Americanswers… on 5 Live! Is Trump still fit for the job on his 80th birthday?

**Justin Webb** (0:00)
We've been answering your questions with Matt Chauley on Five Live this week. Donald Trump is now the second oldest president in US history. Is it beginning to show in a way that really matters? We also talked, of course, about the UFC fight that Donald Trump held to mark his birthday in the grounds of the White House. Was it actually designed to upset some Americans? We talked as well about the Iran deal, which is still very much up in the air, isn't it? I mean, Donald Trump says it's a real thing, but what actually is it going to mean for that part of the world and indeed for the whole world when it comes to its economy?
Plus a guy called Jon Ossoff, Jon Ossoff, one of the senators from the state of Georgia, who we are told by one of you, we ought to be talking about when it comes to the 2028 Democratic presidential nominations. Welcome to American Answers on Five Live with me, with Anthony and with Marianna Spring.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:59)
Americast.

**Marianna Spring** (1:00)
Americast from BBC News.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:02)
You hear that sound?

**Anthony Zurcher** (1:04)
I think when I hear that sound, it reminds me of money.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:07)
We didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. This is a big cover-up and this administration is engaged in it.

**Justin Webb** (1:14)
This guy has Trump derangement syndrome.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:17)
I have four words for you.

**Jon Ossoff** (1:20)
Turn the volume up.

**Matt Chorley** (1:26)
We kick off today's edition of Americansers by asking, what on earth is going on for Donald Trump's birthday? So we now have the second oldest president in US history, Donald Trump celebrating his 80th birthday at the weekend. Joe Biden, of course, was 82 when he left office. And he celebrated, as we all celebrate, a significant birthday with a UFC cage fight on the White House lawn.
The event opened with Trump walking from the White House to the arena alongside the UFC chief, Dana White, with the audience shouting happy birthday as military planes flew overhead. Donald Trump is posted on Truth Social about it, saying last night was incredible. The weather was scheduled to be horrendous and it turned out to be perfect. Even the weather was celebrating his birthday. Now, we've had a question from M in Stretford saying, how is this cage fighting affair outside the White House viewed by liberal middle class Americans? I'm no snob or above myself, but I just think it seems a bit gauche, verging on all out common, just bizarre.
Anthony.

**Anthony Zurcher** (2:31)
Yeah. Well, I mean, certainly the liberals among the United States population were shocked and appalled by what was going on at the White House, the crass commercialism they would say, the monster energy drink promotions and the cryptocurrency ads and the sports betting ads plastered all over this event on the grounds of the South Lawn of the White House.
It's unlike certainly anything that we've seen any president tried to do in the past. Although I will say that USC fans, some of the ones I know, were asking me if I had any inside track on tickets and if they could get and see it. They were definitely excited by the prospect of this kind of high-profile event here in Washington, DC. But as everything now in American politics, very divided on partisan lines. And there are people who love it and love Donald Trump and there are people who hate it and hate Donald Trump.

**Justin Webb** (3:24)
And the point of the division is in itself important, isn't it, Anthony? Because actually what you're trying to do is not just divide, but annoy the other side. And it seems to me, trigger, trigger, that's the word. Yeah.
And he's entirely right that liberal Americans obviously wouldn't like this sort of thing. But that in a sense is the point. There was a piece written for The Atlantic years ago, the magazine, I think it might even have been in his first administration whose headline was, The Cruelty is the Point. And that there is something about what Donald Trump does, whether you like him or don't like him or approve his policies, don't like his policies, that has worked in the modern era when it comes to campaigning. And triggering the other side is part of it. Whether that is the right way to approach the 250th anniversary of America is a different question, of course. But that's the purpose, isn't it, Marianna?

**Marianna Spring** (4:15)
Yeah, and so much of it is what we talk about all the time, which is the product of the social media algorithms, the systems, and how ultimately the way that you get eyeballs and attention is to provoke a reaction, right? Then you get pushed by the algorithms and so on. Like there are loads of clips showing moments from the event, which have gone mega, mega viral, people either absolutely loving it, thinking it's funny or really hating it. I've actually found it really interesting, the contrast between the... And to your point, Justin, I don't think Donald Trump would be able to celebrate this anniversary in any other way. That's the way he knows, is to trigger a reaction like this. I guess also it's worth saying that in the buildup to this past election where he won, he did really get good at gaming some of the social media influences, including around issues like UFC, like kinds of people who are sort of hybrid fighters and podcasters and live streamers and all that sort of thing. So in lots of ways, he's also playing to an audience, particularly younger men that he succeeded in attracting when he won. One contrast that I think is just worth pointing out is obviously at the moment, social media feeds, certainly mine at least, are flooded with content from the World Cup. You're seeing loads of amazing stuff like there are these really quite moving clips of the Algerian team and the town that they've gone to. I think that's in Kansas, Anthony, correct me if I'm wrong.