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The President’s Inbox

Trump Foreign Policy at One Year, With Matthew Kroenig

The President’s Inbox

Council on Foreign Relations

Politics, News:politics, News

4.4734 Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 37 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how President Trump has approached foreign policy since returning to the Oval Office last January.   Mentioned on the Episode:   Matthew Kroenig, “To Get to Peace in Ukraine, Trump Should Play the Nuclear Card,” Foreign Policy   Matthew Kroenig, “Trump Has a Strategy for Venezuela,” Foreign Policy   Matthew Kroenig, “Trump Should Oust Maduro,” Foreign Policy   Matthew Kroenig, “Trump Was Right to Oust Maduro,” New York Times   Matthew Kroenig, “Two Cheers for the National Security Strategy,” Foreign Policy   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/trump-foreign-policy-at-one-year-with-matthew-kroenig   Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or our guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

Transcript

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0:00.0

We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism.

0:06.6

Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency, promising to reshape America's engagement with the world.

0:11.9

Since his inauguration for a second term last January, he has been true to his word.

0:16.4

My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day, waiting for a long time.

0:21.6

Hundreds of workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development are cleaning out their desks.

0:27.6

Gambling with the lives of millions of people.

0:29.6

You're gambling with World War III.

0:32.6

Breaking news from overnight, the United States conducting multiple air strikes against Iran.

0:36.6

An American strike in Nigeria.

0:39.3

The U.S. has struck another alleged drug boat in the Pacific, killing two people.

0:43.3

Is the Trump disruption of U.S. foreign policy working, as the President argues,

0:48.3

or is it making the United States less secure and less prosperous, as his critics warn?

0:52.3

And most important, what new disruptions is Trump

0:55.9

likely to pursue during his remaining three years in office? From the Council on Foreign Relations,

1:02.9

welcome to the president's inbox. I'm Jim Lindzak. Joining me today is Matthew Kranig, vice president

1:09.0

and senior director at the Atlantic Council's Skowcraft Center

1:12.9

for Strategy and Security. Matt, thank you for joining me.

1:16.7

Thank you very much for having me, Dr. Lenzay. It's a pleasure to be here.

1:20.5

I appreciate the honor if we can dispense with it and go with Jim from here on out, Matt.

1:26.3

I want to sort of begin at the 40,000 foot level, if we may.

1:31.2

And how would you assess Trump 2.0 one year in?

1:36.8

Well, at the 40,000 foot level, I do think we're at an inflection point in history.

...

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