President Donald Trump and Republicans kicked Democrats out of power in 2024. Democrats are hoping Trump’s link to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein can reverse their fortunes in 2026.
While Epstein has always been a person Democrats have been eager to link Trump to, the administration’s recent hesitancy to be as transparent as they promised about the man has the Democratic Party scrambling back to the pair’s relationship.
Trump is a known associate of Epstein, and the Wall Street Journal’s release of a 2003 birthday letter between the pair has fueled speculation that the administration could be hiding something about Epstein. In the letter, Trump wrote to Epstein that they had “certain things in common.”
The administration previously promised to release the Epstein files before the president called them a “hoax” and said his “PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls***,’ hook, line, and sinker.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told Politico he’s advising Democrats to “hammer the issue” by asking voters if they’re on the side of the rich and powerful or the common people. “Whose side are you on? Are you voting to protect rich and powerful men, or are you standing with America’s children and the people?”
Sixty-three percent of voters in a July poll said that they disapproved of the way the administration was handling the Epstein files, and 40% of Republicans approved.
Two Democratic candidates in competitive House districts, Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania and Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin, have tied their opponents to the administration’s shortcomings on the files. Stelson and Cooke ran in 2024, losing by about 1 and 3 points, respectively.
“The below is from a *Republican* Congressman, about how @RepScottPerry & his Washington pals want to fool you with a phony resolution instead of forcing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Perry called for transparency but now votes against it,” she said in a post on X, referencing a call from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to pass a binding Epstein files resolution. “Who got to him?”
Cooke suggested Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), “Bailed out rich predators by refusing to release the Epstein files,” after he slammed her on criticism of the “big, beautiful bill.”
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who represents Manhattan, has suggested the administration is covering up the Epstein files. “Many people are saying Donald Trump is in the Epstein files and that there are pictures of him with topless women,” he said in a statement last week to the Washington Examiner.
“The American people deserve answers, and Pam Bondi and Kash Patel need to release the files or come in and testify about what they are hiding. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a weakling. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER,” he added.
“Donald Trump sure is investing a huge amount of effort in hiding Epstein’s criminal behavior,” New York-based Democratic strategist Max Burns told the Washington Examiner. “That seems weird to most people who aren’t friends with pedophiles. Calling Epstein’s crimes a hoax isn’t something voters will forget after all Trump has done to tie Democrats to those very crimes,” he added.
Democrats, even without the Epstein problem, may already have an edge for the midterm elections. While Republicans are expected to hold the Senate, the House is much more vulnerable. In 2022 and 2018, the House flipped to the opposite party of the White House.
The Cook Political Report forecasts 18 toss-up House seats with dozens more projected to be competitive.
Former White House aide and prominent MAGA voice Steve Bannon openly speculated that the GOP would lose dozens of House seats over the Epstein files. “You’re going to lose 10% of the MAGA movement. If we lose 10% of the MAGA movement right now, we ain’t gonna … we’re gonna lose 40 seats in ’26,” he said earlier this month on his podcast.
It appears linking Trump to Epstein goes beyond House seats. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), who could face Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in one of the most polarizing gubernatorial races in 2026, made sure to tie her possible opponent to Trump and Epstein.
“New Yorkers want the truth. @EliseStefanik would rather help Donald Trump cover it up. Release the Epstein files,” she posted last week on X. Stefanik brushed aside the Wall Street Journal article on Trump and Epstein as a “lame hit piece.”
“This is clearly NOT President @realDonaldTrump and is a sick made up hoax meant to weaponize a serious pedophile prosecution against the Left’s arch nemesis,” she added.
The latest on Trump and Epstein has been the administration’s seeming efforts to deflect from the problem. Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for its piece, calling the letter in it fake, using his supporters’ mistrust of the media to help curry support from them on Epstein.
“The Murdochs’ bizarre assault on the president galvanized his base because of both content and process,” Bannon said. “Now we are united as Trump goes on offense — against the Murdochs, the courts, and the deep state.”
Trump posted a flurry of comments on Truth Social Saturday and Sunday, including threatening to block the Washington Commanders’ move to Washington, D.C., if the team doesn’t change its name back to the Washington Redskins. It wasn’t clear what prompted the post.
But Trump has been frustrated by his efforts to change the subject, which have fallen short. “His supporters are fixated on this decade-old scandal that he can’t ever make them happy on, and it’s deeply frustrating to him,” Republican strategist Alex Conant told NPR.
Some in MAGA are aware of the Epstein controversy and are asking voters not to direct their anger at Trump over Epstein until 2028.
A TIMELINE OF TRUMP AND EPSTEIN’S RELATIONSHIP, FROM FRIENDSHIP TO FALLOUT AND BEYOND
“You’re unhappy with Trump? Don’t vote for him in 2028, lol,” conservative commentator Bill Mitchell said in a post on X.
“But he’s your president until then and unless you want Democrats in charge after 2026, you better find something you do like and back him. “But for God’s sake, don’t abandon Trump over this Epstein thing,” he added.