The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Ronan Farrow on the Scheme at the Heart of Trump’s New York Trial

Apr 17, 2024

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ronan Farrow discusses Trump's criminal trial, focusing on hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, Dino Sajudin, and Karen McDougal. He highlights the significance of the cover-up in the case and the complexity of the scheme. Farrow emphasizes the impact of suppressed stories on Trump's election and the broader implications for transparency.

34:46

Creator website

Episode guests

Ronan Farrow

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Trump's scheme involved catch and kill tactics with National Enquirer to suppress damaging stories.

The trial underscores the broader implications of media manipulation by powerful figures like Trump.

Deep dives

The Catch and Kill Scheme Involving Trump, Cohen, and AMI

The heart of the case against former President Donald Trump involves a catch and kill scheme orchestrated with his former lawyer Michael Cohen and the tabloid National Enquirer. This scheme aimed to suppress unflattering stories by buying them up, with one involving a rumored love child and another with former Playboy model Karen McDougall. Through such practices, Trump sought to manipulate the news cycle extensively.

Introduction

2min

Trump Tower Meeting and Hush Money Payments

14min

Cultural Discussions During Podcast Intermission

2min

Whistleblower Testimony and Media Influence

9min

Donald Trump's Evolution with Negative Publicity and Media Support

3min

Unveiling Trump's Suppressed Stories

7min

Promotion of Ronan Farrow's Investigative Work and Introduction to Wired's Gagit Lab Podcast

2min

Ronan Farrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and contributing writer to The New Yorker, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the impact of rulings made this week by Judge Juan Merchan in Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, where he faces thirty-four felony counts for falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels around the time of the 2016 election. Farrow explains why two other hush-money payments, made to former Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, are central to the Manhattan District Attorney’s case. As Farrow explains, “the coverup is ultimately a much, much bigger story than any of the underlying things being covered up would have been.”

This week’s reading:

Inside the Hush-Money Payments That May Decide Trump’s Legal Fate, by Ronan Farrow
The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence, by Ronan Farrow
Donald Trump, a Playboy Model, and a System for Concealing Infidelity, by Ronan Farrow

To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Ronan Farrow on the Scheme at the Heart of Trump’s New York Trial

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Catch and Kill Scheme Involving Trump, Cohen, and AMI

Legal Implications and Contextual Importance of Catch and Kill Payments

Witness Testimonies and Prosecution Strategies

Media Manipulation and Impact on Democracy

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts