Podcast
The Tara Palmeri Show
Hosted by Tara Palmeri · EN
Welcome to The Tara Palmeri Show!
Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless political journalists. As a deeply-sourced reporter, she brings her audience inside the machinations of the highest level of power. Her quick wit and unvarnished reporting goes beyond the headlines, offering a deeper understanding of the intrigues of the permanent political class. This show is not about platitudes. Rather it's about what’s really happening at the highest levels of power and the inside conversation.
Tara has covered national politics and foreign affairs for fifteen years. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News, where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the Chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She’s also worked for the Washington Examiner, the New York Post, POLITICO Europe and Puck, and she hosted The Ringer's election podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win." Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein called "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells."
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221episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Can Democrats Defend Graham Platner?
3d ago00:47:21Summary readyTara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Democrats Want to Be the Anti-Corruption Party Again. Will It Work This Time?
1w ago00:31:43Summary readyDemocrats say corruption will be a central issue in the midterms.Congressman Jason Crow joins me to discuss his new End Corruption Caucus and the party’s plan to target Trump’s ethics controversies.The bigger question: Why should voters believe Democrats this time? Will the party confront corruption only on the other side—or look in the mirror as well? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Acting AG Todd Blanche THROWS Trump Under the Bus in Explosive Hearing
1w ago02:13:18Summary readyThe Trump administration's controversial $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is officially dead—and Tara Palmeri was live as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced intense questioning on Capitol Hill. After weeks of GOP backlash, Blanche confirmed the Justice Department is abandoning the program, marking a major political retreat for the administration. Tara breaks down the key moments from the hearing, what forced the reversal, and whether Blanche is becoming the fall guy for one of Trump's most controversial initiatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jill Biden Says She Thought He Had a Stroke. Former Aide Speaks Out w/ Michael LaRosa
1w ago00:48:44Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden and Biden campaign insider, for a no-holds-barred conversation about the Jill Biden memoir disaster, the Democratic Party's credibility crisis, and why no one around the Bidens will tell them the truth. LaRosa — who says he cares about "Doctor B" but paid a price for speaking out about Biden's health — breaks down why the book tour's opening salvo has been met with hostility from Democrats, how Jill's claim that she thought Biden was having a stroke during the debate contradicts everything the campaign said at the time, and why the same advisers who got the Bidens into this mess are still running the show. They dig into Jill Biden's unprecedented influence inside the White House — how her chief of staff controlled the schedule, the residence staff, the Secret Service, and access to the president — the DNC's embarrassing autopsy report that Ken Martin can't even stand behind, why Democrats still can't articulate what they're for, and the uncomfortable truth about affordability: Democrats didn't care about it under Biden but suddenly do under Trump. Plus: why only 16 House seats are actually competitive in 2026, whether Democrats can take back the House and Senate, and LaRosa's sharp distinction that "Republicans use power as a tool — Democrats use power as a reward." #biden #politics 0:00 – Intro: Jill Biden's memoir is creating more questions than answers 5:21 – "They were allergic to transparency" — the Biden campaign's fatal flaw 10:08 – The same people who got everything wrong are still advising her 15:01 – Why this book is destroying her credibility instead of restoring it 19:23 – Jill Biden's unprecedented influence inside the White House 24:28 – The DNC autopsy report is a joke — and Ken Martin can't even own it 30:02 – Democrats still can't answer basic questions about what they stand for 35:00 – Neither side has clean hands Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Congressman Reveals the Moment Bondi Went Silent on Trump & Epstein
2w ago00:25:42Summary readyTara Palmeri gets the first account of what happened behind closed doors during Pam Bondi's transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee from Congressman James Walkinshaw (D-VA), who was in the room. Walkinshaw reveals that Bondi repeatedly threw acting Attorney General Todd Blanche under the bus — blaming him for the botched redactions that exposed 70-plus Epstein survivors' identities, for removing the Howard Lutnick photo from the files (claiming it was AI-generated), and for decisions she said she wasn't involved in. But the biggest bombshell: when asked point-blank whether President Trump knew about Epstein's crimes before they became public, Bondi didn't say no — she said "I don't know." Walkinshaw and Palmeri dig into why Harmeet Dhillon accompanied Bondi as a DOJ minder to block embarrassing questions, Bondi's shifting explanations for her "I've got the list on my desk" claim, why the administration is using "privilege" to withhold files in apparent violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the FBI whistleblower who said agents were directed to flag mentions of Trump in the files, and whether Bondi was actually fired because Trump got frustrated with the continued media attention. Plus: the Lutnick island photo cover-up, why no one has investigated Les Wexner or Leon Black, and what a future Democratic Congress plans to do about it. 0:00 – Intro: Congressman Walkinshaw was in the room for Pam Bondi's closed-door interview 4:49 – Bondi blames Todd Blanche for exposing survivors' identities and the Lutnick photo cover-up 9:06 – "Everybody knew about Epstein" — did Trump know about the crimes? 14:00 – FBI agents directed to flag mentions of Trump in the Epstein files 19:04 – The "client list" lie, privilege loophole, and what a future Congress will d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Why the DOJ is Targeting Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll w/ Michael Popok
2w ago00:52:01Summary readyE. Jean Carroll accused Donald Trump of r**e, beat him in court, and won tens of millions in damages. Now Trump’s DOJ is reportedly investigating Carroll over testimony tied to Reid Hoffman-backed legal funding. I’m going LIVE with Legal AF’s Michael Popok to break down the timing, politics, and legitimacy of the probe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Inside Grindr's Secret Power Network in Trump's Washington
2w ago00:13:27Summary readyTara Palmeri investigates how Grindr — the gay hookup app born in West Hollywood — has quietly become an unexpected political force in Trump's Washington. During White House Correspondents' Dinner weekend, the hottest invite in town wasn't hosted by a media company — it was hosted by Grindr. And yet almost no elected Republican politicians were willing to show their face, even as the app experienced a massive usage spike during the Republican National Convention and CPAC. Palmeri traces this story back to her own reporting 16 years ago, when she walked through the Capitol, the White House, and the Pentagon with the app open and watched users light up all around her. She reveals Grindr's growing $1.6 million lobbying operation run by Joe Hack — a longtime Republican operative — their work with the State Department to save PEPFAR funding, their bipartisan fundraising strategy targeting Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin, and the enormous gap between public political performance and private institutional reality in Washington. Plus: why the app was forced to divest from Chinese ownership over national security concerns, why Melania Trump carries symbolic weight among gay Republicans, and how Grindr's party may have been less a publicity stunt and more a coming-out party for a new kind of influence operation. 0:00 – The hottest party in Washington was hosted by Grindr 4:28 – Grindr's $1.6M lobbying operation and its Republican operative running it 8:30 – The gap between public performance and private reality in Trump's Washington Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Epstein Honeytrap: The Women Who Pulled Prince Andrew In
2w ago00:31:37Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with royal biographer Andrew Lownie to expose what may be the most dangerous dimension of the Epstein scandal: the intelligence operation behind it. Lownie, author of "The Rise and Fall of the House of York," reveals an FBI document describing how Russian and Chinese intelligence services targeted Prince Andrew through women, money, and contacts — and how Andrew was a willing participant, driven by hatred for his brother King Charles. Andrew Lownie details honey traps from Libya to Central Asia, Andrew requesting prostitutes on official trips (including 40 in Thailand — charged to taxpayers), a €10,000 payment for a former Miss Slovakia in Prague, and the deeper question of whether Epstein was just a player in a wider intelligence conspiracy involving Robert Maxwell, Mossad, and the Barr family's Dalton School connection. They also break down why Lownie doesn't believe Epstein's recently surfaced suicide note is real — citing forensic pathologist evidence, mysterious guard payments, failed cameras, and Epstein's own insistence days before his death that it would be "crazy" to kill himself. Plus: Bill Barr's unexplained prison visit, why Epstein's key staff have never been subpoenaed, what Andrew's fall means for King Charles's reign, and why William wants this dealt with before he inherits the throne. #politics #epsteinfiles #princeandrew 0:00 – Intro: The intelligence operation behind the Epstein scandal 1:42 – The FBI document: Russian and Chinese intelligence targeting Prince Andrew 5:26 – Honey traps, €10,000 for Miss Slovakia, and 40 prostitutes on taxpayer expenses 10:38 – Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine, and the intelligence origins of the Epstein operation 15:41 – The suicide note Lownie doesn't believe — and the evidence for homicide 20:49 – Bill Barr's prison visit, Mark Epstein, and the witnesses never subpoenaed 25:03 – What Andrew's fall means for King Charles and the future of the monarchy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Men Sarah Kellen Linked to Epstein’s Trafficking Ring
3w ago00:24:48Summary readyAfter my exclusive reporting revealed that former Epstein lieutenant Sarah Kellen identified several powerful men to congressional investigators, I’m digging into the longstanding ties these figures had to Jeffrey Epstein — and the elite political, financial, and social networks surrounding him that reached all the way to the top, including Clinton. Join me for new reporting and a deeper look at the power structure behind Epstein’s inner circle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Inside Trump's Secret Plan to Fund His “Loyalty Squad”
3w ago00:36:56Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times investigative reporter Russ Buettner to break down what may be the most brazen act of presidential self-dealing in American history: Trump's $1.776 billion IRS "settlement." Buettner explains how two Trump subordinates — acting AG Todd Blanche (Trump's former personal defense attorney) and Treasury officials — quietly cut a deal that creates a massive slush fund with no public reporting requirements, wipes away a 15-year audit over a suspicious $72.9 million tax refund that could have cost Trump well over $100 million, and includes a sweeping addendum that "forever bars" the IRS from auditing Trump, his family, and any "affiliated individuals" — language so broad it could cover Jared Kushner and his crypto partners. They dig into why the IRS thought they could win the case, how Trump declared over $1 billion in losses from his casinos and Chicago Tower (possibly claiming the same losses twice), how January 6th defendants are already lining up for $30 million payouts from the fund, and why a senior Treasury lawyer reportedly quit over what was coming. Plus: why lawyers won't even call it a "settlement," whether a future administration can reverse it, and why this may amount to the president having deputized and funded a militia. 0:00 – Intro: Pulitzer Prize-winning NYT reporter Russ Buettner on Trump's IRS deal 5:57 – The $72.9 million refund, The Apprentice windfall, and a 15-year audit 10:24 – Todd Blanche signed the deal — Trump's former personal defense attorney 15:16 – "Forever barred": the sweeping non-prosecution language no taxpayer has ever received 20:58 – The $1.776 billion slush fund and January 6th defendants demanding $30 million 26:00 – Pandora's box: elected kings, future presidents, and the self-dealing precedent 30:02 – "The most corrupt moment I've ever lived through" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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