International diplomacy has been upended since 2017. In the first of a double Creating History episode, we dissect Donald Trump’s unorthodox first-term foreign policy through the lens of historical analysis. How did a reality-TV mogul turned commander-in-chief rewrite the rules of international relations? From his “fire and fury” theatrics with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to the clandestine charm offensives with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, we unpack Trump’s summit diplomacy: a cocktail of brinkmanship, spectacle and transactional deal-making that left allies and adversaries alike scrambling. We assess Trump’s rejection of traditional alliances, his reliance on personal chemistry over protocol and the lasting geopolitical fissures created by his “America First” mantra. Was this chaos… or strategy?

Next episode: From chaos to legacy—what happens when Trump’s “diplomatic revolution” gets a second act?

From Creating History - the team behind Creating Churchill - comes a gripping new season of high-stakes diplomacy, backroom negotiations and world-altering decisions.

This is Summitry. Twelve episodes exploring pivotal meetings that shaped history.

When Hitler met Chamberlain. When Kennedy clashed with Khrushchev. When Bush and Blair stood shoulder to shoulder. When Trump had a shouting match with Zelenskyy... History isn’t just written - it’s negotiated.

Hosted by Russell Barnes and historian David Reynolds, Summitry takes you inside the rooms where power, pressure and politics collide. Each episode unpacks a defining diplomatic summit, revealing the human drama, strategic manoeuvring and lasting impacts of these encounters. Featuring expert analysis and rich historical context, this series pulls back the curtain on the meetings that changed the course of history. Because when leaders meet, the world changes…

Follow the show at @Creating_Hist on X or Instagram, and send us your comments, voice notes and questions by email to: [email protected]

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Check out our first series Creating Churchill, also available wherever you get your podcasts: https://pod.link/1772845516

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Creating History is hosted on Podbean, produced and edited by Russell Barnes, with music by Rich Farnsworth, digital marketing by Lee Mann, and sound engineering by Andrew Chappell. Creating History is a ClearStory production. www.clearstory.co.uk