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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump turns on MAGA members demanding more information about Epstein
President Donald Trump rolled out his toughest attacks yet on members of his own MAGA movement who are demanding more information about Jeffrey Epstein. Trump referred repeatedly to the 'Epstein hoax' when asked about the disgraced late sexual offender, and called out Republicans he said were being 'duped' by pursuing the matter further. 'I know it's a hoax. It's started by Democrats. It's been run by the Democrats for four years,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office while meeting with the Crown Prince of Bahrain. Trump brought up some of his favorite nemesis – the Russia probe he calls 'Russia, Russia, Russia' and former FBI Director James Comey – accusing Republicans demanding the release of Epstein files of participating in a partisan errand. 'Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into that net, so they try and do the Democrats' work,' Trump said. Trump defended his AG Pam Bondi, and gave her verbal permission to release certain materials. 'Whatever is credible she can release. If a document is credible, if a document's there that is credible, she can release,' Trump said. 'He's dead. He's gone,' Trump said of Epstein, who Trump knew socially in Palm beach during the 90s before suffering a break. 'All it is the Republicans – certain Republicans – got duped by the Democrats. And they're following a Democrat playbook,' Trump said. Although Trump backed up Bondi, he didn't do the same for FBI Director Kash Patel, who like his deputy Dan Bongino helped fuel the Esptein controversy before joining the administration. 'I can't speak about him, but I can say that Pam Bondi, I really think that she's done very good,' Trump said. His comments are the latest effort to shut down the issue, amid a bubbling MAGA civil war over the topic, amid splits over his attack on Iran and sudden U-turn on arming Ukraine. Trump hasn't been able to make his most fervent supporters forget about his administration's Jeffrey Epstein files failure – no matter how hard he tries. The president insists Democrats are to blame for stoking conspiracies about the disgraced financier and convicted child sexual offender – even though his MAGA base is the most vocal in their claims about Epstein's suspicious death and the existence of a list of co-conspirators. Trump on Wednesday again begged his supporters to move on and said those giving into the 'Epstein hoax' are part of a group of his 'past supporters.' 'The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again!' Trump wrote on Truth Social, likening Epstein conspiracies to their past capitalization on the 2016 election interference investigation and fake claims Hunter Biden 's laptop was a Russian disinformation campaign. The Justice Department and FBI released a memo this month concluding the initial findings that Epstein killed himself in prison are true and that there is no such list of clients who engaged in the child sexual trafficking ring. The MAGAverse immediately was up in arms over the Epstein files review, claiming it was a failure or even a cover-up within the DOJ to protect high profile individuals. Among the latest to turn against Trump is podcaster and comedian Andrew Schulz , who unleashed a viral rant against the president for his 'failed' Epstein promises. Schulz hosted Trump on his podcast in October in the weeks leading to the election, but is now admitting he's disappointed by his second term so far. 'I wanted something different,' he said. 'I was hoping for some sort of change.' In the week-and-a-half since the memo went public, Trump has repeatedly tried to get his supporters to stop demanding more answers about the investigation, claiming the case is closed. He has defended Attorney General Pam Bondi and said Democrats made up the conspiracies, which he now calls the 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,' to divide Republicans. 'These Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at - It's all they have,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Wednesday. 'Their new scam is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my past supporters have bought into this '[expletive],' hook, line, and sinker.' Trump claims those who used to support him have been tricked by Democrats into believing Epstein conspiracies and are now working against him. 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' Trump said. The president's base, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, were among the pro-MAGA voices who pushed conspiracies that Epstein was murdered in jail and that he held a 'client list' that he used as blackmail. The Wednesday post comes after Trump made another lengthy plea on his Truth Social over the weekend for his 'selfish' supporters to move on. 'We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening,' the president lamented in the Saturday post. 'We have a perfect Administration… and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.' Epstein died in prison on August 10, 2019. Trump said the Epstein 'hoax' was conjured up by Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan. He said it was up to them to release the files.
The Independent
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump rips MAGA ‘boys' and ‘gals' in epic Epstein-gate rant: ‘Let Pam Bondi do her job'
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday evening to defend his Attorney General Pam Bondi after major figures within the MAGA movement attacked her following the decision not to release the Epstein files. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?'' Trump wrote on his social media platform. 'They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!' The president went on to urge his supporters to unify, saying he doesn't 'like what's happening.' and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein,' said Trump. Both FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have reportedly considered leaving the administration over the Epstein files. Trump asked Saturday why any publicity would be given to what he claimed was files authored by former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and 'the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, 51 'Intelligence' Agents, 'THE LAPTOP FROM HELL,' and more?' The president claimed that 'they created the Epstein files' as well as the 'FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier.' 'Now my so-called 'friends' are playing right into their hands,' he added.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump's OG political guru Steve Bannon gives devastating take on fallout of Epstein debacle
Steve Bannon issued a blistering warning that fallout over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files could rip the Republican coalition apart and cost the GOP 'up to 40 seats' in the next election. Bannon, the architect of Donald Trump 's 2016 victory, declared in fiery live broadcast on Friday that unless Trump takes swift action the political cost could be catastrophic. 'If we lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement right now, we're gonna lose 40 seats in '26. We're gonna lose the president,' Bannon thundered to a packed audience. 'They don't even have to steal it, which they're gonna try to do in '28.' The longtime political guru of the MAGA movement addressed conspiracy theories that Epstein was behind an elite cabal of child rapists. 'It's not about just a pedophile ring and all that. It's about who governs us, right? And that's why it's not gonna go away,' Bannon said. 'They've disheartened the hardest core populist nation that's always been who governs us.' At the heart of the firestorm is the Justice Department's abrupt decision to close the book on the Epstein investigation - denying the existence of the long-rumored 'client list,' reaffirming that Epstein died by suicide, and refusing to release further records. The memo, jointly released by the DOJ and FBI, stated that further disclosures were neither appropriate nor warranted. But what was intended as a final word has instead detonated a whole new round of conspiracy theories on the right. Attorney General Pam Bondi, once a darling of the movement, had assured Fox News viewers that a list of Epstein's clients was 'on her desk' but the DOJ now says no such document exists Influential MAGA figures, already furious over Attorney General Pam Bondi's failure to deliver the promised bombshells, erupted. 'The DOJ says there's no client list? Next they'll say Epstein never even existed,' raged InfoWars founder Alex Jones. Bondi, once a darling of the movement, had assured Fox News viewers that a list of Epstein's clients was 'on her desk' but the DOJ now says no such document ever existed. Far-right influencer Laura Loomer, close to Trump himself, didn't hold back. 'President Trump should fire Bondi for lying to his base and creating a liability for his administration. She is an embarrassment and she doesn't do anything to help Trump,' Loomer wrote on X. Meanwhile, Dan Bongino, Trump's deputy FBI director and himself a key player in cultivating MAGA loyalty, reportedly considered resigning after a heated clash with Bondi at the White House. Sources say Bongino was 'furious' over how the Epstein memo was handled and skipped work on Friday to contemplate his future. In an attempt to rally the base and refocus their fury, Bannon called for the immediate appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Epstein's clients and possible blackmail operations. 'There's only one solution,' Bannon insisted. 'You must appoint a special prosecutor immediately. DOJ and FBI, love those guys, but they can't do it. No possibility. They're too busy. Too conflicted.' His call was echoed by conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, who demanded action in front of a roaring crowd. But despite the fiery rhetoric, the administration appears to be circling the wagons. President Trump leapt to Bondi's defense in a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, scolding a reporter who dared raise the Epstein issue. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. That is unbelievable.' Behind closed doors, however, tensions are boiling. A private clash earlier in the week between Bondi and Bongino sparked by a NewsNation report suggesting DOJ obstruction nearly broke into the open. FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy AG Todd Blanche, and even Bongino were all forced to issue public statements denying divisions within the administration. The Epstein memo marked a stunning reversal from earlier promises. In February, MAGA influencers were invited to the White House and handed binders labeled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1 – Declassified.' But the files were mostly rehashed public documents. Bondi promised that a 'truckload' of unreleased evidence was coming but that release never happened. Instead, on Monday the DOJ said that court orders sealed most of the remaining materials, and much of it would never have been made public even if Epstein had stood trial. The only disclosure accompanying the memo was a video intended to prove Epstein's jailhouse suicide. Yet even that drew fire from skeptics due to a mysterious one-minute gap in the footage. Complicating matters, tech mogul Elon Musk, once a close Trump confidant, is now hammering the president from the outside. Having announced plans to launch his own political party, Musk took to X to stoke Epstein suspicions. 'How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won't release the Epstein files?' Musk asked. Musk has hinted that Trump may have been named in redacted documents, further fueling speculation and deepening the fissure within the right. The Epstein backlash comes amid a series of fractures inside Trump's base. MAGA hardliners are already fuming over Trump's decision to resume arms shipments to Ukraine, his bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, and his recent comments urging restraint on immigration raids at farms. Insiders fear the cumulative effect could be an erosion of support among the grassroots populists who powered Trump's rise and who expect scorched-earth tactics, not compromise.
