In this episode, Alex Blumberg joins me to talk about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the Trump administration. We talk about Epstein's time at the White House, Trump's relationship with Epstein, and why Jeffrey Epstein was a good friend to Donald Trump.
00:00:00.000So let's get right into it. So if you don't mind, just start off maybe sharing with the audience your relationship over the years and how many hours you've spent with Epstein, as well as your relationship with President Trump.
00:00:11.780Sure. So in 2014, I had known Epstein somewhat before this. He was a member of a group of wealthy men who in 2004, 2005, tried to buy New York Magazine, where I worked and was the lead writer.
00:00:34.140So I got to know him fairly well during this period. His group did not end up buying New York Magazine. Not long after that, his legal problems began, and then he went to jail.
00:00:54.740So I didn't really have any much, I didn't have any involvement with him until he got out of jail, called me, we got together.
00:01:06.060And then in 2014, he asked me to write about him, a book, magazine article. Clearly, he was interested in being rehabilitated.
00:01:20.060He had gone to jail, you know, he's for two counts of prostitution, one of those counts being an underage girl, and was a registered sex offender.
00:01:38.860So he wanted, so he wanted to return to his life. And in large measure, he had, you know, still lived in his enormous house in Manhattan.
00:01:53.380Many people of influence and note were showing up. But he wanted to continue, continue this, this rehabilitation.
00:02:03.900And he figured if someone wrote about him, that would help. And I said, well, actually, I'm, I'm probably not the person.
00:02:14.960And I'm probably not interested in that. And he said, fine, that's fine. You know, I did.
00:02:19.880He, I certainly didn't have to make a decision. And he said, well, why don't, if you're interested, why don't you just come whenever you'd like to talk to me, see if my story is interesting to you, see if you feel that I'm straightforward.
00:02:34.220And also, there's many interesting people who come to my house. And if you're interested, I will invite you on occasion.
00:02:43.400Anyway, nothing, nothing, nothing, not to be, not to be not interested in here. And I said, you know, yeah, sure. No commitments necessary.
00:02:55.820And we did begin to talk. And he did begin to invite me to some interesting gatherings at his house. And I was, I, you know, I was, I was, you know, his story was certainly, you could not help but be somewhat interested by this, this story.
00:03:16.300But then, and this rolls into your next question. In 2015, Donald Trump started to run for president. I started to cover his campaign. And that would ultimately be he would obviously win. And I started to cover his years in the White House.
00:03:36.160And Epstein at that point, and our relationship had been relatively infrequent. But at that point, he became a very interesting window for me into who Donald Trump really was, because Epstein and Trump had been the best of friends.
00:03:57.300I mean, I don't mean, I don't mean just casual friends, acquaintances, someone he knew, I mean, the best of friends. Possibly, I think, they were the most important relationship, non family relationship in each other's lives.
00:04:15.660And, and, and, and his insights about Donald Trump, his knowledge about Donald Trump, his appreciation of, of all of the, you know, both, both, both gifts and, and otherwise about Donald Trump was immense.
00:04:38.100So he became very, very helpful to me. And, and, and we continued our relationship right up until, until he was arrested. And then a month later, after his arrest, he died.
00:04:53.260And during this long period of time, from 14, 2014 to 2019, many of our conversations, and obviously with his knowledge, were, were recorded. And those are recordings that I now have.
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