How Trump Is Trapped By His Own Idiocy: Wolff | Inside Trump's Head

I've said this too often that Trump is a moron, but I'm usually wrong about that. That somehow what he says people appreciate this Trumpian bluster, but. that now is paired with this other stuff that he can't escape in the war. Everybody sees the war, everybody knows that this is pure incompetence. Everybody sees these people around Trump. And you understand these are his lineup. of fools.

Michael, Joanne, regular. observers are going to notice you have a different backdrop. It's not only a different backdrop, but it's a different continent, a different city. I'm in Venice. You're in Venice, Italy? Yes, with my family, a family vacation. Excellent, excellent. Well, you deserve a vacation. You, a prolific and, And we appreciate you talking to us on vacation.

What choice that I have. Well, very limited choice, admittedly, actually, and if the one thing I should remind people to do. is please subscribe to the podcast, the reason that we can bring you. these conversations long, rambling conversations with me and Michael is, And to be fair, usually bringing you pretty good info on what's happening. inside the white House and definitely what's happening inside Trump's head. Please subscribe to the podcast. We're independent media and this is how we manage to, make it work.

So and let me just reiterate that we are. that that that is the premise inside Trump's head. Everybody else, I believe reports. with their nose pressed to the glass, which I'm mixing the metaphors now, their nose pressed to the cranium. And in order to. understand this time, this government, this moment in American history,

it is necessary to get inside and to try to figure out. what motivates this guy, because it's. unlike any other motivations. I believe in the. history of American politics, and it has nothing to do with politics, and it has nothing to do with logic and it has nothing to do really, with issues. It has to do with. What? Whatever. Whatever neurons have have,

have sluices through his brain. that the night before or early this morning. And that's why we are, in the Strait of Hormuz, in the Straits of Hormuz. And for those who don't know, Michael and me, and you're joining. for the first time, Michael is written not one, not two, but four books. Donald Trump and two books on Rupert Murdoch.

And I, I have a title that Michael doesn't like, which is chief content officer. at the Daily Beast. But I have been a journalist for many, many years at this point. And Michael and I have known each other for a long time. So we are a bit like a sort of bad tempered married couple at times, but it's because we're trying to thrash through, ideas. and we don't always agree, which is also fine. We try to show that it's okay not to agree, but we do agree that we are.

both in a war that, America is in a war that Donald Trump seems unable to get out of at the moment. What are your what are your thoughts? And again and again, we have extended another deadline. So we we we have a man who. threatens Armageddon, literally threatens. the end of a civilization obliteration. And then. extends the deadline for Armageddon.

I mean, I mean, I mean constantly how many, how many extension on what extension are we at now? I actually, I don't even know. But it certainly feels like we're at half a dozen. So I mean, at this point, I think it is it is, it is. I think it is clear to all that this is a strategic. bungle of the first order. I mean, there is he evidently did not,

did not calculate. that the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranians ability to control. it would be the central factor in this war now. And I think, you know, I was thinking, thinking about about this. and I mean, what we have is war, the Iranian war. I think that we should that there should be a movement to call this war.

The, the war for the Strait. of Hormuz, the Hormuz War, and then muse that then should begin. to evoke a level of. of incompetence, bungling, arrogance, and then all of the characters associated with it. Trump, Haig, Seth, Kushner, Wyckoff, Vance, two. This is the Hormuz gang, really.

But all you know and some. it's important I mean it's fundamental is beyond important. It's fundamental that leaders should be. held accountable for the wars that they start. It is it is, it is the largest responsibility that they. that they assume and the and the, and the greatest harm that they can do. So if they screw it up, it should hang around their neck.

Vietnam hung around Lyndon Johnson's next neck. Even the sainted Ronald Reagan Nicaragua contra hung around his neck, or the Iraq War certainly hung around George Bush's neck. And Joe Biden's term was basically finished off. because of because of the retreat from Afghanistan now. And Trump is going I'm sure Trump knows this, and Trump. is now going to do, in Trumpian fashion, pay no attention.

That didn't happen before. There was no war. This is his war. And I think this is a perfectly sums up. his, his his capabilities, which is to say he doesn't have these capabilities. He doesn't have the ability to think this through, but for whatever reason. And he could be like any other president to screw it up. But the point is, if you screw it up, you own it. He owns the Strait of Hormuz, the Hormuz gang.

What a what a delightful, vacation. And also, I think. here's the thing I find so curious and, and really repellent about him is the way he's. so disdainful of the presidents who've gone before. So he's like five presidents. They didn't have the balls to do this. I'm the only one. And of course, the reason they didn't do it. is because they fool saw what could happen with the Strait of Hormuz.

The energy shock that we are now all reverberating, that makes reverberating around the world the energy shock. and his sort of arrogance, as you say, to assume. he can do this without any understanding of what's happening. And now we have the the Navy secretary, who's. a business friend of his who's been fired in the middle of it. And even if he's not of any great military import, it's terrible. It's terrible from a well, it's it's also it's also.

Yeah, I mean, it's hager's going, you know, I mean, Hegseth is I love. the fact you've just signed to calling him haggis now. Right. This is exactly right. Yes he is. He's on the spot. And I think he's going to have to assume, I mean, he is going to be forced. to assume enormous blame for this, for this war. He is going to be the fall guy. So he's running around in the background trying to distract from it,

trying to deal with what what the the the internal. the internal politics in the Pentagon and everybody in. the Pentagon is going, oh my God, they did it again. They got us into a goddamn mess. And, you know, and and I, you know, I, I, I would say this is certainly not to excuse, excuse Trump. but so many other presidents before. have also made these fundamental errors.

But the thing about Trump is that one of the reasons he was elected. was saying, I'm not going to make this these errors. And anymore, no more forever wars. And here we are once we are well and also him, he made the same mistake that Tony Blair did actually after a crossover. when he went into Kosovo. And that seemed like a win. And, and was probably the right decision, but then got mired in the Iraq war.

with the Americans. and Trump clearly thinking that the very quick extraction of Nicolas. Maduro from Venezuela was somehow going to be a blueprint for Iran. I mean, they. are completely different countries, different cultures, and just the lack of understanding of that thinking that all foreign countries. are the same, basically. And, oh, we can just go in and take this leader out. And of course, they've taken a strong layer of leadership out in Iran, but it's. it hasn't led to the regime change that they thought it would, or at least.

No, I mean, they've they've done this. I mean, they're they're looking at this and I understand why. this would be puzzling to them. They have they have essentially, Iran essentially has no military now. because we've bombed it into, into, smithereens or the Stone age as they would prefer. And yet still they have, they are they hold.

you know, I think in military terms, very firmly the high ground. Yeah. So the Strait of Hormuz is, is is, you. this I don't know if I were in their position, I would, I would be wringing my hands now. It's a it's a kind of a checkmate situation right now. Well, and what's so fascinating is, of course, one doesn't want to root for Iran. It's a horrible regime. It's repressed its own people.

And who couldn't of who've been failed to be moved. by the efforts to overthrow the regime earlier this year. And the terrible way they just mowed people down. But it's the sort of naked stupidity. of what the Americans have been doing that makes it so, Well, we could have foreseen this. We could have foreseen this. And that's the real shame. Yeah. So so we have this other deadline,

yet another deadline coming up. May 1st in which, in which, that's the end of the 60 day period in which a president. can essentially, with some carte blanche, wage war. And then at the end of 60 days, he has to. or he or she in, in this instance, obviously, he, has to go to Congress and say, and, and,

and get permission to continue the war. He can however, there is, ask for another extension, a 30 day extension. I mean, can yes, he can. So, and I will expect Mr. Extension, Donald's extension to, to do just that, but he is there is at some point. soon going to be a reckoning and then Republicans.

are going to have to stand up and, and I, I, you know, they're going to have to show which side they are on and the war. is going to hang around their necks as, as the as the Iraq war. Hung has hung around so many people's necks. I mean, it went on the Iraq War, which Hillary Clinton voted for, hung around her neck through, through two elections. And of course, the only president who hasn't gotten into wars was Barack Obama,

who wasn't in favor of the Iraq War. And, of course, then got criticized for not going to the aid of the Kurds. in Syria. But I think a again and again, I I'm going to come back. to, to, advocating that this should be the Hormuz war. And Hormuz should be a word like Suez. Yes. Suez halted a generation of British politicians, and Hormuz certainly ought to haunt.

Trump and the Trumpers and, and Hager's. And I'm sure he is waking up. Oh, yeah. I, I, I'm sure it's interesting. that it is also going to be put around Vance's neck. Should be put around Vance's neck. Yeah, well, there was a fascinating sort of exchange. over the weekend where Trump didn't know where Vance was.

And Vance was going to Pakistan. He sent him to Pakistan for the talks. No, he was in Vance's office. Said, well, actually, he's here. He hasn't left. And he thought he was on the plane when he turned up at the white House. So nobody knew what Vance was doing. And, and as you say, it's going to get hung around his neck, too, although at least he's made it clear, very clear that he didn't. approve of the war, whereas everybody else seems to have been gung ho. We know that Hedges was gung ho. We know Marco Rubio was a bit more gung ho,

and Vance is clearly busy trying to separate himself. And let's let's go into the Tucker of it all right now, because I think that that was that that's been extraordinarily interesting. I mean, I mean, in in one of those, does this, does this kind of thing really happen, in which a key supporter of Donald Trump, you know, certainly in the I would say in importance one of a handful.

maybe certainly in the five most important supporters he have, he has. I think you could probably fairly put Tucker Carlson there a, a, a Maga pillar. So, the, the the other day, Tucker had a, it was literally I've had it I and I regret my support of Donald Trump. I apologize for my support of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump has betrayed everything that that. that he supposedly stood for, everything that he promised. And, and I am having none of it any more. I mean, it he could not have been more categorical. You know, there was a there was a point in the Vietnam War, the Johnson. that Walter Cronkite, in a far. less categorical way, began to to indicate.

that he had some doubts about the war in Vietnam. And, and Johnson highly attuned. to this, said, well, I've lost Walter Cronkite. I've lost the nation. And and I think that there's something similar here. If if Donald Trump has lost. Tucker Carlson in that kind of way. I think that it's there's really kind of questions about.

about the loyalty of the MAGA nation to Donald Trump. So but how real was Tucker's support? Because we remember in 2020, when it became clear that Trump was had. lost the election when there was the Dominion case? Tucker. So Tucker Carlson was the most important newscaster. on Fox at 9:00 and his in the evening, and his emails became available.

They were part of the case and it was clear he hated them. He said, I hate Donald Trump. I'm really glad I never have to meet to mention him again. And then his head, Tucker Carlson's head, which you record in your book, The Fool, which is about Fox News and Fox News in the post, Roger Ailes world, Roger. Ailes being the the co-founder of Fox News with obviously with Rupert Murdoch. They talk about the significance of of having Tucker Carlson fired that, that they want him to go as well as the $750 million that Fox.

had to pay for, wrongly saying that the Dominion voting machines didn't work. It was part of the conspiracy of the Big Lie. So. So did Tucker. I mean, I understand that Tucker is expedient. I understand is a media business, but to what extent was he actually a genuine. supporter or thought Trump was a buffoon and that he could ride the Trump train? Well, I think I think. probably all of that now.

I mean, I know Tucker very well. I've known Tucker for 25 years. You know, I, I, I wrote one of the first article, one of the first national magazine articles, profiles about about Tucker. I think Tucker was probably in his 20s then. I brought him to New York. magazine as a as a as a columnist. He was a disastrous columnist. But, but I, you know, I've known him very well. I liked Tucker, a great deal.

He's been a great source, incredibly insightful. But can you please tell people the anecdote of Tucker, where you go to where DeSantis goes to his house? And Mrs. Carlson decides that she doesn't like DeSantis. because DeSantis kicks one of the dogs under the table. Well, yes. This this is a much this disputed. story because, I mean, Tucker told me this and then I think has walked and walked.

it, walked it back, and then and then the DeSantis people, tried to sue me about this. They, I think they, they settled for. I think we, we there was we made a slight modification. in the language in future editions of some book, which I don't even know if we've gotten to those editions, but at any rate. But, no, all that backstory. But it's anyway the remarkable story.

Yeah, I, yes, but it I mean, I mean, Tucker also hates DeSantis. Tucker hates everybody, which is actually one of the reasons I, I, I like I like Tucker, and he certainly has hated Donald Trump and certainly has been been, had. has always consistently. I found been enormously insightful. about about Donald Trump. And Tucker of so I can say all that.

I've said in all that. the, the compliments that I've just given Tucker. Because and and those are I give them to him with all sincerity. But at the same time, let me say, Tucker is one of the biggest opportunists. I have ever met, which makes this more interesting. that his repudiation of of of Donald Trump, I mean, always, always go with, always look where the opportunists are going.

Interesting because and. but at the same time, I mean, Tucker has always as long as I've known. Tucker, his really consistent issue has been about about wars. I mean, he felt that he got burned on the Iraq War. when he was a George Bush supporting conservative. He believes that he has spent, spent much of his life in Washington around around these people, people. who waged war, who he came to believe are incompetence and hypocrites.

And that has been, I would say, very much his, his, one of his certainly defining issues. in one of the issues in which he has he has made. true common cause. with Trump and with MAGA people. So this war is a betrayal on that, that level. And so that's the that's Tucker in.

in having. a fight with his own conscience and deciding where he has to come out. But then when Tucker has a fight with his own conscience. and he does this regularly about a lot of issues, he almost always comes out on the side. that is most opportunistic. So, and those are that's one of those two things can be true at the same time. And so if he is now coming out.

against Donald Trump, it means Donald Trump is in serious trouble. Well, and and Trump himself has responded by saying that Tucker Carlson is a loser, that nobody follows his channel, that he is his favorite insult for people. A low IQ person, which coming from Trump is is pretty funny. So he's conscious of the fact that losing Tucker. isn't good, that this is not helpful for him, and he must be inside that strange head of his.

He must be desperately trying to figure out, how on earth do you do this? And the Iranians have got his measure. They get that. He gives them false deadlines. They get that he's full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Yo. And I don't know how he gets out of that. I mean, this is this is the problem of forever wars. that people, people, presidents get into these wars.

And then they, of course, always like to get out of them. I mean, you know, I mean, George Bush would certainly have liked. to get out of Iraq and then it becomes. not it's it's just not possible other than than. to say we we we lose and we give up and we go home, which is also going to get you defeated. So, it's it. it is the reason not to start these wars in the first place.

So yes, you can go through the the Iranian leadership is bad. The mullahs are bad. They've caused all kinds of terrible things. They're there. You can you can go. They're the worst people on on earth. And so therefore, we have the biggest military on earth, so why don't we get rid of them? This is how the logic goes, goes on, on this. The end. What no one understands is that that logic is faulty. In which we're just saying, you know, it is just because you have the strongest.

military on Earth does not mean you're going to win a war, or you're going to be able to get out of a war. That's the I mean, that's that's the the. that's the problematic point. Yeah. It's it's the crux of it. And also it's oddly, I mean, many wars are actually quite difficult to understand. The complicated, the nuanced. This one actually seems very straightforward.

They're a bad actor in theory. They were gathering nuclear weapons so they could be a threat. We go and in theory have obliterated their nuclear facilities last summer. Then, for whatever reason, partly because the Israelis. have the intelligence that they can take out the leadership, we go into war, which hasn't been explained. And now there is a visual of the fact that despite the fact.

we've taken out at least 50% of Iran's, Iran's, military or navy, that they have. a very small ability, but nevertheless vital ability. to block the Strait of Hormuz, which impacts everybody. It impacts everybody around the globe. So it's not localized, the impacts, the symptoms of this war. The ripple effect is not localized. It's global, which is also, I think, something that Trump underestimated.

Yeah. So no, I mean I'll say so in the Hormuz war, the front. there is a fundamental in all of these these these wars. There's always a fundamental strategic blunder. You know, we can or a conventional conventional. military is positioned to fight guerrilla armies, or you know, or we can go in.

and into situations in which our, our. but in which there's centuries. old religious, religious dogmas at issue. I mean, again and again and again, these kinds of, these kinds of things. I mean, this is a, a simpler strategic situation. The Iranians can can control this vital waterway.

So unless we we can think that through first. Well, we just, you know, then you can't you. then you shouldn't have begun the war, right? And weirdly, before the war, they weren't controlling the Strait of Hormuz. So what is the Hormuz war done? It's handed control of the Strait to the Iranians. Anyway, your friend RFK. Jr was up in front of endless committees over the last week.

Endless committees. I think he did seven of them. Extraordinary. I mean, I mean, this is for again for that from the Trump. point of view and from Trump looking at this, that's the worst. Look, it's almost as bad as the war itself. The one person you do not want out there in representing the Trump administration. And he did it seven times is RFK Jr.

I mean, because he stands for he embodies. he is the poster boy for the. the sing the the one issue. The the singularly the most unpopular MAGA issue. which is vaccinations. You know, and it's an interesting thing how how we've, we've gotten here. because the MAGA people actually came. partly came to power, partly.

came to building their own, the MAGA brand. because they were anti-vax and through the Covid period, that became their issue without anyone quite understanding. and putting two and two together, I mean, it's just amazing. how stupid everybody is almost all of the time. that that vaccinations in the United States of America. are regarded as one of the great advances of the of,

one of the great American advances and one of the great advances of our time. And and there's there's not a lot of controversy. about about this vaccinations are overwhelmingly. popular, though, so remarkably effective cost wise, too. I mean, you know, how they eradicate disease is. But B, they're very cheap to make en masse and they couldn't be more effective.

You know, I think it's this this is kind of, a media issue. and, and one of those believe in your own press issues. The media made this a, in an issue of really great drama, that there was this anti-vax. wave of opinion in the United States, and people started to believe this. and that made that, made the MAGA people,

I gave them profile and position and status. and which, which RFK Jr came to be deeply, deeply involved with giving his career his non-existent career. Suddenly a. a major, a major boost. without anyone really understanding that there was not support. for, for this anti-vax position.

So the media created the anti-vax as a potent movement in the United States. without without the media. or anyone seemingly in politics kind of taking the measure of this. how, how, how popular was this anti-vax position? Turns out they're not popular at all. So, so now you have RFK junior a significant and,

you know, he came, he came, he his brand in his position. on the back of this anti-vax thing. made him a it appeared to be a significant political force. that brought him into the Trump administration. And now the Trump administration is stuck with this guy who everybody sees. and hears the voice, which you might do, and, and thinks only one thing. Oh, that's the anti-vax guy.

They don't even think of him anymore as a Kennedy. I think it's really that's how successful this branding has been. He's not a Kennedy. He's an anti-vaxxer. He's an anti-vaxxer. And also, you remember that the reason I think it took off, I mean, it took off. because there were a lot of influencer moms on Instagram. who were many of whom had, children with symptoms of autism. The the whole anti-vaxx movement came from the connection.

of the MMR vaccine to, to autism. And of course, there is no connection. It started with a doctor called Peter Wakefield. I believe his name was out of London, actually out of the royal free with some, dubious research, which was then completely disputed and, negated. But nevertheless, RFK took up that mantle. And do you remember at this time last year, he said, well, the causes of autism is,

and the only thing they got. as a cause of autism was potentially Tylenol. Don't take it. And then Donald Trump and RFK Jr stood up. and told women, especially pregnant women, not to tough it out. They had to. Pregnant women should tough it out. and not take Tylenol because Tylenol was the likely cause of autism. Now they're saying the MMR vaccines are not the cause of autism. They've rolled back, having fired everybody.

on the CDC vaccine committee, and said. that it's a matter of personal choice whether or not you have the MMR vaccine. RFK junior, perhaps is, Susie Wiles is one who applied pressure, is now saying that actually it is advisable for children to have MMR. So it's a complete 180. But there are two fallacies here. I mean, certainly the fact this, this, this, the scientific fallacies. about the efficacy of vaccines, but then this other fallacy,

which I find almost more interesting that. that the general belief that this was. a popular view in the United States, and so both turn out to be. of course, the, the, the former has that's always been clear that that. that, that the science. RFK and company were touting was completely, ridiculous, and made up and, and, and and had no basis in science.

But the other thing, which is the comic side of this. now of the Trump White House. thinking this was a. a potent issue for their base. And it turns out that not even their base. once any wants to hear about about this and split, they are nevertheless. stuck with RFK junior. still junior at the age of 72.

He said over and over, out there now seven times this week trying, desperately to run from this. But nobody lets him run from this because he is so attached to it. Mr. anti-vax and then he has this other, other problem, you know, the term him having to defend Trump's drug price math, righteous, which is, is hilarious.

I mean, first thing is Donald Trump, okay. He said, you know, you're, you know, we've lowered prices by, you know, 1,000% or some, some ridiculous meaning a meaningless, meaningless, but then then then RFK Jr, is out there saying, well, 600%. And, I mean, in a sense essentially, essentially, obviously. if you've lowered prices by 600%, then then they're paying you.

Yeah, exactly. That's really a free. Yes. And it's really like if even if it has been, even if you've lowered them dramatically, it's going to be by 90 something percent. So anyway, this is. once again, well, also the other thing that that RFK. junior does, I mean, he looks and he sounds so addled. I mean, he's, I mean, someone said.

that he has the face of a raise in that speak to have dolphins. They're not even just a regular race and. but a race, and that is been baked by the sun. So he looks so peculiar. He's got his lips, his upper lips swollen because he's got his tobacco pouches. Oh, that was his voice. Okay. And he does that thing, but he sort of puts his hand over his mouth. And then he spoke and it's back over and you're like, dude, we can all see you. You're on camera. You look absurd. But but also he when confronted by,

a congresswoman. from California, I think it was from California. That he had suggested he'd said very casually on a podcast. that all black children were, given, you know, Adderall. They were given benzos, which is, I mean, just his familiarity with these. I don't know, it really is when when he reels off these. these drugs, he sounds like, of course, like a drug addict, which is I mean, that's the.

that's the relationship here, you know, he's spent a life in on the other, you know, on the walking the wild side of pharmacology. and now he's become a pharmacologist as though. Right. Well, it's like that way when people are like, oh, yeah, I've got. So I can give you Adderall. What do you what do you need? Vyvanse I've got some of that, like, oh my God. But, he said, you know, he said that black children should be sent to farms. and reprinted and all those greens should be taken away.

And so when confronted with this comment that he made, he said, I didn't say that. What does that even mean? I would never say that. It doesn't mean anything. And then of course, everybody finds the tape. Yes, of him saying just that. So again, this sort of people trying to adopt Trump's brazen us, which is what I think RFK junior is doing and just denying it. and saying it never happened.

And then they're presented with the evidence. It just makes them look foolish. And weirdly, Trump has been able to get away with that because he has a. sort of weird wink and because, unbelievably, he is still president. But when other people do it, it doesn't work. And it hasn't worked, really, for RFK junior, who, as you say, is probably the next to go. We haven't even discussed Lori Chavez, the hunter being fired as, because that seems so irrelevant at this point. It's just one more. It does, but it is at least three women that have been fired.

Is there any significance to the fact that you think that the first three people. to be fired from his cabinet are all women? Because there are many who are even less competent? And then Laurie Chavez, I I'm not sure you could find someone less competent than her. Well, RFK junior, RFK junior, I even even even RFK, I think well, I it's it would be a toss up. I mean she's she's really,

the at. the bottom of the I mean, he has fired three bottom as the bottom of the barrel. Now this this barrel pretty low. Yes. I mean, but I don't know. Yes. You could say. Well, they're, they're, they're, they're women, but they're. certainly they're certainly incompetent women. Yes. There are men I don't know. I mean, it is so hard to parse this this, who who is more,

strikingly incompetent, unfit and, ridiculous than the other. So I know she. So there are two details that that stuck out to me about this story. First of all, she was the first, I think, cabinet secretary. to unfurl an enormous banner of Trump's head. And you will remember from one of the first, cabinet meetings that he started filming was she says, Mr. President, I hope you have seen the portrait of your beautiful face.

on the outside of the Department of Labor. And, of course, Trump just sort of goes, you know, you know, why am I giving him an Australian accent? I don't know, but but he says, you know, people say, you know, people said you'd be okay. and you've turned out to be a gem. You're a gem. Okay. So he says that to her in the cabinet, in the cabinet meeting. And then it turns out that not only has she had, as did,

Kristi Noem, although Kristi Noem denies it. but inappropriate relationship with her bodyguard. But her husband was banned from coming to the Department of Labor. because he was accused of sexually harassing people working there. And her father, her father. So first her husband and now her father, has been reprimanded for sending,

her colleagues, shall we say, emails that would make an H.R. department spontaneously combust. So who knows what's going on in that family. But it appears to be a family affair. And now they're going to have to take their attentions elsewhere. But. But as a working woman, to have your husband and your father banned from the building. and banned from talking to your colleagues is really not a very good look at all. Well, let me let's let's just, and keep the,

keep the tally here. of how bad things are getting for Donald Trump. The war, the anti-vax poster boy, in seven back to back congressional hearings, essentially touting one of the least popular issues in the United States. and attaching it again and again and again to Donald Trump, then the, the.

the gang of fools around Donald Trump, which has. which is now becoming a constant, a consistent and constant issue for him. He can't escape it. And, so we've now had, so how many are we down? We're down four cabinet secretaries. Three, three, three. So you've got Christie name was the first Pam Bondi and then Laurie.

Right. And then you get to, your favorite, Kash Patel. Oh, Kash Patel, Andy Borowitz had such a good line yesterday. He said when thinking of people. who are drunk, don't think of them as trashed or smashed. Think of them as cached. I mean, Kash. Patel has gone full steam ahead, with claiming that he is now suing the Atlantic. for saying that he is drunk on duty.

and he's investigating the New York Times. because it investigated his relationship with his girlfriend. Who who is, who he's been flying on. government planes and and providing government security. And God knows, God knows what. And this is as a separate issue, but. a constant issue of the, of the, the Trump administration.

Let's the media says something we don't like. Let's sue now again and worth I want. I can't say this enough. This this this is this is something that has never happened. in, in American politics. Senior officials in an administration don't sue the media. As a matter of fact, this is kind of one of those fundamental.

American things. It may be actually the thing. What's the America's contribution to history? This may be it, which is if you're a person in power, we get to say anything we want about you. You have to take it. That's how power and freedom are balanced. You get to have your power. We get to say whatever. It literally doesn't matter what we say.

You have to take it. And if you don't want to take it, well, just, you know, you can go home and nobody will care or wit about you. I mean, this is it. So the idea that we are in power. and this is obviously prevalent, prevalent throughout the Trump administration. We are in power and we have the power. The power to prevent you from saying these things. is exactly what the. the exactly the paradigm that the American,

experiment is designed to prevent. So, here we are now, there. they consistently in court lose. And let's point out that I am in court now with one of the senior. most members of this, of this, government, although not not in an official capacity, but by marriage. The first lady who I am suing.

because she threatened to sue me for saying something about her. that I mean, this is this is again, this is how it works. You get to be in power. We get to say anything we damn well please about you. True. False. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Suck it up. Take it, take it. Be a man about it or go home.

That is, as I think that's about as good a definition of democracy and, of our democracy as I can come up with. Well, and I think actually the first lady is an official role, isn't it? Isn't that why Trump sequestered the the jet, the seven, three, seven from the teapot? Whatever you want to call it. She is certainly a high member of this of this, of, of the Trump administration. But presumably that's why. he felt he was able to take a full plane, a seven, three, seven,

and give it to the first lady for her to ride around on. Although she doesn't do very many official duties, but would be even hard to pass that off in America if it was just for your wife. that didn't turn up. So, also, the strange thing is that they threaten these lawsuits and cash. Patel has now sued the Atlantic. What does he think discovery is going to be like, the process of discovery? No. Are I I mean, how does he think this is going to resolve?

Here is what I predict will happen, which is he will settle. He will settle for nothing unless he's already fired by then. And of course, the piece opens with the anecdote of him being unable. to get into his system, his computer system, and then being convinced he's been fired and having an absolute fit. because he's been fired. Nobody's told him, which will, of course, at some point. And also he's, you know, he's suing the Atlantic.

for $250 million. And one of the rationales for that number is he couldn't go to $1 billion. because that's the number that Trump and. and Trump's wife, Melania Sue at. So he could not sue for more than they sue for. So he sued for a quarter of their value. That's what that's how he's valued himself. Well, I would love to be a fly on the wall. as they pull together that that case.

And also we've got the images of him. clearly very drunk at the Olympic game, you know, the men's finals in the, in the hockey Olympics from Italy where he's he's literally. sort of standing with the bottle pouring down his face. And we know that Donald Trump, who doesn't like public displays of drunkenness. or private displays of drunkenness, for that matter, reamed himself to that. This is not a good look either. So I guess between the two who would go first?

Kash Patel or do you think RFK Jr. You know, again, it's how Trump wakes up in the morning. Who who is he? More aggravated. Who is he more aggravated about? And who does he think? And if he thinks firing someone is a distraction that he needs. and something that's going to solve other problems that he has, but it doesn't matter. I mean, because, I mean, it's really not relevant to the narrative,

which now is he can't escape of these numskulls around him now. I mean, this has been true from the day one of this administration and almost. everyone, everyone could have told you that, that these people are unfit. But because in that moment of Donald Trump. won the presidency, you get to have. and and the and he has a Republican Senate.

with these Republicans being beholden to him. They were confirmed. So everybody knew as they confirmed these people that these people were going. to, where they were unfit and it was going to be a disaster. It now that now has come to pass. and again, one of those things. Trump can't get out from under it can't get out from from under the war, can't get out from under the anti-vax thing.

Can't get out from under the fact that he has surrounded himself. with, with, with fools, that it has become a comedy. It is a ship of fools. And also, as you have always pointed out, he cannot stop talking. So he just thinks that he can survive this by talking his way through it. And people, I think, increasingly sick of hearing from him. and people sort of understand that he's.

terrifying to be around for the people who are working with him, his cabinet. So they look diminished. They look foolish. They constantly have to call him out and praise him. And the whole thing seems less and less tenable. Yeah. You know, you know, I mean, I'm I'm always I mean, I've said this too, too often. that that Trump is a moron and everything out of his mouth is, gibberish, and,

gibberish is such a good word. But but I, I'm usually wrong about that, that somehow he. what he says is turns out to be, a performance. I mean, I can appreciate it. It's like a dog whistle, but somehow people appreciate this. Trumpian bluster and drama. and what, whatever it is that, that he's doing. But that now is paired. with this other stuff that he can't escape.

I mean, the war, everybody sees the war. Everybody knows that this is, that this is pure incompetence. Everybody wants their vaccines. And everybody sees these, these, these people around Trump. And now sees the more as one by one, they fall by the wayside. And you, we and you understand these are his people. This is what Donald Trump means.

A line up of fools. Well, he also reassured people that while gas prices were up. now, they would go down. and then Chris Wright, the energy secretary, came out and said, well, the gas prices may not go up much more, but they're definitely not going down. So he either undermines the people around him. or they're trying to stick to, you know, what's actually happening, end up undermining him. No.

And we've seen this. I mean, we have those two, I mean, two other issues, the the the economy, which he has failed to move in any. in any positive fashion at all. And that was supposed to be that was along with no forever more, no more Forever Wars. The economy was supposed to be his his central issue. and obviously he's that is that has not worked for him. And then there's the ice thing, which is also as devastating and.

and a refrain that he can't get away from these guys with the masks out, they're doing whatever dirty deeds they're constantly doing. So. again, you know, and I, and I, this theme that we have. that that we are at the beginning, actually, we're probably further into it. than just the beginning of the end of.

of Trump in. America. Well, you must be looking forward to coming home then. Well, no, not quite yet, but I, I usually like to come home. So are you noticing. in Italy a different reaction. to Americans? No. I mean, you know, I mean, I think everybody is, is, I mean, nobody has pelted me with, with, with, you know, rotten.

something or other, things, I guess, but I'm in Venice where, you know, most. everyone is a tourist and most quite a number of people are Americans. So but I do the people I know here, and I. And I've been coming. I know, a lot of Italians. Some are fact. I am in Venice because my my, one of my lifelong friends. is the Venetian, and I come to see him.

at least once a year. And, you know, and there is a confusion. I mean, I don't think anybody out saw anybody here can begin to begin to explain. what has happened, what is happening, what has happened. And I mean, I'm not sure I can explain it. So, but, you know, the entire. the the, the we're this is a global spectacle. Donald Trump is, is explaining Donald Trump.

I think it is the one question that everyone, the world over, everyone has in common. How can you explain this? How did this happen? Right. Well, we'll be trying to explain it again on Saturday. And actually we're doing a special on Saturday on the marriage. on Donald and Melania on their relationship and explain that. Yeah, yeah. I mean, who cares about Brad and Angelina anymore?

The prenup that you want to read is Melania Trump's prenup. And, and that may be possible. Stay tuned. Stay tuned for your case. Well, if you have been thank you very much for joining us. Please don't forget to press the subscription button. We'll be back on Saturday with, special on the Trump's marriage. And Michael have a very well-deserved few days in Italy. And I will see you next week in New York. I will see you on Tuesday for another episode.

of Where We Go thrice weekly. Inside Trump's head. Michael, do you want to thank our production team. of thanks to our incredible team, such an incredible team. They are an incredible team. Devin, Rachel, Ryan, Heather and Neil. Well done.