Trump loses. European populism lives on | Martin Wolf on the US midterms | FT

Before the 2026 midterms, Timothy Garton Ash, emeritus professor of European studies at the University of Oxford and author of ‘Europe in 7½ Chapters’, described the elections as a crucial test of US democracy. Now, with the Democrats’ sweeping victory, could the tide be turning against rightwing populism on both sides of the Atlantic or will Europe’s nationalist parties continue to gain ground? Garton Ash and Martin Wolf discuss the common factors between European nationalists, what European politicians can learn from a Democrat victory and whether there’s reason to hope for the future of liberal democracy. To enjoy future episodes, be sure to subscribe to ‘Martin Wolf on the World’ wherever you get your podcasts. Host: Martin Wolf Producer: Mischa Frankl-Duval Senior producers: Edwin Lane, Laurence Knight Executive producer: Manuela Saragosa Video editor: Richard Topping Senior Audio Engineer: Breen Turner Broadcast engineers: Andrew Georgiades Podcast development: Laura Clarke FT Global Head of Audio: Flo Phillips Learn more at www.ft.com/martin-wolf-on-the-world ► Enjoying FT content? Get a daily slice of the very best FT journalism with FT Edit. Free for 30 days then just £4.99 a month See if you get the FT for free as a student (http://ft.com/schoolsarefree) or start a £1 trial: https://subs.ft.com/spa3_trial?segmentId=3d4ba81b-96bb-cef0-9ece-29efd6ef2132. ► Check out our Community tab for more stories: https://www.youtube.com/@FinancialTimes/community ► Listen to our podcasts: https://www.ft.com/podcasts ► Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financialtimes ► Follow us on Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@financialtimes