Distinguished Speakers: Matt Frei examines Trump's shifting global politics

The shifting political sands of the US and beyond were the focus of a varied and insightful Distinguished Speaker event with Channel 4 presenter Matt Frei at the University of London’s Senate House.  

Hosted by Professor Sarah Churchwell, Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities, School of Advanced Study, University of London, the discussion covered the first few months of President Trump’s second term and how it is changing the way countries are conducting international relationships. 

Matt Frei, who was previously the BBC’s Washington Correspondent and anchored World News America, said that Trump has ‘torn up the rulebook’ and Europe is having to reconsider its relationship with the US.  

He reflected that while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is doing a good job of acting as a mediator, it was not an easy role to play: ‘He sees himself as a bridge, but when one side of the bridge is going to have an earthquake, it's not a very good bridge.’  

More than 180 people attended the event, which is the first in a series that the University is hosting during 2025, with the next to feature television journalist and writer, Lindsey Hilsum.  

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