Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary got into a heated debate on CNN NewsNight on Monday (July 21) as he argued that “nobody gives a damn about” Jeffrey Epstein.
The argument erupted as journalist Ahmed Baba said, per Mediaite, “The fundamental deal [Donald] Trump made with his base was that he was gonna root out this mysterious cabal of elites that were running things. And a key part of this became these Epstein files, right? Essentially, what he’s proving is that he actually is one of these corrupt elites himself, right?”
O’Leary eventually interrupted Baba, saying, “Nobody gives a damn about Epstein ’cause he’s still dead! Okay? He’s still dead. No one gives a damn… The average person at the kitchen table is not worrying about Epstein. Don’t give a damn. They wanna provide for their family and they are.”
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a statement claiming their investigation determined that there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” and that Epstein “committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019” while awaiting sex trafficking charges.
The report led to backlash online, even among some of Trump’s most staunch MAGA supporters, many of whom have been demanding the release of the so-called “client list” for years. There have also been calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she said in February that Epstein’s “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”
On CNN NewsNight, host Abby Phillip referenced a poll that showed 83% of Republicans believe the Trump administration should release all government information on the Epstein case.
However, O’Leary continued to downplay the public interest, saying, “The average American, awake for 18 hours a day, how many minutes do you think they spend worrying about this stuff? Maybe they were raped, maybe they weren’t. This is not what American families give a damn about.”
“We do know there were victims, so that’s not speculative,” Phillip fired back.
As the fiery debated continued, O’Leary shouted, “Nobody gives a poop! Nobody gives a poop, poop, poop… Worst case scenario, all this stuff’s true. Does that in any way affect the American economy?”
Fellow panelist Ana Kasparian told O’Leary, “There’s more to life than the American economy. There’s justice and the fact that we might have pedophiles serving in our government right now.”
“Oh my goodness! That’s horrible,” O’Leary replied. “I’m just saying, what people care about is how to feed their families and how the economy grows. This stuff is poop on a stick! Nobody gives… I gotta stop.”