FROM THE OUTSIDE | Trump’s problem

President Donald Trump is at the peak of his political power, with no one inside or outside the United States seemingly able to halt his mandates or what often feels like a whimsical style of governance.

But at the same time, he faces his own problem: the fallout from the conspiracy theories he helped promote for so long.

One example is billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein. After being arrested in New York for trafficking underage girls, Epstein was found dead in prison in August 2019.

Since his first arrest in 2008 for child abuse, and again in 2019 for—once more—trafficking minors in Florida, Epstein had been at the center of “reports” claiming he operated a child trafficking network involving prominent Democrats.

Epstein died by suicide in prison under circumstances that led right-wing influencers to claim it was murder—and that there was a “client list” from his orgies, supposedly filled with Democratic politicians.

Trump’s campaign turned into an echo chamber for this and other conspiracy theories.

Once in office, President Trump appointed Kash Patel and Dan Bongino—two outspoken promoters of the theory—to top positions in the FBI, assigning them the task of “cleaning house” and removing critics of the president. In February, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced she had the client list on her desk and would soon make it public.

Five months later, no list has come out, and some of the Trump supporters are becoming more vocal in their demands.

Many believe this is just another effort to hide big Republican figures—possibly even Trump himself, who appears in a photo casually chatting with Epstein at a party with young women dancing in the background.

Trump’s supporters have remained loyal through every scandal and policy change. When he takes action, they support him. But the Epstein case is putting that loyalty to the test like never before,” reported MSNBC.

According to multiple outlets, there’s a rising belief that the Trump administration used the concept of secret files to sway votes—or, as some Democrats now assert, “is lying to protect itself.”

Even Trump himself seems surprised by the backlash. For now, he keeps defending allies like Bondi.

The fact remains: Trump and his supporters promised to investigate and reveal “the truth” about Epstein, his crimes, and his death. But once in power, they said there was no celebrity list, no blackmail network.

Only this time, part of his base isn’t convinced.

Figures like Elon Musk, once an ally, are demanding answers. And even outlets far from liberal—like Fox News—are warning that this case has become a ticking time bomb for the Trump administration.