Americanswers… Why has JD Vance changed his mind about Trump's intelligence?
Americast
BBC
4.3 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 22 June 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
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Summary
The US Vice President has been justifying his changing view of Donald Trump’s IQ. JD Vance says Donald Trump is probably the most intelligent president the US has ever had. But how does he defend changing his opinion, after admitting that he didn’t think Trump was “a smart person” back in 2016? And how intelligent is the US president?
Sarah, Justin and Marianna answer your questions in today’s episode. These include what’s gone wrong with Trump’s reflecting pool makeover in DC? It’s gone from a shade of blue chosen by Trump at great expense to green. How much is the algae ridden water really costing, both financially and politically? And who is the Trump administration blaming?
And the row between Donald Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Why have the two fallen out and what does it say more widely about relations between Europe and the United States?
HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sarah Smith, North America Editor * Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent
GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Alix Pickles and Bethan Ashmead. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd
GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use #Americast
This episode was made by Alix Pickles and Bethan Ashmead. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.
You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers.
US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155
Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.
Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd Top Comment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m001mssm
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts |
| 0:04.5 | Newscast is on the face of it, a podcast about the news. |
| 0:11.2 | But it's also perhaps the world's most athletic podcast, |
| 0:14.0 | we have BBC correspondents dashing in and out, |
| 0:16.3 | ready to give us a deeper understanding of the biggest stories of the day. |
| 0:19.9 | Thankfully, we let them catch their breath before we actually start recording the podcast. |
| 0:24.2 | Listen to Newscast every day on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:27.7 | Hello, it's Anthony, and you're about to hear AmeriCast, and we're delighted to have you with us. |
| 0:32.4 | And if you enjoy what you hear, please do consider subscribing to the podcast. |
| 0:36.5 | That way, you'll never miss an episode. |
| 0:38.8 | Now, on with today. Is Donald Trump about to be defeated? Not in Congress, but by algae in a pool. |
| 0:46.3 | That's one of the questions we turn to. In this edition of America Answers, we're usually with |
| 0:50.9 | Matt Chorley and Five Live on a Monday, aren't we? But Matt is unusually busy because, as you may have heard, |
| 0:56.3 | the UK Prime Minister has resigned. |
| 0:58.4 | But don't worry, we are still going to answer a range of questions. |
| 1:01.8 | Algae is certainly among those questions. |
| 1:04.1 | So is J.D. Vance and his view on Donald Trump's IQ. |
| 1:08.2 | And that fallout that there has been between Italy's Georgia Maloney |
| 1:12.1 | and the president, the two of them fighting on social media. So, welcome to American answers. |
| 1:20.6 | Ameriast. Americaast from BBC News. You hear that sound? Oh, I think when I hear that sound, |
| 1:27.0 | it reminds me of money. |
| 1:28.5 | We didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. |
... |
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