When President Donald Trump loses the support of posters on The Donald, it’s notable, to say the least. The ultra-pro-Trump message board, whose members were accused of helping plan the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, has been one of the most loyal corners of the internet for the president.
But just like many other parts of the MAGA universe as of late, many users have had enough.
“So disappointed in Trump on this one, it’s inexcusable,” a user wrote in the early hours of Monday morning, echoing widespread anger and resentment at the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump and his allies had promised Republicans that once they took office they would release explosive revelations about what really happened when Epstein, the accused sex trafficker, died in custody in 2019—and his supposed “client list.” But last week, the FBI and the Department of Justice issued a memo concluding that there was no cover-up and that Epstein had died by suicide. Even worse, the memo stated that the Epstein “client list” that attorney general Pam Bondi had said was on her desk in February didn’t actually exist.
The outrage was instant and overwhelming, as grassroots supporters, right-wing influencers, and conservative media outlets fumed. It wasn’t just about Epstein. It was, to them, a denial of the alleged child abuse rings that have become a cornerstone of conspiracy theories related to Epstein. The anger intensified further after WIRED reported that surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead had likely been modified.
Trump has been scrambling to dismiss the criticism and defend Bondi, writing in a Truth Social post on Saturday that “selfish people” are trying to harm his administration “all over a guy who never dies.”
The uproar around Epstein is just the latest in a number of bubbling Trumpworld concerns. For Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who now streams on X, it was the bombing of Iran. For Laura Loomer, a noted conspiracy theorist who has Trump’s ear, it was Trump’s acceptance of a luxury plane from Qatar. For Ben Shapiro, a pro-Trump podcaster, it was tariffs. For Joe Rogan, a massively popular podcaster, it was ICE raids targeting noncriminal, migrant workers. For Elon Musk, who recently left his role in DC as a special government employee, it was the Big Beautiful Bill.
To date, most high-profile right-wing media figures have stopped short of attacking Trump directly, focusing their anger instead on Bondi or other administration figures. But as resentment continues to grow in these communities who feel betrayed by Trump, that could change.
“The potential is a death by thousands cuts scenario, where enough criticism hits from enough different angles that the calculus switches for a lot of the more influential figures in the movement,” Matthew Gertz, a senior fellow at progressive media watchdog group Media Matters for America, tells WIRED.
