I will readily concede that of all the issues on Donald Trump's desk, the release of the so-called "Epstein Files" should be of middling rank in importance. For the man who, in many cases, holds the fate of the world in his hands, even a horror like this one ranks pretty low.
Every president is, or should be, very busy, and Donald Trump is likely the busiest president of my lifetime. He is the Energizer Bunny. In an ideal world, only the most pressing issues reach the president's desk, and once decisions are made, his subordinates competently ensure that the decisions are carried out.
Of course, Trump gets involved in everything, which has its upsides and its downsides. In this case, it's all downside. Today, he waded into the Epstein files controversy again and managed to insult his base.
— Figgy Biscuits (@FiggyBiscuits) July 13, 2025
The Epstein files fiasco is so high profile, not because it is the most pressing issue, but because it was elevated above many others by the president and his team as an example of how they intended to drain the swamp. They promised not only that they would release what they legally could, but that the release would provide shocking insight into the elite's corruption.
Throwback to when Trump said he would release the Epstein client list if elected. pic.twitter.com/a1cxWf8oxe
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) July 8, 2025
They spoke as if they knew that this was the case, and they turned the hype up to 11 to build up anticipation. The Epstein case would have faded into history but for the fact that so many in MAGA, starting at the top, kept a spotlight on it.
𝕏 influencers and citizen journalists were the first to receive access to the Epstein files rather than the legacy media. You are the media now. pic.twitter.com/FsgDiAlPms
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 27, 2025
Last week, the Justice Department conducted a soft release — through a leak on a Sunday night — of an unsigned memo stating, "Case closed, there is nothing to see here." Is it any surprise that people are upset, given the numerous promises made that all would be revealed and that the revelations would shock us?
Now they are acting surprised and disappointed that their supporters are upset with them.
🚨 TRUMP: “ARE YOU STILL TALKING ABOUT JEFFREY EPSTEIN?”
— Naomi Seibt (@SeibtNaomi) July 8, 2025
Yes. Yes, we are.
What an outrageous question.
The FBI lied right to our faces. @elonmusk risked his life exposing Epstein’s friends like Bill Gates.
Why does Trump not care at all??? pic.twitter.com/RBtXo6tZYO
What piques everybody's interest about the Epstein case is his connections to the rich and powerful. If he were some rando who abused children by himself, most people would be happy that he died in prison, and he would be forgotten. He was a financial advisor to the rich and powerful--serving only clients with net worths over $1 billion, and he hobnobbed with the wealthiest and most famous people in the world. He was given an office at Harvard for his private use, despite having no connection to the University. He hung out with the rich and powerful and flew them around on his private jet.
Team Trump teased the Epstein files as some watershed moment in our country’s history:
— Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸🐊 (@CryptidPolitics) July 7, 2025
“We have flight logs, info, names that will come out. There were so many names hidden who had not been held accountable.”
Why did the trail go cold?
pic.twitter.com/COd127hc4h
Somehow, even after he was a convicted sex offender, he continued to do so, flying many people to his private island on the "Lolita Express." We know some of the big names implicated. Still, we really haven't seen much evidence about anyone's involvement in his sexual abuse of young women aside from Epstein and his sidekick, Ghislaine Maxwell.
We were expecting to, though. With good reason.
🚨MARCH: Pam Bondi says a “TRUCKLOAD” of Epstein files just arrived. Thousands of pages. FBI reviewing them.
— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 7, 2025
🚨JULY: DOJ says there’s NO client list. Suicide. Case closed.
What happened to the truckload?
What happened to the truth?
pic.twitter.com/QvLbcdvbcM
Epstein was connected to everyone who was anyone, but we really don't know how closely and who, if anyone, used his services. It is within the realm of possibility that the conspiracy to abuse women was restricted to Maxwell and Epstein--but nothing in the way that the Trump administration handled this case prepared anybody to believe that was a possibility.
Trump's team did everything they could to foster suspicion about a cover-up; at least some of that suspicion is well-justified. There are a lot of known associates who are clearly being protected, although it is possible that they are being protected because there is no actual evidence they committed any crimes, and it would be unethical to imply they did. Or, perhaps, there is reason to suspect they did, but not enough proof to prosecute.
Megyn Kelly is asking for a 2 hour interview with Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Dan Bongino so she can get to the bottom of the Epstein case.
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) July 9, 2025
I think this is a great idea, what about you? pic.twitter.com/pzi9WpcOo6
Or, perhaps, they are just well-connected and will get away with provable crimes. We may never know. And that is the point. We still don't have any answers. There could be nothing, and there could be a lot.
All @PamBondi has to do for many of us is acknowledge the massive PR mistakes she made with the Epstein files and apologize. This isn’t complicated. pic.twitter.com/5nXuowL8Uh
— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) July 13, 2025
It was they who hyped this up and implied that much more was to come. To now chastise us for being angry that no new information will ever come out is insulting.
I voted for Trump 3 times and I’d do it again, but I’m with Dan Bongino on this, not Pam Bondi. I disagree with his post because most Americans want justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and the elite pedophiles pic.twitter.com/CpR6alKh38
— • Angry Frog ™ • (@angrifrog) July 13, 2025
The mishandling of the Epstein affair is the greatest political self-own I have seen in years. Not only did they overpromise and underdeliver, but they doubled down when they had reason to believe they couldn't deliver the goods. Rumors swirl around a potential Dan Bongino resignation, and should he resign, it would be a disaster, fueling speculation about a Trump connection or a cover-up.
I don’t believe anything CNN says but if this story about Dan Bongino is true, the only person who should be resigning is the feckless Pam Barr-Bondi as she is obviously way in over her head. She should actually be fired. pic.twitter.com/lcKfhyQArB
— The Researcher (@listen_2learn) July 11, 2025
Bongino wears his emotions on his sleeve, which endears him to his supporters. That also makes him a volatile and dangerous guy to have opposing you. However, in a clash between Bondi and Bongino at the White House, Bongino is more likely to be the loser than Bondi. Bondi is much higher profile with the public, and Bongino is unlikely to betray the president.
Trump himself has mishandled this. He is usually better at reading the room than this. The Epstein files were a top issue for some of his most loyal supporters. He should have ensured that Bondi and the company handled this with utmost care and an eye to public relations.
Insulting his supporters is a mistake. Not because they will abandon him--few will--but because their loyalty to him has been damaged.
It was so unnecessary. If there are legitimate reasons to close the case, have a press conference and lay them all out. The Justice Department isn't supposed to accuse people they can't prosecute--to try them in the public sphere but not in court--and if the evidence is insufficient to prosecute, then perhaps the case should die.
But not like this.
Will this hurt Trump permanently? Probably not. The issue is not a top 10 one with the public. But it has been with MAGA, and a lot of people feel insulted.
Rightly so. Even if there was nothing to be found, they should have been upfront and transparent throughout the process.
They failed.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member