Michael Wolff, author of four books chronicling Trump, joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to reveal Trump’s madman plan for the government shutdown. Wolff explains how Trump turns congressional gridlock into an existential battle of dominance, using fear, chaos, and pain as weapons. From Military leaders frozen in place by Trump and Pete Hegseth’s humiliating lecture to Trump’s ostentatious White House ballroom construction, this episode exposes Trump’s desperation to be respected. They outline how ...
Oct 03, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling joins the Beast’s Hugh Dougherty to unpack the jaw-dropping spectacle at Quantico, where Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth addressed 800 top military leaders. Hertling breaks down how Military brass in the room really reacted when Trump rambled on about “dangerous cities” as training grounds, mocked rules of engagement, and praised a random World War II documentary made in the 50s. Hertling pulls no punches, calling the speeches “berating,” “embarrassing,” an...
Oct 02, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 594
Michael Wolff, author of "All or Nothing," joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to discuss how the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein is haunting Trump's White House. Wolff lays bare how Trump's bizarre conspiracy thinking explains exactly why he went after former FBI chief James Comey. And Wolff gives behind-the-scenes insight into Trump and Pete Hegseth used their unprecedented meeting with 800 generals and admirals to attempt to force blind loyalty. He and Coles dissect the desperation to control the militar...
Oct 01, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 16
David Rothkopf, the Daily Beast's unmissable columnist, lifts the lid on what's really going on at Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth's "pep rally" this week for generals and admirals. Rothkopf, CEO of The Rothkopf Group and a Clinton administration veteran, tells executive editor Hugh Dougherty tells what his own sources are warning the meeting signifies. And he warns how a militarized response to phantom threats like “war-torn Portland” saps real military readiness. He also tells why Trump weaponiz...
Sep 30, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 593
Former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer joins the Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles to reveal how Donald Trump dismantled the Justice Department’s pardon process and replaced it with a pay-to-play system. Oyer explains how career experts were sidelined on Trump’s first day, leaving space for clemency to be sold to the highest bidder and reserved for the well-connected. From million-dollar Mar-a-Lago price tags to pardons for sex offenders, fraudsters, and January 6 rioters, she exposes how Trump turned cl...
Sep 28, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 592
Michael Wolff, author of ‘All Or Nothing,’ joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to parse the looming threat of a government shutdown. Wolff outlines how Democrats are in a position stop Trump’s dismantling of the government while Trump winds up to command attention and leverage chaos. From his relentless playbook of confrontation to the ripple effects of his threats on media and politics, they explore how Trump pressures leaders, exploits opportunities, and reshapes institutions. With behind-the-scene...
Sep 26, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Robert Reich, Co-founder of Inequality Media and President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to warn us that the U.S. is sliding into authoritarianism. He lays out how Trump’s White House distorts economic data, bullies CEOs, corrupts crypto markets, and undermines global alliances, while billionaires and media titans enable his rise. Reich also calls out cowardice among university leaders, corporate chiefs, and even Democrats who should be defending constitutiona...
Sep 25, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 591
Trump chronicler Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to examine a week where Trump’s world collides with scandal, faith, and science. From Epstein’s secret photo stash and Kash Patel’s embarrassing congressional testimony, to Trump’s jarring rage at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, Wolff dissects the cracks in MAGA’s political and spiritual future. Erika Kirk’s moving forgiveness speech, Trump’s uninformed vaccine rants, and Sam Nunberg’s blunt “Trump is an idiot” verdict all point to a deeper question: ho...
Sep 24, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Kara Swisher, veteran tech journalist and co-host of the 'Pivot' podcast, joins the Beast's Joanna Coles to unpack Trump’s sordid appearance at Charlie Kirk’s funeral, where campaign politics overshadowed mourning. They explore Erika Kirk’s sudden prominence as a potential Trump running mate, Larry Ellison circling TikTok, Disney’s retreat on Jimmy Kimmel, and the larger question of how Trump has turned hate into his most durable brand. With his empire thriving on division at home and disruption...
Sep 23, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 590
Dr. John Gartner, former Johns Hopkins professor and co-host of the podcast ‘Shrinking Trump,’ joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to deliver a chilling diagnosis: Donald Trump is showing signs of dementia layered on top of malignant narcissism. Drawing on decades of clinical expertise, Dr. Gartner explains how Trump’s declining language, erratic gait, and disturbing anecdotes point to brain deterioration that makes him not just unpredictable but uniquely dangerous in office. Coles presses him on how...
Sep 21, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 589
Trump chronicler Michael Wolff joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to explain why Donald Trump has chosen now to formalize his assault on the media. From the president’s feud with Jimmy Kimmel and Disney’s quiet capitulation, to Wolff’s surreal late-night ice cream with Trump in Beverly Hills, and even his own face projected onto Windsor Castle, this episode traces the strange intersections of power, ego, and greed. Along the way, they explore how MAGA’s loyalty to Trump is being tested by Trump’s on...
Sep 19, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Trump chronicler Michael Wolff and the Beast’s Joanna Coles unpack the president’s awkward state visit to Britain. From King Charles’ white-tie dinner with Trump and Rupert Murdoch, to the firing of U.K. ambassador Peter Mandelson over his own Epstein entanglements, to Labour leader Keir Starmer’s desperate attempt to turn the trip into a political win, the pageantry collides with scandal at every turn. With Epstein, Epstein, Epstein still haunting Trump’s every move, can royal pomp and photo op...
Sep 18, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Star columnist David Rothkopf joins the Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles and Executive Editor Hugh Dougherty to discuss Trump’s week of cascading crises. From Kash Patel’s reckless tweets and FOX News appearances that have corroded FBI trust, to the internal purges and morale collapse that now haunt the Bureau, the hosts probe how Trump’s allies are weaponizing chaos to tighten their grip on power. They examine the killing of Charlie Kirk and the way Trumpworld is turning Kirk’s memorial into a MAGA r...
Sep 16, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 588
Trump chronicler Michael Wolff joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to unravel Donald Trump’s response to Charlie Kirk’s killing. They examine how Trump rushed to blame the left before facts were known, appears to have dodged any real grief, and may still be haunted by his own brush with assassination. From a Trump’s droopy face appearing at this week’s 9/11 memorial, to cracks with RFK Jr., a cabinet unease over inflation, and Epstein’s “birthday book” resurfacing, it’s been another chaotic week for ...
Sep 14, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The Daily Beast's unmissable columnist David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to dive into what he calls one of Donald Trump’s most chaotic weeks yet. The 79-year-old president has been jeered at by protesters across a dining table, faced mounting health concerns, dealt with the assassination of his acolyte, Charlie Kirk, while abroad, his foreign policy has stumbled. Rothkopf, CEO of TRG Media and a foreign policy expert, argues Trump looks increasingly fragile, physically and politically, as allies...
Sep 13, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 587
Trump chronicler Michael Wolff and the Beast’s Joanna Coles unearth Donald Trump’s bizarre entanglements with Jeffrey Epstein. From a birthday book signed by Trump to a shady mansion deal, to an $83 million judgment and claims of FBI informants, the hosts unpack the evidence, denials, and contradictions. They explore how Trump’s excuses collapse under scrutiny and why his ties to Epstein keep resurfacing. With Epstein’s letters and Trump’s own words raising fresh questions, the story only grows ...
Sep 10, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Independent journalist Don Lemon joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles for a wide-ranging conversation unpacking Trump’s health issues, the MAGA movement’s big problem, and the night RFK Jr. had dinner with Don Lemon. The two dive into Trump’s public appearance at the U.S. Open and ask what the mysterious blue object clenched in his mouth, seen in a candid photo, is. The two also take apart JD Vance’s rise, calling him the kind of “DEI hire” conservatives pretend to hate. They dig into the contradictio...
Sep 09, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 586
Australian model Cleo Glyde sits down with the Beast's Joanna Coles to share her extraordinary, unsettling memories of New York in the late 1980s and early 1990s. At just 22, she was living the height of the fashion world, signed to Ford Models, immersed in the club scene, and swept into the orbit of Jeffrey Epstein. She recalls meeting him through a fellow model, their early friendship, his Great Gatsby–like allure, and how he used wealth and connections to project power. Cleo also opens up abo...
Sep 07, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 585
Trump chronicler Michael Wolff joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to go inside the rage-filled White House where Trump is reacting to blows from judges—including to his tariffs. They explore what happens when judges say no to Trump. And they examine how tariffs have become a unilateral tool of punishment and power, why the courts are pushing back, and how Trump reacts with rage when confronted by these limits. From attempts to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles to efforts to expand emergency p...
Sep 05, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The Daily Beast’s brilliant columnist David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to examine Donald Trump’s disastrous week on the world stage. From being overheard on a hot mic talking about deals with Vladimir Putin, to Modi undercutting his peacemaker myth, to world leaders gathering in China without him, Trump finds himself without a seat on the world stage. They explore how his failed military parade compares to China’s massive display of power, how his fixation on the Rose Garden reveals his petty i...
Sep 04, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 584
Donald Trump’s health is suddenly the biggest mystery in politics. After disappearing for more than three days, whispers about his wobbly legs and his puffy presentation have swept through The President’s inner circle. Hosts Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff pull apart the rumors and ask whether Trump’s latest health scare is just another online chattering class’s obsession or something far more serious. They dig into why the White House is keeping so quiet and how the imagery of Trump’s decline is...
Sep 03, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Comedian and actor Matt Friend joins Joanna Coles for a sharp, funny look at Donald Trump’s complicated relationship with comedy. Friend shares his spot-on impressions of Trump, Obama, Bernie Sanders, Mitch McConnell and more. From his early obsession with comedy to performing at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Friend shares the secrets behind his political impressions and how he turns real-life absurdities into comedy gold. They dive into the process of mimicking Trump’s voice, the chall...
Sep 02, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 583
Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff jump in for an emergency podcast to unpack the twisted story of how Donald Trump brought Robert F. Kennedy Jr. into his administration, despite his history of drug abuse, womanizing, and a long career of anti-vaccine activism. They explore how Trump’s desperation to shore up his MAGA base on vaccines led to RFK Jr. running the nation’s public health system, with devastating consequences. From collapsing expert panels and vaccine shortages to Trump’s fleeting fantas...
Sep 01, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Long-time British Royals Journalist and Author Tom Sykes, and Joanna Coles, revisit Princess Diana’s death and why he believes there was foul play. From her troubled marriage and rivalry with Camilla to the tainted blood samples, the missing Fiat Uno, and Diana’s own letter predicting an “accident,” they dig into the questions that still haunt the monarchy. They also explore Mohammed Al-Fayed’s lifelong suspicions, the British inquiry known as Operation Paget, and Prince Harry’s account in ‘Spar...
Aug 31, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 582
Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff dig into Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison interviews with Trump’s DOJ, Epstein’s lingering influence on Trump, and Trump’s presidential culture of copious pardons for nefarious American characters. They examine how rich criminals and political allies maneuvered for Trump's favor, and how loyalty, leverage, and money shaped decisions inside the Oval Office. From secret phone calls to private doubts, Wolff unpacks what drives Trump's unusual sympathy Trump reportedly felt ...
Aug 29, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 6
MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle joins Joanna Coles to unpack Donald Trump’s power moves against the Federal Reserve's governors. From his campaign against Fed chairman Jerome Powell to saying he has fired Black governor Lisa Cook, the conversation reveals a president at war with the independent central bank. The two explore how Trump leans on Wall Street CEOs, demands loyalty over judgment, and pulls business leaders like Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook into his orbit as props in his economic battles. And Ruhle...
Aug 28, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 581
Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff dig into the explosive Trump DOJ transcripts of Ghislaine Maxwell’s meeting with Todd Blanche and what they reveal about Jeffrey Epstein’s finances, Donald Trump’s anxieties, and more. From the talk in the White House of Trump “keeling over” and the President’s obsession with Ghislaine Maxwell, the conversation unpacks Trump’s paranoia, monied moves, and lingering ties to Epstein’s world. They also examine the mounting worries over Trump’s physical decline, from sw...
Aug 27, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Jonathan Mahler, author of 'The Gods of New York', joins Joanna Coles to explore Donald Trump’s tabloid-fueled rise in the 1980s. From his feud with the Koch brothers over Wollman Rink to the Marla Maples scandal in Aspen and his explosive Central Park Five ad, Mahler reveals how Trump mastered gossip and scandal to build a myth that would carry him into politics. They trace how Trump’s obsession with media attention turned Page Six into his personal stage. And they uncover how the tabloid era’s...
Aug 26, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 580
Michael Wolff, author of four bestselling books on Donald Trump, joins the Daily Beast’s executive editor, Hugh Doherty, to dissect the former president’s expanding enemies list. From the FBI raid on John Bolton’s home to Trump’s fixation on Black female prosecutors and judges, Wolff lays bare how Trump’s hostility toward Black women has become a defining and pathological theme of his politics. They also dig into the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files—what’s inside, what’s missing, and why Tru...
Aug 24, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 579
Donald Trump doesn’t listen. He doesn’t read. He just talks. On ‘Inside Trump’s Head’, Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff explore why Trump embarks on endless monologues, his Oval Office turned into a bus station, and the “wall of sound” that keeps people out. Wolff shares surreal White House moments, from generals with PowerPoints Trump ignored to phone calls that lasted for hours. The episode also delves into Trump’s unusual routines, Melania’s cryptic note to Putin, and why the mainstream media s...
Aug 22, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 4
