Many Republicans are increasingly dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s response to questions surrounding the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and the release of related documents, recent polling indicates.
Why It Matters
Epstein died by suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Rumors of a secret Epstein “client list” have circulated for years, but no comprehensive list has ever been made public.
On the campaign trail, Trump signaled support for releasing documents connected to Epstein. Since then, however, his administration has drawn criticism from both parties for not moving more aggressively to make those records public.
Some conservatives have now joined Democrats in pushing back, with a small but notable group of Republican lawmakers signing onto a petition that would force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.
What To Know
Trump has continued to face scrutiny over his past ties to Epstein, especially after House Democrats released a series of emails from 2011 to 2019 in which Epstein discussed the president. The messages renewed questions about what Trump may have known about Epstein’s activities.
Trump has consistently denied any personal wrongdoing or prior knowledge of Epstein’s alleged crimes before his conviction. He has said he expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida because of Epstein’s behavior.
Polling suggests the controversy remains a political weak spot for the president.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten said Thursday that the Epstein matter is Trump’s “worst issue by far.”
“Republicans who approve of Trump’s job as president—87 percent. That is basically in line with the long term-average, 85, 90, 95 percent,” he said. “But look at the Trump administration’s job on the Epstein case. Just 45 percent of Republicans—less than half of Republicans—are even buying what the administration is telling.”
Enten was citing results from an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted earlier in the fall. In that survey, only 20 percent of adults approved of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files. Among Democrats, support was just 6 percent.
The poll also found that 77 percent of adults—including 67 percent of Republicans—believe the administration should release all the files with victims’ names redacted. The survey of 1,477 adults was conducted from September 22-26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
A separate YouGov/Yahoo News poll produced similar findings. Only 8 percent of respondents in that poll approved of Trump’s handling of the Epstein investigation overall. Among Republicans, 44 percent approved. It was the only issue measured where fewer than half of Republicans gave him positive marks. That poll surveyed 1,729 adults from July 24-28 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
Todd Belt, professor and director of political management at George Washington University, told Newsweek that some conservatives feel let down because they expected Trump to “expose the corruption and cover-ups of the ‘deep state’ that protected powerful people and their mis-deeds.”
“Now it looks like Trump is part of the cover-up,” he said. “The base can’t excuse him for this.”
Belt added that as Republicans decide whether to back the release of the Epstein files, Trump’s influence with the party’s conservative base may make some incumbents think twice. Lawmakers who criticize him too openly risk provoking a primary challenge from Trump-backed opponents. Still, if the story remains in the headlines for a long time, he suggested it could shape the political landscape heading into the midterms.
“I think we will get a better idea as to where Republican incumbents stand when the Epstein files bill gets a full vote in the House. This will demonstrate whether Trump can get Republicans back in line, or if they think the better path is to distance themselves from him,” Belt said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the release of the emails at a press conference on Wednesday.
“These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong,” she said. “What President Trump has always said is that he was from Palm Beach, and so was Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-Lago until President Trump kicked him out, because Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile and he was a creep.”
A petition led by Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, will trigger a vote on whether to release the Epstein files now that Representative Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, has been sworn in. Her signature brought the total to 218—the number required for a majority of the House.
What People Are Saying
Harry Enten, CNN data analyst, on Thursday:
“We’re not necessarily sure whether or not the case has moved the ball on Trump’s overall approval rating yet, but I can tell you that the more that this case is in the news, the worse that it is.”
Representative Robert Garcia, House Oversight Committee ranking member and California Democrat, in a statement:
“The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President.”
Representative Thomas Massie, in a previous statement to Newsweek:
“Today we will have the 218th signature on my discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Speaker Johnson’s manipulation of the House calendar has delayed this for several weeks. If he’s hoping the news will get better or that people will forget, he should think again. We know from the victims’ lawyers that at least 20 men are implicated in files the FBI possesses, and we learned from the New York Times that after his death suspicious activity reports were filed with the government on nearly a billion dollars of transfers from Epstein’s account.”
What Happens Next
With 218 signatures now secured, the House will hold a vote on whether to release the Epstein files. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday that he plans to bring a bill on the matter to the floor next week.
