Latest news with #StudentActionSummit
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Jeffrey Epstein: Democrats use MAGA 'client list' fury against Trump, GOP
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump and his administration are taking friendly fire over the Justice Department's recent review of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Now, Democrats are getting their shots in too. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, is one of a handful of Democratic lawmakers taking advantage of an emerging schism between Trump and his base. Veasey said he plans to introduce a resolution July 14 calling for the release of "all files related to the Epstein case." Trump and top members of his administration spent years stoking MAGA anticipation of a scandalous Epstein "client list" and evidence the disgraced financier did not commit suicide in 2019 − only to let the base down with a Justice Department report last week confirming there was no list and that Epstein had taken his own life. "Either (Trump) and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there!" Veasey wrote in a July 13 post. "Put up or Shut up!" Trump said during his 2024 reelection campaign that he would support releasing additional details from the Epstein case. But a new memo by the Justice Department and FBI out July 7 reported no evidence of a client list or that Epstein had been murdered in custody. Prominent MAGA figures were incensed, and many have called for the ouster of Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Blondi has underserved President Trump and (Vice President JD Vance)," conservative activist and social media influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X July 11, using a derogatory nickname for the attorney general. "Sadly, now the base's patience is wearing thin," Loomer added. Another close Trump ally, former White House chief strategist and podcaster Steve Bannon even warned the blow up could cost Republicans in upcoming elections. "It's deeper than Epstein," Bannon told a crowd of young conservatives at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit July 12. "For this to go away," he added, "you're going to lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement. If we lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement right now, we're going to lose 40 seats in (2026), we're going to lose the presidency." Democrats sure hope so. Along with Rep. Veasey, fellow Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California is bringing forward an amendment to an unrelated bill that similarly calls for the publication of documents related to Epstein's case. Both proposals, unlikely to advance in a GOP-controlled House, could still put Republicans in the awkward position of siding with Democrats and satisfying their MAGA base, or trying to move past the issue as Trump has requested. "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening," the president wrote in a July 12 post. "We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says 'nobody cares' about Epstein: Behind the MAGA fallout over the FBI and DOJ investigation into his 'client list'
President Trump issued a lengthy statement over the weekend defending Attorney General Pam Bondi amid fury among some of his most fervent supporters over the administration's handling of the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it's Epstein, over and over again.' Epstein has long been the focus of unfounded conspiracy theories pushed by some of Trump's prominent supporters. They believe that the late financier — who died of an apparent suicide in his prison cell in 2019 after his indictment on federal sex trafficking charges — was actually murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret 'client list,' which was then covered up during the Biden administration. Among the prominent Trump supporters pushing the Epstein conspiracy theories were Kash Patel, who is now Trump's FBI director, and Dan Bongino, now the deputy director at the FBI. During the 2024 campaign, Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on Epstein. When he took office, Trump directed federal law enforcement to conduct an exhaustive review of the evidence collected on Epstein. Appearing on Fox News in February, Bondi said the Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review." "That's been a directive by President Trump," she added. Last week, the DOJ and FBI released a joint memo with their findings, stating that Epstein had no 'client list' and concluding he 'committed suicide in his cell.' 'One of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,' the FBI and DOJ said. 'Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.' The two-page memo did little to satisfy Trump's MAGA faithful. At Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., over the weekend, young conservatives erupted in boos when the topic of the joint memo was raised. 'How many of you are satisfied with the results of the Epstein investigation?' Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked from the stage to resounding jeers. 'It's deeper than Epstein!' Steve Bannon, former senior White House adviser, shouted while taping his podcast live at the event. Bannon said the Trump administration's failure to release more Epstein documents is 'not about just a pedophile ring and all that. … It's about who governs us.' 'The fact that the U.S. government, the one that I voted for, refused to take my question seriously and instead said, 'Case closed, shut up, conspiracy theorist,' was too much for me,' former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said at the summit Friday. 'And I don't think the rest of us should be satisfied with that.' The Epstein probe also reportedly did not satisfy top officials at the FBI. Late last week, CNN reported that Bongino was considering resigning following a 'heated confrontation' he and Patel had with Bondi earlier in the week over the handling of the Epstein case. Trump told reporters late Sunday he had spoken to Bongino earlier in the day and that he got no indication of the deputy FBI director's imminent departure. 'He sounded terrific, actually,' Trump said. 'No, I think he's in good shape." His comments came hours after he appeared at the FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Bondi appeared with Trump in the president's box at the game. (Other guests in Trump's suite included Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch and Tom Brady.) Patel issued a statement on X Saturday downplaying the Epstein conspiracies and saying he would continue to serve as FBI director. 'The conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been,' Patel wrote. 'It's an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.' During a Cabinet meeting last week, Trump bristled at a reporter's question about the Epstein memo. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?' the president said. In his Truth Social post, Trump reiterated his frustration with MAGA's continuing focus on Epstein. 'One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World,' he wrote. 'Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.'
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'We don't have freedom...': Ex-Muslim Ridvan Aydemir's exploding speech at Student Action Summit
A summit promoting conservative principles has attracted thousands of teens and young adults to Tampa. Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Centre hosted the event with high-profile conservative personalities and some members of President Donald Trump's cabinet. Show more Show less
USA Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Jeffrey Epstein: Democrats use MAGA 'clent list' fury against Trump, GOP
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump and his administration are taking friendly fire over the Justice Department's recent review of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Now, Democrats are getting their shots in too. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, is one of a handful of Democratic lawmakers taking advantage of an emerging schism between Trump and his base. Veasey said he plans to introduce a resolution July 14 calling for the release of "all files related to the Epstein case." Trump and top members of his administration spent years stoking MAGA anticipation of a scandalous Epstein "client list" and evidence the disgraced financier did not commit suicide in 2019 − only to let the base down with a Justice Department report last week confirming there was no list and that Epstein had taken his own life. "Either (Trump) and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there!" Veasey wrote in a July 13 post. "Put up or Shut up!" Trump said during his 2024 reelection campaign that he would support releasing additional details from the Epstein case. But a new memo by the Justice Department and FBI out July 7 reported no evidence of a client list or that Epstein had been murdered in custody. Prominent MAGA figures were incensed, and many have called for the ouster of Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Blondi has underserved President Trump and (Vice President JD Vance)," conservative activist and social media influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X July 11, using a derogatory nickname for the attorney general. "Sadly, now the base's patience is wearing thin," Loomer added. Another close Trump ally, former White House chief strategist and podcaster Steve Bannon even warned the blow up could cost Republicans in upcoming elections. "It's deeper than Epstein," Bannon told a crowd of young conservatives at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit July 12. "For this to go away," he added, "you're going to lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement. If we lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement right now, we're going to lose 40 seats in (2026), we're going to lose the presidency." Democrats sure hope so. Along with Rep. Veasey, fellow Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California is bringing forward an amendment to an unrelated bill that similarly calls for the publication of documents related to Epstein's case. Both proposals, unlikely to advance in a GOP-controlled legislature, could still put Republicans in the awkward position of siding with Democrats and satisfying their MAGA base, or trying to move past the issue as Trump has requested. "We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening," the president wrote in a July 12 post. "We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein."
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani's 'free' promises are too good to be true, young conservatives warn
TAMPA– Attendees at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit sounded off on the rise of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in interviews with Fox News Digital, worrying the Democratic socialist's rise could push the country "in the wrong direction." "Nothing's ever free," Jack, an upstate New Yorker, told Fox News Digital about Mamdani's policy proposals. "There's always a trade-off with something. If something is too good to be true, it probably is." Mamdani won the Democratic nomination in the mayoral primary last month in an upset over a crowded field that included former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A democratic socialist, Mamdani's proposals for New York include freezing rent prices for millions, free public transit, city-owned grocery stores, and free universal childcare for children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Jeremy Connor, who hails from Sarasota, Fla., declared Mamdani was simply saying what he needed to be elected in an interview at the Tampa summit. Charlie Kirk Sounds The Alarm On The Biggest Threat To Republicans Holding The White House In 2028 "It's really popular to say free stuff, but it all has to come from somewhere, and going into government debt to fund these programs often is not the best way to run government," he told Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App "I know that he's a socialist," Charles, a student at Liberty University, said. "I think that he puts the country in the wrong direction." Added Charles: "Nothing is free in life, so I see it, the money is going somewhere, so in some way the taxpayer is going to have to pay." Ryan from Kansas remarked, "Everything comes out, and the taxpayers are going to pay for it at some point." Charlie Kirk Warns 'Mamdani Effect' Metastasizing In The Democratic Party With 'Grievance-based Politics' Ryan, also from Sarasota, told Fox News Digital that such proposals take away "ambition." "I actually believe in working hard for what you get," Ryan said. Pedro, a Tampa local, said handouts were inappropriate, period. "It's one of those things where if you give a certain thing to someone, they become dependent on it," he told Fox News Digital. "And that's the last thing that we need is someone to be more dependent on the government than they are now." President Donald Trump has referred to Mamdani as a "communist," a term Mamdani rejects in favor of the democratic socialist ideology also espoused by progressive favorite Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Asked if communism was a threat to democracy today, summit attendees said yes. Dems At A Crossroads As Establishment Plans 'Project 2029' While Socialist Candidate Wins Nyc Mayoral Primary "Communism is always a threat to democracy," Jack said. "Honestly, it looks like it's a good idea on paper … Why wouldn't this ever work today? But ask anybody in a communist society. Nobody's ever really wanting to promote it. Everybody's miserable. The government is in complete control of everything." Mamdani's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Young conservatives flocked to Tampa over the weekend to hear big-name speeches, participate in workshops and network with other right-leaning figures at Turning Point's summit. It took place in the aftermath of a hugely successful year for Charlie Kirk's organization, which played a major role in President Donald Trump's 2024 victory. In an interview with Fox News Digital at the summit, Kirk pointed to the youth vote and how it propelled Trump back to power. "The biggest threat to the Republican Party in 2028 is if we do not deliver on our promises of [home]ownership for the next generation," Kirk said. "The youth vote didn't just vote for Donald Trump. Young voters put Donald Trump in the White House."Original article source: Zohran Mamdani's 'free' promises are too good to be true, young conservatives warn
