Fatal Distractions

Donald Trump is trying desperately to bury the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

In this episode, Matt and Brian explore all the distractions Trump has attempted—implicitly and explicitly—to knock the Epstein files out of the news, why Trump is so desperate and why are his usual tactics failing.

• Should we at this point suspect this is a coverup of damning evidence of Trump’s conduct specifically?

• If the story is just that Epstein conspiracy theories are all bunk, why bother with distractions or incriminating claims (like that Hillary Clinton and James Comey forged the Epstein files)?

• With Trump finally on the hind foot, why are elite institutions like Columbia University going out of their way to surrender to Trump’s threats?

Then, behind the paywall, do the new tariff “agreements” Trump has struck with Japan and the E.U. count as distractions from the Epstein scandal, or are they on their own track? What’s in the deals? How much harm will they do to American importers and consumers? And how meaningful can they be if they’re as illegal as they seem?

All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

• Matt on repairing the tax code after Trump.

• Brian argues we the discourse should shift from whether Trump is engaged in an Epstein coverup, to grappling with the truly dark things Trump is covering up, and what the consequences should be.

• Philip Bump debunks Trump’s main Epstein distraction.