Why Trump's Boundless Ego Is Sabotaging Him: Wolff | Inside Trump's Head

He's created a set of symbols here that are going to hurt him. rather than help him. He shows up at a at. at the premier game in New York and gets booed. He destroys the white House environment. for his own satisfaction and grift. And the World Cup comes to America. This should be a celebration of nations, and instead it's a polarizing event, all with Donald Trump's.

name on it. Michael. Joanna, you are wearing your shirt. Which or your your cardigan, which reminds me of crop circles, even though there is no crop circle on it. And as I think I pointed out the last time I wore this, my ten year old daughter says it looks like a. the Gestapo. So I have some sympathy for poor Graham Plattner.

Not not too much sympathy, but a little sympathy, a little sympathy. As a mother of two sons, I can quite believe that he was drunk. with his mates in Prague, a foreign country, when he got a tattoo, and didn't quite understand the symbolism of it. And I'm glad he's had it tattooed over. I think with an animal. Well, let me just say. that I know you're your sons. You're quite responsible sons, at least one who has worked for me. in the past, and I would find it hard to believe they would end up with a.

with a tattoo of unknown meanings on their chest. Well, I'm glad you say that. But you just never know. You never know. One day at a time with kids, right? All kids. Anyway, as you say, it's Graham Platanias. Big day primary in Maine, but I am. I'm still feeling a little crushed last night from the Knicks loss. I will, I will be honest with you, but I was fortunate enough.

to actually go in history with you as now going on 25 years. I've never heard you once mentioned the Knicks or any sporting team. Well, this season. I've become a fan and had the good fortune to go to the game last night. And what was so interesting, first of all, it was a very, very loud, very good natured crowd. apart from when they flashed up Donald Trump's face. Who was in the Lexus box with Doug Burgum and your friend Steve Wycoff.

And what was what was absolutely fascinating. was it took 45 minutes extra to get it, and they'd sent out tons of warnings, you know, two and a half, three hours allow that extra time for security. We had to line up on West 33rd Street. But then actually, once you were through the metal detectors, it was fairly straightforward into the into Madison Square Garden, which is constantly touting itself.

as the world's most famous arena, which I wonder if that's true. I actually think Wembley is probably more famous, but whatever. Let's leave that to one side, not to America's. No, possibly. But they were claiming they were the world's favorite. or the world's most famous. And I think Wembley is because soccer is a bigger sport than basketball anyway. Globally. You think the world knows about Wembley? I mean, we don't, but maybe, maybe the soccer playing world does. And actually let us get to soccer shortly.

because it's it's obviously on the. not only on the sporting agenda but on the political agenda. We can get to the World Cup. We can get to why Usher Vance and JD Vance are having another baby. We can get to, why RFK is failing to show up at work, and you have a very interesting theory about it. We can also. look at Trump's claims of California. voter fraud, because we still don't know who's number two in the press interview,

which is which is resounding through the. through the political ecosystem. Kristen Welker, he stalked out of a Wisconsin barn. It was the most peculiar staging for an interview to. But. oh, and then we have to talk about UFC. We have to talk about Dana White and the tearing up of the white House South Lawn. No, the sports becomes Trump and sports becomes. a certain a political theme right now.

Right. But but what was so curious about last night. So I mean, there was a sort of good natured. vibe as everybody was waiting to get in, but there was. a sort of low level God, it's such a it's so annoying that he's coming. Then there were videos going round of the motorcade coming up, but when we got into the stadium, which was full of excitement because of the game, not not for Trump. Trump was probably the.

least important of any, anything or anyone there. They flashed a picture of him up in his Lexus box and then. And then nobody gave him any mind. Nobody paid him attention. There was a resounding boo when his picture came up at the same time. as the national anthem, on the kind of big display screens that they have. How resounding a pro forma boo that from. Or a real a real way, a wave boo.

It was a sort of jacked up crowd, because everybody was hoping. that they were going to win their third playoff final in a row, which sadly, they almost did but didn't quite. But but what was interesting was nobody had any interest in Trump. Nobody cared. It was all about the game.

And he didn't try to take advantage of anything. He just happened to be there. It felt like he couldn't have been less important. He was there with the retinue. You know, there's so the interesting backstory here to when. Trump shows up at these sporting events, which is fairly often, is that there's. an incredible competition within the white House to be by his side. And, you know, I mean, jockeying. for position, playing politics, a desperate effort.

to be with him at any of the sporting events he goes to. Well, well, it was just curious because I thought, oh, he's going to it's going to feel like he will have a big presence here. It felt like he had zero presence there. It was all about the players. It was really all about Jalen Brunson, the the main Knicks player. But it was just an interesting experience. And I was sitting right. We were sitting right across the stadium from him, literally. It felt like he was in the same seat,

but right in a box right across the other side of the stadium. But it seemed to have bulletproof glass, I think. So the pictures I took weren't very good. We'll flash up a couple, but you can see very clearly Doug. Burgum won the internal battle to be with him, as did Steve Wycoff. And then it looked like maybe Steve Wycoff son and possibly his wife. Anyway, he made no impression on the crowd other than the initial boo, and the booze were much louder than any kind of cheer he got in. any reaction that you could see on his face when the booze.

He looked round. He looks. I was taking photos madly. He looked straight ahead. And then there was a moment where, when the national anthem was on, he did his salute, which always feel embarrassed for him. when he does that salute, because you feel that he doesn't really know. what he's doing with it, and it just looks as if he's playing president. Yeah, more bone spurs Trump. Yeah, it is one of those moments in which you you see through him.

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Beast. I would say apart from the security, he had zero impact on on the game, except of course, the Knicks loss. So maybe they were pissed that he sold the. The symbolism of sports and sporting events is central to. to Trump, how he thinks about himself and also how he campaigns. I mean, it is a it's a set piece for him to show up at a sporting event.

And and let's remember that that basically he comes out of the sporting business, or at least that's one of the business he comes out of. And once when I asked him what he would, what he would do if he weren't the. if he weren't in politics, if he could do it over again. What's his ideal job? He said as a sports promoter and but so the. but the question now at this moment, as so much seems to be turning against him, is this sports symbolism also turning against him?

We have the UFC fight that is being staged for his birthday. and for the 250 of birthday, theoretically of of of the country, which involves tearing up. almost the entire white House grounds, which it it. certainly seems seems to me is one of those, those those things. which is which is redound not at all to his credit,

but another piece of his effort, highly unpopular effort. to remake the white House, remake Washington, to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. The pictures of the claw as it's known, which is a. 92ft sort of octagonal structure for those. who haven't seen it, is I mean, it towers above the white House. You can see the white House through it, apparently, and I find this absolutely.

remarkable. The players are going to come out from the Oval Office. So basically he's turned the white House into a set for Dana. White, the CEO of UFC fighting, an old friend of Trump's. He's endorsed Trump. And it's this weird. mixed martial arts thing.

which is supposed to be the fiercest of of fighting. And it's just exactly everything that the white House is not full. And then there was a strange quote. that that Trump gave to time magazine where he said, life is a gimmick if you think about it, but it's a good gimmick. And I wanted to talk about the one thing that life isn't is a gimmick. There are many other things you can do with it. And then I think he said, I actually wrote this quote down twice. He said, you only live once.

Yeah, it's a gimmick, but it's a good gimmick. No. Well, I think it's that's, you know, that's kind of penetrating. I mean, that is how Donald Trump is, has lived his life. I mean, very much so. Donald Trump's politics very much. That's it. Now, the interesting thing here is. it's a. kind of I mean, right, right now, it seems to me he's living this,

this marked tension between what he wants to do. and what good politics says he should be doing. And and while most politicians, of course, would give in to good politics, he he is again and again and again. insisting on what he wants to do. So this is a terrible idea. The UFC fight, putting this on in the. despoiling the the white House grounds.

But he's going to do it anyway. Right. And apparently they're struggling to find people to buy the tickets at various, you know, people in the military have been dragoons into bringing people. and they've all I think they're being selected for, for sort of height. So they look all very similar. But it's not it's not turned out to be as popular as as he thinks, I think. And he also said it's something that will never happen again.

No one will ever have the privilege of doing something like this. in front of the white House, probably because he's going to tear the white House. down at this point. It's going to be very unique. It's going to be amazing. I think it's great for America, frankly. The frankly, there also is just it's beyond it's beyond humorous. If he weren't the president, this would be hilarious. But he is ripping up the white House lawn for his horrible, horrible. fighting friends. But again, keep your keep your eye on this that he he is doing things which.

which are fundamentally to his detriment. So why is he doing that? Why would you do this just and and I mean, I think that the answer is. because this is a key part of what he of his accomplishment. I can do anything. And the fact that and nothing can restrain me, not even the, the, the gravitational laws of politics.

Well, and I'm assuming there's some grift here, too, you know, because, I mean, he's a he's an investor in the UFC company, right? So this is going to be globally. This is global publicity for him on the, you know, and it's supposed to. celebrate the signing of the. the independence. The independence. What is that? So that's what's happened to me this morning then I'm sorry. Because you're crushed because you're British.

Perhaps you that get stuck in your throat. I've wiped it out. I've wiped it out. What was it? The Declaration of Independence, which apparently he's now got hanging. Is it in the Oval Office? And everybody said to me, you shouldn't have it. hanging there because the light is is destroying it. So it's behind a curtain. We'll go on to this. So, so the other sporting event, the World Cup and and remember, I mean Trump was once once in the soccer business. He, he, he sponsored.

one of the first soccer teams and tried to organize a U.S. soccer league. And now we're going back, what, 35, 40 years. But the so the World Cup, the World Cup is here. He was. a very much an advocate to bring it here. And now it has become a a symbol. of the immigration issue and not a positive symbol.

for Donald Trump, as so much of the immigration, the the symbolism of immigration has turned against him. Right. And of course, because soccer so popular in the Latino community and, you know, it's the most popular game, I mean, it's. the most popular game in the world, but it's incredibly popular in South America. So you think of Brazil, you think of Argentina, all of whom. have won the World Cup.

Uruguay. I mean, they produce these incredibly strong teams. And of course, now sales are sluggish because Mark Mullen, Mark Wayne Mullen, who of course, took over at the Department of Homeland Security after Kristi. Noem was fired, is saying to. people, well, you know, crowds attract criminal behavior. We're looking for criminals. We're going to have a presence at many of these games. So sales have been sluggish. People are frightened to go.

And let's be clear, the presence is an ice presence, right. It's a nice presence. Yeah. They're they're putting people in to look for people. I mean this is in which is everybody obviously this has occurred. to many people. This is a fertile ground for making immigration arrests. Right. It's also a way of destroying destroying. the reason to bring the World Cup to America. I mean, how how is this going to help anybody? No, no. So much everything becomes a contradiction in the,

in the in the, the Trump. this Trump tension between between what he can do. and the other thing that he wants to do and in it all gets jumbled up. in, in a mess, which is no, it's a total mess. And people are also complaining it's much harder to get a visa to get here. Air prices from Europe. and from South America have gone up because of the increase in gas.

And so it's a sort of triple whammy. You've got expensive flights, hard to get visas. They're messing people around and they're taking longer apparently. And the ticket prices are high and you've got the presence of ice. And even if you're not anxious about being arrested by Ice, you don't want to go to a sporting event where Ice might be arresting people. That's not something that you want. It's a horrible thing to see.

And it you know, it cuts straight through the heart of having a good time at a soccer game. So part part of the what Trump has tried to do. is impose himself on virtually. every aspect of American life, or even, even, even world life. And the problem with that is that if this starts to go wrong, everything then begins to remind everyone.

that Trump is responsible for this. Everything becomes a negative for Donald Trump. Well, the other obvious thing to say. about any sporting event is that there's a winner and a loser, usually. And so I'm sure he's trying to align himself with the winners here. But but some of the reading I've done around the UFC, you know, one of the problems is that a lot of people don't know who. the fighters are. There are 1 or 2 fighters that everybody knows,

but the point about. a sort of soccer team or a basketball team is that sort of. you're a member of a tribe, you're less likely to be a member. of a UFC tribe because the fighters are individuals. So it's an interesting. Difference between the audiences to the fact. I exactly see the connection here, but neither of us know anything about sports. It's true in this discussion.

So maybe we've we've we've run the course that Donald Trump will be the loser. Well definitely that, but all I would say is it's about the fan base. And it turns out that the fan base for something like UFC is different. to being a Knicks fan or being a Spurs fan, which is something you do for years. And finally, when your team makes it to the playoffs. as sort of ecstasy, the city's on edge and the whole thing is very, very exciting. Whereas for UFC, you're just intrigued by.

certain individual fighters who come and go much faster. and there's no real fan base other than for the sport. It's not tribal in the way that baseball or basketball or soccer. Well, as I say, I think I think we're we're in over our heads here because I have no idea. what that the relevance of that is to Donald Trump. But, I think it's about winners and losers. And he wants to align himself with winners because he sees himself as a winner.

and he's tired. where America's tired of all his winning, as he warned as we would be. And my point is just that he's created a set of symbols here that are going to. are going to hurt him rather than help him. He shows up at a at. at the premier game in New York and gets booed. He destroys the white House, the white House environment, for his own satisfaction and grift.

And the World Cup comes to America. And this should be a celebration of nations. And instead, it's a polarizing event, all with Donald Trump's name on it. Right? And it does feel a little bit like this is all closing in on him, at least in that moment when he stormed out of the interview. with Kristen Welker on NBC's Meet the Press. You have more evidence.

There's more evidence than ever presented. Let's talk. You're in this country. We're like a third world country. Your elections are crooked and you're crooked, and Meet the Press is crooked. I've given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press. Because you know what? I've country can never be great with a dishonest. Listen, we traveled all the way to Wisconsin for the interview. You know, I mean, I think that that's partly true. But then the other message and the other takeaway from from that,

that kind of incredible display is. that this is the way he is with everyone. So it appeared, you know, he is a face off with the media, with, with, with Meet the Press, with him, him. being confronted by questions he, he didn't want, want to answer. And that was a that was a Donald Trump show of force.

against against Welker and the media. But that's not true. This is literally the way he is with everyone, the people around him, his aides, friends, family, you know, Vance Rubio, Susie Wiles, everybody faces this, that he won't stop talking, that you can't disagree with him, that there really is is no debate. It's all insistence. It is. That's what you saw on.

that in that interview is what everyone around him. sees all of the time, or knows that they will see if they if they. in any way try to try to challenge him, even even try to interrupt him. This is it. This is what this is what the white House deals with. I am Donald Trump, I am right, what I say is,

and if you say it isn't, then you're my enemy and a threat. and an agent of the other side, right? So how does that leave us with the war? Because he can tell us blue until he's. blue in the face, that he's winning, that we've won, that Iran has been obliterated, that,

you know, whatever all all these hyperbolic descriptions. And yet we know it's not true. Yes. Well, the dangerous thing here in the anomalous. thing is it may not be clear that he knows it isn't true. I mean, he is what I say. goes, what I want is right. This is real in his mind. It isn't. It isn't that he recognizes something has gone wrong.

He's miscalculated. It's. he has to. He has to double back on his tracks. He has to fix something. All of that natural thing. That's that's what goes on in what goes on in life. And it certainly goes on in politics is not what goes through his head. And in fact, so back to that other thing, you know, why is he doing that? Why is he putting the UFC on the on the white House.

lawn when that is obviously a. a mistake of just the political perception that you would not want. But he can't see that. He can't. I mean, I think actually he may well be incapable. of recognizing that anything that he does might have been. might be an error, might be a mistake, might have to be fixed.

So when he had his spate of. of companies going bankrupt, did he. Never he never that. they're never never never never not not not in the least actually. Then every one of those failures became in his mind. and opportunity to for. an opportunity for himself. And that's the way he would look at these things. Okay. Bankruptcy. So what can we get out of that?

Okay. We can those those people will be will be screwed. But but what can we get? And then of course, along comes Mark Burnett and recreates him. as America's favorite businessman. Well, it's just it is all and and and remember in that, I mean, that's a lie. He's not a, he's not a, he's not a successful businessman at that point. But it's not there's a level, you might say this guy is the most. cynical person on earth.

But the other side of that is that he's not something he actually believes it. I mean, he has. So he's so occupies the role he takes on that, that he doesn't. there, there there is no personal questioning. So he takes on the, the role of of I am the warrior. I represent the greatest military power in the history of the world. And of course, I am going to win.

Of course we are going to win. And when we don't win it, it isn't. It's never. Well, that's a that's that's wrong. I really misplayed that. It's that of course he actually then continues to think yes, we have won. I mean it is a big a. The reality gap here is profound. And to say the least, alarming.

and widening I would say is widening as he gets involved in wars. But I go back to that other thing, which I find completely fascinating, that this becomes the the, the centerpiece of Trump politics. This tension between everything I do is right. and the obvious politics that what he does is wrong. So maybe he really is remaking politics with his force of personality. I would say the opposite. I would think it is he is anomalous.

No one is like this. This is, this is this is just the weirdest thing. that has ever happened in our politics or any politics. A person who cannot fathom that, that cannot. fathom that there actually is a politics here. Instead, he just sees himself. He it's only he who exists, right?

And the people who stand. you should see the people who stand around him in the white House. I swear to God, they stand there and they are all slack jawed. They just don't know how to react to this except to back off. And I've seen this many times the kind of backing away. Well, the backing away or the sucking up. I mean, the sucking up. We've never seen anything quite like it. And I wanted to play a clip of Todd Blanche. When asked how he feels about being nominated as the attorney general.

as to whether or not I want this job, I did not ask for this job. I. I love working for President Trump. It's a greatest honor of a lifetime. And if President Trump chooses to keep me as acting, that's an honor. If he chooses to nominate me, that's an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and I go back to being the Dag, that's an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go. do something else, I will say, thank you very much. I love you, sir.

What was that? What was that? Todd Blunt, could you have gotten much lower? I love you, sir, I love you. I mean, everything is an honor. Everything is an honor. What is he talking about? Todd. Blanche, is. That is an interesting example of very. And this is in I think he is cynical in this or calculated. I can do this. This is the opportunity. I will never get an opportunity like this before I am.

I have been plucked from obscurity and I will be the, the the Attorney general of the United States of America. How am I going to do this? I'm going to do this by the management of Donald Trump. And remember, he is has spent. an enormous amount of time figuring the same thing. I can do this. It is all about one thing.

Not my confidence, not my accomplishments, not my not my ideology, not my policies, not none of this. It's about my ability to manage Donald Trump. But nobody can manage Donald Trump. I would I was talking to people horror last week, and he and. I was asking him what he thought about what had happened to Todd Blanche. And he said, does no one remember Jeff Sessions? Which, of course, was his point that Jeff Sessions, Trump's first attorney. attorney general,

who then had to promptly recuse himself over the Russian investigation. But but when he left Trump's employ, he couldn't get a job in private industry. He'd lost his Senate seat in Alabama, you know, with a with a Jeff Sessions. Absolutely true. But that's not the way people think. Actually, they the people think AI can do it. Be there's an opening and.

And see they actually. they actually look at this and say, yes, some people know how to do this. And in fact, Boris Epstein is a good example. I mean, Boris is and has gone through. ups and downs with, with with Donald Trump. But but Annette net is far and away. in a better position than he was when he began. What this ultimately means we don't know. But what it means now is that Todd.

Blanche may become the attorney general of the United States. And and the way he's going to look at that is whatever happens. If I accomplish that, I am far ahead. of of the of the. of of when I was a, in. a, you know, a peripheral partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft, I believe, is the law firm.

Well, I wonder if that's true. Certainly he's better known. But I wonder just going back to the example of Jeff Sessions, if that in the end is good for him. So many people have just had their careers. slimed by Donald Trump. I just I can't imagine that working for him is good for anybody. Apart from maybe you leave the white House. and you join a board or which you might have done anyway. But but remember, Jeff Sessions was under the impression that he actually.

was the attorney general, and he actually was an independent political entity. He had been he had been a United States Senator. Of course, Todd Blanche has the virtue. of not believing any of that of understanding. And remember the first administration, this was not clear to people, but now it is absolutely clear that they have one job, a singular job, and that is the management of Donald Trump.

So what does what happens to Todd Blanche eventually? I mean, he's got sort of traditional, I guess, sort of knitting pattern. good looks. He could have a Fox show. when this all ends, because it will end. Yeah. I don't what happened. Well, I think it depends how this ends. And it's not clear that it does. It does end. I mean, it actually could end in a tragedy for democracy.

And so Todd Blanche would be employed from. for years to come. But it also may well end in the Donald. Trump show leaves Washington, goes back to Mar-A-Lago. He assumes he he reverts. to that job being being the king and Mar-A-Lago. or the once and future president of Mar-A-Lago. People gather, his people gather around him.

There's a lot of money, a lot of grift that's flowing through this, this presidency in exile. And Todd Blanche is reaps. millions and millions and millions of dollars. And perhaps he gets a free membership of Mar-A-Lago, though, in fact, he won't. Of course, Trump will charge him for the membership of Mar a Lago. Interesting excerpt. from JD Vance book where he talks about.

how they decided to have a fourth child. This spoke to me because actually, I wish I'd had four children. I have two sons and I would quite like to have had more. I have five children, I recommend it. I know well, it's easier for for men and. And you've had two wives. Usha Vance. had told JD she was so competitive.

Well, I would like white. You could have gotten another husband. Yeah, I could, I though I'm not sure I could, to be honest. Well, whatever. I would like to have had four children, so I'm with JD on this. But Usha said that she was well and truly done after three. But then it turned out, according to JD's new book, communion, that they were so moved by. Erica Kirk when they were flying back with her.

after Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated in Utah, they Vance's accompanied her. with Charlie's body back to Arizona, where the couple the Kirk's lived. And apparently one of the things that Erica Kirk sobbed to. Vance was that she wished she'd have more children with Charlie. She'd only had two. The kids are little, and that's what inspired you to have another child? I have no comment on that, but.

is unlike you. Normally you have comments on everything. I you know, this is just these campaign books, these books that politicians write, which I believe there is not one honest word in them. But I think, I think one of the interesting things. is to look at that book as the first step, or one of the first steps in these people, in these guys. around Trump, trying to position them for what comes next.

So that book is not has nothing to do with, with with the Vance family life. And it has all to do with, with the next chapter, how he positions himself. And there's an interesting piece of positioning that I, that I think I've detected this week, which is. there was a. so a race in in Iowa,

the governor's race in a primary in which a. in which Trump has supported someone, I think his name is Randy Feenstra. Is that right? I think it is. Yeah. That's right. I think that's right. Against the candidate by the name of Zack Lawn. and the the. Trump's candidate didn't win. The other candidate won.

Why did he win? Well, he seems to have won because he's a, you know, a health candidate, a diet candidate. in RFK junior candidate. Another words he's he's. the winner in the Iowa Republican primary. over the Trump backed candidate. And the Trump backed Canada is is a. just a very traditional conservative.

and had relatively straightforward and you might say. actually relatively reasonable views on medicine and health and. or at least traditional views. Whereas Zack Lawn is is is is a maha. representative out there. Just that was the almost the entirety of his campaign. in curiously in Iowa against a big agriculture, you know, and.

contrary to the agribusiness which has been for so long. been a mainstay of Iowa politics, that is interesting. And and where do we think RFK junior is not only on this candidate? Well, you know, I think that there was I mean, he's been very positive on this candidate. So interesting, a positive on a candidate that was opposed by by Donald Trump.

And then there was a. really, I think, insightful piece in the Washington Post which. which pointed out that RFK junior is really, you know, is is hardly directing the. this massive department that he is. He's the secretary of Health and Human Services. and, and barely making a dent in the traditional. bureaucratic functions of that department and entirely focused on his health.

Maha message. So the proposition here. may well be that Maha that that message is, is a powerful platform, not MAGA. It is Maha. And I mean, I find I find it difficult, difficult to believe that, that there is.

that kind of that kind of constituency. But I could well be wrong. I mean, and the more importantly, I think that's the RFK thesis. I am going to get beyond Donald Trump, escape Donald Trump, defy Donald Trump, even on the basis of this platform. Well, that's fascinating. And the times The New York Times had a piece saying. that RFK junior is, as you say, still junior. is 72, is really nowhere to be seen in the department.

And it's certainly true that. So I may have been wrong. It's the times piece rather than the than the Washington Post piece that that. that said this. Okay. Well either way, he he seems to be missing from the department. And certainly Doctor Mehmet Oz seems to be a much more, I guess, ubiquitous face of the Department of Health and Human Services.

You see him at the press conferences around how things obviously he's done. things with RFK junior, still junior at 72, they promoted a hiking video, and they wanted us all to go outside and. stride around Yellowstone, which I would very much like to be doing right now. But but it's definitely true that he's not on the front burner anymore. And I don't know if he's fallen out with Trump or as you say, he's thinking about, how do I use this department not to help American public health,

but to create a platform for myself to run for 2028? Yeah. And of course, he has been I mean, there has been somewhat of a. if not a falling out, a sidelining, you know, the anti-vax position. the white House has determined is not a popular one. So that's, that's that's an instance of Trump. who had aligned himself with that position. But I always thought uncomfortably aligned himself. And it has now gratefully backed off of this.

And and RFK junior has gotten gotten the memo. that he's supposed to shut up about that. Right. Well, you have long predicted that either he or Cash Patel. will be the next cabinet ministers to fall. Just reminding people that we've lost four women. cabinet ministers and we haven't lost a single man yet. Well, eventually we have to, because there will be no women left.

That's true. Do you want to talk? This is your opportunity. That was an opening to talk about the deep State cabal. I you mean the deep state. that Cash Patel has been investigating. and and put the DOJ to work on? Yes. And that's an interesting thing that that cash Patel, who's who's the. the FBI director, the FBI is a division of the of of the DOJ.

has stepped forward to actually apparently direct. the DOJ in the prosecution or the possible. prosecutions of of what are basically Trump. Trump enemies or or aspects of the justice, the justice system and people who have contributed. to prosecuting or pursuing or. investigating Donald Trump.

What a bunch. What a bunch. Do you think that Cash Patel actually lasts a bit longer because of this? Probably, yes. I think that's a that's a that's a good point. I mean, Cash Patel obviously understands, as Todd. Blanche has understood, as Boris Epstein understands. as the really true.

What sink often sink effects understand that. that it is all about the management of Donald Trump. How do you give Donald Trump what he wants? Well, well, there was good news that a judge struck down. Do you remember the Trump administration decided that they were going to charge. people $100,000 for the H-1b visa? Lots of people in Silicon Valley come over on NH 1BI have a feeling. I came over originally on an H-1b, but it allows.

guests from other countries or workers from other countries. who've got some kind of expertise to come in and work in American companies. And there was absolute panic in Silicon Valley at the idea. of having to pay $100,000 for all the people they bring in. from India, China, everybody, all the kind of tech. extra staff that they need to bring in. because they often can't find enough people here.

But that's been knocked back by a judge. Judge Sorokin, Obama appointed judge in Massachusetts, I think so. companies can can exhale on their costs. of bringing in international staff. For the moment, they'll be back. I mean, this is a Stephen Miller thing. I mean, they are there. That is a, you know, there's a, a a passionate. opposition to H-1b visas, which I think David Sacks, when he was head of AI.

at the white House, he since left, spent a lot of time apparently whispering. into Trump's here know the technology community obvious obviously wants this. But the anti-immigrant constituency within the white House, completely opposed to them, would would, would gladly. get rid of the entire the entire exception, the entire program. Right. But for the Silicon Valley founders, giving him the money for the ballroom. or for whatever scam he's got going on is a cheap way to try and influence.

visa allocation and cheap visa allocation. But the counter to this then will be within the administration. I mean, the setting a dollar figure on this, then that was that was. meant not only to make money off of this, but to put a cap on these on these visas. So the Stephen Miller I can guarantee. is then going back to the drawing board and say, we have to get well,

if we can't put a cap, then we have to get rid of the visas entirely. Okay. Well, we should watch that space because it's a it's a hugely important one. for companies trying to bring in external talent as, as they are referred to. So do we want a quick drive by on what's happening in California? Still no result on who's second in the gubernatorial race there, partly because, well, entirely because California takes. what seems like weeks to count their votes.

No. And Trump has been, you know, this this then plays nicely into Trump's hand. It's a fraud, is obviously a fraud. Why is it a fraud? Because it takes so long. So the fact that it takes so long is is. it is because it takes so long. But then that becomes evidence. of, of a fraud, which becomes part of the broader narrative, which we will expand as we go into the midterms. But I'd like to use this as an opportunity.

I have a book recommendation, which is a book. that comes out today, just just published today. In fact, I have it here. Can I hold hold? You can hold it up. I'm sure the author is going to be thrilled. It's called it's called city on the edge, and it is about California politics, specifically San Francisco politics and and the tech industry. I mean, it's a fantastic story over the last basic basically trading.

a chronicling 30 years of the rise of tech power. and then the rise of Democratic power in San Francisco, which we are going to. this is this is timely because. Newsom, who was leaving the governor's office, he's term limited. and who is clearly being set to run for president, as. is Kamala Harris, once again running for president. So these two forces, tech forces, the tech money and the Democratic.

the rise of these Democratic powerhouses will be a story into, you know, as we a main story as we approach 2028. But this book, city on the Edge by Jonathan Webber. And I should point out that I've already blurred this book, but it is fantastic. Good. Okay, well, I will I will look forward to reading that. I'm going to make a book recommendation next week myself.

Good. And I should point out I made a mistake in Saturday's. podcast, which we corrected right at the end. But for those of you who didn't get to the end, a lot of you wrote in. to to point out that savvier bicep or have you. will not be. California's first Latino governor if he gets elected, which very much looks like he's the front runner at this point. Actually, that honor went to Rommel Dough Pacheco. I think that's how you pronounce it.

Not very good on on Spanish pronunciations. Who was actually the first Latino governor 150 years ago? And do you want to acknowledge my skepticism. of your empathic insistence that he would be? In my defense, a couple of people also said they fell for the misinformation out there. There are a lot of stories out there. saying he is the first, but I should have checked. And anyway, you're just sort of checked quizzes. I should have checked with you and I didn't.

You know, when we get things wrong, what's really interesting is the audience. let us know immediately. And there's so many people out there who are so on the ball a. about what we're saying, but be just know an enormous amount about politics. I think I told you that YouTube told us that our audience or told me. that our audience was one of the most engaged and articulate. audiences out there, which they judged by the comments, which is nice. So, okay, we've had a book recommendation, city on the edge.

We have some limericks. I'm not terribly good at collecting them. Sometimes I miss them, but we've actually got some very good ones here. This one is from Paul Watson 80 809. Donalds USA 250 is looking increasingly shifty. No one wants to sing in a UFC ring or bow. before President Griffey. I thought that was very good. Great. Okay, fantastic. Isn't that good? One president.

Yes, president. Griffey I thought that was very good. Now, this is from Damien Spence. There's an insomniac worm in Trump's head. Is it alive or is it dead? With Jojo taking the floor and Wolfie at the door, will they ever put this disaster to bed? Then we've got one called The Orange Moon. from Richard Fraction, which I rather enjoyed. This one. There was once an orange faced baboon who thought he could purchase the moon,

put a casino up their way up in the air. and be the first one to bankrupt the moon. The idea of. bankrupting the moon, I thought, was fantastic. Goffredo, you've got a bit of competition. Of course, we do have one from Garfield, and I would be negligent. if I didn't read it out. There once was a don with a yen to blunder through Hormuz again, road said. That's a reference to Ben Rhodes, who we had on the Daily Beast podcast last. week. Rhodes said deals aren't made with a golf cart brigade.

You need brains, not a billionaire pen. And talking about pens, I was thinking we should get a pen. for inside Trump's head with a Trump head. And what I've got here, I was inspired because I was given a novelty. pen for the Nick, Dick and Porsche, which is a rather good podcast. about tech and about finance and about new ideas. And of course, one of the hosts was Nick Bilton. And if I, if I tip this up, I don't know if you can see it.

It's got the three heads of the hosts. But of course Nick Bilton has I think, had to give up his podcast. because he's now trying to tame 60 minutes. Anyway, it made me think that we should get. a novelty pen with your head and my head floating around in it. What do you think? Yeah. I'll pass. All right, well, if you have been. Thank you for listening to us. Don't forget to subscribe to The Daily Beast. Big thanks to our production team Ryan Murray, John Romero,

Rachel Passer, Heather Passaro and Neil Rose in the house. 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.