The Daily Beast Podcast

Episode Title: Trump's Lost Control. This Is The True Sign: Wolff
Date: November 30, 2025
Host: John Avlon
Guest: Michael Wolff

Episode Overview

This episode dives into growing signs of Donald Trump’s weakening grip on the Republican Party and assesses his current mental, physical, and political state. Veteran journalist and Trump-watcher Michael Wolff joins John Avlon to explore not just Trump’s behavior and apparent decline, but also the ripple effects within the GOP and American political culture. They touch on internal congressional turmoil, media dynamics, and side stories, including the curious ascendance of figures like Mike Johnson and Brett Ratner’s Melania Trump documentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Deteriorating Position — Health, Mindset, and Party Control

• Wolff’s Initial Assessment: Trump’s visible weakening on all fronts—physical, mental, and political.

  • “He looks terrible wherever he is. Mentally. I think we've seen some evident weirdness. The weaknesses we have here are his his physical health, his mental health, his and then his hold on the party itself.”
    — Michael Wolff (02:04)

• Signs cited include unpredictable swings in policy positions (from supporting Putin to Zelensky, deportation stances, etc.), prompting speculation that Trump is either forgetful or has no real convictions left.

• Avlon: Notes the increasing speed and intensity of Trump’s public insults post-Thanksgiving—questioning whether this is just typical, or evidence of something deeper.
  (05:28)

2. Congressional Disarray — Focus on Speaker Mike Johnson

• Wolff and Avlon dissect Speaker Mike Johnson’s shaky hold on his role and the institution.

  • Avlon recounts Johnson’s own admission of feeling overwhelmed and unprepared, even making a joke that he’s “not speaker of the House, I am a mental health counselor.”
    — John Avlon quoting Mike Johnson (08:48)
  • Johnson apparently offers little in terms of “perks” to the job, other than lackluster events like eating sandwiches on the Speaker’s balcony and attending UFC fights at Trump’s behest (11:13).

• Impact of Trump’s Dominance: Wolff underscores that even in the top congressional role, Johnson can’t really lead; he serves at Trump’s whim, highlighting the “pinball” dynamic so common for Trump’s orbit:

  • “You never know what Donald Trump wants. You never know what he's going to ask you to do. You never know what breach you're going to have to [make], you never know how foolish you're going to look.”
    — Michael Wolff (08:01)

• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Rebellion: MTG, once Trump’s most fervent loyalist, is now depicted as “in open rebellion,” a sign of broader exhaustion and disillusionment in the GOP ranks (12:00–13:05).

3. Congressional Retirements—The Greene Effect

• Reporting from Punchbowl News: MTG described as “the canary in the coal mine,” with many other GOP members considering stepping down due to doxing, threats, and general malaise (13:05).

• MTG’s timing—resigning just after becoming pension-eligible—sparks speculation about Congressional self-enrichment and possible grifting, with Wolff predicting the Trump team will aggressively target her as a “traitor” (13:47, 14:49).

  • "The Trump White House is going to go to war, as it does with all of its antagonists, with Marjorie Taylor Greene. So, they're gonna set her up as an enemy and try to take her down."
    — Michael Wolff (14:49)

• Laura Loomer’s role as a quasi-messenger between Trump and his supporters is noted.

4. Unifying Dangers: Epstein, Economics, Cruelty, and Grift as Cross-Party Issues

• Wolff argues that several “character flaw” issues are sticking to Trump in ways that cross partisan lines:

  • Jeffrey Epstein association—ties together discomfort from both the left and right.

  • Economic dissatisfaction—public sees “life costs too much,” with markets booming only for the very wealthy, worsening perceptions among average Americans (18:00).

  • Cruelty—specifically around immigration, noting the constant flow of harsh imagery.

  • Grift—the sense Trump and those around him are in it for profit, which no one outside his most loyal followers regards approvingly.

  • “The other issue...is the grift issue: Trump, his family and his friends are clearly in it for what they can get until they can't get it anymore. That is again, one of those issues that unites everybody. Nobody is looking at this and thinking, 'you go, guys'.”
    — Michael Wolff (19:48)

5. Democrats’ Tepid Response to Trump’s Weaknesses

• Avlon critiques Democrats for failing to take up the Epstein angle forcefully, or to press the “Trump character” question (19:59).
• Wolff attributes this, in part, to a general discomfort and ickiness factor, but also notes how Trump’s association with Epstein and the resulting character questions now stick more than they used to.

6. Trump’s Public Persona: Dirty Laundry Not a Weakness Until It Is

• Avlon wonders if stories about Trump’s affairs and character flaws matter at all anymore—his base seems not to care.
• Wolff suggests such damage accrues until a “crystallizing moment” arrives, and Trump’s Epstein ties in particular might be one such moment—a “tipping point for his character” (27:18).

7. Physical and Mental Decline—Manifest in Trump’s Appearance and Judgement

• Both hosts emphasize Trump’s visible exhaustion, drooping eyes, and energy lapses—interpreting these as both age-related and symbolic of how the job’s pressure has worn him down (28:26–29:15).

8. Foreign Policy Chaos—The Mike Witkoff Factor

• The discussion turns to Steve Witkoff, an unqualified real estate developer now serving as a kind of informal Secretary of State, engaging in Ukraine-Russia peace efforts.

  • Witkoff is ridiculed as “a famous dummy” and used as an emblem of Trump’s preference for loyalists over expertise (30:40, 31:00).
  • “Witkoff is a lackey... I'm not sure Trump knows what he wants.”
    — Michael Wolff (31:49)

• Jared Kushner’s mysterious reappearance in foreign negotiations is also highlighted (30:51).

9. Media, Celebrity, and Trumpworld: The Melania Documentary Saga

• Avlon and Wolff dissect the Amazon-funded Melania Trump documentary, directed by Brett Ratner:
  • Ratner’s reemergence post-#MeToo cancellations, his proximity to power, and the intertwined interests of Hollywood, big tech (Amazon), and political fundraising.
  • Paramount and its owners, the Ellisons, benefit from good relations with the Trump White House; Ratner gets “his career back” with Rush Hour 4 greenlit as a result (35:52–37:10).
  • “Brett Ratner has had his cancellation cancelled and is in the Rush Hour series. Rush Hour 4 I believe has just been signed up by Paramount Studios.”
    — John Avlon (36:56)

10. Final Notes—Podcast Community, Food, and Net Worth Laughs

• In lighter closing banter:
  • Avlon and Wolff joke about Thanksgiving traditions, cooking fatigue, and the oddity of British cuisine.
  • Wolff riffs about his exaggerated “internet net worth.”
  • Listeners are invited to subscribe and support the podcast, with special shout-outs to premium “B Beast” members (45:25).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He looks terrible wherever he is. Mentally. I think we've seen some evident weirdness.” — Michael Wolff (02:04)
• “You never know what Donald Trump wants. … Never know how foolish you're going to look.” — Michael Wolff (08:01)
• “I'm not speaker of the House. I am a mental health counselor.” — Mike Johnson, quoted by John Avlon (08:48)
• “The other issue...is the grift issue: Trump, his family and his friends are clearly in it for what they can get until they can't get it anymore.” — Michael Wolff (19:48)
• “What did Donald Trump know about Jeffrey Epstein and when did he know it?” — Michael Wolff (27:18)
• “Witkoff is a famous, in New York circles, a famous dummy. So this dummy, one more of the dummies that Trump has elevated…” — Michael Wolff (31:00)
• “Ka ching. Ka ching for everybody.” — John Avlon, on the Trump-Ratner-Ellison nexus (36:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Signs of Trump’s personal and political decline: 02:04–06:28
• Speaker Johnson’s overwhelmed interviews & GOP malaise: 07:54–12:00
• Marjorie Taylor Greene, Congressional retirements, and the Trump loyalty problem: 13:05–15:45
• Cross-partisan dangers: Epstein, economy, cruelty, grift: 16:51–19:59
• Democrats’ missed opportunities on Epstein/Trump controversies: 19:59–21:50
• Physical decline and behavioral volatility: 28:26–29:15
• Witkoff and Trump’s foreign policy mess: 30:15–32:39
• Hollywood, Ratner, and the Melania documentary: 33:31–37:10
• Closing banter and B Beast shout-outs: 43:12–45:25

Conclusion

This episode delivers a candid, often sardonic snapshot of Donald Trump’s current state, marked by physical and psychological wear, waning control over his party, and accumulating controversies old and new. Michael Wolff’s observations, backed by Avlon’s sharp questioning, point to a possible inflection point for Trump and the GOP alike, amid a perfect storm of scandals, policy confusion, and lost loyalists. The episode also deftly weaves in media and pop culture sideplots, showing how the Trump era’s strange bedfellows—politics, business, and entertainment—remain as intertwined and transactional as ever.