A growing number of Americans believe that the US government is hiding information about Jeffrey Epstein, with President Donald Trump facing growing calls for transparency. The President has also found himself at loggerheads with many MAGA supporters over the issue — dismissing them as ‘weaklings’ in a recent social media outburst. His political base had been expecting lurid details after top members of the Trump administration teased major revelations about the disgraced financier and his alleged clientele. The decision was walked back last week and left many of the President’s ardent followers enraged.

Many MAGA supporters and right-wing commentators believe that the Epstein files hold the names of powerful elites — mostly ‘liberal’ individuals who have been protected by the US government over the years. Senior members of the current Trump administration have echoed calls for the release of these files — including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. The President had also endorsed the release of “credible” Epstein-related documents earlier this year.

The Trump administration eventually released a tranche of documents related to Epstein in April 2025 — with Bondi confirming at the time that additional material remained at her desk. The Department of Justice and the FBI released certain documents and video footage in July 2025 — including the “full raw” prison camera footage from the night of Epstein’s death. It was later reported that the camera footage was missing several key minutes. Metadata from the video revealed the use of Adobe Premiere Pro (a widely used professional video editing application) with forensic experts confirming that at least two separate clips were imported, assembled, and repeatedly saved during post-production.

‘Epstein details were concealed’

According to a two-day Reuters/Ipsos poll, 69% of Americans now believe that the federal government is hiding details about Epstein’s clients. Around 6% of the respondents disagreed while one in four said they remained unsure.

Close to two-thirds of Republicans think the administration is hiding details about the disgraced financier’s business and only about 17% of Americans approve of the way Donald Trump has handled the case. Among Republicans, 35% approved, compared to 29% who disapproved and the rest who said they weren’t sure or didn’t answer the question.

‘Weaklings’ who believe Epstein ‘bullsh*t’

US President Donald Trump called the ongoing controversy a “hoax” on Wednesday while distancing himself from demands for transparency. He also dismissed calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate matters related to the disgraced financier. Trump insisted that supporters hung up on the issue were “weaklings” who were helping Democrats.

“Their new scam is what we will forever call the ‘Jeffrey Epstein hoax’. And my past supporters have bought into this ‘bulls—t’ — hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for eight long years,” Trump wrote in a sharply worded Truth Social update.

Trump knew Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s. During the 2021 trial of Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier’s longtime pilot, Lawrence Visoski, testified that Trump flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times. Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

“I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about — with strong prodding by the fake news and the success starved Democrats — is the Jeffrey Epstein hoax. Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats’ work. Don’t even think about talking about our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!” the President fumed.

MAGA demands answers

The calls for deeper scrutiny into the case have come from several of Trump’s own supporters — including far-right activist Laura Loomer and US Representative Lauren Boebert — who have expressed frustration over how the files have been handled. Many have repeatedly urged the Trump administration to release more information. Their anger intensified last week after the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo confirming that Epstein had no client list and reiterating that he died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 — not as a result of foul play, as many in the MAGA base have long believed.

Behind the scenes Trump and senior aides have reportedly reached out to key MAGA-aligned influencers — urging them to dial down their criticism and shift focus to broader priorities for the America First movement.

The backlash over the Epstein case has laid bare tensions inside Trump’s coalition and is testing one of Trump’s most enduring political strengths: His ability to command loyalty and control the narrative across the right. The outcry comes amid discontent among parts of Trump’s base over the U.S. strikes on Iran, continued involvement in Ukraine and any hint of backsliding on the administration’s hardline immigration promises.

(With inputs from agencies)