The Daily Beast Podcast

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to probe Donald Trump’s newest — and perhaps most perilous — level of weakness. From a fraying inner circle to the small, telling humiliations Trump tries to hide, Wolff traces how the former president’s aura of dominance is thinning just as legal threats, foreign crises, and a faltering presidency converge. Wolff walks through how Trump’s allies are suddenly keeping their distance and how MAGA power brokers are beginning to hedge. It all leads to the question that hangs over this episode: has Trump finally reached the point where weakness, not strength, defines his movement? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to take a deep dive into Donald Trump’s relationship with food. From his legendary buffets at Mar-a-Lago and his fast-food devotion to McDonald’s, Jimmy John’s, and oversized desserts, Wolff maps out the culinary habits that reflect Trump’s personality and comfort zones. They discuss the White House dining struggles, state dinners he barely touches, and the unusual quirks—from eating in his bedroom to a Diet Coke button at his desk. Along the way, Wolff unpacks how Trump’s palate, fears, and routines give a window into his larger-than-life persona. Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago has never been more telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katy Tur joins Joanna Coles to parse how a once forceful Trump, who called her “little Katy,” is now plagued by health concerns, prosecutorial incompetence, and an ever-growing Epstein scandal. Tur, Host of MS NOW’s ‘Katy Tur Reports’ digs into the deep fissures in Trump’s public persona: slowing energy, slurred speech, and shifting routines that raise questions about his health and stamina. Tur also breaks down the ongoing implications of the Epstein files, Trump’s handling of journalists, and the political fallout from rising healthcare costs. From the personal to the political, this conversation captures a president—and a country—under intense scrutiny Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to take a deep dive into Donald Trump’s relationship with food. From his legendary buffets at Mar-a-Lago and his fast-food devotion to McDonald’s, Jimmy John’s, and oversized desserts, Wolff maps out the culinary habits that reflect Trump’s personality and comfort zones. They discuss the White House dining struggles, state dinners he barely touches, and the unusual quirks—from eating in his bedroom to a Diet Coke button at his desk. Along the way, Wolff unpacks how Trump’s palate, fears, and routines give a window into his larger-than-life persona. Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago has never been more telling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kurt Andersen joins Joanna Coles to unpack the life and controversies of RFK Jr. From college cocaine escapades to audacious poetry and family scandals, Andersen, the author, radio veteran, and co-founder of Spy magazine, traces how recklessness and legacy collide in shaping the polarizing figure. He shares insights on RFK Jr.’s rise in politics, the chaos behind his public persona, and why his choices continue to reverberate through American culture. Along the way, Joanna reflects on how charisma and controversy intertwine, and they explore what RFK Jr.’s story reveals about ambition, legacy, and the Kennedy mystique. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Daily Beast’s unmissable guest, Dr. John Gartner, joins Joanna Coles to break down what key moments reveal about Donald Trump’s cognitive decline. From trouble saluting at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to odd noises at a McDonald’s event, Gartner explains patterns of psychomotor decline, word salad, and disinhibited behavior. They discuss how stress, existing personality issues, and potential dementia intersect, offering a rare psychological lens on the president’s bizarre behavior. This episode peels back the curtain on what’s really happening inside Trump’s brain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to shed light on his email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein and its impact on President Donald Trump. Drawing on leaked emails, private conversations, and years of reporting, Wolff exposes how the resurfacing of the Epstein files is reopening dangerous cracks inside Trump’s circle. Coles pushes him on what’s fact, what’s myth, and what Epstein really knew. As Trump fights to control his comeback narrative, Wolff posits one haunting truth: Epstein’s shadow may be the one story he can’t spin away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to unpack Trump’s tangled web of the Epstein files and Ghislaine Maxwell’s looming possible pardon. From the back in action Congress maneuvering to demand documents across the FBI, Justice Department, and multiple federal districts, to the astonishing perks Maxwell enjoys behind bars, Wolff and Coles trace the threads that link influential players, past crimes, and potential cover-ups. They dive into the “out-in-the-open” maneuvers protecting key witnesses, and what it all means for Donald Trump’s ongoing exposure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Symone Sanders Townsend joins Joanna Coles to break down the moment Donald Trump struggled to stay awake for twenty minutes in the Oval Office, and why the fact that no one around him reacted is the real story. Sanders, co-host of “The Weeknight,” on MSNBC soon to be MS NOW starting on November 15th, outlines the mystery of who’s really running the White House to the gold “Oval Office” signage, the secretive East Wing demolition, and the advisers suddenly speaking in “I” and “we,” Symone exposes a presidency drifting without leadership. In the end, Symone leaves us with the fundamental question: If Trump can fall asleep on camera and his deputies shrug, who’s actually in charge? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Daily Beast’s must-read columnist David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to dissect Trump’s mounting political peril. As dissent grows within his own party—over foreign aid, tariffs, and radical Senate moves—Rothkopf warns that Trump is “staring death,” with his political survival hanging by a thread. This episode explores the stakes of a president confronting resistance from his base and the chilling question: how far will he go to stay relevant? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to examine the looming legal battlefield of Trump’s 2026 strategy, where every move is filtered through lawyers and litigation. As the White House braces for the possibility of losing both the House and Senate, Wolff reveals the unraveling logic guiding a president who cannot course-correct, while aides scramble to protect their careers. From redistricting schemes to potential Supreme Court battles over voting rights, this episode shows how Trumpworld is preparing for an election fought not just at the polls—but in the courts. Joanna asks the central question: Can anything stop this legal juggernaut? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to examine the one thing Trump can’t spin: a morning of losses he instantly tries to recast as wins. Wolff brings the voices inside the West Wing, describing Trump pacing between TVs, hunting for a villain, mangling the numbers, and turning Mamdani into his next made-to-order enemy. They cut through the chaos—shutdown brinkmanship, Prop 50 conspiracies, the Cuomo curveball, and a GOP leadership frozen in his glare—to reveal a president who can’t adapt, only blame, and a movement suddenly feeling less inevitable than it claims. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.