Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in 1992
In an 18-minute VideoCast, I chat with Times Radio’s Trump Report about the latest problems for Donald Trump: his self-inflicted bind over conspiracy theories and the files of the late Jeffrey Epstein; his physical and mental health; and his damage to the US economy.
Host Jo Crawford and I begin with a respectful look at Martin Luther King. But then it is onto Trump’s attempts to play for time over Epstein, from the $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal to the token announcement of pursuit of grand jury transcripts. It may work for a period of time — with the backing of influencers from Steve Bannon to Laura Loomer to Elon Musk — but not for very long.
What matters for some of Donald Trump’s supporters is not his relationship to the truth. It’s not his relationship to economic reality. It’s not his relationship to a basic knowledge of issues.
What matters to them is faith in the Great Leader. And what will shake faith in the Great Leader is believing that he has deceived them.
Which is why Jeffrey Epstein may be more important than whether Donald Trump has all his marbles.
Then I explain Trump’s chronic venous insufficiency and how the issue is not an immediate danger with his blotched hands and “cankles”, but a media which — in contrast — has been so captivated by the reality TV star’s “spectacle” that it has given him a pass over his limited capacity and surplus of lies.
And for all the headline to Epstein and that spectacle, I come back to earth with the recognition that Trump’s political future is more likely to rest on the health of the US economy — and that is not very promising at the moment.
