Trump ‘clearly furious' that his summer victory tour has been swallowed by Epstein fallout, insiders reveal
Trump signed what he called his 'big, beautiful bill' into law on July 4. The bill's passage marked a huge victory for the president's agenda, but it didn't spark the Independence Day fireworks that he hoped for. The news was swallowed up by the firestorm that followed two days later.
The Justice Department released a July 6 memo stating there would be no further disclosures in the Epstein case. The response was explosive. Trump's MAGA supporters have demanded heightened transparency, the president has sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion after new allegations emerged around the president's ties to the late financier, and the attorney general has asked judges to unseal grand jury testimonies in the case.
In recent weeks, Trump has also threatened new tariffs and met with world leaders. Still, the Epstein saga has sucked all the oxygen out of the room. The president isn't happy about it, according to staff and allies.
'POTUS is clearly furious,' a person close to the White House told Politico. 'It's the first time I've seen them sort of paralyzed.'
A senior White House official told the outlet that Trump is 'frustrated' by the nonstop coverage on the case — which started in February when Attorney General Pam Bondi released 'Phase 1' of the files, which revealed little new information — and his team's ineffectiveness in stopping the spread of conspiracy theories.
'He feels there are way bigger stories that deserve attention,' the official said.
Trump hasn't been shy about showing a bit of this frustration publicly as his MAGA supporters and prominent members of his own party have groaned about wanting more information on the case.
During a July 8 cabinet meeting, Trump interrupted a question on the topic, asking: 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. You're asking — we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.'
Last week, he went so far as to attack his 'past supporters' for buying into 'this 'bulls***,' hook, line and sinker.' He wrote on social media: 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats' work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!'
On Tuesday, CNN published newly unveiled photos showing Epstein at Trump's 1993 wedding to Marla Maples. When a reporter called Trump to ask about it, the president said: 'You've got to be kidding me.' He then repeatedly branded the network 'fake news' and, after 30 seconds, hung up, the outlet reported.
This frustration comes from an acknowledgement that the topic is 'a vulnerability,' a White House ally told Politico. To add insult to injury, declassifying the Epstein files was a campaign promise.
'They're the ones that opened the can of worms on the Epstein conversation. No one made them do this, which makes it sting even worse,' the ally added.
The president is no stranger to dominating the news cycle, but this saga appears to have slipped through his fingers, out of his control. Trump has tried to deflect the narrative to something else, such as his recent trade deals. Yet these attempts have come up unsuccessful.
Aside from dealing with reports of mounting public pressure, reports of clashes within his administration have also surfaced.
'When you're working 12 to 15 hours a day to solve real problems and you turn on the TV and see people talking about Jeffrey Epstein, that's frustrating. That's where the president's mindset is,' the senior White House official told the outlet.
Now, in an apparent effort to quell the uproar, Trump asked Bondi to release the grand jury transcripts in the cases of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend who is serving 20 years behind bars after her 2021 conviction for her role in a scheme to abuse girls with Epstein. Bondi filed motions to unseal transcripts in both cases; the judges overseeing the cases have asked the Justice Department for more information before proceeding.
'They would like to move on and talk about the things they think are Ws,' the White House ally told Politico. 'They are really annoyed that it's an overshadowing news cycle.'
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