The Daily Beast Podcast

Joanna Coles welcomes back Kurt Andersen to dissect what he argues may be Donald Trump’s most unhinged week yet, from surreal AI depictions casting himself as Jesus to a deepening spiral of contradictions, conspiracies, and political theater that even longtime observers find startling. Drawing on decades of watching Trump up close, Andersen revives his now-infamous “Venn diagram” of lies, ignorance, and instability—warning that the overlap is expanding in real time—while unpacking the bizarre collision of religion, ego, and power now shaping the MAGA movement. The conversation covers the Pope’s unexpectedly deft pushback to the growing discomfort inside Trump’s own coalition, before zeroing in on RFK Jr.’s chaotic tenure, public health fallout, and a trail of denials that mirror Trump’s own reality-warping playbook. As cabinet figures maneuver, allies hedge, and whispers of exits and fractures grow louder, Andersen paints a picture of a political universe edging toward something far more volatile than spectacle.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/DAILYBEAST to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. #ad

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles summarize a confounding week in Trumpworld with a blunt reality: no one, not even Donald Trump, seems to know what’s happening as a volatile war disrupts global markets and threatens the Strait of Hormuz. Wolff describes Trump ricocheting between declaring victory and hinting at escalation, while figures like JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner struggle to keep up with a shifting, unclear strategy. As midterms approach, Trump leans on rising markets even as his coalition fractures, clashing with the Pope and drawing pushback from voices like Tucker Carlson.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/BEAST to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. #ad

Joanna Coles welcomes back psychologist Dr. John Gartner as the conversation takes a chilling turn, with Dr. Gartner arguing that Donald Trump has crossed from grandiosity into full-blown psychosis, pointing to a barrage of erratic late-night posts—including AI images portraying himself as Jesus—as evidence of a manic, delusional spiral unfolding in real time. Dr. Gartner lays out a stark clinical case, connecting sleep disruption, cognitive decline, and escalating “messianic” fantasies to dangerous decision-making on the global stage, from impulsive foreign policy moves to a growing appetite for conflict. What emerges is a portrait of a leader increasingly detached from reality, alienating his own base while doubling down on grandiose claims, as insiders scramble, critics demand cognitive testing, and the stakes climb toward something far more consequential than political controversy.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In their 100th episode Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles mark the milestone by diving into a presidency they describe as veering into chaos—where a muddled, potentially deepening war meets wildly inconsistent messaging, and figures like Pete Hegseth are pushed out front to sell narratives that don’t match reality. They unpack how Donald Trump’s solo decision-making has led to a costly, open-ended conflict now entangled in the Strait of Hormuz, while back in Washington RFK Jr.’s anti-vax messaging threatens to weigh Republicans down even further. Layered on top: a surreal showdown with the Pope, allies quietly breaking ranks, and Trump fixating on legacy projects as pressure mounts from every direction.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEAST at https://www.oneskin.co/BEAST #oneskinpod

Isabel Vincent joins Joanna Coles to unpack her new book on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a portrait drawn from his own secret diaries, which were acquired by his late wife Mary Richardson Kennedy during their brutal divorce. What emerges is a man at war with himself: driven by legacy, consumed by guilt, and propelled by appetites—for power, for women, for redemption—that he can’t seem to control. Vincent traces the arc from grief-stricken Kennedy heir to anti-vaccine crusader and unlikely political force, revealing the family trauma, addiction, and relentless ambition that shaped him. Along the way, they unpack the myth and machinery of the Kennedy dynasty and the unsettling question at its heart: How is it that a man who once wrote of humility, service, and God now finds himself wielding influence over the health of millions?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices