With Epstein conspiracy theories, Trump faces a crisis of his own making

NEW YORK — As his supporters erupt over the Justice Department's failure to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation, President Donald Trump's strategy has been to downplay the issue.

''I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is,'' Trump told reporters Tuesday.

His problem? That nothing-to-see-here approach doesn't work for those who've learned from him they must not give up until the government's deepest, darkest secrets are exposed.

Last week, the Justice Department and the FBI abruptly walked back the notion there's an Epstein client list of elites who participated in the wealthy New York financier's trafficking of underage girls. Trump quickly defended Attorney General Pam Bondi and chided a reporter for daring to ask about the documents.

The online reaction was swift, with followers calling the Republican president ''out of touch'' and demanding transparency.

Trump's comments to reporters Tuesday while returning to Washington from a brief Pittsburgh trip were just the latest in a days-long campaign to quell the uproar. He called the Epstein case ''pretty boring'' and said "the credible information has been given."

''I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody.'' he said.

Trying to ‘put the genie back in the bottle'

Over the weekend, Trump used his Truth Social platform to attempt to call supporters off the Epstein trail amid reports of infighting between Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over the issue. He suggested the turmoil was undermining his administration — ''all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.''

That did little to mollify Trump's supporters, who urged him to release the files or risk losing his base.

The political crisis is especially challenging for Trump because it's one of his own making. The president has spent years stoking dark theories and embracing QAnon-tinged propaganda that casts him as the only savior who can demolish the ''deep state."

Now that he's running the federal government, the community he helped build is coming back to haunt him. It's demanding answers he either isn't able to or doesn't want to provide.

Asked Tuesday whether Bondi had told him his name was in the Epstein files, Trump said no. He praised her handling of the case and said she should release ''whatever she thinks is credible." But he also claimed there were credibility issues with the documents, suggesting without citing evidence they were ''made up'' by former FBI Director James Comey and former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, both Democrats. Bondi declined to discuss the Epstein files Tuesday during a press briefing about drug trafficking.

''The faulty assumption Trump and others make is they can peddle conspiracy theories without any blowback,'' said Matt Dallek, a political scientist at George Washington University. ''The Epstein case is a neat encapsulation that it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle.''

A problem that's not going away

Last week's two-page statement from the Justice Department and the FBI saying they had concluded Epstein didn't possess a client list roiled Trump's supporters, who pointed to past statements from several administration officials that the list ought to be revealed.

Bondi had suggested in February such a document was sitting on her desk waiting for review, though last week she said she'd been referring generally to the Epstein case file, not a client list.

Conservative influencers have since demanded to see all the files related to Epstein's crimes, even as Trump has tried to put the issue to bed.

Far-right commentator Jack Posobiec said at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit on Saturday he wouldn't rest ''until we go full Jan. 6 committee on the Jeffrey Epstein files.''

Trump's weekend post called on supporters to focus on investigating Democrats and arresting criminals rather than ''spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein.'' His first-term national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, pleaded with him to reconsider.

''@realdonaldtrump please understand the EPSTEIN AFFAIR is not going away,'' Flynn wrote.

Other Trump allies continue to push for answers, among them far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has called for Bondi to resign. She told Politico's Playbook newsletter on Sunday a special counsel should be appointed to investigate the handling of the files on Epstein, who was found dead in his federal jail cell in 2019 weeks after he was arrested.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told right-wing influencer Benny Johnson in an interview released Tuesday that he is ''for transparency,'' and wants Bondi to ''put everything out there and let the people decide.'' He said the Justice Department needs to focus on crime and other priorities, including elections and investigating ActBlue, the Democrats' top fundraising platform.

Experts who study conspiracy theories warned more sunlight doesn't necessarily make far-fetched narratives disappear.

''For some portion of this set of conspiracy theory believers, no amount of contradictory evidence will ever be enough,'' said Josephine Lukito, who studies conspiracy theorists at the University of Texas at Austin.

Trump and his colleagues set their own trap

The president and many figures in his administration — including Bondi,Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel — earned their political capital over the years in part by encouraging disproven conspiracy theories.

Now, they're tasked with trying to reveal the evidence they'd long insisted was there — a challenge that's reached across the government.

Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin posted on X what seemed like an endorsement of a conspiracy theory that the contrails left by aircraft are releasing chemicals for potentially nefarious reasons. But a second post from Zeldin underscored the fine line the Trump administration is trying to walk by linking to a new page on the EPA website that essentially debunked the theory.

The value of conspiratorial fabrications is they help people get political power, said Russell Muirhead, who teaches political science at Dartmouth College. He said Trump has been skilled in exploiting that.

But the Epstein case brings unique challenges, he said. That's because it's rooted in truth: A wealthy and well-connected financier did spend years abusing large numbers of young girls while escaping justice.

So, Trump needs to come forward with truth and transparency on the topic, Muirhead said. If he doesn't, ''large segments of his most enthusiastic and devoted supporters are going to lose faith in him.''

A potentially costly distraction

Trump's rivals have been taking advantage of right-wing fissures over Epstein.

Democrats sought to capitalize on the controversy, with several lawmakers calling for the release of all Epstein files and suggesting Trump could be resisting because he or someone close to him is featured in them.

The Democratic House Majority PAC on Tuesday emailed a memo that called out some House Republicans by name. It said they are ''complicit'' with the Trump administration because they had called for the Epstein files to be made public but then voted against a Democratic amendment to force their release.

Conservatives expressed concerns Trump's approach on Epstein could hurt them in the midterms.

"For this to go away, you're going to lose 10% of the MAGA movement," right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon said during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Friday.

There's also the challenge of governing.

Bondi and Bongino had a tense exchange last week at the White House over a story about Epstein, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.

And Loomer, who's close to Trump, said Friday she was told Bongino was ''seriously thinking about resigning.'' The FBI declined to comment.

Dallek, the George Washington University professor, said it's alarming that the country's top law enforcement officials are feuding over a conspiracy theory.

''It's possible at some time voters are going to notice the things they want or expect government to do aren't being done because the people in charge are either incompetent or off chasing rabbits,'' he said. ''Who is fulfilling the mission of the FBI to protect the American people?''

___

Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Melissa Goldin and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.