Q&A: Could the Supreme Court overturn Trump's legal immunity?

Summary

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Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

Episode: Q&A: Could the Supreme Court overturn Trump's legal immunity?
Date: October 15, 2025
Hosts: Christiane Amanpour & Jamie Rubin

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Overview

In this special Q&A episode, Christiane Amanpour and Jamie Rubin, acclaimed foreign affairs experts and ex-spouses, candidly tackle audience questions on seismic global developments: Israel’s war in Gaza, Tony Blair’s role in Middle East peace, the Venezuelan crisis, US-Brazil relations, the Supreme Court’s stance on Trump’s immunity, and Kamala Harris’ political legacy. Through spirited, unscripted discussion—full of honesty and dry wit—the duo offers rare insider perspective on world affairs, leadership dynamics, and the complexity of current US politics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Why Has No One Stopped Israel’s Bombardment of Gaza?

Asked by: Glendon Threads
(00:21 – 01:26)

• Christiane Amanpour’s perspective:

  • Blames the Biden administration for failing to exert significant pressure on Netanyahu to end the offensive.
  • Contrasts with Trump’s approach—notes that while Trump let Netanyahu continue bombarding Gaza for nine months, action was only taken when Netanyahu bombed Qatar, a key US ally and negotiation host.
  • Memorable quote:

    “Trump only said enough is enough after Bibi Netanyahu bombed Qatar... He let him go for 10 long months for no reason at all, slaughtering Palestinians for no reason at all.” (03:39, Jamie Rubin)

• Key Insight: The US presidency’s approach to using leverage, and a dramatic shift only when American interests or allies became directly involved.

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2. Is Tony Blair the Right Person to Lead Middle East Peace?

Asked by: Kerry, via email
(01:26 – 03:54)

• Jamie Rubin’s response:

  • Argues Blair’s unique experience from Northern Ireland fits this moment; he has earned trust on all sides—Arab and Israeli.
  • Blair's concept of the “governing mind”: true leadership to drive a process toward peace.
  • Critiques both Biden and Trump’s approaches, highlighting Trump’s ability to apply pressure due to his unpredictability and the fear he inspires.
  • Memorable quote:

    "He’s got some things that nobody else in the world has. An ability to talk to Netanyahu, frankly, privately, honestly, an ability to talk to all the Arab leaders, including the Palestinians..." (01:47)

  • Reminds listeners that motivations (e.g., Blair’s Iraq legacy) matter less than effectiveness—Blair “knows how to get things done.”
  • Notes that the biggest challenge ahead is the governance of Gaza.

• Amanpour agrees: Adds context about hostages and insufficient humanitarian pressure during Biden’s tenure.

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3. US/Brazil Intervention in Venezuela—Is It Possible?

Asked by: Elle, via email
(04:45 – 07:18)

• Amanpour notes:

  • Current Venezuelan opposition leader (Nobel laureate) is in hiding; election likely stolen by Maduro.
  • Trump’s gunboat diplomacy—ostensibly targeting drug cartels—won’t restore democracy.
  • Maria Corina Machado (the opposition figure) favors outside help, but most of the fractured opposition and populace reject foreign military intervention given US/Latin America history.
  • Quote:

    “Can gunboat diplomacy...bring peace and democracy to Venezuela? No. Can regime change work...she is for it...but the other members of the opposition...do not want foreign military power.” (05:03)

  • Regime change by force compared unfavorably to Iraq and Libya.

• Rubin’s point:

  • Trump’s heavy-handed interference in Brazilian democracy and policies (e.g., high tariffs) blocks any US-Brazil cooperation.
  • Quote:

    “There’s no way the Brazilians are going to work closely with Donald Trump if he keeps trying to destroy their own democracy and butt into their domestic affairs.” (06:51)

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4. Could the Supreme Court Overturn Trump’s Legal Immunity?

Asked by: D, via email
(07:18 – 09:01)

• Jamie Rubin:

  • Dismisses the possibility; says conservative justices have consistently failed to check Trump’s anti-democratic behaviors.
  • Sees it as “one of the tragedies of modern America.”
  • Quote:

    “The one thing we’ve seen about this Supreme Court is that conservative justices have closed their eyes to Donald Trump’s anti-democratic actions across the board.” (07:45)

• Amanpour:

  • Suggests future SCOTUS decisions may focus more on Trump’s executive actions (tariffs, ICE deployment) than on the core immunity case.

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5. Kamala Harris’ Book and Political Legacy

Asked by: Samantha, via email
(09:38 – 13:38)

• Amanpour:

  • Admits she hasn’t read “107 Days,” but laments the negative media coverage and misogyny Harris has faced.
  • Quote:

    “I hate the misogyny that’s abroad right now. I hate the idea that somehow it’s, you know, woke to believe in women’s rights. Sorry, that’s just me.” (10:13)

• Rubin:

  • Recognizes Harris was dealt a tough political hand and didn’t distinguish herself during her campaign, though he praises her debate performance.
  • Critiques her left-leaning policies (on immigration) as politically damaging.
  • Observes that politicians rarely admit mistakes—doing so would foster public trust.
  • Quote:

    “Few politicians have the ability to be self-critical. It’s one of these weird things. They can’t say I made a mistake...If politicians would finally just say, I got 95% of my decisions right, but 5% I would do differently, I think they would win more votes.” (12:46)

  • Notes Harris “would have made a fine president” but failed to persuade the electorate.

• Amanpour closes:

  • Highlights how close the 2024 election was, reinforcing the challenge Harris faced.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US global leverage:

  “The person at the top has to dictate a way of getting business done…Blair understands the governing mind concept.”
  – Jamie Rubin (02:13)

• On regime change and foreign intervention:

  “Regime change at the end of a barrel…in Iraq, in Libya…it’s a disaster.”
  – Christiane Amanpour (06:16)

• On politicians owning mistakes:

  "If politicians would finally just say, I got 95% of my decisions right, but 5% I would do differently, I think they’d win more votes.”
  – Jamie Rubin (12:48)

• On sexism in US politics:

  “I hate the misogyny that’s abroad right now. I hate the idea that somehow it’s woke to believe in women’s rights.”
  – Christiane Amanpour (10:13)

• On the Supreme Court’s failings:

  “It’s one of the tragedies of modern America that Supreme Court justices have buried their dozens of years of legal experience to bend over backwards to justify Donald Trump’s behavior.”
  – Jamie Rubin (07:55)

• On ex-spouses finishing each other’s sentences:

  “That’s what ex-husbands sometimes…that’s what they do, jump all over the situation.”
  – Christiane Amanpour (07:18)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:21 — Israel in Gaza: US and international leverage
• 01:26 — Tony Blair’s Middle East role & legacy
• 03:54 — Gaza: Humanitarian aid, Arab states' shifting stances, hostages
• 04:45 — Venezuela: The US/Brazil dilemma, regime change debate
• 07:18 — Supreme Court and Trump’s immunity
• 09:38 — Kamala Harris’ book, media treatment, and legacy
• 12:46 — The importance of humility in politics

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Tone and Style

The conversation is direct, informed, and laced with personal anecdotes—notably their history as ex-spouses—bringing depth and humor to their dialogue. Amanpour brings empathy and fiery advocacy, while Rubin offers analytic detail and pragmatism.

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Summary

This episode of The Ex Files delivers a frank, sometimes biting review of today’s political landscape, weaving deep knowledge with sharp observations and a hint of personal chemistry. The hosts challenge leadership, scrutinize diplomatic tactics, and reflect on America’s political culture—offering listeners context, clarity, and the wit of two veterans who “still finish each other’s sentences,” even if they’re no longer married.

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Transcript

[A]

This is a Global Player original podcast.

[B]

Hello, and welcome to the X Files with me, Christiane Amanpour and Jamie Rubin. And this is our bonus Q and A segment where we answer your questions, and you've been sending them in fast and Furious, and we're really grateful. Let's get started. Jamie, ask the first question Glendon Threads.

[A]

Asks, with so much opposition towards Israel's devastating bombardment of Gaza, why was nobody able to stop Israel till now? Christiane, what do you think?

[B]

Well, I'm going to be very short and sweet. I'm going to say the Biden administration did not lean over its skis enough to, you know, to tell Netanyahu that enough was enough. But then Trump did. Although Trump did allow Netanyahu to continue bombing Gaza for nine months. You know, it was when Netanyahu went one step too far and bombed a US Ally, Qatar, and also the country which everybody knows houses the negotiating process. And he bombed them trying to find the Hamas leaders, which he didn't. And that really annoyed President Trump, and he went into high gear to basically hold Netanyahu's feet to the fire and make him agree to this ceasefire. It's a lot of wasted time, but that's it. Jamie, this is for you. KERRY ON EMAIL Is Tony Blair really the right person to be leading the peace agreement in the Middle East? Is he just trying to remove the tarnish on his reputation from the Iraq invasion?

[A]

Good question, Paul. But remember what the question for guys like me is, is someone the right person for the job, not his motivations? Maybe that is one of the reasons Tony Blair wants to help make peace in the Middle east, to, you know, clean up the reputation that was damaged by the Iraq war. Maybe it is. I don't know. What I do know is that he has the unique ability to take his experience in Northern Ireland, where he was crucial to making peace through the Good Friday Agreements, take those experience of a war that had gone on for generations and figure out how to bring the two parties to yes. And he's got some things that nobody else in the world has. An ability to talk to Netanyahu, frankly, privately, honestly, an ability to talk to all the Arab leaders, including the Palestinians, frankly, honestly and privately. He's won their trust and he knows how to get things done. I learned a lot from Tony Blair. I spent six long months talking to him almost every day on the phone, or certainly three, four times a week. And what I learned from him, you know, and, and I'll say something, you know, that he explained that I thought was really powerful. He explained this concept of every government needs what he called a governing mind. The person at the top has to dictate a way of getting business done. Bill Clinton did that during the peace talks in, in Oslo. Bill Clinton did that during Kosovo when we were successful. Unfortunately, the governing mind during the Biden administration didn't combine both force and diploma and pressure sufficiently. And Donald Trump has been able to do that because people are afraid of him and Netanyahu is afraid of him. So Blair understands the governing mind concept. He understands how to govern. And governing Gaza is going to be the one of the most complicated things the world has ever seen. And having Tony Blair be part of that. And let me just say that Biden did many great things. And I just want to be honest about the difficulty he had in saying enough is enough to Netanyahu. We all know that difficulty healthy. But he did some great things on Ukraine. The world is far better off for him having been president. But Trump only said enough is enough after Bibi Netanyahu bombed Qadar. He let him go for 10 long months for no reason at all, slaughtering Palestinians for no reason at all. So.

[B]

And leaving the hostages there to suffer.

[A]

And President Biden did force Netanyahu to provide humanitarian aid. And Tony Blinken did. I watched him negotiate under Biden's instructions, the provisions of trucks and food, food and medicine and shelter. And that's where he used his leverage during the first year and three months of the war. And unfortunately, that wasn't enough to get Netanyahu to do the right things. But Hamas wasn't ready to make a peace deal a year ago either. They're more willing to do so as a result of getting hammered, as a result of the Arab leaders having had enough, and as a result of the fact that Turkey and Qatar together told them, finally, if you don't accept this agreement, you're out. You can't use Qatar and Turkey as your home base anymore. They weren't willing to do that a year ago.

[B]

That's important.

[A]

Let me ask the next one for you. Elle on email asks, as the Venezuelan crisis increasingly worsens, is there any possibility of the US And Brazil trying to broker a deal to end the current regime? By what means would this be possible? Wow.

[B]

Tough question. Tough question.

[A]

Number one.

[B]

As we speak, it was the Venezuelan opposition leader who won the no Nobel Peace Prize. She is in hiding. It's generally assumed and thought and believed that she and her candidate won the last election that the current Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro basically stole. But can Gunboat diplomacy, which Trump is employing around Venezuela, saying that he's going after the drug cartels. Bring peace and democracy to Venezuela. No. Can regime change work in Venezuela? Machado, the woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize, she is for it. She is for Trump's militarization because she believes it will get rid of Nicolas Maduro. But the other members of the opposition are very divided and most of them do not want foreign military power. Knowing the history of American foreign military power in Latin America, they don't want it. They want, you know, they want it to happen by their own means, even if that's more difficult. But I think that it's very difficult to see how this can happen in Venezuela and if, even if it does happen. Yeah, because we saw Jamie, you know, regime change at the bottom, at the end of a barrel or whatever, end of an invasion in Iraq, in Libya, etc. It's a disaster.

[A]

Let me just add one small point there. Donald Trump is getting some credit for the peace in the Middle east because he's working with the Arab leaders to get the Palestinian Authority to do the right thing and the Gazans to accept things and working with Netanyahu as well. The questioner asks, can the US And Brazil work together? How can the Brazilians work with the United States when Donald Trump haven't got to there yet, is intervening in that country by trying to dictate who goes to jail and who doesn't, by trying to tell the Brazilians how to deal with their own information space. There's no way the Brazilians are going to work closely with Donald Trump if he keeps trying to destroy their own democracy and butt into their domestic affairs. And that's why I don't think they're going to work together to achieve an outcome that I think everyone but the Maduro himself wants.

[B]

Yeah, well, listen, thank you for finishing my answer. I do appreciate it.

[A]

I try to do that as that's.

[B]

What ex husband sometimes that's what they do, jump all over the situation. Trump. Yeah, put 50% tariffs all over Brazil. So the answer is no, at least at the moment. So D on email wants to know, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade, is it possible that they could overturn their decision to grant Donald Trump immunity for his actions while president? Well, that's a creative question.

[A]

I think the chances of that are exactly zero. The one thing we've seen about this Supreme Court is that conservative justices have closed their eyes to Donald Trump's anti democratic actions across the board. It's one of the tragedies of modern America that Supreme Court justices have buried their dozens of years of legal experiences to bend over backwards to justify Donald Trump's behavior. When any first degree lawsuit knows that he has violated norms and laws and behaviors that have come to be expected of American American presidents, he's perverting the Justice Department. So the idea that they're going to finally put a stop to Donald Trump being president by removing his immunity strikes me as exactly zero.

[B]

They might, though, in the next weeks or so, you know, come down with more decisions, as you've said before, Jamie, on whether the tariffs are legal, you know, when he does them by executive order, and whether his constant deployment of ice on the streets of American cities is, is leg and allowed to continue. So we'll see.

[C]

Progressive knows we all creep.

[D]

Validation Girl, you are not 37.

[C]

I would have guessed 27.

[B]

You guys are too sweet.

[A]

Sure. Dewy skin.

[D]

Terrific.

[C]

Is something wrong, Ned?

[A]

Why would you ask?

[D]

Just because Today marks my 10th anniversary without a car accident or even a speeding ticket, but somehow tonight's all about your skin care.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

With snapshot from Progressive, you can get a personalized rate based on how you drive and that's all the validation you need. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliate snapshot not available in California from all agents. Surcharge possible for unsafe driving.

[A]

Let me ask you the next question, Samantha, on email. I'd love to know your thoughts on Kamala Harris book 107 Days, where she discusses how she has pulled back the curtain on her campaign vice presidency and what was happening in the Democratic Party in the White House at the time. I don't know if you've read the book, but we've seen reports about it. What do you think, Christiane Amanpour?

[B]

Well, I would love to be able to answer, Samantha, because it is a good question if I'd read the book. But I haven't. So I've only seen the reporting around it and it's been pretty negative, just as the reporting around her candidacy was negative. I generally do hate seeing these women who step up to the plate basically get slapped around so much. I think it's, I hate the misogyny that's abroad right now. I hate the idea that somehow it's, you know, woke to believe in women's rights. Sorry, that's just me. I know it's crazy. But Kamala Harris, I think I don't know enough. Jamie, have you read it? And she was the vice president when you were there.

[A]

Look, I know her a bit. Not much. I believe in Women's rights. I also don't think I'm woke. So I think you can be both and not believing in some of the ideas of wokeness and believe in women's rights. I don't think I could be married, have been married to you for 20 years if I didn't believe in women's rights. Let's put that that up front.

[B]

That's a whole nother discussion.

[A]

Yeah, that is. But anyway, Kamala Harris was dealt a rough hand. She had a shortened campaign, but let's be honest, she didn't distinguish herself in that campaign. She did beautifully in the debate. I think she trounced Trump in the debate, but that wasn't enough. What could she have done differently? In the book, she has a lot of explanations for why she didn't encourage President Biden to make the decision he made earlier. But I think her problem is that she developed political views at a time when the Democratic Party was too much in the thrall of the left of center voters. Remember, Kamala Harris was one of those who on the stage in 2020 was talking about how illegal immigration should be decriminalized, that our border should effectively been open. That's a monstrously dumb political and frankly, I think a wrong position. As you know, I get up every day and look at the Statue of Liberty. America is a nation of immigrants, but that immig has to be legal and controlled and done in the right way. And to just open our border was a dumb idea. And she had many policies that she evolved over time to become vice president. And in the end people weren't sure what her positions were. I think she was a great vice president. I think she would have made a fine president had she been elected. I voted for her. But you know, obviously she didn't persuade most of the country. And I don't think the book ended up explaining well what she could have done differently because few politicians have the ability to be self critical. It's one of these weird things. They can't say I made a mistake, I did this wrong. I wish I could go back and do it differently. Fortunately, I'm not running for office so I can say I made mistakes. One of the things I love to do in government was since I've been, I'm 65 years old when something came up where I didn't know what people were talking about because it was some new issue. I was the one in the room who raised my hand and I said, I don't know what that acronym means. I don't know what you're talking about, please explain it to me. And that's when I discovered that half the room in the people in the room felt the same way. But because they were afraid of admitting they didn't know something, they didn't want to speak up. Same with making mistakes. Nobody's perfect. If politicians would finally just say, I got 95% of my decisions right, but 5% I would do differently, I think they would win more votes.

[B]

Yes. And I think it's important to say that while Donald Trump did win the popular vote and the electoral college, this time it wasn't a landslide. So.

[A]

Absolutely not.

[B]

I think, you know, given her truncated campaign, it just did it much closer.

[A]

Just not good enough.

[B]

Much closer than it could have been. In any event, that's it. That's it for this week. Thank you for listening to the Q A, our bonus episode of the X Files with me, Christiana Manpour and Jamie Rubin. So if you do have a question for us, keep them coming. We like to hear from you. You can do it via email or all the social media platforms you can find us. Our handle is at amanpoolpod. Or email us. We're@amanpoolpod global.com and our next episode will be on Tuesday. Wherever you your podcast, you can do that. Listen for free on Global Player, download it from the App Store or go to globalplayer.com and all the other places you get your podcast. And don't forget also to subscribe to our YouTube channel. It's doing pretty well. Going gangbusters and that. You can see, you know, Q A and the main episodes on our YouTube channel. You just search. Christian Amanpour presents the X Files. Subscribe to our channel so that you never miss an episode. And that's us done for this week. A lot of news New York.

[A]

And I have to say I love the picture of our son over your left shoulder. Young Darren.

[B]

There he is.

[A]

Five years old. Four years old. Three.

[B]

Four or five. Yes. In his primary school. So cute.

[A]

Cute kid.

[B]

Can you see the Statue of Liberty out of that window? You can't. You're too far.

[A]

But I try to when I'm in Manhattan, obviously.

[B]

Bye.

[A]

Bye.

[C]

Progressive knows we all crave validation.

[D]

Girl, you are not 37.

[C]

I would have guessed 27.

[B]

You guys are too sweet.

[A]

Sure. Dewy skin.

[D]

Terrific.

[C]

Is something wrong, Ned?

[A]

Why would you ask?

[D]

Just because Today marks my 10th anniversary without a car accident or even a speeding ticket. But somehow tonight's all about your skin care.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

With snapshot from progressive, you can get a personalized rate based on how you drive. And that's all the validation you need. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliate snapshot not available in California from all agents. Surcharge possible for unsafe driving.

[A]

This has been a global player original production.

[C]

Progressive knows we all crave validation.

[D]

Girl, you are not 37.

[C]

I would have guessed 27.

[B]

You guys are too sweet.

[A]

Sure. Dewy skin.

[D]

Terrific.

[C]

Is something wrong, Ned?

[A]

Why would you ask?

[D]

Just because Today marks my 10th anniversary without a car accident or even a speeding ticket. It but somehow tonight's all about your skin care.

[C]

Wow. With snapshot from Progressive, you can get a personalized rate based on how you drive. And that's all the validation you need. Progressive Casualty insurance company and affiliate snapshot not available in California from all agents. Search possible front seat driving.