The Daily Beast Podcast

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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Rep. Jamie Raskin speaks to Sarah Ewall-Wice about what he calls a “completely lawless situation” inside Donald Trump’s second term, laying out allegations of political slush funds, crypto corruption, pardons for allies, and the weaponization of government power for personal profit. Raskin argues that Trump has transformed the presidency into a machine for enriching himself and rewarding loyalists, comparing the administration to “The Sopranos” as he details billion-dollar deals tied to foreign governments, January 6 pardons, and what Democrats see as an unprecedented assault on democratic norms. The conversation also turns toward Trump’s mental fitness, the 25th Amendment, fears surrounding presidential war powers, and the growing push among Democrats to investigate the White House if they regain control of Congress, with Raskin warning that the country is now facing what he describes as a full-scale civic emergency.
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