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Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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Right-wing shows field angry calls about Epstein and the Trump administration

Written by Gideon Taaffe & Reed McMaster

Research contributions from Helena Hind & Isabella Corrao

Published

The Trump administration’s release of the Epstein memo has caused turmoil in right-wing media, and some callers on conservative radio shows are demanding answers. They’ve said they’re “angry,” accused President Donald Trump of “the ultimate betrayal,” and claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi “messed up” in her handling of the situation.

In early July, the Department of Justice and FBI released a memo saying there is “no incriminating ‘client list’” of prominent figures for whom Epstein sexually trafficked underage girls. Additionally, the memo concurred with the medical examiner’s finding that Epstein died by suicide. However, prior to Trump’s inauguration, right-wing media and Trump officials pushed conspiracy theories coming to the opposite conclusions. 

Since Trump told supporters to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffery Epstein,” Fox News and a handful of other right-wing media figures have shifted their focus away from the story, while others have suggested the Trump administration’s actions look like a “cover-up” and a “fumble.” And some listeners calling into conservative radio shows are voicing their frustrations with the administration’s decision.

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  • MAGA media figures are split following the Trump administration’s Epstein memo

    • In 2024, Donald Trump claimed he would declassify the Epstein files when asked in an interview. But then he hesitated, saying, “You don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there, because it’s a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would.” In 2019, Trump had also spread doubt about whether Epstein died by suicide, even suggesting former President Bill Clinton killed Epstein. [Rolling Stone, 7/15/25]
    • After Trump appointed Pam Bondi as attorney general, she suggested the DOJ was in possession of Epstein’s client list. Bondi responded to a question about the Epstein list in February by saying it was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Trump also appointed Kash Patel to FBI director and Dan Bongino to deputy director, both of whom previously peddled theories about Epstein’s pedophilia and death. [NPR, 7/15/25; Forbes, 7/8/25]
    • In early July 2025, the Department of Justice issued a memo saying Epstein had died by suicide and there was no “client list.” The memo also said there was “no credible evidence” Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals and no evidence “that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” [Axios, 7/6/25]
    • Right-wing media reacted with outrage to the Epstein memo, claiming the administration appeared to be involved in a “cover-up,” calling the report a “fumble,” and accusing Trump officials of “lying to the American public.” Others pushed conspiracy theories that the “deep state” had already destroyed Epstein files. [Media Matters, 7/9/25]
    • As many right-wing media figures continued to spiral over the Epstein memo, some tried to shut down the conversation. Fox News barely mentioned Epstein’s name during its Monday programming while others claimed they were going to “defer to President Trump on this thing” and argued it is time to “move on” from Epstein. For example, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk claimed he was “done talking about Epstein for the time being” and noted that he has been receiving emails from “fired up” viewers about Epstein coverage. Kirk later backtracked and clarified, “When I said ‘for the time being,’ I was talking yesterday.” He has since noted his show is “getting flooded with thousands, hundreds of thousands of comments that are very unhappy.” [MSNBC, 7/16/25; Real America’s Voice, The Charlie Kirk Show, 7/14/25, 7/14/25, 7/15/25, 7/16/26]

  • Some callers to right-wing media shows have also criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the case

    • A caller on Glenn Beck’s show said, “I feel really betrayed and I feel really, really angry.” He continued, “We have a president who tells us to move on from Epstein because it doesn’t matter. … And yet he still talks about the 2020 election fraud, he talks about the Hunter Biden laptop, he talks about all this stuff from five, six years ago and he tells us to move on from … the Epstein case. … I feel so betrayed and so angry. This is not what I voted for.” He added, “I’ve also lost a lot of respect for a lot of people that are prominent figures in this country because they are saying, ‘You know what? This doesn’t matter.’” [Blaze Media, The Glenn Beck Program, 7/14/25]
    • A caller to The Larry Elder Show said that “this is a sad, sad day in America” and that “this cemented permanent deep state power,” calling it “the ultimate betrayal.” The caller continued: “How does Trump survive when half of them says, ‘You know what, bud? You're like every other president. You were all about the MAGA, all patriotic, and now look at you.’ When it came time to do the tough thing, the right thing, the society-changing thing, he couldn't do it. He's captured. So now we’re destined to a better version of the establishment.” [Salem Radio Network, The Larry Elder Show, 7/7/25]
    • A caller to The Chris Stigall Show said, “I'm concerned about being able to trust Donald Trump to keep his word.” He continued, “In his campaign, he said he was going to let us know all of the facts about this, and now he’s saying, ‘Go away. Don’t pay attention to it.’ I want to be able to trust him. I have to trust him on issues like the economy and tariffs because I don't know enough. If I can’t trust him, what's the point?” [Salem Radio Network, The Chris Stigall Show, 7/14/25]
    • Another caller to Stigall’s show claimed, “I believe that Pam Bondi has messed up,” adding, “That there has me frustrated.” The caller said, “I believe that Pam Bondi has messed up and that’s a big cause of their frustration. You know, … talking about how she had all this stuff and then, you know, it was all going to be released. And then next you know, nothing. So, that there has me frustrated.” [Salem Radio Network, The Chris Stigall Show, 7/16/25]
    • A caller to The Erick Erickson Show called the first Epstein document release a “dog and pony show.” The caller said, “I care about the big picture. And when they did that dog and pony show and they released that old information, Pam Bondi said, ‘Oh, there was a thousand pages in New York field office that I have been shared with me. When I get that, I’m going to release that.’ I’ve not heard anybody talking about what’s in those thousand pages, and why is she not releasing those?” [Westwood One, The Erick Erickson Show, 7/8/25]
    • A caller to The John Fredericks Show said: “What about justice for these young ladies who were trafficked? What about their justice? Don’t they deserve justice?” Fredericks responded, saying, “I think Pam, you know, overpromised, underdelivered.” Fredericks said he is giving Trump “the benefit of the doubt.” [The John Fredericks Show, 7/14/25]
    • An Infowars caller who said he was “at” January 6 said Trump “saying we need to forget about” Epstein suggests “he's a part of this whole system.” He also said Bondi “covered up Epstein” when she was the Florida attorney general, saying, “She is covering up Epstein again.” [Infowars, Tomorrows News Tonight, 7/13/25]
    • A caller who said he was a “three-time Trump voter” said on Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla that Trump is “trying to gaslight us.” The caller said, “I believe in Trump, he’s delivered on everything he promised. These Epstein files, we were told that they was — going to be released. There’s this client list that was going to be released, and the fact that it’s suddenly gone away and he’s trying to gaslight us is like a punch in the gut to MAGA. … All of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Oops sorry, nothing to see here.’ Come on.” [Fox News Radio, Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, 7/16/25]
    • Another caller to Failla’s show said that “Americans are entitled to an explanation of how and why Trump’s administration has come to this conclusion” on the Epstein files. She continued, “We need to have some confidence in our government of the steps that they have taken to investigate this and how and why have come to this conclusion, even if it’s not Trump giving the explanation, the DOJ needs to do it.” [Fox News Radio, Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, 7/16/25]
    • A third caller said that Trump is “not fulfilling his promises” on releasing the Epstein files. He added, “It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up, and this thing reeks of cover-up. And the more they try to dodge it, the more it reeks.” He also said, “I’m a borderline Trump supporter so this one right here is kinda tipping me away. So I hope he course corrects pretty soon.” [Fox News Radio, Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, 7/16/25]
    • Yet another caller to Failla’s show asked, “What in the flip-flopping hell is going on with this administration?” The caller said: “If he came out and confronted this, it would go away,” adding later, “These guys are dropping the ball like there’s grease on their fingers.” [Fox News Radio, Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, 7/16/25]