Epstein files controversy shows Trump has become the swamp | Opinion

For years, J.D. Vance, Kash Patel, Dan Bongino and an army of MAGA influencers pounded a conspiracy drum about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. They rallied MAGA’s base around a foundational belief that America is ruled by a corrupt elite, and only Donald Trump could expose and destroy it.

After all the hype, the Justice Department dropped a two-page memo on Sunday, July 6, claiming there’s no Epstein “client list” and no credible blackmail evidence, and officially ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.

This wasn’t transparency. It was a calculated political maneuver. There was no deadline forcing the release, and the Trump administration knew it was sitting on political dynamite. You don’t pick a Sunday evening on a holiday weekend, when the nation is focused on devastating flooding in Texas, unless you’re deliberately trying to bury a story and blunt the fallout.

The administration completely miscalculated. It failed to grasp just how upset and unrelenting a betrayed MAGA base can be. What an absolute clown show.

Now, Trump is visibly flailing. The president looks uncomfortable as he cycles through desperate, contradictory defenses: calling the Epstein files a hoax, blaming Democrats for the controversy, even calling his supporters stupid and telling those focused on Epstein he doesn’t want their support.

And that’s where the real problem begins. By gaslighting the American people, Trump raises a troubling question: If he is willing to torch his own base and absorb this level of political fallout just to keep those files hidden, what could possibly be in them?

We know it’s not a hoax. Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell is sitting in federal prison, serving 20 years for her role in Epstein’s crimes. That’s not a conspiracy theory. That’s a fact.

If Trump hasn’t seen the Epstein files and/or if there’s nothing to hide, he has no reason to compare them to the Steele Dossier or Russia investigation — events that were weaponized against him.

If there’s nothing to protect, he should release the files.

It’s as simple as that.

And the MAGA base that is so focused on Epstein needs to stop blaming Attorney General Pam Bondi or calling for her resignation. She didn’t create this PR disaster and she’s not part of a cover-up. Suggesting otherwise is just a convenient way to shift responsibility off Trump and pretend that this wasn’t his call. It was.

This isn’t complicated. We’re watching something like a real-life version of “A Few Good Men” — and we know who gave the order. Like Col. Nathan Jessep, the character made famous by Jack Nicholson in the film, Trump doesn’t share power; he issues commands. When the stakes are high and political risk looms, Trump doesn’t delegate — he dictates. Always has. Always will. Pretending otherwise is just willful blindness.

Still have doubts? Listen to Trump’s own words when questioned about the defense department halting weapons to Ukraine: “I would know. If a decision was made, I will know. I’ll be the first to know. In fact, most likely, I’ll give the order.”

This was not Bondi’s decision. It was Trump’s.

Maybe that’s why the president attacking his supporters looks less like damage control and more like a political suicide bombing. It’s certainly messy right now, but let’s be honest. Trump’s MAGA base has always included conspiracy theorists, opportunists and blind loyalists as well as everyday Republicans.

Only time will tell whether the Epstein controversy will blow this coalition apart.

My guess? Probably not.

There will be another conspiracy. Many ardent Trump supporters will simply see this incident as another deep state plot to stop his crusade to save America. Their trust isn’t being shaken; it’s been fortified by a belief that God himself is guiding Trump in the right direction. In their minds, every attack only proves his righteousness and strengthens their loyalty.

Besides, MAGA’s most loyal supporters have never really cared about accountability. Core conservative principles were abandoned long ago. Lawsuits, ethics scandals, even Trump’s playboy past — none of it mattered. His base didn’t care then, and most still won’t.

But one thing is crystal clear: Trump isn’t draining the swamp anymore. Trump has now become the swamp.

This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.