Episode 501 · The Studio Revamp
Donald Trump’s Endgame | The Tim Dillon Show #501
Jun 27, 2026 · 1:23:34 · 901,000 views · 28 segments, 184 moments indexed
Tim is joined by journalists Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman to discuss their new book “Regime Change” which covers the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency.
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- 2 min
Trying to Buy Regime Change and Getting Snubbed at the Bookstore
#Tim introduces the upcoming interview with Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman about their book Regime Change, then tells a story about trying and failing to buy the sold-out book from a bookstore employee.
3moments
- Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman from the New York Times just wrote the biggest political book of the year, Regime Change, about the first year of Trump's presidency.
- Tim tried to buy the book at a bookstore in suburban LA but it was sold out.
- Tim admits he hasn't read the book and probably won't, but says it's important to discuss it anyway because he knows what's in it.
Jonathan SwanMaggie HabermanRegime ChangeNew York TimesDonald TrumpCharlie KirkJeffrey Epstein
- 2 min
The William Sonoma Debacle and the Breville Espresso Machine
#Tim recounts spending 40 minutes shopping at Williams Sonoma with an employee named Hala, only to be turned away at checkout because he only had Apple Pay and no physical card.
4moments
- Tim explains why Rogan's three-hour format is better than the 50-minute constraint he had to work with.
- Tim went to William Sonoma to buy items but the salesperson Hala wouldn't accept Apple Pay and demanded the actual card.
- After spending 40 minutes selecting items and choosing colors, he was turned away at checkout and had to leave the store.
- Tim bought a Breville espresso cappuccino maker and other items on his order.
- 2 min
New York Times 'No Evidence' Epstein Hedging
#Tim previews the interview, praising Swan and Haberman while poking at how New York Times reporters insist there's 'no evidence' of Epstein intelligence ties despite obvious circumstantial signs.
5moments
- New York Times reporters claim they have no evidence of Epstein's intelligence connections, which Tim says is technically false phrasing.
- Tim explains what the reporters mean: they weren't in the room, so they can't personally verify it, even though evidence exists.
- Tim acknowledges the Times has standards he respects, but notes there is evidence—just perhaps not enough for a courtroom conviction.
- Tim appreciated the New York Times reporters coming on the show, calling them "the big dogs."
- As summer approaches, Tim doubts anyone will care about the Epstein story, and admits he doesn't care about it either while doing the interview.
- 1 min
Summer Burnout and Not Caring Anymore
#Tim admits that as summer approaches he's losing interest in caring about the finer details of political scandals, comparing it to a couple no longer wanting to rehash how they got scammed.
3moments
- Tim says he doesn't care anymore, especially in summer—knows he should but just doesn't.
- Once something is exposed as obviously a sham, there's no point caring about the finer details of how it happened.
- Tim compares caring about political minutiae to rehashing how you got ripped off—after a certain point, you just move on.
- 3 min
What Are the Actual Revelations in Regime Change?
#Tim questions whether the book's 'revelations' about Trump loving power and not wanting the Epstein docs released are really revelations at all, arguing anyone could have guessed the same book.
4moments
- Tim's brain melting over the revelation that Trump talks to hawkish pro-Israel people.
- Tim asks what the actual revelations are supposed to be in the book.
- The supposed revelations boil down to Trump liking power and wanting to be remembered like a historical psychopath—information you can get from just watching him.
- The book's big revelation: Trump didn't want the Epstein documents released, which Tim notes everyone already knew.
- 2 min
Trump Loved the Pager Attack
#Tim riffs on Maggie Haberman's claim that Trump loved the Hezbollah pager attack, comparing it to a MacGyver episode and arguing it's obvious Trump would find it thrilling.
3moments
- Trump learned about Kirk's assassination from his son, Baron, according to the book.
- Tim questions how close someone could get to writing the same book by just making it up from existing knowledge.
- Maggie Haberman reports that Trump really liked the pager attack.
- 16 min
Trump's Secret Desire to Fire a Nuke
#An extended riff imagining that Trump, having done everything else in life, secretly craves the experience of ordering a nuclear first strike just to know what it feels like and cement his place in history, complete with an imagined post-nuke interview describing a Frank Sinatra impersonator being paused for the announcement.
62moments
- Tim imagines asking a random person in a supermarket what they think Trump thought about the Hezbollah pager attack.
- Tim opens with the premise: Does anyone think Trump cares about morality regarding the Hezbollah pager attack, rather than seeing it as cool?
- This period of history needs less explanation than any other—everyone already knows the broad strokes if they're paying attention.
- Trump doesn't care about healthcare, deportations, or immigration policy—his real goal is to kill leaders and countries to cement his historical legacy.
- Trump's actual goal is to whack some world leaders and knock over some countries so history remembers him as the guy who did it.
- Trump doesn't care about healthcare, operations on people's feet, or your personal medical problems.
- Immigration and deportation policies that Trump promoted aren't actually what he cares about.
- Tim's thesis: Term two is about killing people and knocking over countries; Trump has the power now and wants to use it.
- Trump wants to know what it physically feels like to order a nuclear first strike.
- Trump has found being in power fun and has now exhausted other options in term two.
- Trump's current thinking for term two: bombing and starting wars are fun, and logically, nuking would be even more fun.
- Trump has done virtually everything else in life except fire a nuclear weapon.
- Trump has been wealthy and famous for decades, and he's slept with friends' wives and his assistants.
- Trump lives in a New York building with his name on it and has built properties all over the world.
- Trump has survived assassination attempts and continues to function as a major political figure.
- Netanyahu probably suggested Trump could use nuclear weapons and look good in history; Tim thinks Trump has actually considered it.
- Tim insists there's part of Trump that definitely wants to nuke somebody.
- Trump would do interviews after firing a nuke, describing the experience in detail to reporters.
- Tim continues the imagined interview with Trump describing a dinner scene in Palm Beach.
- Tim imagines Trump's post-nuke press narrative: stopping a Frank Sinatra impersonator at Mar-a-Lago to make the moment serious, then asking generals about disposing of radiation-sickened survivors with a second nuke.
- The moment is treated with such gravity that Trump stops the Frank Sinatra impersonator mid-song to maintain decorum during the nuclear decision.
- The impersonator continued singing, and his song choice shifted to 'That's Life.'
- Tim asked military briefers how many people die immediately from the strike.
- In Tim's imagined briefing, Trump asks generals about 'the uglies'—deformed or radiation-poisoned survivors—and whether a second nuke would put them out of their misery faster.
- Some people linger longer after nuclear exposure due to radiation effects.
- The military justification in Tim's scenario: 'The first nuke we kind of get away with. You say there was no other way. It ends the war.'
- Tim frames the appeal of nuclear weapons to Trump as a visceral question: What does it feel like to kill a bunch of people at once?
- Tim includes a hopeful caveat: probably Trump won't actually fire a nuke, knock on wood, but he definitely wonders about it and it excites him.
- Tim qualifies that he's not saying Trump is a 'complete monster,' but he definitely thinks about what it would be like to fire a nuclear weapon.
- Trump would become the second president to use a nuclear weapon since Truman and would guarantee himself a place in history as the guy who did it.
- No nuclear weapon has been used since Truman dropped the atomic bomb, and Trump wonders: What if I'm the guy to do it?
- Trump approaches the presidency like a kid in a candy store—curious, exploratory, asking 'What does this do?' with no deeper agenda.
- Trump's entire worldview is power: Who has it? Who doesn't? The more power you exercise, the more history looks back at you in awe, regardless of moral judgment.
- Trump's decision-making framework reduces to: 'Do we kill them? Do we...?' Because that's how he understands the world—through the lens of lethal power application.
- Trump realizes it almost doesn't matter what people think because he won't be alive to hear it, and he'll lose control of the narrative anyway—all he'll have is the power he exercised.
- Tim describes Trump's nightly thought process at Mar-a-Lago: eating an overdone steak and fantasizing about being the first president since Truman to fire a nuclear weapon.
- Trump lies awake at night wondering what it would be like if he were the first president since Truman to fire a nuclear weapon at someone.
- In Trump's final self-assessment: 'I did it all. I fired a nuke. I did it all,' with the nuclear strike as the capstone achievement.
- Trump's fantasy includes having a hot blonde wife, owning a country club where people worship him daily, becoming president, surviving assassination attempts, and then—firing a nuke.
- Tim imagines Trump's late-night monologue at Mar-a-Lago: 'I had hot blonde wives, owned a country club people worshipped me at, became president, survived assassination—the only thing left is to fire a nuclear weapon.'
- Trump's core motivation across all his actions: 'I just want to do something'—and nuclear weapons are the only thing left on his bucket list.
- Trump doesn't care if history remembers him positively or as a tyrant—he just wants to do something, unlike Jimmy Carter building houses for the poor.
- Tim paints the morning-after scenario: Trump wakes up having nuked someone, goes downstairs to somber faces at Mar-a-Lago, gives a short speech about it being necessary, and moves on.
- In Tim's scenario, after nuking someone, Trump is the guy who just killed everyone and people believe in him anyway, nodding their approval.
- By afternoon, the day normalizes—TVs muted, people chatting, everyone convinced Trump made the tough choice, grateful it wasn't a bigger war.
- In Tim's scenario, people at Mar-a-Lago normalize the nuclear strike by afternoon, grateful Trump made the tough choice, while he goes golfing the next day.
- Tim expresses worry that firing a nuclear weapon might be the last thing Trump does on Earth, and he doesn't want to manifest it into happening.
- Trump would brag after a nuclear strike: 'A lot of people thought about doing it. I did it. I did it.'
- Tim says Trump truly revealed in the interview that he just wants to nuke someone and doesn't care who, as long as he experiences that rush of curiosity about mass death.
- What makes Trump interesting and fun is his curiosity about what it would be like to kill everybody, just as he wondered what being president would feel like.
- Billionaires like Trump have exhausted normal experiences and are at a point where they ask themselves: 'What new experiences can I get?' Controlling the presidency was one answer.
- Once in power, Trump realized 'I can't even do any of this. Nothing works,' which led him to the nuclear fantasy as the ultimate workaround.
- Tim is certain Trump has asked the joint chiefs of staff about nukes, probably inquiring 'How does that work?' with innocent-sounding curiosity.
- Trump is visibly bored as president, having done everything else in life, and nuclear weapons are the one remaining novelty—he's probably asked generals uncomfortable questions about firing one.
- The only thing the president of the United States wants to do now is wake up and press a button to vaporize a large number of people.
- Tim notes Trump's recent speeches are half-hearted and bored—he's checked out of the presidency's normal duties because he's moved on mentally.
- Trump fantasizes about sitting in a chair at Mar-a-Lago and watching a mushroom cloud form, then studying the blast zones and radiation zones for days.
- Tim describes Trump's fantasy of sitting at Mar-a-Lago watching a mushroom cloud, then spending days studying blast zones and radiation effects like he's in a war game.
- Tim bets Trump is currently reading about nukes and has made military generals deeply uncomfortable asking how it would feel to fire one before he dies.
- Tim concludes Trump has a few years left and knows firing a nuclear weapon would solidify his place in history, so he's trying to figure out a way to make it happen.
- Trump is trying to figure out a way to fire a nuclear weapon before he dies, treating it like a puzzle to solve.
- When Iran tensions surface, Trump's thinking shifts to: 'Maybe I'll just drop the big one—fire a ballistic missile at Iran.'
Donald TrumpHezbollahMar-a-LagoTrumanIsraelJimmy CarterSoleimaniMarla Maples+1 more
- 1 min
Interview Setup: Swan and Haberman on Regime Change
#Tim gives a final setup for the upcoming interview, previewing topics like Vance, Epstein, Iran, and Charlie Kirk.
2moments
- Tim introduces Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, authors of Regime Change about Trump's first year in office.
- The interview covers interesting tidbits from Trump's first year including Vance, Epstein, Iran, and Kirk.
- 2 min
A Quince ad that drifts into a dark riff about summer funerals for young people who die in accidents, and joking about wearing Quince linen to a funeral.
3moments
- Tim predicts summer deaths and funeral attendance, citing boating accidents and firework injuries.
- He pivots to Quince linen pants as essential funeral wear while mourning young people who made fatal decisions.
- At funerals, people try to lighten the mood by complimenting your shirt, which Tim uses as an opening to mention the brand.
- 4 min
Tim opens the interview by asking Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan how Trump's demeanor and governing style have changed between his first and second terms, with Haberman describing him as more emboldened and less attuned to domestic politics.
6moments
- Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman's political book is sold out everywhere, with Barnes & Noble unable to restock it fast enough.
- Trump's second term is unrecognizable compared to his first, operating on gut instinct in ways never seen before.
- In 2017, Trump came to Washington under investigation with a government that saw him as dangerous and wanted to stop him.
- Now Trump is surrounded by loyalists who watched him survive indictments, court cases, and assassination attempts and genuinely believe in him.
- Trump is far less attuned to domestic politics in his second term than he was in the first, ignoring negative coverage that once prompted policy changes.
- He's playing for a bigger stage now, focused on being remembered in history in a way that can't be erased.
Donald TrumpBarnes & NobleMaggie HabermanSteve BannonJonathan Swan
- 6 min
Haberman and Swan discuss whether Trump has genuine political principles versus impulses on trade and NATO, and describe the 'spell' or bubble Trump creates around himself that makes aides afraid to challenge him.
10moments
- Trump's consistent positions on trade, NATO, and foreign wars as the backbone of his political philosophy.
- Trump promised no more foreign wars in 2016 and repeated it in 2024, but pushed hard for war with Iran anyway.
- Fissures in the MAGA movement have grown over Epstein, Iran, and domestic issues like Palantir AI.
- The movement first cleaved from Trump during his 2021 tour with Bill O'Reilly when the crowd booed his vaccine boasting.
- Trump grew up under Norman Vincent Peale's "Power of Positive Thinking" philosophy and doesn't expose himself to negativity.
- Trump's bubble has tightened—surrounded by flatterers at Mar-a-Lago and in the White House telling him what he wants to hear.
- JD Vance was the lone voice inside Trump's circle warning against the Iran war and its consequences.
- An intimidation factor exists in Trump's presence that prevents advisers from openly disagreeing with him.
- Trump creates an atmosphere around him—Tucker Carlson described it as a kind of spell.
- Trump speaks in absolute declarative sentences and extreme hyperbole divorced from reality, making fact-checking impossible for those in his company.
Donald TrumpBill O'ReillyJD VanceBenjamin NetanyahuMar-a-LagoNorman Vincent PeeleTucker Carlson
- 6 min
Tim asks how Trump went from campaigning against foreign wars to bombing Iran; Swan describes the revealing 'most powerful man in history' document Trump had an aide fetch, comparing him to Mao, Stalin, and Genghis Khan, and explains Trump's belief the Iran operation would be quick like the Noriega/Caracas snatch.
7moments
- Trump's anti-war platform appealed to people who lived through Iraq and Afghanistan, promising not to bankrupt the country with unwinnable foreign wars.
- Despite warnings from the Joint Chiefs and CIA that Iran regime change would be extremely difficult, Trump decided to invade anyway.
- During a March 16th interview, Trump had an aide fetch a document comparing him to history's most powerful figures: Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan.
- The document's metric for power has no moral dimension—it measures Trump's control of the US military and economy, arguing he's willing to use that power unlike other presidents.
- Trump wants to be a Napoleonic, world-historical figure, believing the way to achieve that is through big actions on the global stage.
- Netanyahu pushed extremely hard for war, and the CIA showed Trump a video montage about regime change in Iran that the agency itself said was nonsense.
- Trump's experience with Delta Force snatching a foreign head of state in Venezuela made him overestimate the military's ability to reshape events worldwide.
Donald TrumpBenjamin NetanyahuAfghanistanIraqLibyaSyriaTucker CarlsonIran+8 more
- 1 min
Swan argues there's no example in history of regime change achieved purely through air power, and recounts Tucker Carlson asking Trump how he was so sure the Iran war would go well, to which Trump replied 'cuz it always is.'
3moments
- No historical precedent exists for regime change achieved through air campaign alone—boots on the ground are always required.
- Trump felt the plan would work despite lacking military-history familiarity to understand it wouldn't.
- Trump told Tucker Carlson the war would go fine because "it always is"—pure intuition as strategy.
- 4 min
Haberman details the history of Netanyahu rebuilding his relationship with Trump after congratulating Biden, the gift of a gold-plated pager, and how Trump was more hawkish on Iran than his own team heading into the 12-day war.
5moments
- Netanyahu visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago after the Butler assassination attempt with a prepared list of world leaders who congratulated Biden, attempting to excuse his own quick congratulations.
- Trump tells Netanyahu he will be much harder on Iran in a second term and will do things for Israel he didn't do in his first term.
- Netanyahu's top adviser Ron Dermer believed there was an 80% chance Trump would join Israel in a war with Iran after the 2024 election.
- Trump was fascinated by the Israeli pager attacks against Hezbollah, and Netanyahu gave him a gold-plated pager as a gift.
- Trump watched the June 2024 Israeli military campaign on Fox News and saw it being heralded as a success, wanting to be part of it.
Benjamin NetanyahuDonald TrumpIranHezbollahJoe BidenRon DurmerFox NewsSulmani
- 1 min
- 1 min
A straightforward ad read for Neutrafol hair growth supplements and its promo code.
2moments
- Tim says he has talked endlessly about Neutrafol because he genuinely believes in it, with no irony.
- Neutrafol has formulas built for men at different life stages: 18 to 49, and 50 plus, addressing root causes of thinning wherever you are in life.
- 2 min
Tim raises Tucker Carlson's public break with Trump over Iran and Epstein, and Tucker's implication that Israel may have known about or been connected to the Butler assassination attempt, asking Swan and Haberman to respond.
4moments
- Tucker Carlson, long Trump advocate in media, has publicly broken with him over Iran war and Epstein.
- Tucker floated the idea that elements of the Butler assassination attempt may have been staged or faked.
- After the assassination attempt, Trump met with Netanyahu and became more hawkish on Iran.
- Tucker strongly implied either Israel was behind the assassination attempt or Israel knew about it.
Tucker CarlsonBenjamin NetanyahuDonald TrumpIsraelThomas Matthew Krux
- 2 min
Swan says he's seen no evidence supporting Tucker's theory but confirms Trump has become more fearful for his life and travels less, attributing changes more to Trump's tightened media echo chamber than any conspiracy.
5moments
- Tucker's claim about Israeli involvement in the assassination attempt lacks evidence, in Tim's assessment.
- Trump travels less domestically now and exists in a closed ecosystem of hawkish voices like Hannity and Lavine.
- In term one, Trump was scrolling Twitter and exposed to different ideas; now he's isolated at Mar-a-Lago.
- Tim hasn't seen reporting linking the assassination attempt to Israel, which itself suggests something is being hidden.
- Tim asks whether Trump's demeanor changed after the shooting, noting he seemed more reserved at the RNC with the bandage on his ear.
Donald TrumpSean HannityTucker CarlsonMark LevineCharlie Kirk
- 2 min
Haberman discusses how the deaths of Ivana Trump and Trump's sister Maryanne, plus the assassination attempt, made Trump reflect more on his own mortality than people assume, and describes his subdued demeanor at the RNC.
5moments
- Ivana's death during Trump's four years out of office shook him deeply, marking the first time someone really close to him had died in a long time.
- His sister Maryanne died during the campaign, which had a different effect on him.
- In 2021, Trump told people he only had six to eight years left potentially to enjoy life, which made it unclear whether he would run again.
- Trump gave a strange, muted version of himself at the RNC convention initially, then started talking more like himself once he sensed the crowd was bored.
- According to reporting, Trump's concerns about safety are why he's not traveling as much, though he also doesn't believe he has to.
Ivana TrumpMaryanne Trump Barry
- 2 min
Swan describes how Trump learned of Charlie Kirk's shooting via a call from his son Baron, and explains Kirk's underappreciated role as a Trump-world voice who was actually skeptical of Israel and opposed the Iran war.
7moments
- Barron called Trump from the Oval Office to tell him about Charlie Kirk being shot, very upset because he was a big fan.
- Tim spoke to Charlie Kirk the day before he died.
- Charlie Kirk was unique as a Republican political organizer who had Trump's ear but was willing to push back on certain issues.
- Kirk was very against the Iran war despite later claims that he was pro-Netanyahu, which Tim says is absolutely not true.
- In the last year of his life, Kirk became much more skeptical of Israel and was aggressively arguing against going to war with Iran.
- Kirk was more in tune with younger voters and listeners than anyone else in Trump's close orbit.
- Kirk's death removed an important voice who provided counterbalance to the more hawkish voices Trump hears from.
Charlie KirkDonald TrumpBaron TrumpIranIsraelBenjamin Netanyahu
- 4 min
Tim asks how the administration went from promising Epstein file transparency to denying anything happened; Haberman and Swan describe Trump's lukewarm true feelings, Cash Patel's 'big boy pants' bravado backfiring, and the Bondi binder fiasco that exposed Trump's name.
6moments
- Tim asks about Trump's lukewarm stance on declassifying Epstein documents compared to his own officials' calls for transparency.
- Guest describes the Epstein files refusal as the turning point where Trump lost political altitude with his own supporters.
- Tim recalls interviewing Trump in 2020, when Trump said "I wish her well" about Ghislaine Maxwell despite her child sex trafficking charges.
- Cash Patel was bombastic during the campaign, telling the FBI to release the files and identify the pedophiles—then found himself unable to deliver once in charge.
- Guest notes the real problem was Trump himself, who didn't want the whole thing to disappear and had no interest in declassification.
- Tim presses the guest: why would the president want the Epstein files to disappear?
Jeffrey EpsteinDonald TrumpGhislaine MaxwellKash PatelDan BonginoWe wish them well
- 4 min
Tim asks directly whether Epstein was affiliated with US or foreign intelligence and whether that explains the cover-up; Swan says Epstein's network was extraordinary but they've seen no evidence confirming an intelligence tie.
6moments
- Trump and Epstein were close friends for years, with Trump later distancing himself and changing his story about their falling out.
- White House officials including Susie Wilds underestimated public interest in the Epstein files, treating it as a passing issue.
- Dan Bongino warned the administration this wasn't just an online story and tried to get them to take it seriously.
- Pam Bondi's interview suggesting a client list existed, followed by binders arriving at the White House with Trump's name on travel logs.
- White House situation room meetings focused primarily on PR damage control rather than victim concerns about the president.
- Tim asks whether Epstein was affiliated with U.S. or foreign intelligence services and whether that explains the continued document withholding.
Jeffrey EpsteinDonald TrumpPam BondiGhislaine MaxwellJD VanceSusie WilesDan BonginoJames Blair+1 more
- 1 min
A straightforward ad read for Ethos life insurance, covering quotes, coverage amounts, and pricing.
3moments
- Tim pitches Ethos life insurance, emphasizing that everyone wants coverage and it takes just 10 minutes to get quoted and covered online.
- No medical exam required—just answer a few health questions to get up to 3 million in coverage, with policies starting as low as $30 a month.
- Ethos has a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot with over 4,000 reviews; get a free quote at ethos.comtim.
- 1 min
An ad for Gusto payroll and HR software aimed at small businesses, touting automation and a three-month free offer.
2moments
- Tim compares switching to Gusto to finally cleaning out a drunk drawer that's been bothering you for months.
- Small business owners can't control interest rates or tariffs, but they can control how efficiently their business operates.
- 5 min
Discussion of why Tucker pushed Trump to pick Vance over Rubio, Vance's genuine ideological commitment to non-interventionism, and an anecdote about Rupert Murdoch praising Rubio over Vance at a White House dinner while Trump watched the tension play out.
9moments
- Tucker Carlson convinced Trump to pick JD Vance as VP instead of Marco Rubio, warning that deep-state forces would assassinate Trump if Rubio became VP because they knew Rubio would execute their plans.
- JD Vance believes in nationalist and isolationist policies much more deeply and consistently than Trump does, including stricter anti-intervention and harder-line immigration stances.
- Trump picked Vance partly because he thinks Vance is smart and handsome, and is impressed that Vance got into Yale without a rich father—Trump casts people like a TV producer selecting for roles.
- Trump enjoys messing with Vance, as evidenced by a dinner at the White House with Robert Murdoch where Trump asks Murdoch to compare the two.
- At a White House peace dinner in the blue room months after Murdoch's Wall Street Journal story about Trump's Epstein birthday card, Trump asks Murdoch what he thinks of Vance.
- Murdoch tells Vance he has potential to be great, then praises Marco Rubio as brilliant moments later—a backhanded move given Murdoch had worked to prevent Vance from becoming VP.
- Much of the donor class and hawkish voices at Mar-a-Lago, who influence Trump, are anti-Vance, creating pressure on the vice president from Trump's inner circle.
- Despite donor class opposition, Vance remains the most likely presidential nominee after Trump based on reporting, with no sign Rubio is building a challenge and Rubio publicly supporting him.
- Trump is unlikely to make the path to nomination easy for Vance, even if Vance ends up becoming the nominee.
JD VanceDonald TrumpElon MuskRupert MurdochTucker CarlsonDonald Trump JrMarco RubioStephen Miller+2 more
- 5 min
Tim asks about the growing strain in US-Israel relations amid Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon conflicts; Haberman and Swan discuss Trump calling Netanyahu a 'con man,' declining Republican youth support for Israel, and Israel hedging by courting India as a future ally.
8moments
- Tim asks his guests about revelations explaining the future of the US-Israel relationship and the strain the Gaza war has put on it.
- Guest explains Trump's advisers are more hawkish on Iran and see the Middle East conflict as a paddle they're trying to use to get out of a creek.
- Trump called Netanyahu a con man but was speaking favorably of him, saying he's not afraid of war, which reflects Trump's own psychology.
- Trump told Netanyahu on a September phone call that the Jews, including Jared Kushner and Steve Wickoff on the line, are sick of him.
- The future of the US-Israel relationship is uncertain; it's hard to imagine it going in a more pro-Israel direction after Trump given shifting public opinion.
- If JD Vance becomes the Republican nominee in 2028, you could have a matchup of two Israel skeptics, which the Israeli government understands.
- Netanyahu wants to reduce the amount of US aid Israel receives and is increasing relationships with countries like India.
- Israel may need to find new friends in the world because public opinion suggests the US relationship doesn't have a rosy picture ahead.
Benjamin NetanyahuDonald TrumpJD VanceIsraelJared KushnerSteve WickoffGazaIndia+2 more
- 1 min
Tim asks where listeners can still find the sold-out book amid reprinting.
3moments
- Book sold out everywhere but is being restocked in stores, available in ebook and audio formats.
- Tim asks the New York Times journalists if they fear being replaced by podcasters given the impact they had on the election.
- Tim directly asks whether mainstream media journalists fear replacement by people like him.
- 2 min
Tim jokingly asks if Swan and Haberman fear being replaced by podcasters like him; they defend the institutional backing of the New York Times, citing legal protection and resources needed for sensitive reporting like weapons stockpile leaks, before signing off.
4moments
- Legacy media outlets need big institutions behind them to do serious investigative reporting, according to the guest journalist.
- Recently published reporting on American weapons supplied to Iran and long-range missiles, with sources taking serious risks.
- The infrastructure of the New York Times — lawyers, security, platform — enables the type of reporting that couldn't happen on Substack as a free agent.
- Tim claims he, Joe Rogan, and Barry Weiss are the only journalists left in America.