Jason goes to DC, witnesses Post-Truth politics
And today's episode: Tariffs and The Divergence of the US and Europe
When I was in DC last week (before the big Hands Off protests), there was No One protesting the crashing of our economy or the end of the liberal international order but people r protesting circumcision
I kid you not.. now to the main event
Europe and the US are increasingly having differing approaches to everything from free trade to free speech to combatting disinformation to defence to the role of the judiciary. What does that mean for Global Order? Or rather – in our mad mad mad mad world – what does this mean for the extent of Global Disorder?
While I was in DC, Alex and I were reunited in person. I talked of my misadventures on Capitol Hill – and relates anecdotes he has picked up about the DOGE sledgehammer, Republicans bullying Canadians, and the post-apocalyptic feeling of the place. Jason and Alex anchor the episode around the divergence btw the US and Europe on issues of: Democracy, Misinformation, Corruption and Fraud; National Security/Foreign Policy; and Economy/Tariffs.
They delve into the way the political climate ‘feels’ in the US under Trump's administration, and the differences in judicial accountability of major political figures between the US and Europe – looking at the Le Pen case in particular. Jason expresses his mad, mad, mad admiration for the strong state structures of France and Sweden.
Plus: could civil disobedience grow in the US? Are Trump’s policies being decided by non-experts who launder Russian misinformation like Laura Loomer – a new Tiktok influencer Rasputin? And can Keir Starmer be bold enough to help us Order the Disorder? And what can Sir Keir learn from Canada’s Mark Carney who seems naturally gifted at standing up to Trump. So, ELBOWS UP, dear Mega Orderers.
(Listen on Apple Podcasts here; and Spotify here)
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Background on Alex’s outputs and Loomer’s Lunacy:
Read Alex’s interview with Tom Malinowski: https://bylinetimes.com/2025/03/22/why-the-democrats-must-start-fighting-back-against-trump-and-musk/
Read Trump’s firing of NSA chief is ‘rolling out the red carpet’ for cyber attacks: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/04/trump-fires-nsa-cyber-command-timothy-haugh-00273859
Read Trump Has Already Botched His Own Bad Tariff Plan https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/04/trump-negotiation-tariff/682300/
For more on Laura Loomer: Far-right activist who met Trump before he fired NSC officials: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly8y27dwgpo
Key Quotes (you can read or watch as you prefer)
1 - (Jason) Can Starmer be part of ordering the disorder? (Alex) I hope so. But I don't think Starmer can keep riding two horses at the same time and keep pretending that he can keep things going with the US under its current trajectory. Things have changed and that we are currently dealing with an administration whose values do not reflect our own, and he is still trying to pretend God that there is a way we could just navigate some kind of special relationship with the US. (Jason) I want to defend Keir, but I can't defend him on this. No, you're right. He has a lack of leadership. He's too much of a conventionalist. I just agree with you, Alex, the mega orderers want that we all crave. For him to step up to this moment and to say, you know what? We are gonna try to rejoin the customs union.
2 - (Alex) I think what I'm experiencing here in DC is we're all speaking in kind of coded language and Trump is like Voldemort in Harry Potter. He who shall not be named, we sort of skate around it. But a few weeks ago I had brunch with a Republican contact 'cause I wanted to get his sense of how things were going we were talking about Israel. He said, well, and at the end of the day, people like me, we actually really don't care about Ukraine much anyway. I care far more about Israel. And I absolutely love what this administration's doing on Israel. Yeah. They're gonna give Israel free reign and they can just starve them out. I sort of choked and said, do you mean the Palestinians? And he said, yeah. And I said, but they're people too. And he said, who gives a shit? It's horrible.
Will the Last Investor to Leave America Please Turn Out the Lights - The Wall Street Journal
https://apple.news/AOhG0BNodT-W-wvsN7eybKQ
Never thought I would live to see the day the WSJ would say this about a republican admins policy.
More astrological than financial
Some elite Trump supporters are having regrets. We asked them why. - Vox