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Donald Trump claims rising popularity despite criticism over Epstein files
Donald Trump claims rising popularity despite criticism over Epstein files

The National

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • The National

Donald Trump claims rising popularity despite criticism over Epstein files

US President Donald Trump has used his social media platform to vent about the mounting pressure and criticism relating to his recent decisions concerning files about Jeffrey Epstein. Polling shows dissatisfaction with Mr Trump's latest attempts to address the Epstein controversy. According to CBS News, President Trump's approval rating is now hovering at 42 per cent, down from 53 per cent in February. Making matters more problematic for the White House are polls showing that Mr Trump 's numbers waning on the economy, overall job approval and even immigration, once a stronghold for the President. "My poll numbers within the Republican Party and Maga [the Make America Great Again movement] have gone up, significantly, since the Jeffrey Epstein hoax was exposed by the radical left Democrats and, just plain 'troublemakers,'" he posted on Truth Social, his social media platform. He insisted that his poll numbers have hit "90, 92, 93, and 95 per cent," adding that those numbers were "Republican Party records", though he didn't specify to which polls he was referring. There has been a wave of criticism since the White House insisted there was no reason to release documents concerning Mr Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on charges of solicitation of prostitution, among other allegations. The disgraced financier died in prison awaiting trial in 2019. His death fuelled conspiracy theories, particularly among the Maga movement, that Epstein was murdered to conceal the wealthy and powerful friends implicated in his crimes. Mr Trump tried to turn the tide of public opinion by asking US Attorney General Pam Bondi to request a federal court to unseal Epstein's grand jury transcripts. On Saturday, Mr Trump posted on Truth Social: "Even if the court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request," he wrote. "It will always be more, more, more. Maga!" During an appearance on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Republican Congressman Tim Burchett, who has previously pushed for the release of all files related to Mr Epstein, said President Trump's move unseal some of the transcripts was "a good start." President Trump's recent request, however, falls short of Mr Burchett's recent push to release more files related to Epstein. An amendment has been introduced in the House of Representatives to disclose many of the Epstein files and at least 10 Republicans have signed a petition in support of that. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar told CNN's State of the Union she remained sceptical of Mr Trump's recent decision to try to convince a judge to unseal some of the Epstein transcripts. "They promised that these documents would be out there," she said. They gave people binders that said 'Part One' and now suddenly, with the whistleblower reporting that 100,000 documents were reviewed by the FBI to look for the President's name, they suddenly pulled back and said, 'No, we're not releasing them,'" she added, insisting that President Trump had backtracked on previous promises he made about the Epstein documents. The controversy surrounding the US President and Epstein shows no sign of going away, especially with a decision from Mr Trump to sue The Wall Street Journal. That litigation stems from a story published on Thursday about an alleged letter that Mr Trump wrote to Mr Epstein. The newspaper said the message was part of an album of letters from friends collected for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. Mr Trump has repeatedly described The Wall Street Journal 's reporting as "false and defamatory". The newspaper has stood by the story. The President's libel lawsuit against the publication is pursuing at least $20 billion. For several days now, it has been among the most read stories on The Wall Street Journal's website. Back in June, during his falling out with a the one-time staunch supporter and Tesla tycoon, Elon Musk posted on X that Mr Trump had a major presence in the Epstein files.

Tasmania's early election has arrived, here's everything you need to know
Tasmania's early election has arrived, here's everything you need to know

ABC News

time3 days ago

  • Politics
  • ABC News

Tasmania's early election has arrived, here's everything you need to know

Polling booths are officially open for Tasmania's state election, barely a year after they closed last time. While many eligible Tasmanians have already voted, the majority will head along to a polling place today. Polling booths close at 6pm tonight. It is likely to take a while to confirm a final count. Here is everything you need to know about Tasmania's 2025 state election. Click here to see where all of the polling places are located across the state. Back to top Election Analyst Kevin Bonham said the count will be less complete tonight than last year's election night, because postals won't be counted tonight. That being said, Dr Bonham said we should have a "general idea of where things are headed". We'll be bringing you live updates and analysis on our ABC News live blog, on ABC TV and iview, and on ABC Radio Hobart and ABC Northern Tasmania. The ABC's Chief Elections and Data Analyst Casey Briggs will also provide comprehensive coverage as the election unfolds. Whatever time a result does come in, you'll hear it first from the ABC. Back to top You can use this tool on the TEC website to find out which electorate you reside in by entering your address. Back to top As of Thursday July 17 at 5:30pm, 114,688 of the 408,000 enrolled voters in Tasmania had voted early. Back to top The ABC asked the Liberals, Labor and the Greens to provide their promises to voters this election. The Liberals — led by Jeremy Rockliff — have promised a new state-owned insurance company, TasInsure. Labor has pledged to open 10 government-funded GP clinics, under a plan it calls TassieDoc. The Greens promises have included more teachers, more health spending, free public transport and putting a stop to "unreasonable" rent increases. The proposed Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart has the support of Labor and the Liberals, but is opposed by the Greens. Back to top YouGov's final public data poll on the Tasmanian state election, released on Friday night, found: The YouGov polling has also found the vote share for each party, compared to the 2024 election, is as follows: Back to top Over 160 candidates across the state have been nominated to contest the 2025 House of Assembly elections. That includes: Click here to see who the candidates are. Back to top All same-day votes are counted on Saturday, along with nine out of 15 pre-poll centres. The final six pre-poll centres are counted before 2pm Sunday, after which the count then pauses. This is to allow for checks to occur on postal votes, to ensure no one has voted twice. Postal votes are then counted from Thursday or Friday, until the next Tuesday, to allow time for all postal votes to arrive. And on that Tuesday, the preference distribution begins. Back to top Excited to snag a democracy sausage today? There's something you should know. Fundraising sausage sizzles, often run by volunteers, have been synonymous with Australian elections since the 1960s — when the portable barbecue rose to popularity in Australia. As well as being a tasty way to keep your hands busy while in line to fulfil your civic duty, buying a democracy sausage is a great way to support your local community group, church or school. According to the TEC's website, of the 256 polling places across the state, 115 are schools. That's almost half. And because schools are in the midst of term two holidays, many have reportedly struggled to get the volunteer numbers needed to put on a barbecue. So if you're at school today, and they went to the effort of wheeling out the portable barbecue, make sure to grab a snag or two. And if you really don't want to be left empty-handed, you can head to to find a sausage sizzle near you. Back to top

Poll Shows Musk's ‘America Party' Is a Threat to Trump
Poll Shows Musk's ‘America Party' Is a Threat to Trump

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Poll Shows Musk's ‘America Party' Is a Threat to Trump

Elon Musk's push to launch a new political party as his relationship with President Donald Trump exploded could be a threat to the president and his agenda. New polling found that while most Americans have little appetite for a third political party funded by the world's wealthiest person, the America Party would hurt Republicans in the midterms. Musk posted about forming the America Party on X earlier this month as his feud with the president escalated. The tech billionaire went from blasting the massive GOP spending bill and government waste to even fueling Jeffrey Epstein accusations. According to the poll conducted by the firm Echelon Insights, having the America Party on the ballot would take away support from Republicans next year. The poll was conducted July 10 to 14 of 1,084 registered voters. Without a Musk-backed party candidate, the poll found Republicans had a one point lead 48 to 47 percent on a generic congressional ballot. Add the America Party to the mix and the Republican advantage is wiped out with Democrats leading 45 to 41 percent and the third party candidate receiving five percent. The GOP holds a 220 to 212 majority in the House and a 53 to 47 seat majority in the Senate, helping Trump move his agenda. While it will be a challenge for Democrats to flip the Senate with the 2026 map, the fight over the House majority is extremely competitive. Republican lawmakers have repeatedly tried to downplay the bombshell breakup between Musk and Trump, but with a razor-thin majority in Congress, any rift could be detrimental for the already close 2026 fight. The Trump administration backtracking on releasing the Epstein files this month has deepened the MAGA civil war with some once loyal Trump supporters turning their backs on the president. Musk has been among those engaging with online followers furious over the Epstein debacle, which Democrats in Congress have also seized on. Republicans blocked an amendment introduced by California Rep. Ro Khanna from moving forward on Monday night which would have demanded the release of the Epstein files. Only one Republican in the House Rules Committee, Rep. Ralph Norman, voted for it. 'Extremely troubling,' Musk wrote in response to a post on X about the vote. Should he continue to lean in on the Epstein files drama, it could further alienate some of the GOP base. Democrats used the botched Epstein files release and the Trump administration's miscalculation on the fallout as part of its line of attacks against Republicans this week. At a Democratic House leadership press conference on Tuesday, Rep. Ted Lieu called for the release of the Epstein files. Others have been posting on social media about the late convicted sex offender and his ties to Trump. 'This is a case of the powerful protecting the powerful,' Lieu said. 'We need to have those files released.' Any way to bleed the GOP of some supporters is a victory for Democrats ahead of the midterms. While the poll found the America Party would do more to hurt Republicans next year, it does not mean such third party candidates have a good chance of actually being elected. Only 32 percent of voters said they would consider supporting an America Party candidate. 39 percent said they would not.

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