Riley Gaines rips into MAGA voters accusing her of turning on Donald Trump over the Epstein files
The conservative activist and former college swimmer, who voted Republican in last year's election due to the party's vow to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports, slammed Trump on Wednesday after he attacked members of his MAGA movement for demanding more information about Epstein, calling them 'stupid and foolish' while claiming they are being 'duped'.
'Was it stupid & foolish when he campaigned on releasing the files?' Gaines wrote on X. 'Are Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, and Alina Habba all foolish & stupid for peddling this for the past 6 months? Why on earth is he doing this?'
Following her public criticism of the President, Gaines received a backlash from Trump's supporters on social media.
After one of them lambasted her for using her platform of 1.5 million followers on X to 'go against' Trump, she responded: 'I'm not going against Trump. That is such a ridiculous assertion. I believe there's a ~0% chance he's on the [Epstein] list.
'I'm thrilled with everything he's accomplished in a short amount of time. I just don't think he should be so dismissive of an issue that so many care about.'
Gaines replied to another who alleged she was aligning herself with the Democrats by saying: 'What part of me is siding with Dems? Wanting pedophiles behind bars? If that's not bipartisan, I'd consider that a major problem'.
She then wrote in a separate post: 'It's amazing how many people think asking legitimate, justified questions is the same as "turning on" someone'.
'I proudly voted for Trump twice and have no regret,' Gaines added. 'I also want pedophiles to be held accountable. It's like the least controversial take in the real world lol'.
One user replied to that post: 'I have questions too. BUT, I think DJT is the best president we've ever had and he doesn't need people from his own party publicly questioning. It gives the feral liberals ammunition to go after him. All of this outrage from right wing influencers against POTUS has to stop.'
'Do you hear yourself? Don't publicly question our leaders? That's how we got to where we did under the last admin,' Gaines responded. 'Thats why so many blindly got the covid shot. I didn't because I asked questions. Not comparing the two admins because they're not comparable in the slightest, but I'll always ask questions when warranted.
'And please respond with the "outrage" I've shown.'
Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges 11 years after his first conviction for soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor. He had pleaded not guilty to the subsequent sex-trafficking charges.
The Epstein saga burst back into the news last week after the Trump administration reversed course on its previous pledge to release documents it had suggested would reveal major revelations about the disgraced sex offender and his alleged clientele. That reversal has enraged some of Trump's most loyal followers.
Gaines said she merely wants pedophiles to be held accountable after defending herself on X
In an effort to contain the fallout, the President and White House officials are weighing a range of options including unsealing new documents, appointing a special prosecutor and drafting executive actions on issues such as pedophilia, according to two White House sources with knowledge of the matter.
Trump and senior aides have also reached out to key MAGA-aligned influencers, urging them to dial down their criticism of the administration's handling of the Epstein investigation and shift focus to broader priorities for the America First movement, one source said.
On Tuesday, he urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release whatever she believes is 'credible' about Epstein while facing a rare backlash from his supporters.
'She's handled it very well, and it's going to be up to her,' he told reporters. 'Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.'
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