Epstein, Epstein, Epstein!

A quick update on all the things Epstein

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Here’s where things stand: Trump is in the Epstein files. Multiple times, and he’s known about this since May. The Justice Department met with Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, in prison, where she’s serving her sentence, and she’s been subpoenaed by Congress as well. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has sent the House home for the summer so they can’t vote on any Epstein-related bills, and the Senate, still in session, is consumed by Epstein and GOP attempts to change the subject.

Obviously, the Trump Regime remains desperate to change the subject.

The current strategy is to get these folks fixated on Barack Obama, and the fantasy that Obama might be arrested for treason. Much of Trump’s base is still inflamed over the Epstein Files, and the White House’s initial attempt to close the books without releasing anything. They’re mad at Trump, but they’re not jumping ship or switching sides, which is why Trump has pivoted to blaming Obama, and going so far as to instruct Republicans to immediately start talking about Obama whenever they’re asked about Epstein. Even if the MAGA base is still mad at Trump (And they are!), these folks still hate Barack Obama even more.

Fox News seems more than happy to carry water for the Trump Regime. According to Media Matters, Fox has mentioned Obama three times more than Epstein, and their Epstein coverage is minimal compared to that of other cable news networks. But right-leaning podcasters, QAnon influencers, and even a few Republican members of Congress aren’t ready to let Epstein go and continue to push for the release of the Epstein files. Per data from Resonate, while the MAGA conversation online now mentions Obama with more frequency, 2,934,971 engagements on July 23, Epstein is still very much in the mix with 773,135 engagements. (It’s worth noting that the Left is driving much of the online conversation around Epstein at this point. The same data shows Epstein getting 6,806,816 engagements from left-leaning accounts. Dr. Kate Starbird has been tracking when that conversation moved from primarily being on the right to the left.)

Considering how the Epstein news cycle continues to percolate, and will likely get worse before it gets better, reminding the base how much they hate Barack Obama and love fantasies about Obama being in jail is probably the best tactic in a sea of otherwise terrible options. They might not be able to bring folks back home, and I don’t think it will be easy to regain the trust that’s been lost. But at least if they’re posting about Obama, they’re not talking about Epstein and adding more fuel to that fire.

Trump’s overall approval rating continues to sink, and at the six-month mark of his presidency sits at 37% overall and 29% with independents. Other polls show that Republican voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of Epstein, and that Americans overall are united that the Department of Justice should release any files related to the Epstein case. The longer this news cycle continues, the worse it’s going to get for Trump. I don’t see it ending anytime soon.