Trump's Epstein problem grows: Even his voters want more files released
Loretta Duchesne doesn't have much faith in the government, and that's part of the reason she cast a ballot last November for Donald Trump.
The 35-year-old makeup artist from northern Louisiana said she felt Trump would be 'transparent' and 'expose corruption.' She's disappointed that the Trump administration isn't releasing all the records in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
'It feels now more like he's protecting someone or something if he won't reveal it,' said Duchesne, an independent who once voted for President Barack Obama.
Duchesne likes Trump policies such as his stance on the border and doesn't regret voting for him. But when it comes to Epstein, she said she doesn't accept the official narrative about the wealthy financier who died in prison awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges and also believes the administration is making a mistake and undermining its credibility by holding material back on the years-old criminal case involving alleged underage victims.
Most Trump voters interviewed by USA TODAY share Duchesne's desire to see more Epstein records released, illustrating why the case has become so problematic for a second-term president who has a long, documented history of associating with Epstein and recently has publicly questioned why there remains such a deep interest in a man who died six years ago.
Epstein is one of the rare issues where Trump appears to be out of step with his base.
USA TODAY spoke with seven Trump supporters, and most believe there is more to be revealed about Epstein and want to see the government be more forthcoming with its documentation of his case. Their suspicions persist despite the Department of Justice releasing a memo July 7 that tried to close the book on the Epstein saga.
New York's chief medical examiner ruled Epstein's death a suicide, but some – including many Trump loyalists – have questioned that finding and whether the government is shielding Epstein's potential clients from public view.
The DOJ memo reaffirmed the finding that Epstein died by suicide, said there is no 'incriminating client list' and no evidence he blackmailed prominent people. But instead of dispelling speculation about the case, the memo only inflamed things further, putting the administration in the hot seat.
Utah resident Shar Kynaston, 75, said she doesn't think Epstein killed himself and believes "he probably had a preferred, high-paying list' of clients.
'I think that there is a cover-up, but I don't know the extent of it,' said Kynaston, a retired federal worker who voted for Trump in all three of his presidential races in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Kynaston wants the Epstein files released, but she still likes Trump. The same goes for Victoria Rivas, 20, a Miami University student and vice president of the Ohio college's Republican club.
'I do think we deserve transparency,' Rivas said.
Trump recently pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of Epstein grand jury testimony, which the DOJ is doing. But that's just a portion of the records that haven't been released and it's not enough for Rivas, a Trump voter who attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year when he officially became the party's nominee, just days after he was shot in an assassination attempt.
'That's very picky and choosy,' Rivas said of just releasing grand jury testimony, adding that all the Epstein records should be released.
Rivas views the first six months of Trump's second term as 'a lot of promises made and a lot of promises kept,' but on Epstein she said he's falling short.
Part of the problem for Trump is that those around him, including high-profile figures in his administration, spent years hyping up the potential for bombshell revelations in the Epstein files.
"Show us all the Epstein client list now!!!' Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted on X in 2023. 'Why would anyone protect those scum bags? Ask yourselves this question daily and the answer becomes very apparent!!'
The president was more circumscribed in his Epstein comments.
Responding in June 2024 to a Fox News interviewer who asked whether he would declassify the files, Trump said: 'Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would.' But he added: 'I think that less so, because you don't know − You don't want to affect people's lives if there's phony stuff in there, because there's a lot of phony stuff in that whole world. But I think I would.'
Some Trump supporters who spoke to USA TODAY said there was an expectation that more would be revealed.
'It all has to come out,' Rivas said.
The backlash Trump is receiving on Epstein has raised questions about whether it will dent his image among his base and could potentially be a drag for Republicans in the 2026 midterm election. Rivas doesn't see the issue as "a top concern for our country," and other Trump supporters said the same.
Pennsylvania home builder Mark Bass, 65, said he doesn't think Epstein killed himself, doesn't accept that there isn't a client list and believes the administration should release more information. Still, Bass is 'ecstatic' about Trump's presidency.
'I think he's done a fantastic job, he's done more than he's said he's going to do, and I don't think this will make any difference whatsoever,' said Bass, a Republican who voted for Trump in each of the last three elections.
Trump has struggled to shake off the Epstein issue, though, and after initially lashing out at supporters who questioned his administration's handling of the case, the president and his team have been seeking ways to placate critics. DOJ officials announced July 22 that they will seek to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein associate found guilty of aiding his abuse.
Duchesne, the Louisiana makeup artist, said she's moderately disappointed in Trump's handling of the Epstein case. If the truth is so 'vanilla' then why not just release the records, she wondered.
'It makes me look at you sideways,' she said. 'You're deflecting. Why aren't you just releasing?'
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi
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