CNN Data Guru Says Trump’s ‘Massive’ Epstein Story Refuses to Go Away
Harry Enten called the White House’s recent Epstein headache “self-inflicted.”
Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
The White House’s Jeffrey Epstein problem is not going away.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten said Friday that the name “Epstein” has been Googled 1.4 times as much as “tariffs” since Monday—which he said is “huge news”—and 1,200 percent more than “Epstein” was Googled last week.
Enten also revealed that “Esptein” is the “top topic search with Trump on Google, alongside his presidency.”
The president has distanced himself from disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, claiming he cut ties with him over a decade before he was arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019.
Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
The spike in Epstein searches comes after the White House confirmed Tuesday there is no so-called “client list” to divulge regarding Epstein, an accused sex trafficker and pedophile who described Trump as his “closest friend” before he took his own life in 2019.
It’s not just Google searches. Social Media, particularly X, is rife with former MAGA diehards—like Elon Musk and right-wing podcaster Alex Jones—expressing disbelief that the White House has not declassified more details of the federal government’s Epstein investigation, a key campaign promise made by the president. Even top Trump adviser Steve Bannon is not pleased with the development, calling for Trump to appoint a special prosecutor to probe the Epstein files.
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“What a massive, unforced error by the Trump administration,” Enten said of the political crisis.
Search interest in “Epstein” spiked after the White House confirmed there was no “client list” to release, despite Attorney General Pam Bondi claiming earlier this year that no such list exists.
Google Trends
The data guru noted that Trump, who typically fights controversy with fire (consider his fiery falling out with Musk), has been mostly mum on the issue. The president even shut down a reporter’s question related to Epstein during a cabinet meeting this week.
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump interrupted. “This guy’s been talked about for years. We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.”
Enten suggested that running from the story has not been effective in killing it off.
“Donald Trump normally leans into stories in which there’s controversy, like tariffs, for example,” he said. “But this is a story in which he’s trying to get away from, basically saying, ‘Why is anyone still interested in this story?’ The bottom line is people are very interested in this story—to historic degrees—at least this week."
Attorney General Pam Bondi, 59, has been called out by MAGA diehards for reneging on her claim that a so-called “client list” of Jeffrey Epstein exists.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Bondi, 59, has been at the center of recent outrage. That is in part because she claimed in February to have Epstein’s “client list” sitting on her desk “right now to review.” Since then, no new information has been made public about Epstein, and the White House confirmed reports of an FBI and Department of Justice memo that asserted no Epstein client list even exists.
These announcements have prediction markets bullish that additional details about Esptein and his suicide, which has been the subject of right-wing conspiracies dating back to the first Trump presidency, will ever come to light.
There was a sharp dip on prediction markets after the White House confirmed a DOJ memo that said there is no so-called Epstein “client list.” Still, markets estimate there is still a 20 percent chance President Donald Trump releases additional “Epstein files” at some point in 2025.
Kalashi
Enten pointed out that Kalshi reduced its expectation of Trump releasing more Epstein files to 20 percent, down from as high as 50 percent in May.
“I think there are going to be a lot of the MAGA fan base who are going to be very disappointed,” Enten said. “And this is all a self-inflicted error by Trump and the Trump administration ... It turns out what goes around sometimes comes around when you push conspiracy theories.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
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