Fanatical supporters of Donald Trump are turning against him for the first time. They believe the American president is withholding information in the Epstein case. Now that Trump wants to refute this, he is discovering how strong the distrust he himself has created is.
It revolves around documents from the case surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, better known as the Epstein files. According to conspiracy theorists, there is a list with names of powerful people who, with Epstein’s help, were also guilty of child abuse.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on suspicion of sexual exploitation and child abuse. A month later, he was found dead in his cell in New York. The official explanation is suicide, but according to conspiracy theories, he was murdered by an elite who wanted to cover up incriminating evidence. But there is no evidence for that claim. It is true that Epstein had many powerful friends, including ex-president Bill Clinton and Trump.
Trump promised to reveal the Epstein files during his election campaign. But the opposite happened last week. The FBI and the Department of Justice announced last week that the name list does not exist. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in February that the list “was on her desk”.
In addition, new research confirmed that Epstein had taken his own life. But FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino were well-known conspiracy theorists before taking office who spread theories about the alleged name list and Epstein’s death.
‘Monster that Trump himself has created’
Trump’s supporters, the Make American Great Again movement (MAGA), do not believe those official statements. They suspect the American government of withholding details to protect possible perpetrators.
No evidence has been provided for this (yet), but facts do not weigh so heavily with this movement. “This is a monster that Trump himself has created,” historian and America expert Jack Thompson explains to NU.nl.
Conspiracy theories have become common in American politics, especially among Republicans, Thompson says. “That goes back to the nineties, but Trump has further fueled that weight.” For example, he proclaimed without any evidence that the Democrats had stolen the 2020 election victory.
Trump also made himself popular with his attack on the ‘deep state’, a so-called elite that would secretly have all the power in its hands. That is also not based on anything.
Support sees ‘Pizzagate’ and QAnon come together in the Epstein case
Moreover, the Epstein files are part of another well-known conspiracy theory: within that deep state there would be a pedophile network of a powerful (Democratic) elite. This story led to the so-called ‘Pizzagate’ in 2016 and the subsequent QAnon conspiracy network.
For MAGA supporters, these theories come together in the Epstein files. With the promise to open those documents, Trump, according to the experts, has won many votes. Now that, according to him, there is nothing to reveal, the president is not only breaking his promise, but he is also suspected of protecting this elite.
‘Rubbing more and more in the same spot’
Experts see that it is new for Trump that the criticism comes from his own supporters. America expert Andrew Gawthorpe: “Usually Trump does not take criticism too seriously, because it comes from his enemies. But he cannot ignore his supporters.”
America expert Kirsten Verdel sees that Trump reacts differently than normal. When criticized, he usually shifts the attention, but now he reacts defensively. In interviews, the president insists that no one should look into it anymore. “He rubs more and more in the same spot.”
On Wednesday, Trump wrote on his own social medium Truth Social that the Democrats invented the “Jeffrey Epstein hoax.” In doing so, the president also lashes out at his “former supporters who believe that nonsense.”
The Democrats are seizing on this disorder among the Republicans and want the documents to be made public. They wanted to enforce this through an amendment, but in the House of Representatives all Republicans voted against. Verdel: “Why would you vote against it if, according to the public prosecutor, those documents do not even exist?”
Influence on midterm elections?
The experts think that heads will roll among Trump’s officials in the short term. The most likely victim is Bondi, who was in charge of the investigation into the Epstein files.
Trump’s image will take a hit, but it is unlikely to have far-reaching consequences. Verdel: “With Signal-gate, the press also wrote that it would resonate for a long time, but that has also passed.” The difference is that this now personally affects Trump, the America expert agrees.
In the worst case, it could have an influence on the midterms. In these elections in November 2026, Americans will go to the polls for the House of Representatives (their Lower House) and numerous local and regional political functions. But Thompson suspects that this relationship is too far away to have an influence on the midterms. “By that time, this will already be drowned out by other squabbles that they themselves are stirring up.”
Gawthorpe states that it could become a problem if some Republican voters do not vote because they feel betrayed. Republican voters usually vote less in the midterms, because they are less interested in politics than Democrats, he says. “This could therefore exacerbate that problem.”