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History is full of improbable twists and turns. In some cases, a small stroke of good fortune or the deed of a heroic individual or group of people resulted in a major positive change or some monumental advancement. Sadly, more often than not, the opposite is true, and the actions of a villain or some seemingly minor event causes chaos and destruction down the road. 

United States history abounds with examples of the former.

The anti-tax protest called the Boston Tea Party comes to mind, or the refusal of Rosa Parks to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, AL. Both of these actions jumpstarted developments that profoundly changed America for the better. 

Alas, there are even more examples of the converse. 

For example, more than a century ago, a pair of English and French diplomats, Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, drew up an agreement to arbitrarily divide the Middle East after the anticipated fall of the Ottoman Empire. As a direct consequence of their short-sighted map-making efforts, millions of people in the region have died and Palestinians are being starved to death today.

Or take the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, during which Barack Obama’s roast of a certain orange-faced and thin-skinned narcissist may have altered history for the worse by triggering the presidential run of the worst human to ever occupy the Oval Office. 

Speaking of Donald Trump, his political career is full of these little (and big) moments during which the United States has found itself at history-altering forks in the road. In most cases, unlucky events and cowardice on the part of everybody else (mostly Republicans but also Democrats, the media, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, and many others) caused the nation to take a bunch of wrong turns.

This has led the country down a dark path toward the precipice of fascism with precious few off-ramps left.

At this moment, we are finding ourselves at one of those… thanks to one of the most unlikely figures to positively affect history: Jeffrey Epstein. 

It may seem strange to attribute positive developments to Epstein because, like his old buddy Trump, he was a sexual predator and, according to many reports, an all-around despicable human being. 

On the plus side, however, he is dead. Furthermore, through his evil deeds, the ensuing cover-up, and his friendship with the president, his otherwise worthless life can serve a purpose: It can make Americans understand what kind of person currently occupies the White House — before it is too late. And it is very late already.

First, even though we hope that this saga will derail the Trump train, it is important not to view it as a partisan issue. 

Originally, many Democrats tended to dismiss the Epstein affair because it was being pushed by those on the right fringe who were looking for yet another way to nail the Clintons. And, since so many other Clinton-related conspiracies had fallen apart, those on the left did not take this one seriously either.

But, like the proverbial broken clock that is right twice a day, the underlying crimes committed by Epstein were the real deal, as was the fact that, quite clearly, he got preferential treatment and many, many others who were willingly involved in his sex trafficking ring have escaped accountability because there has been a shocking lack of transparency in the case. 

Now, of course, Democrats are on board with calling for full disclosure because Trump is behaving exactly like somebody who is extremely worried that he will be implicated if all information comes to light.

But the Epstein case isn’t actually about party affiliations at all. Instead, it is about rich elites being able to commit heinous crimes without paying the price.

Because, while regular Americans are being conditioned to hate each other as a result of their political ideologies, the rich and powerful of all stripes are partying together. And that does not just mean attending fancy receptions in Washington, DC, or expensive galas in New York City, but also, in some cases, sexually abusing underage girls.

To be honest, we think it would be a cathartic moment for America if it turned out that prominent figures from both parties, including Bill Clinton and Trump, had availed themselves of the sordid services Epstein offered (and we wouldn’t be upset one bit if it turned out that a foreign intelligence service organized and funded the entire thing). 

And not just prominent politicians, but also other luminaries from the worlds of finance, business, entertainment, law, news, etc. 

It would be eye-opening for regular people to see that their real “enemy,” for lack of a better word, is a class of people who put themselves above the law and everybody else.

Therefore, we (perhaps futilely) hope that there will be total transparency so that Americans understand how a game is played for which they don’t even get a seat at the table. Because that would also make it clear to those who foolishly idolize Trump that he not only isn’t their champion, he isn’t even playing on their team.

And that, in turn, could throw his entire authoritarian agenda into complete turmoil. 

With Democrats and the media largely hapless, Republicans already laying the groundwork to steal the 2026 midterms, and the Supreme Court intent on rubber stamping any power grab Trump attempts, the only things that can realistically stop him now are some major crisis that he bungles or a popular uprising of some sort. 

The former could certainly include a severe economic downturn, but it would have to happen quickly. 

As for the latter, we are not talking about violent unrest but rather about the American people making their voices heard in a way that even Republicans beholden to Trump cannot ignore.

We were getting close to that point this week before GOP leaders shut down the House and fled the nation’s capital rather than allow rank-and-file Republicans to force a vote mandating full disclosure of the so-called Epstein files.

It’s important to keep in mind that one ingredient fascist leaders need to succeed is a fervent base. It doesn’t have to constitute a majority of the population, but it has to be “louder” than the opposition. 

Until now, Trump has had that. Perhaps more than anything, his political ascendancy was fueled by cultish followers that he could use to put pressure on anybody standing in his way. 

Revelations of Trump being involved in or even just being aware of Epstein’s sordid crimes (which seems likely at this point) would shake even his most slavish acolytes, as would his administration’s stonewalling when it comes to transparency and accountability. 

You can say what you want about the MAGA base, but they have been steadfast on this issue in particular, and it stands to reason that, for many of his followers, it supersedes even their loyalty to the president. This would explain why Trump, who is very astute when it comes to understanding what his supporters want, is panicking. 

If all those MAGA faithful realize that the emperor not only has no clothes, but that he may also have gotten a “massage” from a trafficked 15-year-old, the sway he has held over his cult-like movement will evaporate.

And, years from now, historians will be amazed that what finally brought Trump down wasn’t an admission that he committed sexual assaults, inciting a failed coup, or scores of other unsavory things that would have ended the career of any other politician, but rather his attempt to cover up the extent of his dealings with the unredeemably depraved Epstein.