Facing the biggest Republican rebellion of his second term, President Donald Trump reversed course Sunday night and told House Republicans to vote for releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files — a capitulation that one White House aide described as abandoning a “losing battle” to kill legislation his own party was planning to defy him on.
In public, it was a surprising reversal. In private, Trump aides and allies were preparing for a loss, hoping the president would stay quiet. Ultimately, the president accepted the writing on the wall.
Trump’s natural instinct is to fight. But on the potential release of the Epstein files, he’s taken on “too defensive of a posture,” said a person close to the White House granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking. That, they said, “undercuts a lot of his good instincts.”
“The White House made an overall political calculation of does it hurt us more to continue to object it or do we just say, ‘f— it’ and let them vote for it,” said the person close to the White House.
For days, the White House had fought to stop House Republicans from supporting the discharge petition that would bring forward legislation to force Trump’s Department of Justice to release the Epstein files. Trump and his administration’s top law enforcement officials personally tried to convince several House members to withdraw their support for the file release. That effort failed — but still the White House fought the measure.
On Saturday, two White House officials told MS NOW there wasn’t a realistic possibility that Trump would sign legislation releasing the Epstein files. Less than 48 hours later, Trump called on House members to support the effort. “We have nothing to hide,” he wrote in a social media post.
That course correction was finalized on his Sunday evening flight from Florida to Washington, D.C., said a White House official granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal strategy.
Moments after the president’s post went out, the official said, top White House aides sent talking points to a handful of group chats between White House staffers and MAGA social media influencers. The ask: Make it clear that Trump wants Republicans to vote “YES” on the release of the Epstein files.
“That only happens when there’s a specific thing the [White House] is trying to make a coordinated push about,” the official said.
On Monday afternoon, Trump publicly agreed to sign the legislation to force his own administration to release the files. “Sure, I would,” he said in the Oval Office.”
“President Trump has been consistently calling for transparency related to the Epstein files for years,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson claimed when asked to explain the change. “The Trump administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have.”
Though some MAGA faithful have voiced dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files, a number of MAGA influencers defended Trump on Monday. Among them was far-right activist Laura Loomer, who told MS NOW “the president has nothing to hide.”
“You have attention-seeking clout chasers and Trump-haters like Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene and Thomas Massie, who are more concerned with boosting their own profile, as opposed to actually supporting the President and his agenda,” said Loomer, who has informally advised the president since he took office.
Loomer wouldn’t comment on the Trump administration’s effort last week to convince lawmakers like Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., to withdraw their names from the discharge petition. Asked if she’s talked to the president about convicted sex trafficker and Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer to a minimum-security prison, she said no. But Loomer added, “I wouldn’t be opposed to Ghislaine Maxwell going back to a max security prison.”
Despite Trump’s public posture, legal experts interviewed by MS NOW cautioned that there’s a catch: Trump only encouraged House Republicans to vote for the release of Epstein files after he directed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday to open an investigation into several prominent Democratic figures’ relationships with Epstein. (Trump has singled out former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman for scrutiny.)
“The proposed Epstein Flies Transparency Act includes a carveout for withholding documents that could jeopardize an ongoing investigation,” said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney. “That gives Attorney General Pam Bondi a huge exception to hide behind for withholding certain documents, possibly even documents that pertain to Trump.”
Another former federal prosecutor speculated that “nothing damaging to Republicans will get released, even if the bill passes,” citing the Justice Department’s ability to declare anything Trump wants to hide as “part of an active federal investigation.”
The House is expected to vote on the Epstein legislation on Tuesday.
Jake Traylor
Jake Traylor is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.
Laura Barrón-López covers the White House for MS NOW.