The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Episode Title: The Ceasefire and the Business of Trump’s Diplomacy

Date: October 18, 2025
Host: Evan Osnos
Guests: Susan Glasser, Jane Mayer

Overview

This episode unpacks the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas—lauded as a diplomatic breakthrough—and the underlying entanglement of U.S. foreign policy and the Trump family's business interests in the Middle East. The panel, comprising Evan Osnos, Susan Glasser, and Jane Mayer, takes a critical look at what was actually achieved by the ceasefire, the spectacle and transactional style of Trump’s diplomacy, and the unprecedented commingling of private business and public policy in American governance.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Ceasefire: Achievement or Optics?

• Ceasefire Details & Celebration (03:36–04:37)

  • 20 hostages freed by Hamas, 2,000 prisoners released by Israel.
  • Not a peace agreement; “the details on what’s next are fuzzy, to say the least.” — Evan Osnos (01:36).
  • Trump is positioning the deal as a personal triumph, with “giant posters of Donald Trump everywhere in Israel” and supportive rallies (04:39).
  • “It’s not everlasting world peace… What is it specifically? It’s a phase one ceasefire deal.” — Susan Glasser (06:01).

• Spectacle and Personalization of Diplomacy

  • Jane Mayer likens Trump’s style to producing a TV show: “He’s imagined this scene where he’s the Prince of Peace… the picture is the end result.” (06:41)
  • Neither Netanyahu nor Hamas were present at the “peace summit” in Egypt—emphasizing optics over substance (08:20).

2. Unpacking the Realities and Gaps

• Missing Details & Future Uncertainty (08:14–10:16)
  • Governance of Gaza and verification of Hamas disarmament are unresolved.
  • “We still don’t have a full understanding of what is the governance authority in Gaza. Literally, who is in charge?” — Susan Glasser (08:20)
  • Trump’s involvement is framed as decisive, but the actual groundwork for enduring peace is absent.

3. Money, Corruption, and Diplomatic Trade-Offs

• Transactional Diplomacy (10:31–15:39)

  • Trump’s repeated focus on monetary aspects—publicly lauding donors and referencing wealth of Arab leaders.
    • Example: “There was a subtheme here that was really striking… a lot of concentration from Trump on money.” — Jane Mayer (11:18)
  • Steve Bannon’s perspective: Trump’s model of governance mimics Gulf potentates, blending state, family, and business (12:41–14:08).
  • “He sees himself as a potentate. Strong men are what he wants to be.” — Susan Glasser (14:08)

• Rules and American Values Undermined

  • Trump positions the U.S. not as a beacon of the rule of law, but as a kingdom willing to ignore corruption:
    • “We are the new world, not the old corrupt world... our constitution specifically says that the president is not supposed to take emoluments from foreign kings or leaders.” — Jane Mayer (14:08)
    • Trump’s message: “Corruption's fine with us.” (15:20)

4. Concrete Cases: Qatar, UAE, and the Trump Family

• Case Study: Qatar (18:25–22:26)

  • Relationship shift since 2017: from pariah to close partner.
  • Boeing 747 valued at $400M gifted from Qatar to Trump—retrofitted with taxpayer funds, to later become personal property.
  • Additional business and diplomatic entanglements via Jared Kushner and Trump Organization ventures.

• Netanyahu’s Tactics & Trump Leverage

  • Attempted Israeli operation in Qatar created leverage for Trump, facilitating pressure on Netanyahu and shaping the deal.

• Personal, Political, and Business Interests Merge

  • “The press and all of us have a responsibility to explain why that might be a problem… international crony capitalism… they’re strings, they’re hooks that everybody’s got in each other’s pockets.” — Jane Mayer (24:03)
  • UAE investments in Trump-linked crypto startups and access to advanced U.S. tech as further examples (24:35–26:41).
  • “Let’s not put it in normal terms. There’s nothing normal about this.” — Susan Glasser (26:42)

5. Systemic Impact and Future Ramifications

• Erosion of Ethics and Checks

  • Extreme weakening of U.S. anti-corruption safeguards; firing of ethics officers and attacking regulatory acts (28:50).
  • Kushner’s unpaid status excludes him from financial disclosures.

• Global Perceptions: The ‘Family-State’

  • “Chinese described the administration as ‘jia Tianxia'—a family using the state as its possession.” — Evan Osnos (30:57)

• Will This Become the Norm? (32:37–38:08)

  • Has Trump’s approach created a model for future U.S. governance or is it a historical aberration?
  • "It's very hard to get back what has already been lost." — Susan Glasser (33:24)
  • Foreign governments may see financial gifts as investment for future favors (34:28).
  • “The truest things that Trump ever says… are the things that he accuses his opponents of. He’s projecting his own behavior onto them.” — Jane Mayer, in reference to Hunter Biden controversy (36:19).

6. Societal Effects and Closing Reflections

• Potential Backlash and Extremism
  • “Corruption often leads to extremism... the population is so disgusted that they flock to sort of extreme purity.” — Jane Mayer (38:48)
  • Even with a temporary ceasefire, true peace and a stable two-state solution remain elusive.
  • “Do I believe that we are closer to a viable Palestinian state…? I do not believe, sadly, that we are closer to that goal.” — Susan Glasser (39:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Press Solidarity:
  "It went from left to Fox News and even to Newsmax... the free press matters and you’re trying to keep us unfree."
  — Jane Mayer (00:21)

• On Trump as ‘Potentate’:
  "He sees himself as a potentate. You know, strong men are what he wants to be."
  — Susan Glasser (14:08)

• On Business and Diplomacy Blending:
  "It’s giving leverage to Donald Trump, not to the United States. He’s enriching himself."
  — Susan Glasser (23:57)

• On Unprecedented Corruption:
  "We’ve never had a corruption like this where the money is going not even to a front group, not even to a campaign fund. It’s going directly into the pockets of the president and his family."
  — Jane Mayer (27:46)

• On the Broader Impact:
  "It makes people incredibly cynical and alienated... if they feel that it’s just a corrupt family or two who are taking everything."
  — Jane Mayer (36:19)

• Warning on the Future:
  "We don’t know where it leads. That’s the thing… tantalizing moments of peace that have not materialized into long-term, enduring settlement."
  — Susan Glasser (39:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Press Solidarity & Free Press: 00:01–00:31
• Ceasefire Summary & Trump’s Role: 01:36–06:01
• Analysis of CDiplomatic Showmanship: 06:41–08:14
• Substance of the Ceasefire: 08:14–10:16
• Trump’s Transactional Diplomacy & Corruption: 10:31–15:39
• Qatar, Gifts, and Business Entanglement: 18:25–22:26
• UAE, Tech Deals, Family Business: 24:35–26:41
• Breakdown of Anti-Corruption Mechanisms: 28:50–29:22
• Family-State Model & Global Impact: 30:57–32:37
• Systemic Effects & Potential Backlash: 32:37–39:13

Conclusion

The hosts emphasize the significance of the ceasefire as a positive step, yet remain deeply skeptical about the durability of the peace and the growing normalization of open conflicts of interest in U.S. policy. They highlight the cynical atmosphere now pervading American politics, the undermining of ethics laws, and the risk that such new standards may reshape the government’s relationship to power, transparency, and foreign influence for years to come.

End of summary.