Trump has bad days. Republicans are at each other's throats. “G*** with Epstein”
One Trump ally says the latest discussion about Epstein “brings to the surface things that are already complicated for the president.” “It's like adding salt to a dish – the flavors are already there, but the salt just enhances them,” adds the source, who was granted anonymity so he could speak honestly on a sensitive topic.
A new wave of chaos surprised the administration. The president attacked Republicans on social media, some House Republicans came under pressure to back off efforts to raise the issue, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the media.
“This is another distraction campaign by Democrats and the liberal media, and that's why I'm being asked questions about Epstein and not about reopening the government thanks to Republicans and President Trump,” Leavitt said during a news conference Wednesday.
Privately, White House advisers reject the idea that this is a particularly bad time for them or that they have suffered a string of failures. They never expected to win last week's election and believe it is too early to judge the outcome of the tariffs case as judges ask tough questions of both sides, a senior White House official says. They find the latest publication of documents relating to Epstein “irritating.”
“No one does this better than President Trump.”
“I definitely wouldn't say it was brutal,” says a senior White House official who asked not to be named. — We are used to waking up every day and not knowing what that day will bring us. That's the nature of the job, and no one does it better than President Trump. We worked for a president who was impeached and almost killed, so almost nothing surprises anyone here anymore.
However, recent reports may divide the party even furtherwhich has already split this year due to the so-called Epstein files — at a much less politically fraught moment.
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Trump has denied the allegations and there is no evidence to suggest he was involved in human trafficking activity. The president also maintains that he had a conflict with Epstein many years ago.
In a post on Truth Social, the president warned Republicanswho are working with Democrats to force a vote in the House of Representatives on releasing the Epstein files. If all goes according to plan, the vote on this issue is expected to take place in the first week of December.
“Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again because they will do anything to distract from how poorly they handled the government shutdown and so many other issues. Only a very bad or stupid Republican would fall for this trap,” Trump wrote. “There should be no distraction from the Epstein case or anything else, and all Republicans involved should focus solely on opening up our country and repairing the massive damage that Democrats have caused!”
Dilemmas of the right side
But Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-sponsored the bill with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, told reporters Wednesday that he believed “40 to 50” Republicans would join Democrats in support for the bill in the House of Representatives.
The confusion is reminiscent of the situation the White House found itself in over the summer. Celebrities associated with the MAGA movement, including Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, fueled the conflict, which the White House tried to extinguish in the weeks after the Department of Justice released a memo saying that no records of the Epstein investigation would be made public.
US President Donald Trump, October 29, 2025ANDREW HARNIK / Getty Images
Currently, the president is struggling with an economic program and foreign policy that may change completely. He is dealing with a public that does not believe that he has improved the country's financial situation, an issue that for many of them was decisive in choosing the president.
— This is the NFL [największa zawodowa liga futbolu amerykańskiego]. When you're president of the United States, you have to take everything as it comes, says David Urban, a former senior adviser to Trump. — Global conflicts appear on your table. There are riots and controversies every day in America. That's the beauty of this job.
The Epstein discussion had little impact on Trump's poll numbers. It seems to remain mostly a niche conversation on the right side of the political spectrum. A wider range of voters are more interested issues of everyday lifesuch as maintenance costs. But with the Republican coalition split, some Trump allies fear that those with ulterior motives are using the Epstein discussion for political gain.
– Or on his right side? [Trumpa] support has dropped? I mean, there was a lot of Epstein s***. Has his overall support among the right declined? NO. In fact, it is higher than when the Epstein case came to light, says one of the president's allies. — So I think a lot of it is internet rumors that are fueled by people who want to undermine his power and think they're doing that by talking about Epstein.
A blow to Trump's presidency
But four Republicans who signed the petition to bring the case to the House of Representatives say they are demanding accountability. If the Senate passes the bill and the president signs it, the Justice Department will have to turn over almost all information it has about Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her involvement in human trafficking, within 30 days.
“I'm confident the vote in the House of Representatives will be successful,” Massie recently told POLITICO. — Some Republican members who did not sign the petition told me they would vote for the bill when it comes to a vote. I suspect there will be many more.
But the White House is trying to prevent that by waging a pressure campaign to get at least one of the three House Republicans who signed the petition to withdraw their support.
In July, far-right activist Laura Loomer warned that the Epstein scandal would “engulf” Trump's presidency. In Wednesday's interview, she said she was right.
“Not because it's a real scandal,” she added. “When I said it would destroy his presidency, I meant Democrats would not allow President Trump to have a successful term.”
“I don't think it destroys his presidency because he's guilty, but I do think the Epstein files are another Russia collusion hoax,” she said.
