong personal passion.

5. Technology, Social Media & AI: Tim Berners-Lee Interview

[39:25–53:43]

• Web’s Origins and Values:
  Berners-Lee stresses the original intent of openness; the web protocol was made free to ensure worldwide, universal adoption:
  "If it was going to be by everybody, it had to be free or it wouldn’t have worked." (Berners-Lee, 43:36)
• Toxicity and Social Media:
  He blames business models of platforms, not just human nature, for online polarization:
  "They [platforms] make the systems addictive...that emotion isn’t always love, it's often hatred." (Berners-Lee, 44:52)
  • Potential for algorithmic regulation: "Instead of optimizing for people being angry, you optimize for people being creative, constructive." (Berners-Lee, 46:03)
• AI as a Reset Opportunity:
  "AI gives us a chance, as you say, to hit a reset button. So when you figure out how AI works, then we can insist on, for example, an AI who works for me." (Berners-Lee, 48:48)
  • He highlights the development of personal "AI agent" that acts in the user’s interest (not Amazon’s or Apple’s)—with user-controlled data at the core.
• Digital Sovereignty:
  Berners-Lee’s new work aims to return control to individuals: "We’re pushing digital sovereignty...building systems where it's like having your own website...a data wallet or...personal online data store, but is something that you completely control." (Berners-Lee, 52:42)

Notable Quotes

• "When you see something which makes you angry online...if that post was circulated in a million people’s feeds, you can blame the Algorithm, so there’s both sides." (Berners-Lee, 47:55)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Time | Guest(s)/Topic | |-----------------------------|---------|-----------------------------------------| | Royal welcome & Pageantry | 01:30 | Max Foster in Windsor | | Political issues / Trade | 05:30 | Amanpour & Foster | | Divisiveness & Protests | 08:00 | Amanpour & Foster | | Gordon Sondland Interview | 11:17 | Trump's diplomacy, trade, Ukraine | | European security/alliances | 27:24 | Sir Peter Westmark | | US-UK Tech & AI | 39:25 | Tim Berners-Lee w/ Walter Isaacson |

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Max Foster on Trump’s attitude toward the monarchy:
  "He’s allowing Charles to take the lead all the time and he never does that with any other leader in the world." (07:02)
• Gordon Sondland on transatlantic relations:
  "Yes, it is a suck up to President Trump, but it's also a suck up to America…and I say that in the best possible way. We should suck up to one another." (15:26)
• Sir Peter Westmark on British contributions:
  "We are the biggest foreign investor in the US economy and vice versa...There are nuclear bases in Scotland which are very, very important for American submarines...I sometimes wonder whether President Trump is adequately informed about the real contribution that we all do make." (34:23)
• Sir Tim Berners-Lee on the web's purpose:
  "I wanted the web to take over the world. I wanted it to be used by everybody. If it was going to be by everybody, it had to be free or it wouldn't have worked." (43:36)
• Berners-Lee on social media algorithms:
  "They [platforms] make the systems addictive...that emotion isn't always love, it's often hatred." (44:52)

Conclusion

The episode paints a nuanced picture of the Trump state visit: beneath the dazzling pageantry lies transactional, sometimes fraught diplomacy driven by shifting priorities and political realities on both sides. The deep resonance of Anglo-American tradition sits uneasily alongside modern populism and digital-age challenges, from treaty wrangling to the weaponization of social media. The concluding interview with Tim Berners-Lee underscores these tensions within the tech world—reminding listeners that both international affairs and the web itself are shaped as much by structure and intent as they are by people and power.