Kurt Andersen and Joanna Coles revisit the Donald Trump that Spy magazine spotted 40 years ago: a blustering New York celebrity who claimed he could master nuclear missiles in an hour and a half. Andersen explains why Trump was a joke then but became president, and why today’s thin-skinned tech billionaires deserve the same sharp scrutiny. They consider what a midterm defeat could do to a presiden

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles turn their attention to Pete Hegseth, as the Secretary of Defense is facing mounting criticism over the Iran war while quietly positioning himself for a presidential run. They break down his latest State of the Force speech, which Wolff argues was designed to flatter Donald Trump and win over the MAGA base, and Joanna traces Hegseth’s tough-guy rhetoric back to his t

Joanna Coles and Hugh Dougherty dive into Trump-world’s latest chaos, from Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize humiliation to Pete Hegseth’s chilling talk of live-streaming a military execution. John Ossoff delivers a brutal debate performance as Democrats eye the midterms, while a Texas candidate vanishes from the campaign trail. Plus, Kimberly Guilfoyle is engulfed in a jaw-dropping scandal that could spe

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles are counting down to the midterms—and the Trump world is already positioning itself for what comes next. Marco Rubio appears to be launching his 2028 presidential campaign with a grandiose pitch to save Western civilization, while Michael predicts Trump and Rubio may need a new “big thing” to distract from the Iran war, impeachment threats, and mounting investigation

Mary Trump returns to the Daily Beast Podcast to tell Joanna Coles why she believes her uncle is terrified of being seen as a loser as the midterms approach. She traces that fear to the Trump family dynamic she witnessed growing up, then weighs in on his remarks about Los Angeles and San Diego, his fixation on cognitive tests and aspirin, and his relationship with aide Natalie Harp. Mary also reve

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine Donald Trump’s increasingly self-destructive presidency, from his dwindling rally crowds and disastrous political bets to his reckless handling of the war in Iran and increasingly bizarre rhetoric. They draw a remarkable parallel between Trump and disgraced British politician and novelist Jeffrey Archer, another larger-than-life narcissist whose appetite for

David Rothkopf speaks with Joanna Coles about Trump’s increasingly chaotic presidency as the midterms loom, from his bizarre claim that he has an IQ of 1,775 to the growing threat of election interference and Elon Musk’s renewed influence. They examine Pete Hegseth’s alarming vision for the Pentagon, the rise of autonomous weapons and the billions flowing to Trump allies, before looking ahead to t

#ad See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/dailybeast ✅ Keisha Lance Bottoms joins Joanna Coles on The Daily Beast Podcast to take on the billionaire she calls a Donald Trump wannabe—and explain why his $100 million investment in Georgia’s governor’s race hasn’t put her behind in the polls. The former Atlanta mayor so

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles reveal the fears they believe drive Donald Trump—from being exposed as unintelligent and unable to absorb information to his dread of rejection, ridicule, loneliness, and losing the spotlight. Wolff recounts the extraordinary efforts allegedly made to keep Trump’s academic records hidden, explains why ordinary conversation can leave him vulnerable, and describes a pr

#ad See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/dailybeast ✅ Joanna Coles and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty take on a week of Trump-fueled chaos, from the president fawning over White House aide Margo Martin in front of Natalie Harp to his motorcade roaring through Texas at nearly 100 mph. They reveal why Tru

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles take a revealing look inside Donald Trump’s world of flunkies, fear and humiliation, where cabinet officials, billionaires and tech titans learn how far they have to bend to stay in his good graces. They examine why figures like Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth have accepted radically different versions of the same bargain, and how Trump’s unpredictable mix o

Adam Mockler joins Joanna Coles on the Daily Beast Podcast to break down the chaos consuming Donald Trump’s Republican Party, from Ken Paxton blaming Trump for wrecking his Senate campaign to the spectacular Jack Smith hearing blunder that left GOP senators scrambling. Mockler reveals what really happened before and after his explosive CNN clash with Scott Jennings, explains why Trump’s costly war

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dig into what Donald Trump’s political future looks like as the midterms approach, from Republicans increasingly distancing themselves from Trump to his apparent determination to double down rather than retreat. They examine Trump’s taxpayer-funded campaign ad, the Texas Senate race, and the growing fight over AI data centers before turning to the darker story of Jef

The Daily Beast's Chief Global Affairs Columnist predicts what is about to happen to Donald Trump: A bubble-bursting moment when he gets confronted with reality. He tells Joanna Coles about what we can all learn from the moment Trump got heckled on a golf course on Sunday, and what to take out of what the president betrayed on a hot mic at the same event. #ad For a limited time, get 60% off your f

Anand Giridharadas returns to the Daily Beast Podcast to discuss his new book, Man in the Mirror, and the three years he spent reporting on the fatal subway encounter between Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny. Giridharadas takes Joanna Coles inside a story that became a national Rorschach test, exploring race, homelessness, mental illness, public safety, fear, dehumanization, and the difficulty of mak

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles take a closer look at Donald Trump’s encounter with Xi Jinping and what China may have learned from a president they see as unusually susceptible to flattery, especially when it comes to the delicate question of Taiwan. They also dissect Melania Trump’s new women’s network, the growing role of billionaires around the White House, and the extraordinary rise of Kimberl

Joanna Coles and Hugh Dougherty dig into Donald Trump’s extraordinary welcome for Chinese President Xi Jinping, from the red-carpet spectacle and lavish state dinner to the tensions over Taiwan, Iran, and China’s support for Tehran. They examine what Xi’s carefully chosen language of the “Thucydides Trap” reveals about the increasingly complicated U.S.-China relationship, and why the White House’s

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles unpack Trump’s latest threats to “annihilate” Iran, including the bizarre White House effort to find him a new word after “obliterate” apparently lost its punch. They discuss Trump’s UN week showdown with world leaders, Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House, Melania Trump’s new women’s initiative, and RFK Jr.’s extraordinary $4 million book deal. They also examine th

Luke Harding, author of the new book Betrayal: Trump, Putin and The New Age of Conquest, speaks with Joanna Coles about the decades-long relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and the Russian intelligence operation that Harding argues helped cultivate Trump as a potential target for influence. Harding traces Trump’s early connections to Moscow, the murky financial dealings that foll

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles return to dissect Donald Trump’s latest battle with the press, his launch of Trump TV, and the high-stakes arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. They examine why Trump keeps turning the media into his enemy, what his escalating wars and increasingly precarious relationship with China could mean for the United States, and how a meeting with Xi co