Republicans Aren’t All Dumb. They’re Just Part of Cult.

Republicans Aren’t All Dumb. They’re Just Part of Cult.

Lots of us have been asking ourselves (and Twitter) many questions over the last year. Questions like: How did about 74 million people vote for Trump, again? Why do people actually believe in QAnon? And, more recently, if Republicans can see Trump for who he really is-—and how he has become a hero among a sect of the party that, at their worst, believe celebrities are part of a global pedophile ring, and at their best, that masks are a form of censorship—than why do the majority of them still support him? Norm Ornstein, an American political scientist and The Atlantic contributor, joined co-host Molly Jong-Fast on this members-only episode of The New Abnormal to share his insight. “There are plenty of Republicans, and I put Rob Portman in that category, who know perfectly well that this stuff is just awful, or plenty of it is, but they'd gone along because they're a part of the cult,” he says. He also adds Mitch McConnell to that list: “He knows what Trump is. He knows that Trump is a doofus and a racist and has no ability to govern, to read anything, all of that, but he could get the tax cuts and get all these judges, knowing that basically the best way they can cling to power is to stack these courts that will let any voter suppression measures pass muster, and that will block Democratic presidents and [hit] the goals they can't accomplish in Congress alone.” If it continues like this, he adds, “you can't have a democracy for long that doesn't have two functioning problem-solving oriented parties.” Then there are the Marjorie Taylor Green types in Congress to think about. How did that happen? Trump certainly fueled it, but he didn’t start that fire, says Ornstein. “The Republican party had an insurgent outlier party that was dismissive of its opposition, that was contemptuous of facts and science that had blown up norms and could care less about the others in terms of governing long before Donald Trump emerged as a potential political figure or presidential candidate,” he says. “[Republicans] just dove in headfirst into the muck.” Then! The two discuss a topic Molly gets crap for and that’s why Diane Feinstein really needs to retire. And the two roast Kevin McCarthy, big time. “McCarthy had this moment to be free of Trump. And he just went back for more,” says Molly.

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Episoder(1013)

Why Trump, 79, Only Wants Identical Women: Wolff

Why Trump, 79, Only Wants Identical Women: Wolff

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.

23 Nov 41min

How Trump Can Bury Epstein Files Shame: Wolff

How Trump Can Bury Epstein Files Shame: Wolff

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.

21 Nov 36min

Why South Park Really Freaks Out Trump: Scaramucci

Why South Park Really Freaks Out Trump: Scaramucci

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.

20 Nov 35min

Why Trump Is Obsessed by Burning Evidence: Wolff

Why Trump Is Obsessed by Burning Evidence: Wolff

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.

19 Nov 44min

I Read FBI's Wild Epstein and Andrew Files: Author

I Read FBI's Wild Epstein and Andrew Files: Author

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.

18 Nov 37min

Why Seeing Epstein and My Uncle Donald Haunts Me

Why Seeing Epstein and My Uncle Donald Haunts Me

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.

17 Nov 45min

Trump In Complete Crisis Over Epstein Email: Wolff

Trump In Complete Crisis Over Epstein Email: Wolff

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles as the Epstein email deluge crashes straight into Donald Trump’s White House, leaving the president uncharacteristically mute and visibly cornered. Wolff argues this is the moment he’s warned about for years—the Trump–Epstein relationship finally breaking into full view. As newly released emails hint at suppressed testimony, secret negotiations, and a “dog that hasn’t barked,” Joanna presses Wolff on why MAGA is demanding total transparency even as it risks politically detonating Trump himself. Wolff explains why Ghislaine Maxwell’s family may now be threatening leaks to pressure the White House, and why Trump’s go-to strategy—delay—may not work against a story that resurfaces again and again. What does Trump do when the one scandal he can’t outtalk finally catches up with him? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Nov 35min

Trump Knows He’s Running Out of Time: Author

Trump Knows He’s Running Out of Time: Author

Jonathan Karl joins Joanna Coles to reveal the chaos inside Donald Trump’s orbit. Karl, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent and author of the new book Retribution, calls Trump’s relationships “abusive,” with aides, journalists, and anyone nearby alternately lavished with attention and publicly humiliated, praised, and discarded. They also dig into reports of Trump’s poor diet, bad sleep hygiene, and total aversion to exercise, which open up a larger conversation about a leader showing unmistakable signs of physical wear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Nov 41min

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