The White House is publicly projecting confidence that President Donald Trump can weather whatever storms come out in the Jeffrey Epstein files, but a new report reveals an apparent fear his second term could be swamped by a Category 5 scandal.
The president and his top lieutenants failed to persuade congressional Republicans to back off from the Epstein case, and Trump publicly signaled his support for a vote to compel his Department of Justice to release investigative files on his sex trafficking network. The Washington Post provided new reporting on the behind-the-scenes strategizing for his U-turn.
"It marks not only a moment of personal frustration for Trump, according to advisers, but has raised alarms among some Republican operatives about the party’s strength moving into the midterms," the Post reported. "Trump’s base in recent weeks has divided over a host of issues, including the United States’ relationship with Israel, antisemitism in the GOP, extending immigration visas to Chinese students and farmworkers, and whether Trump has been too focused on foreign policy issues at the expense of providing economic relief and addressing other domestic issues."
Trump personally tried to pressure individual GOP lawmakers to oppose a floor vote on the files, according to two sources, but House Republicans instead defied his orders on an issue that advisers say exasperated him.
“Trump is without question still the titular head of the Republican Party and leader of the America First and MAGA movement," said GOP strategist Dennis Lomax. "But after a decade, there are new faces giving voice to the element that wants Trump to focus more on domestic issues."
The Michigan-based strategist told the Post there was a “growing split” in the MAGA movement “on a multitude of issues,” not just the Epstein matter, but White House officials downplayed the GOP revolt against his demands, saying Trump's team has faced "far worse moments."
“While the outside world is panicking, everybody internally knows we will do what we’ve always done when challenges come — you pull yourself up from your bootstraps, you huddle together, you devise a plan, and you execute on that plan,” a White House official told the Post.
However, that official compared the matter to some grievously serious episodes in Trump's recent life.
"The person listed both personal and political storms Trump has weathered in the years since he left office the first time, including being shot in an assassination attempt; dozens of criminal indictments; and his political exile after a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021," the Post reported.
Trump huddled with advisers Sunday night on Air Force One as he returned to Washington, D.C., after spending the weekend at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, and upon his arrival he publicly committed to supporting a vote he was unable to stop.
"While Fox News and Sunday Night Football played on in-flight screens, Trump discussed the Epstein issue and upcoming vote with aides, while also ticking through other tasks, including reviewing the guest list for Tuesday’s black-tie dinner with the Saudi crown prince, according to a person with knowledge of his activities aboard the flight home," the Post reported.
"Sixteen minutes after landing in Washington, Trump announced in a lengthy post on Truth Social that he was no longer opposing the House measure."