We don’t know what’s in the Jeffrey Epstein files, but we now know it’s so bad for President Donald Trump that he’ll turn on his rabidly loyal MAGA base, mocking them as “stupid” and “weaklings,” to keep it hidden.
Seemingly incapable of shutting up about the thing he wants everyone to shut up about, Trump posted a lengthy social media screed on July 16, railing against what he’s now predictably calling the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.” Keep in mind that conspiracy theories about Epstein, the notorious convicted sex offender who died in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, are foundational to much of Trump’s MAGA movement.
Suggesting those theories are all a hoax is like telling “Lord of the Rings” fans that Mordor doesn’t exist and is just a Middle Earth hoax cooked up by elves.
In his great-way-to-look-guilty rant, Trump wrote of his own fans, “my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker,” later calling those who want the Epstein files released “weaklings” and saying, “I don’t want their support anymore!”
Trump goes after ‘stupid Republicans’ who won’t drop Epstein case
An attendee flashes a shirt reading, “WHERE IS THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST,” during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconson, on July 16, 2024.
From the Oval Office on July 16, Trump continued to rail against anyone who wants to learn more about Epstein and his clients, saying, “Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try to do the Democrats’ work.”
Opinion: Please stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein. You’re making Donald Trump mad.
He referred to Epstein as someone “who died three or four years ago” – Epstein died in 2019, during Trump’s first term – and said of his supporters who won’t let the Epstein case go: “The sad part is it’s people that are really doing the Democrats’ work, they’re stupid people.”
Trump attacking MAGA base over Epstein shows how bad it is for him
On July 8, Trump exploded after a reporter asked him about the Epstein case. “Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?” the president asked. “That is unbelievable.”
As a longtime chronicler of Trump and his MAGA movement, allow me to say this: Wow. Whatever is in those Epstein files must be devastating for the president, because nurturing his base so he can continue separating them from their money has always been his primary objective, and labeling them foolish weaklings risks a schism.
Few Republicans polish Trump’s apple more vigorously than House Speaker Mike Johnson, and even he doesn’t want to shut the door on the Epstein matter, saying July 15: “I’m for transparency. It’s a very delicate subject. We should put everything out there and let the people decide it.”
Geez, Mike. Trump just called you stupid. What are you going to do now? Tell him how brilliant he is? (The answer to that is most likely, “Yes.”)
Trump labels Epstein files a hoax, but MAGA seems to know better
Speaker Johnson splits with Trump on Epstein files
Right-wing weirdo Laura Loomer is one of the MAGA activists closest to Trump, and she told Politico this July 16: “Obviously, this is not a complete hoax given the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison in Florida for her crimes and activities with Jeffrey Epstein, who we know is a convicted sexual predator. This is why I said, and I’ll reiterate it again, the best thing that the president can do is appoint a special counsel to handle the Epstein files investigation.”
I hate it when MAGA-mom and MAGA-dad fight. I hate it even more when I have to say this: Loomer is right.
One problem with Trump trying to brush Epstein off as a hoax is that Epstein associate Maxwell was, to quote a 2022 Justice Department press release, sentenced to “240 months in prison for her role in a scheme to sexual exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade.”
Opinion: MAGA, I feel bad Trump lied to you about the Epstein list. Who could’ve seen this coming?
Epstein, a hoax? Only a fool would say that.
Trump has used the word “hoax” to tamp down myriad scandals, but the fact that he has already reached the point of calling his own supporters stupid weaklings indicates the trick won’t work this time around.
Electronic billboards featuring the images of Donald Trump and late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein have appeared in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Even a fool can see that if anyone knows exactly what’s in the Justice Department’s files on Epstein, it’s the most powerful man in the world, President Trump. So his supporters, who have marinated for years in conspiratorial beliefs of a global sex-trafficking ring run by elite pedophiles, need only connect two dots.
Your Turn: I believe Trump has access to an Epstein client list. But it no longer helps him. | Opinion Forum
As Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin recently said of Trump and Republicans: “Either they misled the American people with this conspiracy theory for years, or they’re covering it up now.”
Trump thinks MAGA fans who want Epstein files released are ‘bad’
Trump, who everyone with a toe still dipped in the river of reality knows had a long and public relationship with Epstein, is trying to cover the Epstein files faster than a nervous dog burying a bone.
He said July 15: “It’s sordid, but it’s boring. And I don’t understand why it keeps going. Really only bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
To summarize, devoted Trump-toady Republicans like Johnson and longtime MAGA loyalists like Loomer and many others in the movement are now “bad people.” They’re “stupid” and they’re “weaklings.”
My word, whatever’s in those Epstein files must be white hot and devastating for the Lord of MAGA Manor. Even a weakling can connect these dots.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump calls supporters ‘weaklings’ as his Epstein fury rages | Opinion
