People who could change the world in 2026

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

0:30And to think, that's just a small taste of what Schwab offers. Because Schwab knows that when it comes to your finances, choice matters. No matter your goals, investing style, life stage or experience, Schwab has everything you need, all in one place, so you can invest your way. Visit schwab.com to learn more. Our show is about where the world and America meet. And so we want to begin this year by looking at a few people who might be at the center of the news in that zone. People who intersect with some of the big themes and stories that we think might define 2026. Some of them you might know, and some of them you might not.

1:13This isn't about heroes and villains. It's about power and influence to change things. And frankly, these days, the world is so unpredictable that by this time next year, might feel like we are living in a radically different place. But we think this is worth doing anyways. From the BBC, I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. And I'm Tristan Redman in London. And today on The Global Story, our picks for the people who could change the world in 2026.

1:56Well, friends, we were going to do this for our very first episode in 2026, but we couldn't because some big news happened in Venezuela and that got in the way. But we're bringing it to you now instead. So, as I often like to say, speculation is the lowest form of journalism. So therefore... Except in this episode where we are going to speculate about who we think the most influential and important figures of 2026 are going to be. So drumroll, Asma. Here we go. Here we go. This doesn't probably sound as good when people have it blast into their headphones, but drumroll. There you go. It is the first inaugural Global Story People of 2026 awards.

2:43is like a much less good version of the FIFA Peace Prize. I wish there's some ground rules here for this made-up award. We are not looking at any heads of state. So no Donald Trump, no Xi Jinping, no Vladimir Putin. We don't want to focus solely on the people at the very top, right? Those who are in those political leadership positions. Instead, we want to share with you some people that we think might be some of the more interesting figures to watch in 2026, even if they aren't necessarily the people you might associate with being the most influential people in the world. These are boutique pics, Asma.

3:20Boutique pics. Boutique pics. Yeah, that's right. So there are a ton of people who are not heads of state out there to watch. So we could do maybe demonstrators in Iran if those demonstrations take off. Maybe Zoran Mamdani, new mayor of New York, Ghislaine Maxwell if she talks. Maybe Steve Witkoff or Jared Kushner, who've been leading a lot of President Trump's peace talks, right? So not necessarily the president themselves, but very close to him. What about Larry Ellison, one of the wealthiest people in the world, and his son, David Ellison? They seem to have their money in a lot of different places, right, leading the acquisition of Paramount, taking over CBS.

4:01But, you know, Tristan, these are a lot of names that we tossed out here, and they were all people that we considered. Ultimately, though, I would say we went with some more eclectic choices. I wouldn't like to say eclectic. I prefer expertly curated. Ours are more expertly curated. Those are the ones that also ran. And now Asma and I are going to give you two each. People who will change the world in 2026. Now, do you know what always gets said at awards ceremonies, Asma? Somebody always says, so without further ado, let's go. Asma, why don't you start? Who's your first? The first person that I would argue will very much potentially change the world in 2026 is Stephen Miller.

4:47I'm sure you know who he is. But for the unfamiliar, Stephen Miller is a top political advisor to President Trump. He's also officially a deputy chief of staff. And for those who don't really understand the sort of org chart of the White House, there are a few deputy chiefs of staff. But Stephen Miller, I think, is so much more than that mere title suggests. He is the man that I would argue has been the architect behind President Trump's top priority, and that is immigration. He is, many would say, rewriting the U.S. immigration system. And I'm going to make my case in depth for that. But first, I want to offer a sort of ever so brief backstory for people who might not be familiar with Stephen Miller.

5:27Are you familiar with him, Tristan? Well, I mean, I am. And I remember very vividly talking to the New Yorker's Jonathan Blitzer, maybe about six weeks ago, who was concurring with you that he was one of the primary driving forces in the Trump White House, not just for domestic policy, but increasingly for foreign policy, which I thought was very interesting. But I mean, do you know what? I know almost nothing about where Stephen Miller actually comes from and how he got into the Trump orbit. Well, he served in President Trump's first term, also in the White House. He was officially a speechwriter back then.

6:02And before he was in President Trump's orbit, he was an aide in the U.S. Senate, most notably to the former senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions. And I would say, Tristan, it was during those years in the Senate working for Jeff Sessions where the public, or at least I could say political reporters, got a glimpse into who Stephen Miller was and his opposition to immigration. There were times over the years that the Senate has tried to pass some sort of comprehensive immigration reform. I would say for many years we saw Republicans and Democrats say there should be some sort of legal pathway to citizenship for some who are in the country legally.

6:38Stephen Miller had a diametrically opposed view. immigration or some would say his hostility to immigration is what Stephen Miller is known for and what he has been known for for so many years. How central is he right now to everything that's happening in the White House? Well, I would say he's extraordinarily central. I remember being in the White House press briefing room during the days when I was covering the White House for NPR. And there was this moment back in May when the Trump administration was celebrating its first 100 days back in the White House. For more on President Trump's common sense revolution, I will turn it over to our White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller.

7:17Stephen, thanks for coming in today. Thank you, Caroline. Great to be up here with you. And Stephen Miller took to the podium and he berated the journalists in the room over what he saw as mainstream media's failings to cover the crimes of immigrants. No coverage occurred in your papers about any of the Americans that were raped and tortured and murdered by the illegals that Biden was importing into our country. And Tristan, there have been many weird, strange moments in covering the White House. This was a particularly strange scene. To the extent that you covered it at all, it was because President Trump forced you to cover it by highlighting it repeatedly over and over again.

7:57He had to shame you into covering it. The journalist in the room just sat there as Stephen Miller offered a sort of long monologue, a public lecture. And he went on to admonish the journalists in the room, saying that they wouldn't ever dare to live in the neighborhoods where some of these drug cartels operate. You all choose to live in condos or homes or houses as far away from these kinds of gangbangers as you possibly can. But there are innocent Americans who are having to suffer from all of this. What do you foresee from Stephen Miller in 2026? Well, a lot. And look, our show is about where the United States and the world meet.

8:34And I would argue immigration is at the center of that. And what we have seen over the course of that first year in office and what is likely to continue into 2026 are some of the most sweeping changes to the legal immigration system that we have seen in decades. So what we might see in 2026, let's start with a big Supreme Court case. We know the Supreme Court has said it will take up this year the issue of birthright citizenship. And this is the idea, right, that someone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status, is automatically a U.S. citizen. Stephen Miller has been opposed to this idea, and he is making the case that some of the troubles in the United States are not just about new immigrants.

9:14They are even related to the children of immigrants who he does not believe are assimilating effectively in United States culture. Somalia is a clear example here. This was him on Fox News. Not only is the first generation unsuccessful, but you see persistent issues in every subsequent generation. So you see consistent high rates of welfare use, consistent high rates of criminal activity, consistent failures to assimilate. He has championed the expansion of a much more sweeping travel ban. We now see a travel ban to the United States that encompasses a whole range of countries from Haiti to the Congo to Laos.

9:49And then lastly, I will say he has led the campaign for widespread deportations. And so what we have seen from this administration, what we are likely to continue to see in 2026, is that if a crime is committed, the administration takes the opportunity to enact broad wholesale changes to the immigration system. So I'm sure you recall there was this shooting at Brown University last month. And after it turned out that the suspect in that shooting was a recipient of a green card visa lottery, he was from Portugal. The administration decided to pause the green card visa lottery system. So I anticipate we're going to continue to see changes like that.

10:32Are there any checks and balances on Stephen Miller at this stage, would you say? Or is pretty much anything he wants to do a possibility for him within the White House framework that exists right now? It appears that anything is within the realm of possibility. And, you know, Tristan, the reason I think this is really interesting is because immigration is a key part of the United States identity. And it has been for many, many years. And for a long time, we had seen broadly, I will say in prior decades, Republicans and Democrats say, OK, there should be some consensus on legal immigration. And what we're beginning to see under Stephen Miller is a desire to want to go and take the United States back to an earlier time when there were more restrictions on legal immigration as well.

11:18And, you know, that changes a lot about the United States relationship with the world. Okay. So your first prediction is massive influence from Stephen Miller for 2026. My first suggestion for 2026 is a man called Peter Magyar from Hungary. So both of my choices actually are from areas where populism and centrism are coming up against each other. Because I think that's going to be one of the big stories of 2026, whether or not populism continues to railroad over everything in front of it or whether there is some kind of centrist fight back of some sort. Now, Hungary on its own, small country, not of huge strategic importance to the entire world, it would seem.

12:04However, Viktor Orban is a model not just for Donald Trump, but for populists around the world. And Hungary itself has historically been a bellwether for things happening elsewhere in the world. So 1956, there was an anti-communist revolution or an attempt at a revolution in Hungary, which the Soviets crushed absolutely ruthlessly, paving the way for another 40 years of communist domination in Eastern Europe. In 1989, Hungary was the first country to open its borders to the West, bringing down the Iron Curtain. So in some ways, where Hungary goes, the rest of the world follows. Really? Oh, that's a very, very high pedestal you're putting Hungary on.

12:47Well, it's a small place, but it has historically told important stories. And in 2026, Hungary has an election in April. It's absolutely crucial. So Viktor Orban has been prime minister for a very long time, for most of Hungary's post-communist era, in fact. He's been almost unassailable in charge in Hungary. But since 2024, he has a political rival, a centrist called Peter Magyar. And Peter Magyar is currently the favorite, according to bookmakers, to dethrone Orban. Okay, according to bookies, according to people who make predictions. According to bookies and political pollsters, yes. So Peter Magyar, he was actually a party member of Viktor Orban's.

13:33He was kind of a little-known activist in the Fidesz party. And he first appeared prominently in Hungarian politics back in 2024. So he hasn't been around prominently for that long. And he became famous when he exposed misconduct by various elite members of Orban's own party, specifically in a child abuse scandal. And since then, he's kind of become a principal figure in Hungarian politics. Are his politics anti-Orban or are they in some ways ideologically really different? Ah, well, good question, because he specifically portrays himself as an anti-Orban candidate. He doesn't portray himself as left or right or centrist, but he focuses on things like what he says are corruption and basically the ineffectiveness of Hungarian government, as he puts it.

14:28So there are a lot of people who feel that Orban has let the country down economically. The poll numbers have slightly moved back in Orban's favor in recent weeks. But nonetheless, he is supposed to be the favorite to win the election in April. Now, why is that important? It's important because if Magyar succeeds in unseating Orban, it'll be an encouragement to centrists and anti-populists around the world. If he fails to do so, it'll be a huge encouragement to populists who will see... They'll be emboldened, do you think? Yes, exactly. You make a compelling case for an election to watch. Well, I mean, it's not every day that the world is looking at Hungary, but I think in a few months' time, people will be...

15:10Yeah. So who have you got for us for your number two nomination, please? For my number two, okay, I'm going to take us in a totally different direction. And I will say, I think it's worth ringing in the new year with a bit of uplifting news. And this is a rich person who is donating the riches. Okay. Who is this? Well, who is this rich person? Tell me. I wish that people could see Tristan's face. Because actually, if you're listening to this in audio, you could see Tristan with his bit of skepticism. If I could raise one eyebrow, I would raise one eyebrow. Across the pod waves. All right. So Mackenzie Scott, you familiar?

15:48Is she the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos? Indeed. She was previously married to the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. And she, in her own right, is also a billionaire. The couple, Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott, got divorced in 2019. And at that time, she received about 4 % of Amazon stock, which, you know, still is a hefty chunk of change because it's Amazon. And at that time, she went on sort of a well-known mission to donate her billions. Back in 2019, she wrote, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. She went on to say, you know, it will take time and effort, but I won't wait and I will keep at it until the safe is empty.

16:30You know, there are some other billionaires who've pledged to give away a good chunk of their money, and she joined that list. And so since 2019, she has now given away$26 billion. And Tristan, A, that's a lot of money to me because I don't have any billions. But B, I will say that when you look at this in totality, the media outlet Forbes now counts her as the third most generous American billionaire. They say that her philanthropy has only been exceeded by two men now, and that is Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Bill Gates, I think many folks will know, and Warren Buffett, he's the former CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, legendary investor.

17:15I just find that really, really interesting because when you talk about ways that somebody can change the world, they can change the world through politics. But I would also argue they can change the world a lot through money. And so I think that if you look at 2025, it's a glimpse into what we might see from her in 2026. And in 2025, we saw that she gave away the largest amount of money that she has ever given away thus far in a single year. It was over$7 billion. Who is she giving the money to principally? A whole bunch of organizations. The biggest donation that was listed, that was declared, went to an organization called Forest People Climate.

17:55It's an organization that is working to combat tropical deforestation. That was about a$90 million gift. She also gave millions more to historically black colleges and universities. and specifically an$80 million gift to Howard University, which is one of the historically black colleges very well known here in Washington, D.C. It is one of the largest donations, the university said, in its history. And so a lot of the money over the last year was spent on education and climate issues, though also organizations that support refugees. And that is Tristan what I think is interesting because she seems to be making a deliberate effort to counter the Trump administration's policies through her money.

18:39And it is striking because we have seen so many business leaders line up to visit the White House, perhaps at times pull back investments or even rhetoric to support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, right, DEI. And she seems to be saying, no, I want to lean more into this. I have a counterpoint to Mackenzie Scott, which is that, look, I'm no expert, But there is a considerable amount of opposition to the reliance on philanthropy for things like research and developmental aid. And that is that people who work in these sectors might say that money that's used to help people isn't best dispersed by billionaires who often don't know where it is most needed.

19:30So imagine, hypothetically speaking, that I were a billionaire and I wanted to give away a billion dollars. Now, I might be into Montessori schools or helping people with kidney issues or I might be into pottery or something. And I might just decide to disperse those billions of dollars in those three domains. Whereas actually, those were not the places that were most needed. Now, that's a criticism which is often leveled that billionaire philanthropist, that it's great that they give the money away, but in fact, they don't always know how it's best used. And that this kind of money is better distributed by aid agencies or governments or universities or whatever you think of those institutions.

20:18They're experts in the field and they know how to use the money. It's an intriguing argument. I'm sure many listeners will recall that the Trump administration has made massive cuts to foreign aid. And they dismantled USAID, which was the primary way of sending a lot of that global investment around the world. Their argument was that USAID was making choices based on ideology and politics, and they thought it was an ineffective organization. But in shutting that organization, there is now a substantial financial gap.

20:59Chicago Talks. A lot. Hold on, let me step over here. People are talking too much. We debate about food, deep dish, tavern style, who's got the best beef. We yell across rooms, across blocks, across generations. Yes, nice earrings, Grammy. And now we're doing it on our phones, too. Video calls from the L train, group chats that never shut up. Neighbors texting you the score before your TV catches up. Come on! Get a load of this guy. Catch up. On a dog. Yeah, we've got thoughts. Too loud? In Chicago, you're gonna hear it. Because nothing here gets built without conversation. Nothing moves without connection.

21:37So, if you think you know AT &T, it might be time to rethink that. Because their network has improved like a lot. So Chicago can keep speaking its mind with AT &T wireless and AT &T Fiber. Chicago won't stop talking. Our improved network backs it up. AT &T, connecting changes everything. AT &T Fiber, limited availability in select areas.

22:02Okay. What about you, Tristan? Who's your final suggestion for us? Well, my final suggestion, Asma, comes, as I mentioned before, also from this kind of nexus of where populism and a kind of more centrist view of the world meet. And my suggestion is Lamin Yamal, who you may have heard of. He's currently 18 years old. He's a football player, a soccer player who plays for Barcelona and Spain. And he may be about to be the most famous sports person on the planet. Yeah, looking ahead to the World Cup in 2026. So I want you to picture the following hypothetical scene, Asma. So it's Sunday, July the 19th at the New York, New Jersey Stadium, just outside New York City.

22:53It's the World Cup final. Spain has just been England in the World Cup final. I like that England is their opponent, but okay, yes, go ahead. Well, it's strongly possible according to the way the draw is laid out. and the winning goal in the match is scored by Lamin-Yemal, Donald Trump hands the World Cup trophy to the Spanish captain and then he puts a winner's medal around Lamin-Yemal's neck. Now, these two men, they represent diametrically opposing views of the world. So on the one hand, you have the most powerful man in the world who wants to end all illegal immigration in his country. And on the other hand, you have a person who's now, for many people, a case study of successful integration in a society.

23:44So let me tell you a little bit about Lamin Yemal. He grew up in a working class town very close to Barcelona. He's the son of immigrants from Morocco and Equatorial Guinea in West Africa. His grandmother snuck into Spain from Morocco on a bus and his mother raised him in Catalunya while working multiple jobs, including at a McDonald's. When he plays football, he sometimes wears boots with the flags of Morocco or Guinea on them. His own uncle has described him as an example of integration in Spain, how integration can work. He's already a huge football star in Spain, even though he's so young and he's so talented that, you know, he's seen as a possible heir of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

24:37Oh, wow. So Spain is a very interesting case because obviously we know a lot about how Donald Trump has been critical of Europe and its views on things like immigration. And Spain has a socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez. And Pedro Sanchez believes in increasing immigration into Spain, not just from Africa, but also from Latin America. And Spain has some of the healthiest growth, economic growth in the European Union. And Lamin-Yemal is kind of a symbol of that. So not everyone in Spain loves him. He has had a certain amount of abuse from people on the hard right. But generally speaking, Lamin-Yemal is seen as a kind of poster child of integration in Spain, which is why I say that if we have a situation where he's standing next to Donald Trump and Donald Trump is putting a gold medal around Lamin-Yemal's neck, it would be a striking image of kind of two worlds colliding, two outlooks on the way the world might be, I think that could be a massive moment in 2026.

25:38So my second nominee is Lamine Yamal. It's very full circle, Tristan. We began with Stephen Miller and how immigration in the US might change. And we end here with Lamine Yamal and a very different view of immigration. I'm aware that both of my choices are European choices. Both of mine are American choices. Well, I make no excuse. I make no apology for that in the sense that I also think that Europe and the question of its decline or its fight back, I think in 2026 will be a huge story because obviously Europe is in the crosshairs of Donald Trump's White House. And maybe he's right. Maybe Europe is in terminal decline or maybe Europe will try and make a comeback.

26:19But I think that's going to be a story that we're going to be covering a lot in 2026. I am still left wondering, Tristan, does one person actually have the power to change the world? Well, I think the answer to that question lies in what we do almost every day on our show, which is try to unpack and make sense of the workings of one man in the White House. And therefore, I think the answer is a resounding yes, because it occupies quite a lot of our time. What do you think? I don't know. That's a really tough question to answer. I think that history kind of moves and ebbs and flows, right? And so one person might change the world for a moment in time, But the changes they made might be erased.

27:00They might go in a different direction. And they're not necessarily permanent. Like I think of things that I saw as a kid that feel so irrelevant now, right? Or so different and changed from the world I live in now. So does one person have the power to permanently change the world? I'm not sure that one person can permanently change the world. But they can change it for a time. and there's always this kind of like push and pull of history and forces throughout the world. I feel like we're moving into an era of huge, powerful, singular actors and, you know, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump.

27:41It's their world. We just live in it.