# Epstein tried to befriend me Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/epstein-tried-to-befriend-me Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/epstein-tried-to-befriend-me.md Podcast: [The State of It: USA](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165) Published: 2026-02-04T18:25:25+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/the-state-of-it-usa/episodes/epstein-tried-to-befriend-me Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6970d4769448a95f22559f23/e/69834984721f5a28cbc0291c/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/episodes/epstein-tried-to-befriend-me Duration seconds: 1706 ## Resource His enemies were hoping that Donald Trump would come out badly from the Epstein files, but he hasn't. Gerry argues that the scandal is a parable about modern capitalism, and remembers the time Jeffrey Epstein tried and failed to make friends with him. Katy tells the inside story of her interview with Peter Mandelson. Also, what can we expect when the Clintons testify to the Epstein investigation? And what does President Trump mean when he says "nationalise the vote"? Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and The Sunday Times Gerard Baker, columnist at The Times and editor at large at The Wall Street Journal Producer: Euan Dawtrey Executive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty Images Email us: thestateofit@thetimes.co.uk This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/episodes/epstein-tried-to-befriend-me/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-state-of-it-usa-7668165/epstein-tried-to-befriend-me.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.