The Tara Palmeri Show

Episode: Trump's Obscene Birthday Message to Epstein REVEALED with Don Lemon
Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Tara Palmeri
Guest: Don Lemon

Overview

This episode delves into the recent revelation of a previously unpublished, obscene birthday card allegedly sent by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, and the explosive fallout from its exposure. Tara Palmeri, an investigative journalist renowned for her Epstein reporting, joins Don Lemon to analyze the implications for the victims, the credibility of elite institutions, media reactions, and the ongoing political cover-up. The discussion is candid, sharp, and reveals what’s at stake both for the fourth estate and the powerful individuals circling Epstein’s world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Significance of the Exposed Birthday Card

[00:22–02:37]

• Palmeri stresses this moment as a victory for Epstein’s victims—"a great day for them because it shows that some of the evidence is coming to light."
• The card adds pressure on Republican holdouts to release DOJ’s Epstein files.
• Major media (specifically The Wall Street Journal) is lauded for withstanding legal threats and "going to the mat" for their reporting, even when sued for $10 billion by Trump.
• Institutional journalism’s resources and backbone are seen as vital:

  "They can go up against these sort of attacks in a way that you and I are more vulnerable." (B, 01:50)

2. Trump’s Pushback and Media Spin

[02:37–05:25]

• The Trump team, via press secretary Caroline Levitt, claims the letter and signature are fake, dismissing the story as a "Democrat Epstein hoax."
• Don and Tara note such spin is standard for political PR but highlight its absurdity—especially Trump’s third-person statements on Truth Social.
• The pattern of denial and defensive PR crosses administrations, but lying is called "particularly endemic to this administration."
• Several other Epstein correspondents, including Nathan Myrvold and Les Wexner, are linked to deviant or suggestive birthday messages, showing the normalization of inappropriate behavior among elites.

  "A lot of the notes to, to Epstein suggested sexual deviance in some way." (B, 05:25)

3. Elite Networks & Institutional Complicity

[06:26–09:38]

• Palmeri references a New York Times exposé into JP Morgan’s ongoing financial support of Epstein despite internal red flags, extending the web of culpability.
• JP Morgan enabled questionable transactions, even accounts for underage girls; Deutsche Bank picked up Epstein as a client later.
• Epstein’s "hyper fixer" reputation is noted, brokering deals and providing introductions to top tech and political figures (Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Benjamin Netanyahu).
• Implication: banking institutions facilitated or ignored sex trafficking in pursuit of wealth and connections.

  "This is a bank participating in sex trafficking, essentially by way or. Or facilitating sex trafficking." (B, 07:35)

4. Right-Wing Reactions (and Denial)

[09:52–13:43]

• Republican figures (JD Vance, Charlie Kirk) and MAGA influencers dismiss the authenticity of the card, focusing on the signature’s veracity.
• Palmeri highlights the hypocrisy:

  "Remember when they said he doesn't use the word enigma, and then he referred to Ben Carson as an enigma...when they said he doesn't doodle and then you found out his doodles were sold at Sotheby's?" (B, 10:43)

• The right is described as scrambling to contain the story, with some, like Jack Posobiec, resorting to sarcasm to minimize its impact.
• Tara and Don assert that the response is a coordinated effort of denial, but they suspect it can’t last:

  "This is like the genie that they're trying to put back in the bottle and just will not go back in the bottle..." (A, 13:24)

5. Was Trump a Law Enforcement “Informant”?

[13:43–17:31]

• Discussion turns to Speaker Mike Johnson’s (confused) comments implying Trump was an Epstein informant, which he soon walks back.
• Clip played where Johnson claims, "the President was helpful in trying to get Epstein for law enforcement...that's always been my understanding." (D, 15:38)
• Palmeri clarifies the facts: attorney Brad Edwards subpoenaed Trump in the course of the Crime Victims Rights Act litigation; Trump provided some leads about Epstein and his friends. Trump was, at the time, feuding with Epstein over a real estate deal rather than helping out of civic duty.
• Palmeri’s take:

  "In some ways when people don't do anything about it, like they become enablers themselves, in my opinion." (B, 18:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Media Courage:

  "They stuck with their reporter, they stuck with their reporting and they were willing to go to the mat..." (B, 00:40)

• On Press Strategies:

  "Their job is to speak for somebody else. Some people do it with a sort of gusto and enjoyment, I think. But I mean, he is saying in the third person, which I thought was very, very bizarre..." (B, 03:48)

• On Institutional Complicity:

  "There were so many moments from internal emails that this bank had the opportunity to cut off contact...but continued to bank for him, including setting up the bank accounts of girls under the age of 18..." (B, 06:29)

• On Right-Wing Deflection:

  "They're scrambling. They are scrambling so much. It is insane." (B, 10:43)

• On Political Calculation:

  "At some point, it's like you're...You're losing. You got to be losing credibility with your own audience if you continue to defend somebody who is not being truthful." (B, 13:02)

• On the Limits of Spin:

  "This is like the genie that they're trying to put back in the bottle and just will not go back in the bottle..." (A, 13:24)

• On Enabling Abuse:

  "...when people don't do anything about it, like they become enablers themselves, in my opinion." (B, 18:27)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:22] – Palmeri on why the birthday card is momentous for victims and journalism
• [02:37] – Caroline Levitt and Trump team’s denial strategy; press secretary dynamics
• [05:25] – List of prominent Epstein birthday card senders; normalization of perversion
• [06:26] – Deep dive on JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and elite networks facilitating Epstein
• [09:53] – Dissecting Republican responses, including JD Vance and right-wing media
• [12:01] – Discussion on conservative media's focus on the signature authenticity
• [14:09] – Mike Johnson’s walk-back on Trump being an "informant"
• [17:31] – Palmeri details the real context of Trump’s aid to Brad Edwards, Epstein’s survivors

Conclusion

The episode underscores the scale of institutional cover-up, media courage, and the ongoing battle for truth amidst outright denials and spin. With sharp, well-sourced reporting and unsparing analysis, Palmeri calls out both the persistent dangers of elite impunity and the necessity of relentless investigative journalism. The revelations and reactions signal the story is far from over—"drip, drip, drip"—and that real scrutiny on powerful players may finally be unavoidable.