Republicans and the Epstein Syndrome

One of the biggest current questions surrounding the possibility of a second Trump presidency is how much his supporters care about the Jeffrey Epstein case. In its report on the issue, CNN writes:

“The distinction between ‘high importance’ and ‘low importance’ here is critical. High importance could indicate a lasting challenge for Trump, potentially affecting even the midterms and impacting turnout among his loyal base. On the other hand, low importance would mean this is just a passing scandal that will soon be forgotten.”

With considerable time having passed since the release of the controversial Justice Department memo on Epstein, the question arises: how much attention are Republicans really giving this issue?

A series of new polls suggests that Republican dissatisfaction with how the Trump administration handled this scandal may continue to pose a challenge for the GOP. It appears the Republican voter base is nearly split down the middle regarding the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case.

This kind of division—rare when it comes to Trump—might suggest a lower-than-expected level of concern among Republicans. Overall, American public opinion on the matter is negative, and the Republican Party is, unusually, internally divided.

Multiple surveys show widespread public dissatisfaction with the way Trump’s administration dealt with the issue. For instance, Reuters/Ipsos and Quinnipiac University polls revealed that 54% vs. 17% (Reuters) and 63% vs. 17% (Quinnipiac) of Americans disapproved of how Trump’s team managed the Epstein investigation.

It’s worth noting that the first poll asked specifically about Trump, while the second referred more broadly to his administration. In both cases, only 17% of Americans thought Trump and his government handled the matter properly — and most of this small minority are Republican.

Yet when looking specifically at Republican voters, the party appears nearly evenly split — a rare occurrence regarding Trump’s major political decisions.

In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 35% approved versus 29% disapproved, and in the Quinnipiac poll, 40% approved versus 36% disapproved of the administration’s handling of the Epstein probe. It's hard to recall another issue where Republicans were this indifferent or divided over a key Trump action.

For example, even shortly after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol — which many saw as the end of Trump's political career — a CNN poll showed that Republicans overwhelmingly supported Trump’s response by 63% to 32%.