President Donald Trump is struggling to shake off the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein. On Friday, he tried to distance himself from the convicted sex offender, claiming there is no “smoking gun” linking him to any wrongdoing. Trump’s comments came as the Epstein controversy continues to spiral, threatening to derail his political future.
The president firmly rejected the idea that any definitive evidence exists, adding that the Democratic Party — which controlled the White House and Congress between 2021 and 2025 — “HAD NOTHING” on him. This followed Trump’s recent move to push for the release of “pertinent” documents from the investigation into Epstein, but only with court approval. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Justice Department is ready to take steps to unseal grand jury transcripts.
But things escalated when a report surfaced on Thursday revealing that Trump’s name appeared in a collection of letters celebrating Epstein’s 50th birthday. One of the letters contained a crude birthday message: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” with a drawing of a naked woman and “Donald” written below her waist. Trump denied any involvement in the letter and vowed to sue the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, and Rupert Murdoch for publishing it.
For the first time, Trump’s loyal MAGA base is showing cracks. The Epstein scandal, even years after the financier’s death, is posing the biggest threat to his grip on power since he returned to the White House. This time, many supporters aren’t buying the narrative he’s selling.
It’s a bitter irony. For years, Trump has been at the center of numerous conspiracy theories, the most famous being his “birther” campaign against Barack Obama. Despite evidence proving Obama’s birth in Hawaii, the conspiracy theory lingered, showing how hard it is to kill off such stories. Now, Trump is learning firsthand how conspiracies — whether true or not — can persist.
The Epstein conspiracy theory, which Trump helped fuel, suggests that Epstein kept a “black book” filled with the names of powerful men who used his private island for sex with underage girls. When Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019, many claimed he was murdered to silence him before he could expose those individuals. The theory continues to gain traction, despite investigations finding no evidence of foul play.
Trump’s allies, including his son Don Jr. and Vice President JD Vance, have echoed these claims, fueling the fire. Even Attorney General Pam Bondi had promised to release bombshell documents about Epstein, saying in February that Trump had directed her to review his “black book” of clients.
But the Department of Justice and FBI recently released a memo dismissing the murder theory, stating there was no evidence that Epstein’s death was anything other than a suicide. They also found no list of powerful individuals Epstein may have blackmailed.
This has left Trump and Bondi isolated, out of sync with their supporters. The president’s refusal to release more information has only deepened the divide. Trump has dismissed the Epstein story as “boring,” calling it a hoax on his Truth Social platform, and even went as far as labeling those who buy into the conspiracy as his “PAST supporters.”
Even some of his staunchest allies are growing restless. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a loyal Trump supporter, is demanding the Justice Department release all the details about Epstein’s death. Meanwhile, a rally hosted by right-wing figures Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk saw a 7,000-strong crowd overwhelmingly rejecting Trump’s “nothing to see here” explanation. They believe there’s been a cover-up.
There’s also a dangerous new conspiracy theory gaining ground: that Trump himself is involved in the cover-up. Some claim that Epstein’s “black book” contains Trump’s name, and that the president is trying to protect himself by silencing the investigation. Though there’s no concrete evidence to support this, Trump’s past associations with Epstein, including public photos together, have fueled suspicion.
As the Epstein controversy lingers, Trump finds himself trapped. The conspiracy theories he once helped stoke are now threatening to undo him. For a man who built his political identity on dismantling establishment narratives, the scandal surrounding Epstein may be the one story he can’t escape. The more he fights it, the deeper the hole gets.
