Trump Triggers Humiliating Truth Social Backlash by Praising Appointees After Epstein Flub
The president lauded FBI leaders Kash Patel and Dan Bongino. His supporters had a different take.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump’s Truth Social followers reacted furiously to a post in which he praised his loyalists leading the FBI amid MAGA uproar over the bureau’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
In his post, Trump lauded FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino, writing on Monday: “They have been unleashed to do their jobs, and they are doing just that. Keep it up—MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!” Trump did not make clear why he was making the sudden show of support for the pair—which came hours after the FBI and Department of Justice released a memo concluding that sex offender Epstein died by suicide and had not kept an incriminating “client list.”
Trump's Monday evening post prompted a backlash from angry critics.
Truth Social / Donald Trump
The findings directly undercut years of speculation among pro-Trump influencers and media personalities about Epstein’s death. Before joining Trump’s FBI, Both Patel and Bongino had used their platforms to question the official narrative around the Epstein case.
The memo sparked an outpouring of rage from MAGA figures at Trump officials, with some even calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to be fired. In February, she said Epstein’s client list—which the DOJ now says doesn’t exist—was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”
But it was Trump himself in the firing line on Truth Social, as even his most ardent supporters dared to push back on his praise for his allies.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Invoking Trump’s penchant for caps lock, one self-described “ultra-MAGA patriot” raged: “With all due respect, IF THOSE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS ARE NOT BEING ARRESTED, we the people HAVE LITTLE FAITH THAT ANY IF THIS WILL MATTER.”
Kash Patel has taken heat for doing a 180 on his Epstein messaging.
Chip Somodevilla/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Either FIRE PAM BONDI, KASH, and Bongino or we will have major problems in this country due to LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY!! 🚨 🚨 we know she had the client list on her desk!!!”
Another Trump fan, Patriot4Life, also smashed the caps key and declared his mistrust of Trump’s administration. “OH BOY!! I THINK WE WERE ALL PLAYED HERE PATRIOTS!” he wrote.
“Why is your DOJ and FBI protecting pedophiles?” asked another Truth Social user.
Bongino suffered a similar fate when he shared a screenshot of Trump’s post on X. “We are doubling down. No letting up,” Bongino wrote, before the MAGA hounds set upon him.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is also in MAGA crosshairs for changing his tune on the Epstein files.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
“This is a joke, the rule of law applies to everyone. If you are going to do it, hold everyone accountable. We don’t give a f--- of political status or position,” one unhappy commentator fumed.
Others called Bongino “DISGRACEFUL,” accused him of lying, and asked how he could stand to look at himself in the mirror.
Attorney General Pam Bondi had boasted that she had Epstein’s client list on her desk—now the DOJ says it doesn’t exist.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Since joining the FBI, Patel and Bongino have sought to dispel conspiracies surrounding Epstein’s death.
“He killed himself,” former Fox News contributor Bongino even stated on the network in May, weeks into his government gig. “I’ve seen the whole file.”
The same month as Bongino’s direct assertion on Fox News, Patel was forced to grovel during a televised Senate Appropriations Committee hearing and admit: “I believe he hung himself in a cell.”
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“President Trump has the strongest law and order team supporting his mission of Making America Safe Again, and their tireless work is holding criminals accountable and delivering justice to victims,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told The Daily Beast.
“The data speaks for itself: violent illegal gangs are being swiftly removed from communities, pedophiles and traffickers are facing the full weight of the justice system, and justice is being served to families desperate for closure,” Fields added. “America is safer today with President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, Director Patel, and many others.”
White House Press Secretary separately addressed Trump’s pride in Bondi in another statement to The Daily Beast.
“President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda, restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, and bring justice to victims of crime,” she said.
“The continued fixation on sowing division in President Trump’s Cabinet is baseless and unfounded in reality.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.