Author and investigative journalist Matthew Vadum appeared September 11, 2026, on Republic TV’s The Debate with Arnab Goswami for a daytime discussion of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
The Indian TV broadcast examined whether the expanded grouping is overtaking the G7, how President Trump’s tariffs and foreign policy are landing in India and among U.S. allies, and whether American primacy is giving way to a multipolar order. Goswami anchored the program. Other guests included foreign policy analyst Adelle Nazarian and journalist John Rossomando, both speaking from Washington.
Full debate:
Short clip of Vadum:
Asked whether the United States is becoming more isolated, Vadum said it depends how the picture is cut. “The United States under President Trump has been pissing off some of its allies but they’re still allies. Like Canada is angry at the United States right now and it has some valid concerns but it’s still an ally and so are European countries.”
Vadum said Trump has been pressing India to step back from Russia, a BRICS partner. “So far those efforts have not succeeded probably because he keeps imposing rather punishing tariffs on India.”
Nazarian rejected the claim that American primacy is finished. “America continues to be the hub of innovation and technological advancement in the world and economic opportunity,” she said. “I don’t think that America primacy is going anywhere. And I think America will continue to be the center of civilization.” She added that the more India wins, the better it is for America.
Rossomando framed the moment as a larger reset. Trump, he said, “has a view that he is the top dog in the world” and is “trying to be more assertive of American power in a way that we haven’t seen in a while.” He called it “a massive geopolitical resetting since maybe in the 1940s.”
The debate mixed purchasing-power GDP comparisons, sanctions and SWIFT cutoffs, Iran, India-China diplomacy, and the argument that New Delhi refuses to be treated as a mere counterweight to Beijing. The two clips above cover the full hour and Vadum’s segment.