During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump said that if elected, he would declassify and release the “Epstein files” — documents related to the investigations of American financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. At the heart of the fight for disclosure is Epstein’s client list, allegedly containing the names of high-profile clients to whom Epstein trafficked young girls.
After the election, Trump appointees FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi also promised to release the contentious files, with Bondi stating that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk to review.” Then, in early July, the Department of Justice reported that no such client list existed. The sudden reversal kicked up a storm of controversy among critics across the aisle. Even close Trump supporters have questioned whether there’s a cover-up – and if the president not only mishandled the Epstein Files, but betrayed his base.
As early as 2016, leaked and officially released Epstein investigation documents began to tie Trump and other political figures like former president Bill Clinton to Epstein through travel records. Trump’s relationship to Epstein was already public — in 2002, Trump told New York Magazine that Epstein was a “terrific guy.”
This August, a Bloomberg report alleged that Trump officials ordered as many as 1,000 FBI agents to redact mention of his name in the Epstein files. The House Oversight Committee soon subpoenaed attorneys for Epstein’s estate, demanding they turn over documents including “any that could be reasonably construed to be a potential list of clients involved in sex, sex acts or sex trafficking.”
This week, the Justice Department published partial records of the Epstein case, mostly pages that had either already been officially released or leaked. On Wednesday, Epstein survivors joined lawmakers including Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie to demand the full release of Justice Department files on the late financier. When asked about this latest push, President Trump brushed it off as a “Democrat hoax.”
The Epstein-Trump controversy is not only roiling Congress and capturing national media attention, but it’s also weighing heavily on the minds of teenagers — Epstein was investigated in 2006 for soliciting minors for prostitution, and despite overwhelming evidence of sexual misconduct with multiple underage teens, he was only convicted at the time for felony solicitation of prostitution. His 2019 arrest was for sex trafficking, but Epstein killed himself in his jail cell while awaiting trial, according to official reports.
Harper, a 17-year-old from Maryland, believes teenagers have strong feelings about authorities releasing the Epstein files because many of Epstein’s victims were young girls.
“Gen Z is very justice-focused, and a lot of young Gen Z girls can relate to this because sexual assault is still such a prominent issue,” Stewart said. “We feel sympathy and empathy for them and there’s still so much not known and very little justice since we don’t know who was involved.”
Many teenagers have also expressed ambivalence about President Trump’s involvement in the controversy, given the resurfaced photos, videos and letters detailing Trump and Epstein’s correspondence, which began in the late 1980s and continued to the early 2000s. Trump and Epstein had been friends for years before Epstein’s criminal activity became public. Their friendship ended as a result of a property feud over a Palm Beach mansion, and at the time of Epstein’s death, Trump claimed they hadn’t spoken in 15 years.
In May, Bondi told Trump that his name was mentioned in the Epstein files, though the context of the President’s reference is still unknown.
Sienna, a high school freshman from Colorado, says Trump’s connection to Epstein negatively impacts teens’ perception of the American government.
“Teens are just beginning to form political awareness and values. When we see leaders acting without transparency or accountability, and their own supporters calling them out, it can lead to a sense of distrust in the political system,” Sienna said. “It makes it harder for young people to feel represented… when those in power appear dishonest or self-serving.”
Other teenagers stated that they felt “disappointed,” “upset,” “angry” and “disgusted” over Trump’s presence in the Epstein files.
“My first feelings were, ‘How the hell do we have this guy as our president?” one high school freshman from Texas said. “The situation was already bad enough. Trump already went to jail… we could’ve seen this coming.”
Even some of MAGA’s most outspoken supporters, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett have begun publicly criticizing Trump for his ties to the Epstein files.
Many Republican representatives had been voting in favor of Trump’s policies in Congress, but the recent fracture within Trump’s base has led teens to question how this will impact Trump’s authority in Congress. Some of them believe there will be little to no change in the political landscape.
“Most will continue supporting him, either out of fear, political gain, or sheer denial,” said one California high school senior . “The MAGA movement was built on loyalty, spectacle and anti-establishment energy. So while some cracks are forming… it’s unlikely to unravel his base entirely.”
However, with vocal supporters publicly turning their backs on Trump, some teens believe the Epstein files will create a consequential division between Trump and his congressional supporters. Congresspeople who also need to appeal to their constituents’ interests may not want to be associated with such a contentious figure.
“A lot of his power comes from having a really loyal base, so when even his biggest supporters start turning on him, it’s a sign that people are starting to lose trust,” said 17-year-old Ella from New Hampshire.
While teenagers have mixed opinions on the future of Trump’s supporter base, most of the teens agreed that the Trump administration addressed the Epstein file controversy poorly.
The Washington Post found that 6 in 10 Americans, including Trump-supporting Republicans, disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Similarly, several teenagers said the administration’s approach was “terrible” and “appalling.”
“Either they lied about having the list or are lying about not having it, and honestly, either choice is believable,” said 16-year-old Avaih from Tennessee. “It seems like their choices of what to report are solely based on what might appease people.”
In February, when the Senate confirmed Bondi as a member of Trump’s cabinet, she contributed to the rise in visibility of Epstein conspiracy theories when she began releasing declassified Epstein files such as flight logs and evidence lists to the public. Many Trump administration members, like Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, have also spoken in support of releasing the Epstein files. However, after the DOJ confirmed that no “client list” existed, Trump began denouncing those who mentioned the files. During a cabinet meeting in July, a reporter asked Trump about the release of the Epstein files. In response, Trump said “Are we still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?… That is unbelievable.”
Some influential MAGA supporters were rattled by Trump’s comments at the cabinet meeting. His subsequent posts on Truth Social where he called his demanding supporters “weaklings” and accused Democrats of fabricating the files further upset his supporter base.
Some teens like Norah, a high school junior from Florida, felt that his supporters’ outrage was justified.
“It felt like he was trying to make the public and the media feel stupid for talking [about Epstein],” Norah said. “I don’t think he thought about how that would affect voters. I just think his default was ‘push it to the side,’ and he didn’t forecast the reaction.”
According to a recent YouGov poll, nearly half of Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, think that Donald Trump was involved in Epstein’s crimes. 57% of Americans also believe that Trump was aware of “a lot” or at least “some” of Epstein’s crimes before Epstein was publicly accused. Speculation surrounding Trump’s participation has further complicated teenagers’ view of the president’s virtue.
“I do not like the idea of our president being friends with a convicted sex offender and possibly being involved with his crimes,” said one high school freshman from Florida. “Current events surrounding the controversy are making me lose hope in the U.S. government.”
Some teens also felt like the contradictory statements concerning the release of the files suggest that the Trump administration is hiding information from the public about those involved.
“This discrepancy… suggests poor communication, a lack of transparency and possibly an attempt at damage control,” said Shoshanah, a high school junior from Florida. “The way it was handled… gave the impression that powerful individuals were being shielded from accountability.”
With growing distrust in the U.S. government escalating across the nation, coming of age in today’s political climate can be difficult for teenagers still developing their own political beliefs.
Ongoing media coverage of the Epstein case continues to intensify public concern and cause teens to doubt Trump’s integrity. Some teens see the Epstein files as a wake-up call to what they see as the vulnerable state of America’s democracy.
“When someone like Trump is connected to something like this, even loosely, it makes people question how much we really know about the people in charge and whether justice actually applies to everyone equally,” said Ella from New Hampshire. “It’s not just about one person or one situation — it reflects a much bigger issue that shouldn’t be ignored.”