The Daily Beast Podcast This Will Be Trump's Dark Legacy For America
Aug 14, 2025
David Rothkopf, a foreign policy insider and former Clinton campaign official, joins to discuss the precarious implications of Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin. They dive into Trump’s flattery-driven diplomacy and the KGB tactics used by Putin, revealing the risks tied to ego and ambition on a global scale. Rothkopf critiques Trump’s foreign policy legacy, emphasizing its detrimental effects on Ukraine and America's global standing. The conversation paints a vivid portrait of the intricate power dynamics shaping international relations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
No Breakthrough Without Ukraine
- Progress with Russia is unlikely without Ukraine at the table, so trilateral solutions are necessary.
- Trump meeting Putin alone makes breakthroughs improbable and risks sidelining Zelensky.
One-On-One Is Putin's Advantage
- Putin prefers one-on-one, no-note encounters to manipulate leaders through flattery and rapport.
- Trump is especially vulnerable to that approach because he responds to praise and personal bonding.
Trust Between President And Intelligence Was Severed
- Trump's public rejection of US intelligence in Helsinki damaged trust between the presidency and the intelligence community.
- That moment was possibly the worst rupture in presidential-intelligence relations in modern history.
