This Isn’t a Confirmation Hearing for Cruz—It’s a Clout Check

David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to unpack a presidency stripped of empathy after Trump’s disturbing Truth Social post responding to the murder of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife. Rothkopf, the founder of Deep State Radio and former editor of Foreign Policy magazine, argues that this moment exposes Trump’s defining pathology: an inability to respond to tragedy without cruelty, self-obsession, and grievance. From mass shootings to corruption, donors, and a cabinet quietly hedging its bets, they trace how Trump’s personal brokenness has become national policy—and ask the defining question: How long can a political system function when it’s built around one man’s pathology? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Joulu 202542min

Don Lemon joins Joanna Coles to diagnose why Trump’s lost his charismatic touch. Lemon, Founder of The Don Lemon Show, describes a former president whose influence is fading as voters grow disillusioned with MAGA, economic distortions, and rising healthcare costs. From Trump’s credibility and health to Republican lawmakers misreading the electorate, Lemon explores the consequences of a movement built on lies and distractions—and presses a defining question: How long can the GOP survive a leader losing his grip? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Joulu 202548min

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to reveal stories behind newly released Epstein photos. Together they sift through the blacked-out faces, the Mar-a-Lago-style party shots, and a younger Steve Bannon seated in Epstein’s ornate study—the man he once admitted was the only figure in 2016 who truly scared him. Wolff explains why these images are surfacing now, how both parties are weaponizing them, and why they revive long-buried questions about Trump’s ties to Epstein. Coles ends on the unavoidable question: Are there more Epstein and Trump revelations still waiting to be discovered? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Joulu 20251h

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to unpack Kristi Noem’s “Ice Barbie” theatrics at Homeland Security to Pam Bondi’s loyal remaking of the Justice Department. They explore how, for the people in Trump’s political orbit, loyalty and spectacle outweigh competence. Wolff and Coles dive into Corey Lewandowski’s influence, Alina Haber’s rocky rise, Jared Kushner’s allies, and the fractures forming among Trump’s women acolytes. Behind the headlines, they reveal a presidency driven by personal power, loyalty tests, and showmanship—where the inner workings are as unpredictable as the public drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Joulu 202548min

Ambassador John Bolton joins Hugh Dougherty to chart the growing dangers of Trump’s foreign policy, driven by impulse rather than strategy. Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, describes a president who ignores formal briefings, takes cues from Mar-a-Lago guests, and makes decisions by “neuron flash,” leaving Venezuela, Europe, and Ukraine trapped in contradiction and drift. As Trump chases a Nobel Prize and treats strongmen like personal allies, Bolton presses a defining question: How long can America’s security withstand a leader who refuses to plan? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Joulu 202523min

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to dissect a president increasingly disengaged, dozing through televised cabinet meetings while aides scramble to manage both optics and reality. They probe the murky Hegseth video controversy, Trump’s self-awarded FIFA Peace Prize, and his meddling in Hollywood mergers, showing how delay, spectacle, and loyalty dominate decision-making. Wolff charts the frustration, chaos, and quiet panic inside Trumpworld. The two ask: What happens when no one can keep up with—or contain—Trump’s mercurial whims? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Joulu 202550min

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.

9 Joulu 202539min

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.

8 Joulu 202555min