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On Wednesday night, the White House announced that President Donald Trump had signed the bill passed by Congress earlier this week to release the files on the federal investigation into alleged child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Shortly after, Trump himself shared the news on Truth Social. Trump’s message was rife with misleading statements, likely meant to divert attention from his former longtime relationship with Epstein.
Trump, for example, called the disgraced New York financier a lifelong Democrat who “donated Thousands of Dollars to Democrat Politicians” — a statement that is true. But Trump made no mention of his own personal friendship with Epstein, which lasted from the 1980s through the early 2000s.
Trump also downplayed his attempt to obstruct the release of files.
“As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively,” Trump wrote.
However, Trump only made that decision after months of describing calls for the files to be released a “hoax” against him, changing his mind only when it became evident that the legislation had enough bipartisan votes for passage.
Indeed, in his evening missive, Trump continued to describe the entire ordeal as a “hoax,” disregarding Epstein’s victims, who have been demanding the release of the files for years.
Trump’s name reportedly appears within the Epstein files, but to what extent remains unclear. During the 2024 presidential race, Trump had campaigned on releasing the files, capitalizing on conspiracy theories popular amongst his base. Upon taking office, however, the president’s position on the matter changed dramatically. In July, after his Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that there would be no further investigation into Epstein — and that the files would remain private — Trump vehemently rejected calls for their release, taking on a deeply adversarial tone toward those who disagreed with him.
The law stipulates that most of the Epstein files must be released to the public, in a searchable database created by the Justice Department, within the next 30 days (around December 18). However, some critics are concerned that Trump could still limit what will be available, as he has many options to restrict files.
Trump could, for example, limit the release of files that relate to ongoing federal investigations. Indeed, Trump ordered Bondi to open new inquiries into several of his political adversaries just days before he announced support for the bill. Trump could also issue an executive order deeming certain documents’ release as dangerous for national security or foreign policy reasons.
“It would be naive of any of us to think that Trump has really had a conversion,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) said. “He does not want the information out.”
DNC chair Ken Martin similarly expressed skepticism over Trump’s sudden change of heart, stating:
We can see where this is headed: He’s already threatening to play games with the files that are released and those that are withheld. Here’s our call: Protect survivors, withhold nothing. Trump’s Department of Justice must release ALL of the Epstein Files immediately.
Polling shows widespread support for the release of the Epstein documents, though there is still some skepticism regarding Trump’s role in the matter. According to an Economist/YouGov survey published this week, four in five voters (80 percent) said they backed the release of the files, with only 7 percent opposed.
Meanwhile, a plurality of respondents — nearly half, at 49 percent — believe Trump is trying to cover up Epstein’s crimes.
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