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Episode 1464Sep 23, 2025

What happened to American soft power?

And, how China is seizing the opportunity to gain global influence.

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What happened to American soft power?
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President Trump is not a fan of the United Nations—he made that clear in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today. Under Trump, the United States has pulled back from several efforts, including U.N. organizations, that have contributed to the country’s so-called soft power goals. On the show today, Joshua Eisenman, professor of politics in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, joins Kimberly to discuss the changing role of the U.S. in global politics and how China is seizing this moment to gain more influence.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

The Team

What happened to American soft power?