A Message for Our Loyal Listeners

Summary

TDB Podcast (Season 1) - Episode: "A Message for Our Loyal Listeners"

Release Date: May 29, 2025
Hosts: Joanna Coles (Chief Content Officer, The Daily Beast) and Samantha Bee
Guest: Michael Wolff

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Introduction

In this heartfelt episode titled "A Message for Our Loyal Listeners," hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee deliver an important update to their dedicated audience. Joanna announces the podcast's relocation to a new platform, urging listeners to subscribe and follow the show on their preferred podcast platforms and YouTube.

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Main Discussion: Trump's Campaign Against Elite Universities

Trump’s Targeting of Ivy League Institutions

Joanna Coles opens the conversation by addressing a pressing issue: the current administration's apparent vendetta against elite American universities, which have long been pillars of academic excellence and innovation. She highlights the global significance of these institutions, noting, for example, that the President of China sent his daughter to Harvard, underscoring Harvard's international prestige.

Joanna Coles (01:59):

"Why is the current administration going after elite American universities, which are one of the great things about American life?"

Michael Wolff's Insights

Michael Wolff responds by attributing the attack primarily to President Donald Trump, positioning Harvard as a symbolic enemy within Trump's broader narrative strategy. He emphasizes that Trump's actions are less about the institutions themselves and more about creating compelling headlines to maintain media dominance.

Michael Wolff (03:59):

"Trump is basically trying to destroy Harvard. And as Harvard goes, so would many other first-class universities."

Wolff suggests that Trump's strategy involves selecting high-profile targets to ensure continuous media coverage, thereby keeping the administration in the public eye.

Joanna Coles (05:07):

"So this is about the drama of going after an enemy that nobody can believe he's going after."

Michael Wolff (05:14):

"He picks fantastic enemies, actually. And Harvard for all it represents, fits right into this, into the Trump show."

The Nature of Trump's Campaign

The discussion delves deeper into Trump's methods, with Wolff characterizing the administration's approach as "draconian, dramatic, and existential," aimed at threatening the very fabric of these prestigious institutions.

Michael Wolff (05:46):

"He forces them to play their part, which is to oppose him."

Joanna inquires whether this sustained campaign will lose momentum over time, similar to how figures like Elon Musk may fade from constant headlines.

Joanna Coles (06:00):

"Could this all pass if Harvard just sat it out?"

Michael Wolff (06:05):

"X number of months from now will say Harvard. Oh, remember that?"

Speculation: Barron Trump's College Applications

A significant portion of the conversation addresses rumors that Trump's aggressive stance toward elite universities is motivated by his youngest son, Barron Trump's, unsuccessful applications to these institutions. Joanna references a recent post by Melania Trump stating that Barron did not apply to Harvard, prompting further speculation.

Joanna Coles (07:04):

"There's been speculation that one of the reasons Donald Trump has been going after elite American universities is because his youngest son, Barron, applied to them and didn't get into them."

Michael Wolff (07:26):

"That nugget comes from me. So that exists because I reported that that was the joke within the White House."

Wolff clarifies that while the rumor originated from within the White House as an internal joke, its public dissemination has fueled ongoing debates about Trump's true intentions.

Joanna Coles (07:55):

"So that's what people around Trump were saying."

Michael Wolff (08:10):

"This is crazy stuff. Why would this be happening?"

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Joanna Coles encourages listeners to subscribe to the newly relocated podcast to continue receiving insightful discussions. The dialogue between Coles and Wolff provides a nuanced exploration of the political maneuvers surrounding elite educational institutions, shedding light on the interplay between personal motives and broader political strategies.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Michael Wolff (03:59):

  "Trump is basically trying to destroy Harvard. And as Harvard goes, so would many other first-class universities."

• Joanna Coles (05:07):

  "So this is about the drama of going after an enemy that nobody can believe he's going after."

• Michael Wolff (07:26):

  "That nugget comes from me. So that exists because I reported that that was the joke within the White House."

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Key Takeaways

1. Trump's Strategy: President Trump targets elite universities like Harvard to create compelling headlines and maintain media presence, using these institutions as symbolic enemies within his broader political narrative.

2. Symbolism Over Substance: The attacks on Harvard and similar institutions are less about policy disagreements and more about positioning and spectacle in the political arena.

3. Rumored Personal Motives: Internal jokes within the White House suggest that personal factors, such as Barron Trump's college applications, may play a role in the administration's focus on elite universities, although these claims remain speculative.

4. Impact on Universities: These actions have significant implications for prestigious institutions, potentially affecting their reputation and operations under political pressure.

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Final Note

For listeners eager to delve deeper into this discussion and gain more insights from Michael Wolff, subscribing to the Daily Beast Podcast on your preferred platform is highly recommended. Stay informed with thoughtful analyses and expert commentary in each episode.

Transcript

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[Joanna Coles]

Welcome Daily Beast podcast listeners. I'm Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer and as you may have heard, we've moved to keep hearing all new episodes of this show. Search for the Daily Beast podcast wherever you get your podcast and please tap to subscribe or just click the link in our show notes. For a taste of what you'll get when you subscribe, here's a few minutes of today's episode, but to hear the rest, you have to follow us in our new home. Don't ask. It's too confusing. Just trust us. I'm Joanna Coles. I'm the Chief Content Officer of the Daily Beast, which I forgot to say in our last podcast and several of you pointed out. So thank you very much. Today's guest is Michael Wolf. We had thousands of comments from you last time he was on discussing the Trump marriage. He's going to talk about it again today. You probably saw that Melania posted a picture of herself on her own in a cemetery clutching a lily on Memorial Day. But she definitely wasn't with her husband, the president. We'll be getting into it and I love talking to Michael because he just has incredible insights. He talks to people in the White House all the time. His book all or Nothing was such a good insight into how Donald Trump went from losing the last election to winning the most recent election. So let's get into it. Michael, welcome back to the podcast. So good to see you. I've got so many questions. We had 4,000 comments last time you were here. So I want to get into some of those. But first I want to ask. I spent all weekend talking to friends around the world, none of whom can understand why this current administration is going after elite American universities, which are one of the great things about American life. I mean, they're centers of extraordinary global excellence. They've helped us get ahead in the tech race. The president of China sent his daughter as an undergraduate to Harvard. So what is behind this attack on so called elite institutions?

[Michael Wolff]

Well, let me just, just take one exception to this. You know, Harvard is kind of a mess and has been kind of a mess for some time. I mean, I think if we went to Harvard, we would take exception to a full range of things or a measure of what's going on. As a friend of mine pointed out the other day, only Donald Trump could make Harvard look good. Trump is basically trying to destroy Harvard. And as Harvard goes, so would many other first class universities. You know, so again, I just don't want to put this down on Harvard. It is on Trump and it should be at this point on Trump. So why is he doing this? You know, it's true formula. He needs an enemy. Who is the enemy. That's what makes the show great, the Trump show. He picks fantastic enemies, actually. And Harvard for all it represents, fits right into this, into the Trump show.

[Joanna Coles]

So this is about the drama of going after an enemy that nobody can believe he's going after.

[Michael Wolff]

Absolutely. You know, and again, you know, what's the thing that Trump has to do? Getting up in the morning? I have to make that my headlines. What are my headlines today? Going after Harvard has proved to be an incredibly reliable Headline. So he's on the money. So he's done what he's set out to do, dominate the headlines. What do you do? You go after Harvard and you go after Harvard in a way that is draconian, dramatic and existential. It's threatening Harvard on that level.

[Joanna Coles]

Does he move on? Because one of the things you pointed out in the last time we spoke is that Trump has very little attention span. He wants the headline, then he moves on to the next episode. Could this all pass if Harvard just sat it out?

[Michael Wolff]

Yes. You know, X number of months from now will say Harvard. Oh, remember that?

[Joanna Coles]

Right. In the same way that we talk about Elon Musk. Remember Doge?

[Michael Wolff]

Exactly.

[Joanna Coles]

Elon seems to have cycled out of the picture.

[Michael Wolff]

Right. So it is just all living in this dramatic moment.

[Joanna Coles]

So is the best way for people to respond to this to basically do nothing? I mean, if you're running Harvard, if you're Alan Garber and you're sitting there thinking, well, I've got graduation next week, what do I do the week after this? And you were advising them, would you just say hang on in there and just don't overreact?

[Michael Wolff]

Yes and no. Because, I mean, the no part is that all of the, everything that Trump is saying would happen if it is not opposed. So they will oppose this and therefore the courts will stop this from happening. But at the same time, that becomes another aspect to the Trump show. He forces them to play their part, which is to oppose him.

[Joanna Coles]

So there's been speculation in the media that one of the reasons that Donald Trump has been going after, particularly the Ivy League elite institutions, is because his youngest son, Baron, applied to them and didn't get into them. Yesterday, Melania came out and actually said yesterday that Barron hadn't applied to Harvard. Do you think he applied to other institutions and didn't get in?

[Michael Wolff]

That nugget comes from me. So that, that, that exists because I reported that that was the joke within the White House.

[Joanna Coles]

So you mentioned this on your Instagram. Michael Wolfe, nyc what, a week ago.

[Michael Wolff]

Two weeks ago joke that's going around the White House this week. What do all the universities that Trump is targeting have in common? Barron didn't get into them.

[Joanna Coles]

So it's now got picked up and it's sort of out there.

[Michael Wolff]

Right. I actually don't know the know if there is any truth in this, which. And there very well might be, but within the White House, that became the joke.

[Joanna Coles]

So that's what people around Trump were saying.

[Michael Wolff]

Right. You know, I mean, because they're like what? What is he doing? What? This is, you know, this is. This is crazy stuff. Why would this be happening? And then they tell the Baron joke.

[Joanna Coles]

Well, we hope you enjoyed your sneak peek of this week's episode. Don't forget, subscribe to on your favorite podcast app. Just search the Daily Beast podcast, then tap to subscribe or click the link in our show notes below. See you soon.

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