FROM DAILY MAIL: Donald Trump’s sudden pivot on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files was not an impulsive gamble but a tactical move to end a months-long drama that has consumed the White House and Congress.
The President raged at reporters on Sunday night in Palm Beach as he walked to Air Force One, berating them for asking about the convicted sex offender instead of lowering living costs for Americans.
‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ Trump snapped, blasting ‘fake news like you’ and the ‘terrible reporter’ who dared to raise the subject.
Trump spent the one-hour-and-48-minute flight back to Washington conferring with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on how to navigate another week that would be consumed by Epstein coverage, the Daily Mail has learned.
In what appeared to be a sudden shift, Trump announced on Sunday night, “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files.” White House insiders told the Daily Mail the move by Trump wasn’t an about-face, but a calculated move to expose others who had links to the pedophile financier, including senior Democrats.
Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. He has maintained that he was not friendly with Epstein, and he reconfirmed that to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, saying, “We have nothing to do with Epstein.”
While Democrats hoped to release embarrassing material about Trump, he says it’s the Democrats who should be worried.
“All of his friends were Democrats,” Trump told the media on Monday. “I believe that many of the people that we, some of the people that we mentioned, are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, but they were with him all the time. I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all, and we’ll see what happens.”
The House is expected to vote to release all of the Department of Justice’s Epstein files on Tuesday afternoon as Speaker Mike Johnson and senior Republican leaders have been unable to persuade their colleagues to prevent it.
The administration has already released 50,000 pages, but investigators are believed to have 100,000 pages connected to Epstein.
“No matter what we give, it’s never enough,” Trump told reporters.
When asked if he would sign a bill authorizing the release of the files, Trump said, “Sure, I would.”
"Sure I would." President Donald Trump says he would sign the Epstein files bill if it passes through Congress. pic.twitter.com/IF6urXeKWa
— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) November 17, 2025
READ MORE AT DAILY MAIL
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
