President dismisses continued interest in deceased sex offender as Justice Department confirms suicide, no client list
President Donald Trump has dismissed the Jeffrey Epstein case as “sordid but boring” and suggested only “pretty bad people” want to keep discussing it, as his administration faces an unprecedented backlash from his own supporters over its handling of files related to the deceased sex offender.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump expressed bewilderment at the continued fascination with Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019. “He’s dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,” the president said.
The comments came after the Justice Department announced on 7 July that its exhaustive review found no evidence Epstein maintained a “client list” or blackmailed powerful figures, directly contradicting years of conspiracy theories promoted by Trump’s own supporters and administration officials.
“It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring, and I don’t understand why it keeps going,” Trump told reporters. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.
The president’s dismissive remarks have further inflamed tensions with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, which has erupted in fury over what many perceive as a betrayal of campaign promises to expose supposed secrets about Epstein’s activities.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced the harshest criticism after claiming in a February Fox News interview that an Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” The Justice Department’s subsequent memo stating no such list exists has led to widespread calls for her resignation.
Did anyone really think the sexual predator president who used to party with Jeffrey Epstein was going to release the Epstein files?” Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia said at a campaign event, highlighting how Democrats are seizing on the controversy.
The two-page Justice Department memo, released jointly with the FBI, concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell on 10 August 2019, based on video footage showing no one entered the area where he was housed that night.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, both of whom had previously promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death before joining the administration, have since acknowledged he killed himself. “He killed himself. I’ve seen the whole file,” Bongino stated on Fox News in May.
The backlash reached a crescendo at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa over the weekend, where attendees loudly booed when asked if they were satisfied with the Epstein investigation. Chants calling for Bondi’s resignation could be heard throughout the event.
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh captured the sentiment, saying on his podcast: “I want to make this very clear to those on the right, including the president himself, who are telling us to just drop the subject and move on.”
Trump attempted to quell the revolt with a lengthy Truth Social post defending Bondi, writing: “We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.” However, the post received more than 45,000 responses, far exceeding his typical engagement, with many expressing continued frustration.
The controversy has exposed rare divisions within Trump’s typically unified base. House Speaker Mike Johnson became the most prominent Republican to call for greater transparency, whilst Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said “all this stuff ought to be public.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s handling, claiming Bondi’s reference to a client list on her desk actually meant “the entirety of all the paperwork” related to Epstein. Bondi herself later clarified she meant “the file along with the JFK, MLK files.”
The Justice Department’s review examined investigative files through “digital searches of databases, hard drives, network drives and physical searches of cabinets, desks and closets,” according to the memo. It confirmed Epstein harmed more than 1,000 victims but found no evidence supporting theories of a broader conspiracy.
Despite mounting pressure, Trump indicated Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” from the government’s files. However, he reiterated his confusion about the ongoing interest, adding: “Credible information? Let them give it — anything that’s credible, I would say, let them have it.”
The administration has released 10 hours of jailhouse security footage but announced no further documents would be made public, stating that “perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither” the goals of combating child exploitation nor bringing justice to victims.
Four individuals aged between 17 and 20 were arrested last week by the National Crime Agency in connection with unrelated retail cyber attacks, not the Epstein case, despite some initial confusion in media reports.
The Epstein controversy represents one of the first significant rifts between Trump and his base since his return to office, with some supporters warning it could have electoral consequences. Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, acknowledged on Monday that “more transparency” was needed on the issue.
As the backlash continues, Trump’s dismissal of the case as unworthy of attention appears to have only intensified demands from his supporters for full disclosure of all government files related to Epstein’s crimes and death.
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