Donald Trump is frantically trying to run from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal by pointing fingers at Democrats. But his attempt to shift the blame is backfiring, lighting a fire under Republicans instead.
In a Friday CNN segment, former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera laid it out bluntly: Trump’s efforts to dismiss the renewed attention on Epstein’s sex trafficking files as a “Democrat hoax” are not just falling flat—they’re creating a headache for Republicans, especially women in Congress who aren’t interested in burying the story.
“There is an intransigence among certain members of Congress, particularly Republican women, where they say, ‘Hey, listen, we need to have justice for these victims, we need to find out all that happened,’” Rivera told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.
Trump’s latest move has been to slam Democrats for their ties to Epstein, saying they partied with him, took his money, and turned a blind eye while he was alive. Rivera, to be fair, didn’t entirely dispute that.
“President Trump is right when he says — I love the quote, ‘Democrats did nothing while he was alive except befriend him’ — that is, Epstein — ‘socialized with him, traveled to his island and take his money,’” Rivera said. “So I think they have, you know, the Democrats are relishing this moment. It’s setting the president off his agenda. You know, it’s — it’s hard to get rid of. It’s kind of a sticky thing you can’t get off your fingers.”
That “sticky thing” isn’t just Epstein’s long list of political connections. It’s the growing demand from inside Trump’s own party—especially women like Rep. Nancy Mace—for answers, transparency, and accountability. And that means this story isn’t going away any time soon, no matter who Trump tries to blame.
“Well, there is no doubt that Trump is done with Epstein; the question is whether Epstein is done with Trump,” Rivera said.
Bolduan pushed the conversation further: “That being said, the president continues to try to tamp this down. Do you think that this sort of thing, calling it a hoax by the Democrats, is enough to tamp down the calls for transparency from within his own party on this issue?”
Rivera wasn’t optimistic. He compared the Epstein case to the Kennedy assassination in terms of how long it’ll haunt public consciousness.
“It’s one of those things that will be enduring. It will stay forever,” Rivera said. “The conspiracy theorists will bring it up a century from now, it seems to me. Epstein’s island, who took his money, what did they do, who were the victims, what did, you know, people in power do to these poor young girls?”
And that endurance is already becoming a problem for the GOP. While Trump shrugs it off as political noise, Republicans on the Hill—especially women—aren’t backing off. They want names, files, and real investigations. For them, the Epstein scandal isn’t a “hoax”—it’s unfinished business.
“I think it’s going to haunt Republicans,” Rivera said. “It’s something that the president will be increasingly frustrated by, not that he can get much more frustrated than he is already. But it’s, it’s an issue that, you know — he calls it a hoax, the women in Congress say, ‘Hey, yeah, let’s — let’s see who’s involved, if anyone.’”
Trump may have hoped to pivot by turning the spotlight on Democrats, but in doing so, he’s only put more heat on his own party. And judging by the way GOP lawmakers are talking, the Epstein files are far from closed.
Watch the full CNN interview with Geraldo Rivera below.
