Our new book is The Comeback: The 2024 Elections and American Politics. The first year of the second Trump administration has been full of ominous developments. . Scandals persist. Especially Epstein.
Four months ago, President Trump blocked the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Wednesday's disclosure of thousands of Epstein emails showed why.
Why it matters: The emails contained no real smoking gun. But they shed new light on the relationship between the two men, with gossipy, unflattering descriptions of Trump by Epstein.
Trump was put into a defensive crouch as the news dominated conversation on Capitol Hill, television and social media.
The tranche of emails released by the House Oversight Committee all but ensured the GOP-run chamber would bend to public pressure and vote for a measure to release the investigative records Trump has tried to keep hidden.The White House lobbied two key Republicans on Wednesday to drop their support for the effort, to no avail.
The big picture: Trump's reaction to the Epstein scandal is a window into how he handles major controversies that invite criticism about his leadership.Whether it's a question about the current affordability crisis, COVID in 2020 or the Russia probe in 2017, he has a penchant for pushing back against attacks by calling them Democratic hoaxes or con jobs.
He then tries to kill the controversy with such a heavy hand that it helps keep the story alive.
One reason why the Epstein stuff won't go away is that this is one of the rare instances where Trump is concealing and dissembling just like a normal politician trying to conceal dark deeds. Normally Trump is outrageously brazen. He commits many of his worst acts very publicly…
— David French (@DavidAFrench) November 13, 2025
