Four months ago, President Trump blocked the release of materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Yesterday made the reason clear: the thousands of emails that were made public offered no direct proof of wrongdoing, but they cast new light on the two men’s relationship and included sharp, often demeaning descriptions of Trump written by Epstein.
While the correspondence did not contain a “smoking gun,” it forced Trump onto the defensive as the issue spread across Congress, television and social media. The House Oversight Committee’s decision to publish the files effectively compelled the Republican majority to support their release, despite efforts by the White House to persuade two key conservatives to withdraw their backing.
Trump’s response to the Epstein scandal reflects a familiar pattern in moments that raise questions about his leadership. When pressed—whether about the current affordability crisis, COVID in 2020 or the Russia investigation in 2017—he tends to dismiss criticism as “Democratic hoaxes” or fabrications. He then seeks to shut down the discussion so forcefully that it only extends the life of the story. He now calls the episode the “Epstein hoax.” Trump has even sued The Wall Street Journal over its July publication of a drawing and a poem he allegedly wrote for Epstein’s birthday in 2003, insisting they were not his.
“When he feels an attack is unfair and aimed at him personally, he shifts into combat mode instantly,” one of his confidants said. “No one dares ask what’s going on with Epstein—he just gets angry.”
The Epstein files drew intense scrutiny because Trump and his closest allies—from Vice President Vance to FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi—had promised to declassify the documents even before Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. That pledge energized MAGA supporters who believed the files on Epstein—a convicted sex trafficker who died in prison in 2019—would expose crimes committed by powerful figures. Yet six months into his term, Trump reversed course and blocked their release. “He told Pam Bondi not to publish the files. We’re not entirely sure why,” said another person familiar with the matter.
Trump, a former acquaintance of Epstein’s, is mentioned repeatedly in the documents, though never linked to any crimes. Even so, the mere fact of those references appears to irritate him deeply. Some of the emails released Wednesday had previously been made public by Democrats, and later by the full committee. They are not Justice Department investigative materials but correspondence recovered from Epstein’s estate. The emails included disparaging descriptions of Trump: Epstein called him “filthy,” “unhinged,” “almost insane,” “damn crazy,” speculated about “early dementia,” and mentioned that Trump had once been photographed “with girls in bikinis in my kitchen.” The correspondence also noted that after Trump’s 2016 victory, Epstein visited Trump Tower, which may have signaled a temporary thaw. None of the emails were sent by Trump himself—he is known not to use email.
The surge of debate on Capitol Hill echoed the effect of the 2016 WikiLeaks email dump that damaged Hillary Clinton’s campaign: no evidence of wrongdoing, but a volume of behind-the-scenes detail that creates the impression of scandal. And in politics, appearance is often treated as reality.
“When we secured a vote on my request to subpoena the Epstein documents, it was clear there would be incriminating information,” congresswoman Summer Lee said Wednesday on X. “Today we learned that Trump is alleged to have had personal knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and to have spent hours with victims.” She was referring to an email in which Democrats redacted the name of the victim—Virginia Giuffre. Epstein claimed she had “spent hours” with Trump at his Florida home. Yet Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, never accused Trump, testified that she knew of no claims against him and supported his 2024 campaign—context Democrats omitted. After White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized the redactions, Republicans released all the emails in full.
On Truth Social, Trump said Democrats were “using the Epstein hoax to distract from their failures, especially the latest one—the shutdown.” White House officials note that after a decade of investigations and numerous court cases, Trump would have been named a suspect long ago if credible evidence existed.
Some of Epstein’s victims signed nondisclosure agreements, leaving unanswered questions, and Democrats are pressing for the full file to be released.
House leaders expect that next week dozens of Republicans will join Democrats in voting to disclose the materials, despite pressure from Trump. But in the Senate, where 60 votes are required and Republicans hold 53 seats, the initiative is likely to be blocked.
At 10:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Trump signed the bill to reopen the government and jokingly addressed reporters in the Oval Office: “I don’t know if you have any questions,” he said as Republicans behind him chuckled. He did not respond to a question about the Epstein emails, and reporters were promptly escorted out.