Last week on Capitol Hill, a press conference unfolded unlike any other. Victims of sexual abuse by the wealthy and powerful stepped forward to share their stories—some for the first time. Their voices cut through the usual political noise, revealing decades of manipulation and violation by Jeffrey Epstein.
The event drew a crowd of chanting protesters and reporters, but amid the chaos, one fact stood out: the Epstein scandal continues to grow, and Donald Trump’s attempts to silence it are failing.
That became clear when Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump loyalist, unexpectedly appeared to support a discharge petition that seeks to force the House to subpoena the Justice Department for all files related to Epstein’s crimes. Greene’s attendance wasn’t announced beforehand, but her presence signals to Trump’s detractors that there are limits to his control over his MAGA supporters.
Trump has tried to suppress the scandal. The Justice Department re-released already public documents to conservative influencers, drawing ridicule. The administration sought access to grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s 2019 indictment—a request a judge denied, as expected. And Trump dismissed the entire controversy as “a Democratic hoax.”
Unlike many elites who have bowed to Trump’s authoritarianism, these survivors are holding him accountable.
But victims disagree. “This is not a hoax, and it’s not going away,” said Epstein survivor Marina Lacerda.
Trump’s struggles reveal the limits of his usual tactics. His strategy—harnessing the anger caused by inequality to deflect blame—has faltered here. To understand why, we must look beyond Epstein as a predator to examine the system that protected him.
Documents recently released from Epstein’s estate expose the extent of his aristocratic immunity. In a 2008 plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to charge his alleged co-conspirators and gave Epstein a list of victims who had come forward—a list that victims describe as a “hit list,” provided by law enforcement.
Compare this leniency to Jean Roussel Eloi, a man convicted of internet solicitation of a minor in the same jurisdiction received 30 years in federal prison. Epstein, after pleading to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution, served just 13 months in a private wing of a minimum-security jail, working in his upscale office during the day—and allegedly receiving female visitors.
This deference to wealth echoes the broader inequalities that helped propel Trump’s rise. For nearly a decade, Trump has exploited economic anxiety by casting opponents and institutions as characters in his own reality show. Like on The Apprentice, he “fires” his targets, blaming them for a rigged economy.
This inequality theater taps into real grievances: medical debt drives 60% of personal bankruptcies; middle-class wages have stagnated; and since 1975, $89 trillion has shifted from lower earners to the top 1%.
Ironically, Trump has wielded the very inequalities he helped deepen. America’s failures in healthcare, housing, and justice have created a frustrated electorate eager to blame someone. Trump has redirected that anger away from himself—until now.
The Epstein scandal has flipped the script. Salacious photos, videos, and even a birthday card allegedly sent by Trump to Epstein have placed Trump on the wrong side of the story. The victims are now directing the narrative.
That’s why their stories matter. Their painful testimonies expose the consequences of inequality upheld by Trump, Epstein, and other billionaires. Unlike many elites who have bowed to Trump’s authoritarianism, these survivors are holding him accountable.
The question remains: who will speak out next?
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