Donald Trump recently addressed the media while in Scotland to announce a new trade deal with the European Union, amidst ongoing discussions surrounding his past connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, for his part, recognized Epstein’s trademarks as a sex trafficker pit dark emblem of masculli.ee, flying the Epstein flag high. This shocking discovery has garnered a storm of media and public outcry. This announcement comes at a rather opportune time, considering Trump and mainstream media are just now trying to address the Epstein affair. Both are struggling considerably to get past that.
While in Scotland, Trump claimed he severed ties with Epstein after finding out that Epstein had stolen staffers away from him. He conveniently boasted that he was the one who kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago estate. Once he learned the “horrible truth” about Epstein’s abuse, Dershowitz cut all personal and professional ties with him forever. Let’s be very clear right here Trump proclaimed adamantly that he never went to Epstein’s infamously terrible island. He continued, “I never had the privilege of getting to his island, and I did decline it. Meanwhile, according to the same media reports, former President Bill Clinton had made dozens of trips to Epstein’s island.
Trump’s comments about Epstein come as he try to shift the blame on the growing scandal. He was quick to point out the wider network of powerful people who had ties to Epstein and wished that other people don’t focus on them. “Those classified files were in the wrong hands — the worst scum on Earth,” Trump stated. “If they really had something, they would have put it out by now.”
On a recent appearance on CBS’ Late Show, comedian Jon Stewart weighed in Trump’s media-torture tactics, saying …He talked about how difficult it has been for the media to get beyond the Epstein scandal. He further likened this fight to Trump’s past fight in overcoming these very challenges. He’s like, ‘How did you even know about … I thought you just picked up Baywatch three months ago!’ As Stewart put it, this statement is a reminder of Trump’s efforts to distract from the core issue.
Stewart too challenged the absurdity of Trump’s remarks regarding windmills in light of the seriousness of the Epstein case. Is it just me that’s seen this,” he said. He’s talking about worse things about windmills than he talks about Jeffrey Epstein! With Trump’s attempts to pivot the conversation toward trade negotiations, Stewart sarcastically noted, “Doesn’t anybody here have a question about this trade deal sinking both of our economies with tariffs?”
The discussion about the Trump and Epstein relationship speaks to a larger issue of privilege and accountability that we need to consider. Other comedian Seth Meyers responded to the dangers of Trump’s privilege and power, as he mused on Trump’s friendship with Epstein. “Privilege makes it seem like you never turned down an invitation,” Meyers remarked, suggesting that Trump’s past associations might not be as easily dismissed.
Trump’s rhetoric on this scandal seems to cover all options in the denial/deflection/specious defense playbook. He continues to maintain that he cut ties with Epstein after learning what a monster he was. “That’s such old history. Very easy to explain, but I don’t want to waste your time by explaining it,” Trump stated when pressed about his past ties to Epstein.
Though these denials come in Trump’s signature brash style, the media are still hard on Trump—certainly considering what he did or didn’t do with Epstein. Stewart summed this all up perfectly when he lamented, If I, Donald Trump, was in the files, they would have released it. So clearly, I’m not in the files. Naturally, I’m obviously in the files, which renders them faux.