The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3571 – New Epstein Files Star Trump, Musk, Gates, Lutnick and more w/ Brace Belden
Date: February 2, 2026
Guests: Brace Belden (Co-host, True Anon Podcast)
Main Theme: Analyzing the newly released Epstein files, implicating major figures like Trump, Musk, Gates, Lutnick, and others, and decoding the broader implications of these revelations for politics, media, and power.

Episode Overview

This episode of The Majority Report is dedicated to dissecting the latest trove of Jeffrey Epstein files—a release containing emails, schedules, and tips tying powerful individuals (including Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Howard Lutnick, and Larry Summers) directly or indirectly to Epstein. Sam Seder is joined by Brace Belden from the True Anon Podcast to sift through fact, rumor, and context, and to discuss how these new documents reframe past narratives about elite involvement with Epstein, including the interplay between fact and conspiracy, particularly on the American right.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis and Complexity of the Epstein Narrative

[31:08 – 39:00]

• Brace Belden explains the origin of the True Anon podcast, noting its roots in skepticism about conspiracy culture and the expectation that the Epstein story would fade after his death. Instead, it only deepened (31:08).
• The hosts discuss how liberal and mainstream messaging has discouraged “conspiratorial” thinking, yet the sheer scale of Epstein’s network is indisputable.
• Emma Vigeland suggests that “Pizzagate” and QAnon functioned as psyops, intentionally muddying the waters to make real stories about elite misconduct seem implausible—a key point echoed by Brace and Sam.

“How much of the idea that Donald Trump is coming in, according to QAnon, to clean up the very thing that he is about as much of a part of as really anybody short of Epstein… was out there as a way of just sort of like making any stories about this stuff seem ludicrous?” — Sam Seder (41:19)

2. QAnon, Steve Bannon, and the Right’s Weaponization of Conspiracy

[33:00 – 41:19]

• The role of Steve Bannon and other right-wing operatives in amplifying, manipulating, and perhaps intentionally redirecting stories of elite child abuse, while the Trump camp was itself thoroughly entangled with Epstein.
• Brace Belden: “It was pushed by certain people in Trump world a lot. I’m thinking about Jack Posobiec and, and Steve Bannon, of course. The Steve Bannon thing I think is really interesting…” (34:16)
• The conversation links Bannon’s ties to Epstein not just as rumor but as part of documented communication and possible operational overlap.

3. How QAnon Helped Defang the Epstein Scandal

[39:00 – 44:59]

• Sam and Brace discuss how QAnon spread enough hyperbolic misinformation to inoculate major news outlets against real reporting—anything about Epstein seems automatically unserious or tainted by association.
• The files are a mix of “wildly lurid” but unsubstantiated tips, actual emails, and direct evidence of deep involvement from the wealthy and powerful (41:19).

“It serves to sort of make everything seem pretty absurd… it makes it hard for I think the layperson to parse through what's real and what's not because they've been given so much information that… some of it's true, some of it's fake, but it's all kind of like blurred together…” — Brace Belden (41:19)

4. New File Revelations: Musk, Gates, Lutnick, Summers and More

[44:59 – 66:12]

• Elon Musk: Epstein’s emails reveal repeated attempts by Epstein to connect with Musk and his brother, including arranging introductions of women to Musk’s brother and mutual trips (45:00–46:13). Musk lied about the extent of their interactions.
• Trump: Multiple documents, accusations, and sworn testimonies name Trump—including unreported and underreported sworn testimony—while Trump publicly distances himself and tries to stop document releases (46:13–50:28).
  • Notable: Differences addressed between anonymous tips and sworn testaments, with both appearing in files but only some substantiated (51:10–51:38).
• Howard Lutnick: Previously denied close ties to Epstein, but newly released emails show Lutnick emailing Epstein about trips to his private island—even after claiming he’d never associated with him outside a single, uncomfortable encounter (57:25–59:41).
  • Lutnick’s documented lies and denials illustrate the pattern of powerful men getting away with misleading the public.
• Larry Summers: Not previously implicated for financial or criminal activity, but new emails show him engaging with Epstein on possibly sensitive information relating to international banking (66:12–69:00).

Memorable Quote:

“Having an email that's like, awesome. See, when can I come to the, when can I come to the island? When can I bring my 12 year old to the island?… these people are lying and they're caught lying, but I think that unfortunately nothing really happens to them.” — Brace Belden (59:15)

5. The Intelligence Angle: Epstein as “Connector” and Spycraft for Hire

[69:00 – 76:33]

• Ghislaine Maxwell’s familial ties to intelligence (MI6, Mossad, KGB) and Epstein’s international intrigue—as arms dealer, financial fixer, and “connective tissue” between intelligence figures in the US, UK, and Israel.
• Emma Vigeland: Raises a released FBI source email asserting Trump was “compromised by Israel” and Alan Dershowitz was an actual Mossad agent, who allegedly told prosecutors to lay off Epstein because he “belonged to intelligence” (70:21–71:54).
• Brace notes that Ehud Barak (former Israeli PM, ex-Mossad) was essentially a business partner of Epstein, underscoring how the real story is less about party affiliation or celebrity and more about pan-elite power.

6. Epstein and the Art of Blackmail: Bill Gates Example

[76:33 – 81:30]

• Epstein memorialized a conversation with Gates about a venereal disease and surreptitious antibiotics for Gates’ (now ex-)wife, apparently as both a record and potential blackmail mechanism (76:33–78:33).
• The hosts analyze whether these “notes to self” are practiced leverages or just more evidence of Epstein’s paranoia, manipulation, and depth of knowledge about the weaknesses of the world’s most influential people (78:33–81:30).

7. Will These Revelations Matter? The Culture of Elite Impunity

[61:48–64:07 & 85:55–88:13]

• The consensus is that, despite some public outcry, none of this will likely lead to meaningful legal or professional repercussions for most implicated figures—especially Trump, Musk, and Lutnick.
• Scandal fatigue and heightened partisanship mean the MAGA base is unlikely to care; for others, it's evidence of elite impunity.
• Discussion of what Democrats might do in the House if they retake control—congressional hearings could further expose, but would also test Democratic willingness to implicate their own (85:55–88:13).

“If this isn't one track of Democratic oversight… they're going to be able to do hearings on all of this… it's really just a function of how much do you want to embarrass Larry Summers, how much you want to embarrass the Clintons…” — Sam Seder (85:55)

8. Hollywood vs. Real Power: “Pizzagate” and the Limits of Scapegoating

[92:11–96:08]

• Epstein’s records show minimal Hollywood celebrity involvement beyond Woody Allen and select individuals—contrary to “Pizzagate” right-wing narratives, which focused on Tom Hanks, Oprah, and others (92:11–93:39).
• Brace shares that sources saw Epstein repeatedly on the sets of Woody Allen’s films, sometimes with young girls present—reality considerably grimmer and more mundane than anonymous internet theories.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the fog of conspiracy:

  “Kuhnen was so fucking… was so crazy that I think it kind of like infected… the way a lot of rightwing people think. They're willing to believe literally anything… but also it serves to make everything seem pretty absurd…” — Brace Belden (41:19)

• On elite double standards:

  “Now I feel like things have changed so much… you could be on the plane with Jeffrey Epstein… and nothing really happens to them.” — Brace Belden (59:15)

• On the real story:

  “He was somebody who served at the nexus of these very powerful people in the diplomatic world, in the financial world and in the military or military intelligence world.” — Brace Belden (75:10)

Detailed Timeline & Timestamps

• 05:35 – 13:06: Special election in Texas and left-wing populism’s viability; Democratic win in a blood-red district suggests shifting Latino vote and GOP gerrymandering vulnerabilities.
• 31:08 – 39:00: The Epstein narrative, the founding of True Anon, and how the media has responded.
• 39:00 – 44:59: The harmful effect of QAnon’s intentional blurring of true and false; how it protected real conspirators.
• 44:59 – 46:13: New Musk emails; the strangeness of high-profile introductions post-Epstein conviction.
• 51:10 – 52:19: Trump abuses, anonymous tips versus sworn testimony, and media priorities.
• 57:25 – 59:15: Howard Lutnick’s exposed lies and emails requesting time with Epstein.
• 66:12 – 69:00: Larry Summers and the Vatican Bank’s opaque dealings.
• 70:21 – 71:54: Emails alleging Trump’s compromise by Israel and Dershowitz’s role as a Mossad asset.
• 76:33 – 79:24: Bill Gates, blackmail, and “memorializing” incriminating conversations.
• 85:55 – 88:13: Will Democrats pursue public hearings and oversight on Epstein’s ties?
• 92:11 – 96:08: The reality behind “Pizzagate”: lack of Hollywood presence; Woody Allen’s egregious connections.

Flow & Tone

The episode blends irreverent skepticism, dark humor, and genuine concern for the chilling implications of elite impunity. The hosts toggle between granular document analysis and big-picture theorizing, regularly underlining the need for skepticism, context, and an understanding of power that transcends party and personality.

Summary Takeaways

• The new Epstein files further confirm that his network of intimate, financial, and operational ties extended throughout the highest echelons of business, politics, and technology with little to no shame or caution, even after his first conviction.
• “Conspiracy” branding—especially through QAnon—was weaponized to neutralize real investigation and to confuse the public.
• The mainstream media, Democrats, and Republicans alike have all shown a reluctance to pursue the deeper narrative, often for self-preservation.
• Elite impunity remains the norm; despite piles of documentary evidence, substantial repercussions are unlikely—unless political winds shift dramatically.
• Popular focus on celebrities has served as a red herring for the far more consequential relationships between Epstein and those with actual power to move money, politics, and information on a global scale.

For more, check out True Anon and The Majority Report’s continuing coverage as the document dump is combed through in the coming weeks and months.