Trump Sunsetting Visibly Worsens as Aides Go Full Cult All Around Him

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

The New Republic

News, Politics

4.4 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’ve noticed a jarring disconnect. Even as Donald Trump’s mental decline visibly worsens, his aides’ cultlike praise for him is proportionately growing. To wit: A top spokesperson offered a bizarre rationalization for his deranged new “proposal” to turn Venezuela into the 51st state. She also attempted to portray him as wielding absolute mastery over Iran, but accidentally exposed his lack of concern over soaring prices. And his propagandists lashed out at a reporter for sharing an image of Trump sleeping through an event. The decline is accelerating, yet the cult-worship is off the charts. Runing through all this is something dark: His sycophants know he’s passing from the scene, and no one is allowed to admit it. We talked to New Republic writer Virginia Heffernan, author of a great piece plumbing MAGA psychology. We discuss fresh signs of Trump’s sunsetting, the huge vacuum his passing will leave at the core of the right wing, and why his supporters are akin to an “end-stage cult.” Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	From Working Title, producers of Bridget Jones and Love Actually.
0:03.6	I'm looking for this girl called Emily.
0:05.3	I'll help you find her.
0:06.5	Comes the truly feel-good British rom-com that's being called a five-star instant classic.
0:12.7	Tell me, you didn't hack the school email and message every Emily.
0:16.4	Hailed as hilarious and original.
0:18.8	Hey, Emily's.
0:20.4	It's Notting Hill for a new generation.
0:22.6	I don't think I was wrong number.
0:24.6	Just didn't write number you, did she?
0:25.6	Finding Emily, only in cinema's May 22nd.
0:28.6	Book tickets now.
0:30.6	Some follow the noise.
0:32.6	Bloomberg follows the money.
0:34.6	Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings.
0:39.1	There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story.
0:43.6	Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. This is the Daily Blast from the New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
1:05.0	I'm your host, Greg Sargent. The cult-like defenses of Donald Trump have taken a truly creepy turn of late.
1:22.0	Trump fell asleep in an event, and the White House's spin in response went truly off the rails. Trump floated an
1:29.6	insane proposal involving Venezuela that drew a deeply strange defense from a spokesperson. And in one
1:36.7	telling moment, the spokesperson was so eager to fluff up Trump that she accidentally delivered a
1:41.9	harsh talking point against him. But when you watch all this
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 3 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

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

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