The Daily Beast Podcast

Episode: "This Is How We Know Trump Is A Sociopath: Author"

Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: David Rothkopf, founder of Deep State Radio, former Clinton Commerce Dept. official, former Foreign Policy editor

Episode Overview

Joanna Coles hosts David Rothkopf for a wide-ranging and at times darkly comic discussion about Donald Trump's behavior, specifically focusing on Trump’s sociopathic tendencies, reaction to the high-profile murder of Rob Reiner, the state of American political leadership, the emerging dynamics within Trump’s circle, the lingering specter of Jeffrey Epstein, and a slew of real-world and absurd controversies now defining Washington. Rothkopf draws larger connections between Trump’s character flaws, his administration’s policies, and the broader corrosion of political and cultural norms. The tone is candid, irreverent, often bleakly humorous, and deeply critical.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tragedy of Rob Reiner’s Murder and Trump’s Response

• Coles opens the episode (03:48) reeling from a difficult news cycle: a string of murders, including those at Bondi Beach and Brown University, and most notably, the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife.
• Coles reads Trump’s Truth Social post about Reiner, which callously blames the victim and references "Trump Derangement Syndrome," making Reiner’s death about Trump (05:17).
• Rothkopf responds (06:46):
  • Labels Trump’s reaction as "sociopathic" for lacking empathy and using tragedy for self-aggrandizement.
  • Contrasts Trump’s coldness with Reiner’s warmth and humanitarianism.
  • Lambasts Trump’s history of demeaning human tragedy, especially references to mass shootings.
  • Quote: “He shrugged it off. He didn't really speak to the human tragedy involved…He doesn't do it because he’s broken.” (07:35)
• Coles recalls Mary Trump’s anecdote about Trump making her 16th birthday all about himself, reinforcing his inability to empathize (09:08).

2. Hallmarks of Trump’s Sociopathy and Narcissism

• Rothkopf discusses Trump’s lack of normal human emotion or compassion, citing public behaviors—elbowing his way literally and figuratively to the front at global summits, naming monuments after himself (10:01).
  • Quote: “Trump wants to name everything after himself. Trump wants to…just build monuments to himself.” (10:01)
• Coles and Rothkopf lampoon various ideas floated by Trump, from renaming the Kennedy Center to the “Trump Kennedy Center” to constructing a triumphal arch bigger than Paris’s Arc de Triomphe (11:02).
• Rothkopf points out Trump’s pattern of deranged self-mythologizing and never missing an opportunity for self-promotion.

3. Cabinet Dynamics, Sycophants & Republican Calculations

• Coles wonders aloud whether Trump’s cabinet members privately ridicule him (16:03).
• Rothkopf groups the cabinet into ambitious pretenders like Marco Rubio and true believers like Caroline Leavitt, who must cling to Trump (16:35).
• Explains that as Trump’s fortunes decline, these figures may attempt to edge away—“doing a Marjorie Taylor Greene but edging out” (17:39).

4. The Tech Oligarchy and Regulatory Capture

• Rothkopf excoriates the tech sycophants and business leaders who “destroyed their reputations by associating with this maniac,” predicting repercussions if/when Democrats take power (17:39).
• He specifically names Peter Thiel, Palantir, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, and more (18:18).
• Warns of “regulatory capture” as companies like Ellison’s seek government favor through intertwining interests and donations (25:07).

5. Decline in Trump’s Popularity and His Preemptive Excuses

• Cites an NBC poll showing decreasing self-identification as "MAGA" among Republicans (17:39).
• Notes Trump is already sowing the seeds of a “rigged” election narrative ahead of the midterms, as he’s done before (20:43).
• Rothkopf: “He can’t stand the idea of losing face because he’s a narcissistic sociopath” (21:11).
• Explains the “Biden trap” of claiming Americans are better off than they feel and the limits of presidential spin in the face of real hardship (21:17).

6. Policy Absurdities and “Woke Font” Fiascos

• Satirically highlights the change from Calibri to Times New Roman in State Department documents—mocked as “Fontgate.”
  • Rothkopf: “Apparently the Biden administration switched to Calibri because it was easier for people with disabilities to read...now it’s a woke diversity type font!” (40:08)
• Discusses inane bureaucratic distractions while deeper issues go ignored—like requiring five years of visitors’ social media posts for visas (42:08).

7. The Social Media Surveillance State & Tech Paranoia

• Rothkopf and Coles joke that the “give us five years of social media posts” rule is an opening for Meta and Palantir, with tourists just making “Finstas” (43:11).
• Lampoon the erratic public behavior of powerful tech figures (Alex Karp at Palantir, Peter Thiel’s rants), coining the term "Ainos"—“Insane Nerd Oligarchs” (44:34).
• Coles: “Insane nerd oligarchs. Beware the Ainos.” (44:38)

8. Jeffrey Epstein, The Clintons, and Demands for Transparency

• The Oversight Committee is subpoenaing Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify about their ties to Jeffrey Epstein (35:09).
• Rothkopf: “I would advise that they should go and testify…The thing in the interests of the American people right now is transparency…this is about a system that lets rich, powerful guys abuse and scar women in the worst possible way and get away with it. And that’s what’s got to stop here.” (36:15–38:22)
• Notes upcoming December 19 legal deadline for file release (38:35).

9. The Power of Rob Reiner’s Body of Work

• Rothkopf and Coles reminisce about Rob Reiner's best films, especially An American President—an idealized vision of presidential empathy and decency (12:32–13:09).
• Point out the biting irony of Reiner, who played liberal icon "Meathead" to Archie Bunker’s conservative dad, becoming a personal totem in Trump’s culture war (13:34–14:46).

10. Ending on Levity and Fashion

• In the final moments, host and guest lighten up with playful banter about sweaters, fashion, and the value of camaraderie and “good reporting” in dark times (47:04–48:33).
• Coles: “In the immortal words of Rob Reiner, I’ll have what you’re having.” (48:49)
• Rothkopf: “The legacy of Rob Reiner is that he made you feel good. And the legacy of the guy who was attacking him this morning is that he makes you feel awful.” (49:21)

Notable Quotes

• David Rothkopf: “It all comes back to the fact that the president of the United States is a sociopath. And we don’t talk about that enough.” (03:13, repeated at 31:45, 33:17)
• Joanna Coles: “This is a man who seems, well, just seems incapable of making it not about himself.” (09:08)
• Rothkopf: “You’ve got to ask yourself...have you ever seen Donald Trump express a human emotion, ever, a normal emotion of joy, of happiness for somebody else, of grief about something else, of compassion for the American people ever?” (07:35)
• Coles: “He wants to name the Kennedy Center after himself, the Trump Kennedy Center.” (10:58)
• Rothkopf: “A big hole in the ground next to the White House would be a better memorial to Trump than a gilded ballroom.” (31:07)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:13] – Rothkopf on Trump’s sociopathy and lack of empathy
• [05:17] – Coles reads Trump’s “sociopathic” post on Rob Reiner’s death
• [09:08] – Mary Trump’s anecdote about Trump at a family birthday
• [13:09] – Contrasts Rob Reiner’s vision of leadership with Trump’s
• [16:35] – Cabinet dynamics and Republican sycophancy
• [21:11] – Trump’s preemptive blaming before elections
• [25:07–26:41] – Regulatory capture and tech-elite entanglements
• [35:09–38:22] – Epstein scandal and Rothkopf’s call for transparency
• [40:08] – State Department “fontgate” and performative anti-wokeness
• [44:34] – “Ainos”: lampooning erratic, powerful ‘insane nerd oligarchs’
• [48:49–49:21] – Remembering Rob Reiner vs. Trump's legacy

Tone & Takeaway

This episode is a sharp, unvarnished conversation between political insiders. The hosts combine grave alarm (over current events and Trump’s pathology) with biting humor, personal anecdotes, and satirical jabs at the absurdities of national politics. Rothkopf’s expertise and Coles’ incisive hosting lend both substance and levity to a discussion that insists: Trump’s psychological deficiencies are not just trivia, they are the root of—and amplifier for—the chaos and cruelty now besetting the US political system.

Final word from Rothkopf:
"The legacy of Rob Reiner is that he made you feel good. And the legacy of the guy who was attacking him this morning is that he makes you feel awful." (49:21)