Trump doubles down on ‘Epstein hoax’ and says Republicans pursuing it are ‘stupid people’
The president then was asked what evidence he might have seen to change his stance on the Epstein case, which this morning he called a “hoax”.
Trump doubled down on his claim that it’s a “big hoax,” but did not provide evidence to support this claim. He also claimed the Epstein case was “started by the Democrats,” but again cited no evidence (though he did mention the Steele Dossier, a report on Trump’s 2016 campaign that alleged cooperation with Russia?).
“Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net and try to do the Democrats’s work,” Trump said.
“They’re stupid people,” he continued to say about Republicans who believe there is more to be revealed about the Epstein case.
Updated at 12.38 EDT
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The day so far
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Donald Trump backed away from suggestions he was moving to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, following media reports that he had privately indicated to a meeting of GOP lawmakers last night that he would do so. After the bombshell reports rocked Wall Street this morning, the president pulled back, saying it was “highly unlikely” that he’ll fire Powell. “We’re not planning on doing anything,” Trump told reporters, unless Powell “has to leave” because of “fraud”, referring to the controversy over renovations to the Fed’s historic headquarters in Washington.
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Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on X: “Nobody is fooled by President Trump and Republicans’ sudden interest in building renovations — it’s clear pretext to fire Fed Chair Powell.” Trump indicated that he’d probably wait to replace Powell until his term ends next year. The president does not have the power to fire the Fed chair without cause.
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It has failed to distract from the growing furore from Trump’s usually ardently loyal Maga base over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. His base is in uproar over the justice department’s recent decision to halt further disclosures related to Epstein, including the alleged client list, as well as its finding that he died by suicide. That reached new altitudes today when Trump branded the case a hoax and lashed out at his supporters-turned-critics, calling them “weaklings” and “stupid people” for buying into the conspiracy theories, which he blamed on (checks notes) Democrats. He is conveniently forgetting that both he himself and members of his administration have long stoked those same theories. He is also conveniently not acknowledging that prominent allies of his have joined the calls for the files to be released, including House speaker Mike Johnson, and influential Maga figures like far-right activist Laura Loomer.
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Trump also once again back Pam Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case and said: “Whatever’s credible she can release. If a document’s there that is credible, she can release [it], I think it’s good.”
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Secretary of state Marco Rubio, asked about Israeli strikes on Syria on Wednesday, said the United States was “very concerned”, adding that he had just spoken to the relevant parties over the phone. “We’re going to be working on that issue as we speak. I just got off the phone with the relevant parties. We’re very concerned about it, and hopefully we’ll have some updates later today. But we’re very concerned about it,” Rubio said. He added that the US wants fighting to stop as clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters broke out hours after a ceasefire agreement.
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Zohran Mamdani told New York business leaders yesterday he will not use the phrase “globalize the intifada” and discourage others from doing so. The mayoral frontrunner explained at the meeting that many use “globalize the intifada” as an expression of support for the Palestinian people and, for him, the phrase means protest against the Israeli occupation of Gaza, according to the Wall Street Journal. Mamdani also said he is willing to discourage the specific language, but not the idea behind it.
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A flight carrying immigrants deported from the US landed in Eswatini, the homeland security department announced, in a move that follows the supreme court lifting limits on deporting migrants to third countries.
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A group of 20 mostly Democrat-led US states filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a multibillion-dollar grant program that funds infrastructure upgrades to protect against natural disasters.
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Robert F Kennedy Jr abruptly fired two of his top aides – chief of staff Heather Flick Melanson and deputy chief of staff for policy Hannah Anderson – CNN reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
“Many Republicans I’ve been talking to over the past few days have predicted that Trump would do something dramatic to distract from Epstein,” a Puck reporter wrote on X regarding today’s will he, won’t regarding sacking Jerome Powell.
And as Politico notes, “though Trump appears to be holding off on Powell, a groundswell of backlash from both base and swing voters – over the Epstein files and the GOP megabill – continues to dominate headlines”.
Updated at 13.28 EDT
New leadership at Fed would be helpful, House speaker says
House speaker Mike Johnson has said he believes it would be beneficial to have new leadership at the Federal Reserve, although he added that he’s not sure the president has the authority to fire chair Jerome Powell, according to media reports.
“I do I believe new leadership would be helpful at the Fed,” a Wall Street Journal reporter on X has quoted Johnson as saying.
Punchbowl News, in a separate X post, reported Johnson said he’s “really not sure” if the president can fire Powell.
ShareTrump’s interest in Fed building renovations ‘clear pretext’ to fire Powell, Warren says
US senator Elizabeth Warren has said that Donald Trump’s interest in renovations of Federal Reserve’s headquarters is “clear pretext” to fire chairman Jerome Powell.
Last week, the White House intensified its criticism of how the Fed is being run when the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, sent Powell a letter saying Trump was “extremely troubled” by cost overruns in the $2.5bn renovation of its historic headquarters in Washington.
Earlier today, following bombshell news reports that Trump was planning to fire Powell which rattled financial markets, the president pulled back in the Oval Office. Though he confirmed that the conversation with GOP lawmakers about whether he should fire the central bank leader took place, the president said it’s “highly unlikely” that he’ll fire Powell.
“We’re not planning on doing anything,” Trump told reporters, unless Powell “has to leave” because of “fraud”, referring to the controversy over the renovations. The president indicated that he’d probably wait to replace Powell until his term ends next year.
“Nobody is fooled by President Trump and Republicans’ sudden interest in building renovations — it’s clear pretext to fire Fed Chair Powell,” Warren, the ranking Democrat on the Senate banking committee, which oversees the Fed, said in a post on X.
As we’ve fact-checked, the president doesn’t have the power to fire Powell over a monetary dispute and today he backed away from the idea, saying instead that “we get to make a change in eight months” (when Powell’s tenure expires).
Updated at 13.23 EDT
Ending Fed’s independence would be a mistake, Republican senator says
US senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has said that firing the Federal Reserve chair because “political people” don’t agree with his economic decision-making would undermine US credibility, adding that it would be a “huge mistake” to end the Fed’s independence.
“You’re going to see a pretty immediate response and we’ve got to avoid that,” Tillis, a Republican member of the Senate banking committee, said on the floor of the chamber earlier.
Trump has today backed away from the idea of firing Jerome Powell, saying instead that “we get to make a change in eight months” (when Powell’s tenure expires).
The president does not have the power to fire the Federal Reserve chair. But reports today said that Trump had asked Republican lawmakers if he should fire Powell, and several people in the room indicated he will do it.
Well, that more or less captures everything Donald Trump said in the oval office just now alongside Bahrain crown prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The crown prince of Bahrain listens Donald Trump speaks to reporters. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesShareBondi ‘doing a great job’, Trump says
Trump again supported his attorney general, Pam Bondi, who has been under fire for her handling of the Epstein case.
“I think she’s doing a great job.”
Updated at 12.42 EDT
Trump: Bondi can release ‘whatever’s credible’ on Epstein case
The president was asked whether he would allow US attorney general Pam Bondi to release more information on the Jeffrey Epstein case.
“Whatever’s credible she can release,” Trump said. “If a document’s there that is credible, she can release [it], I think it’s good.”
But then he goes after Republicans again: “All it is is that certain Republicans got duped by the Democrats and they’re following the Democrat playbook. It’s no different than ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ and all the other hoaxes.”
Trump tries to pivot to the Biden-autopen investigation that Republicans are leading against his predecessor. It has been widely seen as a partisan move to discredit the former Democratic president.
“That’s the scandal they should be talking about, not Jeffrey Epstein,” he said. “I think it’s the biggest scandal – one of them – in American history.”
ShareTrump teases trade news coming: ‘We have some pretty good deals to announce’
Donald Trump said the US will probably “live by the letter” with Japan and maybe have another deal coming up with India.
“We have some pretty good deals to announce,” he said. “The big one really is going to be on the 150 countries that we’re really not negotiating with, and they’re smaller – we don’t do much business with.”
ShareTrump doubles down on ‘Epstein hoax’ and says Republicans pursuing it are ‘stupid people’
The president then was asked what evidence he might have seen to change his stance on the Epstein case, which this morning he called a “hoax”.
Trump doubled down on his claim that it’s a “big hoax,” but did not provide evidence to support this claim. He also claimed the Epstein case was “started by the Democrats,” but again cited no evidence (though he did mention the Steele Dossier, a report on Trump’s 2016 campaign that alleged cooperation with Russia?).
“Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net and try to do the Democrats’s work,” Trump said.
“They’re stupid people,” he continued to say about Republicans who believe there is more to be revealed about the Epstein case.
Updated at 12.38 EDT
Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with the US, but he is in no rush to talk.
“They want to negotiate badly,” Trump said. “We’re in no rush.”
Donald Trump said he will be having a meeting on Thursday regarding the US citizen beaten to death by settlers in the West Bank.
Reporters are asking Donald Trump about the letter reported by the New York Times about firing Jerome Powell. The president denied the existence of the letter, but said Republicans he spoke to said he should fire the Federal Reserve chairman.
“Almost every one of them said I should, but I’m more conservative than they are,” Trump said.
Asked if he ruled out firing Powell, Trump said: “I don’t rule out anything but I think it’s highly unlikely unless he has to leave for fraud.”
ShareTrump: Powell doing ‘a terrible job’ but will ‘make a change in eight months’ when his term ends
Trump was asked about his alleged plans to fire Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chairman, that have been reported by US media.
“He’s always been too late, hence his nickname ‘Too Late’,” Trump said. “He should’ve cut interest rates a long time ago.”
He accuses Powell of only cutting interest rates to benefit Democrats in the 2024 election. (It’s worth remembering here that Powell first assumed this role under Trump in 2017.)
“I think he does a terrible job, he’s costing us lots of money,” Trump said.
He also mentions that he was surprised Powell was appointed (…) but then goes on to say that Biden should not have extended him.
However, he does back away from the idea of firing Powell, saying instead that “we get to make a change in eight months.”
The president does not have the power to fire the Federal Reserve chair. But reports said on Tuesday, Trump asked Republican lawmakers if he should fire Powell, and several people in the room indicated he will do it.
Updated at 12.14 EDT
When Trump opened the floor to questions, the first was about the Israeli strikes in Syria. The president asked Marco Rubio, the US state secretary, to respond.
Rubio said: “It’s complicated, obviously these are long time historic rivalries between groups in the south-west of Syria. It led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side.”
He said the US has been engaged with both sides and says he hopes to see some “real progress” in the next few hours.
Updated at 12.12 EDT
Donald Trump is now speaking from the oval office as he meets with the crown prince of Bahrain.
And on cue, the New York Times just sent a push alert stating that Donald Trump drafted a letter to fire Jerome Powell and asked Republicans if he should send it.
Trump showed off a draft of a letter firing the chair of Federal Reserve, Jerome H Powell, during a meeting with roughly a dozen House Republicans on Tuesday night, polling them as to whether he should do it and indicating that he likely would, according to two people briefed on the meeting.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Trump will actually go ahead with trying to fire Mr. Powell, a move that some in his administration have cautioned could be calamitous and have far more expansive fallout than the president appears to anticipate.