The Edition: Why Trump's ultimate target in this war is China – with Maurice Glasman
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.3 • 826 Ratings
🗓️ 6 March 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
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Summary
As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, what is Trump’s game plan? The Spectator’s cover piece this week, by Geoffrey Cain, argues that Trump’s ultimate target in this war is China; every dictator gone, weakens the Chinese regime. As Freddy Gray explains further on the podcast, Trump’s worldview is shaped by the events he grew up with – including then President Nixon’s visit to China in the 1970s. As well as making sense of Trump’s plan, the Spectator team take us through the dramatic events of the past week, including how Starmer appears to have alienated Britain’s allies over Iran. Plus – Lord Glasman makes the case for Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, declaring he is 'devoted to the restoration of the Shah’.
For this week’s Edition, host William Moore is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray, parliamentary sketch writer Madeline Grant, and peer and founder of Blue Labour Maurice Glasman.
As well as the Iran conflict, they discuss how Labour should respond to their defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election last week, and if the Gen Z trend of ‘looksmaxxing’ is dangerous, humorous, homoerotic – or all three.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | On Tuesday the 24th of March, our speakers will debate the motion, |
| 0:04.0 | this House believes we should abolish the licence fee. |
| 0:07.2 | Spectator Chairman Charles Moore and the telegraphs Alison Pearson |
| 0:10.2 | will propose the motion with Spectator editor Michael Gove |
| 0:13.4 | and former BBC America editor John Sopel opposing. |
| 0:16.8 | I'm Isabel Hardman and I'll be in the chair to maintain decorum and take your pressing questions. |
| 0:22.2 | Join us on Tuesday the 24th of March at 7pm and book your tickets at spectator.com forward slash debate. |
| 0:33.1 | Hello and welcome to the edition from The Spectator. I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor. |
| 0:39.4 | The latest edition of the magazine has just gone to print and to talk about what's in it. |
| 0:43.9 | I'm delighted to be joined by Freddie Gray, our Jephtje editor and the editor of the Spectator's American Edition, Spectator World. |
| 0:51.9 | Madeline Grant, our assistant editor and parliamentary sketchwriter, |
| 0:55.6 | and Morris Glassman, the Labour Pier. |
| 1:02.6 | Our cover this week is The Greater Game, and in it, Jeffrey Kane, explains how the war in the |
| 1:09.2 | Middle East is part of a broader plan by Trump to weaken China. |
| 1:13.7 | Freddie, if I could start with you first. |
| 1:15.9 | So we've got quite a few pieces in the magazine this week about Iran. |
| 1:19.4 | And Jeffrey's cover piece is, of course, our main one. |
| 1:22.7 | And it argues that by striking Iran, Trump is actually what he's really up to in the bigger picture of |
| 1:27.9 | things, is dismantling China's anti-American coalition. I wondered if you could explain the cover |
| 1:34.3 | piece a little bit for our viewers and our listeners. Yes. So Jeffrey Kane's point, |
| 1:38.9 | and it's a good one, it's an interesting one, is that Trump is thinking about his visit to China. On March 31, he's going to go to |
| 1:46.5 | China. And Trump is, Jeffrey doesn't get into this piece, but I think the one of the reasons he's |
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