The Daily Beast Podcast – March 18, 2026

Episode: "Trump Lets Slip What's Got Under His Skin: Wolff"
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Michael Wolff

Episode Overview

In this episode, Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff dive deep into the latest twists around the Jeffrey Epstein files, focusing on the ongoing ripple effects for high-profile individuals, including Donald Trump, Tom Pritzker, and Steve Bannon. The conversation explores Trump's apparent obsession with Wolff, how public scrutiny is enveloping anyone associated with Epstein, the troubling nature of mass data releases, and what all this means for political power players. The episode also briefly touches on Trump’s climate agenda, the internal jockeying among GOP hopefuls, and the rising Democratic stars for 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Epstein Files Fallout: Guilt by Association

• Tom Pritzker’s Downfall:

  • Joanna and Michael discuss Tom Pritzker, former Hyatt chairman, forced to resign due to his appearance in Epstein-related emails.
  • Michael recounts meeting Pritzker at a play viewing arranged by Epstein at Lincoln Center, emphasizing Pritzker's only apparent crime: socializing with Epstein.
  • Wolff notes, “There is certainly no suggestion that Tom Pritzker was involved with Jeffrey Epstein's dark sexual compartment... Just the only suggestion is that he had a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.” (09:45)

• The Salem Witch Trials Effect:

  • Joanna points out the escalating guilt-by-association: “There’s an element of Salem witch trials about this. Now that anybody that's ever been involved with Jeffrey Epstein has to step back.” (05:36)
  • Wolff highlights The New York Times’ editorial stance: “Anyone who has shaken hands with Mr. Epstein in recent decades should be scrutinized.” (05:48)

• Collateral Damage & Due Process:

  • Joanna notes, “...the collateral damage on people is remarkable. I mean, Kathy Rummler's private life... all over the front page of the Wall Street Journal, none of which really pertains to the Epstein case.” (29:15)
  • Wolff argues that this is a violation of due process: “Due process says you have information related to a specific investigation or crime... but does not have a right to know about the information that has no relevance.” (29:35)

2. Trump’s Reaction & Obsession with Wolff

• Trump’s Public Rage:

  • Joanna recounts a dinner where news broke that Trump was raging against Wolff on Air Force One, with Trump’s new defense being that journalists (specifically Wolff) and Epstein are conspiring against him. (10:16, 10:40)
  • Michael confirms, “This lawsuit is a problem for them... They screwed up to get themselves in a position where I could pursue them.” (13:02)
  • Wolff reflects, “He is right. He's picked up on that... When he singles that out, he is saying, yeah, you could have. That could have been harmful to me.” (11:35)

• Inside Trump’s Psychology:

  • Wolff contends Trump has a true antenna for what might harm him, implying the threat from the Epstein files—and Wolff himself—is real in Trump’s mind.
  • “I am under his skin with this Melania lawsuit.” (12:50)

3. The Bannon-Epstein Connection

• Origins of the Relationship:

  • Wolff reveals he introduced Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein in 2017, after Bannon left the White House. (14:47, 17:03)
  • Their immediate bond: “They immediately bonded over their hatred for Donald Trump.” (17:10)
  • Memorable moment: Bannon’s first words to Epstein were, “‘You were the only person I was afraid of during the 2016 campaign.’” (14:34)

• Bannon-Epstein-Trump Triangle:

  • They often met or called each other, sharing stories and analyses of Trump: “They felt like much of the country felt: How did this possibly happen?” (19:14)
  • Wolff hints their insider knowledge was “comic, tragic... a kind of entertainment for them.” (19:10)

• Media Critique:

  • Wolff critiques recent NYT reporting: “Their coverage of the Bannon-Epstein relationship was... zero reporting, actually.” (15:15)
  • Also, “Going through these emails and just extracting snippets... is not reporting. They don't know the context, the meaning, they know nothing.” (28:42)

4. Epstein’s Life, Death, and Conspiracy Theories

• Suicide or Murder?
  • Joanna notes, “The more you read about the Epstein files... the more you think it’s possible he didn’t die by suicide.” (22:27)
  • Wolff is agnostic but skeptical: “I can’t see the circumstances in which he died the way they say he would have had to have died. And yet I can’t see... all the people... would keep quiet about what they knew.” (23:01)

5. Release of the Epstein Files: An Unprecedented ‘Rosetta Stone’

• Unvetted Information and Antidemocratic Consequences:
  • Wolff raises concerns about the bulk release of the files: “We ought to remember... information has never been released in this way... Throwing it out has never happened before. So we don’t know the effect of that.” (24:43)
  • He warns that it has “as much collateral damage as anything the Trump administration has done.” (24:43)

6. Impact on Trump and Others

• Epstein Files Help Trump?

  • Joanna asks, “Is it possible the release of the Epstein files turns out to be good for Trump?” (34:32)
  • Wolff responds, “Yeah, I think already it has... It has certainly taken the focus off of him and put the focus on so many other people and fractured the focus. Who do we focus on?” (34:46)

• Trump’s Survival Playbook:

  • Wolff draws parallels to Trump’s “grab them by the pussy” scandal: “The way he got by that... he survived that by blaming it on Clinton, which he’s doing again.” (36:17)

7. Transition to Climate Politics

• Trump’s Deregulation on Climate:
  • Wolff: “What the Trump administration has done is basically say, we don’t want that power and we're giving it back. They have dismantled the entire system for regulating... climate change.” (30:48)
  • Joanna asks about political consequences: “You feel that this is going to impact his voters in the red state just as much as anybody in the blue states.” (33:51)
  • Wolff agrees, highlighting how Trump frames the main threat as Democrats, not climate apocalypse. (34:32)

8. 2026 Political Landscape: Rubio, J.D. Vance, and AOC

• Marco Rubio’s Rise:

  • Rubio shines at Munich Security Conference; compared favorably to J.D. Vance (“Now Marco Rubio is sort of saying, ‘Come on, guys, you’ve got to save your own Western civilization.’”) (37:59)
  • Wolff: “This is clearly a Marco Rubio moment... the one person in this administration who has some professional experience in the job at hand.” (38:32)
  • Rubio’s internal anguish: “He’s always looking anguished in photographs... Marco Rubio looking for his soul or whatever.” (41:01)

• Classic Trump Divide-and-Conquer:

  • Wolff: “Let me have two guys who will kill each other... and leaving who standing? Donald Trump.” (41:01)

• AOC’s Path:

  • AOC reportedly in Munich: “She’s obviously running for president, clearly running for president... a person outside of all the conventions of running for president.” (41:56)
  • Discussion on Democratic Party’s identity crisis—establishment versus disruptors. (42:30)

• Midterms & Democratic Bench:

  • Joanna mentions rising Dems: Mark Kelly, Seth Moulton, James Talarico, Jasmine Crockett.
  • Obama’s recent activity noted. (43:56–44:52)

9. Q&A Highlights: Melania, Lawsuit, and Limericks

• Listener Questions:

  • Melania’s residency and government support, positing the comedic, "Can your black-rimmed hat be used as a weapon like Oddjob in Goldfinger?" (45:09)
  • Wolff clarifies the focus of lawsuits concerns the actual nature of relations between Epstein, Trump, and Melania. (46:45)

• Limerick Moment:

  • Community-produced limericks add levity; ex:
    • “There once was a crowd in first class / whose secrets were buried in brass...” (47:10)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On guilt by association (Epstein):

  • “Anyone who has shaken hands with Mr. Epstein in recent decades should be scrutinized.” (NYT, referenced by Wolff, 05:48)
  • “There is an element of Salem witch trials about this.” – Joanna Coles (05:36)

• On Trump’s antenna for threat:

  • “When he singles that out, he is saying, yeah... That could have been harmful to me.” – Michael Wolff (11:35)

• On Bannon–Epstein Partnership:

  • “They immediately bonded over their hatred for Donald Trump.” – Michael Wolff (17:10)

• On the unprecedented nature of the Epstein files’ release:

  • “The idea of law enforcement... just throwing it out has never happened before. We don’t know the effect of that.” – Michael Wolff (24:43)

• On Marco Rubio’s moment:

  • “He is actually the one person in this administration who has some professional experience in the job at hand.” – Michael Wolff (38:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s Rage at Wolff and Supper Story: 10:16 – 11:35
• Guilt by Association / Witch Trials: 05:36 – 09:45
• Bannon Meets Epstein: 14:34 – 17:10
• Epstein Files Release & Collateral Damage: 24:43 – 30:00
• Climate Regulation Rollback: 30:48 – 34:32
• Epstein Files Help Trump?: 34:32 – 36:17
• Rubio, JD Vance, and GOP Dynamics: 37:59 – 41:18
• AOC’s Prospects and the Democratic Bench: 41:56 – 44:52
• Community Limericks and Listener Q&A: 47:10 – 48:15

Episode Tone and Takeaway

The tone is witty, unsparing, and conversational—with dark humor supporting incisive critique. Wolff and Coles are skeptical of the media’s herd mentality, scornful of opportunistic reporting, and precise about the psychological maneuvering at the upper echelons of power.

For listeners:
This episode unpacks how the Epstein files have become a blunt instrument for guilt by association, why Trump is fixated on Wolff, how the media’s handling of scandal is flawed, and what shifting political alliances might mean for 2026. The blend of insider anecdotes, media criticism, and dark comedy offers both clarity and intrigue in a chaotic news cycle.