Is the Jeffrey Epstein issue the one thing that can get Donald Trump to break with his base?
For the last several years, MAGA influencers, including some who have gone on to major jobs in the Trump Administration, have been pushing the notion that Epstein had close ties to Democrats, Hollywood, and others of their enemies, who had undoubtedly participated in his crimes. Once Trump returned to the White House, that base expected the entire conspiracy to be quickly exposed.
However, the Trump Justice Department declared in July that there was no Epstein “client list,” that no large tranche of documents would be released, and that they concluded that Epstein had indeed killed himself. And in the weeks since, a drumbeat of news stories has revealed new things about Trump and Epstein’s past friendship, leading to lots of embarrassing headlines. And many leading MAGA voices have not shown their usual deference to the president.
There was an indication back in mid-July that Trump was bothered by all this.
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In a press availability in July, Trump asked if he was “disavowing his supporters” who continued to question him on the Epstein issue.
“I lost a lot of faith in certain people because they got duped by the Democrats,” Trump replied.
Reporter: You mentioned ”past” supporters when talking about Epstein. Does that mean you are disowning any supporters?
Trump: I lost a lot of faith in certain people because they got duped by the Democrats. pic.twitter.com/AhEOK2U1sP
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 16, 2025
Now, nearly a month later, the Trump Administration is stuck continuing to talk about the Epstein question. JD Vance appeared Sunday morning on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures.
“President Trump has demanded full transparency from this. And yet somehow the Democrats are attacking him and not the Biden administration, which did nothing for four years,” the vice president said when asked about the Epstein files.
JD Vance: “We know that Jeffrey Epstein had a lot of connections with left-wing politicians and left-wing billionaires … Democrat billionaires and Democrat political leaders went to Epstein island all the time. Who knows what they did.” pic.twitter.com/oxtGduWW3L
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 10, 2025
“We know that Jeffrey Epstein had a lot of connections with left-wing politicians and left-wing billionaires,” Vance added, going on to accuse Democratic leaders of having “went to Epstein Island all the time.”
CNN had reported that the Epstein matter had been discussed in a meeting at the White House last week, although Vance, in the Fox interviewed, denied that was the subject.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
