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Michael Wolff Reveals Audio Recordings of Jeffrey Epstein Discussing Donald Trump
Journalist Michael Wolff has claimed to possess approximately a hundred hours of audio recordings featuring Jeffrey Epstein, where Epstein reportedly shared insights about Donald Trump, indicating that Epstein served as a concealed source for Wolff’s initial book on Trump, titled “Fire and Fury.” The emergence of this information was made public during a recent episode of Wolff’s podcast, which bears the same name as his book.
In a podcast episode released on Sunday, Wolff disclosed the initial recording of Epstein, who was a well-known financier implicated in various scandals, recorded in 2017 at a New York restaurant. In the audio, Epstein is heard commenting on Trump’s relationships with his advisors, saying, “His people fight each other, and then he poisons the well outside.”
Epstein elaborated on Trump’s approach to discussing his advisors, suggesting he would communicate disparaging remarks: “He will tell 10 people, ‘[Steve] Bannon’s a scumbag’ and ‘[Reince] Priebus is not doing a good job’ and ‘Kellyanne [Conway] has a big mouth.’” Epstein’s statements attempted to illustrate Trump’s peculiar way of undermining his staff by voicing doubts about their capabilities both privately and publicly.
Further quoting Epstein, he provided a specific instance where Trump allegedly repeated concerns voiced by influential figures regarding his inner circle: “[JPMorgan Chase CEO] Jamie Dimon says that you’re a problem and I shouldn’t keep you. And I spoke to [financier] Carl Icahn. And Carl thinks I need a new spokesperson.”
Continuing with his thoughts, Epstein remarked on Kellyanne Conway’s position, implying that despite employing her husband, George Conway, Trump viewed her as “too much of a wildcard.” He added that Trump would express conflicted sentiments to Bannon, such as, “You know, I really want to keep you, but Kellyanne hates you.”
Listeners can access a snippet of the audio through a report by the Daily Beast.
Wolff has authored a series of books regarding Trump’s administration, including “Fire and Fury,” “Siege,” and “Landslide.” Despite his bestselling status, Wolff’s work has faced scrutiny regarding its accuracy, with detractors noting that his fact-checking processes are often lacking. Several claims from his writings have been publicly refuted by those involved.
“I probably have a hundred hours of Epstein talking about the inner workings of the Trump White House and about his long-standing, deep relationship with Donald Trump,” Wolff stated during the podcast. However, he has not yet released further audio from this collection, pointing out that Trump’s relationship with Epstein soured in 2004, suggesting the majority of the content pertains to earlier events.
The Trump campaign responded sharply to Wolff’s revelations, branding him a “disgraced writer” with a reputation for fabricating stories to sell books. Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s national press secretary, accused Wolff of engaging in election interference with baseless allegations just days before the upcoming election.
Wolff has yet to clarify the detailed content of the recordings or to substantiate whether they provide new insights beyond his previously published accounts. He has also not explained the timing of the audio’s release, particularly why it was withheld following Epstein’s death in 2019 or during the 2020 election cycle.
During the podcast, Wolff discussed Epstein’s connections to Trump in the 1980s, including Epstein’s claims regarding various money laundering schemes they allegedly participated in together. He described their relationship as competitive, even mentioning that they had a bet on who would be the first to engage romantically with Princess Diana.
Wolff indicated that given Trump’s proximity to Epstein during the latter’s controversies, he believes Trump was likely aware of Epstein’s illegal activities involving underage individuals.
Reportedly, Epstein also mentioned that Trump had a particular inclination towards “trying to sleep with his friends’ wives,” a point Wolff noted was previously included in “Fire and Fury.”
Further, Wolff asserted that Epstein had expressed doubts about Trump’s capabilities in real estate, claiming he “could do deals” but “couldn’t read a balance sheet,” describing him as “innumerate,” which Wolff linked to Trump’s tendency to exaggerate figures.
Wolff recounted Epstein’s assertion that Trump might have been the one to inform on him regarding his connections to underage girls following a property dispute between them. “And Trump would have known about the girls because he was in and out of Epstein’s house when Epstein and I were talking about this,” he claimed.
The journalist also mentioned that Epstein allegedly showed him images of Trump engaging with young women in the late ’90s, suggesting these could have been seized by the FBI during a raid on Epstein’s residence in 2019. Wolff noted that he played a role in introducing Epstein to Steve Bannon.
Wolff conveyed that he has sought to publicize these narratives about Trump and Epstein’s relationship but has often encountered hesitance from news organizations regarding the nature of the accusations involved. “I mean, I’ve actually spoken to the ’60 Minutes’ producer who was trying to do this, and I think that you get to the level of the allegations and the implications are so large unless you have the smoking gun,” he said, highlighting the challenges of bringing these stories into mainstream media.
“I urged Epstein to go public with everything I’ve told you here,” Wolff shared. “But Epstein’s attitude was that I was clearly unaware of how the real world operated. So in the end, Epstein died in prison, and we’ll probably never hear that story.”
Wolff contrasted the paths of Epstein and Trump, stating, “Here are these two guys both driven by a need to do anything they wanted with women — dominance and submission and entertainment. And one of them ends up in the darkest prison in the country and the other in the White House.” He further emphasized the significance of their connection, noting the curious relationship between the president and one of the most notorious predators of the time, asserting, “and yet somehow we know very little about this.”
In addition, Wolff and his co-host examined various theories surrounding Epstein’s controversial death in prison, prompting further speculation. Full episodes of Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury” podcast may be listened to here.
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