I Was in a Cult. This Is How I Know Trump is One

Rep. Ro Khanna joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles to reveal what he calls Washington’s most dangerous cover-up. The California congressman explains how the Epstein files hold explosive information and why his bipartisan effort to release them has been stonewalled during the government shutdown. He links Trump’s role in the stalemate to a broader system that shields the powerful rather than the public. From congressional gridlock to moral reckoning, Khanna argues that transparency is the only way to restore trust in democracy. Is Trump protecting national secrets or defending himself? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Okt 43min

Michael Wolff returns with Joanna Coles for a blistering look at the latest fractures inside Trump’s MAGA coalition. From Trump’s resurfacing of Epstein anxieties and his strange new pardon predicament with Ghislaine Maxwell, to his growing unease over Israel and the rise of Christian nationalism, Wolff sketches a portrait of a president losing control of the populist movement he created. The Daily Beast’s Chief Content Officer Joanna Coles presses Wolff on Tucker Carlson’s ambitions, online swirling Charlie Kirk conspiracies, and J.D. Vance’s quiet maneuvering for power. Together, they dissect how Trump’s cult of loyalty is turning on itself and why his old tactics may finally be failing. Is Trump still the master of the MAGA hivemind, or has he become just another voice in the chaos he unleashed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Okt 42min

Anthony Scaramucci joins the Beast’s Joanna Coles for a no-holds-barred look inside Trump’s turbulent second term. Trump's former first-term Communications Director and longtime Trump confidant-turned-critic calls Trump “the wicked witch of the West Wing” and predicts the moment he finally melts. Scaramucci revisits his infamous 11 days in the White House, missing his son’s birth, and the cost of blind loyalty. He tears into the GOP’s pretenders to Trump’s throne from J.D. Vance’s obsequiousness to Marco Rubio’s shape-shifting. Coles keeps the chaos sharp, pulling out Scaramucci’s rawest insights on power, ego, and redemption. And it all builds to one cutting question: if Trump’s the wicked witch of the West Wing, who’s bold enough to throw the water? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Okt 45min

The Daily Beast’s must-read legal columnist Shan Wu joins the Beast’s Hugh Dougherty to dissect Trump’s shaky case against James Comey. Wu, a former federal prosecutor, explains why the indictment reeks of politics: a weak grand jury vote, rookie prosecutors sent to do Trump’s dirty work, and a DOJ reshaped into a loyalty machine. He lays out the defense playbook, from motions to dismiss to jury battles, and warns how much damage the spectacle will inflict on Comey and the justice system itself. With Trump burning political capital chasing old enemies as crises mount at home and abroad, the question becomes: is this justice or just Trump’s vengeance dressed up in legal robes? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Okt 34min

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 an unpredictable president turns a bureaucratic stalemate over the government’s budget into a personal war, and exactly how he thinks he can win. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Okt 36min

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,” and dangerously out of touch with modern military standards. He explains why generals were silent, what U.S. allies and adversaries are thinking, and the legal and constitutional risks of Trump’s orders. From the impact on troop morale to how Russia is exploiting the chaos, Hertling offers an inside look at a Commander-in-Chief unlike any before, and what it means for the military and the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Okt 33min

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 military and weird obsession with dress codes and beard bans and how Trump's obsession with image is shaping America's future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Okt 47min

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 weaponizing the DOJ against enemies including James Comey means the U.S. is not just facing becoming an authoritarian police state; in fact it's already there. He also traces the next evolution of MAGA from grievance politics to white Christian nationalist revivalism and warns how it could outlast Trump himself thanks to people including Erika Kirk and JD Vance. Yet he offers a glimmer of hope in the power of numbers, new platforms, and a public that still wants sanity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Sep 44min