Where’s the List? MAGA Nation Questions Trump’s Epstein File Flip

There has been a lot of chatter concerning the Trump Administration’s handling of the Epstein files.  For years, the strong rumors centered around whose names were included in participating in tawdry and possible illegal activities.  The thought was that these files were not being made public due to who would be named.  Trump supporters promised if they were put into office, these files would be made public.  

Very early in the new Administration, Attorney General Pam Bondi outright stated the client list was sitting on her desk.  Now, they are saying there is no client list or any files that go beyond what has already been made public.  There are reports of all of this causing a rift between Bondi and the head of the FBI, Kash Patel, and his deputy, Don Bongino.

More important to the success of the Trump Administration, the staunchest members of MAGA are making it known they are not happy about this sudden shift from “we will make everything public” to “nothing to see here.”  This is especially troublesome in that it takes attention away from the multiple successes achieved by the Administration—securing the border, crushing Iran’s nuclear capacity, creating new jobs, and much more.  President Trump, obviously unhappy about how this has unfolded, has said nobody really cares about the Epstein files.

Far be it for me to second-guess Donald Trump’s ability to identify and embrace where the American public stands on any issue.  The man is a genius at identifying and embracing how Americans are looking at things.  Just think back to his being at the checkout window at McDonald’s.

In the case of the Epstein files, much of MAGA nation feels as though a promise made to them is not being kept.  Even among his worst critics, it is usually conceded that when Donald Trump, or his surrogates, say something, you can take it to the bank.

In politics, when something is easy to understand—we were promised these files would be made public—the power of them among voters can exceed their intrinsic importance.  Think of having biological males compete against biological females.  Anytime the conversation involves a topic that is both easy to understand and what voters see as keeping a promise, the political situation is real.

Before making any suggestion, let’s dispense with the idea that the reason the files remain private is not to embarrass President Trump.  Any group of people willing to engage in blatantly pursuing political objectives in the name of justice surely would have made this known earlier.  The Russian conspiracy, impeachment over Ukraine, and multiple legal cases all scream that if the Democrats thought they had the goods on President Trump being involved, we would have known about it a long time ago.

I for one, do not doubt what the Administration is saying about the Epstein files.  However, a significant number of MAGA Nation feel a promise made to them by the hero and leader of their cause is not being kept.  The topic has intrinsic interest in that the files were said to include information concerning multiple public figures, and the topic is sex.  Generally speaking, this will cause the public to be interested.

Now for a modest suggestion.  Have a handful of individuals who are known to and trusted by MAGA Nation look at things and “report back” on what they found.  The legacy corporate media will howl that this is insufficient.  As a political matter, who cares?  Not a single thing said or done will satisfy their need to be critical of the President and the Administration.  What counts here is overcoming the sense that a promise has been broken.  The only way I see opinion shifting is to have MAGA nation conclude that it is not the case.

Common Sense:  In politics, if your strongest supporters believe you have broken a promise made to them, it’s a real problem.