Musk mocks ‘Epstein hoax' as poll finds majority of Americans think Trump hiding info
'Wow, amazing that Epstein 'killed himself' and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,' the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) wrote on X on Wednesday after a reporter in the Oval Office probed Trump for evidence substantiating his previous claims that his political foes created the Epstein files.
The president told the reporter: 'I know it's a hoax, it's started by Democrats, it's been run by the Democrats for four years.'
The latest from Musk and Trump came right before a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that the majority of Americans believe Trump is hiding information about the accused sex-trafficker and former financier.
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The two-day Ipsos poll, which closed Wednesday, showed 69 per cent of respondents thought the federal government was concealing details about Epstein's clients, compared with six per cent who disagreed. About one in four who said they weren't sure.
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Epstein was facing federal charges of sex trafficking minors when he died by suicide in jail in 2019. He had pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed after his death.
After Epstein's death, legal proceedings continued to captivate Trump's political base, which was expecting lurid details to come out after some of Trump's top law enforcement officials, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, said they would release documents that would lead to major revelations about Epstein and his alleged high-profile clientele.
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From left, American real estate developer Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 12, 2000. 1
Last week, the Trump administration changed course on its pledge, enraging some of the president's followers and casting doubt over the party's candour.
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According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, close to two-thirds of Republicans think the administration is hiding details on Epstein's business, and just 17 per cent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the case.
Among Republicans, 35 per cent approved of his handling, compared with 29 per cent who disapproved and the rest who said they were unsure or abstained.
Meanwhile, 82 per cent of Democrats said they did not approve of Trump's handling of the issue, while 71 per cent agreed that he was hiding information about Epstein's death specifically. Additionally, 82 per cent of Democrats believe Trump is hiding Epstein's so-called 'client list,' along with 62 per cent of Republicans.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Trump and White House officials were weighing a range of options, including unsealing new documents, appointing a special prosecutor and drafting executive actions on issues such as pedophilia.
Trump, however, has been defiant, describing supporters hung up on the issue as 'weaklings' who were helping Democrats. 'I don't want their support anymore!' Trump said in a social media post.
— With files from Reuters
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