Trump Panics Over ‘Hurricane Epstein’ and Elon Musk’s Saudi Meeting as Jimmy Kimmel Mocks the “Nonsense” On Air.
In a week already saturated with political noise, former President Donald J. Trump found himself once again at the center of a whirlwind — one that analysts say was largely of his own making. The convergence of two unrelated stories — an online conspiracy dubbed “Hurricane Epstein” and reports of Elon Musk’s private meeting with Saudi business leaders — prompted a flurry of late-night commentary, most notably from Jimmy Kimmel, whose monologue on Tuesday quickly circulated across social media.
According to several advisers speaking on condition of anonymity, Mr. Trump spent much of the day reacting to rumors and online chatter tying an approaching storm system to the name of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose death in federal custody continues to fuel speculation among some of the former president’s supporters. No evidence suggests any connection between the storm and Epstein, yet the phrase “Hurricane Epstein” trended widely on platforms frequented by conservative commentators.
Mr. Trump, these advisers said, grew increasingly agitated as the term gained traction, interpreting the trend as part of what he described as a coordinated attempt to damage him politically. One aide described “a palpable sense of panic” in Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump reportedly demanded updates on the online discussion and asked whether political opponents were behind the phrase. “He kept saying, ‘What are they trying to do now?’” the aide recalled.
Compounding the former president’s agitation was a separate news cycle on Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, who held a closed-door meeting with Saudi investors earlier this week. The meeting, first reported by international business outlets, centered on potential funding partnerships for several of Mr. Musk’s technology ventures. But within certain online communities, the encounter was quickly reframed as a geopolitical maneuver with implications for American politics.
Mr. Trump, who has oscillated between admiration and frustration toward Mr. Musk in recent years, appeared particularly fixated on what he termed “secret deals.” Advisers said he questioned whether the meeting signaled “an alignment” between Mr. Musk and foreign powers prior to the 2026 midterms — a suggestion for which there is no public evidence.
By the time Jimmy Kimmel appeared on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the two threads — “Hurricane Epstein” and Mr. Musk’s Saudi engagement — had already fused into a growing swirl of online speculation. Kimmel seized on the chaos.
“For most people, a hurricane is a weather event,” Kimmel said during his monologue. “For Trump, it’s a conspiracy written in the clouds.” He went on to mock the former president’s reported concerns about Mr. Musk, adding, “Elon meets with business leaders all the time. But somehow Trump manages to make it sound like a coup against him personally.”
The audience responded with laughter, but the segment also functioned as a wider critique of the disinformation ecosystem that has long surrounded Mr. Trump. Kimmel highlighted how loosely connected narratives — storms, foreign investors, familiar names from past scandals — can, under the right conditions, merge into what he called “a self-sustaining panic cycle.”
Political analysts interviewed on Wednesday said the episode reflects a recurring pattern: Mr. Trump reacting strongly to narratives that emerge online, sometimes without clear origins or grounding in verifiable reporting. “It demonstrates an extraordinary permeability between fringe discourse and the top levels of Republican politics,” said Dr. Marlene Watkins, a political communication scholar at Georgetown University. “What begins as rumor often becomes political fuel — or political anxiety.”
Supporters of the former president dismissed the characterization, arguing that Mr. Trump is simply vigilant about activity that could influence public perception. “He takes nothing for granted,” said one longtime ally. “If there’s a coordinated smear, he wants to know.”
The White House declined to comment on the episode, redirecting inquiries to Mr. Trump’s campaign, which did not respond.
Meanwhile, clips of Kimmel’s monologue continued to circulate widely, generating millions of views by early Thursday. While the comedian’s remarks were delivered in his characteristic tone of late-night irreverence, they touched on broader questions about the role of online narratives in shaping political behavior.
For now, the storm at the center of the controversy — meteorological or metaphorical — appears to be dissipating. Weather forecasters say the system known informally online as “Hurricane Epstein” has weakened. Mr. Musk returned to the United States quietly, with no further comment on his meeting.
But the episode offered another glimpse into how quickly the former president can be drawn into — and unsettled by — the information currents that swirl around him. And, as Kimmel noted with a wry smile, “In politics, sometimes the weather isn’t the only thing that spins.”
