Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

Bonus Q&A: Could Kamala Harris Succeed Trump?

Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Christiane Amanpour (B), Jamie Rubin (A)

Episode Overview

This bonus Q&A episode of The Ex Files features Christiane Amanpour and her ex-husband, Jamie Rubin, fielding listener questions and offering informed, often personal, takes on today’s most urgent political and global issues. The discussion ranges from New York’s mayoral race and generational shifts in the Democratic Party, to the dangers of AI-generated misinformation, Kamala Harris’s political prospects, Russia’s NATO ambitions, and personal reflections on cancer awareness. The hosts provide both searing critique and hope, blending policy expertise, lived experience, and trademark candor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York Mayoral Election & the Mamdani Effect

[00:20 – 07:02]

• Jamie Rubin: Predicts Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, is likely to win the New York mayoral election. He notes the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have historically been a marginal force, but Mamdani’s rise reflects unique dynamics among younger, progressive voters:

  "As of yet, the Democrats do not have a party leader who can, who's been identified and who can take them into the next major cycle. And a lot on the progressive side of the Democratic Party are looking to the young people and who the young people are following. And in this case, it's Zoran Mamdani." (B, 01:26)

• Christiane Amanpour: As a New Yorker, expresses ambivalence, highlighting Mamdani’s inexperience in running large organizations:

  "I also worry... that he's never run anything. New York City's mayor is an extremely difficult job. We had a very, very far left mayor, Bill de Blasio, and frankly, he was not very successful." (A, 05:52)

• Both caution against extrapolating New York’s leftward momentum nationally, given America’s broader political conservatism:

  "The questioner asked whether it would help the national party. I don't think it's going to help the national party because it's just going to bring to the fore this internal battle between the left..." (A, 06:23)

2. AI Misinformation and Public Trust

[07:02 – 13:31]

• Jamie Rubin: Raises alarms about AI’s power to “industrialize the business of information warfare” and fragment shared reality:

  "With AI, instead of telling one big lie to... millions of people, they're going to figure out a way to tell a million little lies to a million different people." (A, 09:15)

• Warns against America’s withdrawal from international cooperation on media trust and truth under current political leadership.

• Christiane Amanpour: Connects AI misinformation to existential threats traditionally addressed via arms control agreements, suggesting the need for similar global compacts:

  "...you could maybe go into some kind of arms control agreement around, you know, dangerous information in that space." (B, 12:20)

• Both hosts advocate international cooperation among governments and leading tech platforms.

3. Kamala Harris: Presidential Prospects

[13:46 – 18:14]

• On Harris’s Candidacy:
  Amanpour discusses Harris’s book tour and her ambiguity about a 2028 presidential run:

  "...she has sort of left the door open. But she hasn't said one way or another. And that's all I can tell you." (B, 14:46)

• Rubin on Harris’s Evolution & Qualifications:

  "...if she returns to those instincts, takes the lessons she learned as vice president. She'd be extremely well qualified to be president. She saw what it takes. And there is no substitute for that in my experience..." (A, 17:03)

• Both note Harris must learn from centrism, avoid progressive overreach, and stress the need for substantive presidential experience—not simply identity:

  "...people should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin or whether they're men or women." (A, 17:56)

• Amanpour adds: The U.S. lags embarrassingly on gender parity in leadership globally.

  "The United States right now is 42nd on the gender parity list..." (B, 18:14)

4. Russia, NATO, and the Yeltsin-Putin Era

[18:14 – 21:56]

• Rubin reflects on 1990s debates:
  Russia’s possible NATO entry was considered but, structurally and politically, never a near-term reality:

  "Joining NATO... requires an enormous number of very specific steps: civilian control of the military, democratic laws, transparency, integration of weapons systems..." (A, 19:44)

• On the NATO-Russia Founding Act:
  Provided cooperation without full membership, but post-Yeltsin, Russia’s path shifted irreversibly:

  "Had Yeltsin been able to continue... unfortunately, he chose the wrong guy to hand over power to..." (A, 21:07)

• Summing up NATO expansion: Seen—especially after Ukraine—as a justified insurance policy.

5. Ovarian Cancer Awareness & Personal Reflection

[21:58 – 25:13]

• Amanpour, a cancer survivor, shares advice to women:

  "Diagnosis in ovarian cancer is absolutely crucial. It's known as the silent killer because it's often, often very hard to find these symptoms. And to diagnose it in time." (B, 22:46)

• Stresses progress in treatments (like immunotherapy) and the importance of spreading awareness, especially for under-resourced gynecological cancers.

• Memorable Moment:

  "Well, look at me. I'm working. I'm doing everything that I was doing. I have very little side effects on immunotherapy, which I think is another fantastic thing about immunotherapy." (B, 23:49)

• Rubin responds emotionally:

  "Yeah, well, it's a hard topic, obviously. You know, we were married for 20 years and I wasn't with you when you found out about your cancer, but I know it's affected our son..." (A, 24:50)

Memorable Quotes

• On AI & Disinformation:

  "With AI... they're going to figure out a way to tell a million little lies to a million different people."
  (Jamie Rubin, 09:15)

• On New York Politics Vs. National Trends:

  "I hope that we don't delude ourselves into thinking that because Mamdani wins the election in New York... it's going to help the national party..."
  (Jamie Rubin, 06:23)

• On Kamala Harris's Potential:

  "If she returns to those instincts... She'd be extremely well qualified to be president."
  (Jamie Rubin, 17:03)

• On Gender Parity:

  "United States right now is 42nd on the gender parity list, whereas Iceland is leading and it is now into its second female president."
  (Christiane Amanpour, 18:14)

• On Cancer & Hope:

  "Well, look at me. I'm working. I'm doing everything that I was doing... very little side effects on immunotherapy..."
  (Christiane Amanpour, 23:49)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• New York mayoral election & Mamdani: 00:20 – 07:02
• AI and trust in information: 07:02 – 13:31
• Kamala Harris’s presidential hopes: 13:46 – 18:14
• Russia/NATO relations in the ’90s: 18:14 – 21:56
• Ovarian cancer awareness & personal experience: 21:58 – 25:13

Tone & Style

Candid, witty, sometimes personal, always analytical—Amanpour and Rubin’s dynamic blends deep expertise, mutual respect, and unvarnished honesty. They rapidly shift from big-picture international crises to intimate insights, making complex topics accessible and relevant.

Recommended for:
Listeners interested in global affairs, U.S. domestic politics, media and technology ethics, women’s health, and nuanced, experience-based policy commentary.