Balancing Act For Pro-Trump Influencers As Epstein Furor Spirals
Trump's core Make America Great Again base has erupted in anger over the White House's handling of the so-called "Epstein files," viewing it as a betrayal by the Republican and his allies who have long championed the unfounded theory that powerful elites orchestrated a massive child sex trafficking cover-up.
Calls for the release of those files could intensify after a US media report on Wednesday said Trump's name was among hundreds found during an official review of documents on Epstein, a claim the White House has denied.
Faced with a choice between alienating a base fervently demanding answers or defying Trump -- who has implored them to move on -- MAGA-aligned influencers and podcasters find themselves in a political bind.
MAGA media are "definitely walking a fine line with the Epstein debacle," Mike Rothschild, an expert on conspiracy theories, told AFP.
"Trump demanding that nobody talk about Epstein should be a betrayal for them. But they're so invested in supporting Trump, and have built their financial support around it, that they really can't do anything but make excuses and tie themselves in knots."
Some MAGA influencers, however, turned sharply critical in recent weeks.
Among them is Rogan O'Handley, who was invited to the White House in February alongside a handful of influencers and presented with binders labeled "The Epstein Files: Phase 1," only to find they offered little new information.
"This is a shameful coverup to protect the most heinous elites," O'Handley told his 2.2 million followers on X earlier this month.
"We were told multiple times the files would be released and now it looks like backroom deals have been made to keep them hidden."
Charlie Kirk, a Trump loyalist and podcaster, faced an avalanche of criticism from the MAGA base after he initially said he was "done talking" about Epstein, and added he was going to trust "my friends in the administration."
"Trump's base has been fanatically loyal, and influencers are hesitant about opposing Trump directly if that threatens the size of their audiences," Matt Gertz, senior fellow at the watchdog Media Matters for America, told AFP.
Fueling the MAGA base's anger were conclusions from the Justice Department and FBI that Epstein -- a disgraced financier who died in jail in 2019 -- did not maintain a "client list" as conspiracy theorists have contended. Attorney General Pam Bondi emerged as their key target for criticism after announcing no more information would be forthcoming.
But Trump has defended Bondi, while claiming without evidence on Truth Social that the Epstein files were written by his political rivals "Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the losers and criminals of the Biden administration."
That response prompted disbelief from Benny Johnson, a longtime Trump supporter and right-wing podcaster.
" By admitting that the Epstein Files are real, and that you've read them, and you don't like their contents, and they were written by your enemies, it doesn't make the most compelling case as far as I'm concerned. Holy moly," Johnson said.
Seeking to redirect attention within the MAGA base -- an echo chamber fueled by constant grievance and outrage -- Trump has launched attacks on familiar enemies: former president Barack Obama and the media.
The White House has promoted the unfounded claim that Obama led a "years-long coup" against Trump around his victorious 2016 election. The former president has rejected the claim.
The White House has also barred The Wall Street Journal from traveling with Trump during his upcoming visit to Scotland, after the newspaper reported that he wrote a bawdy birthday message to Epstein.
Trump on Friday sued the WSJ and its media magnate owner Rupert Murdoch for at least $10 billion over the allegation in the article, which Trump denies.
Following those moves, Stephen Bannon, host of the influential "War Room" podcast, sought to rally influencers behind Trump, telling US media that the MAGA base was "completely unified because now we're on offense."
"The MAGA media's take on the Epstein case is both fractured and very much a moving target," said Gertz.
"Trump's recent attacks on The Wall Street Journal and new conspiracy theories about Obama seem to be refocusing their attention away from Epstein -- though it's unclear for how long, particularly given the new revelation that Trump himself is named in the files."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
10 minutes ago
- DW
Trump says New York shooting suspect was a 'crazed lunatic' – DW – 07/29/2025
US President Donald Trump said a shooting that killed four people in a New York skyscraper was "a senseless act of violence." Police are investigating possible grievances the suspect, who also died, had against the NFL. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a mass shooting that killed four people in New York was carried out by a "lunatic." According to police, the suspect, who shot dead four people before taking his own life, had a "documented mental health history." And Trump was keen to focus on that angle, as he posted on social media: "I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence." Trump said that he had been briefed on late Monday's incident that occurred in a Manhattan skyscraper. One of those killed was an off-duty police officer. Another person was seriously injured and in a critical condition. The US president did not mention gun laws in the United States, preferring to focus on the alleged gunman's condition. But New York Mayor Eric Adams did hone in on "how easy it is to gain access to a gun." "Gun violence has scarred so many neighbors and ripped apart too many families across this entire country," Adams said during a press briefing. The shooter was identified by police as 27-year-old Shane T. from Las Vegas, a once-promising American football player, who was reportedly carrying a note that referred to CTE — a form of brain damage from contact sports. The attack took place at the tower housing the headquarters of the National Football League (NFL). Mayor Adams suggested the gunman was targeting the NFL for long-held grievances related to his condition. "He seemed to have blamed the NFL," the mayor said in an interview with New York City station WPIX-TV. "The NFL headquarters was located in the building, and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank." The NYPD officer killed in the shooting was identified as Didarul Islam, who was born in Bangladesh. "He died as he lived. A hero," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, before adding he was married with two young boys, and his wife is pregnant with their third child.
DW
10 minutes ago
- DW
Angola: Mass arrests as Luanda fuel protests turn deadly – DW – 07/29/2025
Looting and vandalism have occurred in Angola as demonstrators are angered by the government's decision to increase fuel prices. Angola is one of the top African oil producers but faces severe economic challenges. Angolan police said Tuesday that over 500 arrests were made and four people died amid disorder in the African country's capital, Luanda. No details were available from the police on the circumstances of the fatalities. Demonstrations on Monday against the Angolan government's decision to remove fuel subsidies and hike the price of diesel turned violent, with Angolan authorities reporting looting and vandalism in the capital. Angolan police spokesperson Mateus Rodrigues said shops, banks and cars were targeted by vandals. Despite the mass arrests by police on Monday, Rodrigues reported that there still exist "pockets of disorder" in Luanda. Earliler this month, the Angolan government announced it would increase the price of diesel by one third, drawing public backlash. In response, the ANATA taxi association called for a three-day strike starting on Monday, with taxi drivers increasing their fares by half. Blue and white minibus taxis, known as "candongueiros," are a common means of transport for Angolans. ANATA has condemned the vandalism and violence, but said the ongoing taxi strike would continue through Monday. Demonstrations have taken place throughout the month against the planned fuel hike. The protesters are frustrated not only by the fuel hike, but also the increasing cost of living in Angola and the perceived indifference of the government to the struggles of everyday Angolans. The demonstrators have voiced their anger toward Angolan President Joao Lourenco, whose MPLA party has ruled the country since its independence from Portugal in 1975. "Why do you make us suffer like this? How will we feed our children? The prices have to go down," an Angolan woman said in a pointed message to Lourenco, according to the AFP news agency. Angola faces severe economic challenges, despite being one of the top oil-producing countries in Africa. One Angolan voice says this is due to mismanagement by Angola's government. Angolan sociologist Luzia Moniz told DW's Portuguese for Africa service that in regards to vandalism, "Vandalism begins with the political establishment, which abandons its citizens." Moniz blamed the Angolan state for the poor economic condition of the country, where 46 children die of malnutrition each day and youth unemployment is close to 60%. Moniz urged the Angolan government to commit to dialogue rather than a violent crackdown on the demonstrators. She called for a change of government in Angola before 2027, when President Lourenco's term ends. One major political and economic challenge in Angola is corruption. Watchdog Transparency International puts Angola at 32 out of 100 on its corruption perceptions index when it comes to corruption, with its scale labeling 0 as "highly corrupt" and 100 as "very clean." For reference, Germany has a score of 75 on the index. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In 2020, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a report called the "Luanda Leaks" revealing how Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of an Angolan former president, built a $2 billion (€1.7 billion) fortune from embezzling Angolan public money.
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Fossil-fuel Pledge In EU-Trump Deal Sparks Climate Fears
The EU is promising colossal new US fossil fuel purchases under its trade deal with President Donald Trump, raising concerns for the bloc's climate fight -- should the mammoth pledges come true. As part of the framework agreed Sunday, the EU said its companies would buy $750 billion of liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels from the United States -- split equally over three years -- to replace Russian energy sources. Many experts believe the eye-watering figure to be unrealistic -- and point out that market dynamics rather than EU policymakers dictate companies' energy choices. Even on the supply side, Simone Tagliapietra of the Bruegel think-tank noted that the United States might not be able to build the additional export capacity within such a short time frame. Brussels insists the number was not plucked out of thin air to keep Trump happy, but was based on an analysis of energy needs as it phases out Russian imports because of the Ukraine war between now and 2027. The proposed increase would mean more than tripling annual energy imports from the United States -- about $70 billion last year -- and equate to well over half the 378 billion euros' worth of overall EU energy imports last year. A large part of the EU's additional billions would go to imports of LNG, which is transported in liquid state to European ports before being converted back to gaseous form and injected into the bloc's power network. The United States currently account for about half of the EU's LNG imports, ahead of Russia on 20 percent -- a figure Brussels wants to cut to zero to choke off income that helps fund the war in Ukraine. But environmental groups warn against a massive switch to American LNG extracted in part though hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which uses explosives to create cracks in rock formations to release oil and gas deposits. The highly polluting process comes with steep costs to both the climate and local environment, and is banned in a number of European countries. "The Commission risks replacing one disastrous dependency with another -- unplugging Putin's gas and plugging in Trump's," Greenpeace warned when the EU's phase-out plans were presented. Francois Gemenne, a policy expert who co-authored the UN's most recent IPCC report on climate change, in 2023, accused the EU of "submission" to Trump's pro-fossil fuel agenda. Elected on a promise to "drill, baby drill," the US leader is openly hostile to renewable energy efforts and lashed out again at windmills "ruining" the landscape before meeting with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland last weekend. For Aymeric Kouam of the Strategic Perspectives think-tank, the energy deal with Trump is both "dangerous and counterproductive" and imperils its goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. "Tying Europe's energy future to the US as a main supplier undermines the bloc's energy security strategy, anchored in supply diversification, renewable energy development, and energy efficiency increase," he said. The EU pushed back at the charge on Tuesday. "This agreement does not contradict our medium- to long-term decarbonisation objectives or targets at all," a commission spokesperson told reporters of the three-year energy pledge. The Trump trade deal comes as the EU debates its 2040 emissions-reduction target, a key step towards its net zero goal. The commission has proposed a target of cutting emissions by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels, but with new flexibilities to win over reluctant member states. The EU says it has already cut climate-warming emissions by 37 percent relative to 1990, but its green agenda faces pushback with a rightward shift and rising climate scepticism in many European countries.
