The Epstein class is a political neologism used in contemporary public discourse to denote perceived wealthy, powerful, well-connected individuals or dynasties, viewed as operating with impunity from legal and moral accountability, especially in relation to Jeffrey Epstein. They are seen as part of the ruling class and the transnational capitalist class who own capital in multiple countries. Its use has been largely spearheaded by United States House representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie as well as United States senator Jon Ossoff.

The usage of "Epstein class" emerged in the mid-2020s amid renewed public scrutiny of the criminal case and released documents relating to Epstein and his network of associates, and has been used across media, social commentary and political speech to critique wealth, influence and institutional protection for powerful actors, often at the cost of working-class peoples.^[1]

In a discussion hosted by the foreign policy think-tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Murtaza Hussain describes Epstein's role in brokering UAE-Israel relations; his role in the Iran–Contra affair; as well as the huge alleged human trafficking network involving people at the highest levels of government, academia, finance, tech and business, have all been deemed the Epstein class.^[2] Ro Khanna also characterized the Epstein class by their entitlement from wealth and lack of accountability.^[3]

The moniker "Epstein class" became more prominent after the U.S. Department of Justice began releasing millions of documents relating to the Epstein case in 2025, renewing public attention to Epstein's connections with prominent figures across politics, finance and academia. Critics argue that the prolonged pre-2019 legal outcomes, including a controversial 2008 "sweetheart deal" and perceptions of minimal accountability for individuals with access and status, exemplify systemic elite privilege.^[4] For example, the British socialist newspaper Morning Star critiqued the lack of arrests associated with Epstein's sex trafficking ring.^[1]

The "Epstein class" is connected to global financial institutions who were found in the Epstein files such as the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Fulbright Program.^[5][6][7]

On November 17, 2025, while campaigning for a vote for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Rep. Ro Khanna said there was "an enormous coalition that wants the Epstein class removed," and defined the term to NPR;^[8]

"I define the Epstein class narrowly as the people who either abused underage girls or who knew about Epstein's abuse and covered it up. But more generally, the Epstein class is a group of people with extreme wealth who have donated to politicians and been part of a system where they think the rules don't apply to them, and they have created a system that has shafted a lot of forgotten Americans."^[8]

On February 7, 2026, Sen. Jon Ossoff referred at a rally for the 2026 United States Senate election in Georgia to the cabinet of US president Donald Trump when saying, "this is the Epstein class, ruling our country. They are the elites they pretend to hate."^[9]

On 9 February, Khanna remarked that the Transparency Act, which had since passed, was "bringing down the British government. It may bring down the monarchy. It's bringing down elites. What are we doing here in the US to stand up to the Epstein class?" Referring to Howard Lutnick, he said that, "We’ve got a commerce secretary who is all over the files."^[10] On 11 February, Khanna outed the names of six "wealthy, powerful men" associated with Jeffrey Epstein whom he believed should not have been redacted from the Epstein files, stating that: "The Epstein class represents rich and powerful Americans who believe they are above the law." He accused the Epstein class of damaging the working class, extracting wealth and starting wars.^[11][12] The six men outed by Khanna included Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and Leslie Wexner,^[13] alongside four men the justice department said were unconnected to Epstein and who had appeared in an FBI photo lineup.^[14]

On 15 February, Rep. Thomas Massie labelled Donald Trump's presidency the "Epstein administration", stating that "Donald Trump told us that even though he had dinner with these people in New York City and West Palm Beach, that he would be transparent, but he's not. He's still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration. There are billionaires that are friends with these people, and that's what I'm up against in D.C."^[15]

In the context of the 2026 United States-Iran war, the term "Epstein regime" has emerged as a derogatory geopolitical neologism used by both domestic anti-war critics and Iranian officials to delegitimize the US-Israeli coalition. The term has been employed by opponents of the invasion to characterize the broader Western political establishment as a morally bankrupt and inherently corrupt syndicate and imply that the military action against Iran is borne not out of a strategic necessity, but is instead a cynical "wag the dog" distraction orchestrated by the Trump administration to deflect public scrutiny from the Epstein files.^[16][17][18]

This term was used several times in the discussion by the Quincy Institute. They discuss DP World, which the Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is the CEO of and has ports in 80 countries, alleging its role in the shipping of illicit goods like blood diamonds, and it's role in foreign policy, and its relation with the lack of accountability on the Epstein class.^[2]

Dr Jennifer Reed describes the Epstein class in a pathological context, rather than as a social class, theorising that it is an emerging property of large amounts of wealth, with little accountability. She describes it as an addiction, leading to exploitation, over-indulgence and societal harm. She also theorises how excessive wealth can lead to the decay of empathy, ethics and justice.^[19]

The idea that the Epstein Class participates in dividing people by race, religion, sexuality, class and other characteristics has been widely discussed.

Left-wing activists have also accused the Epstein Class of redirecting hatred to minority groups (like targeting LGBTQ+ people, drag queens, immigrants) under the guise of "protecting women and children", while covering systemic sexual abuse up by the elites.^[20]

The public discovery of widespread elite connections to Epstein has led to class identity reaching mainstream US political discourse, as well as calls for people from both the political left and right to cooperate and tackle disproportionate wealth inequalities, systemic political power and economic injustice.^[21][22]

Gabby Deutsch at Jewish Insider speculated on February 18, 2026, that the term "Epstein class" may be an antisemitic dog whistle as Epstein himself was Jewish.^[23] Seth Mandel, an American-Jewish author at Commentary, criticised the term "Epstein Class", claiming that it is used by antisemitic conspiracy theorists, as well as accusing Thomas Massie of "Jew-baiting".^[24]

• Secular cycles
• Ibn Khaldun's Theory of Social Cohesion
• France before the French Revolution
• Weimar Republic
• Late-stage capitalism
• Spanish Republic
• Class struggle

• Epstein Files: A Roadmap of Post-Cold War Corruption and Geopolitical Chaos (YouTube) (Transcript)