President Donald Trump attempted to cast himself as the fearless champion of transparency on Wednesday night, claiming credit for the release of the long-buried Jeffrey Epstein files—even though he spent months desperately trying to stop the legislation from passing.
In a late-night Truth Social post, published hours after the White House had already called a lid on all public appearances, Trump revealed that he had signed the bill ordering the release of all unclassified Department of Justice and FBI records linked to the notorious sex trafficker. The announcement came not with a ceremonial signing, photographers, or a staged display in the Oval Office—a staple of Trump’s political theater—but quietly, off-camera, without a single press witness.
That secrecy alone raised eyebrows. But the president’s triumphant tone—and his insistence that the bill’s near-unanimous passage was the direct result of his urging—triggered a political firestorm.
“…I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump wrote. “As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill… Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage.”
The 79-year-old president omitted one crucial fact: he had aggressively tried to sink the bill until only days earlier, working the phones and pleading with GOP lawmakers to withdraw their support. Several Republican staffers have confirmed privately that Trump’s “U-turn” came only after he realized the votes were locked in and a rebellion inside his own party was imminent.
Having lost control of the narrative, Trump is now attempting to rewrite it.
A Bill He Tried to Kill, A Victory He Now Claims
The bipartisan bill mandates the release of troves of federal records on Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and it passed after months of public pressure from Epstein survivors, lawmakers, and even some conservative figures. The Senate—normally fractured and slow-moving—approved it overwhelmingly on Tuesday. The House soon followed.
But the legislation also gives Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, broad authority to withhold documents if she deems them relevant to ongoing investigations. That allowance has raised fears among lawmakers in both parties that critical files—especially those involving Trump allies—might remain hidden under the pretext of “active inquiry.”
Bondi has already announced new investigations into a list of prominent Democrats once associated with Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, former Harvard president Larry Summers, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. All have denied wrongdoing.
Critics warn that Bondi’s sudden investigative zeal could conveniently grant her the legal basis to shield politically sensitive material related to Republicans—or Trump himself.
The President Goes on the Offensive
Trump’s Wednesday post buried his announcement beneath a barrage of political attacks and conspiracy-heavy claims. He insisted that Democrats had used the Epstein saga as a “hoax” to distract from his administration’s supposed triumphs. He named individuals from Clinton to Hoffman to Hakeem Jeffries, accusing them of deep ties to Epstein while minimizing his own longstanding relationship with the disgraced financier.
What Trump failed to address directly was his own presence in the files—including newly revealed emails suggesting he may have known more about Epstein’s behavior than he has previously acknowledged.
Instead, he leaned into a familiar strategy: counterattack, overwhelm, shift blame.
He bragged about supposed accomplishments—from ending “eight wars” to “knocking out Iran’s nuclear capability”—many of which are disputed or demonstrably false. He framed the Epstein bill as part of a grand narrative in which Democrats orchestrate endless “witch hunts” to obscure his victories.
A President at Odds With Reality
For years, Trump insisted that the Epstein files were already released, already public, already nothing. Then, when the pressure mounted and bipartisan support hardened, he pivoted sharply, recasting himself as the architect of their release.
His decision to sign the bill without cameras—almost unheard of for a president who thrives on visual spectacle—spoke volumes. Even his supporters noted the tension between celebrating transparency and conducting the signing in the shadows.
Several lawmakers, including Republicans, warned that Bondi’s discretion over redactions could undermine the entire purpose of the bill.
“If this administration has nothing to hide,” one GOP senator told reporters, “then release the files—all of them. No games.”
What Comes Next
The Epstein files must now be released within 30 days, though Bondi’s broad authority could slow or shape what the public actually sees. Survivors, journalists, and lawmakers will be scrutinizing every redaction.
After years of secrecy, misdirection, and rumors, the country may be on the brink of its most significant revelations yet.
But whether the truth is fully revealed—or filtered through the political needs of a president who once tried to bury the bill—remains to be seen.
