Latest news with #TheRestIsPoliticsUS
Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Rest Is Politics US review — the stale art of Trump-hating
Like an enormous water buffalo sustaining a flock of flea-eating river birds with a lifetime of free dinners, the Trump administration supports a throng of parasitic podcasters. Conservatives gawk and cheer. Liberals gawk and scoff. The world can't look away and the dollars roll in. Very firmly in the gawk and scoff camp are Anthony Scaramucci and Katty Kay of The Rest Is Politics US. Kay is a British journalist. Scaramucci, you probably recall, is famous for his ill-fated 11-day stint as Trump's communications director. Though not quite culture-bestriding political commentary superstars on the level of Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (hosts of the namesake show The Rest Is Politics), Kay and Scaramucci command a loyal audience of Trump-transfixed British liberals. That audience — world-weary, trainer-wearing centrists — was out in force last night for The Rest Is Politics US Live. Kay and Scaramucci appeared at Indigo at the O2 in London, a smaller side theatre in the famous dome where Billie Eilish was playing the main stage. But even Eilish's tweenage obsessives would struggle to equal the levels of fan devotion from the Rest Is Politics US crowd. 'Scaramucci 2028' caps were on sale at the merch stand and the hosts were whooped and cheered on to the stage. • Read more radio and podcast reviews I confess to a certain bewilderment. I've never quite got the appeal of The Rest Is Politics US. Scaramucci, though clearly genial, strikes me as a bit of a blowhard. I've never felt Kay has much of shattering insight to say on US politics. Still, the fun of Trump-hating will never die. You may have thought the vein of political comedy based on remarking repeatedly on what a ludicrous man the president is with his orange hair and silly tan was exhausted half a decade ago. Not here. The audience chortled away happily as we trotted through his disgraceful antics … the tariffs! The Musk bust-up! The hair! The hair looks like a racoon, Scaramucci observed to merry guffaws. My lips nearly twitched moderately upwards at his description of the president as 'an orange Moses descending from Mount Evil'. But an excess of self-respect prevented even a half-smile from forming. I read a thousand versions of that joke on Twitter in 2016. This stuff is really pretty tired. • Why are podcasters so fixated by Donald Trump? As for the commentary … well, we learnt that 'Trump has got Europeans to take defence spending seriously', that hosting Trump for a state visit may make him feel warmly towards Britain and that by cutting USAID Elon Musk's Doge unit has damaged American soft power. Why anyone would fight their way to the O2 through hordes of marauding Eilish fans on a sticky July evening to hear such lukewarm insights is beyond me. Such are the mysteries of podcasts. Rather more tenuously Scaramucci thinks Trump's havering on Ukraine can be explained by the fact Putin has kompromat of a sexual nature on the American president. To me this is sheer conspiracism but at the O2 I'm in a minority. 'Raise your hands if you think Putin's got something on Trump,' Scaramucci says and a forest of eager arms appears. 'It's not a pee-pee tape,' Scaramucci opines confidently. 'Trump could survive a pee-pee tape.' At one point Scaramucci says of Trump, 'He's a really bad guy, ladies and gentlemen.' This stunningly original observation is greeted with cheers and applause. It's just so easy. As long as Trump remains in the White House, the podcasters are safe. ★★☆☆☆
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Trump Is An Ageist,' Says Anthony Scaramucci. He Claims Saudi Prince MBS Used Trump's Disregard For Younger People To Play Him
In the latest episode of 'The Rest Is Politics US' podcast, Anthony Scaramucci shared his unfiltered view of Donald Trump's recent diplomatic push in the Middle East. According to the former White House communications director, Trump's foreign policy tour may look like a renaissance of American engagement, but it's also riddled with self-interest and personal blind spots. One of those blind spots? Age. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. "Trump is an aegist," Scaramucci said flatly. "He respects people that are his age. He doesn't respect people that are not his age." He continued, "If you're 40, talking to Trump, he actually looks at you like he doesn't give a sh*t. If you're 60, talking to Trump, he rolls his eyes. If [Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) Chairman and CEO] Steve Schwarzman, age 80, calls Donald Trump, he picks up the phone." Scaramucci said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, took advantage of that tendency. "He's got an elderly father that's the king. You want to be feted and treated like a king? I'm half your age, I am going to glitz you up in a way that you're going to leave here very, very happy." Trump, now 78, was met with extraordinary hospitality in Saudi Arabia this week—lavender carpets, horses, fighter jet escorts. Scaramucci believes MBS's deference wasn't just cultural, it was calculated. "That's exactly what he did," Scaramucci said. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Throughout the episode, host Katty Kay and Scaramucci dissected Trump's whirlwind week of diplomacy, which included stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Trump delivered speeches, pushed economic deals and attempted to reshape America's foreign policy stance. And while critics often describe Trump as isolationist, Scaramucci pointed out that this approach was much more interventionist than expected. "He talked about re-engineering the way America thinks about the Middle East and trying to foment peace and prosperity," Scaramucci said, adding that even former CIA officials praised Trump's speech in Saudi Arabia during the U.S.-Saudi investment forum. Still, he warned there's another side to Trump's diplomacy. "There's one angel on his shoulder saying you could really be a great president if you just calm the f*** down," he said. "Then he's got the devil on the other side saying, 'Hey, I want to make $200 billion for my family before I blow out of this presidency.'" Scaramucci, who briefly worked as the White House Communications Director in the first Trump administration, said this split is what defines Trump on the world stage. "He's our two-faced president," he said, referencing the Batman noted that while Trump's focus on economic deals might yield some success in the Gulf region, the same strategy hasn't worked in places like Ukraine or Gaza, where cultural and existential issues override financial incentives. "In some countries the sort of mercantilist theory of foreign policy might work," Kay said. "But [Trump's] theory doesn't take into account historical or cultural or ethnic forces." Despite these flaws, Scaramucci admitted the president has unusual stamina. "For a 79-year-old, he has tremendous energy." Yet, that energy may be going to more than just foreign policy. The episode also dove into Trump's possible financial gains from these diplomatic ventures, including controversies around a lavish Qatari jetliner some are calling "Qatar Force One." Scaramucci brushed it off as a distraction. "Let me shoot out the $400 million plane over here as a bauble to distract everybody while I'm working on a few billion dollars somewhere, either in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world for myself and my family," he said. As foreign governments roll out the red carpet, Scaramucci warns that Trump's priorities may be more about profit than policy. "This is the globalism of greed," Kay said, quoting an unnamed economist. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article 'Trump Is An Ageist,' Says Anthony Scaramucci. He Claims Saudi Prince MBS Used Trump's Disregard For Younger People To Play Him originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Trump Is An Ageist,' Says Anthony Scaramucci. He Claims Saudi Prince MBS Used Trump's Disregard For Younger People To Play Him
In the latest episode of 'The Rest Is Politics US' podcast, Anthony Scaramucci shared his unfiltered view of Donald Trump's recent diplomatic push in the Middle East. According to the former White House communications director, Trump's foreign policy tour may look like a renaissance of American engagement, but it's also riddled with self-interest and personal blind spots. One of those blind spots? Age. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. "Trump is an aegist," Scaramucci said flatly. "He respects people that are his age. He doesn't respect people that are not his age." He continued, "If you're 40, talking to Trump, he actually looks at you like he doesn't give a sh*t. If you're 60, talking to Trump, he rolls his eyes. If [Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) Chairman and CEO] Steve Schwarzman, age 80, calls Donald Trump, he picks up the phone." Scaramucci said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, took advantage of that tendency. "He's got an elderly father that's the king. You want to be feted and treated like a king? I'm half your age, I am going to glitz you up in a way that you're going to leave here very, very happy." Trump, now 78, was met with extraordinary hospitality in Saudi Arabia this week—lavender carpets, horses, fighter jet escorts. Scaramucci believes MBS's deference wasn't just cultural, it was calculated. "That's exactly what he did," Scaramucci said. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Throughout the episode, host Katty Kay and Scaramucci dissected Trump's whirlwind week of diplomacy, which included stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Trump delivered speeches, pushed economic deals and attempted to reshape America's foreign policy stance. And while critics often describe Trump as isolationist, Scaramucci pointed out that this approach was much more interventionist than expected. "He talked about re-engineering the way America thinks about the Middle East and trying to foment peace and prosperity," Scaramucci said, adding that even former CIA officials praised Trump's speech in Saudi Arabia during the U.S.-Saudi investment forum. Still, he warned there's another side to Trump's diplomacy. "There's one angel on his shoulder saying you could really be a great president if you just calm the f*** down," he said. "Then he's got the devil on the other side saying, 'Hey, I want to make $200 billion for my family before I blow out of this presidency.'" Scaramucci, who briefly worked as the White House Communications Director in the first Trump administration, said this split is what defines Trump on the world stage. "He's our two-faced president," he said, referencing the Batman noted that while Trump's focus on economic deals might yield some success in the Gulf region, the same strategy hasn't worked in places like Ukraine or Gaza, where cultural and existential issues override financial incentives. "In some countries the sort of mercantilist theory of foreign policy might work," Kay said. "But [Trump's] theory doesn't take into account historical or cultural or ethnic forces." Despite these flaws, Scaramucci admitted the president has unusual stamina. "For a 79-year-old, he has tremendous energy." Yet, that energy may be going to more than just foreign policy. The episode also dove into Trump's possible financial gains from these diplomatic ventures, including controversies around a lavish Qatari jetliner some are calling "Qatar Force One." Scaramucci brushed it off as a distraction. "Let me shoot out the $400 million plane over here as a bauble to distract everybody while I'm working on a few billion dollars somewhere, either in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world for myself and my family," he said. As foreign governments roll out the red carpet, Scaramucci warns that Trump's priorities may be more about profit than policy. "This is the globalism of greed," Kay said, quoting an unnamed economist. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article 'Trump Is An Ageist,' Says Anthony Scaramucci. He Claims Saudi Prince MBS Used Trump's Disregard For Younger People To Play Him originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scaramucci Claims Aides Feared Putin's Mysterious ‘Hold' Over Trump
Anthony Scaramucci expressed concerns about his old boss Donald Trump and his 'weird' relationship with Vladimir Putin on Friday. Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump's White House communications director in 2017, discussed Trump's approach to the Russian president during an episode of 'The Rest Is Politics US' podcast with co-host Katty Kay. Kay teased that the discussion would explore what leverage Russian Putin might have over Trump, and asked Scaramucci why he thinks Trump is now pinning the blame for the war on Ukraine. 'My silence is because what I really think is not in the mainstream,' Scaramucci replied. 'And so what I really think, if I end up saying it on our podcast, people will say, OK, I'm being absurd. OK, so—but I think there's a hold on him.' Scaramucci did not elaborate on what he believes that 'hold' might be, adding only: 'I don't know why it's like this. [H.R.] McMaster couldn't figure it out, [James] Mattis couldn't figure it out, [John] Kelly couldn't figure it out.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. A little over a month into his second term, Trump has done a 180 on Washington, D.C.'s stance on the three-year-old war in Ukraine. He has blamed Kyiv for starting the conflict, cast doubt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's legitimacy, downplayed Russia's war aims, and backtracked on U.S. support for Kyiv. Tensions between Trump and Zelensky escalated further this week when Trump took to Truth Social, calling the Ukrainian leader a 'dictator without elections.' He demanded wartime elections in Ukraine, despite the fact that martial law—imposed in response to Putin's invasion—has prohibited them from taking place. Scaramucci didn't hold back—he called Trump's relationship with Putin 'weird' and blasted him for pushing Kremlin narratives. 'It's the 30th day in, he's literally reciting Putin talking points at press conferences,' said Scaramucci. Kay asked Scaramucci if he and other officials would talk about Trump's relationship with Russia during his first administration. 'Yes,' Scaramucci said. 'Somebody last night from the former administration texted me. It's weird the relationship with Putin. It's just weird.' 'Let's say let's give President Trump the benefit of the doubt,' he went on. 'You would say, OK, he's obviously the American president. He can't be in the tank for Vladimir Putin. But then as you know, from the KGB, they do everything out in the open, OK? So that's part of their technique, right?' Scaramucci also appeared to reference a Feb. 19 article by Alexander Dugin, a far-right Russian ideologue dubbed 'Putin's Brain' for his supposed influence on the Russian leader, titled 'Ukraine Talks Require New World Order Clarity.' In an overblown claim, Scaramucci suggested the piece all but states that Trump is under the control of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 'Alexander Dugin, who is a very famous inside of Russia philosopher, he wrote a piece which I sent to you… he basically said that Lavrov is running Trump—Lavrov will be briefing Trump on what to do here to establish this new world order, which is a post-Soviet, but pro-Russian—Russia controls the Eastern European Theater,' said Scaramucci. In the article, Dugin simply wrote: 'It is worth noting the very serious, high level of our delegation [at talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia]. These are Yuri Ushakov and Sergey Lavrov, Putin's closest associates in international politics and completely, totally in agreement with [Trump]. And therefore, it is they who will help our president prepare for this meeting.' In another piece, Dugin wrote that Lavrov had 'for the first time objectively, calmly, and with reasoned arguments conveyed the Russian position to the Americans,' adding that such a feat was 'a novelty, as there had been no negotiations previously, and Russia's position in the U.S. was conveyed in a completely distorted form. Therefore, this is not just a breakthrough but a monumental one.' Even Scaramucci second-guessed his own interpretation, asking Kay, 'Am I being too aggressive by saying this?' He added: 'You gotta tell me… cause I don't want people to say, oh, you know, he's, he's got Trump derangement… I don't have Trump derangement syndrome. I have Trump reality syndrome. I'm just telling you what we all saw, what we're all worried about.'
