Trump vs MAGA: Epstein Files spark unprecedented division between president and his base that thinks he's ‘out of touch'
For years, right-wing influencers have circulated theories online about the government's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his death in federal prison, perpetuating claims that a ring of high-profile, powerful individuals helped cover up the convicted pedophile's actions and ensure he never stood trial.
But last week's Justice Department and FBI memo shut down many of those theories, including the existence of a 'client list,' and disappointed many Trump supporters who refused to believe the absence of bombshell revelations.
Tension between the president and parts of his base was palpable this weekend after Trump told people to 'not waste Time and Energy of Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about' in a Truth Social post.
'Trump is very out of touch right now… Really sad to see,' Anthony Sabatini, a Florida state politician and Trump supporter, wrote on X. 'RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!'
Liz Wheeler, a conservative political commentator, said: 'Trump is massively misreading his base on this one. It could cost him the midterms.'
'No one is believing the Epstein coverup, @realDonaldTrump. This will be part of your legacy. There's still time to change it!' Mike Cernovich, a right-wing influencer known as 'Cernovich' on X, told Trump.
Wheeler, Cernovich, and other conservative influencers were invited to the White House earlier this year and granted exclusive access to the first document drop in the Epstein Files. However, it was quickly revealed that much of the information contained in the binders was already in the public domain.
But the group, and others in the rightwing media sphere, remained hopeful as one of Trump's campaign promises had been to release all information related to the Epstein investigation.
When he took office, Trump tapped Kash Patel to serve as FBI director and Dan Bongino to serve as deputy FBI director. Patel and Bongino, former conservative activists and media personalities, had been among the loudest voices alleging a cover-up in the Epstein investigation before taking up their government posts.
Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi also accused the Southern District of New York of hiding information not previously known about Epstein, and insinuated that a 'client list' was part of files on her desk to be reviewed. (Last week, she clarified she meant the files as a whole were on her desk, and that she was not referring to a client list specifically.)
The DOJ/FBI memo concluded that there was no client list, that Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, and that no further investigation into third parties was warranted.
The conclusions set off a firestorm of criticism on the right.
'It's a shame that a lot of good people are getting attacked as a result of the order to protect the pedos in the Epstein Files. This isn't going away,' wrote Rogan O'Handley, known as 'DC Draino' on X.
Laura Loomer, a close ally of Trump, blamed Bondi for the Epstein Files fallout and called on the president to fire her.
'We were promised transparency on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Instead, we got Pam Blondi @PamBondi, a Fox News addict waving around a binder of heavily redacted and recycled documents like it's some sort of bombshell,' Loomer wrote on X.
Trump doubled down on his support for Bondi and Bongino over the weekend but that did little to quell some supporters' anger.
'Trump's persuasive power over his base, especially during his first term, was almost magical. Calling out obvious mistakes he made would get you an ass chewing. 'Trust the plan!' The reaction on Epstein should thus be startling to him. No one is buying it. No one is dropping it,' Cernovich added.
And at the Student Action Summit, hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA this past weekend, there seemed little interest in letting the matter drop, NBC News reported.
Conservative podcaster Brandon Tatum shared his own theory to the crowd of young conservatives, and added: 'I don't think they're telling us the truth about Epstein.'
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The Sun
a few seconds ago
- The Sun
Ukraine will be forced to surrender eastern territory & forget about joining Nato under Trump and Putin's peace terms
STRICKEN Ukraine will be forced to surrender large swathes of its eastern territory and forget about ever joining Nato under peace terms haggled by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The war-torn country's desire to join the European Union is also in doubt after the two superpower presidents held controversial talks in Alaska on Friday. 8 8 8 Ukraine would be outlawed fro m joining the Western defence alliance, but have its redrawn borders underwritten by its US and European allies in the terms suggested by the White House. Allies have offered 'ironclad' security assurances to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression if a peace deal can be forged. But it would stop short of Nato Article 5 status, which sees members of the alliance leap to the aid of any member that is attacked. Ukraine's desire to join Nato has been blamed as a root cause of President Putin's invasion. He has insisted 'Nyet' — Russian for 'No' — over the proposal. 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Trump-Putin latest- Don says 'no deal' on Ukraine war & holds call with Zelensky after saying it's now 'up to him' Plans haggled at Friday's face-to-face summit are being circulated by the Americans after the US President and the Kremlin tyrant met each other in Anchorage, Alaska, for more than three hours. The Sun has been told a surrender deal would see Ukraine forced to reject Nato membership and other 'multinational deals'. Negotiations would also begin about ceding control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine which are, in part, heavily occupied by Russian troops. There was confusion last night over whether the talks would focus on territory currently held by the Kremlin invaders, or whether the wider regions were on the table. Yesterday, EU leaders insisted: 'Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and Nato.' However, that does not rule out Mr Zelensky deciding to withdraw Ukraine's stated aim to join both alliances as part of the wider deal. He will fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet with President Trump at the White House — six months after their disastrous Oval Office bust up, which saw the leader of the free world savage Mr Zelensky live on TV. 8 Russia has long claimed Donetsk and Luhansk are more loyal to Moscow than Kyiv, while Mr Zelensky has publicly ruled out giving up the land. However, he is under massive pressure to concede and end the bloody three-and-a-half year conflict, which has seen more than a million deaths. European leaders were locked in talks with the White House this weekend, as the world scrambled to catch up with what Mr Trump had offered Mr Putin to end the war. Last night, UK government sources said the PM was playing a key role in selling the terms of the deal to wider Western allies in a series of calls following the talks between the Americans and Russians. I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more Sir Keir Starmer's statement President Trump yesterday insisted it is time for Mr Zelensky to choose whether to agree with the terms of the deal — as the pair prepared to meet tomorrow. The White House has also offered to play host to a trilateral summit between the Russians and Ukrainians if the deal is within reach. Speaking following Friday's talks, where he met with his Russian counterpart for the first time in six years, President Trump insisted it was 'a great and very successful day in Alaska!' He wrote on his Truth Social website: 'The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of Nato. 8 8 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. President Zelensky will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. 'Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Last night, President Putin also welcomed progress made at the talks, after leaving the summit without taking questions from hundreds of assembled journalists. In a televised address released by the Kremlin, he said: 'The conversation was very frank, substantive, and, in my opinion, brings us closer to the necessary decisions.' He added: 'We have not had direct negotiations of this kind at this level for a long time. We had the opportunity to calmly and in detail reiterate our position.' We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO European statement In a long statement, President Zelensky welcomed the offer of security guarantees outlined by Mr Trump, in a tentative sign he may be willing to sign up to the terms. He wrote: 'A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as possible, the fire must cease both on the battlefield and in the sky, as well as against our port infrastructure. 'All Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians must be released, and the children abducted by Russia must be returned. 'Thousands of our people remain in captivity — they all must be brought home. Pressure on Russia must be maintained while the aggression and occupation continue.' He went on: 'In my conversation with President Trump, I said that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia tries to evade an honest end to the war. Sanctions are an effective tool. 'Security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term, with involvement of Europe and the US. 'All issues important to Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine's participation, and no issue, particularly territorial ones, can be decided without Ukraine. I thank our partners who are helping.' Yesterday the PM was taking part in a round of behind the scenes diplomacy, speaking to the White House and European capitals. He heaped praise on Mr Trump, saying his 'efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine'. He went on: 'His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.' But the PM warned: 'While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelensky. 8 The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him. I spoke to President Zelensky, President Trump and other European partners, and we all stand ready to support this next phase. 'I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. 'This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more. 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Daily Mail
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mail
Trump launches 'Manhattan Project' as one of America's largest companies set to be nationalized
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Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Zelensky 'trapped in Trump and Putin vice': Europe powerlessly looks on as Ukraine's President is summoned to White House amid fears he'll be forced to surrender land for fragile peace deal
Ukraine 's future as a sovereign nation was hanging in the balance last night after the superpower summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Critics warned that other world leaders were powerless to prevent Volodymyr Zelensky from being caught 'with his head in a vice' by the American and Russian leaders when he visits Mr Trump at the White House. Diplomatic sources said that Friday's summit in Alaska had paved the way for a deal in which Ukraine would be expected to surrender large swathes of the Donbas region in the east of the country, including areas currently controlled by Kyiv. In return, president Zelensky would receive 'Nato-style' protection from Western countries for what remained of his territory. He is preparing to fly to Washington for a showdown with Mr Trump, at which he is expected to be told to retreat from the battlegrounds. 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Pictured: President Trump and Putin in Alaska on Friday Sir Keir will hold a so-called 'coalition of the willing' telephone meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz this afternoon to discuss the role of European peacekeepers in a post-conflict Ukraine. Yesterday, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'The best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up. 'President Zelensky will be coming to [Washington] DC, the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with president Putin.' Last night, former British defence minister Tobias Ellwood told The Mail on Sunday that he feared Mr Zelensky was walking into a trap in the White House. He said: 'He will be asked to put his head in a vice, with Vladimir Putin pushing from one side and Donald Trump from the other. 'The Ukrainian president will be presented with a 'take it or leave it' deal: surrender territory to Russia or face the blame for wrecking peace. 'And if Mr Zelensky refuses, Trump will walk away, declaring that America is done with the talks. 'It's the classic gangster deal – one you can't refuse. Except he must.' Yesterday, President Trump (pictured with Zelensky) wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'The best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement' Mr Johnson, writing in today's MoS, describes the summit as 'the most vomit-inducing episode in all the tawdry history of international diplomacy'. He says: 'Imagine how it felt to be one of those embattled heroes in a dug-out near Pokrovsk, fighting for your country's freedom, and to hear the President of the United States – the ex officio team captain of the Free World – refer to Vladimir Putin as 'the boss'. Retch. ' Think of the tens of thousands of Ukrainian widows and orphans. 'Think of the maimed and mutilated; think of the Ukrainian civilians living in daily and nightly terror of Putin's bombs and missiles still raining down, even though the so-called negotiations were taking place in Alaska.' But he adds: 'Like so many of the most objectionable pieces of historic diplomacy, that meeting was also, of course, justifiable and even essential. 'Puke-making though it was, Trump was right to try. He was right to meet Putin, because if millions of Ukrainians were watching with horror at the red-carpet rehabilitation of the Russian tyrant, they were also watching with hope... One day this war will end with a peace that protects Ukrainian freedom; but as Trump said in Alaska, the Europeans – led by Britain – will have to step up.' The proposed deal was greeted with dismay in Ukraine. Volodymyr Dubovyk, a professor of international relations in Odesa, described it as 'a nothing-burger with a sour aftertaste'. He said: 'As a Ukrainian, it was pretty disgusting to see what was going on, all this red carpet, all this clapping and smiles and being chummy.' Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a long-time ally of Mr Trump, said of the US President: 'At least he is trying to find peace.' But former Tory defence secretary Ben Wallace hit out at the 1980's-style 'pantomime' of the summit between the two leaders. He said: 'Putin got what he wanted and I think President Trump got a trip to Alaska.'
