The Daily Beast Podcast

Congressman Jake Auchincloss joins Joanna Coles to take on the chaos surrounding Donald Trump’s strikes in Iran—warning that the president may be waging a war without a clear strategy and without Congress’s approval. The former Marine questions Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, calls for the firing of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over alleged conflicts of interest, and explains why Democrats are already preparing for the possibility that Trump could try to undermine the 2026 midterm elections. The conversation ranges from the Democratic Party’s struggle to reclaim patriotism and define its economic message to the political power of tech titans like Elon Musk and the national security threat posed by TikTok—before ending with lingering questions about the Epstein Files.

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Joanna Coles speaks with Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled, about the explosive new revelations tying Prince Andrew to the widening scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein—from disturbing details in the Epstein files to allegations that could shake the foundations of the British monarchy. Lownie lays out how Andrew’s relationships with Epstein’s network allegedly stretched from secret apartments in London to a web of wealthy associates and foreign contacts, raising questions not just about sexual misconduct but about national security and the royal family’s long effort to contain the damage. With police questioning, mysterious deaths connected to the saga, and pressure mounting inside Britain’s political establishment, the conversation explores how the scandal could reach all the way to King Charles III and the future of the House of Windsor—and why the story may be far from over.
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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles dive back inside Donald Trump’s head as the Iran war enters its second week—and the president’s rhetoric grows stranger by the hour. From Trump’s bizarre Truth Social posts declaring Iran the “loser of the Middle East” to his cinematic demand for “unconditional surrender,” the pair unpack why Trump seems to be narrating the war as if he’s the hero in his own movie rather than a commander in chief navigating a global crisis. They also reveal the frantic reassurance Trump is reportedly seeking from journalists, the fear and aggression driving his language, and why allies around the world are struggling to interpret what any of it actually means. Meanwhile, chaos spreads closer to home: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is abruptly fired after a staggering $200 million self-promotional ad campaign blows up in her face, raising questions about who might be the next domino in Trump’s cabinet. And with bad economic news, rising oil prices from the war, and brutal polling ahead of the midterms, Wolff argues Trump may be approaching a rare political inflection point—one that could determine whether the second Trump era tightens its grip or begins to crack.
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Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles break down the chaos surrounding Trump’s war with Iran, a conflict where even top officials, allies, and the media seem unable to explain what the strategy actually is. They unpack Trump’s obsession with “winning,” the backlash building inside MAGA world, and why rising gas prices could quickly turn the political tide at home. Wolff argues the real key to understanding Trump may not be in the Pentagon or the intelligence briefings—but inside the mind of Jared Kushner, the one person he believes truly understands Trump’s thinking and the potential Gulf money and postwar deals at stake. They also dive into the uneasy body language of figures like Marco Rubio and JD Vance, the confusion among world leaders, and the political stakes back home—from the Texas Senate battle to a stunning Kristi Noem hearing that may have been the final straw for Trump to fire her as DHS Secretary.
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John Bolton joins Joanna Coles to help us understand what it’s like working with Donald Trump during moments of maximum peril, when generals and intelligence chiefs are trying to brief a president who, Bolton says, often prefers talking to listening. Drawing on his time as national security advisor during Trump’s first term, he describes a commander in chief uncomfortable in the Situation Room, dismissive of the structured National Security Council process created under the National Security Act of 1947, and prone to reversing decisions—even after operations were underway. As Trump weighs a potentially prolonged confrontation with Iran, Bolton assesses whether he has the patience to sustain it, why Benjamin Netanyahu has proved especially effective at influencing him, and how mixed messaging to Congress and allies weakens America’s hand when American lives are at stake in the Gulf.

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