Trump’s Humiliating Sex-Mad CEO Scandal Explodes | The Daily Beast Podcast

Well and his family is benefiting. His family is benefiting from his close relationship with the founder of Nvidia. The Democrats have every motivation to go after this. It sheds light on why is everything unaffordable, or because he's doing business with billionaires, because the whole art of government is being bent towards the interest. of somebody who, at the maximum, was worth $200 billion. And for Republicans who just got absolutely shaken by this blue tsunami, they can run away from Trump, their interest now as being independent, standing up to the American worker,

being in touch with the issues of the people. It doesn't care about you. He cares about billionaires. I'm trying to. This is the Daily Beast podcast. Howard. Nick. Jensen. Wang. It sounds like a skipping rhyme from a children's play environment. Anyway, this story is also a bit like a boa constrictor. Squeeze the trump.

Well, I guess the Trump administration. Now, of course, everybody hates Howard, Nick as we know, in fact, who told us that? I think everybody saw this. as a problem as in as an issue. Why wasn't it being dealt with? And the only reason it wasn't being dealt with is because Donald Trump. wasn't dealing with it. That's number one. Number two, everybody hates Howard. Nick. So if you can get into it with Howard. Nick I think you take that opportunity. That's of course, was Michael Wolff, my co-host on Inside Trump's Head.

and the author of four books about the crazy around Donald Trump as president. You know who got into it with Howard learning, Treasury Secretary. Scott Bissonette, who is here to decipher what all of this means. Are we on the precipice of something? Well, I mean, what happens now that Nvidia America's. supposedly it's the fulcrum of the AI industry as it begins to shake? It's all fascinating.

No one can get enough of this story. And we've also got details on Don junior. being squeezed out of Kalsi, where he had a very lucrative, advisory. Well, there's just so much going on right now. Nobody knows more than Hugh Dougherty are excellent executive editor. Before we get there, you are executive editor. I am executive editor. Who knows? Fancy title. Just a reminder, please don't forget to subscribe. to the Daily Beast podcast wherever you get your podcast.

Apple, Spotify, YouTube. We are here every day. Every day. Staying on top of the madness. On top of the madness. Huey, you said to me, go short on Donald Trump. It does seem like the Republicans are now demanding. that the cabinet be pulled in front of all these various committees. They have what's happening. And it's it's an incredible drama.

You just you're just skipping right in your double a constrictor. You can skip with the boa constrictor. You could you could do that. Richard Scarry books. Yes. This morning, we have an incredible unfolding situation. We all know that Jensen Wong Jensen Wong has gone. as CEO of Nvidia, which was the world's largest company. Because he had an affair. with an alleged apparent Chinese spy.

And then it turns out he's an affair. with one of his direct reports, the head of healthcare at Nvidia. And then it turned out he had an affair with another unknown worker, Nvidia. I'm all too much for him. Off he went overboard. As I know you discussed yesterday with Michael Wolff this morning, all the recriminations are inside the Trump cabinet because. Nvidia. was, you know, is the world's largest company. It is incredibly important what it produces.

These AI chips are under, you know, underpinning. the whole growth that Trump has boasted about in the stock market. And let's be honest, most people haven't felt this. But the stock market going up has been the central thing that Trump has fixated on. And Nvidia has done it partly. by exporting these around the world, including to China. How did it get allowed to export these to China? It got permission from Trump and one other person Howard.

Howard lot. Nick Howard. Nick is I think well, he's a very polarizing character, isn't he? That's one way to put it. Yes. I mean, I just wondering, whose is this, like a 9010 issue in the pro. Who's where's the pro Nick cannon? I mean, it's something about the shape of his head I found very unappealing. It's like, what is it like? It's like a bison or it's like a sort of. It's just got such a weird shape. And then he's got that over productive hair.

And of course, the reason I find him very difficult to take remotely. seriously is how sanctimonious he was over Jeffrey Epstein when he said that, you know, he and his wife lived next door to Jeffrey Epstein, and they said they. went to meet Jeffrey Epstein at his house, took one look at his massage bed. and apparently some suggestive comments from Jeffrey Epstein. You know, possibly the most diabolical man of the century. and indeed to have as a neighbor. And they stalked out and they swore they would never set foot in his house.

again, which didn't stop them hustling for an invitation. to his house on the island, as revealed in The Epstein Files. Please release the next 3 million of the Epstein files. so we can see how else Howard might be implicated. And we should just point out how a not only took. his four children and his nanny to the island, but he took nanny. French nannies. Plural? Yes. Thank goodness he had more than one nanny. Because it's a good call.

It's a lot for children is a lot. And then he took his friend and all their children. So. party on the island. And now Howard. Nick wants us to take him seriously. So, How? Nick, I think we have to take very seriously that Howard. Nick is absolutely at the heart of this engulf of this unfolding scandal. And how do we know he's at the heart of this unfolding scandal? Well, really helpfully, one of his cabinet. colleagues has just been on CNBC, on Squawk Box,

Treasury War, US, TR and state. were in favor of putting Mega Speed on the entity list for months. But Commerce has the commerce biz has the pin, and you will have to have to ask him about their internal processes. Okay. What on earth is he talking about there? What's an entity list? What does he say? That commerce has the pen? Yes. Please decipher what's the what's to unpack there?

First of all, he's talking about Mega speed. And mega speed is the company that this, Alice Wong, this alleged spy, ran a to X to buy in Vidya chips. And she was a customer of Jensen. Wong, the same surname. They are not related yet. They're not related. That's true. Yes. She might become the next Mrs. One. Who knows? Maybe it's a true love affair. Oh, what was that expression? A coup de foudre. I believe food could be a coup de food.

Except there are lots of other. Yes, fairies, which complicates the waters. Yes. I wonder if they were simultaneous or if they were overlapping. We need to get into that. So Alice One's mega speed. was based in Singapore and it wanted to buy and video chips. These chips are so powerful that you have to have permission. from the United States government to be able to use them, to export them. If you're a domestic United States company, you know, if you're, I don't know. The Cleveland Clinic or,

the JP Morgan. Right. You are going to use them domestically for your AI projects. that might be about health care or about banking, right? Or open AI, something. I mean, it's actually all the big AI companies. are completely dependent on Nvidia chips. Google makes some chips, but essentially all the big AI companies are dependent on video. And obviously what what we all know is that the strategic. interest of the United States has long been.

been said, especially by Trump, that they should not win the AI war. Invidious chips are at the absolute, you know, tip of the spear head of AI. So China logically shouldn't get access to them. China are wants access to them. It probably wants to copy them. That's the general consensus. Mega speed was operating in Singapore. and it was buying these chips. It needed permission.

It needs to be the entity list means it needs permission from. It's got to be approved to be officially approved by the Department of Commerce. And the entity list is the list of people that are not allowed to get stuff. They are forbidden. So. And Commerce has the pen. What he means is that commerce is writing this list of who is not allowed. Mega speed was being investigated as to whether. it was illicitly buying these chips and then shipping them to China. So what what he's saying is Howard was.

responsible. for mega speed, Jensen Wong's lovers company being allowed to do business. with China to give them chips in a way that was against the interests, according to the Treasury Department, the state and the State. Department under Marco Rubio that this was against American interests. But he says it was up to commerce to stop that. They didn't stop it. If you like the support of a sports bra.

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Oh what subterfuge. I mean, it's just remarkable that that Donald Trump, who keeps saying he who wins AI wins, would somehow. not take this more seriously. I mean, he was told twice, apparently, that Jensen Wang was having an affair. with a woman who was working for Chinese intelligence. And what we don't know is whether or not she targeted Jensen Wang or whether or not. the Chinese found out that she was having an affair with him,

which could have been a coup de food. Who knows? And then squeezed her to get intelligence. And we don't know what intelligence she got from him. Do we know? We don't. We don't know at all. Clearly, we know. I mean, look, here's a basic fact. If you are doing business with China at that level, you are doing business with the Chinese Communist Party, the governing party, the sole governing party. It's it's a dictatorship. You are doing business with them.

because they have a state commanded element of their economy. They have strategic goals to do well in AI. They want that AI because they want to they want to export more goods. They also want their military to be better. You are doing business with the Chinese government whether you like it or not. Donald Trump. does business with the Chinese government as the president. He tries to do deals. And I know you discussed this at length with Michael Wolff yesterday. Those deals don't really work that well for America.

Well it's all sort of sound and fury. Sound and fury. Nothing. Right. And one of the deals that Trump has been, you know, the deals. that Trump has pursued is one with Nvidia was that they would take that he wanted. He said, okay, so we'll allow you to export the lower. performing trip chips, not the very tip of the spear head, but the other ones you make below you to export those in return. He and Nick went on various right leaning podcasts and boasted about this,

that the United States government. would take a cut of this. Of the proceeds of this export. to the United States government was cut in on dealing with China. No, that's not corrupt. It's actually out in the open. But it does appear to be, something that complicates. what goes on inside the cabinet because the cabinet, Marco Rubio. and Scott Basin are saying we shouldn't be doing this business at all with China.

Howard is saying we're getting 15%, 25%. The number has varied a certain and we do not know in public what that number is. We're getting a cut of this going straight into the Treasury. We don't know. But in somehow enter the United States government. So this is incredibly complicated scandal that's unfolding. But at the heart of it is a really simple conflict. Everyone hates how Light deck, a really simple conflict that the Treasury.

and the State Department, Marco Rubio and Scott Besson, didn't want to do business with China. Howard wanted to do business with China. He took Trump along with them. And it turns out that the guy was that was the main vehicle for. that was being hunted, trapped by the Chinese. So I wonder how they were actually extracting the information. Was she, you know, did Jensen Huang go to the loo. and she put some sort of tracking device on his phone? Did she have a device inside his phone?

Did they have a device inside her phone? And every time she talked to him. that, you know, she put the phone on, it's kind of completely gripping. I mean, it's got such levels of subterfuge in it. I was actually speaking this week. to an author who has been specializing in spy stories, and one of the points that they made was that what intelligence might want. is not necessarily a sort of bull by bull, but they want to know what the mood is. They want to be able to work out.

what was going on in Trump's mind, that you could just listen to the Daily Beasts. But why are you worrying about spies so unnecessary? But you know, the pillow talk that Jensen might be able to offer is, oh, Trump's talking about something, or I'm trying to get Trump to do something, and the Chinese have a strategic interest in the other side of a deal. They can tack their deal around. They can change the deal around a bit to make it more attractive to Trump, because they know what Trump is seeing on the other side of the deal.

And at that level, access to these most significant figures. might you might not want to ruin the asset by turning him into a mobile. recording studio, but you can find out what's going on in Air Force One. These are the garden places, who's on our side and who's not. It's fairly clear from what I'm what we heard from Scott Besson, that the Chinese will now know. that Scott Besson and Marco Rubio are not on their side. We are learning that, no, but it's probable.

that the Chinese knew that already because of pillow talk from Jensen Wang. So, you know, the the access that Jason Wong had. Trump was on the phone to him all the time. No. Let's just you mentioned bugged phones. In theory, Jensen Wong has an incredible security apparatus around him. We now know that he has a security entourage, because we discovered that they were giving out in days. to people who had seen him in some sort of scenario. Canoodling scenario.

Yes, with intimate embrace his direct report. Right. So we know that Jensen Wong has security, the the interests of that security, you would think, would be to make sure his phone isn't compromised. If his phone is compromised and Trump is falling him up, he's falling. Trump is the president's phone compromised. We also know that Alice wasn't a very good spy because we all know about her. Plus she was posting pictures. Yes, Jensen on her social media, which may be that.

she was doing that to show, hey, I really am hanging out with him. I do have access. There was apparently one story that she was in Singapore, I think, and said, hey, I can get Jensen to this birthday party or whatever. because it's like a rock star. And she did. So she clearly had access to him, but we don't know whether. or not he was actually divulging things. He had his own suspicions. and thought, well, I'm just not going to tell her anything. Well, one of the big questions that we do not know the answer to, and this is what Congress is going to be going hammer and tongs at.

And answer is, was he given what's called the defense of briefing. Was he told this woman might be a spy? Well, how could he not have been told by his own security that. they would have of figured out who she was because they were having to enable, you know, the two of them to get time together. Right? Because this was also a man that traveled with his family. Yes. I'm so there's there's his security. And honestly, she's got all the hallmarks of a Chinese spy, right?

You can't quite work out what her background is. She's got husband, which was a television journalist. Right. So how did you go from being noticed? Respect to her profession. But I wasn't thinking that, you know, me or my colleagues would. suddenly move into the invidious shipping port business. Well, perhaps you're pulling a shirt. Yeah. We wouldn't be back next week because we're going. to make much more money selling Nvidia trips to the Chinese. And if you get any tips, get in touch.

But she's got a husband who's a guy, a Kang. We in Shanghai, who we are now. may have had like he may be exposed criminally. He might have been, investigated by the Chinese authorities. All of this. Yeah. James Wong's security should have known. But the question here is, did the FBI. offer a defense of briefing? Did they go to Jensen Huang, who, by the way, we assume probably has some. sort of security clearance to have access to information about these chips.

Remember, Yuan Musk has a very high level security clearance. There is an intriguing question here. We don't know about Jensen Huang's security clearance. Surely he does. It's a good question. I think Congress is going to be asking that. But regardless, shouldn't the FBI have said to him? Hey. She always says by ties you want to count it down. Did they do that? We do not know. We know that Trump knew, and we know that Trump has been. frantically trying to deny that he knew it couldn't be more.

It couldn't be, or at least muddy the waters about what he knew and when. So let's just run through the scenarios. The Democrats are coming in. They've got a stranglehold on Congress. They are going to see this as a great political opportunity. and a commercial opportunity to get to the bottom of this. Who will be calling whom on the carpet? Well, intriguingly, we don't even have to wait till January 3rd. The Republicans are going for already.

There are two senators out this morning, Jim Banks, Indiana, who had been very aligned with MAGA. And then John Curtis, who's a Republican in Utah who is not aligned with MAGA. He's kind of a mitt Romney figure. Both of them are demanding answers. The have demanded that. They have demanded that that Jensen Wong. and Howard Nick appear before Thanksgiving. Right. They, you know, the the there is there's also.

and appear before what, the oversight committee. What what are they? It could be it could be House oversight. We haven't heard from James Comer yet. It could be one of the Senate Commerce committees. Commerce obviously has. that foreign affairs could have have some sort of intelligence committee. until I mean, this covers so many different topics. But all of them obviously are motivated. I mean, this is just to put this in a bigger picture as you discussed. yesterday, makeup.

Well this is the power of Trump fading away. He formed Jensen Huang and begged him not to quit. And Jensen Wong quit. Jason Wong lost the confidence of his board of his huge. institutional investors, and he had to quit. Well, Jensen Wong may also know that there is more to come out. Sure, right. I mean, I would think if you're if you're in Jensen's position. and what we're hearing or I think we read in the times this morning, is that he is. at least sounding somewhat desperate about the whole situation.

There's an extraordinary account by Bloomberg who, of course, of course, covered, you know, the financial markets and tech, you know, in, in my detail. And they have an incredible account of him in his last days, you know, kind of the fall of a regime that he described himself. He said he said I was telling people I'm a piece of shit. Sorry, but my language, he said he was asked to make decisions. He said, I just don't care. And it was clear that the, you know, he'd fallen, you know, for an apart.

and Trump at the same time was phoning him saying, I want you to steer you need to fight this out. And of course Trump, you know, the whole, you know, fist pump fight, fight, fight fight, fight. Trump survived. Grab him by the pussy. And again, apologies for my Wang, which he survived a an assassination attempt. He survived multiple felony convictions. He thinks he can fight through anything. If we'd. had this conversation before these elections.

Do you know what it might have been right about Jensen Wong? But no, Jensen Wong is going to be dragged in front of Congress. He's still going to be dragged in front of Congress. He's going to be dragged back as soon as the Democrats are back. His his sex life, his family life is all up for microscopic examination. And he's not, you know, he's the only. the only support is coming from inside the white House, right? And her neck and even the rest of Trump's cabinet. are now hands in the air saying no, no, that was nothing to do with me.

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that's 15% off one skin.com with code beast, and after you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. So please support this podcast and tell them we sent you. It's just a remarkable story. I mean, again, you can't make up these incredible tales. Espionage. There is a great clip of Donald Trump, and you can see him equivocating about whether or not Jensen Huang,

when he's talking to the sports commentator and podcaster Steve Smith. Let's just play that clip. He built an incredible. Navidi is unbelievable. Should he have stepped down? Well the big thing is was the woman spy. And I don't know if that's been determined yet. But if the woman was a spy yes of the woman was not a spy. Perhaps it would be different. But I can tell you this.

somehow he'll end up in his feet. I mean, I know him, I know him pretty well. I always thought of him as a fine man. He's a I spoke to him yesterday. He's. He's going through hell. What he feels most badly about his his wife and family. That's what he is really. That's what he told me. I mean, strongest he called me as the president. I'm president. And he called me and he said, what I've done to my wife and family is, is that's what he talked about.

He be replaced. Is she spy? I love that girlfriend. Is she spy? Is she spy? Well, I mean, he even though it's. Although I think there is a genuine problem here, it does appear. that the US intelligence agencies have not reached a determination about, as we discussed, exactly what was going on here. And one of the worrying things is it may be that. they haven't reached this termination because they couldn't gather.

enough information, because how was Donald Trump were enabling. the continuation of Jensen Huang's presence in the inner circle? And they weren't stopping him from having this affair. I mean, you know, look at Donald Trump's own personal, messy love life. He obviously doesn't think there's anything wrong about the affair. It's just the spy thing, which I guess everybody's more concerned about. what's happened to Alice Wang as best as she is in China.

And she hasn't been seen, which sounds slightly worrying, doesn't it? If you've gone to China and not been seen, I wonder if we'll ever hear from Alice Wang again. For her husband's involved in criminal activity. Perhaps the Chinese squeezed her over that too, and said, we'll give you a break on your husband, or your husband will get a break. We have something we need you to do. We're going to set you. up in a shell company, and you're going to get to Jensen Wang. And obviously China is sort of pick on this.

We are becoming aware that the husband had some sort of engagement. with criminal investigation, but that could have been a set up in itself. You know, he might be a completely innocent man. who has been forced to watch his wife being holding him. because the Chinese national interest. has been to go after him and say, you know, we we just don't know. Was he set up? Was this was she set up? We don't know. Did she start innocently in court. Marks a relationship with with Jensen Wong.

and then get compromised or was she sent in? You know, all of this and all of this Congress. is going to go after and go after and go after. The Democrats have every motivation to go after this. It sheds light on why is everything unaffordable, but because he's doing business with billionaires, because the whole arc of government is being bent. towards the interest of somebody who at the point at the maximum, was worth. $200 billion and is now back down to the last 150.

So you may have to spare a dime for Jensen. But it speaks to their message. And for Republicans who just got absolutely shaken. by this balloon Nami they can run away from Trump. They can say, no, no. Do you know what? I'm bipartisan. I'm investigating. And that's why it's fascinating that Jim Banks. Right. Indiana, you know, Utah and Indiana. coming out and saying we need to know more. Yeah. And the Utah guy, always independent, morally upright, are very Mormon.

But know much more public. And the Indiana guy well his his state we, you know moved way towards blue. If they came close to losing over the Congress. with more congressional seats than they did, they were statewide elected, erected Democrat for the first time in 20 odd years. in the form of bull by the son of Avon, by the old senator there. So their interest now is not sucking up to Trump,

which Jim Banks did very ably for a very long time. Their interest now is being independent, standing up for the American worker, being in touch with the issues of the people. This is a good way to present yourself as being in touch. with the interests of the people. Well, they're interested in being reelected. in two years, that is, they are interested. Yes. So that's also part of it. That's that's always their interests, always their interest. Or maybe running for president. That's always a big one for a senator as well. That's true what a senator say when they look in the mirror.

first thing in the morning. Good morning, Mr. President. So the other thing. that's interesting about this story is that because of the way that Jensen. Huang runs the company, there's no obvious successor. The board didn't appear to have had succession conversations. Or perhaps they did and they didn't go anywhere. But I'm on a couple of boards, and you do have to have those often. uncomfortable conversations about what happens if you, you know, die. in a crash or you get run over by a bus or God forbid,

you get caught up in some kind of scandal like this, the CFO has taken over. Yes. Colette Kress, very experienced CFO. But nonetheless, a story this morning saying that Jensen had screamed. at her over the summer, saying that she was like a deer in the headlights. I think this was the New York Times who felled on this story. Yes. Well, the times and the Wall Street Journal both done. Excellent reporting on this. Right. Do I have to take our hats off to them? And yeah, I, he was a.

and belittling her and obviously that didn't make. it seem that she was going to succeed him as CEO in any shape or form. She is the interim CEO of Names being Slaughtered. Donald Trump, of course, has been floating his own name to Apple, as he calls him, Tim Cook. A colleague of mine did point out. to map will have to change his name if he gets his job. So Tim and Vidya. Right. But there's there's there's. internal names, there's external names, there's very specific people.

And but one of the, one of the interesting things and I think, you know, one of the things that is important in this is that Jensen Wong. and Donald Trump had bonded. And you could see that in that sort of equivocation. I, I'm not going to say, friend, because that's a whole. psychological, you know, sort of can of worms. Exactly. Trump doesn't have friends, but he does have donations from friends. So Jensen wrote him a check, $25 million for the ballroom,

which was at the top end of the checks he was getting from the tech companies, which is, you know, is is what you expect from your friends. And, you know, I'm, I'm always asking my friends for 25 million from my ballroom. I'm excited to see your ballroom built here. But one of the other things is that I'm, we're learning today that apparently. this was actually the shouting and belittling was part of his. more in behind, you know, behind. right behind the avant garde and the kind of cool guy leather jackets.

And what do we know about Trump? We know he's kind of into that as well. So you can see that there was obviously some, meeting of minds going on and meeting of interests. Well, and the other reason that it's important is that not. only is an Vidya the maker of these chips, but it's central. to the ecosystem of the AI industry because it lends money. to startups who then say, well, we'll buy in video chips.

So it's a circular economy of AI. So if you take out an enormous player like Nvidia. or you even hamstring it in terms of how it supports. upcoming companies, you impact the entire ecosystem. Right. And it's interesting that you mentioned that, Johanna, because. one of the companies that is engaged in that ecosystem is holding up next, how old was was the founder and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, which is,

you know, a huge financial services I guess is probably the best way. and probably sprang to prominence because of nine over 11, because it was in the World Trade Center, one of the towers, his brother, younger brother was killed. I mean, I think they lost, what, 690 huge. It was a terrible, terrible, absolutely awful tragedy. And Nick, you know, this company researched, came back many controversies along the way. When it became cabinets, a cabinet secretary became commerce secretary.

He handed the company not to be blind trust not to, you know, didn't it's not it's not traded. You can't, you know, you can't buy it. He handed it to Brandon and Nick. You might recognize the surname. There are sons. We can guess where they've been on their summer vacations. Right? Peter island. But they now run this company. And this company holds $1 billion of Nvidia stock. It also is involved in investments around the AI ecosystem.

So it's directly engaged with this I am that depends on Nvidia. And it's also in crypto and a lot of crypto that depends on Nvidia's chips. So Nvidia is actually baked in to the reason that hold right is really rich, which is going to be something that Congress is going to be asking about. Again, are you a fair minded, impartial, you know, upholder of the.

interests of the United States of America or were you going to benefit from it? I'm sure he will deny that he could have benefited or that he was. he cared about benefiting. But it doesn't look great. And it's a hot question. Well, and his family is benefiting. His family is benefiting. from his close relationship with the founder of and video. Yeah. And again, just to put a, you know, put a bow on it, this is exactly what the Democrats were talking about. He doesn't care about you.

He cares about billionaires. He's not for they. What is it. He's not. He's for you. It's not for you. He's for they them they then being the billionaire. Yes. It turned out that he was for Jensen and Howard and Elon and you name it you know. Yeah. Very very powerful attack that Democrats have done that. Right. All the people around him. at the inauguration, although Jensen wasn't actually at the inauguration, but he was around him a couple of weeks ago when they did.

that impromptu press conference he gave him. He gave him the National Medal of Science. Right. He knew, you know, everybody around when he was getting that oh, you know. Marco Rubio and co watching it on their office. televisions were like well that guy is the ones having an affair with the spy. He's like oh pinning the medal on. And there was a report this week that, Jensen. Huang had hired Risa Heller who's a crisis. Yes. Control person. Very good. A bit like, Kerry Washington in or is Olivia Pope in scandal?

Yes, yes. Risa is also a friend, but she is one of those people. that people call when they have a pending sense of crisis. And Jensen hired her, apparently. And Vidya hired her. Well, we don't quite know who hired her. Six months ago. Yes. And is that an important data point? Well, yes. You don't you don't go. Oh, you know what? I need somebody that helps in a crisis because, well, and resale is expensive.

Although Nvidia's you know that they can afford it, but she's expensive. too. So anyway, the story is going to keep on going. I think there are probably more affairs to come out. That's what I'm being told by friends and family. I was at two dinners this week, one with senior. media folks on Wednesday, senior business tech folks last night. No one could talk about anything else. No one could talk about anything else. It's got everything. And we're always talking about.

how we look at the world through the seven deadly sins. But it literally has everything from last betrayal, greed, envy, flying too close to the sun. It's got all of it. Hubris. It's even managing. One of their dates that we know about was at the. a Taiwanese chicken noodle soup restaurant where it's renowned. So that's even got to me. Gluttony. Well, they might not have had very big portions. Even so, blasting after food, that's probably gluttony. Okay, let's throw it in there. But but it has absolutely everything.

This story, including the president, got the president right. I tell you what, I think one thing that we should see is we've been talking about this a lot. And does this affect ordinary people? Right. Does this actually affect you or me when when we go to the supermarket this weekend. or, you know, if you're in Starbucks, you're filling up your car. How does this affect you? It's actually kind of difficult to get from spies and sex. and chips that, you know, for AI, you're like,

the Democrats. are going to have to somehow communicate. This really does affect you. This is the reason that your burger is more expensive. That's the message that the Democrats are going to have to work out. how to translate from the fascination of sex and private jets. and Air Force One and world leaders to, well, the price went up well. And also helping our adversary. I mean, that's incredibly important, but also this sense.

that there's a lot of anxiety about. AI being overheated in the stock market, that, you know, 30% of the stock market is basically balanced on seven companies. for whom AI is at the heart of it, and videos. at the heart of that ecosystem. Although also worth remembering, most people are not directly invested. in the stock market. No, but people have their 401 invested. If there is a. if there is a global economic collapse because of this, everybody will feel it.

Jensen. You're to blame. Jensen. You are to blame. I'm sure he's feeling. I guess he's feeling. Feels like a piece of shit. Apparently. Couldn't happen to a nicer man. I wonder if he'll dump the leather jackets. Does he start appearing in sports jackets? Does he start wearing leisurewear? How is this going to impact his sartorial appearance? That's what I want to know. It's this Jensen. Don't.

J.Crew and the gap factory outlet. Yes, maybe we will. Maybe we will. Anyway. And there's a man who began his career as a waiter or a clearing tables. and Denny's, by the way. Right. So the whole thing, as well as money and power. and sex, it's got an amazing journey. Well, the American, it's the perfect really was. of the American dream. Where is Scott Fitzgerald when you need him to write this story about dead? But. Well, I know he's dead, but that's who you want. Chronicle story,

but no Disney version of if Scott Fitzgerald could write this story. That's true. Okay. Let's go. Get on it. We found a use for the Nvidia chips. Oh, okay. I'm almost overdosed on this story at this point. So I think we have to move to another son who is benefiting. Not just the children, but Don junior, Don junior parole, Don junior. Oral Don junior. Can we flash up my favorite photo of Don Jr with all my love. when they were out on their hunting trip in Mongolia,

and we have Don junior wearing a fabulous outfit, talking about how. it's an incredible hat and he's got a falcon. For those of you. who can't see the picture, those of you who are listening, he's got a falcon. resting on his wrist as you do, and and as Cossack tunic. Tunic? I don't think Betty Anderson would have approved this, and it would have been much too much. of a cover up for Kimberly Guilfoyle, his former fiancée. Anyway.

Tell us about Don junior, because he's he's had to give up one of his advisories. Yes, I'm Don junior. There's very low unemployment at the moment, but Don junior. hasn't quite reached the ranks of the unemployed. But, he's not any longer an advisor to Koski. The prediction market, right? He is still an advisor to Polly Market, the other prediction market. But somehow, before the election, he was able to advise both prediction. markets. He has unique expertise.

And what would that expertise be? He's got podcast. He's got a podcast. He's got a podcast called triggered. And the episode actually did. his episode didn't draw up last night as it normally does. What other expertise has suddenly ran a casino? Father ran a casino. Bankrupt, quickly. He predicted that his dad would win in 2016. So that was he did section prediction. And he predicted his dad would win in 2020.

Oh, dear. Yeah. So he's out of college, so he's out. Is this them? You know, go short on Trump junior two. Yeah. I mean, look, this is really straightforward before the election. I'm back in January 2025. These prediction markets wanted to get access to the Trump. So they wanted to be in the circle. They wanted to be seen as Trump friendly. They gave jobs done Donald Trump Jr. Don junior is also involved in an investment fund.

called 1789 capital on the various other conservative figures. It invests in things like Rumble, which is this alternative to YouTube. It's got other investments. It is a vehicle for ideological investment, sort of vehicle where if you are if you are a cynic, if you are, the Democrats, you want to know what they're investing in. because they've got business in front of the government. 1789 capital upped its investment in Poly Market.

And she said, oh, do you know what? That would be a conflict of interest. You can go away. Donald and Donald junior, before the election, they weren't mentioning anything. about conflicts of interest is suddenly found. One we don't even know. if he's going to keep the shares that he was promised by Kalki if he hung around. So do we have a sense of how much he was making from Kalki? It appears that he stood to make some figure in the millions. We. We don't actually have a good grasp on this because, there were not enough regulatory filings to find out exactly what was going on.

Which, you know, Don junior is not a government employee. and she is not traded. So between those two things, there's enough grounds to not declare a whole lot of information. And. But he he got shares in Kalki. Is he going to keep them? We do not know. We expect that we will learn at some point. It will have to. If it moves to market, it might in a 4K. It might declare if he is still a significant holder.

or if he's had, if he's been divested, but he's out and this is, you know, this is the same as these senators saying, bring us, bring us the head of her neck. The head of Howard. Nick, I imagine you are very heavy because he's got such a large head. And to Bison's by the way the, you know big beasts. But he has got that. He's just got an enormous head. full of full brains and full of friends, full of brains. I don't think it's full of brains.

Why does nobody like him? Because he's a Brad Garden. Because he never shuts up. Except for when he's involved in a scandal. And we haven't heard from him. It's a very good point. You haven't heard from Howard like Nick? Scott Besson is out there driving a bus over him and then. reversing back over, over, over. Howard. Nick's enormous head. He's he's come back from. It's not pleased. David Mamet, the American American, probably. All right. Anyway. David Mamet.

I used to love David Mamet. He went all Trump. He's even taking it. Yeah, he's taking center award. Even though there's no. He's taking a Kennedy Award even though there's no Kennedy Center down. That's very strange. It's very weird. Very strange. You go in like they let you in. Pass. Pass to pass the sign. That doesn't say Kennedy on it, I don't know. It's the well and of course, the Kennedy family have come out. protesting the art. Yes. So in fact, Robert Kennedy,

junior, still junior at 73, as Michael Wolff likes to say. Who is your Health and Human Services secretary? Now divide the comment. Yes. His family, his family have said enough with this art. He's going to throw shadows on John F Kennedy grave. Yes, we have to stop this. And of course, Trump is desperate to get the arch up before the Democrat, you know, move in and basically say you're not getting away with this.

Yeah. I mean, this is the Kennedys could not be more public. among the Kennedy's who have been speaking. Joe Kennedy the third, who was a congressman, and who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in a primary up in Massachusetts. Kennedy. Kerry. Kennedy. Cornwall, one of the most front facing of the family. and who's just got a book out about her mother, Ethel. Yes. And the you know, the Kennedy family are absolutely putting themselves. front and center against this arc to Trump, as Trump likes to call it.

Who knew he could speak French, by the way? But there have been they are the they're also. this is a real this is actually quite a clever case that they have brought. You will remember we all remember that people soon. to try to stop the ballroom happening. Right. And one of the things that the Supreme Court. managed to make the case go in Trump's direction by saying, oh well you don't have standing, you're not directly affected by the ballroom. I mean, isn't everybody affected by this monstrosity?

But that doesn't work. But here we have the bereaved family. of the president and Robert F Kennedy, who's there, as you know, who they can say we have standing. This is affecting our relatives grieve. and the other Kennedys, they're going to get epic amounts of publicity. They're going to get epic amounts of support, and particularly. crushing for Donald Trump, because we know that he was desperate.

He threw. up to. Robert Kennedy Junior's and he wants it's. so clear he wants admiration from people that he admires, who we're never going to admire him because he's such a grotesque individual. And I know you've talked about this a lot with Michael Wolff. He's stuck in the 60s, the 70s and the 80s. And obviously, if you are his age, the the assassination, first of John F Kennedy. and then of Robert F Kennedy, are these epochal moments right.

In your youth? He you know, I'm not saying he wants to be a Kennedy, but he wanted the glamor in the sheen of the candidate. He's absolutely. And instead, he was tooling around with Jeffrey Epstein and had the sheen. of a bankrupt casino and Landeck City, and it's never left him. And the interesting thing is that becoming president hasn't. in any way lifted that sheen from him. He's still seen by many as a grifter, and even though he's become genuinely wealthy because of whatever he's.

doing and, you know, inordinate amounts of corruption, as far as we understand. in DC and him saying that people don't care about it, he still seems to crave people's approval. Well, we actually saw, weirdly when he spoke to Stephen A Smith. and he said, you know, Jensen phoned me as the president. I'm the president. I mean, believe that moment. I know he's still he believe it. I believe it. He can't believe it. And he can't believe. that, you know, the world's he wasn't the world's richest man.

The man running the world's biggest company would fall in him. You can see the weird social resentment there. that these people you know are phoning me. I'm the president and the Kennedys are suing me. That's not a good feeling. That's not what he wanted. It's. It's. again, you can't really make it up. Well, let's play a clip here from Mara Lago. His club, which, of course, is him reaching for social cachet. Thank you to Ron Philip for surfacing this clip of a party at Mar-A-Lago.

When did this take place? This was last night. Last. Wow. You were. You were dining, Joanna, with people from the tech world. And I wasn't dating. Well, I was dating at home, but, we could have been at Mar a Lago at the citizen journalist awards. the citizen journalist ward, which probably means sending. fawning videos of Donald Trump. So if you are if you are listening, you are watching a bizarre scene in the.

the gold of Marla goes to people in black tie and ball gown. and on the stage, is. a group of people dancing. in, one is wearing a. A was clear. for full niqab, face covered, so. you can just see a tiny slit for the eyes, but otherwise on a full black robe. And and the others are three men who are wearing, dish Dashers.

The white Arabic robe. One's wearing it in black and Muslim prayer caps, and one's wearing, I think it's called a Thor sort of shawl for that. And they are dancing. And they appear to be being emceed by another guy. in, black tie. What is going on? I think what's going on is mockery of Islam is what's going on. Right? But what's going is played so well with the voters. They were really into that, right? I mean, it's just again, a sort of sense of these people.

are completely disconnected from what's happening in the rest of America. This is why the Republicans were trashed in the election. And this is what the president considers to be a good time. Yes. And Trump wasn't at Mar a Lago last night. He's I believe he's going there this weekend. But he but Mario has become. this sort of epicenter of this weird MAGA holdout scene. I mean, that's like the Japanese soldiers and those islands in the 60s, right? When they come out and they got the war's over.

You can move on. I oh. Oh, no. I wonder if people will give up their memberships tomorrow. Lago. Because. Because, you know, will it be used against you? Well, I think I mean, look. Yeah, absolutely. You know, we're going to see people in Congress thing. Or, by the way, are you a member of Mar a Lago to to CEOs? And, do you want to answer that question? If you are, you probably don't, you know. Right. Well, your customers may not like it because exactly how out of touch do you. look if you pay the reputed number is like $300,000 to join.

I mean, really, we don't know. We don't actually know how much it cost to join. I haven't applied. Do I know I don't know about you. I'm dying to go tomorrow. Lago. Anybody wants to invite me, I'd love to come. No, you're dying to go. You're going after. Just looks horrifying. It looks amazing. I mean, as a spectacle. The couple of weeks ago, it had a cow and drag party with. With a live zebra. And with Mike Johnson, the speaker. The the zebra was in the cage, and Mike Johnson.

Zebra was in a cage. Yeah, it was kind of sad, actually. Yeah. They can't have a cage at a party. That's terrible. I know, and actually, Roger Marshall, the the Kansas senator. who asked so convincingly, the doctor, the doctor went after all his patients. One of the things that he's struggling to pay their bills and trying to pay him, and then he was hauling their asses in, thought that Doctor Marshall, that one. that lost against Adam Hamilton in Kansas that had an elected Democrat since 1932.

One of the things he said to try to make himself more relatable. and to convince people that he really was a proper Kansan, it's about living in Florida, was how much he enjoyed hunting. And he was asked by interviewer about his hunting memories, and he said, oh, yeah, it was particularly great when I shot a zebra. Oh, which is really sad. Obviously I'm not into that hunting thing, but also as a, you know, very obvious point, he had to say, where was the where was this shot? No, no. In Namibia. How relatable.

So not not very relatable though. I will say I have two sons and when we talk this thing. Well, I was going to say what we did. So did Donald Trump into the hunting in in South Carolina. we went hunting and Georgia, just hunting duck. and quail and things are the moment I thought you would say. And then they were they were the elephant tail. Like, absolutely not, absolutely not. No, it was it was quail and it was birds. But the moment my then eight year old son was allowed to hold a gun.

This is the best day of my life. I want you to know that since then he's completely off guns. But they had. both had a kind of hunting moment when we were in the South. Okay, but the elephants and the zebras are safe. The elephants and the zebras are safe. Yeah, but alarming. Alarming, yeah, I can. The party has a zebra in a cage. That's what was so weird about it. And someone hasn't reported them to the ASP. See, that actually kind of wondered about that.

And so far, there does not appear to have been anybody reporting that the zebra. Apparently you can rent this in Florida, and perhaps we should get it up here. to the office. It went quite well. I suppose it would fit in the studio. We'd have to. We'd have to move Ryan and join a bit back. If you're a zebra and you're watching, you're. See, you are safe. Okay. I thought if you're planning to go tomorrow, I go. That was the Citizen Journalism Awards, hosted by Maria Bartiromo. Remember her? She used to be a journalist. Used to be a journalist.

Unfortunately, she got fired by Fox News, but not fired enough that she can go on air anywhere else. So now she's hosting this event at Mar a Lago. So she's on Moral Largo. Leave. She's on moral only. And the award was was given to Data Republican. That is not a real name. Obviously a Twitter personality. Real name Jennifer Pounds, who had had been a citizen journalist.

and also was an was employed. by Pete Hegseth at the Department of Defense. It's all it's all too much. But you know who should get the big journalists awards this year? The people that have been reporting on this incredible Jensen. Oh, absolutely. I mean, there's been so much incredible reporting about it. And it's, you know, it's it's a. well, it's a story that's just rocked almost every element. I think just given the job that we both do. Jovana, I'm to see the New York Times, Wall street Journal, Bloomberg,

have all broken extraordinary. developments in this saga, and they deserve every bit of credit for. And there's a lot of leaking going on both inside. and inside the white House and inside Commerce and inside Treasury. Right? Yes. And the pressure that they have, those organizations have come under, by the way, the journalistic organizations have come under. I in recent years has been immense. And we know that recently the Wall Street Journal finally beat off.

Donald Trump's attempt to sue them for publishing the Jeffrey Epstein letter. But this is, you know, I think the ability of these organizations to do their job. is something that they have pushed and pushed and pushed quite rightly. And we know about that chilling effect here at The Daily Beast. We are not immune to it. But know all these leaks. that they are able that we are getting are because Trump is fading. This is. feel even more and more under attack. Yes. And of course he's going to lash out.

I know that brilliant discussion you had yesterday on Inside Trump's head. If you haven't seen it, go back and go back and have a listen. It's really insightful, like a wolf talking about what happens. But so we know he's going to lash out and we know he's going to rant and rave. and all those things. But we can see this is his power slipping away in front of us. So bad week for Jensen. Huang turns out to be an unpredictably good week for. because the light is off him right now.

So you survived the attempt by Thomas Massey to impeach him. 11 Democrats didn't even bother to turn up because they couldn't. They couldn't get there on time. But Seth is in the clear. He got shouted out by the guard. that monitors the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. for laughing and and having a good time at a sacred place. But the spotlight is off him for that. He survived. Survived?

Which he was going to do at home. Have a drill. No, don't. Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't have a dream. Yeah. I mean, there's Democrats. There's a lot of argument. I know again, you talk to make a wolf but there's there's a lot of argument. First of all this this was going to feel right. There's no argument about that. All the Republicans except Thomas Massie were going to vote against it. either at the first hurdle or that the second hurdle, first hurdle. being the house, the second hurdle being this was inside the there were.

there was a procedural vote as to whether to proceed to then do the impeachment. So there were two opportunities to vote. The Republicans were clear that they were going to vote it down, and that the Democrats do not have a majority. Just to remind people, Democrats are not in charge until January. the 3rd, despite what Fox and commentators and all these sort of people. want you to think, this is not the house is still in the hands of the Republicans. The Senate is still in the hands of the Republicans. And yeah, it was going to be voted down by Republicans in the Senate, probably. without even being, you know, like literally just one vote gone.

Well, it was more of a metaphorical attempt to highlight. Well, what Thomas. Massie said was utter inappropriateness to be the secretary of defense. But there are questions inside the Democratic. circles about, is this the best thing to start on the front foot with? What did people vote for? Bought a boat. They voted about the appalling cost of living and. about the feeling that life has been tilted against us.

But they also voted against the war and and that they absolutely did it right. The grocery basket is higher because of the war. Yes, the gas prices are higher because of the war. The war was supposed to last maximum of six weeks. We're now in its 10th month. There's no clear solution. Donald Trump keeps telling people that it's over. Then he keeps saying he's going to bomb them again. We have no sense of what's happening. Even this week, he he filed in court marks JD Vance from negotiating with Iran. I mean, are there even negotiations with Iran?

It's only Trump that says there are. And then he fired the man who was doing them so hard to keep up. And. Yeah. And is he doing that just to mess around with JD Vance. Because JD was then put on fraud duty, right. He was told he has to sort out American fraud of which should be easy. because, you know, the president is a convicted fraudster. and there's a lot of questions over what's going on with Jensen Wong. So I don't know. It seems to be some questions that might fraud investigator. might want to look into things around here.

Oh what a week. What are we. Well Huey, always good to talk to you. I know you have a newsroom to go back and run. If you haven't subscribed to the Daily Beast, you must to see Hughes. Excellent. Excellent work. We'll be back next Friday. God willing, I'll be back tomorrow with Inside Trump's head. and Michael Wolff and Huey onwards. What do you predict for Donald Trump over the weekend? You said you thought he was going to Mar-A-Lago. Yeah. He he's he's I've just been he's due to go tomorrow.

What do I predict? A bit of golf probably, I don't know, wedding crashing. That's always a big one at Mar a Lago. There's a wedding. He will crash it. Right. So a wedding crashing and probably a truth social crash out. That's my. That's my prediction. But I'm not employed by Calcio Apollo market, so I don't know. Don't trust me. Trust on junior. He's a prediction expert. If you have been. Thank you for joining us. Don't forget to leave us a comment. Do you think Howard Nick should be fired? If you do, put it in the comments.

If you don't put it in the comments, we want to know what you think. And a big thank you to our production team John Romero, Ryan Murray, Rachel Passer, Benji Wilson, Heather Pissarro and Neil Rosenhaus. So the good news is we have so many BBC tier members now. There are too many names to read out and we really appreciate your support.