Runaway Country with Alex Wagner

Episode 14: The Epstein Administration

Date: February 12, 2026

Episode Overview

In this explosive episode, host Alex Wagner dives into the aftermath of the newly released “Epstein files,” unpacking how Jeffrey Epstein’s vast network of power and influence touches modern American society, politics, and especially the Trump administration. Wagner is joined by journalist Kurt Andersen and political strategist Sarah Longwell to analyze the cultural roots of Epstein’s connections, the evolving political consequences, and whether this scandal will finally resonate with everyday Americans and reshape the 2026 election cycle.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Avalanche of Epstein Records

[03:04 – 08:15]

• The Department of Justice, under congressional pressure, released over 3 million emails, videos, and photos from Epstein’s archives—uncovering a sprawling web of connections across “government, finance, politics, and academia.”
• Trump’s deep entanglement: His name appears 38,000+ times in the records, but other figures—Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—are implicated as well.
• The revelations confirm many public denials were lies, e.g., Lutnick’s repeated claims of not associating with Epstein post-2005 are now debunked.
• Other countries (the UK, Norway, Slovakia) are seeing resignations and direct accountability over Epstein ties, in stark contrast to the US.

Notable Quote:
“This is the Epstein class ruling our country.” — Senator Jon Ossoff [08:08]

Timestamps:

• [03:04] Opening monologue on Ghislaine Maxwell’s non-testimony and the stakes of the new files
• [06:30] Rep. Ro Khanna’s congressional speech on DOJ redactions and hidden identities

2. The “Epstein Class” & NYC Society: The Cultural Context

[08:26 – 21:43]

Guest: Kurt Andersen (writer, NYC cultural chronicler)

• Alex Wagner seeks to explain the unique sociopolitical world that enabled Epstein’s rise: elite NYC salons where wealth and status transcended political lines.
• Andersen describes the “Epstein class” as broader than just billionaires—encompassing finance, academia, glamour, and public intellectuals, curated carefully by social power brokers.
• Trump’s outlier status: While Trump always coveted entrance to Manhattan’s high society, Andersen notes he was never fully accepted due to his brash style, but forced his way in once president.
• The blurring lines of ‘80s/’90s NYC culture: Show business, philanthropy, and Wall Street intermingled, making networks like Epstein’s plausible and dangerous.

Notable Quotes:

• “It’s not just fellow rich people… It’s the upper echelons of that—glamorous people of academic, public, intellectual, show business, finance stripes.” — Kurt Andersen [10:30]
• “Trump…would not have been invited to Epstein’s things…I don’t think Epstein would want to mix him with the Woodys and the Noam Chomsky of the world because he wasn’t smart enough.” — Alex Wagner [12:22-12:26]
• “Partisan affiliation was unimportant and meaningless…it mattered so much less than it does [now].” — Kurt Andersen [16:10]

Timestamps:

• [10:30] “Epstein class” as a social term
• [12:06] How Trump fit (or didn’t fit) into the elite social scene
• [14:38] The role of Upper East Side salons and philanthropy
• [16:10] Pre-polarization politics enabling Epstein’s cross-party alliances
• [17:34] Surprising names in the files

3. The Reality of Power and Cover-Up

• Epstein cultivated intimacy with powerful (often male) figures—offering not just parties and money, but emotional connections or “reputation laundering.”
• Both hosts reflect on how Epstein’s crimes and associations were minimized or ignored for decades, enabling widespread abuse and normalization (“He travels with a harem. Weird…”).

Notable Quote:
“He was working it like probably no one else; he was working it like famous socialites…on a mega-national scale.” — Kurt Andersen [14:49]

4. Political Fallout & The Anatomy of the Cover-Up

[21:48 – 49:27]

Guest: Sarah Longwell (The Bulwark)

• Longwell frames the current GOP reality as having only two groups: “People who are in the Epstein files and people who are actively covering up the Epstein files.” [08:26]
• The emerging Democratic narrative targets Trump as protector of elites, feeding into voter resentment about corruption and inequality.
• The avalanche of evidence is “not a kitchen table issue” at first glance, but it lines up with long-standing public suspicion toward elite, unaccountable “cabal” power.
• The unraveling of the “hero narratives”: High-profile Trump allies like Lutnick are shown as lying and self-serving; Ghislaine Maxwell attempts to leverage testimony for clemency in exchange for clearing Trump.
• Key GOP figures (Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, etc.) are exposed in hearings for combative obstruction and outright lies, deepening the administration’s crisis.

Notable Quotes:

• “To me, Epstein is very much part of the story that Americans are grappling with now about like, does Trump protect elites? …Trump is protecting his elite friends and the little guy…are sort of done at the expense of all of these men…” — Sarah Longwell [26:35]
• “The reason that the Epstein story breaks through is that voters already think that there is an elite cabal that is sort of untethered to normal rules…Nothing has sort of made an example of that more than watching…the casual way that so many people…were all in league with each other.” — Sarah Longwell [30:23]
• “There’s basically two types of people in Trump’s administration: people who are in the Epstein files, and people who are actively covering up the Epstein files. And like, that’s it.” — Sarah Longwell [08:26]
• “To me, if we can kind of get a handle on how…they are lying about [their involvement]…Trump is lying about it.” — Sarah Longwell [34:13]

Timestamps:

• [26:35] Longwell on why the Epstein story resonates for “kitchen table” politics
• [28:28] The term “Epstein class” and messaging resonance
• [31:47] Why the public ‘already believes’ in elite conspiracy
• [34:10] Lutnick’s hero narrative falls apart—parallels to Trump
• [41:09] Bondi’s congressional testimony and the intra-GOP rift over accountability
• [44:50] The role of scapegoats and Trump’s loyalty calculus

5. Signs of GOP Fracture & Broadening Accountability

[54:31 – 63:14]

• The release of the files and related hearings has emboldened a few MAGA-aligned but anti-corruption lawmakers (Massie, Boebert, Mace, Greene) to side with victims, creating rare cross-partisan alliances.
• Most of the GOP, however, still attempts cover-ups or avoids crossing Trump—until polling and retirements suggest his grip is slipping.
• Wagner and Longwell both note a shifting atmosphere: the political costs of ignoring Epstein’s crimes are rising as Trump’s numbers decline and economic issues worsen.
• The “Epstein files” become a synecdoche for GOP corruption, elite impunity, and the urgent need for accountability—not just for sexual abuse, but for how American institutions have enabled and protected the powerful.

Notable Quotes:

• “If you accept the fact that the most powerful, the best educated and the wealthiest in our society have no moral code, then…society on whole is broken.” — Alex Wagner [49:27]
• “Everything that Trump does that people don’t like is happening at the same time their costs aren’t going down, which is the one thing they hired him to do…tags into the Epstein stuff…out of touch elite stuff…” — Sarah Longwell [61:56]

Timestamps:

• [54:31] Discussion of House GOP fractures and the possibility of reckoning
• [57:49] Trump’s slipping poll numbers and potential for broader party dissent
• [58:08] National Guard redeployments as political temperature gauge
• [61:28] Immigration debate and the limits of political advantage

Notable & Memorable Moments

• Anderson’s stories about 1990s New York and how social climbing and money overrode any moral or political considerations
• Sarah Longwell’s blunt taxonomy of Trumpworld: “people in the files, and people covering up the files” [08:26, echoed throughout]
• The exposé that politicians’ “hero narratives” on Epstein have been systematically exposed as lies
• The raw, confrontational congressional exchange between Pam Bondi and Pramila Jayapal over DOJ responsibility [40:16]
• Wagner’s point about broader social norms collapsing if the public accepts elite impunity on this scale [49:27]

Conclusion

This episode is a forensic dissection of how “the Epstein class” emerged, thrived, and has been (at least partially) dethroned by public exposure. With expert guests Kurt Andersen and Sarah Longwell, Alex Wagner demonstrates that the consequences of the Epstein files extend far beyond salacious headlines—they strike at the heart of American power, accountability, and faith in democracy. As Wagner succinctly puts it, if everyday Americans tolerate a system where the moral code of the powerful is absent, the whole country is at risk.

For Further Listening:
Rapid response videos and expanded interviews are available on YouTube at @RunawayCountryWithAlexWagner.

Selected Quotes with Timestamps (MM:SS):

• “This is the Epstein class ruling our country.” — Jon Ossoff [08:08]
• “There’s basically two types of people in Trump’s administration… that’s it.” — Sarah Longwell [08:26]
• “Trump… would not have been invited to Epstein’s things…I don’t think Epstein would want to mix him with the Woodys and the Noam Chomsky of the world because he wasn’t smart enough.” — Alex Wagner [12:22]
• “If you accept the fact that the most powerful… have no moral code, then…society as a whole is broken.” — Alex Wagner [49:27]