Skip to content
Hillary Clinton on How Donald Trump Lost the Iran War

Hillary Clinton on How Donald Trump Lost the Iran War

The New Yorker Radio Hour
Jun 18, 2026 49 min
Open in Clue

About this episode

<p>The former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat down with David Remnick at the 92nd Street Y, in New York, on Monday evening, after the Trump Administration announced a memorandum of understanding to end its war in Iran. Remnick asked whether the United States lost this war. “Yes,” Clinton replied. “The United States has come out weaker. Iran has come out stronger.” According to Clinton, Israel repeatedly tried to pressure the Obama Administration into backing a similar action in Iran, but she didn’t take the bait. “They would say things like ‘Our planes are on the tarmac,’ ” Clinton recalled. “And I’d say, ‘Well, good luck. Great. Why are you doing this?’ ” They also discuss Joe Biden’s decision to run for a second term, and its fateful consequences. “He made a terrible mistake,” she said. Had Biden stayed with his plan of serving for one term, “I believe whoever emerged . . . would have beaten Donald Trump.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Further reading and listening: </p> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/hillary-clinton-on-the-psychology-of-autocrats" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hillary Clinton on the Psychology of Autocrats</a>,” an episode of The Political Scene </li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/hillary-clinton-explains-what-happened" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hillary Clinton Explains What Happened</a>,” an episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-broadway-life-of-hillary-clinton" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Broadway Life of Hillary Clinton</a>,” by Michael Schulman</li> <li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/curtis-sittenfelds-rodham-offers-the-catharsis-of-uncomplicated-regret" rel="noopener noreferrer">Curtis Sittenfeld’s ‘Rodham’ Offers the Catharsis of Uncomplicated Regret</a>,” by Nora Caplan-Bricker</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, <i>New Yorker</i> staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

Listen to this episode in English to learn English

Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. Hillary Clinton on How Donald Trump Lost the Iran War from The New Yorker Radio Hour gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.

In the Clue app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.

Episodes to Learn English

More podcasts in English