This Is What Happens After Trump’s Public Meltdown | Inside Trump's Head

He's got one audience and this is not it. He decided to show up because he's become he's bigger than everybody. This is a this was a statement of I have no insecurities. when it comes to you people who I only have contempt for. who in the past I probably have felt insecure around. I think Donald Trump knew me bombed in the room. I can tell you that he came off that stage. Everybody said you were fantastic and that's exactly what he will believe. Donald Trump I feel safe.

Safe to say has never once. in his life even entertained the possibility. that he has bombed. Michael Wolff. Joanna Coles. Oh my goodness, we have so much to discuss. Not least we have the resurgence of measles and the forever. peptide popping RFK junior. We've got the return of tariff.

Actually. Peptides you don't usually pop. You usually inject RFK junior lobes and injection. Well we're going to come to that. And the rise of measles in the US, which is bigger than it has been. in the last two years than it has in the entire of the last 20. Thanks for that, Ma heart. Definitely not making things better. We're going to talk about JD Vance book, which I think we've both. totally stalled on. We're going to talk about Darlene Graham and the latest dynastic politics.

Is this what we're going to see? And I know you have a point of view on it. And you've also been talking to the white House and you have thoughts. on what is going on inside Donald Trump's head, which is where we go. thrice a week to figure out what this government of one is up to. But before we get into that, don't forget to subscribe to The Daily Beast. We've hit our 700,000 subscriber mark, which we're incredibly grateful and excited about.

So onwards, onwards to a million. If you haven't subscribed to The Daily Beast, please do. There are all sorts of tiers of membership for all sorts of membership benefits, and we love having you as part of the Daily Beast community. Onwards to 10 million. The biggest cringe I have had for the last few months was watching Donald Trump. at the white House Correspondents Dinner last night, bombing. He may not have been bombing Iran for the first time in ten days, but he was bombing in the Trump Ballroom.

And I think that's a misunderstanding on your part. and the part of your many colleagues. Let me separate myself from you and your colleagues. in the press corps. I think that this was everything. that I saw is Donald Trump as we know him and love him. or hate him, that he was not changing. and the expectation here that he would show up. And somehow I don't even know where this.

this expectation could have come from, turn into a cool. late night host sort of guy is a profound. misunderstanding of who Donald Trump. is, what has made him a success, and what what powers him forward at every minute. That was Donald Trump. There was no difference. He and he was not. That was the interesting thing, that he was not hardly.

even trying to to approach. and certainly not pander to this group of people. Well, he certainly didn't pander to them, but I did. Actually, I slightly disagree. First of all, he's usually quite good at reading the room and one thinks about him. I absolutely this is not he's good at reading his rooms. This is not his room. These are people he doesn't care about, has no feeling. for it is this is just another world.

And actually I the only reason I can think that he showed up here. is that is that it was an act of arrogance on his part. I don't care about these people. I'm just going to go and be my usual self. Well, there were plenty of his people in the room. Fox was there. Fox news was there. of Republicans in the room, and he was bombing even for them. But those it doesn't they don't get him either. This again profound here.

That's why that's why they are behind him at all times. Because he gets the people who they need, but they don't get because they're, you know, they're elite, professional, you know, lawyers. What? Whatever. Very, very much more comfortable in Washington than they are. in, you know, a among the MAGA crowd. at a, at a 40,000 people arena. Or I guess, at a town hall. I mean, for the Republican Congress, people who are in the room.

and the politicians who are in the room. I thought the most interesting moment for me was when he discussed. the Barack Hussein Obama moment. And of course, in 2011, Obama teased Donald. Trump, showed a picture of the white House with the Trump logo on the top of it, which Trump, as far as I know, hasn't really addressed before. And it's often been.

suggested that. that was the moment that Donald Trump decided to run for office. Now, of course, you have said many times that's not true. He's thought about doing this many, many for many years before that. But he said yesterday, I think. addressing some kind of primal wound. that actually Obama had teased him nicely, that this was a negative teasing, that actually he'd done it in a way that was he implied. that Obama had done it in a in a rather sophisticated way.

And I don't think we were expecting him to turn into Jon Stewart. But I do think we were expecting him to be funny. And he was trying to be funny, and he wasn't. And it reminded. Me, well, wait a minute, wait a minute. Funny to whom? You know, there's I think that there's there's an interesting moment. Do we have a clip of that Chris Christie joke? Yes we do. Let's let's put that let's roll that if we can. Because I think there's a there's an interesting point here.

But I can exclusively reveal to you this evening that for the heaviest. of the heavyweights, we will have sloppy Chris Christie, one of the sloppy human beings you'll ever meet fighting. I would say I could mention the governor of Chicago, but I'm going to mention instead Jerry Nadler. And they're fighting for a big piece of cheesecake. Big fat piece of cheesecake. Who the hell wrote that line? But it is true.

This went over like this was an O my God moment. because he made a fat joke. This is an audience that has sees itself well beyond fat jokes. But if Don Rickles had delivered that line. in 1965, they would have been rolling on the floor. So the jokes it is this, this juxtaposition of Trump's. Trump sensibility, 1965 sensibility, Rat Pack sensibility.

What whatever it is that this group of people, the press corps, people in Washington, sophisticated, so-called people. don't get at all, and which. a great many Americans. still seem to get and perhaps even pine for. Except that Don Rickles wasn't the president. This is the president of the United States.

He spent. A lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. Not again not. I think I think that misses the point on two counts. You know, he's he's he's showing up to this thing where he's. supposed to make make jokes, he's supposed to act like a comedian. And also the entire Trump thing is not to be a politician, not to be the president, but to be to have some kind of visceral, emotional connection to an audience, which presidents.

which he does have, in which presidents usually don't have. Sometimes I get something like almost. a little flash of fondness. Could it be for Donald Trump? I mean, I hate this white House correspondents crowd. I mean, I hate them for their self-satisfaction, for their shared references, for their shared jokes, for their profound. lack of of of originality at any level. So the idea that Donald Trump would go in there and say,

you know, basically I don't give a shit about you. And the interesting thing is that is so many other politicians. and presidents certainly have tried to adapt to. what the white House press corps wants, what the press wants. And in Donald Trump, even in his symbiotic relationship. with, with, with the press, has just never done that.

I mean, this is I. Don't think that's true. He loves the press. He couldn't exist without the press. You say, but he has never. Watching himself on television. He has never done what they want him to to do. He has never become what they want him to be, which every other politician has. No. I feel this is a somewhat awkward position. to suddenly be defending Donald Trump because he his his, you know, he exists in such.

in such a horrifying and. he is such a horrifying juxtaposition to. You know, to what I guess I have to. I am part of what? Of what we would otherwise want him to be. But, you know, he doesn't. He doesn't grovel. To me.

He came across as desperate, both as president. Because. You are not his audience. But I can appreciate. And I've always said, I find, you know, I understand his charismatic. I understand he's funny. I understand he can hold people's attention. This was a night where he looked desperate. He was Fleming. We've said he feels desperate. You know, the white House is leaking. He's stuck in a war he can't do anything about. And he read like an old Catskill comedian.

Well, in his last. Material context. Is everything. He's got one audience in This is not it and the but in I. Again, to repeat, I think that the interesting thing is that he decided to show up for this, which he in the past has not, and he decided to show up. because he's become he's bigger than everybody. This is a this was a statement of I have I have.

I have no insecurities when it comes to you people who. I only have contempt for, who in the past I probably have felt insecure around. Well, I suspect that whoever wrote his speech will be fired. I think Donald Trump knew he bombed in the room. I disagree with you about him trying to reach beyond the room. I think he was actually, as you say, swaggering that. he was bigger than everybody. But actually he knows that the war is going wrong.

The price of gas is up at the pump, that inflation is up, and that he is in last chance saloon and he's going to lose the midterms. I can tell you that he came off that stage. Everybody said you were fantastic and and he will. and that's exactly what he will believe Donald Trump I feel safe. Safe to say has never once in his life. even entertained the possibility that he has bombed.

Well. He's bombed Iran to no great effect as far as we can see. The price of gas well, crude hit 100 again. I know you've been talking to people in the West. What I want to what I. Have, but what I want to discuss is the tariffs. because I think it's I think it's. I think that is the. is the big story of the moment and of incredibly emblematic story. about Donald Trump that he can't get away from tariffs, that.

the Supreme Court has struck this out. The Supreme Court said, you know, no, you can't you can't do this. Tariffs are taxes. The power to tax resides with Congress. You can't do this. And what they have done in typical Trump fashion, you know, when you have when the law says you can't do something in the Trump way, will you find another law that says you can, no matter how preposterous this might might be,

we have another rationale, and then we can wind through the courts on that. And what this is, you know, they they basically said that, that. that there is an exception. on, on in the, in the tariff, tariff. and tax regulations that talks, that talks about, about. countries using forced. labor in terms of, of their exports.

And I mean, this is meant to be a very fine exception, you know, more of a more of a policing. and national security function than it is an economic consideration. So but they have they have this this spring, the administration began a wide sort of investigation of, of, I think, I don't know, 60 countries including I noted Norway of all countries.

and found them found them guilty of using forced labor. So that then now becomes the pretext of, of. Of slapping on extra. Tariffs. Seeing these, these, these new tariffs. In thinking about this, I came back to recalling a discussion. that Steve Bannon and I had early in the first administration,

and I was pressing Steve on on. what what he thought about Trump's intelligence. You know, did he think Trump was smart? And I remember Steve looked at me like. that was the stupidest question I have ever been asked. The answer is obviously self-evident. But then he said, well, he is as smart. as a guy who has spent 20 years listening. to Lou Dobbs can be. No.

And now. Reminds people who Lou Dobbs. Yes. Yeah. No. I think Lou Dobbs, who died in just a couple of a couple of years ago, was one of the central personalities. in business journalism, business reporting on cable television. He started at started on CNN, ultimately went to Fox, went to Fox. Fox business was ultimately fired by Fox.

because he was one of the named defendants in the Dominion lawsuit. When when. the Voting Dominion, the voting machine company, sued Fox for saying, along with along with Trump and people. in the Trump circle, that they had conspired to fix the election. Lou Dobbs had been one of those. The outspoken people there was subsequently fired because of that. But for many years, 30 better.

part of yes, certainly more than 30 years. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Was Lou Dobbs on the side of Dominion or Lou Dobbs was saying the. Vote was the Fox? Yeah, right. So he was he was at he was at. Fox saying that Dominion had fixed the election. Okay. Got it. And that and he was subsequently fired. But for years before that, he had been one of the people. I mean, he was the one of the key birther people. He was one of the, you know, a. Key.

Anti-immigration voice before that became a. prevalent issue. And he was a person who said always. it was a part of the the Lou Dobbs mantra. You know, the problems with our country is the trade imbalance. We need tariffs. Tariffs will fix everything. So essentially, Lou Dobbs articulates. the entire Trump political.

Economic strategy.. Every I mean, I mean, I mean from birtherism birth ism, which is Trump's first big issue to. to anti-immigration to tariffs. And Trump and Lou Dobbs were were, you know, I mean, joined at the hip from a policy, political point of view. And also, they were deep, you know, extremely good friends. Lou Dobbs, that face that you always saw on.

the airport television as you walked past it. Yes. So therefore the question who is who really influences Trump? The answer to that is Lou Dobbs. But Lou Dobbs isn't with us anymore. So who is Donald Trump talking to about? Well. He doesn't he he's he's. Talking to the ghost of Lou Dobbs. And that is there. You know, there is if you see you know you know Trump.

Trump is not a man of principle. He is a man of fixation. And he is fixated on tariffs. And you can't tell him matter of fact. during it's interesting during the first administration. and I remember that this was a constant thing. and people within the administration would kind of raise their eyebrows. and kind of make fun of, of Trump on this tariff issue. And they would try to explain, including his his son in law, Jared Kushner, why tariffs really didn't make economic sense.

And then they would ignore ignore him. He would he wants tariff. Let's do let's develop tariff policies. But they would just gently ignore him. And in this administration it's kind of. you know it's a it's a condition of employment. Basically you have to agree with him that tariffs will solve all problems. Is one of the other reasons that he's so fixated on tariffs to do with it,

putting America at the center of the world that this gives him. control over other countries. Yeah. Well, I think that there's a whole, a whole. Specious rationale for, for tariffs, but it's a rationale that everybody, literally everybody has. understands is counterproductive. I mean, it will do the opposite of what you want. It won't it won't help protect your economy or grow your economy. It will limit your economy.

It doesn't give you give you a dominance over the rest of the world. It actually creates fissures across the rest of the rest of the world. You make enemies through through tariffs. You don't. You don't subdue your enemies. I mean, everything is wrong about this. Everything is misguided. But it's a thing about Trump, and it's. what's inside Trump's head that he can't understand. You present him with the with the logical argument.

that something is is doesn't work. Counterproductive should be at certainly at best modified. And he can't literally cannot understand. that looks at you like like he doesn't hear you. So he learned somewhere in, you know, decades ago, he listened intently to Lou Dobbs on the subject of tariffs, and that convinced him and stayed in his head.

That's it. And he cannot literally can't waver from it. He's he's it's just such he can't replace. one idea that he holds with another idea. And I remember you know, I mean Bannon I remember. I mean Bannon such an interesting figure because Bannon is a smart guy. He's just such a flagrant rank opportunist. that he'll do anything to get ahead for himself.

But that doesn't change the fact that he is a smart guy. and would analyze Trump and and say that he has Trump. has because he doesn't read, has really never had exposure to ideas. So therefore, when Lou Dobbs comes along and and. and pounds and pounds and idea, it caught Trump's attention. But he has no other ideas in his head that can be that that.

that he can measure against Lou Dobbs idea. So Lou Dobbs implanted this idea in his head tariffs. And there had stayed. Well, poor Lou Dobbs died before he got to. see his tariff obsession actually put in place. Poor Lou Dobbs. Does Donald Trump understand the significance of the price of crude oil.

going above $100? You know that I've had this other discussion. This has come up with white House people. this this week, and a kind of marveling. on their part, bewilderment, maybe, and somewhat concern. that the idea of, of a dollar, a dollar this way or that way at the pump. is something that Trump can't fathom.

Why is that an issue? It's a dollar more. What what? You know. That seems. that seems of so little interest to him. and of so little impact on on him, on the people that he knows, on the, the nature of of life as he knows it. They can't convince him that this is the.

the emotional. centerpiece of what people are thinking and feeling as we approach the midterms. What's the price at the pump? So the fact that it is back to $100 for. The Brant crude price is, you know, he. he acknowledges that Yale you know, be better than its lower. but can't get they they can't convince him and you only spend.

a limited amount of time trying to convince Donald Trump of anything. Because. Because in short order he becomes a very irritated guy. So this is that thing that he that this is probably central. This is probably the most important issue for the. for the fortunes of the Republicans in the coming midterm election. And Donald Trump can't quite comprehend it.

But, Michael, how does that square with what you started off. talking about, which is that his base love fat jokes? They would roar with laughter at the idea of Chris Christie and Jerry. Nadler at a UFC fight, fighting over a piece of cheesecake. How can he understand that part of it, but not understand that $0.50 per. gallon makes, you know, adds up to several dollars if you're filling your tank. And that impacts people. Well, because he spent his life as a as a billionaire.

I mean, when was the last time Donald Trump filled up his car at, at at the pump? You know, I mean, he can appreciate a fat joke. He can appreciate he can appreciate what. what what an audience responds to. You know, I think that that other the other, this other level of understanding people, understanding their daily lives, understanding what they want.

in their daily lives, they have to consider. how they value things, the, the, the expectations they have in the trade offs they have to make. What what what possible. experience would he have to relate to that? Well, there was one joke that I thought he could relate to and clearly reflects. on the people he spending his time with, which is the joke where he says that.

a senator comes home from work, his wife shouts at him from the bedroom, come upstairs and make mad, passionate love to me. And he says, well, I can't do both. I mean, he might be talking about Mitch McConnell, who's. what, 45 days now into not saying a single word. I thought, oh, that reflects on all the aging senators, Chuck Grassley sitting there, you know, blowing smoke up. Todd blanches S.

Jakes. I'm just I'm just thinking about, I mean, the Mitch McConnell thing, which I have I have thought and I have said here. with, with some amount of tolerance, you know, people go into the hospital and, and they, they. you know, they would they want some peace. And that's what's going on here. But I think we are beyond that at 45 days. Obviously, Mitch McConnell is,

closer, certainly closer. to a vegetable than to what's. The why hasn't done, Well, we can come to that in a minute. with RFK junior, but who, interestingly, was a year older. than than is a year older than Lindsey Graham was when he died. And I want to come on to his sister. But why hasn't Donald Trump said anything about Mitch McConnell? I mean, Donald Trump says something about everything. And actually on Mitch McConnell is remained completely silent.

I good. a good question and I don't know because at the same time, he's. been going after John Thune who is a Mitch McConnell is the Mitch. McConnell replacement and has been the longtime Mitch McConnell. protege. And, you know, very much represents the Mitch McConnell. side of the of the party and the and the congressional leadership,

which has been adamantly. opposed to Donald Trump, not that they have. Done anything about. It. Courageous enough to stand up to Donald Trump, but in private, they have. they have for many years now. seethed and mocked and. and I guess, been. found some point of pride in themselves.

that they have personally detested Donald Trump. So another joke that he made at the white House correspondents, which got a smattering of laughter, was he said, I hope you all enjoyed your beef tenderloin tonight. Bobby Kennedy, he ran over the cow and then he said, he's a different kind of person. He's a different kind of person. He's very smart. He's very smart.

And Bobby and Cheryl kind of laughed. I mean, obviously thrilled to be the center of attention for a moment. Odd timing to highlight RFK junior, still junior at 72, as we like to point out, because this week a report came out saying. that there have been all measles cases this year. in the first six months of this year than there have been in the last. Well, in the first 24 years of this century. So the case is measles cases are now up from pretty much.

0 to 2318 cases. in the first six months of this year, which is a terrible trajectory. And interestingly, most of them in South Carolina and Utah. What what do you think that Trump meant when he said. that RFK was a different sort of person? I think he probably meant he was a Kennedy. I think he meant he was.

I don't mean I mean, it's a great question. Weird. Creepy. Peculiar. Yeah. So. So, yeah. What was he saying? You think of him as a, as a, as a weird. and peculiar person, but he's really a good guy. Is that is that what he was saying? I don't know. Well, let's. Not I wonder if he I mean, he speaks of him. With admiration. And I think it's partly because he's a Kennedy. It's partly because he's got away with loads of women's stuff, which Trump,

as we know, Trump likes people who've done that because he's done that. So he's always looking for kindred spirits. RFK was the one that got the biggest shout. Out. You know, I'm interested in this. We've also this this week there's been a lot of talk. and a lot of going back and forth about about about these. the the regulations that he's removed from the sale of peptides. Peptides are another another supplement. And he's I mean, RFK is kind of the secretary of supplements,

supplements, supplements are profoundly related to our. how RFK sees health in the health systems but not just our it's. this is a mega omega thing supplements. And you know, I'm a kind of I'm aware of this. partly because. because a lot of right wing internet. media has been supported by supplements.

They they sell, they have sold. That's they have made a significant amount. of their money on selling a variety of supplements. And I've always thought, what what is this? I mean, I mean supplements, okay, people, I've never taken a supplement, but I sort of but to, to. Fund never. Taken the supplement. Don't you even take a multi.

I do take a multivitamin. Yes. Well that's. A. Supplement I suppose that that that is. I take. Loads of supplements or I have done over the years. I get very enthusiastic about supplements. Well I think there's people and well really I mean I think that this is. I mean this is a major, a major. of a foundational MAGA issue. supplements the right to supplements, the.

the importance of supplements seen in the entire health. care system as either trying to keep you from your supplements. or a workaround to the. to the hypocrisy of the health care system. by figuring out how to supplement it with supplements. And and I think I, you know, I think that this is a the, that kind of that kind of issue which.

people such as myself. overlook as, as, as having an incredible hold on, on, on a large segment segment of the voting public. Well, and it's true, if you watch Joe Rogan or you watch Dan Bongino. or any of these guys, they're constantly interrupted by ads for supplements. And of course, the supplement industry itself is not regulated.

Now, which is which is the thing. So the health care system in, in the United States or the, the, the, the federal health care system has essentially been designed. it's it's almost first responsibility is to keep people safe from, you know, from. From explosive diarrhea, from Cyclospora. in lettuce that causes explosive diarrhea. Yeah. Well, it's from I mean, that's that's the history.

Drugs and untested drugs can cause enormous. Cause, enormous harm. So the the government is there to stand in the way of that. and to be a conservative actually presence. You know, it is hard to get. approval on, on a whole range of drugs and on anything. And this is so what's going on now.

in the position is, is that's bad instead of good. And the in the federal government is keeping something from you. And the federal government does. not want you to have what you ought to buy any right. You have a right to your peptide. And and even though that we don't know what the effects of that will be, we represent your right to have whatever drugs. you want to have, which might be logical coming from a.

a health secretary. who has spent a lifetime taking drugs, who is a drug addict. Well, certainly a lot of peptides are injected, aren't they? Yeah, I think that's that's mostly how. maybe there's some I saw, you know, oral some some you can take orally but yeah. No it's they are injected so.

Thinking about some of RFK junior. still junior at 70 two's previous health habits. Snorting cocaine off a toilet seat, taking an unregulated peptide might be a healthier choice. Or I think it's it's just part of a part of a of a. of a significantly different culture that RFK junior, because of his own experience is. can is channeling and believes that it will be.

that this is a stepping stone to his further ambitions. Let us say, to possibly running. for the Republican nomination in 2028. Do you think that increased cases of. measles help get get him there? This isn't a great legacy for him as the Health and Human. Services and Peptide secretary. Well, I don't know.

This is this is yes. Yes. If you if you relax regulations on on. on health care. which, which includes regulations that that. that require you to take vaccines, well, you're going to get more disease. That's that's unavoidable. That's evident. That's logical. So it's it's a trade off that he's basically proposing.

Do you want to do what you want to do. Do you want to have a system. that that that is significantly has significant more regulations, but might yet keep you safe from the following diseases. That's a choice. And his bet, and the Trump administration's bet. is that at least a good part of its base wants the former.

Now, that may that may be incorrect ultimately. And and and possibly. this will be yet another of the issues in the midterm elections. And that'll be a measure of of what we're seeing there. And in fact, curiously, within this white House, they have moved to kind of keep RFK junior under wraps because, you know, the anti-vaxx thing is, is is not popular. It has, you know, the the Republicans have made a bet.

on that before and lost pretty badly on it. yet. Yet still, this is. against the background of a lot of people, for whatever reason, because they have all taken drugs. themselves, or because of the internet, or because who knows? Thinking the federal government is, is depriving of us of.

of of a range of health care, health enhancing advantages. Right. Well, at least he will be personally injecting every single member. of the military who scored on the low t test with a booster with a booster shot. I wonder how Darlene Graham, who's got absolutely no experience. in public office whatsoever, but does have some. experience in the health because she's an eye specialist.

How she will handle this? Because South Carolina has over a thousand cases of measles, which may be something she has to deal with when she. well, as she runs for office. She's got the job now through January, I guess, stepping in for her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died of an aortic dissection, we are led to believe, two weeks ago. Why is Donald Trump so keen on her?

What is this about? Is this about dynastic politics? I mean, she's going to be up against a couple of other people, not least Mark Sanford, the former governor. of South Carolina, who's now said he's going to run for the seat. But why has Donald Trump already come out with his endorsement for her? Yeah. In at least one other person who Donald Trump had led to believe. would get his endorsement.

So I you know, I don't know what's the advantage to Donald Trump. You know, I think that it's curious that we're seeing some kind. of Donald Trump sentimentality. Really. And you might call it a kind of movie of the week sentimentality that, that, that, you know, the sister. of his of his friend Lindsey Graham. gets to take over his seat and to fulfill his legacy.

I think that appeals to Trump in a storybook way. Well, and also the fact that her parents. died and Lindsey Graham adopted her. when he was at college and she was only, I think, 13. There's a big difference between them that adds to the movie of the week. I would say the the movie, the movie of the week. Now what the what we don't say in that movie of the week is that it's not Lindsey.

Graham's wife replacing him because Lindsey Graham is was gay. and it was his sister who filled the, the, the role of, you know what? Whatever. Matter of fact, when Lindsey Graham ran for president at one point. and he was asked about this, about the first lady and, you know, with. with a number of tears in the background, he said his. his sister would serve as serve in that.

the role of first Lady anyway. But it doesn't make any difference. It's all it is a good movie of the week. And actually the gay aspect makes it an even better movie of the week. So Trump alluded twice in his speech. last night to, I guess, being gay. One was to Anderson Cooper. He said he likes Anderson Cooper, but Anderson was of a very different. persuasion. And then he called out Caitlyn Collins and said she was very beautiful,

but she never smiled. And that she reminded him of Dylan Mulvaney, a trans model who famously did a controversial ad. it turned out for Bud Light and lost a lot of Bud Light drinkers. So I guess playing to his base, to your. point, not playing to the room, playing to his base, who are deeply suspicious of of trans people. You know, in your.

synopsis of Trump, you make you make his performance. sound much more interesting than it actually was. It was so dull. I was really tired and I thought, you know what? I'll stay up and watch it because I should do my job. And it was so bad. It really was bad. All right, so, grift force one and the credible. threat that the Secret Service said they had. Do you think that actually seemed to shake Trump up at all?

Well, I think it obviously did. I mean, he's not flying this this this plane, this is a plane. that he desperately wanted, had forced through, had, you know, had twisted arms probably to get in the first place. and to, then to, then to then to make it operational. I mean, this was his personal project. This was again a fixation. And so to have agreed to take it offline, so to speak.

Yeah, I think I think they must have convinced him that he was going to be shot. out of the sky. But the other thing is to do this, you know, I mean, this is which is again. goes to Trump's absolute incompetence, a headstrong incompetence. I'm going to do this. We're going to do this. Why are we going to do this? We're going to do this because I want it. And everyone around him then goes into a, you know, chicken with their heads cut off because because he wants this done. And.

and nobody. stops to think, well, it can't be done in this amount of time. and it can't be done at this cost because the following. the most basic things have to be added to this airplane. Otherwise it doesn't work. But pay no attention to that. Of course he wanted it. He got it. And then only then did the Secret Service. step in and say. The consequences of this could be really dire.

And do you think that lingers in his head? On the one hand, he keeps saying, I'm the number one target of the Iranians. I'm the number one saga target. They're scum. Somehow ignoring the fact that we took out. their entire leadership, I think 40 members of the Iranian leadership. And then there was this peculiar thing that Marco Rubio said this week. that, you know, he'd been talking to the Iranian defense minister. who'd said an eye for an eye.

And Marco Rubio said, well, the president thinks it's a head for an eye. Whatever that means, I don't. Well, I think it just means more violence that we want more than an eye. We want an entire head if we take someone's either. No it doesn't. I would, I would say I would say it means literally nothing. And and what it really means is Donald. Trump can't figure out how to get out of his out of this war. And he's desperate. So let's let's throw some more threats around.

But but but right now we're at that another yet. another inflection point on this, on this war. Do we go back to war? $100, Brant crude and climbing. or or do we do we find another cease. fire agreement, however lame and. and ultimately futile? Or do we send JD Vance back.

in to try and negotiate for peace? Yeah, well, that would be another. Another. Yes, I'm sure they'll do that again as they did the last time. and, and with, with the same result. So this is again a forever war. The problem with forever wars is that. is that you can't get out of them, even if you want to get out of them. Well, JD. Vance Secret Service team has also been tattling on him.

One of them was suspended this week after it seemed clear. that they had been leaking information. That he is chaotic. Now. This may not be his his fault, but they complain. And in fact they've created a series of badges which they now. where that he scrambles them. They have to go off and do advanced work, which is obviously part of being part of a security team. And then plans change at the last minute. I suspect they change at the last minute because his boss is sending him.

here, there and everywhere. and giving him all sorts of new portfolios and just throwing more stuff at him. But the Secret Service is saying it's making it hard for them to do their job, and he's being a diva at taxpayers expense. What are your thoughts? Well, my thoughts are that that we're avoiding the subject. that we have promised to talk about, which was JD Vance book communion. And we are avoiding this because it's.

so such a slog to get through. And it really is a slog. It really trying to be honorable enough. to have actually read the book before we discuss it. And, and I'm afraid we're going to have to push this yet. into into Tuesday's, into Tuesday's Inside Trump Head. episode, because we haven't finished it.

And but I'm eager. I mean, I am I am really making my way through this book. And I think it is an interesting window into this, into this guy. Well, how. Does he have time to write a book like this? I mean, he said that he'd originally conceived of doing it in 2017. Then life had other plans. But but. these are books that traditionally you write after you've left the white House. You're not trying to monetize your role in the white House.

I think you can partially see this as a campaign book. Everybody has to produce a campaign book. He's going to start to run for. for the Republican nomination shortly. I mean, I think that gets underway, underway after after the midterms. So I think he thought, yes, I need to have this in place. And these books get written by politicians. And I and I have I have seen this there.

You know, they become a kind of a committee enterprise. This is. this is my broad thinking on this subject. So you whatever aid you are, Han, you give that some thought, give me some some background background. research on that and maybe come up with an outline. And and so that's how these books come together. This book is his first book, hillbilly Elegy, enormously successful book.

in a pretty good book and a in a pretty well-written book. This is not this is not well written and is not not particularly well organized. It's kind of, you know, a lot of throw it against the wall stuff, but nevertheless, I think it is honest stuff and genuine stuff. And, and what he doesn't talk about in the, the aspects of what he doesn't talk about,

and then the aspects of what he emphasizes are, you know, offer a lot of insight into this, this guy, which. which I would like to discuss if we can ever finish the book, which. Well, I think we both got stuck at page 100. Yeah. Well, I have pushed I have pushed beyond page 100, but oh well done. All right. Well, I will try and finish it by Tuesday. I got to page 100 and thought, gosh, this is hard going. So then I started from the back and started.

and I read the last couple of chapters to encourage myself to try. And actually I think the bits, the interesting bits. must be the bits in between, which is how he reconciles his faith. with working for Donald Trump and how he does his 180 from saying Donald. Trump is the new Hitler, and I'm assuming that I'm going to come to that. Yes, I have my doubts that we will, but I think that Peter Thiel of it. all is pretty interesting, and he does spend some time on that. So I think it's I think it's.

worth at least trying to finish. Okay. We will doggedly keep going, Michael. We will doggedly keep going. Okay. Well, I will look forward then to seeing you on Tuesday. In fact, I think I have to make a brief correction, which is that I thought that the Vance's had bought their $9. million home in Virginia, but it turns out they're just renting it. So I'm assuming that the taxpayer is paying for that. We should we should we should check that.

And then we have a poem. We've got one about Melania, which was inspired by your case with Melania. And this is from someone called Katherine Blauen Rad. There once was a lady named nous. A con artist made her his spouse, for better or worse, be a blessing or curse. It landed her in the white House. Very good, very good. All right, Michael, do you want to to thank everybody for joining us?

If they have been and read out our team. Anyone who has joined us, if you have, we appreciate it. We appreciate the people who managed. to get us in front of you, which we could not have. We could not do on our own, not remotely well. And we should celebrate our 700,000 subscribers, to which. We celebrate our 700,000 subscribers.

I'm still confused about that. Do the subscribers get a notice that we are. of each podcast that we are doing? I have subscribed, I don't get that notice. I think you choose to get that notice. Or you can if you go to your account, it should come up. When we drop. I see. Okay. Ryan, Rachel, Heather.

Neil. John, thank you very much. See you on Tuesday. So the good news is we have. So many beast. Tier members now. There are too many names to read out and we really appreciate your support.