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I Know Who Trump's Going to Fire in MAGA Massacre

58m 29s

I Know Who Trump's Going to Fire in MAGA Massacre

The transcript blends personal health insights with deep political analysis, centering on the aftermath of a significant election loss. It begins with a personal anecdote about shingles, emphasizing how age increases risk and the importance of early medical advice—promoted by GSK. This transition leads into a broader political narrative, where Donald Trump’s defeat is portrayed as a turning point. Key figures in his administration, including Stephen Miller, Mark Wayne Mullen, and James Blair, are seen as vulnerable or likely to be removed, reflecting a systemic collapse within the Republican Party. Trump’s retreat into private spaces like the ballroom signals a shift from public dominance to quiet isolation, interpreted as a sign of declining confidence. The political landscape is described as fragmented, with internal factions—like the MAGA wing—seeking new leadership, while others distance themselves from Trump. The analysis highlights Trump’s fundamental inability to compromise or moderate, leading to policy failures and eroded public trust. There’s speculation about renewed foreign interventions, particularly in Iran, as a tactic to regain attention, though such moves may result in poor deals. The narrative concludes with a broader reflection on leadership, trust, and the potential for political realignment, suggesting that both the nation and Trump’s inner circle are entering a period of profound reevaluation. Throughout, the tone is observational, emphasizing the psychology of power, vulnerability, and the shifting dynamics of American politics.

Transcription

8275 Words, 45053 Characters

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By the time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things. Like how family is precious. Work can always wait. And 99% of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles. Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful, blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by GSK. Observe the North American dad. 50s, great polo collection. He enters his vehicle information on Carvana. An offer appears in minutes. Remarkable. He squints, reads it again, smiles and says, Dang, that's a good offer. The highest form of approval. No haggling, no hassle. No one called him boss. He's still on the couch. Astonishing. Sell your car today on Carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply. Share comfort and joy this holiday season at Tecova's. Our boots are handcrafted in over 200 meticulous steps and have a broken-in feel right out of the box with styles for everyone in the family. Our expert staff can help you pick the perfect gifts and we have free in-store gift wrapping to help make the holiday season truly special. See you soon at your local Tecova's store or shop with us anytime at tecovas.com. The people I'm talking to feel that the direction of where things are heading is that, Stephen Miller is out, Mark Wayne Mullen is out, James Blair is out, Pete Hegseth is out. Susie Wiles, they say, will try to hang on. Everybody's fighting for their lives. Trump is going to have to try to mollify members of his party. And Trump is not a mollifier, but Susie Wiles is a mollifier. So she will be there. She will try to hold on to her job, by essentially sacrificing other people. Michael. It never stops, Joanna. It never, it never stops. But it's good that it never stops because what do we do three times a week? Well, we go inside Trump's head and, you know, it's an interesting, I guess this is an incredibly interesting moment to be in. It's interesting to be inside Trump's head because things are happening to him that he has no control of, which is unusual for Trump. And everything is sort of in Trump world is predicated on him having control of everything. So, and I've been asking people, I've been on the phone with people saying literally what's in Trump's head. As a matter of fact, when I called them, they said, "I guess you want to know what's in Trump's head." But don't we have to give some promotions? Don't we have something coming up? Don't we have. I know, normally we call us at this point and say, "Oh, we're going to be live or, oh, we've got. " And in fact, again, just a big thank you to everybody who joined us on election night. It was so much fun. Neither of us had any idea what was going to happen when we sat down at 8 o'clock, other than we were, you know, we were in some surprises. But I think everybody was surprised by the surprises that came, Darlene Graham getting knocked out, Vivek Ramaswamy, well, perhaps he wasn't. Everybody getting knocked out. Everybody getting knocked out, Mississippi, Texas. The enormity of this wipeout is, well, I think this is going to require months and months, years and years, history itself, to kind of comprehend. Well, I think when the history books are written, hopefully they will include the occasional reference to inside Trump's head, because I know how many people you talk to in the Trump circle still. And also, I do, much as there has been fantastic reporting, especially in this second Trump administration, I do think we try and offer, and we say this for anybody new joining this podcast today, we try and offer a different perspective. This has, up until this moment, been a government of one. Donald Trump's obsessed by attention. And he's got the world's attention. I mean, he is the most famous person. He's the most important person in the world. Or is he? Has the American voter stepped up? Anyway, please support this podcast. We are independent media, and we love your support. We rely on your support. So please like and subscribe to this podcast wherever you get your podcasts. So Michael. Well, I just noticed, let's give ourselves one more plug, because I think it's kind of amazing that our election night and election morning coverage is now up to 850,000 people have seen us. So that's amazing. Rather daunting, actually. It's rather daunting. And yet, I think it shows how people want coverage that explains the psychology. The psychology of this man. Because nobody, nobody can quite believe how he's managed to do what he does. And how he's managed to be so incompetent and surround himself with a cabinet of goons, as we constantly refer to them at The Daily Beast. It's incomprehensible. Yeah. I mean, we're going to have to look at a shift in our narrative. And everybody will have to look in a shift in the Trump narrative, because he seems to seem, it seemed incomprehensible that he could do these things. And it turns out that he can't. So it's a different story for us going forward, apres Trump. And it is a different story for him going forward, actually. I mean, he has to figure out, this is for Trump an existential moment, which is, which is a kind of above his pay grade. Existentialism, existentialism does not come naturally to Donald Trump. That is to say, any level of self-awareness. But how could he not, at this point, face these kinds of questions? You're shopping for everyone else, making holiday plans, and somehow trying to squeeze it all in. But if healthier looking hair and skin have been on your own wish list, here's a reason to make a little time for yourself too. iRestore makes it easy to bring clinically backed red light therapy into your routine at home, even during the holiday rush. 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And of course, we're going to get into it today. I always forget to lay out a menu. What we're planning to talk about. Obviously, we're going to be discussing the sort of what you're hearing from people around Trump, his reaction to what happened on Tuesday. But also, J.D. Vance immediately beginning to spread blame about the war and distance himself. The mishegas going on in the cabinet, the blame, whatever Melania's. Well, everybody, everybody in the in the West Wing now afraid for their job. Everybody. OK, so let's get into it. Let you know. You know, this is going to be a discussion this morning of how he's reacting and how everybody else is reacting, because I'm sure it's sort of rats leaving a sinking ship. But as you have predicted, there was a downfall. It happened on Tuesday and it was fast and it was definitive. There is no messing with election shenanigans. The country very clearly spoke. So what is going on inside his head, Michael? Well, well, that's what. So. So literally. I've been calling around people close to him and saying that question, what's what's in his head? And the answers I've been getting are first, first, a kind of level of incomprehension on his part and and him repeating, I didn't lose other people loss. I didn't lose. And as though he's holding on to that slim read. And but then there's also also a kind of a kind of philosophical, believe it or not. edge to, uh, to what he's, what he's seeing. saying and feeling, which is to say, he repeats, well, the incumbent party always suffers as though this is built in. And again, as though this does not, this is not on him. So that's going to be the important theme. It's not on him. There are outside circumstances. This is not his fault. I am the last person to blame here. This is absolutely not about me. That's certainly where he is at now. And then he is blaming it on the war, which is interesting because obviously the war, this war of choice was his choice, but he's distanced himself. It's now the war. The war is over there. The war is, the war is again, a fact of life. And then even that he says, yes, the war, but then adds, but I wouldn't have done it differently. So, so again, it's almost a kind of moment of, of righteousness. He's, he's, um, as though he did the right thing and is willing to suffer the consequences of doing the right thing. So does he see himself as, as genuinely having somehow saved the U S from a nuclear attack by Iran? Well, yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, he's, this is, this is Trump. He's not that, he's not that granular. Um, it's just that he decided in his mind, the war is the right thing because of, because of, uh, because of the nuclear threat, because of, uh, who, who, what, for whatever reasons. And that, and there really are no reasons if there were reasons, well thought out reasons, we would never have gone to war in the first place. So it's just the war is the right thing to have done. Um, and, and, uh, there's a, there's a kind of, a kind of jujitsu here. The war, uh, the election results were as bad as they were because of the war. It's a war he started. So therefore, if you follow the logic, he's to blame for the election results, but the war is the right thing to do. So therefore he's justified and the loss is not on him. Uh, when literally he, he said he, he wasn't on the ballot, but he was going to put himself on the ballot and every single candidate that he shoe horned into the race lost dramatically. Ken Paxton lost Darlene Graham lost who that he was particularly passionate about. And I mean, obviously in Lindsey Graham's case, uh, Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly at the age of 71, but Ralph Norman was a Congressman been repeatedly would have secured the seat with zero drama. Just a little pushback on this, because it is not just that he selected horrible candidates and they lost. All Republicans lost. So the interesting thing, actually, is that it might have been even if he had, I don't want to let Donald Trump off the hook on this, because Ken Paxton was not only a bad candidate, but the worst candidate in his history. But it is also possible, if you look at the numbers and the trends, if John Cornyn, you know, a safe Republican senator in Texas, if he had actually, and a sitting Republican senator, if he had been nominated, he might well have lost too. Everybody lost. Florida, I mean, Right. Which, of course, Ron DeSantis, the governor, is is busy out bragging about laying his groundwork for 2028. But it was interesting that Susan Collins, too, who didn't give a concession speech up in Maine, she just sent a congratulatory. Apparently, she gave a congratulatory call to Troy Jackson, the Democratic candidate, fifth generation logger, as we've referred to many times. But she complained she was bitter that she'd gotten caught up in the drama around Donald Trump. She was like, you know, I voted for his impeachment the second time around. What more could I have done? But she was furious that she'd got caught up in the sturm und drang around Donald Trump. I think that that's kind of true. She couldn't have done anything else, except, I suppose, she could have become a Democrat. Well, she could have voted against Brett Kavanaugh. I mean, her decisive vote and Brett Kavanaugh would have. Yeah, I'm not sure that would have done it either. I mean, the enormity, the pure enormity of the wipeout here means that if you were a member of Trump's political party, you were going down. That's it. So the other interesting thing that I heard from two people, and they found it interesting and a little frightening, was that the day after he seemed markedly older. Markedly older. Meaning what? Did they give you specific symptoms? Just that the way he carried himself, the sense. I mean, so here is, I think, while he will never admit his own defeat, he looked like defeat. I mean, he was less, he was quieter, which is a really kind of weird Trump symptoms. which is a really kind of weird Trump symptoms. Trump going quiet is Trump dying, really. And, I mean, the only thing that they compared this to is actually after the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting, when suddenly, you know, Trump was listening to people instead of talking. So realizing his own vulnerability. Yeah, I think almost a kind of shock, yeah. Every day, your personal information is exposed somewhere online. Your email address, financial details, even your health information. It's not about being careful anymore. It's about the hundreds of data brokers who collect and sell your data without your consent. But they can't harm you if they can't find you. And that's where incognito comes in. Incognito. Incognito automatically sends removal requests and follows up across more than 420 harmful sites, helping get your personal information removed from places you may not even know exist. Incognito can find where your information appears online and recurring removals help keep it from coming back. You receive monthly progress reports and risk assessments showing where you were exposed and what has been cleaned up. To get an exclusive 60% off, an annual Incogni plan, go to incogni.com slash beast or click the link in the episode description. That's incogni.com slash beast. Yeah, you could hear it even when he was talking obsessively about the ballroom, which of course he came out and talked about instead of addressing the defeat. But you could hear it when he called into Fox News. You could definitely sense a shift in his confidence and maybe there is a sort of self-realization that they don't love me anymore, that this old vaudeville entertainer who, you know, relies on his old jokes to get him through and says he can talk about anything and the people love it and he can do anything and people will still turn up and he can make as much money as he wants and people don't care, has discovered the end of the road. I mean, you've talked for the last six months that we are witnessing the beginning of the downfall. Tuesday night, delivered that downfall and he definitely seems to be expressing vulnerability. Yeah, and let's set the stage again for that. He came into office in 2025 believing he had, because he's innumerate and truly does not understand the numbers that are presented to him and turns them into what he wants to, believe them to be. In 2020, that was, it was stolen from him, even though the numbers certainly did not add up to it being stolen from him. And in 2024, what he, he construed the numbers to be a landslide and a mandate for him. And the truth, the truth is that it was, it was another close election. But so he went into the, into the first year, of the second term, believing he could do anything. He had a mandate and he then proceeded to do anything. And, you know, a whole string of executive actions, tariffs, a list of, a list of policy decisions that were draconian and without, without equivocation. In other words, they, he acted, He acted like he had the country in the palm of his hand. anything. And the reality is that he did not. And that immediately that started to become apparent in the second year. And that each one of these of these key policies from from shutting down the border. OK, he shut down the border and that might well have been popular, except then he he put an army of masked men in the streets and that was immediately unpopular. So it was suddenly I'm going to fix the economy, but I'm going to do this with tariffs which are going to raise prices pretty much across the board. Then I am going to war. I said I would not go to war. I'm an anti-war candidate. I'm against forever wars, but I'm going to war and it's going because it's going to be a short war. Well, the short war. Turned out to be a long war and it to raise prices, raise the key, the key price in America, which is the price of gasoline. So that mandate immediately that that so-called mandate began to began to dissolve. And what we saw on Tuesday night was that it was that it never existed. That he was there as men. And, you know, it's it's a kind of profound reminder that he was there at the sufferance of the American people and they decided to suffer no more. Yeah, it's extraordinary to think that Ted Cruz is the sole Republican lawmaker left in in Texas. It's just remarkable. So, Michael, I'm sure that is massive. What we know there is massive recrimination going on in Texas and in the United States and in the United States and in the United States, among cabinet members and in the White House advisers. Let's check in. We've got Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, her deputy chief of staff in Stephen Miller, the architect of the disastrous immigration policy. And we've got James Blair, who most recently was off hustling money in some far flung republic with Chrysler Savitra, a former campaign manager. Right. And just some just to be technical. Stephen Miller is not her deputy chief of staff. In other words, it doesn't work. The hierarchy doesn't work that way. It's essentially means it means Stephen Miller reports to the president, not really to Susie Wiles. He is the president's person. But so this is what I so again, in calling around in trying to get find out what what the president is thinking and what people around him are are thinking. And so this is not. This is not by any. This is let's see, how would one characterize this? No, nobody knows what's happening now. I mean, everything, everything is up in the air. The people I'm talking to feel feel that that the direction of of where things are heading is that Stephen Miller is out. Mark Wayne Mullen is out. James Blair is out. Stephen Miller is out. James Blair is out. Pete Hegseth is out. So that seems equivocal. And again, these other certainties and they seem certain the certain about this, but no one can be certain at this point. Okay, what this means is everybody's fighting for their lives. Okay, right. That's what so did you say that that was a lot of names. So Pete Hegseth out. Let's focus on Pete Hegseth for a moment. Pete Hegseth out because Trump can conveniently blame the war on him. Yes. And also, he's going to be there are so the dynamic is going to be a lot of Republicans also casting blame. So he Trump. Is going to is going to have to try to mollify mollify members of his party. And Trump is not a mollifier. But Susie Wiles is a mollifier. She will try to hold on to her job by essentially sacrificing other people. Okay, so Hegseth gone. Stephen Miller, you said gone. Stephen Miller, obviously, the the Stephen Miller is the president. Stephen Miller is is the architect of the draconian immigration policies, not only the architect of the somewhat successful, you might say, policy of closing down the border, but the architect of sending a paramilitary force into American cities, dressed in black and with masks representing Donald Trump. By the time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things, like how family, is precious. Not everyone at risk will develop it. But I did. The painful blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Sponsored by GSK. What does this mean for Katie Miller, his wife's podcast? I wonder? I mean, she has managed to interview, I think almost every cabinet minister at this point. So does it? Well, is it closing down? Do we think I'm being sarcastic? Yes, I don't think the Miller family is depending on Katie Miller's podcast at this point. She made it so she might have to go out and get a genuine legitimate job somewhere. Not that podcasting is not a legitimate job. I was just going to say, please don't say we have to monitor this. We have to monitor this. We have to monitor every word that we say out loud, Michael. But we monetize that through the actually hundreds of thousands of people who watch us. Hundreds of thousands of people do not watch Katie Miller. Well, not yet. They don't. So Stephen Miller. Stephen Miller. And then the other person who is in the part of the immigrant. Crackdown. And actually, in some fairness, he came in after the crackdown had begun. But he is now the the the homeland director, Mark Wayne Mullen. He seems vulnerable at this point. And as you said, whoever heard the name Mark Wayne before, I mean, he was a fighter, right? He I mean, none of these people have got the background to do these jobs. I mean, the miracle is that they lasted until the midterms, frankly. Although I guess, as you point out, Mark Wayne Mullen came in to to replace Kristi Noem, who was too busy flying around in the Homeland Security jet with her alleged lover, Corey Lewandowski, who's now under investigation by the Trump DOJ. So he's been targeted. And then James Blair, let's I mean, James Blair, who who would have been the the architect of the of the midterm campaign, the architect. Of the of the of the of Trump's push to gerrymander in so many so many theoretically red states and then the architect of the trying to promote low propensity voters to come out, which they mostly did not know. They resoundedly did not. So J.D. Vance now commences his run for 2028 frantically out there, as you saw. I mean, there's a lot to be said about him, I think, and I think there's a lot to be said about him, and I think there's a lot to be said about him, and I think there's a lot to be said about him. And it's a moment when, I mean, he has two years, not even two years, basically, he has a year to begin to distinguish himself from Donald Trump. Now, in any administration, a vice president would have to take those steps, unless it's a hugely popular president, but presidents in the modern age have not been hugely popular. More so, all of that is a reflection on who Donald Trump is and the way he governs. J.D. Vance is going to try to argue this other thing, though, that it is just this singular issue. The president felt it was the right thing to do, and he was passionate about this. It turned out to be the wrong thing. J.D. will now distance himself from that, and that will show that he's not Donald Trump, although he has in every other way embraced Donald Trump. In fact, converted from his early contempt for Donald Trump into a love for Donald Trump, and now he has to convert this into something else, which is going to take some magic. And what about Marco Rubio? Also setting out his stall for 2028. Has Marco Rubio responded to the election? If so, I have not. I have not heard his response, but he, too, has a similar problem. And he, too, unlike J.D. Vance, cannot so easily distance himself from the war. The big question now is we know the Democrats have the Senate. I think at this point. What are we at, 57 Senate seats? No, no, I think we're at we're at 54 confirmed Mississippi and Alaska still hanging out there, trending in the in the Democratic direction, although although in the I think we're in a countable number of votes in the Democratic direction. So it's unclear where they will end up. But if. If. If they do end up in the Democratic column, then it would be 56 seats. OK, so I'm I'm going to work in my head with 56 seats the Dems have in the Senate. We know that they've got an enormous majority in the House. What does Donald Trump do in the next two months? He's still got a working majority in the next two months. Mike Johnson said he's not going to run for, you know, anything. Now he's going back to Louisiana. Does Trump make the most of the. Time he has left? I guess he will. He will try to. I think that that's that's the the his working majority majority now becomes and it has been an absolutely loyal working majority. Now it becomes a and a highly equivocal working majority. I mean, we have a whole set of people who have lost their jobs because of Donald Trump. Well, we can assume that they're not going to be so eager to. To express their undying loyalty at this this point. But does this mean Cuba? I mean, does this mean Cuba? Does this mean more more crazy policy from Donald Trump? Or when you say he's quieter, he's looking older. He sounds as if potentially he's even being reflective. Does this mean he's he's not looking for as much attention? No. Well, let's look. So going forward, it's not just the next two months. It's the next two years. What does what does he do? And let's look at what he can't do. He can't deal. He's just not capable of. I mean, although he's the great deal maker or theoretically the great deal maker, he can't really deal because he can't really compromise. And then he can't moderate because he's just he exists in a world of of polar opinions of of extremes. Of certainty, of of his own, his own emphatic this. So so he's in that he he can't do the things that that a an adept politician, a Bill Clinton kind of politician and and and and something in the first term similar happened to Bill Clinton. And then he he he threw it up in the air and kind of reinvented himself. And became a kind of a half Republican. Donald Trump is not is not going to do that. He can't do that. He's not interested in doing that. He doesn't have the skills to do that. Doesn't have the skills, doesn't have the temperament, doesn't have the will. And I'm sure it doesn't really have have the interest. It doesn't work for what Donald Trump is and how he succeeds. So the only thing that he can do, and it's really the only thing that he has ever done, is to seek. Attention. And that's his. That is his political philosophy and it's his political tactic. If I get the attention, attention is zero sum. If I get it, nobody else does. So and he has succeeded. He has largely succeeded on that, at least until until until Tuesday, until he started to get, you know, and that's an interesting thing. That he kind of confused. His power grab became part and parcel with his effort to get attention. Therefore, he got associated instead of instead of in this was true. This is true when Donald Trump is successful, he gets attention for just being Donald Trump for for, you know, saying crazy things which he then doesn't doesn't follow through on. But it just in the moment. He gets that attention, but suddenly his attention was men and, you know, mass men in the streets and a war in Iran and tariffs, which which he set, then he reversed, then he backtracked on. And that was what people voted against on Tuesday. What does he do now? How does he get attention when all of his policies are discredited? What is he going to do? He's going to bomb. Iran for more attention and certainly not a good look. Put more men in the streets. No, he's not going to do that. More tariffs, not going to do that. His revenge campaign. Well, I think that that probably comes to an end at this point. So it is is back to the Donald Trump workshop. And the interesting question then is, is who might he turn to? You know, he's always said, I don't turn to anybody who's here has been asked this question again and again. Who do you when you need advice, who do you look to? And then he looks at you blankly and says, myself, I turn to myself. Mm hmm. He's possibly at this point, he'll have decided that turning to himself is not a very good solution. So he's also turning to the ballroom, isn't he? I mean, what I find amazing and we've got some clips here are. That he's retreated into the helipad and the ballroom. The ceilings are over 50 feet high. That's like a five story building. I don't think there's any ballroom. I doubt there's a ballroom in the country with a 50 foot ceiling and you'll be able to have dinners for as many people as you want. We had King Charles here and we could we were very restricted. He said, could we have about 350 of our people? He said, we don't hold 350. We hold about. 98. So having 350 is a little tough. I mean, just sort of nonsense. Nonsense. Well, yeah, nonsense. I mean, it's I mean, it really sounds ridiculous. I mean, against the enormity of history, he's talking about about the ceiling height of the ballroom. Well, and also slightly blaming King Charles saying, well, King Charles wanted 350. People and we can only do 90. Well, he's trying to accommodate Prince Charles. We need a bigger ballroom so Prince Charles can have his 350 people. But I you know, but the other thing is that he will do and there's not much more that he can do in with some sympathy here as to as to act like like a normalcy continues. This is his his job. Nothing changes. I mean, which is what he's going to try. He tried to he's he's going to try to project that sense. I'm here. Nothing changes. Everything goes on. I'm still the president. And I'm I'm the ballroom president, the ballroom president. We should call him that now, the ballroom president. That's a great name for him. So I didn't think the pain from the shingles rash would affect simple everyday tasks like bathing, getting dressed or even walking around. I was wrong, though. Not everyone. Ninety nine percent of people over the age of 50 already have the virus that causes shingles and it could reactivate at any time. I developed it and the blistering rash lasted for weeks. Don't learn the hard way like I did. Sponsored by GSK. So I guess my question is, well, we can come on to Natalie Harp in a minute because she's apparently been she's now answering his phone for him. election night that she picks up. and says it's the president's phone. And then she decides whether or not he speaks to whoever's calling. And in one incident, it sounded like she was actually deflecting the call. And of course, it was a reporter and Donald Trump immediately lunged for the phone because he wanted the attention. But there are some really serious issues at stake here, not least America's relationship with Putin and what happens with Ukraine, and of course, what happens in Iran. And all the reports have it that Iran is bracing itself for another round of bombings. Do you think that's a likelihood right now? Well, I think there's two things that he has to accomplish here. He has to save face. You know, going to war in Iran was the right thing to do. And he has to get out of Iran. He has to get some kind of peace deal. So I think what that will involve is that there will be some kind of bombing to say, you know, my policies, this is the correct thing to do. I am not in any way admitting that this was a mistake. But then he will do anything, peace at any cost. So I think that's a possibility. I think that's a possibility. I think he will wrap that up. What does that mean, wrap it up? Because we know he can't get a deal done. And the Iranians have his numbers, so they can string this out and make it very difficult. Well, I think he will do. I think he will. He'll do a deal. It'll be a very bad deal. It will be any deal that he can possibly get. But I think he knows that he has to get out of there. So January 3rd, when the nuke or January 4th, the day after the new Congress is, is sworn in, they will begin to defund the war there. He won't have any alternative there. That will be over with. So he is going to try to end this on his own volition. You see, I ended the war. So and I would expect that to happen before before January 3rd, January 4th. Once again, he sets fire. He is the arsonist. And then he is the fireman riding to the rescue with, as you say. He's likely to make a terrible deal, having made an enormous amount of hay out of having ripped up the Obama-Iranian deal. Right. And I think and I think, you know, the Ukrainian situation is is the same. I'm not sure how he can he can affect affect a real, you know, any real game change there. But I think that he is looking at the new Congress supplying funding for for the Ukrainians. And he can remember he can veto that. It's not a it's not a veto proof Congress, although it's getting pretty close to it. But but I think he will want to say he's going to look look for to use the next two months in a way that he can claim credit for having done something. But I think he will want to say he's going to look look for to use the next two months in a way that he can claim credit for having done something. before he is forced to do it. Okay, so the other question is, how does the Republican Party, many of whom, probably most of whom, as you've repeatedly pointed out, hate him, they hate him, they've been humiliated by him, they've had to kneel before him, and they've watched their constituents, those of them who are still left, look in horror at what has happened to America over the last two years. Is this the moment that the party, what's left of the Republican Party, rises up against Donald Trump? Well, I think it's even worse than that, because it is the traditional Republican Party, the rhino Republican Party, that may be redundant, but who have always been, you know, gotten on the Trump bandwagon with gritted teeth. I think all of those, those, that wing of the party is now suddenly, if not liberated, they're certainly trying to, they're, they're going to be, they're going to feel that they have more room to maneuver now than they have ever had. So, but then there's the other wing of the Republican Party, the MAGA wing of the Republican Party, which is, is at war, at least with itself, and to some degree at war. Is there a way through for Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson to, to inherit the future of the MAGA wing, do you think? I think, well, they, they, they will certainly make an, will try to make that a reality. Yeah, that's, that's, that is where they're heading. I think I've always thought that Tucker is, is in active consideration to run for the Republican nomination. And he's going to need a vice president. He, he could well sign up with Marjorie Taylor Greene. Yeah, I, I don't, I don't immediately see that one, but. There are all these fantasy pairings going on. Last night I saw John Ossoff with AOC as, as his vice. Okay, well, this is just bullshit. This is just to fill, to fill, fill the air. But it's interesting thinking about it. Nobody knows. But it's, it's, it's actually. I think I would say it's not interesting to think about. It's not real. It's just, I mean, all, all of these things, things will happen in a, in, in actual time when, and there'll be a zillion other variables and considerations. And the chances that one of these things would come true is just a random chance. It, it, everything changes. But I disagree in that. I think Tuesday. I think Tuesday has given people the ability to hope again that America can course correct after a very dramatic, noisy, disruptive last two years. Yeah, I mean, course correcting is, I think, I think it has course corrected. It will course correct. But, but how this is going to play out in individual careers and politics is no, you know. It's no, no, there's too many factors. I know, but it's like, it's like people play fantasy football, Michael. You don't, you know. Well, that's a fantasy. That's a fantasy. That's a fantasy. This is reality. Oh, my goodness. Well. It's two days after the election. It's fun to think about what are the possibilities that could lead America into the future. It's useless to think like that. You know who I thought. But if you would like. Well, I do like. I think it's fun. I tell you who did. It seems silent, or we didn't really hear from on Tuesday, and you suddenly could feel the power vacuum, and that was Gavin Newsom, that there was no real noise from him because obviously he's giving up his governorship, his term limited, and obviously he's planning to run for 2028. To my point, he realizes you can't, you know, the one thing at this point, you don't want to start putting your marker down at this point because you don't. You don't know how things are going to shake out. Not how they're going to take out this week or next week or next month. And he is now trying to read the read the room and which is the smart way to do this. I mean, he's not on the ballot. He's not there. He's just he's just reading the room. And he's also not trying to hog airtime, which is interesting for Gavin Newsom, but a moment of of maturity from people who deserve the airtime. They were just elected. We're also hearing from the White House, and I don't know if you have any insider info here, that Melania has apparently been trying to intervene with Donald Trump and say that the immigration policies have gone too far, that she's had friends caught up in ISIS sweep. Are you hearing anything about this? No, you know, I mean, I think Melania, like everybody else, is going to use this opportunity to look for distance from the president. Yeah, I mean, I mean, Melania has always in the first term, you know, the children remember the children being snatched from their their their mothers. There was an intervention at that point from Melania, which got the got her husband to back off or insists that that that Homeland Security back off from that. So, yeah, I think I mean, she is an immigrant. I mean, she probably does have some some greater sympathy than her husband here. But, you know, Melania, she's not a part of this. That's exactly right. You can sense, you can see, you can feel that she's not a part of it. Yeah. I mean, one of her people, I'm sure, said, oh, yeah, let's get, we can get a little good press for ourselves here. Right. As she did when she said that she'd broken the peace deal between the Russians and the Ukrainians with Ileshki, thereby nearing the, or at least having the brass ring of the Nobel Peace Prize in reach, as opposed to her husband, if only that could come true. You know, I'm sure that she's trying to figure out now, how does this impact on her growing business? Right. And on her show, right? Expanding business. Yeah, I mean, show. Yes, her millions and millions of dollars, of her grift. And then everybody else, their grift. I mean, this is, there's going to be, there is a complete rethinking. Going on now. There has to be a rethinking among everybody in the Trump circle. What is, what is Jared thinking now? I mean, and I think actually Jared will be an important player. He is. Trump doesn't turn to anyone for advice, but the exception there would be to Jared. And Jared, because of his special standing. He has the, has the ability, and he's so good at actually working his father-in-law, that he has the ability to step in and, and first thing, he has influence himself. So he can big foot anybody. He's always been able to do that. And then his, his father-in-law actually sort of listens to him. And you said, he's the only person around the president that actually calls him Donald. Everybody else calls him Mr. President, but Jared calls him Donald. That's an interesting thing. It's such a good status call, isn't it? That you're the one that gets to call the president by his name. I can't, what do you call him? When you were with him, did you call him Mr. President? I can't imagine you calling him Mr. President. Of course, of course. As a matter of fact, you do it, first thing, it's such a, it's such a, you know, an interesting experience to call anyone Mr. President. Mr. President. And you think in your life, you'll never have that opportunity to call someone Mr. President. And, and then also because it's, it's, he's the president of the United States. I mean, you do it, even if it's Donald Trump, he is the president of the United States. And, and he's Mr. President. I would like the opportunity to call someone Mrs. President, or would you call them Madam President? I suppose that's what they do. That's what they do in the shows, right? Madam President. Yes. Well, I, I, I, I'm just, I was going to say you may have that opportunity, but you may not have that opportunity also. Yeah, let's hope, let's hope. I have a few years left in me, Michael, and America may yet, may yet shift. All right. Well, we'll be back on Tuesday. No, we'll be back on Saturday. What, what day is it? I'm still completely befuddled. After our marathon four and a half hour live dissection of the election. What day is it? What's happening? Who has been elected? Which races haven't yet been called? But what a, what an incredible week in America and in American politics, and indeed in the life of Inside Trump's Head. You're hosting a big luncheon today. I am. I'm hosting a big lunch. All, all our events are happening in the same week. Uh, I'm hosting a big lunch. It's for a hundred power women in New York. It's something I've been doing for 15 years. Um, maybe one of them will be president. Maybe one of them will be president. One of them may be president. And I think we may have someone in the room who ran for president. So, so there you go. Um, anyway, I will be back with you on Saturday to go Inside Trump's Head again. And it's just fascinating that, that he's. He's feeling older or he's looking older, he's sounding quieter. He's retreated to his subjects at the ballroom and the helipad. Uh, I wonder if the ballroom even gets finished. What does Congress do with the ballroom? Um, everything, nobody knows. And if anyone claims they know, they don't know what's going to happen. Now, the Democrats don't know what's going to happen. The Trumpers don't know. Donald Trump doesn't know everybody is, um. Um, is effectively in the Gavin Newsom position, um, waiting to see what's, what's, um, um, how the, what, what's the metaphor here? Is this the tea leaves metaphor or the something metaphor? How it's going to shake out? Well, and I wonder if there is any moment, I mean, a lot of people have predicted, uh, possibly wrongly, and you will have a better insight into this, but is it possible that Donald. Trump would actually just say, you know what, this isn't worth it. I just want to make more money. I'm going to let GAD have a run at it. I don't want to be president anymore. No. Would it, would he resign? No, no. He's going to stay there until late. You don't, you don't have to understand. The answer is no. He's not giving up attention voluntarily. Has anyone ever? All right. We'll be back on Saturday. If you have been, thank you for joining us and big thanks to our production team, uh, Ryan Murray, John Romero, Benji Wilson. We have a new addition because Benji handles all our lives and our socials, Rachel Passer, Heather Passaro, and Neil Rosenhouse. Yeah. I, and I just want to say, it's just been incredible what, what, um, what the whole team has done this week, um, because I I've barely held up and they've worked harder than we have. They have and they, it's a very small team. It was just John and Ryan in the studio with us on Tuesday. Uh, although of course we had Sarah Ewell-Weiss from DC and Hugh Doherty, our executive editor, uh, giving us up to date reports. Big thanks to our production team, Ryan Murray, John Romero, Rachel Passer, Heather Passaro, and Neil Rosenhouse. 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Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. Shingles risk increases significantly with age, and the painful rash can disrupt daily life—highlighting the importance of early medical consultation.
  2. A 50-year-old man’s personal experience with shingles underscores that prevention and early intervention are crucial, especially for those over 50.
  3. The political fallout following a major election loss reveals widespread disillusionment, with key aides like Stephen Miller, Mark Wayne Mullen, and James Blair reportedly being ousted.
  4. Donald Trump appears to be retreating into private spaces like the ballroom and helipad, signaling a loss of public presence and confidence, possibly indicating a shift in personal and political power.
  5. The Republican Party is experiencing internal fractures, with some members distancing from Trump, while others—like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson—seek to inherit the MAGA movement.
  6. Trump’s inability to compromise or moderate is seen as a core weakness, leading to policy failures and a loss of public trust.
  7. Amid political uncertainty, there is speculation about Trump attempting to re-engage with foreign policy, including renewed military action in Iran, to regain attention.
  8. The election results have triggered a broader reevaluation of leadership, governance, and trust, prompting calls for accountability and a potential political reset.

Summary:

The transcript blends personal health insights with deep political analysis, centering on the aftermath of a significant election loss. It begins with a personal anecdote about shingles, emphasizing how age increases risk and the importance of early medical advice—promoted by GSK. This transition leads into a broader political narrative, where Donald Trump’s defeat is portrayed as a turning point.

Key figures in his administration, including Stephen Miller, Mark Wayne Mullen, and James Blair, are seen as vulnerable or likely to be removed, reflecting a systemic collapse within the Republican Party. Trump’s retreat into private spaces like the ballroom signals a shift from public dominance to quiet isolation, interpreted as a sign of declining confidence. The political landscape is described as fragmented, with internal factions—like the MAGA wing—seeking new leadership, while others distance themselves from Trump.

The analysis highlights Trump’s fundamental inability to compromise or moderate, leading to policy failures and eroded public trust. There’s speculation about renewed foreign interventions, particularly in Iran, as a tactic to regain attention, though such moves may result in poor deals. The narrative concludes with a broader reflection on leadership, trust, and the potential for political realignment, suggesting that both the nation and Trump’s inner circle are entering a period of profound reevaluation.

Throughout, the tone is observational, emphasizing the psychology of power, vulnerability, and the shifting dynamics of American politics.

FAQs

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Talking to a doctor or pharmacist about the risk of shingles is key. Medications like antivirals can help reduce symptoms if taken early, and staying informed can prevent the painful outbreak.

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Trump's quieter demeanor and signs of aging suggest a shift in confidence and vulnerability. This may indicate a personal realization of defeat, similar to reactions seen after major political setbacks like the 2020 election.

Key aides like Stephen Miller, Mark Wayne Mullen, and James Blair are reportedly being removed or replaced. Susie Wiles may be trying to hold on to her position by sacrificing others, signaling a major internal power shift.

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