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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243episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Men Sarah Kellen Linked to Epstein’s Trafficking Ring
May 2200:24:48Summary 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”
May 2100:36:56Summary 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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Royal Bombshell: Sarah Ferguson’s Alleged Relationship With Diddy Began Through Ghislaine Maxwell
May 2000:58:41Summary readyRoyal biographer Andrew Lownie joins me to discuss explosive new allegations that Ghislaine Maxwell introduced Sarah Ferguson to Diddy — and the hidden overlap between the Epstein world and elite royal circles. How deeply did Maxwell penetrate the Royal Family’s orbit? And how did those relationships shape the fallout surrounding Prince Andrew and Ferguson? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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EXCLUSIVE: How Michael Wolff Is Trying to Cash In on His Epstein Tapes
May 1701:08:42Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with reporter Ellie Leonard to expose how journalist Michael Wolff spent two decades as Jeffrey Epstein's fixer — and is now trying to cash in on the 100 hours of tapes he recorded with him. Ellie went through 1,830 emails between Wolff and Epstein and found a paper trail that goes far beyond journalism: Wolff helped Epstein build a PR team (the same one that worked with Harvey Weinstein), drafted public statements to discredit survivors, killed a New York magazine article because Epstein didn't want his sex offender status mentioned, signed an NDA to get advance copies of books about Epstein and passed the information back to him, tried to get ahead of James Patterson's "Filthy Rich," suggested Epstein pay off his doorman for leaking about girls coming in and out, and offered to trade off-the-record White House information with the Saudis through Epstein. Now Wolff is actively shopping a narrative documentary with a major producer while claiming no one wants his tapes — and Tara breaks the news live on air, texting with Wolff in real time as he denies it all. 0:00 – Intro: Ellie Leonard's six-month deep dive into 1,830 Wolff-Epstein emails 5:20 – Wolff as Epstein's fixer: killing articles, discrediting survivors, drafting PR statements 10:50 – Wolff moved his tapes to a "secure location" — and has been shopping them ever since15:46 – Tara breaks news live: Wolff is actively pitching a documentary with a major producer 20:15 – The Daily Beast connection: Joanna Coles, the failed production deal, and "raw tapes" semantics25:57 – The Epstein Files reading room in New York — somber, two stories of binders, mixed feelings 31:43 – "Stop using these girls as props" — politicizing survivors vs. honoring them 36:20 – The $830K GoFundMe, the $13M book deal, and Wolff's financial hypocrisy47:06 – "You couldn't be a pizza delivery boy and not know" — Virginia Giuffre on Epstein's house 54:16 – The shadow hearing in West Palm Beach: Rosa's testimony and Sky Roberts naming Dershowitz 59:07 – Survivors can't afford to fight billionaires' lawyers — "they've sold houses to pay legal bills" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Billion Dollar President: How Trump Profits While In Office
May 1100:43:38Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with Isaac Saul from Tangle, who spent 15 months reporting on how President Trump has profited from the presidency — a 6,000-word investigation that puts it all in one place for the first time. Isaac breaks down the staggering scale: the Trump sons investing in companies landing Pentagon contracts, the meme coin that netted Trump an estimated $350 million, World Liberty Financial taking hundreds of millions from foreign governments and adversaries, Jared Kushner raising $5 billion for his private equity firm while negotiating the Iran war with Saudi Arabia pouring billions into his companies, Melania's $28 million Bezos movie deal, Trump's $23 million in licensing deals, a pay-for-play pardon economy that includes wiping $676 million in restitution for a fraudster whose defense attorney was Pam Bondi's brother, and Barron Trump launching a beverage company while still in college. They discuss why Republicans who cheered on the Hunter Biden investigations are now silent, why Democrats can't seem to message on corruption, why Trump told the New York Times he's "not even bothering" to separate business from government this time, and what investigations Democrats should launch first if they win the House in 2026. 0:00 – Intro: Isaac Saul's 15-month investigation into Trump profiting from the presidency 4:18 – The cryptocurrency scheme: meme coins, World Liberty Financial, and foreign money pouring in 9:13 – Why no Republicans will act — and why Democrats can't message on corruption 14:09 – The pardon economy: Trevor Milton, George Santos, and pay-for-play justice 19:02 – What Democrats should investigate first if they win the House in 2026 24:16 – Jared Kushner negotiating the Iran war while Saudi Arabia funds his companies 29:18 – Trump's net worth has exploded — crypto alone is worth more than his entire real estate portfolio 34:35 – Barron Trump's beverage company, tariff conflicts, and the Overton window on corruption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Congressman Ro Khanna Wants John Kerry’s Epstein Testimony
May 1000:55:21Summary readyTara Palmeri joins V on Parasocial to break down her exclusive ten-month investigation into John Kerry's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — a story mainstream media has entirely missed. Tara walks through the full paper trail: a photo of Kerry in Epstein's home, sworn FBI testimony from Epstein's chef placing Kerry on his plane, Virginia Giuffre's account of encountering Kerry during the height of the sex trafficking operation, Epstein's campaign donations, the "Kerry Scheme" emails fantasizing about Kerry jumping into the 2016 race, and Epstein acting as an unofficial broker while Kerry was secretary of state — trying to connect him with disgraced Norwegian diplomat Rod Larsen, an Emirati shipping tycoon who loved a torture video, and Steve Bannon. They also dig into Epstein's cultivation of William Burns (Kerry's deputy who became Biden's CIA director), the Leon Black–Jay Clayton conflict of interest corrupting the Epstein file investigation, Tara's confrontation with acting AG Todd Blanche at the French embassy, Howard Lutnick's shifting Epstein timeline under oath, the Epstein Files reading room pop-up in New York, Ghislaine Maxwell's pardon push, and why politicizing survivors' pain is unacceptable. Plus: the hantavirus cruise ship quarantine headed to Nebraska, the Canvas hack shutting down college finals, and ABC threatening to sue Trump over his FCC investigation into The View. 0:00 – Intro: Tara's ten-month investigation into John Kerry's ties to Jeffrey Epstein 4:58 – The evidence: sworn FBI testimony, Epstein's plane, the little black book 9:12 – The "Kerry Scheme" emails and Epstein as unofficial broker to the secretary of state 14:20 – Rod Larsen, the Oslo Accords, and Epstein tracking the Iran nuclear deal 19:13 – Why subpoenas are stalled and who still hasn't been called to testify 24:27 – Leon Black, Jay Clayton, and the conflict of interest corrupting the investigation 29:39 – WHCD chaos, Epstein's suicide note, and Ghislaine Maxwell's pardon push 33:47 – The Epstein Files reading room — "Stop using these girls as props" 39:49 – The hantavirus cruise ship headed to Nebraska's biocontainment unit 45:09 – Canvas hack, ABC vs. Trump over The View, and outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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EXCLUSIVE: The Epstein Files John Kerry Doesn’t Want You to See
May 800:14:04Summary readyTara Palmeri lays out her exclusive ten-month investigation into John Kerry's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — one that mainstream media has entirely missed. Kerry, who served as senator, presidential nominee, secretary of state, and Biden's climate envoy, was photographed in Epstein's home with his housekeeper, appeared in Epstein's little black book, and was seen on Epstein's plane according to sworn FBI testimony from Epstein's former chef. Virginia Giuffre told Tara she encountered Kerry during the height of Epstein's sex trafficking operation. But the paper trail goes deeper: Epstein donated to Kerry's Senate and presidential campaigns, fantasized about a "Kerry Scheme" in which Kerry jumped into the 2016 race, and acted as an unofficial broker while Kerry was secretary of state — trying to connect him with disgraced Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, an Emirati shipping tycoon who loved a torture video, and even Steve Bannon. Epstein was also working Kerry's deputy secretary of state, William Burns, who later became Biden's CIA director — Burns met with Epstein twice after he was a registered sex offender and was invited to his island. Because of Tara's investigation, Congressman Ro Khanna said he will call Kerry to testify before the House Oversight Committee. Kerry's spokesperson — who refused to go on the record by name — issued a tone-deaf denial claiming Kerry had no relationship with Epstein. The documents say otherwise. For the full scoop: https://open.substack.com/pub/tarapalmeri/p/exclusive-john-kerrys-uncomfortable?r=1ili3&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web 1:08 – Tara traveled with Virginia finding witnesses — "She told me about Kerry and three others" 1:42 – Ten months, thousands of documents — "an intricate web between Epstein and Kerry" 2:40 – "This has never been reported by mainstream media — listen to the women" 3:06 – Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Howard Lutnick, Bill Barr also called to testify 3:31 – 2.5 million files still hidden for "national security reasons" — this story may explain why 3:40 – Sourcing: sworn FBI testimony from Epstein's former chef David Richard Mullin — Kerry on the plane 4:03 – Epstein bet on Kerry early — $2,000 to his Senate campaign in 1991 and presidential campaign in 2002 5:50 – Rod Larsen was the architect of the Oslo Accords — many say they favored Israel 6:40 – The Emirati shipping tycoon Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem asked Epstein to connect him to Kerry 8:26 – Epstein planned to have Thiel, Burns, and Ehud Barak at his New York home 8:35 – In 2018, Epstein offered to introduce Steve Bannon to John Kerry in Washington 8:53 – When Kerry wasn't coming to DC, Epstein offered Burns instead 9:31 – The spokesperson refused to give his name on the record 9:48 – Kerry's tone-deaf statement: "We'd need an EEG board to guess why Epstein suggested Bannon meet Kerry" 11:01 – Why was Epstein sending Kerry packages? "He saw Kerry as someone with outsized influence for the next two decades" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Billionaires vs. The People: Inside the Battle for Manhattan
May 500:34:38Summary readyTara Palmeri interviews Laura Dunn, one of seven candidates running for Congress in New York's 12th district — the Manhattan seat long held by Jerry Nadler and arguably one of the wealthiest districts in the world. Dunn, a civil rights attorney and sexual assault survivor who helped draft the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization and sued Trump in his first term, is running as the only people-powered candidate in a field dominated by establishment money: Jack Schlossberg backed by Pelosi, George Conway the ex-Republican who lived in Trump Tower, Michael Lasher bankrolled by $5 million from Bloomberg, and Alex Flores funded by AI money from Palantir and Anthropic. They discuss why she's calling for impeachment as the top priority, why she broke with the party on Israel aid, the Comey seashells indictment, King Charles's tone-deaf visit while his brother dodges Epstein accountability, and why the Democratic establishment keeps hand-selecting white men in one of the most diverse cities in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Price Tag of War: Tracking the Billions Lost in Modern Conflict
May 400:37:05Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with Robert Wolf, former chairman and CEO of UBS and informal economic advisor to President Obama during the 2008 financial crisis, to break down the economic and political chaos gripping the country. They open with Trump's Operation Project Freedom — the failed attempt to guide ships through the mined Strait of Hormuz that Iran immediately threatened to shoot down — and Robert explains why the real story is the 900 million barrels of lost oil supply, the worst energy shock since Carter in the 1970s. Diesel is at an all-time high, gas is heading past $5, Africa is months from famine over fertilizer shortages, and Trump's disapproval just hit 62% — the highest of both terms combined. Robert unpacks the K-shaped economy, why savings rates are at a three-year low, the AI economy that's propping up GDP through CapEx while threatening middle-tier jobs, why he publicly backed Kevin Warsh for Fed chair on Fox, and his fear that stagflation is next. Then they turn to politics: the DNC autopsy report that donors paid for but nobody's seen, why Robert hasn't given a cent to Democrats in 2025 for the first time in 20 years, how Senate flip chances jumped from 10–15% to 40%, the California governor's race becoming a "s**t show," and why the Democratic Party needs a real economic message instead of just being anti-Trump 24/7. 0:45 – Operation Project Freedom: Trump's guided missile destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz 1:43 – Robert: "They're going to guide, not escort — what ships will go through mines on their own?" 4:34 – Trump as marketer-in-chief: "He could declare victory and pivot to a deal" 6:58 – Tara: Africa is months from famine — they need fertilizer to plant crops 9:18 – Trump's 62% disapproval — highest of both terms combined 12:58 – Generic Democrat still only marginally more popular than generic Republican at -21 favorability 15:12 – In this inflationary environment, the Fed probably won't lower rates 16:58 – Tara: Who's paying for the Strait of Hormuz gamble? All of us 17:51 – Gerrymandering and redistricting mean maps are locked — maybe no blue wave 22:38 – The populist wing — Bernie, AOC — has a better message right now 26:47 – Senate flip chances went from 10–15% to 40% — Alaska, Texas, Maine all in play 27:22 – Is that because of weak Republican candidates? "It's both" 30:57 – Trump backing Hilton was a negative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Abdul El-Sayed is Challenging Democrats — But Can He Actually Govern?
May 300:38:04Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the former Detroit health director and Michigan Senate candidate running against the Democratic establishment without a dollar of corporate money. Abdul breaks down the crowded Michigan Senate primary — Mallory McMorrow's resurfaced tweets disparaging the state she wants to represent, Haley Stevens' Schumer backing, and why his poll numbers keep climbing despite no PAC support. They go deep on his relationship with Hasan Piker and whether campaigning with a controversial creator costs or gains votes, his willingness to sit down with Trump ("He's a narcissistic a***ole... he's also the president"), the $100 million AIPAC super PAC targeting him, why he thinks Democrats lost in 2024, and what Medicare for All actually looks like in a gridlocked Senate. Plus a rapid-fire round that includes his thoughts on Hamas vs. the IDF, his hatred of Ohio, and why Bernie Sanders is "the OG." 0:00 – Intro: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Senate candidate running without corporate money 1:33 – Schumer backed Stevens, now says he's "fine with either" of Abdul's opponents 4:37 – Running without PAC money: "When people understand you're fighting for them, they support you" 6:26 – "Trump is not the disease — he's the worst symptom. The disease is the system" 7:44 – Tara: This sounds like left-wing populism — same playbook as Trump 9:43 – What he's done: free glasses for kids, taking on polluters, eliminating $700M in medical debt 14:15 – Tara: Voters are throwing away purity tests to vote for outsiders 16:52 – Tara: If you could grill RFK Jr., what would you ask? 18:28 – Hasan Piker: are you worried campaigning with him could cost you votes? 28:17 – Tara: Would you sit down with Trump? 30:17 – Michigan vs. Ohio: "Ohio exists to hold up Michigan" 32:47 – Biggest mistake Democrats made in 2024? 33:01 – If you lose, what will it be because of? 33:12 – If you win, what changes on day one? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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