The Daily Beast Podcast

David Rothkopf joins Hugh Dougherty to discuss the acceleration of Trump losing his grip on power. Rothkopf, a veteran foreign-policy analyst, details how key Republicans—from Marjorie Taylor Greene to Marco Rubio—are quietly defying Trump, exposing fractures in a party long held in thrall. They trace the personal and political signs that the former president is obsessed with legacy and self-aggrandizement—from renaming institutions to fixating on minor details—revealing a man increasingly out of step with reality. Together, they lay bare a central question: Can Trump’s inner circle survive a leader whose past is eclipsing any vision of the future? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senator Elissa Slotkin and Retired Major General Paul Eaton join the Daily Beast’s Executive Editor Hugh Dougherty to chart the growing alarm inside the national-security world over Trump’s increasingly cult-like demands for loyalty. Slotkin, a former CIA officer and Pentagon veteran, lays out how flattery, grievance, and improvisation have replaced strategy in Trump’s orbit—leaving the military to navigate chaos, not command. Eaton, one of the Army’s most outspoken former generals, explains why Trump’s impulses and misinformation pose what he bluntly calls a threat to U.S. readiness. From battlefield myths to political pressure on the ranks, Hugh presses both guests: What happens if Trump once again tries to run the military like it’s his personal force? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to dissect a president who never asks the hard questions, leaving aides scrambling to explain what he refuses to understand. They dig into the Venezuela-bombed boats debacle and Pete Hegseth’s role, tracing how the story spiraled into Hegseth’s emerging SignalGate scandal. Wolff charts the frustration, chaos, and quiet panic inside Trumpworld, while Joanna presses on the larger pattern: a leader whose curiosity stops at the surface, imperiling both policy and loyalty. The two ask: What happens when those closest to Trump can’t keep up with—or contain—his blind spots? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to discuss a president oscillating between boredom and sudden, theatrical fury; a man who now demands ever-greater flattery from aides who are running out of new ways to praise him. Joanna presses into the Hegseth Venezuela debacle that Trump is suddenly trying to disown, the strange Kushner–Witkoff Moscow overture supposed to “solve” Ukraine, and the inner-circle panic over Trump’s fixation with who is—and isn’t—sufficiently servile. Along the way, they track the “moronocracy” shaping U.S. policy and ask: if flattery no longer works, what happens next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Lownie joins Joanna Coles with a bracing account of a royal family in complete public meltdown. Lownie, an author and British historian, lays out why Prince Andrew’s downfall is no longer a contained scandal but a widening corruption crisis—one that now stretches from sex-trafficking allegations to financial misconduct, secret meetings with Bahrain, and the Queen and Prince Philip’s decades-long blind spot for their “favorite” son. As King Charles battles cancer and Prince William quietly takes the reins, Joanna presses Lownie on whether Andrew will flee Britain, what Sarah Ferguson might reveal, and whether this is the most perilous moment for the monarchy since the abdication. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to unpack the widening sense inside Trumpworld that the operation is slipping into pure incompetence. From Pete Hegseth’s troubling battlefield lore to Keystone Kash Patel’s chaos, Wolff charts a mood shift that even Murdoch-world can’t quite hide. Wolff outlines how Jeffrey Epstein once warned that Trump would misuse his pardon power, as evinced by Trump’s pardon of Honduran ex-president and cocaine trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández. Joanna presses the central question of the hour: Is this the moment when Trump’s own allies decide the circus has finally become a liability? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Carville joins Joanna Coles to explain why he smells “a whiff of the French Revolution” rising in American politics as young voters buckle under soaring costs and a system rigged for the already-powerful. Carville, a veteran political strategist, argues that Trump—on the heels of his losses in the off-year election—stands on politically hollow ground, with collapsing polls and no governing path forward. The Ragin’ Cajun urges Democrats to center on affordability and economic inequality rather than “woke” identity fights. And with economic fury building, Joanna asks: Is this the moment Democrats finally take the advantage Carville believes is already theirs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Zarna Garg joins Joanna Coles to explore why she avoids political comedy, the pressures of Indian-American family expectations, and the surprising ways the Indian community relates to figures like Trump and Modi. Along with her daughter Zoya, Zarna traces the intersection of heritage, ambition, and representation, from Bollywood-inspired bravado to the delicate balance of supporting daughters marrying across faiths. Along the way, Garg reflects on mentorship, collaboration with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and the lessons that have shaped her career. It’s a conversation that’s at once personal, political, and profoundly revealing—how does heritage shape ambition in America? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to probe Donald Trump’s newest — and perhaps most perilous — level of weakness. From a fraying inner circle to the small, telling humiliations Trump tries to hide, Wolff traces how the former president’s aura of dominance is thinning just as legal threats, foreign crises, and a faltering presidency converge. Wolff walks through how Trump’s allies are suddenly keeping their distance and how MAGA power brokers are beginning to hedge. It all leads to the question that hangs over this episode: has Trump finally reached the point where weakness, not strength, defines his movement? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to take a deep dive into Donald Trump’s relationship with food. From his legendary buffets at Mar-a-Lago and his fast-food devotion to McDonald’s, Jimmy John’s, and oversized desserts, Wolff maps out the culinary habits that reflect Trump’s personality and comfort zones. They discuss the White House dining struggles, state dinners he barely touches, and the unusual quirks—from eating in his bedroom to a Diet Coke button at his desk. Along the way, Wolff unpacks how Trump’s palate, fears, and routines give a window into his larger-than-life persona. Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago has never been more telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katy Tur joins Joanna Coles to parse how a once forceful Trump, who called her “little Katy,” is now plagued by health concerns, prosecutorial incompetence, and an ever-growing Epstein scandal. Tur, Host of MS NOW’s ‘Katy Tur Reports’ digs into the deep fissures in Trump’s public persona: slowing energy, slurred speech, and shifting routines that raise questions about his health and stamina. Tur also breaks down the ongoing implications of the Epstein files, Trump’s handling of journalists, and the political fallout from rising healthcare costs. From the personal to the political, this conversation captures a president—and a country—under intense scrutiny Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to take a deep dive into Donald Trump’s relationship with food. From his legendary buffets at Mar-a-Lago and his fast-food devotion to McDonald’s, Jimmy John’s, and oversized desserts, Wolff maps out the culinary habits that reflect Trump’s personality and comfort zones. They discuss the White House dining struggles, state dinners he barely touches, and the unusual quirks—from eating in his bedroom to a Diet Coke button at his desk. Along the way, Wolff unpacks how Trump’s palate, fears, and routines give a window into his larger-than-life persona. Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago has never been more telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kurt Andersen joins Joanna Coles to unpack the life and controversies of RFK Jr. From college cocaine escapades to audacious poetry and family scandals, Andersen, the author, radio veteran, and co-founder of Spy magazine, traces how recklessness and legacy collide in shaping the polarizing figure. He shares insights on RFK Jr.’s rise in politics, the chaos behind his public persona, and why his choices continue to reverberate through American culture. Along the way, Joanna reflects on how charisma and controversy intertwine, and they explore what RFK Jr.’s story reveals about ambition, legacy, and the Kennedy mystique. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Daily Beast’s unmissable guest, Dr. John Gartner, joins Joanna Coles to break down what key moments reveal about Donald Trump’s cognitive decline. From trouble saluting at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to odd noises at a McDonald’s event, Gartner explains patterns of psychomotor decline, word salad, and disinhibited behavior. They discuss how stress, existing personality issues, and potential dementia intersect, offering a rare psychological lens on the president’s bizarre behavior. This episode peels back the curtain on what’s really happening inside Trump’s brain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles as he pulls back the curtain on one of the strangest constants inside Trump World: the curated, interchangeable circle of young women who drift through Trump’s orbit, all uncannily similar in look, style, and purpose. Wolff walks Joanna through how this pattern shapes Trump’s self-image, reinforces his craving for adoration, and becomes a kind of visual armor whenever scandal—like the Epstein files—comes roaring back. From the way these women are selected to the way they’re deployed, Wolff maps out the psychology behind the tableau Trump insists on staging around himself. As the conversation widens, Joanna pushes Wolff on what this says about Trump’s aging, his fears, and the hollow myth he keeps trying to resurrect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles as the Epstein story floods the zone. Wolff walks Joanna through why the recurrence of Epstein’s name so deeply rattles Trump and how old secrets keep re-emerging at the worst possible moments. They also dissect the chaotic legal maneuvers inside Trump’s circle, including Lindsey Halligan’s high-profile missteps and what her performance reveals about the administration’s strategy and priorities. It all builds toward the unsettling question hanging over the week: if this story “finally, finally” breaks open, what does Trump look like on the other side? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthony Scaramucci joins Joanna Coles and reveals why, really, Trump can’t stand ‘South Park’—and how that anger connects with his deep insecurity. Scaramucci unpacks a visibly faltering Trump: exhausted, erratic, and sliding in the polls, struggling to control the swirl of unanswered claims online. He and Joanna trace the ripple effects through Washington, from anxious MAGA insiders to allies quietly rehearsing their post-Trump moves. With the mythology under strain and the movement showing cracks, is this finally the week everything starts to unravel? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to dig into the unresolved contradictions around Jeffrey Epstein’s death and the evidence that may have vanished with him. Wolff presses on the implausibility of both the official story and the idea of a flawless cover-up, forcing Joanna to confront how a Trump-remade DOJ and FBI might handle “inconvenient” files. Together they explore whether possibly destroyed Polaroids, buried reports, or silenced insiders could really stay hidden—and what it means if they have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Lownie joins Joanna Coles to examine wild new reporting that Jeffrey Epstein tried to hire a British sniper to kill Prince Andrew — a story now echoed by two separate sources. Joanna presses into the fever-dream paranoia that surrounded Epstein in his final years and the ripple effects now hitting the palace. Lownie, author of the bombshell book ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,’ explains why, if true, this plot reframes Epstein’s reach and the danger surrounding everyone in his orbit. And Joanna ends by asking the blunt question lingering under all of it: what else was Epstein willing to do that we still don’t know? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Trump joins Joanna Coles to pull back the curtain on the Trump family and the man at its center. She recounts a childhood spent seeing her uncle everywhere, the opulent parties that doubled as power plays, and the lessons learned about a man who thrived on attention and control. Mary dissects Donald’s core pathologies—from his craving for wealth and status to the public slips and impulsive behaviors that now define him. She warns that the real danger isn’t just Trump himself, but the enablers who prop him up and profit from his rise. From her perspective as a clinical psychologist and family insider, Mary asks: when the myth collapses, what happens to those left in its wake? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.