Podcast
The next chapter in American politics has begun, but is it going to be any less crazy? The Spectator’s Americano podcast delivers in-depth discussions with the best American pundits to keep you in the loop. Presented by Freddy Gray.
The next chapter in American politics has begun, but is it going to be any less crazy? The Spectator’s Americano podcast delivers in-depth discussions with the best American pundits to keep you in the loop. Presented by Freddy Gray.
Americano
Billionaire Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump have had a very public falling out. Musk, whose time running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) came to an end last month, publicly criticised Trump’s spending bill (the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’). The row then erupted onto social media with Trump expressing his disappointment with
Play 23 mins
Americano
From the decline of meritocracy to the rise of anti-Western ideology, author Heather Mac Donald joins Freddy Gray to discuss race, merit, and victim hierarchy. Why is the West so desperate to self-cancel? And is now a moment of reckoning considering we’re five years on from the BLM protests?
Play 36 mins
Americano
Freddy Gray speaks to writer and author Karen Hao, whose new book Empire of AI looks at a new, ominous age of empire with OpenAI. On the podcast they discuss the impacts of artificial intelligence on society and democracy and how Open AI founder Sam Altman has become a controversial figure.
Play 27 mins
Americano
Donald Trump exposed South Africa’s leader Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House yesterday over what he refered to as white racism against the farmers in South Africa. Freddy Gray speaks to Errol Musk — father of Elon Musk — from Cape Town about Trump’s confrontation. Errol shares personal experiences of being attacked on a farm,
Play 33 mins
Americano
Polish émigré Zbigniew Brzezinski – known as ‘Zbig’ – rose to prominence in America during the Cold War as a key intellectual architect of US foreign policy. He was National Security Advisor to President Carter and was a trusted advisor to many US presidents from John F Kennedy onwards. Yet, despite helping to shape American
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Americano
President Trump is an America Firster, but he has an undeniable affinity for the Arab world. He would have made a good sheik: he doesn’t drink, he loves developing flashy properties to show off his power and wealth, and he’s brutally realistic about the role of oil (and other commodities) in world politics. On his
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Americano
Freddy Gray speaks to Chris Whipple, whose latest book Lesson Learned from Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History gives an insiders’ analysis having spoken to the people closest to both campaigns.
Play 23 mins
Americano
Trump has announced a beautiful new deal with the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and President shared a phone call to congratulate one another. It is the first trade deal agreed after Mr Trump began his second presidential term in January, and after he imposed strict tariffs on countries around the world in April. Freddy
Play 26 mins
Americano
Freddy Gray speaks to Spectator World’s Editor-at-Large Ben Domenech about this month’s issue, the Reviving of the American Mind, and Ben’s interview with Christopher Rufo.
Play 25 mins
Americano
Victor Davis Hanson joins Spectator TV to talk about the first 101 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency, describing it as a bold counterrevolution against decades of cultural, political, and economic drift. He discusses Trump’s sweeping agenda—from closing the border and challenging DEI initiatives to confronting foreign policy orthodoxy and trade imbalances—framing it as a
Play 49 mins
Americano
Freddy Gray is joined by Spectator US Editor-at-Large Ben Domenech to discuss defence secretary Pete Hegseth, whose job appears to be on the line. They explore Hegseth’s outsider status in Washington, his clashes with both hawkish and dovish factions, and the growing tensions over U.S. policy on Iran and Israel.
Play 22 mins
Americano
Freddy Gray speaks to Peter Wood who is the President of the National Association of Scholars about Trump’s decision to block Harvard funding after the university denied the President’s DEI demands.
Play 23 mins
Americano
Global financial markets are experiencing significant declines following the announcement of new tariffs by President Trump. These tariffs led to widespread panic among investors and sparked debates about their potential impact on the economy. In this episode of Americano, host Freddy Gray is joined by Joe Weisenthal, co-host of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast, to discuss
Play 21 mins
Americano
President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs, including a 10 per cent duty on all UK exports to the United States, as part of his ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ plan aimed at addressing trade imbalances and bolstering American manufacturing. This move is expected to impact approximately £60 billion worth of UK exports, with sectors such as
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Americano
Freddy is joined by James Fishback – writer, investor and chief executive of investment firm Azoria – on ‘Liberation Day’, when Donald Trump is set to announce a raft of new tariffs (at 9 p.m. UK time). They discuss the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the market, whether this marks the upending of the neoliberal
Play 33 mins
Americano
David Holtzman and David Carvalho from Naoris Protocol delve into the recent bankruptcy of 23andMe, a leading genetic testing company. They explore the implications for data security and privacy, discussing how the sale of 23andMe’s vast genetic database raises concerns about the protection of personal information.
Play 29 mins
Americano
The Spectator’s columnist Douglas Murray joins Freddy Gray to discuss his recent column on why the JFK conspiracies just won’t die. They also discuss the moon landing, the emergence of American self-hatred, and the return of the post-truth era.
Play 28 mins
Americano
Jeffrey Goldberg’s story in the Atlantic is so mind-blowing it’s hard to know what to say in response. It defies belief that Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, appears to have accidentally added a top journalist to a Signal messaging group with senior government officials – including the Vice President, Secretary of State, Defence
Play 27 mins
Americano
The new Spectator US team, Kate Andrews and Freddy Gray are in Washington to discuss Trump’s economy, why the Democrats aren’t good opposition and whether the MAGA excitement is still alive.
Play 23 mins
Americano
Russia and Ukraine have launched air attacks on each other, hours after Vladimir Putin told Trump that Russia would stop targeting Ukrainian energy sites. Has Putin outplayed Trump? And will Trump regret bringing Europe’s militaries back to life? Deputy and US editor Freddy Gray is joined by Americano regular and author Jacob Heilbrunn to discuss.
Play 24 mins
Americano
Freddy Gray is joined by Fox News broadcaster Deroy Murdock to discuss Trump’s America. They cover what could be the real reason behind Trump’s tariffs, how concerned Americans should be about a recession, the Ukraine-Russia peace plan and what the Democrats can do to recover from the election defeat.
Play 27 mins
Americano
Is mental health overdiagnosis harming children? Abigail Shrier, author of Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up, joins Freddy Gray on the Americano show to discuss how mental health experts are potentially damaging children. Have our efforts to support our children backfired?
Play 26 mins
Americano
Freddy Gray is joined with Michael Auslin who is an academic and historian at the Hoover Institute and author of the Substack ‘THE PATOWMACK PACKET’. They discuss China’s response to Trump’s tariffs, whether China is serious about threats of war and how concerned Trump is about China’s relationship with Russia.
Play 48 mins
Americano
Donald Trump announced last night he is suspending military aid to Ukraine until Zelensky is ‘ready for peace’. Following this, the Vice President JD Vance sparked further international outrage in a Fox News interview referring to Britain as ‘some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years’. JD Vance has since
Play 31 mins
Americano
In a wide-ranging conversation at the White House yesterday evening, Donald Trump was in the mood to talk about everything under the sun – from the speedy success his second administration has had putting fear into the hearts of bureaucrats and Eurocrats, to why he believes there is a path to a balanced budget. He
Play 56 mins
Americano
Freddy is joined by The Spectator World’s deputy US editor, Kate Andrews, and The Telegraph columnist, Tim Stanley, to talk about Keir Starmer’s much-anticipated meeting with Donald Trump in Washington. Across the board, it has been read as a success – at least domestically, that is. The victories include movement on the Ukraine backstop, some positive discussions around
Play 25 mins
Americano
Robert Bryce, an energy expert and author of The Question of Power, discusses the state of global energy, electric vehicles, and government policies both in the UK and America. Freddy and Robert look at how government subsidies and mandates have driven automakers toward unprofitable EV production, what is energy humanism, and how foreign interference has
Play 28 mins
Americano
Curtis Yarvin, is a political theorist and writer known for his critiques of liberal democracy. Under the pseudonym ‘Mencius Moldbug’ he developed ideas that have influenced the New Right and post liberal political movements. Curtis Yarvin spoke to The Spectator’s Angus Colwell about why Britain is in decline, how far Europe should go to protect itself against
Play 50 mins
Americano
Donald Trump attacked the Ukrainian President overnight, describing him as a ‘dictator’ and saying he’s done a ‘terrible job.’ In return, Zelensky has accused Trump of ‘living in a disinformation space.’ The West has invested a huge amount of capital in the fight against Russia – and failed to secure peace. Is Trump using these
Play 24 mins
Americano
Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of think-tank American Compass, sits down with Freddy Gray at the ARC conference in London. They react to the announcement by President Trump over the weekend of reciprocal tariffs: the decision by the US to match import duties levied by other countries. What’s the strategy behind Trump’s decision? And
Play 29 mins