JRE 2355 · July 25, 2025

Mike Baker

intelligencemilitarypoliticshistory

Who is Mike Baker?

Mike Baker is a former CIA covert operations officer and current CEO of Portman Square Group, a global intelligence and security firm. He’s also the host of the "President’s Daily Brief" podcast: a twice daily news report on critical events happening around the globe available on all podcast platforms.

🌐 Website

Topics and Timestamps

01Mike Baker discusses his background as a CIA covert operations officer and transition to private intelligence work
02Discussion of current global intelligence issues and how information is gathered in modern espionage
03Baker explains the complexity of international politics and why things rarely work out simply
04Conversation about the President's Daily Brief podcast and staying informed on world events
05Analysis of how media coverage differs from actual intelligence community assessments
06Baker shares insights on geopolitical tensions and strategic thinking in national security
▶Mike Baker introduces his background and transition from CIA to private sector0:00:00
▶Discussion of how intelligence gathering actually works versus public perception0:15:00
▶Baker explains why geopolitical solutions are more complex than they appear0:35:00
▶Conversation about the President's Daily Brief podcast and staying informed0:55:00
▶Baker discusses differences between media coverage and actual intelligence assessments1:15:00

The Show

Joe brings in Mike Baker, a former CIA operative turned CEO of Portman Square Group, to talk about intelligence, global security, and what's actually happening behind the scenes in world events. Baker's got that calm, measured demeanor of someone who's spent decades in high-stakes situations where you can't just wing it or guess wrong.

The conversation flows through Baker's journey from CIA covert operations to running his own intelligence firm, which gives him a unique perspective on both how government actually works versus how people think it works. He's got stories and insights that come from real experience, not cable news takes. Joe and Baker dig into how information gets gathered, how much of what we see publicly is actually accurate versus what intelligence professionals know behind closed doors.

One of the interesting threads is how complicated international relations really are. Baker breaks down why simple solutions don't exist for complex geopolitical problems, and why decisions that look stupid from the outside often make sense when you have all the classified information. He's not condescending about it, just real about the fact that the public version of events is always incomplete.

They talk about Baker's podcast, the President's Daily Brief, which is his twice-daily news report covering critical global events. It's basically Baker distilling what matters from the chaos of world news, which is valuable when you're trying to cut through the noise. Joe and Baker also discuss how the media covers stories versus how the intelligence community actually assesses them, which are often two very different things.

The whole conversation has that refreshing quality where you're hearing from someone who actually knows what they're talking about, has done the work, and isn't trying to sell you a conspiracy theory or push an agenda. Baker's just laying out how things work based on decades of experience watching them work.

Best Quotes

“The difference between what the public knows and what intelligence professionals know is often massive”

— Mike Baker