The Daily Beast Podcast

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

Go to https://zbiotics.com/DAILYBEAST and use code DAILYBEAST at checkout for 15% off your first order of ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink.

Timothy Snyder joins Hugh Dougherty to argue that the U.S. is not just in decline but is experiencing what he calls a “superpower suicide,” in which political choices, institutional weakening, and short-term self-interest are actively eroding national power. In a wide-ranging conversation, Snyder, American historian and University of Toronto history professor, links this decline in American global power to a mix of incompetence and grift at the top of the Trump administration, explores why this doesn’t resemble traditional fascism, and lays out how “competitive authoritarianism,” media dynamics, and grassroots organizing will shape whether American democracy can still correct course.

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

INCOGNI Deal: To get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan, go to https://incogni.com/beast #ad

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles examine the looming post-Trump power vacuum, mapping out a chaotic and deeply personal succession battle as Donald Trump edges toward lame-duck status and a Republican party already turning on itself. From a flailing JD Vance to an ill-fitting Marco Rubio, a wildcard Tucker Carlson, and the unpredictable rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they unpack a Republican field defined less by ideology than by ego, media power, and proximity to Trump himself. As rival factions circle, alliances fracture, and even loyalists like Marjorie Taylor Greene begin to reposition, Wolff reveals a darker dynamic driving it all: Trump may ultimately sabotage any successor to preserve his own dominance, setting the stage for a brutal, zero-sum fight for the MAGA base where loyalty is fleeting, ambition is naked, and the future of the party hinges on who can survive Trump—while still needing him.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles as the White House hits messy overdrive, trying to contain war abroad and chaos at home. From an Iran conflict Trump reportedly can’t manage to illegal tariffs sparking corporate backlash to a cabinet mired in scandal, including Kash Patel under fire, and Pete Hegseth losing the room, Rothkopf, The Daily Beast’s unmissable columnist, paints a picture of an administration held together by optics, not strategy, and his now showing signs that he's scared about it. With insiders panicking ahead of the midterms and questions mounting about Trump’s fitness and control, they ask: How long can the illusion hold before it all collapses?

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

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