The Trump Mental Health Issue We Don't See: Wolff | Inside Trump's Head

This is not trivial that the president of the United States, at the age of 80. overweight, doesn't do a lick of exercise. I think that there is a. very decent likelihood that he will not survive. The man is a mess. The man is a wreck. The presidency is a high pressure job. The loneliness must set in, probably exactly at the point that Trump is now. He's facing the midterms. They're going to be a catastrophe for Trump.

You think he's going to he's going to live. I think that there's a very good that it just ends all of a sudden like that. No warning, no preparation. He falls. Michael. Joanna. Here we are again. I'm so happy to be back. We're happy to have you. Good. Well, it's very nice to be back. And. again, just thank you to everybody. who sent me the most interesting and nicest notes of condolence.

Really appreciated. And just, again, just staggering. what people go through on a daily basis. Know and again to remember, you know, and I think it's it is worth coming back to again and again. and again is that this is something. everybody faces has faced or will face. This is the common experience. Forget Trump. This is the common experience.

Yeah. Well I want to figure out a way of coming back to it at some point. But for now Donald Trump. But that for now. But actually on to continue a theme here. Donald Trump, who's showing up today at Walter Reed hospital, right. The third time in how many months? 13 months, I think. I think soon to be 80. June the 13th. 14th. June the 14th. Yes. Sorry. When I say 13th, I knew it was the 14th. Flag day, black day, flag day.

Do you know what Flag Day is? Our flag day? No. Embarrassingly, I don't actually. Is it? I don't know what. No, nobody. I think nobody nobody actually knows that there is a flag day. that this will be Flag Day or what? Flag day stands for only people of a certain age. Anyway, it's your, Well, what I think of in the UK. as your poppies day when everyone wears a red poppy for.

for the fallen in the First World War. This is our. This is our first world war. So are we all supposed to wear flags, though? No, we don't wear anything because no one even knows that the holiday has occurred. I mean, this this. I mean, whenever I'm in the UK in the fall and yours is in the fall, November. the 11th, I just I'm always struck by the fact that everybody wears a poppy. It doesn't matter. It's it's one of those few symbols without any kind.

of of political reference. Right? Right. And it's a beautiful symbol. It's a two petaled poppy with a black center and their sole. to raise money for soldiers, former soldiers. And. it's a very moving it's a very moving thing. And they always have this ceremony at the cenotaph. in the center of London, just next to Parliament Square. And I remember one year, Michael Foot, who was the leader of the Labor Party,

turning up for it. And it was a it's a very formal, very moving ceremony. And people used to watch it on television when it live, when it was happening. It was one of those events that pulled the nation together. And Michael Foot, the leader of the Labor Party, turned up in an anorak. And people were livid and somewhat like the Howard. Dean scream that could have lost in the election. Michael Foot, wearing an anorak, sort of lost him well, lost labor the election for the next three elections, I think. And there's there's actually an important point here because because the,

the poppy depends on a. buttonhole and an anorak doesn't have a buttonhole. Well, I need an overcoat. You need. You need a you need a buttonhole. Well, to be fair, you can have it pinned on you. But anyway, the point is. Yes, on an anorak. It was just terrible how politics has changed when those were the days. But anyway, our flag day, which nobody knows.

But maybe it will now be known as as Donald Trump's birthday. So birthday days. So I'm amazed he hasn't made it a public holiday. Or has he made it a public holiday? I know we've got a UFC fight on the white House lawn, which I'm very much looking forward to, though sadly, we won't be there in person. because I think that. although you might be because Ari Emanuel, who is your agent, correct? No, no, he just says he's my agent. He's not my agent. Oh, okay. Because he has 200 tickets to give away.

Ari Manuel who? Let's just remind people at the Aspen Ideas Festival. said that we were in town if Donald Trump got reelected. Fuck city, fuck city. Okay? I like fuck town better because town is smaller than city. Anyway. That's what he said was fuck down. We should look that up. It was good. I think it might have been Fuck City, but the point is he's got 200 tickets to give away to the white House. Ari. Emanuel just is the most powerful agent in Hollywood,

and he also controls the. What the UFC, the I mean, he has two. he World wrestling and the UFC. Right. And his brother of Rahm Emanuel, former. chief of staff to Obama who's now running himself in. It's an interesting thing that he is. that he controls these two organizations, which are central to Donald Trump.

and Ari Emanuel and the Emanuel brothers. and the Emanuel family are very much anti-Trump, although Aria. Emanuel was also Trump's was Trump's agent on The Apprentice. So he's responsible for actually where we are right now. Have you considered that your private info, like your home address. and phone number, is likely exposed online right now in Cockney? Fixes this by automatically finding and removing your data.

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80th birthday are going to be celebrated by a UFC fight. Interestingly, we looked up now, but also this is against. we're really going this way in that way today. There's a point to what I'm going to say. Point is death. Actually, this is what unites this whole this this whole conversation. He is showing up today at Walter Reed hospital, correct?

Soon to be 80. Within days he he will be will oldest president ever. The oldest president elected. The oldest president. Yes. And so. this is this is not trivial that the president of the United States, at the age of 80, overweight over obese. I think obese, yes. Does doesn't do a lick of exercise. Eats. Well it's the, the the well-known worst diet on the planet.

and and everything depends on him. Well so I have a question for you because we had. gone to look at the betting markets to see whether or not. they thought Donald Trump would manage to survive his entire presidency. Of course. In fact, the betting markets. won't allow you to bet on whether or not someone's going to die. That's their bottom line. We don't have that bottom line. Do you think he is going to survive the presidency?

He's 80 now. He's the oldest president he's going back to Walter Reed for, I think, his third trip in just over a year. He keeps bragging that he's passing all these tests. that they're giving him, which isn't a usual thing. They don't normally repeatedly give you these tests, in particular. the Montreal cognitive tests, unless they are monitoring you. I think that there is a. a very decent likelihood,

a greater likelihood than than. we have had in any presidency. We could debate the Biden presidency, but in any other presidency, in modern. memory, Eisenhower, we can debate that, that he will not survive. I mean, he is two and a half years to go look at the guy. I mean, you know, I mean, I have I have obviously. no medical information to go on this other than what stares us in.

the face, stares us pretty damn vividly in the face. I mean, the man is a mess, the man is a wreck, and I don't think it's getting any easier for him in this job. The job itself, you know, the presidency is a. oh, man, it's a high pressure job. I mean, we we we see the way people go into the presidency. and exit the presidency. And it's a it's a kind of a sight gag.

They're vibrant in the beginning there. still gray, exhausted in the end. And they look it. Now Trump actually in the first term. went in looking like Trump and came out looking like Trump. The same same guy. Now that also could be because of the. because of the makeup and the hair and the tanning. But I think that there is a difference now, I think this.

this term, the second term, which is also also. four years after remember it's these were not sequential terms. So he he's now, you know, relatively speaking significantly older in this term. And he looks terrible I mean he looks day by day. You can you can see this I mean he looks exhausted. And then plus he you know is asleep. He falls asleep in cabinet meeting is paranoid, is angry. Is is things are not going well for him.

And what effect does that have. on the overweight man who doesn't exercise. and doesn't eat well, but he doesn't smoke and he doesn't drink. So two things which really can hasten illness. And I think one always underestimates. the enjoyment that presidents have with power. I think it feeds them something which is.

which overcomes a lot of physical. I mean, I would agree with that, except not in the second term. I think the second term for every president are, to say the least, a downer. So everything that you first thing, you have nothing to work. toward, you know, you're not you're not running again. You see your end. And that must be frightening. And also everyone is taking things from you, your, you know, the loneliness must, must.

the loneliness must set in probably exactly. at the point that Trump is now he's facing the midterms. They're going to be a catastrophe for Trump. But you're assuming that he has an interior life, which I'm not sure he does. No, no, I'm now talking I'm talking now about the physical life. What what happens to the physical body, what happens to this. And he does know. And I mean, I mean, we do we do know.

that that he is now responding. We see him responding to all of the things that are going wrong. Often he's doubling down on the things that are going wrong. But in, in, in Iran, which we will certainly certainly get to, he clearly recognizes this is a catastrophe, and it's going to be a catastrophe that is around his neck. But I think he may recognize as a catastrophe, but what he's doing. is just looking into the next thing so we can come to Cuba in a moment.

But but actually, that force of personality that, that he has malignant. narcissism or whatever it is, I think manages to sort of propel. him despite the chronic venous insufficiency, despite, you know, despite. Well, we can we're going to track this. You think he's going to he's going to live. I think that there's a very good chance that it just ends. all of a sudden like that. No warning, no preparation.

He falls. Well I can there is a sort of scenario. Why is there any way that we can. so the prediction markets, we can't make money on this any other. But we should we should ask viewers and listeners, what do you think? Do you think he's going to survive the presidency? I think he's got enough. force of evil personality that he will do, and that he can. triumph over the things that he's got, which a lot of 80 year olds have.

And I think he has enough of a sense of the dramatic. that he knows that he has to go out like this. This is it. This would give him his place in history. Well, and it would avoid him being, yes, all of the legal issues, all the legal issues which we can come to in a minute. The one thing I can see, however, is a cabinet meeting. which is being filmed where he just starts leaning to the side. and then someone realizes dead, well, he might be having a stroke,

or he might be having some issue, which leads to. Right. And then there's. this other question of he's not dead, but he's in a semi dead state. I mean, that would be the Biden situation. Of course, I don't think that was officially the Biden situation. It may not have been officially, but it was apparently. Okay. Well, well, in which case JD Vance takes over.

Well that's. another we'll, we'll we'll come to that in another show. Okay. All right. Well we want to know what you think. So tell us, do you think Trump survives the presidency or does he keel over in office? And just this is this is an important question. I mean, this may be the more important question than any other question. Totally, totally the test of the next two and a half years. Yeah. Okay. So we have here the mocha test that he's obviously going to be taking. Again.

We have taken this once before on the podcast. I'm going to test you again. All right. And we don't do so well on this test. Well it's quite difficult, especially the one. where you have to take seven from some. You have to keep subtracting a seven going from 100, which is really hard. That is hard. Okay. We've got three. That would be too embarrassing to do. But but name these animals, right? What are these animals? You. You're testing me. You? Yes.

Can we see these? I'm just checking. We can see them. We can do this. Of course. Tiger, duck. Right now, this is a test that Donald Trump has repeatedly said is quite hard. And they show you animals and you have to identify them. All right? It's the word order. We can do this from the let's what do we remember? White pants. No pants, no pants. Sure. No. No shirt. But your your shoes. No.

All right. So I'm going to wait I'm going to wait. You got white. So we're going to I'm going to give you the words. And then we're going to come back. at the end of the episode and see if you can remember them still. And this is a good test for everybody out there. See if you can do this. Leg cotton school. tomato or as you would say to me or white. leg cotton school tomorrow. Leg cotton school tomato white. Yeah. These are the words that will be no ones that Donald Trump will be tested on.

And he will undoubtedly pass better than anybody else has ever done. Any other president, he will have done it better. Okay, so moving swiftly on, we're bombing again. Oh, I thought we would cease fire. We were in a no. What do you mean? We were in a peace deal. It was done. As of. yesterday. Trump was telling people yesterday that it was basically done.

Done and and a deal that he is desperate. for, a deal that he is basically willing. to give anything for a deal that is worse than the Obama. So everything that happens now is he sets up a deal. The deal is going to be done because he's willing to give. basically everything that the Iranians want, although aren't. they also willing to give America the uranium, the enriched uranium? No, no, no, this is they were no, this is I mean, this is the issue he's.

announcing that they that they will and then they pull it back. So so functionally, what happens is he reaches. he believes he reaches, has reached a deal. And then the Iranians want more or. want to give less. Right. So they seem to be the ones, the ones who are extending this deal. So in theory, what we have is they have to make, I mean, in Donald.

Trump's head, they have to make a deal because he's crushed them. But the reality is we have to make a deal. because because they have, if not crushed us, so frustrated Donald Trump. and so put him into an untenable political position. So they keep pulling back. And what the deal looks like it will be is. Iran before the war will be.

functionally the same Iran as after the war, except with the. with the much improved position. that the that many of the economic sanctions. that they went into the war with will be removed. So you can you can turn this around and kind of say, say what this war is, is that the Iranians went to war with the United States. because because of these sanctions, it was a war against these sanctions.

And they won. But last night, we then started bombing them again. Yes, because it was a defensive on our behalf. Yeah. Well, I think that I think he doesn't know what to do. I mean, so he's at this, this this moment, he cannot go back to war again. So but but here he has this, this, this agreement which is going to be incredibly embarrassing to him.

So I think that this is like, you know, we better. just drop a few more bombs and at least that will be the cover for something. I mean, I cannot see him going back to work. And if he goes back to war again, I mean, what are we at now in the polls? He's he's 37%. He'll go into the 20s. Okay. So but but what does he do. Because because I mean there's 1500 boats.

bobbing around in the Strait of Hormuz that can't deliver much needed fuel. He has got the world. He has got to do this. He is he is in. It's not the Iranians who are. who are whose backs are to the wall. It's Donald Trump's whose back is to the wall. Okay, so he's going to create diversion again then. Right. It's been 12 weeks. It was supposed to be over immediately. So three months he has to create another diversion.

I feel like it's going to be Cuba. Yeah. No, no. In Cuba, it's not just a diversion, but it's like it's the do over. So in other words, just think of this in reality television terms. This plot hasn't worked. This this season was a bad season, right? This was the equivalent of Martha Stewart doing the being the Apprentice. Totally, totally. So we got it. We got to do some. So what will work? Cuba. It's perfect.

It will be easy. I mean, he can play by the same playbook and remember that's what he's doing here. And that's what Iran was supposed to be. It was supposed to be be the Venezuela playbook. Right. And and that really didn't work. So now he's going to do the Cuba the. the Venezuela do over in or the Venezuela repeat in Cuba. We've already indicted Raul Castro. As we indicted Maduro. They will go in, will take him out.

The will will take out the Cuban leadership. because he's no longer president. It doesn't make any difference. We're going to take actually, what we will do in Trumpian. fashion is take him out, leave the leadership in place. and they'll agree to be make nice and then nothing will change. So that's also sort of a fundamental part of the Trump model. Nothing changes. And we take ultimately.

we take no responsibility for what comes after that. This is just a this is this is just the plot device. So it's it's a plot device. So it's regime change in Cuba is the no opportunity. I'm concerned that, you know, the Castro brothers are not going. to be replaced by the Trump brothers coming for some grift. What is the opposition? No, I think I think they will. And no, we're going to make Havana great again. It's going to be a great a great casino capital.

It's going to be a tourist destination, right? It's going to be the new Trump Riviera. And and we can go back to a Godfather movie. Remember the Godfather movie. in which Meyer Lansky is running the gambling in, in Havana? Well, that will now be Don junior. That'll be Don juice. So basically what we're looking. Meyer Lansky was somewhat more confident than Don junior. Yeah, although Don junior just got married at the weekend, didn't he?

And his father didn't show up, you see. And if he had only waited, he could have waited a little while longer. He could have gotten married in Cuba instead of the Bahamas. Yeah, well, they could have a second marriage, but. But what we're really looking at actually is a global network. of Trump casinos, right? Because they're trying to do it in Gaza. Jared's been trying to build a hotel in Albania. Now we've got Cuba, perhaps Iran. I'm not sure that I know that gambling and Islam domain and Gaza, we're doing Gaza.

Oh, God. Gaza. Riviera. So now we've got the Cuban, I mean, Cuba. Just just reflect on how successful Donald Trump has previously been. in the casino business. Of course, Atlantic City, I'm thinking of it. Exactly. So it'll be a chain of bankrupt casinos across the world. That will be Donald Trump's legacy as American president. Well, yes, the legacy actually will be the billions and billions of dollars.

that the Trump family will have taken out of the worldwide. economy for themselves. Okay. So when do you think Cuba happens? And is this the end? Is this the end of Marco Rubio? Rubio, Cuba? It's quite, quite difficult to say that even on two cups of tea this morning. Is this because one feels obviously this is personal for Marco Rubio. His parents are Cuban immigrants.

This he's always gone on about this. and obviously he lives in in Florida. Do we think this is the end of him, that this will inevitably end up going wrong to. Well, this will certainly inevitably end up going wrong? I mean, I think the question is it's not really is this the end of Marco Rubio? Is this the is this the move that puts him. above JD Vance in the.

at this point in, in the succession write algorithm? Okay. Which comes back to your point. If Trump does keel over in office, one of well it'll be JD Vance. That would be yes. But in terms of in terms of moving toward 2028, right? I mean, I think we're going to we're going to see a lot of shifts here. And it's very likely that we'll see a shift to Marco Rubio and then a shift back.

shift back to what? To Vance. I mean, this is all everybody is going to be shuffled in this. in in Trump's mind and in the scenario of who replaces him. because no one will replace him, no one can replace him. By the way, I made an error last week, which I want to correct. Several people pointed it out. I elevated Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is now our ambassador. in Greece, busy stamping American tourist passports. When you walk in to Athens. I elevated her to having been educated at Stanford because she used to work.

with a friend of mine who did study law at Stanford anyway. In fact, she went to the University of California, Davis, and then she went to USF School of Law. I just wanted to correct that because nothing more irritating. when when people do that, and we got lots of comments, and I meant to say it at the beginning and I forgot. because I'm still a bit discombobulated. But can we talk about your lawsuit again? Of course, of course. We talked about it a little bit on Saturday.

This is the Trump judge which basically kicked the case out of federal court. So yeah. So so just to just to bring up to date on Friday, the Friday before the Memorial Day weekend, which literally is the is the day that all press. hope to drop their worst story of the year because no one is paying attention. However, we were paying attention. Well, I of course was paying attention to this, and a lot of people were paying attention to this. I mean, this is not an insignificant lawsuit.

It's not an insignificant fact in the life of the first family. Right. And all the people that have supported you on GoFundMe, of course, but. it's Jeffrey Epstein and it's Melania Trump. These are incredibly volatile issues in, in, in in Trump world. So, so where what happened. is on Friday night, the judge announced a. incredibly tortured.

opinion, which basically I think. I think the purpose was to get it off of her desk. And that's an interesting thing. And this is the entire context of this. now is we drew we were unlucky enough to to. to draw a Trump judge, I mean is a random assignments. We got a Trump judge, one of the few Trump judges. in the Southern district in New York in federal court.

So Trump appointed judge during Trump one. Yes. And she's 68, which is significant. Yes. She's a district judge. And it goes to what Donald Trump has done to the American judicial system. I mean, essentially all Trump judges report to him. All Trump judges are beholden to him. So and in the case in which so much litigation. is now directed exactly at him, at him,

at his administration, there is you cannot. if you are a federal judge who hope a Trump appointed federal judge. who hopes to advance in his or her career, you cannot decide against this white House. Well, on the reason I mentioned she was 68 is that she's. time is not on her side at this point. Exactly, exactly being promoted. So she must have been freaked out by.

although these are lifetime appointments on the on the federal bench. So she can so she can say as long as she was. Yes. Okay. But she must have been so freaked out to get this case. I mean, the idea that it's the first real case against the first lady. where she is required to sit for discovery, I mean, who would want that on their desk? Yeah. No. And that was one of the, the the key issues here in the key. issue she ruled on, because.

one of the things that we asked the court to do, the federal court to do is to determine where Melania Trump lives. Now, I live in New York, and if Melania Trump also lives in New York, can also be deemed a citizen of New York, then the case can't be in federal court. It's in New York state court, of which Donald Trump. has significantly less sway over. So Melania Trump's lawyers maintain.

Well, they said she lives in Florida. She's recently voted in Florida, and she has a driver's license in Florida. And that was their their sole evidence, whereas we presented a whole, a whole a file of evidence that she spends. the overwhelming amount of her time in New York, her business interests, which are rapidly expanding. with the Melania the movie and turning herself into a brand.

or are primarily, even, even exclusively in New York. All of her relationships, family, relationships and relationships with friends. and colleagues are in New York that you can. And I think we we did present a a pretty vivid picture. of a full life in New York City. So. but the judge, the judge.

put that aside or ignored that or or throw that out. because of the key issue for the Trumps, which is that she be found. as a two issues, that she be found as a resident of Florida. and that she avoid discovery, because that was the second thing that we asked for. If you're not going to find her, deem her a citizen of New York. Well, let us have discovery, which is to say, we get to ask. We get to ask her questions, request documents.

that might prove exactly where she lives. But that's the last thing that they wanted to happen. Because as soon as you open up discovery of the First Lady, then you invariably get into issues of the first marriage. Well, and then you'd be able to. Wouldn't you be able to call the first husband to to account? Well, that would probably be more difficult, but we would have been able to ask for the prenuptial agreement, for instance.

So a whole range of the the data. that everybody's where people live is, is, is accumulated by anybody where they live, which can document where they live. But that was something that the judge obviously couldn't allow. because then she would that would basically have wiped out her career. But the other interesting thing is that she. then she then declined to rule on the merits of the case.

So she, she in fact said, I'm going to abstain from the merits. Acknowledged. There was a spat at the heart of it. Right. Her work. Well, you have to well, you have to acknowledge that in order. to be a for it to be in federal court, you have got to say this is the these are the stakes. This is the dispute. So so she got it into federal court basically. so that she could please the Trumps and then kick it out of federal court.

Okay. So it's now a court case. that has not been decided and is in limbo. So which provides us kind of all kinds of, of, of holes that we can drive a truck through. So, so could she in theory have dismissed it and said. there is nothing to see here. This cannot go ahead. She didn't actually do that.

She just she could have found. Yes. Yes. Right. So the case continued. Yes. In in either situation we could we. we we could obviously appeal and we'll, we'll obviously appeal. But then but this idea of the abstention also gives us. a whole other range of, of legal strategies to pursue. And so ultimately what this will come down. to is getting before a judge who's not a Trump judge.

So in and again and I can't. I mean this is the issue. I mean it's an interesting that we are in. we are in this case because of Donald Trump's. and and his wife's efforts to. to use the judicial system. to strangle the media. But we are now trying to fight this case. in a system in which Donald Trump has already strangled.

And he is, you know, he is he has essentially. made himself the judge of the judges in the system. So he's the judge's boss. Donald Trump is. Now, basically, if you're a judge, Donald Trump is your boss. If you're a Trump judge, yes. Trump judge. Yes. And where does this leave acting. Attorney General Todd Blanch, who is desperately trying to get. Well, that's just another, another, another aspect of this is that he.

he has also become he's become the the the federal judge. Trump, you know, because he's all of all of his Trump, all of his justices report to him and he's become the prosecutor. So the the traditional independence of the, of the, of the Justice Department has been utterly removed. Right. And the traditional independent, the traditional the the,

the constitutional independence of the judiciary system itself. has been has been sorely compromised. So in any of this thing, if you are in a dispute. with the federal government, a dispute with the federal government, which Donald Trump controls, you're in just an entirely. It's an entirely new world of litigation. And your.

old friend Boris Epstein. helped create this, didn't he? Yeah. Well, let's let's let's yes, let's let's go, let's go back. Because I know I have some background on on this. because there's a man by the name of, of, of Boris Epstein. who is. Oh, this is, this is I mean, it's an interesting thing. He was a he was a hanger on in.

the first 2016 campaign came. Right. He, he is a lawyer. But but his practice of law has been minimal. And in fact, you know, he, he has he has basically been a. talking a Trump talking head. Right. And and that's, that's what he did in the, in the first, in the first campaign. And then he got a job in the white House.

in the first administration that lasted weeks. I mean, deeply unpopular in, in the Trump in the Trump circle. But nevertheless, one of those guys who who just has, has, has hung in there, hung close to Donald Trump by Stephen Miller. Yes. And during the campaign, this was a kind of running joke that.

that Boris was always on the phone with Trump, that he would call him. ten times a day, 20 times a day. Even Trump would make this joke, joke and and he would hold up his phone. when, when Boris called and it would say Boris's name. For a long time it was spelled wrong. How do you spell Boris wrong? Or Epstein was about wrong. Okay. And. and then Trump would say, say, oh, it's it's it's my Boris.

And he's calling to tell me that I've been indicted again and why that's good news. So he's always Boris is the whole thing. Whatever Trump wants to hear, Boris will tell him. And, and and it is this person who is who. I mean, just a person whose devotion is absolute. and who is never off the page. So, I mean, I mean, it's really like I'm just just.

reading one of the biographies of Stalin right now. It's fascinating to see all these guys, you know, Khrushchev, Molotov, Beria running around, just desperate to stay. Whatever Stalin wants to hear. Right. And you never want to be the first person to stop clapping. And so this is this is Boris, and Boris is the the. and from the from from.

from the 2024 campaign when he when he was running. all of the indictments against, against, against Trump. So really became one of the pivotal people around Donald Trump. When you say he was running the indictments, what do you mean? He was sort of planning strategy. He was planning strategy. He was hiring the people and back to Todd Blanch. So he hired Todd Blanch and Todd Blanch became his person. Remember, Boris is not really a I mean, yes, he has a law degree.

And yes, he practiced for a minimal amount of time. But but you certainly would not want Boris in a courtroom, but nevertheless, he is essentially running the entire Trump legal. edifice. and, and with, with Todd Blanch as his agent. So this is you could say this is a this is a little cabal. Boris and. and and Todd Blanch and where does Pam Bondi fit in that.

Because she was also defending him during during the four wilderness years. Right. Then she gets the job of attorney general, which she was then fired from earlier. this year because she messed up the Epstein file release. Right. And for whatever reason, I mean, I mean, she's also. was also a Boris person. And and, you know, whether they wanted a woman or whatever, but they wanted Todd Blanch. Todd Blanch has has been the person in the Justice Department.

doing effectively doing the legal work. Right. And that is so, so the, the you know, this is just another. and you can step back and say this, this is the way. Boris offered a plan. to Donald Trump to take over the Justice Department, which Trump had, which had bedeviled Trump from the beginning. of his of his first term.

Right. And Todd Blanche, who was in Florida last week. to indict the Raoul Castro. Right. So this this is the Justice Department, how to make the Justice Department. a an agent of Trump's. politics and personal desires. Right. This is a key, a key element of the Trump revolution.

We will accomplish everything. by subverting the Justice Department, by subverting the courts. I mean, these are the people. And there's a thing, you know, they came after me. So I'm I'm going to use the same system to go after them. Do you think Boris Epstein is aware of the judge in your case? Oh, explicitly. Right. So Boris Michaels got another move, you know, and I know that I know that he's.

aware of this because. because he a text about this case. when astray and that is astray. It went to me instead of the person who was supposed to go to. Oh, so he did that Freudian thing. He was thinking about you. He sent it to you, but it was meant for someone else. What did it say? I would be remiss of me to.

All right, so I want to just remind people of Usha Vance's. podcast, which is called Story Time with the Second Lady. We have. we've talked about this before. She dropped another one on Memorial Day, which was, I mean, Nell Scovell, our contributor. and very good comedy writer, immediately alerted me to it. It is if you are looking for something.

to just take your mind off pretty much anything, you must watch this. First of all, you're going to give her traffic. I'm not going to very much doubt we're going to give her traffic. The funny thing is when she says, Welcome to Storytime with the Second Lady, which is also a terrible title, because who wants to be with the second lady? You really only want to be in the first lady. Second lady sounds awful. She she manages to say it as if she is not the second lady herself. Hello, I'm Usha Vance and welcome back to another episode of storytime.

with the Second Lady. I hope you're as excited as I am to enjoy another book today. I mean, I've never heard anyone sound less excited. Her phrase, her motto. When we read we grow. She says it as if it's a threat. But guess who the guest is? Guess who the guest is. So if you're Usher Vance with an incredible legal career, you know, she went to Yale, she went to Yale Law School, she was a Gates scholar at Cambridge. Incredibly hard to do. She's clearly incredibly smart.

They've sequestered her with this podcast, which I'm sure will be dropped. the minute she has her next baby, and we'll never hear from it again. But she should have, by rights, the ability. to attract someone fascinating to read these stories. Now, we saw last time she had Cheryl Hines, right? Guess who we had doing this time? Well, I know the answer to this. So it's a. okay well but nevertheless.

tell people that nevertheless, nevertheless it's extraordinary. I mean it's crazy. It's Bristol Palin. Yes. Bristol Palin, the seven. Remember Sarah Palin, remember her? Bristol Palin's second. husband, from whom she is divorced and who asked her. for child support as they were, as they were actually preparing to get married, they got married.

And then they very quickly got, what does this guy do? Well, to be fair, he he was. It sounds like he was actually. he's a very decorated soldier. He was decorated by Obama. And as you know, I think this podcast is actually there are moments of subversion in it. So I think the fact that he was honored. with a Bronze Star by Obama is very significant. But there are a lot of decorated soldiers in the United States.

I think that Usha had someone let her down at the last moment. So even so, where is this guy? I mean, we're just waiting in the wings is. The crazy thing about this is that it's. a storybook in a theory for children about returning veterans. and how complex it is being a veteran coming back. And so they go on these honor tours, which is, of course, a wonderful thing. But let's just consider this in terms of the, the the politics.

First we have we have Sarah Palin. not exactly know who wants to be reminded of Sarah Palin. I can see Russia from my house. And then we have the daughter Bristol. Bristol, yeah. Who, you know, with a with a series of pregnancies in and out of wedlock. Right. Which I think her mother wasn't quite sure. about when she was chosen to be John McCain's. Yes. No whole, a whole sense, a whole set of.

of kind of like, do we really want this? What message are we sending here? And then and then the husband who is no longer the husband. So he's so credentials is he's been married twice, each time for two years. When he got when he and Bristol discovered. they were having a child together, he asked her for alimony. How is this Usha? This is just a direct appeal to you.

How is this the right author for for children, for, for for your audience? Because remember, this is supposed to be for children. The first time we had Beatrice Potter. And then we've gone to this, this book about veterans where one. where one line in the story is how veterans come back. and they're sometimes mired in a quagmire of despair. And I can only think it's Usha Vance doing her own little. bit of subversion. I am. you're more optimistic than I than I am.

Well, either that or she's being fantastically, badly advised. and she's also wearing the most the most peculiar. I mean, she's she's ever seen in my life. I mean, I don't know why you would assume that that that the woman. married to JD Vance is actually someone who. because JD Vance in 2016 said. Trump was the new Hitler that I think they're well aware of. That's true. And he wrote a fairly good book.

He wrote a very good book, hillbilly. I think you still haven't forgiven me for forcing them to read. I forced one of them to read it for a school essay, and he was just. he still hasn't forgiven me. It's very difficult to force children to read. I know, I know. Well, he got. I think he got halfway through it, but but the point is that I think. that JD Anusha Vance do actually know about Trump. I would cast this in a different way. I think that they are probably completely wrong. No, no, you might, but I think that they are a cold,

ambitious, kill anybody sons of bitches. And I think they both are. I think they're in this together. And it's a. It's it's all about the opportunity. Now, why she's doing this. so poorly is just because she's not good at it. Right. But it's terrible what happens to the wives of these politicians. Why shouldn't she be doing some legal work?

Why isn't she doing what she's good at? It's ridiculous. Because I think read to children like this. I think, I think, I think that that's just probably naive. She's doing this because this is where the power is. She knows. She understands that. He understands that they're in this together. And if that's not the case, then they're going to get a divorce. So it's literally binary. We do want to know. I'm just reminding people in the comments. Do you think Donald Trump will live out the presidency?

I have to ask you about the mocha test. and whether or not we can remember the five words. I'm pretty sure I can't. All right. What are the I'm not going to look. What are the words? Cotton white pants. No pants. Leg leg. Oh that's why that's that. You see. Yeah, that's the connection. Leg. School. School fruit. Not fruit. No. What's the fruit slash vegetable.

Always a source of discussion is a fruit or vegetable red meadow. Right. Okay. That's not bad. All right. So okay. We wish our president good luck with the mocha test. Is he taking it again today? We had no limericks this week, but we got to illustrations. These are from two retired Canadians who are fans of the podcast. And these are pencil sketches. I'm going to hold them up. This is me.

And then this one, which I think is. even more like likeness is of you. Thank you so much. From Sandy Galston. Sandy. Thank you. Good likeness. Very good likeness. Don't forget to subscribe. Smash the subscription button. We're trying to get to 700,000. We're almost there. We need your support and we're independent media. There's not that many of us left. And so we really appreciate your support.

If you have been. Thank you for watching us. We have a new producer here today, John Romero. Thank you for for sitting in. John, thank you for for for coming on on board. And John apparently is a technical genius, which. We need. We need we really need John. Welcome. And then do you want to thank the rest of our team, Ryan, Heather, Rachel and Neil? Of course we will be back on Thursday. So the good news is we have so many beast tier members now.

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