Epstein Distractions List: Everything Critics Say Trump Admin Has Done to Deflect From Scandal

In the weeks since the White House declared that nothing in the classified Jeffrey Epstein files is worth releasing, President Donald Trump has unleashed a barrage of accusations, investigations, and proposals that have been criticized as attempts to distract from the scandal captivating public imagination.

On July 7, the DOJ released a memo stating that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had no "client list," that there was nothing suspicious about his prison suicide, and the case was officially closed — news that ignited outrage among Trump's fiercely loyal MAGA base. The controversy has since ballooned into a bipartisan issue, with Democrats and far-right conspiracy theorists finding unexpected common ground.

After attempts to ignore and downplay the controversy proved unsuccessful, Trump has been accused of trying to divert media attention away from Epstein to everything from the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. to the ingredients in Coca Cola.

In lieu of an "Epstein List," here is a list of the Trump administration's attempts to distract and deflect:

July 8: FBI announces criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey for their handling of the Trump-Russia probe and accused the officials of making false statements to Congress.

The same day, Trump exploded at a reporter who asked Attorney General Pam Bondi about Epstein. "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?" he interrupted. "I can't believe you're asking a question about Epstein at a time like this, when we're having some of the greatest success, and also tragedy, with what happened in Texas," the president said, referring to deadly flash flooding that devastated central Texas over the holiday weekend.

July 12: Trump took to Truth Social, where he threatened to revoke the citizenship of his longtime rival, comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell, who moved to Ireland following Trump's election.

Also on Truth Social, the president addressed his "'boys,' and in some cases, 'gals,'" urging them to move on and "not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody nobody cares about."

July 15: Trump accused political adversary Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) of mortgage fraud, calling for a criminal investigation.

July 16: Amid growing outcry from MAGA demanding the release of the Epstein files, Trump blasted his own base as "weaklings." In a post decrying the "Russia scam," Hunter Biden's "Laptop from Hell," and Hillary Clinton, the president blamed Democrats for the "Jeffrey Epstein Hoax," announcing that he no longer wanted the support of critics within his base.

That afternoon, Trump announced he had convinced Coca-Cola to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup in their US soft drinks.

July 17: Trump declared he would sue the Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp and Rupert Murdoch for publishing a letter Trump reportedly gave to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

"If there were any truth at all on the Epstein Hoax, as it pertains to President Trump, this information would have been revealed by Comey, Brennan, Crooked Hillary, and other Radical Left Lunatics years ago," a Truth Social statement read. "This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS!"

That evening, Trump asked Bondi to release grand jury transcripts on Epstein.

July 18: The White House announced that the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency following speculation regarding visible swelling in his ankles and a recurring bruise on his hand.

Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted a series of infographics claiming the Obama Administration engaged in "treasonous conspiracy" to undermine Trump's 2016 election.

July 20: Trump complained that the Washington Commanders NFL team and Cleveland Guardians MLB team should revert to their former names, the Redskins and Indians. He threatened to block the construction of a Washington stadium and claimed, "Indians are being treated very unfairly."

In a barrage of late-night posts, Trump again floated jailing Sen. Schiff, shared an image of fake mugshots featuring Obama administration members in prison uniforms, and shared an AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama being arrested and imprisoned.

July 21: The Trump administration shared digital copies of over 230,000 pages of previously unreleased documents related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Secretary of State and Acting US Archivist Marco Rubio called the move a "historic step in the Trump Administration's ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability."

July 22: For the second time, Trump pulled the US out of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — claiming the United Nations agency "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies" of the Trump administration.

In the afternoon, Trump said that late night talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon would soon be fired. "It's really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!" he wrote on Truth Social.

Originally published on Latin Times