Democrats Amplify Epstein Scandal to Challenge Trump Supporters

President Donald Trump faces intensified scrutiny over his alleged connection to Jeffrey Epstein, with Democrats leveraging the Epstein scandal to drive a wedge between Trump and his MAGA base. The Wall Street Journal published a report including a lewd birthday card to Epstein allegedly from Trump, which the president denies writing, despite having a history of donating drawings to charity. Trump has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch in response to the allegations. The controversy has unsettled Trump’s supporters, as the Epstein issue reverses prior conspiracy theories that targeted Democrats and now threatens Trump’s standing. Some Republicans, like Senator Bernie Moreno, dismiss the birthday card report as a media hoax and argue that the focus on it distracts from the administration’s policy achievements. Meanwhile, Democrats see the Epstein files as a potential political weapon ahead of upcoming elections, hoping to exploit Trump’s struggles with his base and the broader fallout from the scandal.