Turning Point USA founder and staunch MAGA loyalist Charlie Kirk issued a new message to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, after the president went after Republicans and his own supporters for questioning the administration's handling of the investigation into the death of disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Kirk sought to smooth things over on Wednesday's episode of his show, saying MAGA's "emphasis" on the Epstein files is "because we care about you" and "want what's best for the presidency."
The Department of Justice infuriated Trump's base when it released a memo last week concluding that Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in his Manhattan jail cell. It also concluded that the government is not in possession of a list of wealthy and powerful businesspeople and politicians connected to Epstein.
The memo threw a wrench into years of conspiracy theories that Trump supporters peddled about Epstein's death, as well as public statements that administration officials -- including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Vice President JD Vance -- had made suggesting that the government was covering up his "client list."
Trump this week lashed out at congressional Republicans who are pushing for the DOJ to release any "Epstein files" in its possession, as well as his supporters who he said got "duped" by the files, which his own officials repeatedly hyped.
Kirk said on Wednesday's episode of his show that he believes the fissure between President Donald Trump and many of his MAGA supporters "is just a messaging misunderstanding."
"What I'm going to say to the president if I see him soon, or if we talk on the phone ... is that Mr. President, the emphasis on Epstein is truly the best intentions of your most loyal followers," Kirk said. "We're not trying to score points with the CNNs or The New York Times. It's truly because we care about you. It's because we want what's best for the presidency."
Kirk's comments on Wednesday came days after he said he was "done" talking about Epstein after having a phone call with Trump over the weekend. He issued his message to Trump after the president earlier in the day referred to the investigation and subsequent firestorm over Epstein as a "hoax" started by Democrats.
Trump made that accusation despite the fact that Bondi said in February that Epstein's "client list" was "sitting on my desk" waiting to be reviewed and that the FBI had "thousands" of hours of videos showing Epstein with child sex abuse materials. FBI Director Kash Patel later said the FBI had no such evidence.
Vance and Donald Trump Jr. also amplified MAGA claims about a client list before and during the 2024 campaign, with Trump Jr. writing on X in 2023: "Show us all the Epstein client list now!!! Why would anyone protect those scum bags? Ask yourselves this question daily and the answer becomes very apparent!!!"
The president went after his supporters in a lengthy Truth Social post on Wednesday, calling them "weaklings" who "bought into this bulls*" and calling them "stupid people" later in the day.
"I don't want their support anymore!" he wrote on Truth Social. Trump later softened his tone, saying in the Oval Office that Bondi can release "credible" evidence related to Epstein but maintaining that Republicans pushing for the files' full release were "stupid and foolish."
Kirk pleaded with Trump on Wednesday to sympathize with his supporters while pointing out Trump's pledge to root out the so-called "deep state."
"We are messengers here. We are relaying what we are hearing from your most loyal ultra-MAGA supporters all the time," Kirk said. "It's not that people are saying, you know, they want to learn about Epstein because they have any suspicion of President Trump ... No one thinks you're involved in any way in that stuff whatsoever."
The president's backers in the MAGA sphere were joined in their dissatisfaction by half a dozen House Republicans, who are trying to force a floor vote calling on the DOJ to release any remaining Epstein-related documents it has in its possession in their entirety.
The bipartisan motion for the floor vote is spearheaded by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who frequently breaks with the president on budgetary issues, and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of Florida.
Massie has also been joined by five Trump loyalists: Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Eric Burlison, Tim Burchett and Jeff Van Drew.
The vast majority of House Democrats and Democratic activists have also called for the Trump administration to release the remaining Epstein files, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggestion that Trump has resisted authorizing the release because he has something to hide.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also took the surprising step of calling for more "transparency" from the administration and Bondi regarding the Epstein files, despite Trump's claims that the files are a hoax and his public support of the attorney general.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote on X last week: "RELEASE THE EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST!!!!"
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky posted to X on Tuesday: "We all deserve to know what's in the Epstein files, who's implicated, and how deep this corruption goes. Americans were promised justice and transparency. We're introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the US House of Representatives on releasing the COMPLETE files."
Trump wrote in his Truth Social missive on Wednesday: "Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bull,' hook, line, and sinker ... They haven't learned their lesson and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years."
Bondi has not yet said whether the DOJ will move to release more information regarding Epstein.