How the Epstein Files Turned MAGA Against Trump

Plus: tariff rollbacks and the affordability debate, Trump considers direct talks with Maduro as unauthorized strikes continue, and a listener asks what it would take to move healthcare out of government hands

Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Eric Boehm | 11.17.2025 6:34 PM

Nick Gillespie is on the left with a surprised expression speaking into a microphone. Representative Marjorie Taylor Green is in the center. Eric Boehm is on the right. Large text that reads “CRACKS IN MAGA” appears overhead. | Illustration: Eddie Marshall

(Illustration: Eddie Marshall)

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm to unpack President Donald Trump's sudden shift on the Jeffrey Epstein files after trying to block the vote, the GOP pressure campaign behind it, and what the episode suggests about his grip on the party. They also examine Trump's mixed signals on tariffs, including his move to roll back duties he imposed in the first place, and whether this moment reinforces the basic economic arguments critics have made for years. The group also digs into whether Trump's proposed tariff dividend makes any economic sense.

The conversation then turns to rising tensions with Venezuela as unauthorized strikes continue and Trump signals interest in direct talks with Nicolás Maduro. A listener then asks what would need to change in order to push American health care away from government-run insurance and toward a system shaped by private plans.

0:00—The Epstein files fracture Trump's coalition

18:12—Tariff rollbacks and stimulus checks

36:17—Listener question on government healthcare

47:33—More unauthorized military strikes in Venezuela

56:54—Weekly cultural recommendations