The Dalai Lama's successor and the challenge for the Trump administration

09/07/2025 7 min
The Dalai Lama's successor and the challenge for the Trump administration

Listen "The Dalai Lama's successor and the challenge for the Trump administration"

Episode Synopsis


The announcement by the Dalai Lama that he will have a reincarnated successor when he dies – and that his foundation along will identify the next leader of Tibetan Buddhism – is a major challenge to China, which occupies Tibet.It’s also a challenge to the Trump administration, according to a former official. Randal Schriver who served in the previous Trump administration, says respecting the Dalai Lama’s decision will test Donald Trump’s RANDALL SCHRIVER served as Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs in the United States government during the first Trump administration.

More episodes of the podcast The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast