The Tim & April Show — Episode 43: Trump vs Survivors — The Battle over Releasing the Epstein Files

Podcast: The Tim & April Show – A New Evangelicals Production
Hosts: Tim Whitaker & April Ajoy
Date: September 5, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the ongoing political, legal, and cultural battle surrounding the push to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, and the Trump administration’s recent actions and rhetoric. Tim returns from sabbatical as the co-hosts untangle the issue’s latest developments: survivor press conferences, the repeated stalling and shifting stories by Trump and officials, and the rare emergence of bipartisan Congressional action demanding accountability. The hosts then tackle major headlines like Florida ending all vaccine mandates and recent US government actions, plus the dire situation in Gaza. As always, they wrap with their signature “Weird Christian Sh!t” segment, this time featuring Steven Furtick.

Detailed Breakdown

[02:28] – [07:17] Tim Returns; Sabbatical Reflections & Show Direction

• Tim’s Return: Tim is welcomed back after his sabbatical, reflecting on how much he missed the show and his collaboration with April.
• Personal Updates: Tim mentions moving into a new house and using the time off to reflect on his direction, highlighting a newfound focus: “I’m laser focused on exposing Christian nationalism to a wider audience... I feel really passionate about exposing the danger and the fruit of Christian nationalism because it's what's taken over our politics right now.” (Tim, 06:26)
• Show’s Evolution: April recaps “Girl Power August” and previous powerhouse guests, and Tim shares his excitement for the podcast’s future.

[07:17] – [10:44] Episode Topics Preview & Light Banter

• Main Story Teaser: The episode will tackle new developments regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files, survivors’ press conferences, and the complex maneuvers of the Trump administration.
• Other Headlines Preview: Florida eliminates all vaccine mandates; the US bombs a supposed drug trafficker boat; ongoing crisis in Gaza; and their “Weird Christian Sh!t” finale.
• Banter: Birthday shoutouts, sports (college vs. NFL football), and pop culture with a sidebar on the recent Taylor Swift–Travis Kelce engagement and why celebrity news interests people.

[10:44] – [40:33] The Battle Over the Epstein Files: Timeline & Analysis

Background to the Epstein Scandal & Political Context [10:44–14:28]

• April recaps who Jeffrey Epstein was: Wealthy financier, trafficker of underage girls, and linked to notable elites including Trump. Right-wing conspiracy claims tie prominent Democrats to Epstein’s crimes.
• Central issue: MAGA/QAnon circles long demanded the release of the “Epstein client list,” arguing Trump would be the one to deliver transparency and justice.

Trump's Timeline & Flipping Narratives [14:28–20:06]

• Timeline Walkthrough: April details the Trump administration’s evolving position:
  • Early promises: “Trump said that he would release the files… because he fights for children.” (14:08)
  • Phase One Binders: “A big nothing burger” (14:28) – influencers receive mostly public or irrelevant documents.
  • Key meeting (May 2025): Pam Bondi tells Trump his name appears “multiple times” in the files. (15:19)
  • Refusal to release further files: Citing “tens of thousands of videos… with children in a spornographic way” as justification for not releasing, even though no one was calling for those specific videos. (15:44)
  • DOJ Memo (July): Declares “there is no client list” and Epstein “died by suicide,” reversing years of right-wing conspiracy claims.
  • Shift to calling it a “Democrat hoax:” Trump grows annoyed by the topic, calls attention to the files “dead in the water,” and labels questions on the subject as politically-motivated attacks. (16:40–17:40)

Congress and White House Obstacles [20:06–26:38]

• Bipartisan attempts to force a vote: Mike Johnson ends Congressional session early to avoid voting on releasing the files. - “Family values, biblical values… Mike Johnson… stops the release of the Epstein files... to protect Trump.” (21:21, Tim)
• Ghislaine Maxwell—a lesser-secured transfer: After an interview in which she exonerates Trump, she is moved to a minimum-security prison, which the hosts call “insensitive to the survivors.”
• Critical quote: “The Trump administration decided to interview Ghislaine Maxwell to clear Trump’s name and not the survivors. Why would you interview the one that was doing the trafficking?” (25:06, April)

Latest Congressional Action & Survivor Testimony [26:38–40:33]

• Recent events:
  • Survivors tell their stories in a closed-door session. Rep. Nancy Mace leaves due to a panic attack triggered by her own recent survivor experience.
    • “I feel the immense pain of how hard all victims are fighting for themselves because we know absolutely no one will fight for us.” ([27:30], Nancy Mace)
  • 33,000 new pages released—but per Rep. Thomas Massie, that’s only “1%” of what DOJ holds, and almost all is already public. (26:38)
  • Discharge petition needs 218 signatures to force a vote on file release; four Republicans (Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Massie) have signed on, needing two more. The White House threatens that any Republican who signs will be viewed as committing a “hostile act.” (30:41)
    • “Imagine that—they’re calling it a hostile act for just releasing files that could bring vindication and justice for… victims.” (April, 31:13)
  • GOP split: “If they are willing to do this, I will shake your hand… major props to MTG and Lauren Boebert. I mean, we have to give credit where credit is due. I’m thrilled to see it.” (Tim, 30:33)

[40:33] – [55:23] Survivor Press Conference & On-the-Ground Reactions

• Powerful survivor appeal: A Republican survivor directly addresses Trump (35:47):
  • Notable quote: “‘Mr. President Donald J. Trump, I am a registered Republican—not that that matters, because this is not political… I cordially invite you to the Capitol to meet me in person so you can understand this is not a hoax. We are real human beings. This is real trauma… Please humanize us.’” (36:00–36:43, Survivor at press conference)
• Tim’s commentary: “One of the telltale signs of fascism is the dehumanization of certain people groups… This survivor saying ‘humanize us’—she’s actually clapping back against fascism.” (37:00)
• Hosts reaffirm: “I don’t care who is on that list. If Joe Biden is on that list, I want to know… this should be the lowest bar of civil society, and instead we have the government trying to stop the process…” (Tim, 38:55)
• April’s takeaway: “If you were innocent, you wouldn’t be covering it up. Innocent people don’t go to the lengths the Trump administration is doing to cover it up.” (40:03)

[41:03] – [52:59] Political Fallout, White Evangelical Loyalty, and Right-Wing Response

• Contradictions in ‘family values’ rhetoric: “What happened to the party of family values? You sold out for power and glory for yourselves…” (Live chat, read 40:33)
• **Tim: “We have to be honest, April, their God is evil…Their version of godliness betrays everything they say they hold dear.” (43:37)
• MTG and Thomas Massie Publicly Commit: MTG addresses the risk survivors take in naming names and promises to read the abuser list on the House floor under Congressional privilege. (44:53, 47:45)
  • “But I will tell you, I’m not afraid to name names. And so if they want to give me a list, I will walk in that Capitol on the House floor and I’ll say every damn name…” (MTG, 45:59)
• Trump’s dismissive language: Plays Trump calling the case a “Democrat hoax” after survivor testimony, leading to MTG publicly rebuking Trump and party officials who label file-release efforts as “hostile acts.”
  • “The hostile act was Jeffrey Epstein raping 14-year-old girls. That was the hostile act. And it was—It’s not a hoax.” (MTG, 51:24)
• Host sentiment: “She had me in the first half, lost me in the third quarter, had me again in the fourth quarter…” (April/Tim, 52:09)
• Contemplating Republican cracks: “In some ways binaries are important… but when it comes to people, people are really complicated. Even people that say the craziest things—if they’re on the right side of justice, what do you do with that?” (Tim, 53:02)
• Will Trump ever lose support if implicated?
  • “I am convinced at this point there is nothing that Trump can do that would make the white evangelical voting bloc change…” (Tim, 55:28)
  • “The Southern Baptist Convention hid decades of sexual abuse—including child abuse… There’s a pattern here that these particular types of men tend to get protected.” (Tim, 56:14)

[58:40] – [67:00] Florida Ends All Vaccine Mandates

• Announcement: Surgeon General of Florida says “we’re going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law. All of them” (60:46)
• Tim’s reaction: “They are cheering. They are cheering vaccine mandates going away… Vaccine mandates are the reason children don’t die of measles…” (62:09)
• April’s context: “This will lead to death. People will die because of this… herd immunity… keeps kids who can’t be vaccinated from catching deadly diseases.” (65:35)
• Concerns: Will insurance still cover vaccines? Massive win for for-profit healthcare. The removal is “anti-intellectualism” rooted in extremism, celebrated by Christian nationalist pastors (“Let’s go!” Landon Schott, [70:02]).

[70:15] – [74:32] Christian Nationalist COVID Rhetoric

• Landon Schott (pastor) on vaccines:
  • “If you believe the same thing as woke preachers, wicked politicians, and godless celebrities, there’s a chance that you may be on the wrong side. COVID was a spiritual architect... next time the evil, the demonic comes knocking to shut down the church, that you… say, ‘no’…” (70:42)
• April’s reaction: “The way they turn everything into ‘Christian persecution’ when people were dying is so infuriating.” (71:38)
• Hosts highlight: Ongoing hypocrisy—pastors and leaders elevate faith over fear for COVID, but not when it comes to guns, immigration, or other threats.

[74:42] – [80:39] Gaza Crisis: New Revelations

• New leaked White House plan (“Gaza Riviera”): “They want to essentially pave over the graves of dead children in Gaza and make it into some kind of futuristic dystopian tourist spot… a proposal that would amount to ethnic cleansing, potentially a genocidal act.” (75:03)
• Stats: 92% of Gaza destroyed; at least 18,000 children dead.
• Outrage at US complicity: Both hosts are infuriated at the lack of political will, especially among Congressional Democrats, to halt the genocide funded with US tax dollars.
  • “Children are having their heads blown off… and now there’s a report about a forced exodus + tourist trap.” (79:33, Tim)
  • “$5,000 is not a lot of money to completely relocate and start over in a brand new country.” (79:43, April)

[80:39] – [84:16] US Bombs ‘Drug Trafficker’ Boat in International Waters

• Summary: US military destroys Venezuelan boat, says it killed 11 “drug traffickers.” Legal experts question legality under international law; no due process; state violence normalized.
• Ali Stuckey reaction: Tweeted approval, “Hard to emphasize how much I voted for this” (83:01) despite her “pro-life” reputation.
  • “Who knows who was on that boat? You can’t just go out and start shooting. This sets a dangerous precedent.” (April, 84:16)

[84:16] – [90:34] Weird Christian Sh!t: Steven Furtick’s Cocaine Metaphor

• Feature: Steven Furtick (Elevation Church) makes bizarre analogy during a service: “I feel like I just snorted cocaine or something. I’m so excited. And I never did that before, for the record. For the record.” (87:05, 88:18)
• Hosts laugh: “I think he doth protest too much… That was one too many ‘for the records.’” (April, 87:45)
• Reflection: The moment, though light, underscores the frenetic and sometimes surreal state of evangelical church culture today.

[90:34] – [92:55] Closing Thoughts/What’s Next

• Perspective: “Do you ever wonder the odds of us showing up in this timeline? Out of all possible moments in history…” (Tim)
• Programming notes: Show off next week for a Gaza summit; normal episodes resume after.
• Sign off: “For the record, thanks friends.” (92:40)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “I’m laser focused on exposing Christian nationalism to a wider audience…because it's taken over our politics right now.” (Tim, 06:26)
• “Trump said that he would release the files…because he fights for children.” (April, 14:08)
• “Cash Patel, Dan Bongino…they come out, complete 180: ‘He died by suicide. There is no list…’ What happened?” (Tim, 16:17)
• “Family values…Mike Johnson…tries to stop the release of the Epstein files to protect Trump.” (Tim, 21:21)
• “We need to know and accountability needs to happen. If Joe Biden is on that list, I want to know.” (Tim, 38:55)
• “If you were innocent, you wouldn’t be covering it up. Innocent people don’t go to the lengths the Trump administration is doing to cover it up.” (April, 40:03)
• “This administration ran a campaign of protecting family values and protecting kids. And they welcome Andrew Tate, hang out with Maxwell to get her testimony, to prove that Trump’s a good guy—are you kidding me?” (Tim, 24:31)
• “This is a government that is sending federal troops to cities…The damage is done. This is authoritarianism on display. This is Christian fascism on display.” (Tim, 84:58)
• “Children are having their heads blown off…this is not complicated. Do something. Jesus Christ. It’s unbelievable.” (Tim, 80:39)
• “I feel like I just snorted cocaine or something. I'm so excited. And I never did that before. For the record. For the record.” (Steven Furtick, 87:21, 88:18)

Key Takeaways

• Epstein Files Battle: Growing bipartisan pressure for transparency is being met with fierce resistance from Trump and key Congressional Republicans. The administration’s shifting narratives point to possible incrimination, while survivors bravely press forward demanding justice and visibility.
• Right-Wing Contradictions: Republican “family values” rhetoric is exposed as hollow by their protection of the powerful over vulnerable survivors, their attacks on vaccine mandates (despite public health consequences), and their willingness to bypass due process when it serves their narrative.
• Uneasy Alliances: Even polarizing figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene are publicly breaking from Trump on this issue, showing rare political complexity and potentially opening space for reckoning within right-wing ranks.
• Global Watch: The ongoing crisis and Genocide in Gaza is compounded by dystopian visions from within the U.S. government, evidencing a broader moral and ethical crisis.
• Christian Nationalism: The episode repeatedly highlights the dangers of rising Christian Nationalism driving policy and shaping public discourse—especially under the guise of moral clarity.

For Further Interest

• Contact Your Representatives: Hosts urge listeners to pressure Republican members of Congress to sign the discharge petition to release the Epstein files.
• Follow-Up Content: New Evangelicals platform offers continued discussion, resources for deconstructing faith, and coverage of urgent justice issues.
• Next Episode: Brief programming break for a Gaza summit; regular shows resume in two weeks.

This summary aims to equip both listeners and non-listeners with a clear and engaging sense of the episode’s flow, central stories, and memorable moments, using citations and quotations faithful to the hosts’ original tone and intent.