Trump's MAGA Movement and the (Non)existent Epstein Case

By Armin Sijamić

Less than six months ago, Donald Trump returned to the White House, shaking allies and enemies worldwide, his electoral base, some donors, and people who had been loyal to him for years.

One of the characteristics of politics in most of the West since the end of World War II has been predictability, respect for decision-making procedures, and in most cases, transparency based on legal frameworks, although a large part of politics, as elsewhere, stemmed from what was secret and difficult for the majority of the population to grasp.

Donald Trump changed that in the United States. From his entry into politics, he presented himself as a man with solutions for all problems and someone who would always do what he set out to do. In his first term, such efforts clashed with the existing bureaucratic apparatus, which he called the "deep state," leading to numerous dismissals and resignations.

In his second term, there are no mass dismissals in his administration; the government is coherent and listens to the politician who, in his tenth year in high-level politics, has learned some things in the meantime, and some are the result of pacts with lobbies, the Republican party leadership, allies worldwide, and groups on the ground. The pact also meant Trump's renunciation of some of his policies.

Promises (Un)fulfilled

However, Trump's messianic performance had consequences. Millions of people who supported the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement still remember the promises Trump made. Some of these promises include reducing government spending and debt, ending involvement in wars, focusing on American problems, and "draining the swamp" – a term coined during his campaign to describe Trump's intention to confront the "deep state."

Draining the swamp in itself would mean Trump is a revolutionary, because as his supporters understood it, it means changing the political, economic, media, and other elites in the United States. Only then would America be great again, they believe.

Trump thus came into conflict with Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who literally bought votes for him, in addition to financing his campaign with hundreds of millions of dollars and making his social network X available to him. The conflict with Musk began because Trump's state budget was increasing spending and debt, and the billionaire had previously been tasked with reducing spending through DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).

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This clash continued with Musk's plan to create a new political party, as well as a serious accusation that is currently pushing Trump into a confrontation with other parts of the MAGA movement. Musk wrote on X, then deleted, that Trump is in the investigative files of suspected pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Many concluded that Musk, by sifting through government documents with state-of-the-art software and his best experts, found this information through DOGE.

From Conspiracy Theory to Mainstream

The Epstein case is one of those that has gathered people around Trump who supported various conspiracy theories, blaming the deep state. In the United States, such people are often more popular than any other public figures. Their media platforms are followed by tens of millions of people and more on social networks, especially on X, where Musk, in his desire to restore "freedom of speech" in the US, has allowed posts with almost no filters.

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The Epstein case seems to interest Trump's voters more than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Upon coming to power, Trump released secret documents from this case, but they did not change the existing version of events. One of the cases Trump promised to shed further light on is the Epstein case, who, according to the official version, died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for child trafficking and pedophilia.

Trump's supporters, as well as those close to him, have repeatedly claimed for years that Epstein gathered various public figures in the United States, including presidents, and trafficked children. Later, this material would be used for blackmail. As Epstein was of Jewish descent, Trump's supporters claim he did this on behalf of Israeli intelligence services, which thus control American politics.

Trump himself contributed to this narrative. He mentioned Epstein in his campaign, specifically former President Bill Clinton, as one of those who could speak out on this case. At the same time, numerous photos circulated on social media showing Epstein in the company of many famous Americans, including Trump.

A Complete Turnaround

And then something unexpected happened. Trump said last week that the case doesn't exist and that no one is asking him about it anymore, and one of the most popular American journalists, Tucker Carlson, who has supported Trump for years and is a mainstream figure of the MAGA movement, says that everyone knows about Epstein's misdeeds and that Israel is likely behind it, and that "every person in Washington, D.C. thinks so." Carlson made these remarks on July 11, addressing young American conservatives.

Three days later, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett denied Carlson's claims. "The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad, leading a network of blackmailers, is categorically and completely false," he said. "Epstein's behavior, both criminal and simply despicable, had nothing to do with the Mossad or the State of Israel. Epstein never worked for the Mossad."

Bennett's supporters will not believe Carlson, even if he offered them proof. That proof would be a new deception to them. Carlson is one of those who has started asking questions that the public awaits answers to. "How did someone, from a math teacher at Dalton School in the late seventies, without a college degree, become the owner of multiple planes, a private island, and the largest residential building in Manhattan?" Carlson said in the aforementioned speech. "Where did all that money come from?"

Shortly before, on his show, he asked why Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell was in prison if Epstein wasn't doing what he was accused of. Maxwell was sentenced to twenty years in prison in December 2021 for trafficking minors and aiding Epstein.

The World of Politics

Carlson accused former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak of close ties to Epstein, and some claim the duo met multiple times at the suspected pedophile's home, while photos of the pair circulate on social media. "If the speculations about Epstein and the Mossad are not true, then just tell me how they are false. But don't call me crazy," Carlson said, defending his right to ask questions and rejecting accusations that his views are antisemitic.

Such views raise alarms. Namely, the foundations of antisemitic views, which have a long history in the West, state that Jews secretly control the world and perform child sacrifice rituals. At a time when criticism of Israel is growing due to the war in the Gaza Strip, these views can create conditions for the lynching of an entire people. It should be recalled that some members of the MAGA movement believe that Trump is fighting against a global network of pedophiles who control politics and media. Thus, Trump's policies have led to the Jewish community being vulnerable to public backlash, as it is unclear what is worse for them – proof that Epstein worked for the Mossad or proof that he didn't, because some would not believe it and would consider it a new conspiracy.

The confusion Trump has caused within his ranks has not yet subsided. After accusing Clinton of being close to Epstein, then saying there is no list of his clients, a few days ago he accused "left-wing lunatics" from the Democratic Party, such as Barack Obama, Joseph Biden, and Hillary Clinton, of inventing the whole story.

Trump is not only criticized by his supporters. On social media, messages are common that those responsible for child abuse must be brought to justice and that the Epstein case must be investigated to the end. But what is the end? What are the dimensions of the crime, even if it is not related to politics? What can satisfy the public's demands? Who was involved in this crime? There are still no answers to these questions, but we are already seeing that the MAGA movement and its hero Trump are losing the support of their followers.

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There is no doubt that this case will shake the political scene in the United States and create conditions for other political actors. Musk is talking about a plan for a new party to win a few seats in Congress and thus be the deciding factor between the two parties; in New York, Zohran Mamdani is leading the fight against the Democratic and Trump party establishments, and millions are wondering whom to support. Trump's policy of simple solutions and fighting against conspiracies has led to many not believing in simple answers, and the fight against conspiracy has, in fact, become a conspiracy.