July 16, 2025
The Epstein Diversion: How Economic Pain Spiraled into Social Media Self-Destruction
By Joseph Ford Cotto
There’s a strange, unsettling irony in the endless chants for Donald Trump to release the so-called “Epstein names.” For many in his base, these demands feel like the final frontier of truth and justice. But this obsession isn’t born merely from a desire to protect the vulnerable or expose elite wrongdoing. Instead, it’s the byproduct of a deeper, more painful economic story — one that tells us far more about modern America than any flight log ever could.
When Jeffrey Epstein, charged with child sex–trafficking, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, under bizarre circumstances — broken cameras, inattentive guards, a prior alleged suicide attempt — the spark of distrust ignited into a bonfire. For countless Americans, especially those already feeling the sting of economic decline, Epstein’s death became living proof that the system is rigged to protect the powerful and punish the powerless.
Indeed, Epstein’s billionaire status, ostentatious hobnobbing with powerful public figures, and glamorous bachelor lifestyle in Palm Beach raised antennae. So did the fact that females he victimized were, put mildly, from a different social stratum. Most alarming, however, was Alex Acosta — Trump’s Labor secretary from 2017 to 2019 — reportedly telling transition team personnel that he had been instructed to back off Epstein years before. Acosta was a federal prosecutor during George W. Bush’s administration.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/07/the_epstein_diversion_how_economic_pain_spiraled_into_social_media_self_destruction.html
