Politics and Politicians

Jordi Wild's long-form interviews test Spain's political leaders

Jordi Wild's long-form interviews test Spain's political leaders RUSSPAIN.com © russpain.com
Jordi Wild's long-form interviews test Spain's political leaders © russpain.com
The commentary praises Wild's unscripted YouTube conversations and his challenge to Feijóo over an allegation against Sánchez. It faults Colau's familiar answers while separating opinion from established evidence.

Jordi Wild asked Alberto Núñez Feijóo to explain the basis for his accusation that Pedro Sánchez had been financed through prostitution, the commentary says. It casts the question as a break from predictable political interviews. Wild also interviewed Sánchez and Ada Colau; Santiago Abascal had agreed to appear but withdrew shortly before recording. The three interviews were published on 13 November 2026, ahead of the 29 November start of Spain’s general-election campaign. They were recorded in advance at The Wild Project studio in Manresa and released as separate YouTube episodes, not as a joint debate. Coverage attributed Abascal’s withdrawal to controversy surrounding his appearance on the programme La Revuelta.

The commentary sees the format as Wild's main achievement. His long, free-form conversations appear on YouTube and draw millions of viewers. His studio, meanwhile, has the feel of a teenager's videogame room. The writer argues that Wild's preparation and independence can matter more than a journalism degree. The episodes were scheduled for release on 13 November at 08:00 for Colau, 10:00 for Feijóo and noon for Sánchez. Each conversation was reported to run for 60 to 90 minutes. The politicians had reportedly agreed that the interviews would appear in full, with no cuts or manipulation, and that they could not request edits after recording.

Sánchez's interview draws the sharpest criticism. The commentary accuses the president of lying and says Wild challenged claims it considered invented, though it also faults the interviewer for occasionally accepting Sánchez's framing too readily. The supplied text offers no evidence to establish the accusation of lying, so it remains the writer's judgment, not a verified finding.

Colau's exchange on Muslim immigration is presented as an example of Wild asking questions from an ordinary viewer's perspective. The commentary criticizes her for returning to familiar arguments about human rights and higher taxes. A separate account describes the live checking of a figure after Colau questioned its source in an earlier report on the exchange. The figure concerned Barcelona theft detentions in 2024: police data reported 5,442 people detained, including 4,942 foreign nationals and 500 Spanish nationals. Foreign nationals made up 90.8% of those detained, rounded to 91%. These were detentions for theft, not convictions or incidents, and they do not necessarily represent unique individuals; repeat detainees may be counted more than once.

Lara Carter RUSSPAIN.com
Journalist

Lara Carter

Lara Carter is a journalist at RUSSPAIN.COM covering Spanish current affairs, culture, tourism, transport, economy and society.