The Daily Beast Podcast

Joanna Coles and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty examine the mystery surrounding Mitch McConnell's sudden disappearance from public view after reports of a medical emergency, and why the unanswered questions extend far beyond one senator's health. They explore how McConnell's absence could throw the balance of power in Washington into chaos, why even Donald Trump appears trapped by the...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles reveal what they argue is Donald Trump's true guiding principle: not policy, power, or ideology, but an unrelenting pursuit of attention. From Trump's NATO performance and the mystery surrounding his abandoned Qatari "Grift Force One" to the latest twists in E. Jean Carroll's legal victory, they examine how personality continues to shape the presidency. They also bre...

Ashley St. Clair, a former MAGA influencer, speaks to Joanna Coles about her extraordinary journey from rising conservative star to outspoken critic of the movement that made her famous. She reveals how coordinated messaging, dark money, and outrage-driven media shaped the MAGA ecosystem from the inside, reflects on her growing disillusionment with Charlie Kirk and Turning Point, and explains why...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles break down the latest clues to what's really driving Donald Trump, from his attempts to influence FIFA and his obsession with being at the center of every spectacle to the staggering financial windfall he's reaped from his crypto empire while hundreds of thousands of investors have collectively lost billions. They also unpack the scandal engulfing Democratic Senate h...

David Rothkopf speaks with Joanna Coles as Donald Trump heads into a high-stakes NATO summit under a cloud of controversy, after personally intervening in an international soccer dispute that critics say has tainted America's biggest match on the world stage. They unpack the growing panic among America's allies, why European leaders are quietly preparing for a future without Washington, and the ex...

In this special episode of the Daily Beast Podcast, Joanna Coles shares some of her favorite recent conversations: from Jennifer Welch’s unfiltered breakdown of the personalities driving the Trump administration to Kurt Andersen’s fascinating look at how America’s culture helped create the perfect stage for Trump’s rise, and Stephanie Ruhle’s sharp analysis of the economic fallout from global conf...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles break down why the political winds may finally be shifting against Donald Trump, and what Michael believes is the single psychological factor that could determine whether his presidency survives the coming midterms. They examine the fallout from Trump's strikes on Iran, the political gamble of rising gas prices, the increasingly competitive Senate map in Texas and Ma...

Go to https://ground.news/BEAST for a better way to stay informed. Subscribe for 40% off the Vantage plan for unlimited access to world wide news coverage through my link. #ad Daily Beast investigative reporter Tom Latchem joins Joanna Coles to discuss his explosive new reporting for his new Punch Up Substack. He reveals how former Miss Switzerland runner-up Beatrice Kuel accuses Donald Trump, and...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles pull back the curtain on the hidden power brokers shaping Donald Trump’s presidency, revealing why one little-known lawyer may now wield more influence over Trump’s legal strategy than anyone else. Wolff shares explosive new details from his personal legal battle with Melania Trump, explains how Trump’s courtroom tactics are designed to drain opponents through delay...

Katy Tur returns to the Daily Beast Podcast for a candid conversation with Joanna Coles about whether Donald Trump is becoming more isolated, more erratic, and increasingly disconnected from the voters who put him back in the White House. Drawing on over a decade of covering Trump up close, Tur explains why she believes Republicans are growing frustrated behind closed doors, what his behavior coul...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack what Wolff argues is a fundamental misunderstanding of Donald Trump—not simply that he profits from power, but that he genuinely believes he deserves to, tracing what they call a mindset driven as much by grievance and revenge as greed. They examine the Trump family's latest business entanglements, the growing controversy over self-dealing, the fallout from th...

David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles as the Supreme Court delivers a series of stunning rulings that pierce Donald Trump’s carefully constructed “Golden Dome,” leaving him facing fresh legal humiliation in the E. Jean Carroll case while battles over presidential power, voting rights, and the future of the Federal Reserve intensify. From Natalie Harp’s role as Trump’s “human printer” to empty crowds a...

Jon Lovett joins Joanna Coles for a blistering conversation on Donald Trump’s political standing, his increasingly erratic public persona, and why Lovett believes the president is doing more to damage Republicans than Democrats ahead of the midterms. Drawing on his experience as an Obama White House speechwriter, Lovett reflects on the opening of the Obama Library, the future of the Democratic Par...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack another extraordinary week inside Donald Trump's presidency, from a major Supreme Court victory that could dramatically expand presidential power to the increasingly blurred line between church and state, the political fallout from the fragile Iran ceasefire, and why Trump may once again escape the consequences of a foreign policy setback. They also dig into t...

Joanna Coles and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty unpack one of the strangest weeks yet inside Trumpworld, from explosive new questions about the president's unusually close relationship with aide Natalie Harp to the bizarre FEMA official who claims he was "teleported" across Georgia. They also break down the MAGA state fair flop, Trump's ongoing obsession with crowd sizes and Washingto...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine a White House that suddenly looks far less invincible, as Donald Trump lashes out at Republican senators, alienates allies he desperately needs, and faces growing signs that even the MAGA movement is beginning to question his leadership. They unpack Tucker Carlson's remarkable break with Trump, why JD Vance may be quietly positioning himself for what comes ne...

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) returns to the Daily Beast Podcast to break down why he believes America is repeating the same costly mistakes in the Middle East, what years of combat taught him about war, and why he says the latest agreement with Iran leaves the U.S. weaker than before. Rep. Crow tells Joanna Coles what Republican lawmakers tell him behind closed doors about Donald Trump, explains why he...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine the strange new fixation consuming Donald Trump as the White House grapples with wars abroad, slipping poll numbers, and growing political trouble at home. Drawing on Wolff's conversations with insiders, they explore why an algae-filled reflecting pool has become the president's overwhelming obsession, what it may reveal about his state of mind, and why even...

David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles unpack a weekend of political chaos that stretches from the collapsing Iran negotiations to the algae-filled disaster of Trump’s reflecting pool renovation, exposing a presidency built on grift, dysfunction, and spectacle. As JD Vance is dispatched to Switzerland to negotiate an impossible peace deal, Trump’s public undermining of his own vice president becomes a wi...

Jonathan Weber joins Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty to explain how San Francisco became the proving ground for the forces reshaping American politics, business, and culture. Drawing from his new book, City on the Edge, Weber traces the rise of the tech billionaires who transformed the city, why so many Silicon Valley power players embraced Donald Trump, and how figures like Elon Musk,...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine why Donald Trump may have stumbled into a new political reality as European leaders stop trying to placate him and begin pushing back instead. They unpack JD Vance's increasingly complicated role in the White House, whether he's positioning himself as Trump's heir or setting himself up to take the blame, and what his new book reveals about ambition, faith, an...

Joanna Coles and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty unpack a remarkable week inside Donald Trump's White House, from explosive new reporting on his late-night routines and the startling revelations in Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's forthcoming book to questions about Melania Trump's absence, mysterious health concerns, and what these private details reveal about the presidency. They...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine why Donald Trump's critics believe his biggest defeat isn't the war in Iran but the strange obsession now consuming the White House: remaking Washington into a permanent monument to himself. Drawing on fresh reporting from inside the administration, Wolff reveals why Trump is fixated on ballrooms, arches, the Kennedy Center and the National Mall even as forei...

Anthony Scaramucci joins Joanna Coles to explain why he believes Donald Trump knows his Iran strategy has failed—even as he doubles down in public—and why the White House is increasingly driven by one man's instincts rather than any real decision-making process. Drawing on his time inside Trump's inner circle, Scaramucci unpacks the psychology behind Trump's denial, the hidden panic among administ...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine Donald Trump's strange relationships with the women closest to him over the course of his 80 years—from Ivana and Marla Maples to the enduring mystery of Melania Trump's absence from public life. They explore how his marriages, obsession with image, and lack of genuine intimacy have shaped the man now occupying the Oval Office, revisiting his connections to J...