Suddenly, the Jeffrey Epstein files are back. Democrats released new emails raising fresh questions about the relationship between the sex trafficker and President Trump. It’s gotten so bad that the White House is now privately pressuring Republicans to stop trying to get the Epstein files released, a clear sign Trump is deeply rattled by the emerging info. Indeed, now that it looks like the discharge petition calling for release of the files will get 218 votes, Trump angrily warned Republicans not to join it, another indication of his mounting anxiety. The big MAGA reckoning over all this is coming. So we talked to Nicole Hemmer, author of several excellent books about the right wing. She explains the deep tensions inside MAGA all this is unleashing, how some prominent figures are positioning themselves for a post-Trump MAGA future, where this scandal is heading next, and what all this means for our politics. The discussion gets dark. Listen to this episode here.
PODCAST
Trump Press Sec’s Epstein Spin Implodes as New Info Rattles Him Deeply
As Karoline Leavitt struggles to explain away Trump’s growing panic over new Jeffrey Epstein revelations, a sharp observer of the right explains why MAGA is cracking up over the scandal—and what to expect from it next.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in Washington, DC on November 12, 2025.
