The Daily Beast Podcast

Episode Title: Epstein Files are About to Spill Into Open: Wolff
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Michael Wolff
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode zeroes in on the imminent release of the “Epstein files” as the House reopens under Speaker Mike Johnson. Host Joanna Coles and guest Michael Wolff dissect the political drama following the Democrats’ unexpected retreat on the government shutdown, the continual unpredictability of Trump, media scandals stretching from the U.S. to the UK, and the brewing battle over Epstein-related secrets. The conversation weaves through inside takes on Fox News, the BBC, pardons, and the maneuvering around Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison treatment—all with the podcast’s signature blend of relish, irreverence, and sharp insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The House, Mike Johnson, and the Reopening of the “Epstein Files”

[01:39, 28:30, 28:54 – 36:59]

• Subpoenaing the Files: Michael Wolff explains that with the House reopening, there will be a vote “to subpoena the Epstein file—or files. Theoretically it is everything that exists within the United States government on Jeffrey Epstein.” [01:49]
• Jurisdictional Challenges: The files are spread across multiple agencies and jurisdictions: “There is what the FBI holds. There is what the Justice Department holds...Then there’s the Southern District in New York, and the Florida district...potentially throughout other parts of the government.” — Michael Wolff [31:01]
• Political Confusion: Even Congress doesn’t really know what it’s asking for (“They are going to subpoena something, but they don’t know what they are subpoenaing.”) [29:09]
• Partisan Oddities: The push is bipartisan, notably between Rep. Thomas Massie (R) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D), supported by Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace [30:34].

Notable Quote:

“That is now going to become the next part of this battle. So they are going to subpoena something, but they don’t know what they are subpoenaing.”
— Michael Wolff [29:09]

2. Democrats’ Sudden Surrender and Political Fallout

[02:13 – 09:58, 21:42 – 23:22]

• Unexpected Retreat:

  • Democrats, fresh off election wins and apparently “winning the shutdown,” suddenly surrendered (“The Democrats are like, okay, we give up.” — Michael Wolff [02:25]).
  • Discussion of party disarray: “It was incomprehensible to me, too. And also, it’s very unusual to see the Democrats turn on each other.” — Joanna Coles [03:41]
  • Internal divisions emphasized by prominent figures criticizing party leadership—Gavin Newsom calls it “unconditional surrender” [03:41, 22:43].

• Analysis of Trump’s Strategy:

  • Trump’s “all or nothing” style: “If you are irrational, then the rational people actually fold. That’s what they do.” — Michael Wolff [06:53]
  • Democrats remain stuck in “politics as usual,” while Trump consistently plays asymmetrical, disruptive games [08:45, 09:00].

Notable Quote:

“Trump fights an asymmetrical battle and they don’t get it at all. They’re still in, we’re politicians and we do what politicians do.”
— Michael Wolff [08:45]

3. Inside Trump’s Head: Media, Power, and Perception

[06:25 – 17:47, 40:13 – 42:23]

• Trump’s Mindset:

  • “He has one mindset, all or nothing...the campaign was just, again, you know, four indictments, one criminal conviction. It didn’t make any difference to him.” [06:53]
  • Trump’s self-perceived invincibility: “For him, it’s just playing to victory. I just wait for the victory. I can wait as long as anyone. And you know, and he was right, you know—they’ll fold and then I’ll win.” [47:42]

• Fox News and Rupert Murdoch:

  • Laura Ingraham seen as the voice of Murdoch, not Fox News per se: “That was not the Fox line, it was the Rupert Murdoch line.” — Michael Wolff [12:10]
  • The tangled Murdoch-Trump relationship: “Rupert’s view of Trump: he’s an asshole.” [12:48]

• Media Manipulation and Celebrity Politics:

  • The idea that “politics has become pop culture.” [26:39]
  • Anecdotes about attempts to thrust unlikely figures (Matt Stone of South Park) into politics—“Complete catastrophe.” [27:04]

4. The BBC Scandal and Right-Wing Libel Tactics

[17:47 – 21:12]

• BBC Under Fire:
  • BBC’s leadership shakeup after a Panorama scandal; Michael Wolff notes: “What they did was they shouldn’t have done and was a mistake which you should have been able to apologize for. And, and life goes on. They had to resign.”
• Transatlantic Political Pressure:
  • Trump’s lawyer, Alessandro Britto, now orchestrates “the Trump libel industrial complex,” pressuring both the BBC and U.S. targets [18:07].
• Nuanced Critique:
  • Wolff both condemns the right-wing attack and criticizes BBC’s internal culture: “I have never met such arrogant people, such remote people. What world do they live in? …What has happened to them is completely unfair. At the same time, they deserve everything they get.” [19:57]

5. The Ghislaine Maxwell Cover-Up: Access, Prison Privileges, and Political Power

[32:39 – 42:23]

• Maxwell’s “Club Fed” Treatment:

  • Maxwell transferred “from a terrible jail in Florida to a jail, a club fed, which sex offenders are by statute excluded from.” [33:09]
  • She enjoys privileges supposedly denied to others—private trainer, meals in cell, even a puppy.
  • Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is pursuing the oddities in her treatment [34:06].

• White House Involvement:

  • Leak from the Maxwell family triggers panic in the White House (“This was a leak from the Maxwell family and describing it as a shot across the bow.” [35:56]).
  • Trump’s former personal lawyer (now the #2 at DOJ) visits Maxwell in jail—an unprecedented move [36:05].

• Potential Pardon Looms:

  • Maxwell’s transfer and fawning DOJ interview suggest she’s “on the way…to a pardon or commutation of her sentence.” [37:35]
  • “He seems to have arranged it so he will not have Ghislaine Maxwell saying…Trump was with this girl or whatever else she might say.” — Michael Wolff [41:04]

6. Listener Questions: Melania, Trump’s Hair, and Life Behind the Scenes

[42:23 – 46:20]

• Why Doesn’t Melania Help Trump With His Hair?

  • Wolff: “Donald Trump believes he is the consummate Mr. Styld…he understands it has become a signature…brand enhancer.” [43:36–44:16]
  • The theory that Trump’s absurd look may actually have been Melania’s design is floated for comic effect. [44:48]

• Why Not Divorce Trump?

  • Wolff: “Rich people don’t have to get divorced. They have a lot of real estate. I live parallel life. Parallel life.” [45:55]

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Asymmetrical Trumpian Tactics:

  “If you are irrational, then the rational people actually fold. That’s what they do.”
  — Michael Wolff [06:53]

• On Murdoch’s View of Trump:

  “Rupert’s view of Trump: he’s an asshole.”
  — Michael Wolff [12:48]

• On the Open Nature of a Cover-Up:

  “I mean the thing, I mean it’s kind of confusing. The thing about cover ups is that they’re supposed to be hidden. I mean what is it even called when the cover up is out?”
  — Michael Wolff [37:17]

• On Maxwell’s Leverage:

  “Her leverage here is the President of the United States. Let’s, but let’s be very clear. I mean, it is clear, it is transparent what is happening here.”
  — Michael Wolff [35:06]

• On the Future of the Democratic Party:

  “The larger story here is that we are beginning this year now formally beginning the year to the 2026 midterms. And those are going to involve a reckoning in the Democratic Party and that will then be the precursor to what happens in 2028.”
  — Michael Wolff [21:53]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:39] – Introduction to “The Epstein Files” and House reopening
• [02:13–08:57] – Democrats’ shutdown strategy, internal rifts, and Trump’s tactics
• [10:01–13:23] – Trump’s performance in interviews; Murdoch and Fox
• [17:47–21:12] – BBC debacle, transatlantic pressure, and right-wing media
• [28:30–32:37] – The mechanics and politics of the Epstein files
• [33:09–37:35] – Ghislaine Maxwell’s preferential treatment and cover-up
• [40:13–42:23] – Pardons, Epstein victims, and why Maxwell matters
• [42:23–46:20] – Melania, Trump’s signature style, and rich-people marriage
• [47:42] – How Trump “waits for victory” as Democrats fold

Tone and Style

The conversation remains quick-witted and irreverent, with Michael Wolff’s incisive, sometimes caustic commentary balanced by Joanna Coles’s pointed but playful moderation. The language is bold and candid, laced with media gossip, historical inside stories, and a sense of gallows humor about the American political scene.

For Listeners

If you want:

• A deep, gossipy dive into political and media maneuvering
• To understand how Epstein-related secrets may soon shake Washington
• Insight into the enduring Trump Show and its ripple effects
• Candid, sometimes brutal assessments of American and British media

This episode delivers all that and more—with a promise of more revelations as “the Epstein files” inch closer to daylight.