The Daily Beast Podcast: "How Trump's Big Moment Left Him Exposed"

Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: David Rothkopf (Columnist, founder of the DSR Deep State Radio Network)
Date: January 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this insightful and often acerbic conversation, Joanna Coles sits down with veteran foreign policy columnist David Rothkopf to dissect the implications of Donald Trump's latest interventionist maneuver: the forcible removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, and the announced intent to "run" Venezuela and seize its oil assets. The discussion ranges from the chaotic nature of the operation and its underlying mafia-like logic, to the global consequences for America's standing, U.S. democracy, and potential reactions from other world powers. In Rothkopf’s telling, this is a new—and dangerously exposed—moment for Trump, the United States, and the world.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Venezuela Operation: "No Plan Beyond the Helicopter"

• The Operation's Chaos:
  Rothkopf critiques the lack of post-removal strategy after Maduro was extradited (“the minute that Maduro was put on a helicopter and flown out of the country, there was no remaining plan...We don't know who's in charge in Venezuela...” [01:29], [12:42]).

• Lawlessness and Mafia Logic:
  Rothkopf labels the intervention "a giant armed robbery," comparing Trump's approach to "a new kind of Mafia foreign policy"—the “Don Roe Doctrine”—where “the don is going to tell his people what to do and take over” ([03:21]).

• Corruption and Cronyism:
  Trump and his allies are depicted as openly seeking profit:
  “Everything he has done so far in this term of office has, one way or another led to money for his friends...They're doing crypto deals left and right...there is no reason to assume that what happens in Venezuela is going to be any less corrupt” ([06:14]).

2. The Business-First Lens on Foreign Policy

• Coles (Devil’s Advocate):
  Could foreign policy focused on business (jobs, construction) be more effective than endless wars or democracy "building"? ([07:47])

• Rothkopf’s Rebuttal:
  Governments exist for the good of all people, not just billionaires. Prioritizing corporate or elite interests leads to suffering for ordinary people and instability in the long run.
  “Businesses don't really care about the future of the people of Venezuela. Donald Trump doesn't care whether the money is going to go to the people for whom it is the rightful patrimony of their nation. He wants it to go to the United States. He's stealing it... It's not only disgusting, it's also bad foreign policy, because when people are treated that way, unrest ensues.” ([08:56])

3. The (Un-)Justification of the Operation

• Trump’s Stumbling Press Conference:
  Rothkopf mocks Trump's frailty and incoherence:
  “His brain these days seems as if it's floating in an ocean of oatmeal and Xanax” ([12:12]).

• The ‘Law Enforcement’ Excuse:
  Rothkopf calls out the inconsistency of calling the operation a “law enforcement” action while breaking international law:
  “This was an armed robbery, it wasn't a law enforcement operation...Everything that they said about the operation is a lie. And everything that we intend to do following the operation is disturbing on some level.” ([12:42])

4. Aftermath and Power Vacuum in Venezuela

• Dulcie Rodriguez’s Uncertain Leadership:
  Doubts about stability, legitimacy, and loyalty:
  “Zero. I have no confidence. She clearly was not closely consulted with on this. There are other forces in Venezuela that would think they have a claim on the presidency, including the people who legitimately won the last election.” ([16:40])

• Trump’s Petty Motivations:
  Rothkopf recounts reports that the legitimate winner, Machado, was snubbed by Trump for not renouncing her Nobel Prize for him:
  “They said the president decided she was not the right person to run the country because she pissed him off, because she did not renounce her Nobel Prize so he could get his.” ([17:41])

5. Expansionist Fantasies: Threats to Greenland, Mexico, and Beyond

• Global “Spheres of Influence” and the Putinization of Foreign Policy:
  Rothkopf notes that Trump’s aggressive moves mirror a Putin/Xi playbook, breaking the world into “spheres of influence” ([26:04]).

• Greenland as Example:
  Danish leadership’s polite statements are dismissed:
  “It is a big mistake to handle Donald Trump by issuing a Chuck Schumer-esque statement which is, you know, I'm disappointed and this is illegal and he ought to be ashamed of himself”—Trump “doesn’t have shame” or “care about the law . . . he will trample over those people” ([20:13]).

• The Danger of Weak Resistance:
  “Where he stops is people, as I said, stand...the way that you stop Trump is you send a message that the cost is going to be very high if he tries to do what he says he's going to do.” ([21:48])

6. International Implications: Russia, China, and Global Order

• US Following Authoritarian Lead:
  The Venezuela action is seen as buying into “the Vladimir Putin, Putin and Xi Jinping view of the world” of bully states and traded spheres ([26:04], [27:00]).

• Potential for Global Domino Effects:
  Rothkopf worries Trump's permissiveness and distraction-seeking may embolden Xi to move on Taiwan:
  “Everybody in the world needs to think about what that clock looks like to bad actors around the world who say, well, Trump's not going to respond. So we now have three years and the clock is ticking…It makes the period of the next couple of years considerably more dangerous than any period we faced in the recent past.” ([31:50])

7. Erosion of American Democratic Norms

• Congressional Exclusion = “A Coup”:
  Bypassing Congress in the Venezuela decision is equated to a coup:
  “If the Congress is supposed to control war and peace, if the Constitution is supposed to control who can be a citizen or not, and all those things are essentially erased...that's a coup. And so bypassing the Congress on this is effectively the same thing as sending a mob of violent people to attack the building.” ([33:17])

• Lack of Effective Congressional Pushback:
  Rothkopf is pessimistic about Congress fighting back:
  “It's not super encouraging...there are a few people in Congress who stand up and say the right thing...but there are even bigger number who will either support Trump or who are taking this middle ground...MAGA voters didn't want Trump to do this either. It's the very opposite of America first.” ([35:21])

8. The Coming Year & Trump’s Isolation

• No Legislative Agenda, Distraction as Strategy:
  Trump is expected to double down on foreign adventures as distractions from legal and political troubles:
  “They're looking for some kind of things that can help him win the election later this year, which looks bad...And so that's the horse Trump rode in on, and I expect that's the horse Trump will be riding for the rest of this year.” ([39:38])

• Internal White House Dynamics:
  Stephen Miller, though not ostensibly in charge of foreign policy, is described as “the puppet master for the dark side of Donald Trump . . . sitting there rubbing his hands together, going, Trump needs me.” ([39:38])

• Vice President JD Vance's Absence:
  The conspicuous absence of VP JD Vance from the press conference is noted, with speculation: Is Vance already looking beyond Trump? “We're going to have to see. One of the big stories of this year is going to be when the rest of the Republican Party accepts the idea that Donald Trump is a lame duck and how they respond to that.” ([42:41])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rothkopf on Trump's Foreign Policy:
  “We have a new kind of Mafia foreign policy. This is our territory. The don is going to tell his people what to do and take over. And like the Mafia, we're gonna use the fact that we have muscle and we don't care about the law to do whatever we want in our neighborhood.” ([03:21])

• On Business Interests Driving Policy:
  “Business has driven foreign policy for a long time. We've had wars in the Americas for banana companies in the course of our history. We've had plenty of wars for oil companies...It’s actually more often than not that economic interest ends up driving national security actions. And who suffers? The victims in the war.” ([08:56])

• On Trump’s Press Performance:
  “He was kind of lurching to one side. He could barely read the words in front of him. His brain these days seems as if it's floating in an ocean of oatmeal and Xanax.” ([12:12])

• On the Absence of Planning:
  “There is no aspect of this operation that seems to be well planned. There are no aspects of what comes next that they seem to have the slightest clue about. Everything that they said about the operation is a lie.” ([12:42])

• On Congressional Marginalization as Coup:
  “Bypassing the Congress on this is effectively the same thing as sending a mob of violent people to attack the building. It's an attack on our institutions and it takes away from the freedom of the people to choose who's really making the decisions that affect their futures as American citizens.” ([33:17])

• Coles on the Future:
  “It's the very opposite of America first.” ([36:19])

• Rothkopf’s Final Words:
  “We live in ominous times, there is no question about it. This is a very dark turn...because this one is much less well planned and the guy in charge is not fully with it and the people around him have pretty malevolent intentions...” ([45:54])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Venezuela operation chaos, mafia doctrine: 01:29, 03:21
• Discussion of business and foreign policy: 07:47–11:41
• Trump’s press conference, lack of plan: 12:12–16:06
• Venezuelan succession and legitimacy: 16:40–19:33
• Spheres of Influence, Russia/China parallels: 26:04–27:59
• Implications for Taiwan/China: 31:50–33:02
• Congressional exclusion; is this a ‘coup’: 33:17–35:02
• What Congress can or will do: 35:21–36:38
• Predictions for 2026, White House dynamics: 39:07–43:30
• JD Vance’s absence, party dynamics: 42:41–45:09
• Final reflections: 45:54

Tone & Language

• Candid, irreverent, often humorous but acutely critical
• Frequent analogies to mafia, old banana republics, and Gilded Age politics
• Blunt assessments of Trump's motives, cognition, and the riskiness of current U.S. foreign policy

This episode provides an unflinching analysis of the dangers, hypocrisies, and staggering uncertainties opened up by the latest U.S. intervention in Venezuela. If you want to understand the high-level stakes—and the human consequences—of this "new era" in U.S. foreign policy, you won't want to miss David Rothkopf's searing insights.