I Was in a Cult. This Is How I Know Trump is One

The Daily Beast Podcast

The Daily Beast

News & Politics

4.6 • 7.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Steven Hassan, world-renowned cult expert and author of The Cult of Trump, joins the Beast’s Hugh Dougherty to unravel how Trump’s movement mirrors the classic architecture of a political cult, from manufactured grievances to the online ecosystems that keep followers locked in. Then, with recent Epstein materials resurfacing, they explore the contradictions, alliances, and unexplored vulnerabilities that continue to haunt Trump and his inner circle. Together, they connect the domestic chaos to the global actors who have spent decades studying and exploiting Trump’s psychology. As the crises converge, Hugh asks the question hanging over 2025: how long can Trumpism survive when the truth keeps breaking through?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	That's why Trump doesn't want the Epstein files to be discharged, because the reality is the lie was he was going to drain the swamp and reveal all these trafficking pedophiles.
0:16.0	We should say that Trump has denied any wrongdoing at all.
0:26.8	But what is impossible for him to deny is that he and Jeffrey Epstein were closely associated by colleague Michael Wolfe has detailed and revealed tapes of Jeffrey Epstein saying that
0:32.8	Donald Trump was his best friend.
0:38.9	Welcome to the Daily Beast podcast. I'm Hugh Docherty. I'm executive editor of The Daily Beast.
0:43.5	I'm delighted to be guest hosting. Don't worry, Joanna Coles will be back on the next episode
0:49.2	of the Daily Beast podcast. If you need your Joanna Fix and who doesn't, you can go back
0:53.6	and binge every episode of our brilliant podcast inside Trump's head, where she and the incomparable Michael Wolf venture into that dark place and extract everything you need to know.
1:04.2	We have been working hard on getting more brilliant guests for our podcast. I want to thank everyone who supports us, especially those who've become members.
1:11.1	It lets The Daily Beast do the independent journalism we all need now. To become a member,
1:15.6	just click the join button on the YouTube page and you will get amazing access to even more features.
1:20.5	It's because of all of you that have joined that we are able to bring you today's guest, Dr. Stephen Hassan.
1:27.2	Dr. Hassan is a mental health professional.
1:29.5	He's got a PhD in organizational development, and he is one of the world's greatest
1:34.1	experts on cults.
1:36.0	He's the author of four books about cults.
1:38.1	It's one of those books that we've got so much to talk about.
1:41.5	It is very simply called the Cult of Trump.
1:47.8	Dr. Hassan, welcome. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me here. The book came out in 2019. Many books fade in
1:53.5	relevance, but this one just seems even more relevant if that's possible, and there's so much to
1:58.0	talk about. But I just want to start with your journey because
2:01.4	the reason that you are on here and you have a decades-long career as a cult expert is, frankly,
	...

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