Prince-No-More Andrew Pays His Epstein Price

February 19, 2026·1 hr 11 min·7 clips

Emily Bazelon reveals why the Epstein file releases create a chaotic mix of deserved punishment and unfair reputation damage.

February 19th, 2026 gives the frame. The cold open moves from formal introductions into a dry bit about John Dickerson's presidential energy drink line, and the room sounds loose from the start. David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson interrupt, stretch the joke, then let it die before the serious turn arrives. The main question is what Democrats should do with Barack Obama after Trump scrambled so many old assumptions about American politics. Emily owns a blind spot: many people, including her, took too long to take Trump seriously. That admission opens the larger question of what country, and what electorate, Democrats are dealing with now. John puts the stakes plainly. If past judgment predicts future judgment, Obama's earlier read on voters affects how much weight his advice deserves. The advice itself is familiar: stop scolding so much, and talk to voters in the middle, rural voters, and battleground-state voters. David pushes the personnel angle. Is Obama staying back because he is done with party combat, or because he knows he might crowd out newer Democratic leaders? The exchange is thoughtful, with enough edge to keep it awake. Obama comes off less like a monument than a live test of whether old Democratic instincts still travel. Slate Plus, production credits, and the signoff wrap things after the real conversation is over.

As heard by us

A sharp Gabfest segment on Obama, Trump, and Democrats' unresolved argument over persuasion.

Despite the Prince Andrew hook in the title, this Political Gabfest excerpt lands hardest when David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson turn to Democrats after Trump.

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Why you'd press play

When you want a smart, sideways argument about Obama's lingering power, start here.

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