Donald Trump has fueled conspiracy theories to his own benefit since the beginning of his political career. First, as a Republican candidate, he questioned the nationality of then-President Barack Obama and, years later, he embraced delusions like QAnon—a supposed Satanic pedophile cabal—to captivate and retain a dedicated base of followers. This strategy has now backfired, and these hot summer days have become hellish, to the point that has been forced to order his attorney general to release witnesses from the grand jury that indicted Jeffrey Epstein.
"People are still talking about this man? This weird chili pepper? Is he unbelievable?" Donald Trump asked a reporter on July 8, the day after the Justice Department and the FBI made public their findings on the Jeffrey Epstein case.Infamous financier convicted of sex trafficking and child abuse. According to the report, there is no evidence that Epstein kept a client list and reiterates—as was concluded during Trump's first term—that his death in prison in August 2019 was a suicide. Trump's statement, uttered with evident exasperation, ignited a revolt among his base that he has been unable to control for days and that, in fact, has been fueled every time he has tried to quell it.
Most Americans received the news with a certain indifference. Epstein is past: he died in 2019 and the case was closed three years later with the conviction of British high-society heiress Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier's right-hand woman and former partner, who recruited and facilitated minors for his abuse. But for the MAGA universe –the acronym for Make America Great Again, Trump's campaign slogan turned into an ultraconservative movement– has caused a real earthquake. For years, prominent voices in Trump's orbit, such as JD Vance and Kash Patel, current director of the FBI, promoted the narrative that there was a list of Epstein clients with powerful names, including former President Bill Clinton. Now the suspicion that his own administration was hiding details of Epstein's crimes to protect the wealthy elite with whom he associated—Trump included—has caused some of his most fervent followers and some of the influencers The most prominent MAGAs have openly expressed their anger and are threatening to withdraw their support. From Hillary Clinton to former FBI Director James Comey. But last Wednesday, seeing that it wasn't working and contradicting the statements of his prosecutor, Pam Bondi, he attacked his own followers on the Truth Social network, calling them "weak" and "gullible" for believing the theocrats' frauds, recycling old tactics. Could this revolt end up consuming Trump or his presidency? No way: this man seems to have more lives than a cat. Shadowy characters.
The "client list" referred to in the conspiracy theories originates in the Epstein court documents: a set of files and witnesses that reveal the financier's network for recruiting and abusing minors, allegedly with the complicity of friends and associates. They are demanding the full release of these files, aware that their supporters will not accept the issue being forgotten.
Trump has finally relented and made some of this material public, but the gesture is unlikely to appease his more conspiracy-minded followers, convinced of manipulation to protect the powerful involved. Right now, Trump is trapped in a conflict of his own making. These theories have served to strengthen his power, imposing an iron grip not only on the MAGA movement but also on the Republican Party, despite initial resistance.
But the ghost of Epstein haunts him relentlessly these days and overshadows what he considers the greatest successes of his still-early second term: since the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities the drastic reduction in the entry of irregular immigrants and the controversial law signed on July 4, known as the Big, Beautiful Bill, which cuts social programs for the most vulnerable and substantially increases defense and immigration security budgets.
Sooner or later, Trump will likely manage to divert attention and bury the issue, but it will remain an obstacle that will test the loyalty of his supporters and could complicate his path ahead of next year's midterm elections.
