The First Fissure: Breaking Down the Trump/MAGA Epstein List Drama
When Republicans in-fight, America wins.
This past week saw this in action as there emerged a massive rift over the canceled release of the so-called "Epstein Client List." The problem stems from Trump's own hand-picked Attorney General Pam Bondi. Earlier this year, to quell the incessant nagging of the far-right, Bondi claimed in a February 21st interview with Fox News that a Jeffrey Epstein client list was "sitting on her desk, awaiting review," saying this was a directive from Donald Trump. This is exactly the type of story that energizes the conspiracy right, and they became heavily invested in the idea that the DOJ would be releasing this list that hopefully included folks like Bill Clinton, George Soros, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and every other Democrat they had come to loathe. The problem was that there was likely never any such client list, as sex traffickers tend not to keep such incriminating information so overtly accessible. But that didn't stop Magaworld from getting their hopes up, and they saw the Epstein files and simply the latest Deep State document that magically tied Democrats to the seething underworld of pedophilia and child sex trafficking.
So you can imagine their utter shock and disbelief when Bondi's DOJ shared a Monday memo that concluded that there was no Epstein list, there was no evidence that he ever blackmailed prominent figures, and that there was no ground to pursue uncharged third parties. Just like that, the Trump Administration was officially closing the book on anything and everything related to Jeffrey Epstein, thereby denying legions of conspiracy cosplayers the satisfying conclusion that they felt they had been promised. When Donald Trump was asked about this the following day, he berated a reporter for doing so, but the far right's anger would not dissipate. Over the next 5 days, a growing faction emerged in Magaworld, comprising those on Team Trump/Bondi and those on Team Release The Epstein Files. Trump, clearly rattled, released an especially unhinged Saturday night Truth Social post defending Pam Bondi, but it was too little, too late. For the very first time, Trump's post got "ratioed", meaning it received more comments than likes. The base was angry and, for the first time, was publicly directing that anger at their bronzed messiah.
While Trump has steadfastly stood by Bondi's side, opposition has arisen in the form of far-right commentators and influencers. Steve Bannon, of all people, has warned that the GOP could lose 10 percent of MAGA supporters, which would equate to the loss of 40 House seats in 2026. FBI Director Dan Borgano came out against the DOJ's decision and was supposedly so outraged that he skipped work on Friday and is now considering resigning. Influencers like Jack Pobosiac have used their platforms to slam the Trump administration for its apparent shielding of Jeffrey Epstein and those associated with him. And, of course, Trump Administration employee of the year Elon Musk also shared his thoughts on social media by criticizing Trump for refusing to release the Epstien files "as promised." Despite countless broken promises on everything from jobs to immigration raids, it has been the Epstein Files, of all things, that have made MAGAworld rise up against their orange overlord.
For a decade, Donald Trump has managed to placate the most extreme members of his party. He has done it largely by being a buffoon; he simply regurgitates the latest conspiracy theory he hears, and that tells his followers that he is one of them. But the Epstein Files is truly the first time he has failed to read the room. And the reason he has done so is because he is injecting his own personal ego into the fight. You see, Donald Trump was a prominent figure in the world of Jeffrey Epstein. We know of their relationship through various profiles, including a damning 2017 interview with Michael Wolff, who describes the decade-long relationship between Trump and Epstein. We know that Trump was listed in Epstein's flight logs on seven separate occasions. And we know that Epstein had Trump's own phone number in his contact list. Seeing photos and videos of them being chummy, and there can be no doubt that Trump and Epstein had a friendship, one that would later have Epstein himself claim he was "Donald Trump's best friend." By allowing for the release of the Epstein files, Trump is risking putting all of this out there for the public to see.
For him, that is a bridge too far. So he likely told Pam Bondi and the DOJ to bury the release. But this is something that Bondi promised Magaworld. This is not something they can blame on Joe Biden, Barack Obama, or the Deep State. This is a report that Trump has in his possession, and he is refusing to release it to his adoring masses. Once Trump made that decision, he alienated his most ardent supporters. For the last few years, they've been led to believe that it was Democrats who were blocking the release of the files and not Republicans. Now that it's clearly Trump, his cosplay conspiracists and turning and are turning fast. They have been promised the release of this report. They have been promised that Democrats were involved. They have been promised that there will be punishments for those who engage in sex trafficking. When none of that happens and it is Donald Trump of all people preventing that release, then that is something that simply cannot be tolerated.
Watching what comes of all this will be fascinating. If Trump had any semblance of a brain, he would release something to placate the loonies. But his ego, his massive, sweltering ego, simply can't stoop to making himself look bad. So Magaworld will continue to become enraged. While losing 40 seats seems like a Steve Bannon exaggeration, keeping home the most extreme members of the GOP from voting in the midterms is an obvious win for Democrats. For the first time, we're seeing a fissure within the GOP, and it's the issue of the Epstein Files of all things that's causing the chaos. This is happening because Donald Trump made one promise, one fateful promise, that he couldn't afford to keep.
And not even Magaworld can tolerate such an obviously broken promise.
For him, that is a bridge too far. So he likely told Pam Bondi and the DOJ to bury the release. But this is something that Bondi promised Magaworld. This is not something they can blame on Joe Biden, Barack Obama, or the Deep State. This is a report that Trump has in his possession, and he is refusing to release it to his adoring masses. Once Trump made that decision, he alienated his most ardent supporters. For the last few years, they've been led to believe that it was Democrats who were blocking the release of the files and not Republicans. Now that it's clearly Trump, his cosplay conspiracists and turning and are turning fast. They have been promised the release of this report. They have been promised that Democrats were involved. They have been promised that there will be punishments for those who engage in sex trafficking. When none of that happens and it is Donald Trump of all people preventing that release, then that is something that simply cannot be tolerated.
Watching what comes of all this will be fascinating. If Trump had any semblance of a brain, he would release something to placate the loonies. But his ego, his massive, sweltering ego, simply can't stoop to making himself look bad. So Magaworld will continue to become enraged. While losing 40 seats seems like a Steve Bannon exaggeration, keeping home the most extreme members of the GOP from voting in the midterms is an obvious win for Democrats. For the first time, we're seeing a fissure within the GOP, and it's the issue of the Epstein Files of all things that's causing the chaos. This is happening because Donald Trump made one promise, one fateful promise, that he couldn't afford to keep.
And not even Magaworld can tolerate such an obviously broken promise.