Joanna Coles welcomes back David Rothkopf, the seasoned national security expert and former Clinton official, for a no-holds-barred analysis of the Democrats' curious case of Trump envy. Rothkopf breaks it down into two camps: the mild, who admire Trump’s decisiveness (however impulsive), and the dangerous, who want to emulate his ruthless authoritarian swagger wholesale. He warns that Democrats risk losing their identity—and their base—by chasing "neoliberal" Wall Street donors and selling their authenticity to the top bidder. Rothkopf also weighs in on Gavin Newsom’s podcast pivot and why being “Trump-lite” might just be the fastest way to burn out in both politics and entertainment. Follow @djrothkopf for his latest bold takes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.