"THE MEA CULPA PODCAST FEATURING: ANNA DELVEY"

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Today we’re diving into the twisted, manipulative, and often absurd world of deception, grift, and the con. And, let’s be honest; America has always been a sucker for a great scam. Whether it’s a self-made billionaire who was never self-made, or a socialite who was never really rich, we love watching the rise, the inevitable fall, and the desperate attempt at reinvention. Enter Anna Delvey, a woman who played New York’s elite, convinced banks to hand over six-figure loans, and manipulated some of the smartest, wealthiest and most powerful people into believing she was one of them. Sound familiar? Well, it should. Because that’s the same blueprint Donald Trump used to sell the BIG LIE; that he is one of “The People. That he cares about them. And that he and only he can fix their problems.”

Anna, born Anna Sorokin, didn’t come from old money. In fact, she didn’t come from any money. But that didn’t stop her from walking into the most exclusive clubs in Manhattan, rubbing elbows with billionaires, and convincing people to bankroll her vision of the Anna Delvey Foundation; an elite arts club that only existed in her mind. With nothing but a vision, her confidence, storytelling, and an instinct for what people wanted to believe, she got away with it for years. Until, the house of cards finally collapsed.

Now, compare that to our President Donald Trump. A man who grew up with a platinum spoon in his mouth, yet somehow convinced struggling, hard-working Americans that he was one of them. That he understood their pain. That he was the only one who could fix their problems. The ultimate fraud; a billionaire pretending to be a man of the people.

Trump didn’t just lie, he built an entire movement on deception. The Big Lie. Election fraud. The claim that the 2020 election was stolen. And then, when his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6th in a violent, bloody attempt to overturn democracy, he had the audacity to call it a “peaceful, loving protest.”

A peaceful protest? I’m calling bullshit!

We all saw what happened that day. MAGA smashing windows, assaulting police officers, erecting a gallows to hang Mike Pence. And yet, Trump, the master manipulator, looked America right in the eye and told them not to believe what they saw with their own two eyes. No…believe what I am telling you. And as fucked up as it sounds, terrifyingly, 77 million did.

The question is, why do people keep falling for it?

Because, at the heart of every great stratagem, there’s a story. And people don’t buy into scams because they’re dumb; no, they buy in because they want to believe. Whether it’s a banker who wants to believe he’s discovered the next great financial genius, or a MAGA voter who wants to believe Trump will make their lives better, people don’t just fall for these schemes, they participate in them.

So, what’s the secret? How do tricksters convince people to ignore the obvious red flags?

It’s all about perception. Anna never actually had money, but she looked like she did. She’s smart. She’s attractive. She’s foreign. She wore designer clothes, stayed at five-star hotels, and made sure people saw her in the right places with the right people. Many claim it was a mirage, but in a world where wealth equals power, the illusion was enough.

But here’s the catch—nothing lasts forever.

Eventually, the story unraveled. The same institutions that once propped up the project suddenly turn on it. For Anna, that moment came when the banks and her high-profile friends started asking real questions about where the money was. For Trump, it’s happening now. The cuts by Musk and DOGE are affecting his supporters. His supporters are finally starting to realize that he never cared about them—he only cared about the election, being re-elected and escaping accountability.

But let’s take it a step further—is reinvention just another con?

After serving time for fraud, Anna is still famous. She’s got social media clout, a podcast, a Netflix series about her, and people still want to be in her orbit. Is she remorseful? Or is this just the next phase?

Which brings me to today’s conversation. Anna Delvey and Donald Trump may not seem like they belong in the same breath, but they both mastered a similar playbook. They understood that perception is reality. That people don’t question the wealthy, they idolize them. That if you act like you belong in the room, people will assume you do. And, most importantly, they knew that if you tell a lie with enough conviction, people will believe it, even after they’ve seen the truth.

So today, I’m sitting down with Anna and I’ve got some tough questions. How did she pull it off? What made the powerful people of New York so easy to manipulate? Does she feel guilt or just regret that she got caught? And now that she’s out of prison and still making headlines, is this her redemption story?

We’re going to tap into the psychology of manipulation, the pathology and why powerful people fall for these schemes time and time again. And we’re going to ask the big question; is America built on the biggest con of them all?

So, let's go now to that conversation:

And now for today's Mea Culpa:

Donald Trump has always governed by executive fiat, bypassing Congress whenever possible to impose his will through executive orders. His second term has been no different, with a flurry of orders signed in rapid succession; some routine, others outright dangerous to the foundations of America’s democratic republic. But in true Trumpian fashion, his allies have taken to Fox News and conservative media to spin a narrative of strength, efficiency, and success, even as the country grapples with mounting crises that expose the reality behind the propaganda.

Some of Trump’s executive orders are administrative and uncontroversial, dealing with regulatory tweaks, military spending, or trade agreements. These are the ones that his surrogates highlight repeatedly, creating the illusion that his governance is both effective and beneficial. But the more troubling executive orders; those that erode democratic safeguards, attack the civil service, and consolidate power in dangerous ways, are being whitewashed, ignored, or outright denied.

One of the most alarming aspects of Trump’s executive order strategy is his continued assault on the federal workforce. The recent mass firings of government employees and civil servants, many of whom were nonpartisan professionals essential to the functioning of key agencies, is a clear indication that he is purging opposition and replacing expertise with loyalty. Through executive orders that expand his power to hire and fire at will, Trump is weakening institutional safeguards that ensure government accountability and competency.

Meanwhile, his supporters on Fox News and in Congress are telling the American people that everything is improving; that Trump’s policies are working, that the economy is booming, and that America is back on track. But reality tells a different story. A very different story!

Despite the rosy picture being painted in conservative media, six major plane crashes in the past month have raised serious concerns about airline safety and federal oversight. Yet, rather than addressing these concerns, Trump’s allies deflect, blaming Biden-era policies or international events, while failing to acknowledge the deeper systemic issues; many of which stem from reckless deregulation under Trump's executive orders.

Economic hardship is also becoming harder to ignore. Egg prices remain sky-high, gasoline prices have surged by 5%, and inflation is still hitting working-class Americans in ways that Trump’s administration refuses to acknowledge. But instead of addressing these real issues, his surrogates cherry-pick economic data to suggest that prosperity is on the rise, all while many Americans struggle to make ends meet.

Trump’s executive orders aren’t just shaping policy; they are shaping perception. By selectively highlighting the few that seem reasonable while erasing the damaging ones from the national conversation, his administration is creating a false sense of stability and progress. But as history has shown, governing through illusion only works for so long before reality catches up.

And as always, thanks for listening.