The Daily Beast Podcast

Joanna Coles and Hugh Dougherty dig into Donald Trump’s extraordinary welcome for Chinese President Xi Jinping, from the red-carpet spectacle and lavish state dinner to the tensions over Taiwan, Iran, and China’s support for Tehran. They examine what Xi’s carefully chosen language of the “Thucydides Trap” reveals about the increasingly complicated U.S.-China relationship, and why the White House’s embrace of Chinese power looks so striking alongside Trump’s attacks on Beijing. Then, with the midterms looming, Hugh breaks down the Republican panic showing up in key races across the country, where money is shifting and some GOP candidates appear eager to keep Trump at arm’s length. Plus, the escalating fight between Trump and the press, the White House’s attempt to restrict CNN’s access, the media’s decision to stand together, and Trump’s launch of his own 24/7 “Trump TV”—before Joanna and Hugh get into the bizarre resemblance between Ivanka Trump and Natalie Harp that had everyone doing a double take.

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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack Trump’s latest threats to “annihilate” Iran, including the bizarre White House effort to find him a new word after “obliterate” apparently lost its punch. They discuss Trump’s UN week showdown with world leaders, Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House, Melania Trump’s new women’s initiative, and RFK Jr.’s extraordinary $4 million book deal. They also examine the devastating testimony from families affected by ICE shootings in Minneapolis and what it could mean as the midterms approach, before turning to the widening Republican Senate map and the chaos surrounding Trump’s proposed White House ballroom. With Trump declaring “I am the code” as questions swirl around the building’s safety regulations, Michael and Joanna trace the larger pattern behind a president who refuses to accept limits, rules or anyone telling him what he can and cannot do.

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Luke Harding, author of the new book Betrayal: Trump, Putin and The New Age of Conquest, speaks with Joanna Coles about the decades-long relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and the Russian intelligence operation that Harding argues helped cultivate Trump as a potential target for influence. Harding traces Trump’s early connections to Moscow, the murky financial dealings that followed, and the compromising information that may give Putin leverage over the president, including what could have been captured during Trump’s visits to Russia. He also explains why Russia viewed Trump’s 2016 victory as a historic intelligence triumph, how Trump’s approach to Ukraine has benefited Putin, and why Russia and China see an opportunity to reshape the global order. Harding reveals what he experienced firsthand while reporting in Moscow, including the surveillance and intimidation campaign that ultimately led to his expulsion, before turning to the startling possibility that Russian state television has used Melania Trump as a warning to her husband.

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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles return to dissect Donald Trump’s latest battle with the press, his launch of Trump TV, and the high-stakes arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. They examine why Trump keeps turning the media into his enemy, what his escalating wars and increasingly precarious relationship with China could mean for the United States, and how a meeting with Xi could reshape the balance of power around Taiwan and beyond. They also look at Trump’s claims about military installations, his reliance on spectacle and conflict to dominate the news cycle, and the looming midterms, where Democrats may be tempted to read too much into Trump’s current political troubles.
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David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to explore the latest chaos inside Trump’s White House, from the unprecedented standoff between the president and the White House press corps to the growing influence of Natalie Harp and Trump’s obsession with controlling his media coverage. They also dig into Trump’s looming UN appearance, his delicate balancing act with Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, and the bizarre FBI controversy over bestiality rules that has become a symbol of the administration’s increasingly unconventional approach to government. Plus, Rothkopf takes aim at Pete Hegseth’s vision for a hyper-masculine military, Trump’s proposed national-security projects—including a bizarre triumphal arch—and the deeper frustration he says is building among America’s national-security professionals. As Trump heads into a week of high-stakes meetings and global diplomacy, Rothkopf explains why the spectacle surrounding the president may be funny one moment and dangerously consequential the next.

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