The Daily Beast Podcast Trump-Putin Meet Was Way Worse Than We Knew: Wolff
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Aug 20, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Michael Wolff, a Trump biographer and co-host of 'Inside Trump’s Head', delves into the alarming dynamics between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. They explore Trump's curious loyalty to Putin, the secretive negotiations over Ukraine, and the bizarre nature of their private meetings. Wolff reveals Trump's obsession with flattery and his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize. The conversation even touches on a mysterious meeting involving Jeffrey Epstein, raising eyebrows about the shadowy connections influencing Trump's presidency.
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Negotiation Left Europe Worse Off
- Michael Wolff argues Trump's peace efforts left Europe and Ukraine worse off than before the negotiations.
- Trump authorized Putin to take territory while promising undefined "security guarantees."
Everyone Is Trying To "Play" Trump
- Wolff says global actors are trying to "play" Trump because he is manipulable and inconsistent.
- That manipulability let Putin press territorial gains while Europeans scrambled to triangulate Trump.
Chaotic One‑On‑One With Putin In Anchorage
- Wolff recounts the Anchorage meeting: Trump talked at length while Putin remained expressionless and let him ramble.
- Delegates Rubio and Steve Witkoff tried to interject but Trump talked over them and accepted Putin's rejection of a ceasefire.