President Trump: Your questions answered

Summary

Global News Podcast: "President Trump: Your Questions Answered"
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Host/Author: BBC World Service

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The BBC World Service's "Global News Podcast" offers an in-depth exploration of President Donald Trump's first week back in office. Hosted by Oliver Conway, with insights from Senior North America Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue and Chief Presenter Catriona Perry, the episode delves into a range of pressing questions submitted by listeners worldwide. This summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn during the episode.

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1. Executive Orders: Scope and Impact

Overview:
President Trump made an assertive return by signing a record-breaking 26 executive orders on his first day in office, significantly more than the four signed in his initial five days during his previous term.

Key Points:

• Definition and Authority:
  Gary O'Donoghue explains that executive orders can range from symbolic proclamations to directives with constitutional implications, dictating federal government actions without immediate Congressional approval.
  Quote: "Executive orders... from proclamations, just things the President thinks is true, right through to directions of the federal government to do certain things... [Gary O'Donoghue, 01:49]."

• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA):
  Catriona Perry discusses the feasibility of dismantling the IRA, noting that while the President can slow its provisions through executive actions, complete repeal would require Congressional legislation. President Trump's orders have already paused funding through the IRA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
  Quote: "He can slow it down. He can't get rid of it totally... [Catriona Perry, 02:21]."

• Legal Challenges:
  Gary highlights potential legal battles, referencing the Impoundment Control Act which limits the President's ability to withhold funds without Congressional consent.
  Quote: "...he can't really stop it, as they can't really raise it without agreement of Congress... [Gary O'Donoghue, 03:07]."

2. Civil Rights and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Overview:
President Trump's administration is taking significant steps to alter civil rights policies, particularly targeting DEI initiatives within federal agencies and the military.

Key Points:

• DEI Ban:
  An executive order banning DEI programs aims to eliminate race or sex-based preferences in the military and other federal sectors.
  Quote: "He signed one banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military... [Catriona Perry, 09:21]."

• Impact on LGBTQIA+ Community:
  Federico from Italy raises concerns about the dismantling of civil rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Catriona responds that the administration views these moves as restoring meritocracy rather than dismantling rights. However, the implications are significant, especially as DEI policies often encompass protections for disabilities and other marginalized groups.
  Quote: "President Trump and his supporters do not see these moves as dismantling civil rights... [Catriona Perry, 12:32]."

• Private Sector Implications:
  The DEI ban extends beyond federal agencies, influencing large private companies like Walmart and Target to curtail their DEI programs, thereby affecting workplaces nationwide.
  Quote: "Starting to see some big, big companies like the Walmarts and the Targets... [Gary O'Donoghue, 11:06]."

3. Military Policies: Gender and Diversity

Overview:
Trump's executive orders are reshaping military policies, particularly concerning gender diversity and the inclusion of transgender individuals.

Key Points:

• Ban on DEI in the Military:
  Eliminates race and sex-based preferences, sparking debates on military readiness and capabilities.
  Quote: "...removes the use of race or sex based preferences in the armed forces... [Catriona Perry, 09:21]."

• Transgender Policy Review:
  A directive mandates the military to develop policies regarding transgender service members, although it stops short of an outright ban seen during Trump's first term.
  Quote: "There's 14,000 active military transgender service members at the moment... [Catriona Perry, 09:21]."

• Broader Gender Recognition:
  An executive order stipulates that federal agencies recognize only two genders, impacting both military and private sector practices.
  Quote: "All federal agencies will only recognize that there are two genders, men and women... [Gary O'Donoghue, 11:06]."

4. Death Penalty and Criminal Justice

Overview:
Questions were raised about President Trump's ability to abolish the death penalty and address violence against Black communities.

Key Points:

• Federal Death Penalty:
  While states retain autonomy over the death penalty, Trump has indicated a moratorium on federal executions, continuing the practice of previous administrations by executing 13 individuals during his first term.
  Quote: "There's no chance of Donald Trump abolishing the federal death penalty... [Gary O'Donoghue, 08:04]."

• Notable Cases:
  High-profile individuals like the Boston Marathon bomber and Dylann Roof remain on death row despite policy shifts.
  Quote: "[...] Zanaev, who's the Boston bomber... Dylann Roof... [Gary O'Donoghue, 08:04]."

5. Refugee and Asylum Policies

Overview:
Trump's administration is implementing stringent measures affecting refugees and asylum seekers, impacting resettlement agencies and humanitarian efforts.

Key Points:

• Indefinite Ban on Refugees:
  An executive order imposes an indefinite ban on refugees entering the U.S., coupled with a freeze on federal grants and loans for resettlement agencies.
  Quote: "There is a ban on refugees coming into the country now, an indefinite ban... [Gary O'Donoghue, 16:11]."

• Impact on Afghan Refugees:
  Afghan individuals who aided the U.S. military are left in limbo, with flights booked but flights potentially canceled under new policies.
  Quote: "...a couple of thousand Afghan refugees... now in limbo... [Catriona Perry, 16:11]."

• NGO Sector Concerns:
  Resettlement agencies, vital for refugee support, face financial and operational instability, threatening their capacity to assist vulnerable populations.
  Quote: "...organisations that do resettlement... [Gary O'Donoghue, 16:11]."

6. Foreign Policy: Transactional Approach and Global Impact

Overview:
President Trump's foreign policy emphasizes transactional relationships, prioritizing U.S. national interest over traditional alliances and international norms.

Key Points:

• Transactional Diplomacy:
  Trump employs a deal-based strategy, viewing international relations through a lens of quid pro quo, which contrasts with rules-based norms.
  Quote: "Transactional is what Donald Trump is doing... [Gary O'Donoghue, 18:21]."

• Impact on Allies:
  The emphasis on American-first policies strains relationships with traditional allies, as seen in negotiations with European countries and actions like deporting migrants to Colombia.
  Quote: "...his approach as he is the CEO of a big company... [Catriona Perry, 19:14]."

• Article 5 Obligations:
  Trump has hinted at potential renegotiations of NATO commitments, undermining collective defense mechanisms.
  Quote: "...dangling that idea of reneging on Article 5 obligations... [Gary O'Donoghue, 21:38]."

7. Designation of Mexican Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

Overview:
An executive order classifying Mexican cartels as terrorist entities aims to intensify U.S. efforts against drug trafficking but raises concerns about economic repercussions.

Key Points:

• Enhanced Authority:
  The designation allows the U.S. government to impose stricter economic sanctions, travel bans, and even military actions against cartel-linked entities.
  Quote: "...designating these cartels as terrorist organizations is intended to apply maximum pressure... [Catriona Perry, 23:16]."

• Economic Implications:
  Businesses may face unwitting entanglements with designated entities, affecting trade and financial operations, such as importing goods or handling remittances.
  Quote: "...companies importing them in the US could find themselves on the wrong side of the law... [Gary O'Donoghue, 24:51]."

• Broader Economic Ties:
  The deep interconnection between U.S. and Mexican economies means such policies could disrupt legitimate trade and affect sectors reliant on cross-border commerce.
  Quote: "...connections between the U.S. economy and Mexican economy are huge... [Gary O'Donoghue, 24:51]."

8. Ukraine Conflict and U.S. Involvement

Overview:
President Trump's administration faces the complex task of addressing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, balancing diplomatic solutions with economic strategies.

Key Points:

• Endgame Strategy:
  Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine but has yet to unveil a clear plan. Discussions revolve around negotiated settlements, potentially influenced by economic measures like oil price manipulation.
  Quote: "He promised to end the war in Ukraine on day one. That hasn't happened... [Gary O'Donoghue, 27:34]."

• Economic Pressure via Oil Prices:
  Catriona Perry explains that lowering oil prices could drain Russian resources, indirectly pressuring President Putin's war capabilities.
  Quote: "...lowering oil prices to target President Putin's coffers... [Catriona Perry, 28:33]."

• Potential Meetings:
  Speculation surrounds a possible meeting between Trump and Putin, aiming to broker a peace deal within a specified timeframe.
  Quote: "...watching for a meeting between President Trump and President Putin... [Gary O'Donoghue, 28:33]."

9. Trade Policy and Tariffs: Impact on EU, UK, and China

Overview:
Trump's aggressive tariff policies, particularly against China, pose significant challenges for the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK), with potential global economic repercussions.

Key Points:

• Tariff Strategies:
  Trump has positioned tariffs as a central element of his economic policy, targeting major trading partners to leverage favorable deals for the U.S.
  Quote: "Tariffs are the most beautiful word in the English language... [Catriona Perry, 31:16]."

• Impact on the EU and UK:
  The imposition of tariffs on European goods, such as automobiles, could escalate into trade wars, increasing costs for consumers and disrupting established supply chains.
  Quote: "...cars are a perfect example... [Catriona Perry, 32:54]."

• Consumer Costs:
  Retaliatory tariffs would likely result in higher prices for American consumers on imported goods, highlighting the personal cost of trade conflicts.
  Quote: "...ultimately it's the American consumer who could pay the price... [Catriona Perry, 32:54]."

• Market Considerations:
  The EU's vast market of 450 million people makes retaliatory measures a significant deterrent, as it offers companies substantial economic incentives to maintain harmonious trade relations.
  Quote: "The EU is a market of 450 million people... [Gary O'Donoghue, 32:54]."

10. Domestic Policies: Support for Common Workers and Inflation

Overview:
Despite campaign promises to address inflation and support the common worker, critics question the administration's immediate actions and effectiveness.

Key Points:

• Directives to Reduce Prices:
  Trump has instructed federal departments to endeavor to lower consumer prices, aiming to alleviate inflation pressures. However, actual outcomes remain uncertain, with basic goods like eggs still seeing price hikes due to external factors like avian flu.
  Quote: "He has one kind of directive that says to federal departments, try and do what you can to get prices down... [Gary O'Donoghue, 06:37]."

• Economic Challenges:
  Factors such as supply chain disruptions and production shortages continue to impede efforts to stabilize prices, highlighting the complexity of combating inflation.
  Quote: "...avian flu has been detected in parts of the US... [Catriona Perry, 06:54]."

11. Populism and Societal Polarization

Overview:
The resurgence of populist movements, epitomized by Trump's presidency, is shaping global political landscapes and exacerbating societal divisions.

Key Points:

• Media Influence and Critical Thinking:
  Haya Simkin from Israel emphasizes the rise of populism alongside declining critical thinking skills, suggesting educational reforms are necessary to counteract this trend.
  Quote: "...a deep lack of critical thinking skills that contributes to this... [Haya Simkin]."

• Impact on Liberal Voices:
  Trump's victory has prompted debates on the future of liberal policies, with some observers noting a potential shift towards more conciliatory discourse in political arenas. Catriona Perry observes a slight easing in political tensions, with efforts to find common ground emerging.
  Quote: "...there seems to be an effort... [Catriona Perry, 39:29]."

• Global Trends:
  Discussions reflect concerns about the global appeal of strongman leadership, particularly in regions like Africa, where such governance has historically led to corruption and economic stagnation.
  Quote: "...strongman leadership doesn't always work... [Gary O'Donoghue, 37:04]."

• Electoral Dynamics:
  Gary O'Donoghue points out that Trump's recent electoral strategy might have focused on mobilizing previously inactive voters rather than significantly shifting party allegiance among moderates.
  Quote: "He just managed to turn out more... [Gary O'Donoghue, 35:22]."

12. Speculative Scenarios and International Relations

Overview:
The episode entertains hypothetical scenarios to explore the potential extremes of Trump's foreign policy, highlighting the unpredictability of his administration.

Key Points:

• Greenland Hypothetical:
  Jeff from New Zealand humorously considers whether a forcible annexation of Greenland by Trump would invoke NATO's Article 5, obligating defense of Greenland. Both hosts speculate on the unlikely yet possible international fallout.
  Quote: "...defending Greenland from US Forces would be the least of his worries... [Catriona Perry, 22:35]."

• Canada and Migration:
  Nick raises the question of whether Americans might seek relocation to Canada amidst Trump's policies, though Gary and Catriona dismiss it as unlikely, suggesting frivolous reasons like maple syrup may influence such decisions humorously.
  Quote: "He could end up being someone living in the 51st state... [Gary O'Donoghue, 33:35]."

13. Conclusion: Looking Ahead

Overview:
The episode concludes with reflections on the transformative potential of Trump's administration, emphasizing the need for vigilance and adaptability among both policymakers and the public.

Key Points:

• Ambitious Agenda:
  Gary O'Donoghue notes Trump's extensive toolkit and desire to implement significant changes within a limited timeframe, suggesting a potentially more efficient execution compared to his first term.
  Quote: "He has in many ways all the tools at his disposal... [Gary O'Donoghue, 41:10]."

• Societal Resilience:
  Catriona Perry observes a budding effort towards societal cohesion, with both sides acknowledging the polarized past and striving for a more united future.
  Quote: "...there seems to be an effort there to try and improve things... [Catriona Perry, 39:29]."

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Notable Quotes:

• Gary O'Donoghue (01:49): "Executive orders... from proclamations, just things the President thinks is true, right through to directions of the federal government to do certain things..."
• Catriona Perry (02:21): "He can slow it down. He can't get rid of it totally..."
• Gary O'Donoghue (11:06): "...companies importing them in the US could find themselves on the wrong side of the law..."
• Catriona Perry (19:14): "He's approached this as he is the CEO of a big company..."

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This episode of the "Global News Podcast" provides a comprehensive examination of President Trump's early actions in his second term, addressing domestic reforms, foreign policy shifts, and their broader implications. By answering listener questions with expert analysis, the podcast offers valuable insights into the evolving political landscape under Trump's leadership.

Transcript

[Gary O'Donoghue]

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[Oliver Berkman]

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[Unknown]

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[Oliver Berkman]

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[Oliver Conway]

You're listening to a special edition of the Global News Podcast. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this on Tuesday 28th January, and we have two guests for you.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I'm Gary O'Donoghue, the Senior North America correspondent.

[Catriona Perry]

And I'm Catriona Perry, chief presenter with BBC News, based in Washington.

[Oliver Conway]

And we're going to be answering your questions about Donald Trump's first week back in office as President of the United States of America. And thank you for all the questions you sent in. We'll start as Donald Trump did himself straight after his inauguration with the blizzard of executive orders. He signed a record 26 on day one. So here are two questions from Alejandra in Chile.

[Unknown]

Hello, BBC. I want to know how enforceable, what is the real weight of the executive orders? Can they just be implemented or do they have to go through Congress? And the second one is about the Inflation Reduction Act. How feasible is it that it dismantled?

[Oliver Conway]

I suppose first of all, we should ask, what is an executive order? Gary?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

So an executive order covers a whole range of things, from proclamations, just things the President thinks is true, right through to directions of the federal government to do certain things, right through to things that have constitutional implications. So all these ones he's issued right across that gamut, you said dozens and then you're right. And it compares to his first term when I think there was just four in the first five days.

[Oliver Conway]

And Katrina, the Inflation Reduction act, is that something that's going to be easy to dismantle?

[Catriona Perry]

There's a mixed answer to this one. Fundamentally, it's not easy to dismantle because it's a piece of legislation and the only way you could truly get rid of it or undo every aspect of it would be by further legislation coming through Congress. However, what the president can do is he can slow down some of the provisions of it. He can Put them on ice indefinitely. We've already seen, in fact, President Trump signing one of these executive orders that pauses the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction act and another one called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. So that's what he can do. He can slow it down. He can't get rid of it totally. And some of the provisions of the Inflation Reduction act act that were already in force and already up and running, he can't undo those at this point.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Yeah, he could fall foul of something called the Impoundment Control act, which is effectively Congress spends money in the US Constitution. It has the power of the purse, as they say. Presidents can hold up money being directed, but they can't really stop it, as they can't really raise it without agreement of Congress. And that's one of those things that's going to be challenged in court. Certainly that 370 million odd that he's stopp in the from the infrastructure spending that's going to be challenged.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, he certainly signaled that he wants to get on with things. And we had this question, no name attached to it, about 3 of the.

[Unknown]

Issues that Donald Trump campaigned on, besides immigration and economy. One of the other big things on my radar with Trump was taking down the, quote, unquote, deep state, what Trump calls the deep state, ridding the CIA and FBI of partisans. He's done a little bit on censorship, but I still worry that's not enough. And then talk about the common worker. I don't know, even like the VP Vance was talking a lot about getting wages up and stuff. I'm like, good luck doing that. So where's some of that gone?

[Catriona Perry]

Okay, so there's a lot in this question. We'd probably need a whole two hours to go through everything that Donald Trump has done so far. But just on the issue of the FBI and the CIA, obviously we saw the former FBI Director Christopher Wray resign before Donald Trump took office. Basically, Donald Trump had said he would fire him if he didn't. We've seen the Department of Justice workers who were involved in the investigation into those federal charges against Donald Trump. In terms of election interference, working with Jack Smith, they've been let go. We've also seen the inspector generals fired as well. They are supposedly independent officers who are established under the Inspector General act of 1978. They're independent and objective units who basically make sure that each federal agency sticks to their mission. So they've all been fired, and the expectation is that they'll be replaced by individuals who are loyal to President Trump. So it's a sort of watch this space on that. When you're talking about deep state as a term, obviously that's quite a subjective viewpoint, but it is something that we had heard Donald Trump talk a lot about on the campaign trail.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

So on the censorship thing, that's quite interesting because Silicon Valley has already started to do some of that work for him. So conservatives would complain that their views were being marginalized on social media and things like that. Well, Elon Musk controls X, so that's okay for conservatives. Now Facebook has stopped fact checking, so that's much more of a what they would describe as a free speech environment, First Amendment environment. So some of this stuff that was, you know, censorship based has already been done. And on the common worker. Well, you know, one of the things that won Donald Trump the election was his talk about inflation. And that was what damaged Joe Biden right back in 2022 when it went through the roof. And ironically, that's one of the things Donald Trump has done least about in his first week. There's been one kind of directive that says to federal departments, try and do what you can to get prices down. Well, yeah, sure. So let's see how that translates into the price of eggs in the shops, which I know is something you care about, Oliver.

[Oliver Conway]

Yeah, I mean, very interesting the way that eggs have been going up despite what Donald Trump promised before the election.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

All of it, I mean, eggs, bread, milk, I mean the real sort of basics. And while the increases are slower than they were, prices haven't come down just.

[Catriona Perry]

On eggs as well. There is a secondary issue there which is that avian flu has been detected in parts of the US So actually a huge number of chickens and hens and poultry have been sl because of that. So there is in actual fact a shortage of eggs. I just even know myself. Gary, I'm sure you're the same. Going to the supermarket in recent weeks, sometimes there are no eggs on the shelf at all. And it used to be the case that they were there, but they were extremely expensive, sometimes $10 for a dozen eggs. But now you just can't get eggs at all often.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, let's get to two more questions which I think relate to executive orders.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I am Sachsanana from India. I would like to request honorable President Donald Trump to introduce the following criminal and social reforms. They are abolishing death penalty and eradicating violence against the black people by the American Police Department. Hi, I am Maurizio from London. I wish to ask what will be the Trump Policy about military personnel, especially about gender.

[Unknown]

Thank you.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, certainly on the death penalty, I think that's fairly straightforward. Gary.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

There's no chance of Donald Trump abolishing the federal death penalty. He doesn't have control over individual states and their decisions. But a lot of states don't have the death penalty. Bear in mind, but the federal death penalty for federal capital crimes he has decided to end. There was a moratorium on executions on that that was instituted by the Biden administration. Donald Trump did execute, I think 13, around a dozen or 13 people on death row during his first administration. That was the most any president had done for absolutely years. However, Joe Biden commute most of those death sentences of federal capital crimes people that were on death row. In December, 37 out of the 40 people who were on death row, he left three behind. One is Zanaev, who's the Boston bomber, the Boston Marathon bomber. He's still on death row. The other one is Dylann Roof, who murdered a group of black worshippers in a church in South Carolina ten years ago after having sat through the prayer service with them. And the third one is Robert Bowers, who was the man who murdered the worshippers in the synagogue in Pittsburgh back in 2018, I think, and Katrina, I think.

[Oliver Conway]

We saw a raft of orders about the military just last night on Monday.

[Catriona Perry]

Indeed, President Trump signed four executive orders which were focused on reshaping the US Military. One of them was about developing an American Iron Dome similar to the one used by Israel in the Middle East. But in terms of the ones that were relate to gender, as the questioner has asked there, he signed one banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, so called dei. And he's done similar things in other federal agencies over the past week. So that basically removes the use of race or sex based preferences in the armed forces. Something there'd been much debate over for a couple of years now, really in terms of the US Military. And the debate comes up around readiness of the armed forces and capabilities and so on. Another executive order that he signed tasks officials in the military with coming up with a policy on transgender troops. Now, the action doesn't immediately ban transgender service members, which was something that President Trump did in his first term. But there's a lot of detail, not in these executive orders as there are with many of President Trump's executive orders, where he's ordering reviews or he's passing it back down to the agency or the department to kind of figure out as to how they'll be implemented. So in terms of Transgender service members. There are 14,000 active military transgender service members at the moment. It's about 0.8% of the entire force. So it's unclear whether this order would mean they can no longer be in certain jobs in the military, whether they have to be discharged totally. So, as you can imagine, this is causing a lot of upset.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

It's also worth saying, I think, that bear in mind he's also signed a more general executive order saying all federal agencies will only recognize that there are two genders, men and women. That's it. And on the DEI thing, it's having a sort of broader impact in the private sector as well. So you're starting to see some big, big companies like the Walmarts and the Targets and other people starting to wrap up their DEI programs. So it's not just going to be restricted to the federal government. The knock on effect is going to be much, much wider.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, in a way, I think you might have helped address this next question.

[Unknown]

Hello, my name is Federico. I'm from Italy. And I would like to ask you, how far do you think that the dismantling of civil rights by Donald Trump's policies can go? As a LGBTQIA person, I'm very concerned about the impact that Donald Trump can have not only in the United States, but also in other Western countries.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I think this is really interesting because there's a feeling in the US and there was a feeling in Britain as well, for example, when gay marriage was legalized. There was a feeling that the clock cannot be turned back from big social changes like that. It's then ingrained. No one revisits it. And I wonder if there's a sense in which we might have been wrong about that, that these sorts of things could be turned back. I don't know. Katrina, what do you think?

[Catriona Perry]

Well, I would just say, first of all, that President Trump and his supporters do not see these moves as dismantling civil rights. They actually argue that it's a restoration of civil rights, that they say false equivalencies have been created by these DEI policies. And if you read some of the executive orders, that's the language that's in there, that this is about restoring civil rights and restoring what he calls a meritocracy. I do think on the second part of that question, when Federico asks, could this sort of spread into other countries as well? I think there is a risk in that because whatever the United States does is often copied in other countries, and in particular, a lot of these big private sector companies, big multinationals, obviously, have operations in many other countries as well, and they tend to have broad, sweeping policies that stretch right around the world. But again, there's not a lot of detail in some of these executive orders as to whether some of the instructions from President Trump will result in the removal of people from office, what that means for their salary, what that means for their employment rights.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, Sunil from India had this question about President Trump.

[Unknown]

What are his policies for persons with disabilities? I myself is a person with blindness and would like to know more about what he thinks and would be doing for the people in US, or maybe throughout the world. Thanks a lot for this podcast, Gary.

[Oliver Conway]

As our listeners may know, you're blind. How accommodating is the US for people with disabilities? And what's the Trump administration's attitude to that?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Well, that's two questions. So the US was the first country, really, to pass civil rights legislation for disabled people back in. In 1990, signed into law, of course, by a Republican president. What's Donald Trump's attitude? I have no idea whatsoever. I mean, the only instance I can ever remember him sort of alluding to disability was when he imitated the sort of slightly difficult walk of a New York Times reporter who has a disability. So I have no idea. And I don't suppose they've thought about it very hard. However, it's true that disabled people will be swept up into the consequences of all these changes to DEI programmes, because they're not just about race and gender, they're about disability as well. So that unemployment rate among disabled, certainly among blind people, which is seven out of 10 across the Western world, unemployed of working age, which has been a hard nut to crack for governments of all flavours in all countries. That's probably not going to get any better under Donald Trump.

[Oliver Conway]

And you were telling me you may have got an indication of his attitude with regard to Trump Tower.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Well, there was a story about when Trump Tower was built, and I think it was an architect who wrote a book about the process. I think this was right at the time. And when they were designing the lifts, apparently she said to Donald Trump, well, the law says you've got to have Braille numbers by the buttons. And he said, no, blind people are going to live in Trump Tower. Don't worry about that.

[Oliver Conway]

You're listening to a special edition of the Global News podcast. We had an email from someone who works at the International Rescue Committee in the US who wish to remain anonymous. This person said, many of us are feeling unstable in our jobs. Many of our refugee and asylum Clients are scared of being deported. What do you think will happen to the resettlement agencies who built entire careers on the US Refugee programs? Will they be able to withstand this presidency?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

There is a ban on refugees coming into the country now, an indefinite ban. And, and there is also a separate ban on grants, federal grants, a complete freezing of grants and loans which will affect those organizations that do resettlement. There's a sort of 90 day thing they do with refugees who come into the country. So I think the listener is right to be concerned about that. Stephen Miller, who is one of the most influential people in the White House, this is one of his big areas, immigration, refugee status, asylum. This is something he's been working on for the last four years while they've been out of power. So I'm afraid I do think, you know, there's going to be consequences for people that do this all around the country looking after refugees.

[Catriona Perry]

And we've seen it come into force straight away with the couple of thousand Afghan refugees who had appointments, who had flights booked, who were ready to travel to the U.S. these are people who had helped out the U.S. military in Afghanistan, many of whom their lives were now at risk under Taliban rule for having done that. And they're now in limbo, essentially, with these executive orders that President Trump has signed. So there is concern in many quarters about the fate of those individuals and for anyone coming behind them. And this is something that came into force immediately. And there is, there's great concern in the NGO sector as well as to whether these agencies and these programs will be stood up again. These are pauses again, subject to review that President Trump has ordered. But it's unclear as to what will happen beyond that.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, that seems a good moment to look at the impact of Donald Trump's second presidency on the rest of the world.

[Unknown]

Hello, my name is Juan Ignacio Olivares and I am from Argentina. And I wanted to ask if you think that is there any particular country that is going to be benefits from the assumption of Donald Trump, and how do you think that the foreign relationship is going to be reshaped during his government?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I'm tempted to say any country that does what they're told, but maybe that's a bit cheeky. But, yeah, this is, I mean, the word transactional is used a lot and that is definitely what Donald Trump is doing. He's not the first foreign leader or president or leader of any country to take a transactional approach, but he is the most powerful leader in the world at the moment, and therefore it means something. And so you're getting into an era where rules based international relations, norms, things like that, carried sway. Now you're getting to an era where this is about deals and about purely the national interest, about perhaps pulling up the drawbridge a bit, unless people want to do something that's strictly beneficial to the US and that is what America first is all about.

[Catriona Perry]

And I think we've seen that already, even before Donald Trump assumed office for the second time with his involvement in the Middle east ceasefire deal, that sort of harsher brasher language then we had had from President Biden and indeed had become accustomed to, from diplomats all around the world and, and credit has been given to him for that intervention from President Biden amongst others, that it sort of took that different type of speech and different type of approach to get that deal over the line. And, you know, to build on Gary's point there, he does use threats as a way of getting things for America, as is his right as the American president. All countries are essentially self interested. That's what they do. The question is to how much President Trump is concerned. Is it America first and the rest of the world second or America first? And I don't really care about the rest of the world, particularly when it comes to trade and the dangling of the threat of tariffs being imposed on foreign governments. I mean, we heard him enunciate that in a very clear way in his speech at Davos last week. Basically, come and build your products in America or face the consequences. We saw over the weekend when he was deporting migrants from Colombia, sending them to Colombia, the Colombian president refused to take them. And then it was President Trump saying, right, okay, well, face tariffs then if you don't take your people back. And, you know, there was a lot of technical issues there about how they were being transported in military planes and so on that the Colombians didn't like. But ultimately they were able to come to an arrangement to receive these individuals back. And Donald Trump took away the threat of tariffs. So he has a very different way of doing business. He approaches this as he is the CEO of a big company and as he has done business over all the decades of his professional life. You know, as Gary says, it is transactional, it is the art of the deal. It is about doing whatever he has to do to get what he perceives to be best for America.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, talking about toughness, Jeff from New Zealand has what he calls a tongue in cheek question. If Trump decided to take Greenland by force, wouldn't he be obliged to also defend Greenland from US Forces under the NATO treaty.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Well, I think he's probably obliged to defend Greenland whether or not he owns it or not, because it's, you know, part of Denmark, which is a NATO member. So, yeah, I don't really know. I mean, don't forget Donald Trump has already raised the prospect of not coming to European countries aid if they were attacked by Russia. He's already dangled that idea of reneging on Article 5 obligations, as they're called, under the NATO treaty. So he seems prepared to disrupt in that way in a fairly radical sense. And the irony, of course, is the only time Article 5 has ever been invoked was after September 11th.

[Catriona Perry]

And I think if President Trump decided to take Greenland by force, defending Greenland from US Forces would be the least of his worries because that would be viewed as a direct attack on Denmark. So we'd be into a much more serious international situation.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

It would be probably pretty rapid. There's only 57,000 people. I shouldn't laugh at Greenland, but although I did read something that said that New York restaurateurs would be very happy because the sort of deep water fish that could be caught and flown to New York restaurants in four hours would please their diners a lot.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, going on to another near neighbor, Emilio in London has a query about Donald Trump's decision to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. Emilio says how might this change policies, security strategies and socio economic relations in both the US And Mexico?

[Catriona Perry]

Well, this is one of the executive orders that President Trump has signed that we haven't heard quite as much pushback and reaction to at this point. And this executive order designating these cartels as terrorist organizations is intended to apply maximum pressure on Mexico to rein in the drug trade. And basically it gives more power to various branches of the US Government to impose economic penalties, travel restrictions, and potentially even to take military action. And it can lead to severe penalties, fines, criminal charges. And so on the flip side of that is that some companies, U.S. companies and others could get caught up unwittingly in being accused of being part of supporting a terrorist organization doing very innocent things like importing avocados. If it's found that cartel members had some involvement in how the avocados were picked or transported, a company importing them in the US could find themselves on the wrong side of the law. So there are some very specific and potential penalties here. Banks as well could find themselves in a difficult situation if they have accounts with individuals in good faith. And it turns out that that individual has some connection to a cartel now designated as a terrorist organization. So, again, the devil is in the detail with many of these executive orders, and we have to see how they'll play out.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

The problem with this, of course, is that the cartels don't just do drugs. They're involved in all parts of the Mexican economy. The connections between the U.S. economy and Mexican economy are huge. The trading goods across the border is massive. And so this could have a real chilling effect on US Businesses who think it's just too risky. We have no idea of finding out whether this group or this company or this factory has any connection to Ocato, so we better not do it. And then also, there's this question of Mexican migrant workers who come into tech and other places like that seasonally and send money back home. That's billions of dollars a year, apparently. Billions and billions of dollars a year in remittances. Now, the companies that organize those remittances, the paypals or the Western unions, you know, do they know where that money's being wired back to? Do they know that that person it's being wired back to doesn't have some connection with the cartel? So all these things could really sort of clog up the free flow of money and trade and business across the border, which is advantageous to both countries. So the implications are huge on this one. Other administrations have thought about it before and thought, too complicated. And of course, there are existing laws, which means if you start doing business with these cartels, then your assets can be seized. It's not that there's nothing on the statute book for this, but that this is much, much broader.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, next we have some questions on Ukraine.

[Unknown]

Hello, guys. This is Daniel from Mexico. There's conversations about which country is going to take the lead if the US Stops giving so much support to Ukraine. So what am I missing? What is the human context that is key to understand why this is such a pivotal point in the relationships between European countries? Thank you.

[Oliver Conway]

And we got this from a YouTuber called Polemicist, who's curious about President Trump's effort to force Russia to end the war in Ukraine by getting OPEC to cut oil prices. Polemicist wonders if lowering oil prices might actually help tackle Russia's 9% inflation rate.

[Catriona Perry]

How would lowering the prices of gas and oil for these Russian producers, actually for every Russian, really end the war more quickly if it relieves the pressure that these Russian people are feeling from inflation caused by the war?

[Oliver Conway]

Well, first of all, in answer to your question, Daniel, I suppose Europe is so concerned because of fears that Russia may not stop at Ukraine and move on to other countries, perhaps. And of course, all the death and destruction that's occurring on European soil. But perhaps Gary and Katrina, who are US Experts, can talk about President Trump's position on the war in Ukraine.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I mean, he promised to end the war in Ukraine on day one. That hasn't happened. Obviously, he believes there has to be a negotiated settlement, as I think most people do. What that looks like and how it's brought about, we're not yet clear on. And he's not yet made it clear how he plans to do that. His oil obsession is interesting, I think, because wanting to bring the price of oil down and putting pressure on opec, it's difficult to see how that would influence the outcome in Ukraine. But what it would definitely do is make drilling in the US in certain places less viable. He wants people to drill, baby, drill. Well, if the oil price is cheaper, then it becomes less economic to do it in difficult places in West Texas or Alaska or wherever. So I'm not quite, quite sure whether he's thought that one absolutely through. But the question of ending the war in Ukraine, we still just don't know what his plan is on that.

[Catriona Perry]

I would just add that having spoken to some experts in the oil field and in natural resources, the idea about lowering the OPEC price is designed to target President Putin's coffers, essentially. So if he can't sell his oil for as much, he has less in his war chest, ergo, he has less money available to fund the invasion in Ukraine. And that that would put some kind of pressure on President Putin. Again, there are questions about that approach because President Putin has a fairly deep war chest and it's ideological, his push into Ukraine. And we know he's getting support from North Korea and elsewhere at this point. And I think, you know, one of the questioners there was asking about how much does the US Care about Ukraine? And so on. And I think that's a good question in terms of future funding and support for Ukraine under President Trump and this new Congress. We saw how difficult it was to agree funding for Ukraine last year. And many voters on the campaign trail traveling around, I noticed, and Gary, I'm sure you read the same, were also questioning that level of support when so many Americans, Americans, you know, are struggling with the price of groceries, the price of housing, other benefits, and they don't understand why so much American money goes to support Ukraine. And so I think that's just a watch point people have in the back of their mind in terms of continued support for Ukraine. That also is motivating President Trump to try and want to get a deal done because he wants to cut those financial ties and not have US Money employed in other countries and helping other defense moves. So, you know, I think it's justit's a very complicated relationship. And obviously we heard from President Trump last week saying he wants to meet President Putin as soon as possible. President Putin responded saying he was open to having discussions, described Donald Trump as a smart man and, and President Trump's envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, he has been talking about this 90 day period, kind of taking us up into the middle of May that there might be a deal done. So we're watching for a meeting between President Trump and President Putin before that time.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, on the subject of economic pressure from the U.S. we had this question.

[Unknown]

Hello, I am Frederic from Paris, France. Is it likely that EU and UK will be the victims of Trump tariff policy against China?

[Oliver Conway]

Well, Frederic's concern that Chinese products could be redirected to European markets, possibly increasing unemployment in Europe. But I guess tariffs could have many unforeseen impacts.

[Catriona Perry]

Yeah, this is the thing about tariffs. I mean, Donald Trump has described tariffs as the most beautiful word in the English language. And he was speaking last week about his quest to be considered the tariff king. But of course, imposing tariffs, tariffs on another country really raises the possibility of that other country retaliating and imposing tariffs on you. So you get into a situation where ultimately it's the American consumer who could pay the price for any sort of trade war or tariff war. And he targeted the EU quite specifically in a few comments last week. I mean, we've heard him talk about China often. We've heard him talk about imposing a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada from the 1st of February. But he really headed in the direction of the EU last week. And that's a complicated one. If you take the issue of cars, for example, Many European companies make cars in America, hiring American workers using American materials. But some of the parts for those cars come from Europe to the American factory and then those cars are sold back to Europe. So you have a potential for things getting incredibly expensive quite quickly if tariffs are layered upon each part of something like a car, and ultimately that will be the consumer that pays the price there.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

The one thing about the EU is also worth bearing in mind is the EU is a market of 450 million people. It's a big old market. It's not going to be as easy as he would like to push Europe around as it was to push Colombia around. And so I'm sure they will come to some accommodation because American companies do want access to 450 million people with pretty high average incomes.

[Oliver Conway]

Nick takes us to a question that he says many Americans Googled in 2016. Should I move to Canada? He says they're about to get their own far right populist prime minister. The economic opportunities in the states still seem higher. So is there any reason to make the move?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Well, he could end up being someone living in the 51st state, couldn't he? Of America. He moves to Canada according to Donald Trump anyway.

[Catriona Perry]

And I would say maple syrup and poutine are great reasons to, says the Irish woman. Well, the question of should I move to Ireland was also heavily Googled in the days after. And the Department of Foreign affairs in Ireland actually has had many, many queries from Americans looking to trace their Irish grandmothers and whatever to move to.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Well, Panama is the other option, of course. Right.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, let's have a look at Donald Trump's success at the ballot box. We had this question from Ian.

[Catriona Perry]

What information do you have regarding how moderate, possibly previously Democratic voters may have been pushed into the arms of Trump by overly liberal rhetoric in the media and social media?

[Oliver Conway]

Overly liberal rhetoric? Is that what won it for Donald Trump?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Trump. I mean, I don't think there's much evidence that there was a lot of switches in this election. I mean, we. It's one of these bizarre things about American elections that the sort of voting demographics, you have to wait for ages to see the real, real detail, the real analysis done of those. We know we'll get much more clearer idea of that in sort of April and May of this year. But no, I think, you know, it wasn't the turnout of 2020, but it was still a very high turnout. So I think he was turning out people that probably didn't vote. It turned out more younger people who started to vote for him more, although not as majority as you mentioned already. So I don't think a lot of Democrats deserted, you know, went over in that sense, but he just managed to turn out more.

[Catriona Perry]

And I think the question of the role of the media is quite an interesting one and one that we'll see people do PhDs and various studies on for times to come because this was the first election where we really saw the role of the podcast and the, you know, user specific user generated media really play a role. So I think large numbers of people, particularly those who Gary's talking about there, who maybe were in the middle don't normally vote, came out to vote, so on. Probably they weren't being hugely influenced by what the questioner describes there as overly liberal rhetoric in the media. I think they were more swayed by things they were hearing in their own social circles, things they were hearing from podcast hosts who have massive reach. And Donald Trump doing that three hours or whatever it was with Joe Rogan, you really got to see quite a different side to him. Then you get to hear when he just does short sound box or his big long rallies and so on. So I think it's the role of the media has changed. And I suppose for us here in the BBC, you know, that's something we're trying to get a handle on as well, and that audiences are moving and you need to go where the audience is and give them the information they need, such as on a podcast like this.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, on a similar theme, fan in South Africa asks if the return of Donald Trump. Trump is a turning point for liberal policies on asylum and gender and things like that. And in particular, he asks, does it herald the end of extremely polite type of presidents?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

I think the whole world is a bit scared for the import tax, the penalties and all that stuff. But do you guys think that we need to move to a certain type of president that does the same type of stuff? I mean, there is evidence that people like strong leadership and that even they, you know, some surveys have shown, you know, quite a strong support in various places for, you know, things that verge on the autocratic, you know, because they think stuff gets done. The problem with it, of course, is that people love autocracy until it knocks on their front door. And they like it. They like to see it being done to other people, particularly people they think of have been overly favored previously. But it doesn't generally stop there. So not for me to say what, what kind of. I think your questioner was from South Africa. Yeah, I'm not, you know, I wouldn't presume to say what kind of government they should have or any other country should have, but I think, you know, the idea that strongman government is, is the future. I mean, Africa suffered from, you know, the big man leader type post independence in all sorts of place and stuff, ended up being very corrupt and people got a lot poorer and infrastructure wasn't built. So strongman leadership doesn't always work.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, let's hear from a couple of people who are perhaps more worried about populism.

[Unknown]

Hi, BBC folks. My name is Haya Simkin. I live in the Israeli city of Haifa. Populism is rising all over the world all at the same time. And there is a deep lack of critical thinking skills that contributes to this. What can be done in future generations.

To prevent this state coming from Mexico, a country deeply impacted by global political shifts? I would like to ask, how do you believe the post pandemic era, coupled with the recent rise of populist movements like Trump presidency, is reshaping the global perceptions of kindness and social coalition?

[Oliver Conway]

Marco there with that second question. Well, putting aside the fact that Donald Trump's electoral victory wasn't quite the landslide that he claimed, what has been the impact of his success on liberal voices? Well, particularly in the U.S. i think.

[Catriona Perry]

Actually I've noticed because I'm presenting programs on the news channel and we have debates every night and we have people from different perspectives on every night. And I've noticed in the last week things are actually less harsh and less competitive. I found our panelists more trying to find a place where they can reach common ground and trying to find a place where they can be in agreement with each other. Because I think for some anyway, there is an appreciation that America got to a place that was so polarized and, you know, people can't have family dinners and they can't speak to their brother or sister because, because one supports Trump and one doesn't and that you have to try and get to a place where everyone can work together and that there's an acceptance, okay, it wasn't a landslide victory, but it was a victory. A majority of The American people, 77 million of them, voted for President Trump, 75 million didn't. And so you have to find a way to be able to live your life and move on from there and try and have some type of society. And, you know, here in Washington, D.C. we can all get caught up on the Republican Party did this and the Democratic Party did that, whereas most people are just trying to get on with their life and feed their families and go to work and earn a few quid to have a little holiday here and there or, you know, pay their health care bills and so on. And I've noticed a slight shift. Maybe it's wishful thinking in this first week, but definitely there seems to be an effort there to try and improve things.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Your question also mentioned populism. And I suppose, you know, one's got to be careful because you might say, what's wrong with populism? You know, isn't that the way it should be? But I think what, what the, what the accusation is against Donald Trump and always has been is that and other populists is that that there isn't, there isn't an empathy with the grievances that propel them to power, but there's an exploitation of those grievances that they are used as a means to pursue the leader's agenda. So I think that's something that we'll have to watch. Certainly the President is trying to reshape not just the federal government, he's trying to reshape society. He's trying to make huge changes in American life and he, he seems to have four years to do that. He did raise the possibility at the weekend that he might have longer, but constitutionally he has four years to do that. That's not very long, but it is a huge ambition. He doesn't necessarily have to worry about the voters now he's got a Congress that's on his side just about by a very narrow margin in the House, certainly for the next two years. And so he has in many ways all the tools at his disposal with the experience of his first term and a lot of people who have learnt a lot from that first term to get things done in a much more efficient way than the chaos we saw in his first term.

[Oliver Conway]

And that's all from this special edition of the Global News Podcast. Thanks very much to Gary O'Donoghue.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Thanks, Oliver.

[Oliver Conway]

And to Catriona Perry.

[Catriona Perry]

Thanks, Oliver. Great to be with you.

[Oliver Conway]

And thanks to you for all the questions. Apologies if we didn't have time to get to yours. This edition was mixed by Gareth Jones and produced by Chantal Hartle. Our editor's Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.

[Oliver Berkman]

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[Unknown]

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[Oliver Berkman]

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