The Daily Beast Podcast

David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles take apart Donald Trump’s bizarre White House UFC spectacle, his heavily hyped “deal” with Iran, and what they argue is a presidency increasingly defined by spectacle and self-preservation. From accusations of turning the South Lawn into a political carnival, to a blistering debate over whether Trump’s Iran agreement is diplomacy or surrender, the pair connect the d...

Dr. John Gartner returns to The Daily Beast Podcast to mark Donald Trump’s 80th birthday with a deeply provocative conversation about aging, cognitive decline, power, and the presidency. Speaking with Joanna Coles, Gartner argues that the public is witnessing something far more serious than normal aging, laying out his assessment of Trump’s behavior, speech patterns, late-night social media activi...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles mark Donald Trump entering his ninth decade with a special episode revealing new details about private discussions inside Trump’s circle over his age, health, legacy, and the future of his presidency, culminating in a striking prediction about what may lie ahead during the next two and a half years of the Trump era. On the eve of Trump turning 80, Wolff also traces t...

David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles recap a week in which Donald Trump stumbled from one self-inflicted crisis to the next, from mounting questions over his handling of Iran and another controversial intelligence pick to renewed scrutiny of the Epstein files and a White House increasingly consumed by political damage control. They also unpack Trump's plan to stage a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack a week in which the Jeffrey Epstein saga once again consumed Washington, examining explosive new reporting about panic, leaks, and finger-pointing inside the White House while asking who is really trying to shape the narrative around Donald Trump. Wolff argues that the most revealing detail is not Epstein himself but the apparent effort to cast JD Vance as an...

Stephanie Ruhle joins Joanna Coles for a candid and incisive conversation examining the economic fallout from Trump’s escalating conflict with Iran and expands into a sharp examination of wealth, power, political influence, and the growing disconnect between Wall Street and everyday Americans. Ruhle breaks down why soaring energy costs, healthcare struggles, and what she calls a new era of America...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dive into a week that may reveal the limits of Donald Trump’s political dominance, from being loudly booed at a packed Knicks playoff game to turning the White House lawn into a UFC spectacle for his birthday celebration. Wolff argues that Trump’s drive to stamp his name on everything—from sports to immigration to the World Cup—is creating a growing list of political...

David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles dive into a week of extraordinary political turmoil, from alarming warnings about Donald Trump’s reshaping of America’s national security apparatus to growing fears over the future of democratic institutions, the intelligence community, and a rapidly escalating Middle East crisis. Along the way, they unpack protests erupting overseas over Trump-linked business ventu...

Mary Trump returns to the Daily Beast Podcast on the week of her uncle Donald's 80th birthday to deliver one of her starkest assessments yet of a president she says is facing pressures unlike anything in his life. Drawing on her perspective as both a clinical psychologist and a member of the Trump family, Mary argues that Donald Trump is struggling to maintain control of the narrative as political...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dissect the growing backlash against Donald Trump's inner circle, from Stephen Miller's escalating deportation agenda to the stunning appointment of Bill Pulte to oversee America's intelligence apparatus. They explore why Republican senators are suddenly questioning the loyalty-first culture that has defined Trump's administration, examine the political fallout from...

Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama, speaks with Joanna Coles about why he believes Donald Trump is repeating the mistakes the Obama administration spent years trying to avoid, from Iran and the Strait of Hormuz to the unraveling of decades of American diplomacy. Drawing on his firsthand role in the Iran nuclear negotiations and the reopening of relations with Cu...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dive into what Wolff argues is the beginning of a dramatic unraveling of Donald Trump’s political project, tracing how the fallout from the Iran conflict, slipping poll numbers, congressional resistance, and growing fractures inside the Republican Party are exposing deeper weaknesses in Trump’s leadership. Along the way, they unpack Trump’s relationship with Benjamin...

Andrew Lownie returns to the Daily Beast Podcast to discuss the explosive new paperback edition of his hit book Entitled, revealing how fresh disclosures, newly surfaced Epstein-related material, and a widening police investigation have intensified scrutiny of ex-Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and the wider royal family. Lownie argues that what began as a story about one disgraced royal has evolve...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack into a week of chaos inside the Trump White House, from a failed attempt to push through what Wolff calls an unprecedented political “grift” to Trump’s growing frustration over a war he can’t seem to escape. They unpack reports of a furious showdown with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the surprising rise of loyalists with little traditional experie...

David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles dive into a week of chaos surrounding Donald Trump, from a weekend barrage of Truth Social posts and increasingly bizarre self-mythologizing to mounting questions about his health, judgment, and grip on reality. Rothkopf argues that Trump’s latest behavior reveals a president trapped by crises of his own making—from Iran and a crumbling political coalition to what h...

Kurt Andersen and Joanna Coles dive into the spectacle, symbolism, and political theater surrounding Donald Trump’s latest White House ambitions, from plans for a UFC-style event on the South Lawn to a MAGA-branded America 250 celebration that’s already losing major performers. Andersen explains why Trump’s embrace of entertainment, celebrity culture, and grievance politics was visible decades ago...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack another week of chaos inside Trumpworld, from a judge forcing Donald Trump to strip his name from the Kennedy Center to a court challenge threatening his controversial $1.8 billion IRS settlement fund. They dig into Trump's newly disclosed weight gain, his obsession with public enemies, and why Wolff believes targeting figures like E. Jean Carroll matters more...

Jennifer Welch returns to the Daily Beast Podcast and unloads on the “broken people” surrounding Donald Trump, from Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth to JD Vance, Jeff Bezos, and the billionaire class she says has traded conviction for obedience and spectacle. In a blistering conversation with Joanna Coles, Welch argues Trump is entering a “deathbed confession era,” openly admitting the impulses that n...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles trace the panic, paranoia, and raw volatility swirling around Donald Trump as he insists he “doesn’t care” about the midterms while privately sounding trapped, furious, and increasingly dangerous. From comparisons to Stalin’s inner circle and the cult-like loyalty inside Trump’s cabinet, to the political gamble of backing scandal-plagued Ken Paxton in Texas, the epis...

David Rothkopf and Joanna Coles dive into the unraveling chaos surrounding Donald Trump’s latest political gambles, from the shocking rise of scandal-plagued Texas firebrand Ken Paxton to mounting questions about Trump’s health after yet another visit to Walter Reed. Rothkopf tears into MAGA’s “doubling down” strategy as polls collapse, Trump allies turn on each other, and the White House transfor...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dissect Donald Trump’s declining health as the president heads back to Walter Reed for another physical exam and questions swirl around whether the nearly 80-year-old can physically survive a second term. From Trump’s repeated cognitive tests and mounting exhaustion to behind-the-scenes panic over Iran, Cuba, Marco Rubio, JD Vance, and the future of the MAGA successi...

In this special episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, Joanna Coles speaks with Dr. John Gartner and Dr. Bruce Davidson about the alarming signs they believe point to Donald Trump’s physical and cognitive decline, from garbled speeches and late-night posting frenzies to what Davidson argues are visible symptoms of a past stroke. The two doctors break down Trump’s increasingly erratic public behavior,...

Steve Schmidt returns to the Daily Beast Podcast with a blistering warning about Donald Trump’s unraveling grip on power, the Republican Party’s “Shakespearean” collapse into cowardice, and why he believes MAGA is heading toward a political wipeout. In a conversation that ricochets from the Epstein files to the future of American democracy, Schmidt tears into GOP leaders he says have “lashed thems...

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack a week of chaos inside Trumpworld, beginning with Wolff’s explosive courtroom setback in his legal fight with Melania Trump and delving into what they describe as a justice system warped by Trump’s influence. From a mysterious $1.8 billion “slush fund” settlement and the ongoing culture of intimidation around the media, to Don Jr.’s lavish Bahamas wedding cons...

Joanna Coles and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty reunite for a blistering breakdown of what they call the most brazen Trump grift yet: a staggering $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded “victims” fund that could benefit January 6 rioters, MAGA loyalists, and even Trump allies accused of crimes, all while Republican lawmakers panic behind closed doors over the political fallout. They trace the a...