Jeffrey Epstein may be dead, but he continues to haunt Donald Trump, threatening to tear MAGA—and possibly the entire ruling class—apart.
The scandal surrounding the world’s most famous pedophile has come full circle. First, Trump dangled the release of the Epstein files as a sign of his willingness to take on the corrupt “swamp” of Washington, DC. Then, in a 180-degree turn, Trump brushed the whole thing aside, calling it a “Democrat hoax.” Now, the rallying cry to release the files has been turned against Trump himself, becoming the biggest wedge in the MAGA camp to date.
From scandal to mutiny
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed Epstein’s client list, full of rich and powerful pedophiles, was on her desk. Trump’s base rallied, while Democrats and liberal media outlets smirked at another MAGA “conspiracy theory.” By July, Bondi denied the list ever existed. The Justice Department (DOJ) and the FBI released a joint statement claiming that their “systematic review” of the Epstein files “revealed no incriminating ‘client list.’”
According to Bondi and co., keeping the files hidden from the public wasn’t an attempt to cover up the crimes of wealthy and well-connected pedophiles. It “served only to protect victims.” They further claimed that there was no evidence to suggest that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell to keep him quiet. The case was closed—or so they hoped.
Millions of Americans smelled a rat. A week later, Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would instruct the DOJ to release all Epstein-related files.
They also circulated a discharge petition, a parliamentary maneuver to force a vote on the bill against the wishes of the House leadership. Trump warned Republicans that signing the petition would be “a very hostile act.” His lapdog, Speaker Mike Johnson, went to Herculean lengths to prevent a vote, including sending the House on an early summer vacation and refusing to swear in Arizona congresswoman Adelita Grijalva—who planned to sign the petition—for nearly two months after her special-election victory.
The rallying cry to release the files has been turned against Trump himself, becoming the biggest wedge in the MAGA camp to date. / Image: Geoff Livingston, Wikimedia Commons
But pressure mounted after the Wall Street Journal published Trump’s lewd 2003 birthday card to Epstein. Within a week, DOJ officials were having closed-door meetings with Epstein’s accomplice and convicted child sex–trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. In the wake of these parleys, Maxwell was transferred to a minimum security prison. She reportedly now gets “concierge-style” treatment, with a high-ranking prison official saying he’s “sick of having to be Maxwell’s bitch.”
When asked, Trump said he would not “rule out” a pardon or commutation of her sentence. Conveniently, the DOJ released transcripts from their investigation, in which Maxwell said “she never witnessed anything untoward in Donald Trump’s friendship with Epstein.”
On November 12, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three Epstein emails asserting that Trump “knew about the girls.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt covered for Trump, saying the emails “prove absolutely nothing, other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.” In response to the emails, House Republicans released a flurry of more than 20,000 pages of Epstein-related documents.
This threw gasoline on the Epstein dumpster fire. Despite Trump’s heavy pressure, three Republicans besides Massie still publicly supported the Epstein Files Transparency Act: Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Trump, Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel took Boebert into the Situation Room to “discuss” the matter, but she stood firm. The president withdrew his support from Greene, calling her “wacky” and “Marjorie Traitor Greene.”
Mike Johnson finally swore Grijalva into office. She provided the final signature on the discharge petition to force a vote. Trump caved. Knowing that the bill would pass—and that anyone voting against it would live to regret it come the 2026 midterms—he urged House Republicans to vote yes and promised to sign the bill.
The House passed the bill with only one vote against. The Senate passed it unanimously, and it now sits on Trump’s desk. Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would release the files within 30 days. When asked at a press conference what had changed since the DOJ announcement that there was nothing more to disclose, she stumbled through a vague reply: “Information that has come forward, information, uhm, there’s information that, new information, additional information.”
Cracks in MAGA
The cracks in MAGA are the widest they’ve ever been.
Marjorie Taylor Greene was once one of Trump’s most rabid supporters. But she’s broken ranks with him on healthcare premiums and, now, the Epstein files. She has appealed directly to the MAGA base, saying the files represent “the failures of the federal government and Congress to the American people … this is why they don’t trust Congress. This is why they don’t trust the government.” Greene can see which way the wind is blowing. If MAGA turns on Trump, she is angling to carve out some influence among a section of his fragmented base.
Trump himself has cracked. When a reporter pointed out that Trump could release the files without Congress, he snapped, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” Over the past week, he has angrily lashed out at numerous reporters who ask questions about Epstein. Seated in the Oval Office next to the journalist-murdering Saudi Crown Prince, he told an ABC News correspondent, “You’re a terrible reporter, and a terrible person.”
And on Sunday, when a reporter brought up the sore subject, Trump responded, “Well, I don’t wanna talk about it because fake news like you—you’re a terrible reporter—fake news like you, they just keep bringing that up to deflect from the tremendous success of the Trump administration.”
Trump’s approval rating is now just 38%, the lowest since his term began. He is tanking on the economy, cost of living, and immigration. The continuation of the Ukraine War, the bombing of Iran, and extrajudicial murders on the high seas have also played a role.
But his worst issue is Epstein. Polls show 59% of Americans disapprove of his handling of the case, while only 20% approve. In his own party, 60% think Trump is hiding the client list. And a near-unanimous 92% of Americans “think the files probably include damaging information about wealthy or powerful people.”
The Epstein files are a Pandora’s Box that threatens the entire ruling class. Already, Steve Bannon and Larry Summers have been exposed, and former British royal, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, lost his princely title. There’s no telling who will be next. Although the mere mention of someone’s name doesn’t automatically imply guilt, other names that have been linked to the pedophile billionaire include Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, RFK, Jr., and Ehud Barak.
Trump is at the mercy of his base. He’s already worried that releasing the files won’t be enough to placate them, as many have already lost trust in the Justice Department, FBI, and federal law enforcement generally.
Meanwhile, the Democrats, facing historically low approval ratings, cynically latched on to the Epstein files in the hopes of bolstering their popular support. They may live to regret it. Epstein was a Democratic Party donor, and more prominent Democrats will certainly be implicated if the files are fully released. For example, documents show Epstein gave live feedback and fed questions to Stacey Plaskett, Democratic delegate from the US Virgin Islands, during a congressional hearing in 2019.
The White House still has a few cards left. The Department of Justice could refuse to release the files on the grounds that they are conducting an investigation into big-name Democrats like Bill Clinton. Or they could release the files, but redact all the Republican names—which Epstein’s brother Mark says they are already planning to.
No matter what happens, the Epstein scandal is another nail in MAGA’s coffin. In an epoch of world capitalist crisis, this cross-class electoral coalition will not last forever. The common problems facing all workers will eventually lead to all-out explosions of the class struggle that will turn American politics upside down.
