After months of fighting against the release of the Epstein files, the House of Representatives voted— with only one dissenting vote — overwhelmingly in favor of making them public. In recent weeks, Trump tried everything to stop this: he threatened, he pressured, he blacklisted even his most loyal supporters, until he finally understood he could not prevent the inevitable.
A major role in this was played by the Epstein emails that surfaced in the meantime, revealing that Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking operation — which sourced teenage girls from Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s own property — and that Trump spent hours at Epstein’s house with one of the victims. It is unclear what else may be in the documents.
When it became evident that many Republican members of the House would vote for disclosure, Trump tried to escape an obvious defeat by suddenly reversing course and placing himself at the head of the transparency camp, urging previously resistant Republicans to vote yes.
This is absurd, because if Trump truly wanted to, he could release the entire Epstein file without any vote. All he would have to do is instruct the Department of Justice. He never did so, and in the end supported a vote that was directed against him — intended to force out of him the massive amount of Epstein documents he has been withholding.
Trump attempted to create the impression that he supports transparency, claiming he backed the resolution so Republicans could finally put an end to an issue that has gripped public opinion for months and cast a shadow of suspicion over him. Yet if he truly believed in transparency, the simplest solution would be to release everything himself.
After months of resistance, Trump justified his reversal by claiming he “has nothing to hide.” If that were true, he could have released the files at any time, without requests or votes, especially since — due to conspiracy theories surrounding the case — he had promised during his presidential campaign to do exactly that. Once it became known that he appears in the files, he backed away.
Only Trump can know what may (or may not) be in the Epstein files that he fears, but it is clear that transparency was not his motivation. Rather, he wanted to conceal the fact that for the first time in a decade, not only the MAGA movement but the Republican Party itself rebelled against him. Reversing himself allowed his weakness and defeat to appear less obvious.
The House vote has now forced the Republican-controlled Senate into a corner. The Senate could still vote against disclosure, but doing so would be extremely embarrassing. Especially since, when asked directly, Trump said that if the Senate approves the bill, he will sign it. But this would hardly be the first promise he breaks.
Meanwhile, supporters of transparency (including known victims) fear that even if the vote succeeds, the Justice Department — which behaves like Trump’s obedient lapdog — could still deny disclosure through various tricks or by citing ongoing investigations. But that would only spark further protests and add fuel to the fire.
For this reason, there is no scenario in which Trump comes out of this looking good, and contrary to its stated purpose, the vote will not put the matter to rest. And we haven’t even addressed the fact that we still don’t know what the files contain. Republicans speak of transparency, but the real issue is a profound crisis of trust toward Trump.
It is increasingly clear that many do not believe Trump has nothing to hide. They do not trust him, and not everyone supports him unconditionally anymore. Especially since it appears that beyond a real estate transaction, he and Epstein fell out over teenage girls. Epstein himself could not understand how Trump managed to escape the investigations launched against him.
The MAGA movement has fractured; some are beginning to realize that Trump is the opposite of what they believed him to be. Corrupt Republicans may begin fleeing the sinking ship if Trump no longer guarantees their political survival. Strange as it sounds, the MAGA movement has taken on a life of its own, with its own (not very appealing) value system, and Trump no longer fits it.
Trump is no longer in control of the monster he created. The movement now has its own identity. Those who joined for their careers will leave for the same reason. Members of Congress fear their own voters. The party leadership is falling apart as Trump’s once-bright aura fades. If he is caught in some major wrongdoing, the party will plunge into darkness.
Many people do not believe Trump is innocent, and they want the truth. All the more so because the investigation into Epstein took place during Trump’s first presidency, at a time when Epstein could have threatened or blackmailed him, and Trump — as president — had a great deal to lose. Many still do not believe Epstein’s extremely suspicious “suicide,” and it is entirely possible that Trump fears the exposure of a few personal affairs.
Criminal responsibility and political responsibility are not the same. But for a president, the latter can be just as fatal. What is certain is that Epstein’s death did not end the conflict between the two of them. It is telling that at one point in the scandal Trump said that Epstein “cannot die.” In a sense, it truly feels as if this whole affair is otherworldly — Epstein’s ghost cannot rest. It wants justice.
