Why Trump Will Pay the Price for MAGA’s Vilest Ad

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1:47Vance. In this desperation moment for the Republicans, down to the wire, these close races, which should not be close, this is their Hail Mary pass. I don't think it's going to work. The Vivek thing represents more of the same. You could not run an ad more glaring in its contempt and cynicism and cruelty. than this ad.

2:17Michael. Joanna. I hear a siren. Who's siren? I think the siren is at my end. I'm actually in Texas. I would like to tell you I'm here for the midterms, patrolling and figuring out what's going on. In fact, I'm here for a mother-son weekend. I'm here for Formula One. In Austin. Yes. In Austin. Yeah, in Austin. And so the place is crawling with police, actually. And we're getting a police escort to the track this morning, which is very exciting. I saw the policemen all dressed up downstairs. They looked amazing. I would ask you for the mood of Texas vis-a-vis the Senate race, but I don't think you're going to get the mood of Texas itself in Austin.

3:06Well, I'm going to try. I mean, Austin, I know, is a blue dot, so we'll see. But I am going to try, obviously. I'll be interrogating the police on our way over to see what they think is going to happen. Ah, the old, yes, ask the person who's driving you. I know. I always hate that when reporters go, well, I talked to the taxi driver in from the airport, and they told me I'm not that kind of a reporter, but I'm really on a sort of leisure trip. Yes, particularly a British reporter in the taxicab. Yes. Always, usually in the Middle East. So I saw a figure this morning that 24 or 25 million people have already voted, which is about a fifth of the expected total vote.

3:56Right. We had 107 million people voted in 2022. 2022. So that was a sort of, I guess, people really couldn't face voting. It's not an overwhelming vote. It looks like it'll probably be more this time round. I think it will be. I mean, I think everybody has got the message that this is a consequential election. Well, actually, let's qualify that. I think the Democrats have gotten the message that this is consequential. And I think the Republicans are in a deep funk of ambivalence. Well, I think they understand it's consequential too because they keep saying Donald Trump, stay away, stay away. They're scrubbing him from their websites.

4:44They're pretending they don't know him. Well, the candidates certainly think it's consequential. It is their job. I think the Republican voters are steeped in at best ambivalence at this point. And ambivalence means generally you stay home and you don't vote. So and that's that's going to be the major issue. What is the turnout for the Republicans, which is why they're spending hundreds of millions, if not more, on this on this race at this point? Although, actually, it's interesting that so many people have voted before the Republicans began their big spend. That's right. So we should remind people this is the podcast Inside Trump's Head.

5:38You're Michael Wolff, Trump expert par excellence, the author of four Trump books. I'm Joanna Cole, the chief content officer of The Daily Beast. And thrice a week, we go inside Donald Trump's head to figure out what he's thinking, because it's very much an administration of one. What is inside his head, Michael, before we get to take apart what's happening in Alaska? Is it possible that Melania has stepped in, and we'll be discussing this, where her husband has failed to broker any kind of peace dip between the Ukrainians and the Russians? She's now accepting credit for having brokered a deal in a place called Eleshki, where the local population, largely old, have been marooned under attack from the Russians.

6:27I mean, there's such madness going on in the world and Putin now seems to have Trump right under his thumb. And there is some pushback from Republicans, including Darlene Graham. So we have a lot to get to, not least the price of oil. And of course, Alina Harbaugh's grift. Alina Harbaugh now apparently signed a contract for$50 million over a period of five years. And in the process, she managed to secure a pardon. Allegedly, she denied she was anything to do with it. But who else would pay Alina Harbour$50 million over five years? You mean why else would they pay? Yes. Who else? Why else? Yes.

7:11We should point out a Venezuelan gentleman. A Venezuelan gentleman. Who wanted a pardon. There are two key midterm stories that are going on right now, which is this effort to block the vote in Alaska before there has even been a vote. And then, of course, this Vivek Ramaswamy ad in Ohio, which is threatening to bring down the Republican Party. Which would you like to do first? If there's a weight loss, girl, you keep chasing and never quite reaching. You're not the only one. weight loss by HIMSS can help you finally close the gap with access to a range of FDA-approved GLP-1 medications, including the Wagovi pill and the Wagovi pen.

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8:50Weight loss by HIMSS is not available in all 50 states and WGOVI is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A slash S. To get started and learn more, including important safety information, WGOVI clinical study information restrictions, visit HIMSS.com. I think we should do Alaska Let's start on the far west coast Where we were doing our Well we weren't in Alaska We should go to Alaska actually Why haven't we been to Alaska We were on the west coast doing our live event on Tuesday Let's start on the west coast And then move into the middle of the country Let's start with all the Dan Sullivans How many Dan Sullivans are there?

9:32There's Daniel S. Sullivan There's Daniel J. Sullivan It turns out there's another Dan Sullivan Who was a mayor Everybody is called Dan Sullivan in Alaska. It's very odd. It's very odd. I don't know. It is. Although there are a lot of Michael Wolves. There's another Michael Wolfe. Hard to believe. How many? Called Michael Wolfe. There is actually a media consultant called Michael Wolfe, a total suck up. And there's a restaurant in New York, and I always get his reservations. I guess I'm the whatever, the open table or whoever the restaurant uses, they have this wrong. So I get notices of his reservations at this restaurant and then I cancel them.

10:22Oh, you cancel them. Oh, your secret is out. I actually once had coffee with the other Michael Wolff and he seemed utterly pleasant, actually. But I wonder how many people have accepted an interview with him thinking that he was going to turn up and then you turned up and took them apart. Or the other way around. I was once told that I was speaking at Harvard and there was my biography. This was clearly me, except it wasn't me. He was the person who showed up. So we should invite him on the podcast and then I'll interview two Michael Wolffs. And I once did. I once I once I once wrote a column about this.

11:14The two Michael Wolffs. The two Michael Wolffs. OK, well, Michael Wolff, the other Michael Wolff needs to insert his middle initial, which is what the incumbent Republican senator in Alaska has had to do. Dan Sullivan, who used to just be plain Dan Sullivan, has had to insert an S. Hugh Doherty, our executive editor, had to give me an entire seminar on this so I could get my head around it. So the incumbent is now Dan S. Sullivan. He's facing serious challenge from the Democratic hopeful, who's a local congresswoman or was a congresswoman, got voted out in 2024, Mary Peltola. And there's now another Daniel J.

11:57Sullivan challenging Daniel S. Sullivan on the ballot. But I know for people listening in Europe and Australia, everywhere outside the U.S., this must just sound like crazy town. OK, but for people outside of the country or actually people within the country to elections are state affairs. They're they're administered by by each state. They occur under the rules of each state. This is a constitutional duty of the states. And that's one of the hurdles that Donald Trump is facing in his clear determination to have a supervisory role on the nation's elections. And you know where that's going. So they have stepped in this past week.

12:50The federal government, the Department of Justice stepped in to say that they were going to even before they they've they've announced that if if the Republicans lose this election, then they will step in to contest it. So, which is extraordinary and ridiculous and will go nowhere. It's one of those other kinds of Trump initiatives that you know the outcome of this. It will. I mean, having said that, it's not it's it ain't nothing. I mean, it will complicate the election for for up to a number of weeks before the courts the courts rule on this and throw throw the DOJ motion out. But but it's one of those things.

13:44And it kind of explains what's going on in the in the Trump White House. Trump would have would have been stamping around and saying, how can this happen to Dan Sullivan's? this is a cheat, this is wrong. And on that, he might have a minor point. It obviously, the other Dan Sullivan running is a disruptive tactic, not an illegal one, but a disruptive one. So therefore, Trump is stamping around, how can this do something? Do something, do something. And the people around him and the attorney general are kind of like, okay, all right. And Daniel J. Sullivan has given money to Mary Peltola, the Democratic challenger, and he was a former schoolteacher, and it does seem like this is the first time he's ever considered running for Senate.

14:47Yeah, which is not illegal. It is not illegal for you to actually disrupt an election like that. Anybody can get on the ballot. That's what you can do. This is, again, the Trump administration will face many hurdles, not least of all the fact that what was done here was not illegal, even if its intention was to help the Democrat. Right. It's actually a sort of Trumpian technique, isn't it? I'm surprised that Trump hasn't figured this one out and decided to deploy it against Democratic candidates. Well, never say never. But anyway, this is one of those signs of his determination to use every possible technique that he can use to frustrate the loss he suspects is coming in his direction.

15:54So we're going to see more of these kinds of things. And I'm of the opinion not that we're going to see success on his part. Actually, these are all desperation moves and they are indicative of the temperature in the White House that they are really, it's hot there. and they think that they are in trouble. So they're going to do anything, anything possible. But one of the reasons they are in trouble is because they are incompetent and ineffective. And they will. And they are. And Donald Trump is in the leadership role. So he is giving the orders here. And the orders he gives are everybody just kind of shrugging and saying, okay, because they know the results of this.

16:47The result is this is just going to be thrown out and it will ultimately have no effect. Okay, it will ultimately have no effect. Is it possible a judge in, because this was challenged in Alaska and initially it was thought that this wasn't going to work and then another judge. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just$15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch.

17:31Upfront payment of$45 for three-month plan, equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only. Then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Came in and said, no, this is perfectly legal. But it can go ahead. It's possible that another Alaskan judge deems it, you know, deems it not necessarily illegal, but deems it unfair or something. I'm not quite sure what the legal term would be. That's not unfair is not a legal term. No, it's not a legal term. It is a strange tactic. Again, not illegal. So, yeah, that is that's not the that's not really the legal issue.

18:10The legal issue is that the federal government has no standing here. So that's immediately going to be thrown out. What are you doing here? And if if the Republican Party decides to in in Alaska decides to contest this, but they've already they've already done that and they've already been shot down. So anyway, this is not going to go anywhere, except it will be a disruption. And that's one of the things that Trump, putting aside the legal merits, disruption in itself is an accomplishment for Trump. Right. Disruption, confusion, just throwing chaos into the system. Which sounds like it's going on in Austin right now.

19:01Disruption, chaos, yes. It does sound like there's a lot of sirens. I have a suspicion that what it is is that when the drivers, like Max Verstappen and this new guy that everybody's very excited about who's only 20 called Kimi, if they move from their hotel to the track. I have no idea what you're talking about. Are these politicians? No, no, these are drivers. the F1 drivers. If the F1 drivers... They're driving politicians? No. If the F1 drivers are being taken from their hotel to the track, they get a police escort. That's what I think the sirens are. This is a parallel reality for me. Okay.

19:43Parallel reality, but also a parallel reality going on with Vivek Ramaswamy, former co-head of Doge. Remember him? Very briefly with Elon Musk. What is going on inside Trump's head over his now debacle of a campaign? Let's explain for people who haven't been following as myopically as we have. I think everybody's been following this because it's so vivid and appalling. Vivek is running against a woman by the name of Amy Acton. They have run an ad with Amy Acton's mother saying, don't vote for her daughter. But mother and daughter have been estranged since the late 1970s because the mother's husband, Amy Acton's stepfather, abused her at a young age and was indicted for this and then fled the jurisdiction.

20:43We don't know to this date. I think nobody knows where this guy is. I think he's died. I think he's died. Dead. Death is good for some people. And at any rate, Amy Acton's mother is clearly a problem, a problem in every way. There is nothing to recommend Amy Acton's mother or Amy Acton's mother's past behavior or Amy Acton's credentials, actually, as a mother. She's a bad person. So the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign has put her into this ad and let her spew all over the place. And she looks, by the way, like a completely crazy person. This has backfired in every possible sense of the word. I mean, disavowed by Republicans, Democrats, all voters seem to be completely appalled by this.

21:59You can basically find no one to think this was a good idea except Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. I don't know of anybody else who's who would be on the side of this of this ad. But the that that that threesome is hanging tight. And the Rama Swarmy campaign is pledging to put an additional four million dollars behind this behind this ad in the closing weeks. So, yeah, let's what is that about? What is in Trump's head? Why would he do this? Well, we should remind people, too, that Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy are running for governor of Ohio. The current governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, who is a Republican, has said, please take down this ad.

22:56This ad is offensive. And one of the accusations against Amy Acton is she said, and we should point out, she and her brother were both taken into care rather than be left in the presence of their mother, who was clearly incapable of bringing up children. That's a Britishism. They were put into the foster system. OK, they were put into the foster system. And in fact, Amy Acton's brother has made an ad with her saying our mother was a terrible mother. Amy Acton was abused by our stepfather. And, you know, Amy's a fantastic person. And Amy Acton's mother accuses Amy Acton, who's running for governor against Vivek Ramaswamy, of having exaggerated the poverty in her childhood.

23:47And Amy Acton said at one point, we lived in a tent. And her mother says we didn't live in a tent. That wasn't true. The mother very much looks as if she lives in a tent right now. I mean, it's incomprehensible that anybody would have thought this woman would be a good recommendation for anything. First of all, she looks terrible. She appears to have possibly one or two teeth left at this point. It's utterly exploitative of the mother and it's exploitative of the situation. Vivek Ramaswamy, you should be ashamed of yourself. Well, OK, but let's talk about what of course he should be. But it's more interesting why he is not and why he is doubling down and why Trump and J.D.

24:32Vance are also doubling down with him. And there's an important political point here. And the political point here is that they believe, and so much of Donald Trump's career would support this, that the illiberal and the cold-hearted and the fuck you and the owning the libs works. So this is I mean, this is kind of, you know, in this desperation moment for the Republicans down to the wire, these close races, which should not be close. They are this is their Hail Mary pass. Let is revert to what has worked for us. And yes, everybody says, oh, my God, and gathers their their skirts around them. But in the past, this has worked for Donald Trump.

25:28So that is the bet here. That is why Vivek Ramaswamy, who is on the verge of losing this election, is not backing down. Well, he also ran for president, didn't he, in 2024 briefly. Do you think this is going to work for him? Well, as I say, this has worked for Donald Trump. I don't think it's going to work, but I have across 10 years now never thought any of this would work. And the notable thing is, the horrifying thing, the thing that makes you question virtually everything about being an American, is that it has worked. And you might say that this campaign, the midterm campaign, what's at stake is exactly that.

26:19Does this work or does this continue to work or have people suddenly woken up and said going down the long list of Trumpian accomplishments or the reverse of accomplishments from the war in Iran to the mass of the war? them in on the streets whether people have had enough of this this is the vivek thing represents more of the same and we'll see if this um if this works i mean remember we could very well wake up on on november the election is on november 3rd november 4th and find vivek ramaswarmi elected elected and what would we have to conclude then i mean this is you could not run and add more glaring in its contempt and cynicism and cruelty than this ad.

27:18So what do we think about Ohio and about the country if, in fact, Vivek Ramaswamy wins?

27:40assistance assistance switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three month plan equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Default terms at mintmobile.com. Well you have always said that Trump is a singular character that there is no one else like him and I think he can get away with these techniques. It seems less likely that less likable characters like Vivek Ramaswamy can get away with it. And I think, you know, we've always said that Trump, he's been in the public eye for 40 years.

28:22He has a sense of humor. His gimmicks at the last election, pretending to be a garbage man, pretending to serve McDonald's to people, work for Donald Trump. But just because they work for him doesn't mean they work for other people. I hope you're right. Well, we'll see. But let's point out that since this ad has been running, the Cook Report, which is one of the gold standards in evaluating elections, has moved this race from a toss-up to lean Democratic. Right. And John Husted, the focus of Trump's sweaty, what would we say, sweaty compliments about how firm his buttocks were and how strong his muscles also looks vulnerable up against Sherrod Brown in Ohio.

29:25John Husted got the seat that J.D. Vance vacated in the Senate. He's only been there two years, but he now looks seriously under threat from the previous senator, the Democratic Sherrod Brown, who is way ahead now in the polls, despite Donald Trump's sweaty exclamations about John Husted's fine physique. I wouldn't go so far as way ahead. Well, he's ahead. He's ahead. I mean, this is still precarious. All of these races which are on this line, really, in the balance here, Republicans could lose these races. Equally, though, remember, they could win. So, you know, the Democrats are seeing a transformative moment.

30:16But, you know, let's get there. No, it's terrifying to rely on anything other than the polls, really, because we've been to this race before. And it does feel like, oh, I just don't want to, I don't want to think about it. But there is clearly, there is a, whether this is a blue wave or not, there is a wave of something. There is a wave of enormous. well there's 40 percent increase in gas prices in the last 18 months that's really what's driving a lot of this and that's real well i think that there's a i think it's even broader than that i think there's a full reconsideration we have had we have had a year plus let's say you know Well, coming on coming on two years, but I think it was a pure year of Donald Trump.

31:15This is Donald Trump unfiltered, unfettered, unrestrained. We have seen this. We have seen who the guy is and what that what what the result of that is. war, tariffs, cruelty in the streets, prices, unrestrained prices, and his inability to kind of deliver on anything that he has promised most clearly on an economy. We've seen all that. We've seen how everything he has done is essentially counterproductive to what he promised and now ought to be and seems like it could be. And I think people, Democrats, are certainly more and more thinking it will be the reckoning. Well, the other thing that we haven't mentioned, but is clearly, I think, impacting people too, is Russia.

32:23And Trump's promise, you know, bravado promise that he would solve the Russia-Ukraine war on the first day that he was in office. two years on, it appears that his wife is now, the missing First Lady, is now elbowing him out of the way on perhaps her way to the Nobel Peace Prize, just to irritate him by trying to broker a ceasefire in Oleshki, which is a corner of Ukraine that has been marooned by Russian troops and basically starved of electricity, of food, of water. It's a dismal situation. Okay, let's bring up two things in relation to that. First of all, that over the last number of weeks, Trump has basically sacrificed Ukraine or indicated in every way that he is perfectly willing to do that.

33:23Ukraine is the problem in getting a peace deal. Ukraine is the problem, the greater problem between Trump getting deals with Putin. So he is waving Ukraine away, not interested anymore, not even pretending anymore and taking the side of Russia or taking the side of Vladimir Putin. I think that that is clear. So then against this, we have his wife, Melania Trump, inserting herself in this situation to, well, we don't know exactly what she's doing, but she seems to be this. She would be inserting herself, though, in a way to suggest some sympathy, more sympathy than her husband, for Ukraine and also suggest, well, this is going to be a scene in her forthcoming television series.

34:26I knew that you would say that. I knew when I heard this story, I was like, Michael is going to say this is a cynical collection of content for her television series. The other thing that's fascinating about it is it was actually Pope Leo, who apparently first brought Oleschke to light with the Russians and said, we have to do something about this. But Melania has issued a statement saying that she alone is the person that's made this possible. This is what Melania wrote. It was abundantly clear that without my intervention, come on, I have to do this with the accent. It was abundantly clear. I'm not sure I can.

35:05That without my intervention, the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible. I mean, hello, Pope Leo. The man is recovering from a cancer operation the week before he was hustling on behalf of Oleschke. And now Melania Trump has elbowed him out of the way. Out of the picture. The Pope. The Pope, Michael. It's beyond. Well, she seems to have elbowed out both the Pope and her husband, actually. yes can you imagine if she got the nobel peace prize he would divorce her yes he would divorce her and run off officially with natalie harp um this is this is extraordinary and let's remember against the background background of this that that that that were this her um that she could have done this a hundred times in the past, in the past years.

36:08This is, this is, there are, there are towns all along the borders, the border, the border towns with, with in, in Ukraine, with Russia, many of which Russia has, um, has now occupied are all in a state and have been for years in a state of extremis. So, um, so yeah, bring it on Melania. Let's get in there. El, Elbow out your husband. Well, I'm particularly fascinated too by Melania's special advisor, a gentleman called Mark Beckman, whose hair, like mine, has been growing rapidly over the last few months. He was first on the scene, I want to say, perhaps about nine months ago in terms of us understanding that there was an active advisor in the background.

36:55He's been on television talking about Melania's role as a peacekeeper. She was going to give access to neutral news coverage of what she was up to. And in fact, it turns out she's given access to Newsmax. Not entirely neutral, certainly not the BBC, not CNN, not Reuters, who I'm sure might have been interested to hear about the First Lady's ventures into the peace market. Yes. So in other words, this is agitprop by another by another name or Melania prop. Melania prop. Melania prop. Well, sorry about that, the Pope. Thank you for your efforts anyway, but Melania has stepped up. But the other, the larger story, I mean, there's Melania's little intervention over here, but the larger story, and it's a serious story.

37:51I mean, and it's, I think, present in this election. The Democrats are starting to highlight this. Is this, you know, we're back to that age-old question. What does Vladimir Putin have on Donald Trump? Well, and very scary for the rest of Europe, this, you know, America, whom Europe has relied upon since the end of the Second World War, now really having to reassess who are their allies at this moment. And the idea that Russia is being enabled in Ukraine and may move further into Europe and is already behind all sorts of disruptive incidents is truly shocking. I mean, it's really mind bending.

38:41And it's important to remember that from the perspective of Europe, and you were in London, you know, last month or earlier this month, this is shocking. This is shocking and it's incomprehensible. No, it marks, I mean, we have gone over a line. I mean, this is, we are now in a moment, in a stage where Putin is now threatening, threatening the West, threatening Europe in a way that I don't think we have not seen since the end of the Cold War. And also it's not just threatening with drones and bombs, but it's cyber warfare, all sorts of things going on that clearly could be laid at the door of the Russians.

39:33And there's been very little pushback in the Republican Party, as we know. There are a few outgoing. Well, I kind of disagree with this. I think that we are seeing, I think the Republicans don't know how to react. They are being caught out on this because there is a significant, still a remaining significant part of the Republican Party that is pretty traditional in their outlook toward Russia. I mean, remember, remember, the the Republic, the foundation, the modern foundation of the Republican Party is to be is is a is to be opposed to Russia, previously the Soviet Union. And and and I think everybody is like, oh, my God, what what what do we do here?

40:22I mean, this is we could tolerate Trump so far. Have we reached the point where we cannot tolerate this any longer or the point at which we really got to work hard to rationalize this harder than we have worked before? Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for$15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at MintMobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three month plan equivalent to$15 per month required.

41:02Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Default terms at MintMobile.com. Well, I was going to point out that there are some outgoing Republicans who've spoken up. Don Bacon, who's the outgoing congressman in Nebraska, who's been a thorn in Trump's side. Tom Tillis, who's finally started talking up and saying Putin is playing President Trump like a fiddle and warning that history is not going to look good on an America that failed to rise up and defend the Western world if Putin actually gets his way. Mitt Romney, no surprise there. But perhaps what's surprising is that Darlene Graham, who we've talked about on this podcast, the sister of Lindsey Graham, who essentially inherited his seat at the behest of Donald Trump, broke with the president over the weekend and said, personally, I would choose to put the pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down because I don't trust Putin and I don't trust Russia, which so far seems to be the only thing that she's said that's remotely...

42:09And she is in a tough race to hold on to her seat, her to some degree ill-gotten seat in the Senate. And that was supposed to be a cakewalk, and it is not now. It's pretty problematic at this point. And of course, Lindsey Graham was very pro-Ukraine. He'd just come back from a trip to Ukraine when he died shortly after, the same day he got off the plane, actually. But he was adamant that Trump support Ukraine. And of course, this is if you're his sister, this is a total abandonment of his legacy. There was some Lindsey Graham news this week. You want to talk about that? Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.

43:02This is the documentary by the Young Turks on YouTube called The Closetocracy. It's extraordinarily vivid. I seldom have I ever, I mean, this is highly, a highly detailed look at Lindsey Graham's sex life. his hidden in the closet. It would seem, at least from his point of view, incredibly shameful sex life. Well, and sad sex life too. I mean, I will say Anthony Scaramucci put me onto this documentary and he said he could not stop watching it. And I thought, oh, I'll watch for five minutes. You know, I'll just get the sort of lay of the land. It whistles past. It's 33 minutes, I think, and focuses on three men who said they were rent boys, male prostitutes, and that's how they met Lindsey Graham.

43:57And they each go into, as you say, remarkably vivid detail about the transactional nature of the relationship they have with Lindsey. And then the moment that each of them recognizes him, you know, initially they don't. And then gradually they begin to realize who he is. I actually make an unwitting appearance in this documentary, not as a rent boy. Happily not as a rent boy, Michael. But I think my usefulness in this documentary is to say without equivocation that everybody knew that Lindsey Graham was gay, which is true. I wonder if everybody knew that his sex life was paid for. I mean, it's one thing to assume that somebody's gay.

44:53It's different to get this insight into his life. And if it's true and if these men and this, I mean, they appear to be sincere. It's very easy to make mock documentaries and there may be allegations that they're lying. But this is all pretty detailed. I mean, that's what carries you through the 33 minutes. I mean, it is, you know, I mean, beyond sounding true, the authenticity of the details of the scenes, would it be possible to make this up? Not exactly. I think that's probably true. And so what it gives you is an insight into the secret life that Lindsey Graham had that must have caused him enormous stress, enormous stress.

45:56And the way that they talk about what he enjoys in the bedroom also perhaps is about that too, this shame and this, well, just the secret nature of it and the fear that were it to come out, he would be finished. And again, let me say what I've said before in relation to Lindsey Graham, someone who I knew, if not well, someone who I spoke to on a rather often basis, is that the Trump— I want to say this as precisely as possible, that the awareness of this within the White House and Donald Trump's awareness of Lindsey Graham and what Lindsey Graham was doing, and Donald Trump is an incredible gossip.

46:54He wants the lowest information he can get. I would have been, if I were Lindsey Graham, I'm wary of, threatened by, certainly, I would certainly take into consideration that Donald Trump could turn against me at any point. And of course, in the case of Lindsey Graham, he became the Trump poodle. and yet his way of being the trump's poodle which was to be outwardly extremely flattering of the president in fact he was also talking to you he was talking to other journalists and giving a different vision of what was going on so in a sense living two lives again i want to be be clear it wasn't as if lindsey graham was flattering to the to uh to to donald trump and then saying to me that Donald Trump is a fraud and corrupt.

47:56And he was, he had a clear, Lindsey Graham was not a stupid man. And he had a clear vision of who Donald Trump was, of what may, of what was in Donald Trump's head without rejecting that character at all. So, so I used to like to talk to Lindsey Graham because he was funny about Trump. He, you know, and I thought insightful about him, but in no way, in no way was he turning on Donald Trump or rejecting Donald Trump. Okay. Okay. Well, it'd be interesting to see if his sister Darlene has anything to say about the closetocracy, which is the title of the documentary. But viewers and readers can - I can say that she will have nothing to say.

48:43Well, viewers and listeners can see for themselves. It's available on YouTube. It's by the young Turks, and it's free. It's free. So, Michael, what about Alina Harba? Alina Harba, who's married a billionaire much younger than herself? You know, for God's sake, goodness sake, Jesus, what can I say? It was actually curious in these Alina Harba stories about her relationship with this Venezuelan gentleman, and I think another Venezuelan gentleman and her marriage to, who is she married to now? Well, she's married to a Turkish businessman, but she is alleged to have helped Julio Herrera get a pardon for financial shenanigans.

49:39And the Turkish businessman also has business in Venezuela, I believe. And well, it's all very strange. And there was also a payment. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. And I do think the grift is is getting a little higher on people's radar. But there was she's now in an argument with Rick Grinnell, who was another gay friend of Trump's who was running the Kennedy Center. and she claims that her husband, the Turkish billionaire, who's I think 29, good for you Alina, because she's I think almost twice his age, she claims that he had some sort of payment that was coming in from the Republic of Congo and it was supposed to be a donation to the Kennedy Center and it's disappeared.

50:31She's arguing that Rick Grinnell somehow did something else with the money but it didn't end up at the Kennedy Center And you just can't make this up. It's so complicated. And there are shell companies and now she's working for something called Concord Partners, which doesn't appear to have anything to do other than pay her a substantial$10 million fee a year for her advice, for her legal advice. Just let me add that the last time I was aware of her domestic arrangements, she was married to a New Jersey parking lot king. Well, they got divorced and she's remarried, her third marriage. I'm very impressed that she can find these people.

51:13And as you said, she always... Well, you know, the grift is very attractive to a lot of people. The grift is attractive to a lot of people. And you said that she got very cross with you when you said that she came to Trump's attention lying by the side of his pool at Bedminster wearing a bikini. but in fact that is how she came to his attention. Yeah, no, but I got a lot of, you know, we're going to sue you and she had various people, representatives call me to say we're going to sue you if you say that she was lying by the side of the pool at Bedminster in a bikini. Which is presumably what you're supposed to do at Bedminster, isn't it?

51:58Yes, although they did say, admit that she did But they denied that that had anything to do with Trump's interest in her. But she was one of the lawyers that when Trump showed you a picture of his lawyers, he said they may not be the smartest lawyers, but they are really hot. I have the hottest lawyers. And that included Alina Harbour, Todd Blanche, Lindsay Halligan and Pam Bondi. Well, not Todd Blanche. Oh, really? I thought Todd Blanche. I thought he thought the bunch was central casting. Todd Blance was one of his lawyers, but that was not in this. He was focused on the women in his legal retinue.

52:44Well, when we come back on Tuesday, Michael, we will have exactly a week to go, which is at the moment we should remind people on election night, Michael and I will be live. will be live on YouTube, passing whatever is going on out there. Yes, or just enjoying it. Or just enjoying it. Enjoying the moment. Enjoying the moment. Although, you know, what happens if it's not what we are hoping for? What happens if it's 2016 all over again, do you mean? um yeah it won't be 2016 all over again um because donald trump is not running so but it could be the results could be equivocal i mean and they're they're not going to be fantastic it's not going to be a blowout for the for the republicans the republicans are not going to come out of this um in the same state that they are in now but it could be significantly more equivocal than we think.

53:52And you say that Donald Trump's not on the ticket, but he's insisted that he is on the ticket, which is why he's dashing about the country doing rallies everywhere. Yeah, I can't. Well, that's another question. Does that actually help? Will he? And again, go back into what we were talking about in the beginning. This is about turnout. Does he, Does Donald Trump's presence manage to get a what the Trump remember that the the Trump political career is founded on what are called low propensity voters? They don't vote. They're not interested in politics or they're not interested in politicians. They are interested in Donald Trump.

54:38So Donald Trump, not a political base, but understand that as a fan base, if he can bring those people out, then he could possibly hold on in places that are looking pretty precarious at this point. Right. Also known as low information voters, but the information they do have is that the gas pump where gas is up 40 percent. Well, we'll see if that moves them against Donald Trump or to stay home for Donald Trump. Otherwise, the low information, the information that they do have is about Donald Trump. Donald Trump, remember, attention is a zero-sum game. If he gets it, nobody else does. So therefore, it's a Donald Trump world, and his voters, that's the world his voters live in.

55:37That's what he's counting on. True, and his voters also live in the world where the price of your grocery basket has gone up substantially. Well, that's what the Democrats are counting on. Well, we've got 10 days to go, Michael. 10 days to go until the midterm elections and our next live show. So I will see you on Tuesday and we begin the week's countdown. See you then. And thank you for our incredible team. And actually, it is pretty incredible since we have been floating around the world over the last several weeks and we still managed to appear with or without sirens in the background. Ryan, John, Heather, Rachel and Neil with our thanks.

56:33So the good news is we have so many B-Beast tier members now. There are too many names to read out, and we really appreciate your support.

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