The Daily Beast Podcast: "Why Trump Is Putting King Charles in Grave Danger"

Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Steve Schmidt
Date: February 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This provocative episode features Joanna Coles in conversation with political strategist Steve Schmidt, focusing on the extreme transformation of the Republican Party under Donald Trump, the implications for American democracy, and the looming political controversy over King Charles’ proposed 2026 visit to the US. Schmidt, a former GOP “insider” turned prominent Trump critic, discusses his campaign to dissuade King Charles from attending America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, threatening a dramatic media counter-campaign should the monarch accept.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Steve Schmidt and the "Save America Movement"

• Schmidt’s Warning to King Charles ([01:20], [39:38]):

  • Schmidt warns King Charles not to come to America for its 250th anniversary in 2026 if Donald Trump is President, promising an unprecedented and scandalous advertising campaign targeting the monarchy’s vulnerabilities if the visit proceeds as "MAGA propaganda."
    • "Should he step foot on American soil in service of MAGA, then the crown will be attacked with an advertising campaign that would not be permitted in England." — Steve Schmidt ([01:20])
    • Schmidt references scandals such as Charles’ intimate comments, his relationship with Prince Andrew, and promises to "project images onto buildings in New York City" ([44:00]).
    • Schmidt asserts the King's visit would function as a tool of MAGA propaganda, jeopardizing both the monarchy’s dignity and transatlantic relations.

• Purpose of the Campaign ([39:38], [43:44]):

  • The campaign aims to protect "the crown" from being instrumentalized by American autocracy, emphasizing Washington’s historic humility and contrast with Trump’s ambitions.
  • The Save America Movement aims to raise $100 million, claiming over 800,000 donors and plans a series of domestic and international ad campaigns targeting both American and foreign figures linked with MAGA or perceived as democracy’s enemies ([47:06]).

2. Transformations in the Republican Party

• Collapse of Republican Principles ([03:20], [13:22], [14:57]):

  • Schmidt critiques the party's abandonment of principle and complicity in Trump’s “cult of personality”; equates the current crisis to the Civil War and WWII in American history.
  • Criticizes the moral collapse of GOP leadership, singling out Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio for betraying constitutional values for power.
    • "[They] have become apologists for an indecency and in the end, largely have become domestic enemies of the Constitution." — Steve Schmidt ([13:42])
  • Recounts Palin's VP nomination as a pivotal, cautionary moment in letting “the process go off the rails” ([07:19-12:47]), drawing parallels to the party's subsequent dives into extremism and dysfunction.
    • "The biggest mistake in my life… when Sarah Palin shows up at John McCain's ranch… that choice was not an advisor's choice. It was his choice." — Steve Schmidt ([07:19])

• Trump’s Ego and Prospects of Erasure ([03:20]):

  • Schmidt ridicules Trump’s obsession with naming landmarks after himself and predicts that his name and legacy will soon be "scraped off” buildings, erased by public shame ([03:20]).
    • "He cares a lot about this... on January 20, 2029, all of his gilded gold, tacky crapola will be scraped off the wall." — Steve Schmidt

3. Current Figures Around Trump

• Tulsi Gabbard and Conspiracy Allegations ([17:57]):

  • Gabbard is accused of overstepping legal authority and advancing debunked election “conspiracies” as head of intelligence, allegedly sowing doubt about 2026’s outcome ([18:27-18:54]).
  • Schmidt on Gabbard: “She is as unfit as any person in the country you could pick right to have this job… [she] is involved in a conspiracy theory that is a Trump fantasy.” ([18:56])

• Marco Rubio ([22:36-23:27]):

  • Schmidt paints Rubio as sycophantic and opportunistic, using a sharp analogy: "If little Marco was in Havana in 1958… he would have been carrying Fidel Castro's briefcase" ([22:36]).
  • Accuses Rubio of complicity in humanitarian disaster by championing the end of US foreign aid.

• J.D. Vance ([25:11-26:58]):

  • Labeled a “total fraud,” “dangerous person,” and accused of hypocrisy and extremism, Schmidt confidently asserts Vance will “never be President” due to his unpopularity and dependence on Trump’s shadow ([25:25],[26:40]).
    • "He's a fraud who has discarded every principle… a chameleon. He believes in nothing." — Steve Schmidt ([25:25])

4. The Broader Climate: Media, Morality, and the Epstein Files

• Media Failure and Depravity ([14:57],[32:17-34:16]):

  • Schmidt indicts the media establishment and public figures like Bari Weiss for lack of ethics, referencing their connections to the Epstein files and a wider “collapse of decency.”
    • Suggests the ongoing release of Epstein material could politically devastate Trump and US elites, noting criminal probes opening abroad.
    • "The sickness that is in those files is an American cancer. It's a cancer of the elites." — Steve Schmidt ([34:23])

• Electoral Agency and Warning Against Despair ([04:33-06:31]):

  • Reminds listeners “the biggest lie” is believing Trump’s regime is inevitable—asserts Americans retain agency, likening Trump’s demagoguery and media manipulation to “Yo Yo Ma plays a cello” ([04:33]).
    • "People have been conditioned to expect the worst. And Donald Trump is an expert demagogue who has certainly learned to play a lot of the American media like Yo Yo Ma plays a cello." — Steve Schmidt

5. Campaign Tactics and Implications for Politics

• Guerrilla Advertising Tactics ([44:00-46:05]):

  • Schmidt details plans for highly visible, shaming campaigns: TV/radio ads, digital campaigns, and image projections against King Charles, along the lines of previous Trump humiliation campaigns at Windsor Castle.

• International Push ([47:06-50:59]):

  • Save America Movement intends not only to shape US opinion but to “call out” foreign figures connected with what Schmidt describes as MAGA-aligned plots, e.g., US Ambassadors, tech oligarchs, and even Canadian figures.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Republican Decay and Enablers
  “Power corrupts absolutely… The prime example, more so than any other, I think, is Lindsey Graham… Lindsey Graham has abdicated everything that he said he believed in, for convenience, for power, to play golf with Trump.” — Steve Schmidt ([14:57])

• On J.D. Vance
  “He’s a California Yale Billy, not an Ohio hillbilly. He is a fraud who has discarded every principle. He is a chameleon. He believes in nothing.” — Steve Schmidt ([25:25])

• On King Charles’ Potential Visit
  “Should he step foot on American soil in service of MAGA, then the crown will be attacked with an advertising campaign that would not be permitted in England.” — Steve Schmidt ([43:44])

• On Agency and Resistance
  “People have been conditioned to expect the worst. And Donald Trump is an expert demagogue who has certainly learned to play a lot of the American media like Yo Yo Ma plays a cello.” — Steve Schmidt ([04:33])

• On Media and the Epstein Files
  “The sickness that is in those files is an American cancer. It's a cancer of the elites.” — Steve Schmidt ([34:23])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:20] Schmidt’s warning to King Charles and threat of ad campaign
• [03:20] Schmidt on Trump’s narcissism and ultimate erasure
• [13:22] The GOP’s transformation and abdication of principles
• [18:27] Tulsi Gabbard, FBI allegations, and conspiracies
• [22:36] Marco Rubio’s opportunism and consequences of aid cuts
• [25:25] J.D. Vance’s betrayal and future prospects
• [34:23] Epstein files, media complicity, and international investigations
• [39:38] Plans for ad campaigns targeting King Charles’ visit
• [43:44] The historic symbolism of Washington’s humility vs. Trump’s ego
• [47:06] Scope and structure of Save America Movement campaigns
• [51:04] Upcoming ad campaign schedule and tactics

Tone & Language

• Steve Schmidt’s tone: Combative, passionate, sharp, infused with personal anecdotes and a sense of historical analogies (e.g., comparing Trump’s media prowess to Yo-Yo Ma, likening modern crisis to WWII/Civil War).
• Joanna Coles: Probing, slightly incredulous at times, maintaining brisk pacing and dry humor (“scold-prophet”; “didn’t expect Steve to be behind a campaign against King Charles”).

Conclusion

This episode offers a sweeping condemnation of Trumpism’s corrosive effects on the Republican Party, American democracy, and international relations. Schmidt issues a stark warning to Britain’s King Charles, tying the monarchy’s symbolic visit to a pivotal moment in the struggle over US democracy and threatening radical public shaming as a deterrent. He underscores the global dimensions of the current crises—spanning media, morality, and international intrigue—and invites listeners to resist despair, insisting that collective agency and political accountability can prevail.