Trump Reverses Course on Epstein Files: Supports Release After Previously Calling It a ‘Democrat Hoax’
In a dramatic turnaround, President Donald Trump on Sunday called for House Republicans to support the full release of Jeffrey Epstein documents — a marked shift from his prior stance labeling the battle a left-wing “hoax.”
The surprise reversal came as the House neared a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan effort led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Trump wrote on Truth Social: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.”
He doubled down, blaming his earlier criticism on what he called “Radical Left Lunatics” trying to distract from the Republican Party’s “great success.” But he also confirmed he wants a criminal-style investigation: he said he will ask the Department of Justice and the FBI to probe Epstein’s ties to major Democratic figures — including Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, and J.P. Morgan Chase — while notably leaving out any Republican names from his target list.
Newly Released Emails Raise Troubling Allegations
Trump’s shift follows a fresh eruption of documents from the House Oversight Committee, which on Wednesday released over 20,000 pages from Epstein’s estate. These files include damning statements in Epstein’s own emails, once shared with House Democrats, that appear to tie Trump more deeply to conversations about Epstein’s underage victims.
According to Factually, a fact-checking site, analysts reviewed the House Oversight Committee materials and estimated that Trump is mentioned in more than 1,600 of the 2,324 email threads in that batch.
In one 2011 exchange between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein writes:
“I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump … [Redacted] spent hours at my house with him … he has never once been mentioned. … im 75 % there.”
— Jeffrey Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwel
In a separate 2019 email to author Michael Wolff, Epstein states:
“Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
In a separate 2019 email to author Michael Wolff, Epstein states:
“Of course he knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”
Trump’s reversal has raised eyebrows from both sides of the aisle. Critics say his change of heart comes only after the newly released documents make his past denials harder to sustain publicly.
The timing may also have political motives. Earlier in November, Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in secured the final signature needed to force a House floor vote on the Transparency Act — meaning Trump risks being on the wrong side of a formal congressional majority.
Nevertheless, Trump and his allies are pushing back. The White House dismissed the newly released emails as a politically driven leak, insisting the president has nothing to hide.
In a statement, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that Democrats are “selectively leaking emails” to create bad-faith narratives, adding that Trump already distanced himself from Epstein years ago — and even kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago for inappropriate behavior.
With a House vote imminent and the pressure mounting, all eyes now turn to how many Republicans will side with Trump — or break from him. As he calls for renewed investigations into Epstein’s connections with powerful figures, his reversal draws fresh attention to exactly what kind of relationship he once had with the disgraced financier.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
