An act of self-harm: Trump’s latest war might be his undoing

About this episode

<p>A rash entry into a war of choice exposes President Donald Trump in a number of ways—and he may prove more dangerous as he <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/03/18/how-the-iran-war-is-weakening-donald-trump?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">becomes weaker</a>. Turkey’s foreign entanglements mask the democratic backsliding at home; that is bad news for an opposition figure whose trial <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/03/12/as-war-rages-turkeys-strongman-puts-the-opposition-on-trial?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">just began</a>. And Americans seem to be taking their anger out on <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/02/16/americans-are-unleashing-their-anger-on-food-delivery-robots?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">food-delivery robots</a>.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Robert Guest, deputy editor</li><li>Piotr Zalewski, Turkey correspondent</li><li>Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>Donald Trump, war in Iran</li><li>Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ekrem Imamoglu</li><li>America, delivery robots</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>