0:00
We do have Michael Wolfe, the journalist and Trump biographer, author of All or Nothing, How Trump Recaptured America
0:06
to go over what has been an extraordinary, even by Trumpian standards, 24 hours in Washington, D.C
0:13
Michael Wolfe, lovely to have you join us on the show tonight
0:17
Nice to see you, Rachel. I know you've been busy doing everything
0:23
Has anything happened that, you know, in the last half an hour that I need to know about
0:28
Or that I need to know about. I've been in a 10-year-old school play
0:34
So the world is as it should be so far. I mean, that's exactly right, isn't it
0:44
I mean, Trump thinks that the world revolves around him, but in real normal life, the world revolves around family
0:50
And Michael, I'm so glad you're here. Well, that is true. But the world really does, a lot of the world revolves around Donald Trump
0:59
That's his accomplishment. He has no other accomplishments but that he has accomplished
1:04
And this is why I so wanted to get you on because I was developing a theory, obviously totally stolen from you, that none of the failures matter
1:13
None of the fact that he hasn't achieved peace in Ukraine or the Middle East or even the bill looks like hitting the buffers
1:21
None of that matters as long as he's in the news, right? As I've always said, outcomes, results are not what his interest is
1:31
Headlines, headlines, just the show must go on. And somehow it does
1:38
Again, his genius. But the big, beautiful bill, he tweeted on, I know that's the wrong verb
1:45
on his own Truth Social platform that this was the best bill that was ever put before Congress
1:50
at the same time he said that Elon Musk has lost his mind
1:55
He has tied his colours to this mast. He's lashed himself. I don't think that that's true
2:03
I think if this bill doesn't pass, you know, in two weeks
2:07
we won't remember it. What we might remember is the fight with Elon So that the interesting thing you know all of so it ends for everybody who works for Donald Trump who around Donald Trump it ends in tears in humiliation disgrace public firings
2:27
indictments. If you work for Donald Trump, he's going to screw you and you're going to be screwed
2:36
So the interesting thing about Elon is not that this has ended in acrimony
2:41
which it always does, but whether or not Elon will stay screwed
2:47
Yeah. Or will Elon use his extraordinary, extraordinary resources? Remember, he is on the fast train to being the world's first trillionaire
3:01
Will he use those resources to go after Trump relentlessly, indefatigably, and to bring him down
3:10
He may be the one person who has a chance to do that
3:14
How would he do it? Well, you know, let's start with the fact that that both of these guys, not to mention one is the most powerful person in the world and one is the richest person in the world
3:29
But they both have social media networks. We're I mean, we are in the land of social media
3:38
Why is Donald Trump president of the United States? Social media. So does does Elon turn his network against Trump in a way that that could do real damage
3:53
I mean, he's already, you know, the Epstein thing. You know, nobody else will say this. I mean, everybody knows that Epstein has been floating around Donald Trump's head. But but Elon is the only major voice to suddenly say, hey, I mean, he's gone even further
4:12
He's saying, you know, the country has a right to know that if a pedophile is the president
4:19
of the United States. So Elon seems to be able and willing to push things, you know, to a Trumpian edge, over
4:28
the edge What does that mean Michael you knew Epstein and you the biographer and chronicler of Donald Trump
4:39
So what can you tell us about Trump's association with Epstein and the answer to that question
4:46
It was incredibly close, incredibly intimate. They hunted women together, hunt being the right words
4:53
They shared a girlfriend for a year, both at the same time, same girl
5:00
You know, Epstein helped Trump cheat on his taxes. They ultimately broke up, as all rich guys do, over real estate deals
5:08
They were joined at the hip. This is a, you know, this is a relation
5:13
And anyone else who's been associated with Epstein has been tainted or tarred for it
5:21
But the only kryptonite would be if there was proof somewhere, a smoking gun, that Trump had sex with underage girls
5:31
Yeah, I don't I don't know if that's if that's if that's the only thing
5:37
I think the the the overall thing is that is that here is this this man, Jeffrey Epstein, whose association has tainted everybody
5:49
And if it can be shown, which it can easily be shown, that Trump and Epstein had a deep, long-term association, then, you know, I think, I don't know. That's just one of the things that could finally catch up with Donald Trump
6:10
But there's lots of photographs of everyone with Epstein. Has he ever denied knowing Epstein
6:16
well he you know he's like that kind of I well I didn't really know him I passed them in the
6:23
hallway um but this is this is um you know this is real BFF stuff you say that everybody falls out
6:34
with Donald Trump I'm looking at one person in the White House Caroline Levitt for example
6:39
And do you think women escape this inevitable ejection from his circle and orbit Well no no but nobody escapes it You know the premier Trump girl in the first White House was Hope Hicks
7:02
And it did seem that she might, but then she did. She fell out too
7:07
Yeah. What about Caroline? She looks like a real number, a really, really strong performer
7:14
Literally everybody. And the interesting thing is people who think, well, it won't be me
7:22
I mean, if you go back over the first administration, it's 100%
7:27
I mean, the only exception would be Jared Kushner. But he's family
7:33
He's family. Yes, yes. So that would be the exception. And even now, Jared is wise enough not to have gone back in, knowing the kind of writing that is on the wall
7:46
So every one of these people who is now will fall out
7:51
And why they think that they won't, I just, you know, human
7:56
So what's the tittle tattle on Musk? we had Errol Musk on an hour ago less saying that he was tired and he needed a holiday we've had
8:07
Donald Trump saying he's the man who's lost his mind we've had the New York Times detailing
8:13
alleged drug abuse a cocktail of drugs that he he takes so if that is true how much of a threat is
8:21
well that story just as a as a point of background I mean this has been simmering for some time
8:27
that that time story was abetted by the White House. It was a hit job
8:35
Yeah, I mean, duh. Duh. Sorry. I'm not inside the beltway like you, Michael
8:40
I mean, of course. So you think that was planted by... Yeah
8:46
And then, of course, Trump doubles down by saying the man who's lost his mind
8:49
and hints at a kind of condition that we can't specify. Of course, of course
8:56
I mean, he always does that. I mean, you know, that's boilerplate. I mean, I've even lost my mind, according to Trump, several times
9:04
Michael, it's always great to get you on
