The Epstein files are still a massive problem for President Donald Trump, a new report has revealed.
Despite the president’s desperation to move on from the scandal that has lurked behind every act of his second term, voters still think it is one of the major issues facing the U.S.
Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, circulated a memo to around a dozen top White House aides in late March, revealing that it remained the sixth-most important issue for voters. The data he used came from a focus group he had conducted that month.
According to a report in The New York Times, voters regard it as a bigger matter than military issues, crime and safety, “pro-working-class” sensibilities, and data centers.
The Epstein files were only regarded as less important than five key macro issues: inflation, the economy, foreign policy, immigration, and healthcare, the memo said.
In the memo’s key takeaways section, Fabrizio said that “There is also a consistent mention of the Epstein files, which came up in every group and is a real negative with some of these voters.”
Trump’s decision not to release all of the Epstein files has been a problem that has refused to go away and has beleaguered his presidency and shaken his relationship with his base.
Trump is known to have had a social relationship with child sex trafficker Epstein that lasted for more than a decade.
Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the predator, who died in a jail cell in 2019.
Revelations about Fabrizio’s memo came as part of a broad new report from the Times that sheds light on several alleged incidents and interactions among Trump’s top aides and advisors on the matter.
Among the revelations is the claim that last year the scandal paralyzed the administration more than the public knew.
Epstein has been a huge issue for Trump’s base, and the release of the files, coupled with promises about transparency and the unveiling of so-called deep-state secrets, was partly what attracted many voters and politicians who made up the 2024 MAGA election coalition.
Now that the alliance is falling apart. Frustration remains over the release of the files, which were publicized at an extremely slow pace with no regard for the deadline set by Congress. They were also heavily redacted, with some pages rendered totally unreadable.
After the release of 3.5 million documents, the Department of Justice said that no more needed to be made public.
Pivotal figures of the 2024 MAGA movement are now jumping ship, both in the halls of power and in media outlets that talk about them. The exodus of MAGA types has been fueled by the war with Iran.
Among the most high-profile figures to desert Trump are former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Fox News Hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and podcast bros Theo Von and Joe Rogan.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
