meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Daily Beast Podcast

The Bonkers Secrets of Phone-Obsessed Trump: Wolff

The Daily Beast Podcast

The Daily Beast

News

4.6 • 8.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Michael Wolff joins Joanna Coles to focus on one of Donald Trump’s most revealing tools: the telephone. Drawing on decades of firsthand experience—from Trump’s landline calls to New York Magazine in the 1990s to rambling, unsolicited calls as president—Wolff explains why Trump is almost never off the phone, why he hates email and paper trails, and how calling isn’t about exchanging information so much as asserting dominance, rehearsing grievances, and never being alone. It’s a portrait of a man who governs, leaks, vents, and connects almost entirely by voice—using the phone as both comfort object and command center—and a revealing look at how Trump’s constant talking shapes his politics, his relationships, and his presidency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Do people call him?

0:01.8

Yeah.

0:02.4

And do they call him direct on the cell phone?

0:04.4

If you have the number, yeah.

0:05.8

Right.

0:06.0

Does he distribute his number sort of wildly?

0:09.3

I wouldn't say wildly, but somewhat if you have the number.

0:12.9

It's somewhat complicated because the number then changes.

0:15.7

Like they changed the number so that Rudy Giuliani couldn't call him anymore.

0:19.7

They changed the number so Rudy Giuliani couldn't call him anymore. They changed the number so Rudy Giuliani couldn't call him anymore.

0:22.6

Oh, and then sometimes the staff will take his phone and take people out of the phone

0:28.4

because they don't want him calling this person, often a reporter.

0:37.2

Michael.

0:38.6

Joanna.

0:39.3

Where are we going?

0:40.3

Where are we going?

0:41.9

Oh, God.

0:44.2

We're going back there again.

0:46.2

But we're doing a special issue.

0:48.4

Inside Trump's head.

0:50.3

Inside Trump's telephone head.

0:52.4

Yeah.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Daily Beast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Daily Beast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.