May 18, 2026 - Soumaya Keynes & Chad P. Bown

Overview

Trump supposedly went to China to get tough on trade, collect rare earth minerals, and maybe solve the Iran War, but instead he spent his trip telling President Xi what a tall, handsome, and strong leader he is. It's graduation season, and Jon Stewart gives the Class of 2026 the ultimate guide on how to nail that big job interviews the Donald Trump way. Financial Times columnist Soumaya Keynes and Chad P. Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics sit down with Jon Stewart to discuss their forthcoming book, "How to Win a Trade War". They talk about Trump's disregard of the most basic military strategy by starting a trade war on all fronts, how this administration’s-imposed tariffs revealed U.S. trade vulnerabilities, the debate over whether corporations are the soldiers or mercenaries of trade wars, and how wage insurance could transform job security for domestic workers.

Guest Stars

Jon Stewart

Self - Host

Ronny Chieng

Self - Correspondent

Donald Trump

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Soumaya Keynes

Self - Guest

Chad P. Bown

Self - Guest

Stephen Colbert

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)