Loading summary
Host
Foreign.
Pumps
The Trump regime is going to go to the ends of the earth to keep the Epstein files from being released because there are so many fissures that have already formed within the MAGA movement. And this Epstein will hold the keys to these final fissures. And some Republicans might actually have to have daylight with them and this pedophilia protector administration. And this is really interesting. So journalist Michael Wolf, who has been knee deep in this thing for ever, you've got to hear this clip from Michael Wolf. It, to me, is a bombshell. Play it.
Michael Wolf
Now.
Interjector
This is a key issue right now in the way the White House is looking at the Epstein scandal. The fear is that Ghislaine Maxwell can tie Donald Trump to the details of what Trump and Epstein called the Pussy Committee. The Pussy Committee consisted of Trump and Epstein in their efforts to get girls for Prince Andrew.
Pumps
Pops. Wow.
Co-host
You know, Michael Wolf sat with Epstein for over 15 hours to get this information. And when I first heard this, I thought I shouldn't be surprised that Trump was also involved in procuring girls. And then it reminded me of the report we had last week that Trump's trying to get Russell vote laid. So this is a man that sees women as completely interchangeable for the use and desire of men. And it surprises me. Zero. And I believe what Michael Wolf says because he was with Epstein for so long.
Pumps
Okay. And then let's just also point out that the Trumps are so litigious and they don't really want to take this to court because then more details would come out and Melania is threatening to sue Michael Wolf, and in turn he's going to sue her back because everybody's ready to take this to court. But I think of important note here is the very powerful Republican speaker of the House who appears impotent, weak, limp dick, et cetera. You have a President of the United States that was on a Pussy Committee with a prolific child pedophile sex abuser, Jeffrey Epstein. You have Donald Trump that refuses to say anything disparaging about either Ghislaine Maxwell or Jeffrey Epstein because they have compromising information on him. Who else does Trump have a hard time saying anything bad against? And Elon Musk. Who else does he have a hard time saying anything badly against? Vladimir Putin. Who else does he have a hard time saying anything badly against? Bibi Netanyahu. And so the President of the United States, although he tries to admit, you know, I'm kinks and I'm so powerful, he is so compromised by so many people. But back to Moses Mike, it is really rich in a total indictment on MAGA Christianity that they worshiped this man that was on a pussy committee with a pedophile. And if this weren't true, Trump would be on lie social going bananas over it. But he won't touch this thing because he is cankles deep. And this whole Epstein thing, everybody is, when the dam breaks on that, it's gonna break and it could be the end. And that's why they're keeping the government shut down. And that's why Moses Mike, Trump even jokes around about how easy it is to control and I believe the quote was puppeteer him. So this is just incredibly dangerous stuff. But let's listen to Tom Nichols on just how far Kinks will go to keep power and to keep the Epstein files from being released. This is very chilling. Listen to this clip.
Tom Nichols
The American President has said, I can point the US military any place I want and kill anyone I want. That eventually is going to become a principle in the domestic use of the military. Yes, he is acclimating people to the notion that the military is his private army, unconstrained by law, unconstrained by norms, unconstrained by American traditions. And that I think, I don't really think this has anything to do with drugs. I mean, sometimes I wonder how far he's going to go to stop the release of the Epstein files and how many distractions he's going to throw at us. But this is about getting out from under his already dismal record, his record low approval ratings, his struggling with a scandal and he is now saying, I am going to acclimate the American public to the use of military force anywhere I deem it appropriate.
Pumps
So pumps. What he's saying here, and this is really important for everybody to understand, the shutdown, plus Epstein police, plus the potential of rigging future elections are all tied. And they are starting to realize this administration has done a bunch of illegal shit. They continue to do a bunch of illegal shit. His polling is completely underwater. Republicans cannot go home and do town halls because they get browbeat by their constituents. This movement is wildly unpopular and that's why most Moses, Mike and these other sycophantic ass kissing limp dick Republicans are sucking up to this guy. And I think the key of this, they're wagging the dog with Venezuela. Of course he wants all the oil, but I still think it is in essence a wag the dog style cling onto power diversion. What is your take on that? Pumps.
Co-host
I completely agree and I also believe they have no interest in opening back up the government for two reasons. He's gutting the federal workforce, he's got his buddy paying the which is his private army. And the longer the government is shut down, the longer Mike Johnson cannot swear in the new congressperson from Arizona. And the Epstein files will stay sealed. I mean there's no doubt about it.
Pumps
Let me ask you this. Have you read this about the guy who gave the $130 million last name melon? And he is at the epicenter of the Epstein files. Have you read that?
Co-host
Yes, I have. All over the flight logs. His dad was involved. That is why as much as I believe Trump was on committee, because I think it tracks with his personality and I also think he was banging around with, you know, 12 year old girls. I don't think he gives a. He's also covering up some very powerful Republican allies.
Pumps
I agree. Okay. And then here we have a post online. Social Kings is unhinged and he is prepping for the rigged elections. So here he is yesterday, just, you know, just a Sunday if you're President the United States. What's worse? The NBA players cheating at cards and probably much else or the Democrats cheating on elections? The 2020 presidential election being rigged and stolen is a far bigger scandal. Look what happened to our country when a crooked moron became our quote, president. We now know everything. I hope the DOJ pursues this with as much gusto as befitting the biggest scandal in American history. If not, it will happen again. Including the upcomin midterms, no mail in or early voting yes to voter id. Watch how totally dishonest the California prop vote is. Millions of ballots being shipped. Get smart Republicans before it's too late. What I'm seeing here is number one, we're going to sprinkle in a little racism at the top since NBA is dominated by African American athletes that hate him. Number two, he is getting everybody acclimated to a lot of voting restrictions and he still cannot get over the fact that he lost 20. And if he maintains power, it is my prediction by the end of this term he will have some mandate and some declaration somewhere that he actually was the first three term president. Wouldn't even surprise me at all if part of their scam to get him to a third term is to say oh this is already the third term because we went back and counted some imaginary votes and he actually won 2020. It wouldn't surprise me if that's something they're pursuing.
Co-host
Well and also I think this lays the Groundwork for him to say, well, you know, the Democrats may have won the midterms, but because they cheated, I'm going to disregard those and kick those completely out. And here's the deal. Steve Bannon, 2028 TRUMP. I understand what they're trying to do. Fucking kanks will be so far in the dementia bag by then he'll be slobbering all over himself. This guy can barely keep up right now.
Pumps
I know. Okay, listen you guys, it's super important when you get the news each morning that you get fact based news. And how Pumps and I are able to deliver these IHOP news episodes to you all daily is because we have the vantage plan with ground news. Here's an example of two headlines. Left leaning publication. Headline says Canada's vicious attack on Trump's fragile ego triggers swift retribution. And it tells us in this vantage plan that this article has a high factuality. And then another article from the left. Unreal. Analysts stunned by Trump's most childish response to Canadian terrorism tariffs. And that tells me that this is left leaning. It tells me this is independent news and it tells me this has high factuality. Ground news is basically the Spotify of news. So listener join us by going to groundnews.comforward/IHIP to get 40% off the ground news vantage plan that Pumps and I use every single day. They're subscriber funded and our favorite part is that they are female. Founded by subscribing, you're not only getting a tool we all need today, you're also supporting our work. That's ground. Gr o u n dnews.com forward/ihip Kylie and Seth are linking that right below so you can get your discount right below in the show notes. Now let's hear from the guy I wish was the leader of the Senate of the Democrats, Senator Chris Murphy. Let's listen to Chris Murphy on what's really going on with the shutdown. And this echoes a lot of what Pumps was saying earlier. Play the clip.
Host
New York Times reported that the private donor who gave President Trump $130 million to pay U.S. troops during the shutdown, that he is billionaire Timothy Mellon and the donation appears to violate federal law. But what do you say to Americans who look at that and think it's President Trump, not Democrats making sure that troops get paid?
Michael Wolf
Well, I think one of the reasons that President Troop President Trump is refusing to negotiate is because he likes the fact that the government is closed. Because he thinks he can exercise king like powers. He can open up the parts of the government that he wants, he can pay the employees who. Who are loyal to him. I mean, this is a leader who is trying to transition our government from a democracy to something much closer to a totalitarian state. And so this is part of what happens in totalitarian states. The leader, the regime, only decides what things get funded and what don't, often in coordination with their oligarch friends. So I just don't want to live in a world in which Donald Trump and a handful of billionaires decide which part of government works and which don't. Which is why I would rather have him at the negotiating table tomorrow so that we can reopen.
Pumps
So we all know that he is not going to go to the negotiating table. We all know that impotent little Moses, Mike Grinder Johnson is not going to go to the negotiating table. We know that Senator Thune. Thune what? However you say his name is not going to go to the negotiating table because these people are beholden to corporate interests. And the Dems that are rising up right now are the ones that are completely shedding corporate interest who are realizing that Bernie Sanders messaging against the status quo was actually a very effective message. It has aged much better than Hakeem Jeffries messaging. It has aged much better than Chuck Schumer's messaging. And a prime example is Senator Chris Murphy, who has been on our podcast and says, I have moved to a more populist economic message because I see what the Democrats were doing, what. What the Democrats were doing before was not sustainable, and it wasn't going to help us win elections, and it was leaving so many people behind that unrestricted capitalism is not sustainable.
Co-host
Well, I completely agree with Chris Murphy. And when you have somebody paying 130, 30 million dollars for the military, that to me, seems like a bribe. That seems to me that if he calls up Pete Hegseth and says, hey, I've got a desktop in my neighborhood, I need take care of it, it to me appears that it would be very easy for this man to gain favors from the Defense Department. And I would think it breaks a gazillion laws. And here's the thing. Trump has the money to pay for it. He doesn't. He does it on purpose to give his buddies an opportunity to bribe the government and look like a hero. But the 40 million people that will not be eating because their SNAP benefits, He doesn't give a shit about them.
Pumps
No. And I think he also likes the humiliation exercise of having wealthy people come to him, bend the knee, and then he owns them and he can humiliate them. And he gets off on that. Like that's his kink. And finally, I want to leave everybody with Governor Newsom on the importance of these midterms because what these midterms mean for us is literally the trajectory of our entire country. We are either going to be a totalitarian state run by a dementia ridden shit bag of a man. I mean an absolute piece of shit surrounded by unqualified bottom feeders, or we are going to get our shit together and on a state level and make sure election integrity remains and we're going to get these fuckers out and we will have trials. The whole nine. Play the clip.
Host
Co equal branches of government system of checks and balances. His presidency de facto ends next November. If we're successful, we the people are successful in taking back the House and making sure that you really believe.
Interjector
Governor, if the Democrats take back power in the House, his presidency's over de.
Host
Facto as we know it today. Fire and fury signifying maybe something. But finally you have rebalanced this system. Co equal branch of government begins to assert itself. It appears again, if you have a Speaker Johnson, we may have a third term of President Trump. I really believe that.
Pumps
All right. This is really, really serious times. We want to thank all of you for subscribing to our channel check and make sure you're subscribed like this video. Engage with this video. A great way to support Pimps and Me is to buy our book Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches. It's a great read. Also available on audio. We'll be back later with more news.
Episode: Trump and MAGA's Insane Scheme to Keep The Government Shutdown Permanently?
Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
This episode explores allegations that Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are orchestrating an unprecedented, possibly permanent government shutdown to shield themselves from damaging scandal—primarily the unreleased Epstein files—while consolidating power and undermining democracy. Jennifer and Angie, with their trademark irreverence and sharp progressive critique, dissect the entanglement of corruption, legal jeopardy, and authoritarian tactics in the current administration.
This explosive episode of IHIP News argues that Trump and MAGA elites are weaponizing the government shutdown as a shield against explosive scandals (notably involving Jeffrey Epstein), consolidating power by undermining democratic processes, cowing their party, and inviting oligarchs to buy government influence outright. The hosts, referencing jaw-dropping investigative reporting and prominent political analysts, frame the moment as a crossroads: the choice is between sliding into authoritarianism or fighting for true checks and balances through the coming elections. Filled with caustic humor, memorable analogies, and sharp media critique, the episode is a rallying cry to stay informed and politically engaged.