Facing Political Backlash, Trump Reverses Position on Epstein Files

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1223 EAT on Tursday 18 November 2025

President Donald Trump is no longer opposing the release of the Epstein files — though allies say he remains far from pleased with the outcome.

Trump endorsed a congressional push to disclose all records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after it became apparent he could not stop the effort and risked a politically embarrassing defeat on the House floor, according to people familiar with the matter, CNN reported.

The stark reality, conveyed to Trump by allies and advisers in recent days, prompted the president’s abrupt reversal on Sunday evening.

On Monday, he indicated he would sign the measure if it reaches his desk. Sources say the decision was made reluctantly but is expected to pave the way for the bill’s overwhelming passage in the House on Tuesday, with the Senate likely to consider it soon thereafter.

“Sure, I would,” Trump said from the Oval Office on Monday when asked whether he would sign the measure.

The statement marked a rare retreat for a president who has consistently sought to bend Washington to his will since returning to office. It followed unsuccessful private efforts by the White House last week to pressure a small group of Republican lawmakers to withdraw their support for the measure, and came just days after Trump publicly criticized those defectors as “soft and foolish.”

In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote: “The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republicans would fall into that trap.”

Trump remains personally frustrated by the ongoing attention on the Epstein files, sources familiar with the matter said, viewing them as a distraction from his political agenda and as material Democrats have leveraged for attacks.

The president reportedly resents being associated with Epstein, whom he has said he severed ties with long before any criminal charges were filed. He has also expressed irritation over the prominent role some of his close allies have played in pushing for the files, the sources added.

On Monday, Republican lawmaker Johnson suggested he may support the measure after months of siding with Trump against it, citing renewed optimism that the Senate will “be able to correct” some of his concerns over its language, CNN reported.

Trump has since echoed that attitude, urging Republicans to shift their focus to issues he considers more critical for next year’s midterm elections. “All I want is for people to recognize a great job that I’ve done on pricing, on affordability,” he said. “I don’t want to take it away from really the greatness of what the Republican Party has accomplished.”

Meanwhile, Trump has sought to turn the Epstein issue against Democrats, directing a Justice Department investigation into the late financier’s connections to various figures, including former President Bill Clinton and prominent economic adviser Larry Summers. Neither Clinton, Summers, nor Trump has been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

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