This Is the Sordid Reason Trump Bows to Putin

Chrystia Freeland, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, speaks to Joanna Coles about what she learned negotiating face to face with Donald Trump and why she believes world leaders make a costly mistake when they give in to him. Trump called her “the killer,” then attacked her when Canada retaliated against his tariffs. Freeland explains how his personal charm can disarm an opponent, why Canada answered his tariffs dollar for dollar and how allies could use the same playbook now. She also weighs in on Mark Carney’s leadership, warns that Trump is siding with Vladimir Putin against Ukraine and argues that Elon Musk’s power over critical technology should alarm every democracy. Drawing on her years reporting from the Soviet Union and dealing with Trump from inside government, Freeland offers a blunt assessment of what America’s allies have learned about depending on the United States.

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles look ahead to the morning after the midterms and ask what happens if Donald Trump loses control of Congress. Wolff, who watched Trump’s inner circle confront him with the 2020 results, explains why he believes the president cannot accept a loss and how a defeat could become an excuse to blame Susie Wiles, Mike Johnson and Republicans who kept their distance from him. Coles presses Wolff on a closer, messier result: Could recounts and challenges leave the country in weeks of chaos? They also imagine who will be at Trump’s side as the returns come in, whether he could still surprise his opponents at the ballot box and why Wolff expects him to fight for the spotlight even if Democrats win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Rothkopf joins Joanna Coles to sound the alarm on Donald Trump’s stunning betrayal of Ukraine and America’s decades-long fight against Russia. As Trump cozies up to Vladimir Putin, lifts sanctions and blames Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rothkopf warns that the president is actively undermining U.S. security to advance Moscow’s interests. With the midterms looming, Trump’s poll numbers tanking and Democrats eyeing a historic wave, the pair examine the growing desperation inside the White House, the Russian ties surrounding Don Jr.’s lavish wedding and the alarming implications of Trump’s foreign policy. Plus, the Democrats mounting a serious challenge to Republican power, JD Vance’s brutal encounter with a grieving military widower, and why Putin’s global network of far-right allies poses a threat to democracy far beyond America’s borders.

Terry Moran returns to the Daily Beast Podcast to tell Joanna Coles what he found on the ground in Maine and Iowa, where voters’ frustration could upend the midterms without giving Democrats an easy path to victory. He sizes up Susan Collins’ fight to keep her Senate seat, then explains why Trump’s increasingly coarse language may reveal more than a change in campaign style. The former ABC White House correspondent also delivers a blunt assessment of new press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing and what her sudden appointment says about the operation around Trump. As questions swirl around chief of staff Susie Wiles, Moran draws on years of covering the White House to describe how the president’s habits shape everyone working for him. Finally, he turns to Ukraine and the decision he fears could change America’s place in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles go inside the chaos of Trump’s White House, where a disastrous press secretary debut, a sudden firing, and Susie Wiles’ uncertain future expose a West Wing running on ego, loyalty, and dysfunction. As Trump’s revolving door of female aides keeps spinning, Wolff explains why even his own chief of staff may be on borrowed time. Plus, Elon Musk is pouring another $300 million into the midterms, raising the stakes in a series of nail-biting Senate races and giving one billionaire extraordinary power over American democracy. With control of Congress hanging in the balance, Wolff and Coles examine the money, the power plays, and the political consequences that could reshape Trump’s presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices