
Trump faces growing criticism from base over Epstein files
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 7m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
Trump faces growing criticism from his base over Jeffrey Epstein files
The Justice Department released a memo detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 death in prison. The report ruled out foul play, saying Epstein died by suicide, and found no evidence that he kept a list to incriminate those involved in his sex crimes. Now, some of President Trump’s allies are frustrated that the administration is moving on from the case. John Yang discussed more with Glenn Thrush.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...

Trump faces growing criticism from base over Epstein files
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 7m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
The Justice Department released a memo detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 death in prison. The report ruled out foul play, saying Epstein died by suicide, and found no evidence that he kept a list to incriminate those involved in his sex crimes. Now, some of President Trump’s allies are frustrated that the administration is moving on from the case. John Yang discussed more with Glenn Thrush.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch PBS News Hour
PBS News Hour is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAMNA NAWAZ: This week, the Department of Justice released a widely anticipated memo detailing the findings of Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 death in a New York City prison.
The report ruled out any foul play, confirming Epstein died by suicide and found no evidence that he kept a client list to incriminate those involved in his sex trafficking ring.
Now some of President Trump's far right allies are frustrated that the administration appears to be ready to move on from the Epstein investigation.
John Yang has more -- John.
JOHN YANG: Amna, Trump administration officials had promised to reveal what many of his conspiracy-minded supporters said was the truth about Epstein's death, that he was murdered so he wouldn't implicate powerful people at his trial, another example, they said, of the corrupt deep state.
But the material released this week supports the official finding that Epstein killed himself.
At a Cabinet meeting, the president didn't want to talk about it.
DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?
This guy's been talked about for years.
You're asking -- we have Texas.
We have this.
We have all of the things.
And are people still talking about this guy, this creep?
That is unbelievable.
JOHN YANG: But some Trump supporters say there's still a cover-up.
ALEX JONES, Founder, Infowars: Now by coming in and being part of the cover-up, the Trump administration has become part of it.
I mean, it's just you cannot see it any other way.
I just really need the Trump administration to succeed and to save this country, and they're doing so much good.
And then for them to do something like this tears my guts out.
LIZ WHEELER, Podcast Host and Conservative Commentator: We believe that there was really shady, nefarious behavior involved at the highest levels of our government and with other wealthy, influential people in our country and around the world.
It's not just that.
It's that when these people try to get away with something, they do it and they thumb their nose at us.
They -- it's like this isn't even a good lie.
JOHN YANG: Glenn Thrush covers the Justice Department for The New York Times.
Glenn, as you can hear, there are a lot of folks up in arms about this, some of some of his most loyal supporters.
How is the administration dealing with this?
GLENN THRUSH, The New York Times: Well, they're attempting to tell everyone to move on after some of the key administration figures, including the current head of the Justice Department and the two top officials at the FBI, stoked these conspiracy theories for political gain and profit for years.
So, they are essentially attempting to slam shut a door they themselves kicked open.
JOHN YANG: As you said, it's sort of a 180 for a lot of these people.
For Pam Bondi, she said earlier that the files had a lot of names, that client list she was talking about, and a lot of flight logs.
And FBI Director Kash Patel talked a lot about this before he took office.
Let's listen to what he had to say in a 2023 podcast about the client list and what he said in May on FOX.
QUESTION: Why is the FBI protecting the greatest pederast, the largest-scale pederast in human history?
KASH PATEL, FBI Director: Simple, because of who's on that list.
You don't think that Bill Gates is lobbying Congress night and day to prevent the disclosure of that list?
Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are.
We have an election coming up and we need to adjudicate this matter at the polls.
As someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor who's been in that prison system, who's been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, who's been in segregated housing, you know a suicide when you see one and that's what that was.
JOHN YANG: What's happening to their standing, their credibility with MAGA supporters?
GLENN THRUSH: Oh, they're getting trashed over the past couple of days.
Look, Trump himself has been somewhat ambivalent about this whole issue.
He was friendly with Jeffrey Epstein, shall we say.
He appears in a whole bunch of photos and old videos hanging out with Epstein.
I should say there's no implication that he did anything nefarious.
But it's always been kind of a weird fit for the Trump and MAGA movement to embrace the Epstein conspiracy because he himself seems to have had no problem being around Epstein for a long period of time.
They had a falling out of a land deal, as a matter of fact, years ago.
But what this -- the conspiracy theory is really important because it dovetails with the larger emotional, cultural, and political thrust of the whole MAGA movement, which is, there is a cabal in the establishment who is attempting to protect nefarious actors, powerful, shady, shadowy people, and Trump and the people that he appoints are going to come in and bust this all apart.
So, even if the particulars of the Epstein conspiracy are dissolving and the folks who once promoted it are attempting to distance themselves from it because they are now running the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the country, it still has a power.
And that power is the same thrust that put these people into these offices to begin with.
And the thing I should tell you, Pam Bondi was the former attorney general of Florida.
She has fairly basic qualifications for her job.
But Kash Patel and his number two, Dan Bongino, are the least experienced people to occupy their current positions.
And the coin of their realm, the reason why they're occupying those jobs is because they're outsiders.
So while the Epstein case itself may be receding into the background, the energy that it provided for these outsiders to become insiders is, I think, ultimately going to be the legacy.
JOHN YANG: And the energy from their supporters to send these people, get these people in to take - - clean house, as it were, are they now saying that they're part of the conspiracy, that they're part of the cover-up?
GLENN THRUSH: Absolutely.
And let's not avoid the surface reality here.
There is a real concrete reason why a lot of people want to keep this going.
This has enriched people.
It becomes the substance of -- the substance and topic of conversation and provides subscriptions and heat for podcasters and other social media personalities, including Patel and Bongino.
And it allows people on the outside to have leverage against these powerful actors on the inside.
Laura Loomer, who is one of the most influential far right activists, who Trump listens to -- in fact, Trump fired a bunch of national security officials reportedly at Loomer's behest.
It gives them leverage over the people who are on the inside.
And that's the paradox of the Trump world.
Except for Trump himself, who seems to be able to straddle the inside and the outside at the same time,once you go on the inside, the people on the outside get to target you.
JOHN YANG: Glenn Thrush of The New York Times, thanks very much.
GLENN THRUSH: Thank you.
Breaking down Trump's policy act and its impact on Americans
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 6m 36s | Breaking down what's in Trump's big policy act and how it will affect Americans (6m 36s)
Crews peel away layers of flood debris in search for missing
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 6m 13s | Texas teams peel away layers of flood debris in search for missing (6m 13s)
DNC chair on lessons Democrats can learn from Mamdani
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 7m 55s | DNC chair on the path to winning back voters and lessons Democrats can learn from Mamdani (7m 55s)
Gaza family documents their desperate search for food
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 7m 36s | Gaza family documents their desperate search for food in a barren landscape (7m 36s)
News Wrap: Trump announces 50% tariffs on Brazil
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 6m 36s | News Wrap: Trump announces 50% tariffs on Brazil for Bolsonaro 'witch hunt' (6m 36s)
Program bridges divides by connecting people through stories
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: 7/9/2025 | 9m 36s | Program helps bridge political divides by connecting people through personal stories (9m 36s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...