Epstein’s Ghost: Why The Disgraced Financier Still Haunts Trump’s Political Ambitions? | World News
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein’s existence and demise still has a long shadow lingering over American politics, especially within the ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) base, as attempts by the Trump administration to put to rest deeply embedded conspiracy theories about the disgraced financier seem to be failing.
Following a February gathering at the Department of Justice (DOJ) during which far-right pundits such as Jack Posobiec were shown “The Epstein Files” binders, containing mostly publicly available information, and a July 8 memo from the DOJ and FBI upholding Epstein’s suicide and refuting a “client list,” there is still high frustration among a portion of Trump’s base.
“We were all promised more. That answers did exist and would be given. Amazing how completely mismanaged this Epstein scandal has been,” Posobiec wrote on social media on July 7, echoing a common feeling among MAGA die-hards who think authorities are hiding important facts about Epstein’s operation and demise.
Epstein, a sex offender who had been convicted, took his own life in a New York jail cell in 2019 while he was to be tried for sex trafficking. For most in the MAGA universe, the Epstein story is a potent symbol of the “deep state” – an insidious network manipulating government entities and levers of society. As Breitbart News editor Alex Marlow noted in a recent podcast, it’s less about Epstein himself and more about the supposition that he was part of a clandestine power structure.
President Trump has sometimes stoked these theories himself. Last year’s presidential campaign saw him promise to “declassify” Epstein files, a pledge that struck a deep chord with his base. But recent DOJ approach and some words of administration figures such as FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Dan Bongino (who last year fanned Epstein rumors) have tried to quash expectations of further revelation.
The drama took a new turn this week when The Wall Street Journal broke the news on Thursday, July 17, 2025, that Trump had emailed Epstein a “bawdy” birthday message in 2003, sending the President into a rage denial. In return, on Saturday, July 19, 2025, Trump sued for at least $20 billion in a libel lawsuit against the WSJ publisher, reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo, and corporate owners such as Rupert Murdoch, for allegedly making “false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS.”
On Truth Social, Trump proclaimed it a “POWERHOUSE Lawsuit,” saying it was not just on his behalf but also “to keep fighting for ALL Americans who will no longer stand for the abusive misconduct of the Fake News Media.”
Complicating matters further, on July 18, 2025, Friday, Trump went back to Truth Social and wrote: “Based upon the absurd amount of attention paid to Jeffrey Epstein, I have requested Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any and all relevant Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” AG Bondi soon sent word that she was prepared to take the court to order the grand jury transcripts unsealed.
Conspiracism has been a steady component of President Trump’s base since his promotion of the untrue “birther” narrative. Scholars such as Mike Rothschild, who examines Trump-era conspiracy, report that Epstein has been featured prominently in QAnon lore as a key figure in a “paedo elite” that Q and Trump were allegedly meant to destroy.
Whereas some Trump allies will take his cue to ignore the latest news, a considerable subsection remains keen on learning more. This creates a political bind for the President, whose official position conflicts with the expectations he once cultivated among his base. This process is creating frustration among powerful MAGA voices, some of whom might redirect their wrath towards the wider Republican Party.
The Epstein case remains a powerful symbol for those who hold to a pervasive corruption, and the fact that it continues to loom serves as a reminder of the strength of conspiracy theories in motivating and framing political discussion in the United States.