Michael Wolff

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Trump, who has had enormous difficulties principally escaping the Jeffrey
Epstein story, was looking for this trip and his appearances
with the royal family and this white tie dinner that
the King is throwing for him to overshadow his problems.

(00:22):
The difficulty he has run into is that is that
last week the the Prime Minister fired the ambassador to
the UK, ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelssohn, and he fired
Peter Mandelssohn because it has been it has come out

(00:44):
that Mandelssohn had a very very very close relationship with
Jeffrey Epstein. It began in the birthday book and then
there was a leak of emails which Bloomberg. Bloomberg got
Trump went around saying to aids, you know, why couldn't
they wait until after the trip. This is just going

(01:05):
to remind people of Epstein and then Epstein, Epstein, Epstein.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Michael Wolfe, you are in London where everything is going on,
but I wanted to kick off with some good news.
I hope it's good news for our audience. Your support
has meant the world to us, Your comments have meant
the world to us, and we are pleased to report
that what started as a trial podcast with Michael and

(01:35):
I talking inside Donald Trump's Head over the summer.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Has and talking over each other often.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Definitely interrupting each other, has somewhat taken off, and we
are now we are now official. Inside Trump's Head is
now official. We're going to be coming to you on
Tuesdays and Thursdays on YouTube and Michael, this is rather exciting.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, here we are with each other for the.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Duration fraternity for eternity. We've even been sent by YouTube
a clapper board which I'm going to I'm going to
do this with which I think you only get if
you reach a certain level of an audience enthusiasm, which
I'm very excited by. But what better day to announce
this news than on the day when you are literally projected.

(02:27):
The face of Michael Wolfe is projected. I think it's
two hundred feet tall. Is that possible on one of
the turrets of Windsor Castle? In the remarkable gorilla movie
of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump on the side of
Windsor Castle for Donald Trump's visit.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
I would have said that Donald Trump can't escape Jeffrey Epstein,
but possibly he can't escape me either.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Well, this is I guess, and I gather you've been
hearing from everybody. I mean, what, let's just decode what
is I think? I mean, it's out bank seed bank seat.
It's an incredible piece of guerrilla marketing. What a genius
thing to do.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yeah, do we know how they get it? How they
got it up there?

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Well, I think it was just projected, right, It was
just a projection, so you can do it from many
yards or feet away. I remember we actually projected fashion
images on the side of the Empire State Building, first
time it had ever been done.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
To assume you had I assume they don't have permission
to do that, or maybe they do have permission. Maybe
Charles said, yeah, let go for it.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
I don't think Charles would have said it, but William might. Yes,
I think we definitely know that Prince Andrew wouldn't have done.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Well in what we definitely know if they had done
it in Washington, people would have rushed in to take
it down and to stop it. And this seems to
mearily go.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Well, no, I think I think I think the four
people that did it have been arrested are and charged. Actually,
but what you can't do is stop the images online.
So for however long it was up there, I think
it was an hour. The images have gone everywhere are
and are indelible as apparently am I as you are indeed,

(04:24):
and I wanted to give a shout out to Tom Sykes.
Actually he was all over this story very early in
our team in London with led by Nico Hines and
Dan Ladden Hall, who've been doing an incredible job monitoring
every single move that Trump has made. But please, Michael,
from the moment Air Force one touchdown, talk us through
this historic visit.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
The visitor is meant to echo a visit. God, how
long ago was that now? Almost eight years ago when
he came. When Trump came and met with the Quan,
one of the things that he he often said was
a high point of his presidency. And Trump has this
thing about the Royal family which is kind of hard

(05:10):
to decipher. It's it's kind of a postcard fantasy about
about the royal family, or perhaps it's it's a larger
fantasy in which in which he becomes a character. So
King Charles, and he made a mistake yesterday and referred
to him as Prince Charles, perhaps because King is is

(05:33):
the fantasy he reserves for himself, but it's very on
on both sides. So the the Brits are looking forward
to this, or the Labor government and the Prime Minister,
Keir Starmer is looking forward to this because he's had
a terrible, terrible week actually several weeks, several months, you

(05:56):
could say, and so he's looking looking to this visit
for good news, hoping for a trade agreement that that
that will be able to to overshadow all kinds of
difficulties that he's had. Likewise, Trump, who has had enormous difficulties,

(06:18):
principally escaping the Jeffrey Epstein story, was looking for this
trip and his appearances with the royal family and this
white tie dinner that the King is throwing for him
to overshadow his problems. Now, the difficulty he has run

(06:40):
into is that is that last week the uh the
Prime Minister fired the ambassador to the UK, ambassador to Washington,
Peter Mandelssohn, and he fired Peter Mandelssohn because it has
been and it has come out that that Mandelssohn had

(07:04):
a very very very close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. I
should point out not as close as Donald Trump's relationship
with Jeffrey Epstein, but nevertheless a close relationship with an
email trail documenting this their their friendship.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
And it came to light in the birthday book, right.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
It began in the Birthday book. And then there was
a leak of emails which Bloomberg. Bloomberg got and no
one seems to know quite how they got this leak
of emails. But there was Mandelsh talking to Epstein and
basically saying, you know, I support you and you're going

(07:49):
to get through this. And and notably, if this had
happened in the UK, no one would have ever ever
thought anything of it. You would have just gotten it
wouldn't have been an issue in the UK. So so
Peter Mandelsson got hoisted on that and he was fired,

(08:10):
plunging Donald Trump into something of a rage with with
Cure Starmer, the UK, the UK Prime Minister, because Trump
went around saying to to AIDS, you know, why couldn't
they wait until after the trip? This is just going
to remind people of Epstein and then Epstein, Epstein, Epstein,

(08:34):
he seemed, he repeats, well, Trump is famous for this
for his repetitions. But whenever Epstein comes up. He seems
to repeat it three times, so.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
It's a shit some kind of just it's his mantra Epstein, Epstein, Epstein,
and it's and it's haunting him and so and so
here he is in the UK.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
Mandelssh has just been fired, and it's the big story
in the in the UK. And of course there's a
there's a further backdrop to this, which is Prince Andrew
was brought down by by Jeffrey Epstein. Gilainne Maxwell, who's
a brit was was is in prison because of because

(09:16):
of Jeffrey Epstein. And here Donald Trump. Jeffrey Epstein's again,
and I think we have to continue to repeat this.
Jeffrey Epstein's closest friend in life, Donald Trump is.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
So I just want to get this straight. So and
I want to remind people that when Peter Mandelson turned
up in DC as the British ambassador, he had actually
been critical of Donald Trump, something which Chris la Sevita,
donald Trump's co campaign manager, pointed out and in fact
hex out tweeted out saying Peter Mandelsson is an absolute moron.

(09:57):
And it looked as if this relationship might not go
very smoothly. But in fact Mandelsoon, because he is known
as the as the Minister of the Dark Arts, managed
to smooth it over very quickly. There was a video
of him with Trump. He was standing behind Trump. He
then said very flattering things about Donald Trump and this
visit was supposed to be something that he would be

(10:19):
in charge of all the logistics. It was a huge
triumph for Britain. And now you're saying that Donald Trump
is furious with Kirs Tarmer for not delaying his feu.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
And it's been Peter Mandelsson has been quite successful as
the as the UK ambassador that to the extent that
it is possible when let's acknowledge this is a bad
situation for every country, but the UK, you can argue,
has probably made the best of this and the strategy

(10:52):
here to to abjectly flatter Donald Trump. You'll remember the
the Prime Minister came met with Trump brandished a letter
from the King and.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Which I think he wasn't expecting Donald Trump to read,
but in fact he unfilled it almost like a sort
of speaker of old and read it with just enormous
glee and joy.

Speaker 1 (11:18):
I know, and a brilliant move architected by by Peter Mandelsson.
So it's a kind of I mean, it's an irony
that the guy did a great job. But you know,
except for this one small issue Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
Well an amazing the way it came to, Like the
birthday book comes out, everybody is focused on the Donald
Trump letter. Is it there? Is it not there? Did
he do a drawing? Is there a poem? What's the
wonderful secret? And then as people spend time with the book,
they discover I think four pages from Peter Mandelson, including
a picture of what looks like a pre pubescent girl

(11:59):
with a face redacted, and then literally an unambiguous line
from Peter Mandelsson, you know from your best pal, Peter.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
Yeah, no, and and that that is and I know this,
and I know from conversations with with Epstein that they
were genuinely good friends for a long period of time.
This was and and and essentially what Mandelssh is getting
hoisted on is being one of the few people who

(12:31):
didn't flee from from from Epstein after his legal problems began.
I mean, he's he stayed in there.

Speaker 2 (12:40):
Well, it's cost Peter Mandelsson his job and and so but.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
Let me let me it's a thing that I was
at a at a dinner last night and people were
furious at the dinner and this is dinner in London,
that the story, the Peter Mandelsson story has not gotten
more attention in the US, which they were guy regard
somewhat as a slight.

Speaker 2 (13:01):
To a flight to Britain that nobody cares in the.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
World, and it hasn't gotten much much attention. And you know,
and this is this is over here. I would say
that it's one of the preoccupations is is is the
UK still important to the US? Is it genuinely important
to Donald Trump? Does Donald Trump really care about the UK?

(13:28):
And does he want Is he going to give the
UK something a meaningful trade agreement or is this really
just to have just a long several days of a
photo op.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
Let me ask you something. Do we think that Donald
Trump knows about the movie that was projected against Windsor Castle.

Speaker 1 (13:50):
We we don't know. I mean, I mean, I'm trying
to let let me just go through this in my
head because obviously obviously the aids around him would now
know about about this.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Well, I'm sure it's been either every news broadcast.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
Exactly so, but but it's probably not leading every news
broadcast in the US. I don't know, is it. You
would know that?

Speaker 2 (14:17):
Well when I was what, I have four different news
stations on my television and at one point, I think
three out of the four showing it at the same time.
It's it's surreally you.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
Have four different so you're you're like Donald Trump, well.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Known as multiview. It's very straightforward. It's an advantage of
YouTube TV. But it's multiview, so I can watch four
different things at the same time. Is it on the
same screen on the same TV.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
Well, yeah, Donald Trump has four different screens, so he's yeah,
I'm sure. Well, I'm sure he's not caught up to
that technology.

Speaker 2 (14:51):
He's probably got He's probably got four on each of
his four screens, giving him sixteen news channels only I
only have four. But it's certainly been part of the
of the dialogue here, though of course we've had bigger
stories going on with the death of Charlie Kirk, so
Peter Mandelson hasn't gotten much attention here at all.

Speaker 1 (15:11):
And he will and he is. I mean, I think
that this is all part of his general the background
to his unhappiness. He should be happy. He is not happy. Now,
that's that's a that's par for the course with Donald Trump.
He is always at some level of disgruntlement. So and

(15:32):
coming here trying to get away from Epstein, and here Epstein, Epstein,
Epstein is yet following well.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
And of course there's the Prince Andrew of it all.
And there was a massive enormous sort of tar paul
in with a picture of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
with their arms around each other, which had been rolled
out in the public lawn outside of Windsor Castle, which
has also got a ton of attention and obviously photographed
by dres which also went everywhere.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
So but but let's say there's another aspect of this
that we should also point out, which is that there
was a very substantial, I mean a really substantial right
wing demonstration in the streets of of of London, I
mean led by led by a figure in fact, a

(16:25):
kind of Charlie kirkish kirk like figure of in in
the UK. Guy but know, Tommy Robinson, which is a
very you know, you know, has become the the young
right wing exponent and and and the I mean the
demonstration was was was huge in the in the London

(16:48):
streets and uh and Trump were he of the mind
to to to to regard this. I I I think
he could look at this, that this that that his movement,
the mega movement led by him is having a significant

(17:08):
impact over here.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
Well maybe he'll move on from Greenland Greenland and he'll
turn his eyes to Europe and taking over Britain. I mean,
I think that would play into Putin's playbook, right.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
It would actually suit me because it would be it
would be nice to be able to have a seamless boy.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
Well, you may end up having to stay, you may
end up having to stay over there, so let's just
I mean, I was very struck when he came down
the steps of Air Force one at how tightly he
seemed to be holding Milania's hand. We haven't seen them together,
as you're frequently pointing out, for some time, although she
suddenly cropped up at the AI event that they had

(17:53):
at the White House with all the tech leaders where
she was talking about the dangers of AI, and then
we saw her at the nine to eleven Oriole at
the Pentagon, but we haven't seen them holding hands for
a bit in fact, normally she flicks her hands his hand,
that's why.

Speaker 1 (18:09):
That's why he holds it tightly. And if he doesn't
hold it tightly, she'll.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Pull it away. And he looked as if he was
half holding on for support getting down the stairs, which
must be very stressful when you've got all those cameras
on you. You know, at least.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
These these stairs are very steep.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah. I always feel sorry for the President's running up
and trying to come down them, because I.

Speaker 1 (18:33):
Don't know why they haven't that they could have get
a kind of a circular staircase.

Speaker 2 (18:37):
And well they did solve it for Joe Biden, right,
which is they put it in the middle of the
aircraft and they gave him shallower stairs. But you think
these things are slippy. I'm sure I would fall both
up and down them, so I have some sympathy.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
But it's ferry Windy in London, so he could be well,
it would have to be a big win, too big
win to reap him.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
Away, right, So he's held on to Millennia, he's got
to the bottom of the step met by the protocol
officer and he's helicoptered off to Winfield House where he's
with the ambassador. What what's happened since then? Tonight there
is this white tie dinner. I mean, I've actually never
heard of white tied dinner, but apparently that's so.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
Even smarter than black type royal thing. And and it's
the kind of height of the pomp of this and
a very significant formal event. It is it is this,
It's what a state visitor gets. And one of the sidelights.

(19:47):
The interesting things about about that is that apparently this
will be attended by Rupert Murdoch. Now, now this is
kind of weird because Donald Trump is in the process
of suing Rupert Murder the Wall Street Journal and which
Rupert Murdock owns for ten billion dollars.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
And this is over the revelation of the Epstein letter
in the Birthday Book, right.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
So there's two interesting things about that. There there was
the revel that the Wall Street Journals, the Wall Street
Journal first published this letter. Donald Trump said it was
a hoax. But subsequent to that, the entire Birthday book,
all of the letters that were written to Jeffrey Epstein

(20:37):
on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday in two thousand
and three, all of this organized collated by Gallaine Maxwell.
This entire book was released and and sure is shooting.
There was the letter from Donald Trump, the theoretically hoax

(20:58):
letter from Donald Trum to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, every but
nobody else in this in this of the many, many, many,
many people who wrote Jeffrey Epstein letters, family friends.

Speaker 2 (21:13):
Leon Black, Alan Dershovitz, they're.

Speaker 1 (21:15):
All that random celebrities. Nobody else has has denied the
authenticity of these letters. The only one who has denied
the authenticity is Donald Trump.

Speaker 2 (21:26):
And indeed, Peter Mandelsson has been fired because of the
authenticity of his letter.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
Right, And he didn't say that's not me, and so
we can assume that actually it's a genuine, a genuine
letter from Donald Trump. But he certainly has not said okay,
you got me and withdrawn his suit. Rather, he is
he is not only aggressively pursuing his lawsuit, but then

(21:55):
he sued the New York Tea. He announced he was
going to sue the New York Times for also citing
this letter. Now, possibly because someone near Trump said this
is you know, you're I mean, you're kind of you're
on sort of sinking sands here, and he did not

(22:18):
sue them because of this letter. Instead he turned around
yesterday and sued them for some other articles that he
didn't like for fifteen billion, I believe fifteen billion.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
And for years he argues for years of articles that
we're just written against him, right, so, in other words,
bias against him.

Speaker 1 (22:41):
This isn't against the backdrop of of after Charlie Kirk's
Death's death saying that he is going after free speech.
He doesn't call it free. He is going after leftist speech.
That is that that's what he wants to curtail, that's
what he wants to regulate.

Speaker 2 (23:04):
Up now, hold on, hold on, Can we just go
back to the specter of this incredibly formal dinner where
he will be dressed up in white tie. I'm sure
we'll get details of whatever the first lady is wearing,
but he will be sitting near Rupert Murdock. He will
be eating at the same table at.

Speaker 1 (23:22):
So yes, so I understand that he asked for Rupert
Murdoch to be invited and within and what Trump intimates
have told me is because he believes that he can
quote pressure the old man into a settlement. Rupert Murdoch

(23:44):
is ninety four years old. So if he can pressure
him into a settlement, and then a person near Trump
said to me that it would be it could be
an easy ten million. So there is this this this
kind of this kind of thing that he's he's now
attacking free speech, you know, as a you know, I

(24:07):
certainly in this instance as a way to collect some
money for himself shakedown which yes, which he did for
in his a suit against ABC they settled for fifteen
million dollars. A suit against CBS, they settled for sixteen
million dollars, all which goes not to the United States

(24:28):
Treasury but to Donald Trump. And the lever here that
he has against None of these suits would prevail in
any court there, specious ridiculous, You can't even begin to
take them seriously at any legal level. But you know,

(24:49):
he controls the United States government, so the United States government,
so it's not just a lawsuit. It's just not just
what happens in court. It's what these companies face in
terms of interference by the United States government. So it's
enormous leverage that he has over anyone that he sues

(25:12):
on the and again who he is suing on a
personal basis, and just let me add this again, because
it really is it should not be overlooked. Never before
in the modern age has has a president of the
United States sued a media company, actually, and it may

(25:33):
be that that never before in the modern age, as
a president may sued anyone on a personal basis well.

Speaker 2 (25:42):
And it's also worth reminding people that the head of
the DOJ, Pam Bondy, was his personal lawyer, and Todd Blanche,
the number two at the DOJ, was his personal lawyer.
And of course, the minute the Wall Street Journal released
or the minute the Wall Street Journal ran the piece

(26:04):
about Trump's birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, which you have
always maintained, was released by the Maxwell family as a
shot across the bow to say, hey, Gilen is sitting
in an unpleasant jail in Florida. Todd Blanche is on
a plane five days after the release of the letter
to interview her, and he takes two days interviewing her

(26:27):
in lo and behold, the following week she's literally moved
to a low security jail in Texas where she has
a sister living, not in the jail in Texas.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
And just to add, because I think we should keep
track of this, all of these legal Trump legal issues
personal legal issues are coordinated by a man by the
name of Boris Epstein, who has been his consigliere throughout
throughout the campaign, in times actually before the campaign the

(27:01):
campaign began, who still has essentially that client of one
relationship with Trump, and he did not chose specifically not
to come into the White House, but nevertheless coordinates all
of Trump's personal legal strategies outside of the White House.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Well, it's going to be an absolutely riveting dinner tonight.
So we've got Donald Trump possibly sidling up to Murdoc
to say, hey, can we get something done? Do you
think that Rupert Murdock is I mean, you've written four
books on Donald Trump, and you've written two books on
Rupert Murdock. So do we think that Rupert Murdock is
likely to settle? I know he's ninety four, but Rupert's

(27:45):
mother lived till I think she was one hundred and two.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
Do we Yeah? But even that people say that, and
I just you know, as though this is a long,
long lease on life. He's ninety four, coming on ninety five.
Even on the outside, on the outside, it's a time
is running out here. He is, as Donald Trump calls

(28:10):
him that old man. He is an old man.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
Well, and there was an almost comic moment when the
Trump camp insisted that Rupert Murdoch be deposed quickly. They
wanted him to pose within two weeks because Trump said
he might die. He might die, so sort of remarkable
maneuvering on both sides. But do you think that Rupert
Murdock is likely to settle?

Speaker 1 (28:35):
I don't know. I think it's I think it's possible.
I mean, I think, I mean, I would never have
said that the Rupert Murdoch of YR would never have settled.
The Rupert Murdoch, who ran one of the largest media
companies in the world, in one of the most aggressive
media companies in the world, certainly would never have settled.

(28:55):
But as it happens, he just settled a very contentious
lawsuit with his family. And I think, I think if
you had to analyze this moment as is he wrapping
up things, settling things, getting getting his affairs in order,
this might be the moment to strike. And Donald Donald

(29:17):
Trump has a very strong animal instinct for someone's weaknesses.

Speaker 2 (29:24):
But the Wall Street Journal op ed page has been
extremely aggressive. I mean, this week has been very robust
against the Trump tariffs. It's really taken a very strong,
normy Republican line against Donald Trump. It's really kind out
swinging against him.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
Yeah no, well I don't I don't know. I mean,
that's it has and you would think and Donald Trump,
as I mean, Rupert Murdock, as I've written a thousand times,
this can't stand Donald Trump. But Rupert Murdoch has always
had this instinct for power. He knows where the wind blows.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
And so that really is like two elephants circling each
other all around the very fine china of Windsor Castle,
all dressed in their lovely white tuxedos.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
I do love a wife. Yeah no, And and it's
it's you know, I mean mean, I think I think
we should keep our eye very closely on this space
because it is again, you know, Donald Trump is winning.

Speaker 2 (30:33):
Donald Trump is winning, is he? I mean, I feel
like the Epstein stuff is overshadowed.

Speaker 1 (30:38):
Well, it doesn't. I didn't say he has won, but
certainly in his war against the media he is. He
is winning, and I would look at I would also
keep my eye on I mean, the the editor of
the Wall Street Journal, who is a who is a
brit and a friend of yours, yep, Emma Tucker, I

(30:58):
would keep my eye on that space. You know, is
someone going to have to pay for this, for this,
for the Trump non hoax hoax letter.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
So let me take you back to the also the
incredible pageantry that the UK has put on Our royal
royalist Tom Sykes wrote an excellent piece in the Beast
today which I would urge everybody to read about how
Britain has basically prostrated itself for Donald Trump. And we

(31:34):
know he loves a parade, and the Brits are incredibly
good at putting on wonderful, wonderful parades, beautiful, shining military
parades that don't seem threatening but seem glorious and of
you know heart back to years of yore. I saw
that Donald Trump was enjoying the full, the full panoply

(31:55):
of British pageantry. Do you think it will give him
ideas well?

Speaker 1 (32:01):
You know, you know, I think I think the more
immediate question is do the Brits get something out of this?
Do they get their trade agreement? Do they get their
does does Cure Starmer come away with with with with
powerful headlines? I mean there was a headline headline today.
The all of the papers led with with a big

(32:23):
tech investments I mean, which is really not very much
of anything, but but but they they they pumped it.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
Up and the Brits is spinning it as a as
a sort of industry. It's a business deal.

Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, And and I think that's what they want. That's
a cure. Starmer wants to come out and say, this
is what I've gotten. I bowed down to Donald Trump.
I've sucked and sucked and sucked, and I've gotten something
for it. You know the problem with that with with
with with Trump is that you know, he he gives
and he takes and he gives, and then he forgets

(32:59):
that he's giving you something and it has no consistency,
no staying power. And he promises this tariff today and
then it's that tariff tomorrow. So I think it's a
it's a I mean, I'd say that they are playing
a game here, that the labor government is playing a

(33:23):
game that they're in the end not going to get
much of a return on. Well.

Speaker 2 (33:28):
It's also worth pointing out that Keir Starmer needed a
visit like this to be successful for him because he'd
also as well as Peter Mandlsson lost his Deputy Prime Minister,
Angela Rayna, which has been a huge domestic blow for him.
So both of them looking to get something out of this,
and both of them being compromised by the Epstein story,

(33:48):
both with Peter Mandelson and Prince Andrew and that, and
then you.

Speaker 1 (33:52):
Have you have you have Nigel Farage in the background
of this, who is certainly Kim painting to be the
next Prime minister.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
Then the leader the very right wing Reform Party.

Speaker 1 (34:09):
Right has started a new party. It is the party
that is it is now all eyes are on the
Reform Party. And Nigel Farrage has been consistently a a
supporter of a friend, a player in Trump's own political rise.

(34:31):
As a matter of fact, eight years ago on that visit,
when when when Trump came to the UK, I was
here with Steve Bannon and and and there was a lunch,
a liquid lunch Nigel Farrage of which I was president.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
Michael, you're going to have your own state visit at
this right, I mean, we said. Hugh Dockerty pointed out
on the podcast earlier this week that this is actually
a very unusual second state visit most heads of state
only get one visit with royalty. But because Donald Trump
saw the queen last time, he was over and of
course the queen died and there's a new monarch, King

(35:17):
Charles is now in the position to offer him a
second visit, because it's about the visit to the monarch,
not the visit to the country, is it.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
And it was. And also this became a strategically useful,
the presentation of the letter and desperation. Every literally every
country is desperate about its relationship with the US because
because I mean, these tariffs are real, draconian and damaging,

(35:45):
and and and so it's it's for everyone. It's how
can we minimize Let's do anything possible to minimize the
damage here, And so that's the hope they can trot
out Prince Charles. And Prince Charles now I'm still well, all.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
Well, he had seventy years, he had seventy years as
an apprentice for that job. So it's no surprise we
get his title wrong.

Speaker 1 (36:14):
I mean, it will be curious, actually, that conversation will
also be very curious.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
Well, do you think this has been good for the
king and the royal family?

Speaker 1 (36:22):
This was it, you know, I mean, I think it
will be a question of what they come away with here,
what they can claim and does it stick, does it
have holding power or is this just that they just
are they just victims of more Trump boloney.

Speaker 2 (36:42):
Well, Michael, we expect you to report back on the
dinner and whether or not Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch,
two old white men, get into fisticuffs over many plates,
many glasses, many forks, and I mean I can just
imagine the place settings, the tabletop as Americans calling it,

(37:02):
with all the different knives and forks, and the napkins
and the finger bowls. I mean, it is a glorious thing.
A white tied dinner at Windsor Castle. I'm talking as
if I've been to one. I haven't, but I have
been to Buckingham Palace a few times, and the Royal
family are extremely good at doing an entertaining I mean,
they really are. So I hope Donald Trump and Millenia

(37:24):
have fun. I hope that Milania gets to sit next
to Camillo, who seems to have recovered from her unfortunate
bout of sinusitis. And I did want to suggest that
when you talk to Trump's people, they ask the Royal family.
How Donald Trump should learn to shake hands, because I
noticed as he came down the stairs he has a

(37:45):
very firm grip. He really does. As we know, he
does that whole pulling back and forth with the hand,
which may or may not be leading to the bruising
on both hands. So maybe he's doing some left handed
grips too. But the Royal family is shae have very
specific protocol that you put your hand out as a
subject of the Royal family. You put your hand out

(38:05):
and they very gently squeeze it, so you're not supposed
to do the vigorous shake.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Again. Let me rush in to say this is already
a long explanation. Donald Trump does not do even short explanations.
So this is this is going nowhere.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
Well, then we're going to see more of his bruises.
I'm very curious if you shake his hand, do you
get makeup on your hand?

Speaker 1 (38:29):
Well, I have shaken his hand and no, it's but
it's actually.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Didn't you shake his hand before he had makeup to
cover the bruises?

Speaker 1 (38:38):
Yes, I have not shaken his hand in recently, but
I do remember shaking his hand that I do remember
the feeling that it's a plump hand.

Speaker 2 (38:50):
It's a plump hand. Well, Michael, we'll see what hands
the British come away with after this spectacular state visit.
We'll be talking to Tom Sykes tomorrow for the royal
perspective on this and whether or not Prince Andrew has
managed to stay out of the way, or as he
did at the Duchess of Kent's funeral, he pops up

(39:12):
and manages to zelligli like appear in all the photographs
in which Prince William looks absolutely livid that he's there,
because he's obviously very conscious that his job is to
say the Royal family on into the next generation and
having the specter of Prince Andrew and of course his
relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is not best helpful.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
You may not have been to Buckingham Palace, but I
have been.

Speaker 2 (39:37):
I have been to bucking Palace. I just hap me
to win that cole.

Speaker 1 (39:40):
You Oh okay, Well, I, on the other hand, have
been on the face of Windsor Castle, apparently.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
At two hundred feet tall. Someone's telling me, which I
can't believe. I want to show you the clapperboard that
YouTube has sent us. It's very exciting I'm going to
bang it twice to remind people that we are are
now going to be a permanent addition to your feed
in YouTube, Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. Please

(40:09):
leave us a comment on YouTube, Join and become a
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it with a friend. Share it with a friend, share
it with a colleague, share it with someone that you
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and you need something to talk to them about. You
can argue about whether or not Michael Wolfe is right

(40:31):
and Rupert Murdock may be in the mood for settling,
although I sort of think if Rupert Murdock we're going
to go down. If he is sorting out his business affairs,
this might be one one de newment that he's not
prepared to close.

Speaker 1 (40:47):
Well, let's see.

Speaker 2 (40:50):
Michael have fun in London. We'll be back later this week,
and as our first lady would have us, say, be
Beast and thank you to our action team, Devin Rogerino,
Anavon Urson and our editor Jesse mildd