The Daily Beast Podcast

David Rothkopf joins Hugh Dougherty to confront Donald Trump’s latest attempt to make America’s darkest moments all about himself, from his grotesque rewriting of 9/11 to a Republican Party increasingly willing to lie, grovel, and look the other way to keep Trump in power. They take apart Trump’s bizarre “Trump-a-palooza,” the dysfunction and sycophancy consuming the White House, and the powerful forces already positioning themselves for the next chapter of the MAGA movement. Rothkopf connects Trump’s politics to the surging far right across Europe, Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine, and the possibility of another Russian intervention before the midterms. Meanwhile, Mark Carney’s rise as a symbol of resistance to Trump offers a striking glimpse at what American leadership used to look like. As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Rothkopf delivers a sobering warning: the danger isn’t simply Trump himself, but the movement, money, and ideology waiting to carry his legacy forward.

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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dissect Donald Trump’s latest transformation, from his dramatically darker hair and increasingly bizarre AI images to the social-media strategy that has turned political spectacle into a powerful weapon. They look at Trump’s influence on the surging far right across Europe, why Wolff believes Trump may be the cause rather than merely the symptom of the global populist wave, and whether a Russia-Ukraine peace deal could give Trump the ultimate midterm “October surprise.” They also examine the growing pressure on Pete Hegseth, the extraordinary purge of military leaders, and the leak-hunting campaign inside the Pentagon before turning to Mitch McConnell's continued absence, John Fetterman, and a new breed of politician who treats convention, competence, and even showing up for the job as optional.
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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles take on Donald Trump’s increasingly bizarre relationship with Vladimir Putin as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff head to Moscow, asking what Trump’s Russia fixation is really about and why Putin seems so comfortable dealing directly with Trump’s inner circle. They also dissect Trump’s obsession with the Qatari plane, his plans to leave a permanent physical mark on the White House, and the latest battle over his triumphal arch. Then, Maria Bartiromo’s sudden departure from Fox News opens a revealing discussion about her long relationship with Trump and the network’s transformation under the Murdoch family, before Melania Trump’s conspicuous absence from the GOP’s midterm gathering raises fresh questions about the state of the Trump marriage. Finally, Wolff and Coles turn to the chaos at the Pentagon, where dozens of officials are being subjected to lie-detector tests as Pete Hegseth faces mounting questions about his leadership and the military’s ability to function.

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In this special episode of the Daily Beast Podcast, Joanna Coles brings together a revealing collection of conversations about the forces reshaping America, from the psychology and behavior of strongmen to the increasingly visible signs of political and institutional upheaval. Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains why authoritarian leaders become more paranoid and dangerous as they accumulate power, how corruption and humiliation become tools of control, and why she believes Donald Trump may be on a trajectory toward failure. Kurt Andersen discusses his new novel The Breakup, his vision of an America fractured by political violence, and why the country may be living through an American tragedy. Plus, Farrah Tomazin reports from Washington on Trump's physical transformation of the capital, the troubled Reflecting Pool project, and the surprisingly empty Great American State Fair.

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Jennifer Welch, Nell Scovell and Joanna Coles take a sharp, often hilarious look at the women who have managed to get under Donald Trump’s skin—from Taylor Swift and Rosie O’Donnell to E. Jean Carroll, Caitlin Collins and Marjorie Taylor Greene. They explore why Trump seems unable to tolerate women who reject him, challenge him or simply refuse to play along, and how his fixation on female approval exposes something deeper about his ego. Jennifer Welch also takes aim at the women and men surrounding Trump, from Melania and Ivanka to Susie Wiles, JD Vance and Marco Rubio, arguing that dysfunction, submission and entitlement are central to the Trump orbit. Nell revisits her bizarre connection to the E. Jean Carroll case, Trump’s obsession with his own sex appeal, and the extraordinary history of women who have refused to flatter him—and paid a price for it.
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