How Trump’s Fake Reality Show Is Collapsing | The Daily Beast Podcast LIVESTREAM

Welcome to the Daily Beast podcast live on YouTube. It's Friday morning. It's 1133 on the East Coast. I am delighted to be joined by. I should see who I am first, right? I am Hugh Daugherty. I am executive editor of the Daily Beast. Welcome to everybody in YouTube. Welcome also to people on Substack. We are live on Substack for the first time as well. So please let us know where you're tuning. Tuning in from wherever you are. Delighted to be here with you. and delighted especially to be on in conversation with Sarah.

You Weiss. Sarah, thank you for joining me. Thanks so much. Looking forward to this. So, to those who do not know, Sarah, she is, one of our DC team. She is, well, she's out and about often on Capitol Hill, sometimes in the white House, covering the corridors of power and. the crazy goings on in the capital city. Sarah, I wanted to talk to you this week. I think the way that I, the way I sometimes I think we all see.

Donald Trump is on television, or at least as a television show. And I wanted to talk to talk about two things, really. First of all, how he's been creating his reality. But secondly, it's looking like this reality is beginning to crack. And there was an amazing example played out last night. On Thursday night in Washington, DC. And I just wonder if you could set the scene. because I know it's beautiful, beautiful weather down there. What else would you do on a nice Thursday night?

But go for a drive and go out for dinner? Yes. So this weekend is the white House Correspondents Dinner. And so we've got a lot of parties happening in Washington, DC. Let me just set the stage here. The white House Correspondents Dinner. the whole weekend is filled with a lot of parties. But the whole point of this dinner is to honor, the First Amendment, honor the press, the freedom of speech. It is a core principle in this country. But it's become this huge show and circus in Washington.

And so a lot of different things are happening, whether they're policy related or whether they're just party related. This week in Washington. Yes. You said it. Glorious weather. But one of the parties that took place yesterday, was the Paramount was, Paramount CEO. Larry Ellison. Son, is how the part who's Donald Trump's very good friend had a party, basically after the takeover of Paramount, which is the owner of CBS news.

And so he hosted a party which was supposed to be some Trump. officials, obviously, some CBS news folks. CBS news has come under fire because of basically it's been magnified, with the takeover, with the Ellison family. And he was hosting this dinner basically to bring members of the administration. and CBS news together. But it didn't go exactly as planned. And the reason I didn't go is. getting to the good part here. Really?

So they they held this dinner at the Institute of Peace, which is now known as the Donald Trump Institute of Peace, which is right on. the National Mall. And, it was supposed to be this event. The president actually ended up attending, but before the president even. went to this event, there were rumors. that there would be a lot of protests, because of the merger. Because of the takeover, because of how CBS news. has changed under Barry Weiss's leadership.

And so there was a there was actually promotions of protest. before the president arrived. Of course, then the president and his motorcade go rolling up. to this event where he thinks he's. going to have a party, and he's going to be a center figure. And he's going to get to mix and mingle, even though he constantly. is attacking the press, including CBS news for years. And, the protests were there to greet him. And so that really shows where things go wrong for Donald Trump. when it comes to reality versus what Donald Trump, the reality TV.

president and the reality TV star of many years, actually gets. And so we saw the protesters. We saw signs, they're angry about many things. It's predominantly right now, the war in Iran. But there's also protests going on that have to do with his basically. bringing in billionaires. and forgetting the little guys that he's claimed to run for. There's a lot of rage about where the economy is right now. But this one focus of originally.

on the takeover, of CBS news, the buddying up and cozying up to the Trump officials who constantly. attack the media, and really have threatened, actually reporters with prison time, and investigations constantly. And so this this weekend has been, I think, a challenge for a lot of. people in the media, because when you are talking. about the First Amendment, that is why we're all discussing, the, the, the matters that be, with the, the parties and everything going on.

But we're in this very dark place as a country when it comes to protecting. the First Amendment and the freedom of speech. Right. And I think, one of the things what's what's saying here is we. just saw some pictures of those protests and they look a bit thin. They're not that well attended. The reality is Donald Trump is kept far, far away from these protests. And instead he went into this, former Institute of Peace that was cleared out by doors, possibly, possibly, according to some legal authorities,

possibly even illegally, and had Trump's name slapped on it. And they're like, these protesters are far away. Is he even getting the sense. that the lawyer, does he know that this is happening? I mean, he's in the back of the beast. and we presume he's glued to his phone. But that's the thing, isn't it? He's creating a reality in his in his own head, in his own mind. that the president is very isolated. as a figure, especially in this second administration.

What he says and what he actually is living is not the reality. in the United States of America for millions of people. So, yes, at one, he's driving along, Constitution. Ave or whatever route he took specifically to get there. And he can see the protesters if he looks out the window. But he's so isolated at the white House and he's surrounded by a team of yes men. who have basically let him do whatever he wants, the second administration.

folks have told me, and it's pretty obvious, even when you watch it, just as the public, that there was a lot of being reined in during the first administration. There what were some guardrails? The guardrails are completely gone. And so he can live in this false reality where he couldn't. last time, where he'd get some reality checks, per se. This time is he's not getting those reality checks. He's being giving the information he wants to hear. He's being told what he wants to hear. And every so often when something comes up that he doesn't want to hear,

well, he can then turn around and do whatever he wants anyway. So it goes back to the president living in his false, world. And so, yes, he got to see the protests. It's a good reminder. because he, frankly, hasn't been out and about a lot in this country this term. He hasn't been doing. He's done a few rallies. Maybe that'll ramp up more as we head into the midterms. Not a great political climate for him or his party right now. But he has been largely isolated. And so he's been able to get away with it. But it's not like he's not on the internet. He could easily see this.

It's not maybe said so much on Fox News. Every time something bad comes up on Fox News, he's there to post about it on Truth Social or any kind of criticism. I should say. But you know, he has been largely kind of put the blinders on. and does what he wants and has no one telling him no. So no one's telling him no. Who's also he's on Truth Social all the time. I'll just, I say it's it's 1141, on Friday morning, if you're watching this live, you know, it's 1141, obviously East Coast,

many of you are tuning in from far afield as Australia, which is amazing. Thank you for being with us. But he was up at midnight at 1 a.m. at 3 a.m. and then again just before 7 a.m., and he was on Truth Social. And what he was putting on Truth Social. Let's be honest, it's kind of crazy who's. first of all, it does. We think he uses the phone himself, right? The idea is that existing himself,

he does not have, his he has a small team of people who do post for him during the work days. When you see the repost and some of the most wild, outlandish. articles and videos and those are coming late at night, the, the understanding is. and what I've been told is he's doing that himself. He does not have other people doing it for him. But like you said, I mean, I didn't count. how many tweets came out or true social post came out this past 24 hours. But I was looking at it earlier this week, and from Saturday to Monday it was dozens of posts.

I think I counted as many as 50 and 12 in 1 span, like one day. And that was just. sitting down in the morning and looking at it out on a Tuesday early. But he hasn't had any public events. He's been very much hidden from the public, for the large part of this term, and especially more recently, he had one event early on Saturday. That was, Bill or, executive order signing. And then he waited three days before we saw him again publicly.

We saw him at another event later on Tuesday afternoon. And this week, he's had maybe 2 or 3 events in total publicly, where he's definitely gone off on a lot of different tangent. But he's he hasn't been as public as he has. in weeks, months, and especially not since the first time, this go around. And so that raises his own questions. But yes, he, he is out there posting at all hours of the night, and then maybe at some point sleeping through his actual work events. or like we should say, there's a, you know, it was a,

an amazing scene in the Oval Office yesterday. It was kind of it was kind of, it was almost like one of those. Renaissance paintings that Donald Trump has surrounded by people behind him. And he himself is just like that, asleep. Some people in the comments are using the phrase sundowning. You know, one of the things that it's probably worth talking about. is if, when he the construction of Donald Trump's reality,

he is always harking back to Sleepy Joe. And Sleepy Joe Biden was a nickname that he gave to Joe Biden. Now I and you have both covered, a lot of this, the scars on my back. But, did we ever see Joe Biden? Actually fall asleep in public? I don't believe we did. He? He was the only to appear to vote out. Yeah, but we did not fall asleep at the overall.

And, in the Oval Office, at the resolute Desk at it's, it's it's a Kennedy and it's happened multiple times now. with the, the, the president. So whether or not he's sleeping or just closing his eyes, they'll argue he's closing his eyes. He'll argue he's bored, especially in those cabinet meetings. But he's not asleep. But there have been moments where we physically see him. Jolt. Yes. Which is him waking up. So there are moments where he is, in fact, not awake, not just resting his eyes, waking up in the moment at the like you said at his.

desk in the white House or in these cabinet meetings. And so he's kind of surrounded by these things going. on, the events going on, the announcements going on. And he does give a full presentation when he's there. It sometimes gets wildly off the tracks, but he is speaking a lot. But then he'll have when he is not the one and at the center of attention, when he hands it off to any other administration official. or any other person that is invited into the Oval Office or into the white House, he immediately tunes out. So that is another. example. of this lack of paying attention to the reality,

where he just kind of shuts everything out and then spews what he is going to say. He makes his points, makes his points that have nothing to do with the event. But isn't paying attention to what's going on around him. in many of these instances where we do, in fact, see him publicly? He's a very good question, actually, from in the comments. Sherry does. sorry. I think it's probably cherry does fun stuff. 7410 thank you for your support, the Daily Beast. Why does nobody ever point out to Trump that he's falling asleep on camera?

Now, you've actually been in that Oval Office in those sort of circumstances. Explain how it works. There's a group of reporters facing him. What what what goes down. It is tricky. Depends on whether it's a larger event. or the press pool, which is a select group of reporters. that get to cover the press and on any given day. And it changes up on a rotation. The president has. been asked about what. he's doing when it appears he is falling asleep.

It kind of confuses me. And he's also been asked about his health directly, so that those questions have been posed by different reporters. At different points. What confuses me is in these moments, he's. usually seated next to officials who or seated in front of officials. If it's in the Oval Office who are there. but don't ever bother to, like, prod him or like, right.

And it's my question is to them maybe is do they not want to draw attention. or do they think they'll get in trouble if they do anything at all? And a lot of the times, I don't think these people actually want to, like, have any engagement. Because there was a moment where Trump was dead asleep. or appeared to be dead asleep in the, in the, in his cabinet meeting. And he was seated between. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and seated between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

And they're both chatting away and giving their, like, updates and gushing over the president. and lavishing him with the press, as they always do. And he's just has his eyes closed and is somewhat slumped over at times, to the point where you're wondering, well, what's going on? And no one ever, actually, like, prods him or touches him in any way. I know he's a germaphobe, so maybe that actually. has something to do with it as well. Would you? If. Okay, I won't answer that one. No. But the the reality is,

is that that they no one actually does like, prop like problem up or bump him. or make sure he's paying attention in any way from his own staff. And he actually has addressed this too, which is kind of funny. that you bring it up because. when he talks about the fact he's like, I was shutting my eyes, the camera caught me in a blink. Not just like still cameras, video cameras. Claims it's like in a blank moment. Which is why his eyes are closed sometimes. So he has a lot of excuses. But he's literally said, like, if I had fallen asleep, Pete Hegseth or Marco Rubio.

would have woken me up. And he's done that while they're the ones who hadn't woken him up. So he's again painting this picture of like, well, this isn't reality because. it wouldn't have happened this way, but it already has happened on camera. And I was just I was just taken aback that this is, this actually. this kind of happened to me once, that side a boss fell asleep in a meeting. And I will say, it's not the Daily Beast. So, And I don't want I'll give them some degree of anonymity.

But we were we were sitting in a meetings, a group of us, and I'd started to deliver my bit of the presentation. And the boss at this time would be, I would guess, in his mid 60s. And we realized that he was sitting in a chair and drifting back and back. and a more experienced member of staff, who had much more close dealings with this boss, sort of gestures at me just to stop and the whole room went silent. And when he woke up again in a couple minutes of jolted awake.

We all pretended that this had not happened, and I just continued from the sentence that I was delivering. So, I a my my my tip, from this one day of experience. to little Marco and to Pentagon Pete would be, don't keep talking. Just go quiet. Leave it as a pause. And when he comes up, just like, just continue. He will not. He wouldn't know the difference. But this is all like, this is the big thesis today I think is. there is a reality that we all experience, that gas prices are up,

that the war in Iran is at the very least in question, if not a failure. And something I want to talk about. The polls are bad, but Donald. Trump does not appear to be acknowledging this reality. But increasingly you can. It's not at the edges of the Oval Office. It's right there in front of them. These are things that are being present, that are presenting themselves to him. And rather like that picture of the limousine going past. and the protesters putting, they're putting up abusive gestures.

It's not it's not making it's not, it's there's a point. at which it doesn't make sense. I, I just want to say on screen, if you're watching this on YouTube, you're watching this Substack, you should be able to see a, chart. right now of approval ratings, not red line. That's going up as disapproval. It's going up, it's going up, it's going up. That green line is disapproval. He is in. The overall rating is in the -30s. And, people have. pointed out that the all time low rate, the all time low,

has already been achieved and it can only go down somewhat. He's got to tell him this, I think right there. Well, that's the thing it is. I think some people are telling him some of this and. if not his team, he's being asked about it point blank by reporters. And in many of these cases, he attacks the reporter rather than acknowledge the reality. So maybe not specifically with the polling, but. the war in Iran is a very good example of this.

When he gets a question or he gets a comment he doesn't like, he goes on the attack rather than acknowledge what is actually happening. And so there's no question that his polling is terrible. I mean, it's in the toilet right now. It's I would think we had a poll this week from CNBC that said something like. even his approval among Republicans had dropped 17%. since he was in office in 2017. So that's a huge drop in his own base.

Maybe MAGA is sticking largely with him, but the Republican, party at large has really defected in some ways, and he hasn't been able to hold it together. But instead also in that point, like to that point, there are examples of folks who have brought things to his attention. I don't know exactly what went on behind closed doors with former Congresswoman. Marjorie Taylor Greene, because she won't say specifically what she said to him. She's like, I won't talk about my personal conversations with the president. But at some point they hit a wall and he started attacking her, too,

just like he attacks the media when he hears something he doesn't like. or gets a question he doesn't like. And so those who even were closest to him at one point in time, have been alienated for bringing things up. And in her case, it was a bit of Jeffrey Epstein files a conversation about that. There were also some other frustrations from her when it came to health care. But the people who. have been able to approach him are no longer in the orbit.

And she's a good example of that. So one person I want to talk to that is in the orbit is Joe Rogan. He is, well, he's Joe Rogan, as many things, obviously. You know, his career goes back quite a long way, but his relevance to the Trump moment. is that he was one of the bro podcasters. who gave Trump a platform in 2020, for and so in summer 2024.

And that appeared to give Donald Trump a huge boost in popularity. and particularly visibility among young men who were unlikely to vote. And there are some analysis, let's say, that was pretty important to the election. To some of those that say. it may not actually be that important, but psychologically, this was a huge thing. for Trump and for those around him to achieve popularity among these people. Joe Rogan is usually the most popular podcaster. Depending on which chart you look at. Or number two,

his his position is always, you know, up, up at the top. And the picture that's up here at the moment is of him. in the Oval Office last Saturday that tell us what was he doing there? And by the way, he is indeed speaking to RFK junior. I don't know if raccoon penis was, the topic, but, it's quite a scene. So can you fill us in? I'll get to your question, but I do want to say the raccoon penis stuff if. Joe.

Excuse me, Joshua, who didn't talk to him about this stuff? I, I want to know what he's doing there as well, because I have a lot of questions on that myself. Yes. With that said, though, so he is the one of, as you mentioned, the most popular podcasters and. he endorsed the president right before the election. But he has really soured on President Donald Trump. I mean, really taken him down. when it comes specifically to the war in Iran.

And talking about that, I think he's he's dropped the F-bomb. many times while talking about how the president has gone into Iran. and has been waging this war in recent weeks. So he was brought into the Oval Office over the weekend, because the president, was moving forward with the FDA. speeding up approval for psychedelics. This is something that when it comes to medication, or for medical purposes.

And so he was there in support of a policy that he has backed. It, it it does raise questions on the timing of the president doing it now. Because he brought someone who has supported this idea and wanted. to push this policy, into the Oval Office at a time when this person in particular. and this person with a huge microphone, has been deeply critical of the president. So Joe Rogan's in the white House, and he is.

there for this event on Saturday morning, and he's standing with the president. I think he was a little upset. The president said he was more liberal than him. He joked about that while he was there. Which is kind of funny because I don't think. he is specifically more liberal than President Trump. He just is against Trump's war in Iran. And has long had those help, those. but against such policies or interventionist policies, I should say. And so he was there. It kind of felt like it was a. we're going to try and sweep this guy up who's been super critical of us.

And it didn't work. So he brought him in. He butters him up, he goes with his policy, that he's been pushing, nothing to do with Iran. And and then afterward, he goes the he goes back to his podcast. and continues to berate Donald Trump over the war in Iran. I think he called it like, what is it? He said, it makes no sense. Makes no sense. I'm right as well. As you say, there's a lot of F-bombs in between. Most of those words. But it he he basically Trump got nothing out of this.

He got in fact possibly even worse because he, he invited your organ and your organ got what he appeals to wanted he wanted. psychedelics made, more easy to research and possibly to give his medication. And he also has long argued. for the universal legalization of marijuana. And this week, that took a step forward. Exactly. Moved from a schedule one to schedule three drug, which allows more medical.

research, may also allow, in the next few months or maybe a year, some financial, you know, the ability of banks to deal with cannabis companies may be made much easier. But anyway, he went there. He went in the Oval Office. He opened up on a Saturday morning. They got Trump down. They got in Bobby Kennedy from the raccoon hunt. And, and then what did you a rock and get he got what you wanted. What did Trump get. He doesn't appear to get anything reality show is beginning to crack isn't it.

Yeah. No I mean he he brings people in. He tries to paint a picture and it doesn't work. I mean, immediately Joe Rogan went back on the air and continued to criticize the war. I should say, he has a huge audience with young men in particular, as part of his massive, base for his podcast. And that is one group that Trump did. well with in the 2024 election, or better than, in the past. It helped him win. And he has seen his approval among men and young men in particular, plummet.

And how much of that specifically has to do with the war versus. Joe Rogan bashing him about the war? It's hard to say. But but it has been a substantial decline. And this is one example is. the, the podcaster example. But the other part of this is he's specifically. talking about the war in Iran. And that has just gone. absolutely terribly, for the president because he said it'd be over soon.

He said to be over soon. He gave a six week timeline. We've blown past the six week timeline. And it's what he campaigns on. What he promises and then actually has to deliver in reality is a challenge. But then he put us in an entirely different new war, and he can't just scramble that back and make that go away, and paint this reality shiny TV show picture, like he has been able to do through most of his life. And that has really torn down, some of the shine, from his presidency.

And I, for once in his life, it feels like he doesn't know how to get it back on track. So it looks like he's got everything under control. When maybe he's never really fully had anything under control. Under control, but has always been able to pretend it. And this pretending is this truth. Socialist Twitter. I think, big wave marketing camp. Thank you for your support. His fake reality show is failing because he himself is fake.

I think that's something that a lot of people. would have a lot of sympathy with that view. What was going on inside the white House? Are are people paying attention to him? Because there's a lot of report. There are reports coming out. now of infighting and briefings against each other. And one, I think, very significant thing that has appeared have been on, on, on. unraveling the Appeals Act.

And I just Freudian slip that right unraveling appears to be. in there and action is that some. some of the officials, some of the aides, are just kind of tuning him out. They're not invite he was not invited to some of the keyboard briefings. They happen behind his back. And you were saying earlier, Sarah, we actually saw less of them this week than we've seen normally. Some people people are perhaps managing to keep them. from summoning in the press at all times.

That that definitely seems to be that. there are pursuits, in the white House and some people I've even spoken with, where they don't want him in the room. And sometimes it's some things where the president wouldn't be in the room. But Donald Trump has always wanted to be front and center anyway. Because they can just get more done, without him there. And you reference some reports. There were reports of him berating and screaming at staffers, and being removed from military, briefings at the white House.

I think in reality, there was this whole conversation once upon a time about him. getting out on the campaign trail, and they want the his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, wanted him out there more publicly and campaigning. That all has gone away, right? We almost entirely since the war started with Iran. We just we haven't seen him campaigning for somebody in the comments. And I'm sorry. It's moving by by too quickly, but pointed out that he doesn't.

go to real America. No, I, I will say one of the things in the past, right, in 20. 2015 and 2016, when he first got elected, he was geographically everywhere. Even the last election, he turned up in some crazy places. He talked up in the Bronx. It's it's a it's a cult. A deep, deeply Democratic. area of New York would be to exaggerate Republican support. He turned up, on the new Jersey shore again, not a state. that was in any way in place, although.

there are parts of that new Jersey shore that are probably in the chat, who will know that they have some, some Mike enables, but he's just but he's at he's in the Oval Office. He's at Mar-A-Lago. He's at his golf club. Is it another golf club? It doesn't really go anywhere. No, he really hasn't. And the person. who has been going places, not a lot, but who's kind of stepped into that role, which is very curious in my mind, is JD Vance.

JD Vance is going to he's going to be in Iowa. He's done some of random events. Not a lot like I said. But he's been doing some of the more campaign style events for the president, leading up to the Iran war, even through the, as I said, going to Iowa next week through the Iran war. But he also has just been thrown under the bus. completely by this president for Iran negotiations. And so we see a little bit more of the vice president.

stepping into this role as a campaign guy. But the president himself has done. very, very few events. And at some of the events he has done. have been specifically in places he was already going to go, like Florida. He hasn't been going out of events besides Mar-A-Lago. Let's be honest about this. Yeah. So usually it's like Doral. So it's his other club. Yeah. But, he does. You don't see him in Pennsylvania. You don't see him in Michigan. You don't see him in Wisconsin.

All these places that he has been repeatedly going to. or have been repeatedly going to on the campaign trail. And yes, I guess it was a it was a campaign. There is a reality that he would be going there more often. That was the full job at the time. But he's not doing that now. And it comes back to the pictures that we saw last night. If you'll recall, when Joe Biden would travel, Joe Biden was met with protesters everywhere he went. Sometimes it was very few, sometimes a lot more. But as president, he was met with protesters.

And a lot of it had to do with the war in Gaza. Donald Trump's. reality show does not allow him to go to these places to be met. by these protesters, who will be one still talking about the war in Gaza. that he claims solved, when there's still violence happening in Gaza? Let's be very clear. We now have the cease fire in Lebanon, but. that's hanging by a thread. We'll see where that goes. We have a war in Iran also, ceasefire. hanging by a thread and the president saying bomb the boats.

And so anywhere he goes at this stage to any state in the country, even if it is the reddest state in America, there still will be. some people who stand outside. on the side of the road for hours to give him the finger as he drives by, and that is something that. we won't see if he doesn't do it. Which is what what we're seeing right now is he's hiding out, at the white House. And then I'll bring it up, because it is a question.

I mean, he's not going out. He's not seeing the the, the, the reality on the ground, the people who are really struggling because of these four plus dollar a. gallon gas prices, who are dealing with the. incredibly expensive energy costs suddenly. But also it brings up questions about his health. because he's 79 years old. I mean, he's not a young chipper man anyway, even by comparison to. when he ran in 2016 and even a year ago when he was on the campaign trail,

things have seemed to slow him down, a lot more than they did even then. And his health has been a major focus, both for The Daily Beast and for some others. We've have a lot of questions about when he's going to get his next physical, because he blew by that date, which was April 11th of last year. And this year it hasn't happened yet. And questions about that have gone unanswered to us. And so. we don't see him running around across the country.

because he doesn't want to face the reality on the ground. But then we also have these background questions of, well, what's going on with his health at the same time. Right. And on the subject of health, we as you say, we don't know. We there's a lot we do not know. April the 11th, 2025, he went for a physical April. the in 2026 has come and gone, and there's been no physical. He's it cannot be healthy. And a number of doctors have pointed out.

it's not a sign of good things when you're awake all night. 79. We call night and nodding off. during the day, and he, he we, you know, we've all seen the cankles. We've all seen the bruised hands. The white House have. admitted that he has a health condition, but they haven't really set. people's minds at rest. Healthy. And they haven't. And that's that's because the white House keeps layering about transparency.

without answering a single question directly. And I just want to take this goes back to the demonstrators. outside the dinner at the at the uppercuts at the Kennedy Center. Sorry. At the other thing, he's I know. he's put his name on at the Institute of Peace. One of the people that was there was, in fact, Jamie Raskin. He is, of course, a senior Democrat. And he is determined to make Trump's cognitive ability. a focus of investigation.

And, he's. he has come up with a test or not with a test, but with a, he wants a commission on presidential cognition. And he was there last night, and we have a picture of him on screen. I said it was beautiful weather. He's wearing sunglasses with a picture of them on screen. Showing him speaking as he was discussing. what is needed to assess whether the president is cognitively fit. So where's that going to go? Sarah, it is interesting.

I have followed Congressman Raskin very closely with this. line of investigation. Democrats are in the minority right now in the House. And so a lot of their investigations are being met. with roadblocks or not, advancing at all. They don't have support from Republicans on the Hill who would rather not. be asked about the Trump health questions or anything about Trump in general. I think at this point, let's be honest,

but so he. launched an investigation into the president's. president's cognitive decline, after the president started. posting about wiping out civilization, said, drop the F-bomb and opening the street and really put out. a lot of erratic posts, and very threatening posts. And so he launched this investigation. He also called on the president's white House physician. to go before Congress and his committee, specifically.

the House Judiciary Committee, where he's the ranking member and answer. their questions under oath about the president's health. And he has also said that the president. should be taking a cognitive test and releasing the results publicly. I called for that. And he's also talked about, as you mentioned, the commission, because Trump's cabinet appears to want nothing to do with it, to assess the president's cognitive ability to then be able. to have Congress have a hand in invoking the 25th amendment, should.

his cognitive ability be found to be him and, unfit to serve in office? And so he has been doubling down almost weekly with a new line. of inquiry, with a new line of questioning, with new demands. And until the Democratic Party returns to power in the House, this is all going to go absolutely nowhere. The white House hasn't even bothered to, respond to it. Rather, when I even ask about it. They just attacked.

Jamie Raskin as a person without getting into his inquiries. So that's where it stands currently. It'll be really interesting to see if Democrats do. take the House in November in the midterms, where this will go. Because obviously. they have the power to subpoena, they could get more people hauled in or face contempt of Congress. And it'll be a question of, well, how far does the president go. to fight that? While he doesn't have to be called in and help argue against the legalities.

of him going before Congress, and then there's a lot of, conversation about that. Will he pardon. anybody who's ever been subpoenaed so that they don't have to do it either. Moving forward. And the one thing I will say is the white House position, he has been someone who a lot of people, including the Daily. Beast, have asked to speak to. I myself have been like, hey, you referenced this. Can we have access? And those largely are ignored. Even at the white House podium. Caroline Levitt, once upon a time, when we were asked about his health, said.

that she would refer questions to his white House physician. And then you ask, well, how do I get access to the white House physician. to talk about the president's health? And then you either get ignored. or they write back something unrelated and just keep going. And it's become a vicious cycle. We're transparent, but we're going to not answer. a single thing you ask or make any of these demands known. And like I said, his physical, annual physical has been unaddressed. It will be curious to see if they schedule that in the near future.

And what comes out of that? But it hasn't been scheduled to date. And he went for a, physical a follow up in October last year, I will recall. And there's a lot of questions about that, because that wasn't usual for him to go. between annual physicals, to go to Walter Reed. And so are they going to argue does that cancel out having one in April? Because they didn't say it was right. But we also physical. We never got a full set of readouts of those figures. Exactly. I just say so.

Sean Barbarella, who is the white House physician? He in theory. Right. He can be subpoenaed. and right in front of Congress and asked, is the president mentally fit? It does nothing stopping the Democrats if they have. subpoena power from trying to exercise that. So we we might actually see the reality show that's, Yeah. Take a very strange, strange turn. Lenkov is asking, is Caroline with a tier member of the beast yet?

I don't know. But I know that we live rent. We live rent free. Inside her head. She has, called out the Daily Beast, when she was at a Turning Point USA event. So thank you for the. Thank you for the reminder of that flame gov. She should be. I'd like it to be. That'd be nice. But there's there's a lot there's. a lot of cognitive questions about health, of physical questions about health. There was however a development this week that shows that even Trump.

might be have in his mind. It was two developments, actually, this week. Even Trump knows there's something up about his health. And he was he was conducting, what I should say is probably wide ranging is one word. I know some people thought it was deranged interview on CNBC. and he spoke about his health for once. Well, yeah. No, I mean, so the president, 79, again, has constantly. torn into former president Biden, about tripping and falling, when he talks about his mental health.

But he also talked about physically and, and there were some moments where it was nerve wracking to watch. President Biden walk around because he seemed fragile. And at that age, if you fall down, you're in real trouble. I'm not just the reality. And there were moments. where we saw Biden literally fall off a bicycle during his presidency. And so Donald Trump has never held back when it comes to attacking. Joe Biden for his physical and his mental fitness. But the reality is, is now Donald Trump is the center of the world.

as president of the United States at 79 years old. And he, too is facing questions about his physical and mental fitness and so on. CNBC he was attacking Biden, but also talked about how he has to be very careful going down the stairs, because if he did trip, that would be a massive story. And it would be, for multiple reasons. But we have also you'll you'll see a photo here of Melania. and First Lady Melania and the president going down the stairs at Air Force One.

We do see the president when he goes downstairs. Now, really, really careful. He slows down. Yeah. You're right. Flights be ordered. The death grip is is in every instance where there's someone near him, it is a it mimics my hand hurt looking at their hand, the clasping hands. That was an example that we saw at the Easter. egg roll, where he had to go from the balcony down into. and to mix with the crowds at the Easter egg roll earlier this month.

And he held a death grip there, and was really slow progressing down the stairs. And so he, he does show signs of that. and he even addressed it, like I said, on CNBC. But he hasn't started. wearing the shoes that, that President Biden has worn, the, the grip shoes. that were supposed to help him, but he's made some other, changes. He's had adaptation this week, hasn't he? This is, this is, it's a fairly I mean, I'm.

kind of I'm slightly laughing about it, but it's actually quite a big thing. Right. He's it. Yeah. The white House. Well, that's a big thing for multiple reasons. Because it started with bulldozing the East Wing. But there's been many, many changes since then, that have gone. in behind closed doors. And he acknowledged one of them this week and that was ripping up the granite right. outside on the flooring, I should say, right outside the white House.

Or excuse me, at the Oval Office, and replacing it as one of his many makeover projects. And he was talking specifically how it was no slip. And so he's replacing the, the, the flooring with no slip granite, which just goes to show that he's very careful and thinking heavily. about his own ability to navigate the white House at this stage, and getting to and from the Oval Office and getting outside and not falling down.

And so that was something he it was really a surreal. I mean, I guess a lot of moments are now considered. surreal, based on what you watch with the president. But he was talking at this event at the white House that was supposed to be. about prescription drugs, and he was surrounded by experts, and he was surrounded by members of his staff. And, he had reporters in the room who usually are silent. while they give their first comments and then are able to ask questions about a. series of different topics.

But he. started going off about the flooring outside the Oval Office. and the replacement of flooring outside the Oval Office as part of a more than, I would say, 15 minute. I was looking at the time and it was over 11 minutes when I stop looking anymore. So yeah, give or take a few. He started going off about the makeovers that he's been working on. I'm like, this is a reminder about prescription drugs. and health care and something that people are very interested in. And no one's gonna remember that after he goes on this tirade. about tearing up the reflecting pool and then moves on to white House.

renovations and then goes off on this tear about no slip granted. outside the Oval Office. And so that continually went on until he started. answering questions from reporters. But it really just it's very it's a beautiful job. Some, some, highly polished granite in the areas you don't walk on. And it's, it's plain finish here is that you do walk on. There's no slip. So it's a beautiful job and it's going up nice.

And if you want to take a look outside the window. So that's replacing stone that was here from the early 1940s. I, I've got so many questions about, about how you decide that you need some new granite, but, I also do. It's not exactly America first. Is it the granite? No. And shout out to, my former colleague Ed O'Keefe, who is a member of CBS news, because he was asking the president about this.

at that event as he left the room and he said, asked where the granite from? And the president responded that it was Italian granite. And then he said, it's from Africa. So I guess it was polished up in Italy. It's African, but if it's not American. And that also brings back the reminder that we now have foreign steel. also building, construction at the white House. And, in many of Trump's construction projects, when he talks about this ballroom, so it's not exactly America First, in terms of his own renovation projects and his own,

rep, just making over the white House. is it's just he's bringing in what he wants, and. to hell with it, I guess. So it's most beautiful. in the eye of the beholder. I think it's fair to say. Yeah. You said you just mentioned the ballroom. In fact, he will be in a ballroom on Saturday, so I just want to address this. Actually, a couple people in the comments are asking, what are we doing about the white House Correspondents Association dinner?

This is an event is held. It's been held every year since, I think the 1920s. Right, 1930s, traditionally there's, you know, there are some very good questions. to be asked about this. Carol Meyers is asking, why would journalists attend? I've seen a couple of others comments as well. So, we at The Daily Beast have have long been members of the white House. Correspondents Association since the Daily Beast was founded back in 2008. We've had the presence at the white House, and we have traditionally gone.

to this dinner, and we will be at this dinner on Saturday. I'll be there. Sarah will be there. Our colleagues, I'm Father Thomas, and and David Gardner will be there. And we we kind of wrestled with this, right, Sarah, about what's the right thing to do. So we we were going to go before Donald Trump was coming, and we expect that Trump will come. and offer his version of reality, I think is a fair way to put it. Yeah. I mean, that has been a huge conversation.

among reporters in Washington for some time. The reality is, is do you leave a room because the president entered it? And is that not our job? It's also, like I said previously, this whole event. is about the First Amendment. And there are questions. and they are valid questions on the why the president was even invited. And the fact that he's actually attending, just remember that this event has gone on every single year.

And most presidents have shown up for it. It's been a bipartisan event, where Obama showed up. I mean, I did just go back. All the presidents show up for this. The only one who hasn't is Donald Trump. He did not show up during his first term, at all. And he really berated people over, over it. He banned his team from showing up, which left seats empty, and networks. scrambling to, to fill them, at, like, hours before the event took place.

He's been very angry at this event, and I'm sure we'll get to that momentarily. For some time, ever since President Obama roasted him there. But at the event. itself, he is going to show up this year for the first time as president, and he is expected to attack the press, during his remarks. He's been working with a team. Apparently he is also going to try and have his funny commentary as well.

So there are two things here. He's going to one attack the media is what we've been told. And that'll be interesting to see how. the room responds to it. And but he also. apparently is working with comedians and trying to be funny at the same time. So maybe trying to have his reality TV show, but get his point across. how much he hates the media. At the same time, it'll be interesting to see. It'll be interesting to see the reaction. But also, he's expected. to peace out as quickly as possible and not be in the room, for the awards.

I think it's very notable, that we mentioned that we will all be. sitting in this room, potentially as the president berates us. But the reason we are sitting in the room is because there will be awards. given out at this event, and one of them is going to the. Wall Street Journal for his reporting specifically on Donald Trump. And the alleged letter drawing, if you will, doodle. that he gave to Jeffrey Epstein as a part of his birthday book. So that award is going to the reporters for that story.

And the president. who is attending this event and plans to scramble before it happens, has literally sued for $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal and over that exact story. And so. far, worst, because that fact was it was thrown out. And I think, you know, we we we obviously all struggle morally. What's the right thing ethically, what's the right thing. And I think the answer that we came to. is that it's right for us to be there to witness it and report on it. And, that the job of the media.

is not to oppose, but to present to people what is going on. in the most truthful way that we possibly can. Yeah. And I think a part of that is. you have to be in the room to cover anything. I mean, I have been to dozens of Trump rallies. I have been to dozens of rallies with other politicians of different parties. Not going to.

this dinner in my mind would be me not doing my job. And I think a lot of reporters from various places, feel the same way. And so it'll be interesting to see how. he how he receives the room, when he's faced with this harsh reality, that we will continue to do our job no matter what. Right. And it usually means to go on the attack, which is what we expect. No, the next big event that is going to be, however, is, it's slightly different.

It's it's not a ballroom. It's going to be a state dinner at the white House for King Charles. And I mention that because, we've been talking about the reality show, and he's basically a guest star. to turn up, despite some, some crazy things in the background of Jeffrey Epstein in the background. He is, he has this morning, it. turns out that the Pentagon is planning to change the sovereignty.

They think of the Falkland Islands, which are which are British. and which the Argentineans claim this was the Argentinean claim on. It was say, was pretty, pretty significantly defeated in 1982. and a war that was won by the United Kingdom. And yet, he is going to welcome King Charles at the same time. as attacking King Charles as prime minister and attacking. King Charles's other prime minister, Mark Carney, and wanting to take away some of this territory. So, it's going to be kind of awkward, doesn't it?

You know, I, I think one thing that King. Charles has been good at is not being as awkward in the moment. But the reality of it is extremely awkward. And they have not shied away from it being awkward in any way leading up to it. So the president will be. receiving King Charles, and the Queen at the white House. They will be having a private tea. while they're there, and they will be reviewing the military, which feels like a very pomp and circumstance thing to do when you visit,

the UK. It'll be interesting to see that happening here in the United States. There is a state dinner, which will be a huge event. at the white House in honor of the royal visit. And the president is going to bask in all of this. because there's nothing that Donald Trump really loves more. than being the center of attention and big pomp and circumstance. And getting to have this this is a part of that. reality TV show as he gets to hang out with the Royals. And he even called King Charles a good friend of mine.

yesterday in the white House, as well as in the past. But as you mentioned, there will probably be some serious conversations. I think the president will never confront the King of England to his face. on anything. I think he's going to be just all lovey dovey, even though he attacks the UK regularly, which is tends to be his Mo to his face. But I think behind closed doors. there will be at least some conversations about some of the reality on the ground. But Trump has gone after NATO allies, the UK, everybody alike.

When it comes to not backing his war in Iran, he didn't give them a heads up when he struck Iran. And they really did not want to get involved in this. He's trying to drag them into this and protecting the Strait of Hormuz. And they've really pushed back on this idea that they have. to be involved, in his war, that he engaged in. And so he's gone on the attack. I think he called Keir Starmer, not Winston Churchill at one point. and has really berated him as a loser.

But you also mentioned he's gone after the Canadian prime minister, another Commonwealth, country. And he has also, had to engage, President Trump, the, the, the president should say that it's fair to say. that Mark Carney, though, is much more on the front foot on this. He, he has repeatedly spoken out against Trump. He has spoken. He spoke at Davos about, about the problems. that were engaged by a world, by the world order that Trump was creating.

And he slapped down demands that he changed tariffs, change his own. trade arrangements before even having a discussion about tariffs. So, it looks like there's two different approaches here. Yeah. No, it definitely does feel like that. But with that said, I will think I will say one thing about the president, with all this, he goes on the attacks and I feel like this, this go round, he's actually been somewhat surprised by the pushback in world leaders, many European world leaders, the Canadian leaders, the president, even in Mexico,

have not caved to his demands, in the same way that he had wished. and that those he surround himself so closely with do on any given day. But I think one thing to remember, we have like hearken back here is after. the president went on the attack against Canada, obviously we have the issue of tariffs, and the fight over that. But the president once upon a time was arguing about Canada being the 51st state. And one of the first things King Charles did was go to Canada.

and speak in the parliament, which was a rarity, and really was his way of pushing back on President Donald Trump, and, and engaging, with his Canadian. be Canadian ally at this stage, in a way that we have not seen before. So he navigates this differently than other world leaders. who directly criticize the president. But he does take stands in some ways, and put a message or message across,

that does indicate his opposition to Trump at any given time. I'll be curious to see what Donald Trump says specifically about Prince Harry. Because he also went after him just yesterday in the Oval Office. And so he's he's not above also criticizing the president or, excuse me, the King family members directly days before this visit. Right. And I've been criticized him. I don't know how the king would have responded, or how Trump would've. responded if he had something to say about Don Jr. But.

maybe, maybe, maybe there's two rules here. Maybe it's different. Sarah, it's an extraordinary reality show. It might be cracking, but, we are going to be covering it coming up. I just want to just before we go, I want to, trail, podcast on Sunday. We are interviewing Steve Schmidt, who is the outspoken former Republican strategist. He is a voice of moral authority and we're speaking to him. specifically about what he's doing about the King's visit.

He has very, very firm views about the king and about Trump. And we're going to be exploring those on Thursday, on the on Thursday, I'm sorry, on Sunday on the Daily Beast podcast. So thank you for joining us. Thank you for your expertise and, thank you to everybody who's joined us, in the chat and in the. comments, some amazing questions, great thoughts. There's a lot of concern about the president's cognitive abilities.

And his physical health, I think is fair to say. And just to those who joined us on Substack, which first time we've been able to do this, congratulations to our production team who've put this together. Yeah. Sandra says love, Steve. Love Steve Schmidt. That's a he's a great conversation. He is, fascinating. He also has things to say about Meghan McCain, which I will say are very worth tuning in for. Thank you. I say thank you to everybody who's joined us. Thank you.

Sarah, thank you to our production team, Devin, Roger Reno, Ryan Murray, Georgina DiNardo and Benji Wilson. Oh, and. and Tara Goldstein. Sorry. Tara. I don't know how, I'm believing the production team for mixing up. the names of the production team. I probably did it myself. Give us a if you if you enjoyed this, subscribe to stay up to date. Be a beast. Be a beast to be a beast. Tier member. It tells you how to do it down below.

I'm sorry. Right. It's just down there. It just went away. But. Subscribe. Hit the subscribe button, and if you like this, share it with your friends. We will be back next week, and, Joanna will be back next week. More importantly, to, keep everybody up to date on the craziest reality show of them all. Thank you to everybody.