Epstein fallout reaches new heights as Trump loyalists begin 'turning on him': analysis

President Donald Trump erupted Friday morning after new revelations over his past ties with Jeffrey Epstein were exposed this week, with his panicked plea to quell inquiries into Epstein’s connections drawing an unusually meek response from his base, journalist Aaron Parnas noted Friday.

Trump’s first online post Friday was just four words: “The Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” he wrote, alongside a video of Fox News’ Jessie Watters defending him. His second appeared more desperate, with the president asking those interested in exposing Epstein’s connections to not “waste your time with Trump” given that he had “a country to run.”

Writing on his Substack “The Parnas Perspective,” Parnas noted the unusually critical response Trump had on his own social media platform Truth Social, where responses are typically near-unanimous in their praise for the president.

“The reaction from those who follow him on Truth Social was not great,” Parnas wrote. “I spent the morning combing through the comments, and as it currently stands, Trump’s base is turning on him. Not only does the post have much less engagement than usual, but it also shows a base angry at their leader."

Some notable examples include one lengthy response from Truth Social user “Frank Freedom Russo,” who vouched for Trump’s innocence, but urged him to stop referring to inquires around Epstein as a “hoax.”

“There are a lot of people that when it comes to election day are on the fence and if they keep hearing you calling Epstein a hoax they think you’re trying to cover something up even though I know you’re not and most informed people know that,” they wrote. “Just clarify your message thank you sir.”

Other responses were less subdued, like a post from Truth Social user “Jean Sanchez,” who, despite having shared dozens of posts of Trump’s and posts criticizing Democrats, urged the president to “release the list,” referring to the Justice Department’s trove of files it still holds on Epstein.