The Daily Beast Podcast

Joanna Coles and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty reunite for a blistering breakdown of what they call the most brazen Trump grift yet: a staggering $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded “victims” fund that could benefit January 6 rioters, MAGA loyalists, and even Trump allies accused of crimes, all while Republican lawmakers panic behind closed doors over the political fallout. They trace the astonishing timeline from Trump’s hidden tax returns to a surreal legal battle in which Trump effectively sued his own government, before unpacking explosive new polling showing his support collapsing amid outrage over Iran, ICE, and mounting corruption allegations. The conversation also veers into the mysterious disappearance of New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean Jr., the turmoil consuming CBS and 60 Minutes after Anderson Cooper’s dramatic exit, and Trump’s late-night obsession with Stephen Colbert as his approval numbers spiral downward.

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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles trace the unraveling inside Donald Trump’s shrinking inner circle as the president turns to disgraced Hollywood director Brett Ratner as his newest confidant amid collapsing poll numbers, growing political panic, and what Wolff describes as a breathtaking $1.8 billion “slush fund” designed to protect Trump and reward loyalists before the walls close in. From Ratner’s sudden return from Hollywood exile through Melania’s documentary, to Trump’s revenge campaigns against Republicans and increasingly erratic foreign policy moves, the episode follows a White House spiraling deeper into grievance, paranoia, and self-interest. Wolff and Coles unpack Trump’s fixation on loyalty over competence and the surreal cast of characters now surrounding him as longtime allies fall away and new opportunists rush in, creating one of the clearest portraits yet of a presidency operating without restraint or even the pretense of normal politics.
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Dr. John Gartner returns to The Daily Beast Podcast to deliver an urgent, chilling analysis of Donald Trump’s rapidly deteriorating clinical condition as he approaches his 80th birthday. Moving far beyond typical signs of aging, Dr. Gartner details to Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty the alarming behavioral symptoms pointing toward frontotemporal dementia—including a complete loss of empathy, dangerous disinhibition, and increasingly disorganized thought processes. Dr. Gartner unpacks the psychology behind Trump’s late-night postings, his shocking new delusions of grandeur, and a calculated effort to "groom" the American public for an unthinkable nuclear conflict.
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Michael Wolff and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty trace what they argue is a dramatic turning point for Donald Trump as collapsing poll numbers, a grinding Iran conflict, and mounting political backlash leave him increasingly isolated and searching for new loyalists in unexpected places. From Wolff’s explosive reporting on Trump’s growing friendship with disgraced Hollywood director Brett Ratner to the bizarre White House ballroom obsession, the episode connects Trump’s personal fixations, grievance politics, and fear of failure into what Wolff calls the clearest view yet inside Trump’s unraveling mindset. They also unpack a jaw-dropping new “weaponization” settlement fund that critics say resembles a presidential slush fund, the return of the Greenland controversy, rising evangelical pressure over abortion, and the lingering shadow of Jeffrey Epstein as Wolff previews shocking new revelations from his Epstein Diaries series.
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David Rothkopf and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty break down the growing signs of political and personal collapse surrounding Donald Trump, from brutal new polling numbers and deepening economic anxiety to accusations of corruption, authoritarianism, and a White House increasingly lashing out at critics. The conversation moves from Trump’s legal maneuvers and mounting scrutiny over his finances to the administration’s attacks on the press, evangelical power plays in Washington, and what Rothkopf describes as Trump’s simultaneous political and physical “free fall.” Along the way, they unpack the GOP’s loyalty to a weakening president, the culture of grievance and grift driving MAGA politics, and the fears inside Washington that Trump’s behavior is becoming more erratic as pressure closes in from every direction.
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