The Daily Beast Podcast

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.

Dr. Bandy X. Lee, forensic and social psychiatrist, joins Joanna Coles to sound the alarm regarding President Donald Trump’s dire mental health problems. She explains how Trump’s paranoia, fear of exposure, and relentless need for power drive his behavior—from deploying guards to manipulating supporters—and how these patterns spread through society, creating true mental health contagion. Dr. Lee asks: How do we contain a leader whose fragility fuels his power? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to dissect the latest unraveling in Trumpworld: the controversial CBS News settlement, followed by their soft-ball sit‑down with Donald Trump. They question: Is this real journalism or a pay‑for‑play fluff piece? Later, they turn to JD Vance’s weekend spectacle—the public message to his Hindu wife, the viral hug with Erica Kirk, and what it reveals about Vance’s naked ambition to court MAGA while lacking the requisite authenticity to appeal truly. Along the way, they chart how the conservative media ecosystem is shifting, how Trump’s polling collapse and foreign‑policy chaos are fueling the vacuum around Trump, and how ambition, extreme rhetoric, and charged cynicism have become the new tools of power in Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Lownie returns to break down the latest fallout for Prince Andrew. Lownie, the author of the book 'Untitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,' breaks down Andrew’s exile to Sandringham and whispers of his Middle East escape to avoid legal scrutiny. Lownie parses how the Epstein scandal and financial allegations have dramatically reshaped the royal landscape. He explains the palace’s response, the public outrage, and why Andrew’s ties to Epstein and business dealings abroad make him vulnerable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Steven Hassan, world-renowned cult expert and author of The Cult of Trump, joins the Beast’s Hugh Dougherty to unravel how Trump’s movement mirrors the classic architecture of a political cult, from manufactured grievances to the online ecosystems that keep followers locked in. Then, with recent Epstein materials resurfacing, they explore the contradictions, alliances, and unexplored vulnerabilities that continue to haunt Trump and his inner circle. Together, they connect the domestic chaos to the global actors who have spent decades studying and exploiting Trump’s psychology. As the crises converge, Hugh asks the question hanging over 2025: how long can Trumpism survive when the truth keeps breaking through? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to reveal how White House insiders are now dubbing the East Wing the “Epstein Ballroom.” From the persistent shadow of Jeffrey Epstein over Trump and Prince Andrew’s dramatic fall from royal privilege, to the explosive crypto pardons benefiting the Trump family, Wolff’s latest thorns to burrow into Trump’s side. They discuss Rupert Murdoch’s role, the birthday letter that exposed Trump’s connections, and the intricate web of influence stretching from Norfolk to Washington. With the latest Trump polls tanking and the government shutdown nearing a record, this episode captures the tangled, high-stakes universe of Trump’s presidency in real time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to posit the president’s next astonishing move: Donald Trump’s plan to demolish the West Wing of the White House. They trace how that impulse connects with the East Wing teardown, a $300 million ballroom project, and the greater ambition of remaking the presidency in his image. Along the way, they explore how Trump’s real estate instincts are emerging as his most effective shock-and-awe tactic. With the foreign policy collapse in China, the polling crisis at home, and the disappearance of oversight in Congress, this episode asks: As Trump tears down the White House, what remains of the presidency? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Della Volpe, Polling Director at the Harvard Kennedy School, joins Joanna Coles to break down the dramatic shift in young male voters, once Trump’s strongest base. From Charlie Kirk’s legacy to the collapse of Trump’s net favorable rating among young men, Della Volpe explains how inflation, chaos, and the unmet promise to release the Epstein files are reshaping politics. They also weigh in on Turning Point USA’s new leadership, the rise of faith communities, and the anti-establishment mood driving 2026 and 2028. Can Democrats turn this disillusionment into an advantage, and is Trump’s hold on young men slipping for good? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to reveal Trump’s hasty plan to demolish the East Wing and build a massive Trump Ballroom, his push to bypass political limits, and his obsession with control. They break down Steve Bannon’s wild Trump third-term schemes and Melania’s conspicuous absence on the president's Japan trip. Wolff explains how Trump’s real estate instincts shape his decisions in Washington and why Trump’s once seemingly impossible authoritarian dreams suddenly feel possible in an America where business and political leaders are genuflecting to Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.