U.S. President Donald Trump is facing backlash from his core support base, the 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) faction, due to the controversy surrounding the 'Epstein files.' Despite calls for restraint, demands for clarification on the Epstein case are intensifying, revealing signs of division within the Trump administration.
The U.S. political news outlet Politico reported on the 14th (local time) that "President Trump is facing discontent among rapidly expanding MAGA supporters," adding that "some aides are increasingly concerned that the situation could worsen over time."
The Epstein case refers to the death of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with the sexual exploitation of minors and died in prison in 2019. Since then, allegations have emerged that influential figures in politics and business were involved, along with conspiracy theories suggesting that the cause of death was not suicide.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently reaffirmed that "there is no evidence that Epstein blackmailed influential figures, and the cause of death is deemed suicide," but the MAGA supporters remain unconvinced.
On the 12th, President Trump attempted to quell the backlash through social media platform Truth Social, stating, "Let's not waste time and energy on Epstein," but the opposition is rather growing. Trump tried to unify his supporters by saying, "We are one team," but this has backfired.
Key figures in the conservative camp are also publicly expressing dissatisfaction with the Trump administration. Conservative influencer Laura Loomer criticized, "The Streisand effect is occurring, and more people are paying attention to this issue now than before Trump made a post." She further asserted that the White House should appoint a special prosecutor to calm the anger of the supporters.
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson directly criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi. In an NBC interview, he pointed out that "Bondi failed to provide evidence while making false claims regarding Epstein's client list." This comment is interpreted as targeting Bondi's earlier statement in a Fox News interview that "the list is on the desk."
Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump also expressed disappointment with the White House's response. In a podcast interview, she noted that "the government should handle this matter more transparently." MAGA-aligned podcaster Natalie Winters remarked to the New York Times (NYT) that "this is the first time I've seen an issue shake the support base to this extent."
Reports indicate that President Trump did not anticipate the intensified public opinion. The NYT reported, "It appears that Trump's team did not fully grasp the scale of the conspiracy theories resurging online and the depth of support base anger."
Internal conflicts within the government are also being detected. Dan Bongino, a far-right podcaster appointed by Trump as deputy FBI director, is reported to have clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director General Kash Patel over the Justice Department's handling of the case.
The Democrats are seizing on this controversy to target the internal divisions within Trump's camp. According to online media Axios, Congressman Marc Veasey (Democrat-Texas) is pushing for a resolution calling for the publication of documents related to Epstein from the Trump administration. Congressman Ro Khanna (Democrat-California) is also preparing to propose a bill for the full public disclosure of records regarding the Epstein investigation and incarceration.
While the chances of the bill passing are low due to opposition from the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, it appears the Democrats aim to expose the differing positions within the Republican Party. Axios analyzed that "the Democrats seek to compel Republican lawmakers to decide whether to align with Trump on this issue."
The NYT pointed out that "the Trump support base has coalesced around conspiracy theories such as the Obama birthplace theory, but ironically, they are now experiencing internal conflicts due to the most representative conspiracy theory issue."