It was supposed to be a slow Fourth of July weekend.
Instead, what landed on the desks of Donald Trump’s top aides — and reverberated through the West Wing — was a memo that, according to one senior official, “was like a bomb went off.” The FBI and Justice Department had quietly issued a 600-word statement on the Epstein investigation, closing the door on any further action. No indictments. No new names. No grand reveal.
And inside the Trump White House, chaos erupted.
A new report from The Wall Street Journal paints a blistering picture of the administration’s internal panic, strategic bungling, and desperate efforts to contain what should have been a manageable political story — but instead became, in the words of Trump lawyer Ty Cobb, “the worst managed PR event in history.”
The Epstein case has always carried dangerous proximity to the president. Trump knew Jeffrey Epstein in the ’90s and early 2000s — “he was a fixture in Palm Beach back then,” one former associate noted — but claims he cut ties after Epstein’s first arrest in 2006. Still, the association has lingered like a bad smell. And now, with thousands of pages of documents floating around and rumors flying, it’s clear Trump sees Epstein not just as a nuisance, but as a threat.
According to WSJ, the president was “worried some of his friends might be mentioned in the files,” and claimed they “might have been doctored to hurt him.”
White House officials were caught flat-footed. They “couldn’t understand why people were so obsessed” with Epstein, the report says — a stunning misread of a story that has become a cultural flashpoint.
Bondi Blunders and a Binder Fiasco
The trainwreck began in February, when newly minted Attorney General Pam Bondi casually told Fox News that the Epstein files were “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Trump’s team reportedly scrambled. “What document was Bondi talking about?” they asked.
The answer? A thrown-together binder labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” rushed out overnight by FBI staffers and handed out during a highly publicized event attended by right-wing influencers like Jack Posobiec, LibsofTikTok, and Scott Presler. They posed proudly with the binders — until they realized most of the contents had already been public for years.
“They felt duped,” one source told the WSJ. Some blamed Bondi. Others just blamed each other.
Then came Elon.
On June 5, in the middle of a separate spat with Trump, the billionaire dropped a live grenade on X (formerly Twitter): “Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” He later deleted the post, but not before the message spread like wildfire.
The backlash was immediate. MAGA loyalists, confused and furious, turned inward. FBI Director Kash Patel and DOJ officials moved quickly to draft a memo closing the case. Behind the scenes, Bondi was melting down.
She reportedly complained to Trump that Patel and others were “out to get her.” Trump told her to “buck up,” while aides urged her to stop doomscrolling and feuding with critics on social media.
By July 6, the FBI and DOJ had released their bombshell: no further investigation. No more names. Epstein died by suicide. Case closed.
It only made things worse.
Within hours, MAGA firebrand Laura Loomer was demanding Bondi’s resignation. “Blondi lied,” Loomer posted on X, mocking her with a nickname. “She was always lying.”
“Who releases a statement about the Epstein files on the Sunday night of 4th of July weekend?” she asked. “Someone who doesn’t want you paying attention.”
The heat got so intense that the White House reportedly began calling MAGA influencers one by one, trying to calm them down. One official allegedly told Loomer that Bondi “needed to be more careful,” but made clear Trump had no plans to fire her.
Situation Room Meetings and a Murdoch Phone Call
The situation got so toxic that Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, convened multiple “Epstein strategy meetings” in the Situation Room. Not exactly standard protocol for a dead case. But with MAGA loyalty fracturing and the internet ablaze with conspiracy theories, the White House went into damage control mode.
Vice President JD Vance reportedly pushed for more transparency, while others argued it would never be enough. “They would never be able to pacify the most rabid Epstein conspiracy theorists,” the WSJ quoted officials as saying.
Meanwhile, Trump was making personal phone calls from Air Force One — including to Rupert Murdoch himself — in a last-ditch effort to spike a WSJ article about a 2003 birthday letter he allegedly sent Epstein. The letter included a sexually suggestive sketch and the phrase, “May every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump denies writing it. He says the signature is fake and is now suing the Journal for $10 billion. His legal team says “no authentic letter or drawing exists.” The Journal’s lawyers responded: “The Article is true.”
‘A Crisis of the President’s Own Making’
At the heart of all this is a president desperate to shake off the ghost of a man he now wishes he never met. The Epstein files — whatever they contain, or don’t — have become a third rail for Trump, and the panic within his administration underscores just how dangerous they believe this issue still is.
What started as a sloppy press event with right-wing influencers ended in Situation Room meetings, lawsuits against Murdoch, and Trump frantically calling in favors from the air.
It’s hard to call any of this strategy. “This may be the worst managed PR event in history,” said Ty Cobb.
He’s not wrong. And for Trump, the Epstein files aren’t a footnote — they’re a landmine that just keeps ticking.
