United States: Donald Trump furious at members of his camp who are inflating the Epstein controversy

US President Donald Trump has raised his voice after several days of a growing controversy, stemming from a recent report by his administration on the Epstein affair. Some of his partisan base accuses him of a lack of transparency. "This whole thing is a complete hoax, orchestrated by the Democrats. And a few stupid, idiotic Republicans are falling for it and playing into the Democrats' hands," he said when questioned about the Epstein affair in the Oval Office, where he was hosting the Crown Prince of Bahrain on Wednesday.

Donald Trump is facing the most serious division among his loyal supporters since returning to the White House in January, amid suspicions that his administration is covering up elements of the Jeffrey Epstein case to protect wealthy and powerful figures.

The death of the American financier, found hanged in his cell in New York in 2019 - during Donald Trump's first term - before being tried, has fueled a number of unverified theories according to which he was assassinated to prevent revelations implicating high-profile figures, particularly agitated by a fringe of the American right.

"I don't want their support anymore!"

Figures close to Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement have been campaigning for years for the release of an alleged secret list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients. These Trump supporters had hoped for answers to their questions with the New York billionaire's return to power, with his administration having pledged to "lift the lid" on this "repugnant" affair.

But about ten days ago, the Justice Department and the federal police, the FBI, established in a joint report that there was no evidence of the existence of such a list or of blackmail against certain figures. They also dismissed the theory that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered and confirmed his suicide. They finally indicated that they would not release any additional information on the investigation in light of these elements.

These announcements have led to a flood of angry messages from "MAGA" accounts on social media. To Republicans who are questioning the White House's line, Donald Trump launched Wednesday morning that they were "FORMER supporters who bought into this bullshit" on his Truth Social platform. "Let these wimps play into the Democrats' hands (...) because I don't want their support anymore!" he snarled. "They're stupid," the Republican president insisted at midday from the Oval Office.

More and more annoyed

Then he shifted the conversation by launching into a list of what he considers his economic and diplomatic achievements over the past six months, and complained that instead, people are "talking about a guy who obviously had very serious problems and who died three or four years ago." Is he disavowing those he calls "old" supporters? "No, but I have greatly lost faith in certain people," he replied.

Before his election victory in November, Donald Trump—one of the many celebrities who were friends with Epstein, but who denies having visited his Caribbean residence in the Virgin Islands—had assured that he had "no problem" with his dossier being published. He reiterated Wednesday that his Attorney General Pam Bondi could make public "anything credible." This did not silence the anger of some of his close allies.