Trump struggles to deflect Epstein fallout amid GOP pressure
But the Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier's case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown.
'For a president and an administration that's very good at controlling a narrative, this is one that's been harder,' said Republican strategist Erin Maguire, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman.
Unlike political crises that dogged Trump's first term, including two impeachments and a probe into alleged campaign collusion with Russia, the people propelling the push for more transparency on Epstein have largely been his supporters, not his political foes.
Trump has fed his base with conspiracy theories for years, including the false 'birther' claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump's advisers fanned conspiracies about Epstein, too, only to declare them moot upon entering office.
That has not gone over well with the president's right-leaning base, which has long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful.
'Donald Trump's been running a Ponzi scheme based on propaganda for the better part of a decade and it's finally catching up to him,' said Geoff Duncan, a Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia and Trump critic. 'The far right element is just dug in. They're hell bent on getting this information out.'
The White House has dismissed reporting about Trump's ties to Epstein as 'fake news,' though it has acknowledged his name appears in documents related to the Epstein case. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before falling out.
'The only people who can't seem to shake this story from their one-track minds are the media and Democrats,' said White House spokesman Harrison Fields.
Before leaving for a trip to Scotland on Friday, the president again urged people to turn their attention elsewhere.
'People should really focus on how well the country is doing,' Trump told reporters, lamenting that scrutiny was not being given to others in Epstein's orbit. 'They don't talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy.'
THE ART OF DISTRACTION
Trump in recent weeks has employed a typical diversion playbook.
He chastised a reporter for asking about Epstein in the White House Cabinet Room. He claimed in the Oval Office that he was not paying close attention to the issue. And, with help from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, he explosively accused Obama of treason for how he treated intelligence in 2016 about Russian interference in the U.S. election.
On Thursday Trump took his distraction tour to the Federal Reserve, where he tussled with Chair Jerome Powell about construction costs and pressed for lower interest rates.
That, said Republican strategist Brad Todd, was more effective than focusing on Obama in 2016, which voters had already litigated by putting Trump back in office.
'The Tulsi Gabbard look backward, I think, is not the way for them to pivot,' Todd said, noting that Trump's trip to the Fed highlighted the issue of economic affordability and taking on a Washington institution. 'If I was him I'd go to the Fed every day until rates are cut.'
Democrats have seized on Trump's efforts to move on, sensing a political weakness for the president and divisions in the Republican Party that they can exploit while their own political stock is low in the wake of last year's drubbing at the polls.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump's administration is hiding information about Epstein, creating an opportunity for Democrats to press.
Trump's supporters and many Democrats are eager to see a release of government files related to Epstein and his case, which the Justice Department initially promised to deliver.
'Yesterday was another example of the Trump folks trying to throw as much stuff against the wall to avoid the Epstein files,' Mark Warner, a Democratic U.S. senator from Virginia, said in a post on X on Thursday about Gabbard's accusations against Obama.
Trump allies see the administration's efforts to change topic as a normal part of an all-out-there strategy.
'They are always going at 100 miles an hour. Every department, every cabinet secretary, everybody is out there at full speed blanketing the area with news,' Republican strategist Maguire said.
Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump's work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of Republican respondents favored the administration's immigration workplace raids, while 24% were opposed and 20% unsure.
Pollster Frank Luntz noted that Trump had faced felony convictions and other criminal charges but still won re-election last year.
'We've been in this very same situation several times before and he has escaped every time,' Luntz said. - Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
18 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
What is the status of US tariff negotiations?
WASHINGTON: US tariff negotiations with key trading partners have shifted into high gear as economies race to avoid steeper duties before an Aug 1 deadline. Many of these tariff hikes were part of a package first announced in April, under which dozens of economies were due to face higher levies – up from a 10 per cent level – over their trade surpluses with the United States. The twice-postponed deadline for duties to take effect is now Friday, Aug 1. But Washington has expanded its group of targets coming up against these tariffs, while announcing agreements with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. A deal with the European Union unveiled on Sunday sees a 15 per cent tariff imposed on European exports to the United States, down from the 30 per cent that Trump earlier threatened. Where do other US trade talks stand? Seoul is racing to reach a deal with Washington, as Tokyo's success in landing an agreement has "amped up the pressure for South Korea," a government source told AFP. Local media reported that Seoul was preparing to propose more than US$100 billion in investment as part of a broader agreement, with expected participation by major firms such as Samsung and Hyundai Motor. The South Korean government did not confirm this. But South Korean officials have outlined proposals to deepen collaboration in sectors like shipbuilding, semiconductors and batteries. National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lak has told reporters that the two countries are in "the final and most crucial phase of negotiations" to avert Trump's proposed 25 per cent duty. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told Bloomberg Television Thursday that he was optimistic his country could reach an agreement with the United States to avert Washington's 26 per cent tariff threat. Goyal insisted there were not any sticking points in the US-India relationship or in trade talks, and clarified that immigration rules – including those around H-1B visas for skilled workers – had not come up in negotiations. Despite Goyal's remarks, local media reported the prospects of an interim deal before Aug 1 had dimmed. Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said Thursday that officials are "working hard" on negotiations, amid worries that an unfavorable tariff level could hit the self-ruled island's economy. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said Taipei's negotiating team was "working almost 24 hours a day to achieve trade balance and Taiwan's industrial interests, and even to further deepen cooperation." Although Canada and Mexico were spared from Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs announced in April, goods from both countries entering the United States generally face a separate 25 per cent duty if they fall outside a North American trade pact. This figure stands to jump to 30 per cent for Mexico come Aug 1, while the level for Canada was set at 35 per cent. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration was "doing everything" possible to avert the duties and that she would speak with Trump if necessary to try to reach a pact. Trump told reporters Friday there was no deal with Canada so far. Brazil is girding for a virtual trade embargo on its planes, grains and other goods if Trump's threatened 50 per cent tariff on its exports takes effect on Aug 1. The United States runs a trade surplus with Latin America's biggest economy, which was not originally expected to face steeper tariffs under Trump's "reciprocal" duties plan. Trump has not attempted to hide the political motivation in targeting Brazil, citing a judicial "witch hunt" against his right-wing ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, when he unveiled the tariff rate. The political nature of the spat makes a last-minute deal appear less likely.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Brazil investors warn of political impact of US tariffs in election
Unpopular move: Protesters dressed as police, Trump and Bolsonaro demonstrating against the US president's announcement of 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods and against a US report that cited counterfeit product sales in Brazil, in Sao Paulo. — AP SAO PAULO: At a large financial market gathering in Sao Paulo, Donald Trump's threat to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil barely registers as a primary economic concern. What's truly unsettling money managers is the political fallout – the broader storm unleashed by the US president ahead of next year's elections. Since Trump issued the July 9 threat in retaliation for what he called a 'witch hunt' against Jair Bolsonaro, his conservative ally in Brazil, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has seen a boost in popularity that's strengthening his reelection bid. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro's allies have struggled to mount a cohesive and persuasive response. 'The macroeconomic impact is small and the microeconomic risks are already priced in,' Ruy Alves, a partner and manager at Kinea Investimentos, said in an interview last Friday on the sidelines of the event organised by XP Inc. Investors fear that, under Lula, Brazil's finances would continue to deteriorate, with a negative impact on the currency and inflation. That would force the central bank to keep a very restrictive monetary policy in place, creating a vicious cycle that would eventually hit growth. 'The political impact could be big. And it could have an impact on the exchange rate,' Rodrigo Azevedo, co-chief investment officer at Ibiuna Investimentos, said at the same event. The real has so far avoided a major sell-off as double-digit local interest rates add to the appeal of the Brazilian currency against a globally weakening dollar. It has still weakened about 2% since Trump made his threat. Most of those losses came last Friday after Bloomberg News reported that Trump's administration is seeking new legal basis for imposing tariffs on Brazil, given that the country has a trade deficit with the United States. The fact that the Brazilian economy is somewhat closed limits the impact it will sufffer from the tariffs, according to the economists present at the event. XP estimates that a 50% rate would shave no more than half a percentage point off Brazil's growth in 2026. Some Brazilian companies could suffer a severe blow, but that has been largely priced in by markets, according to Alves, from Kinea. The most prominent case is aircraft manufacturer Embraer SA, whose stock price has sank almost 20% since the tariff threat. Yet veteran investor Luis Stuhlberger sounded more sceptical of the positive political effect that US tariffs may have for Lula in the longer term. 'This is just a short-lived gain,' he told the audience. 'Companies will go bankrupt, layoffs will happen, there will be silent defaults, strikes in agribusiness, truck drivers striking. The blame will fall on the government.' — Bloomberg
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
EU, US strike ‘biggest-ever' trade deal
President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen seal a trade deal with a handshake at Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. (AP pic) TURNBERRY : The United States and European Union on Sunday clinched what President Donald Trump described as the 'biggest-ever' deal to resolve a transatlantic tariff stand-off that threatened to explode into a full-blown trade war. Trump emerged from a high-stakes meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf resort in Scotland to announce that a baseline tariff of 15% would be levied on EU exports to the US. The deal, which the leaders struck in around an hour, came as the clock ticked down on an Aug 1 deadline to avoid an across-the-board US levy of 30% on European goods. 'We've reached a deal. It's a good deal for everybody. This is probably the biggest deal ever reached in any capacity,' said Trump. Trump said the 15% tariff would apply across the board, including for Europe's crucial automobile sector, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. As part of the deal, Trump said the 27-nation EU bloc had agreed to purchase 'US$750 billion worth of energy' from the United States, as well as make US$600 billion in additional investments. Von der Leyen said the 'significant' purchases of US liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels would come over three years, as part of the bloc's bid to diversify away from Russian sources. Negotiating on behalf of the EU's 27 countries, von der Leyen had been pushing hard to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual US$1.9 trillion in goods and services. 'It's a good deal,' the EU chief told reporters. 'It will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,' she said. She said bilateral tariff exemptions had been agreed on a number of 'strategic products,' notably aircraft, certain chemicals, some agricultural products and critical raw materials. Von der Leyen said the EU still hoped to secure further so-called 'zero-for-zero' agreements, notably for alcohol, which she hoped to be 'sorted out' in coming days. Trump also said EU countries – which recently pledged to ramp up their defence spending within Nato – would be purchasing 'hundreds of billions of dollars worth of military equipment.' 'Best we could get' The EU has been hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Trump reclaimed the White House. It is currently subject to a 25% levy on cars, 50% on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10%, which Washington threatened to hike to 30% in a no-deal scenario. The bloc had been pushing hard for tariff carve-outs for critical industries from aircraft to spirits, and its auto industry, crucial for France and Germany, is already reeling from the levies imposed so far. 'Fifteen percent is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get,' acknowledged von der Leyen. Any deal will need to be approved by EU member states – whose ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were updated by the commission Sunday morning. They were set to meet again after the deal struck in Scotland. German chancellor Friedrich Merz rapidly hailed the deal, saying it avoided 'needless escalation in transatlantic trade relations'. But German exporters were less enthusiastic. The powerful BDI federation of industrial groups said the accord would have 'considerable negative repercussions' while the country's VCI chemical trade association said the accord left rates 'too high'. The EU had pushed for a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota into the US before tariffs would apply. Trump appeared to rule that out, saying steel was 'staying the way it is', but the EU chief insisted later that 'tariffs will be cut and a quota system will be put in place' for steel. 'The big one' While 15% is much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods, which average around 4.8%, it mirrors the status quo, with companies currently facing an additional flat rate of 10%. Had the talks failed, EU states had greenlit counter tariffs on US$109 billion (€93 billion) of US goods including aircraft and cars to take effect in stages from Aug 7. Trump has embarked on a campaign to reshape US trade with the world, and has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs if they do not reach a pact with Washington by Aug1. Asked what the next deal would be, Trump replied: 'This was the big one. This is the biggest of them all.'
