Michael Wolff and Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty unpack Trump’s bruising return from China, where the man who built his political identity around confronting Beijing now finds himself accused of capitulation, spinning shaky victories while China emerges stronger than ever. Wolff gets inside Trump’s mindset as mounting crises close in at once: a worsening Iran conflict with no clear exit, rising inflation and gas prices, ICE raids fueling backlash inside and outside MAGA, explosive questions about Trump family business dealings, and a White House culture driven by grift, loyalty tests, and surreal characters like Natalie Harp shadowing the president with a portable printer full of praise. From Trump Mobile phones reportedly made in China to Kash Patel scandals and billion-dollar settlement controversies, the episode maps out an administration trapped between performance and collapse while Trump searches for a way to declare victory in situations even his closest allies can’t explain away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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