MAGA Meltdown Over Epstein
Because of course.
So, this is apparently a thing:
- Wired, “Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified”
- Fox, “MAGA world erupts over Trump’s defense of Bondi amid Epstein files fallout”
- NBC News, “Trump faces a revolt from his MAGA base over the Epstein files”
- Rolling Stone, “The DOJ’s Epstein Memo Is Tearing the Trump Administration Apart”
- NBC News, “Tucker Carlson leads MAGA’s worried warriors in questioning Trump”
- The Hill, “Bannon warns GOP could lose 40 House seats over Epstein files”
- Fox News, “Andrew Schulz turns on Trump over budget, wars, Epstein documents: ‘I voted for none of this'”
- Raw Story, “‘I don’t buy it’: Fox News turns on Trump over Epstein ‘ticking time bomb'”
- NY Post, “FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino weighs quitting over Trump admin handling of Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’”
- David French, NYT, “MAGA Is Tearing Itself Apart Over Jeffrey Epstein”
- NYT, “Trump Pleads With Followers to Back Bondi in Dispute Over Epstein Inquiry”
- Rolling Stone, “Blaming ‘Obama, Crooked Hillary’: Trump’s Epstein Memo Meltdown Gets Even Worse”
The tl;dr version:
The fallout from newly released Jeffrey Epstein files has triggered a political earthquake within the MAGA movement, exposing a growing rift between Donald Trump and many of his most ardent supporters. As questions mount over Epstein’s client list, possible cover-ups, and Trump’s continued defense of controversial allies like Pam Bondi, a wave of backlash is emerging from both the conservative media and the grassroots. Critics are accusing Trump of betraying the movement’s core values—chief among them, fighting elite corruption—and instead engaging in the very cronyism he once railed against.
A major flashpoint is a Wired investigation that found likely tampering in surveillance footage from Epstein’s jail cell. Metadata from what the FBI labeled “raw” video suggests the files were modified after their creation, undermining the government’s claim that the footage is a complete and unaltered record. “The idea that the most high-profile prisoner in America’s custody mysteriously dies, and the footage just happens to be altered? It’s insulting,” said one digital forensics expert interviewed by Wired. For MAGA supporters who have long claimed Epstein’s death was part of a deeper conspiracy, this discovery validates their fears—and raises new questions about who had the power to suppress the truth.
Rather than capitalize on this distrust of elites, Trump has fanned outrage by defending Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general, who was involved in early Epstein legal proceedings and is now a Trump loyalist. “Pam is a great person who did everything right,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “She’s being unfairly targeted by people who should know better.” But critics argue that Trump’s defense of Bondi appears more like an effort to shield his inner circle than to seek justice. “You can’t claim to be anti-establishment and then protect the establishment,” one MAGA influencer tweeted. “This is swamp behavior.”
NBC News and Fox News report that Bondi’s role in the Epstein scandal has become a major point of contention within MAGA ranks. According to NBC, one Trump campaign insider said, “There’s real concern this is going to fracture the base. People feel betrayed.” Trump’s pleas for unity are falling on deaf ears, with many conservatives openly questioning his priorities.
Tucker Carlson, a once-reliable Trump defender, has taken aim at Trump’s response. “The question is simple: if you say you’re for exposing Epstein and his clients, then why are you defending the people who failed to do just that?” Carlson asked on his show. “If Trump can’t give us the full truth, then what exactly is he protecting?” Carlson’s criticism highlights a growing sentiment among conservative media voices that Trump’s loyalty to personal allies is overtaking his commitment to transparency.
Steve Bannon echoed this concern in remarks to The Hill, warning, “If the GOP doesn’t take the Epstein files seriously, we could lose 30 or 40 House seats. People are watching. They want accountability—not excuses.” Bannon, who has positioned himself as a populist purist, emphasized that this issue cuts to the heart of MAGA’s identity. “This is the swamp. If we don’t drain it, we’re no better than the people we replaced.”
Public figures outside of traditional politics are also weighing in. Comedian and podcast host Andrew Schulz, who previously supported Trump, expressed his disillusionment bluntly on-air: “I voted for none of this. Not for the wars, not for the out-of-control spending, and definitely not for covering up Epstein’s client list. That’s not America First—that’s elite protection.” Schulz’s comments reflect a broader cultural shift, especially among younger conservatives who once supported Trump’s outsider appeal but now feel betrayed.
Even Fox News, long a stronghold of Trump loyalty, has begun airing dissent. In a segment flagged by Raw Story, Fox contributor Lisa Kennedy questioned Trump’s silence. “The Epstein documents are a ticking time bomb,” she said. “Why hasn’t Trump done more to release the full list? It’s a fair question.” Another Fox commentator added, “I don’t buy it. If Trump wanted transparency, we’d have it by now.”
The backlash has reportedly reached inside Trump’s own administration. According to the New York Post, Dan Bongino, FBI Deputy Director and a staunch Trump supporter, is considering resignation due to frustration over the administration’s handling of Epstein-related inquiries. “Dan’s loyal, but he’s not going to compromise his integrity,” a source told the Post. “He’s furious about how this is being handled.”
The broader picture, as painted by the New York Times and Rolling Stone, is one of unraveling unity. David French, in an op-ed for the Times, wrote, “The MAGA movement is tearing itself apart because it can’t reconcile its anti-elite rhetoric with Trump’s elite alliances.” He added, “There’s a reason why this scandal is resonating. It’s because it strikes at the very heart of what MAGA was supposed to stand for.”
In a separate NYT report, Trump was described as “pleading” with followers to support Bondi, framing the backlash as “a win for the Democrats.” But that framing appears to be losing traction. “We didn’t sign up to protect Epstein’s friends,” one Trump voter posted on Truth Social. “If Trump did, maybe he’s not the guy anymore.”
Rolling Stone further detailed how Trump, faced with escalating criticism, has reverted to old tactics—blaming “Obama,” “Crooked Hillary,” and “deep state operatives” for the scandal. But even some of his own supporters are no longer convinced. “The greatest hits aren’t working anymore,” wrote one conservative columnist. “We want accountability, not nostalgia.”
The Epstein fallout has created the most serious test of Trump’s hold over the MAGA movement since January 6. At the heart of the crisis is a simple but explosive question: Will Trump stand with the people—or with the powerful? For a movement built on exposing elite corruption, the answer may define its future.
The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Will Bunch, or at least his headline writer, captures my sentiment pithily in a paywalled column titled, “MAGA cares more about Jeffrey Epstein than dying without Medicaid, which explains everything.”
There are a hundred things that the administration has done in the last five months—yes, it’s only been five months—that concern me more than this. But I’m probably in the second percentile in my interest in celebrity gossip.
That said, there has been speculation for the last decade that, surely, This Thing is what will cause the MAGA faithful to turn against Trump. I am, to say the least, skeptical that this will finally be it.
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Agreed, 100%. I don’t really get the unrelenting focus on this, other than the fact that Trump’s followers have been conditioned to believe the list is full of Democrats (duh, had that been the case, it would have been released a loooooong time ago).
The fact that US citizens are getting snatched off the streets (happened again a few days ago to an army veteran in CA) and never heard from again, foreign tourists are being warned not to come here (a Canadian died in custody–everyone know about that?), Medicaid cuts (along with the suggestion that those who want to retain their coverage can work in farm fields, which is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard) and on and on are way more important to me than Epstein.
Releasing doctored footage in this day and age, when people have access to tools that can do forensic work like WIRED has done, is just sloppy. Not sure what the FBI was thinking there, other than maybe they aren’t listening to people who told them this would be quickly debunked.
I think Bongino wants out.
Trump sure is trying hard to put out the nonexistent fire that’s making all this smoke.
I am also bemused at the idea that Epstein is the bridge too far. I also think that this ha the potential to weaken Trump more then any other issue for reasons I really don’t understand.
I mean there a tons of pictures of Trump and Epstein but all this time it was the idea that Bill Clinton was the presidential pedo in chief according to the right wing. And that fact brings up a few questions.
1. Clinton has been out of off for over a quarter centaury. Even if there was rock solid evidence that he was involved with underaged girls, how does that help MAGA or the right in general?
2. Anyone with half a brain cell could guess that the most likely reason any list might be suppressed is because that the list has prominent MAGA\Right wing names on it, if not Trump himself.
3. My guess is that any list that may exist has no real blockbuster names on it or had them redacted a long time ago.
4. I would guess that Trump’s name is not on it otherwise why didn’t the DOJ under Biden relish it during his term?
5. Why is this issue so damned important to the MAGA\Right wing after of everything this guy has done? Are they ok with giving billionaires so much of their hard earned tax dollars? And why is this the issues they don’t trust Trump on?
Finally, can Bongino continue the MAGA grift without MAGA? Can anyone?
I guess none of them noticed that, since the Obama birtherism, the strategy has been to promise amazing revelations any time soon now, and to ultimately deliver nothing.
There are a hundred things that the administration has done in the last five months—yes, it’s only been five months—that concern me more than this.
I agree in principle, with one caveat. If this leads to evidence of Trump being with underage girls, it is a BFD. Given his comments regarding younger women it always seemed to me that Trump sounds like someone who would have had no problem witb sex with 16 year old girls when he was 50. The short-lived Trump Modelling Agency (always seemed like a story an investigative journalist might have looked into) sounded like a vehicle for getting young Eastern European girls into the country so they could be playthings for rich old guys. In other words, either Trump wannabees or Trump himself.
@Jen:
I am pretty sure this has to do with MAGA’s self-image.
They are the ones who fight against an exploitative evil elite, against sexual deviancy, and for traditional values and normalcy.
It’s what they do and who they are!
And the Democrats (or the unholy alliance between “rootless coastal elites” and “urban thugs”) are the ones who have held back good, hard-working heartlanders,
So how can it be that their hero Trump now sides with the rootless, exploitative elites? Have they’ve been had?
Us vs them, depraved coastal, urban America against the upstanding heartland has basically been the GOP’s message for ages. The problem (besides it being wholly untrue) is that they sold it to the rubes so well that the cynical operators inside the party have by now all been replaced by true believers.
The funny thing is that I think there is probably no Epstein file. But with Bondi saying it was on her desk, that’s not really what Trump can admit now, is it?
Rooting for injuries here.
David French argues that MAGA genuinely doesn’t know that Trump is widely associated with Epstein, that he was on the flight logs, and that he is very, very likely to be on whatever Epstein “list” exists.
Their media consumption is, apparently, so insulated from any sort of dissent from the Trump God meme, that they have no idea – they are genuinely shocked to learn that Trump even knew Epstein – despite the mountain of photographs, videos, interviews, etc.
But how can MAGA really be surprised that Trump is going to side with the elites? How many billionaires do they encounter in their every day lives? For that matter who could be delusional enough to believe the President of the United States is not an elite?
Although given Trump’s gift for self preservation at the expense of anyone around him it seems impossible to believe that there is anyone with more at risk with continued attention to the files than Donald J Trump.
This seems like the next step in the Q-Anon “revelations”. Just as the MAGAts keep the faith no matter how many times Q’s predictions did not happen, they are keeping the faith that the Epstein files will turn up and take down the Deep State.
1) No one is saying Democrats would not also be on the list. Biden would not have tried to weaponize the list because he’s Biden. . . and possibly because his son is his son. And because there may be foreigners as well, implicated, and we may not want that.
2) If there was no trafficking why is Ghislaine Maxwell in prison for trafficking?
3) The DoJ has a huge pile of Epstein docs. I don’t care how good Epstein’s OpSec was, names could be extracted.
@Michael Reynolds:
Oh, absolutely, and I didn’t mean to suggest they aren’t–MAGA seems to think that it’s all Dems, or mostly Dems, or high-level Dems…why wouldn’t the list have already been released if that’s the case? Basically, my critique here is that MAGA doesn’t seem to have thought very deeply about this, to make a bit of an understatement.
Agreed.
@Rick DeMent:
I think they were sealed.
@Jen:
Oh, MAGA hasn’t thought at all. Thinking is not their forte.
I mentioned the other day that I had over-estimated MAGA intellects in assuming that they knew the one-sided accusations were bullshit. They didn’t. They actually believed it was real. It’s like finding a 30 year-old who still believes in the Easter Bunny. They are that fukkin dumb.
With Trump it is False Premise all the time….INVASION! FENTANYL! DEFAMATION!…and so it appears to be with the MAGA cult, with its primary False Premise being that Trump is an honest broker who cares about “truth, justice and the American way.” Hence the laughable lamentations of Bongino, Carlson, and Bannon over Trump defending Pam Bondi. HELLO! Trump has made Bondi the stooge for his own complicity in the Epstein mess. The sycophant cabinet is there so Trump can blame them for his own mis and malfeasance. Draining the swamp? Please. Trump has made the swamp deeper and added more snakes and alligators.
Live by kayfabe, die by kayfabe.
We can root for injuries, but James is right, this will blow over.
Alas for the MAGAts, any list the Epstein kept was in his head and died with him. In the investigatory and court records, there is likely many named parties, but because the testimony came from minors, it is sealed
@gVOR10:
I think this sort of gets it. Because kayfabe, for many wrestling fans, exists somewhere between truth and fiction.
It’s true on an emotional level, if perhaps only temporary, even if it’s not necessarily true in a factual sense.
And it’s true absolutely if only emotional truth counts.
Quite like, for instance, the rather ineradicable notion that the US was founded as a Christian nation.
And that Trump is a champion of the common man.
ETA: So whats wrong with MAGA is not really stupidity in the strict sense of the word, but more like a lack of intellectual discipline.
They’ve given up on the distinction between facts and feelings, massively assisted, of course, by Fox News and similar media.
@drj: Of all the animal species, humans are thought to be the only species that reasons. And it’s damn rare among humans. Yeah, politics is all about feelz.
This will probably blow over, but people really do believe in Epstein as arch-villain conspiracy. This is not surprising: Epstein sold himself as a shadowy figure to rich people, who ate it all up. Right now, everyone believes in super-smart math geniuses up to no good. Epstein could pull that off for like five months, tops. Beyond kidnapping girls, Epstein didn’t do that much. Sooner or later, there are some obvious questions. He’s a financial wiz, but where were his employees, the actual quants? I’ve never once seen any connection to him and actual trading.
I think the people who got entangled with him are probably embarrassed because they thought he was interesting until the interest waned and in retrospect they appeared like creeps taken in by an aura of sleaze.
I see it like this:
No doubt the federal agents and lawyers going after Al Capone wanted to bring him down for bootlegging, or any of a number of violent crimes he committed (like beatings, extortion, murders, etc.). In the end they got him on tax evasion. Something so pedestrian, even Capone’s lawyers were unconcerned about it. But it turned out he wound up as much in jail as if he had been charged with something more serious.
So, sure, we’d like to see El Taco go down for aiding in the deaths of over a million people from COVID, or mounting an insurrection, or stealing classified documents, etc. But if his base splits and he loses support for an idiot conspiracy theory (pleonasm alert), he’ll go down as much as if it had been for some other reason.
The problem is if even this Epstein thing doens’t do it.
I’m skeptical as well. But in the past, the This Thing as been something that has upset the non-MAGA to such a great degree that the hope was it would break through to discomfit the MAGA types. This time, This Thing is so expected that it is not all that upsetting to the non-MAGA, while it’s got the MAGA types incensed. That the threat is coming from within is new enough that This Thing could play out differently.
I think Pam Bondi has a copy or the original Epstein file hidden away ready to be brought out when needed. That’s what I would do if I were working with Trump.
The tail wagged the dog until the dog caught the car.
I believe that President Trump (and the Republicans in general) is using all kinds of topics and inflammatory comments – including this Epstein diatribes – to control the focus of the media and social networks on his and the Republican regime’s actions. He is distracting us from focusing on other more important and long-lasting moves they are planning, making, or have made, so as to keep progress going without push-back from the public and from scrutiny by the press.
He’s been inflammatory from the beginning, with a bullshit torrent of lies and rhetoric, in order to have everyone else back on their heels defending themselves or refuting his claims, instead of analyzing, revealing, and defeating his true agenda/purposes/machinations.
Democrats should be suspicious of almost everything he seems to be focusing on, treating him initially as a raving crazy uncle at the family reunion, and dismissing his narratives as easily as he makes them, and refusing to engage disproportionately (our focus on his BS only gives them credibility I think; you don’t wrestle in the mud with pigs).
We should be diving deep into whatever else he and his minions might be doing in the background, just like a magician who shows you the deck of cards or hat in her one hand while her other hand dips quickly below the table to grab the other card or rabbit!
This is not to say that he is not transparent with his outspoken remarks and initiatives; he does believe what he is saying I think. We just can’t react to everything he says as though it’s the only topic worth discussing at the time. Maybe divide and conquer as much as possible in criticizing his political movements and machinations, whether upfront in his twitter posts, or behind the scenes.
As others have mentioned, this will blow over soon enough, but for the first time in a while MAGA feels like us Democrats have on many an occasion, as someone who is getting ready to kick the football (ready to work with the GOP on immigration reform, for example) just to have it removed at the last moment, that MAGA is feeling like Charlie Brown every time he tries to kick the football is interesting and entertaining for now but really does nothing to fix what is ailing us in the United States.
Ailments such as so many folks indifference to folks being snatched off the street, Medicaid being dismantled before our eyes, tariffs that are driving up the costs of living, the theft of money that should have gone to USAID, and just general theft of funds that were in many cases already voted on by taxpayers, and so on and so forth.
@Michael Reynolds:
There was trafficking–the key thing was that the proven trafficking was for Epstein’s own use. That he had sex (or rather rape) with underage women has never been in question.
The challenge has always been proving that anyone had sex with those young women. So far no one–State or Federal–has been able to prosecute that. One of the victims attempted to sue Dershowitz, but dropped the case:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/epstein-victim-drops-lawsuit-lawyer-alan-dershowitz-rcna56250
Bottom line: We know young women were trafficked for Epstein. Others may have taken part, but no one has been able to prove that or even go far enough to get an indictment.
@Slugger: Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.