MSNBC political analyst Claire McCaskill said President Trump is “in denial that he has got a revolt” on his hands among many of his supporters and prominent right-leaning commentators over his Administration saying there is no Jeffrey Epstein client list to release.
The former Democratic Senator, during an appearance on “Morning Joe” on Thursday, criticized the president for his recent comments on the matter, including saying his “PAST supporters” were falling for the Epstein “hoax.”
McCaskill said it is “probably not a good idea to call all [of] your supporters stupid, because they know he has been part of feeding this monster” around Epstein.
“Now the monster is strong, and it believes what he has said and what his supporters have said for years,” McCaskill said. “And to now to say to them, ‘Don’t believe what I’ve said for years, don’t believe what my son has said; Don’t believe what all my supporters have said, Don’t believe what [Steve] Bannon and [Laura] Loomer and all of that cast of characters have said, just forget that all of that.’ And that’s insulting to people.”
McCaskill added the president is “insulting his supporters that have microphones — that’s a dangerous thing for him to do.”
A moment earlier, “Morning Joe” showed clips of Trump telling Fox News in 2024 “I guess I would” release documents tied to Epstein if he became president again. The president, in that same clip, cautioned there could be “phony stuff” in “that whole world” tied to Epstein.
President Trump has been grappling with heavy criticism from many supporters and pro-MAGA commentators since the Justice Department and FBI last week said there was no incriminating Epstein client list to release or proof Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.
Several conservative commentators who have supported the president have been unhappy with that announcement — and the president’s insistence everyone move on from the story. Tucker Carlson has called out Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying “you’re not going to shout me down” for asking “pretty reasonable questions.”
The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh has also said he will not drop the issue, even though the president would like conservative commentators to do so.
“I want to make this very clear to those on the right, including the President himself, who are telling us to just drop the subject and move on. We can’t drop it,” Walsh said on his podcast.
McCaskill on Thursday said “83% of the Republican base agree that this is a problem” for the president. It is unclear what poll she was referring to, but a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday found 63% of voters disapprove of the Trump Administration’s handling of the Epstein case.
