Epstein continues to explain everything about Trump

[marmar]

Epstein continues to explain everything about Trump
From Greenland to Minneapolis, it's all rooted in his predatory ways

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published January 21, 2026 6:45AM (EST)


(Salon) Between sending an army of goons from Immigration and Customs Enforcement into Minneapolis and threatening to invade Greenland, Donald Trump has successfully knocked the Epstein files out of the headlines — for now. The president’s long and intense friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail awaiting trial for sex trafficking minors, was getting another round of heavy media scrutiny in December. The Justice Department was scheduled to release millions of documents related to the case — and then failed to do so.

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Invariably, whenever the Epstein files are brought up in relation to Trump’s other atrocities and scandals, a go-nowhere discussion about the word “distraction” erupts. Since the deadline for the Epstein files came and went, Trump has attacked Venezuela, invaded Minneapolis and threatened Greenland. Some, like Democratic strategist James Carville, have argued Trump wants to “draw attention away from Epstein.” Others have gotten angry at the “distraction” language, correctly pointing out that Trump’s abuses of foreign countries and liberal cities are rooted in his hatreds and grievances.

But this binary debate over whether Trump’s various offenses are a distraction misses the larger story. All these issues are tied together under one common theme: Trump is the worst kind of bully, a cowardly one. Like his friend Epstein — who enjoyed targeting small, helpless teenage girls — the most important thread throughout Trump’s life is that he tries to feel big by harassing those who he feels can’t fight back.

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This pathetic stance of feeling strong by going after the vulnerable has permeated Trump’s behavior of the past few weeks, whether he’s consciously trying to distract from the Epstein files or not. “He really does seem to think that might makes right — that if the U.S. has the power to take something, then that thing is rightfully ours,” Jill Filipovic wrote in her newsletter this week about Trump’s threats to Greenland. “This is the kind of antisocial, base world view that preschool teachers work diligently to counter: It’s nice to share with others and they should share back with us; no, William’s toy truck is not yours to take home simply because you are bigger.” .....................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/01/21/epstein-continues-to-explain-everything-about-trump/