The Tara Palmeri Show

Episode: Trump Caves Under Pressure: Epstein Files Now on the Table
Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Tara Palmeri
Key Guests: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (clip), Liz Plank (brief), Stacey Williams (Epstein survivor/Trump accuser)

Episode Overview

This explosive episode dives into President Trump's stunning reversal on the release of the long-sealed Jeffrey Epstein files. Tara Palmeri—renowned for her dogged investigative journalism—peels back the curtain on the internal Republican battle, mounting bipartisan pressure, and the murky ethical underbelly of both political and media actors caught up in the Epstein saga. Alongside brief appearances by journalist Liz Plank and survivor Stacey Williams, Palmeri tracks the historical moment when forces in Congress, the media, and the public appear to (finally) demand full transparency over Epstein's network—while fiercely questioning whether real accountability is possible.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Reversal on the Epstein Files

• Main Takeaway: Trump has granted congressional leaders permission to move forward with releasing the Epstein files—an abrupt about-face after months of stonewalling.
  • “He had to succumb… he had to surrender to the release of the file. So we’ll see what happens. But it’s really stunning to me because I think we have to remember how hard he worked this summer with Speaker Johnson to make sure that this vote didn’t happen.” (Tara Palmeri, 00:32)
• Palmeri reports via sources that bipartisan support—and the math for a veto-proof majority—left Trump with no choice but to cave.
• Trump attempted to frame his flip as a strategy to focus on “affordability” messaging, but Palmeri suggests it’s a scramble to maintain political control.

2. Obstruction and Internal GOP Fractures

• Trump and Speaker Johnson previously deployed procedural tricks: early adjournments and delayed confirmations, including stalling Adelita Grijalva from Arizona, just to avoid a House vote.
• Momentum shifted as names like Greg Stube, Dom Bacon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Nancy Mace openly defied Trump's wishes to demand file release.
• Palmeri highlights infighting: “He called her a traitor. He called her Marjorie Traitor Greene. But on the Internet, a lot of MAGA world sided with Marjorie Taylor Greene… shows that President Trump is losing grip on his base.” (Tara Palmeri, 02:56)
• Broader context: The GOP civil war over platforming extremists, with Trump seemingly anxious about losing MAGA loyalty, even appearing to tolerate white nationalist voices for strategic cover.

3. Senate Dynamics and Murkowski’s Switch

• Palmeri breaks news that Sen. Lisa Murkowski—long under suspicion for her ties to Ghislaine Maxwell's circles—will now support releasing the files, likely due to intense media scrutiny and grassroots pressure.
  • “About time.” (Sen. Murkowski, 05:17)
  • “Yes, yes, I will. I will support it.” (05:21)
• Palmeri details the Alaska political web: Murkowski's connections to Maxwell through Arctic advocacy, donor relationships, and influential media figures.
• Acknowledges the fragility of Senate procedure—will Majority Leader John Thune move the bill to the floor, or will it die quietly?

4. Media Corruption & Collusion: The Michael Wolff Angle

• Palmeri confronts Michael Wolff’s attacks against her for reporting on his intimate connection with Epstein: giving advice, collaborating on a possible media acquisition, and even sending Epstein drafts for approval.
  • “He’s actually trying to get things for his benefit, that this is crossing the line between journalist and source. I mean, you have to have ethical lines, and Michael Wolff clearly blew past all of them.” (Tara Palmeri, 08:32)
  • Quote from email: “I think you should let him hang himself… that gives you a valuable PR, meaning, public relations and political currency… if it really looks like he could win, you could save him generating a debt.” (Tara Palmeri citing Michael Wolff, 11:20)
• Palmeri describes Wolff “sitting on dozens and dozens more tapes” and calls for total transparency.

5. Doubts on DOJ Transparency

• Palmeri is deeply skeptical that, even with the bill’s passage, the Department of Justice under Pam Bondi and Cash Patel will fully unseal the files without significant redactions.
• “Will it be all redacted… Or will we get a real understanding of who was involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring… I’m a little dubious to be honest.” (Tara Palmeri, 01:55)

6. Reactions: Survivors, GOP Defectors, and the Weight of New Evidence

• Stacey Williams (Epstein survivor, Trump accuser) clarifies her previous relationships and recounts the strain of being entwined in the saga.
  • “I just want to correct one thing. So Jeffrey didn’t introduce me to Donald. I knew Donald before… I haven’t looked at [the files] too much… for my own mental now.” (Stacey Williams, 18:33)
• The unprecedented volume of new emails exposes deep ties between Trump and Epstein—contradicting past denials from Trump’s camp and apparently leaving even White House insiders “not allowed to ask Trump any questions about the epine story.” (Tara Palmeri, 14:25 & 16:23)

7. The Megyn Kelly Controversy – Normalizing Predation?

• Palmeri and panelists react with disgust to Megyn Kelly’s remarks downplaying Epstein’s abuse by referencing “a spectrum” of pedophilia.
  • “How is that not a child?… One of the girls is so young, she’s 14, she refers to Epstein’s penis as a wee wee. I am sorry, but how is that not a child?” (Tara Palmeri, 21:08)
• Discussion highlights the ongoing media complicity problem and the lack of accountability—even as some demand SiriusXM cancel Kelly’s show.
• “There are no cancel cultures, whatever. People can defend pedophiles. Who knows what’s next? Like, everyone’s going to get a Nazi tattoo. I like, Jesus, I don’t know anymore, right? I’m at like, I’m at my, I’m tired too.” (Tara Palmeri, 23:57)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tara Palmeri (re: Trump’s cave):
  “You could say he had to surrender to the release of the file… he had to succumb. It is a stunning reversal.” (00:32)

• Tara Palmeri (on media ethics):
  “When Michael Wolff says he sucks up around his sources just to spit it all out, it’s more than that. He’s actually trying to get things for his benefit… this is crossing the line between journalist and source.” (08:32)

• Sen. Lisa Murkowski:
  “About time.” (on voting to release the Epstein files) (05:17)

• Stacey Williams (Epstein survivor):
  “I have enough information to go out there and get my points across and share my story and then that’s kind of where I leave it for my own mental now.” (18:33)

• Tara Palmeri (on young Epstein victims):
  “One of the girls is so young, she’s 14, that she refers to Epstein’s penis as a wee wee. I am sorry, but how is that not a child?” (21:08)

• Tara Palmeri (on cancel culture):
  “There are no cancel cultures, whatever. People can defend pedophiles. Who knows what’s next? Like, everyone’s going to get a Nazi tattoo. I like, Jesus, I don’t know anymore, right?” (23:57)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:32 — Tara opens with Trump’s reversal on file release; GOP infighting and shifting dynamics.
• 05:17 — Sen. Murkowski’s on-record commitment to vote “yes” for file release.
• 08:32 — Palmeri details Michael Wolff’s ethical breaches.
• 14:25 — Surge in Trump/Epstein emails; panel discusses administration’s frantic denials.
• 17:32 — Palmeri assesses the Republican defectors and possible impact on Trump’s grip.
• 19:34 — Panel reacts to Megyn Kelly’s remarks downplaying Epstein’s abuse; Palmeri describes harrowing survivor police interviews.
• 21:08 — Personal testimony about the youthful age of victims and media minimization.
• 23:57 — Palmeri and panel express exhaustion with the lack of accountability and call out the normalization of extreme positions.

Conclusion & Reflection

The episode is a pointed, passionate indictment of powerful actors' attempts to quash transparency over one of the era’s most infamous sex trafficking scandals—and their eventual forced capitulation by a groundswell of bipartisanship, tireless survivors, and relentless independent journalists. Even as Palmeri tempers hopefulness with skepticism about true accountability, the episode signals a rare moment of consensus within a polarized America and exposes, in granular detail, the backroom machinations, media failures, and raw resilience behind one of the nation's most consequential political reversals.