After months of pushing for the Epstein files to remain sealed, Donald Trump reversed course this week and told House Republicans to vote in favor of releasing the documents. On Monday’s “Deadline: White House,” Nicolle Wallace argued that Trump’s switch-up shows the president is losing his grip on his MAGA base.
According to Wallace, the backlash to Trump’s efforts to keep the documents sealed, from both the public and members of his own caucus, has “forced” the president to “change his tune, at least temporarily.”
“Donald Trump today is finding himself in a position he’s never really found himself in before: completely out of control of his own political movement,” Wallace said.
On Sunday, when it became clear the bill to release the files would pass the House, with or without the president’s support, he wrote on Truth Social, “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax,” adding, “I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT.”
“But of course we know that’s not true,” Wallace said. “Of course he cares. He cares a whole lot.”
The “Deadline: White House” host argued that if Trump truly didn’t care, he would have pushed to release the files months ago. “He could have released the files as soon as he was inaugurated on Jan. 20,” she said. “He could have released the files instead of trying to sweep them all under the rug with some weird, unsigned DOJ memo back in July … And if you honestly didn’t care, his aides wouldn’t summon Congresswoman Lauren Boebert last week to the Situation Room in the basement of the West Wing to get her to remove her signature from the discharge petition that triggered the vote to release the Epstein files.” Wallace said that when it comes to the Epstein files — which remains a huge issue for the president’s base — it’s clear “Trump is following his party, not leading it.” You can watch Wallace’s full analysis in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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