THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

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Trump Epstein Mess Worsens as MAGA Cracks Up: “He Lame-Ducked Himself” Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

Former attorney general Pam Bondi testified behind closed doors Friday about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. She effectively let it be known that Todd Blanche, now acting AG, has been responsible for this debacle, creating a new inquiry for Democrats to pursue that will be fraught for Trump. Bondi also went mum on how Trump instructed her to handle the Epstein files, basically declining to back Trump’s spin that he was pro-transparency, raising still more questions for Democrats to pursue. Meanwhile, Trump’s sinking approval, Iran debacle, ballroom and slush fund are fracturing Trumpworld and the GOP: One Republican told The Atlantic that he has “lame-ducked himself.” We talked to historian Nicole Hemmer, author of several books about the right. We discuss why the Epstein scandal continues to fracture the MAGA movement, the deeper reasons for Trump’s weakening hold on the GOP, and why MAGA will go into deep turmoil once Trump passes from the scene.

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Trump ICE Standoff in N.J. Takes Darker Turn with Unnerving DHS Threat May 29, 2026

Show notes

For days, activists have been protesting terrible conditions at an ICE facility in New Jersey. In response, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is now threatening to pull Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities, which could halt international flights to them. As even Fox News is pointing out, this would cause massive disruptions. Indeed, it would likely deal another big blow to GOP midterm chances. Yet the whole saga captures how Trump governance seeks to deliberately stoke searing tensions between MAGA and blue America. We talked to Nayna Gupta, policy director for the American Immigration Council, which just released a blueprint for a saner system. We discuss the worsening situation in Newark, why Mullin’s threat is simultaneously deranged and comical, and how the fascist advisers around Trump see violent conflict between MAGA and blue America as a good and desirable outcome.

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Trump Blurts Out Surprise Admission about Midterms as GOP Panic Erupts May 28, 2026

Show notes

“I don’t care about the midterms,” Donald Trump admitted during a monologue about his Iran war. In addition to candidly declaring that he doesn’t care that his policies are badly imperiling his GOP colleagues, Trump also suggested that the GOP nomination of MAGA whackjob Ken Paxton in Texas—which Trump engineered—was a major accomplishment. This accidentally showed that Trump is still under the delusion that he and MAGA are popular. Yet this comes as The New York Times reports that Republicans are freshly “alarmed,” with some admitting that Trump is putting them in severe danger. We talked to New Republic contributing editor Felipe De La Hoz, who’s been arguing that Trump’s historic unpopularity gives Democrats new openings. We discuss how Texas is now winnable for Democrats, why Republicans are accepting Trump’s destruction of their midterm hopes, and what Democrats can do to capitalize on Trump’s travails.

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Trumpworld Erupts in Fury as Coverage of His Health Takes Brutal Turn May 27, 2026

Show notes

After Donald Trump attended his physical, he proclaimed his health perfect. Then the White House rapid response team—which leads the charge for Trumpworld—unleashed an extraordinary series of angry attacks on journalists. Their transgression? Reporting accurately on Trump’s decline. This comes as Trump’s physical exam has prompted brutal coverage of his deterioration. We’ve seen scalding on-air assessments of his health from doctors, as well as media coverage that meticulously lists out the symptoms of his decline and notes his lack of transparency about exam results. Like good little authoritarians, Trump and his propagandists feel compelled to portray him as a physical superman whose virility is unquestioned—but this just reminds everyone of what they can see with their own eyes. We talked to Michael Cohen, who writes well about Trump’s weakness for his Substack, Truth and Consequences. We discuss why the cult of Trump’s virility is backfiring and what it says about the failings of Trumpworld’s broader totalitarian playbook.

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Trump Tirades Take Unhinged Turn as His Epic Poll Collapse Rattles GOP May 26, 2026

Show notes

GOP discomfort with Donald Trump is growing. Republicans have effectively blocked taxpayer money for his ballroom, revolted against his corrupt slush fund for insurrectionists, and turned against his war. GOP panic about the his cratering approval and the midterm elections has reportedly escalated amid the ballroom and slush fund dramas. Amid mounting GOP opposition, Trump let out a strange, self-pitying Truth Social rant about his ballroom. Then at a rally he unleashed a weird tirade about the stock market and another bizarrely manic-sounding one about affordability. The rants only underscored how disconnected he is from the reality of voters’ economic experiences. We talked to New Republic deputy editor Jason Linkins, who’s been writing well about Trump’s corruption as a major political vulnerability. We discuss Trump’s growing mania, why these stories are uniquely difficult for Republicans to defend, and why Americans’ experience of the economy poses a potentially unsolvable political problem for the GOP.

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Trump Blurts Out Plot to Rig Midterms after Humiliating Fox Poll Hits May 22, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump just got hit with an absolutely crushing poll from Fox News. Disapproval of his handling of the economy is at an all time high. His ratings on inflation are staggeringly awful. Historically friendly voter groups—whites, rural Americans, the working class—are all turning away from him in surprising numbers. It’s no accident that on Thursday, Trump let out a long, rambling diatribe, demanding Republicans pass his onerous voter suppression legislation. Critically, Trump said straight out that if they do, Democrats will “never be elected again.” Trump admitted that the whole point of his bill is to ensure one-party rule in perpetuity, in the GOP’s favor—exactly why he wants it passed before the midterms. We talked to MS NOW opinion editor James Downie, author of a piece on Trump’s deepening unpopularity. We discuss why Trump is losing both his base and the new voters he won in 2024, what opportunities that offers Democrats, whether the bottom is really falling out for good, and why Trump can't cheat his way out this time.

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Trump Rages at GOPer in Crazed Tirade as Slush Fund Prompts GOP Revolt May 21, 2026

Show notes

Republicans are starting to break with Donald Trump’s corrupt $1.8 billion slush fund. Vulnerable House GOPer Brian Fitzpatrick announced that he’s pursuing legislation to block the fund. Other Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, are raising serious questions about it. Relatedly, Trump let out a bizarre, angry tirade about Rep. Fitzpatrick. Trump ripped him for disloyalty, snarling that this “doesn’t work out well” for Republicans. Though Trump’s anger might not have been about Fitzpatrick’s opposition to the slush fund, Fitzpatrick also opposes his ballroom. So this shows how Republicans are enraging Trump by running from his corruption. We talked to Salon’s Amanda Marcotte, who argues that Trump’s corruption will be his main legacy. We discuss new polling showing Trump at record economic lows; why the fund is deadly for the GOP; and why Trump’s pathologies don’t permit him to let Republicans get distance from him.

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Trump Screws Himself So Badly on Tex. Race that GOPers Visibly Stunned May 20, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump just endorsed MAGA nutjob Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP primary for Senate, potentially killing off establishment incumbent Senator John Cornyn. As GOP Senators absorbed this news, reporters described them as “visibly dismayed” and “stone-faced.” Senator Lisa Murkowski openly declared that Trump has now put the seat “in jeopardy,” asking: “How does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?” Translation: Trump has screwed himself and his party in a big way. This might cost them the seat, and at a minimum it makes it much harder to hold. So is Texas actually gettable for Democrats? We talked to Democratic operative Sawyer Hackett, a veteran of Texas races. He explains why Paxton is much weaker than Cornyn, why a perfect storm of conditions in the state could bring about the unthinkable, what Democrat James Talarico’s path to victory looks like, and what could still go wrong for Democrats.

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Trump’s $10 Billion IRS Shakedown Takes Darker Turn, Unnerving Experts May 19, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump has reached a “settlement” with his Justice Department in a $10 billion lawsuit he brought against the IRS. Under it, DOJ will create a new $1.8 billion fund, controlled by Trump, that will dole out payments to allies who have supposedly been victimized by government “weaponization.” This could include the January 6 rioters. This has shocked legal observers, who called it everything from “horrible” to a “slush fund,” with others describing it as corruption that might be historically unprecedented. What happened here? Is there any recourse? Do Republicans really want to defend this, given that Trump’s economic numbers just cratered again in a brutal New York Times poll? We talked to legal expert Harry Litman, who writes for The New Republic and hosts the Talking Feds podcast. He explains why this is likely illegal but almost impossible to stop; why it’s so damaging to our system more broadly; and how Democrats can ensure that the GOP pays a major price for it this fall.

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Trump Rages Wildly at Journo—and Accidentally Exposes Big Iran Blunder May 18, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump desperately wants the world to recognize his world-historical defeat of Iran. In an extended tirade, Trump raged wildly at a New York Times reporter, insisting his victory is absolute. He claimed the Times is failing, accusing the journalist of being a “fake guy” and declaring his coverage betrays America: “I actually think it’s treason.” This is revealing: His insistence on having won reveals that Trump doesn’t get that military force alone can’t force open the Strait of Hormuz—meaning he doesn’t grasp the situation at the most fundamental level, perhaps his biggest failing of all. We talked to political scientist David Faris, who’s been writing well on this fiasco. We discuss how Trump got little out of China, why his failures abroad mean more authoritarianism at home, why that combination will do severe long-term damage to America, and how Trump suffers from “dictator envy.”

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