Has the Trump Administration’s Handling of the Epstein Files Fractured the Ironclad Conservative Party?

Jeffrey Epstein’s July 25, 2013 mugshot. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the State of Florida.

It has been 17 years since Jeffrey Epstein plead guilty to counts of solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18, and six years since the billionaire was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, subsequently dying by suicide in prison. Yet today, Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and the alleged involvement of prominent public figures within it continues to impact American politics and public opinion. The reported  existence of unreleased Epstein files has splintered alliances within the Republican party.

The Epstein files refer to the investigations, documents, flight logs, photographs, and other evidence accumulated from the aforementioned 2008 and 2009 criminal cases filed against Epstein, and from civil cases filed against Epstein and his wife, Ghislaine Maxwell. The FBI stated in a memo that they have over 300 gigabytes of data related to Jeffrey Epstein. 

Right-wing conspiracy theorists believe that the unsealed documents are protecting powerful elites and politicians involved in Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring, reflecting a long-standing dialogue amongst these groups that a deep-state power is controlling American politics. 

“I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to countermand missing children and exploited children going forward,” said FBI director Kash Patel in his confirmation hearing. 

On February 21, 2025, Pam Bondi appeared on Fox News and said that a client list is “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Bondi later said she was referring to an Epstein file, not specifically a client list. 

In July 2025, the Department of Justice then released a memo, stating that their “systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” and there was “no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.” The Department of Justice additionally wrote that “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.” The memo also stated that their findings confirmed that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell. 

Key conservative figures, including both politicians and right-wing influencers, have called for the release of these files and urged the Trump administration to maintain its prior promises of transparency. 

Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a discharge petition to force a floor vote on the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act. The petition has been signed by several other Republican lawmakers, including Congresswomen Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene(R-GA), and Nancy Mace (R-SC). Republican House leaders have discouraged this petition and backed an investigation by the House Oversight Committee.

Greene has been outspoken about releasing the Epstein files. “The base will turn and there’s no going back. Dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies,” wrote Greene on X. 

The Epstein files not only separated Greene from the MAGA movement but also forged bipartisan collaborations between lawmakers. On September 3, 2025, Greene appeared at a press conference with Epstein victims, joined by Massie and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA). “I want to thank Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie for doing something brave, crossing political boundaries for a very important fight,” said Greene. She also urged her fellow Republican lawmakers to join her in signing the discharge petition. 

Prominent right-wing media personalities have also criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. On July 11, 2025, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gave a speech at a Turning Point USA event. The conservative political commentator shared conspiracy theories that Epstein was linked to Israeli intel forces and criticized Trump’s calls to move past the Epstein files. “You are trying to make me shut up because I am a ‘bigot,’ like the liberals did seven months ago, and that is why we voted them out ... I voted against it and I will not tolerate it,” said Carlson.

According to a University of Massachusetts Amherst national poll, 43% of conservatives and Republicans indicated that they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Epstein controversy,  and 70% of Americans believe he has handled this issue “not too well” or “not well at all.” A Quinnipiac University study found that 63% of voters, and 71% of independent voters, “disapprove of the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein Files.”

The divide in Trump’s base over these files underlines a broader political divide between the establishment conservatives and the new right, and cracks are beginning to form within the new right itself. The public and political backlash demonstrate that Trump’s stronghold over his devoted base has limits, and the disapproval from the public, including his supporters, could have consequences for the MAGA movement.