President Donald Trump’s approach to the Jeffrey Epstein case is getting low marks from the American public, according to a new Washington Post poll.
Just 18 percent of U.S. adults approve of how the president is handling the issue, while some 58 percent disapproving, WaPo’s poll found. The remaining 24 percent have no opinion.
Disapproval is, perhaps expectedly, widespread among Democrats, 90 percent, and independents at 63 percent. But even among Republicans, views are mixed. Just 38 percent approve, while 24 percent disapprove, and another 38 percent say they’re unsure.
Among self-identified MAGA Republicans, just over four in 10 approve of Trump’s handling, while nearly as many express no opinion. Only 17 percent disapprove.
The Epstein saga remains firmly in the public eye. One in four adults say they’re paying “a lot” of attention to the news, while another 38 percent say they’re following it “somewhat.”
The drama is refusing to go away, despite the best efforts of Trump, who has angrily shut down journalists who dare ask about the story.
In recent weeks, renewed public scrutiny has intensified as pressure mounts on federal agencies to release the so-called “Epstein files”—a trove of documents believed to detail the late financier’s network of powerful associates.
The release of court documents earlier this year named dozens of high-profile individuals, and now a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Obama-era ethics czar Norm Eisen is demanding the DOJ and FBI disclose internal communications about Epstein, including any references to Donald Trump or Mar-a-Lago.
Interest remains highest among Democrats, though majorities across all political affiliations say they’re at least somewhat engaged.
Voters cited curiosity about whether powerful figures—Trump included—would be named in the documents. A self-described MAGA Republican from Nevada told the Post he is watching closely to “find out who went to the island,” namely Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands—Epstein’s secretive private retreat.
A Democrat from Oregon called the government’s lack of transparency “super suspicious.”
A vast majority—90 percent—of Americans support the full release of all Epstein-related files. Two-thirds say they support it strongly, with bipartisan agreement across Democrats, Republicans, and the MAGA movement.
When asked what they believe is in the documents, 61 percent of respondents said they think the files contain embarrassing material about Trump.
Nearly two-thirds said the same about Democrats, and more than eight in 10 suspect billionaires are implicated. Just 30 percent of Republicans said they think the files include damaging information about Trump, with 44 percent saying they’re unsure.
The poll also asked about Epstein’s death. Only 15 percent of Americans believe the official explanation that he died by suicide. Forty-four percent believe he was murdered. Another 42 percent are unsure.
The poll was conducted by text message on July 28 with a random national sample of 1,089 adults through the SSRS Opinion Panel, one of the leading opinion-sharing platforms in the nation.
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