WATCH: Adam Grant Joins The Daily Beast Podcast
In the political fly trap that is Mar-a-Lago, power-seekers flock around Trump.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty
This week on The Daily Beast Podcast, co-hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee welcomed Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and Wharton professor who’s racked up 80 million TED Talk views, to discuss the current “brace for impact” moment in America, as Bee described it. In the aftermath of the presidential election, and amid other looming cultural shifts, Grant says people feel stuck in uncertainty, gripped by “threat rigidity.” His advice? Focus on meaningful work. “The best antidote to helplessness is a sense of helpfulness,” he advised.
Grant’s approach to leadership is similarly thoughtful: “Be a giver, not a taker; a learner, not a knower,” he told Coles and Bee. Political leadership isn’t about being a “super genius,” he continued, but relationship and coalition-building—skills he says Elon Musk and Donald Trump lack. Instead, Grant advocates for “internal disruptors” who understand public service, adding, “Let’s not bet on Iron Man.”
The Daily Beast’s executive editor—and “Mar-a-Lago patio correspondent,” as Coles deemed him—Hugh Dougherty also joins the podcast to discuss the “patio power games” currently playing out at Trump’s Palm Beach headquarters. Musical chairs this is not.
As he assembles his new administration, Trump is working from a “fake situation room,” Dougherty explained, filled with TV screens on which the president-elect scrutinizes candidates' on-air appeal. “And the big judgment for Trump, we are told, is how do they perform defending him?” Dougherty said.
This focus on loyalists with cable TV credentials is perhaps also pushing more outlandish names to the top of Trump’s wish list. The president-elect picks thus far include Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard , Kristi Noem and Elon Musk—with RFK Jr. likely still to come.
As Dougherty noted, Trump’s team has normalized—encouraged, even—extreme discourse to the point of “smashing the Overton window,” in an attempt to make Trump look tame by comparison.
So with the rules of leadership shifting and Trump’s power-drunk suitors swarming, Mar-a-Lago’s political fly trap awaits its next catch. Listen to the full episode to find out why that won’t be a ‘regular’ bug.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast drop every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each episode debuts.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog