With Friends Like Trump, Who Needs Enemies?
Politics Unpacked
Anna Covell
4.1 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After the US raid on Venezuela, the UK government has tried not to make a splash and condemn Trump. But with Greenland in his sights, will they continue to defer to his judgement?
Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with Libby Purves and James Marriott
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, hello, I'm Hugo Rifkin, and now we're going to be unpacking the politics of the day from Kirsteimer's Delicate Balancing Act, reacting to Trump's raid on Venezuela, to why our obsession with the new could be radicalizing us. |
| 0:16.9 | It's a good thing we're going back to our old ways today as we welcome back. James Marriott. |
| 0:21.1 | Hello, James. |
| 0:21.9 | Hello, good to be back. Welcome back. Yes. How are you? You look refreshed by your weeks of book leave. I actually don't feel refreshed at all. I feel absolutely exhausted. Really? Yeah, I've been working pretty much 24-7. Was it a difficult delivery of the book? yeah and the book is only semi-delivered. I worked on Christmas Day, which was... I thought heroic, but now in hindsight, it feels like a stupid decision. And I should have just relaxed. Did you basically have a very, very relaxed first week on book leave and then begin to panic? No, I started off by panicking, and then the panic mounted, and then I stopped sleeping. Gosh, well, we're also joined by Livy Purvis. |
| 0:54.5 | Libby, are you excited to see James back? It's wonderful to see James back. And he's looking fabulous, younger than ever. I feel like I've aged about 10 years, but I'm pleased that Libby thinks that. I can tell I could almost reach out and touch that silky hair. That's nice. I do think my hair is looking silky actually so that's good. What am I, |
| 1:10.8 | Chalk Lever? Libby, you've written many, |
| 1:13.1 | many, many books. What advice would you |
| 1:14.5 | give to James? The only advice there ever is is just get on with it. I mean, really, that |
| 1:22.2 | that's it, you know, and never mind. Book leave. And book leave is a huge luxury, fantastic |
| 1:27.4 | luxury, not having to write anything else to any other columns during that time. |
| 1:31.2 | I've never ever had that. |
| 1:33.1 | But there you go. |
| 1:34.9 | Just do it. |
| 1:35.7 | It seems to take a pandemic for me to finish a book. |
| 1:37.6 | So fingers crossed for another one soon. |
| 1:40.3 | Oh, me too. |
| 1:41.2 | Let's crack on. |
| 1:42.8 | I want to start, obviously, with the continuing fallout from the US raid on Venezuela, |
| 1:47.6 | and particularly the UK government's reaction. |
| 1:49.6 | Kistana and the Foreign Secretary of Vett Cooper did not condemn the capture of the Venezuelan |
| 1:54.0 | leader, Nicholas Maduro, but have stressed their support for an international law, |
| 1:57.9 | delicate balancing act there. |
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