Anne Applebaum: Globalized MAGA Kleptocracy
Summary
Anne Applebaum discusses her Atlantic cover story on the "globalized mega grift," arguing that the Trump administration’s foreign policy is a revolutionary project driven by tech and crypto interests rather than traditional isolationism. She details how US diplomatic tools are being repurposed to fund far-right movements in Europe and Latin America, while private actors like Jared Kushner and Elon Musk engage in opaque deals in Venezuela and Greenland. Applebaum also analyzes the Ukraine war, noting that Russian drone attacks are escalating into kinetic warfare in Europe while US negotiator…
Topics discussed
Sponsor: 2026 Nissan Rogue
Introduction and guest Anne Applebaum
The White House ballroom and architectural values
Defining the administration's globalist nationalism
State Department tools and foreign policy shifts
US influence and corporate interests in Greenland
Intervention in Brazilian politics and Bolsonaro
Sponsor: ZipRecruiter
Venezuela oil deals and financial oversight
Epstein files and Russian funding of Trump Jr
Kushner's Ukraine negotiations and Russian ties
Sponsors: ChatGPT and OneC
US-Saudi relations and Gulf state alliances
Current state of the Russia-Ukraine war
Sponsors: ChatGPT and OneC
Rise of pro-Russian populism in Europe
Global hedging and new trade alliances
Book recommendations and closing thoughts
Credits and Sponsor: Venmo
Sponsor: Just Food For Dogs
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