Steve Bannon’s far-right podcast War Room erupted in backlash Friday as guests accused President Donald Trump of betraying his base by withholding files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier long rumored to possess a blackmail list of elites.
“Simply put, Epstein himself said that he was best friends, on the stand, with Donald Trump,” shouted Blue Jackson of Texas, a guest on the show.
“Anybody who thought that these files were going to get just declassified because we pressured him enough, or you voted hard enough, is just lying to yourself… in 2016, we trusted the plan with Trump, but now Trump has become the deep state.”
The Trump administration has sparked fury among many MAGA faithful for a Justice Department report this week that found no evidence that Epstein, who had close ties to Trump and former President Bill Clinton, maintained a client list or was operating a blackmail operation. The administration drew further ire for its subsequent response to pushback, shutting down further inquiries on multiple occasions.
Much of that fury was seen on the set of Bannon’s show Friday, with a number of guests shouting out their disappointment with Trump.
“We're being lied to, the pedophiles aren't being rounded up, the people aren't getting deported, we're not getting what we asked for,” one guest shouted.
“We want to put America first, we're here for the Republican movement, but we aren't really seeing it with this administration,” another guest said. “When are we going to get what we voted for?”
Hearing the dissent, Bannon asked Jackson what he’d say to Trump were he to have the opportunity, a question that again sparked fury related to the administration’s handling of Epstein’s case.
“There's no better question than who rules America,” Jackson said. “It's not the people, so we need to obviously have the declassification of the Epstein files.”
“With him as commander in chief and doing all he's doing, you would actually tell Trump you question who rules this country?” Bannon asked.
“I definitely would because it's a blackmail ring, and anybody who wouldn't is not paying attention… What is more deep state than covering up for pedophiles? Why would you go to that island, why would you go on the plane?”
