Why the Epstein Scandal Could Devastate MAGA

Trump has never faced a scandal like this one

Like many in the Anti-Trump/Pro-Democracy coalition, I’ve been enjoying the absolute right-wing freakout over Trump covering up the Epstein files. With great amusement, I’ve watched conspiracy theory-pushing podcasters spiral into existential crises, Trump’s biggest media allies turn on him, and Trump’s Truth Social posts trying to quell the furor get ratioed.

Nick Fuentes, the neo-Nazi who dined with Trump and Kanye West at Mar-a-Lago, even declared that “MAGA is Dead.”

My initial reaction was pure schadenfreude — an enjoyable distraction from democracy circling the drain. I assumed the Epstein furor would be just another passing summer storm for Trump. Before long, his flunkies would fall back in line because that’s what flunkies do. Trump has survived criminal convictions, impeachments, and countless scandals that would have ended other political careers. Surely, he’d survive this one without much damage.

Now, I’m not so sure.

The Epstein scandal is unlike any Trump scandal before. It looks like the kind of scandal that has undone second-term presidents.

I’m not saying MAGA is dead, but if he can’t quell the furor over the Epstein files, Trump could end up very damaged in ways that affect the midterms, the 2028 presidential election, and the long-term future of the movement.

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1. Why the Epstein Scandal Is Different

All of Trump’s past scandals upset us — the people who already hated him — but they were essentially nothingburgers for his base. Too many online Democrats think of Trump supporters as a bunch of rubes, too uneducated or ignorant to see Trump as the snake-oil salesman he is. That notion is both elitist and wrong. Most Trump voters knew they were voting for someone who lies, cheats, lines his own pockets, and can be a huge asshole. But for a variety of reasons, they voted for him anyway. Maybe he was better on an issue they cared about, like abortion. Or they thought the political system was so broken that they wanted someone who would set it on fire. Many believed Trump would fight for them in ways no other politician would.

So when Trump gets caught lying to the media, breaking the law, or using office for personal gain, it validates our view of him — but it’s not new information for Trump voters. We rage; they yawn.

The Epstein scandal is the opposite. The Republican base is furious. While Democrats are trying to fan the flames, it’s basically pantomime. A poll from Blue Rose Research shows that 61% of Trump voters believe law enforcement hasn’t shared all relevant information with the public.