The Daily Beast Podcast I Know Why Trump and His Goons Are Toast
23 snips
Mar 16, 2026 Steve Schmidt, former Bush and McCain operative turned outspoken critic of Trump, offers a blistering take. He discusses GOP panic over a potential war with Iran and how it could hurt Republicans. He unpacks the Kristi Noem ad scandal and why Trump turned on her. He also describes the cultlike rituals and optics binding Trump’s circle and the fractured future of MAGA.
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Midterms Were Doomed Before The War
- Steve Schmidt says the midterms were already a catastrophic political landscape for MAGA before the war began.
- He cites flipped districts and polling showing Republicans likely to lose the House, Senate, and governorships nationwide.
Air Power Alone Won't Win Against Iran
- Schmidt argues the Iran campaign is incoherent and unlikely to produce victory from air power alone.
- He warns Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. action risks historic global oil shocks and economic pain.
Restraint Is The Key Quality Missing In Leadership
- Restraint is the central leadership quality Schmidt says has been abandoned in this administration.
- He criticizes militarized bloodlust, citing the submarine sinking and the school strike that killed 168 girls as failures of restraint.