Trumponomics

Latest Episodes:

What Trump's Venezuela Attack Means for the Global Economic Order Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

This week, Stephanie Flanders examines the economic fallout of the US attack on Venezuela and Washington asserting effective control over the South American country. The discussion focuses on what this means for global oil markets, US economic power and the rules-based international order. Javier Blas, a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and energy expert, and Bloomberg Economics analyst Chris Kennedy, who served as a member of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s policy planning staff, explain how access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves could give the US unprecedented leverage over energy prices and foreign policy. They also analyze how it increases geopolitical instability and may help, or hinder, Trump's domestic political goals.

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The Year Ahead: Tariffs, AI and Fed Independence Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Host Stephanie Flanders is joined by Bloomberg Economics Chief Economist Tom Orlik, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Parmy Olson and Bloomberg News US politics editor Mario Parker to look back at a chaotic 2025—marked by Donald Trump’s messy April tariff rollout and a presidency defined by seemingly deliberate uncertainty—and ask what it means for 2026.

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The Other Insurance Cost Fueling the US Affordability Crisis Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

How are rising insurance costs—both health and automotive—becoming a major driver of the affordability crisis spreading across America? And what are the implications for next year’s midterm elections? Bloomberg reporter Rachel Cohrs Zhang, who covers health policy, and Boston Bureau Chief Brooke Sutherland join to discuss.

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How Trump Sees Economic Survival at the Heart of National Security Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

When the Trump administration posted its 29-page national security strategy on Dec. 5, it presented foreign governments with a jarring reinterpretation of America’s place in the world and how it sees traditional allies. On this episode of Trumponomics, host Stephanie Flanders, along with Adam Farrar, senior geoeconomics analyst for Bloomberg Economics, and Shawn Donnan of Bloomberg News, discusses how the White House broadside appears to reorder US priorities. In particular, they analyze its clear message that—to Donald Trump—economic power isn’t just a component of US national security; it is national security.

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What Happens If Kevin Hassett Becomes Fed Chair? Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

US President Donald Trump may soon name Kevin Hassett as the next Fed chair, subject to Senate confirmation. So what happens if he gets the job when Jerome Powell's term ends next year? On this episode of Trumponomics, host Stephanie Flanders, Bloomberg Economics Chief US Economist Anna Wong and Washington correspondent Saleha Mohsin unpack why Hassett has emerged as the likely pick, and what it could mean for markets, interest rates and the Fed’s independence.

For more, Anna Wong's Interview with Kevin Hassett:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECFNeNqKQOM

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Live from Singapore: Keeping Globalization Alive Amid 'Geopolitical Climate Change' Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Trumponomics, host Stephanie Flanders sits down with Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to unpack the shifting dynamics of global trade in an era of US protectionism and rising geopolitical tension.

From Donald Trump' retreat from America's postwar role to the deepening lack of trust between Washington and Beijing, Balakrishnan explains why today’s economic disruptions are less a sudden storm than “geopolitical climate change.” Yet amid fractured supply chains and rising uncertainty, he offers a note of optimism—highlighting how Asia, Europe and other mid-sized economies are forging new alliances to keep globalization alive.

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How Trump’s Tariffs Are Everywhere and Nowhere Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Trumponomics, host Stephanie Flanders, Bloomberg’s head of government and economics, dives into what she calls “the curious case of the everywhere, nowhere tariffs.”

Since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, his sweeping new trade levies—pitched as a way to “liberate” the US economy—have dominated headlines and whipsawed markets. But where are the real effects? Flanders is joined by Anna Wong, Bloomberg Economics’ chief US economist, and Brad Setser, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, to untangle who’s actually paying for these tariffs, how they have affected the US economy so far, and whether there’s any evidence they’re accomplishing any of Trump’s stated goals.

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Democrats Find a Potent Political Weapon Named ‘Affordability’ Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s Trumponomics, host Stephanie Flanders explores how Democrats are repurposing President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign theme—affordability—as their own political cudgel, and whether it could lead to more victories in 2026. Bloomberg political correspondent Nancy Cook and The Atlantic writer Annie Lowrey join to unpack the politics and policy behind America’s enduring cost-of-living crisis.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-07/government-shutdown-mamdani-win-show-us-politics-is-about-affordability
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/great-affordability-crisis-breaking-america/606046/

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Rahm Emanuel’s Recipe for America is Getting ‘Back to Basics’ Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s Trumponomics, we sit down with former White House Chief of Staff for Barack Obama and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. A former Democratic congressman and ambassador to Japan, Emanuel—who won’t rule out a run for president in 2028— joins host Stephanie Flanders to share his “pro-America” economic agenda, arguing that the real reason US politics has turned fraught is that “the American dream has become unaffordable.”

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Mexico’s High-Stakes Gamble in Dealing With Trump Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

On this week's Trumponomics, host Stephanie Flanders focuses on Mexico, one of America's largest trading partners and a nation with a lot at stake in Donald Trump's global trade war. Flanders is joined by Alex Vasquez, Bloomberg economy and government reporter in Mexico City, and Felipe Hernandez, who covers Latin America for Bloomberg Economics. They discuss how Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has navigated Trump’s chaotic tariff threats and retreats and what’s at stake for her country’s economic future. The episode unpacks how Mexico might just turn the trade tables on the Republican president and, even outgrow the US by 2030.

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