Live Updates: Trump to Visit Federal Reserve in New Effort to Divert Attention From Epstein

New York Times

4 days ago

Mr. Trump at a reception at the White House on Tuesday. He has tried to distract from the outcry over his administration's handling of the Epstein files.
Throughout his political career, President Trump has perfected his ability to command media attention through incendiary statements and made-for-headlines announcements. He has also mastered shifting blame to his subordinates and political opponents, turning the public spotlight to his benefit.
But the last two weeks have tested this well-worn strategy as Mr. Trump has tried to pivot attention away from his administration's decision to close the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. He has also sought to distance himself from Mr. Epstein after new reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times detailed their past relationship.
Here's a timeline of the president's remarks on the scandal, and his various approaches to move on from it:
July 22
In his most recent attempts to redirect the conversation from Mr. Epstein, the president has unleashed a barrage of attacks against former President Barack Obama — an old but reliable target for Mr. Trump. For years, Mr. Trump promoted the lie that Mr. Obama was not legitimately elected because he was not born in the United States, a publicity stunt that significantly raised his profile in the Republican Party ahead of his 2016 run for president.
On Tuesday, during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on trade issues, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Obama of treason, and said that the time had come for his opponents to face criminal charges.
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transcript Mr. Trump resurfaced his grievances against former President Barack Obama following a meeting with the president of the Philippines in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold. Tulsi Gabbard — what they did to this country in 2016, starting in 2016, but going up all the way, going up to 2020 and the election, they tried to rig the election and they got caught. And there should be very severe consequences for that. Whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly.
Mr. Trump resurfaced his grievances against former President Barack Obama following a meeting with the president of the Philippines in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Later that evening, during a reception with Republican members of Congress, Mr. Trump renewed his attacks against Mr. Obama, falsely claiming he had used deception in the 2016 election. He also plainly stated his intent to use the attacks against the former president as a means to distract reporters and deflect from negative news coverage, suggesting to his fellow Republicans that they respond to 'inappropriate' questions by reporters by saying, 'Oh by the way, Obama cheated on the election.'
July 20
On Sunday, Mr. Trump spent the day posting on social media about pretty much everything other than Mr. Epstein. He started by celebrating strong poll numbers, then went on to urge the Washington Commanders football team to take back its old name, the Redskins. (In another post, he threatened to derail a deal for the N.F.L. team to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C., if it did not comply.)
8:07 AM
My Poll Numbers within the Republican Party, and MAGA, have gone up, significantly, since the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax was exposed by the Radical Left Democrats and, just plain 'troublemakers.'
10:17 AM
The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.
Later that afternoon, he resorted to attacking longtime political foes such as Senator Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California, and posted a fake video of Mr. Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. He also posted a three-minute compilation video of stunts. An hour later, he was back to political attacks, this time targeting Samantha Power, the former administrator of U.S.A.I.D.
2:03 PM
Adam Schiff is a THIEF! He should be prosecuted, just like they tried to prosecute me, and everyone else.
6:47 PM
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The A.I.-generated video reposted on Mr. Trump's Truth Social account appears to be manipulated footage of an Oval Office meeting in November 2016 between President Barack Obama and Mr. Trump.
Credit...
@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social
7:56 PM
HOW DID SAMANTHA POWER MAKE ALL OF THAT MONEY???
July 17
Following The Wall Street Journal's report that Mr. Trump sent a letter with a lewd drawing to Mr. Epstein for his birthday decades ago, Mr. Trump fired off a number of posts on Truth Social that follow a well-worn playbook for responding to reporting he disagrees with: Deny, attack and threaten to sue.
8:33 PM
The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued.
First, Mr. Trump declared the report fake and threatened to sue, which he did the very next day. He also offered a concession for those in his base who have been demanding the release of all information about the Epstein case:
9:07 PM
Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!
Many of Mr. Trump's supporters had been openly flirting with revolt, which could be one reason he also directed Pam Bondi, the attorney general, to seek the public release of grand jury testimony from the prosecution of Mr. Epstein. In his post, Mr. Trump made it clear that he still thought this was unnecessary. (A federal judge in Florida denied the administration's request on Wednesday.)
In his last post that evening, Mr. Trump primarily reiterated his first post, although he included an interesting denial: 'I don't draw pictures.'
9:57 PM
The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.
Mr. Trump regularly donated drawings to charities in New York in the early 2000s. Moreover, the drawings, many of which appear to be done with a thick, black marker and prominently feature his signature, are not dissimilar to how The Journal describes the image on the birthday note to Mr. Epstein.
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A drawing by Mr. Trump of the Empire State Building for a charity auction in 1995.
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Paul Buck/EPA, via Shutterstock
July 16
After becoming increasingly exasperated by reporters' questions about Mr. Epstein's death, as well as attacks on Ms. Bondi, Mr. Trump went from gently coaxing his supporters to move on from the case to actively attacking those who continued to speak out about it. He castigated them as 'weaklings' and disavowed them as 'PAST supporters' that 'have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker.'
9:43 AM
I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country's history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax. Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!
Later that day, he also made an announcement that took Coca-Cola by surprise.
4:19 PM
I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!
A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola would not immediately comment on whether it had agreed to do so, and Mr. Trump's version of events ultimately proved somewhat misleading. On an earnings call days later, the company said that it would begin offering a cane-sugar version of Coke in the United States this fall 'to complement the company's strong core portfolio.' But it is not replacing high-fructose corn syrup in existing products.
July 12
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Mr. Trump defended Ms. Bondi, and his administration's decision to close the Epstein investigation, during a cabinet meeting earlier this month.
Credit...
Doug Mills/The New York Times
5:21 PM
What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening.
After days of bruising attacks on Ms. Bondi from influencers within Mr. Trump's far-right political coalition for failing to produce promised new evidence on Mr. Epstein's death, Mr. Trump addressed his supporters directly, wondering aloud why they were choosing to undermine his administration by going after one of his own top officials.
The post came after a simmering battle between Ms. Bondi and Dan Bongino, the deputy head of the F.B.I., burst into public view over the Epstein case.