This Is Why the World is Humiliating Trump: Wolff | Inside Trump's Head

Up until quite recently, European leaders especially would go that extra mile not to be bothered by this, to contain themselves, to hold their own irritation.I think that's changed and I think we're seeing this change right now.I think what we're seeing is an understanding that when Trump comes after you, And when you respond with some backbone, you are the contrast gainer.So the value is now in standing up to Trump, dismissing Trump, being and taking advantage of his ridiculous, meandering free associations.Michael.Joanna, how's the weather in Cannes?

The weather in Cannes.Well, I just got here about an hour ago.It's supposed to be the hottest June on record in the south of France.I am here for the Creative Advertising Festival, which I come to every year.Michael, you have been here many years running.

A miserable event, yes.

Is it a miserable event?

It is a miserable event, filled with miserable people, with often drunken miserable people, a terrible combination, with not an intelligent thing said in the, what is it, four days, over the four days that it occurs, because there's our advertising people.

Well, I'm determined to have a good time.

And also that rosé is terrible.I mean, it's literally, you know, which they foist upon you, sickening.

Who foisted rosé wine upon you, Michael Wolff?I'm hearing some post -traumatic stress.

You can't go anywhere at the Cannes Lions advertising event without someone saying, have a glass of rosé.Here's rosé.We're serving rosé.Stop with the rosé.Jesus.

Well, you're saying that because you're comfortably ensconced, Michael Wolfe, in the Hamptons, where Amagansa is the home of Rosé out there.What's it called?Summer in the Bottle?Summer in the Bottle from the Wolfer estate, which totally dominates the Hamptons.

Also, one of the worst, worst winemakers, the Wolfers.I don't think that's true.I don't think I've only recently had Rosé served.I think you served it.

Summer in a bottle.That's what it's called.It's delicious and it comes in painted bottles.I think it's great.And I feel like you've got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning, Michael Wolff.It's summer in Amagansett.

What's not to love?

Well, summer in Amagansett is fine.It's terrific, actually.It's the Cannes Advertising Festival that you've gotten me going on.

OK, well, I'm here to hustle up business.We are going to talk about, after I've reminded people to subscribe, please, to the Daily Beast podcast, because we are independent media and we appreciate your support.And one of the ways you show your support is by subscribing to us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts.But Michael, I want to talk about the cancelled visit from the Italians.They were supposed to be coming next week, but Giorgia Maloney, the Italian prime minister, has taken great umbrage at Donald Trump.I want to about why is J .

D.Vance out from supposedly bringing home this peace agreement, the memo of understanding?And well, there's a lot ofdiscuss about what Hugh Docherty is referring to as Grift Force One, the new plane that's finally arrived from Qatar.It's taken quite a long time, but not as long as it was going to take Boeing to deliver a new Air Force One.It's got four full bathrooms, apparently, and nine other bathrooms.

It's got a formal dining room.It's got a living area.It's got two big bedrooms.I think it sounds fun.I want to ride on it.But it may be going to the Trump library after Trump has finished, so no other president will be able to use it.

Where shall we begin?

You know, let's go with J .D.Vance, because I'm curious about this, too.Is he being set up to fail?As actually Trump seems to suggest, I'll blame it on J .D.

if it doesn't go right.Or is this J .D.inserting himself ahead of Marco Rubio because he was feeling slighted in this very public process?Or is this J .D.

who sees that his, I mean, let's look at J .D.Vance as certainly among and maybe the most opportunistic person in American politics or in America itself today.And so he has to, his first goal I think, he must think, is I need to solidify the Trump relationship here.I don't get to move forward in my upward career trajectory.which is the only thing I think about in life, along with Jesus Christ occasionally.

And book promotion.

Unless I have the support of Donald Trump.And in order to have the support of Donald Trump, I've got to bite the bullet on Iran.

Is he going to be able to deliver, though, on Iran?I mean, what he seems to have done so far is scolded Israel, saying, you know, stop criticising Donald Trump.Donald Trump is the only world leader who's interested in supporting Israel right now.You're a really hated country, and we're going to deliver this deal for Donald Trump.

Well, I don't think that there's anything to deliver on Iran.I mean, that's the issue here.We've already, not only nothing to deliver, we've already given everything away.So the only real issue on Iran is to push it as far away, as far on the back burner, as far from Donald Trump personally.as it can be pushed.So that's sort of J .

D.Vance's, I think, most immediate job.He's now the point person.Donald Trump is not the point person.This will naturally fade away, I think, is the hope of everyone concerned.

And when Donald Trump says, I'm going to blame it on J .D.if it doesn't work.What's inside his head there?

Well, that's, you know, that's just Donald Trump kind of a ha ha.You know, I mean, he's there's an interesting thing about Trump and it's about Trump's humor, which isnot necessarily, when you're with him, not funny, because it's a process of ridicule of other people.a talent for spotting the weakness of other people.So I think that he sees this as J .D.

Vance's weakness.J .D.Vance obviously more aligned with the MAGA No More Forever Wars than at this point Donald Trump himself.So it's a tweak.He's always tweaking, tweaking.

and with a certain amount of certain edge and a certain amount of cruelty.

So when you talk to people in the White House, what do they actually say about the current state of the relationship with J .D.and the president?

You know, I think that they think it's I mean, there is no relationship with anyone with Donald Trump.Every relationship with Donald Trump is at best an equivocal relationship.So I don't think there's any sense.Oh, he's falling out with J .D.Oh, he doesn't like J .

D.Sometimes.Yes.But it but that that is That is not qualitatively different from anyone else.You could say the same thing about Marco Rubio.You could say the same thing about any member of the cabinet until actually the relationship goes entirely south and then they're out and then they're never mentioned again.

There is no expectation and never has been an expectation that Trump will have a close relationship with any one person.

except himself.Well, he clearly has less of a relationship than he did have with Georgia Maloney.I mean, a sort of crazy spat between the two of them after he came out and said, and I'm actually going to quote him here.I wrote the quote down because it's just so, he's so crazy.She's probably happy I talked to her.Trump said, I didn't have to talk to her.

She begged me to take a photo with her.She wanted a photo with me so much.I wouldn't have even done it, but I felt sorry for her.Now, she has come out and said, And I love it.And I hope we can play this because it sounds even better in Italian.Neither I nor Italy begs.

And so the Italians have decided not to come on a visit Antonio to journey there.foreign minister was going to come to visit Washington next week.Now he's no longer coming because Trump has been so absurd over this photo.And there's a sort of sexual underpinning of the whole thing, which I think left people feeling really uncomfortable, obviously, including Georgia Maloney.

Well, let me unpack a couple of things here.I mean, he's obviously annoyed, annoyed.I'm actually kind of furious with the Europeans for their lack of support in the Iranian war.And she, who has been regarded as probably his most reliable supporter in Europe, has also been among the European leaders to say, no, we don't want any part of this.So there is this annoyance factor.And with Trump, an annoyance factor almost necessarily must be expressed.

The idea that he can holdhold inside himself his annoyance and not let it out, as everyone around Trump long ago discounted that as a possibility.If he's annoyed, he's going to express it.And he's going to express it in that kind of meandering, free association, you -never -know -what -to -expect way that he does.part of what Trump is.Now, the interesting thing, however, is that I think up until quite recently, European leaders especially would go that extra mile not to be bothered by this, to contain themselves, to hold their own irritation, things that they, mature people, are theoretically capable of doing, and just hope for a better day.

I think that's changed, and I think we're seeing this change right now.And I think what we're seeing is an understanding that when Trump comes after you and when you respond with some backbone, you are the contrast gainer.So the value is now in standing up to Trump, dismissing Trump, and taking advantage of the fact of his ridiculous meandering free associations.And I think you have an interesting contrast here, especially this week, because I think the key suck up in Europe to Donald Trump has been starvation.the UK.And Starmer in the UK, I think, stands a very good chance in the very near future with this recent by -election of being thrown out of his job.

And the fact that he has so slavishly sucked up to Donald Trump will not help him.

Yeah, okay.So let me just read exactly what Maloney said, which was, after all, it's not the first time it's happened.I can only say it's a pity that he doesn't show the same determination with the enemies of the West, with the enemies of the United States.And of course, you're completely right about Starmer, though, Though Starmer initially was slavishly obsequious to Donald Trump, he then also didn't want to get involved in this war, wouldn't help out with the war, eventually agreed to send one ship, which was going to take two weeks to get to Cyprus to sort of help out on the fringes, and is being unseated, sort of as we speak, possibly, by internal Labour Party politics.But actually, he's shown a bit more backbone recently against Trump by not getting involved in the in the Iran war.

No, I think that that's true.But his imprimatur is the and he set out, I'm going to be the Trump handler.I can handle this guy.And the way I'm going to handle this guy is is through slavish flattery.So, I mean, this is only one among the many things that has branded Starmer as a weakling and incompetent.

Right.But as you point out, Trump doesn't even like the slavish.obsequiousness.I mean, he gets bored with it and then he just wants more and he wants to push the person more.He seems to respect the people that don't.

Yeah.Yeah.I mean, it's Donald Trump, which everybody, you know, I mean, listen, I have some sympathy for the fact that they that they've you know, Donald Trump is this is this wrench in everybody's everybody's life, especially in the life of European leaders.But having said that, it's also clear who Donald Trump is.And any way that you think you are going to find an advantage with Donald Trump, he will reverse that and he will screw you.So at least there's now, I think, among all European leaders, this sense of where they stand in relation to Donald Trump and that their advantage is to be someone who will clearly say, you know, enough is enough, Donald Trump.

Well, there was a perfect moment when they were all sitting around the G7 table and they brought in some extra business people because Donald Trump was sitting next to Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI or one of the founders of OpenAI.And Trump complained that his seat was lower than Sam's.Did you watch this?Did you see this?

I did not.

OK, so anybody who's ever been in a corporate meeting will recognise this moment when, to your horror, you are sitting on a lower chair than anybody else and you're trying to pump the chair up to make sure that you are the same height.And Donald Trump is unable to get his chair up to the same height.height as Sam Altman, who's sitting to his right.And so he actually insists on it.First of all, he pokes Sam and sort of indicates that they must swap chairs.And then someone comes to his aid and brings him another chair.

And he gets to sit on the higher chair because he can't figure out how to lift his chair.his own chair and the next one is brought in.But I couldn't help wondering if it was done on purpose by whoever set out the chairs around the horseshoe, the inevitable horseshoe table.

Yeah, no, and I will say not in Donald Trump's defense, of course, but just as a comment on on what we what we want to observe about Donald Trump is that this happens in every meeting where there are chairs and tables and people jockeying for position every meeting of every of leaders of of either people in high government office or corporate leaderships anywhere.This is the nature of these kinds of meetings with these kinds of people who are jockeying for advantage.So I'm just saying that Donald Trump, what happened to Donald Trump is what might happen in any meeting not involving Donald Trump.

Oh, right.Yeah.In any meeting in corporate America.Yes.I've seen this sort of play out numerous times.There was also some someone jockeying for.

Also, these chairs don't work very well.

They really don't work.I can never get them to go up and down.

They cost an enormous amount of money, these chairs, and they never work.

They never work.It's true.So another person that actually has surprisingly not been as much in the headlines as we would have expected is Pete Hegseth.He was very much in evidence at the beginningthe war.You'll remember he was giving all those press conferences with Dan Cain.

He's the four -star general running operations in Iran.And the two of them were constantly giving press conferences.And then that suddenly stopped.They just stopped giving press conferences.And I think Pete Hegseth missing the limelight in April came out on the side of your friend being slightly anti -vax for people in the military and saying that it was completely unnecessary for them to have a flu vaccine, which the military has mandated for people.Can we play that tape?

Under President Trump, the War Department continues to take decisive action to once again restore freedom and strength to our joint force.We're seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our warfighting capabilities.In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it.The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational.Our new policy is simple.If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it.

You should.But we will not force you because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable.Your health.

Michael, I'm very stuck on this phrase.Your body, your faith, your convictions are not negotiable.

Yeah.Let me think that through for a moment.That is one of those one of those things that probably is not remotely true in any way, shape, or form.Of course, all those things are negotiable.We negotiateand every single person negotiates them on almost a daily basis.

So, yeah, this is just, you know, some comms person or speech writer came up with that 100 % meaningless phrase.So, but I think, you know, I mean, what is going on is is clearly, let's secure our MAGA credentials, let's do it on this VAX issue.And this VAX issue is actually not all that important an issue.

Well, except that in the last two weeks, 200 members of the military in Texas have gone down with flu, have got serious flu.

Well, it's not serious flu, it's the flu.Right, but it's the flu if you're being called to do anything.Also, I don't know those numbers.People get the flu anyway.People who get vaccinated get the flu.Usually it's not as bad as it would otherwise.

But these are kind of suspicious numbers to me.So I don't want to pin this.I mean, I would like to pin anything on Haggers.But I think that this is probably more the result of everyone else who wants to pin something on Haggers than it is because he's such a dolt and such an obnoxious so -and -so and such an obvious person who should not have the job.he has.But I doubt if this is if this is the crisis that we are suggesting it is.

On the other hand, I do think, you know, he is trying to take advantage of this.I am an anti -vax person, and those are part of my credentials, my MAGA credentials, so that I, too, can possibly run for president.

I am willing to bet an inside Trump's head mug that Pete Hegseth has got all his children vaccinated, perhaps not against the flu, because I think that comes later.But I'm pretty confident all seven of his children, with I think his three different wives at this point, have been vaccinated.

Oh, my God.You mean you think that that that Hegers might actually be a kind of a cynical guy?

I think that Heggers is probably quite normal and playing for the president, didn't feel that he'd had a military press conference for some time.And so was sort of waving and saying over here, we're going to stop, we're going to stop vaccines.And of course, COVID vaccines during COVID were a huge issue in the military because they were mandated.But this seems to be a sort of nothing burger, except that people are going down with flu.

as they always do.As they always do.But in terms of the people who are burnishing their credentials to be the next president of the United States, the next Republican president of the United States, let's take a look for a moment at J .D.Vance's book.

Vance's...J .D.Vance's book.

Go on.Well, I just think...So, J .D.Vance, as you know, has a new book out, and it's a new book about his conversion to Catholicism.This is a man who has had many conversions in his life.

So...He has.That's a very good point, actually.

Yes.And I think the title is Communion Something or Other.

Communion and...I think it's Finding My Way Back to Faith, which I'm sure he has done after having to work with Donald Trump for 18 months.

Sounds like a kind of a 60s rock and roll song, Finding My Way Back to You.

Yeah, it does actually.It's a very good point.What are your thoughts on it?I can't wait to read it.Well, that's a lie.I can't wait to read it.

It's a total lie, but I'm intrigued to read it.

Well, it's interesting.It will be interesting to read this in contrast to his other book, his first book.Has there been an intermediary book?

I don't think so.

No, Hillbilly Elegy was the book that came out.So Hillbilly Elegy, as you recall, was the book that made J .D.Vance.He came to prominence because he wrote a pretty good book.I mean, it's an intelligent book.

It's a well -written book.I mean, I can take issue with it, as I can take issue with almost every book.But nevertheless, If you were to read that book, Divorced From Knowing What J .D.Vance Has Become, you would say, pretty interesting book.But he wrote that as a book.

wrote it seeing himself as the writer of a book. AsAs a writer, in effect.As a public intellectual, even.And then, on the basis of that book's quite extraordinary success, he became something else.He now converted from being a writer to being a to being a public figure and then a politician.speaking as a writer, a natural progression.

But he saw the opportunity, and he grabbed it.So it will be interesting to see this new book, to read this new book in light of the other book, and see if it is written as a politician would write a book, or as the other book, as a writer would write a book.So I, too, actually, in fact, I am looking forward to reading this book.

OK, so that might possibly be the best ad for a J .D.Vance book ever.Michael Wolff is looking forward to reading this book.We should remind people for anyone who hasn't read Hillbilly Elegy, it's about his growing up in Appalachia.It's about his mother, Moore.

Is it Moore Moore or his grandmother?He spent a lot of time with his grandmother, was a lot of drink and alcohol and drugs in the family.And he basically is rescued by the fact that he's intelligent.His grandmother sees that in him.She encourages him to read, along with inevitably some teachers at school.

And he then goes off to join the Marines and goes to - Now, do you think she saw him as intelligent or did she see clearly that he was opportunistic?Here is a guy who can, you know, let's encourage him to seize every opportunity because he can do it because he's a real snake.

Well, that's very possible.I haven't thought of that.I think it's the grandmother figure she probably thought that he was the hope for the family and that there was an opportunity to break the cycle here, which he certainly has done.But what's so interesting is how that book was taken up by what he would describe as the liberal elite and the held out as the shameful ignoring of Appalachia and the flyover states as people refer to it.And here was someone who was pleading their case.Here is someone who visited the last Pope.

And then the poor man died the day after J .D.Vance saw them.So again, no wonder he's finding his way back to faith.And also, he's the one that described Trump as the new Hitler, and he's now finding his way back to faith.The whole thing is insane.

And as you say, wildly opportunistic.He really does make politicians look cynical.

Yeah, no, and if you're running for president, you know, we know that everybody except for Donald Trump himself embraces his his inner or outer religious bona fides?

Well, there's still nothing funnier than Donald Trump being asked which his favorite book in the Bible was, and him saying, I like all of them, I like all of them.And then him standing outside that beautiful church just outside the White House and holding the Bible upside down for the camera.I mean, a voraciously moreirreligious man you could not find.

No, I have always thought that that is a counter -indicated Donald Trump virtue.That while politicians are required to make this bow to their religious bona fides, the entire country has left the church any church a long time ago and was secretly relieved to have in Donald Trump a guy who was as as uninterested in religion as everybody else.

Yes, that's actually a very, it's a very good point.Maybe that's why they like him because they don't have to pretend that they're better than they are.And I still maintain that a lot of people want to live as Donald Trump does.I mean, I think it was Fran Lebowitz who said that he's a poor person's idea of what a rich person is.But, you know, I still think nobody cared about him spending however many occasions he did with Stormy Daniels, because porn is such an important part of a lot of men's lives.And so why wouldn't he want to spend a night with a porn star?

Well, I mean, if you think about it, this must ultimately explain, obviously.I mean, it is so, I mean, Donald Trump has been so transparent and so bold in his perfidy.morally, financially, go down the list.Well, as he says, people don't care.Yes.

People don't care.They don't care that he's making fistfuls of money, whatever it's up to, $4 billion since he got out.And as he says, people don't care.People don't care that he spent a weekend with Stormy Daniels at a celebrity golf tournament, because that's what a lot of men would like to do.

So we will see if that premise bears out in the Graham -Plattner race, which it might.In other words, it is that A significant number of voters understand the generalized hypocrisy of politics and are willing to, at this moment in time, in the Trump moment in time, willing to look past that and say, you know, I don't really care.

Yeah, it's interesting, especially the sort of sexts that were going from Platner to various women, which his wife had obviously discovered on his phone at some point.But I remember talking to a couple of friends who work in finance.One of them has a very successful company, a hedge fund of his own.And he said, And this was actually after he'd got divorced, but he said he had at least 25 women that he would constantly send these messages to.They were just on a kind of rotation, but they were happening simultaneously.And he seemed to imply that most of his friends did that.

And I think that's part of communicating on a cell phone for a lot of people.

Well, I mean, without praising Graham Platner, And I would certainly hesitate to do that.I think it is this measure that politicsnot understand in so many ways the reality of American life.And that's a disjuncture that somehow Donald Trump, well, because he was a reality television star, has managed to bridge.And I think we were talking about, I think the other day we were talking about this conceit that Donald Trump has about the tastes of America, that he understands what Americans like, the American audience.He understands that it operates on a level of I don't know, vulgarity, that politics does not acknowledge, hence the UFC fight on the front lawn of the White House.

Well, I think there's a lack of pretension to it, which appeals to people.So much of politics and so much of culture perhaps feels pretentious.And You know, Donald Trump is very clearly, he's pretentious in other ways, like when he's sticking the bits of gold on the mantle.

No, no, that's not pretentious.That's the opposite of pretension, actually.That's transparent.You know, I just like gold.Give me gold.

But it's quite pretentious because it's pretending to be a sort of Versailles as opposed to the American people's house.

No, no, that doesn't work at all.I mean, even Versailles is not pretentious in that way.I mean, that's a symbol of vulgarity.So vulgarity is the opposite of pretension.

OK, I sort of see where you're coming from.But well,he's sort of, you're never going to see him at the opera.He, or in fact, I think there was actually a, um, I think there's a scene from one of Tina Brown's memoirs where he's complaining about having to go to the opera with Ivana and they're all having dinner beforehand and it's some sort of charity event and he's sort of rolling his eyes.

Let me point out that everyone complains about going to the opera.So, um, that's, um, except possibly Tina Brown.

I remember taking my older son to the opera once.I smuggled him to the opera by telling him we were going to the Lincoln Center, because we'd gone to lots of plays at the Lincoln Center, which he usually enjoyed.But I was determined to take him to the opera, and I was going to take him to see Der Fledermaus.

We don't say the Lincoln Center.

What do we say?

Lincoln Center.Lincoln Center.

Really?Oh, OK.Well, I always think of it as the Lincoln Center.Anyway, I got him there.

That's like the Barbican.

The Barbican.OK, that's weird.All right.Although I think you do actually say we're going to the Barbican.We're not going to Barbican, which is a big art center in the UK.

No, no, you do say, as I say, you say the Barbican.You just don't say the Lincoln Center.

Okay.All right.Well, whatever.Whatever.Now we're sounding pretentious.

Welcome to New York, Joanna Coles.

Thank you.30 years on.It's too late, Michael.Where were you 30 years ago?Oh, wait.I know where you are.

But I smuggled my older son to see an opera, and as the curtains went up, he suddenly started paying attention.The orchestra started playing, and he said very loudly, in what appeared to be a break that the entire theatre could hear.Oh God, have you brought me to the opera?And then he skedaddled at the first half, at the first, there were two breaks and he fled at the first intermission.He has still never forgiven me, but at least I tried.Thomas, I tried.

Do you think this is also obviously in opposition to the Obamas?We have the opening of the library this week, and we have very much their, you know, still what Michelle Obama said, ringing in people's ears, when they go low, we go high.I mean, Trump arguably has gone very low with UFC on the South Lawn.

You know, yeah, I mean, this I mean, literally what everything that Donald Trump does, 100 percent everything is in reaction to something else.So and clearly the Obamas, the all of this, all of the former president, the living former presidents who showed up for for the opening of the Obama library are part of what Trump is always reacting to.These are the oppositional, a group of the oppositional figures in his life.They're actually the antithesis of what he is, what he is trying to be, of his whole reason, in fact, for being the President of the United States, his whole reason for being, in fact.

Well, your whole theory that he's an outsider, that one of the reasons he bonded with Jeffrey Epstein was that he was also an outsider and that the two of them wanted to make it in Manhattan and they had difficulties doing that.And this sense of him determined to succeed because he felt an outsider.I wondered this week if he felt more of an outsider than ever, because the Cool Kids Club, i .e.the boys club,presidents, were all gathered together without him. And

And I imagine that that would trigger his paranoia almost more than anything else.

I mean, because Donald Trump is not really a paranoid because he doesn't, I mean, a paranoia requires some level of objectivity.They're coming after, they're coming after me.There are, I'm being pursued.He, he doesn't really think like, like that because he, in his mind, he occupies every, all of the space.Everybody else is effectively the outsiders or irrelevant or comical or foolish because he is the guy at the center.So it's a complicated way that he sees these people.

He doesn't really see them as as existing in the same universe as he does.Having said that, although, he still sees other people as thinking that they might be better than he is, more intelligent.You know, that's an it's an interesting thing that he always comes back to.They think they're more intelligent than I am, but I'm much more intelligent than they are.So it's, again, weird, this weird thing in Donald Trump's mind that it's not enough to see this as insiders, outsiders.It's not enough to see they are either, as I said before, and I'll take

it back now, antithesis, thesis and antithesis.It is from the world he's created, he looks out and then he sees these other things going on, which he doesn't really understand, doesn't really pay attention to, doesn't really accept as part of reality.And yet, there will be that moment when it is a direct comparison of people thinking they are somewhat smarter than he is.And maybe it all comes down to this, this fundamental insecurity about his own intelligence, for good reason, let me add.

For totally good reason.And also the irony that this week, and goodness knows the Obama library has been plagued with delays, but the irony that this week of all weeks, the week when after one of the UFC fights, a fighter had, you know, said on whatever it was, paramount.You know, Michelle Obama is a man, right?The day after Trump signs his ridiculous memo of understanding, the day after is the opening of the Obama library, when Michelle Obama is able to remind people that Barack Obama got a Nobel Peace Prize, the one thing that we know Donald Trump definitely wants.And the entire place erupts.It's packed with artists that Trump couldn't possibly have coming to any event he does.

We saw his concert fall apart because the artists were all pulling out because they'd been misled about what it was.They didn't want to be part of a MAGA event.They don't want to be politicized.And yet here was Stevie Wonder happy to be politicized.Here was the boss, Bruce Springsteen, happy to nail his colors to the Obama mast.And, you know, George W. Bush walking straight up to Michelle Obama and giving her an enormous embrace and making it very clear that he was no longer part of the Trumpian Republican Party, which I guess you've made clear before.

We just should be careful in understanding Donald Trump and not to see that he sees this as he sees himself in direct comparison with these people.These people just occupy another world that he has no interest in, that he's rejected, that he has triumphed over in his in his mind.I will say, though, that in terms of Michelle Obama being a man, that this was a refrain throughout the campaign.And early in, well, in 2023, when he still thought that Michelle Obama could be his opponent in the general election, and still thought, if that happened, that she would win, But he would say, well, if she's the opponent, we're going to call her Mike, Mike Obama, because have you seen those big shoulders?Not possible that a woman could have shoulders that big, et cetera, et cetera.That refrain went on a constant basis.

Wow.Well, the two of us should get ourselves to the Obama Library at some point.Do you ever go to Chicago?

If forced, I have been to Chicago.

It's a beautiful city.A beautiful city.Well, I'm very curious to go and have a look at it.

It's an extremely hot city or an extremely cold city.in my experience.

And now it has an extremely provocative new presidential library.I can't say I love the look of it, but I'm told when you actually go in person it's much more appealing.

Yeah, no, and O 'Hare Airport is really one of the worst.I sound like Donald Trump now, one of the worst.You do.And you always, when he says one of the worst, you say one of the worst what?

I'm going to go and have a glass of rose in the 40 degree temperature and look for some advertisers.

And just pay attention to that.It's going to leave a kind of coating in your tongue.

OK, I will do well.I will brush my teeth before we're back.

Everything, everything is off about this.This is how the wine industry created this monstrosity.It's the Donald Trump of wines.Actually, I think Donald Trump once had a wine label.

Of course he did.He certainly had Trump champagne.We should actually find a bottle of Trump champagne and raffle it off to the best limerick person.We've got two limericks today.One from Paul Watson, 8809.Trump is alone and afraid, stewing in the mess that he's made.

Knowing the bold letters of gold sporting his name will soon fade.Very good.And a final one from Garfried.There once was a Don who'd decree that the mall was his fiefdom to be.When Iran raised the stakes and the Senate got shakes, he was picking out drapes for DC.

Fantastic.

Which is what you always say.You know what, we should do a book club.We're going to get organized with our book club.We've had our first book choice, which was Scott Anderson's.I'm going to suggest a book next week.I'm wondering if we should do J .

D.Vance's book as a book.But I don't want to encourage people, if they don't want to buy it, to feel forced to buy it.So people could take it out of their libraries.

We had another book, City on the Edge by Jonathan Webber, which I'm recommending all over the place.

Okay, so we've had King of Kings, the Iran book by Scott Anderson, and we've had Jonathan Webber's book City on the Edge about democratic politics in California, right?

Well, and in the rise of the tech industry and the tech monsters, yes.The tech monsters, all right.

Should we have communion, my finding my faith, finding my way to faith, finding my way back to faith?Finding My Way to Royalties by J .

D.Vance.Well, are we recommending this book?It's a question.What's the book club about?These are books that we are recommending or books that we are mocking?

Well, that's a very good point.

I think that the J .D.Vance book is a newsworthy book.It's not really in a it's not really a book.I mean, it is.And it's not really meant to be a book.

It's meant to be a an event in his future candidacy.

It's sort of probably a manifesto in some way, right?

A literary manifesto.No, I think it's probably, it's like a prop.It's a book that no one will ever read because no one ever reads these kind of books because they're not written to be read.It's just a symbol.It gives him a book tour.He can talk about his

life.It's a phony book.It's not really a book.So we're not going to recommend this book, although I will read it and perhaps I'm completely wrong and it's a brilliant take.

Well, I will read it too because I want to know what he's finding his way back to.And maybe he'll find his way to his wife's podcast, Storytime with the Second Lady.

You'll skim it.You're a skimmer.

I am a bit of a skimmer.I'll skim it.

Well, I think we have nothing else to say after that.

Well, I mean, at least I confessed I am a skimmer of books like J .D.Vance's.I've read lots of other books thoroughly.I can assure you of that.But J .

D.Vance's book, I'll probably skim.I'm a skimmer.I've said it.

I'm a skimmer.I will see you on What day is it today?Saturday.See you on Tuesday.Thank you, Ryan, Heather, Rachel, John, and Neil.I am going to the beach, as you should too.

I'm going to the beach too, but I am going to have a glass of rose.

I will see you on Tuesday, Joanna.

See you on Tuesday.