Trump’s Double Failures
The U.S. president wanted to downplay the scandal of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein with all his might. Instead, he has awakened a large and unexpected spirit of resistance in his own party.
No, the files that were speculated about for years have not been published. It will still be a while until the full details of the monstrous sex crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his high society accomplices are revealed. Whether or not Donald Trump played a part in his former New York friend's trafficking of girls is also unclear. It's possible it may never be resolved.
However, something truly remarkable happened in the Washington House of Representatives on Tuesday. For months, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson tried every trick in the book to prevent a vote on the disclosure of the "Epstein Files," even though his party had promised to do so during the election campaign. Johnson's puppeteer, Trump, doesn't want to hear any more on this subject. Republican and Democratic representatives collected signatures, giving a voice to the abuse victims. They built up pressure until Trump had to either give in or suffer an embarrassing defeat if it was voted on. The president decided to do a 180 and gave his support.
And so, the way was clear for the bill to be passed with only one dissenting voice. After that, the Senate approved the bill. Just a few days ago, the bill would have failed at this stage at the latest. But now it has gained a majority in the second chamber.
No Breakthrough Yet
This is an important step toward shedding light on the Epstein crimes that were covered up for decades. But it is not yet a breakthrough. Trump is trying with all his might to pin the scandal on the opposition Democrats and has ordered investigations into their prominent representatives. Attorney General Pam Bondi is now likely to try refusing to release sensitive documents, citing ongoing investigations.
But after the previous history, it appears unlikely that the American public and the MAGA base, mobilized by right-wing conspiracy theories, will be fobbed off with such delaying tactics. The Epstein topic has haunted U.S. politics for months, and it will not easily go away. Quite the opposite. With every assurance Trump gives that he had nothing to do with the machinations of his acquaintance who died in 2019, and that he wants the matter to be cleared up, the question of why he doesn't publish the investigation documents remains. As president, he can do so anytime — even without Congress.
Trump on the Defensive
Suddenly, Trump is on the defensive. Ten months ago, nothing seemed to slow down the wannabe autocrat. Now he suddenly has a problem. The majority of Americans have long believed that he knew of Epstein's sex trafficking of girls. He cannot change the narrative at this time when, after suffering three Republican election defeats, he really needs to talk about the supposed successes of his policies, while an old issue is dominating the headlines.
No wonder the president is lashing out more angrily than usual: The Epstein affair is a double warning signal for him. On the one hand, his communicative omnipotence has failed. He wanted to downplay the issue but has actually made it bigger. On the other hand, his authority is crumbling. A few weeks ago it appeared unimaginable that Republicans would oppose the president. Now several members of Congress, led by his former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, have given him the cold shoulder. The patriarch's iron grip is loosening.
The first cracks are appearing in the MAGA movement, which has long been drunk with power. Trump has survived many different crises in his political career. But the "honeymoon" period of his second term in office is over. As next year's midterm election gets closer, lawmakers fearing for their reelection might try to distance themselves from other politically sensitive issues as well.
No, the files that were speculated about for years have not been published. It will still be a while until the full details of the monstrous sex crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his high society accomplices are revealed. Whether or not Donald Trump played a part in his former New York friend's trafficking of girls is also unclear. It's possible it may never be resolved.
However, something truly remarkable happened in the Washington House of Representatives on Tuesday. For months, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson tried every trick in the book to prevent a vote on the disclosure of the "Epstein Files," even though his party had promised to do so during the election campaign. Johnson's puppeteer, Trump, doesn't want to hear any more on this subject. Republican and Democratic representatives collected signatures, giving a voice to the abuse victims. They built up pressure until Trump had to either give in or suffer an embarrassing defeat if it was voted on. The president decided to do a 180 and gave his support.
And so, the way was clear for the bill to be passed with only one dissenting voice. After that, the Senate approved the bill. Just a few days ago, the bill would have failed at this stage at the latest. But now it has gained a majority in the second chamber.
No Breakthrough Yet
This is an important step toward shedding light on the Epstein crimes that were covered up for decades. But it is not yet a breakthrough. Trump is trying with all his might to pin the scandal on the opposition Democrats and has ordered investigations into their prominent representatives. Attorney General Pam Bondi is now likely to try refusing to release sensitive documents, citing ongoing investigations.
But after the previous history, it appears unlikely that the American public and the MAGA base, mobilized by right-wing conspiracy theories, will be fobbed off with such delaying tactics. The Epstein topic has haunted U.S. politics for months, and it will not easily go away. Quite the opposite. With every assurance Trump gives that he had nothing to do with the machinations of his acquaintance who died in 2019, and that he wants the matter to be cleared up, the question of why he doesn't publish the investigation documents remains. As president, he can do so anytime — even without Congress.
Trump on the Defensive
Suddenly, Trump is on the defensive. Ten months ago, nothing seemed to slow down the wannabe autocrat. Now he suddenly has a problem. The majority of Americans have long believed that he knew of Epstein's sex trafficking of girls. He cannot change the narrative at this time when, after suffering three Republican election defeats, he really needs to talk about the supposed successes of his policies, while an old issue is dominating the headlines.
No wonder the president is lashing out more angrily than usual: The Epstein affair is a double warning signal for him. On the one hand, his communicative omnipotence has failed. He wanted to downplay the issue but has actually made it bigger. On the other hand, his authority is crumbling. A few weeks ago it appeared unimaginable that Republicans would oppose the president. Now several members of Congress, led by his former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, have given him the cold shoulder. The patriarch's iron grip is loosening.
The first cracks are appearing in the MAGA movement, which has long been drunk with power. Trump has survived many different crises in his political career. But the "honeymoon" period of his second term in office is over. As next year's midterm election gets closer, lawmakers fearing for their reelection might try to distance themselves from other politically sensitive issues as well.
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