Trump Now Says He Supports Release of Epstein Files

Reflections on the difference between what is illegal and what is embarrassing, and the loss of power that follows from the loss of mystique.

Last night President Trump stated on his Truth Social account that he is reversing course in the matter of the Epstein files and now supports their full release.

Lately I’ve been wondering if the hypothesis that Epstein’s primary weapon was the use of underage girls may, to some extent, be a red herring.

While underage girls were likely a part of some of his operations, I imagine a scenario in which Epstein (or his masters) also used the representation that underage girls were present at social gatherings to amplify the force of their blackmail operation. Epstein could have insinuated that underage girls were present and used it as a pretext for “letting attendees know”—months or even years later—that law enforcement had started asking questions.

Epstein could have said something to the effect of, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered and I’ll keep you posted.” This sort of operation may be characterized as primarily psychological in nature—a way of instilling fear, paranoia, and compliance.

Psychological terror would be further amplified once the word got out that Epstein had installed hidden video cameras in the various rooms of his various properties. At that point, the guys who attended his events would find themselves in a Catch-22. Those who were confident they had not broken any laws would want to exculpate themselves by proclaiming, “I don’t care if the files are released—I have nothing to hide.”

The trouble is that—though they may have nothing illegal to hide—the disclosure of the documents and images could nevertheless prove to be extremely embarrassing for them.

As Machiavelli pointed out in his 1513 pamphlet, The Prince (published in 1532) rulers must only present themselves to the people they rule in a formal, ceremonious way that maximizes their mystique.

Once the ruler is shown to be an ordinary mortal with ordinary vices, his mystique is lost, and the plebeians will cease to perceive him as having any real power.

This is why the British Royal Family is now widely regarded as an embarrassing joke. Once the males in the family are perceived to be ordinary weak men with ordinary weak men’s vices, they are done for.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the final cache of Epstein files does not reveal anything illegal, but turns out to be merely cringeworthy in the extreme.

If my hypothesis proves to be correct, the great lords of this world will be exposed not so much as pedophiles, but as weak (and debased) flesh no different from us, apart from their vast wealth and privilege. At that point the plebeians will marvel that the great lords of this earth are a bunch of self-indulgent and immoral clowns.

In reviewing the personal conflict between Gaius Octavius (who later became Emperor Augustus) and Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), historians have pointed out that Octavian had the advantage of personal discipline, while Antony was too given to sensuality to maintain his power.

In Rome it was claimed that Antony had been ruined by the “harlot queen” (meretrix regina) Cleopatra, while Octavian always stayed true to the Stoic principles he’d learned from his tutors, the philosophers Athenodorus Cananites and Arius Didymus.

IF the Epstein files are ultimately disclosed in their entirety, the upshot may be that the powerful men of disciplined habits will survive the scandal, while those given to sensuality and self-indulgence will lose their mystique and therefore their power.