Runaway Country with Alex Wagner The Epstein Administration
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Feb 12, 2026 
Sarah Longwell, political strategist and publisher at The Bulwark, weighs in on whether the Epstein files could produce political consequences for the Trump administration. Kurt Andersen, journalist and cultural chronicler, maps Epstein’s reach through Manhattan’s elite and status rituals. They explore how elite networks, documented contradictions, and messaging might reshape political and social fallout.
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High-Profile Mentions Undercut Lone Predator Narrative
- Epstein's files mention President Trump some 38,000 times and include other top figures like Steve Bannon and Elon Musk.
- The revelations undermine public narratives that isolated Epstein as a lone predator and highlight elite complicity.
Trump Didn't Fit Manhattan Salon Culture
- Kurt Andersen recalls that Donald Trump didn't quite fit into Epstein's Manhattan salon crowd and likely wasn't invited to Epstein's more intellectual gatherings.
- Andersen suggests Trump later created his own path into that world rather than being accepted by Manhattan elites.
Wealth Trumped Partisanship In Elite Circles
- In the 1990s–2000s elite social mixing blurred partisan lines; wealth and access mattered more than party affiliation.
- Epstein exploited that moment to cultivate relationships across entertainment, finance, and academia.
