I Know Why Trump and His Goons Are Toast

The Daily Beast Podcast

The Daily Beast

News

4.6 • 8.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Joanna Coles speaks with Steve Schmidt about the mounting panic spreading through Republican circles as Donald Trump’s political and foreign policy instincts collide with a party increasingly worried about where it’s headed. From the growing anxiety inside the GOP about Trump’s escalating confrontation with Iran to the bizarre internal dramas of Trump World, Schmidt breaks down a series of moments that have Republicans whispering behind closed doors. The conversation dives into the stunning downfall of Kristi Noem after her controversial ad campaign helped push Trump to fire one of his own loyalists, the surreal optics of Marco Rubio awkwardly navigating Trump’s orbit, and the broader sense that the party’s leadership is trapped between loyalty to Trump and fear of the political consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What I've dedicated my life to is revenge.
0:04.7	A brand new drama based on the best-selling novel.
0:07.5	They think they're better than us.
0:08.5	Who do you think you are?
0:09.8	I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong.
0:11.5	She's punishing me.
0:13.0	You destroyed my family.
0:14.3	I will not rest until I've destroyed yours.
0:17.0	A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9.
0:19.9	Before the war started, the midterms were already a political disaster of immense dimensions.
0:29.3	Immense dimensions for MAGA for Trump.
0:33.0	They're going to lose up and down the ballot all over the country.
0:36.8	The tidal wave is coming. This war is a disaster.
0:41.9	We're not winning this war. And that is unpardonable in the United States.
0:51.0	I'm Joanna Coles. This is the Daily Beast podcast, and today's guest is one of the most battle-hardened political operatives you can think of.
1:01.7	He worked in the Bush White House. He ran the John McCain campaign. I am talking, of course, about Steve Schmidt.
1:08.5	He was a co-founder of the Lincoln Project. He's now spearheading Save America,
1:15.5	and he is one of Donald Trump's most arch and articulate critics. So today we get into some specifics.
1:24.2	First, the war and how this is a catastrophic decision for the Republican Party.
1:30.3	And those Republicans at Dural on the offsite this month where they were all talking about
1:37.3	the midterms know that they're going to be wiped out. Steve says they know there is a tidal wave
1:43.3	coming for them. And also as the master of many
	...

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