Trump loved Epstein conspiracy theories - now he's at the heart of one
He questioned Barack Obama's birthplace and citizenship, claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him without a shred of evidence, and has endorsed and promoted far-right figures who gleefully stoked the lie that Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring from the basement of a pizza restaurant.
These weren't fringe ideas muttered in back rooms or basements. They were central to Trump's political theatre – designed to paint his opponents not just as wrong, but satanically evil.
So when the President recently told reporters he didn't understand why his supporters are interested in late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, dismissing the entire saga as 'a very boring story', the response from the conspiratorial base was, predictably, swift and furious.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
From InfoWars and Telegram channels to MAGA influencers and mainstream news, the reaction boiled down to one thing: how dare he?
Today, Trump ramped up his criticism, saying that the discussions around the former banker were a 'scam', labelling it a 'bulls**t Jeffrey Epstein hoax' and urging his supporters not to be 'hoodwinked.'
Well, tough luck – conspiracies can't be controlled. Not even by Trump.
Let's remember, Epstein's story isn't boring – it's horrifying.
A convicted child sex trafficker with friends in high places. A mysterious prison death. A long list of alleged enablers and abusers still unnamed, still unaccountable. Rumours (encouraged by Trump and his allies) of a blackmail 'client list' held by Epstein.
People are obsessed because they should be. Because justice, clearly, hasn't been served.
The President has made a rod for his own back. He fuelled the fire for years, and not just on this.
He platformed figures who are prominent in the QAnon conspiracy movement (which believes, among other things, that President Trump is battling satanic elite paedophiles), posted cryptic messages about 'the storm' (a QAnon dog whistle), and appointed people like Mike Flynn who actively amplified such theories.
Trump's years of conspiracy indulgence were based on set rules: suspicion by association, trust no institution, and believe only him.
But now, scrutiny has edged closer to Trump himself – with people on the left and right revisiting his long-standing friendship with Epstein, sharing those awkward photos and the quote where he called Epstein a 'terrific guy' who liked women 'on the younger side'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Suddenly, the President is no longer interested.
You can't unleash a monster and then act surprised when it turns on you.
Trump made himself the hero of the anti-elite, anti-paedophile crusade.
But when people apply that same lens to his own past, he retreats. And not with his usual bluster, either.
Lately, Trump's tone has changed. Usually, he has his supporters eating out of his hand. Now, he's reduced to begging them not to be 'taken in' by a 'hoax' he endorsed.
But this isn't a rebrand. It's fear.
Trump's scared. Because his supporters are asking questions he can't answer with a soundbite or a slogan.
And the timing couldn't be worse for him. Public frustration over Epstein hasn't faded – it's deepened.
It's not just that Epstein was a monster, although he was. It's that the system seemed to protect him. He maintained his network of powerful friends even after conviction. He secured sweetheart deals.
And he died before a trial could truly begin and victims could get even a whiff of justice.
The result, instead of accountability, is a vacuum, into which QAnon and other conspiracy movements poured.
The thirst is twisted into the kind of pure fantasy that defined 'pizzagate' – a satanic cabal of baby-eaters apparently led by Hillary Clinton in secret bunkers under a pizza shop – and Trump as the saviour. Total fiction, rooted in real fury.
But the emotional truth remains: people feel that the powerful get away with everything.
Trump capitalised on that anger. Now, he's the one looking over his shoulder.
The nature of their friendship, the timeline, and when exactly Trump stopped calling the paedophile financier a 'terrific guy' are all under scrutiny.
The same scrutiny that was, in Trump's own way, the fair questions that he demanded be asked of the Democratic elite.
Now, with Trump in power once again, Republican lawmakers have voted to block a Democratic effort to force the release of the Epstein files, which amounts to a mythological cache of apparently undisclosed information about the convicted sex offender at the centre of American politics for over three decades.
The Epstein files may be buried, but the case is still open – if not legally, then morally. Survivors are still waiting. Names are still redacted. And trust in institutions is still on life support.
Trump doesn't now get to call this 'boring'. More Trending
He wanted to be the one to expose the rot. He told his base he was the only one who would clean it up.
Now, faced with their anger, he shrugs and calls it dull.
He isn't bored. He's terrified.
And he should be.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
MORE: Ragtag Zohran Mamdani protest likened to Netflix comedy sketch
MORE: John Torode doesn't remember using racist language – that's a problem
MORE: The Great British Sewing Bee is back – but I miss Kiell Smith-Bynoe
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
22 minutes ago
- Metro
I'm living in fear of repercussions after the Afghan data breach
The news stopped me in my tracks. 'Close to 7,000 Afghan nationals are being relocated to the UK because of a massive data breach by the British military,' the presenter said. They went on to explain that an email was leaked in 2022 with a spreadsheet containing the personal information of almost 19,000 Afghans who applied to come to the UK. I was shocked. As an Afghan national who worked with the British Government before fleeing to the UK in August 2021, this video was the first I was hearing of any leak – three years after it happened. My personal details – along with the names of my family still in Afghanistan – might be included in this data breach, which could put everyone I know in grave danger. And no one in the Government thought to warn me. I immediately felt sick to my stomach. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video I first started working with a British organisation in 2019, managing Her Majesty's Government (HMG) contracts. Our work made us targets for the Taliban, to the point where we regularly had to wear bulletproof vests, hard hats, and hide in safe rooms at the office. My job was so high risk that I couldn't even tell my family, or even my partner. Instead, they thought I worked in construction. In early 2021, news started spreading that western forces were going to pull out of Afghanistan – a move that would see the Taliban take over the country and put me in certain danger. Thankfully, by April, the UK Government introduced the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which offered an escape plan for people who had worked with the British Government to flee to the UK. I applied shortly after and was grateful to find out within a couple of months that both my wife and I had been approved. Telling my family – especially my widowed mother – that I was leaving the country was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Heartbreakingly, I couldn't tell them the real reason for their own safety, so they think I moved for a scholarship. My own wife only found out about my real job a day before we were due to escape the country – I sat her down and finally explained everything. She understood why I couldn't tell her the truth and was sad to be leaving our home, but thankful for a route out of an increasingly politically unstable situation. It was early August – around a week before Kabul fell to the Taliban – that we finally flew out. Getting on that chartered plane with just two suitcases full of clothes, I felt numb. It was all happening so fast – even the 16-hour flight to Birmingham was a total blur. The gravity of the situation didn't properly hit me until later that month when I saw videos of people desperately clinging to planes to escape and falling off to their deaths. It was all just so traumatising. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video My wife and I settled in the UK – and have since felt very blessed to have welcomed children – but we've regularly kept in contact with our families, especially in those early days. They're safe, but they still don't know the real reason why we left almost four years ago. If the Taliban found out what I used to do, my family could be hunted down and killed. That's why this recent leak is such a betrayal – and the Government's silence on it is so galling. I understand there was a superinjunction to stop the leak from being talked about, but they could've at least informed all the people affected. Defence Secretary John Healey told the Commons this week that it was a 'serious departmental error' and that he felt 'deeply concerned about the lack of transparency to parliament and the public'. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But where is the transparency in not personally alerting Afghans in the UK? If 18,714 Afghans had their personal information leaked, each and every one of us should be notified. I'd argue that even the people who weren't affected by the leak should still be notified, if they were part of the ARAP scheme like me. Thankfully, around 4,500 Afghans have since been settled in the UK as a direct result of being in danger from the leak, with a further 600 invitations being offered. This is through an until-recently secret emergency scheme called the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR). But both this scheme and the ARAP one that I was on are now closed. Terrifyingly, a Taliban spokesperson claimed on Wednesday to the Telegraph that they have possession of the list and have been 'calling and visiting their family members to track them down'. If true, this is devastating. The danger for this leak is real for people still living in Afghanistan – and for the families of people still living there, like mine. As for me, I can't warn my family that they may be at risk from this leak because naivety would be best for them if they were questioned. So I feel so helpless. More Trending That's why I believe that the Government has a responsibility to find safe routes for all the people they inadvertently put in danger. In an ideal world, they would provide safe passage to both mine and my wife's families. All this time, I've thought that being so secretive about why I left could potentially mean that I could go back to my home country one day if I needed to – like for a family member's funeral. But the mere existence of this list and my potentially being on it means that could never happen. And losing that hope is devastating. As told to James Besanvalle Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Voting age to be lowered to 16 by the next general election MORE: Here's how it could become harder for people-smugglers to reach the UK MORE: My boss asked me to polish table legs as he watched
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The staggering figure Trump has already raised from tariffs as US economy continues to defy expectations
The Trump administration has collected almost $50 billion from tariffs since initiating a global trade war in April. So far only Canada and China have retaliated against the steep tariffs that President Donald Trump has either threatened or imposed on much of the world. The White House currently imposes a minimum tariff of 10 percent on all foreign imports, 50 percent on steel and aluminum and 25 percent on car parts. US revenues from customs duties hit $64 billion in the second quarter of this year. The record high represents $47 billion more than the same period last year, according to US Treasury data. The duty income from other countries' tariffs on American goods has paled in comparison to the US revenue made in the same period. Many countries decided against retaliating with their own levies in a desperate bid to avoid even higher rates as negotiations took place. The EU, the world's biggest trading bloc, has put off implementing planned tariffs ahead of Trump's August 1 deadline for talks to conclude. It comes as The Wall Street Journal's chief economics correspondent delivered a surprise assessment on Wednesday - saying that Trump is 'winning' on trade policy. Greg Ip published his latest take on Trump's tariff wars in the publication on Tuesday, while criticizing the cruel nickname assigned to him after he 'chickened out' of imposing extreme tariffs. 'Trump has, by his own definition of success, already won his trade war,' Ip wrote, 'even without [the] deals' he vowed to reach with foreign allies. Trump faced harsh criticism for backing down on his 'Liberation Day' tariffs, earning him the moniker 'TACO' for 'Trump Always Chickens Out.' Trump threatened to redouble tariffs on any country that defied him by raising tariffs on the US, meaning many saw economic prudence in not hitting back. America also has an upper hand as the world's largest consumer market, meaning countries cannot afford for the US market for their goods to dry up. 'Unlike the 1930s when countries had more balanced trading relationships, today's world features a hub-and-spoke system with the US at the centre,' Marta Bengoa, professor of international economics at City University of New York, told The Financial Times. 'That makes retaliation economically less desirable for most countries, even when it might be politically satisfying.' Alexander Klein, professor of economic history at the University of Sussex, agreed, arguing that countries and blocs such as the EU are looking to minimize any further escalation and the inflation such a scenario could induce. US revenue from customs duties raked in $64 billion in the second quarter of the year The duty income from other countries' tariffs on American goods has paled in comparison to the US revenue made in the second quarter of this year Trump faced harsh criticism for backing down on his 'Liberation Day' tariffs, earning him the moniker 'TACO' for 'Trump Always Chickens Out' 'I'd like to think leaders were learning the lessons of history, but I fear that's optimistic. More likely, the EU, Canada and many other governments fear the hit to global supply linkages and inflation from escalation,' he said. 'Trump cares less about that, so is taking advantage.' Consumers have been warned that prices for everyday goods, including groceries, will rise as a result of the levies. However, supply chain experts say companies are finding ways to spread the cost out across global markets to minimize the impact on US consumers, The Financial Times reported. 'Global brands can try and swallow some of the tariff cost through smart sourcing and cost savings but the majority will have to be distributed across other markets, because US consumers might swallow a 5 percent increase, but not 20 or even 40,' supply chain expert Simon Geale told the publication. Nonetheless grocery giant Walmart said it is raising its prices to offset the cost of tariffs. Equally car giants have started to raise their prices to maintain their profit margins. But despite rising prices, Americans continued shopping in June, according to new data released Thursday by the US Commerce Department. Retail sales rose 0.6 percent last month, which is a major boost compared to the 0.9 percent decline in May. The June numbers were also stronger than analysts expected. Economists predicted retail sales would rebound only 0.2 percent. 'June's retail sales were resilient and they show that the consumer is still willing and able to spend,' Neil Saunders, a retail expert at GlobalData, told
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE White House touts staggering decline in illegal migrant crossings at 'most dangerous' point in Panama
Activity at a deadly jungle choke point in Central America where hundreds of thousands of migrants bound for the U.S. routinely imperiled themselves has slowed to merely a trickle under President Trump's immigration crackdown. The Darien Gap is an expanse of dense rainforest, steep ravines and swamps that regularly endures extreme rainfall, flash-floods and landslides. It is often considered the most dangerous leg of any migrant's journey from South to Central America. Over 520,000 migrants crossed through the dangerous jungle crossing heading to America in 2023; In 2024 the crossings dipped to around 300,000. There were 55 migrant deaths in the gap last year, and 180 children abandoned and left for dead were rescued, local authorities claimed. There were 31,000 Darien Gap crossings in June of 2024. But the dangerous crossings there have all but stopped, and according to a Spanish language news report, just 10 migrants crossed through the Darien Gap this June - something the White House says is cause for celebration. According to data from Panamanian authorities, under 3,000 migrants have attempted the Darien Gap crossings in 2025. The landscape is so hostile there are no roads through it, making it the only gap in the Pan-American highway which otherwise runs uninterrupted from Alaska to Argentina. Located at a critical passage between Panama and Colombia, millions of migrants have traversed the treacherous jungle on their journey to enter the U.S. It's full of venomous creatures, crocodiles, disease-carrying mosquitos and more. 'Word of the United States' secure border has spread so far around the world, that migrants aren't even willing to make the dangerous journey to get here because they know they'll be turned away,' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail in a statement. 'For the last two months, Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the United States,' Jackson added. 'That's a stat known all the way from here to the Darien Gap.' The shutdown of the passageway has impacted local economies dependent on migrants. Bajo Chiquito, a small indigenous village of 400 residents deep in the Panama jungle that is the first stop for travelers after heading through the gap, has seen its business grind to a halt since Trump implemented his sweeping border policies. 'On a normal day I attended at least 100 people, even more,' Jason Mosquera, 25, a food vendor reminisced to Spanish outlet EFE. 'Now I only attend ten people a day, if anything, six people. It has dropped a lot.' His customers these days are typically from the small village or the occasional traveler. Mosquera shared that business from passing through migrants has dried up. The vast majority of those passing through the Darien Gap - almost 2,300 - did so in January, many getting through before Trump was inaugurated and Biden was still in power. Esmeralda Dumasá, a leader in Bajo Chiquito, told EFE that the town is returning to 'normalcy' after the massive migrant waves. Children playing in the street once more is evidence of this return to 'how it was a few years ago.' The standstill in the Darien Gap comes as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) celebrated record-breaking months. June was the lowest month of illegal crossings ever at the U.S.-Mexico border, the agency announced this week. There were 6,072 migrants who crossed the border - serious drop from the tens of thousands of migrants who regularly crossed into the U.S. on a daily average. Under Biden, there were routinely 6,000 illegal crossings in a single day. None of the migrants who illegally crossed were released into the U.S., CBP touted in a recent press release. CBP 'Border crossings at their lowest levels in history last week and NPR defunded. Two big wins!' VP JD Vance posted on Thursday.
