Last updated: May 29, 2026
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025 brought a distinct set of priorities to US engagement in the South Caucasus. The Trump administration’s signature regional initiative has been the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a connectivity proposal centered on opening the Zangezur Corridor through Armenia to link Turkey and Azerbaijan — and potentially extending to regional economic integration. The proposal has been controversial in Armenia, where many view it as pressure to make territorial concessions to Azerbaijan under the banner of economic development.
More broadly, the Trump administration’s approach to the South Caucasus reflects its transactional foreign policy: prioritizing deal-making, reducing emphasis on democracy and human rights conditions, and recalibrating relationships with traditional allies and adversaries alike. For Armenia, this has meant navigating a US posture that is simultaneously a potential counterweight to Russia and a source of pressure on the peace process .
Groong has covered Trump’s impact on Armenian affairs extensively, from the TRIPP proposal and its reception in Yerevan to US-Armenia security cooperation, Congressional dynamics, and how Trump-era US foreign policy compares with the Biden approach to the South Caucasus.
Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Donald Trump.
Episode 303 | Recorded: January 22, 2024
Episode 301 | Recorded: January 8, 2023
Episode 301 | Recorded: January 8, 2023
Episode 300 | Recorded: December 31, 2023
Episode 300 | Recorded: December 31, 2023
Episode 299 | Recorded: December 18, 2023
Episode 299 | Recorded: December 18, 2023
Episode 268 | Recorded: July 10, 2023
Episode 268 | Recorded: July 10, 2023
Episode 244 | Recorded: April 5, 2023
Episode 244 | Recorded: April 5, 2023
Today weâre going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.
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Today weâre going to talk with Anna Abrahamian about two or three topics.
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Conversations on Groong - Jan 22, 2023
On January 19, 15 conscripts in the village of Azat, Armenia died in a fire that engulfed their temporary makeshift barracks.
Episode 214 | Recorded: January 22, 2023
Conversations on Groong - Jan 22, 2023
On January 19, 15 conscripts in the village of Azat, Armenia died in a fire that engulfed their temporary makeshift barracks.
Episode 214 | Recorded: January 22, 2023
Using art to prevent catastrophes instead of reacting to them
Ishkhanyan’s documentary “Sleep art”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzqzPpVsK-g
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijanâs blockade of the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor, as this crisis enters its 25th
Read MoreUsing art to prevent catastrophes instead of reacting to them
Ishkhanyan’s documentary “Sleep art”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzqzPpVsK-g
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijanâs blockade of the Lachin (Berdzor) corridor, as this crisis enters its 25th
Read More“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this
Read More“Aliyev’s strategy is ’no Armenians, no problems’. What is our strategy?” -Benyamin Poghosyan
More than 120,000 people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, as this crisis enters its 16th day.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this
Read MoreEpisode 182 | Recorded: December 13, 2022
Episode 182 | Recorded: December 13, 2022
Episode 179 | Recorded: November 21, 2022
Episode 179 | Recorded: November 21, 2022
Episode 169 | Recorded: October 17, 2022
Episode 169 | Recorded: October 17, 2022
From ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan
Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022
Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors
Read MoreFrom ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan
Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022
Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ârevolutionâ to war: deciphering Armeniaâs populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors
Read MoreArmenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 11, 2022
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Index: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:52 Guests 00:01:18 Topics 00:02:20 Greetings 00:02:24 MPG and IRI Poll Results 00:21:54 Armenian Economy Dynamics 00:37:13 US-Armenia Relations 00:48:06 Geopolitics, the War in Ukraine 00:55:14 Rants, Personal Statements 00:56:17 Good byes 00:56:27 Closing comments
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Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 11, 2022
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Index: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:52 Guests 00:01:18 Topics 00:02:20 Greetings 00:02:24 MPG and IRI Poll Results 00:21:54 Armenian Economy Dynamics 00:37:13 US-Armenia Relations 00:48:06 Geopolitics, the War in Ukraine 00:55:14 Rants, Personal Statements 00:56:17 Good byes 00:56:27 Closing comments
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Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 4, 2022
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Armenian News Network - Groong Week in Review - Sep 4, 2022
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Aid to Nagorno Karabakh Effectively Blocked - August 25, 2022 A Conversation with ARAM SUREN HAMPARIAN
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Episode 158 | Recorded on Thursday, August 25, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220825.html
Aid to Nagorno Karabakh Effectively Blocked - August 25, 2022 A Conversation with ARAM SUREN HAMPARIAN
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Episode 158 | Recorded on Thursday, August 25, 2022 Show notes: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20220825.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 7, 2022
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Episode 152 | Recorded: Monday, August 8, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220807.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - August 7, 2022
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Episode 152 | Recorded: Monday, August 8, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220807.html
Armenian News Network/Groong: Current Topics with the Mayor of Glendale - July 14, 2022 A Conversation with Ardy Kassakhian
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Read MoreArmenian News Network/Groong: Current Topics with the Mayor of Glendale - July 14, 2022 A Conversation with Ardy Kassakhian
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Read MoreArmenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 29, 2022
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00:00 Introduction
02:27 Russiaâs Geopolitics: Weâll get an update on the war as well as trying to understand what Russiaâs endgame is in Ukraine and how it may affect our region.
23:10 Armenia-Russia Relations: Next, we try to understand the dynamics of Armenia-Russian relations as well as the outlook for the future.
42:38 Israeli Interests and Armenia: Lastly, taking advantage of our guestâs area of expertise, we look at Israeli-Armenian relations, the history of failures in this
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 29, 2022
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00:00 Introduction
02:27 Russiaâs Geopolitics: Weâll get an update on the war as well as trying to understand what Russiaâs endgame is in Ukraine and how it may affect our region.
23:10 Armenia-Russia Relations: Next, we try to understand the dynamics of Armenia-Russian relations as well as the outlook for the future.
42:38 Israeli Interests and Armenia: Lastly, taking advantage of our guestâs area of expertise, we look at Israeli-Armenian relations, the history of failures in this
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022
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Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022
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Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 15, 2022
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Episode 137 | Recorded: Tuesday, May 16, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220515.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 15, 2022
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Episode 137 | Recorded: Tuesday, May 16, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220515.html
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 10, 2022
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:25 Opposition Protests in Yerevan: Thousands showed up to the opposition protest on Tuesday, outlining the red lines for Pashinyan’s dealings with Aliyev, ahead of the meeting in Brussels. Opposition says this is only the beginning, but have yet to indicate what their next steps will be.
00:12:35 Buying Bread from a Man in Brussels: Pashinyan went to Brussels this week to meet with Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev. Did the Armenian PM
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 10, 2022
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00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:25 Opposition Protests in Yerevan: Thousands showed up to the opposition protest on Tuesday, outlining the red lines for Pashinyan’s dealings with Aliyev, ahead of the meeting in Brussels. Opposition says this is only the beginning, but have yet to indicate what their next steps will be.
00:12:35 Buying Bread from a Man in Brussels: Pashinyan went to Brussels this week to meet with Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev. Did the Armenian PM
Armeniaâs Regional Challenges - February 26, 2022 A Conversation with Tatev Hayrapetyan
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Armeniaâs Regional Challenges - February 26, 2022 A Conversation with Tatev Hayrapetyan
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ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 13, 2022
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Episode 119 | Recorded: Sunday, February 14, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220213.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - February 13, 2022
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Episode 119 | Recorded: Sunday, February 14, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220213.html
Legal & Human Rights Developments in Armenia A Conversation with Ruben Melikyan
Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakhâs Human Rights Ombudsman, and prior to that he was rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the âPath of Lawâ NGO. Ô»ÖÕ¡Õ¾Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶ Õ¸ÖÕ²Õ« in Armenian.
Legal & Human Rights Developments in Armenia A Conversation with Ruben Melikyan
Ruben Melikyan was formerly Artsakhâs Human Rights Ombudsman, and prior to that he was rector of the Justice Academy of Armenia. In 2019, Melikyan co-founded and currently leads the âPath of Lawâ NGO. Ô»ÖÕ¡Õ¾Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶ Õ¸ÖÕ²Õ« in Armenian.
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 30, 2022
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Episode 116 | Recorded: Sunday, January 30, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220130.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 30, 2022
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Episode 116 | Recorded: Sunday, January 30, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220130.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 23, 2022
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Episode 114 | Recorded: Sunday, January 25, 2022
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 23, 2022
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Episode 114 | Recorded: Sunday, January 25, 2022
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 9, 2022
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Episode 112 | Recorded: Sunday, January 9, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220109.html
ANN/Groong Week in Review - January 9, 2022
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Episode 112 | Recorded: Sunday, January 9, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220109.html
Thirty Years After the USSR
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Thirty Years After the USSR
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ANN/Groong Week in Review - December 5, 2021
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Episode 105 | Recorded: Sunday, December 5, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20211205.html