Trump has backed out of the most 'fundamental deal' with his MAGA base: columnist

President Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files saga may have permanently damaged his reputation with his base, according to one columnist.

Ahmed Baba described the impact of Trump's decision not to release the Epstein files, as he promised to do on the 2024 presidential campaign trail, during an appearance on CNN's "NewsNight with Abby Phillip." The comments come at a time when Trump is searching for ways to distract his base from the Epstein files altogether.

"The fundamental deal that Trump made with his base is that he was going to root out this mysterious cabal of elites that are running things and keeping you down, and enriching themselves, and keeping you from knowing what's really going on," Baba said. "A key part of this became these Epstein files."

The Epstein files were a central element of Trump's support during the 2024 election cycle. Trump and his surrogates used the story to create a narrative that Trump could rescue the nation from a group of corrupt individuals. However, that illusion appears to be broken after Trump refused to release the entire Epstein case file.

"Essentially, what he's proving is that he is one of these corrupt elites," Baba continued. "Not only with this Epstein refusal, to not release these files. He's not actually releasing the files. He's doing the grand jury testimony, which is only a fraction of the files out there."

"While he's doing this, he is simultaneously raising prices on Americans via tariffs," Baba added.

Watch the clip below or by clicking here.