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It has united luminaries of the far right, from media personality Tucker Carlson to activist Laura Loomer, from tech billionaire Elon Musk to congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Typically unwavering in support of Donald Trump, all have criticised his administration’s handling of files about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But in towns and cities across the US, a more complicated and nuanced picture emerges, serving as a reminder that – like any other political constituency – Trump voters are not a monolith.
Some of the US president’s supporters are undoubtedly animated by the Epstein issue and urging Congress to push for greater transparency. “It’s the number one phone call that we get. By far,” Eric Burlison, a Republican congressman from Missouri, told CNN this week. “It’s probably 500 to one.”
But others seem to be shrugging off the crisis as they have so many others that seemed to threaten Trump’s political career. They remain fiercely loyal to a president they believe is delivering low inflation, strong border security and sweeping reversals of progressive policies. They are willing to take White House advice to “trust in Trump”.
That was the prevailing mood this week in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a former steel town and Democratic stronghold that swung heavily for Trump in last November’s election.
“Trump is right about everything, no matter what he does,” was the blunt take of Teddy, 55, wearing a Stars and Stripes hat and sitting on a bench in Central Park in downtown Johnstown. “Epstein – he’s dead, that’s it, it’s over.”
Did he have no concern that Trump’s name is reportedly listed in the Epstein files which have yet to be made public? “That’s a bunch of bullshit,” said Teddy, who didn’t want to give his last name. “The world should move on, get over it.”
Curt, 51, another Trump supporter in Central Park, who was recently released from state prison, expressed similar views. The only people who were in a nervous state about Trump’s relationship with Epstein were Democrats, he said.
“Epstein was a piece of shit and got what he deserved. As for Trump, they haven’t come up with any evidence that he actually did anything,” he said.
Pennsylvania was crucial in tipping Trump over the line of 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House. Rural areas in the west of the state responded especially favourably to his promises to bring back manufacturing, reduce living costs and drive out immigrants. Trump won Cambria county, which includes Johnstown, by 68% to Joe Biden’s 31%.
At the local Walmart, Pam, who also asked not to give her last name, said she didn’t believe that Trump’s name was in the files. “Trump has morals – it may not seem like he does, but deep down he does. He wanted to protect the United States when nobody else did.”
As for media coverage of the story, she said: “My uncle was in the Secret Service. He used to tell me that everything you see on TV is what they want you to believe, not what is actually happening.”
Trump has been under growing pressure from political friends and foes alike to release more information about the justice department’s investigation into Epstein, a disgraced financier who officials ruled died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
After Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, promised to disclose additional materials related to possible Epstein clients and the circumstances surrounding his death, the justice department reversed course this month and said there was no basis to continue investigating and no evidence of a client list.
That sparked an outcry from some of Trump’s base of supporters who have long believed the government was covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful. On Friday, Trump denied reports that he was told by Bondi in May that his own name appeared in the Epstein files.
Yet interviews by the Guardian in multiple states found Republicans generally willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt – and suspicious that he is the victim of a double standard.
Gavin Rollins, a lawyer from Orlando, Florida, acknowledged disappointment in the way the administration’s initial communications raised expectations but praised Trump for doing a “phenomenal job” overall.
“I think on the Epstein thing, I wish things had been handled a little bit differently,” he admitted. “I think the rollout was less than smooth. I would say that it’s important but I also believe in giving grace to people and he’s gotten so many things right.”
Jeff Davis, the Republican party chair in Greenville county, South Carolina, accused the media of using the Epstein controversy to falsely portray a divide in the Maga (Make America great again) movement.
He said: “I think the Epstein issue is obviously critical and important but I think what most people care about is that the Trump agenda – the Maga ‘America first’ agenda – is being promoted. I think [Epstein is] being used as a distraction.”
Davis added: “We can walk and chew gum at the same time. They need to pursue the Epstein thing to the nth degree but I think most people are interested in the results of the things that the Trump administration is doing, as opposed to analysing this issue from the old days.”
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Mary Smith, the party chair in Dickson county, Tennessee, said: “If Donald Trump’s name is linked to something, it’s like a shark fest, whereas if it’s somebody else’s name attached, ‘Oh, it’s no big deal,’ and it’s swept under the rug. I get so tired of that whole focus on Trump.”
Despite Democrats’ efforts to keep attention focused on the Epstein saga, some are ready to move on. James Bennett, who runs a lumber company and is Republican party chair in Calhoun county, Alabama, said: “As far as I’m concerned with Trump, it’s about run its course. I know the Democrats are the ones out there trying to put gas on the fire, but you know, the fire’s about out.”
That may prove wishful thinking. Just 17% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the Epstein case, a weaker rating than the president received on any other issue in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll last week. Among Republicans, 35% approve and 29% disapprove, while the rest said they are unsure or did not answer the question.
Whit Ayres, a Republican consultant and pollster, draws a distinction between Trump voters who identify as part of the Maga movement and those attracted by his pledges to bring down inflation, juice the economy, close the southern border and tackle “woke” culture.
“For the Maga group, this is a very big deal,” Ayres said. “Many of them bought into all the conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein, whether it was the fact that he abused a bunch of kids and then covered it up or symptomatic of a widespread deep state conspiracy protecting elites and the privileged in general.
“For the other people who voted for Trump, it is disturbing but not as compelling as it is for the Maga crowd. They are more interested in whether he is going to be able to bring inflation down than they are in Epstein. That’s not to say that Epstein is not a disturbing story for them, but it’s more a matter of perspective.”
Yet another survey published this week again challenged the conventional wisdom. An Economist/YouGov poll found that Republican voters who identify as “Maga” were more likely to approve of how the president is dealing with the Epstein investigation (56%) than those who do not (38%). Overall among Republicans, 45% approve and 25% disapprove, with the remaining 30% unsure.
One such Maga voter is Mike Boatman, 57, who has attended about a hundred Trump campaign rallies, including the one last year in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the then Republican nominee survived an assassination attempt. His faith remains unshaken.
“I’m backing President Trump,” said Boatman, an independent contractor from Evansville, Indiana. “He knows more than what we know about the situation. There’s more important concerns for me than the Epstein files.
“There’s so much that President Trump needs to get done. He’s got three and a half years to get it done. Don’t get me wrong, I’m against paedophiles and whoever has done that with Epstein should be punished. But there’s more important things.”
Still, the story continues to dominate headlines and put heat on Republicans in the House of Representatives. They went on recess a day early to avoid holding a vote on releasing Epstein material. Mike Johnson, the House speaker, insisted the Epstein case is “not a hoax” despite Trump using that very word.
The president has been defiant, describing supporters hung up on the issue as “weaklings” who were helping Democrats. “I don’t want their support anymore!” Trump said in a social media post.
This week, he sought to distract his followers by making the baseless claim that Barack Obama and his officials fabricated intelligence reports to assert that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, accusing his predecessor of treason. Next he might try something even more extreme to change the narrative.
Reed Galen, president of the Union, a pro-democracy coalition, said: “My real fear is that he gets us into some sort of Wag the Dog thing where all of the distraction isn’t working so he decides to throw up some gigantic bright, shiny object that gets us all in trouble.”
But otherwise Galen is sceptical that the Epstein scandal will have far-reaching political implications. “To me, the flip side of this is: what difference does it make? I shouldn’t say that as a means of diminishing the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein or the pain of his victims. I’m looking at this from a purely electoral perspective.
“He’s not going to leave office. The midterms are 15 months, 16 months away. Do I think this is fodder for the left and the media and even the true Magas who are like, ‘What’s happening?’ Yeah. Do I think that ultimately, a year from now, we’ll be talking about this? Hard to believe.”
