President Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter on Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting after the journalist questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about the Justice Department’s controversial findings in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The reporter, from the New York Post, posed the question just as Trump and his top officials were addressing the national response to the devastating floods in Texas, which have already claimed more than 100 lives. The timing of the inquiry enraged the president, who accused the press of “desecrating” a moment of national tragedy to chase headlines.
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump asked in visible frustration. “This guy’s been talked about for years. We’ve got Texans dying, and wars raging in the Middle East and Europe, and you want to talk about that creep?”
Trump’s remarks came just two days after the DOJ and FBI released a memo concluding their years-long investigation into Epstein’s death and alleged sex trafficking network. The agencies stated there was no credible evidence Epstein was murdered or had a so-called “client list” of elites he blackmailed — a conclusion that has infuriated many in Trump’s MAGA base, who have long believed the case was covered up.
Bondi, seated beside the president with Secretary of State Marco Rubio between them, was willing to answer the question, but Trump stepped in before she could respond, aiming his ire squarely at the reporter.
“I can’t believe you’re asking about Epstein at a time like this,” Trump snapped. “We’re facing incredible success and horrible tragedy — especially what happened in Texas. Asking that question right now, in this context, is a total disgrace.”
Still, Bondi went on to address the issue, denying that she had ever claimed a “client list” existed.
“What I said back in February was that I had the full case file on my desk,” Bondi clarified. “That included the entire investigative record — tens of thousands of pages and pieces of digital evidence.”
She added that much of the unreleased material contained graphic child pornography downloaded by Epstein himself, which cannot and will not be made public.
“It’s disgusting,” she said. “These were files Epstein stored on his devices — none of it is going to be released. It will never see the light of day.”
Epstein Memo Sparks MAGA Fury
The DOJ’s memo, which was released late Sunday, concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 and that no substantial evidence linked him to a broader blackmail scheme involving high-profile individuals. But for many conservatives and online influencers, the findings rang hollow.
Right-wing commentator Glenn Beck joined a growing chorus of MAGA figures calling for Bondi’s resignation, accusing her of failing to deliver on promises of transparency.
“This isn’t just about Epstein’s death,” Beck wrote. “This is about justice. And what we got instead was incompetence from the attorney general’s office.”
Others accused the DOJ of stonewalling and protecting powerful elites. Hashtags like #ReleaseTheList and #FirePamBondi began trending across pro-Trump platforms.
But the Trump White House remains firmly behind Bondi. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement Tuesday defending the attorney general and dismissing the outrage as politically motivated noise.
“President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda,” Leavitt said. “These baseless efforts to divide the President’s Cabinet only serve the interests of those who fear the truth.”
A Change in Tone on Epstein?
Trump’s fiery response on Tuesday marks a notable shift from his 2024 campaign trail rhetoric, during which he repeatedly vowed to release classified government files, including those related to Jeffrey Epstein, JFK, and Martin Luther King Jr.
At the time, those promises were cheered by his base. But now, facing a growing list of national emergencies and foreign conflicts, Trump appears eager to move on.
“Do you really want to waste time on Epstein right now?” he asked the Cabinet room. “Let’s focus on what matters.”
For many of his supporters, though, the Epstein case still does matter — and the president’s abrupt change in tone is raising eyebrows, even among his loyalists.
Whether Trump can keep the Epstein firestorm from distracting his administration during a critical election year remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: this chapter of the Epstein saga is far from over.