IHIP News

Episode: Karoline Leavitt Blows Up On-Air When Asked About Trump and Epstein

Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this no-holds-barred episode, progressive hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan dissect explosive recent developments linking Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, fueled by the administration’s and conservative media's forceful denials. The hosts highlight the role of right-wing women in gaslighting and distorting public discourse over sexual abuse, the broader manipulation by conservative media outlets like Fox News, and society’s failure to believe and support survivors. Their signature blend of outrage and dark humor punctuates a scathing critique of hypocrisy, victim-blaming, and media propaganda.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Administration’s Response: Gaslighting and Victim-Blaming

• [00:34] The episode opens with the hosts lambasting Karoline Leavitt—a prominent Trump spokesperson—for dismissing the Epstein revelations as a “Democratic hoax.”
  • Quote: “We have Caroline KKK Levitt, who sits around in her cross and lies and demeans people. She too is calling it a hoax.” (Political Commentator 1; 00:34)
• The hosts argue that calling the allegations a hoax retraumatizes survivors by validating the threats they faced about not being believed.
  • Quote: “It is so disturbing that these little girls who are now women… are now being exactly what they've been told would come true. People are not believing them.” (Political Commentator 1; 01:12)

2. How Right-Wing Women Enable Regressive Agendas

• [02:15] Focus shifts to how women like Leavitt and others serve as “mouthpieces,” particularly to appeal to female voters by projecting Christian virtue while working to erode women's rights.
  • Quote: “They need to get other groups of people on board before they deliver the final blow to their sense of human rights, autonomy, etc.” (Political Commentator 3; 02:15)
  • Quote: “The louder the Christian, the bigger piece of shit they are. That has proven true my entire experience in the Bible Belt.” (Political Commentator 3; 04:54)
• The hosts criticize the insidious use of evangelical women as shields for patriarchal agendas, emphasizing lived experience in the Bible Belt.

3. Fox News: Deflection, Distraction & Misinformation

• [05:09] Rather than confronting the ramifications of Trump’s relationship with Epstein, Fox News is accused of distraction—focusing instead on President Biden’s cognitive decline and other unrelated topics.
  • Quote: “You would think... we’ve got the President of the US having Thanksgiving dinner with the convicted sex offender... So what are they talking about? Cognitive decline of Joe Biden.” (Political Commentator 1; 05:09)
• [06:08] Clip played where Fox News hosts try to evade questions about Trump’s connection to Epstein, attempting repeatedly to pivot the conversation back to Biden.
  • Quote: “Don’t change the subject and deflect. When did you really notice [Biden’s] cognitive decline?” (Fox News Interviewer clip; 06:24)
  • Response: “I think it was through all of the times that Donald Trump has fallen asleep in public and talked about magnets getting wet...” (Political Commentator 4; 06:24)

4. Hypocrisy and Entertainment Over Journalism

• Hosts argue that Fox News personalities know the truth but choose to mislead for entertainment value and ratings.
  • Quote: “These people are entertainers, you know, they are not journalists. That was not journalism.” (Political Commentator 3; 07:53)
  • “He does the most diabolical form of entertainment because he takes people that should be retired... feeds them with the worst impulses of America.” (Political Commentator 3; 08:16)
  • The hosts bemoan the normalization and propagation of cruelty, racism, and sexism.
• Fox News blamed for widespread public misperceptions and “the dummification of America.”
  • Quote: “The science shows that... people who watch Fox News are the most misinformed people among us.” (Political Commentator 3; 10:53)

5. Selective Outrage and the Creation of a Cult of Victimhood

• [11:40] The suggestion that Trump is always painted as the victim by his media defenders.
  • Quote: “Everybody's out to get him because he's a constant victim.” (Political Commentator 1; 11:40)
• [13:01] Hosts express frustration that news about Trump’s ties to Epstein is buried while Fox News obsesses over Biden and other figures like Gavin Newsom.
  • Quote: “It's enraging... you have to get to the third or fourth page on Fox News before you get to the Epstein files.” (Political Commentator 1; 13:01)

6. Contrasting Media Narratives and Public Perception of Biden

• [13:40] The hosts point out the oddity of vilifying Biden—a devout Catholic elderly man with a fundamentally kind persona—while idolizing Trump.
  • Quote: “Joe Biden… he’s not the villain they make him out to be, even remotely. He’s a really nice, pleasant person... and their ability to vilify him while at the same time Trump has this superhero sainthood is really some mental gymnastics.” (Political Commentator 3; 13:44)
  • Quote: “He doesn’t have the wis to be the villain they're acting like.” (Political Commentator 1; 15:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The louder the Christian, the bigger piece of shit they are. That has proven true my entire experience in the Bible Belt.”
  — Political Commentator 3 [04:54]
• “These people are entertainers, you know, they are not journalists. That was not journalism.”
  — Political Commentator 3 [07:53]
• “You would think... we’ve got the President of the United States having Thanksgiving dinner with the convicted sex offender... and they’re talking about Joe fucking Biden.”
  — Political Commentator 1 [05:09]
• “Joe Biden… he’s not the villain they make him out to be, even remotely. He’s a really nice, pleasant person… and their ability to vilify him… is really some mental gymnastics.”
  — Political Commentator 3 [13:44]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:34–02:15] — Karoline Leavitt, Gaslighting, and Impact on Survivors
• [02:15–05:09] — Women as Culture Warriors in Right-Wing Politics; Religious Hypocrisy
• [05:09–07:53] — Fox News: Distraction from Trump/Epstein; Media Deflections
• [07:53–11:40] — Fox’s Role in Misinformation; Entertainers vs. Journalists
• [13:01–15:30] — Hypocrisy, Selective Outrage, and Biden/Trump Image Contrasts

Tone and Language Notes

The episode is raw, impassioned, and darkly comedic, blending sharp critique with personal anecdotes and sarcasm. The hosts repeatedly express visceral disgust, using explicit language and references to their own Southern/Bible Belt backgrounds to frame their perspective on evangelical hypocrisy and political duplicity.

Summary

Jennifer and Pumps deliver a furious takedown of right-wing media’s defense of Trump in the Epstein scandal, expose the cynical use of gender and religion for political cover, and lament the American media’s descent into entertainment and propaganda. The core message: gaslighting and denial retraumatize victims, Fox News perpetuates mis- and disinformation, and Americans must refuse to let cult-like loyalty and manufactured outrage blind them to truth and justice.