[Transcript edited for clarity, flow and length]
Mary Trump: I recently spoke with my friend David Rothkopf, proprietor of the Deep State Radio YouTube channel and the Substack Need to Know. We discussed the role of Donald’s co-conspirators in his increasingly chaotic and corrupt governance, as well as the dangers posed by the right’s hostility to science and a self-regulating AI industry. Enjoy.
David Rothkopf: Mina, why don’t you start us off with one of our stories of the week?
Producer: All right. We’re going to start related to our Library of Congress conversation and whether buildings are still going to be there or not. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that President Trump and the Kennedy Center Board cannot demolish or build new structures on the site without providing 30 days’ advanced notice to the court and challengers. The order came shortly after the Trump-led board voted to close the National Arts Center over physical safety and financial concerns, prompting Trump to publicly suggest the building could be torn down if it does not feature his name. In response to the escalating crisis and reported construction damage, a coalition of historic preservation and architectural groups has asked the judge to appoint an independent monitor to protect the living memorial from further harm.
David Rothkopf: First of all, thank you to all of you out there who’ve given us insight into the gophers of Minnesota. It’s very much appreciated. Mary, once again we turn to you, not just for your knowledge of your uncle but for your role as a psychotherapeutic professional. You understand how the human mind works. Basically, my theory is that when somebody behaves this way—if I can’t have it my way, I’m going to kick all the blocks over—you tell them to go sit in the corner and have a timeout. This is the most petulant and pathetic behavior of all time. But it reminds us that when the most inappropriate man is the president, they can do a lot of damage.
Mary Trump: They can if they’re allowed to. Unfortunately, that continues to be the problem we’ve been dealing with for over a decade now. My grandparents didn’t care enough about Donald to teach him properly.
David Rothkopf: Were there any timeouts, do you think? When he misbehaved, did they say, “Donald, you shouldn’t pull the legs off of insects like that,” or anything?
Mary Trump: No. The problem for all of us right now is that when Donald was very young, my grandmother, his primary caregiver, was essentially absent. She was very ill, which left it to my grandfather, who was a sociopath, to care for his five children. At that time, Donald was ignored and left alone. We’re all reaping the damage that was done and never undone. Over time, he became a brat and a bully, and nobody ever reined him in.
Mary Trump: Quite honestly, nobody has since then. Now people are too afraid to. But Representative Beatty, who’s the Democrat on the board—
David Rothkopf: She is a hero. She is a profile in courage.
Mary Trump: Well, she did what we’ve needed someone to do since 1947 certainly. She stood up to him and told him the truth about himself, which is the thing he most hates. What’s troubling is there are adults in the room with Representative Beatty listening to Donald’s temper tantrum and being totally fine with it.
David Rothkopf: Yeah. Congress is doing nothing. Here’s a guy vandalizing Washington, building a structure that is twice as big as the White House.
Producer: Ninety thousand square feet versus 45,000 that will overshadow it.
David Rothkopf: Right. It will be ugly. And I’m not even talking about the fact that he’s launching wars against countries, destroying our economy, and destroying democracy. And nobody’s saying anything. They’re just saying, “Yes, sir, boss. Here we are, 40 days away from an election,” and the Republican Party continues to do nothing despite gasoline at $5 or even $6.
Mary Trump: Yeah, it’s pathological at this point. There was a time when one could make sense of it from the perspective that these are petty people who need to cling to power or maintain proximity to it. But now that Donald seems more of a liability, their behavior hasn’t changed, suggesting two camps exist: those who are cowardly and afraid and can’t muster a critical mass to stand up against him, and true believers who have drunk the Kool-Aid.
David Rothkopf: We hear the term enabler a lot, but “enabler” is too passive. If someone is an enabler of a known sociopath, it’s worse, right?
Mary Trump: Oh, they’re co-conspirators. They are equally responsible for all of this. You mentioned a known sociopath; he’s doing the damage a sociopath could do. The crimes he has openly committed and acknowledged are known to us. We know how many times he has been in the Epstein Files. We know that he pardons frauds and covers up for pedophiles. As you said, that doesn’t touch the damage he’s inflicting through his crazy policies.
David Rothkopf: And you left out all the corruption.
Mary Trump: Right.
David Rothkopf: By the way, he promised us all $5,000. I’m sure the check is in the mail. Producer, what else do we have going on?
Producer: Right. Let’s jump to RFK Jr., as you alluded to. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the Washington D.C. Conference of Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization he previously led. He reassured activists that they have a steadfast friend at the White House pushing for long-term policy shifts. Speaking alongside prominent anti-vaccine figures like Andrew Wakefield, Kennedy brushed aside the nationwide measles outbreak that has killed seven people across three states, urging attendees instead to focus on alleged vaccine injuries.
David Rothkopf: A friend in the White House. I have some problems with this, Mary. My dad was a scientist, and we were raised to believe in the scientific method and evidence-based conclusions about the world. The first successful widely circulated vaccine was developed 240 years ago.
Producer: And yet they go further down this road of lunacy every day.
David Rothkopf: Watching Dr. Cassidy, who’s also a doctor, say he’s very disappointed in the way that RFK Jr. is going sets me off. He could have blocked him. You’re a doctor; you knew he was doing this.
Mary Trump: Kennedy knew better; Cassidy pretended in interviews recently that he didn’t.
David Rothkopf: Who could have imagined—
Mary Trump: Who would know that the heroin addict with a brain worm who’s been an anti-vax activist would turn out to be a bad choice?
David Rothkopf: I can’t expect a medical doctor to know these things, but it is mind-blowing. We used to be an enlightened society. We were taught the scientific method, to check our facts, and value science. Now, all of that is suspect to too many thanks to placing sociopaths like Kennedy in positions of power.
Mary Trump: To what do we owe the antipathy of Donald Trump toward science and scientists?
David Rothkopf: Well, first of all, if your uncle’s intellectual capacity is related to yours, I am screwed.
Mary Trump: Yeah, I hadn’t even thought of that connection.
David Rothkopf: What else is there to say?
Mary Trump: I think for Donald it’s simple. It’s more profitable for him to ignore or overturn climate science; his friends make lots of money by promoting fossil fuels. We know of a company that has been paid billions to avoid building wind farms.
David Rothkopf: Today’s paper notes that Uncle Donald has made millions since the beginning of the Iran war, betting on oil companies because gasoline prices are rising.
Mary Trump: That’s right. So, this is about him getting richer. And those factors mean he’ll dismiss AI concerns because he’s profiting from cryptocurrency. He’ll destroy the planet if it makes him richer.
The troubling part is that others with vast wealth and power are completely fine with this.
David Rothkopf: Because they’re getting rich too.
Mary Trump: Right, but they’re also shortsighted. They think they can enjoy their wealth on a ruined planet or escape to Mars.
David Rothkopf: Exactly. Producer, you’re 26 years old.
Producer: I love how this has all become my fault. Many share this fear of not living to see 50 because we are destroying our planet. Sometimes I consider having kids and wonder, is that even a good idea? What world will they be born into?
David Rothkopf: Instead of having kids, adopt some elderly people.
Producer: That sounds like a great concept!
David Rothkopf: You could adopt them, and you wouldn’t have to worry about them.
Mary Trump: That got dark.
David Rothkopf: If it’s not a little dark, you’re not paying attention.
Mary Trump: This is true.
David Rothkopf: Let’s stay on AI doom. Leaders across the country are bypassing President Trump’s hands-off approach to AI and pushing for new regulations. Governors and state attorneys general from both parties are taking action following dire warnings from former researchers about unbridled technological advancement. Meanwhile, Trump has dismissed AI safety concerns as a hoax, arguing that strict regulations will harm the U.S. economy.
Mary Trump: When he says something’s a hoax, that’s basically the seal of approval, meaning it’s really happening.
David Rothkopf: That’s correct.
Mary Trump: Recently, we learned that Don Jr. invited a thug oligarch friend of Putin’s to his wedding, who was then welcomed by Don’s wife.
If you want to know more about that, listen to Deep State Radio, where we discuss how Donald Trump has been dealing with Russian mobsters.
David Rothkopf: I can’t blame you for any of this. But what’s happening here is not a hoax. We do a podcast each week called Civil Consciousness. We talk about this every week.
To grasp the complexities, we must listen to experts. The current situation involves powerful entities wanting to self-regulate, which is the last thing we need.
We’re at a critical inflection point regarding AI. While society seems aware of its significance, our leaders struggle with the implications—or at least a tiny handful do.
Mary Trump: I absolutely agree. Thank you for not blaming me. We need to put—
David Rothkopf: Did you go out to Brighton Beach and hang out with the mobsters?
Mary Trump: I cannot divulge.
David Rothkopf: Have you seen Eastern Promises?
Mary Trump: No.
David Rothkopf: It’s an excellent film.
Mary Trump: I’ll check it out.
David Rothkopf: If anyone wants to understand the Russian mafia, Eastern Promises is essential viewing.
Producer: I love this conversation!
David Rothkopf: If you want to understand an issue, that’s the one. Luckily, because I confess I don’t completely understand it, I don’t need to figure it all out. However, arrogance leads to ignorance. Many industry leaders believe they are smarter than the rest of us, that they should control everything.
The consequences of AI are getting significant attention because data centers now use 5% of the world’s energy. This is insane, especially at a pivotal time when we are depleting our resources.
David Rothkopf: While AI poses existential risks, is it viewed as a transformative force on the scale of the industrial revolution? It could fundamentally alter our economy, society, government, and way of life, leading to risks of data theft, security, privacy, wealth concentration, and job dislocations.
Yet, the discussion in Washington is shallow at best. Trump says, “Don’t mess with this; we don’t want to fall behind the Chinese.”
Mary Trump: His uncle taught at MIT, that’s why.
David Rothkopf: It’s the Uncle theorem of the Trump family.
Mary Trump: Yes, I’ll do something with that plaque.
David Rothkopf: If you don’t recognize that the rest of your life may be spent addressing Donald Trump’s damage, you’re not paying attention.
Others have made the observation that if Donald Trump were trained in a Moscow university as a KGB member, he could not have caused more harm than he has through his actions.
Mary Trump: Oh, definitely. Whether he is an agent or simply someone satisfied with his own corruption, it has become clear that Vladimir Putin identified him as beneficial to Russian interests.
David Rothkopf: And we recognize that he is doing more damage to America and benefiting Russia than anyone could have imagined.
Mary Trump: We really need to reconsider how we assess leadership in our society if we want to change.
David Rothkopf: Indeed.
Mary Trump: Thank you for this conversation.
David Rothkopf: Thank you. It’s always a pleasure.
A few days ago, I watched a very scary interview with Steven Bannon. He was talking about Dozing Diaper Donald staying as president beyond January of 2028 and of course would not divulge how that would be possible. I'm hoping that if we don't stop that, that the Supreme Court will. I don't think this Supreme Court wants to be remembered as allowing him to do whatever he pleases and, in the process, ruins our country.
Could you please introduce Mina?