What specific excerpts from Wolff’s Epstein tapes have been published verbatim, and where can they be accessed?
Executive summary
Michael Wolff has released short, verbatim audio excerpts from 2017 conversations with Jeffrey Epstein on his Fire and Fury podcast and in partnership with The Daily Beast; those publicly published clips include Epstein’s direct statements that he was “Donald’s closest friend for ten years,” several pithy descriptions of Trump (“he’s charming,” “a horrible human being”), and at least one provocative line rendered in reporting as “Why not consider sex with me?” — all of which were made available via Wolff’s podcast episodes and a Daily Beast package that included roughly 1 hour, 44 minutes of tape access to reporters [1] [2] [3].
1. What exact lines were published verbatim and where they appear
The most widely cited verbatim excerpt released by Wolff and published by The Daily Beast quotes Epstein saying, “I was Donald’s closest friend for ten years,” a line played on Wolff’s Fire and Fury podcast and reproduced in coverage and The Daily Beast’s reporting that accompanied the audio release [1] [4]. Other short, verbatim fragments that were published or transcribed in major outlets include Epstein calling Trump “charming” — a phrase that appears in a House document transcript and in multiple news accounts that reviewed and authenticated the recordings shared with The Daily Beast [3] [5]. Reporting based on the same material also published Epstein’s alternating characterizations of Trump as both “charming” and “a horrible human being,” language used in The Daily Beast and republished across outlets [5].
2. Contextual verbatim clips made available to journalists (and their locations)
Wolff publicly played at least one short excerpt on his Fire and Fury podcast and supplied The Daily Beast with nearly two hours (1:44) of the 2017 material for review — The Daily Beast then published two excerpts and reporting drawn from those tapes alongside Wolff’s commentary [2] [1]. Multiple outlets quoting and describing the audio specify that The Daily Beast had authenticated the portions it reported, and that Wolff himself streamed audio on his podcast, making those verbatim clips accessible there [2] [4]. Additional outlets (The Guardian, The Independent, Esquire, Yahoo, Times of Israel) reproduced those published lines and summarized the audio that Wolff released or allowed journalists to hear [6] [7] [8] [9] [1].
3. Notable verbatim phrases reported and how they were presented
Beyond the “closest friend” formulation and “he’s charming,” reporting based on Wolff’s shared recordings includes alleged direct-speech lines used to illustrate Epstein’s commentary about Trump’s private life and White House dynamics — for example, an account that Epstein said Trump had “a scalp reduction” and other colorful observations quoted in the clips made public [1]. Some quotes have been run verbatim in articles; others have been paraphrased or presented as reported speech from the audio segments The Daily Beast and Wolff made available [1] [2] [5]. One reported line, rendered in coverage as “Why not consider sex with me?,” has been attributed back to Wolff’s tape and reporting though its appearance varies across outlets [2].
4. What has not been released and disputes over release strategy
Wolff repeatedly states he possesses roughly 100 hours of Epstein interviews, but to date he has released only short excerpts and given limited access to selected journalists — a fraction of the full archive — and major outlets note that most of the tapes remain unreleased [4] [9]. The Trump campaign and allies disputed Wolff’s motives and authenticity, calling the journalist “disgraced” and accusing him of fabrication and political timing; those denials and criticisms have been quoted in coverage alongside the published excerpts [6]. Reporting makes clear where material is on record (the podcast and The Daily Beast package) and where claims rest on Wolff’s broader, unreleased archive [2] [4].