'Weaklings': Trump lashes out at supporters over 'Jeffrey Epstein hoax'

USA Today

16-07-2025

Trump called supporters "weaklings" for their anger over his administration's handling of the Epstein case.
President Donald Trump has a message for supporters upset with his handling of records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein: They are "weaklings" who have been "duped" and he doesn't need them.
Trump lashed out at conservative backers who have raised questions about his administration's handling of the Epstein case, slamming them in a July 16 social media post and again during an Oval Office event for furthering what he described as the "Jeffrey Epstein hoax."
"And my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls***,' hook, line, and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will," Trump said on social media, before calling them "weaklings" and declaring "I don't want their support anymore!"
The comments are a remarkable rebuke to some of Trump's top supporters and key MAGA influencers, who have pushed back on his administration's attempt to close the book on Epstein after the president and some of his top officials ginned up expectations of blockbuster revelations.
For months, Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to release new information about Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. 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.
Then, on July 7, Bondi's Justice Department released a memo stating that a "systematic review" of documents "revealed no incriminating 'client list,'" and "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." The memo also says there's no evidence that Epstein was murdered while in custody.
The memo enflamed parts of Trump's base. "No one believes there is not a client list," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, a close Trump ally, posted on X July 8.
Prominent Trump's allies are calling for the release of more Epstein records.
"I'm for transparency," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a July 15 interview with the Benny Johnson Show.
"It's a very delicate subject," he added, "but we should put everything out there and let the people decide."
Trump, who had a friendship with Epstein years ago, told reporters July 15 that he doesn't understand the "fascination" with the case.
"It's sordid, but it's boring," Trump said. "And I don't understand why it keeps going. Really only bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going."
Questions about the case continue to linger, though, with some conservatives. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, announced July 15 that he had filed a bill dubbed the "Epstein Files Transparency Act" that would force the complete release of all the government's Epstein documents.
"We all deserve to know what's in the Epstein files, who's implicated, and how deep this corruption goes," Massie said in a statement.
Greene announced July 16 that she is co-sponsoring the bill, declaring "I will never protect pedophiles or the elites and their circles."
Trump praised Bondi's handling of the case July 16 during the Oval Office meeting, and complained about the pressure from the right.
The president said he'd lost "a lot of faith in certain people... because they got duped." He described the focus on Epstein as a distraction from his administration's tax cuts, immigration agenda and other issues.
"That's what you should be talking about," he said.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi, Joey Garrison, Savannah Kuchar