Donald Trump has shared some controversial new comments on the Epstein files after they have gained renewed attention in recent weeks.
President Donald Trump claimed this week that former President Barack Obama and former FBI Director James Comey were responsible for fabricating the so-called "Epstein files," prompting sharp criticism, even from some within his own political base.
While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump was asked whether former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi had informed him if his name appeared in any of the Justice Department’s materials related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, The Independent reports.
“She’s given us just a very quick briefing, and in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen, and I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama,” Trump responded.
The former president echoed similar claims in a Truth Social post on Saturday, asserting that the files were “written” by Obama, Comey, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and others.
“They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands,” Trump wrote. “Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?”
Trump’s remarks were widely criticized online, including by political commentators across the spectrum.
Progressive commentator JoJoFromJerz responded in a post: "'The files I ran on releasing are a fake news democrat hoax.' Is MAGA really that stupid? Really?"
Political writer Alex Cole also weighed in: “So Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison for a made-up hoax by Obama, Comey, and Biden? MAGAs, are you that stupid to believe your cult leader?”
He continued: “So according to Donald Trump, he gave his supporters a bunch of s*** Obama, Comey, and Biden made up? MAGAs are you really that stupid to believe this garbage? Wait. Yes you are... Never mind.”
Even conservative voices shared skepticism. Commentator Candace Owens criticized Trump’s statement in a YouTube video posted over the weekend, suggesting it showed a lack of respect for his supporters.
“It seems like you think your base is stupid. That’s how I feel. I feel like Trump thinks his base is stupid, or, again, because I don’t think he’s pressing send on these messages, the people around him think that Trump is stupid,” Owens said.
The Justice Department has not publicly linked Trump to any Epstein-related files or investigations.
The late financier, who was facing federal sex trafficking charges at the time of his death in 2019, had connections across political and social circles, fueling years of speculation and conspiracy theories.
Trump’s comments appear to build on that speculation, though no evidence has surfaced to support the claims he made about Obama, Comey, or Clinton authoring the documents in question.