Trump asks court to unseal Epstein grand jury testimony but still won't release files at center of uproar: Live updates
The president has now instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release 'pertinent' files on the criminal investigation into Epstein, 'subject to Court approval.'
Late Friday afternoon, Bondi filed a motion in New York 'to release grand jury transcripts associated with" the Epstein case. The Justice Department and FBI still retain the bulk of what those calling for transparency are demanding to see.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have asked Bondi in a letter about the FBI 's review of those files, specifically why it took an additional three months to release a memorandum on the findings, and why agents were instructed to flag any mention of Trump.
This follows a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal which a bawdy message and doodle from Trump among an album of letters celebrating Epstein's 50th birthday.
The president has denied that the drawing or letter was his doing and is now suing the Journal, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two journalists.
Pranksters fill Trump Tower gift shop with merch featuring pictures of Epstein with the president
Pranksters filled Trump Tower's gift shop with merchandise featuring pictures of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein with the president.
The Good Liars, a political comedy duo of Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler, posted photos of postcards with an old photograph of Donald Trump and Epstein they say were among the souvenirs at the president's Manhattan skyscraper.
The duo confirmed to The Independent they were responsible for the prank. The Independent reached out to the Trump Tower store and a representative declined to confirm the incident or comment further.
A similar prank was recently carried out in London when activists put the same old photo of Trump and Epstein on a bus shelter near the U.S. embassy ahead of the president's state visit to the United Kingdom in September, according to an Instagram post from the group Everyone Hates Elon.
Pranksters fill Trump Tower gift shop with pictures of Epstein with the president
The prank comes as the Trump administration is embroiled in controversy surrounding files in the criminal investigation of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
Rachel Dobkin19 July 2025 11:00
Timeline of Trump's relationship with Epstein
President Donald Trump had socialized with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein decades ago when he was a New York real estate mogul.
In his second presidential term, Trump has been embroiled in controversy surrounding the feds' unreleased files on Epstein, a convicted sex offender who faced federal sex trafficking charges when he died in jail in 2019.
Trump's past connection with Epstein has also been under scrutiny as of late. Here is a timeline of their relationship, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal:
1992: Trump and Epstein are taped by NBC partying at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
2002: Trump tells New York magazine, 'I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy.'
2008: Epstein pleads guilty in Florida to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Trump has said his relationship with Epstein ended before Epstein pleaded guilty to the sex offense.
2019: Epstein is arrested on federal charges related to the sexual abuse of dozens of minor girls, and Trump, who is in his first term as president, said he hadn't talked to Epstein for roughly 15 years. He said in the Oval Office at the time, 'I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.'
Rachel Dobkin19 July 2025 10:00
ICYMI: Poster of Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein put up in London ahead of state visit
A poster of Donald Trump with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was put up in London ahead of the president's state visit to the United Kingdom in September.
Rachel Dobkin19 July 2025 09:00
ANALYSIS: The Wall Street Journal's Trump story has united MAGA on the Epstein saga over their universal hatred of one thing
Justin Baragona writes:
More than a week after Donald Trump's base looked like it might be fracturing over the Justice Department's 'no client list' Jeffrey Epstein memo, MAGA world got its 'perfect offramp' in the ongoing saga thanks to the Wall Street Journal's latest bombshell.
While on the surface the WSJ's story – which the president fought tooth and nail to keep from being published – should have inflamed the turmoil on the right as it further exposed just how close the president once was with the deceased sex trafficker, it instead offered MAGA pundits and influencers the chance to join Trump in lambasting their shared enemy – the mainstream press.
Read on...
WSJ's Trump story unites MAGA on Epstein in their hatred of one thing
For days, Donald Trump couldn't get his MAGA base to drop their anger over the Epstein files. However, as Justin Baragona writes, it appears that the Wall Street Journal's bombshell report gives the right the perfect opportunity to unite in its shared hatred of the mainstream media.
Oliver O'Connell19 July 2025 08:00
Trump's $9bn clawback against PBS and NPR may have bought him a post-summer government shutdown
All of the chaos caused by the bombshell report in The Wall Street Journal that President Donald Trump sent a bawdy 50th birthday note to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein masked the fact he received a significant win.
Republicans successfully passed legislation in the late night to claw back $9 billion meant for foreign aid, as well as for PBS and NPR funding.
Eric Garcia reports on how Republicans achieved something on their wishlist for decades... and what might come next.
Trump's $9B clawback against PBS and NPR may bring him a government shutdown
President has circumvented the government appropriations process and that may heap pain on him come fall
Oliver O'Connell19 July 2025 07:00
How the Epstein files saga has unfolded during Trump's presidency
Jeffrey Epstein may have been dead for six years, but the circumstances surrounding his death and the evidence supporting federal charges of child sex trafficking continue to make headlines.
Here's how talk of the case came storming back into the national conversation.
The Epstein Files: How the saga unfolded within Trump's administration
Full timeline of how Jeffrey Epstein investigation file caused rift in Trump's MAGA base
Oliver O'Connell19 July 2025 06:00
Flashback: Fox News asks Trump if he'll declassify the Epstein Files in 2024
Rachel Dobkin19 July 2025 05:00
The Epstein List: Full list of names from unsealed court records
In January 2024, a court unsealed nearly 1,000 pages of documents collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell.
Giuffre died by suicide on April 26 at her home in Neergabby, Australia.
Among more than 100 people mentioned in those documents were Trump, Prince Andrew, and former President Bill Clinton.
Being named in these documents does not indicate any wrongdoing related to Epstein or anyone else. The list includes many of Epstein's accusers and alleged victims, as well as people with only tangential connections to Epstein who were pulled into the lawsuit against Maxwell.
While judges, court staff, and legal representatives are excluded, here are some of the names that do appear in the legal records connected to Epstein:
The Epstein List: Full list of names revealed in unsealed court records
Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton are among the names included in court documents
Oliver O'Connell19 July 2025 04:30
Trump wants the Epstein grand jury transcripts released. That's a tiny portion of the files his administration has on the case
The Trump administration has asked a judge to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein's case. But that's just a fraction of the so-called 'Epstein files' that have torn the MAGA movement's world wide open.
Public pressure has mounted in the days since the Justice Department announced an anticlimactic end to the Epstein saga, stating there was no evidence to support a 'client list' of associates, whom some claim Epstein blackmailed, over their alleged involvement in his trafficking scheme.
For days, the White House has been consumed by the Epstein uproar with conservative commentators and prominent Republicans alike demanding increased transparency around the late disgraced financier's case.
The president, who campaigned on releasing the so-called 'Epstein files', alleged they were a 'hoax' made up by Democrats.
Trump wants Epstein grand jury transcripts released — a tiny portion of the files
'This is Donald Trump's effort…to gaslight you into thinking they're turning over the Epstein files, when in reality, they're turning over nothing that is relevant to what everybody deserves to know' one lawmaker slammed
Rachel Dobkin19 July 2025 04:00
Trump tired of defending Pam Bondi's handling of Epstein files: report
President Donald Trump has grown tired of defending Attorney General Pam Bondi's handling of government files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and wants her to take responsibility for fixing the situation, NBC News reported, citing four people familiar with the matter.
Trump has stood by his attorney general despite the backlash the administration has faced after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo earlier this month saying there was never any client list from the wealthy financier, which some suspect would expose powerful people who may have partaken in Epstein's crimes.
'I do think that he likes and respects Pam, but she has without question caused some headaches for them,' one of NBC News' sources said. 'At the end of the day, at this point she is almost assuredly is just doing what she is told, so I believe she is very safe, but has had missteps.'
When asked about the White House's opinion of Bondi's job performance, one senior White House official told the outlet they thought the situation had 'stabilized.'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to the Independent: 'Attorney General Pam Bondi is working tirelessly to end the weaponization that has rotted our justice system, remove violent criminals from our streets, and help President Trump in making America safe again. The president is appreciative of her efforts.'
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The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer Roy Black dies after illness at age 80
Roy Black, the prominent criminal defense attorney who helped secure Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal, has died at the age of 80, his family confirmed. Black passed away at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday after battling an illness, his wife Lea Black told People magazine. 'Thank you for all your blessings,' the Real Housewives of Miami alum wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. 'We will be announcing details for a tribute and celebration in a few weeks.' Black first gained national attention in 1991 when he secured an acquittal for former President John F. Kennedy's nephew, William Kennedy Smith, in a high-profile rape trial – a watershed moment for criminal defense, as the proceedings were broadcast live on national television. The attorney went on to play a central role in Epstein's legal defense as the financier was investigated in 2006 for multiple sex crimes involving dozens of underage girls. Rather than face federal indictment, Black and Epstein's lawyers negotiated a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in 2007, which was finalized in 2008. Under the deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution with a minor and received a 13-month jail sentence and was registered as a sex offender. Black had represented a string of high-profile clients ranging from pop star Justin Bieber to race car driver Helio Castroneves. Most of the time, he was on the winning side, as noted by the Associated Press in their reporting. His clientele and courtroom success made him a regular on the Today Show and Larry King Live. Prominent attorneys and Black's former colleagues have praised him for his exceptional legal skill and courtroom expertise. 'Roy Black was the greatest criminal lawyer of our generation, perhaps in American history, achieving acquittals over a span of 50 years in some of the most challenging and notorious cases of all time,' partner of three decades at Black Srebnick, Howard Srebnick, told the Miami Herald. Srebnick's colleague David O. Markus said that Black was the 'GOAT' – greatest of all time – among Miami's criminal attorneys. 'This one really hurts,' he wrote on his Southern District of Florida blog. 'He was 80. And he really was the GOAT of criminal defense lawyers. There are so many of us that want to be Roy in the courtroom – commanding, persuasive, funny. '
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump rages over newly surfaced Epstein wedding photos and Victoria's Secret fashion show footage: Live
Newly uncovered photos and footage cast fresh light on Donald Trump 's past ties with Jeffrey Epstein. At least two black and White photos unearthed by CNN confirm for the first time that Epstein attended the president's December 1993 wedding to Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York. A third photograph taken two months earlier shows the pair together during the opening of the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York. The outlet also broadcast footage from a 1999 Victoria's Secret runway event in New York, showing Trump, accompanied by Melania Trump, 'laughing and chatting' to Epstein. Both the photos and video predate any of Epstein's known legal issues. Asked about the photos in a call with CNN Tuesday, Trump said, 'You've got to be kidding me' before lashing out at the 'fake news' organization and hanging up. The report comes as the president attempted to brush off 'nonsense' claims surrounding the convicted sex offender's case and peddled a conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama manufactured the Russia investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign. Trump rages over newly surfaced Epstein wedding photos Donald Trump has lashed out at CNN after they unearthed photos and footage of the president with Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s. 'You've got to be kidding me,' Trump said in a phone call with the outlet, before branding it a 'fake news' organization and hanging up. At least two black and White photos confirm, for the first time, that Epstein attended the president's December 1993 wedding to Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York. A third photograph taken two months earlier shows the pair together during the opening of the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York. The outlet also broadcast footage from a 1999 Victoria's Secret runway event in New York, showing Trump, accompanied by Melania Trump, 'laughing and chatting' to Epstein. Both the photos and video predate any of Epstein's known legal issues. James Liddell23 July 2025 10:04 Obama's office issues rare response to 'bizarre allegations' from Trump After President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of treason, branding him the 'ringleader' of the Russia investigation, Obama's office issued a rare response, calling the 'bizarre allegations' both 'ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said: 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.' Rodenbush noted that multiple investigations, including a bipartisan examination by the Senate Intelligence Committee, confirmed Russia had meddled in the 2016 election. That committee was led by then Senator Marco Rubio, now Trump's Secretary of State. Here's the statement in full: Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio. Oliver O'Connell23 July 2025 01:30 Trump labels Epstein files probe 'witch hunt' as he spirals over 'Barack Hussein Obama' in Oval Office rant John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.: Donald Trump hastily changed the subject to his years-long bid to seek revenge against Barack Obama as he was questioned about the Jeffrey Epstein files during a meeting Monday with the president of the Philippines at the White House. The U.S. president accused his predecessor of 'sedacious [sic]' behavior and ranted about an imaginary 'coup' after Ed O'Keefe of CBS News asked him about the Justice Department reaching out to attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell to request a new interview about Epstein and the sex trafficking ring for which her involvement earned the socialite a 20-year prison sentence in 2022. Continue reading... 'Witch Hunt': Trump's label for Epstein files probe as he spirals in Oval Office rant President turns to DNI Tulsi Gabbard's 'Russiagate' distraction in lengthy screed when asked by reporter about stonewalling over full release of files tied to sex-trafficker financier Oliver O'Connell23 July 2025 01:00 In depth: Trump law to COST millions their healthcare and add $3T in debt while rich see tax CUTS President Donald Trump's signature law will simultaneously cause 10 million people to lose their healthcare while at the same time causing the nation's deficit to skyrocket, due to the fact it also includes massive tax cuts for the wealthy, a new analysis has found. Eric Garcia takes a close look at what is to come... Trump's signature bill adds $3.4 trillion to deficit, leaves 10M without healthcare 'It's actually almost unheard of ... that juxtaposition of taking from the poor while giving to the rich,' one analyst said Oliver O'Connell23 July 2025 00:30 ICYMI: Trump claims he never 'wrote a picture'... turns out that's not true When Donald Trump pushed back against a report alleging he drew a 'bawdy' sketch to celebrate convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein 's 50th birthday, the president insisted he doesn't draw pictures. 'I never wrote a picture in my life,' he said in an awkwardly phrased rebuttal to the Wall Street Journal last week, vehemently denying having anything to do with the birthday card. In a later Truth Social tirade he doubled down on the statement and bluntly declared: 'I don't draw pictures.' Despite the president's claims, multiple sketches by Trump have been made public over the years. James Liddell reports. Trump claims he never 'wrote a picture.' His claim has now been exposed At least five sketches attributed to Trump have sold at auction over the past decade, undermining his claim, 'I don't draw pictures' Oliver O'Connell23 July 2025 00:00 Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary insists 'nobody gives a poop' about Epstein Seemingly running cover for the Trump administration, which continues to face demands from MAGA supporters to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary declared on Monday night that 'nobody gives a poop' about the deceased sex offender. When confronted with poll numbers that found a vast majority of Republicans want all the documents related to the Epstein case to be published, the pro-Trump businessman and self-described 'Mr. Wonderful' doubled down while continuing to shrug off the controversy. Justin Baragona has the story. Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary insists 'nobody gives a poop' about Epstein 'Maybe they were raped, maybe they weren't. This is not what American families give a d*mn about,' Kevin O'Leary exclaimed on Monday night. Oliver O'Connell22 July 2025 23:30 Jeff Daniels has pointed message to Trump voters Actor Jeff Daniels has again lashed out at President Donald Trump's supporters, this time with a seven-word message. The 70-year-old Emmy-winning actor, who on numerous occasions has criticized Trump and the GOP, spoke to MSNBC 's Nicolle Wallace on the latest episode of her The Best People podcast about the current political climate under the Trump administration, including tariffs and the state of the Republican party. Inga Parkel has the story. Jeff Daniels issues pointed seven-word message for Trump voters 'Dumb and Dumber' star additionally lamented Kamala Harris's loss, saying he thinks she would have led like Abraham Lincoln Oliver O'Connell22 July 2025 23:00 GOP mocked for posting about Trump's paper straw policies amid Epstein fallout Social media users are mocking the GOP after a tweet from its official X account, stating President Donald Trump is " Making Straws Great Again" as the White House continues to deal with fallout over the Epstein files investigation. Posted Tuesday morning, the tweet includes a photo of Trump looking celebratory with his fist in the air and an inset of paper straws, celebrating the current president's cancellation of paper straw mandates under the Biden administration. Erin Keller reports. People on social media are mocking the GOP's 'Making Straws Great Again' tweet amid Jeffrey Epstein file demands. Oliver O'Connell22 July 2025 22:45 MAGA distractions help Trump deviate from so-called Epstein files President Donald Trump and his administration have been delving into distractions for their Make America Great Again base in deviation from its handling of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges related to the trafficking and sexual abuse of dozens of minor girls. His life and death have been the center of conspiracy theories, notably among Trump's base, as the feds have been tight-lipped about the evidence collected. Rachel Dobkin reports. The Trump administration has recently focused on a slew of issues not related to Epstein, from civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, to the names of sports teams in Washington and Cleveland Oliver O'Connell22 July 2025 22:30
NBC News
7 minutes ago
- NBC News
How Trump's 'big beautiful bill' is shaping this year's biggest elections
President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending law known as the 'big beautiful bill' is expected to be a major issue in the 2026 midterm elections. But first, candidates for governor this year in Virginia and New Jersey are already testing how the measure plays on the campaign trail. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominees in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, have warned about devastating impacts from looming cuts to social safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Republicans are taking mixed approaches. In New Jersey, a high-tax state where affordability is a top issue, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and his allies are planning to go on offense, arguing that Sherrill voted to block critical tax cuts. And in Virginia, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee, has dismissed concerns about program cuts, arguing that the state's Republican governor has put the state in a strong position to respond. Those lines of attack could determine who holds the governorships of two key states by the beginning of next year, as well as set the tone for how candidates battling for control of Congress approach the issue in 2026. Democrats focus on budget cuts, Republicans focus on tax cuts Democrats have already signaled that they plan to go all in on the measure's changes to SNAP, the program once known as food stamps, and Medicaid. The Democratic Governors Association released a memo Monday detailing its polling of Virginia and New Jersey, which showed majorities of voters in both states have 'serious concerns' and slim majorities saying they would prefer governors who oppose the measure. 'The races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey in November will be voters' first opportunity to reject Trump's harmful budget bill — and the GOP nominees will not be able to run from their record of supporting these deeply unpopular Medicaid cuts,' DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper wrote in the memo. A congressional analysis published by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee estimates that in Virginia, more than 300,000 residents could lose their health care by 2034. The number is a combination of people who could lose their Medicaid under changes to the program and people who would no longer be eligible for the state's expansion of that program under the Affordable Care Act. The New Jersey Department of Human Services estimated that around 350,000 residents who are eligible for Medicaid would lose health care coverage 'because of bureaucratic barriers,' and warned that the state's food assistance program, which affects 800,000 residents, is at risk unless the state can raise between $100 million and $300 million. In New Jersey, Ciattarelli has confronted concerns about Medicaid cuts by echoing Republicans in Washington who say those who need the program's crucial health coverage will still receive it. 'The best way to protect Medicaid is to make sure that those who receive it are truly in need of it most,' Ciattarelli said in a video posted on X after the measure passed the Senate. 'As I go around the state each and every day, I find an overwhelming number of New Jerseyans agree that able-bodied adults without young children should have to work or go to school at least 20 hours a week to remain eligible for their Medicaid benefits.' Ciattarelli and his GOP allies are planning to go on offense on the measure with a focus on taxes, lauding provisions codifying the 2017 tax cuts and temporarily raising the federal deduction for state and local taxes from $10,000 to $40,000, a top issue in the high-tax state. Ciattarelli knocked Sherrill for opposing the measure after pledging to work to eliminate the SALT cap, saying in his video statement that Sherrill 'voted to raise your taxes.' (Democrats note that a SALT cap is still in place under the new law and argue the law's tax cuts will benefit the wealthy overall.) Chris Russell, a Ciattarelli campaign consultant, told NBC News that the campaign plans to emphasize Sherrill's vote against the tax provisions in this measure, which also boosted the child tax credit, and made tips and overtime pay exempt from federal taxes. 'That is going to directly impact people in New Jersey and their pocketbooks,' Russell said, later adding, 'We intend to make her defend that vote.' Change NJ, a pro-Ciattarelli super PAC, has already launched digital ads knocking Sherrill for opposing the measure, focusing on the tax provisions. The group also released a memo last week with a poll from its senior adviser and pollster Kellyanne Conway, Trump's former campaign manager. The survey, which tested a range of attacks against Sherrill, found that the best-performing attack highlighted 'her vote to not extend Trump tax cuts, leading to a potential $1,700 tax hike for families, tax hike on small businesses and a cut to the child tax credit,' although critics of the poll note it modeled an electorate more favorable to Republicans. 'This is the most recent, most vivid example of Mikie doing the things in Washington that people are tired of Trenton Democrats doing,' Change NJ spokesman Carlos Cruz said. 'To that end, you should expect to see us talking a lot about it.' Democrats highlight downstream effects of Medicaid spending cuts Hospital associations have also warned that rural hospitals in Virginia will take a major financial hit under the law, because they rely so heavily on Medicaid dollars: People living in rural areas are far more likely to receive their health insurance through Medicaid. Both Spanberger and Sherrill have emphasized those cuts on the campaign trail. Sherrill held events earlier this month at a health care center in Camden, a solar energy business in Southampton Township, and Kean University in Union to highlight the effects of the 'one big beautiful bill,' which Sherrill has called the "Republican Price Hike Bill.' 'This cruel piece of legislation will kick hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans off their healthcare and raise costs for even more, cut food assistance for working families, and increase the cost of utilities and mortgages,' Sherrill said in her statement explaining her vote against the measure. 'At the same time, they are funneling New Jersey's hard-earned tax dollars to Trump's billionaire friends and donors.' Spanberger, for her part, made criticism of Trump's bill a central tenet of a campaign bus tour through Virginia in late June, telling voters during a stop in Fredericksburg before the measure was enacted that she'd already begun 'looking at how we can make sure that, come January, as few people as possible get pushed off of Medicaid.' In video released by her campaign after the House passed its iteration of the bill, she warned that it would constitute a 'massive attack on health care as we know it' and create 'a reality where Virginians cannot afford the care they need,' warning that it would boot people off Medicaid, cause rural hospital closures, increase prescription drug costs and overrun emergency rooms. In both states, Democrats also plan to use the Republicans' support for the bill to make the broader case that they won't stand up to Trump, who lost both states by nearly 6 percentage points. Earle-Sears says 'don't panic' In Virginia, Earle-Sears has both praised Trump's tax-and-spend law and brushed off concerns about the measure. At a press conference one week after the law was enacted, Earle-Sears responded to questions about its impact on rural hospitals and voters' concerns about the law more broadly. 'I would say to Virginia, don't panic,' she said, before adding that 'things are being worked out' and saying that federal and state lawmakers had begun taking actions to counter hits to health care coverage. A week earlier — but still after the bill was enacted — Earle-Sears said during an interview on Newsmax, a conservative television network, that the bill 'does so many great things' amid a broader discussion about her policy plans to create jobs in Virginia. And in June, prior to Trump's bill becoming law, Earle-Sears told a crowd at an event in the rural town of Marion that the state would be able to fill in financial gaps created by cuts to Medicaid with 'rainy day' state budgetary funds. Virginia Democrats have pushed as loudly on instances of Earle-Sears defending the law as they have on Spanberger's criticism of it. 'After supporting and praising these cuts, all Winsome Earle-Sears has to say is 'don't panic,'' Democratic Party of Virginia spokesperson Maggie Amjad said in response to questions about how the party was positioning itself to message on Trump's law in the governor's race. Amjad called the GOP nominee's comments 'dismissive and empty advice.' Responding to questions about Earle-Sears' views on Trump's law — and about Democratic attacks on that response — campaign spokesperson Peyton Vogel wrote in an email that 'Abigail Spanberger may not be aware of this, but we're running for Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.' 'When she and Joe Biden were sending bills that directly impacted the future of our Commonwealth, Governor Youngkin and Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears fought for all Virginians,' Vogel added. 'That's where all of our priorities should be focused, on the people of Virginia. Fear mongering over President Trump's tax cuts is a losing strategy, but we aren't going to get in Abigail's way.' Republicans working for some outside groups wouldn't rule out the idea of ads promoting aspects of Trump's law in the state, as seems to be on the menu in New Jersey, where the pro-Ciattarelli super PAC noted the political value of the tax cut provisions. But Vogel said the Earle-Sears campaign was not planning to feature in any ads, or as part of any paid media, any messaging that defended or touted the "big beautiful bill." 'We are focused on Virginia and Winsome's story,' she said.
