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Trump lashes out at his Maga supporters over Epstein Files scandal, calls them 'weaklings'
In a rare instance, US President Donald Trump lashed out against his own supporters, describing them as 'weaklings' and 'gullible' over the Epstein Files scandal. Trump slammed his 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) supporters for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into late high-profile sex offender and British financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The president has been struggling to curtail the political crisis that has emerged within his usually loyal Maga base, with his supporters suspecting that the Trump administration is hiding details regarding Epstein's crimes. Some believe that the administration is doing so to protect the rich elite Epstein is associated with, including Trump.
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The American commander-in-chief took out his aggression in a lengthy post on his social media platform TruthSocial. On Wednesday, the Potus accused his voters of what he referred to as a 'radical left hoax', which is being spread by his opposition, in a bid to discredit him.
'Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years,' Trump wrote in his social media rant.
'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 any more!' he added.
Trump is upset with his own supporters
In a separate interview with Real America's Voice, the far-right network created to host Steve Bannon's podcast, the American leader doubled down on his proclamation over what should be done with the details surrounding the Epstein case. On Wednesday, he said that the FBI should investigate what he called the 'Jeffrey Epstein hoax' as part of a criminal conspiracy against him.
'They could look at this Jeffrey Epstein hoax also, because that's the same stuff, that's all put out by Democrats,' Trump said. 'And you know some of the naive Republicans fall right into line.' One of the most prominent theories circulating among Trump supporters is that Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody, was murdered by powerful figures to cover up their roles in his sex crimes against children.
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Republican voters and notable political figures have pressed Trump to release the documents related to the case publicly. Trump's recent comments were an angry departure from his previous attempts to placate his backers. On Tuesday, he attempted to divert attention by calling the infamous case 'boring softly'. He then went on to back the release of any 'credible' files, without specifying what those were.
'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' Trump told reporters on Tuesday night when asked why his supporters are so interested in the case. 'It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring, and I don't understand why it keeps going.'
'I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going,' he added. 'But credible information, let them give it. Anything credible, I would say, let them have it.'
The memo that sent the shockwaves
Things started to spiral down last week after the US Department of Justice and FBI issued a memo stating that a review of the case files had confirmed that Epstein had killed himself, and there was no list of his clients to be made public.
Conservative allies soon focused their anger on the attorney general, Pam Bondi, who was leading the case, as she previously boasted that Epstein's client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review'. Trump himself has maintained a similar tone in the past.
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During his election campaign, Trump fuelled multiple conspiracies by his Maga movement, including that the country was controlled by shadowy 'deep state' elites. At that time, he also pledged to release the Epstein Files in their entirety.
Hence, Trump's recent stance has garnered anger among his base. Even his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, a Fox News host, has been critical, saying: 'I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this.' Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, called for the Justice Department to make the document public, breaking with Trump in a rare moment of friction between the allies.
'It's a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,' Johnson told Benny Johnson, a rightwing podcaster, in an interview released on Tuesday. 'I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there," he added.
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